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Reality Star, 63, Stuns as Kylie Jenner for Halloween

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Lisa Rinna, 63, sent fans rushing to do a double-take on Friday after once again stepping into the role of Kylie Jenner, 29.

The former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star appeared almost unrecognizable in a plunging orange cut-out dress and long brunette wig. Earlier this year, Rinna and her husband, Harry Hamlin, parodied Jenner and her boyfriend Timothée Chalamet’s viral holiday photos.

Her latest costume recreated the daring gown Jenner wore to the December 2025 premiere of Chalamet’s film Marty Supreme, held as his ultimately unsuccessful Oscars campaign was getting underway.

Rinna completed the transformation with Jenner’s signature doe-eyed makeup, dramatically lined lips and a youthful styling. She shared the Halloween look under the caption “King Lisa.”

Fans flooded the comments with praise, calling her “hotter than the original” and insisting, “That’s Kylie’s twin.”

Other reactions included, “Wow, my brain short-circuited. I thought this was Kylie,” “Couldn’t tell if it was Lisa as Kylie or Kylie as Lisa—DANG,” and “The way my jaw dropped.”

Jenner herself has yet to publicly respond to Rinna’s latest imitation.

The new Halloween transformation follows an April spoof, when Rinna and Hamlin recreated the couple’s provocative vacation snapshots.

Lisa Rinna, 63, had fans doing a double-take on Friday as she transformed into Kylie Jenner, 29, once again

Lisa Rinna, 63, sparked a double-take on Friday after transforming into Kylie Jenner, 29, once again

The revealing look was a recreation of the busty gown Jenner wore to a December 2025 premiere of Chalamet's film Marty Supreme, at the start of his ultimately futile Oscars campaign - pictured

Rinna recreated the revealing gown Jenner wore to the December 2025 premiere of Chalamet’s film Marty Supreme, at the beginning of his ultimately unsuccessful Oscars campaign

The former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star appeared to be enjoying the joke as she posed in a bikini, while a shirtless Hamlin, 75, delivered his own beachside thirst trap.

‘Having the time of our lives,’ Rinna captioned her Instagram post.

Rinna, the mother of “nepo babies” Delilah Belle and Amelia Gray, leaned into the makeup mogul’s signature style. She posed with a dreamy expression and her short dark hair slicked back from her face.

At the same time, Hamlin showed off his biceps in a pair of black swimming trunks.

The parody came after Jenner and Chalamet, 30, sent social media into a frenzy last month by separately posting images from a tropical beach getaway.

Although the pair did not appear in the same frame, eagle-eyed followers noticed matching details in the backgrounds, including white sand, blue-green water and distinctive rock formations.

Rinna’s earlier spoof attracted enthusiastic reactions from celebrities including Jenna Dewan, Lindsay Lohan and Carmen Electra.

Her Traitors co-stars Maura Higgins, Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski also applauded the inventive photos shared by Rinna and Hamlin.

The former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star wowed in a busty orange cut-out dress and long brunette wig

The former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star turned heads in a plunging orange cut-out dress and long brunette wig

Fans were left stunned in the comment section as they proclaimed 'hotter than the original' and 'that's Kylie's twin'

Jenner wowed in the bright number as she cuddled CChalamet

Fans were stunned by the resemblance, describing Rinna as “hotter than the original” and “Kylie’s twin”

Rinna was joined by Michael Gelman as Chalamet

Rinna was joined by Michael Gelman, who portrayed Chalamet

Fans gushed over Rinna's 'iconic' look in the comment section

Fans gushed over Rinna’s ‘iconic’ look in the comment section

Rinna risked the ire of Jenner and Chalamet in April as she and husband Harry Hamlin recreated the couple's racy viral vacation snaps

Rinna risked the ire of Jenner and Chalamet in April as she and husband Harry Hamlin recreated the couple’s racy viral vacation snaps 

Rinna’s model daughters couldn’t resist getting their two cents in with Delilah Belle writing, ‘Oh my God,’ and Amelia Gray posting, ‘LMAS,’ short for ‘laughing my a** off.’

Fellow Housewives star Dorit Kemsley commented, ‘You two,’ alongside a pair of fire emojis.

Rinna and Hamlin have long been considered a popular power couple in Hollywood since their marriage in 1997 with their good looks and family life.

When they met, he was the big star known for LA Law and Clash of the Titans and Rinna was admittedly awed by his fame.

‘I was kind of freaked out, to be honest, because he was such a big star at the time,’ she said in a conversation at 92NY on February 26 for her book You Better Believe I’m Gonna Talk About it, per People. ‘He was on LA Law. He’d been married to Nicolette [Sheridan] and it was overwhelming. So I didn’t see myself in that league.’

