With the November 3 midterm election entering its final and most critical phase, a Democratic US Senate candidate in one of the nation’s most closely watched contests has been off the campaign trail for 10 days. His staff has yet to provide a clear timeline for his return.

James Talarico, 37, is attempting what could rank among the biggest political upsets in modern US history: turning reliably Republican Texas blue. Yet the Democrat has not appeared publicly for roughly two weeks.

His campaign says Talarico became ill with the flu in September.

Still, the extended absence, along with the cancellation of public appearances and private fundraising events, has fueled widespread speculation about his condition—even among some of his political allies.

Talarico’s campaign says he last attended an in-person event on September 29. The following day, he appeared by Zoom before the Hispanic Business Council in Edinburg, Texas, apologizing for being unable to attend personally.

“Just wanted to first apologize to you and the US Hispanic Business Council,” Talarico said, appearing visibly flushed.

“I was starting to feel under the weather a few days ago, and last night it got so bad that I went to the urgent care here in Dallas, and I was diagnosed with the flu,” he said.

“I’m running a fever and I’m my most contagious right now,” Talarico added.

A political strategist unaffiliated with the campaign told the Daily Mail that the decision to cancel public events—and particularly private fundraisers—at such a decisive point in the race was deeply concerning.

Talarico’s disappearance comes as polls suggest he may be on the verge of becoming the first Democrat in nearly three decades to win a statewide election in Texas.

“I wanted to dismiss the rumors, but when I heard about him canceling the fundraisers, that gave me pause. It’s crunch time. No (candidate) would be turning down money right now,” said the strategist, who has worked on Democratic and Republican campaigns in Texas and across the country.

Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, Talarico’s opponent, claims the Democrat has been absent for 13 days.

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Paxton is now calling on him to provide “proof of life.”

“We’ve tried posters. We’ve tried a formal proof-of-life request. Now we’re asking every Texan to join the search for Jimmy,” the Paxton campaign wrote on social media.

“Call the Tala-Freak-Out Tip Line: 833-56-WYAJT (833-569-9258)

Republicans in Washington, DC, have also joined the effort to pressure Talarico into appearing publicly.

“We are starting to get worried about the little socialist, and are demanding: A video of James Talarico holding a newspaper dated today, the flight he took home from his New York fundraisers, which occurred on the very same night he allegedly went to an urgent care in Dallas [and] a doctor’s note from the Dallas urgent care he allegedly visited,” the National Republican Senatorial Committee said in an email sent to reporters.

Despite Talarico’s campaign telling the Daily Mail their candidate will be back on the job this weekend, they struggled to tell us when and where.

The campaign spokesman texted: ‘Will have something for you today.’ 

However, it’s unclear what, if any damage his hiatus will mean for voters. 

An event scheduled in Austin on October 5 with black voters was among the events canceled by Talarico. 

That cost the African American group $25,000 as they were unable to get money refunded for an event space that had been booked. 

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass described the armed robbery of “Pretty Little Liars” actor Keegan Allen as “egregious” after the bloodied star urged her and Gov. Gavin Newsom to use California’s extensive surveillance-camera network to identify the men who attacked him.

Allen, 37, criticized the two Democratic officials Thursday night after he was held up at gunpoint and knifepoint outside a high-end grocery store in West Hollywood. He specifically questioned whether the disputed Flock camera system could help investigators locate the suspects.

“Let’s hope all these flock cameras that @karenbassla @gavinnewsom and everyone thinks will stop crime can find these very dangerous criminals. God bless,” Allen wrote in an Instagram post late Thursday.

The actor also posted security footage appearing to show the robbery. He said the confrontation left him bleeding and stripped of his watch, adding that West Hollywood was “not safe anymore.”

“My life for a watch,” Allen said.

Although the Los Angeles mayor’s office and the LAPD do not represent West Hollywood or hold jurisdiction there, both agencies play important roles in public safety across Los Angeles and the surrounding region.

“This is egregious — no one should have to experience something like this,” Bass’ office told The California Post. “West Hollywood is an independent city, and the LA County Sheriff’s Department is responsible for leading this investigation. LAPD, as always, will assist regional partners as needed to ensure bad actors are held accountable.”

