⚡ Today in History

On November 1, 1512, Michelangelo unveiled the Sistine Chapel ceiling in Rome after four years of painting. In 1800, John Adams became the first US president to live in the White House, just months before losing his reelection bid to Thomas Jefferson. Today, Americans set their clocks back as Daylight Saving Time ends — 48 hours before the midterm elections.

Top News

Oleshky ceasefire expires tonight — up to 2,000 remain ~2,000 LEFT

The six-day ceasefire in Oleshky, a Russian-occupied city in southern Ukraine's Kherson region, expires late tonight. An estimated 1,700 to 2,000 civilians remain in the besieged city.

Iran says four tankers on fire after hitting mines in the Strait of Hormuz 4 TANKERS

Iran's armed forces said Thursday that four oil tankers caught fire after hitting naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz. The strait carries roughly 20% of the world's oil. Iran accused the vessels of using an unauthorized route, a day after the US military said it had cleared key shipping lanes.

Hegseth fires Pentagon's top war planner over classified leak claims

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired Army Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia on Wednesday, removing the Pentagon's top strategy and planning officer from the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Pentagon officials said Sylvia was accused of leaking classified information about Iran and Ukraine to members of the press.

Wall Street caps worst week since mid-October — S&P 500 falls to 7,720

The S&P 500 fell 0.30% on Thursday to close at 7,720, capping its worst weekly stretch since mid-October as tech earnings weighed on sentiment. The Nasdaq Composite dropped 1.38%, bringing its decline from the October 6 record high to about 5.5%.

Midterms in 48 hours — Democrats hold a 9-point generic ballot lead

The November 3 midterm elections are two days away. Polls show Democrats leading Republicans by roughly 9 points on the generic ballot — the widest gap since the 2018 wave that cost Republicans 41 House seats. Both parties are holding final rallies in battleground states this weekend.

World

Spain ends mourning — criminal probe targets “inexplicable” control center order 69 DEAD

Spain's three-day mourning period ended Saturday following the October 28 train collision near Urda, south of Madrid, that killed 69 people. Prosecutors opened a criminal probe into the Madrid rail control center. Controllers directed a Renfe high-speed train to keep moving along a track where a stalled Iryo train sat. Transport Minister Óscar Puente called the order “inexplicable.”

Yemen's Houthis fire two more missiles at Riyadh — coalition says both intercepted

The Saudi-led coalition said Thursday it shot down two ballistic missiles launched toward Riyadh by Yemen's Houthi fighters. The Iran-backed group has targeted Saudi airports, oil sites, and cities repeatedly throughout October.

Cyclone Arnab killed seven, caused $550 million in damage in Andhra Pradesh

Cyclone Arnab killed seven people and caused roughly $550 million in damage after making landfall near Narsapur on India's east coast on October 28. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu released the damage estimate Thursday, with more than 180,000 people evacuated across two states before the storm hit.

India's opposition holds mass rally in Delhi demanding election chief resign

India's opposition INDIA bloc — a coalition of more than two dozen parties — is rallying at Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi today. The protest demands the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the cancellation of a special voter roll revision, with organizers expecting more than one million people.

Two helicopters collide midair near McMinnville, Oregon, killing three

A Robinson R22 and an Airbus AS350 collided near McMinnville Municipal Airport in northwest Oregon on Thursday afternoon, killing all three people aboard the aircraft. The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation into the crash, which scattered debris across a field and forced the closure of a nearby highway.

Politics

Forecasters give Democrats 87% chance of House — Senate races tighten 87%

The Poliwave election forecast, updated October 29, gives Democrats an 87% chance of flipping the House with a projected 230 seats — up from 86% a week earlier. New polls this week showed Democrats leading or tied in key Senate battlegrounds including Michigan, Texas, Maine, and Kansas, with the Senate at roughly 60% odds for Democrats.

DOJ issues grand jury subpoenas to California election officials, Alaska Democrats

The Justice Department issued grand jury subpoenas to election officials in California and Democratic officials in Alaska this week, escalating criminal probes into alleged voter irregularities ahead of Tuesday's midterms. The California subpoenas come days after a federal judge blocked the DOJ from setting aside 20,000 mail ballots in the state.

