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WASHINGTON — Days before Senate Republicans pick their new leader, President-elect Donald Trump is pressuring the candidates to change the rules and empower him to appoint some nominees without a Senate vote. Republican Sens. John Thune of South Dakota, John Cornyn of Texas and Rick Scott of Florida are running in a secret ballot election Wednesday to lead the GOP conference and replace longtime Republican leader Mitch McConnell, who is stepping aside from the job after almost two decades. All three have courted Trump’s support in the race, vying to show who is the closest to the president-elect as they campaign to become majority leader. Trump has not endorsed any candidate in the race, but Sunday he made clear that he expects the new leader to go around regular Senate order, if necessary, to allow him to fill his Cabinet quickly. In a statement on X and Truth Social, Trump said that the next leader “must agree” to allow him to make appointments when the chamber is on recess, bypassing a confirmation vote. “Any Republican Senator seeking the coveted LEADERSHIP position in the United States Senate must agree to Recess Appointments (in the Senate!), without which we will not be able to get people confirmed in a timely manner,” Trump posted, adding that positions should be filled “IMMEDIATELY!” The Senate has not allowed presidents to make so-called recess appointments since a 2014 Supreme Court ruling limited the president’s power to do so. Since then, the Senate has held brief “pro-forma” sessions when it is out of town for more than 10 days so that a president cannot take advantage of the absence and start filling posts that have not been confirmed. But with Trump’s approval paramount in the race, all three candidates quickly suggested that they might be willing to reconsider the practice. Scott replied to Trump, “100% agree. I will do whatever it takes to get your nominations through as quickly as possible.” And Thune said in a statement that they must “quickly and decisively” act to get nominees in place and that “all options are on the table to make that happen, including recess appointments.” Cornyn said that “It is unacceptable for Senate Ds to blockade President @realDonaldTrump ‘s cabinet appointments. If they do, we will stay in session, including weekends, until they relent.” He noted that recess appointments are allowed under the Constitution. The social media exchange Sunday … “Trump pressures candidates for Senate Republican leader to fill Cabinet quickly” →

Lost Hills, California — In a sprawling plant in the heart of California’s farmland, millions of shells rush down a metallic chute and onto a conveyor belt where they are inspected, roasted, packaged and shipped off to groceries around the world. Pistachios are growing fast in California, where farmers have been devoting more land to a crop seen as hardier and more drought-tolerant in a state prone to dramatic swings in precipitation. The crop generated nearly $3 billion last year in California and in the past decade the United States has surpassed Iran to become the world’s top exporter of the nut. “There has been an explosion over the last 10 or 15 years of plantings, and those trees are coming online,” said Zachary Fraser, president and chief executive of American Pistachio Growers, which represents more than 800 farmers in the southwestern U.S. “You are starting to see the fruit of people’s vision from 40 years ago.” California grows more than a third of the country’s vegetables and three quarters of its fruit and nuts, according to state agricultural statistics. Pistachios have surged over the past decade to become the state’s sixth-biggest agricultural commodity in value ahead of longtime crops such as strawberries and tomatoes, the data shows. Much of the crop is headed to China, where it is a popular treat during the Lunar New Year. But industry experts said Americans also are eating more pistachios, which were rarely in grocery stores a generation ago and today are a snack food found almost everywhere. They are sold with shells or without and flavors range from salt and pepper to honey roasted. The Wonderful Co., a $6 billion agricultural company known for brands such as Halo mandarins and FIJI Water, is the biggest name in pistachios. The company has grown pistachios since the 1980s, but it ramped up in 2015 after developing a rootstock that yields as much as 40% more nuts with the same soil and water, said Rob Yraceburu, president of Wonderful Orchards. Now, Wonderful grows between 15% and 20% of the U.S. pistachio crop, he said. Its pistachio orchards stretch across vast tracts of dust-filled farmland northwest of Los Angeles also lined with pomegranates and dairies. The trees are shaken each fall and the nuts hauled to a massive processing facility to be prepped for sale. “There is an increasingly growing demand in pistachios,” Yraceburu said. “The world … “California farmers enjoy pistachio boom, with much of it headed to China” →

