“David Richardson, the acting head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, is stepping down, according to the Department of Homeland Security, ending a troubled tenure just six months into the job and while the Atlantic hurricane season is still underway. Richardson, a former Marine Corps officer, is the second FEMA head to leave or be fired since May. He departs amid criticism that he kept a low profile during deadly Texas floods in July that killed 130 people and baffled staff in June when he said he was unaware the country had a hurricane season. A DHS spokesperson gave no reasons for the FEMA chief stepping down. It was not immediately clear who Richardson’s successor will be. Richardson’s predecessor was fired in May, after pushing back against Trump administration efforts to dismantle the agency.” (11/17/25)
“X has revealed Chat, an encrypted upgrade to the platform’s direct messaging service. It also includes support for video and voice calls, disappearing messages, and file sharing. The company announced Chat on Friday, and it’s available now on iOS and the web, with an Android version coming ‘soon.’ It replaces X’s existing messaging system, though your old messages should be carried across. X says that Chat supports end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for both messages and files, though a support page notes that this doesn’t cover message metadata — such as who received it, or when it was sent. There’s also no protection against man-in-the-middle attacks, the company admitting that if ‘a malicious insider or X itself’ compromised an encrypted conversation, there would be no way for users to know, though ways to verify message authenticity and device identity are coming.” (11/17/25)
“A former Alaska Airlines pilot who tried to cut the engines of a passenger flight in 2023 while riding off-duty in the cockpit will serve no additional prison time, a federal judge ruled Monday. U.S. District Court Judge Amy Baggio sentenced Joseph Emerson to time served and supervised release for three years a hearing in Portland, Oregon. Federal prosecutors had asked for one year in prison, while his attorneys had sought probation. ‘Pilots are not perfect. They are human,’ she said. ‘They are people and all people need help sometimes.’ Emerson was subdued by the flight crew after trying to cut the engines of a Horizon Air flight from Everett, Washington, to San Francisco on Oct. 22, 2023, while he was riding in an extra seat in the cockpit. The plane was diverted to Portland, where it landed safely with more than 80 people on board.” (11/17/25)
“The rate of new international students enrolment at US universities dropped by 17% this autumn compared to previous years, research released on Monday indicates. The drop comes as the Trump administration has made it more difficult to obtain student visas, with the research suggesting visa application issues like delays and denials are among the top reasons for the decline in first-time students. The survey found a modest overall 1% decline in international students when taking into account students who have been in the US for years. Foreign students make up about 6% of total US enrollment and contributed $55bn (£41bn) to the economy, according to 2024 figures from the commerce department. The survey by the Institute of International Education examined the population of international students at 828 higher education institutions.” (11/17/25)
“Indian authorities have arrested a man whose vehicle was used in last week’s Red Fort car bombing attack that killed 10 people and injured 32 others. In a statement Sunday, India’s National Investigation Agency said Amir Rashid Ali was arrested in Delhi by NIA agents in a massive search operation. Authorities identified the accused as a resident of Pampore in Muslim-majority Kashmir, a disputed region under Hindu-majority India control. The NIA accused Ali of conspiring with the alleged suicide bomber Umar Un Nabi in the attack, which occurred Nov. 10 near the tourist-heavy and crowded Red Fort in New Delhi.” (11/17/25)
“U.S. immigration agents [abducted] more than 130 people in a weekend sweep through North Carolina’s largest city, a federal official said Monday, as the governor warned that the crackdown is simply ‘stoking fear.’ The Trump administration has made Charlotte, a Democratic city of about 950,000 people, its latest focus for an immigration enforcement surge it says will combat crime, despite fierce objections from local leaders and declining crime rates. City residents reported encounters with immigration agents near churches, apartment complexes and stores. … Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement that Border Patrol officers had [abducted] ‘over 130 illegal [sic] aliens, who have all broken’ immigration laws [sic].” (11/17/25)
“Paul John Bojerski was born to Polish parents in a German refugee camp a year after World War II ended. His family legally emigrated to the United States in 1952 when he was five. More than seven decades later, the 79-year-old Sanford grandfather – still a man without a country – found himself in legal limbo in the Alligator Alcatraz detention camp in the Everglades, [abducted] on a decades-old deportation order authorities had previously chosen not to enforce. … The retired optician, [abducted] late last month, was recently moved to the Krome Detention Center in Miami and has a bond hearing on Nov. 18. His family worries his health is failing while he’s in custody and fears for his future.” (11/16/25)
“Ecuador’s voters on Sunday delivered a major blow to right-wing President Daniel Noboa by decisively rejecting the proposed return of foreign military bases to the South American country’s soil—including installations run by the United States. Around two-thirds of voters opposed the measure with most ballots tallied, a result that was widely seen as a surprise. Voters also rejected a separate effort to rewrite the country’s progressive 2008 constitution, which enshrined strong labor and environmental rights. The stinging defeat for Noboa, an ally of US President Donald Trump, comes as the United States carries out an aggressive military buildup and deadly airstrike campaign in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific—and weighs a direct attack on Venezuela.” (11/17/25)
“A hard-right former lawmaker and admirer of U.S. President Donald Trump held the upper hand as Chile headed to a polarizing presidential runoff against a member of Chile’s Communist Party representing the incumbent government. José Antonio Kast, an ultraconservative lawyer opposed to abortion and same-sex marriage, appears to be in pole position after nearly 70% of votes went to right-wing candidates in Sunday’s first round, as many Chileans worry about organized crime, illegal immigration and unemployment in one of Latin America’s safest and most prosperous nations. … He came in second with nearly 24% of the vote after campaigning on plans to crack down on crime, build a giant border wall and deport tens of thousands of undocumented migrants. Jeannette Jara, a former labor minister in President Gabriel Boric’s left-wing government, eked out a narrower-than-expected lead with 27% of the vote.” (11/17/25)
“An Indiana homeowner accused of killing a house cleaner was charged Monday with voluntary manslaughter in a case that raises questions about the limits of stand-your-ground laws. Curt Anderson, 62, could face anywhere from 10 to 30 years in prison and a $10,000 fine if he’s convicted. He was being held in the Boone County Jail pending an initial court hearing. His attorney, Guy Relford, did not respond to voice messages seeking comment. Officers found Maria Florinda Rios Perez De Velasquez, 32, dead on the front porch of a home in Whitestown, an Indianapolis suburb, on Nov. 5. Authorities said the Guatemalan immigrant was part of a cleaning crew that had gone to the wrong house just before 7 a.m. Her husband told media outlets that he was with her on the porch and someone fired through the front door.” (11/17/25)
