Rescue teams are racing to reach communities isolated by last week’s catastrophic floods and landslides in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand as over 900 people remained missing. The economic damage was becoming more clear Wednesday. And concerns have emerged in Indonesia, the hardest hit country, that deforestation may have contributed to the disaster. Residents and emergency workers in the capital of West Sumatra said large piles of neatly cut timber were found among the debris. A minister said the government was investigating alleged illegal logging operations that could have worsened the impact along with extreme weather.

President Donald Trump and his top officials have recently criticized Minnesota's Somali community, drawing attention to immigrants from the war-torn East African country. This comes as federal authorities plan a targeted immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota focusing on Somali immigrants living unlawfully in the U.S. Minnesota has the largest Somali American population, with an estimated 84,000 residents in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. Local Somali leaders and allies have pushed back against Trump's plans — and against blaming the broader community for recent fraud cases in public programs.

President Donald Trump has long praised tariffs as key to increasing wealth in the United States, idealizing Gilded Age policies that preceded the implementation of a modern federal income tax. Among the potential benefits, Trump claims, is the ability to replace revenue from federal income taxes with money the U.S. is taking in from tariffs — a concept he has touted since his 2024 presidential campaign, most recently at a Cabinet meeting Tuesday. But tariff revenue doesn’t even come close to where it would need to be if federal income taxes were eliminated. Experts say such a plan isn’t feasible.

One of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s most vocal accusers is urging judges to grant the Justice Department’s request unseal to records from their federal sex trafficking cases, saying that “only transparency is likely to lead to justice.” Annie Farmer weighed in through her lawyer, Sigrid S. McCawley, after the judges asked for input from victims before ruling on whether the records should be made public under a new law requiring the government to open its files on the late financier and his longtime confidante. Farmer and other victims fought for the passage of the law, known as the Epstein Files Transparency Act.

A former missionary with an Ohio-based ministry has been indicted on federal charges of engaging in illicit sexual conduct with four different minors in Haiti over multiple years. Jeriah Mast of Millersburg, Ohio, was indicted for alleged actions during multiple visits to Haiti between 2002 and 2019. Authorities say Mast admitted to abusing about 30 victims in Haiti and more in Ohio. He worked part of that time for Millersburg-based Christian Aid Ministries, which coordinates missionary activities for Amish, conservative Mennonite and related groups. It marks the second court case against Mast. He received nine years in prison in 2019 after pleading guilty to sexually abusing two minors in Ohio, drawing early release in October.

The Pentagon knew there were survivors after a September attack on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean Sea and the U.S. military still carried out a follow-up strike. That's according to two people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss it publicly. They say the rationale for the second strike was that it was needed to sink the vessel. The Trump administration says all 11 people aboard were killed. One of the people says what remains unclear was who ordered the strikes and whether Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was involved.

Lane Kiffin’s awkward and angst-filled departure from Ole Miss will happen again. It’s inevitable unless college administrators and football coaches agree to reimagine an imperfect calendar that has been a mess for decades. Under the current format, national signing day happens during conference championship week, the transfer portal opens during the College Football Playoff and some coaches are secretly interviewing for other jobs before Halloween. No one has an ideal solution. Even the thought of adopting an NFL-like format seems flawed.

A divided Wisconsin Supreme Court has agreed to take a case brought by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of an immigrant rights group. The lawsuit argues that it is illegal for local Wisconsin jails to hold immigrant detainees at the request of federal authorities. The Wisconsin lawsuit comes as federal agents have launched high-profile immigration crackdowns in cities including Chicago and Charlotte, North Carolina. The enforcement tactics have been met with protests and lawsuits. A majority of justices on the Wisconsin Supreme Court voted Wednesday to take the ACLU case directly as an original action, rather than have it first work its way through lower courts.

The Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys are the top two teams in the hunt for an NFC wild card and are still holding on to hopes to compete for division championships. Detroit hosts Dallas on Thursday night and the winner will improve its position in the playoff picture, while the loser may not have time to recover from the setback over the last month of the regular season. After starting 5-2, the two-time defending NFC North champions have lost three of five to fall behind division-leading Chicago and second-place Green Bay. Dallas has a winning record for the first time this year.

Elden Campbell, a center who played 15 seasons in the NBA — including nine with the Los Angeles Lakers — and later won a championship with the Detroit Pistons, has died. He was 57. Campbell’s family informed the Pistons of the death, telling the team that he died on Monday. No cause was given. Campbell was born in Los Angeles and excelled at Morningside High before heading to Clemson. He was selected in the first round of the 1990 NBA draft by his hometown Lakers. He played nine seasons in Los Angeles, but didn’t win a championship ring until 2004 with the Pistons.

Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl halftime show earlier this year featured a stage design resembling a giant PlayStation controller. This nod to Sony's console, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary, highlights its cultural impact. From Hollywood films to music videos, PlayStation has transcended gaming. Sony's strategy involved targeting teens and young adults, making gaming cool and accessible. The PlayStation 2 became the bestselling console, while the PS4 stabilized the brand after a PS3 stumble. PlayStation's influence now extends to movies, TV shows, fashion, and even tattoos, reflecting its deep connection with fans.

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels still has not been cleared for contact and his status for Sunday’s game at the Minnesota Vikings is up in the air. Commanders coach Dan Quinn said he won't know whether Daniels can play this week until Friday. Daniels has missed Washington’s past three games with a dislocated left elbow — and has been absent for a total of six of the club’s 12 games this season. The Commanders have lost seven games in a row, a year after going 12-5 during the regular season and making it all the way to the NFC title game, with Daniels appearing in all 20 of their games.

The Republican-led House Judiciary Committee has subpoenaed former Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith for a closed-door interview later this month even though he had earlier volunteered to appear for an open hearing about his prosecutions of President Donald Trump. The committee’s Republican chairman, Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, directed Smith in a letter dated Wednesday to appear for a private deposition on Dec. 17 as part of the panel’s investigations into the prosecutor’s work. A lawyer for Smith says the prosecutor offered nearly six weeks ago to appear before the committee in an open hearing but would nonetheless appear as scheduled for the deposition.