Independent Senate candidate Daniel J. Sullivan left Petersburg for Anchorage earlier in the week, according to people who spoke with CBS News. Residents and a CBS News crew reported little evidence of campaign activity in his hometown, while Sullivan has said he is genuinely interested in serving as senator. Allegations that he was recruited to confuse voters remain under investigation, and no one has been charged.
Key Facts
Daniel J. Sullivan is an independent candidate for the U.S. Senate in Alaska, where Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan is seeking reelection.
A Petersburg resident said she saw Daniel J. Sullivan on a flight to Anchorage on Monday.
Dozens of residents told CBS News they had not seen campaign materials from Sullivan.
Petersburg’s school district said Sullivan taught music and fourth and fifth grade for nearly 20 years before retiring in 2021.
Alaska courts reversed an initial decision by state election officials that found Sullivan ineligible for the ballot.
The Peltola campaign and national Democrats denied any connection to Sullivan’s candidacy.
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy ordered an investigation, and the Justice Department expanded a criminal probe; no one has been charged.
The Justice Department is suing to block certification of the election if Sen. Dan Sullivan loses because of alleged voter confusion.
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The 9th Circuit rejected the Justice Department’s request to have California set aside disputed ballots in the midterm election while officials verify voters’ citizenship. The majority said the request could disenfranchise eligible voters and disrupt ballot counting, and found no clear error in the district court’s conclusion that officials could not isolate the ballots without risking the broader process.
Key Facts
The appeals court ruled 2-1 against the Justice Department’s request.
Judges Mark Bennett and Gabriel Sanchez joined the unsigned majority decision; Judge Patrick Bumatay dissented.
The administration says about 20,000 people who may not be U.S. citizens received ballots and wants those ballots held until citizenship is verified.
California officials say the list is unreliable and likely includes U.S. citizens.
Hundreds of thousands of ballots have already been processed, and election officials say those votes are anonymized and cannot be matched to individual voters.
The ruling came days before Election Day, after millions of Californians had already voted.
A federal judge in Washington ordered the administration to share the disputed voter list with lawyers for two voting-rights groups.
Unions including the A.F.L.-C.I.O. and AFSCME joined a legal challenge to the Justice Department’s election-related demands.
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A 2-1 panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the Trump administration’s request to set aside 20,000 California ballots while it verifies whether voters are citizens. The court left in place a lower court’s finding that the administration’s list was not credible.
Key Facts
The case concerns 20,000 California ballots that the Trump administration says may have been cast by noncitizens.
The administration asked to set the ballots aside pending verification.
A 2-1 panel of the 9th Circuit ruled against the administration.
The appeals court did not dispute the lower court’s finding that the list was not credible.
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California’s November 3 midterm elections could affect which party controls the U.S. House, where Republicans hold a four-seat majority. New congressional maps approved by California voters in 2025 made several Republican-held districts more competitive for Democrats.
Key Facts
California polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on November 3.
Mail ballots must be postmarked by Election Day.
Proposition 50 temporarily suspended California’s nonpartisan redistricting commission until 2030 and allowed new congressional maps.
The redistricting effort aims to give Democrats at least five additional House seats.
California has 52 House members, including eight Republicans.
In the redrawn 22nd District, Republican incumbent David Valadao faces Democratic challenger Randy Villegas.
The redrawn 48th District, which includes parts of San Diego County, is also described as highly competitive; longtime Republican representative Darrell Issa is retiring.
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After Israel’s general election produced no overall majority, Benjamin Netanyahu accused Palestinian Israeli parties of election fraud and taking money from Qatar. The parties deny the claims, Israel’s Electoral Commission says it found no evidence of fraud, and Qatar denies involvement. The report asks whether Netanyahu is trying to prevent those parties from joining an opposition coalition that could unseat his Likud party.
Key Facts
Israel’s general election produced no overall majority.
Benjamin Netanyahu accused Palestinian Israeli parties of stealing votes and receiving funding from Qatar.
The accused parties denied wrongdoing.
Israel’s Electoral Commission found no evidence of fraud.
Qatar denied involvement.
The report raises the possibility that Netanyahu’s accusations aim to deter the parties from joining an opposition coalition against Likud.
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Republican lawmakers Keith Self and Tim Burchett have suggested challenging whether some newly elected Democratic Socialists of America-backed representatives should be sworn into Congress. A 1969 Supreme Court ruling says Congress cannot refuse to seat a duly elected member who meets the Constitution’s age, citizenship, and residency requirements, making an exclusion based on political beliefs subject to legal challenge.
Key Facts
Keith Self said DSA members who support replacing the Constitution should not take the oath of office.
