Afternoon Premium Edition · Mon, Oct 26 · 1:05 p.m.

The Essential 10 · about 3 minutes

1. A federal judge ruled the Justice Department unlawfully dismissed prosecutor Maurene Comey

   U.S. District Judge Jesse M. Furman ruled Monday that the Justice Department unlawfully fired Maurene Comey, a former Assistant U.S. Attorney in Manhattan and daughter of former FBI Director James Comey, in July 2025. He found the dismissal violated separation-of-powers, civil-service and due-process protections, retroactively reinstated her, and ordered back pay through Dec. 20, 2025, when she accepted another job.

   Reporting: CBS News, CNBC, The New York Times, NBC News, Politico, Reuters, The Guardian, news3lv.com

   Updated since this edition · Read the latest

2. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won reelection in Sunday's presidential runoff

   Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won reelection in Sunday’s presidential runoff, defeating Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro. CNN said Lula gained more than 10 million votes between rounds, overturning a first-round defeat—a feat no Brazilian president had achieved since the country’s return to democracy in 1985.

   Reporting: The Washington Post, ABC News, Bloomberg, CNN, therealnews.com

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3. Egypt’s parliament cleared President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to provide military aid to Saudi Arabia

   Egypt’s parliament authorized President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to take necessary measures to support Saudi Arabia’s defense against Houthi attacks, contingent on a request from Riyadh. Reuters reported that a letter to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman limited support to defending Saudi territory and borders, not attacking Yemen.

   Reporting: Daily Sabah, The Media Line, U.S. News & World Report (with Associated Press), The Jerusalem Post, Al Jazeera, Reuters

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4. President Donald Trump said he was weighing a deal with Iran or military action

   U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday he was weighing a deal with Iran against renewed military action, saying it was “getting to be decision time.” Trump identified Pickaxe Mountain, a site linked to Iran’s nuclear program, as a potential target. Reuters reported that Qatari mediators visited Tehran Sunday, while Tehran said it was preparing a military response to any U.S. attack.

   Reporting: The Economic Times, WION, CNBC, Iran International, A News, The Japan Times, qcintel.com

5. Serbia's student-backed Student List won the snap parliamentary election

   With nearly 99% of votes counted, the student-backed Student List had won 52.7% and 139 of Serbia’s 250 parliamentary seats, according to the State Election Commission as reported by Reuters. The SNS-led alliance secured 39.2% and 97 seats. Former Serbian president Aleksandar Vučić conceded defeat and said he would continue political work in opposition. EU leaders offered support for reforms.

   Reporting: BBC News, Euronews, ABC News (Australia), livemint.com, eualive.net

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6. Trump turned down Netanyahu’s request to authorize coordinated attacks on Iran

   CNN reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought U.S. President Donald Trump’s approval for joint strikes on Iran before Israel’s Oct. 27 election, but Trump refused. Netanyahu’s office called the report “fake news.” CNN also reported that U.S. forces could be ready for major strikes within 96 hours of an order from Trump.

   Reporting: Ynetnews, The Times of Israel, Haaretz, georgiatoday.ge, hromadske.ua

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7. Netanyahu leveraged Trump's endorsement in his campaign for re-election

   Facing Tuesday's national election, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is using U.S. President Trump's endorsement to argue that only his leadership can secure further U.S. action against Iran. Challenger Gadi Eisenkot, a former military chief of staff, has praised Trump and said he would cooperate with the U.S. president if elected, suggesting a leadership change need not cause a rupture.

   Reporting: The Economic Times

8. Israelis vote Tuesday in a parliamentary election that could decide Benjamin Netanyahu's future

   Israelis vote Tuesday, Oct. 27, in a national election widely seen as a referendum on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is seeking a seventh term. Former military chief Gadi Eisenkot leads the opposition challenge. The race is tight, and with at least 61 seats needed to govern, coalition negotiations could prove decisive.

