President Donald Trump said Judge Ana C. Reyes would be held responsible if anyone is hurt or killed at East Potomac Golf Course. The dispute concerns the administration’s plan to renovate the public course, which Reyes has blocked through court orders.
Key Facts
Trump described the golf course as dangerous, dilapidated and disgusting in a Truth Social post.
Trump said golf balls can hit golfers at high speed and cited a White House staffer who he said was struck in the chest.
Reyes, a Biden appointee, has issued multiple orders blocking parts of the administration’s renovation plans.
Reyes extended an order blocking the planned renovation earlier in the week.
A preliminary injunction bars the government from removing or damaging trees at the site.
The National Park Service removed hundreds of trees from the site in early October.
The Trump administration wants to turn the 106-year-old public course into a championship-level golf venue.
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President Donald Trump has repeatedly praised the physique and appearance of Republican candidates at campaign events, focusing especially on Ohio Sen. Jon Husted. Husted, who is running in a closely contested race against Democrat Sherrod Brown, joked that he and his wife understand Trump is trying to help Republicans win.
Key Facts
Trump described Husted’s build at rallies in Ohio, Michigan and North Carolina.
Husted told Axios that he and his wife have a sense of humor about Trump’s remarks and said he has been working out during the campaign.
Polling cited in the article shows Husted narrowly trailing or tied with former Sen. Sherrod Brown.
Trump has also praised the appearance of Sen. Tim Sheehy, Rep. Mike Collins and Republican candidates Rick Jackson and Ed Gallrein.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune joked that Husted and Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno were both eye-catching.
Trump has criticized the appearance of Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff and Texas Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico.
Trump claimed Husted gained 12 points after one of his descriptions, but the article does not provide supporting polling details.
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth removed Army Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia from his role as the Joint Chiefs of Staff’s top military planner. A Pentagon official said Sylvia was accused of leaking classified information about the Iran and Russia-Ukraine wars, and that the case was referred to the Justice Department.
Key Facts
Sylvia led the Joint Staff’s strategy, plans and policy directorate, commonly called the J5.
A Pentagon official said Sylvia failed three polygraph tests concerning alleged disclosures to the press.
The official said the allegations involved classified information about the Iran war and the Russia-Ukraine war.
The Joint Staff thanked Sylvia for 32 years of service but did not publicly explain his removal.
The Pentagon had not named a replacement for Sylvia, according to The Associated Press.
Sylvia is the second general removed from the J5 role under Hegseth; Lt. Gen. Joseph McGee was forced to retire last October.
The article says Trump is weighing renewed strikes on Iran and that a third U.S. aircraft carrier and additional troops are heading to the region.
Hegseth has said he ordered a 20% reduction in the number of top military officers by Jan. 1, 2027.
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Voters in states and cities will decide on midterm ballot measures covering voter access, transgender rights and taxation. Proposals include voter ID requirements, changes to voting eligibility and access, and limits on transgender participation in sports or medical care for minors.
Key Facts
Voters in 13 states will consider ballot measures related to voter access and rights.
California, Colorado, Nevada, North Carolina and Arizona have measures that would impose voter ID laws.
Alaska, Arizona, South Dakota, Kansas, Arkansas and West Virginia have measures stating that only U.S. citizens may vote in elections administered in their states.
Massachusetts voters will decide whether to adopt same-day voter registration on Election Day.
A Virginia measure would restore voting rights to some people after they are released from prison.
Arizona, Colorado, Nebraska and Washington have measures that would restrict participation on sports teams based on sex assigned at birth.
Colorado and Missouri voters will consider measures concerning gender transition surgeries for minors.
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Cyclone Arnab struck India’s southeastern coast on Wednesday, killing at least three people before weakening, officials said. The storm brought strong winds and heavy rain to Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, and authorities ordered nearly 98,000 people to move to safer areas.
Key Facts
The cyclone made landfall in Andhra Pradesh as a very severe cyclonic storm.
The India Meteorological Department reported sustained winds of 125–135 km/h, with gusts up to 150 km/h.
Some areas of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha recorded as much as 30 centimetres of rain.
The storm weakened into a deep depression on Wednesday afternoon.
Authorities told about 50,000 people in Andhra Pradesh to move to safer areas.
Another 48,000 people in neighbouring Odisha were told to move to safer areas.
Officials reported at least three deaths.
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Proposed data centers have become a local health concern and a campaign issue in communities including Page, Arizona. Residents and some elected officials cite possible pollution, noise, light, and heat effects, while researchers and advocacy groups are examining potential risks.