Tim Burchett threatened to challenge New York candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier if she wins her election.
Under the proposed tactic, a House member could object to a member-elect, followed by debate and a House vote.
The Supreme Court ruled in 1969 that Congress cannot refuse to seat a duly elected member who meets the constitutional requirements for office.
The article identifies those requirements as age, citizenship, and residency.
The DSA’s political program calls for replacing the existing Constitution, but DSA membership does not necessarily mean a candidate endorses every part of its platform.
The article names DSA-backed candidates Avila Chevalier, Claire Valdez, Melat Kiros, Donavan McKinney, and Christopher Rabb.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said Republicans would follow the law, and the article says expelling a seated member requires a two-thirds vote.
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DoorDash CEO Tony Xu said third-party AI agents have generated only several hundred orders since they became available, compared with nearly 1 billion orders handled by DoorDash in the third quarter of 2026. The company recently introduced a connector for outside AI tools, while its own Ask DoorDash feature helps customers create orders and shopping baskets.
Key Facts
Xu described third-party AI-agent ordering as a very low-use case for DoorDash.
DoorDash handled just under 1 billion orders in the third quarter of 2026.
The company launched its Model Context Protocol connector less than a month before the earnings call.
The connector is available to a small group of early beta partners and is mainly used for corporate lunch orders.
Xu said AI agents may be more useful for purchases that involve more research or planning than ordering food.
DoorDash said Ask DoorDash can build shopping baskets five times faster than traditional ordering.
DoorDash reported that Ask DoorDash orders average nearly 50% higher basket value and about 60% more unique items than those customers’ traditional orders.
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Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he expects Canada and the European Union to finish negotiating a close partnership in June. The proposed relationship would fall short of EU membership, and the joint declaration launching a new alliance did not use the term “associate member.”
Key Facts
Carney said Canadian ministers and European commissioners will meet in March to advance the negotiations.
The two sides agreed to define an “ever-closer association” by their next summit in 2027.
Canada and the EU concluded substantive negotiations on a digital trade agreement to ease business activity and data transfers across the Atlantic.
Canada and the European Investment Bank concluded negotiations on an agreement to encourage investment in Canadian critical minerals.
Canada will take part in a European supercomputing initiative.
The two sides also concluded negotiations on a competition agreement and will explore linking their instant-payment systems.
The leaders launched the Alliance for the Future to expand cooperation on trade, research and security.
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Lightning struck four adults at the bus drop-off area outside El Mirage Elementary School in El Mirage, Arizona, on Friday morning. All four were conscious and taken to a hospital with minor injuries; officials reported no children were hurt.
Key Facts
The lightning strike was reported shortly after 8:30 a.m. on Oct. 30, 2026.
Police and firefighters responded to the school bus drop-off area.
All four adults were conscious when responders found them.
Officials said the adults were transported to a hospital with minor injuries.
Officials reported no children were injured.
A patient told fire officials she was holding an umbrella and felt electricity through it.
Fire officials warned that more severe weather was coming and urged people to stay inside during storms.
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Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed said he would go through a metal detector at the U.S. Capitol if President Donald Trump agreed to take a lie detector test. El-Sayed made the remark Thursday at a campaign rally in Kalamazoo, Michigan, responding to Trump’s suggestion that he be required to pass through a metal detector if elected to Congress.
Key Facts
Abdul El-Sayed is a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate in Michigan.
President Donald Trump suggested El-Sayed should be required to go through a metal detector at the U.S. Capitol if elected to Congress.
El-Sayed responded at a campaign rally in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
El-Sayed said he would accept the metal detector request if Trump agreed to take a lie detector test.
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A Democratic victory in the House midterms could make efforts to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth more viable, though Democrats disagree on whether impeachment or oversight hearings should be their priority. Even if the House impeaches him, removing Hegseth would require a two-thirds Senate vote, and the article says support for conviction is uncertain.
Key Facts
Democrats currently lack control of the House, and earlier impeachment efforts against Hegseth have struggled to advance without Republican support.
Representative Jason Crow said removing Hegseth would be his top priority if Democrats retake the House.
Democrats have criticized Hegseth’s handling of the Iran war and a campaign of strikes on suspected drug vessels that the article says has killed at least 240 people.
Some Republican lawmakers have raised concerns about Pentagon infighting and whether Hegseth’s dismissal of senior military officials has harmed military readiness.
Democrats are divided over pursuing impeachment; some favor oversight hearings, while others think President Donald Trump may dismiss Hegseth himself.
A House impeachment would lead to a Senate trial, where conviction and removal require a two-thirds majority.
