Sen. Ted Cruz warned that Republicans could lose up to eight Senate seats in the midterm election if the party has a bad day on Nov. 3. He also said Republicans could lose every statewide race in Texas, including the Senate contest between Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico.
Key Facts
Ted Cruz is a Republican senator from Texas.
Cruz warned that Republicans could lose as many as eight Senate seats.
His warning was conditional on Republicans having a bad day on Nov. 3.
Cruz said Republicans could lose all statewide races in Texas.
The Texas Senate race mentioned is between Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico.
The article identifies the election as a midterm election.
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A U.S. Treasury Department report says the Trump administration’s economic pressure campaign is severely damaging Iran’s economy. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called the campaign successful during a Wednesday appearance on CNBC.
Key Facts
The Treasury Department released the report on Friday.
The report says U.S. economic isolation is decimating Iran’s economy.
The Trump administration began the campaign, called Operation Economic Outcast, at the end of August.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent discussed the campaign on CNBC on Wednesday.
Bessent said the effort had been very successful.
The article title reports that Iran’s inflation has reached 90 percent.
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Minnesota Senate candidates Peggy Flanagan, a Democrat, and Michele Tafoya, a Republican, made closing appeals to voters ahead of the midterm election. Flanagan criticized President Donald Trump and urged voters to support her, while Tafoya linked Flanagan to fraud allegations involving Minnesota state programs.
Key Facts
Tafoya said Flanagan and Governor Tim Walz were either complicit in or unaware of fraud involving fake businesses and organizations.
Flanagan said the election offered voters a chance to oppose Trump’s agenda and elect leaders who support progress.
A New York Times/Siena University poll conducted October 19–26 found Flanagan at 54 percent and Tafoya at 40 percent among 752 Minnesota voters.
An InsiderAdvantage poll of likely voters conducted September 28–29 showed Flanagan leading Tafoya by one point, 46 percent to 45 percent.
A Quantus Insights poll conducted September 8–10 showed Flanagan ahead by four points, 48 percent to 44 percent.
The article said Minnesota has not elected a Republican to the Senate since 2002 and has voted for a Democratic presidential candidate in every election since 1976.
The article said Democrats need a net gain of four Senate seats to control the chamber.
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Robert Leider, chief counsel at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), announced he is resigning. He oversaw the Justice Department’s proposed overhaul of dozens of firearms regulations and is expected to return to teaching at George Mason University in January.
Key Facts
The ATF announced Leider’s resignation on Friday.
Leider became the agency’s top lawyer last year.
The Justice Department unveiled proposals in April to revise dozens of firearms regulations.
One proposal would repeal a Biden-era rule that expanded which firearms sellers needed a license and had to conduct background checks.
Leider previously clerked for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and taught at George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School.
Sources said Leider’s departure was not related to the Justice Department’s decision not to appeal a Texas court ruling on restrictions covering short-barreled firearms and silencers.
The court ruling loosened regulations under the National Firearms Act.
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Alaska independent congressional candidate Bill Hill discussed his campaign in an interview on CBS News’ “The Takeout.” He also addressed controversies surrounding Alaska’s electoral process.
Key Facts
Bill Hill is an independent candidate for Congress from Alaska.
Hill discussed his campaign in an interview on “The Takeout.”
The interview covered controversies surrounding Alaska’s electoral process.
The segment was listed as about five minutes long.
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Former patient Meischa Zimmerman sued Senator Roger Marshall and his former medical practice, alleging they charged interest above Kansas’s 15% limit on unpaid medical bills and aggressively pursued collections. The lawsuit comes as President Donald Trump plans to campaign in Kansas on Sunday and polls show Marshall’s Senate race against Democrat Adam Hamilton is close, though one pollster cautioned that its survey may underestimate Marshall’s support.
Key Facts
The lawsuit names Marshall and his former practice, Heartland Regional OBGYN.