   Reporting: Euronews, Firstpost, USA Today, The New York Times, Fox News, ktvh.com

9. Abdul El-Sayed responded to attacks by Trump on his Muslim faith

   Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed told supporters Sunday that President Donald Trump would soon have to call him “Senator Mohamed” if he wins in November. Al Jazeera reported El-Sayed has previously called the attacks a distraction; NBC News described the race against Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers as a dead heat.

   Reporting: Al Jazeera, The New Arab, The Hill, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, NBC News, The New York Times, The Washington Post, michiganadvance.com

10. Mary Peltola sought dismissal of a Justice Department lawsuit over Alaska's Senate race

    Alaska Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee asked a federal judge to dismiss the Justice Department lawsuit seeking to block certification if the Republican incumbent loses narrowly. They called it an “unprecedented pre-emptive strike on democratic elections.” President Donald Trump said he ordered the suit, which U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche defended Sunday.

    Reporting: CNBC, NewsCord, Straight Arrow News, Democracy Now!, Just the News, Reuters, alaskalandmine.com, forth.news

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11. Four Democratic senators ask banks and port authorities to preserve Russian diesel records

    Four Democratic senators—Sen. Chris Coons, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Ron Wyden and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse—have asked major banks and port authorities to preserve records related to potential Russian diesel imports and other deals involving Russian diesel. Their letter says imports raise significant legal questions and may be subject to legal action and congressional investigations, and cites national-security concerns.

    Reporting: The Hill, Axios, Meduza, gcaptain.com, ukrmedia.news, nv.ua

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12. Anthropic made its public IPO filing for a Nasdaq listing

    Anthropic, maker of the Claude AI platform, made its IPO filing public Monday, advancing plans for a Nasdaq listing under ticker ANT. NBC News reported Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley are leading the offering and said it could value the company at more than $2 trillion. CBS News said the IPO could happen as early as November.

    Reporting: Business Insider, NBC News, CBS News, fox17online.com

    Updated since this edition · Read the latest

13. Microsoft is offering voluntary exit packages to about 60,000 workers

    Microsoft is offering voluntary buyouts to about 60,000 eligible employees, roughly a quarter of its 223,000-person workforce, as it reorganizes and invests heavily in AI infrastructure. Chief People Officer Amy Coleman announced the Voluntary Exit Offer in a Monday memo. Bloomberg reported the company expects fewer takers than for its earlier retirement program; CTech said layoffs remain an option.

    Reporting: The Verge, CNBC, TechCrunch, Bloomberg, Business Insider, tech-insider.org, calcalistech.com, investing.com (with Reuters)

    Updated since this edition · Read the latest

14. Meta Platforms announced an equity fundraising of up to $95 billion for AI expansion

    Meta Platforms said Monday it plans to raise up to $95 billion in its largest-ever equity fundraising to support AI expansion. CNBC reported the plan calls for $35 billion in underwritten offerings, followed by $60 billion through an at-the-market program. Meta said Nvidia, AMD and Broadcom were interested in up to $5 billion in shares; Meta shares rose 1.6% premarket.

    Reporting: CNBC, Reuters, Financial Times

    Updated since this edition · Read the latest

15. Tallahassee police arrested a 15-year-old boy in a shooting that injured 12 people

    Tallahassee police arrested a 15-year-old boy Sunday over Saturday’s shooting near Florida A&M’s Bragg Memorial Stadium, which injured 12, including 11 who were shot. He faces 11 counts of attempted second-degree murder and possession of a firearm by a delinquent. Police said a fight preceded the gunfire; Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Revell said further arrests are possible.

    Reporting: NBC News, ABC News, ESPN, The Guardian, nbcmiami.com, syracuse.com, tallahassee.com

16. The World Health Organization said an Ebola response nurse was killed in eastern Congo

    A nurse was killed and a health worker severely injured Saturday while responding to an Ebola alert in Bafwasende in eastern Congo’s Tshopo province, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. Authorities say attacks on responders are hampering efforts to curb the outbreak. Health ministry data show more than 9,800 cases and more than 4,700 deaths since May.

