Show’s leader, who resigned in April, says he was also pressured to apologize for edit of Kamala Harris interview

The former executive producer of 60 Minutes, Bill Owens, said he faced intense internal pressure from his corporate bosses to avoid certain stories that had the potential to generate backlash for parent company Paramount, in his first public remarks since his sudden resignation in late April.

In January, 60 Minutes ran a segment featuring former state department employees who had quit over how Joe Biden’s administration handled the war in Gaza. The segment drew backlash from pro-Israel organizations and unnerved Paramount’s controlling shareholder, Shari Redstone, a strong supporter of Israel.

Treasury accuses Gustavo Petro of ‘allowing drug cartels to flourish’ as president attacks Trump’s ‘oppressive regime’

The US treasury department has announced sanctions on Colombian president Gustavo Petro, one of Donald Trump’s harshest international critics.

“President Petro has allowed drug cartels to flourish and refused to stop this activity,” treasury secretary Scott Bessent wrote in a post on X. “Today President Trump is taking strong action to protect our nation.”

Five Senators say public deserves answers over whether trust dedicated to preserving the White House grounds is ‘being used to facilitate corruption’

The US secretary of state has confirmed Donald Trump’s announcement that all trade negotiations with Canada have been suspended.

Marco Rubio spoke during a visit to a civil-military coordination centre in southern Israel.

USS Gerald Ford carrier and other warships will head to coast of Venezuela. Key US politics stories from Friday 24 October at a glance

The Pentagon said on Friday that it was deploying the United States’ most advanced aircraft carrier to the Caribbean, a serious escalation in the Trump administration’s war against drug cartels that provides the resources to start conducting strikes against targets on the ground.

The move will bring the USS Gerald Ford carrier, with dozens of stealth fighter jets and surveillance aircraft, in addition to other warships that accompany the carrier, to the coast of Venezuela as the carrier nears the end of its deployment in the Mediterranean.

Allegation raises further questions about death of Byron Black in execution lawyer says was ‘100% botched’

A man executed on Tennessee death row showed signs of “sustained cardiac activity” for nearly two minutes after he was pronounced dead, his attorney said in court on Friday.

The allegation raises further questions about how the death of Byron Black unfolded and will increase scrutiny on capital punishment in Tennessee.

In marked departure, federal observers will only be sent to six counties – five in California and one on New Jersey

The US secretary of state has confirmed Donald Trump’s announcement that all trade negotiations with Canada have been suspended.

Marco Rubio spoke during a visit to a civil-military coordination centre in southern Israel.

Justice department targets two Democratic states holding off-year elections after requests from state Republicans

The Department of Justice is preparing to send federal election observers to California and New Jersey next month, targeting two Democratic states holding off-year elections following requests from state Republican parties.

The department announced it was planning to monitor polling sites in Passaic county, New Jersey, and five counties in southern and central California: Los Angeles, Orange, Kern, Riverside and Fresno. The goal, according to the department, is “to ensure transparency, ballot security, and compliance with federal law”.

Karin Immergut to decide by Monday whether to lift her order blocking federalized troops from patrolling city

A federal judge in Portland, Oregon, on Friday rejected the Trump administration’s request to immediately lift her order blocking the deployment of federalized national guard troops to the city, saying that she would decide the matter by Monday.

The hearing in Portland and one in Washington DC are the latest in a head-spinning array of lawsuits and overlapping rulings prompted by Trump’s push to send the military into Democratic-run cities despite fierce resistance from mayors and governors. Troop deployment remains blocked in the Chicago area, where all sides are waiting to see whether the US supreme court intervenes to allow it.

Use of USS Gerald Ford along with fighter jets comes as president plots strikes against alleged cartels on land

The Pentagon said on Friday that it was deploying the United States’s most advanced aircraft carrier to the Caribbean, a major escalation in the Trump administration’s war against drug cartels that provides the resources to start conducting strikes against targets on the ground.

The move will bring the USS Gerald Ford carrier, with dozens of stealth fighter jets and surveillance aircraft, in addition to other warships that accompany the carrier, to the coast of Venezuela as it nears the end of its current deployment in the Mediterranean.

The Ontario government paid for and produced the ad, which uses a 1987 speech by Ronald Reagan denouncing tariffs; Canadian prime minister says he wants to see progress on trade negotiations

US and Canada spar over anti-Trump tariff ad that suspended trade talks

The US secretary of state has confirmed Donald Trump’s announcement that all trade negotiations with Canada have been suspended.

Marco Rubio spoke during a visit to a civil-military coordination centre in southern Israel.

Nearly 42 million people in danger as federal government shutdown continues and Snap funding to end 1 November

US politics – follow live

Two decades ago, Sara Carlson, then a mother of three, was newly single because of a traumatic event, and the US’s food stamp program, now called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Snap), helped her feed her children with free food supplies.

