Former Democratic Senate candidate Haley Stevens said she plans to vote for Michigan nominee Abdul El-Sayed, despite her fiancé, Jason Turkish, backing Republican Mike Rogers. Stevens also called on El-Sayed to reject a campaign ad linking U.S. support for Israel to rising grocery prices; El-Sayed’s campaign said it was not involved in the ad.
Key Facts
Stevens narrowly lost to El-Sayed in the August Democratic primary.
Stevens said she wants El-Sayed to win the Michigan Senate race.
Turkish, a civil rights attorney, said he supports Rogers because he is concerned about El-Sayed’s rhetoric.
El-Sayed said voters could choose another issue as more important than their agreement with him on other matters.
Stevens described the grocery store ad as hateful and said El-Sayed should disavow it.
Republican U.S. Senator Ted Cruz campaigned with Rogers at a rally in Bad Axe, Michigan.
The article describes the Senate race as closely contested and reports that RealClearPolitics rates it a toss-up.
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Spain began three days of national mourning after a collision between two trains killed at least 68 people and injured dozens. Officials are investigating why a train stopped because of a computer failure was told to move again; rescue crews continued searching the wreckage and identifying victims.
Key Facts
The collision happened Wednesday on the Madrid-to-Seville rail line.
The stationary train, operated by private company Iryo, had 147 passengers and reportedly stopped because of a computer failure.
Transport Minister Óscar Puente said a control centre in Madrid instructed trains to move again without speed restrictions after the system failure.
The other train was operated by state-owned Renfe and carried 397 passengers; the impact sent several carriages down an embankment.
Hundreds of personnel used drones and helicopters to search the crash site and clear debris.
Many victims had not yet been identified, and the Civil Guard opened missing-person bureaus in Madrid, Toledo, Seville and Córdoba.
Most political parties suspended election campaigning; Vox said it would continue campaigning.
Rail drivers planned to strike Thursday, saying the action was in defence of railway safety.
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Donald Trump and Barack Obama held rallies in Georgia days apart to support candidates in competitive midterm races. Photos and local reports showed large crowds at both events, but no verified final attendance figures were available to establish which rally drew more people.
Key Facts
Trump held his rally at Guardian Centers in Perry on Saturday to support Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson and Senate candidate Mike Collins.
Obama joined Senator Jon Ossoff and gubernatorial nominee Keisha Lance Bottoms at a rally in Morrow on Wednesday.
Obama criticized Trump over rising costs, the war in Iran, and White House renovations.
Trump said Obama’s Michigan rally had a small crowd and defended his White House decor.
The Arena at Southlake, where Obama’s rally took place, has seating for 8,000 people; that figure does not show how many attended.
The Mercer Cluster reported that seats at Trump’s rally were full more than an hour before he spoke, with a couple hundred people standing behind them.
Venue officials had not released verified attendance estimates for either rally.
The article reported that RealClearPolitics’ polling average showed Ossoff leading Collins by 8.2 percentage points.
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Sanrio apologized and ended its merchandise collaboration with the Japanese spy drama Vivant after criticism in China. The backlash focused on scenes in the show’s second season depicting Chinese agents torturing a Japanese spy, amid strained relations between China and Japan.
Key Facts
Sanrio said it ended the collaboration because the project contained elements inconsistent with its core values.
Hello Kitty, My Melody and Cinnamoroll appeared in merchandise dressed as characters from Vivant.
Vivant’s second season premiered in July and depicts Chinese agents cutting a Japanese spy’s fingers and stabbing his abdomen.
Chinese state media and social media users criticized the show’s portrayal of Chinese agents.
Sanrio said it would strengthen reviews of future collaborations.
TBS president Masamine Ryuho said the drama was fictional and was not intended to disparage any country.
China-Japan relations have been strained since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comments about Taiwan last November.
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Activist Adele Shoko said Israeli settlers assaulted her, U.S. journalist Jasper Nathaniel, and activist Andrey X in Umm al-Khair in the occupied West Bank. She said Nathaniel and Andrey X were detained by Israeli authorities, and that Andrey X was injured and denied hospital care; videos she posted appeared to show men beating the two activists.
Key Facts
Shoko said settlers beat and threatened her and her two colleagues and took equipment and personal belongings.
Shoko said Nathaniel was pepper-sprayed and taken away by Israeli forces.
Shoko said Andrey X suffered a concussion, lost consciousness several times, and was taken to a police station instead of a hospital.
Videos posted by Shoko showed men beating Nathaniel and Andrey X, and authorities leading Nathaniel away.
The article also describes an October 16 attack on Palestinian olive harvesters in Abu Falah, northeast of Ramallah.