POMPTON LAKES, N.J. — A New York parks employee died battling one of a number of wildfires in New Jersey and New York amid dry conditions that have prompted air quality warnings in both states, authorities said Sunday.  The worker died when a tree fell on him Saturday afternoon as he battled a major brush fire along the New York-New Jersey border, according to reports from the Eastern Dutchess County Fire and Rescue and the New York state forestry services.  “Rip brother your shift is over job well done,” the New York State forestry services post said.  New York State Police said they were investigating the death amid the fire in Sterling Forest located in Greenwood Lake and identified the victim as Dariel Vasquez, an 18-year-old state Parks and Recreation aide employed by the New York State Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation Department.  The fires in New York and New Jersey come as firefighters are also battling a wildfire in California.  The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Forest Fire Service reported the sprawling blaze had spread to 10 square kilometers near the border in Passaic County’s West Milford and Orange County, New York. Officials said Sunday the blaze, dubbed the Jennings Creek wildfire, was now threatening 14 Greenwood Lake structures as well as two New Jersey homes and eight buildings in that state’s Long Pond Ironworks Historic District.  Health advisories were issued for parts of New York, including New York City, and northeastern New Jersey due to unhealthy air quality due to smoke from the fires. People were urged to limit strenuous outdoor physical activity if possible; those especially sensitive included the very young and very old and people with ailments such as asthma and heart disease.  New Jersey officials, meanwhile, reported 75 percent containment of a 70-hectare fire in the Pompton Lakes area of Passaic County that was threatening 55 homes, although no evacuations had been ordered.  Progress was also reported on fires in the Bethany Run area on the border of Burlington and Camden counties in Evesham and Voorhees townships; a blaze along the Palisades Interstate Parkway in Englewood Cliffs in Bergen County; and the Pheasant Run wildfire in the Glassboro wildlife protection area of Gloucester County.  Prosecutors in Ocean County on late Saturday afternoon announced arson and firearms charges in connection with a 142-hectare Jackson Township fire that started Wednesday. They said it was sparked by magnesium … “NY parks employee dies fighting fires; air quality warnings are issued in New York and New Jersey” →

Washington — In the end, former U.S. President Donald Trump’s victory in last week’s 2024 national election for a new four-year presidential term in the White House was sweeping. Ahead of the Nov. 5 election, national polling showed Vice President Kamala Harris with a slight edge over Trump, maybe a percentage point or two, depending on the survey. Harris, the Democratic candidate, and Trump, a Republican, were virtually deadlocked, the surveys indicated, in seven political battleground states that election analysts viewed as critical to the election outcome. Trump, however, captured all seven states, leading to his lopsided edge in the state-by-state vote count in the Electoral College, 312 to 226, which determines the outcome of U.S. presidential elections. The number needed to clinch the presidency is 270. He won the seven battleground states by a range of just under 1% in Wisconsin to more than 6% in Arizona. On January 20, 2025, the 78-year-old Trump will take office as the country’s 47th president and the first president to win two nonconsecutive terms since Grover Cleveland in the 1890s. He is the oldest elected president in U.S. history. Trump also won the popular vote, the first Republican candidate to do so since former President George W. Bush in 2004. While the last ballots are still being counted, Trump already is the clear winner, capturing nearly 75 million votes so far to just under 71 million for Harris, a 50.5% to 47.9% edge for Trump. Trump’s 2024 vote tally was about the same as the 74 million he received in losing the 2020 election to Democratic President Joe Biden, but the vote for Harris was about 10 million fewer than Biden received. U.S. pollsters often like to say their surveys are just a snapshot in time, and not necessarily predictive. But over Trump’s three runs for the presidency since 2016, his level of support has consistently been underestimated in polling, no matter how many times pollsters have tried to adjust their published results to account for a hidden Trump vote from people unwilling to tell even anonymous surveyors that, yes, when they went to polling centers or cast mail-in ballots, he was their choice. Exit polls showed that women voters favored Harris and men Trump. More educated voters went for Harris, while those without college degrees voted for Trump, but nearly two-thirds of Americans do not have a college degree. In amassing his … “Donald Trump’s US presidential victory was sweeping “ →

