Texas governor-elect Gina Hinojosa has proposed one-time $1,500 refund checks for every household, funded by withdrawing $17 billion from the state’s Rainy Day Fund. The checks are not approved or automatic: state lawmakers must pass a bill and decide who qualifies and how payments would be distributed.
Key Facts
Hinojosa said the Rainy Day Fund held about $27 billion and her plan would leave roughly $10 billion in reserve.
The fund is formally called the Economic Stabilization Fund.
No application process, payment date, or eligibility rules have been announced.
Hinojosa has described the payments as a refund and tied the proposal to household affordability pressures.
Her campaign said she would declare an affordability emergency on her first day in office and ask legislators to prepare the required measure.
The plan would require cooperation from the Texas Legislature, where lawmakers must approve the withdrawal and establish program details.
Hinojosa’s other stated priorities include expanding Medicaid, repealing the private-school voucher program, and ending tax breaks for large data centers.
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New Yorkers marched in the Bronx to demand justice for Javits Frimpong, a Ghanaian teenager who was shot and killed while going to school last month. Protesters, including Frimpong’s uncle, called for accountability and an end to gun violence.
Key Facts
Javits Frimpong was a Ghanaian teenager.
He was shot and killed in the Bronx last month.
Frimpong was on his way to school when he was shot.
New Yorkers marched to demand justice for him.
Protesters called for accountability and an end to gun violence.
The report included comments from Frimpong’s uncle and protesters.
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A fire at a residential building near Sunset Park in Brooklyn killed six people and injured six civilians and three firefighters, according to New York City fire officials. The cause is under investigation; responders also found a lithium-ion battery at the scene, but officials have not said whether it was connected to the fire.
Key Facts
The fire was reported at about 01:40 local time on Thursday.
More than 230 firefighters and emergency medical personnel responded.
Responders found the building’s first and second floors engulfed in flames.
Four people were found dead at the scene; two others later died after being found in critical condition.
Six civilians were injured, including two who were in critical condition.
Three firefighters were also injured.
A hazardous-materials team responded because a lithium-ion battery was present.
The FDNY is investigating the cause of the fire.
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Brazilian hospital executive Sidney Klajner said AI and wearable devices can support health care, but they will not improve outcomes without stronger prevention, patient engagement and access to care. He described an AI tool that helps primary care doctors assess pregnant patients in areas with few specialists, while stressing that technology cannot replace stronger health services. New York City health commissioner Alister Martin said AI could also reduce administrative work and give doctors more time with patients.
Key Facts
Klajner leads the Sociedade Beneficente Israelita Brasileira Albert Einstein hospital in São Paulo.
He said wearable health data is useful only if people engage with it and act on it.
Klajner said healthier living depends partly on communities having safe places to walk and exercise.
He described an AI project supported by the Gates Foundation that draws on medical research and clinical guidelines to assist doctors treating pregnant patients.
The system listens to consultations and suggests questions, tests and possible next steps, according to Klajner.
Klajner said the AI tool does not replace specialist care or stronger health services.
Martin said AI could handle administrative tasks such as appointment scheduling, freeing doctors to spend more time with patients.
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Trade unions called workers across France to strike, with demonstrations expected in 260 cities and towns. Protesters are demanding higher wages, tax changes and better school conditions amid broader concerns about living costs.
Key Facts
Protests took place in Marseille, Lyon and Nantes on Thursday morning, with a Paris rally scheduled for 13:00 GMT.
Organisers expected hundreds of thousands of people to demonstrate.
The Education Ministry expected 16 percent of teachers nationwide to strike.
President Emmanuel Macron held a defence and security meeting on Wednesday to address public order.
Reuters reported that riot police fired tear gas at a demonstration in Lyon.
France has seen repeated protests since September, when students began protesting conditions at public high schools.
Reuters reported that a G7 foreign ministers’ meeting was moved from Marseille to Paris after six weeks of nationwide protests.
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A France 24 press review says Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress in the November 4 midterm elections, prompting debate about how President Donald Trump will govern. It also reports that international newspapers linked the results to possible changes in U.S. policy and to a shift away from the “MAGA woman” image.
Key Facts
The article says Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress in the midterm elections.
It reports Democratic victories in Texas and Ohio in Senate and governor races.
The article says some commentators connected the election results to rising petrol prices and Trump’s war against Iran.