Washington Post photojournalist Heidi Levine said settlers beat and robbed her during that attack; she was hospitalized.
A Palestinian man was shot in the leg by Israeli soldiers who arrived at the scene and fired live ammunition and tear gas.
The Washington Post’s executive editor condemned the attack on Levine, and several U.S. lawmakers called for an investigation and an end to settler violence.
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Salim Said, 37, was sentenced to 30 years in prison for his role in defrauding a federal child-feeding program in Minnesota during the COVID-19 pandemic. The case has drawn national attention and criticism from President Donald Trump of Minnesota officials; Said expressed remorse at sentencing after denying the allegations at trial.
Key Facts
Prosecutors said Said, who operated Safari Restaurant in Minneapolis, submitted false claims for meals that were not provided to children.
The government said the fraud attributed to Said totaled $44 million, including funds linked to people he recruited.
Prosecutors said Said claimed his sites distributed 6,000 meals a day, while FBI surveillance showed about 40 people collecting food daily.
Said was convicted in 2025 and was sentenced on Wednesday; his lawyer had sought a 12-year sentence and disputed that Said was the scheme’s architect.
The scheme exploited pandemic changes that let restaurants provide meals through a federal program normally serving children through schools.
Aimee Bock, head of nonprofit Feeding Our Future, received a 42-year sentence and was ordered to repay $242 million.
Minnesota state auditors found the education department received complaints about Feeding Our Future but often told the group to monitor itself.
Governor Tim Walz announced in January that he would not seek re-election after repeated criticism from Trump over fraud in federally funded programs.
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Student activists in Serbia backed a slate of candidates that won an election, ending Aleksandar Vučić’s 12-year rule, according to the article. The podcast examines how the movement achieved its victory and how it might choose a prime minister and govern the country.
Key Facts
Record numbers of voters went to the polls on Sunday.
Voters chose candidates put forward by student activists.
The Student List’s candidates included people with PhDs.
Student protests had shaken Serbia for two years.
The article describes Vučić’s government as increasingly authoritarian.
The podcast features journalist Ana Milosavljevic, student activist Tara Blagojević and incoming MP Milica Jovanović.
The movement faces the challenge of choosing a prime minister and governing despite having no leader.
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New York Gov. Kathy Hochul criticized rapper Nicki Minaj on Wednesday over her attendance at President Donald Trump’s rallies. Hochul said the rallies were “poisoning” Minaj’s mind and suggested she spend less time online and outdoors more.
Key Facts
Hochul is the Democratic governor of New York.
Hochul made the comments to reporters on Wednesday.
She criticized Minaj for going to Trump rallies.
Hochul described the rallies as “poisoning” Minaj’s mind.
Hochul also advised Minaj to spend less time online and get outside more.
Hochul was responding to a post, though the article excerpt does not provide further details.
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Barack Obama campaigned in suburban Atlanta for Georgia Democrats, criticizing President Donald Trump and Republicans over the White House renovations, Trump’s response to Obama’s Cheesecake Factory joke, and alleged corruption. Speakers also focused on affordability, social programs, and the upcoming midterm elections.
Key Facts
Obama spoke at a rally in Clayton County supporting Jon Ossoff, Keisha Lance Bottoms, and other Democratic candidates.
The article estimated that 3,500 to 4,000 people attended the rally.
Obama said the White House had mobilized a government response to his joke comparing Trump’s renovations to Saddam Hussein decorating a Cheesecake Factory.
Obama linked the rally’s discussion of the Cheesecake Factory to affordability concerns and accused Trump of selling favors while in office.
Ossoff accused the Trump administration of corruption and referred to Democrats’ pledge to impeach Trump if they take control of Congress next year.
Bottoms criticized her Republican opponent, Rick Jackson, and was described as statistically tied with him in polls.
The article reported that Ossoff led his Republican opponent, Mike Collins, by eight to 10 points in polling.
Raphael Warnock criticized cuts to Medicaid and SNAP, the federal nutrition assistance program.
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Barack Obama criticized President Donald Trump’s priorities during a campaign rally in Morrow, Georgia, for Democratic candidates Jon Ossoff and Keisha Lance Bottoms. Obama said Trump’s White House decorations and the administration’s response to his Cheesecake Factory joke drew attention away from the war with Iran and rising prices.
Key Facts
Obama spoke at a rally for Senator Jon Ossoff and gubernatorial candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms ahead of Tuesday’s midterm elections.
Ossoff is defending his Senate seat against Republican Representative Mike Collins.
Bottoms is running for governor against Republican Rick Jackson.
