⚡ TODAY IN HISTORY

On October 19, 1987, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 22.6% in a single session, its largest one-day percentage drop on record, a day now known as Black Monday. In 1781, British troops under Lord Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown, Virginia, as the American Revolution neared its end. Today? Wall Street opens the week after the Nasdaq Composite lost 4.5%, its worst week since June.

TOP NEWS

Cost-of-living marches turn violent across France 2,400 ARRESTED

Anger over high prices and failing schools drew hundreds of thousands of marchers into more than 140 French cities on Saturday, where some crowds looted shops and damaged city halls in Lille, Marseille and Limoges. The Interior Ministry said almost 1,000 police and gendarmes were hurt, and President Emmanuel Macron on Monday refused Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez’s offer to resign.

Alberta votes today on whether to start leaving Canada

Long-running complaints that Ottawa holds back the province’s oil industry led Premier Danielle Smith to put separation on Monday’s ballot, the first time Alberta has ever voted on the question. The vote is nonbinding, but a “leave” result would start the legal process toward a binding referendum, and polls show most Albertans favor staying in Canada.

Trump waives new Russia sanctions two days before they hit

After agreeing to a deal for Russia to ship diesel into world markets, President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday night waiving tariffs and sanctions required by the Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, a law he signed in September. Republican Senators Thom Tillis, Mitch McConnell and Susan Collins have joined Democrats in opposing the diesel deal and the sanctions relief tied to it.

Russia pounds Ukraine’s grid after a 1,000-drone Ukrainian swarm 1,000+ DRONES

Ukraine sent more than 1,000 drones across 15 Russian regions on Sunday, setting fire to an oil terminal in St. Petersburg, according to Russian officials. Russia followed overnight with one of its broadest air assaults in months, damaging more than 10 energy sites and cutting power to over half a million Ukrainian households.

US tells Americans in the Middle East to stay on alert as Houthi attacks grow

The Houthis, an Iran-backed rebel group in Yemen, have declared a sea blockade on Saudi Arabia, and their strike on Riyadh’s main airport about a week ago killed 13 people, the deadliest attack in the kingdom in more than a decade. On Monday, the US State Department urged Americans across the region to use heightened caution, citing Houthi attacks on Saudi airports and other key sites.

WORLD

Settlers beat a Washington Post photographer in the West Bank 10 ARRESTS

During the yearly olive harvest, dozens of masked Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians in the town of Abu Falah in the occupied West Bank on Friday, and Washington Post photojournalist Heidi Levine was hospitalized with serious injuries, including a stab wound. Israeli police said Monday they had arrested 10 suspects after weekend attacks that also targeted European diplomats in the nearby town of Taybeh.

Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro meet in their only debate before Brazil’s runoff

One week before Brazil’s October 25 presidential runoff, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva faced Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, in a televised debate on Sunday. Flávio Bolsonaro finished two points ahead of Lula in the first round, though recent polls show the race tightening.

Kremlin floats a Putin–Trump–Xi summit in China

Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed a three-way meeting with Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the war in Ukraine, possibly at next month’s Asia-Pacific economic summit in China. A Kremlin spokesman said Monday that no agenda or firm plan had been discussed.

Gaza buries 75 people pulled from rubble as the UN trims food aid

A mass funeral was held in Gaza on Sunday for 75 Palestinians whose remains were recovered from buildings destroyed by Israeli strikes. Citing a funding shortfall, the UN World Food Programme is reducing monthly aid in Gaza to 1.1 million people, down from 1.6 million, while two-thirds of the population faces crisis-level hunger or worse.

Thousands march in Tunis against President Kaïs Saïed

Accusing President Kaïs Saïed of crushing dissent since he dissolved parliament and began ruling by decree in 2021, thousands of people marched through Tunisia’s capital on Saturday in the largest protest against him in years. The Tunisian General Labor Union, the country’s most powerful trade union, led the march and demanded the release of jailed critics.

POLITICS

White House press secretary exits after five days 5 DAYS

A rocky first briefing and questions over whether she had presented herself as a lawyer ended Katie Zacharia’s run as White House press secretary on Friday, according to a person familiar with the matter cited by the Associated Press. Zacharia, who started on October 12 as successor to Karoline Leavitt, had worked in communications at Trump Media before joining the White House.

