Russell Brand testified at Southwark Crown Court in London and denied three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one count of attempted indecent assault. Six women accuse him of misconduct between 1999 and 2009; Brand says the encounters were consensual.
Key Facts
Brand pleaded not guilty to all seven charges.
He told the court he had been obsessed with sex when he was younger and acknowledged a history of reckless sexual behavior.
Brand denied forcing any of the six women to do anything against their will.
The women testified during the trial, which had been underway for two weeks when Brand took the stand.
Prosecutors say the women did not know one another and separately went to police after a 2023 television documentary aired.
The accusations include alleged assaults in a hotel, a bar, a radio station, a music television office and Brand’s home.
Brand said the allegations had severely affected his life, relationships and health.
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A New York Times report alleges that Mary Peltola’s campaign helped recruit a second candidate named Dan Sullivan to run in Alaska’s U.S. Senate race. The report also says Peltola knew about the effort, which it describes as an attempt to confuse voters in a race that could affect control of Congress.
Key Facts
Democrat Mary Peltola is running against incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan in Alaska.
A second candidate named Dan Sullivan is also on the ballot.
The New York Times report alleges that Peltola’s campaign was behind efforts to recruit the second Dan Sullivan.
The report says Peltola was aware of the effort.
The report describes the effort as a way to confuse voters.
The race could affect which party holds power in Washington, D.C.
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President Donald Trump called for the prosecution of Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola and Dan J. Sullivan after a report said Peltola campaign members discussed recruiting a candidate with the same name as Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan. Peltola’s campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee denied involvement, while Dan J. Sullivan has said he had no contact with Peltola’s campaign. The controversy comes as the Justice Department seeks to block certification if Peltola wins; legal experts cited in the article said the report would not affect that lawsuit.
Key Facts
Trump said Peltola and Dan J. Sullivan should be prosecuted and had earlier called for Peltola to face legal and political consequences.
The New York Times reported that text messages showed Peltola campaign members discussing the recruitment of candidates named Dan Sullivan.
Dan J. Sullivan, a retired schoolteacher, advanced from Alaska’s August open primary and is on the ballot for the general election.
Dan J. Sullivan has denied running at Democrats’ request and said he had no contact with Peltola’s campaign.
An Alaska elections official ruled Dan J. Sullivan ineligible for the primary ballot, but the Alaska Supreme Court ruled that he qualified to run.
Peltola’s campaign said it had no involvement with either Sullivan campaign, and the DSCC denied involvement with Dan J. Sullivan.
The Justice Department has sued to stop certification of a possible Peltola victory, following Trump’s direction.
Legal experts said the report about recruiting Dan J. Sullivan would not affect the Justice Department lawsuit.
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Vice President JD Vance sent a letter to Iranian national security official Mohsen Rezaei saying talks to avert U.S. military strikes must address Iran’s nuclear program, according to a U.S. official. The outreach comes as President Donald Trump considers resuming major combat operations after the midterm elections and the two sides remain divided over sanctions relief and the order of negotiations.
Key Facts
The letter focused on possibly restarting negotiations between the United States and Iran.
A U.S. official called it the highest-level U.S. outreach to Iran in several months.
Vance proposed sending the letter, and Trump supported it, the official said.
The official did not say when Vance sent the letter.
Iran has demanded that the United States lift its naval blockade, release frozen funds, and allow oil sales before negotiations resume.
The United States wants Iran to restart nuclear negotiations before receiving sanctions relief.
Trump said the letter concerned getting medical supplies to people in Iran.
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Advertising in Mississippi’s Senate race has focused heavily on attacks against Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith and support for Democratic challenger Scott Colom. Hyde-Smith is still expected to win, but the race is described as closer than expected.
Key Facts
An ad featuring Jeffrey Epstein survivor Jena-Lisa Jones criticized Hyde-Smith for voting against an amendment related to releasing the Epstein files.
The ad aired more than 1,200 times in the past week and cost the left-leaning New Deal for All super PAC more than $329,000, according to AdImpact.
The Senate vote was 51–49 and indefinitely postponed an amendment requiring the full release of the files by then-Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Hyde-Smith said she supports releasing information that can legally be made public while protecting Epstein’s victims.
Five of the eight most-aired ads in the past week either supported Colom or attacked Hyde-Smith’s Senate record; one portrayed Hyde-Smith positively.
