Author: Press Room

Boris Johnson has pulled out of the race to become Britain’s next prime minister after his campaign stalled and rivals claimed he did not have the backing of the 100 Tory MPs needed to enter today’s contest. Despite frantic attempts by Johnson to bolster his support, he announced at 9pm yesterday that he was abandoning his bid to make a comeback as prime minister just weeks after he quit Number 10.His withdrawal from the contest leaves former chancellor Rishi Sunak as the clear frontrunner to succeed Liz Truss. Sunak’s only declared rival for the job, leader of the House of…

The Houston Astros have owned the New York Yankees for years, and the American League Championship Series might have just been the most exact example of “big brother-little brother” in this rivalry.The Astros completed their sweep of the Yankees with their 6-5 win on Sunday night.The Astros will meet the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series.Up 5-4, the Yankees got a tailor-made double play ball in the seventh to end the inning, but Gleyber Torres threw it wide of Isiah Kiner-Falefa (who didn’t take a great angle, either). And Houston took advantage. Yordan Alvarez and Alex Bregman had back-to-back RBI…

The Coast Guard took 94 Cuban migrants back to their homeland Saturday amid continued flight from the island and an increased number of interdictions off Florida, the agency said Sunday.The Coast Guard said the migrants were apprehended in one of four interdictions of unstable vessels headed to the U.S.“Taking to the sea on overloaded, rustic vessels is dangerous and unsafe,” Lt. Connor Ives, a Coast Guard Atlantic district law enforcement officer, said in the agency’s statement.The cutter Paul Clark was used to return the migrants to Cuba, the agency said.Boats loaded with migrants were discovered last Monday 12 miles south…

London CNN  —  Britain’s former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak emerged Sunday as the clear front-runner to be the country’s next prime minister, after Boris Johnson dramatically dropped out of the race to be Conservative Party leader. The current PM Liz Truss resigned last week after just six disastrous weeks in office. Graham Brady, the Conservative official responsible for the leadership contest, said a new prime minister will be in place by Friday. Candidates to replace Truss have until 2 p.m. (9 a.m. ET) on Monday to secure the support of 100 Conservative Party lawmakers to enter the race…

Greens Senator Lidia Thorpe will self-refer to the Senate Privileges Committee over her secret relationship with a former bikie boss. Ms Thorpe resigned as Greens’ Deputy Senate Leader last week when it was revealed she briefly dated ex-Rebels bikie boss Dean Martin. The Greens party room today supported her decision to self-refer to the committee, and she will write to the president this afternoon. Source: Sky News

Western Union completed the transcontinental telegraph, bridging communications between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans for the very first time — just as the Civil War tore apart north and south — on this day in history, Oct. 24, 1861. The lines from each coast were joined in Salt Lake City. “The people of California desire to congratulate you upon completion of the great work,” the state’s chief justice, Stephen J. Field, wrote in the absence of the governor to President Abraham Lincoln in Washington, D.C.ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY, OCT. 21, 1797, LEGENDARY WARSHIP USS CONSTITUTION LAUNCHED IN BOSTON”They believe it will…

CNN  —  Former President Donald Trump and his movement are posing new challenges to accountability, free elections and the rule of law, ushering in a fresh period of political turmoil. Trump dropped his clearest hint yet Saturday of a new White House run at a moment when he’s on a new collision course with the Biden administration, the courts and facts. Trump never really went away after losing reelection in 2020, but a dizzying catalog of confrontations is vaulting him back into the center of US politics. It’s likely to deepen polarization in an already deeply divided nation. And Trump’s…

In a bleak year for fixed-income markets, US municipal bonds issued by state and local governments have stood out as being among the least-bad assets to own. The outperformance is now looking more tenuous.The $4tn market for “munis”, often bought by individual investors attracted to their yields and tax advantages, has fallen by 13 per cent this year, according to the ICE BofA municipal bond index. The decline has been sharp for the muni market but less severe than benchmarks for Treasury bonds, investment-grade corporate debt or US equities.Municipalities’ fiscal balances are still in good shape thanks to stimuli they…

Tua Tagovailoa’s return under center was a success. The Miami Dolphins snapped a three-game losing streak in their 16-10 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night.On the first drive of the night, and Tagovailoa’s first since suffering a concussion that hospitalized him, the Dolphins went nine plays for 71 drives that ended in a nine-yard pass to Raheem Mostert for the score. The Steelers went three-and-out, and Miami marched again. They got inside the 10, but had to settle for a field goal, and led 10-0 less than 10 minutes into the contest. In the Steelers’ ensuing drive, Kenny Pickett…

DENVER — This Jets win had some extra Sauce.  Rookie cornerback Sauce Gardner had another standout performance in the team’s 16-9 win over the Broncos. Gardner had 10 tackles and three passes defensed, including breaking up a fourth-down pass to the end zone in the fourth quarter that could have tied the game.  “He’s ready for this,” fellow cornerback D.J. Reed said. “If we didn’t go by rookies and second, third, fourth, fifth year, you wouldn’t be able to tell he’s a rookie out there. He’s playing like a savvy veteran that’s been in the league for multiple years. He’s…