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

Russia agrees to resume three-way talks on Ukraine war with Kyiv and Washington, Kremlin says

Russia agreed Wednesday to resume three-way negotiations next month with Washington and Kyiv aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, a Kremlin official said, potentially setting up the first such talks since February.

Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed “in principle” to restart the talks after Nov. 10, Putin’s foreign affairs adviser, Yuri Ushakov, told reporters following a meeting in St. Petersburg between the Russian leader and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff.

The talks will focus on “building a security system for Russia and Ukraine after the conflict ends,” Ushakov said.

Witkoff’s talks with Putin about Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine took place as U.S. President Donald Trump presses Kyiv to make a deal that stops the fighting.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he supported the push from Washington to restart talks swiftly.

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Russia frees American Stephen Hubbard after over 4 years behind bars

Russia on Wednesday freed an American who had been jailed for more than four years on charges of fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine, a deal completed during a visit by a top U.S. envoy and at a time when President Donald Trump has taken a series of actions meant to benefit Moscow.

Trump told reporters at the White House that he had asked Russian President Vladimir Putin during a recent call to free Stephen Hubbard and that, unlike previous releases, the U.S. did not have to give up anyone in return.

“He is the happiest man around,” Trump said of Hubbard, describing the 74-year-old retired teacher from Michigan as a “very high-quality, innocent man.” Hubbard’s legal team denied the Russian accusations, saying he was not involved in any military activity.

The release occurred during a visit to St. Petersburg by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, who in a face-to-face interaction with Putin praised the Russian leader as a “humanitarian” as the men held talks about Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and as Trump simultaneously pushes Kyiv to make a deal that stops the fighting.

Hubbard, who before his arrest had lived in Ukraine for years, was sentenced in 2024 to nearly seven years in prison during closed court proceedings. Prosecutors said he had signed a contract with the Ukrainian military after Russia’s invasion in 2022, and that he fought alongside Kyiv’s forces until being captured two months later.

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Meta ordered to pay New Mexico $25 billion for deceiving users about privacy on Facebook

A judge on Wednesday ordered Meta to pay New Mexico $25 billion after a jury found the company liable for deceiving users about privacy on Facebook, marking the biggest fine ever against the tech giant.

Facebook’s deception was intentional and executives consistently misled users about how the platform worked, state District Court Judge Francis J. Mathew wrote in his ruling.

“Facebook promised users that they (the users) controlled their data. This was false,” he said.

Jurors in September found Meta liable for over 43 million violations of New Mexico consumer protection laws for making misleading public statements about how it handled users’ personal data. The case was brought after political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica harvested Facebook data to generate targeted political ads during the 2016 election season.

The award will serve as a warning to tech companies that New Mexico will hold them accountable, state Attorney General Raúl Torrez said at a news conference.

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New Mexico attorney general accuses Epstein attorney, accountant of abuse cover-up at ranch

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico’s attorney general filed a lawsuit Wednesday against Jeffrey Epstein’s attorney and accountant, accusing them of concealing his sex trafficking operation at a sprawling Santa Fe-area ranch where the disgraced financier entertained guests.

The lawsuit seeks to stop attorney Darren Indyke and accountant Richard Kahn from accepting any payments from Epstein’s estate, estimated at more than $100 million. They serve as coexecutors, and New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez said they “stand to benefit substantially” from the estate unless a federal judge intervenes.

Indyke worked as Epstein’s attorney for roughly two decades. Both he and Kahn have testified in Congress that they did not know about Epstein’s abuse, though Torrez has a different view.

“None of this could be done by just one man,” Torrez said at a news conference, where he stood with two of Epstein’s accusers. “This was something that was facilitated, that was made possible by handlers, by lawyers, by accountants, by others who have yet to face real consequences.”

In response to the lawsuit, an attorney for the pair said they “emphatically reject” the allegations and note that New Mexico officials never sought to interview Indyke and Kahn before going to court. Dan Weiner said they would have cooperated.

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Trump administration asks Supreme Court to lift halt on Big Bend border wall

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on Wednesday to let it resume building a border wall project through the Big Bend region of Texas.

The government filed an emergency appeal asking the justices to lift a lower court decision halting construction. That ruling marked a setback to one of President Donald Trump’s signature projects.

The administration has been racing forward with construction on a border wall and other infrastructure from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico.

But in the Big Bend region, the administration has run into opposition from ranchers, residents, business owners and environmentalists who argue the projects are a waste of money in an area of historically low illegal immigration and that construction could harm the region’s scenic landscapes.

Opponents have filed numerous lawsuits seeking to stop the project, which in the Big Bend consists of a mixture of walls, vehicle barriers and surveillance technology.

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Supreme Court rebuffs Trump administration restrictions on medical care for transgender inmates

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to allow the Trump administration to immediately enforce new medical restrictions for transgender people in prison.

The decision leaves in place a lower-court block on the policy. It was adopted after an executive order from President Donald Trump, a Republican who has taken several steps to roll back transgender rights during his second term.