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said deputies arrived at Laurel Supply at about 9:05 p.m. Thursday after receiving a robbery report.

Deputies found Allen at the scene. He told them that two men dressed in black had confronted him. According to his account, one suspect aimed a “silver handgun” at him while the other displayed a knife and demanded his watch and bracelet.

“Shortly after, the victim was struck in the face with the handgun. The suspects obtained the victim’s watch and fled the scene in an unknown vehicle,” the department told The Post.

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Allen sustained a “laceration to his forehead” but was not taken to a hospital after Los Angeles County Fire personnel evaluated him. He later said he sought medical care on his own and was “def concussed.”

It is not yet known whether detectives will rely on Flock cameras as part of the search for the robbers. The Sheriff’s Department declined to tell The California Post whether the technology would be used.

Flock cameras operate at locations throughout Los Angeles and West Hollywood.

The license-plate-reading system has become a major point of debate in California, where critics have raised privacy concerns and questioned whether its data is shared with federal immigration authorities.

Atlanta-based Flock has been accused of providing information to ICE to help locate illegal immigrants. The LAPD paused its agreement with the company in July as contract negotiations continued.

Bass has also voiced opposition to Flock. In August, she said the company had “lost the trust of Angelenos and residents across the country, especially in immigrant communities targeted by the federal administration.”

“There are many companies that provide this technology to cities nationwide,” Bass said in a statement to the Los Angeles Times. “The LAPD needs to identify another company that doesn’t share data.”

Newsom vetoed legislation last year that would have limited law enforcement’s use of the data and imposed additional requirements for managing it.

Allen is best known for portraying Toby Cavanaugh on “Pretty Little Liars” from 2010 through 2017. He went on to play Liam Walker in the drama series “Walker” from 2021 to 2024 and most recently appeared this year in an episode of “The Rookie.”

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The Norwegian Nobel Committee’s decision to give the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize to former U.N. human rights chief Navi Pillay triggered an immediate backlash Friday. Jewish advocacy organizations and U.N. monitors accused the South African jurist of years of anti-Israel bias and of defending rhetoric they characterized as antisemitic.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee recognized Pillay, 85, for her work advancing international law and seeking accountability for those responsible for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.

The honor quickly revived criticism of Pillay’s role in U.N. investigations involving Israel, her support for a fellow commissioner who faced antisemitism allegations and comments she made before taking part in inquiries into the Jewish state.

Anne Bayefsky, president of Human Rights Voices and director of the Touro Institute on Human Rights, told News Media that Pillay was “indeed a world leader” in what she described as the international spread of “poisonous forms of antisemitism” confronting the 21st century.

Bayefsky said Pillay had “perfected the art of perverting legal and universal standards of human rights to demonize and delegitimize Jewish self-determination.” She added that the Nobel recognition was “a testament to human wrongs.”

The Nobel Committee presented a dramatically different view, portraying Pillay as a courageous and principled defender of international justice whose career has been defined by a commitment to the rule of law.

Who Is Navi Pillay?

Pillay was born in Durban, South Africa, in 1941 and rose to prominence by challenging discrimination under apartheid. She became the first non-White woman to serve on South Africa’s high court before later becoming a judge at both the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and the International Criminal Court.

She served as the U.N. high commissioner for human rights from 2008 through 2014. In 2021, she was selected to lead the U.N. Human Rights Council’s open-ended Commission of Inquiry examining alleged abuses in Israel and the Palestinian territories.

In September 2025, the commission determined that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza. Israel rejected the finding as politically driven and biased, while the report itself did not constitute a judgment from an international court.

Geneva-based U.N. Watch denounced the Nobel announcement, saying Pillay had failed to meet the neutrality standards expected of international investigators.

“We are shocked that the Nobel Committee honored Navi Pillay,” U.N. Watch Executive Director Hillel Neuer said. He argued that her record on antisemitism and what he called a serious ethical breach while leading a widely criticized U.N. commission should have ruled her out for the prize.

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Neuer cited a manifesto Pillay signed in June 2020 that urged governments to “Sanction Apartheid Israel.” He also pointed to a June 2021 letter calling on then-President Joe Biden to impose penalties on Israel after its conflict with Hamas.