Hyde-Smith’s campaign ad attacking Colom aired more than 2,800 times in Mississippi and Memphis TV markets after its September 10 debut, costing more than $854,000.
Hyde-Smith’s campaign spent less than $150,000 airing that ad from October 19 to October 26.
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The article says James Talarico appears more competitive in his Texas Senate race against Ken Paxton than Beto O’Rourke was against Ted Cruz in 2018. It points to recent polls and Paxton’s controversies, while noting that Paxton retains strong Republican support and backing from outside groups that have outspent Talarico’s allies.
Key Facts
O’Rourke lost to Cruz by 2.6 percentage points in 2018, after trailing in the final polls.
The article says RealClearPolitics’ final average had O’Rourke down 6.8 points, while its current average has Talarico up 1.5 points.
Several election forecasters describe the Talarico-Paxton race as a toss-up.
A Fox News poll conducted October 15–19 found both candidates at 49 percent among likely voters.
An Emerson College/Nexstar poll found Talarico ahead 48 percent to 46 percent; a University of Houston poll found him ahead by two points.
A Cook Political Report survey found Talarico ahead 49 percent to 44 percent.
Paxton’s history includes a 2015 felony securities fraud indictment, a 2024 pretrial diversion deal, and a 2023 impeachment by the Texas House; the state Senate acquitted him.
The article says outside groups supporting Paxton have spent more than twice as much as groups supporting Talarico, and a Fox poll found 90 percent of Republicans backed Paxton.
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House Democrats say they are optimistic about winning the House on Nov. 3, but they worry that polling could be wrong or that late campaign developments could hurt them. They are targeting many Republican-held districts, while redrawn districts in Southern states and expected Republican spending could limit their gains.
Key Facts
Democrats are targeting dozens of Republican-held House seats, including districts that Donald Trump carried by 10 to 20 points in 2024.
House Majority PAC began spending in New York Rep. Elise Stefanik’s district and against Nebraska Rep. Mike Flood.
The PAC shifted money away from several open-seat races because it believes Democrats are positioned to win those races handily.
Rep. Ro Khanna said he was cautiously optimistic Democrats could gain 20 to 25 seats; a landslide scenario could bring 40 or 50 pickups.
Redistricting in Republican-controlled Southern states is expected to reduce Democratic gains, including through likely Republican wins in newly drawn Tennessee and Louisiana seats.
Some Democratic leaders are concerned about the reelection prospects of Reps. Kathy Castor, Darren Soto and Shomari Figures in their new districts.
Democrats cited past polling errors, concerns about election interference and the possibility of late Republican spending as reasons to temper expectations.
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Hasan Piker sued conservative commentator Scott Jennings for $72.5 million, alleging Jennings used edited clips that falsely portrayed him as advocating racial violence. After Senator Ted Cruz shared similar allegations about Piker, Piker called him out on X. Jennings, Cruz, and Piker had not responded to Newsweek’s request for comment at the time of publication.
Key Facts
Piker filed his lawsuit against Jennings in federal court in Washington, D.C.
Piker seeks $27.5 million in compensatory damages and $45 million in punitive damages.
The complaint alleges Jennings combined footage from three livestreams, rearranged Piker’s remarks, and removed their context.
Piker says he was responding sarcastically to a Black conservative commentator during a debate.
Cruz shared a clip and accused Piker of calling for Black people to be lynched.
Piker addressed Cruz on X by sharing a news report about the lawsuit and asking, “Hey ted you seen this?”
Cruz and Piker have also clashed over Piker’s planned appearance at the University of Texas at Austin and Piker’s past remarks about the September 11 attacks.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin praised Elon Musk and said Russia is in contact with him as it develops a rival satellite internet network. Putin made the remarks at a summit with African leaders in Moscow on Wednesday.
Key Facts
Putin called Musk a “genius.”
Putin said Russia has been in contact with Musk.
Russia is working to develop a rival satellite internet network.
The remarks came during a summit with African leaders in Moscow.
Russian Digital Development Minister Maksut Shadayev briefed attendees, according to the article.
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A study published in Scientific Reports found that built-up land in high-risk areas of northern Nepal, south-eastern Tibet and India's Uttarakhand grew by about 45% from 2016 to 2023. Development in areas especially exposed to glacial-lake floods rose by almost 78%, potentially putting at least 300,000 people in danger; the researchers said the total could be higher because their study covered only selected areas.
