AP News in Brief at 11:04 p.m. EST

The proposal, originating from negotiations between Washington and Moscow, appeared decidedly favorable to Russia, which started the war nearly four years ago by invading its neighbor. If past is prologue, it would seem untenable for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has opposed Trump's previous calls for territorial concessions.

A side agreement aims to satisfy Ukrainian security concerns by saying a future “significant, deliberate and sustained armed attack” by Russia would be viewed as “threatening the peace and security of the transatlantic community.” The agreement, which was detailed by a senior U.S. official who was not authorized to publicly discuss the matter, does not obligate the United States or European allies to intervene on Ukraine's behalf, although it says they would “determine the measures necessary to restore security.”

Trump's push to end the war could drive a wedge between himself and European leaders, who are likely to oppose any agreement that could be seen as rewarding Russian President Vladimir Putin for his aggression, leaving him emboldened rather than defeated.

For example, the proposal would not only bar Ukraine from joining NATO but would also prevent the alliance's future expansion. Such a step would be a significant victory for Moscow, which views NATO as a threat.

What to know about the Justice Department's Jeffrey Epstein files

NEW YORK (AP) — The clock is ticking for the U.S. government to open up its files on Jeffrey Epstein.

After months of rancor and recriminations, Congress has passed and President Donald Trump has signed legislation compelling the Justice Department to give the public everything it has on Epstein — and it has to be done before Christmas.

But even that might not be enough for the curious and the conspiracy-minded.

While there’s sure to be never-before-seen material in the thousands of pages likely to be released, a lot of Epstein-related records have already been made public, including by Congress and through litigation.

And don’t expect a “client list” of famous men who cavorted with Epstein. Though such a list has long been rumored, the Justice Department said in July that it doesn’t exist.

Justice Department is examining handling of mortgage fraud investigation into Sen. Adam Schiff

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department is examining the handling of the mortgage fraud investigation into Sen. Adam Schiff, including the potential involvement of people who claimed to be acting at the behest or direction of two Trump administration officials who have been pushing the probe of the California Democrat, according to a document reviewed by The Associated Press.

Federal authorities involved in the Schiff investigation in Maryland interviewed a Republican congressional candidate on Thursday who has promoted the mortgage fraud allegations against the lawmaker and quizzed her about any communications she may have had with Justice Department official Ed Martin and Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte. The interview came after the woman received a subpoena seeking information about communications she may have had with people claiming to be working at the direction of Pulte and Martin.

Christine Bish, a real estate agent who is running for a congressional seat in California, told the AP that she was prepared to speak to investigators about her own yearslong effort to draw attention to mortgages held by Schiff, who has homes in California and Maryland. But authorities instead were focused on potential interactions she has had with Pulte and Martin, Bish said.

“I expected to be asked questions, a lot of questions, about, ’How did you come about investigating Adam Schiff and what were your findings?” Bish said. “What they wanted to know was if I was in communication with Ed Martin or Director Pulte — and I was not.”

Bish said she kept trying to return to the Schiff allegations, but that the officials “are trying to, in my opinion, investigate the investigators.”

Charlotte immigration crackdown goes on, Homeland Security says, despite sheriff saying it ended

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A federal immigration crackdown centered around North Carolina’s largest city of Charlotte appeared to be tapering off Thursday, local law enforcement leaders said, but a Homeland Security official insisted the arrests would not let up.

The North Carolina operation that began last weekend was the most recent phase of Republican President Donald Trump 's aggressive mass deportation efforts that have sent the military and immigration agents into Democratic-run cities — from Chicago to Los Angeles.

“The operation is not over and it is not ending anytime soon,” said Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin.

Both the local sheriff and police department said earlier in the day that the crackdown, which has resulted in hundreds of arrests, appeared to be over less than a week after it began. Federal officials have offered few details about those arrested, or when and where agents will show up next.

But even as confusion swirled over whether Operation Charlotte’s Web was on or off in North Carolina, immigration enforcement actions are taking place nationwide, often with far less media attention than the Border Patrol surges. In one example, the Department of Homeland Security said Thursday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement had arrested roughly 3,500 people over a six-week span in Houston.

Coast Guard set to change policy to call swastikas and nooses 'potentially divisive'

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Coast Guard is poised to change some of its language and policies surrounding the display of hate symbols like swastikas and nooses as well as how personnel report hate incidents.

The service stressed, however, that the symbols will remain prohibited. The updated policy is seen by the Coast Guard as a way to strengthen its ability to report, investigate and prosecute violators.

“Any display, use or promotion of such symbols, as always, will be thoroughly investigated and severely punished,” Admiral Kevin Lunday, acting commandant of the Coast Guard, said in a statement.

A Coast Guard message in 2020 from then-Commandant Karl Schultz said symbols like swastikas and nooses were “widely identified with oppression or hatred” and called their display “a potential hate incident.” The Coast Guard policy dated this month calls those same symbols “potentially divisive,” adversely affecting morale, discipline, unit cohesion and mission effectiveness.