Key Facts
Page approved the sale of 500 acres for a proposed $10 billion data center, but the project still needs zoning and other approvals.
The developer has not decided where within the 500 acres the facility would be located.
Residents in Page have signed petitions and organized against the proposal, citing concerns about health and environmental effects.
Candidates in a close race for Arizona's 1st Congressional District disagree over new data centers, and Arizona's attorney general has called for a pause on new approvals and construction.
Data centers use large amounts of electricity and may rely on backup gas generators during periods of peak energy demand.
A University of California, Riverside-led modeling study estimated data center emissions could cause nearly 1,300 deaths annually by 2030 and create a public health burden exceeding $20 billion in 2028.
Environmental and advocacy groups have also raised concerns about cooling chemicals, generator and equipment noise, light pollution, and higher local temperatures.
A political science professor said grassroots opposition has grown quickly and could put officials who backed data center projects at risk in elections.
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House progressives plan to push for votes in 2027 on Medicare for All, reducing or abolishing ICE, and restricting aid to Israel. They say the votes would build support for these policies ahead of the 2028 election and a possible Democratic governing majority in 2029.
Key Facts
Rep. Pramila Jayapal’s Medicare for All bill has 118 co-sponsors, more than half of the House Democratic caucus.
Jayapal and Rep. Pat Ryan introduced a bill to lower the age for Medicare eligibility from 65 to 50.
Rep. Delia Ramirez’s Melt ICE Act would end funding for ICE detention and immigrant monitoring.
Ramirez has also introduced a bill to abolish ICE and dismantle the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees it.
The Block The Bombs Act would restrict presidents’ ability to transfer offensive weapons to Israel.
The article says many Democrats still support Israel, while progressives are pressing the party to limit military aid.
Progressives are also proposing strict AI rules, a pause on new data centers, and a ban on Flock cameras.
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Susan Collins’ 2018 vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh has become a major issue in her reelection race against Troy Jackson in Maine. Political science professors quoted in the article say the vote may matter more now because Kavanaugh later joined the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, despite Collins’ stated belief that he would respect the precedent.
Key Facts
Collins, a Republican, voted to confirm Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court in 2018.
Collins said she believed Kavanaugh would respect precedent and would not overturn Roe v. Wade.
Democrats raised money to oppose Collins after the vote, but she defeated Sara Gideon in 2020 by a slim majority.
Jackson, a former president of the Maine Senate, has made the Kavanaugh vote part of his argument that Collins is not as independent as she claims.
Professor Mark Brewer said some voters who support abortion rights may not vote for Collins because of her Kavanaugh vote.
Professor James Melcher said the vote has played a larger role in this race than it did in 2020, in part because Kavanaugh voted to overturn Roe.
Abortion remains legal in Maine, while the article says it is illegal in 13 states.
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Jane Fonda argues that California voters should reject Proposition 45, saying it would weaken environmental protections and reduce public oversight of major projects. She says the measure is promoted as a way to lower housing costs but is backed by corporate interests, and argues it could shift costs and risks from developers to taxpayers and communities.
Key Facts
The article identifies Proposition 45 as a California ballot measure put forward by the California Chamber of Commerce.
Fonda says the measure would limit public oversight of projects such as data centers, warehouses, pipelines, forest clear-cutting and housing developments.
She says data center developers, oil and gas interests, and for-profit utilities have contributed more than $10 million to support the measure.
Fonda argues the measure does not require developers’ increased profits to reduce rents or electricity bills.
She says data centers can increase electricity rates, worsen air quality and raise water demand, with effects that can fall heavily on low-income communities and communities of color.
Fonda says Proposition 45 would make it easier to widen freeways and build housing in areas at high risk of wildfires.
The article says California’s Legislative Analyst’s Office estimates the measure could cost $100 million or more annually to implement.
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The writer argues that a child’s gender does not determine how hard that child is to raise. Parenting challenges vary with each child’s temperament, needs, and age, so parents should avoid treating personal experience as proof that one gender is harder to raise.
Key Facts
The writer says parents she knows claim that raising boys or girls is harder, often based on their own experiences.
She has two daughters and two sons and says their challenges do not fit consistent gender patterns.
She says children can be difficult at different ages and for different reasons.
The writer argues that raising a child is demanding even when the child is cooperative and healthy.
She criticizes parents for using a child’s behavior to make broad claims about an entire gender.
She calls for recognizing children as individuals rather than making them stand for their gender.
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A report by Global Rights Compliance says a Russian broker network used student visas and bogus college enrolments to recruit North Koreans for work in Russia. The report alleges the workers faced long hours and that their wages helped fund North Korea’s military programmes; the broker’s operations director rejected the allegations.