The revealing beach photos posted by Jenner from a tropical vacation last month went viral

The revealing beach photos posted by Jenner from a tropical vacation last month went viral

Within hours, Chalamet shared photos from the same remote beach getaway

Within hours, Chalamet shared photos from the same remote beach getaway 

The LA Law alum and the former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star (pictured on March 15) have long been considered a popular Hollywood power couple

The LA Law alum and the former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star (pictured on March 15) have long been considered a popular Hollywood power couple

In her new memoir, You Better Believe I’m Gonna Talk About It, Rinna confirmed that their 'sex is still great' and that the foundation of their relationship is built on a deep mutual trust (pictured on March 30)

In her new memoir, You Better Believe I’m Gonna Talk About It, Rinna confirmed that their ‘sex is still great’ and that the foundation of their relationship is built on a deep mutual trust (pictured on March 30)

Rinna must be a fan or at least entertained by the spectacle created by Kylie Jenner and Timothee Chalamet’s global romance (the couple is pictured on March 15)

In her new memoir, Rinna confirmed that their ‘sex is still great’ and that the foundation of their relationship is built on a deep mutual trust.

‘I don’t ever worry about Harry. I am not jealous. He’s not jealous. I always thought the affair rumors were so strange because that was certainly not something I ever even contemplated. I would be shocked if I found out he was having an affair.’

Earlier this year, she acknowledged that marriage takes ‘a lot of work.’

Speaking on the Dinner’s on Me with Jesse Tyler Ferguson podcast, Rinna shared: ‘We’re human, and I think it’s super important to show your humanity. 

‘Where I am in my life right now, I think it’s really important for people to hear that it’s not easy to be married for all these years. It’s not easy to raise a family anywhere, let alone Hollywood, California.’

Bride-to-Be Stabbed in Neck by Fiancé Weeks Before Wedding

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An Arizona woman says her fiancé stabbed her in the neck just weeks before their wedding, and that her life was saved when her “very, very brave” 11-year-old daughter called 911.

Emily Byles, a 30-year-old mother of two, had recently moved to Glendale to live with her fiancé, Zachary Velasquez. She told Fox10 Phoenix that he attacked her with scissors on Oct. 5, roughly one month before the couple’s scheduled wedding.

“He wasn’t trying to just hurt me. He was trying to end my life,” Byles said. Photos show her recovering in a hospital with two black eyes, a neck brace and multiple cuts across her face and neck.

“I was stabbed multiple times, my artery was cut, and I was severely beaten. I was not supposed to survive, but by God’s grace I did,” Byles wrote in an online fundraiser.

According to People magazine, Byles told police that Velasquez had been using methamphetamine. She said he threatened her while claiming he was a prophet and that killing her was necessary to save her.

Byles said she was struck in the head dozens of times and did not realize right away that she had also been stabbed.

“I felt like maybe I died because it was like an out-of-body experience of going past Earth and past heaven,” she told Fox10. Byles said she was “completely mortified that someone that says he loves me and would protect me would just literally try to murder me.”

Her two daughters were also threatened during the violent attack, which ended only after her eldest child, 11, called 911.

“She’s very, very brave, and I couldn’t imagine what she’s going through,” Byles told the station.

Police responding to the emergency “forced entry into the bedroom” after hearing Byles screaming, according to a probable cause statement obtained by People. Officers found her “laying down on her back covered in blood.”

“The victim advised officers the defendant was trying to kill her,” the statement said.

Velasquez has been charged with aggravated assault.

He acknowledged punching Byles and placing her in a chokehold, but told police he acted in self-defense, People reported. The publication did not provide further details about the threat he said prompted his actions.

In a fundraising post, Byles said she was recovering at a friend’s home while her daughters were staying out of town with her sister. She described the family home as “unlivable” because there was “too much blood to clean up.”

“My fiancé, the person who attacked me, is now in jail, but my children and I are still living with the trauma of what happened,” Byles wrote.

Todd and Julie Chrisley Reveal Their Joint Facelift Surgery

The couple who gets facelifts together apparently stays together.

That certainly appears to be true for Julie and Todd Chrisley.

During an appearance on Friday’s episode of Bunnie Xo’s “Dumb Blonde” podcast, the couple revealed that they underwent matching facelifts at the same time.

The procedures took place in July, more than a year after the Chrisleys were released from prison in May 2025 following full pardons from President Donald Trump.

Julie went first, having a lower facelift, neck lift and CO2 laser treatment.

Todd did not detail the exact procedures listed on his surgeon’s bill. However, he said Julie had been the one to suggest the idea. “Julie was talking [saying], ‘I want to have this done,’ and I said then, ‘I’ll go in with you,’” he recalled.

