Evening Premium Edition · Thu, Oct 29 · 7:08 p.m.

The Essential 10 · about 4 minutes

1. A Russian drone killed at least 14 people at Dnipro's railway station

   A Russian drone struck two passenger trains at a station in Dnipro on Thursday, killing at least 14 people and injuring 14, Ukrainian officials said. Separate Russian strikes killed two teenagers in Chernihiv and three civilians in Kremenchuk. Meanwhile, a localized ceasefire in Oleshky entered its third day, as crews cleared landmines ahead of expected humanitarian aid deliveries.

   Reporting: New York Post, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, The Japan Times, CBS News

   Updated since this edition · Read the latest

2. Judge Richard Stearns blocked the Trump administration's Medicaid medically frail definition

   U.S. District Judge Richard Stearns blocked the Trump administration’s Medicaid definition of “medically frail,” ruling it contrary to law and temporarily barring states that sued from having to determine medical frailty under the rule. The case was brought by 25 states and the District of Columbia, which argued the definition imposed unnecessary hurdles for beneficiaries seeking exemptions from work requirements.

   Reporting: United Press International, Reuters, The Washington Sun, NBC News (with Reuters), The Hill, azmirror.com, medicarerights.org

3. Judge David O. Carter denied Trump administration bid to segregate California ballots

   Federal Judge David O. Carter on Wednesday denied the Trump administration’s emergency request for California to segregate roughly 20,000 ballots from people it says are likely noncitizens. Carter said the request violated longstanding constitutional principles reserving election control to states. Court filings from Los Angeles showed a “high percentage” of listed names belonged to U.S.-born people, Truthout reported.

   Reporting: ABC7 News, ABC7 Los Angeles, ABC News, CBS News, CalMatters, ktvu.com, sjvsun.com, truthout.org

4. A vessel sank in the Strait of Hormuz

   A dhow sank nine nautical miles north of Khasab, Oman, after a fire, and its crew were safely evacuated, UKMTO said. Separately, reports that a tanker was struck by an unknown projectile while exiting the Strait of Hormuz remain unverified. Iran’s IRGC Navy claim that three tankers caught fire after hitting mines has also not been independently verified.

   Reporting: Saudi Gazette, House of Saud, @DropSiteNews on X, rivieramm.com

5. Reports said Trump and his aides helped Flávio Bolsonaro enter the United States after his election loss in Brazil

   U.S. officials told The New York Times that Donald Trump and his aides helped Brazilian presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro enter the United States after his election loss. Bolsonaro and his family arrived in Miami on a private jet arranged by a White House official and were admitted under parole status. Bolsonaro said, “I did not flee Brazil.”

   Reporting: The New York Times, The Times of India, Times Now, The Wall Street Journal, cbs6albany.com

6. A train rammed a stationary train in Spain, killing at least 69 people

   At least 69 people were killed when a train traveling from Madrid to Seville crashed into the back of a stationary train in Spain, prompting protests and calls for government officials to resign. Demonstrators gathered outside the transport ministry demanding accountability. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez pledged an investigation and improvements to rail safety, saying the service must be strengthened to rebuild trust.

   Reporting: NBC News, News.Az

   Updated since this edition · Read the latest

7. The Justice Department issued new subpoenas in a probe of candidate Dan J. Sullivan

   The Justice Department has issued new subpoenas and is preparing more in an ongoing investigation into the candidacy of a Petersburg man sharing a name with Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan, the Associated Press reported, citing an unnamed source. The Guardian separately reported allegations that Democrat Mary Peltola’s campaign worked with party operatives to confuse voters.

   Reporting: Alaska Public Media, The Guardian

8. Binance investigates suspected security breach linked to abnormal wallet transfers

   Binance is investigating a potential security breach after on-chain data showed abnormal transfers exceeding $5.5 billion across hot wallets on Oct. 29. Stablecoin issuers froze more than $2.3 billion in assets linked to suspected exploit addresses, but the transfers have not been confirmed as stolen. Binance said user funds were safe; founder Changpeng Zhao said it looked like a hack.