The brief order did not detail its legal reasoning. Justice Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas would have allowed the policy to be enforced as the lawsuit played out in lower courts.

The Supreme Court has previously allowed other policies for transgender people to move ahead for now, including restrictions on military service and passport sex markers.

Trump’s order called on the Bureau of Prisons to revise its medical care policies so that federal funds aren’t spent “for the purpose of conforming an inmate’s appearance to that of the opposite sex.”

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Trump brings a last-minute rally boost to Darline Graham in South Carolina’s US Senate race

PENDLETON, S.C. (AP) — President Donald Trump will visit South Carolina on Wednesday to boost U.S. Sen. Darline Graham, whose stumbles in her first campaign since replacing her late brother have Democratic voters hopeful — but not necessarily optimistic — that their candidate can break Republicans’ grip on the state.

Although South Carolina is not typically a midterm battleground, Trump has been deeply invested in Graham. He supported her appointment to replace Lindsey Graham after his death in July, and he backed her in a special primary when she faced several more experienced Republican opponents. But some distance emerged between the Republican president and the senator over the weekend over his decision to waive Ukraine war sanctions on Russia that were set to be imposed under a law named after Lindsey Graham.

Republicans want to make sure Annie Andrews, the Democratic nominee and a pediatrician, doesn’t pull off an upset victory. More than $34 million has flowed into the race, and Republicans have hammered Andrews as a “radical liberal” and accused her of supporting surgeries for transgender minors, which she denies.

Trump this week is rallying every day for candidates across the country, even in conservative areas, and imploring voters to “pretend I’m on the ballot” in hopes of averting a lackluster midterm turnout for Republicans.

“Darline Graham knows that our campaign’s momentum is so strong she called Donald Trump to come campaign for her in South Carolina,” Andrews said in a fundraising appeal email.

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Pope Leo’s doctors say tests show he needs no further treatment for lung cancer

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Leo XIV got good news from his doctors: The pontiff will need no further treatment for lung cancer after follow-up tests confirmed the disease was localized, the Vatican said in a statement Wednesday.

Leo, 71, had the lower lobe of his right lung removed last week in the first major health event of his 17-month pontificate. The surgery confirmed he had adenocarcinoma, the most common type of lung cancer. Leo was discharged from Rome’s Gemelli Polyclinic on Saturday, four days after surgery, and said he would gradually resume his activities.

The pope’s personal physician, Dr. Luigi Carbone, and his surgeon, Dr. Stefano Margaritora, said in a statement that results of the final post-operative tests on tissue removed during the pope’s surgery confirmed the diagnosis and that the cancer had not spread.

“A subsequent oncology assessment confirmed that no further treatment is necessary,” the doctors said.

The pope had the lower section, or lobe, of his right lung removed to try to ensure that all the cancer was removed.

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Chemical tank leak in Ohio forces evacuations as city allows plume to vent

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — A ruptured chemical tank billowed a white plume into the air for hours Wednesday, forcing hundreds of residents out of their homes due to the potentially toxic leak and the possibility of an explosion.

More than 50,000 people in Toledo, Ohio, were advised to stay indoors as a precaution.

City leaders were allowing the chemical to vent instead of trying to stop the leak, saying that would be more dangerous. Videos show a plume still swirling from the tank early Wednesday afternoon, more than 14 hours after the tank began leaking Tuesday night in an industrial area.

Some residents felt irritation in their eyes and throats and sought treatment, and city officials said one sheriff’s deputy who responded to the blast later drove himself to a hospital because he felt unwell.

Mark White Jr., who lives within the affected area, was sleeping with his windows open and woke to what he described as a burning plastic smell. He decided to evacuate to a shelter at an elementary school because he has asthma.

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NFL welcomes a review of how Eagles handled Jalen Hurts’ blood clots, Roger Goodell says

NEW YORK (AP) — The NFL welcomes an investigation into the Philadelphia Eagles’ handling of Jalen Hurts’ blood clots after the players’ union asked for one, Commissioner Roger Goodell said Wednesday.

Goodell said in his news conference at the end of the NFL’s annual fall meeting that Dr. Allen Sills, the league’s chief medical officer, has gone through the steps that were followed and added that the union had a right to call for a review.

“Obviously, there was a medical evaluation, and I think our protocols were incredibly good there,” Goodell said. “The protocols were followed. Our process is to make sure that’s the case, and our chief medical officer has gone through that, so we’re comfortable that what we’ve seen in the protocols have happened.”

Sills on Tuesday offered a passionate defense of the Eagles medical staff. The NFL said officials were in touch with team doctors and trainers, as well as the Cleveland Clinic in London, where the Eagles were playing the Jaguars on Oct. 11.

League executive vice president Jeff Miller said officials had a good sense of the course of events, which included Hurts being evaluated at a hospital the day before the game. Miller disputed a report that Hurts was awake for more than 30 hours before playing against Jacksonville, saying that the 28-year-old returned to the hotel and slept for roughly seven or eight hours.