Julie also opened up about her lip lift, saying it had not fully settled. “It was horrible,” she said, although she added that she liked the final look. The recovery, she explained, was far more painful than the facelift itself: “I was in no pain with the facelift.”

Todd praised his wife’s ability to handle the recovery, saying, “Julie has a high tolerance for pain; she did not complain one time.”

As for Todd, he suggested that years of cosmetic laser treatments had left him less sensitive to the discomfort. “I was the slave to laser,” he said. “I think I’ve been fried so much, I’m kind of numb to it.”

Todd also explained why he insisted on letting Julie go first. “She went in first because if he f—ked her up, I wasn’t doing it,” he told Bunnie. “She’s the one who wanted to go down this road so I agreed to go with her, but I did not agree to go first.”

The couple may also be preparing for another major family celebration. Earlier this week, their daughter Savannah Chrisley revealed that she is expecting her first child and has been engaged to Jason Galanis for nearly a year.

On the podcast, Julie and Todd admitted they were initially uneasy about Savannah’s relationship with Jason, who is 20 years older than their daughter. “It was not something I embraced because, I mean, to the point that I had a choice to make … It was either embrace my daughter’s decision or lose my daughter,” they said of the situation.

They continued, “And nothing is ever coming between me and my daughter … I love Savannah with my heart and soul, but did I advocate for this? No. But I will tell you that he has treated her with the utmost of respect.”

Disney World Mickey Mouse Impersonator Arrested in Florida Sex Sting

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A former Disney World Mickey Mouse performer and 12 coworkers were among nearly 300 people arrested in a Florida sex sting that also involved four Universal employees, a youth football coach and a US Navy sailor, authorities said.

Colin Klaco, 24, was arrested after allegedly arranging to meet a person he believed was a young boy online but who was actually an undercover agent, authorities said Friday. A local sheriff noted that Klaco also used his Mickey Mouse character’s “high spooky voice.” Investigators said he had an interest in diapers and brought two backpacks containing diapers he planned to wear and place on the boy.

Adam Snyder, another suspect, worked at the Roundup Rodeo restaurant in Disney’s Toy Story Land. Police said he was still wearing his work uniform when he was arrested while attempting to have sex with a minor.

Police arrested 281 people in the seven-day sex-crime operation, said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd on Friday. Polk County Sheriff’s Office

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd described Rashiod Crayton, a 31-year-old local youth football coach, as the “worst of the worst.” Judd said messages Crayton sent to someone he believed was a 14-year-old girl were so graphic that he would not disclose their full contents.

“The focus here is to go out into the underworld and look for those who want to prey upon our folks,” Judd said of the historic weeklong operation, dubbed “Polk Around and Find Out II.”

Undercover agents arrested 281 people during the operation, including suspected child predators and human traffickers, Judd said at a news conference. Eleven people identified as trafficking victims were rescued, while most of the arrests involved prostitution.

According to the sheriff’s office, 32 of those arrested were in the country illegally and came from nine countries, including Italy, India, Peru, Ecuador and Haiti. Authorities said 22 of them were illegally receiving public assistance totaling more than $100,000 a year.

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd holds a photo of suspected sex criminal

Judd holds a photo of alleged “worst of the worst” sex criminal Rashiod Crayton. WFLA

Judd called Klaco “the nastiest person we’ve ever arrested.”

While discussing Snyder’s arrest, the sheriff showed reporters footage of an ice-cream truck passing by. Judd described the timing as “apropos.”

Judd said Crayton told the person he believed was a 14-year-old girl, among other things, “I can pick you up at school, and then we can have sex in the car.”

“You see, we’ve got to be careful because just these texts will put me in jail,” Crayton allegedly wrote, according to Judd. When he arrived, the sheriff said, Crayton also brought a battery-powered sex toy.

Authorities also arrested US Navy machinist Dang Thai, whom Judd said lied about being 17 even though he was 24. After his arrest on suspicion of attempting to have sex with a minor, Thai reportedly protested that he had “top secret clearance.”

Of the total arrests, 117 people were caught by undercover agents and charged with soliciting prostitution. An Orange County deputy was among those arrested.

Another 122 people were arrested on charges related to committing prostitution.

After screening those arrested, law enforcement determined that 11 were victims of human trafficking, the sheriff’s office said.

All 11 were offered support services.

Judd said the Florida sex sting was the largest operation in Polk County’s history. He also confirmed that all Disney employees arrested during the operation had been fired.

Nine of the people charged were on probation, while 31 had previous prostitution charges.

Thirty-six of those arrested were married.