   Reporting: The Wall Street Journal, bleepingcomputer.com, beincrypto.com, financefeeds.com, cryptoticker.io, bitpinas.com, cryptobriefing.com

   Updated since this edition · Read the latest

9. Naval drones sank a container ship in the Black Sea off Bulgaria

   The Greek-managed Contship Jet, chartered by Israeli company ZIM, sank off Bulgaria after three naval drones struck it, Bulgarian authorities said. All 18 crew members were rescued and taken safely to Varna. Bulgarian officials said they were analyzing evidence; responsibility remains unclear. Ukraine has blamed Russia for attacks on commercial vessels off Bulgaria, while Russia denies involvement.

   Reporting: Ynetnews, News.Az (with Reuters), Haaretz, To Vima, i24NEWS, maritime-executive.com, audacy.com, tradewindsnews.com

10. The Justice Department served grand jury subpoenas on California state and local officials

    The Justice Department issued grand jury subpoenas to state and local officials in California, escalating its scrutiny of allegations that as many as 20,000 noncitizens may be registered to vote ahead of the midterms, CBS News reported, citing sources. The Japan Times reported that legal experts say the subpoenas could be used to contest results in close races.

    Reporting: CBS News, The Japan Times, capradio.org

    Updated since this edition · Read the latest

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11. A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to disclose states contacted about noncitizen voting

    Chief Judge James Boasberg on Thursday ordered the Trump administration to identify states where it pressured officials to comply with efforts to prevent noncitizens from voting, as well as state or local officials who received related letters. He said he plans to rule by Monday on Democratic leaders’ request to block the administration’s election-related conduct.

    Reporting: U.S. News & World Report (with Associated Press)

12. JD Vance wrote to Iran seeking to restart peace negotiations

    JD Vance sent a letter to Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, seeking to revive peace talks, The Wall Street Journal reported. Iran has not replied, Tasnim reported. Donald Trump said the contact concerned medical supplies; Axios cited a U.S. official saying negotiations would need to address Iran’s nuclear program.

    Reporting: Al Jazeera, The Independent, Daily Sabah, Bloomberg, The National, Iran International, Reuters, israelnationalnews.com

    Updated since this edition · Read the latest

13. The Department of Homeland Security sought to take leaked personnel data offline

    The Department of Homeland Security asked an Icelandic hosting company to take leaked personnel data offline, citing a risk to more than 40,000 people. Reuters reported the request was made through an authorized agent; TechCrunch and BigGo Finance identified the agent as security vendor ZeroFox. Bluesky is blocking links to sites hosting the archive.

    Reporting: The Guardian, BigGo Finance, TechCrunch, whbl.com (with Reuters)

14. The Trump administration agreed to send about $35 million in military aid to Cameroon’s BIR

    The Trump administration agreed to provide about $35 million in military aid for Cameroon’s Rapid Intervention Battalion as part of a package involving Cameroon’s acceptance of non-Cameroonian U.S. deportees, The Wall Street Journal reported. Amnesty International accused the unit of war crimes in 2017. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s top Democrat, placed a hold on the aid.

    Reporting: The Wall Street Journal, Raw Story

15. Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee apologized for a fire that killed 168 people

    Chief Executive John Lee apologized for the Wang Fuk Court fire, which killed 168 people, while Hong Kong housing official Winnie Ho resigned. An independent inquiry found four government bodies partly responsible for failures in overseeing renovation-related fire risks. The government plans to tighten laws, including bid-rigging penalties of up to HK$10 million and 10 years in prison.

    Reporting: Fortune, Malay Mail, The Korea Times, Internazionale (with Reuters), The Straits Times, Reuters, globaltimes.cn

16. The Commerce Department reported U.S. economic growth reached an annualized 3.4% in the third quarter

    U.S. real GDP grew at a 3.4% annual rate in the third quarter, while September inflation accelerated, Commerce Department data showed. The personal consumption expenditures price index rose 0.5% monthly and 3.6% annually; core PCE inflation was 3.1% annually. Both exceeded the Fed’s 2% target. Heather Long, Navy Federal Credit Union’s chief economist, called inflation the economy’s “Achilles heel.”