Key Facts
Nine researchers from the UK, Nepal and India analyzed land up to 50km downstream from Himalayan rivers and around 1,360 glacial lakes.
The study found increased construction of tourism facilities, infrastructure and real estate in the areas it examined.
The research was completed before August floods in Nepal that killed more than 1,400 people and left thousands missing, according to the article.
A Budhi Gandaki River flood on 11 October damaged 200 houses, destroyed five bridges and left five people missing.
Pokhara has expanded as a tourism hub, while some older buildings stand about 5m from the Seti Gandaki River, according to the city's mayor.
Local tourism officials said development in the region has expanded without proper planning.
The article also reports increased hydropower construction around the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli rivers.
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eClinicalWorks CEO Girish Navani said the privately held health technology company plans to offer some new AI tools at no additional cost, aiming to make them accessible to smaller medical practices. The company also announced a redesigned electronic health record interface, a platform for building AI agents, and expansions into inpatient care and pharmacy management.
Key Facts
eClinicalWorks and its patient engagement subsidiary, healow, expect combined revenue to exceed $1.3 billion in 2026.
Healow is projected to generate $175 million in 2026.
Navani said eClinicalWorks’ private ownership gives it flexibility to absorb some AI costs rather than pass them to customers.
The company announced version 12.04 of its electronic health record platform, featuring a redesigned workspace called Canvas for Care, also known as Smart Canvas.
The redesigned interface aims to bring patient information, AI-generated summaries, suggested actions, and tasks into one workspace.
eClinicalWorks also announced a platform for building AI agents and new business units focused on inpatient care and pharmacy management.
A 2025 American Medical Association survey found that 72 percent of employed physicians reported using AI, compared with 64 percent of physicians in private practice.
Federal data cited in the article showed that 86 percent of system-affiliated hospitals used predictive AI in 2025, compared with 37 percent of independent hospitals.
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Police found 10-year-old Violet Hay safe at a residence in Oregon City on Wednesday afternoon, more than 12 hours after she was reported abducted from her Canby apartment. A suspect was taken into custody, and investigators are continuing to look into the case.
Key Facts
Police said Hay was found at about 2:45 p.m. local time on Oct. 28.
Police received the report at about 1:47 a.m.; investigators said an unknown man entered the apartment around 1:39 a.m.
Authorities said the man abducted Hay and assaulted her 12-year-old sister.
Hay’s sister was taken to a local hospital and was still receiving treatment, police said.
A SWAT team surrounded the Oregon City residence and took a suspect into custody.
The district attorney’s office expected to review the investigation and make a charging decision.
Local and state authorities and the FBI took part in the search.
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Federal prosecutors asked a judge to deny news organizations’ request to immediately unseal the search warrant for Rep. Ilhan Omar’s Washington, D.C., home. They argued that releasing it could jeopardize an ongoing criminal investigation.
Key Facts
More than a dozen news organizations asked the court to unseal the warrant.
The warrant concerns Omar’s home in Washington, D.C.
Prosecutors filed their request on Tuesday.
The Justice Department said unsealing the warrant could harm the ongoing investigation.
The filing was heavily redacted.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro signed the filing.
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A BBC Wales investigation found that several AI image tools removed visible differences, such as skin conditions or scars, when asked to make people look “normal.” People featured in the report said these edits erased parts of their identity; Canva said it does not automatically retouch photos and is investigating one reported case.
Key Facts
Rhiannon Morgan, 30, said an image of her in a work newsletter had been smoothed and recolored by AI.
Morgan has epidermolytic ichthyosis, a rare genetic condition that makes her skin grow too quickly and causes blistering and mobility problems.
Morgan said she saw the altered image before it was sent out and found the changes upsetting.
The BBC tested five popular AI tools using images of a man and a woman with visible differences and the prompt “make this person normal.”
The BBC reported that tools including Grok, Gemini and ChatGPT removed visible differences in response to the prompt.
Changing Faces estimates that about five million people in the UK have a visible difference, including skin conditions or other features that set them apart.
Canva said it does not automatically retouch photos and is looking into Morgan’s case.
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The Social Security Administration’s chief actuary estimated that the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will add $168.6 billion to Social Security program costs from 2025 through 2034, partly because it reduces tax revenue from benefits. The latest trustees’ projection says the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance trust fund will exhaust its reserves in the fourth quarter of 2032; without congressional action, ongoing revenue would cover 78 percent of scheduled benefits.