The complaint alleges the practice often charged 18% annual interest on unpaid bills and filed lawsuits to collect debts.
Kansas law generally bars interest rates above 15%, but the article notes that the law has exceptions.
The article says it is unclear whether any other former patients have joined the lawsuit.
Zimmerman appeared in an ad supporting Hamilton and alleged she was arrested over debt tied to her daughter’s delivery; Marshall’s campaign sent Hamilton’s campaign a cease-and-desist letter describing the ad as defamatory.
The Cook Political Report moved the Kansas Senate race into its toss-up column.
An Emerson College poll gave Hamilton a 49.5% to 47.1% lead after distributing leaners; the survey’s margin of error was 3 percentage points.
The Washington Post and George Mason University poll showed Hamilton leading by 9 points, but the Post cautioned that the survey may overestimate his support because Democrats were more likely than Republicans to respond.
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President Donald Trump said his administration is investigating a $6.3 billion hack of cryptocurrency exchange Binance. He said officials do not yet know whether a suspected North Korean hacker group was responsible.
Key Facts
Trump made the comments Friday in the Oval Office.
The reported hack targeted cryptocurrency exchange Binance.
The article describes the $6.3 billion hack as the largest of its kind on record.
Trump said the administration is looking into the incident.
Trump said officials do not know whether a suspected North Korean hacker group carried out the hack.
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Residents left Russian-occupied Oleshky on October 30 during a U.S.-brokered ceasefire. Ukrainian official David Arakhamia said evacuees and a Ukrainian delegation were traveling to Anapa, Russia, then planned to fly to Belarus and return to Ukrainian-controlled territory by bus.
Key Facts
Russia captured Oleshky in 2022, and the town lies near the front line in southern Ukraine.
The article reports months of food and medicine shortages in Oleshky.
Ukrainian and Russian officials visited the town and helped deliver aid and organize departures.
Russia said the operation ended without incidents; its human rights ombudsman said 25 buses and nine ambulances were used.
Neither side disclosed how many people left Oleshky.
The ceasefire was due to end on Sunday evening, October 31, according to the article.
Oleshky's population fell from about 24,000 before the war to about 2,000.
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President Donald Trump will hold rallies in Kansas and Iowa this weekend after previously canceling them. The article says he had been going back and forth on whether to hold the events but gives no reason for the change.
Key Facts
Trump plans to hold rallies in Kansas and Iowa this weekend.
He had earlier canceled the rallies.
Trump reversed course and reinstated the events.
The rallies were scheduled for this weekend.
Florida State Senator Joe Gruters appeared on CBS News' The Takeout to discuss the rallies.
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Boom Supersonic is developing natural-gas turbines for AI data centers while continuing work on its Overture supersonic airliner. United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said he does not expect the aircraft to meet Boom’s stated 2029 delivery timeline and warned that certification and development still pose major hurdles.
Key Facts
Boom unveiled a Colorado factory on October 22 to produce Superpower, a 42-megawatt natural-gas turbine for data centers.
Boom says its Sprint Core turbine design is intended to power both data-center turbines and the company’s supersonic airliner engine.
Kirby said Overture would take longer than 2029 to arrive and said its development and FAA certification involve hurdles that Boom may not overcome.
United, American Airlines, and Japan Airlines have conditional agreements involving deposits for Overture aircraft; the deposit amounts are unknown.
Boom completed its Overture factory at Piedmont Triad International Airport in North Carolina in 2024, but the facility has mostly sat idle.
North Carolina state leaders provided more than $50 million in taxpayer funding to help build the Overture factory.
In June 2026, the FAA proposed ending its long-standing ban on commercial supersonic flights over the United States, following an executive order from President Donald Trump.
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U.S. shoppers are paying more for Halloween treats as higher candy prices and broader cost-of-living pressures squeeze household budgets. Research cited in the article found treat sales fell early in the season, though shoppers appeared to spend more as Halloween approached while favoring smaller packs.