Israel Hayom expressed concern about the incoming Congress’s approach to Israel, while Haaretz described a possible transformation in U.S.-Israeli relations.
The article says Trump remains president and can continue to direct U.S. foreign policy.
It reports that Foreign Affairs considered possible actions Trump could take after the election, including new threats against Canada or actions affecting U.S. alliances.
The Times of London argued that the results could mark a decline in the “MAGA woman” style, contrasting it with Texas governor-elect Gina Hinojosa’s pantsuits.
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Researchers identified a previously unknown rodent species from two fossilized teeth found in southern Thailand. The animal lived about 33 to 35 million years ago, weighed an estimated 30 kilograms, and was named Yakamys sirindhornae in honor of Princess Sirindhorn.
Key Facts
The fossils were found in 2004 at a coal mine in Krabi province.
Researchers from Thailand, France, and Canada identified the species through detailed analysis of a molar and an incisor.
The study was published in Scientific Reports.
The rodent belonged to the extinct Ischyromyidae family, an early major group of rodents.
The researchers estimated that it weighed around 30 kilograms, or 66 pounds.
Only two teeth have been found, so its appearance, diet, and behavior are unknown.
The Krabi basin has also yielded fossils of ancient primates, carnivores, and hoofed mammals.
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The Bank of England raised its interest rate from 3.75% to 4%, its first increase in more than three years. The rise may support savings returns but could raise borrowing costs, affect jobs and pay, and increase some homeowners’ mortgage payments.
Key Facts
The Bank raises rates to curb spending and demand, which can help limit price rises.
Higher borrowing costs and weaker customer spending may make businesses less likely to hire or offer pay rises.
Some businesses say higher rates could encourage them to use more automation and robotics.
Savers may get better returns, but people with older savings accounts could earn less than customers who switch to current deals.
Moneyfacts estimates that savers who left £20,000 in closed accounts missed out on £139 over three years compared with on-sale easy-access accounts.
About 500,000 homeowners have mortgages that track the Bank of England rate; a typical borrower will pay about £31 more per month after the increase.
Another 500,000 homeowners with standard variable-rate mortgages may see lenders pass on the rise, which would typically add about £14 a month.
Fixed-rate mortgage payments do not change during the current deal, but the rate rise can affect the cost of future deals.
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The UK government is considering cutting by half the permitted noise level for the loudest fireworks sold for private use. Campaigners say loud bangs can distress pets and trigger PTSD symptoms, while fireworks industry representatives warn that tighter limits could fuel illegal sales.
Key Facts
The government is reviewing fireworks rules focused on noise and antisocial behaviour.
About 20 million people in the UK use fireworks at home each year, according to industry figures.
The proposed change would reduce the limit for the noisiest fireworks for private use by 50%.
Dog owner Katherine Alderson said she uses insulation to reduce the noise reaching her home during fireworks celebrations.
Combat Stress says calls to its helpline rise around this time of year because fireworks can trigger PTSD symptoms in veterans.
Combat Stress is not calling for a ban and says it recognizes the cultural importance of fireworks displays.
The British Fireworks Association warned that stricter limits could lead to more illegal sales and make fireworks harder to regulate.
It is already illegal in the UK to sell fireworks to people under 18 or to set them off after 23:00, with exemptions for specified occasions.
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A preprint study reports that NASA’s Artemis II launch and later engine burns in April 2026 caused three temporary disturbances in the ionosphere, a part of the upper atmosphere that GPS signals pass through. The researchers said the largest disturbance covered about 50 degrees of longitude over North America, but reported no widespread GPS outage or evidence that the mission disrupted cars or drones.
Key Facts
Artemis II launched from Florida on April 1, 2026, carrying four astronauts on a nine-day flight around the Moon.
Researchers identified three ionospheric disturbances: one at launch and two after later engine burns.
The largest disturbance followed an engine burn about two hours after launch and spanned roughly 50 degrees of longitude over North America.
The researchers described a temporary decline in charged particles as an ionosphere “hole”; the mission did not physically puncture the atmosphere.
Changes in the ionosphere can affect how quickly GPS signals travel and may influence positioning accuracy.
The study did not report a widespread GPS outage or evidence that Artemis II caused self-driving cars or drones to malfunction.
The findings appeared in a preprint study published in July in Geophysical Research Letters.
