Evening Premium Edition · Fri, Oct 30 · 7:07 p.m.
The Essential 10 · about 3 minutes
Donald Trump said he believed the war with Iran would end soon
Donald Trump said Friday in an interview with Kansas City radio station KCMO that the war with Iran would be “wrapped up soon,” but offered no explanation of how. He said a guarantee was needed that there would never be a nuclear weapon. His remarks came before the Nov. 3 midterms, as Qatar pushed for a U.S.-Iran deal.
Reporting: CBS News, The Jerusalem Post
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Iran's Revolutionary Guards reported four oil tankers exploded in the Strait of Hormuz
Iran's Revolutionary Guards Navy said Friday that four oil tankers caught fire and exploded in the Strait of Hormuz. CNBC separately reported that the Guards attributed three fires to mines on an “unauthorized southern route” near Oman, while Iran's army said a fourth tanker burned east of the strait.
Reporting: CNBC, Hometown News Group, Reuters
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KFF projected benchmark Affordable Care Act premiums will rise 13 percent in 2027
Average premiums for benchmark silver plans in Affordable Care Act marketplaces will rise 13% in 2027, KFF found, following a 26% increase from 2025 to 2026. The Wall Street Journal reported an average monthly premium of about $704 for a 40-year-old buying a benchmark plan. Subsidies cushion increases for most enrollees; people above 400% of the federal poverty level no longer qualify for premium tax credits.
Reporting: The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, kff.org
Pennsylvania faces its worst measles outbreak in 35 years
Pennsylvania is facing the nation’s worst measles outbreak in 35 years, centered in Lancaster County, with more than 1,350 cases reported statewide this year, according to state figures. Community leaders say the tally is likely an undercount because many people with measles do not seek medical care. The outbreak is prompting greater openness to vaccination among some Amish residents.
Reporting: WRAL News, Courthouse News Service, Telegraph Herald, Associated Press, fox8.com, tippinsights.com, abc4.com
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a Justice Department request over California ballots
A 2-1 9th Circuit ruling rejected the Justice Department’s request for California to set aside disputed midterm ballots. The panel said the department failed to show an injunction pending appeal was warranted. The administration alleges California sent ballots to about 20,000 people who may not be citizens; California officials say the list is unreliable and likely includes citizens.
Reporting: PBS News (with Associated Press), CBS News, FOX23 News Tulsa
DOJ asked a federal judge to make Alaska preserve and segregate potentially affected Senate ballots
The Justice Department is urging a federal court to require Alaska election officials to segregate ballots that might be affected by alleged voter confusion involving Daniel J. Sullivan, a Senate candidate with the same last name as Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan. DOJ alleges Daniel J. Sullivan’s candidacy was intended to confuse voters and help Democratic nominee Mary Peltola.
Reporting: Democracy Docket, wptz.com
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Hackers stole about $6.3 billion from Binance
Hackers stole $6.3 billion from Binance in what PYMNTS described as the largest cryptocurrency theft on record. Reuters reported that most of the theft occurred in about 20 minutes late Thursday, Oct. 29. Crypto-tracing firms TRM Labs and Chainalysis said they were highly confident North Korea was responsible; North Korea routinely denies such claims.
Reporting: pymnts.com
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Voters are casting early ballots at rates significantly outpacing the last midterm election
AP analysis five days before Election Day found early voting significantly outpacing the last midterm, especially in Senate battlegrounds. More than 6.3 million Texans had voted early by Wednesday, 50% above the same point four years earlier. Advance voting was up more than 30% from that point in Maine, Michigan, North Carolina and Kansas, and 83% in South Carolina.
Reporting: The San Diego Union-Tribune (with Associated Press), WBEN NewsRadio 930 (with Associated Press), PBS News (with Associated Press), Associated Press
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A train collision in Spain killed 69 people
Wednesday's train collision in Spain's Toledo province killed 69 people, with its cause disputed. Spain's transport minister blamed mainly a traffic controller's poor judgment, NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth reported, while railway unions cited worsening conditions, fewer controllers and heavier workloads. A judge and a special government commission are investigating, and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez pledged to investigate.
Reporting: NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth
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A federal judge delayed deciding whether to dismiss a case against James Comey
A federal judge on Friday postponed a decision on whether to dismiss the placeholder criminal case against former FBI Director James Comey. During a hearing, the judge questioned why he should not wait to let the Justice Department seek a grand jury indictment, noting prosecutors could pursue that option before he ruled.