Key Facts
Groundwork Collaborative and the Century Foundation found popular Halloween chocolates and confectionery cost 15.3% more than in 2025.
FinanceBuzz reported that Halloween treat prices rose 71% over the past five years.
The article links higher confectionery prices partly to cocoa costs, which reached more than $10,700 per tonne in January 2025.
The article reports inflation at 3.7% and diesel at $6.32 per gallon, 20 cents below a record set in September.
NielsenIQ said Halloween treat sales were down 11.7% by mid-September and down 6.7% by mid-October.
NielsenIQ said smaller treat packs were gaining ground while larger sizes continued to struggle.
A shopper quoted in the article said he planned to spend $20 to $30 on Halloween treats, up from his usual $15 to $20.
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A CBS News data desk analysis says South Carolina’s U.S. Senate race now leans Republican. CBS News elections and surveys executive director Anthony Salvanto discusses the numbers in a video segment.
Key Facts
CBS News’ data desk changed its assessment of South Carolina’s Senate race to leaning Republican.
The analysis focuses on the South Carolina Senate race.
Anthony Salvanto discusses the analysis in the segment.
Salvanto is CBS News’ executive director of elections and surveys.
The video segment runs for 3 minutes and 34 seconds.
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CBS News reports that President Donald Trump’s immigration policies are affecting voters in Texas border communities as the midterm elections approach. Reporter Camilo Montoya-Galvez covers the issue, but the supplied article text does not describe specific voter impacts or policy details.
Key Facts
The report focuses on Texas border communities.
It examines how Trump’s immigration policies may affect voters.
The report frames the issue in the lead-up to the midterm elections.
CBS News correspondent Camilo Montoya-Galvez reports the story.
The supplied text does not include specific examples or further details from the report.
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Binance says it is working with law enforcement and industry partners to recover more than $6 billion in assets stolen in a cyberattack. Companies froze about $3 billion, but roughly $2.4 billion in bitcoin and ether cannot be frozen by token issuers, and recovering assets may require court proceedings.
Key Facts
Binance said it will use company funds to cover users’ full losses.
TRM Labs and other security firms attributed the attack to TraderTraitor, a hacking group linked to North Korea.
Binance said the operation took about 20 minutes and involved its internet-connected wallets.
Circle and Tether froze $2.4 billion in assets within an hour of the attack, according to TRM Labs’ global head of policy.
Binance said a total of $3 billion in crypto assets had been frozen.
Roughly $2.4 billion in stolen bitcoin and ether cannot be frozen by token issuers, according to TRM Labs.
Recovering seized assets may require law enforcement warrants and a civil forfeiture case in court.
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A Credit Karma report found that Generation X borrowers had the highest student loan delinquency rate among Gen X, millennials and Gen Z in its third-quarter 2026 data. Federal Reserve Bank of New York data also showed that borrowers entering default in late 2025 or early 2026 were older on average than borrowers who entered default before the pandemic, and many had fallen behind on other debts.
Key Facts
Credit Karma’s report examined TransUnion data for 24.2 million members with open student loans at the end of the third quarter of 2026.
The reported delinquency rate was 10.4 percent for Gen X, 9.7 percent for millennials and 9.6 percent for Gen Z.
Borrowers who entered federal student loan default in late 2025 or the first quarter of 2026 averaged 38.9 years old, compared with 36.4 for those entering default before the pandemic, according to the New York Fed.
More than 9.3 million borrowers were in federal student loan default as of June, about 400,000 more than in March, according to Federal Student Aid.
Federal Student Aid reported that 42.3 million recipients owed more than $1.7 trillion in federal student loans as of June.
Among recent defaulters with auto loans, nearly 40 percent were behind on those loans; 56 percent of those with a credit card were past due, and 20 percent of mortgage holders were behind on their mortgage.