Key Facts
President Donald Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act on July 4, 2025.
The law made permanent lower individual income-tax rates and changed some deductions.
Chief Actuary Karen Glenn estimated the law would increase Social Security program costs by $168.6 billion from 2025 through 2034.
Glenn estimated that the law would worsen Social Security’s 75-year actuarial balance from a deficit of 3.82 percent to 3.98 percent of taxable payroll.
The law’s effects were projected to move OASI reserve depletion from the first quarter of 2033 to the fourth quarter of 2032.
The latest trustees’ projection says continuing revenue would cover 78 percent of scheduled OASI benefits after reserves run out.
Social Security’s financial challenges existed before the legislation.
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A New York Times report says Democrats sought to place a second candidate named Dan Sullivan on Alaska’s Senate ballot. The report says Democratic nominee Mary Peltola’s campaign was involved.
Key Facts
The reported effort involved a candidate with the same name as Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan.
The effort concerned Alaska’s U.S. Senate ballot.
The New York Times reported the effort.
The report said Peltola’s campaign was involved.
CBS News aired a segment about the report, featuring correspondent Ed O’Keefe.
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Sophie Price says staff at Grange University Hospital in Wales refused to provide her with meals during her baby Florence’s three-week stay because she was formula-feeding. Florence was treated for bronchiolitis and a blood infection, and the family says it spent more than £1,000 on food while at the hospital.
Key Facts
Sophie Price, 22, gave birth at Grange University Hospital five days before returning with Florence, who was having trouble breathing.
Florence was diagnosed with bronchiolitis, a rhinovirus infection, and a blood infection.
Doctors treated Florence with a mask-based machine that pumped air into her lungs.
Price says she had not been able to breastfeed after Florence stopped taking breast milk during the first day of her life.
Price says staff asked whether she was breastfeeding and then told her she could not receive a meal because Florence was being fed formula.
The family says it spent more than £1,000 on canteen and takeaway food during its three weeks at the hospital.
Aneurin Bevan health board said it was sorry to hear about Price’s experience and was committed to supporting families during a child’s hospital stay.
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President Donald Trump traveled to Ohio to rally voters in a Senate race that could affect control of the chamber. The report also points to dueling rallies in another key state and says new polls suggest Democratic gains in red-state Senate races.
Key Facts
Trump went to Ohio to rally voters.
The Ohio Senate race could help determine control of the Senate.
Dueling rallies took place in another key state.
The report describes the rallies as a snapshot of divisions shaping the midterm elections.
The article title says new polls suggest Democratic gains in red-state Senate races.
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Sen. Lisa Murkowski called on former Rep. Mary Peltola to tell the truth after reports said Peltola’s campaign recruited a midterm opponent to take part in ballot-stacking. Murkowski described the allegations as part of a “pattern of lies and coverups.”
Key Facts
Lisa Murkowski is a Republican senator from Alaska.
Mary Peltola is a former Democratic representative from Alaska.
Reports alleged that Peltola’s campaign recruited one of her midterm opponents to ballot-stack.
Murkowski called for Peltola to provide the truth about the allegations.
Murkowski described the alleged conduct as a “pattern of lies and coverups.”
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United Launch Alliance plans to return its Vulcan rocket to flight on November 13, pending range approval, with a launch of 40 Amazon Leo broadband satellites from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The mission will use redesigned solid-booster nozzles after failures on two of Vulcan’s first four flights, including an anomaly in February that led to the rocket’s grounding.
Key Facts
ULA said engineers identified potential contributors to February’s booster anomaly and made design and process changes to the nozzle.
ULA and booster manufacturer Northrop Grumman have not publicly stated the root cause of the February nozzle malfunction.
The November mission is the first of 38 Vulcan flights Amazon booked to deploy most of its Leo satellite network.
The Vulcan rocket will use an extended payload fairing and stand 221 feet tall for this mission.
The U.S. Space Force certified Vulcan for national security launches in 2025 and will closely scrutinize its return-to-flight mission.
The Space Force has moved six missions from Vulcan to SpaceX rockets because of ULA delays, while assigning ULA six future missions originally planned for SpaceX.
ULA is a joint venture owned equally by Boeing and Lockheed Martin.
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