AP News Summary at 1:29 am EDT

GOP voters told to hold onto mail ballots until Election Day

ATLANTA (AP) — Republican activists who believe the 2020 election was stolen from former President Donald Trump have crafted a plan that, in their telling, will thwart cheating in this year’s midterm elections. The strategy: Vote in person on Election Day or — for voters who receive a mailed ballot — hold onto it and hand it in at a polling place on Nov. 8. The plan is based on unfounded conspiracy theories that fraudsters will manipulate voting systems to rig results for Democrats once they have seen how many Republican votes have been returned early. If enough voters are dissuaded from casting ballots early, it could lead to long lines on Election Day.

China’s Xi expands powers, promotes allies

BEIJING (AP) — President Xi Jinping, China’s most powerful leader in decades, has increased his dominance after he was named to another term as head of the ruling Communist Party. Xi promoted allies who support his vision of tighter control over society and the struggling economy as the party ended a twice-a-decade congress. Xi, who took power in 2012, was awarded a third five-year term as general secretary, discarding a party custom under which his predecessor left after 10 years. The 69-year-old leader to be expected by some to try to stay in power for life. The party also named a seven-member ruling Standing Committee dominated by Xi allies.

Russian authorities advise civilians to leave Ukraine region

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian-installed authorities have urged all residents of the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson to leave immediately ahead of an expected Ukrainian advance. The regional pro-Kremlin administration on Saturday strongly encouraged civilians to use boat crossings over the Dnieper River to evacuate deeper into Russian-held territory. They cited a tense situation on the front and the threat of shelling and alleged plans for “terror attacks” by Kyiv. Kherson has been in Russian hands since the early days of the invasion in February. The city is the capital of a region of the same name, one of four Russian President Vladimir Putin illegally annexed last month.

Illegal border crossings to US from Mexico hit annual high

SAN DIEGO (AP) — US authorities say a surge in migration from Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua in September brought the number of illegal crossings to the highest level ever recorded in a fiscal year. Customs and Border Protection said late Friday that migrants were stopped more than 227,000 times in September at the US border with Mexico, the third-highest month of Joe Biden’s presidency. In the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, migrants were stopped 2.38 million times, up 37% from 1.73 million times the year before. The annual total surpassed 2 million for the first time in August. The year-end numbers reflect deteriorating economic and political conditions in some countries, the relative strength of the US economy and uneven enforcement of Trump-era asylum restrictions.

Iran protests trigger solidarity rallies in US, Europe

WASHINGTON (AP) — Chanting crowds have rallied in Berlin, Washington DC and Los Angeles in solidarity with protesters facing a violent government crackdown in Iran. Saturday’s rallies were a show of international support for weeks of protests in Iran. They were sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in the custody of the country’s morality police. Several hundred protesters wearing the green, white and red colors of the Iranian flag chanted on the National Mall, ahead of a march to the White House. Throngs filled blocks of a downtown street in Los Angeles. Tens of thousands of people gathered in Berlin to show solidarity for the women and activists leading the movement in Iran.

Category 4 Rosyln brushing Vallarta on way to Mexico coast

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Hurricane Roslyn is plowing over the Pacific as a powerful Category 4 storm just offshore from the Mexican resort of Puerto Vallarta while heading for a Sunday landfall a little to the north. The US National Hurricane Center says Roslyn had maximum sustained winds of 130 mph late Saturday, but may lose some power before reaching shore. Forecasters say Roslyn likely will pass close to the Puerto Vallarta region during the night, but warns that the area will still see high winds, heavy rains and rough surf. The storm is expected to come ashore in Nayarit state Sunday morning.

Alaska asylum seekers are Indigenous Siberians from Russia

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Alaska’s senior US senator says two Russian Indigenous Siberians were so scared of having to fight the war in Ukraine, they chanced everything to take a small boat across the treacherous Bering Sea to reach American soil. The two landed earlier this month near Gambell, on Alaska’s St. Lawrence Island in the Bering Strait, where they asked for asylum. Sen. Lisa Murkowski says the two feared for their lives because Russia is targeting minority populations for conscription into service in Ukraine. Murkowski says she met with the two Siberians recently but didn’t provide more details about exactly when or where the meeting took place or where their asylum process stood.

Inflation protests across Europe threaten political turmoil

LONDON (AP) — Across Europe, soaring inflation is behind a wave of protests and strikes that underscores growing discontent with the spiraling cost of living and threatens to unleash political turmoil. With British Prime Minister Liz Truss forced to resign less than two months into the job after her economic plans sparked chaos in financial markets and further bruised an ailing economy, the risk to political leaders became clearer as people demand action. A risk consultancy says the fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has sharply raised the risk of civil unrest in Europe. The war has led to higher energy bills and food prices.

City where George Floyd was killed in struggles to recruit cops

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minneapolis has struggled to rebuild its police department after hundreds of officers quit in the two years since George Floyd was killed by a city police officer. An informational meeting for potential recruits attended by The Associated Press offers a glimpse of the challenges in restoring a force that was down by one-third at one point. Officers told recruits they would be working in a vibrant city with all the career paths that come in a large department. But they also acknowledged the dangers of the job, and the duty new officers would face to rebuild trust in the community. One potential recruit, Cyrus Collins, told AP he “doesn’t want people of color to be against cops.” Another said he thought he could “bring more heart into the police force.”

EXPLAINER: Why the British public is not choosing its leader

LONDON (AP) — Observers of Britain’s governing structure can be forgiven for scratching their heads in recent weeks as they watch the country reel through a succession of prime ministers without holding an election. Under Britain’s parliamentary system, the public never actually votes for its prime minister. Instead, voters tick the box for a representative from their local area, who then becomes one of Britain’s 650 Members of Parliament. The party that wins a majority forms a government and puts their leader into the prime minister’s seat. If that leader falls from grace, the party — and only the party — gets to choose a new leader and new prime minister.