Washington — Editor’s note: Here is a look at immigration-related news around the U.S. this week. Questions? Tips? Comments? Email the VOA immigration team: ImmigrationUnit@voanews.com. What to expect on immigration under a new Trump administration President-elect Donald Trump put immigration at the front of his campaign agenda, pledging to bring what he calls “unprecedented order” to the southern border and launch the nation’s largest mass deportation operation of undocumented immigrants on his first day in office. VOA immigration reporter Aline Barros has more. US judge rules against Biden legalization program for immigrant spouses A U.S. judge in Texas ruled Thursday against President Joe Biden’s program offering a path to citizenship for certain immigrant spouses of U.S. citizens, a blow that could keep the program blocked through Biden’s final months in office. U.S. District Judge J. Campbell Barker found the program exceeded Biden’s executive authority. The program offers a path to citizenship to about 500,000 immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally if they are married to U.S. citizens. Reuters reports. After election, Kenya-born legislator heads to Minnesota Capitol Huldah Momanyi Hiltsley made history November 5 by becoming the first Kenya-born immigrant elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives. She describes her victory as a testament to resilience, determination and the realization of the American dream. Standing in the State Capitol for the first time on the morning of her orientation, Hiltsley told VOA she was overwhelmed with emotions and eager to start her journey as an elected official. Produced by Abdushakur Aboud. Families separated by US-Mexico border reunite for a few precious minutes Nearly 200 families gathered Saturday along a stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border for heartfelt but brief reunions with loved ones they had not seen for years because they live in different countries. Tears flowed and people embraced as Mexican families were allowed to reunite for a few minutes at the border with relatives who migrated to the U.S. Adults and children passed over the Rio Grande to meet with their loved ones. The Associated Press reports. Immigration around the world Migrant caravan of 3,000 heads north in Mexico A caravan of approximately 3,000 migrants set off Tuesday from southern Mexico, headed toward the United States on the day when U.S. voters were deciding between U.S. presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. Immigration has been a key issue in the U.S. election campaign. Before heading northward, the migrants gathered … “VOA immigration weekly recap, Nov. 3-9 “ →

WILLIAMSBURG, Virginia — A Virginia museum has nearly finished restoring the nation’s oldest surviving schoolhouse for Black children, where hundreds of mostly enslaved students learned to read through a curriculum that justified slavery.  The museum, Colonial Williamsburg, also has identified more than 80 children who lined its pinewood benches in the 1760s.  They include Aberdeen, 5, who was enslaved by a saddle and harness maker. Bristol and George, 7 and 8, were owned by a doctor. Phoebe, 3, was the property of local tavern keepers.  Another student, Isaac Bee, later emancipated himself. In newspaper ads seeking his capture, his enslaver warned that Bee “can read.”  The museum dedicated the Williamsburg Bray School at a large ceremony on Friday, with plans to open it for public tours this spring. Colonial Williamsburg tells the story of Virginia’s colonial capital through interpreters and hundreds of restored buildings.  ‘An amazing mirror’ Smithsonian Institution Secretary Lonnie Bunch told the crowd outside the refurbished school that it was one of the most important historic moments of the last decade.  “History is an amazing mirror,” Bunch added. “It’s a mirror that challenges us and reminds us that, despite what we’ve achieved, despite all our ideals, America still is a work in progress. But, oh, what an amazing work it is.”  The Cape Cod-style home was built in 1760 and still contains much of its original wood and brick. It will anchor a complicated story about race and education, but also resistance, before the American Revolution.  The school rationalized slavery within a religious framework and encouraged children to accept their fates as God’s plan. And yet, becoming literate also gave them more agency. The students went on to share what they learned with family members and others who were enslaved.  “We don’t shy away from the fact that this was a pro-slavery school,” said Maureen Elgersman Lee, director of William & Mary’s Bray School Lab, a partnership between the university and museum.  But she said the school takes on a different meaning in the 21st century.  “It’s a story of resilience and resistance,” Lee said. “And I put the resilience of the Bray School on a continuum that brings us to today.”  To underscore the point, the lab has been seeking descendants of the students, with some success.  They include Janice Canaday, 67, who also is the museum’s African American community engagement manager. Her lineage traces back to the … “1760 schoolhouse for Black U.S. children holds complicated history of slavery, resilience “ →