Obama criticized Trump for adding gold decorations to the Oval Office and said the president was doing “arts and crafts” while the country faced war and high prices.
Obama blamed the administration’s decisions, including starting what he called an unnecessary war, for rising costs.
Obama said Trump and his administration focused on his Cheesecake Factory remarks rather than his criticism of inflation.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent visited a Washington, D.C., Cheesecake Factory after Obama’s earlier joke about Trump’s White House renovations.
Obama criticized the administration’s policy toward Iran and contrasted it with the nuclear agreement he negotiated as president.
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Fremantle and RoseBerry Media plan to use AI to find material in old Neighbours episodes and create short vertical videos, initially focusing on Margot Robbie’s character. The companies say the videos will use existing footage and performances, with human editors reviewing the edits; some former cast and crew members question whether they consented to this reuse and what their contracts allow.
Key Facts
Neighbours ended its run last year.
Fremantle, which produced the soap opera, partnered with US-based RoseBerry Media on the project.
The companies say an AI tool will scan more than 9,300 episodes to identify character arcs, storylines and notable moments.
The initial micro-drama will focus on Donna Freedman, the character played by Margot Robbie from 2008 to 2011.
Fremantle says the episodes will use previously broadcast footage, dialogue and performances, not generated scenes, altered faces or synthetic voices.
The companies say a human editor will review and approve every stage of the editing process.
Former cast member Matt Werkmeister said he had not been approached and raised questions about consent for using actors’ images, voices and writers’ work.
Former cast member Sam Clark said he had no objection to the old work getting a second life if it was not manipulated into new storylines.
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A federal judge denied the Department of Justice’s request to make California and Los Angeles County officials set aside about 20,000 ballots that the government alleged were cast by noncitizens. Judge David O. Carter said the government had not shown a strong legal basis for the request and warned that changing election procedures during voting could disrupt the process and risk excluding eligible voters.
Key Facts
The DOJ sought a temporary restraining order requiring officials to segregate the ballots while litigation continued.
Carter found that the government had not shown that it was likely to win its claims.
The judge said the government’s evidence identifying voters as noncitizens was not reliable enough to justify setting aside ballots.
Carter said federal law did not clearly require California officials to change their ballot-counting procedures.
The ruling cited the Purcell principle, which generally cautions courts against changing election rules close to an election.
Carter warned that the requested action could confuse election officials and risk discounting votes cast by U.S. citizens.
The article says federal law bars noncitizens from voting in federal elections.
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U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has proposed allowing compounding pharmacies to prepare six peptides that the FDA has not approved. The proposal will be published in the Federal Register, followed by a two-week public comment period; health experts have warned that the substances lack human clinical trial data and have unknown long-term effects.
Key Facts
The proposal would loosen restrictions on six peptides, including BPC-157, TB-500, KPV, MOTS-c and Semax.
Compounding pharmacies prepare or mix ingredients to create medications.
The proposal came from the health secretary’s office rather than the FDA.
An FDA advisory panel voted in July to loosen restrictions on the peptides, while FDA staff recommended against doing so.
Kennedy has previously called himself a fan of the drugs and said he would ease restrictions.
Online influencers market peptides for unproven uses such as muscle growth, healing and improving skin.
Health experts have cautioned against using the peptides because of limited human research and unknown long-term effects.
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Military strikes hit a market and a nearby civilian neighbourhood in Nyala, Sudan, on Monday. Rights and medical groups reported widely differing casualty figures, and the total could not be independently verified amid limited access to the city.
Key Facts
Emergency Lawyers reported more than 100 people killed and 113 wounded in Monday’s attacks, saying most victims were women and children.
Sudan Doctors Network preliminarily reported 21 deaths and more than 40 injuries, and said shelling caused most of the deaths.
Doctors Without Borders said a hospital it supports received 36 bodies, 21 in civilian clothing, and treated more than 150 wounded people.
Witnesses told the Associated Press that RSF fighters and civilian vendors were at the market when a drone struck around 8 p.m.
An army-aligned official said more than 150 RSF recruits were killed in a targeted air strike at Dumaya camp, west of Nyala.
Doctors Without Borders said a second strike hit a civilian neighbourhood and urged all sides to protect civilians.
Nyala is the de facto capital of Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
Sudan’s war between the RSF and the army has caused severe poverty, food shortages and mass displacement.
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Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed is responding to attacks focused on his Muslim faith as religion becomes an issue in Michigan’s close Senate race. Al Jazeera interviewed him in Wyandotte before the November 3 vote.
Key Facts
Abdul El-Sayed is running for the U.S. Senate as a Democrat in Michigan.
The article describes the Senate race as tight.
