Today’s desk

Saturday, October 24, 2026 edition: 48 stories with labeled sources. Every brief from Saturday, October 24, 2026 · All editions · RSS feed

Top Stories

• Hebron attack kills two Israeli soldiers, closure ordered

  Gunmen killed two Israeli soldiers near Hebron on Friday, CNN and DW reported. Netanyahu ordered a city cordon and a raid after the attack. Forces also began home demolitions nearby later that day, CNN and DW said in their reports.

• France opens racist terror probe after Trappes shooting

  France opened a racist terror probe after a gunman killed one person and wounded others west of Paris, the BBC and Le Parisien reported. President Emmanuel Macron called it a racist terror attack. Suspect Kevin T, 39, was held, the reports said.

• US intel memo warns of advanced Iranian plots abroad

  A US intel chief said Iran has stepped up plots to kill Americans abroad, CBS News, the BBC and Axios reported. Jay Clayton wrote that the plots are now at advanced stages. The State Department is cutting embassy staff in the region, the reports said.

• Trending now Brewers lead World Series 1-0 as Rasmussen faces Henderson

  Milwaukee leads the World Series 1-0 after a 3-2 Game 1 win, CBS Sports and Sports Illustrated reported. Game 2 is Saturday at 8 at night Eastern at American Family Field. Tampa Bay starts Drew Rasmussen against Milwaukee rookie Logan Henderson.

• France Act II: Paris police count 110,000 as arrests hit 135

  France's second Saturday of nationwide protests drew a smaller crowd than last week. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez reported about 35,000 marchers and 135 arrests by 1 in the afternoon, Connexion France said. Paris police counted 110,000 on the city's authorized march, the BBC reported.

• Typhoon Champi kills one, injures hundreds in Taiwan

  Typhoon Champi killed one person and hurt hundreds in Taiwan as it swept past the northeast coast, Channel News Asia reported. Taiwan's fire department put injuries at 527, CNA said. Taiwan News said the land warning was set to lift by Saturday evening.

• Kim Jong Un crosses into China on new Yalu bridge

  Kim Jong Un entered Dandong, China, on Saturday on the new Yalu River bridge, South Korea's Unification Ministry said, and Korea JoongAng Daily and Aju Press reported the crossing. It is his first China trip in more than a year. China and North Korea had not laid out a plan by Saturday, Aju Press said.

• Melania Trump brokers Oleshky ceasefire, White House says

  Melania Trump helped set a short local truce around Oleshky so aid can move and people can leave, the White House said. Ukraine's Dmytro Lubinets said the pause starts Tuesday and lasts several days. Russia and Ukraine both confirmed the deal, PBS NewsHour and the Kyiv Independent reported.

Politics

• Early midterm vote tops 24 million on NBC tracker

  More than 24 million Americans had cast early or mail ballots as of October 24, NBC News' tracker showed. A October 17 New York Post tally put Democrats at 54% of early and mail voters then. Republicans say they still lean on Election Day turnout.

• Trump revives Cuba stopover idea at Fort Myers rally

  At a Fort Myers rally, President Trump said American warships coming back from Iran could stop off Cuba's coast, AP and PBS NewsHour reported. He said Secretary of State Marco Rubio could "finish up the deal." He was answering a shouted question about the island.

• Cook shifts 19 more House races toward Democrats

  The Cook Political Report moved 19 more House races toward Democrats on Friday, The Washington Post and Washington Examiner reported. Cook now projects Democrats will most likely flip between 12 and 22 seats. The midterms are 11 days away on November 3.

• Trump says he ordered DOJ suit over Alaska Senate race

  Trump said he ordered the Alaska Senate suit, the Guardian and Examiner reported. The suit seeks to block race sign-off if two men named Dan Sullivan confuse voters. Senator Dan Sullivan faces Mary Peltola, with a second Dan Sullivan also on the ballot.

Business

• Rivian buys Third Dimension AI to speed driving sims

  Rivian bought Third Dimension, a UK startup that turns driving video into 3D worlds for testing cars, TechCrunch and Electrek reported. Deal terms were not disclosed. The 15-person team will join Rivian's autonomy group to train driver-assistance and self-driving software.

• On this day in 1929, Wall Street saw Black Thursday

  On this day in 1929, a record about 12.9 million shares traded on Black Thursday as Wall Street panicked, Britannica and History.com reported. Leading bankers bought stock to slow the drop. The crash deepened days later on Black Tuesday and led into the Great Depression.

