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Miguel's first album in eight years is called CAOS. Courtesy of Miguel hide caption

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Courtesy of Miguel

The best new albums out Oct. 24

It's Friday, and that means a tidal wave of newly released prestige pop is at your fingertips.

New Music Friday: The best albums out Oct. 24

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Boo to spooky chocolate prices! It's the year of chewy, fruity Halloween treats

Sales of non-chocolate candy are growing faster than those of chocolate. With cocoa in shortage, manufacturers are changing pack sizes, adding fillers and dipping candy in "white creme."

Cost of Living: Halloween candy prices

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Asake: Tiny Desk Concert

The Nigerian artist is known for his high-energy stage presence, but this concert shows just how effortlessly he can blend the sounds of Afrobeats, amapiano and Fuji in an intimate setting.

BTS - (L to R) Director Guillermo del Toro and Oscar Issac as Victor Frankenstein on the set of Frankenstein. Cr. Ken Woroner/Netflix © 2025. Ken Woroner/Netflix hide caption

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Ken Woroner/Netflix

Filmmaker Guillermo del Toro says 'I'd rather die' than use generative AI

Del Toro's new Frankenstein adaption reimagines Mary Shelley's 1818 Gothic novel. Frankenstein was like a tech bro: "creating something without considering the consequences," he explains.

FA: Guillermo del Toro

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Netflix's A House of Dynamite is available online for streaming on October 24. Experts say the sets, such as this one of the White House situation room's watch floor, are "scarily realistic." Eros Hoagland/Netflix © 2025 hide caption

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Eros Hoagland/Netflix © 2025

Here's what experts say 'A House of Dynamite' gets wrong (and right) about nuclear war

Some praised realistic elements like the depiction of the White House situation room. But others said parts of the plot didn't ring true.

Speaking from the White House on Thursday, President Trump said he believes lawmakers will ultimately support U.S. efforts to strike alleged drug boats in the Caribbean Sea. But he said he did not think the administration would ask for a declaration of war. Alex Wong/Getty Images hide caption

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Alex Wong/Getty Images

As strikes on alleged drug boats grow, so do questions about their legality and goal

President Trump says he has authority to carry out the strikes, but international experts are asking if the attacks are truly about countering narcotics or instead toppling Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro.

Farmer Jose Esquivel surveys his field of cattle on June 13, 2023 in Quemado, Texas. Brandon Bell/Getty Images North America hide caption

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Brandon Bell/Getty Images North America

'A slap in the face': Ranchers feel betrayed by Trump's plan to buy Argentine beef

Over the past few days, cattle ranchers and agricultural groups have been sounding the alarm that a plan to import more foreign beef would hurt struggling ranchers.

A slap in the face’: Ranchers feel betrayed by Trump’s plan to buy Argentine beef

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From left: Misty Copeland, Malala Yousafzai, mystery axolotl. Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for American Ballet Theatre; John Phillips/Getty Images; Jan Sonnenmair/Getty Images hide caption

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Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for American Ballet Theatre; John Phillips/Getty Images; Jan Sonnenmair/Getty Images

No historic museums were harmed in the making of this quiz. Can you score 11?

From brazen jewel heists to internet meltdowns, this week brought travesties galore.

Wanda Bright, a federal worker affected by the shutdown, picks up food from the Capital Area Food Bank in Hyattsville, Md., on Tuesday. Tyrone Turner/WAMU hide caption

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Tyrone Turner/WAMU

It's supposed to be payday for many federal workers. Instead, they're getting nothing

Roughly 1.4 million federal workers are going without pay due to the government shutdown. About half of them are furloughed, while the other half has been deemed essential and is working without pay.

It’s supposed to be payday for many federal workers. Instead, they’re getting nothing

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Coffee plants are seen at the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation experimental farm in Brasilia in 2022. Coffee production in Brazil is leading to deforestation, a nonprofit group says. Evaristo Sa/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Evaristo Sa/AFP via Getty Images

Coffee-driven deforestation is making it harder to grow coffee, watchdog group says

In Brazil's coffee-producing areas, more than 42,000 square miles of forest have disappeared over about two decades, says Coffee Watch. Deforestation leads to drought, which harms crop yields.