Reporting: The Washington Times, CNN
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The Trump administration continues detaining pregnant unaccompanied migrant minors in South Texas
The Trump administration continues to detain pregnant unaccompanied migrant children in South Texas, despite concerns about their access to care, NPR reports. The federal government began detaining pregnant children at a shelter in San Benito in July 2025; by April, the health department was placing them at a different nearby shelter. Several have left Texas for medical care, including abortions unavailable in the state.
Reporting: National Public Radio
Judge Ana C. Reyes opens inquiry into Trump officials’ East Potomac golf plans
District Judge Ana C. Reyes on Friday opened an inquiry into whether Trump administration officials and Justice Department lawyers misled the court about plans for East Potomac Golf Links in Washington, D.C. FOX 5 Washington DC reported she plans to appoint a special master. Government lawyers acknowledged Wednesday a plan to turn the municipal course into a championship-level venue.
Reporting: The Washington Post, FOX 5 Washington DC, National Public Radio
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Judge Tanya Chutkan heard arguments on halting construction of Donald Trump's triumphal arch
U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan heard Friday arguments on blocking Donald Trump’s proposed 250-foot arch. Three Vietnam veterans and a retired architectural historian said the project was rushed and lacked congressional approval. The Justice Department argued it was needed for national security, but WUSA9 said its attorneys struggled to explain how. NPS signaled work could begin Nov. 5.
Reporting: CBS News, WTOP News, wusa9.com
Washington directed nonessential staff and relatives to depart Saudi Arabia
The U.S. Embassy in Riyadh said Friday that the United States has ordered non-emergency government employees and their family members to leave Saudi Arabia, effective October 23. The embassy cited safety risks, including Houthi attacks on civilian airports and other critical infrastructure, and warned U.S. citizens of possible further attacks, airspace closures, flight cancellations and other travel disruptions.
Reporting: The Jerusalem Post, Reuters
Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc falls short of a majority in Israel’s election
Final results gave Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc 53 of 120 Knesset seats, short of a majority. Likud alleged the vote was “stolen,” a claim described as unsubstantiated. Israeli President Isaac Herzog called for an investigation and urged against smearing Arab voters. NPR said Netanyahu would need roughly eight lawmakers from outside his bloc.
Reporting: Arab News, National Public Radio
Trump reportedly gave Nayib Bukele the go-ahead to send Salvadoran troops to Haiti
Axios reported that Donald Trump gave Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele approval for a troop deployment to Haiti, telling him, “Do what you have to do.” El Salvador said it would send up to 2,000 troops, with possible expansion; The Haitian Times reported about 2,000 were already in the capital. The mission’s terms, duration and command structure remain unclear.
Reporting: Anadolu Agency, haitiantimes.com
CDC scientists failed to win approval for an urgent pregnancy-related measles alert
CDC scientists sought an urgent alert for doctors about measles risks during pregnancy as U.S. cases surged, but a notice submitted through a rapid communication system was not approved, The Washington Post reported, citing five people familiar with discussions. Scientists’ efforts to get the information to clinicians continue, while its timing and publication venue remain uncertain.
Reporting: The Washington Post, @bylenasun on X
Judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska announces she is taking charge of Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal
Constitutional Tribunal judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska suspended the court’s president, Bogdan Święczkowski, and Vice-President Bartłomiej Sochański for a month, saying she was taking charge. The tribunal disputed her standing and described the move as a “coup d’état.” Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek requested removal of both men’s immunity to pursue criminal charges. President Karol Nawrocki turned back en route to Senegal.
Reporting: BBC News, POLITICO Europe, Ynetnews, Greenwich Time, Associated Press, Euronews, The Jerusalem Post
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Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta said it is winding up its remaining operations
Novaya Gazeta said it was winding up operations after what it called a campaign of state pressure, with its editorial board saying it was forced to end work. The team is being evicted from its 30-year office, and its donation platform has been blocked. Editor-in-chief Sergei Sokolov said the paper would shut its servers and leave on Nov. 9.
Reporting: NewsCord, Stories Framing the Globe, Reuters
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Residents of Russian-occupied Oleshky evacuated under a temporary ceasefire
Residents evacuated from Russian-occupied Oleshky have left for Russia’s Anapa with a Ukrainian delegation, and the humanitarian mission is concluding, France 24 reported. Senior official David Arakhamia said the evacuees are expected to fly to Belarus and return to Ukraine by bus. Local authorities said about 2,000 people remain in Oleshky.