According to U.N. Watch, those public positions raised concerns about Pillay’s impartiality before she assumed the commission’s chairmanship in July 2021.

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres took the opposite position Friday, congratulating Pillay and highlighting her decades of work in international justice, including her leadership of the investigation into Israel.

“For decades, she has been a champion of international law and human rights, and a steadfast, independent voice of justice amidst some of the most historic international legal cases of our time,” Guterres said in a statement.

Guterres also praised Pillay’s work across several roles, including her leadership of the inquiry into Israel and the Palestinian territories. He said she had shown that “the force of law must prevail over the law of force” and that protecting human rights remains the strongest defense against injustice.

Another controversy erupted in 2022 when fellow commissioner Miloon Kothari suggested that social media criticism of the investigation was controlled by the “Jewish lobby” and questioned Israel’s U.N. membership.

The remarks were condemned by U.S. officials, including then-state department antisemitism envoy Deborah Lipstadt. Pillay defended Kothari, arguing his comments had been taken out of context. Kothari subsequently apologized, calling his language inappropriate and insensitive.

The controversy also reached Germany, where Berlin’s mayor withdrew support for a planned event honoring Pillay in 2022, and the event was canceled, according to The Times of Israel.

Bayefsky also recalled the 2009 U.N. anti-racism conference in Geneva, when Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad delivered an inflammatory speech attacking Israel. While Western diplomats walked out, Pillay remained seated.

However, Pillay subsequently condemned his address, saying she joined the secretary-general in “utterly deploring the speech,” according to the U.N.’s official transcript.

The Nobel Committee, meanwhile, defended Pillay’s legacy, crediting her with strengthening international law at a time when the institutions responsible for enforcing it face increasing political pressure.

Pillay’s selection highlights the divide between supporters who celebrate her contributions to international justice and critics who contend that her record on Israel undermines the universal human rights principles she championed.

News Media reached out to Pillay for comment but didn’t receive one in time for publication.

A Cornell student who says seven classmates sexually assaulted her has exchanged messages with one of the men about tracing the source of campus rumors surrounding the disputed encounter, with both suggesting that jealousy may have fueled the gossip.

The student, identified in a civil lawsuit as Jane Doe, claims she was drugged and sexually assaulted by seven Chi Phi fraternity members after a party in October 2024. The lawsuit was filed last month.

The seven men deny the accusations and have not been charged. They maintain that the sexual activity involving Jane Doe at Cornell’s Ithaca campus was consensual.

TMZ has published messages between Doe and Matthew Ingalls, one of the men named in the case. The exchanges appear to reflect an ongoing friendship after the alleged assault, as Doe expressed concern about how rumors were affecting her standing on campus.

In one message sent days after the alleged incident, Doe wrote to Ingalls: “jonathan def told people. i heard something today and i know he told people. he was a (sic)pi phi two nights ago too.” The reference may have been to Jonathan Newell, another defendant in the lawsuit.

Ingalls replied that Newell had not discussed the matter at Pi Phi, saying the fraternity would not raise it around him because he had consistently denied that anything happened. He added that he would ask Newell, but believed an upperclassman had told someone else and started the rumor. Ingalls described that person’s account as unconvincing.

When Doe did not appear to respond, Ingalls followed up two hours later: “Who told you this? If we can narrow down the girl we can narrow down suspects. I know it wasn’t Johnathan. Trust me he would never.”

Doe answered that the person who had heard the story would not identify the source because it was one of her friends. “im j dropping it i give up im defeated,” she wrote.

Ingalls responded with sympathy, using Doe’s real name in the message and telling her he was sorry she was dealing with the situation. He said he hoped the people spreading the rumors would soon lose interest and that the matter would fade.

A separate set of messages obtained by TMZ also shows Doe telling Ingalls that she was suffering from a urinary tract infection after the encounter. Ingalls offered her reassurance and support.

Doe replied that things would improve and suggested that people were jealous of the pair. She also wrote that people needed to “grow up,” adding that changing attitudes toward sexuality meant incidents involving sex would become more common. The message ended with an affectionate declaration to Ingalls.

Doe’s lawsuit has triggered intense media attention and renewed scrutiny of Cornell’s handling of the allegations. In the complaint, she said she went to the Chi Phi house after a night of partying to see Ingalls.