El-Sayed is pushing back against attacks over his Muslim faith.
Religion has become a campaign issue in the race.
Al Jazeera reporter Mikail Malik interviewed El-Sayed in Wyandotte.
The vote is scheduled for November 3.
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired Army Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia, who served as the Pentagon’s Director for Strategy, Plans and Policy, according to The Hill. The article says Sylvia is another senior officer removed from the department since Hegseth took charge nearly two years ago.
Key Facts
Pete Hegseth is the U.S. defense secretary.
Hegseth fired Army Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia.
Sylvia served as Director for Strategy, Plans and Policy, known as J-5.
The Hill reported the firing, citing sources.
The article describes Sylvia as another senior officer removed from the department under Hegseth.
The provided article excerpt does not state why Sylvia was fired.
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Utah filed felony charges against Kalshi and co-founders Tarek Mansour and Luana Lopes Lara, accusing them of violating state gambling laws. Kalshi says the charges overreach and plans to challenge them in court; the case adds to a wider dispute over whether states or the federal government regulate prediction markets.
Key Facts
Utah filed 13 counts of violating its gambling prohibition and one count related to profiting from illegal activity.
The charging documents name Kalshi, CEO Tarek Mansour, and COO Luana Lopes Lara.
Utah Attorney General Derek Brown said Kalshi continued operating in the state after a federal court ruled Utah gambling laws applied to the company.
The attorney general’s office had not said what criminal penalties it would seek; the felony charges could carry jail time.
Kalshi called the charges an overreach and said it would contest them in court.
Kalshi argues prediction markets fall under federal jurisdiction and are not subject to state gambling laws.
Litigation over prediction markets has spread across roughly 20 states, and the article says the dispute may ultimately reach the U.S. Supreme Court.
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Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed responded after Rep. Haley Stevens’s fiancée endorsed his Republican opponent, Mike Rogers. El-Sayed said he was building a movement to address challenges facing President Donald Trump and added that others may have different priorities.
Key Facts
Abdul El-Sayed is a candidate for the U.S. Senate in Michigan.
El-Sayed and Rep. Haley Stevens were primary opponents.
Stevens is a Democratic representative from Michigan.
Stevens’s fiancée endorsed Mike Rogers.
Rogers is El-Sayed’s Republican opponent and a former representative from Michigan.
El-Sayed said he was building a movement to address challenges facing President Donald Trump.
El-Sayed said people may have issues they consider more important.
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The article compares the Alaska Senate race involving two candidates named Dan Sullivan with John F. Kennedy’s 1946 Democratic primary campaign, which included two candidates named Joe Russo. Historical accounts allege that Kennedy’s campaign arranged for a second Russo to enter the race to confuse voters or divide support, though it is unclear whether Kennedy knew about the plan.
Key Facts
The Trump administration sued to block certification of Alaska’s Senate election if Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan loses, citing possible voter confusion with candidate Daniel J. Sullivan Jr.
Alaska officials asked a federal judge to dismiss the lawsuit.
The article says the November 3 Alaska contest could help determine control of the Senate.
In 1946, Kennedy sought the Democratic nomination for Massachusetts’ 11th Congressional District.
One opponent, Joseph Russo, was a Boston city councilor and funeral home owner with support among Italian American voters.
The West End Museum says Kennedy campaign manager Joseph Kane paid a 27-year-old janitor named Joseph Russo to enter the race, potentially splitting votes.
Accounts differ on the alleged arrangement, and it is unclear whether John F. Kennedy knew about it.
In a 1964 oral history, the established Russo recalled advertising himself as the “Middle Russo” when other candidates with the same name appeared.
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Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. issued a draft policy that would allow compounding pharmacies to prepare six peptides that lack FDA approval. The policy sets requirements for prescriptions, ingredient sourcing, quality testing, and safety reporting, but does not establish that the drugs are safe or effective. Public comments are scheduled from Friday through Nov. 13.
Key Facts
The six peptides named in the draft are BPC-157, Epitalon, KPV, MOTS-c, Semax, and TB-500.
Compounding pharmacies prepare customized medications by mixing ingredients.
An FDA advisory panel recommended in July that the peptides be allowed for compounding, but the panel vote did not grant FDA approval.
FDA scientists said there was not enough evidence to determine whether each peptide is safe and effective.
The draft requires patient-specific prescriptions, ingredients from an FDA-registered maker, laboratory certificates for raw ingredients, and reports of serious side effects.
HHS said the policy does not establish clinical safety and effectiveness or grant FDA approval.
The policy will remain in place until the FDA finalizes a rule on compounded peptides; the FDA has not proposed such a rule.
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