    Reporting: Al Jazeera, Associated Press, Greenwich Time

17. Nigeria evacuated its only confirmed Ebola patient to Switzerland

    Nigeria evacuated its only confirmed Ebola case in the current outbreak, a 42-year-old Ugandan-born woman, from Abuja to Switzerland on Monday. Nigerian Health Minister Muhammad Ali Pate said her condition had improved and she was stable, but said she may still be infectious. Her Swiss diplomat husband accompanied her and had no symptoms; Switzerland will take over her care.

    Reporting: Reuters, Asharq Al-Awsat, ABC News, BBC News, tanzaniatimes.net, swissinfo.ch, africanews.com

18. State and federal officials did little to contain a bird flu outbreak in Utah

    A ProPublica investigation found a bird flu outbreak has continued for more than two months on a Utah farm raising thousands of mink. Officials issued a verbal hold barring mink, manure and carcasses from being moved off the farm. Experts remain concerned, while Utah’s approach relies on reports rather than automatic quarantine and testing of nearby farms.

    Reporting: CNN

19. Houthis said they attacked Saudi oil-pumping stations and Riyadh airport

    Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis said Monday they attacked Saudi Arabia’s East-West crude oil pumping stations and Riyadh airport, with no immediate Saudi confirmation, Reuters reported. The Saudi-led coalition said it destroyed two ballistic-missile launchers in Sanaa, including one used to fire a missile toward Riyadh that it said it intercepted. Egypt’s parliament approved military support for Saudi Arabia, The National reported.

    Reporting: The National, Internazionale (with Reuters)

20. Delegations from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey met Iranian leaders in Tehran

    Senior delegations from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey were in Tehran on Monday for talks with Iranian officials aimed at easing regional tensions and averting renewed fighting, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said. Two regional officials told the Associated Press that Yemen’s war and Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia were also topics on the agenda.

    Reporting: ABC News, PBS News (with Associated Press), Ynetnews, sana.sy, iranwire.com

21. Iran said it was continuing indirect communications with the United States

    Iranian officials said messages with the United States continue through intermediaries, though formal negotiations remain stalled. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran remained open to diplomacy. Iran’s ambassador to Islamabad, Reza Amiri Moghadam, said Tehran offered to reopen the Strait if Washington ended its blockade of Iranian ports, but said U.S. President Donald Trump rejected the proposal.

    Reporting: Iran International, vocm.com

22. Hezbollah prepares for possible renewed fighting with Israel after receiving Iranian funds

    Reuters reported that Hezbollah has spent three months preparing for possible renewed fighting with Israel after receiving an infusion of Iranian funding, according to Lebanese security personnel briefed on its activities. Sources said the group is acquiring explosives, manufacturing drones and rebuilding command-and-control structures, though its weapons stockpiles have not been fully replenished, Israel Hayom reported.

    Reporting: The Times of Israel, Ynetnews, Reuters, israelhayom.com

23. Convicted murderer Jacob Allen Morley escaped from a Tennessee prison

    Tennessee authorities are searching for Jacob Allen Morley, 28, a convicted murderer serving a life sentence, after he escaped from the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville late Sunday. The Tennessee Department of Correction said security cameras showed Morley breaching the perimeter fence and leaving in his prison uniform. Officials urged people to call 911 or TDOC and not approach him.

    Reporting: New York Post, The Guardian, NewsNation, Hoodline, FOX 17 Nashville, wreg.com, kfvs12.com, abc13.com

24. Zelenskyy says Ukraine awaits Hegseth’s approval for Patriot and NASAMS missiles

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine has waited nearly a month for U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to approve the transfer of missiles for Patriot and NASAMS air-defense systems. Zelenskyy called for faster implementation of decisions already on the table. He also said Ukraine received only 24 Patriot interceptor missiles from the United States over the past three months.

