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New-car prices have never been higher.The average sale price reached $50,080 in September, marking the first time it has topped $50,000, according to Kelley Blue Book.The milestone came as shoppers rushed to buy electric vehicles before a $7,500 federal tax credit expired on Sept. 30, with EVs selling for an average of $58,124, which helped push overall prices higher, according to KBB.While new-car prices typically rise in early fall, September’s year-over-year increase was the largest since the spring of 2023, driven by EV purchases, higher luxury sales and, to a lesser extent, tariffs, KBB says.”Now that [the EV] incentive is…

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A judge in New Mexico has halted a federal death penalty case, citing the pinch of the U.S. government shutdown and a funding shortfall for specialized public defenders that stretches back to the summer.The Trump administration in July announced plans to seek the death penalty for Labar Tsethlikai in connection with a string of kidnappings that involved sexual abuse and two deaths — a hallmark case in efforts to bring justice for missing and murdered individuals in Native American communities. The 52-year-old defendant from Zuni Pueblo has pleaded not guilty.Death penalty cases are especially costly…

BALTIMORE (AP) — The U.S. government plans to deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Liberia, and could do so as early as Oct. 31, according to a Friday court filing. The Salvadoran national’s case has become a magnet for opposition to President Donald Trump’s immigration policies since he was mistakenly deported to El Salvador, in violation of a settlement agreement. He was returned to the U.S. in June after the U.S. Supreme Court said the administration had to work to bring him back. Since he cannot be re-deported to El Salvador, ICE has been seeking to deport him to a series…

President Donald Trump will speak at a telephone rally late Friday on the eve of early voting in support of Republican candidate for New Jersey governor, Jack Ciattarelli, to boost the GOP’s chances of defeating Democrat Mikie Sherrill and flipping the state next month.Trump had previously endorsed Ciattarelli, who has embraced the support of the Republican president, given him an “A” grade for his performance in the White House, but has not campaigned alongside him. He said the president’s team has offered “anything that you think can help the campaign.”New Jersey and Virginia are the only two states holding gubernatorial…

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration imposed sanctions Friday on Colombian President Gustavo Petro, his family and a member of his government over accusations of involvement in the global drug trade, sharply escalating tensions with the leftist leader of one of the closest U.S. allies in South America.The Treasury Department leveled the penalties against Petro; his wife, Veronica del Socorro Alcocer Garcia; his son, Nicolas Fernando Petro Burgos; and Colombian Interior Minister Armando Alberto Benedetti. Petro “has allowed drug cartels to flourish and refused to stop this activity,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement. “President Trump is taking…

NEW YORK (AP) — Decades after a crackdown by prosecutors decimated the ranks of the New York Mafia, the indictment of an NBA coach, a player and nearly three dozen others in a betting scandal highlighted the mob’s persistence and adaptability to changing times and technology.Four of New York’s five organized crime families allegedly participated in the sophisticated rigging of high-stakes poker games that one investigator said were “reminiscent of a Hollywood movie.”The mobsters are accused of pocketing some of the $7 million that was fleeced from unsuspecting victims who were drawn to poker tables in Las Vegas, Miami, Manhattan…

Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers insists they are not feeling any extra pressure as they prepare to face Premiership leaders Hearts, live on Sky Sports. A shock defeat at Dundee sees them go to Tynecastle trailing the unbeaten Jambos by five points. They did respond with a 2-1 win at home to Sturm Graz in the Europa League, and Rodgers expects the Hoops to continue gaining momentum. Sunday 26th October 11:00am Kick off 12:00pm “Going to Tynecastle at whatever time of the season is always a tough game, but we arrive in there in a much better place,” he said.”The performance…

If you inherited an individual retirement account, there is a key change for 2025 that — without action on your part before year-end — could trigger an IRS penalty of up to 25%.Starting in 2025, certain non-spouse heirs, including adult children, must start taking required minimum distributions, or RMDs, while emptying their inherited IRA over 10 years, according to IRS regulations released in 2024.   The change comes as investors prepare for the “great wealth transfer,” with more than $100 trillion expected to flow to heirs through 2048, according to a December report from Cerulli Associates. Much of that wealth will…

IRVINE, Calif. — Taco Bell is going all in on beverages, starting with its Live Más Café concept.The Yum Brands chain unveiled the drink-focused store format last December, with the first location in Chula Vista, California. Ten months later came the second location, near the University of California, Irvine campus. By the end of the year, Taco Bell is projecting that it will have 30 Live Más Cafés in its portfolio, across Southern California, Dallas and Houston.Unlike McDonald’s now-defunct CosMc’s spinoff, which had its own standalone locations, the Live Más Café lives inside existing Taco Bell restaurants. Customers order at…

Maya Nazareth started practicing jiu-jitsu at age 17. Eight years later, she believes training in combat sports transformed her “from a shy wallflower and turned me into the confident woman” who is the founder of a growing sportswear brand, Nazareth said on Wednesday’s episode of ABC’s “Shark Tank.”Nazareth pitched her company, Philadelphia-based Alchemize Fightwear, on the show. Alchemize makes a range of athletic apparel specifically for women training in combat sports like martial arts, wrestling and boxing.She started the business as a college student in 2020 after surveying a lack of womenswear options for combat sports training, which Nazareth described…