    Reporting: The Hill, Kitco News, The Korea Times, Bloomberg, CNBC, crypto.news, themortgagepoint.com

17. U.S. consumers faced accelerating prices in September, up 3.6% year over year

    U.S. inflation accelerated in September, with prices rising 3.6% from a year earlier. Goods prices climbed 3.9% year over year and services 3.5%; gasoline costs also surged. Consumer spending rose 0.5% from August, but was unchanged after inflation adjustment, the Bureau of Economic Analysis said. The report supported economists’ expectations of a Federal Reserve rate increase in December.

    Reporting: Mid-Michigan NOW, thedailyrecord.com

18. DoorDash agreed to acquire Instacart in a $17 billion deal

    DoorDash agreed to acquire Instacart in a roughly $17 billion deal, its largest acquisition to date. The transaction is valued at $65 per Instacart share, with at least 75% of the consideration in cash; DoorDash says the combination could give Instacart customers access to more than 50,000 additional stores. The Los Angeles Times reported antitrust concerns about the proposed combination.

    Reporting: The American Bazaar, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Associated Press, hardwareretailing.com

19. Alphabet shares fell 10% after missing Wall Street expectations

    Alphabet shares fell about 10% in premarket trading Thursday after the company missed third-quarter revenue and profit estimates, with a potential market-value loss exceeding $400 billion. Google Chief Business Officer Philipp Schindler said strong AI Mode query growth came with lower monetization. Reuters attributed negative free cash flow of $9.07 billion to spending on cloud capacity and AI research.

    Reporting: Business Insider, HuffPost (with Reuters), CNBC, marketwatch.com

20. Amazon reported third-quarter results below analysts' expectations and a weak holiday forecast

    Amazon shares fell in extended trading Thursday after the company reported third-quarter earnings of $1.89 per share on sales of $201.94 billion, slightly below analyst estimates, and forecast fourth-quarter sales below consensus. Investing.com senior analyst Jesse Cohen described the results as “a double disappointment,” citing the company’s free cash flow and weak guidance.

    Reporting: BigGo Finance, The Globe and Mail, WTVB News (with Reuters)

21. Intel forecasts fourth-quarter revenue below expectations, sending shares lower

    Intel shares fell sharply in after-hours trading Thursday after its fourth-quarter outlook came in below Wall Street expectations. Stocks Down Under and Financial News put the decline at about 17%, while CTech reported around 18%. Intel forecast revenue of $15 billion to $16 billion; CFO David Zinsner expects the PC-market slowdown to persist through at least the first half of next year.

    Reporting: CTech, The Financial News (South Korea), globalbankingandfinance.com (with Reuters), stocksdownunder.com

22. The United States and Japan agreed to jointly produce air-to-air missiles in Japan

    Japan and the United States agreed to establish a plant in Japan for final assembly and inspection of AMRAAM air-to-air missiles under “Operation Supercharge.” Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said after meeting Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that the allies shared a sense of crisis and agreed to strengthen deterrence and response capabilities with greater speed and intensity.

    Reporting: National Public Radio, Ottumwa Courier, ABC News, Killeen Daily Herald, WSLS 10 News, The Independent

23. Xi Jinping presented a draft policy aimed at stricter party discipline at Beijing plenum

    China’s Communist Party plenum ratified the expulsion of 33 officials, including former Politburo members Ma Xingrui and Zhang Youxia. Xi Jinping spoke about a draft policy on “full and rigorous party self-governance,” Xinhua reported. The Wall Street Journal said the Central Committee’s attendance was its lowest at a policy-setting meeting since the Mao Zedong era.

