Ohio State received top billing in first College Football Playoff rankings of the season, followed by Indiana, Texas A&M and Alabama. The top three head into the final four weeks of the regular season undefeated. Another team with no losses, BYU of the Big 12, was ranked seventh. At No. 5 was Georgia, followed by Mississippi. All of the top six came from either the Big Ten or Southeastern Conference -- a dose of business as usual despite a season that has been anything but predictable.

California voters are deciding whether to change their state’s congressional district boundaries to favor Democrats. This decision Tuesday could impact next year’s midterms and beyond. California, with its 52 districts, offers Democrats a major opportunity in the ongoing redistricting battle. Texas Republicans have already redrawn boundaries to help the GOP retain its House majority. Democrats need to gain three seats in the 2026 elections to take control of the House. Proposition 50, supported by Gov. Gavin Newsom and former President Barack Obama, aims to replace maps drawn by an independent commission with more partisan ones. Critics, including Arnold Schwarzenegger, oppose this move.

A man charged with assault for throwing a sandwich at a federal agent calls it an act of protest. Prosecutors are trying to prove that it was a federal crime. Jurors heard attorneys' opening statements on Tuesday for Sean Charles Dunn's trial in Washington, D.C. on a misdemeanor assault charge. Customs and Border Protection Agent Gregory Lairmore was the trial's first witness. He testified that Dunn threw the submarine-style sandwich at his chest with enough force that he could feel the impact through his ballistic vest.

Boston third baseman Alex Bregman and right-hander Lucas Giolito, New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso and closer Edwin Díaz and New York Yankees outfielder/first baseman Cody Bellinger were among the players who turned down player options or exercised opt outs and became free agents. San Diego pitcher Robert Suarez also turned down his option and went free on the third day of the five-day free agent window. A total of 153 players have become free agents following the end of the World Series and several dozen more potentially can go free through Thursday, depending on whether team, player and mutual options are exercised.

As voters lined up at the polls Tuesday, social media users claimed that how candidates are listed on New York City ballots is proof that voting is rigged. But there is nothing amiss about the ballots, which follow New York’s voting laws. Candidates may appear more than once on ballots in the state if they are nominated by multiple political parties — a practice called fusion voting. Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, is in the eighth spot because of when he filed his petition to run as an independent.

Pizza Hut could soon be up for sale. Yum Brands, Pizza Hut’s parent company, said Tuesday it’s conducting a formal review of options for the brand, which has struggled to compete in a crowded pizza market. Yum CEO Chris Turner said Pizza Hut has many strengths, including a global footprint and strong growth in many countries. Pizza Hut has nearly 20,000 stores in more than 100 countries, and its international sales were up 2% in the first nine months of this year. But the brand has struggled in the U.S., where it gets nearly half its sales. Yum Brands said there is no deadline for completion of the review.

Sauce Gardner went from last place to first and teammate Quinnen Williams also is on the move in separate blockbuster trades. The New York Jets agreed to trade two star defensive players for draft picks and players in an effort to rebuild a franchise that has the longest active playoff drought in the NFL. Gardner, a two-time All-Pro cornerback, goes to the Indianapolis Colts on Tuesday for two first-round draft picks and wide receiver Adonai Mitchell. Williams is heading to the Dallas Cowboys for a second-round pick in 2026, a first-round pick in 2027 and defensive tackle Mazi Smith, two people with knowledge of the deal told the AP on condition of anonymity because the teams hadn’t announced the trade.

Bomb threats to New Jersey polling stations, a voter roll mishap in Pennsylvania potentially affecting thousands of voters and warnings by President Donald Trump against California’s mail balloting system is marking the final day of voting in an off-year election with several nationally prominent races. Voting otherwise appeared to be going smoothly Tuesday across the U.S., as voters cast ballots in the first significant election since Trump won the White House for a second time. Trump often warns of election rigging, and that was the case Tuesday when he posted to social media about voting in California's congressional redistricting measure. He said without providing evidence of any widespread problems that the process was “under very serious legal and criminal review."

Signs of a potential end to the government shutdown are intensifying with behind-the-scenes talks. This comes as the federal closure, now in its 35th day, is on track to become the longest ever disrupting the lives of millions of Americans. Senators from both parties are quietly negotiating the contours of an emerging deal to reopen the government and resolve the stalemate over health care funds for insurance subsidies. President Donald Trump has largely been absent, though he threatened Tuesday no more SNAP food aid unless the government reopens, which could defy court orders to release the funds. Tuesday’s elections across the U.S. provide an inflection point to bring an end to the shutdown.

Authorities say they've arrested two Massachusetts men in connection with a weekend explosion at Harvard Medical School. Logan David Patterson and Dominick Frank Cardoza face charges of conspiracy to damage by means of fire or an explosive, according to the charging document. Patterson, an 18-year-old from Plymouth, and Cardoza, a 20-year-old from Bourne, were arrested Tuesday morning and are due to be arraigned in federal court later in the day. The blast occurred early Saturday on the fourth floor of Harvard Medical School. No one was injured. The building houses labs and offices associated with the medical school’s neurobiology department.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy predicted Tuesday that there could be chaos in the skies next week if the government shutdown drags on and air traffic controllers miss a second paycheck. The FAA slows down or even stops flights temporarily anytime it is short on controllers or if there is an equipment problem. There have already been numerous delays at airports across the country — sometimes hours long — during the shutdown. Duffy warned that the situation will only get worse the longer the shutdown continues and the financial pressure continues to grow on people who are forced to work without pay. FAA employees already missed one paycheck on Oct. 28. Their next payday is scheduled for next Tuesday.

New Jersey voters are electing their next governor in a race that will reveal whether Democrats still have a grip on a state that has been reliably blue in recent years but has shown signs of shifting toward Republicans. Former state legislator Jack Ciattarelli is endorsed by President Donald Trump. He's trying to become New Jersey’s first Republican governor since 2018. Ciattarelli faces U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill, a Democrat in her fourth term in Congress. If elected, she would become the state’s second female governor. The state’s top election official, Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way, said the start of voting on Tuesday was disrupted after officials in seven counties received emailed bomb threats later determined by law enforcement to be unfounded.

Democrat Abigail Spanberger is facing Republican Winsome Earle-Sears in the Virginia race for governor. The outcome guarantees that Virginia will have a woman as governor for the first time and serves as a test of how voters feel about Donald Trump’s presidency. Earle-Sears has had to campaign with only tepid support from Trump, who did not even say her name in a telephone town hall on the eve of the election. Spanberger is a former congresswoman and CIA case officer who offers a model for Democrats who want the party anchored by center-left candidates. Spanberger has tied Earle-Sears to Trump but kept her arguments mostly on Trump’s economic policy and her support for abortion rights.

Dick Cheney, the former defense chief during the Persian Gulf War under President George H.W. Bush and vice president under Bush’s son George W. Bush, has died at age 84. This is a photo gallery curated by Associated Press photo…

David Beckham has been knighted by King Charles III at Windsor Castle. The soccer legend is now Sir David Beckham. He calls it his proudest moment. Beckham was honored Tuesday for his contributions to sport and charity, including his work with UNICEF and efforts to eradicate malaria. His career highlights include scoring in three World Cups and playing a key role in Manchester United's 1999 treble-winning season. Beckham's knighthood marks a high point in his journey to rehabilitate his image after past controversies. The honor was announced in June as part of the king's birthday honors list.