NEW YORK — For some television viewers, size apparently does matter. Forget the 165-centimeter TVs that were considered bigger than average a decade ago. In time for the holidays, manufacturers and retailers are rolling out more XXL screens measuring more than 2.4 meters diagonally. That’s wider than a standard three-seat sofa or a king-size bed. Supersize televisions only accounted for 1.7% of revenue from all TV set sales in the U.S. during the first nine months of the year, according to market research firm Circana. But companies preparing for shoppers to go big for Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa have reason to think the growing ultra category will be a bright spot in an otherwise tepid television market, according to analysts. The 38,100 televisions of at least 246 centimeters sold between January and September represented a tenfold increase from the same period last year, Circana said. Best Buy, the nation’s largest consumer electronics chain, doubled the assortment of hefty TVs — the 19 models range in price from $2,000 to $25,000 — and introduced displays in roughly 70% of its stores. “It’s really taken off this year,” Blake Hampton, Best Buy’s senior vice president of merchandising, said. Analysts credit the emerging demand to improved technology and much lower prices. So far this year, the average price for TVs spanning at least 246 centimeters was $3,113 compared to $6,662 last year, according to Circana. South Korean electronics manufacturer Samsung introduced its first 249-centimeter TV in 2019 with a hefty price tag of $99,000; it now has four versions starting at $4,000, the company said. Anthony Ash, a 42-year-old owner of a wood pallet and recycling business, recently bought a 949-centimeter Sony for his 1,300-square-meter house in Bristol, Wisconsin. The device, which cost about $5,000 excluding installation fees, replaced an 216-centimeter TV in the great room off his kitchen. Ash now has 17 televisions at home and uses some to display digital art. “We just saw that the price was affordable for what we were looking for and thought, ‘Why not?’” he said of deciding to upsize to the Sony. “You get a better TV experience with a bigger TV. You’re sitting watching TV with a person on TV that is the same size as you. You can put yourself in the scene.” The amount of time that many people spend staring at their cellphones and tablets, including to stream movies and TV shows, … “With the holidays approaching, US stores stock more supersize TV sets” →

RIO GRANDE CITY, Texas — Jorge Bazán’s family has lived on the U.S.-Mexico border for generations and voted for Democrats as long as he can remember. He broke the family tradition this year and voted for Donald Trump because he doesn’t trust the Democratic Party’s economic policies. “I think they forgot about the middle class,” said Bazán, who works for the utility company in Rio Grande City, seat of the most Hispanic county in the nation. “People are suffering right now. Everything’s very expensive.” The South Texas region — stretching from San Antonio to the Rio Grande Valley — has long been a Democratic stronghold. A slide toward Trump in 2020 rattled Democrats in the predominately Hispanic area, where for decades Republicans seldom bothered to field candidates in local races. However, few Democrats expected the dramatic realignment that happened Tuesday, when Trump flipped several counties along the border including Hidalgo and Cameron, the two most populous counties in the Rio Grande Valley. In Starr County, where Bazán lives, voters backed a Republican presidential candidate for the first time in a century. The predominantly Hispanic and working-class rural county, with a median household income of $36,000 that’s one of the lowest in the nation, gave Trump a 16 percentage-point victory margin over Vice President Kamala Harris. Roughly 2 million residents live at Texas’ southernmost point, among vast tracts of farmland and many state and federal agents patrolling the border. Trump’s victories in the Rio Grande Valley starkly showed how working-class voters nationwide are shifting toward Republicans. That includes voters on the Texas border, where many Democrats long argued that Trump’s promised crackdowns on immigration would turn off voters. “I was always a lifelong Democrat, but I decided to change to Republican with the political landscape that it is now,” said Luis Meza, a 32-year-old Starr County voter. “I felt that going Republican was the better choice, especially with the issues of immigration and everything like that that’s going on.” Meza said that he was against Trump at first but noticed too few changes under President Joe Biden to justify voting for Harris. Biden won Hidalgo County by less than half the margin that Hillary Clinton did in 2016. Since then, Republicans have invested millions of dollars to persuade Hispanic and working-class voters soured by Democratic policies. A similar scenario played out in the state’s three most competitive races in nearby counties. Republican … “A Texas border county backed Democrats for generations; Trump won it decisively” →

