Israelis Vote in Knesset Election; Final Polls Showed Neither Netanyahu's Bloc Nor Eisenkot's Reaching 61 Seats
Most final TV polls put Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar party ahead of Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud. Channel 14 showed Likud ahead. The 120-seat result will shape Israel's Iran policy and its work with Washington on Gaza and Lebanon.
U.S.
Iran's Envoy in Seoul Says Tehran Is Preparing a Reply to U.S. Feedback on Its Seven-Day Plan, First Offered Sept. 25
Iran's plan calls for a ceasefire, sanctions relief and the release of frozen assets first, then reopening the Strait of Hormuz around Day 6 or 7 and starting talks right after. The two sides disagree mainly over which steps come first, while Trump says he is choosing between a deal and new strikes.
Judge Bars Further Tree Removal at East Potomac Golf Course and Requires 10 Business Days' Notice Before Major Changes
U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes issued a preliminary injunction on Monday, Oct. 26, in a lawsuit over the Trump administration's plans for the public course in Washington. President Trump said the Interior Department will appeal and that the course will still close Nov. 15.
Trump Rallies for Hyde-Smith in Mississippi and Vance Campaigns in Montana and Kansas; CNN Reports Over 30 Million Ballots Already Cast
Republicans hold a 53-47 Senate majority, and the Nov. 3 midterms are eight days away. Vance changed the wording of a gas-price line after critics, including Democrats, said it could describe Trump.
San Juan River Tops Its 1909 Record at Farmington; About 1,500 Homes Damaged as Trump Signs Emergency Declaration for Northern New Mexico
The river crested Friday and Bluff, Utah, lifted its evacuation order Monday, while officials across the Four Corners now face sewage-tainted mud, closed roads and a recovery bill New Mexico's governor puts as high as $300 million.
Judge Rules Justice Department Unlawfully Fired Prosecutor Maurene Comey, Orders Back Pay for July to December 2025
U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman held that the July 2025 firing broke the Civil Service Reform Act and the separation of powers, and he rejected the administration's Article II argument; the Justice Department says it will appeal.
Ninth Circuit Rules 2-1 That Trump Likely Exceeded His Authority in Federalizing California Guard for 2025 Los Angeles Deployment
A divided appeals panel upheld an order returning the Guard to Gov. Gavin Newsom and applied the Supreme Court's December 2025 interim ruling in the Chicago Guard case, after refusing the Justice Department's request to drop the appeal.
N.C.
Nearly 1.6 Million North Carolinians Have Voted Early Through Oct. 25 as Cooper–Whatley Senate Race Enters Final Week
State data show early turnout well ahead of the same point in 2022, and Democrat Roy Cooper leads Republican Michael Whatley in every October poll found. Gov. Josh Stein is pressing cost-of-living issues after signing a temporary pause in the state gas tax.
Libertarian State Senate Nominee Jonathan Miller Charged After Hours-Long Armed Standoff in Cary; No Shots Fired
Cary police say Miller, 46, the Libertarian nominee for N.C. Senate District 16 in western Wake County, ran into the woods with a revolver during a wellness check prompted by suicide-related posts. He surrendered about 3 p.m. Monday and faces charges of communicating threats, resisting officers and going armed to the terror of the people.
Carolina Forward Poll Taken Oct. 1-7 Shows Earls 50%, Stevens 41% in N.C. Supreme Court Race and Cooper 50%, Whatley 40% for Senate
A survey paid for by a progressive advocacy group puts the Democrats ahead in both races and finds most likely voters say tariffs hurt the economy. Two other recent polls show Earls ahead by 2 and 7.6 points in the court race.
UNC System Sent 19 Student Complaints About Excel College Near Black Mountain to N.C. Justice Department in July 20 Letter
The complaints, which Asheville Watchdog obtained through public records requests, allege sexual misconduct, pressure to sign non-disparagement agreements and threats of lawsuits. The college's lawyer says it "utterly and categorically denies the allegations."
Finance
Fed Opens Two-Day Meeting Expected to Hold Rate at 3.75%-4.00%; Futures Show 73% Chance of December Hike
Economists and traders expect no change on Wednesday, six weeks after the Fed's first rate increase since 2023, and will look to Chair Kevin Warsh for signals about December.
Anthropic Files Public S-1 for Nasdaq IPO, Reporting $16.3 Billion in First-Half Revenue and an $80.7 Billion Net Loss, $72.4 Billion of It a Non-Cash Charge
The filing names no price or valuation. Media reports put the target at $1.5 trillion to $2 trillion. Reported first-half infrastructure spending was nearly $9 billion, and U.S. stock futures were mixed Tuesday.