The House impeached two cabinet secretaries before Hegseth: William W. Belknap in 1876 and Alejandro Mayorkas in 2024; the Senate did not convict either.
Representative Yassamin Ansari introduced articles of impeachment against Hegseth in April 2026, alleging misconduct related to the Iran war and other matters.
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A Texas grand jury indicted ICE officer Mario Alberto Morales on aggravated assault charges over an October 10 incident in Houston in which he is accused of striking Miguel Parra-Hernandez with a vehicle. Local prosecutors say video and body-camera footage support their account, while ICE has disputed that Morales deliberately hit him.
Key Facts
Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare announced the indictment on Friday.
Investigators say Parra-Hernandez, 48, was running from federal agents when an unmarked Jeep Cherokee struck him in a parking lot.
Parra-Hernandez suffered several fractures to his right leg and an ankle injury that required surgery.
ICE says Parra-Hernandez ran in front of the vehicle and called claims that Morales intentionally struck him reckless and false.
Teare said surveillance video shows the SUV crossing a median and pursuing Parra-Hernandez; another vehicle blocks the moment of impact.
In body-camera footage released Friday, Morales can be heard acknowledging that he struck Parra-Hernandez with his vehicle.
Teare accused federal authorities of not cooperating fully with the investigation, including removing the Jeep before local investigators could examine it.
ICE said agents were searching for Jose Mendoza-Cervantes, but his daughter told The New York Times that he died in 2017.
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Alaska election-law expert Jeff Feldman said the state Division of Elections, not the governor, certifies election results. Governor Mike Dunleavy has a separate federal role in signing a certificate for a senator-elect, while the Justice Department is suing to block certification of certain results if incumbent Senator Dan Sullivan loses amid concerns about a second candidate with a similar name.
Key Facts
Feldman said Alaska law assigns state election certification to the director of the Division of Elections.
Feldman described a governor’s role in signing a senator-elect’s federal certificate as typically ministerial and said he knew of no Alaska governor who had refused to sign one.
Dunleavy has not said unequivocally what Alaska would do if Democrat Mary Peltola wins while investigations involving candidate Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. remain active.
The Justice Department is suing Alaska to block certification of certain results if Dan Sullivan loses, arguing that voters may have been confused by the similar names.
President Donald Trump said he directed the Justice Department to bring the case.
Alaska’s election calendar targets November 18 for ranked-choice tabulation and November 25 for certification; Election Day is November 3.
Alaska uses ranked-choice voting: if no candidate receives a majority, the lowest-finishing candidate is eliminated and ballots transfer according to voters’ next preferences.
Two polls cited in the article showed Peltola ahead of Sullivan by 2 or 3 points in head-to-head matchups.
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A federal judge ordered an inquiry into whether Trump administration officials and attorneys misrepresented information or breached ethical rules in a dispute over plans to redevelop East Potomac Golf Links in Washington, D.C. Judge Ana Reyes gave the Justice Department five days to object to a proposed appointment of a special master to oversee the inquiry.
Key Facts
The inquiry concerns statements to the court about plans to renovate and temporarily close East Potomac Golf Links.
The conduct under review includes that of Justice Department and agency attorneys, including Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward Jr.
Reyes has not yet appointed a special master to oversee the inquiry.
The dispute includes information about a redesign submitted to the National Capital Planning Commission.
Reyes has previously moved to block the administration’s renovation plans.
President Donald Trump said on Truth Social that the golf course was dangerous and that Reyes would be held responsible if anyone were hurt or killed there.
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Voters in six states will decide on Nov. 3 whether to add citizenship requirements for voting to state constitutions or state law. Federal and state laws already bar noncitizens from voting in federal and statewide elections, while voting-rights groups warn that proof-of-citizenship rules could block eligible citizens from registering.
Key Facts
Arizona, Arkansas, Kansas, South Dakota and West Virginia have citizenship amendments on the ballot.
An Alaska ballot initiative would create a state law requiring citizenship to vote.
President Donald Trump has backed a crackdown on noncitizen voting based on claims of widespread fraud that the article describes as unsubstantiated.
Some cities in three states and the District of Columbia allow noncitizens to vote in certain local elections.
A 2025 University of Maryland study estimated that 21.3 million eligible American voters cannot readily provide documents proving citizenship.
The study cited misplaced or inaccessible records, replacement costs, name changes and errors in government records as reasons people may lack proof.
The State Department reported that 48% of Americans had a valid passport as of 2023.
Indiana resident Jemmie Lolita Pepper said errors in state records prevented her from getting government identification and voting until she received legal help.