“At least they were as of the time that they were arrested. I don’t know what their significant other thinks about them today,” Judd quipped.

Death Row Inmate Christa Pike Recalls Waking After Botched Execution

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One month after surviving Tennessee’s attempt to execute her, death row inmate Christa Pike says she remains in constant pain and had never imagined a future beyond the night she expected to die.

Pike, 50, detailed her condition in a statement dictated to her legal team and released Friday.

“One month ago on September 30, I walked into the execution chamber at Riverbend men’s prison prepared to die,” Pike said. “I had made my peace.”

She said she thanked the people who had supported her over the years and told those attending the execution that she was “leaving them in loving kindness.”

A composite image shows a lethal injection gurney and a Tennessee Department of Correction booking photo of Christa Pike, the death row inmate whose attorneys say she remains hospitalized after a failed execution attempt.

An execution gurney is shown alongside a Tennessee Department of Correction booking photo of death row inmate Christa Pike, whose attorneys filed an emergency motion seeking to preserve evidence after the state’s failed execution attempt. (Greg Smith/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images | Tennessee Department of Correction via AP)

“Several days later I woke up alone in a hospital confused and in pain,” Pike said. “There hasn’t been a moment since that night when I haven’t been in pain. My body hurts. My arms hurt. My hands hurt. My throat hurts. I still struggle to speak. And the pain isn’t just physical. There is pain in my mind and in my soul.”

Pike said she had never thought about what her life might look like if she survived the execution attempt.

“I had not contemplated life beyond that night, and I’m deeply hurt by the incompetence that has put so many people in this terrible position,” she said. “I continue to think about my victim’s family and the terrible pain and loss they have endured.”

Pike was sentenced to death for the 1995 killing of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, who was participating with her in a federal Job Corps program in Knoxville.

Christa Gail Pike appears remotely during a hearing in Knox County Criminal Court.

Christa Gail Pike appears remotely from Deborah K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center for her hearing in Knox County Criminal Court in Knoxville, Tenn., on Aug. 11, 2026. (USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)

Her statement was released two days after Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said Pike remains incarcerated under state law and indicated that her death sentence is unlikely to be altered.

Pike’s attorneys have urged Lee to commute the sentence to life in prison without parole following the failed execution.

Pike said Friday that she is recovering but remains in the infirmary at the Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center, where she has been largely cut off from other people.

“I am recovering, and I know that I am getting stronger,” Pike said. “But healing is not the same as being okay.”

“Since that night, I have been largely isolated in the prison’s medical ward, away from other people and the human connections that mean so much to me,” she continued. “That isolation brings its own kind of pain. I spent 28 years in solitary confinement and much of what I am experiencing today is a repeat of that condition.”

Randy Spivey and Luke Ihnen, attorneys for Christa Pike, deliver a news briefing outside the Davidson County courthouse

Randy Spivey, an attorney for Christa Pike, a death row prisoner who survived a botched execution, speaks to the media, flanked by Luke Ihnen, after a Tennessee court was presented a status update on Pike, outside a courtroom in Nashville, Tennessee, on October 7, 2026. (Reuters/Seth Herald)

Pike survived Tennessee’s Sept. 30 lethal injection attempt after receiving two doses of pentobarbital and being rushed to a hospital.

She remained unconscious for several days. At one point, her attorneys believed she was brain-dead and expected doctors to remove her from life support. Pike later regained consciousness and was discharged from the hospital before being returned to prison.

Her attorneys later said Pike was able to walk and speak in complete sentences.

Pike’s survival renewed a decades-long fight over her death sentence and whether Tennessee could attempt to execute her again.

Convicted killer Christa Gail Pike listens to proceedings on April 2008 in Knox County Criminal Court in a bid for a new trial in the 1995 killing of fellow Job Corps student Colleen Slemmer.

Convicted killer Christa Gail Pike listens to proceedings in April 2008 in Knox County Criminal Court in a bid for a new trial in the 1995 killing of fellow Job Corps student Colleen Slemmer. (USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)

She was 18 when she, her 17-year-old boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, and 19-year-old Shadolla Peterson were charged in Slemmer’s killing. All four were participating in Job Corps at the time.

The three took Slemmer to a secluded area on the University of Tennessee’s Knoxville campus, where her throat was cut multiple times, she was struck in the head with a large piece of asphalt and a pentagram was carved into her chest.

Christa Pike at her murder trial in 1995, left, and Colleen Slemmer, the young woman she was convicted of torturing and killing, on the right.

A split image shows Christa Pike at her murder trial in 1995, left, and Colleen Slemmer, the young woman she was convicted of torturing and killing, on the right. (Reuters)

Pike later confessed to her role in the killing. She was convicted and sentenced to death in 1996, and the Tennessee Supreme Court later affirmed her convictions and sentence.