Kospi Closes Up 3.09% at 5,638 on Chip Buying as U.S. Futures Hover Near Flat Ahead of Fed Decision
Samsung and SK hynix led Seoul higher after Anthropic's IPO filing. U.S. index futures moved between slight gains and slight losses on Tuesday, and a fire near Saudi Arabia's Ras Tanura oil hub kept Brent crude near $116.
U.S. and China Name About $30 Billion Each in Goods for Possible Tariff Cuts; No Rates or Start Date Set as of Oct. 27
The lists came out Sept. 27–28 after Xi Jinping's state visit to Washington. China says about 90% of listed items would move to standard 'most-favored-nation' rates, while the U.S. trade representative says no timeline has been set.
U.S. Stock Futures Rise and Brent Falls About 2% as Trump Says No Iran Strike 'Today' and Mediators Travel to Tehran, Ahead of Wednesday Fed Decision
Early Monday, S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 futures were up roughly 0.3% to 0.6% depending on the source and time, while Brent crude traded near $114.5. Investors were looking ahead to the Fed's Wednesday rate decision, where Bank of America is in the minority calling for a hike, and to earnings from Microsoft, Alphabet and Amazon.
Audi Plans Its First U.S. Factory, a $4 Billion Plant Near Macon, Georgia; Trump Announces It at Campaign Rally
Audi and Georgia say the plant will bring about 4,500 jobs and build up to 200,000 SUVs a year starting in the early 2030s. Trump credited his tariffs. Audi's CEO called it a long-term bet on the American market, while Volkswagen keeps talking with Washington about tariff relief.
World
Saudi Arabia Contains Fire Near Ras Tanura Oil Terminal; Coalition Says It Downed Three Houthi Ballistic Missiles Aimed at Eastern Province
Saudi Arabia has not publicly said what started the fire early Tuesday, October 27, or whether output was hit. The 'drone debris' and 'no supply impact' wording in early briefs comes from a separate March 2 incident. Iranian state outlets passed along reports of a missile strike, Türkiye Today reported a Houthi claim of responsibility, and oil futures rose less than 1%.
Marine Le Pen Opens 2027 French Presidential Campaign in Orléans as Curfews Remain in Several Cities
Le Pen spoke on October 25 to a crowd organizers put at 8,500, nearly 3,000 police were on duty, and an Ipsos-BVA-Cési poll put her first-round support at 32% to 33.5%. Her run rests on a July 2026 appeals ruling that kept her embezzlement conviction but shortened her ban from office.
Lula Wins Brazil Runoff With 51.79% of Valid Votes; Flávio Bolsonaro Does Not Concede, Says He Will Seek Annulment
Brazil's electoral court declared President Lula da Silva the winner by about 4.4 million votes. Senator Flávio Bolsonaro is challenging a Supreme Court justice's order that kept polls open two extra hours.
Zelensky Says Ukraine, U.S. and Russia Negotiators Will Meet in First Half of November; Kremlin Says Talks Can Resume After Nov. 10
Zelensky said land questions can only be settled by leaders and ruled out limits on Ukraine's army or a neutral status, after Moscow and Kyiv each told U.S. envoys Witkoff and Kushner they are ready to talk again.
Gunman Kills One and Wounds Five in Drive-By Shooting Near Paris; Antiterror Prosecutors Investigate a Racist Motive
A 39-year-old man is in custody after a 15-minute shooting in Trappes and La Verrière, which President Macron called a "racist terrorist attack"; the 70,000 police France is deploying this weekend were ordered for nationwide protests, not because of the shooting.
Gunmen Kill at Least Eight and Wound Dozens at a Funeral in a Greek Orthodox Church in Jordan's Karak
King Abdullah II called the Friday shooting a terrorist attack and vowed the "harshest retaliation." No group has formally claimed it. Officials say they know the suspects' names but have not released them.
Analysis
Unbiased, evergreen deep-dives on the bigger questions — not breaking news.
What Fauci's Released Diary Documents About the U.S. COVID-19 Response — and What It Leaves Unresolved
A 1,141-page personal diary released by Sen. Rand Paul's committee is roughly one-third routine administrative logging; a minority of entries bear directly on contested questions, and a few conflict with contemporaneous public statements.
Eight Months of Mamdani: What New York's Record Actually Shows, and What It Cannot Yet Show
A claim-by-claim audit of what Zohran Mamdani has delivered, how New Yorkers judge it, and what the evidence does and does not license anyone to conclude about the rest of the country.