Key Facts
The report identifies the platform KNDR.su, operated by Russian businessman Vladimir Sokolov, as a recruiter for jobs in agriculture, construction, industry and IT.
Investigators posing as employers say operations director Ruslan Zhukov told them workers were enrolled in colleges they did not attend to avoid labour laws.
The report says workers were expected to work 12 hours a day, six days a week.
A 2017 UN Security Council resolution prohibits member states from hosting North Korean workers.
A sanctions-monitoring team estimated that 35,600 to 101,280 North Korean workers were overseas in 2025, generating $450 million to $800 million for Pyongyang.
Russia granted more than 36,000 visas to North Koreans in 2025, four times the previous year’s total; almost all were officially for education.
Global Rights Compliance said Sokolov promoted at least two work sites linked to Russia’s military-industrial complex.
Zhukov denied the report’s allegations and said the workers were students taking part in an educational and practical-training exchange.
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Barack Obama and President Donald Trump held rival campaign rallies in Georgia and Ohio five days before the U.S. midterm elections. Obama criticized Trump’s handling of the Iran war, tariffs, relations with Canada and Russia, and White House renovations, arguing that the war and tariffs have raised costs and risks for Americans.
Key Facts
Obama spoke at a campaign rally in Atlanta, Georgia.
Obama said the Iran war had made Americans less safe and contributed to higher oil, diesel, and other prices.
The article says the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28, and Iran responded with attacks on U.S. military assets and a closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
The article says ceasefire and peace efforts failed, with disagreements over Iran’s nuclear program, U.S. sanctions, and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
Obama argued that Trump’s tariffs increased costs for U.S. consumers and said federal debt had reached $40 trillion.
The article says Trump announced 50 percent tariffs on Canadian vehicles and auto parts starting in January 2027, and Canada announced matching tariffs after talks fell apart in August.
Obama criticized Trump’s approach to U.S. allies and Russia, including the administration’s stance toward Canada and Ukraine.
Obama mocked Trump’s White House renovation plans, including a proposed ballroom, Rose Garden changes, and gold decorations.
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Ahead of the 2026 U.S. midterm elections, Al Jazeera’s Emma Withrow asked Texans what matters most to them. At a rally for Republican candidate Ken Paxton, voters appeared divided as they considered whether to support his Democratic opponent, James Talarico.
Key Facts
The report focuses on Texans ahead of the 2026 U.S. midterm elections.
Al Jazeera reporter Emma Withrow asked Texans what issues matter most to them.
Ken Paxton is identified as a Republican candidate.
James Talarico is identified as Paxton’s Democratic opponent.
The report describes voters at Paxton’s rally as divided over whom to support.
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The Justice Department told a federal court that FBI and ICE agents will not serve as election monitors during the 2026 general election. It said monitors will observe polling places and follow past practices, including training and limits on their duties and appearance.
Key Facts
The DOJ filed its declaration on October 28 in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
The filing was submitted in a lawsuit by the NAACP over a Freedom of Information Act request.
The DOJ said monitors may observe polling places, take notes and speak with willing voters after they vote.
The department said monitors will receive training on federal and local law and may not carry firearms or display federal attire.
The filing said monitors will include employees from the Bureau of Prisons, ATF and DEA, and one Customs and Border Protection employee.
The DOJ said monitors may perform only routine Civil Rights Division monitoring duties.
The filing followed two incidents involving federal agents near early voting sites in Florida; one prompted a complaint to the FBI.
Federal law generally bars armed federal personnel from polling places, with an exception for repelling armed enemies of the United States.
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The Resolution Foundation said John Healey’s budget would not prevent many households from facing higher energy bills than during the previous energy price shock. It said support was poorly targeted and projected that typical disposable incomes would fall by £1,050 by the end of the parliament in 2028-29.
Key Facts
The foundation estimated that the poorest half of households would gain an average of £158 from support this year and next, compared with £144 for the richest half.
Budget measures include removing standing charges from gas bills and providing £100 energy payments to up to 20 million households in council tax bands A to D.
The foundation said eligibility for energy support still relies on property valuations that are 35 years old.
It forecast that typical disposable incomes would fall by £1,050 between now and the end of the parliament in 2028-29.
The foundation said the projected increase in typical disposable incomes over the full five-year parliament would be £600.
Healey said the budget aimed to cushion the impact of rising inflation and support economic growth.
The budget also included tax breaks for high street businesses and higher taxes on banks and gambling.