“I wouldn’t have been able to afford to live,” said Carlson, 45, who lives in Rochester, Minnesota, and now works as an operations manager for a wealth-management firm and serves on the board of Channel One Regional Food Bank, which works to increase food access.

Pete Hegseth claims six ‘narco-terrorists’ killed in Caribbean as US military conducts 10th strike

US politics live – latest updates

The United States has carried out another military strike against a boat it claims was carrying illegal drugs in the Caribbean, killing six people onboard said Pete Hegseth, the Pentagon chief, on Friday morning.

Later on Friday, the Pentagon said that an aircraft carrier was being moved to waters off South America, as part of the administration’s stated campaign to combat drug trafficking.

Two sweeping federal indictments have implicated big names in basketball and raised uncomfortable questions about who benefits from legalized gambling

The NBA gambling scandal is the biggest story of the year in US sports, a culmination of the years-long embrace between professional leagues and the multibillion-dollar gambling industry that has now crossed the line from synergy into scandal.

In two sweeping federal indictments unsealed in Brooklyn on Thursday, prosecutors charged more than 30 people – including the Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups and former NBA player and assistant Damon Jones – with schemes that turned inside information and rigged card games into engines of profit for organized crime.

US House minority leader ends four-month standoff over backing for Democratic nominee

The House minority leader, Hakeem Jeffries, endorsed Zohran Mamdani for New York City mayor on Friday, ending a four-month standoff that left the Democratic nominee without the backing of one of the party’s most powerful figures until the day before early voting begins.

The announcement arrives after months of pressure from progressives in Congress and after the top Democrat has been repeatedly grilled by reporters about his reluctance to support his party’s candidate.

State becomes second to attempt to redistrict to benefit Democrats in response to Republicans’ efforts to gain seats

US politics live – latest updates

Virginia has entered the national mid-cycle redistricting battle, with Democratic state lawmakers intent on redrawing the state’s congressional maps to deliver two or three additional Democrats to Washington.

Virginia currently has a 6-5 split in its delegation, favoring Democrats by one member. Don Scott, the Democratic Virginia house speaker, sent a letter on Thursday to members alerting them to a reconvening of a special session to consider legislation. The letter does not explicitly state that redistricting is on the agenda, but national organizations said they had been informed that this is the case.

Giants fined $200k over concussion protocol breach

Daboll docked $100k and Skattebo $15k for misconduct

League: violations created ‘perception’ of interference

The New York Giants, head coach Brian Daboll and running back Cam Skattebo have been fined for violating the NFL’s concussion protocol during an evaluation of rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart in the team’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles, the league and NFL Players Association announced Friday.

The Giants were hit with a $200,000 fine for breaching the protocol, while Daboll was fined $100,000 and Skattebo $15,000 for conduct detrimental to the league.

Ontario premier says he plans to run ad featuring speech that sparked Trump’s ire again during World Series

After the US suspended all trade negotiations with Canada over a 1987 speech by Ronald Reagan denouncing tariffs that appeared to spark Donald Trump’s ire, the premier of Ontario said he plans to run an ad featuring the speech again during the World Series on Friday.

Doug Ford, whose government ran the Reagan ad in US markets this week, first posted on X that the two nations are “stronger together”, while Trump added his own string of social media posts trumpeting the supposed benefits of tariffs.

White House adviser calls Canada negotiations ‘difficult’ and Ontario lawmaker doubles down on Canadian ad featuring Ronald Reagan speaking negatively about tariffs

Trump says all Canada trade talks ‘terminated’ over ad criticizing tariffs

The US secretary of state has confirmed Donald Trump’s announcement that all trade negotiations with Canada have been suspended.

Marco Rubio spoke during a visit to a civil-military coordination centre in southern Israel.

Despite president’s promise to preserve it, the eastern section of the building is now completely destroyed

The East Wing of the White House has now been completely destroyed to pave way for Donald Trump’s $300m planned gilded ballroom, just days after the administration announced it would happen and contradicting Trump’s earlier promise that the existing building would not be touched.

Satellite images on Friday showed the historic building’s eastern section reduced to rubble, to the outrage of historians, former White House officials and much of the public.

New York attorney general appears in court in Virginia in case brought after Trump called for her prosecution

The New York state attorney general, Letitia James, pleaded not guilty on Friday to charges of bank fraud and false statements brought after Donald Trump publicly called for her to be prosecuted in a move widely seen as political retribution.

“Not guilty judge to both counts,” James told the judge as she made her first appearance in federal district court in Virginia. The case has been assigned to Judge Jamar Walker, who was nominated by Joe Biden.