Following the failed execution, Lee halted Tennessee’s remaining executions for the year and ordered an independent review of what went wrong.

Pike said Friday that she is still trying to understand why she survived.

“I don’t know why I survived that night. I don’t know what comes next,” she said. “Some days, finding hope is harder than others. For now, I am trying to heal, one day at a time. And I am holding on to the love and kindness of so many people who have reminded me that I am not alone.”

Trump to Rally in Iowa and Kansas After Initially Canceling Weekend Trips Ahead of Midterms

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WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has rescheduled campaign rallies in two pivotal Midwestern states after previously calling off the weekend events, according to a person familiar with the plans.

Trump is now set to hold back-to-back rallies in Iowa and Kansas on Sunday, the person said. The individual spoke on condition of anonymity because the schedule had not yet been publicly announced.

The abrupt changes reflected the unsettled final stretch of the midterm campaign, as Trump and Republicans work to preserve their congressional majorities. The election has centered largely on affordability and the president’s favorability. Trump began the month promising a marathon of his trademark rallies to support Republican candidates and has headlined 25 events in October.

On Thursday, Trump angrily rejected suggestions that the cancellation of his Kansas rally was related to exhaustion or his health. News of the cancellation emerged as he was returning to Washington from another campaign appearance in South Carolina. He also bristled at a reporter’s question about the event in Kansas, where Republican Sen. Roger Marshall is seeking reelection.

“I’m not going to Kansas because he’s doing very well,” Trump said, apparently referring to Marshall. The president added, “I feel perfect” and “I don’t feel I have to go to Kansas.”

When the Republican National Committee announced the cancellations, it said Trump would instead conduct telerallies to reach voters. The person familiar with the updated schedule said the Iowa and Kansas appearances were rearranged to make room for additional telerallies added to Trump’s calendar.

Trump’s original itinerary called for a Saturday rally in Salina, Kansas, followed by a Sunday event in Dubuque, Iowa. The revised plan initially replaced those appearances with a “72-hour sprint” of phone rallies designed to let Trump reach voters across the country, according to the RNC.

Republican officials have not disclosed the telerally schedule. Such events cost considerably less than in-person rallies and generally feature Trump speaking for about 10 minutes, often from a script, to hundreds or thousands of people who call in. That format is far shorter than the roughly 90-minute, freewheeling remarks he frequently delivers at live appearances.

Sunday’s Iowa rally will take place in Cedar Rapids rather than Dubuque, according to another person familiar with the plans. That person also spoke anonymously because the information had not yet been made public.

Trump will now hold both the Iowa and Kansas rallies on Sunday. Each state features a competitive Senate race that could help determine whether Republicans retain control of the chamber after the midterm elections.

Trump has visited both states this month, campaigning for Marshall in Kansas and Ashley Hinson, the Republican Senate candidate in Iowa who currently serves in the House.

Vice President JD Vance visited Kansas earlier this week to campaign with Marshall and traveled to Iowa in September to support the party’s House candidates. Vance’s office had also said he would travel to St. Cloud, Minnesota, on Friday for a news conference about his anti-fraud efforts. However, a person familiar with his plans said that appearance was canceled because of a scheduling change.

During a Friday morning interview with a Kansas City radio station, Trump described Marshall as “fantastic.” He praised the senator for pressing his administration on policies intended to benefit Kansas farmers, including an expansion of tax-free use for red-dyed diesel.

Trump also attacked Marshall’s Democratic opponent, Methodist pastor Adam Hamilton, calling him a “radical” who has “caused turmoil with the church because he’s so liberal.” Hamilton has said that if Jesus were standing before them today, “Roger Marshall would call him ‘woke.’”

Copyright © 2026 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

Trump’s Two Efforts to Reshape DC Face Court Battles Before Midterms

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WASHINGTON – Two lawsuits challenging administration-backed projects were being heard Friday in the same federal courthouse, highlighting President Donald Trump’s efforts to reshape parts of the District of Columbia and the broader claims of executive power behind those efforts.

One case concerns the planned closure and redesign of a historic public golf course. The other challenges construction of a monumental arch that would rise 250 feet (75 meters)—100 feet higher than the Statue of Liberty from its base to the top of its torch. The sites are less than three miles (five kilometers) apart.

The golf course hearing followed a pattern seen in several recent proceedings, with U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes pressing Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward Jr. on how Trump’s vision of transforming the course near the National Mall into a world-class facility had become an immediate government plan.

During the hearing, Reyes read government lawyers the judicial code of conduct concerning the presentation of inaccurate or false information in court.

