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Pentagon says decision on full-rate F-35 jet production possibly delayed until 2021

The Pentagon's decision to move into a full-rate production contract for the F-35 jet, made by Lockheed Martin , could be delayed until 2021 because of issues integrating the jet with its testing and training simulators, an official said on Friday. Full-rate production contracts are more lucrative for defense companies than low rate production contracts, suggesting larger payments for F-35 deliveries to Lockheed from the U.S. government and its allies could be delayed by as much as a year. Pentagon acquisition chief Ellen Lord told reporters she had signed off on a report that indicated the final decision on full-rate production could be delayed up to 13 months.

Tropical Storm Nestor forms in Gulf of Mexico, takes aim at Florida: 'Residents should prepare now'

A tropical disturbance in the Gulf of Mexico strengthened to Tropical Storm Nestor Friday afternoon as it takes aim at the Florida Panhandle. Nestor is moving quickly and is set to make landfall along the Florida Panhandle near Panama City on Saturday morning, bringing tropical storm-force winds and dangerous storm surge.

Homeless, not faceless: After killings, a community mourns

They were figures in Chinatown's street scene: the homeless octogenarian whom residents respectfully greeted as "uncle." The itinerant preacher and blogger who tapped out posts on his laptop in a park. The Oct. 5 killings have trained scrutiny on the city's struggle to reduce homelessness, but they also have spotlighted a certain sense of community. After a vigil for all of the victims last week, dozens of people paid respects Thursday to Chuen Kok, 83, at a memorial service arranged by area residents.

Ebola concentrated in Congo mining area, still an emergency: WHO

Ebola is infecting and killing people in a gold mining area of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, and the "complex and dangerous" outbreak still constitutes an international emergency, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday. The WHO's Emergency Committee on Ebola reviewed the situation since declaring the outbreak an international emergency on July 17. In a statement on Friday, it said the epidemic is "currently concentrated in the Mandima health zone in the Biakato mine health area".

FBI data: 584 child homicide victims in St. Louis since 1990

Children in St. Louis have been the victim of homicides at 10 times the national rate for decades, according to a newspaper's analysis of FBI data. Twelve children ages 17 and younger have been homicide victims in St. Louis this year, an alarming figure that has prompted Gov. Mike Parson to assign Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers to help out in the city.

Wisconsin students walk out to protest racial slur firing

Students at a Wisconsin high school skipped class Friday and marched through the streets of the state capital to protest the firing of a black security guard who was terminated for repeating a racial slur while telling a student not to call him that word. Scores of Madison West High School students walked out of class around 10 a.m. to protest the firing. A WISC-TV livestream of the walkout showed what appeared to be scores of students marching through the streets.

Plans pushed back to explode 2 cranes in New Orleans

Plans have been pushed back a day to bring down two giant, unstable construction cranes in a series of controlled explosions before they can topple onto historic New Orleans buildings, the city's fire chief said Friday, noting the risky work involved in placing explosive on the towers. Making it happen, putting people back in danger," McConnell said. Light, intermittent rain and winds were complicating efforts Friday as workers in buckets suspended from another crane worked to prepare the site, McConnell said.

Tropical Storm Nestor forms, threatening US Gulf Coast

Tropical Storm Nestor formed in the Gulf of Mexico on Friday, threatening the northern Gulf Coast with rising seawater, high winds and heavy rains. The National Hurricane Center said high winds and dangerous storm surge were likely along parts of the northern Gulf Coast, plus heavy rain that could help a parched region dealing with a drought. Events including high school football games were canceled or postponed, but officials were trying to calm fears of a hard hit similar to Hurricane Michael last year.

Bye Bye, Bei Bei: National Zoo panda leaves for China next month

“Bei Bei is part of our family,” Steve Monfort, director of the Smithsonian's National Zoo, said in a statement. Fans have watched Bei Bei grow from a small cub to a 240-pound (109 kg) bear over the years. "The giant pandas are iconic," she said.

The Latest: Tropical Storm Nestor forms in Gulf of Mexico

Forecasters say a disturbance moving through the Gulf of Mexico has become Tropical Storm Nestor. The National Hurricane Center says high winds and dangerous storm surge are likely along parts of the northern Gulf Coast. Forecasters said at 1 p.m. that the system was about 195 miles (315 kilometers) south of the mouth of the Mississippi River.

2 persons of interest in child abduction deny involvement

Two people arrested after a girl was abducted from a birthday party in Alabama deny any involvement in her disappearance, their lawyers said Friday as police released new surveillance video of a potential suspect. Attorneys for Patrick Devone Stallworth, 39, and Derick Irisha Brown, 29, separately denied their clients had anything to do with the abduction of 3-year-old Kamille McKinney, known as "Cupcake" to her family. Authorities have said the girl was abducted from a public housing project during a birthday party last Saturday night.

Marches and strikes rattle Catalonia amid separatist anger

Masses of flag-waving demonstrators demanding Catalonia's independence and the release from prison of separatist leaders jammed downtown Barcelona on Friday as the northeastern Spanish region endured its fifth straight day of unrest. Some of them had walked for three days in five massive "freedom marches" from towns across the northeastern Spanish region.