    Reporting: Anadolu Agency, UATV English, Business Insider, newsmax.com, report.az, nv.ua, rbc.ua

25. The Justice Department appealed a ruling lifting a ban on Anthropic's artificial intelligence technology

    The Justice Department filed a notice of appeal Monday with the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals, asking it to overturn a ruling that lifted the federal ban on agencies using Anthropic PBC’s artificial intelligence technology. In August, US District Judge Rita F. Lin in San Francisco found the Trump administration had failed to justify the ban.

    Reporting: Bloomberg

26. Two Catholic bishops expressed regret over White House images of their Oval Office prayer

    Milwaukee Archbishop Jeffrey Grob and Des Moines Bishop William Joensen expressed regret after the White House posted images and video of them praying with Trump. Both said they believed the meeting was private. Joensen said the White House exploited the gathering for partisan purposes; The Associated Press reported they were the only two of 12 bishops present to express regret.

    Reporting: BBC News, The Guardian, baptistnews.com, ibtimes.co.uk, thelettersfromleo.com

27. China’s Communist Party opened its fifth plenum of the 20th Central Committee in Beijing

    China’s Communist Party opened its fifth plenum in Beijing Monday, with President Xi Jinping delivering a work report and discussing a draft policy on “full and rigorous party self-governance,” Xinhua reported. The four-day meeting focuses on party discipline and combating corruption as Xi presses officials for greater loyalty and reliability. The policy aims to make cadres more disciplined, effective and less corrupt.

    Reporting: South China Morning Post, SBS News (South Korea), National Public Radio, thenews.com.pk, moderndiplomacy.eu, nikkei.com (with Reuters)

28. Range shareholders agreed to receive 0.987 EQT shares per share under buyout terms

    EQT Corp. agreed Monday to acquire Range Resources in an all-stock deal. The companies said the merger would create the largest vertically integrated natural gas producer in the United States. Range shareholders will receive 0.987 EQT shares for each share they hold; closing is expected in the first quarter of 2027, subject to regulatory and shareholder approvals.

    Reporting: The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, forbes.com, hartenergy.com, post-gazette.com, 247wallst.com

29. HealthSpan Partners agreed to acquire Surgery Partners in a $5.7 billion buyout

    HealthSpan Partners, a Bon Secours Mercy Health affiliate, agreed Monday to acquire Surgery Partners Inc. in an all-cash deal with an enterprise value of about $5.7 billion. Shareholders other than Bain Capital affiliates would receive $23.50 a share in cash; Bain, with roughly 39%, agreed to roll over its stake. Closing is expected in Q1 2027, pending approvals.

    Reporting: Quartz, investing.com, citybiz.co, financialcontent.com, mcguirewoods.com, modernhealthcare.com, bizjournals.com

30. A judge in Mexico ordered Chihuahua's former attorney general to face a treason trial

    A Mexican federal judge ordered former Chihuahua attorney general César Jáuregui Moreno to stand trial on treason charges, defense attorney Luis Villegas confirmed. Federal authorities accused him of launching a joint operation with CIA agents targeting a drug lab without federal authorization. Two CIA agents and two state officials died in a crash. Jáuregui resigned and remains in pretrial detention.

    Reporting: Associated Press, The Independent, thestar.com (with Associated Press), telesurenglish.net

31. The UK sanctioned 15 Sudanese military and paramilitary commanders over suspected war crimes

    The UK imposed travel bans and asset freezes on 15 senior commanders from Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces and Sudanese army over suspected war crimes and sexual violence. The sanctions include commanders linked to atrocities during the siege of Al Fasher, which fell to the RSF a year ago after an 18-month siege. Britain also announced £5 million to support survivors.

    Reporting: The National, The Guardian, sudantribune.com, telegraph.co.uk, sky.com