The judge ordered Friday’s proceeding after a series of Trump posts on Truth Social said the golf course would be redeveloped, with construction set to start Nov. 15. Trump said the park would close for 15 months while the work was completed.

Trump’s posts trigger confusion

The presidential posts, which began Oct. 18, produced a tense atmosphere in several subsequent hearings. Officials from the Interior Department, Justice Department and National Park Service could not confirm Reyes’ questions about whether the plans existed. She ultimately asked whom she was supposed to believe. The Justice Department filed a notice Wednesday night confirming that the plans were real.

“On Friday, October 30, 2026, the National Park Service will submit to the National Capital Planning Commission for review a rendering designed by Tom Fazio for a World Class, championship-level golf course that is capable of hosting major events,” the notice said.

Reyes repeatedly focused on that filing and Trump’s multiple Truth Social announcements while questioning Woodward.

While discussing plans that Woodward said had only been developed this week, he mentioned tree removal as part of the preparations for closing the course.

“News flash,” Reyes replied. She then gave Woodward an opportunity to clarify that the tree cutting, which took place earlier this month, was not connected to plans to close East Potomac Golf Links.

Reyes said she planned to appoint a special master to examine the administration’s statements to the court.

Arch project also raises questions about presidential power

The golf course case was one of two lawsuits heard Friday involving the Trump administration’s efforts to expand executive authority as it reshapes federal property around the National Mall and along the Potomac River.

Three courtrooms away, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan was scheduled to hear a motion seeking a temporary pause on construction of the memorial arch, which could begin as soon as Nov. 5. A small group of veterans and an architectural historian oppose the project and sued in federal court in Washington, arguing that Congress must authorize it.

“The public interest leans heavily against allowing defendants to blaze ahead,” the plaintiffs said in their request for an injunction. “This court should enter a preliminary injunction blocking defendants from beginning construction on Memorial Circle in the hope that they can render the arch a fait accompli before this Court has made a final determination.”

Legal scholars following the many cases involving the administration say the projects may look like personal or symbolic undertakings, but they also pose fundamental questions about the limits of presidential power.

Previous administrations advanced legal theories that were sometimes defensible and sometimes not, said David Super, a law professor at Georgetown University Law Center.

“But there was always the assumption that you would try to do things that were legal,” he said. “What we’re seeing here now is that if you think the federal courts can’t stop you, you can do things that are indisputably illegal.” He said that approach is “going to do long-term damage to the country.”

Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Democrats Close In on 10-Point Midterm Lead as Republicans Face Warning Sign

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President Donald Trump and the Republican Party appear headed for a difficult Election Day, according to the latest polling averages.

With only four days remaining before voters head to the polls, the fate of Trump’s final two years in office could hinge on how much ground Democrats gain against the GOP’s congressional majority. The numbers are raising serious concerns among Republicans on Capitol Hill.

The Daily Mail’s midterm power polling average, which combines and analyzes multiple polling averages, gives Democrats a notable advantage with less than a week left in the campaign.

Democrats currently command more than 51 percent support in the midterm benchmark, compared with 43 percent for Republicans.

That advantage of roughly eight points suggests late shifts among voters in traditionally Republican regions are making the midterm contests considerably more competitive than they appeared just weeks ago.

From Alaska and Texas to Maine, Republicans are facing troubling numbers across the electoral map.

Democratic candidates Mary Peltola, James Talarico and Troy Jackson are each leading their Republican rivals in recent surveys. However, many of those contests remain within the margin of error, leaving the outcomes far from certain.

Prediction market data from Kalshi puts Democrats at a 92 percent chance of taking control of the House and a 70 percent chance of winning the Senate.

Republicans and Trump are down in national polling averages, indicating that Democrats could sweep to power in Washington next week

National polling averages show Trump and Republicans trailing, raising the possibility of a Democratic sweep in Washington next week

With vulnerable Republicans seeking help from Trump, the president has been traveling across the country and staging rallies aimed at strengthening GOP candidates in a wide range of races.

Trump is scheduled to appear Friday at a rally in deep-red Daytona Beach, Florida, a region he carried by more than 20 points in 2024.

He will campaign alongside Congressman Byron Donalds, the Republican gubernatorial candidate facing Democrat David Jolly. Jolly is currently trailing Donalds by only a few points.

Rather than concentrating on the most competitive districts, Trump has largely limited his campaign appearances to heavily Republican areas.

Even during visits to swing states including Ohio, Michigan, Arizona, Georgia and North Carolina—as well as the more recently added battlegrounds of Kansas and Iowa—the president has favored Republican strongholds over politically mixed districts.