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A security officer was killed in a stabbing attack in Amman on Thursday, and a second officer and the attacker were injured. Jordanian authorities said a preliminary investigation indicated the attacker had planned to target security officers; they arrested him and began investigating the incident.
Key Facts
Jordan’s Public Security Directorate said a member of its forces died after being attacked with a sharp object in Amman.
State-run Al-Mamlaka TV reported that the attacker tried to seize the dead officer’s weapon.
A second security officer intervened and was injured, along with the attacker.
Authorities arrested the attacker, according to Al-Mamlaka TV.
The Public Security Directorate said a preliminary investigation indicated the attacker had planned to target officers of the General Security Directorate.
The Sri Lankan Embassy in Amman said the attack took place near its premises, the Associated Press reported.
It was not immediately clear whether the stabbing was related to a recent deadly attack at a church in southern Jordan.
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The Bank of England raised its base interest rate from 3.75% to 4%, its first increase in more than three years, citing inflation risks linked to the Iran war and higher energy costs. The Bank forecast that UK inflation could reach 4.9% by the middle of next year and said another increase may be needed, depending in part on how the conflict develops.
Key Facts
Eight of the nine Monetary Policy Committee members supported raising the rate to 4%.
Committee member Catherine Mann preferred a larger increase of half a percentage point.
The Bank said UK inflation reached 3.5% in September and revised its mid-next-year forecast from 3.2% to 4.9%.
The Bank linked higher oil prices to rising costs for businesses and consumers.
The Bank expects Great Britain’s household energy price cap to rise to £2,150 in January and increase again in April.
The Bank warned that food price inflation could reach 4.75% by mid-2027.
Governor Andrew Bailey said another rate increase was possible but described a long sequence of increases as unlikely.
The Bank said budget measures, including an extension of the fuel duty freeze and a VAT cut on electricity bills, could lower inflation by 0.25 percentage points in mid-2027.
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A social media user has promoted showering with the lights dimmed or off as a way to wind down at night. Neuroscientist and sleep researcher Chelsie Rohrscheib told Newsweek that lower evening light may limit melatonin suppression, while a warm shower followed by cooling can also support the body’s transition to sleep.
Key Facts
TikTok user Alex, who posts as simplysanfordco, says dimming the lights during a nighttime shower can reduce stimulation.
Rohrscheib said light exposure at night can suppress melatonin, a hormone that helps prepare the body for sleep.
Rohrscheib said a warm shower temporarily raises body temperature, followed by a drop after leaving the shower.
The article says circadian rhythm is the body's roughly 24-hour pattern that helps regulate sleep and wake times.
Rohrscheib said dim evening lighting may help limit melatonin suppression and support the brain's preparation for sleep.
The article includes social media comments from people who say they already shower or bathe in the dark.
Newsweek said it contacted the TikTok accounts simplysanfordco and resetdiariesco for comment.
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Andy Burnham has pledged to seek dialogue with former colonies as Britain considers its first formal state apology for slavery, while ruling out reparations. The Netherlands’ experience shows that apologies can acknowledge historical harm but may not resolve descendants’ calls for change and justice.
Key Facts
The Netherlands began a series of public apologies in 2021, starting with Amsterdam’s mayor, Femke Halsema.
In December 2022, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte apologized on behalf of the government for the Dutch state’s role in slavery.
Rutte said the Dutch state had enabled, encouraged and profited from slavery for more than 250 years.
The article estimates Dutch merchants trafficked about 600,000 enslaved Africans across the Atlantic and between 660,000 and 1 million across the Indian Ocean and East Indies.
The Netherlands legally abolished slavery in Suriname and the Dutch Caribbean in 1863, but enslaved people there did not gain freedom until 1873.
Dutch campaigners began demanding accountability in the 1980s, and slavery entered the school curriculum in 2006.
Linda Nooitmeer, a former chair of NiNsee, said the apology helped restore ancestors’ humanity but had not resolved concerns about the rights of people of African descent.
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The article says James Talarico won a Texas election and pastor Adam Hamilton won a Kansas Senate race after campaigning from a Christian perspective centered on care for vulnerable people and welcoming gay people. It describes the results as evidence that voters were willing to support candidates despite attacks from conservative Christian leaders and Republican opponents over their religious views.
Key Facts
James Talarico, a Presbyterian seminarian, won a Texas election in what the article calls a landslide.