A Seattle man broke into an office building, ate $200 worth of chocolate, and collapsed in a sugar coma

When security arrived, they found the man sprawled out on an office coach stripped of his jacket and shoes.

Republican group slams Trump over Ukraine, G7 in new ads

A conservative group that has frequently criticized President Donald Trump is running two television and digital ads that accuse him of using the Oval Office for personal profit and calls on his fellow Republicans to condemn the solicitation of foreign interference in U.S. elections. After the White House announced on Thursday that the 2020 G7 summit of world economic leaders will be held at Trump's Doral Resort, which has suffered financially during his presidency, Republicans for the Rule of Law released an ad accusing Trump of using his office for personal enrichment. Its legal advisory board includes a former U.S. solicitor general to Republican President Ronald Reagan and a former U.S. senator from Washington state.

1 dead after plane landing on Alaska island went off runway

One person died after a commuter airplane went off the end of a runway while landing at an airport in the remote Aleutian Islands fishing community of Unalaska, authorities said Friday. Alaska State Troopers identified the victim as David Allan Oltman, 38, of Washington state. The plane, operated by Peninsula Airways, or PenAir, left Anchorage around 3:15 p.m. Thursday with 42 people on board, including 39 passengers and three crew members, a statement from the company said.

Republican leader struggles to defend Mulvaney quid pro quo press conference remarks

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy told reporters that acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney was "very clear in cleaning up his statement" on whether President Trump floated a quid pro quo to Ukrainian leaders.

Astronauts make history with 1st-ever all-women spacewalk

Two female astronauts have accomplished something no women have done before. U.S. astronauts Christina Koch and Jessica Meir stepped outside the International Space Station Friday morning, the first time in history that two women have done a spacewalk together. Koch and Meir were expected to spend more than five hours outside the space station to replace a failed power controller, but extended their spacewalk to "accomplish some get-ahead tasks on the space station," according to NASA.

Thunberg faces counter-rally by workers in Canada's oil heartland

Teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg's planned march in Canada's energy heartland of Alberta will face a counter-rally by a convoy of oil and gas workers on Friday. The truck convoy organised by pro-oil group United We Roll left the city of Red Deer on Friday morning, bound for Edmonton where the organisers plan to protest against outside interference. "I am asking everyone connected to the oil and gas industry to come out in unity to show Greta we do not need her yelling at us," co-organiser Joel Mullan said on United We Roll's website, adding that Alberta was proud of its "clean energy".

The Latest: Woman denies link to Alabama child abduction

A woman described as a person of interest in the abduction of a 3-year-old Alabama girl is denying any involvement. Attorneys for 29-year-old Derick Irisha Brown of Birmingham released a statement Friday saying she had no role in the kidnapping and hopes for the safe return of Kamille "Cupcake" McKinney. Brown and a man were arrested earlier this week after being described as persons of interest in the child's abduction from a birthday party last weekend.

Young kids could be seeing mature content on TikTok. Here’s how to keep them safe

If you’re wondering what the kids are up to these days, look no further than TikTok -- a greatest hits for user-generated content in less than 15-second snippets. According to Rick Floyd, an informational security officer in Greenville, South Carolina, the app has been extremely popular with elementary school students. Floyd, who teaches kids about safe online practices, recently asked a classroom of fourth graders about how many of them use TikTok and almost a quarter of the 9-year-olds in the room raised their hands.

5 looks we love this week: Victoria Beckham, Regina King, Natalie Portman and more

This week, we saw nothing short of amazing looks from celebrities many of us adore. Victoria Beckham was spotted all over New York City in a plethora of posh looks while notables such as Regina King dominated the red carpet. Liu shined bright in a ruffled red dress by Greta Constantine while attending the 2019 Hudson River Park Gala.

Timeline of Catalan separatism that has rocked Spain

Large demonstrations to protest this week's conviction of 12 leaders of Catalonia's swelling separatist movement turned violent at times. The 12 were at the forefront of a secession attempt in 2017 that led to the biggest political crisis in Spain's modern history. June 28, 2010 — Many Catalans are angered by a court ruling that watered downed a sweeping new law that gave more powers to its regional government. Pro-secession sentiment grows, fueled by Spain's economic troubles.

The Latest: Clashes erupt at Barcelona's police headquarters

Police in riot gear are shooting rubber bullets, using batons and police vans to disperse a few hundred young protesters who have been surrounding the National Police headquarters in Barcelona. The protesters appeared to come from a calmer student protest that finished earlier in the day. Police responding charging against the protesters and driving five vans up and down a wide avenue to disperse the mob.

First all-female spacewalking team makes history

As NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Jessica Meir completed the job with wrenches, screwdrivers and power-grip tools, it marked the first time in a half-century of spacewalking that men weren't part of the action. America's first female spacewalker from 35 years ago, Kathy Sullivan, was delighted. "We've got qualified women running the control, running space centers, commanding the station, commanding spaceships and doing spacewalks," Sullivan told The Associated Press earlier this week.