AP News in Brief at 6:04 p.m. EDT

Blamed for six deaths in the northern Caribbean as it headed toward the island, Melissa was on track to make landfall Tuesday in Jamaica before coming ashore in Cuba later in the day and then heading toward the Bahamas. It was not expected to affect the United States.

Anticipating the hardship in store for his country, Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness said, “I have been on my knees in prayer.”

Hanna Mcleod, a 23-year-old hotel receptionist in the Jamaican capital of Kingston, said she boarded up the windows at her home, where her husband and brother are staying. She stocked up on canned corned beef and mackerel and left candles and flashlights throughout the house.

“I just told them to keep the door closed,” she said. “I am definitely worried. This is actually the first time I’ll be experiencing this type of hurricane."

As the Atlantic Ocean warms, climate change is fueling Hurricane Melissa's ferocity

The warming of the world's oceans caused by climate change helped double Hurricane Melissa's wind speed in less than 24 hours over the weekend, climate scientists said Monday.

Melissa is currently a Category 5 storm, the highest category, with sustained wind speeds of over 157 mph (252 kph). Melissa is forecast to make landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday before crossing Cuba and the Bahamas through Wednesday.

Scientists said this is the fourth storm in the Atlantic this year to undergo rapid intensification of its wind speed and power.

“That part of the Atlantic is extremely warm right now — around 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit), which is 2 to 3 degrees Celsius above normal,” said Akshay Deoras, a meteorologist at the University of Reading, in the United Kingdom. “And it’s not just the surface. The deeper layers of the ocean are also unusually warm, providing a vast reservoir of energy for the storm.”

Deoras, who has tracked the impact of climate change on weather phenomena for decades, said scientists are seeing storms intensify quickly.

Republicans grapple with voter frustration over rising health care premiums

WASHINGTON (AP) — The first caller on a telephone town hall with Maryland Rep. Andy Harris, leader of the House’s conservative Freedom Caucus, came ready with a question about the Affordable Care Act. Her cousin's disabled son is at risk of losing the insurance he gained under that law, the caller said.

“Now she’s looking at two or three times the premium that she’s been paying for the insurance,” said the woman, identified as Lisa from Harford County, Maryland. “I’d love for you to elucidate what the Republicans’ plan is for health insurance?”

Harris, a seven-term Republican, didn’t have a clear answer. “We think the solution is to try to do something to make sure all the premiums go down,” he said, predicting Congress would “probably negotiate some off-ramp” later.

His uncertainty reflected a familiar Republican dilemma: Fifteen years after the Affordable Care Act was enacted, the party remains united in criticizing the law but divided on how to move forward. That tension has come into sharp focus during the government shutdown as Democrats seize on rising premiums to pressure Republicans into extending expiring subsidies for the law, often referred to as Obamacare.

President Donald Trump and GOP leaders say they’ll consider extending the enhanced tax credits that otherwise expire at year's end — but only after Democrats vote to reopen the government. In the meantime, people enrolled in the plans are already being notified of hefty premium increases for 2026.

Trump will meet Japan's new prime minister and address US troops in next stop on Asia trip

TOKYO (AP) — President Donald Trump begins one of his busiest days of his Asia trip on Tuesday, meeting with the new Japanese prime minister, speaking to U.S. troops aboard an aircraft carrier and mingling with business leaders.

Although Trump is visiting one of America’s most steadfast allies in Asia, there’s no shortage of uncertainty while he’s there. Sanae Takaichi, who became the country’s first female prime minister only days ago, must solidify her relationship with Trump while defending her country’s economic interests. Trump is trying to nail down $550 billion in Japanese investment as part of a trade deal that would reduce U.S. tariffs.

Takaichi is primed for a charm offensive, including a potential purchase of Ford F-150 trucks. Trump has often complained that Japan doesn’t buy American vehicles, which are often too wide to be practical on narrow Japanese streets.

Although Trump has focused his foreign policy toward Asia around tariffs and trade, he’s also speaking aboard the USS George Washington, which is docked at an American naval base near Tokyo.

Trump arrived in Tokyo on Monday, when he met with the emperor in a ceremonial visit. He was previously in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where he participated in the annual summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Suspect in Charlie Kirk killing can wear street clothes in court amid 'extraordinary' attention

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The 22-year-old Utah man charged with killing Charlie Kirk can appear in court wearing street clothes but must be physically restrained due to security concerns, a judge ruled Monday.

Attorneys for Tyler Robinson argued images of him shackled and in jail clothing would spread widely in a case with extensive press coverage and public interest, which they said could prejudice future jurors.

Judge Tony Graf agreed to make some allowances to protect Robinson's presumption of innocence before a trial, agreeing that the case has drawn “extraordinary" public and media attention.

“Mr. Robinson shall be dressed as one who is presumed innocent,” Graf said during a virtual court hearing.

Utah prosecutors have charged Robinson with aggravated murder in the the Sept. 10 shooting of the conservative activist on a Utah college campus and plan to seek the death penalty.

Israel's top diplomat says Turkish troops will have no role in Gaza force

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Israel will not allow Turkish troops to take part in an international force the United States has proposed to oversee the ceasefire agreement in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, Israel's top diplomat said Monday.