    Reporting: The Wall Street Journal, News.Az, The Straits Times, Reuters, caspianpost.com, brisbanetimes.com.au

24. Trump was briefed on a suspected Chinese intelligence asset but took no action

    The New York Times said Donald Trump was briefed that U.S. officials had concluded former Megaspeed executive Alice Huang was a Chinese intelligence asset close to Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, but took no action. Surveillance identified Jensen Huang as one of her contacts; the report offered no evidence he knew of her alleged intelligence work, though some senior officials now doubt he was unaware.

    Reporting: Fox Business, New York Post, CNBC, The New York Times, arstechnica.com

25. El Salvador deployed more than 2,000 soldiers to Haiti

    El Salvador has deployed more than 2,000 troops to Haiti to search for four Salvadoran Air Force technicians missing since an Oct. 18 gang ambush in Croix-des-Bouquets. El Salvador’s Foreign Ministry said the operation was announced after President Nayib Bukele spoke by phone with Haitian interim Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé; troops will also support anti-gang security operations.

    Reporting: Around Prague, United Press International, Latin Times, Saudi Gazette, Al Jazeera, inquirer.net, dailymaverick.co.za

26. María Corina Machado said the U.S. suggested holding Venezuelan presidential elections in 2027

    Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado said the United States had suggested Venezuela hold presidential elections in 2027. She said Secretary of State Marco Rubio outlined steps toward a democratic transition and that she would ensure all eligible Venezuelans could vote. The remarks were her first substantive comments since returning last weekend; the State Department did not immediately comment.

    Reporting: Internazionale (with Reuters), WTVB News (with Reuters), businessupturn.com

27. USDA confirmed Arizona’s first case of New World screwworm in a Cochise County dog

    USDA confirmed Arizona’s first New World screwworm case in a dog in Cochise County. The detection is the state’s first since the parasite was eradicated from the United States in the 1960s. Houston Public Media, citing USDA, reported 71 confirmed animal cases since June across Texas, New Mexico and Arizona; officials are launching sterile-fly releases, movement restrictions and enhanced trapping.

    Reporting: Newsweek, Bloomberg, Houston Public Media, drovers.com

28. Villa Vie Residences suspended Odyssey operations, stranding around 200 passengers in Cambodia

    Villa Vie Residences suspended operations of its Odyssey cruise ship, leaving around 200 passengers stranded in Cambodia, two years after the vessel began its world voyage. The operator said it had run out of money, citing “extraordinary increases” in fuel costs following the US-Israel war with Iran. Passengers had paid to live aboard while travelling the world.

    Reporting: iHeart, SBS News, France 24, winknews.com

29. Mohamed Soliman pleaded guilty to federal hate-crime and explosives offenses in Colorado

    Mohamed Soliman, 47, pleaded guilty Thursday to nine federal hate-crime counts and three explosives charges over the June 2025 firebombing of demonstrators in Boulder, Colorado. The hate-crime counts include one resulting in 82-year-old Karen Diamond’s death and eight involving attempted killings. Prosecutors said Soliman believed the demonstrators were Jewish and Israeli; he is serving a state life sentence.

    Reporting: ABC News, KSAT 12 San Antonio, Facebook, U.S. News & World Report (with Associated Press)

30. Ian Choudri departed California's High-Speed Rail Authority

    Ian Choudri, chief executive of the California High-Speed Rail Authority, resigned late Wednesday after about two years, citing “important personal and family priorities,” according to CalMatters, which obtained his emailed resignation. The resignation followed a September report on wasteful, “unallowable” consultant travel expenses. Newsmax, citing CalMatters, reported the board named state Finance Director Joe Stephenshaw as his replacement.

    Reporting: CalMatters, The New York Times, Newsmax, fox40.com

31. No new developments since the 1:08 p.m. edition

    North Korea fired about 10 short-range ballistic missiles eastward

    North Korea launched about 10 short-range ballistic missiles toward its eastern waters from Wonsan, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said; Japan’s Defense Ministry also reported a suspected ballistic missile launch. The barrage followed Kim Jong Un’s weekend visit to China and last month’s border mine blasts, which injured three South Korean soldiers and for which Pyongyang denies responsibility.

    Reporting: audacy.com