Vance offered Iran framework for talks — Tehran rejected Qatari peace timeline

Vice President JD Vance sent a letter to Iran's Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, proposing a possible framework for negotiations. Iran rejected a separate Qatari-backed draft that laid out a seven-day timeline for confidence-building steps, according to Reuters.

Israel's Likud alleges election “stolen” as opposition eyes Arab-backed coalition 19 SEATS

Netanyahu's Likud party on Wednesday demanded police probe alleged voter fraud by Arab-led parties after Tuesday's vote. The election split parliament: 53 seats for Netanyahu, 48 for the opposition, and a record 19 for Arab parties. About 35,000 Israelis signed a petition urging opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot to form a government with Arab support.

Bessent says Iran can't pay its own troops under sanctions pressure

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Thursday that Iran's military is struggling to pay its soldiers under Operation Economic Outcast, the sanctions push launched August 24. Bessent told CNBC the pressure has left Iran's Supreme Leader increasingly isolated.

Markets

Amazon and Intel drag stocks lower — Nasdaq falls 1.38% −1.38%

After-hours losses from Amazon (down about 7%) and Intel (down 23%) on Thursday followed the Nasdaq’s 1.38% drop to 26,185. Both companies missed quarterly estimates.

WTI crude falls below $102 on renewed US-Iran diplomacy hopes

West Texas Intermediate crude fell below $102 on Thursday and rose on Friday after reports that Vice President Vance reached out to Iran. Brent crude held near $114, still up roughly 75% from a year ago, as diplomacy hopes eased supply fears.

Gold falls to $4,021 as rate-hike bets weigh on the metal

Gold dropped to $4,020.57 per ounce on Thursday, extending a four-week slide driven by expectations the Federal Reserve will raise rates again in December. The metal has fallen more than 3% in October after touching $4,259 earlier in the month.

Bitcoin trades near $78,800 — down 37.5% from October 2025 high

Bitcoin fell to roughly $78,800, extending a yearlong decline from its all-time high near $126,000 set in October 2025. The cryptocurrency has traded in a tight $80,000–$84,000 range for most of the past two weeks amid low volume.

Asian markets slide as tech sell-off spreads — chipmakers fall 1.8%

Asian stock markets fell on Friday as Wall Street's tech sell-off spread across the Pacific. Asian chipmakers dropped 1.8%, led by SK Hynix and Advantest, after Amazon and Intel posted weak earnings late Thursday.

Entertainment

Kimi Antonelli can clinch youngest-ever F1 title at Mexico City GP today AGE 20

Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli, 20, needs a top-nine finish at today's Mexico City Grand Prix to clinch the Formula 1 title. The title would make him the youngest champion in the sport's 76-year history. Antonelli leads teammate George Russell by 123 points after nine wins this season.

Brewers championship parade rolls through downtown Milwaukee

Hundreds of thousands of fans lined Wisconsin Avenue in Milwaukee on Friday for the franchise's first-ever World Series parade. The celebration followed a rally at the Summerfest grounds, two days after the Brewers beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 in Game 5 to clinch the title.

NFL Week 8: Vikings at Lions, Eagles at Washington headline Sunday

The NFC's marquee matchup pits the Minnesota Vikings against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field in a battle for divisional control. The Philadelphia Eagles visit the Washington Commanders in the Sunday Night Football slot on NBC. The Baltimore Ravens at the Buffalo Bills rounds out the day's top games.

“You Can See Everything” leads quiet Halloween box office

A24's Elizabeth Holmes documentary “You Can See Everything,” directed by Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim, is projected to take the No. 1 spot with $12–17 million in its third weekend. No new wide release opened over the Halloween frame, with DC Studios' “Clayface” holding in second place in its second week.

Clocks fall back — Daylight Saving Time ends across most of the US

Americans gained an extra hour of sleep early Sunday as Daylight Saving Time ended at 2 a.m. in most states. The shift has survived years of legislative efforts to make it permanent. The Senate passed a Sunshine Protection Act in 2022, but it never received a House vote.