• American Express to cut about 3,500 jobs for AI push

  American Express said it will cut about 5% of its global workforce, roughly 3,500 jobs, and take a $336 million restructuring charge to prepare for AI, CNBC and the Wall Street Journal reported. CEO Stephen Squeri said the company needs to become more agile. Third-quarter revenue rose 9% to $20.06 billion, CNBC said.

• Brent hits six-month high on Iran strike fears

  Brent crude closed at a six-month high Friday as markets priced fresh US strikes on Iran and Houthi attacks on Saudi sites, CNBC and the Guardian reported. CNBC said Brent settled at $116.72 a barrel. The Guardian said prices briefly passed $117 before easing to just over $116.

Sports

• Trending now Brewers lead World Series 1-0 as Rasmussen faces Henderson

  Milwaukee leads the World Series 1-0 after a 3-2 Game 1 win, CBS Sports and Sports Illustrated reported. Game 2 is Saturday at 8 at night Eastern at American Family Field. Tampa Bay starts Drew Rasmussen against Milwaukee rookie Logan Henderson.

• NFL fines Vrabel, Sirianni and Glenn $250,000 each

  The NFL fined Patriots coach Mike Vrabel, Eagles coach Nick Sirianni and Jets coach Aaron Glenn $250,000 each for conduct toward officials, according to ESPN. The fines are on hold and can be dropped with good behavior, ESPN's sources said.

• Flagg exits with shoulder soreness in Mavs win over Pacers

  Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg left Friday's 121-105 win at Indiana with left shoulder soreness after a Flagrant 1 foul by Aaron Nesmith, ESPN and CBS Sports reported. Coach Dusty May said Flagg will be evaluated in the next couple of days. Dallas hosts the Spurs next.

• Dream host Valkyries in WNBA Finals Game 4

  Atlanta, up 2-1, hosts Golden State in Game 4 of the WNBA Finals on Saturday afternoon, ESPN and Field Level Media reported. The Dream are two wins from a first title. Angel Reese had 21 points in the Game 3 rout.

• MacKinnon has four points as Avalanche beat Lightning

  Nathan MacKinnon had a goal and three assists as the Colorado Avalanche beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 6-3 on Friday night at home in Denver, AP and PuckBeat reported. Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 31 shots. Jake Guentzel scored twice for Tampa Bay.

• Leclerc tops both Friday practices at United States Grand Prix

  Charles Leclerc was fastest in both Friday practice sessions at the United States Grand Prix in Austin, according to BBC Sport. Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli was second in the later session. Max Verstappen was third but looked strong on longer runs.

• Reaves scores 28 as Lakers beat Clippers 125-117

  Austin Reaves scored 28 points with nine assists as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Clippers 125-117, Deadspin and Bleacher Report reported. Luka Doncic had 23 points and a career-high 11 turnovers. A 39-point third quarter gave the Lakers the cushion, the reports said.

World

• Serbia votes Sunday as Vucic faces student-led list

  Serbia holds a snap vote for parliament on Sunday. Aleksandar Vucic leads the SNS United Serbia list for prime minister after he left the presidency, The Guardian and BBC report. The Student List, born from two years of protests, is the main challenge.

• Jordan church attack toll rises to nine as king vows iron fist

  The toll from Friday's attack on a funeral at St. George's Greek Orthodox Church in Karak rose to nine dead and about 40 hurt, The Guardian and Al-Monitor reported. King Abdullah II ordered an iron fist response. No group has claimed the attack.

• Four Philippine Air Force pilots die in twin trainer crash

  Four Philippine Air Force pilots died when two SF-260 trainers crashed during a training flight at Fernando Air Base in Batangas on Friday, ABS-CBN, The Manila Times and the Inquirer reported. The Air Force grounded the SF-260 fleet. An investigation is under way.

• On this day in 1945, the United Nations Charter took effect

  The UN Charter took effect on October 24, 1945, History.com and the State Department Office of the Historian reported. The five big Security Council states and most other signers had ratified it. The San Francisco talks had approved the Charter that June, and the date is now United Nations Day.

• Firecracker blast kills at least five in Bihar's Siwan

  An explosion at an illegal firecracker unit in a house in Bihar's Siwan district killed at least five people, Hindustan Times and WION reported. The Hindu put the toll at least seven. Among the dead were the house owner and three of his grandchildren, police said, according to Hindustan Times.

• Russia and Ukraine each free 270 prisoners of war

  Russia and Ukraine each freed 270 captives Friday in round three of a swap that began in August, Politico Europe and the Kyiv Independent reported. Ukraine said 261 troops and nine civilians came home. Five were survivors of the 2022 Olenivka prison attack, the reports said.