Reporting: France 24 (with Agence France-Presse), CBS News
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Russia's Samara region faced renewed strikes on oil facilities
Ukraine resumed strikes on oil facilities in Russia’s Samara region Friday after a pause of nearly two weeks. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said the dawn attack hit three refineries and a natural gas and petrochemical processing complex. NDTV reported that a drone strike caused a major fire at the Novokuybyshevsk refinery.
Reporting: NDTV, NewsCord
Canada and the European Union launched an alliance at a Montreal summit
Canada and the European Union launched the “Alliance for the Future” at a Montreal summit, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said it would focus on AI, energy, critical minerals and quantum. The statement omitted “associate membership” and pledged to define an “ever-closer association,” short of full membership, by the 2027 summit. They concluded substantive negotiations on a digital trade agreement.
Reporting: Le Monde, The Guardian, myMotherLode News, Time, PBS News, wusa9.com
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Congo government data show Ebola death toll has surpassed 5,000
Government data show the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has killed more than 5,000 people, making it the country’s deadliest Ebola epidemic on record. Declared in May, the outbreak has infected more than 10,000 people. It is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, for which no approved treatments or vaccines are available.
Reporting: Reuters, canberratimes.com.au
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Lucas County prosecutors dismissed all charges against a suspect in a Toledo festival shooting
Prosecutors dropped all charges against Eljay Crisp-Carr, 20, who was arrested in connection with a shooting at Toledo’s Old West End Festival that wounded 12. Prosecutors cited “new and developing evidence.” Crisp-Carr spent about five months in jail and said he was misidentified, telling WTVG, “I wasn’t there.”
Reporting: MyNorthwest, 13abc WTVG Toledo, The Guardian
Actor Patrick Stewart died at 86 at his Los Angeles home
Patrick Stewart, the “Star Trek” and “X-Men” actor, has died at 86. His spokesperson, Kelly Bush Novak, confirmed his death Thursday. Stewart died Wednesday at his Los Angeles home after a brief journey with Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia. He is set to appear posthumously in “Avengers: Doomsday” in December.
Reporting: YouTube, National Public Radio, USA Today, NBC News, The Express Tribune, usmagazine.com
Three masked suspects broke into a Toronto home and attacked four family members
Three suspects remain at large after a home invasion in Toronto’s Bridle Path neighborhood left the MAC Group chief executive and his two daughters with gunshot wounds and his wife injured by a hammer, police said. The suspects entered through a rear door early Thursday and demanded valuables before fleeing. Morton said his family is traumatized and recovering.
Reporting: BBC News, NDTV, CBC News, Realtor.com, CP24 News, New York Post
A person in black chased Javits Frimpong before he was fatally shot in the Bronx
Detectives are searching for three teenagers after 15-year-old Javits Frimpong was fatally shot Thursday morning while walking to school in the Bronx’s Claremont neighborhood. Video showed him running as a person in black followed. Police have not identified a motive; his father, Thomas Frimpong, and a school bus attendant said two boys were recently suspended for bullying him.
Reporting: New York Post, CBS News, NBC New York
China accelerated the mapping of waters near Taiwan with dozens of ships
China has accelerated maritime mapping in waters near Taiwan, sending dozens of ships to collect data that could help submarines and subsea drones navigate and detect rivals in a potential conflict, The Wall Street Journal reported. The activity could advance China’s ability to seize the self-ruled island, which Beijing claims and threatens to take by force if necessary.
Reporting: The Wall Street Journal
Dockworkers strike across Europe and beyond over arms shipments and wars
Dockworkers struck across Europe and beyond Friday over arms shipments and wars. The New Arab reported the Dockworkers Don’t Work for War coalition organized action at 113 ports in 22 countries, while unions also sought better working conditions. Reuters reported shipping disruptions; The New Arab said the scale was unclear. ABC News linked ferry disruption to a separate seafarers’ strike.
Reporting: Reuters, ABC News, The New Arab
Tens of thousands of people, mostly students and workers, protested across Italy
Tens of thousands, mostly students and workers, took to the streets across Italy Friday during a nationwide strike, demanding higher wages and public services, Reuters reported. Al Jazeera said rallies targeted living costs, education funding, housing and wars in the Middle East. NBC News reported opposition to military spending, troop deployment and expected port blockades in Genoa, Livorno and Trieste.
Reporting: Reuters, Al Jazeera, NBC News
The Food and Drug Administration approved Inovio Pharmaceuticals' treatment for a rare respiratory condition
Reporting: Reuters
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