Washington — President-elect Donald Trump said Saturday that former Republican presidential contender Nikki Haley and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will not be asked to join his administration.  “I will not be inviting former Ambassador Nikki Haley, or former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, to join the Trump Administration, which is currently in formation,” Trump posted on social media. “I very much enjoyed and appreciated working with them previously, and would like to thank them for their service to our country.”  Trump is meeting with potential candidates to serve in his administration before his January 20 inauguration as president. Reuters reported Friday that Trump met with prominent investor Scott Bessent, who is a potential U.S. Treasury Secretary nominee.  Haley, a former South Carolina governor who served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under Trump, endorsed Trump for president despite having criticized him harshly when she ran against him in the party primaries.   Pompeo, who also served as director of the Central Intelligence Agency under Trump, has been mentioned in some media reports as a possible defense secretary and also had been seen a potential Republican presidential candidate, before he announced in April 2023 he would not run.  Haley and Pompeo could not immediately be reached for comment on Saturday.  During his first term as president, Trump made some key personnel announcements via social media posts.  Separately, Trump said the 2025 presidential inauguration will be co-chaired by real estate investor and campaign donor Steve Witkoff and former Senator Kelly Loeffler.  …

WASHINGTON — The Associated Press declared President-elect Donald Trump the winner in Arizona on Saturday night after vote updates in Maricopa and other counties added to his overall lead, putting the state out of reach for Vice President Kamala Harris. At the time the AP called the race at 9:21 p.m. ET, Trump led Harris, 52.6% to 46.4%, a margin of about 185,000 votes. Harris needed to win about 7 out of every 10 votes of the roughly 443,000 uncounted ballots remaining, a percentage that has steadily grown as additional votes were counted. Trump has now swept all seven of the hotly contested presidential battlegrounds, winning 312 electoral votes, compared to 226 for Harris. The number needed to clinch the presidency is 270. In 2020, President Joe Biden carried the state narrowly over Trump, but he won Maricopa County by a margin of 50 percentage points to 48. On Saturday, Trump was leading Harris 52 to 47. The AP only declares a winner once it can determine that a trailing candidate can’t close the gap and overtake the vote leader. Here’s a look at how the AP called this race: Candidates: President: Harris (D) vs. Trump (R) vs. Chase Oliver (Libertarian) vs. Jill Stein (Green). Winner: Trump. Poll closing time: 9 p.m. ET Tuesday. Arizona does not release votes until all precincts have reported or one hour after all polls are closed, whichever is first, usually 10 p.m. ET. About the race: Both Harris and Trump crisscrossed this border state, where immigration is a prominent issue, multiple times before Election Day. Trump put immigration at the center of his candidacy, promising to deport people without legal documentation while Harris called for pathways to citizenship as well as tighter security at the border. Independent voters are the largest bloc in the state, followed by Republicans, then Democrats, who have succeeded in winning Senate contests and the governorship since 2018. Biden became just the second Democrat to win the state in more than 70 years. Both candidates made a play for vote-rich Maricopa County, which is home to Phoenix, Mesa and Tempe. Trump carried the county by 3 points in 2016, while Biden won with a 2-point margin four years later. Arizona is primarily an early voting state. In 2016, just over three-quarters of the votes were cast early. In 2020, that climbed to nearly 90%. Why AP called the race: In statewide … “Why AP called Arizona for Trump” →

Washington — Donald Trump won the state of Arizona in this week’s U.S. presidential election, U.S. TV networks projected on Saturday, completing the Republican’s sweep of all seven swing states. After four days of counting in the southwest state with a large Hispanic population, CNN and NBC projected Trump had obtained its 11 electoral votes as he defeated Vice President Kamala Harris. Outgoing President Joe Biden scored a narrow but crucial victory in Arizona in 2020 that condemned Trump to defeat after his first term in office. The scale and strength of Trump’s comeback, which also saw the real estate tycoon win the popular vote by a margin of around 4 million votes, has sent shockwaves through the defeated Democratic Party. The Republicans have already regained control of the Senate and look well set to retain a majority in the House of Representatives thanks to support from white working-class voters and a large share of Hispanics. CNN has called Republican victories for 213 seats in the House, with 218 needed for a majority in the lower chamber. The networks’ figures show Democrats on 205 seats, although senior party figures are still hoping they can pull off a slim victory that would significantly curtail Trump’s powers. NBC sees the Republicans with 212 seats so far, and 204 for the Democrats. The other six swing states won by Trump in the presidential race are Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina, Nevada and Georgia. The latest good news for Trump came as the White House said Biden would meet with the president-elect at the White House on Wednesday. Trump — who never conceded his 2020 loss — sealed a remarkable comeback to the presidency in the November 5 vote, cementing what is set to be more than a decade of U.S. politics dominated by his hardline right-wing stance. This type of meeting between the outgoing and incoming presidents was considered customary, but Trump did not invite Biden for one after making unsubstantiated election fraud claims that culminated in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Trump also broke with precedent by skipping Biden’s inauguration, but the White House has said the Democratic president will attend the upcoming ceremony. Biden’s meeting with Trump will take place in the Oval Office, the White House said Saturday, with the clock ticking down to the ex-president’s return to power. Trump, the 78-year-old ex-reality TV star, won wider margins than before, … “Trump completes swing state sweep by taking Arizona” →