The approach suggests Trump is focusing on shoring up Republican territory under threat instead of taking his MAGA message directly to independent voters in swing areas.

With the election entering its final stretch, Trump’s schedule has also been marked by a series of cancellations and changes.

The president canceled planned stops in Iowa and Kansas earlier in the week, but both appearances had been reinstated by Friday morning.

Republican Senator Roger Marshall is down several points to his Democratic challenger Adam Hamilton in several polls released on Friday

Republican Senator Roger Marshall is trailing Democratic challenger Adam Hamilton by several points in multiple polls released Friday

A Washington Post survey published Friday shows Hamilton with a 10-point lead over Marshall

A Washington Post poll published Friday found Hamilton leading Marshall by 10 points

The Kansas Senate race has tightened, but a new Emerson poll released Friday still showed Republican incumbent Senator Roger Marshall three points behind Democratic challenger Adam Hamilton.

A more devastating survey was published by the Washington Post the same day, showing Hamilton with a massive 10-point lead. 

A Democrat has not won a US Senate seat in Kansas since the 1930s, but this cycle the tide seems as though it is changing.

That blue wave could also make landfall in Texas, where the state’s Attorney General Ken Paxton – a candidate hand-selected by Trump – is behind Democrat James Talarico in prediction market data and recent polling. 

The Lone Star State has long been a GOP stronghold, but cracks in the MAGA base have appeared in even the seemingly most Republican areas. 

HYROX Athlete Apologises After U-Turn Over Soiling Incident During Race

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HYROX athlete Joanna Wietrzyk has apologised for continuing to compete after suffering an embarrassing bowel accident during a race—and acknowledged that her decision exposed fellow competitors to unnecessary risk.

Wietrzyk, a 24-year-old Australian endurance athlete, was competing at the HYROX event in Beijing last month when food poisoning caused her to lose control of her bowels. She continued using equipment shared by other participants despite the incident.

Video from the race showed the HYROX world-record holder running, completing burpees and carrying heavy bags while faecal matter ran down her leg.

Although organisers apologised soon afterwards, Wietrzyk initially did not express regret. She reversed that position on Thursday, issuing an apology after weeks of intense public criticism.

The athlete said the reaction had been “traumatic” and included personal abuse online. However, she conceded that she should have stopped competing once the incident occurred.

She told the BBC: “It happened very suddenly. It wasn’t until I was about halfway through the race that everything transpired.

Wietrzyk thanked supporters who had contacted her personally or reached out through her team

Joanna Wietrzyk apologised for carrying on after soiling herself during a HYROX event

Wietrzyk posted an image to Instagram from her hospital bed after the race - but her victory has sparked backlash and it took two months for any show of contrition

Wietrzyk shared a photograph from her hospital bed after the race, but her victory triggered a backlash and it took two months for her to express remorse

“At that moment, as someone who is extremely competitive and an elite athlete, my only focus was on the race. Clearly, I did put other people at risk.”

She continued: “I did make the wrong decision, but I don’t think I deserved the level of backlash and online scrutiny that followed. At the end of the day, I’m only human.”

Immediately after the event, Wietrzyk did not apologise. Instead, she posted from her hospital bed on Instagram: “Go hard or go home they say… a win is a win. In all seriousness, thank you all for the support. I’ll be back soon.”

HYROX organisers apologised and promised immediate changes to their rules, while Wietrzyk waited considerably longer before addressing the controversy.

Asked why she had taken more than a month to apologise—and whether the statement was intended to repair her public image—she replied: “I needed that time to reflect and process what happened.”

In an Instagram video posted on Thursday, Wietrzyk said: “I’ve had six to eight weeks to reflect on everything that happened in Beijing.

“I want to say that I’m truly, truly sorry to everyone affected, whether they were spectators or participants on the race floor, because I chose to continue competing.”

The Melbourne athlete won the women’s HYROX Pro event in Beijing with a time of 1:01:23. But footage showing her continue through the course prompted questions about why officials had allowed her to remain in the competition.

Images appeared to show faecal matter running down her legs as she took part in stations using communal equipment.

Joanna Wietrzyk apologised for continuing to race after soiling herself at a HYROX event

Joanna Wietrzyk apologised for carrying on after soiling herself during a HYROX event

The episode also put HYROX organisers under pressure, as competitors questioned the hygiene risks, potential contamination and the speed of the response.

HYROX said the affected lanes were isolated, contaminated equipment was removed, and cleaning work—including replacing carpets—was completed overnight before competition resumed.

Wietrzyk faced personal abuse, prompting HYROX to warn that people directing abuse or threats of violence towards her would be banned from future events. 

Her coach, Chris Bayens, defended her against attacks while acknowledging that decisions made during the event could be reviewed.

