⚡ Numbers That Matter

About $500 billion. That’s what Alphabet — Google’s parent company — lost in market value on Thursday alone. It was the worst trading day in the stock’s more than 20-year history. After the bell, Amazon fell 7% on its own earnings miss. Nasdaq futures sank 1.5% heading into Friday.

Top News

Alphabet loses $500B in worst day on record −12.6%

Alphabet’s stock fell 12.6% on Thursday after the Google parent missed Q3 estimates on both revenue and earnings. The drop erased about $500 billion in market value — the largest single-day loss in the stock’s more than 20-year trading history.

Amazon misses Q3 on both lines, falls 7% after hours

Amazon reported Q3 revenue of $201.9 billion and earnings of $1.89 per share Thursday evening, missing estimates on both. The stock fell as much as 11% in after-hours trading, deepening a tech selloff that pushed Nasdaq futures down 1.5% overnight.

U.S. economy grows 3.4% in Q3 — fastest in a year 3.4% GDP

The U.S. economy expanded at an annualized 3.4% rate in the third quarter, the Commerce Department reported Thursday, beating the 3.2% forecast. Strong consumer spending and a 12.7% jump in business investment powered the gain and raised the odds of a December Fed rate hike.

Spain begins three days of mourning as crash toll rises to 69

Spain declared three days of national mourning Wednesday as the death toll from Wednesday’s high-speed train collision near Urda, in central Spain, rose to 69. Investigators are probing a command center order that allowed a stopped train to resume its route and hit a stationary train.

First evacuees leave Oleshky under Melania Trump–brokered ceasefire

Evacuations began Friday morning in Russian-occupied Oleshky, a front-line city in Ukraine’s Kherson region, under a six-day ceasefire brokered by First Lady Melania Trump. About 1,700 people remain in the city, with corridors agreed to by Russian and Ukrainian forces.

World

Israel’s final count confirms deadlock — Arab parties hold the balance 53-48-19

Israel’s final count confirmed a split parliament: Netanyahu’s bloc holds 53 Knesset seats, Eisenkot’s opposition 48, and Arab parties a record 19. President Isaac Herzog urged leaders to avoid another round of elections and keep open minds on coalition talks.

Saudi Arabia warns of ‘hostile aerial threat’ as missiles hit Riyadh

Saudi authorities issued emergency phone alerts Thursday warning Riyadh was under a “hostile aerial threat,” and correspondents heard at least eight explosions in the capital. Yemen’s Houthis claimed 12 civilians were killed in Saudi strikes on residential areas in Taiz province earlier that day.

Cyclone Arnab kills at least 7, forces 180,000 evacuations in India

Cyclone Arnab struck India’s Andhra Pradesh coast on Wednesday with winds up to 150 km/h, killing at least seven people before weakening inland. More than 180,000 residents were evacuated across Andhra Pradesh and Odisha as the storm disrupted flights and triggered heavy flooding.

Norway responds to Trump’s ‘shithouse’ insult with scenic toilet photos

President Donald Trump called Norway a “shithouse country” at a Michigan rally on Sunday, angry about not winning the Nobel Peace Prize. Norway’s tourism authority responded on Facebook with photos of scenic public restrooms overlooking fjords and mountains.

Ethiopian influencers push for Eritrea invasion to seize Red Sea access

Ethiopian social media influencers are urging their government to invade Eritrea and seize Red Sea access. The calls come after the army routed Eritrean-backed rebels in northern Tigray and advanced to the border. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has long called sea access a vital national goal for landlocked Ethiopia.

Politics

Judge blocks DOJ from setting aside 20,000 California ballots 20,000

U.S. District Judge David Carter blocked the DOJ from setting aside California mail ballots linked to 20,000 alleged noncitizens. Carter said the move would “wreak havoc” on an election already underway. The 9th Circuit also dismissed the DOJ’s emergency appeal in a 2-1 ruling on October 26.

Trump warns Iran that waiting until midterms ‘not going to help them’

President Donald Trump warned Wednesday that Iran’s waiting for the November 3 midterms is “not going to help them.” Trump said at a rally in Ohio that Tehran is having a hard time producing drones because it cannot get electricity, and when asked about renewed strikes he said “anything’s possible.”