She alleges that she initially agreed to have sex with Ingalls and another man, but claims the situation changed after she was given ketamine and alcohol until she became incapacitated. According to the complaint, several additional men then took part.

Doe’s lawsuit alleges that the encounter lasted approximately seven hours. It also claims fraternity members used a Snapchat group chat to advertise “free p***y,” while one participant asked, “Shop still open?”

Ingalls is named in the complaint along with Jonathan Newell, Winston Lee, Gillio Lopes, Diego Sarabia, Scott Norris and Scott Kretzschmar. All seven deny Doe’s allegations, and none has been criminally charged.

The latest messages show Ingalls attempting to calm Doe in the aftermath, telling her that reports about the night were “nonsense.”

“Boring people who have nothing to do with their time,” he wrote. “It’ll blow over in a couple days I imagine, until then we just have to sit tight.”

He also asked how she was managing the pressure and whether there was anything she needed.

Jane Doe responded to say she was ‘f***ing p***ed’ about the gossip, ’cause this many people shouldn’t know.’

‘I feel like I know who some of the rats in the room were, if I ever find out I swear to god it’s in sight,’ she wrote.

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‘Literally people are making it crazier every f***ing day… On top of it I have a uti and all I do is sleep and cry all day.’

Matthew then consoled Jane Doe and said it was ‘incredibly overwhelming and f***ed up on all fronts.’

‘I’ve been dealing with similar stuff on my end but obviously it doesn’t compare to what you’re going through,’ he wrote.

‘Stupid b****es like to yap, and the fact they’re doing it shows that they’re jealous of you for any number of reasons.’

Separate texts show another of the fraternity brothers named in Jane Doe’s lawsuit, Jonathan Newell, texting her after the encounter to say how he was sorry ‘for how things went down the other night.’

Newell said his ‘memory’s kinda fuzzy’ about the details, but said he and Ingalls ‘feel like s*** for being too f***ed up to shut it down and kick people out before it got way out of hand.’

‘You’re an amazing person and I genuinely hope ur not catching as much heat from this as we are. We’ve been shutting down any stories we’ve heard but again I’m so so sorry.’

Jane Doe responded to say her memories of the night were ‘super clouded too,’ and said it was because ‘we were all way to f***ing drunk and high.’

‘At the end of the day none of the sexual stuff was illegal, and honestly i really liked being w u and matt,’ she wrote.

‘So anything anyone has to say about the gangbang is out of their jurisdiction. I don’t think we should feel any shame for the part. our body our choice asf.’

However, the texts show Jane Doe’s attitude towards the incident changed in the days after those texts, and she went on to tell Ingalls that ‘Jonathan def told people.’

Ingalls denied Jane Doe’s claim that Newell spread rumors about their tryst, but she responded: ‘I’m j dropping it i give up im defeated.’

When Jane Doe then said she was uninvited from the Chi Phi Halloween party, she said: ‘i knew this was going to happen. the woman will always get the short end of the stick. Yall aren’t my friends. yall are covering your asses.’ 

On November 7, 2024, Ingalls then reached out to Jane Doe, saying: ‘My ex told me that I’m being labeled as an assaulter in the public eye, I was going to ask if you may have said something along those lines to someone but i know you wouldn’t.’

Jane Doe said she hadn’t told anyone the story, but wrote: ‘I do know people are changing the narrative because like in any sexual scenario w one woman and many men the woman was probably victim.’

‘I know there are rumors I was gang banged,’ she wrote.

On November 8, he asked if they could talk, but she fired back: ‘I think I’m done talking to you. I know you lied.’

A South Carolina personal trainer whose body was discovered days after she disappeared died from a heart condition following what the coroner described as a “full mental crisis.”

Elena Moore, 39, suffered fatal complications from cardiac dysrhythmia accompanied by premature ventricular contractions, Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher said.

Fisher classified Moore’s death as natural, emphasizing that investigators “never saw anything that indicated homicide.”

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Moore was last seen June 11 at a Planet Fitness in Lexington, roughly 14 miles from Columbia. She was later seen heading toward a wooded area behind a nearby Lowe’s Home Improvement store.

Her body was located on June 17. Neighbors said Moore had displayed unusual behavior during the week before her disappearance.