‘Decisions were made under competition conditions by an athlete, judges and officials, all responding to a situation none of them could reasonably have prepared for,’ he wrote on Instagram.

‘It is very easy to construct the perfect response once the moment has passed. Hindsight gives people time, information and distance that simply did not exist for those actually living it.’

Australian fitness star Wietrzyk won her event despite suffering bowel incontinence

Australian fitness star Wietrzyk won her event despite suffering bowel incontinence

Wietrzyk said she was ¿super excited¿ to get back on the race floor and do what she loves

Wietrzyk said she was ‘super excited’ to get back on the race floor and do what she loves

Bayens urged people to distinguish scrutiny of the incident from attacks on the athlete.

‘Sport occasionally produces moments that are imperfect and deeply human,’ he said. ‘Discussion is legitimate. The hatred and personal attacks that have followed are not.’

HYROX combines eight one-kilometre runs with eight workout stations, including sled pushes, rowing, sandbag lunges and medicine ball throws.

Wietrzyk’s next scheduled appearance is in the opening race of the 2026-27 HYROX Elite Series in Hamburg on Friday, October 30.

Gender Studies Professor Criticizes Plans to Ban DEI in Hiring

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A Canadian professor whose work focuses on gender studies and Indigenous literature has criticized Alberta Premier Danielle Smith online after the conservative leader unveiled plans to remove diversity considerations from public-sector hiring.

Smith said Tuesday that her government had introduced legislation “that would ensure hiring and promotion decisions in the public sector are based on merit, not DEI policies.”

“Mandatory workplace training will be relevant to the roles and responsibilities of the employee, instead of mandatory DEI sessions,” Smith wrote on X.

The Alberta premier, who heads Canada’s United Conservative Party, added: “Fairness means everyone competes on the same terms.”

Dr. June Scudeler, a professor at Simon Fraser University, shared Smith’s post and responded with a profane message.

“F*** off,” Scudeler wrote Tuesday evening.

Scudeler is an associate professor in Simon Fraser University’s department of Indigenous studies and holds a cross-appointment in the department of gender, sexuality and women’s studies, according to her university profile.

By Thursday, her post criticizing Smith had been viewed more than 123,000 times.

Simon Fraser University professor Dr June Scudeler told Alberta Premier Danielle Smith to 'f*** off' on Tuesday

Simon Fraser University professor Dr. June Scudeler told Alberta Premier Danielle Smith to “f*** off” on Tuesday

Smith, who leads Canada's United Conservative Party, was touting proposed legislation to end DEI practices in hiring and promotion decisions

Smith, who leads Canada’s United Conservative Party, was promoting legislation aimed at ending DEI practices in public-sector hiring and promotion decisions

Scudeler has not posted on her X account since directing the remark at Smith, and the premier did not respond to the message.

The professor has also made no public comment about the exchange on other social media platforms.

Her academic research examines queer Indigenous studies, along with literature, film and art.

She earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Simon Fraser University.

Scudeler later completed a PhD in English at the University of British Columbia.

The legislation targeting diversity, equity and inclusion practices in public-sector hiring and promotion was introduced Tuesday, the same day Smith announced it on X.

The proposed rules would apply to municipalities, public agencies, Crown corporations, post-secondary institutions and school boards. The bill has not yet become law.

Scudeler is an currently an associate professor at Simon Fraser's department of indigenous studies. She was cross–appointed with the department of gender (Photo of the university)

Scudeler is currently an associate professor in Simon Fraser’s department of Indigenous studies and holds a cross-appointment in the department of gender (Photo of the university)

Alberta Justice Minister Mickey Amery described the proposal as “the most equitable and fair way of engaging in hiring practices here in the province.”

Other local politicians and public figures, however, have spoken out against the conservative government’s plan.

Kathleen Ganley, who is part of the opposition New Democratic Party, said the bill was ‘a solution in want of a problem,’ according to Global News.

Ganley added that she had not heard of any concerns related to DEI hiring practices.

The president of the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees, Sandra Azocar, called the proposal ‘pure dog whistle politics.’

Azocar also accused Smith of trying to assuage the ‘extreme factions’ within her conservative party.

Albertans were the most likely Canadians to report hiring and workplace discrimination, according to a November 2024 poll from Pollara.

In the province, the University of Alberta approved a hiring policy that eliminated DEI this March.

If two candidates were equally qualified for a position, the university previously favored the one coming from a historically underrepresented group, per CBC.

‘We are a big and complex community, and it’s really important that we commit to being a community that is welcoming for all,’ University of Alberta president Bill Flanagan said.

The Daily Mail has reached out to Scudeler and Simon Fraser University for comment.