4 days to midterms: Democrats lead in House and Senate forecasts

Decision Desk HQ gives Democrats an 80% chance of winning the House and a 60% chance of taking the Senate, four days before November 3. Competitive races in Ohio, Texas, Michigan, and Kansas are expected to determine control of the upper chamber.

Israeli opposition leader calls for first-ever coalition with Arab parties

Democrats party leader Yair Golan called Wednesday for Israel’s opposition to form a government with Arab parties, which would create a 67-seat Knesset majority. Only one Israeli coalition has included an Arab party, though Joint List leaders signaled openness to the arrangement.

Spain opens criminal probe into command center order behind crash

Spanish authorities opened a criminal probe into the command center order that sent a stopped train back onto the tracks before Wednesday’s fatal collision near Urda. Transport Minister Óscar Puente said the engineers were not at fault and blamed an override of an automatic safety stop.

Markets

S&P 500 falls as Alphabet drags Wall Street lower −1.38% NASDAQ

The S&P 500 fell 0.30%, the Dow dropped 0.25%, and the Nasdaq slid 1.38% on Thursday, weighed down by Alphabet’s record plunge. Futures pointed sharply lower Friday morning after Amazon and Intel reported weak results after the bell.

Gold drops to $4,017.70 as GDP beat boosts rate-hike odds

Gold fell to $4,017.70 per ounce on Thursday after the stronger-than-expected 3.4% GDP reading raised expectations for a December Fed rate hike. Silver dropped 2.4% alongside gold as money moved into U.S. Treasury bonds.

Amazon and Intel lead $291B after-hours earnings rout

Nine of ten major companies reporting earnings Thursday evening traded below their session close, led by Amazon’s 7% drop on a revenue and profit miss. The combined after-hours market value loss topped $291 billion, with only electric-vehicle maker Rivian posting gains.

Oil eases: Brent near $115, WTI at $102

Brent crude settled at $114.88 per barrel and WTI fell 0.8% to $102.00 on Thursday, easing on renewed hopes for Saudi-Iranian negotiations. Oil remains up more than 70% over the past 12 months, driven by the Iran conflict and Houthi attacks on Gulf shipping.

Bitcoin holds near $80,100 as tech rout deepens

Bitcoin traded at about $80,100 on Thursday, flat for the week and stuck in a narrow $79,000-to-$82,000 range. The largest cryptocurrency is down about 36% from its October 2025 high near $126,000.

Entertainment

Brewers win first World Series — beat Rays 4-1 in Game 5 1ST TITLE

The Milwaukee Brewers beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 in Game 5 on Wednesday night in St. Petersburg, Florida, clinching the franchise’s first World Series title in franchise history. Starter Jacob Misiorowski threw 5⅔ scoreless innings before leaving with a calf cramp, and catcher William Contreras was named series MVP.

F1: Antonelli one win from youngest championship ever

Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli, 20, can clinch the youngest Formula 1 world title in history at the Mexico City Grand Prix on Sunday. Antonelli leads teammate George Russell by 123 points after nine wins this season, including the U.S. Grand Prix in Austin last weekend.

No major releases dare open on Halloween weekend

With Halloween falling on a Saturday — one of the weakest days for ticket sales — no major studio scheduled a new wide release this weekend. A24’s Elizabeth Holmes documentary ‘You Can See Everything’ and Warner Bros.’ DC film ‘Clayface’ are expected to battle for No. 1 in holdover business.

NFL Week 8: Packers host Panthers on Thursday Night Football

The Green Bay Packers hosted the Carolina Panthers to open NFL Week 8 on Thursday Night Football. The marquee Sunday matchup features the Minnesota Vikings visiting the Detroit Lions, with the Vikings atop the NFC North.

‘The Gilded Age’ returns for Season 4 on HBO this Sunday

HBO’s period drama ‘The Gilded Age’ premieres its fourth season on Sunday, November 1, with Tony winner Adrienne Warren joining the cast. The series follows the social rivalries of 1880s New York high society and stars Christine Baranski and Carrie Coon.