Fed Holds Rates at 3.75%-4.00% on 10-2 Vote; Cook and Hammack Dissent in Favor of a Quarter-Point Hike
The Fed's statement calls inflation 'elevated' and growth 'strong.' Futures traders raised their bets on a December hike. Chair Kevin Warsh said politics 'played no role' in a decision that came six days before the Nov. 3 midterms.
U.S.
Trump Says He Approved Vance's Letter to Iran's Security Chief but Denies It Was a Bid to Restart Peace Talks
The Wall Street Journal reported that Vice President JD Vance wrote to Mohsen Rezaei at Trump's direction to set up a framework for negotiations. Trump says the contact was about medical supplies, as Qatari-led mediators press both sides before the Nov. 3 midterms.
Interior Tells Court It Is Working to Close East Potomac Golf Course Nov. 15; Judge Reyes Orders Top Justice Department Official Back to Court
Hours after Judge Ana Reyes barred more tree removal and required 10 business days' notice before any closure, President Trump said the D.C. course will close Nov. 15. He said Interior will appeal. The administration calls the course unsafe.
Federal Judge Denies Justice Department Request to Set Aside Mail Ballots of About 20,000 California Voters It Calls 'Likely' Noncitizens; DOJ Appeals
Six days before the Nov. 3 election, Judge David O. Carter said the order would 'wreak havoc' on a vote already underway. The Justice Department filed an appeal that night and says it wants the ballots held for review, not thrown out.
Leak Site Posts Records on More Than 41,000 DHS Personnel, Including Some Undercover ICE Investigators
A hacker group calling itself the "Department of Peace" says it took the data through DHS's single sign-on login system; DHS says it is working to address a "potential breach," and Okta says its own systems were not compromised.
Second Federal Judge Freezes $20 Million Government Ad Campaign Featuring Trump, in DNC Lawsuit
On Oct. 28, U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan ordered OMB and DHS to stop distributing the ads. She found the spending likely broke federal law. Government lawyers argued the case was moot because the ads had already stopped running.
Federal Judge in Boston Pauses DHS Rule Giving Refugees 10 Days, Instead of 30, to Contest Loss of Status, Through Nov. 6
Judge Julia Kobick's short-term order keeps the 10-day deadline from taking effect while the judge assigned to the case decides on a longer block; DHS's own estimate puts about 186,000 unadjusted refugee cases within the rule's reach.
N.C.
AAA: North Carolina Gas Fell About 48 Cents a Gallon and Diesel 38 Cents in First 10 Days of 41-Cent Fuel Tax Suspension
The Relief at the Pump Act, which passed 111-1 and 41-0 and was signed by Gov. Josh Stein on Oct. 9, suspends the state fuel tax through Nov. 30 and uses a state reserve to replace the lost road money; Stein backed the bill but questioned its election-season timing.
Earls and Stevens Close Out N.C. Supreme Court Race; Result Will Leave GOP Majority at 5-2 or Make It 6-1
Democratic Justice Anita Earls and Republican former Rep. Sarah Stevens disagree over how much courts should check lawmakers and regulators. The court already upheld Duke Energy's 2023 rate increases 5-2 in May, and the seat's eight-year term runs past the 2030 Census.
Vance Set for Kinston Rally as North Carolina Early Vote Tops 1.77 Million Through Monday
The vice president's Wednesday stop for Republican Senate nominee Michael Whatley comes in the last week of in-person early voting, which ends Oct. 31, ahead of the Nov. 3 election.
Stein and Jackson Ask Regulators to Require Data Centers to Help Pay for New Power Plants in Duke Tariff Deal
On Oct. 14, the attorney general filed comments with the N.C. Utilities Commission saying a settlement among Duke Energy, the Public Staff and major tech companies covers grid hookups but not new generation; on Oct. 27, Gov. Josh Stein repeated that request publicly.
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.
Finance
Alphabet Falls About 10% Premarket After Search Ad Revenue and Cash Flow Miss Estimates; Microsoft Rises on 48% Azure Growth
Alphabet and Microsoft both reported more AI demand and more AI spending on Wednesday. Alphabet's free cash flow turned negative and missed estimates, while Microsoft's stayed positive. Amazon and Intel report after Thursday's close.
Q3 GDP Estimate and September PCE Inflation Data Due Thursday at 8:30 a.m., a Day After the Fed's 10-2 Vote to Hold Rates
Forecasters expected third-quarter growth of about 2.5% to 3.4% annualized and September PCE inflation near 3.7%. Those readings could shape bets on a December Fed rate hike and on Treasury yields near 5%.
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.
World
Likud Alleges Arab-Party Election Fraud as Partial Israeli Count Leaves Both Blocs Short of 61 Seats; Police Say They Found No Evidence of Vote Theft
With most votes counted, Netanyahu's bloc and Gadi Eisenkot's bloc each lack a majority, Arab parties are on track for a record 19 seats, and police say 48 fraud complaints do not point to the widespread theft Likud alleges.
Iran Says It Is in Talks With Mediators on Its Seven-Day Plan to End the War and Reopen Hormuz; Araghchi Warns an Israeli Attack Would Hit Global Markets
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says Iran's plan could be carried out in under a week. Iran sent the plan through Qatar in late September, and President Trump rejected it on Sept. 26. Accounts of a separate Qatari draft conflict, and U.S. strike options for after the Nov. 3 midterms have been reported.
UN General Assembly Votes 130-17, With 25 Abstentions, to Call for End of U.S. Embargo on Cuba; Support Is Lowest Since 1995
The 34th annual resolution passed easily but drew 35 fewer yes votes than in 2025, after a U.S. lobbying campaign and a floor confrontation between Ambassador Mike Waltz and Cuba's foreign minister.
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.
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.