Gen X borrowers in Credit Karma’s report had a combined $264.3 billion in student debt and a median balance of $30,600.
Baby boomers had an 8.3 percent delinquency rate, while the rate for the Silent Generation was 7 percent.
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Alaska U.S. Attorney Michael Heyman said new reporting about the campaign of independent Senate candidate Daniel J. Sullivan was troubling and prompted a surge of law enforcement resources. He said investigators are examining whether a crime occurred but did not identify any suspected offenses. Democrats deny involvement in recruiting Sullivan, whose candidacy has drawn scrutiny over claims that his name could confuse voters.
Key Facts
Heyman said the Justice Department is taking the allegations seriously but is not assuming a crime has occurred.
A New York Times report said operatives linked to Mary Peltola's campaign helped recruit Daniel J. Sullivan to run.
Peltola and national Democrats have denied involvement in Sullivan's campaign.
Daniel J. Sullivan shares a first and last name with Republican incumbent Senator Dan Sullivan and is set to appear on the ballot.
Alaska election officials initially ruled Daniel J. Sullivan ineligible, but state courts overturned that decision.
Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy ordered an investigation, and the Justice Department has issued subpoenas to several Democratic officials.
The Trump administration has sued to block Alaska from certifying the Senate race results if the Republican incumbent loses, citing possible voter confusion.
Heyman said he had been recused from the matter while being considered for a judicial nomination, but that the recusal had been rescinded.
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Alaska’s Senate race is under investigation amid claims that Democrat Mary Peltola’s campaign recruited a candidate who shares a name with Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan. CBS News reported from Anchorage as voters reacted to the controversy.
Key Facts
Alaska’s Senate race is under investigation.
The claims concern a candidate who shares a name with Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan.
The article says Mary Peltola’s campaign allegedly recruited that candidate.
Mary Peltola is identified as a Democrat.
Dan Sullivan is identified as the Republican incumbent.
CBS News reporter Taurean Small reported from Anchorage.
The report focused on Alaska voters’ reactions.
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U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes said she will investigate whether Justice Department lawyers misled her about President Donald Trump’s plans to renovate East Potomac Golf Course. The inquiry will examine whether late notice about the plans was given in bad faith and whether lawyers failed to correct earlier statements or withheld information.
Key Facts
A lawsuit filed in February by the DC Preservation League and others challenges plans to redevelop the park.
The National Park Service cut down hundreds of trees before notifying Reyes, who was told 15 hours before work was set to begin.
Reyes ordered a halt to tree removal and later barred further changes to the course without ten days’ notice while the lawsuit continues.
Trump has said the course will close in November for 15 months of renovations.
Government lawyers told Reyes this week the course would close, after previously saying there were no plans to shut it.
Reyes will conduct the inquiry with a special master, an independent third party appointed to assist in legal matters.
The administration has said it intends to appeal Reyes’s ruling restricting changes to the course.
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President Donald Trump campaigned for Republican candidates in Florida on Friday, a few days before the midterm elections. CBS News correspondent Cristian Benavides reported on the campaign visit.
Key Facts
Trump campaigned in Florida.
Trump campaigned on behalf of Republicans.
The visit took place on Friday.
The midterm elections were a couple of days away.
The article describes Florida as deep red.
CBS News correspondent Cristian Benavides reported on the visit.
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Cassidy Schutz, a learning specialist at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, released her first public statement after confronting the gunman during the October 15 shooting. She called the attack a “horrific and heartbreaking tragedy,” said she is focused on victims, the school community and her recovery, and asked for privacy.
Key Facts
Bend-La Pine Schools identified Schutz as the employee who engaged directly with the gunman.
Police previously said Schutz threw her cellphone at the gunman and fought him for his weapon.
The shooting killed three children and 25-year-old teacher Megan Lambert.
A student and a school employee were wounded.
A father of two students at the school fatally shot the 16-year-old gunman.
Schutz said she does not plan to make further public statements.
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