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NEW YORK (AP) — Some politicians carry threats to their livelihood in the palms of their hands.News stories in recent weeks about offensive or ill-advised text messages have blown up the careers of several young Republicans in a chat group, led a nominee for a White House job to drop out, threatened the campaign of a Democrat running for Virginia attorney general and embarrassed a federal prosecutor.Memories are still fresh of this spring’s inadvertent inclusion of a journalist on a Signal chain where Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other leaders discussed military strikes, possibly the second Trump administration’s most embarrassing…

NEW YORK (AP) — Weddings are meant to be celebrations of love. They also may require invited guests to make a financial commitment that brings them stress. Whether it’s paying for hotels and flights to attend a destination wedding or different outfits and gifts for multiple pre-wedding events, friends and extended family often feel pressure to spend a large amount of money before the couple gets married. A sense of obligation and budget constraints can create resentment, hurt feelings and misunderstandings among friends and family. Future spouses who are trying to plan their dream wedding and are worried about their…

Mikaela Shiffrin has a new title to go with all-time winningest World Cup ski racer and two-time Olympic champion — podcast host.The 30-year-old from Colorado will launch “What’s the Point with Mikaela Shiffrin,” on Oct. 29. It’s all part of her expanding brand leading into the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics in February. She just unveiled a personal logo, too, featuring her initials, MS, shaped like a mountain with a skier in a tuck position. Her podcast is a way to share the twists and turns that come with skiing, along with telling stories about what drives athletes — maybe even celebrities…

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Tens of millions of red crabs are making their way to the ocean as part of their annual migration on Christmas Island, where a much smaller human population uses leaf blowers and garden rakes to help them on their way.Christmas Island National Park acting manager Alexia Jankowski said Thursday there were up to 200 million of the endemic crabs, also known as Gecarcoidea natalis, on the tiny Australian island territory in the Indian Ocean. Up to 100 million were expected to make their way from their forest burrows to the shoreline where they breed.The start of…

BEELITZ, Germany (AP) — The pumpkin is the undisputed star of the show at the Klaistow farm near Berlin.Over 100,000 pumpkins in various shapes and colors are laid out across the farm and on shelves along its winding paths — 500 different varieties from around the world, each labeled with its name and origin. The huge pumpkin festival on the farm 56 kilometers (35 miles) southwest of the German capital, which is now taking place for the 22nd time, has become so popular that it draws up to 12,000 visitors on weekend days and more than 5,000 on weekdays.This year…

NEW YORK (AP) — For little ghosts, witches, KPop Demon Hunters and superheroes, Halloween is one of the most exciting nights of the year. But it’s also one of the busiest for parents as they try to keep track of their trick-or-treaters, give out candy and watch over their homes. Fortunately, there are some tech tricks out there that can help families stay safe this Halloween, and have a little more fun too. Keeping tabs on your kidsIf your children are outfitted with Apple or Google-branded smart phones or watches or tracking tags, you can use the Find My or…

Photo illustration by Brandon Bell/Getty Images In my latest deep-dive, I profile Florida sugar barons, the Fanjul family of Palm Beach, who are among the best-positioned to take advantage of Coca-Cola’s American cane sugar expansion. The Fanjuls control a sugar and real estate empire, including Domino Sugar and Florida Crystals, that Forbes estimates to be worth some $4 billion—and ever since their longtime friend Donald Trump pressured Coca-Cola to use cane sugar, they have been jockeying for that business. The Fanjul family emigrated to South Florida from Cuba in 1959, following the Fidel Castro-led revolution in their home country, and…

Forget colorful leaves. Any caregiver knows that the real signs of fall are kids with coughs, sneezes and sniffles.Autumn marks the start of respiratory virus season, when colds, flu and other bugs start circulating — especially among the very young.A recent study confirmed what many families intuitively know: The littlest students harbor the most germs.Children in pre-kindergarten and elementary school showed highest rates of virus detection compared with older students and staff, according to research published in the journal Pediatrics.“Young children can have up to 10 respiratory viruses a year as their immune systems are introduced to different infections for…

PARIS (AP) — The glittering sapphires, emeralds, and diamonds that once adorned France’s royals could well be gone forever, experts said Tuesday after a brazen, four-minute heist in broad daylight left the nation stunned and the government struggling to explain a new debacle at the Louvre.Each stolen piece — an emerald necklace and earrings, two crowns, two brooches, a sapphire necklace and a single earring — represents the pinnacle of 19th century “haute joaillerie,” or fine jewelry. But for the royals, they were more than decoration. The pieces were political statements of France’s wealth, power and cultural import. And they…

It’s the end of the gardening season, and those of us who’ve endured a less-than-perfect layout may be itching to move shrubs around. But proper timing is imperative.I inadvertently planted a Clethra bush too close to a peach tree, and their intertwining branches have been taunting me all summer. But because the Clethra is a late-season bloomer, I’ll have to wait a bit longer before I can safely move it.As a general rule, shrubs (and perennials) that bloom in late summer and fall should be transplanted in spring, just after they emerge from dormancy. This timing provides ample time for…