The 20-point deal brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump earlier this month calls for a force to monitor the ceasefire but does not mention which countries would provide troops.

It says the U.S. would “work with Arab and international partners to develop a temporary International Stabilization Force” to deploy in Gaza. The force would train and provide support to “vetted Palestinian police forces" and will “consult with Jordan and Egypt, who have extensive experience in this field.”

The first phase of the ceasefire agreement is still being carried out, and focuses on the release of the remaining dead hostages in Gaza, in exchange for Palestinian bodies held by Israel.

Late Monday, the Israeli military said the remains of another hostage had been returned to Israel.

Wisconsin Planned Parenthood resumes offering abortions after a nearly monthlong pause

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin resumed scheduling abortions on Monday after a nearly monthlong pause due to federal Medicaid funding cuts in President Donald Trump’s tax and spending bill that took effect at the beginning of October.

Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin said it was able to resume scheduling abortions as of noon on Monday because it no longer fits the definition of a “prohibited entity” under the new federal law that took effect this month and can receive Medicaid funds.

The organization said it dropped its designation as an “essential community provider” as defined under the Affordable Care Act. Dropping the designation will not result in changes to the cost for abortions or other services or affect the organization's funding, Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin president and CEO Tanya Atkinson said.

“At this point, in all of our research and analysis, we really shouldn’t see much of an impact on patient access,” she said. “If relinquishing this does ultimately impact our bottom line, then we will have to understand what that path forward is."

Abortion funding has been under attack across the U.S., particularly for affiliates of Planned Parenthood, the biggest provider. The abortion landscape has shifting frequently since the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 2022 that allowed states to ban abortion. Currently, 12 states do not allow it at any stage of pregnancy, with limited exceptions, and four more ban it after about six weeks’ gestation.

Indiana governor calls a special session to redraw US House maps as redistricting battle spreads

The Republican governor of Indiana said Monday he’s scheduling a special session to redraw congressional boundaries after weeks of pressure to back President Donald Trump’s bid to add more winnable seats with midcycle redistricting.

Trump has pressed Republicans to draw new maps that give the party an easier path to maintain control of the House in the midterms. But Democrats have pushed back in some states, including Virginia, where a special session Monday marked a first step toward redistricting.

While Republicans in Texas, Missouri and North Carolina already have enacted new congressional districts, Indiana lawmakers have been hesitant. Indiana Gov. Mike Braun called for the General Assembly to convene Nov. 3 for the special session. It’s unclear whether enough of the GOP-majority Senate will back new maps.

Democrats only need to gain three seats to flip control of the U.S. House. Trump hopes redistricting can help avert historical trends, in which the president's party typically loses seats in midterm elections.

Vice President JD Vance and Trump have met separately with Indiana Republicans, including Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray, in recent months. Braun is a staunch Trump ally in a state the president won by 19 percentage points in 2024, but said previously he did not want to call a special session until he was certain lawmakers would back a new map.

Big win in midterm vote for Argentina's President Milei boosts markets and vindicates Trump

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Markets in Argentina rallied, the peso surged and the country's sovereign bonds jumped on Monday as libertarian President Javier Milei hailed his party's resounding victory in midterm congressional elections as a mandate to press forward with radical free-market reforms.

Investors recovered confidence in the chronically depreciating Argentine peso that they were dumping in droves just last week to hedge against a Milei defeat. The currency surged more than 10% to trade at over 1,300 per dollar on Monday. Argentine stocks soared up to 40% during the trading day and the country's dollar-denominated bonds set to expire in 2035 climbed over 10 cents after markets opened.

The price movements over Milei's party doubling its representation in Congress appeared to validate the Trump administration’s bet that its close ideological ally can transform Argentina after decades of left-leaning populism.

“He had a lot of help from us," U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Monday, referring to $40 billion in promised U.S. support for Argentina and his threats to rescind the money if Milei lost the vote.

“He's working against 100 years of bad policies, and he’s going to break them, thanks to support from the United States."

NBA starts review of policies after gambling-related arrests of Rozier, Billups

The NBA, in reaction to the arrests of Miami guard Terry Rozier and Portland coach Chauncey Billups last week for their alleged role in gambling schemes, has started a review of how the league can protect not just the integrity of the game but its players and coaches as well.

The league made those revelations in a memo sent to all 30 teams, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press.

“Given the spread of legal betting to the majority of U.S. states, the recurrence of integrity issues across sports, and the emergence of novel betting formats and markets, this is an opportune time to carefully reassess how sports betting should be regulated and how sports leagues can best protect themselves, their players, and their fans,” read the memo, sent by the NBA's legal department.

A pair of indictments were unsealed last week and nearly three dozen people — most notably, Billups and Rozier — were arrested by federal officials.

Rozier was arrested because federal officials allege he conspired with associates to help them win bets based on his statistical performance in a game played when he was with Charlotte on March 23, 2023. The charges are similar to what former Toronto player Jontay Porter faced before he was banned from the league by Commissioner Adam Silver in 2024.