Trump Cancels Kansas and Iowa Rallies, Shifts to Phone 'Tele-Rallies' in at Least 19 States Before Nov. 3 Midterms
The RNC says the weekend rallies were dropped because Republicans are in a strong position in both states. Recent polls in both states show close Senate races, and Democrats lead the RealClearPolling generic-ballot average 51.4% to 43.2%.
U.S.
Israel Asks U.S. to Approve Strikes on Iranian Energy Sites, Israeli Broadcaster Kan Reports, as Iran Weighs Reply to Vance Letter
Israel's public broadcaster says Israel wants U.S. approval to hit Iranian energy targets that have not been struck before. Separate anonymous-source reports describe U.S.-Israeli strike plans for after the Nov. 3 midterms. Tehran says it has received a letter from Vice President JD Vance and has not yet answered.
Justice Department Appeals Again After Judge Refuses to Set Aside California Mail Ballots of 20,000 People on Federal 'Likely Noncitizen' List
Four days before the Nov. 3 election, the department is back at the Ninth Circuit for the second time in about a week. Judge Carter has appointed a special master to review how the federal list was built, and California officials say federal agencies never showed how it was built.
Supreme Court Asks Hillary Clinton to Respond by Nov. 27 to Trump's Petition to Revive His Dismissed 2016 Russia-Probe Lawsuit
Trump filed the petition on Oct. 9. It asks the justices to vacate an 11th Circuit ruling that upheld the suit's dismissal and nearly $1 million in sanctions. Clinton first waived her right to respond, but on Oct. 27 the Court asked for a brief, now due Nov. 27.
Justice Department Amends Alaska Senate Lawsuit, Alleging Peltola Campaign and Democrats Misled Judge About Second 'Dan Sullivan' Candidate
The Justice Department filed the amended complaint in Anchorage federal court on Oct. 29. It adds a new constitutional claim and argues that pending motions to dismiss are now moot. Judge Sharon Gleason has not yet ruled, and Election Day is Nov. 3.
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.
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.
N.C.
North Carolina Early Voting Ends Saturday at 3 p.m.; More Than 2.1 Million Ballots Cast Through Thursday, 36% Above the Same Point in 2022
Registered Democrats cast 39.8% of early ballots and Republicans 25.2% as of Thursday, a narrower gap than earlier in the week. The Elon poll showing Cooper up 52%-39% was taken Sept. 29–Oct. 8, before early voting began on Oct. 15.
Justice Department Charges 18 Noncitizens in North Carolina With Voting Illegally in 2024, Bringing the State's 2026 Total to 30
Seventeen of the 18 hold green cards. The charges, announced five days before the Nov. 3 election, are part of a national Justice Department push on noncitizen voting. Supporters call it overdue enforcement of the citizenship requirement. Critics say the confirmed cases are few and the timing risks intimidating lawful voters.
North Carolina's 1st District Race Hits $52.9 Million in Ads and Reservations as of Oct. 27, a Record for a U.S. House General Election, AdImpact Says
Ad tracker AdImpact says more money has been spent or booked on ads in the Don Davis–Laurie Buckhout rematch than in any House general election it has tracked. The race is in a district Republicans redrew in 2025.
Union-Backed Group Launches N.C. Medicaid Outreach Campaign; Gov. Stein's Office Estimates More Than 250,000 Could Lose Coverage Under Federal Rules Starting Jan. 1, 2027
The national nonprofit Keep Your Care, formed by the SEIU union and two health advocacy groups, held its North Carolina launch in Raleigh on Oct. 29. The 250,000 estimate comes from Democratic Gov. Josh Stein's office, not from a federal or independent count.
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.
Finance
U.S. GDP Grew at a 3.4% Annual Rate in the Third Quarter, Above Forecasts; September PCE Inflation Rose to 3.6% From a Year Earlier
The government reports came out Oct. 29, the day after the Federal Reserve held rates on a 10-2 vote. Both dissenters wanted a hike, and markets put the odds of a December hike at roughly 82% to 85%.
Intel Shares Down More Than 20% and Amazon About 7% Before Friday's Open After Earnings; Nasdaq 100 Futures Fall 2%
Amazon's cloud unit grew 39%, but its profit fell short of forecasts and its cash flow over the past year turned deeply negative as AI spending rose. Intel beat its own third-quarter targets but gave a fourth-quarter forecast well below what analysts expected.
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.
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.
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.
World
Houthis Claim Six Attacks on Saudi Oil Sites and Airports; Saudi-Led Coalition Reports Intercepting Missiles
None of the six claimed hits has been independently confirmed; the claims came three days after Saudi, Pakistani and Turkish officials met Iranian leaders in Tehran, and Brent crude traded at $115.74 early Friday.
Final Israeli Count: Netanyahu Bloc 53 Seats, Eisenkot Bloc 48, Arab-Led Parties 19; No Side Reaches 61
Netanyahu's Likud says the vote was stolen through fraud in Arab communities, and police say they have found no evidence. Bennett and Liberman reject a government that relies on Arab parties, and President Herzog begins consultations next week.
Trump Administration Has No Current Plan to Back Flávio Bolsonaro's Claim to Brazil's Presidency, Sources Tell Reuters
Trump let the defeated candidate into the U.S. and called the vote 'rigged.' But he says he gets along with Lula, and a U.S. official says the stance could still change.
Russian Drone Kills at Least 14 at Dnipro Train Station; Zelensky Says Forces Have No Order to Halt Refinery Strikes, Contradicting WSJ Report
The Wall Street Journal reported, citing unnamed sources, that Kyiv quietly paused strikes on Russian refineries after pressure from Trump envoys. Zelensky says his forces have no such order, and a Ukrainian drone maker claimed a refinery hit hours after the report.
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.
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.