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The Resolution Foundation criticized Chancellor John Healey’s budget, saying energy-bill support was poorly targeted and long-term spending plans could squeeze public services. It also said typical working-age household incomes are forecast to fall by £1,050, or 3%, between 2026-27 and 2028-29.
Key Facts
The Resolution Foundation said the poorest half of households would receive an average of £158 in cost-of-living support this year and next, compared with £144 for the richest half.
The thinktank described the difference in support as a failure to direct help toward households most in need.
The Resolution Foundation said spending plans after 2028-29 could put pressure on 13 departments not protected by spending commitments.
Its analysis said funding for those departments could fall to 4.7% of GDP by 2031-32 if defence spending reaches 3% of GDP and real health spending grows by 2.6%.
The Resolution Foundation forecast that median real disposable incomes for working-age households would fall by £1,050, or 3%, from 2026-27 to 2028-29.
Healey told broadcasters he would cut welfare spending before the next election and take a tough approach to young people.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies and the Resolution Foundation were scheduled to publish assessments of the budget.
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The EU has removed references to Canada becoming an “associate member” from a draft joint statement, according to Reuters and dpa. The draft instead calls for closer ties, including cooperation on undersea cables, a study of Canadian liquefied natural gas exports to Europe, and opportunities for young people to work across the Atlantic.
Key Facts
Reuters and dpa reported that the terms “associate member” and “associated membership” were removed from the draft Canada-EU statement.
Officials planned to make the statement public on Friday, according to the agencies.
The change comes ahead of an EU-Canada summit in Montreal hosted by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen raised the idea of associate membership in September.
Diplomats said German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and other EU leaders pushed to remove the membership terms during negotiations.
The draft calls for an “ever closer association” and proposes a joint initiative on undersea cable infrastructure linking Europe, Canada and Asia.
The draft also proposes a feasibility study on Canadian liquefied natural gas exports to Europe and work opportunities for young Canadians and Europeans across the Atlantic.
Carney said the summit would launch formal EU-Canada negotiations that could take another year.
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One Nation leader Pauline Hanson accused Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of trying to influence politicians after his office offered the party’s MP David Farley an additional staff member. Farley declined the offer, which Hanson said could cost taxpayers up to A$200,000, and said he had a clear mandate to represent his electorate as a One Nation MP.
Key Facts
Hanson said Farley had not requested the additional staff member and that the offer came separately from One Nation’s request for more staff.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported that a letter authorising Farley to hire another staff member was delivered to his Parliament House office on Monday.
Farley was elected to represent the New South Wales electorate of Farrer.
Farley rejected the offer and said he had chosen to join One Nation.
Hanson said Albanese had met privately with Farley in recent weeks and argued that staffing allocations should be consistent and transparent.
Albanese said independent MP Fatima Payman had one more staff member than before she left the Labor Party.
Albanese did not answer questions about whether the prime minister should control taxpayer-funded staffing allocations for MPs.
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Ethiopia has received 12 Su-35 fighter jets from Russia, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said, describing the delivery as part of a deal agreed several years ago. Abiy also said Ethiopia plans to acquire four S-400 air defence systems, as fighting has resumed in Tigray and tensions with Eritrea continue.
Key Facts
Abiy said the 12 Su-35 jets arrived ahead of schedule.
Ethiopia plans to acquire four S-400 air defence systems from Russia, according to Abiy.
Abiy said the aircraft and air defence systems are intended to strengthen Ethiopia’s ability to respond to external threats.
Ethiopia and Russia signed a military training and technology agreement in 2021.
Fighting restarted last month in Tigray between the Ethiopian government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front.
Ethiopia accuses Eritrea of supporting the TPLF; Eritrea denies the accusation.
Tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea have also grown over Ethiopia’s lack of direct access to the sea.
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A collision involving a Madrid-to-Seville high-speed train killed at least 68 people and injured 77 in rural central Spain. Authorities launched investigations as survivors described the wreckage, and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez declared three days of national mourning.
Key Facts
About 500 passengers were aboard the Renfe train travelling from Madrid to Seville.
The crash happened shortly before 9 a.m. between Urda and Los Yébenes, south of Toledo.
Rescuers searched wreckage from three carriages at the front of the train.
Transport Minister Óscar Puente said a Renfe train was cleared to proceed despite an active red signal after a communications failure; he described the order to move as inexplicable.
Puente said train engineers were not to blame.
A judicial investigation was expected to begin, and Renfe launched an investigation.
The crash renewed debate about rail safety after a separate crash at Adamuz nine months earlier killed 46 people.
Opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo called for a complete, independent review of Spain’s rail network.
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