Democratic General Assembly members respond to Gov. Glenn Youngkin's State of the Commonwealth address on Jan. 13 at the Virginia State Capitol in Richmond. From left: Sen. Jennifer Carroll Foy (D–Prince William), House Majority Leader Charniele Herring (D–Alexandria), House Speaker Don Scott (D–Portsmouth), Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell (D–Fairfax) and Sens. Mamie Locke (D–Hampton), Louise Lucas (D–Portsmouth) and Stella Pekarsky (D–Fairfax). Shaban Athuman/VPM News hide caption

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Shaban Athuman/VPM News

Virginia joins California in trying to counter Trump's GOP redistricting push

VPM News

Virginia's General Assembly will meet Monday in Richmond, in a legislative session hastily reconvened by Democrats, legislators told VPM News.

Members of the Texas National Guard stand guard at an army reserve training facility on October 07, 2025 in Elwood, Illinois. Scott Olson/Getty Images North America hide caption

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Scott Olson/Getty Images North America

Confused by the legal battles over troop deployments? Here's what to know

Two significant legal actions — including a possible decision from the U.S. Supreme Court — are expected this week. While both would be preliminary, they could impact how courts weigh in on such cases going forward.

Decisions could come soon in legal battles over Trump's National Guard deployments

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The FBI has arrested Miami Heat player Terry Rozier after a long-running gambling investigation. Carmen Mandato/Getty Images hide caption

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Carmen Mandato/Getty Images

NBA coach Chauncey Billups and player Terry Rozier are arrested in an FBI gambling probe

Prosecutors say Rozier and others passed confidential intel to organized crime groups to help wager on NBA games. Billups allegedly participated in a separate scheme involving underground poker games.

NBA coach Chauncey Billups, player Terry Rozier arrested in FBI gambling probe

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A forensics officer examines the cut window and balcony of a gallery at the Louvre Museum which was the scene of a robbery on October 19 in Paris. Kiran Ridley/Getty Images hide caption

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Kiran Ridley/Getty Images

A few things to consider before committing a museum heist

Art heists may sound glamorous, but stealing priceless cultural artifacts doesn't always pay off like you'd expect. We talked with a veteran art thief, a lawyer, and an expert on heist economics.

A few things to consider before committing a museum heist

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Chess Grandmasters Vladimir Kramnik (left) and José Martínez Alcántara face off at the World Chess Clash of Blames tournament on Aug. 19, 2024, in London. The International Chess Federation said Wednesday it is investigating Kramnik for allegations of cheating he leveled at Daniel Naroditsky and other elite players. Antony Jones/Getty Images for World Chess hide caption

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Antony Jones/Getty Images for World Chess

Chess body investigating ex-world champion who accused Daniel Naroditsky of cheating

U.S. chess grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky died this week at age 29. Former world champion Vladimir Kramnik had accused Naroditsky, among others, of cheating in the sport.

‎/NEON

'It Was Just an Accident' is a blast of pure anti-authoritarian rage

Iranian director Jafar Panahi has been arrested repeatedly in his home country. His shockingly funny new revenge thriller was informed by the stories of people he met in prison.

FA: Film Review: It Was Just an Accident

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Emma Stone stars as Michelle in Bugonia. Atsushi Nishijima/Focus Features hide caption

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Atsushi Nishijima/Focus Features

Would you shave your head for free movie tickets? 'Bugonia' wants to make a buzz

Emma Stone shaved her head for Bugonia — would you? A recent publicity stunt offered free tickets to moviegoers willing to shave it all off in the lobby of a Culver City, Calif., theater.

New film 'Bugonia' causes a buzz at California screening

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A new study found the most commonly prescribed antidepressants in the U.S., called Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, or SSRIs, tended to have fewer side effects than some older medications. Guido Mieth/Moment RF/Getty Images hide caption

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Guido Mieth/Moment RF/Getty Images

Antidepressant side effects differ greatly depending on the drug, a study finds

Millions of Americans take antidepressants. And like all medication, they come with side effects. Researchers studied 30 different antidepressants and found side effects vary from drug to drug.

A cloud of smog hovers above Lebanon's capital Beirut on August 14, 2025. Air pollution from diesel generators and smokey tailpipes are among the reasons that cancer is surging in Lebanon. Joseph Eid/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Joseph Eid/AFP via Getty Images

This nation has the fastest rising rate of cancer cases — and deaths — in the world

According to a new report, cancer rates are skyrocketing in this tiny country. What's causing this to happen? And what steps can be taken to turn the tide?

Global study finds cancer rates in Lebanon are soaring faster than anywhere else

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