FBI tracks letters with suspicious powder sent to election offices

Two weeks before the November 3 midterm elections, the FBI, the Postal Inspection Service and the Capitol Police are investigating letters with suspicious substances mailed to congressional and election offices nationwide. Envelopes containing powder forced evacuations at election offices in Louisiana and Oklahoma last week, and Republican senators have since reported receiving similar mail.

Organizers count millions at “No Kings” rallies

Urging supporters to vote early in the midterms, organizers held more than 3,000 “No Kings” events across all 50 states on Saturday. Meta apologized after the coalition’s Instagram account was shut down for several hours during the rallies, blaming an automated action taken in error.

Homan says Ilhan Omar could be stripped of citizenship if fraud is proven

Asked on Fox News on Saturday about an immigration fraud probe into Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Minnesota Democrat, White House border czar Tom Homan said a naturalized citizen found to have lied in the process can be denaturalized and deported. No evidence of fraud has been made public, Omar’s office has denied the claims, and former President Barack Obama said Sunday she is being targeted for criticizing the president.

Trump endorses Netanyahu eight days before Israel votes

With most polls showing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition short of a majority, President Donald Trump backed Netanyahu in a Truth Social post on Sunday. The October 27 vote is Israel’s first national election since the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023.

MARKETS

Chip selloff hands the Nasdaq its worst week since June −4.5% WEEK

Doubts about how long the AI building boom can last pushed the Nasdaq Composite down 2.1% on Friday to 26,140, as Micron and Intel each fell more than 5%. The S&P 500 lost 1.1% to 7,659, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.3% but still posted its second straight weekly gain.

Tech bounces Monday as China’s economy beats forecasts 4.5% GDP

China, the world’s second-largest economy, grew 4.5% from a year earlier in the third quarter, topping the 4.4% forecast and speeding up from 4.3% in the second quarter. Wall Street opened higher on Monday, with the Nasdaq up about 1.1% and the S&P 500 up about 0.6% in early trading.

Oil slips from a five-month high on Russian fuel deal

Expectations of more Russian fuel on world markets after Washington’s sanctions waiver pushed Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, down about 2% to near $108 a barrel on Monday. Brent had settled at $109.86 on Friday, its highest close since May 19, while US crude hovered near $100.

Traders bet the Fed holds after its September hike

After the Federal Reserve raised its key rate by a quarter point in September to a range of 3.75% to 4%, comments from Fed Chair Kevin Warsh led traders to scale back bets on another hike at the October 28 meeting. CME FedWatch data put the odds of no change near 84%, and the 10-year Treasury yield, which hit 5.33% after last Wednesday’s inflation report, eased to about 5.05%.

Bitcoin holds near $82,000, a quarter below last year

Bitcoin, the largest cryptocurrency, traded near $82,400 on Monday morning, up less than 1% from Sunday. The coin remains about 24% below the roughly $108,700 it fetched one year ago, while gold held steady near $4,165 an ounce.

ENTERTAINMENT

Street Fighter lands a $31 million knockout at No. 1 $51.1M GLOBAL

Paramount’s video game adaptation Street Fighter opened at the top of the North American box office this weekend with $31 million from 3,575 theaters, the widest release of the frame. Another $20.1 million from overseas markets gave the film a global start of $51.1 million.

Elizabeth Holmes documentary posts the biggest doc debut since 2004 $15M

A24’s You Can See Everything, a film about convicted Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes from Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim, earned $15 million from just 855 theaters this weekend. The opening is the best for a documentary since Fahrenheit 9/11 in 2004, well above the $7 million to $12 million the film had been tracking.

Whalefall sinks with $8 million on a $60 million budget

Disney’s 20th Century Studios opened survival thriller Whalefall, starring Austin Abrams as a man trapped inside a sperm whale, in fourth place with $8 million in North America this weekend. The film added $9.5 million overseas against a reported $60 million production budget.

Taylor Swift plays her first band set since the Eras Tour

Taylor Swift performed four songs at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures gala in Los Angeles this weekend, her first full-band performance since the Eras Tour ended in December 2024. The fundraiser, also attended by Charlize Theron and Colman Domingo, raised more than $14 million for the museum.

Netflix names Peter Rice content chief as Bela Bajaria exits

Bela Bajaria, Netflix’s chief content officer and an executive at the streamer since 2016, is leaving, with former Fox and Disney executive Peter Rice taking over, The Hollywood Reporter reported Thursday. The shake-up comes as Netflix cuts about 1,000 jobs.