Talarico said Christians should address the systems that make charity necessary, as well as provide aid.
Pastor Adam Hamilton won a Kansas Senate race, according to the article.
Hamilton described Democratic priorities such as education, safety nets and helping vulnerable people as closer to the teachings of Jesus.
Hundreds of conservative Christian preachers had urged Hamilton to withdraw from the race, the article says.
Hamilton made his Methodist congregation open to gay members about two decades ago and lost hundreds of members afterward.
Republican critics focused attacks on Talarico’s views about gender and Christianity, according to the article.
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The article says Democrat Annie Andrews defeated Republican Darline Graham for a U.S. Senate seat in South Carolina, despite Republicans winning other statewide offices. It attributes the upset largely to lower Republican turnout and stronger-than-expected participation by Black voters and other Democratic-leaning groups, rather than a broad shift in the state’s politics.
Key Facts
Annie Andrews defeated Darline Graham for the Senate seat, winning by five percentage points, according to the article.
Darline Graham had been appointed to serve the remainder of her brother Lindsey Graham’s term after his death in July.
Republican national committeeman Tyson Grinstead said 500,000 people who voted in South Carolina’s 2024 presidential election did not vote in the 2026 midterm.
Grinstead said 400,000 of those voters were Republicans.
Grinstead said more Black voters and other traditionally Democratic groups turned out than expected, while more Republicans stayed home.
Republicans won the governorship, lieutenant governorship and other statewide offices by similar margins, the article reports.
Berkeley County shifted 26 percentage points toward the Democratic candidate compared with its 2024 presidential vote.
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Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress in the 2026 midterm elections, with CBS News projecting a House majority of 251 to 268 seats and Democrats holding at least 54 Senate seats. Party leaders are outlining plans to oversee President Donald Trump’s administration, while results in Alaska and Mississippi remain unresolved and Republican leaders prepare for the minority.
Key Facts
Democrats flipped more than two dozen Republican-held House seats, according to the report.
CBS News projects that Democrats will hold between 251 and 268 House seats, with vote counting ongoing in several races.
Democrats won at least 54 Senate seats after victories that included upsets in Texas, Kansas and South Carolina.
The Senate races in Alaska and Mississippi remain toss-ups, according to CBS News.
House Speaker Mike Johnson plans to step aside as the Republican leader, the report says.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats would pursue oversight of the Trump administration.
Vice President JD Vance blamed the losses on the Iran war, while Trump said Republicans lost because he was not on the ballot.
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A CBS News segment considers whether 23-year-old Dylan, who lives with his family and has saved $100,000 while working two jobs, should buy a home, invest the money, or continue saving. Jill Schlesinger and Mark discuss why buying property solely to own real estate may not be the best choice.
Key Facts
Dylan is 23 years old.
He lives at home and works two jobs.
He has saved $100,000.
The segment examines buying property, investing the money, and continuing to save as possible choices.
Jill Schlesinger and Mark offer their views on Dylan's options.
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The author argues that children build skills such as patience, independence and curiosity by joining adults in everyday activities, including restaurant meals, city walks and cultural events. She says these outings can be difficult, but describes her 7-year-old daughter seeming more mature the day after attending a Broadway show.
Key Facts
The author took her 7-year-old daughter to her first Broadway show, Wicked.
The author says her daughter seemed more mature the morning after the show.
The author also cites vacations, restaurant visits, walks in Manhattan and bookstore trips as experiences that can help children grow.
A friend of the author avoids taking his children to restaurants because he expects they will not behave well.
The author argues that children need opportunities to practice behavior and skills before adults can expect them to master those skills.
The author says her daughter got dressed for school and completed homework with less resistance the day after the show.
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The article says Tehran may see Tuesday’s U.S. election as a win for Iran, but the excerpt does not explain the election results. It reports that an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps spokesperson urged Americans to vote against President Donald Trump in the midterm elections, arguing that this could change U.S. policy toward Tehran.
Key Facts
The article frames Iran as a possible beneficiary of Tuesday’s election.
The excerpt does not state the election’s results.
Last month, an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps spokesperson sent a 25-page letter addressed to the American public.
The spokesperson was identified as Gen. Hossein Mohebbi.
Mohebbi urged Americans to vote against President Donald Trump in the midterm elections.
Mohebbi said a vote against Trump could change U.S. policy toward Tehran.
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