China has commissioned its latest aircraft carrier after extensive sea trials, adding a ship to what is already the world’s largest navy and one that experts say will help it expand its influence and reach farther beyond its own waters. China’s official Xinhua news agency reported Friday that the new vessel was commissioned on Wednesday. The Fujian is China’s third carrier and the first that it has both designed and built itself. It is perhaps the most visible example so far of leader Xi Jinping’s massive military overhaul and expansion that aims to have a modernized force by 2035 and one that is “world class” by mid century — which most take to mean capable of going toe-to-toe with the United States.

Pope Leo XIV is getting used to being pope at the six-month mark, following his shock election in May and sharp learning curve over the summer. His key priorities are starting to come into focus, especially where he dovetails with his predecessor and where he diverges. Leo showed himself in perfect lockstep with Francis when he published his first major teaching document last month, on the church’s non-negotiable “preferential option for the poor.”  Leo's pontificate’s six-month mark is coming up on Nov. 8, and we have glimpsed a lot about history’s first American pope, his style, substance and where he might be taking the Catholic Church.

South Korea's military says North Korea fired a suspected ballistic missile toward its eastern waters. Pyongyang has stepped up its testing activity while talks with Washington and Seoul remain stalled. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said Friday the weapon flew about 434 miles cross-country after being fired from an inland area around the western county of Taekwan. North Korea has been accelerating the pace of its weapons testing in recent weeks, including the firing of purported hypersonic missiles and cruise missiles last month.

Typhoon Kalmaegi has brought fierce winds and torrential rains to Vietnam, and left at least five people dead and thousands of homes damaged before weakening into a tropical storm. The storm moved into Cambodia on Friday. Authorities also say three people are missing and more than 1.6 million households lost power as recovery efforts began in hard-hit Vietnamese provinces. In the Philippines, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. declared a state of national emergency after Kalmaegi left at least 188 dead and 135 missing earlier this week. The country now braces for another major storm, Typhoon Fung-wong, expected to make landfall early next week.

KWIGILLINGOK, Alaska (AP) — Uncertainty looms over the future of remote Alaska Native villages devastated by the remnants of Typhoon Halong last month. Some evacuees express doubts about ever returning to their traditional lifestyles, while other residents remain. This is…

Lisa Emery, a respiratory therapist, is deeply concerned about West Virginia coal miners suffering from black lung disease. She sees miners as young as 45 needing double lung transplants due in part to increased silica dust exposure. A rule that would cut exposure to the toxic substance was approved last year but is now in jeopardy. Retired miners are demanding action from President Trump, who promised to put more workers underground. The silica rule faces opposition from industry groups citing costs. Meanwhile, miners continue to suffer, with some feeling forgotten and struggling with severe health issues.

OpenAI is facing seven lawsuits claiming ChatGPT drove people to suicide and harmful delusions even when they had no prior mental health issues. The lawsuits filed Thursday in California state courts allege wrongful death, assisted suicide, involuntary manslaughter and negligence. Filed on behalf of six adults and one teenager by the Social Media Victims Law Center and Tech Justice Law Project, the lawsuits claim that OpenAI knowingly released GPT-4o prematurely, despite internal warnings that it was dangerously sycophantic and psychologically manipulative. Four of the victims died by suicide. OpenAI said it is reviewing the lawsuits.

Get ready for a women’s pro hockey Torrent in Seattle and the Goldeneyes in Vancouver, as the PWHL unveiled logos and nicknames for its two expansion franchises. The designs and names were chosen to reflect each of the two Pacific Northwest markets. And the process that began in April at about the same time the professional women’s league announced it was expanding from six to eight teams for its third season, which opens on Nov. 21. The Torrent nickname and S-shaped logo draws from Washington’s powerful rivers and cascading waterways. The Goldeneyes nickname was inspired by the duck — featuring a distinct golden eye — common to northern climates, including Vancouver.

A former Justice Department employee who threw a sandwich at a federal agent during President Donald Trump’s law enforcement surge in Washington has been found not guilty of assault. A viral video of the incident made Sean Charles Dunn a symbol of resistance to Trump’s deployment of federal agents to combat crime in the nation’s capital. Dunn's misdemeanor acquittal Thursday is another setback for prosecutors who've faced a backlash for how they've handled criminal cases resulting from the surge. Dunn says he's relieved and looking forward to moving on with his life. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro is accepting the verdict but says “law enforcement should never be subjected to assault.”

The Trump administration now says cuts to the biggest government food program won't be as deep as previously expected during the government shutdown. It now says that the maximum SNAP benefit for November will be cut by 35% rather than by half. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a new court filing that it realized the cut needn't be as drastic as announced earlier this week — at least for those receiving the highest amount available. For some, the benefit would drop to $0. The change in the depth of cuts is the latest development in a tumultuous week over how food aid will work.

The Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary group that has been at war with the Sudanese military for over two years, said it has agreed to a humanitarian truce that was proposed by U.S.-led mediator group, also known as the Quad. The RSF’s agreement on Thursday to the proposal comes over a week after the group seized el-Fasher city that has been under siege for over 18 months. It was also the last Sudanese military stronghold in Sudan’s western Darfur region. A Sudan military official told The Associated Press that the army will only agree to a truce which includes withdrawing from civilian areas and giving up weapons.

Autoimmune diseases can affect just about every part of the body – and tens of millions of people. While most common in women, these diseases can strike anyone, adults or children, and they’re on the rise. New research is raising the prospect of treatments that might do more than tamp down symptoms. Dozens of clinical trials are testing ways to reprogram immune systems, with some promising early successes against lupus, myositis and other illnesses. Other researchers are hunting ways to at least delay brewing autoimmune diseases.

Claressa Shields has signed a multi-fight deal that will pay her a minimum of $8 million. The undisputed women’s heavyweight boxing champion plans to return to the ring in early 2026. Shields, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and five-division champion as a professional, last fought in July when she beat Lani Daniels in Detroit to defend her heavyweight belts. There were no set number fights in the deal announced Thursday with Wynn Records and Salita Promotions. The 30-year-old Shields has held titles from the 154-pound limit through heavyweight and is the only fighter to hold all four major world titles in three different weight classes simultaneously.

President Donald Trump has unveiled a deal with drugmakers Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk to expand coverage and reduce prices for their popular obesity treatments Zepbound and Wegovy.  The drugs are part of a new generation of obesity medications known as GLP-1 receptor agonists that have soared in popularity in recent years. But access to the drugs has been a consistent problem for patients because of their cost and spotty insurance coverage. Thursday’s announcement is the latest attempt by the Trump administration to rein in soaring drug prices in its efforts to address cost-of-living concerns among voters.