The election of Republican Kelly Ayotte as New Hampshire’s governor means 13 women will serve as a state’s chief executive next year, breaking the record of 12 set after the 2022 elections. Governors hold powerful sway in American politics, shaping state policy and often using the experience and profile gained to launch campaigns for higher offices. “It matters to have women in those roles to normalize the image of women in political leadership and even more specifically in executive leadership, where they’re the sole leader, not just a member of a team,” said Kelly Dittmar, director of research at the Rutgers Center for American Women and Politics. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was floated as a potential Democratic nominee for president after President Joe Biden exited the race. Republican South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem was thought to be in the running for President-elect Donald Trump’s vice presidential post. Ayotte, a former U.S. senator, defeated the Democratic nominee Joyce Craig, a former mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire’s largest city. Still, 18 states have never had a woman in the governor’s office. “This is another side of political leadership where women continue to be underrepresented,” Dittmar said. “Thirteen out of 50 is still underrepresentation.” With two women vying for governor in New Hampshire, a new record for female governors was inevitable. The state has a long history of electing women. As a senator, Ayotte was part of the nation’s first all-female congressional delegation. It was also the first state to have a female governor, state Senate president and House speaker at the same time, and the first to have a female majority in its Senate. Ayotte will be the state’s third woman to be governor. “Being a woman isn’t really that critical to her political persona,” Linda Fowler, professor emerita of government at Dartmouth College, said of Ayotte. Both Ayotte and Craig said their gender hasn’t come up on the campaign trail although reproductive rights often took front and center. In her campaign, Craig attacked Ayotte’s record on abortion, and both candidates released TV ads detailing their own miscarriages. Ayotte said she will veto any bill further restricting abortion in New Hampshire where it is illegal after 24 weeks of pregnancy. When Ayotte is sworn in, five Republican women will serve as governor at the same time, another new high. The other eight are Democrats. New Hampshire’s was one of the few competitive gubernatorial … “Record 13 women will be governors next year in US” →

Firefighters on two U.S. coasts were making progress Saturday on wildfires in California and New Jersey. Southern California firefighters were gaining ground on a wildfire that destroyed more than 130 structures as gusty winds subsided Saturday with favorable weather conditions expected through the weekend.  The Mountain Fire in Ventura County was held at about 83 square kilometers and was 17% contained, Fire Operations Section Chief Clint Swensen said. The fire broke out Wednesday and exploded in size thanks in part to the arrival of dry, warm and gusty northeast winds, forcing thousands of residents to flee and threatening 3,500 structures in suburban neighborhoods, ranches and agricultural areas around the community of Camarillo.  Red flag warnings indicating conditions for high fire danger expired in most of the region Thursday. Smoky air hung over the area Saturday thanks to light winds, the very conditions that were aiding firefighters, said Ryan Kittell, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.  “It’s very favorable for the weekend,” Kittell said. “Good for firefighting efforts but not great for air quality.”  Some forecasts showed winds returning to the area Tuesday but not to the extent seen last week, Kittell said.  The region northwest of Los Angeles, California, has seen some of the state’s most destructive fires over the years.   Across the country in New Jersey, firefighters were reporting “substantial progress” against a wildfire that was threatening dozens of structures, one of a number of forest fires they are fighting in the state.  The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Forest Fire Service said Saturday afternoon that the fire in the Pompton Lakes area of Passaic County had been 50% contained.  The blaze is burning more than 65 hectares and is threatening 55 structures, although no evacuations have been ordered. Earlier, the blaze prompted closure of the right lane of northbound Interstate 287, officials said.  The Forest Fire Service was battling the blaze with fire engines and ground crews and a helicopter capable of dropping 1,325 liters of water, officials said. Structures were being protected by local fire companies, they said.  Officials also reported fighting a new wildfire that has ignited across more than 728 hectares near the New York-New Jersey border in Passaic County’s West Milford and Orange County, New York. The Jennings Creek wildfire was threatening two homes and eight buildings in the Long Pond Ironworks Historic District.  An earlier wildfire in the Bethany … “Firefighters in California, New Jersey make progress on wildfires” →

