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Reeves’ rental row; Trump–Xi thaw sans chips; McGee retires after reported Hegseth/Caine friction; America over the clock yo‑yo; Bexley boasts a tiny gap; Virginia deputy outruns red tape to free a deer
Rachel Reeves faces housing rules row as unlicensed rental sparks scrutiny
Questions are piling up over the Chancellor’s South East London rental after she failed to get a selective landlord licence, a scheme she publicly cheered in Leeds. Her team says the lettings agent did not flag it and that she applied as soon as it came to light, while also alerting the Prime Minister, the standards watchdog, and anyone else with a nameplate. The optics are bleak, given the property’s roughly £44,800 haul since last September at £3,200 a month. Not illegal to be a landlord, just inconvenient to forget the rules you promote. With her Budget due on November 26 and tax rumours swirling, the timing could not be worse. Transparency, meet test.
Virginia deputy frees deer from fence, bureaucracy briefly outrun by compassion
A York-Poquoson sergeant in Williamsburg pried a deer out of a metal fence and sent it sprinting back to the woods. No forms, no waiting period, just a public servant doing the job and a very happy constituent on four legs. More of this, please.
Lt. Gen. Joe McGee to retire after reported friction with Hegseth and Caine
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell says the three-star is retiring, with thanks for his service. Translation, the chain of command is intact, but the gears have been grinding. In Washington, personalities are a weapons system, and the recoil is always spectacular.
Trump and Xi stage polite thaw, chip controls stay frozen
In South Korea, the two leaders agreed to ease some tariffs and pause new rare-earth curbs. On the issue that matters most to Beijing’s AI dreams, Nvidia’s top-tier chips remain off-limits. Smiles for the cameras up top, permafrost in the export basement.
Americans are over the biannual clock yo-yo
An AP-NORC poll finds 47 percent oppose the current system of springing forward and falling back. Voters want sleep, not seasonal jet lag without the vacation. Now comes the hard part, convincing Congress to fix time without creating a commission for the sun.
Bexley’s budget gap is small, which passes for bragging rights
Bexley Council projects a £2.184 million shortfall by year-end. Annoying, yes, but practically saintly next to Greenwich’s £45.1 million overspend. Still, you do not print “less catastrophic than next door” on the letterhead.
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