The new policy maintains a yearslong prohibition on publicly displaying the Confederate flag outside of a handful of situations, such as educational or historical settings. However, it does not outright ban the symbols, saying the policy does not apply to private spaces outside of public view, such as family housing.

Big swings keep rocking Wall Street as US stocks drop sharply after erasing a morning surge

NEW YORK (AP) — Jarring swings keep rocking Wall Street, and U.S. stocks erased a big morning gain to drop on Thursday as the market remains skittish following weeks of doubts and erratic moves.

After initially soaring toward what seemed like its best day since May, with an early surge of 1.9%, the S&P 500 erased all of it and fell 1.6%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 386 points, or 0.8%, and the Nasdaq composite sank 2.2%.

The sharpest losses again hit what used to be the market’s biggest winners. Nvidia, cryptocurrencies and other areas that had soared with nearly relentless momentum, as traders feared missing out on more gains, forced the market lower. Bitcoin dropped below $87,000, down from nearly $125,000 last month.

The market had been shaky coming into Thursday, largely because of twin worries: Nvidia and other superstar stocks caught up in the frenzy around artificial-intelligence technology may have simply shot too high, and the Federal Reserve may be done delivering the invigorating cuts to interest rates that Wall Street loves.

Nvidia initially appeared to tamp down the worries about a bubble for AI stocks after reporting a big profit for the summer, along with a forecast for coming revenue that easily cleared analysts’ expectations. By delivering strong profits and indicating more are coming, Nvidia can justify its stock’s price gains and make it look less expensive.

U.S. employers added surprisingly solid 119,000 jobs in September, government says in delayed report

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers added a surprisingly solid 119,000 jobs in September, the government said, issuing a key economic report that had been delayed for seven weeks by the federal government shutdown.

The increase in payrolls was more than double the 50,000 economists had forecast.

Yet there were some troubling details in the delayed report.

Labor Department revisions showed that the economy lost 4,000 jobs in August instead of gaining 22,000 as originally reported. Altogether, revisions shaved 33,000 jobs off July and August payrolls. The economy had also shed jobs in June, the first time since the 2020 pandemic that the monthly jobs report has gone negative twice in one year.

And more than 87% of the September job gains were concentrated in two industries: healthcare and social assistance and leisure and hospitality.

Investigators say UPS plane that crashed in Kentucky, killing 14, had cracks in engine mount

Federal investigators released dramatic photos Thursday of an engine flying off a doomed UPS cargo plane that crashed two weeks ago in Kentucky, killing 14 people, and said there was evidence of cracks in the left wing's engine mount.

A series of six photos showed the rear of the engine starting to detach before it flew up and over the wing as flames erupted. The next image shows the wing engulfed by fire as the burning engine flies above it. The last image shows the plane starting to get airborne.

But the MD-11 plane only got 30 feet (9.1 meters) off the ground, the National Transportation Safety Board said, citing the flight data recorder in its first formal but preliminary report about the Nov. 4 disaster in Louisville, Kentucky.

Three pilots on the plane were killed along with 11 more people on the ground near Muhammad Ali International Airport.

The NTSB said the plane was not due yet for a detailed inspection of key engine mount parts that had fractures. It still needed to complete nearly 7,000 more takeoffs and landings. It was last examined in October 2021.

CDC website changed to contradict scientific conclusion that vaccines don't cause autism

NEW YORK (AP) — A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website has been changed to contradict the longtime scientific conclusion that vaccines do not cause autism, spurring outrage among a number of public health and autism experts.

The CDC “vaccine safety” webpage was updated Wednesday, saying “the statement ‘Vaccines do not cause autism’ is not an evidence-based claim.”

The change is the latest move by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to revisit — and foster uncertainty about — long-held scientific consensus about the safety of vaccines and other pharmaceutical products.

It was immediately decried by scientists and advocates who have long been focused on finding the causes of autism.

“We are appalled to find that the content on the CDC webpage ‘Autism and Vaccines’ has been changed and distorted, and is now filled with anti-vaccine rhetoric and outright lies about vaccines and autism," the Autism Science Foundation said in a statement Thursday.

Fugees rapper Pras Michel sentenced to 14 years in prison over illegal donations to Obama campaign

WASHINGTON (AP) — Grammy-winning rapper Prakazrel “Pras” Michel of the Fugees was sentenced on Thursday to 14 years in prison for a case in which he was convicted of illegally funneling millions of dollars in foreign contributions to former President Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign.

Michel, 52, declined to address the court before U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly sentenced him.

In April 2023, a federal jury convicted Michel of 10 counts, including conspiracy and acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government. The trial in Washington, D.C., included testimony from actor Leonardo DiCaprio and former Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

Justice Department prosecutors said federal sentencing guidelines recommended a life sentence for Michel, whom they said “betrayed his country for money” and “lied unapologetically and unrelentingly to carry out his schemes.”

“His sentence should reflect the breadth and depth of his crimes, his indifference to the risks to his country, and the magnitude of his greed,” they wrote.