Most strokes could be prevented, according to new guidelines aimed at helping people and their doctors do just that.  Stroke was the fourth-leading cause of death in the U.S. in 2023, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and more than half a million Americans have a stroke every year. But up to 80% of strokes may be preventable with better nutrition, exercise and identification of risk factors.  The first new guidelines on stroke prevention in 10 years from the American Stroke Association, a division of the American Heart Association, include recommendations for people and doctors that reflect a better understanding of who gets strokes and why, along with new drugs that can help reduce risk.  The good news is that the best way to reduce your risk for stroke is also the best way to reduce your risk for a whole host of health problems — eat a healthy diet, move your body and don’t smoke. The bad news is that it’s not always so easy to sustain.  Dr. Sean Duke, a stroke doctor at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, blames the forces in society that keep people sedentary and eating poorly, like cell phones and cheap, unhealthy food. “Our world is stacked against us,” he said.  Here’s what to know about stroke and the new guidelines:  What is a stroke?  A stroke happens when blood flow to part of the brain is blocked or if a blood vessel in the brain bursts. That deprives the brain of oxygen which can cause brain damage that can lead to difficulty thinking, talking and walking, or even death.  How eating healthy can reduce your risk for stroke  Eating healthy can help control several factors that increase your risk for stroke, including high cholesterol, high blood sugar, and obesity, according to the heart association.  The group recommends foods in the so-called Mediterranean diet such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains and olive oil, which can help keep cholesterol levels down. It suggests limiting red meat and other sources of saturated fat. Instead, get your protein from beans, nuts, poultry, fish and seafood.  Limit highly processed foods and foods and drinks with a lot of added sugar. This can also reduce your calorie intake, which helps keep weight in check.  Moving your body can help prevent strokes  Getting up and walking around for at least 10 minutes a day can “drastically” … “Experts release new guidelines for preventing strokes” →

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Defense Department will appeal a military judge’s ruling that plea agreements struck by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the September 11, 2001, attacks, and two of his co-defendants are valid, a defense official said Saturday. The ruling this past week voided Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s order to throw out the deals and concluded that the plea agreements were valid. The judge granted the three motions to enter guilty pleas and said he would schedule them for a future date to be determined by the military commission. The department will also seek a postponement of any hearing on the pleas, according to the official, who was not authorized to publicly discuss legal matters and spoke on condition of anonymity. Rear Admiral Aaron Rugh, the chief prosecutor, sent a letter Friday to the families of 9/11 victims informing them of the decision. The ruling by the judge, Air Force Colonel Matthew McCall, allowed the three 9/11 defendants to enter guilty pleas in the U.S. military courtroom at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and would spare them the risk of the death penalty. The pleas by Mohammed, Walid bin Attash and Mustafa al-Hawsawi would be a key step toward closing out the long-running and legally troubled government prosecution in the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people. Government prosecutors had negotiated the deals with defense lawyers under government auspices, and the top official for the military commission at Guantanamo had approved the agreements. But the deals were immediately slammed by Republican lawmakers and others when they were made public this summer. Within days, Austin issued an order saying he was nullifying them. He said plea bargains in possible death penalty cases tied to one of the gravest crimes ever carried out on U.S. soil were a momentous step that should only be decided by the defense secretary. The judge had ruled that Austin lacked the legal authority to toss out the plea deals. The agreements, and Austin’s attempt to reverse them, have made for one of the most fraught episodes in a U.S. prosecution marked by delays and legal difficulties. That includes years of ongoing pretrial hearings to determine the admissibility of statements by the defendants, given their torture in CIA custody. While families of some of the victims and others are adamant that the 9/11 prosecutions continue until trial and possible death sentences, legal experts say it is not clear … “US will appeal ruling that 9/11 defendants can plead guilty, avoid death penalty” →