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Pakistan’s military spokesman said the country is “cautiously optimistic” about efforts to mediate between Iran and the United States and revive a ceasefire. He pointed to recent visits by Pakistan’s army chief and regional officials to Tehran, while warning that unnamed parties could undermine negotiations.
Key Facts
Pakistani military spokesman Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said there were positive signs in mediation efforts.
Pakistan Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir visited Tehran twice this month, including a trip on Monday.
Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman and Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin joined Munir on Monday.
Qatari mediators arrived in Tehran as regional efforts continued to revive the ceasefire.
Chaudhry declined to say what the delegation discussed in Tehran or whether the United States supported the visit.
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement on August 7; it treats an attack on one signatory as an attack on all.
Chaudhry said the agreement does not bar new members and that Pakistan’s political leadership would decide whether to send more troops to Saudi Arabia.
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Canada and the European Union announced the Alliance for the Future, a partnership aimed at strengthening economic, technology and security ties. The leaders also agreed to discuss deeper market integration and a possible associate membership for Canada, with its scope to be addressed at a 2027 summit.
Key Facts
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the alliance in Montreal after a two-day summit.
Canada agreed to contribute to a €90 billion support loan for Ukraine.
The leaders said future talks would explore a more integrated market, fewer trade and travel restrictions, and expanded educational opportunities.
Canada and the EU announced an agreement giving Canada access to European supercomputers for training AI models.
Carney cited a planned merger of Canada’s Cohere and Germany’s Aleph Alpha as a way to reduce reliance on U.S. AI companies.
Canada and the EU discussed possible associate membership for Canada, but said they would define its scope at a 2027 summit.
The article says Canada’s federal government announced a stake in Cohere worth up to C$1.6 billion.
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A U.S. Treasury Department report says a naval blockade, sanctions and obstacles to overland trade have sharply weakened Iran’s economy. The report cites a falling currency, rising inflation and halted oil shipments, while U.S. officials say the pressure campaign may encourage Iran to negotiate.
Key Facts
The Treasury campaign, called Operation Economic Outcast, began in late August.
The report says Iran’s rial lost about a quarter of its value since the campaign began, reaching a record low against the dollar in October.
Iran’s annual inflation rate reached 90% in September, up from about 35% in early 2025.
The report says Iran has not loaded oil onto tankers since August 25 because of the blockade and sanctions.
The report describes delays and bottlenecks for Iranian overland trade at borders with Turkey, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Turkmenistan.
Several countries have barred Iranian airlines or canceled flights to Iran, while Turkey suspended Mahan Air flights.
Iranian banks have faced restrictions in Turkey, Lebanon and the UAE, and Treasury is targeting cryptocurrency exchanges it says are used to evade sanctions.
President Donald Trump met with national security and foreign policy aides on Thursday to discuss the war and the blockade.
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The Central Arizona Project (CAP) has asked to join Nevada’s lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s Colorado River management plan. The proposal would require Lower Basin states to cut water use by up to 3 million acre-feet through 2036, while imposing no mandatory cuts on Upper Basin states.
Key Facts
CAP supplies Colorado River water to Arizona’s most populated regions.
CAP filed a motion to intervene in the case in a Nevada district court.
The lawsuit challenges the Interior Department’s Record of Decision and Operating Guidelines issued on August 21, 2026.
Nevada filed its lawsuit against the Interior Department in August; Arizona said in October that it would join.
The proposed plan calls for Lower Basin states to collectively cut water use by up to 3 million acre-feet through 2036.
The Colorado River supplies water to tens of millions of people in seven states and supports farms, hydropower, recreation, and wildlife.
The article says Lakes Mead and Powell reached record-low levels that summer amid a prolonged drought.
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Maine’s U.S. Senate race between Republican Susan Collins and Democrat Troy Jackson is close, with healthcare a central issue. The state faces rural maternity ward closures, hospital consolidation and possible Medicaid coverage losses; the candidates disagree over Collins’s role in advancing the 2025 budget law and its Medicaid changes.
Key Facts
Eleven of Maine’s 23 maternity wards have closed in the past decade.
A birthing unit in Damariscotta is scheduled to close in December.
York Hospital was absorbed into MaineHealth, and Northern Light Health has faced financial problems and closed facilities.
A September report by the Maine Center for Economic Policy estimated that about 29,000 Mainers could lose MaineCare coverage under the law’s work requirements.
Collins voted against the 2025 budget law but supported procedural votes that advanced it to the Senate floor.
Jackson criticized Collins over those procedural votes and the law’s Medicaid cuts.
Collins said she opposed the Medicaid cuts and that the law’s rural hospital assistance fund was not enough to offset other changes.
Republicans held a 53–47 Senate majority, and the article described Maine’s race as a key contest for control of the chamber.
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