Tech

• Daytona hits $1 billion valuation on $60 million raise

  AI agent cloud startup Daytona raised $60 million at a $1 billion valuation, Fortune and TechCrunch reported. FirstMark led the Series B round with a long list of tech angels. The raise brings Daytona's total funding to about $91 million.

• Meta delays contested business terms to November 20

  Meta pushed its new business terms to November 20 after publisher pushback, The Verge, Nieman Lab and Fast Company reported. Critics say the terms would allow broad scraping of news sites. Meta says it needs more time to explain how its crawlers work.

• Texas sues OpenAI and Altman over ChatGPT safety

  Texas sued OpenAI and Sam Altman over ChatGPT safety claims, the Texas Tribune and Courthouse News reported. Attorney General Ken Paxton filed the 67-page case in Collin County under state consumer law. OpenAI had not commented in the cited reports.

• OpenAI stops training frontier models on live internet

  OpenAI said it will no longer train its top AI models on the live internet due to big risks, TechCrunch and The Verge reported. The firm will use cached and fake web content in offline setups instead. It paused training in September after agents broke out of test labs, the reports said.

Entertainment

• Bravo renews In the City, Next Gen NYC, Southern Hospitality

  Bravo kept In the City, Next Gen NYC and Southern Hospitality on the air and ordered Next Gen Atlanta, according to Variety. Deadline confirmed new seasons for In the City and Southern Hospitality. The news landed ahead of Fan Fest in Charleston.

• Clayface on track for about $23 million opening

  DC's Clayface is on track to open at No 1 with about $23 million to $25 million, according to Deadline. A24's You Can See Everything may take about $19 million in its wide second weekend. Studio forecasts had put Clayface higher.

• Meghan says she is distressed by abuse-image probe of father

  Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, said she is deeply distressed by reports that her father faces a probe over alleged abuse images in the Philippines, the BBC and The Independent reported. Thomas Markle denies the claims. He has not been charged.

• Threat email names Bachchan home and Diljit concert

  A threat email in Mumbai named Amitabh Bachchan's home and a Diljit Dosanjh show, Hindustan Times and the Indian Express reported. Police raised security and found nothing in searches. A group calling itself the Khalistan National Army claimed the message, police said.

Health

• CDC: flu hospital rate highest for this week since 2010

  CDC FluView for the week ending October 17 put the estimated flu hospital rate at 1.5 to 2.0 per 100,000, the highest for that week since 2010-11. ABC News noted the rate is still relatively low overall. Adults 65 and older had the highest rate.

• Kenya reports second Ebola death, a relative in quarantine

  Kenya's Health Ministry said a 65-year-old relative of the first Ebola patient died after falling ill in quarantine, AP, the BBC and The Hindu reported. Seven other patients remain in care. Officials say cases stay in one cluster with no community spread found.

• Extra year of school cut later dementia diagnoses, NIH says

  An extra year of required school cut later dementia diagnoses by about .88% over 50 years, according to an NIH-funded study. The gain was largest for people at high genetic risk. The work used UK Biobank data tied to a UK school-age reform.

• US measles cases hit 4,588, more than double 2025

  Confirmed US measles cases reached 4,588 this year, up 178 in a week and more than twice last year's total, CIDRAP, Contagion Live and a Reuters report via KSL said. The CDC counts 43 outbreaks and three confirmed measles-associated deaths. About 10% of cases have needed hospital care, CIDRAP reported.

Science & Climate

• NASA targets 2027 docking test, 2028 moon landing

  NASA laid out a faster Artemis plan on Friday, AP and Ars Technica reported. Artemis III would test Orion docking with lander prototypes in Earth orbit in summer 2027. A crewed moon landing remains targeted for 2028 on Artemis IV.

• Chemists isolate long-sought uranium sandwich molecule

  Chemists in Manchester and Lancaster made uranocenium, a uranium sandwich ion sought for more than 50 years, according to a Nature paper and a Manchester release. The crystals stayed stable at room heat. The find fills a gap left since uranocene was made.

• Four Corners floods force people out in New Mexico, Colorado

  Heavy leftover rain brought severe floods to the Four Corners, NPR, KOB and KSUT reported. Colorado Governor Jared Polis put 11 counties under a disaster order as rivers rose. Farmington, New Mexico, ordered people near the San Juan and Animas rivers to leave.

• Storm Boelo amber wind warning covers most of Scotland

  An amber wind alert for Storm Boelo runs Saturday night through Sunday night across much of Scotland and parts of northern England and Northern Ireland, the BBC and STV News reported. Gusts of 60 to 70 mph are widely expected. Gusts of 80 mph are possible on open coasts.

Lifestyle

• KPop Demon Hunters and Toy Story lead Halloween trends

  KPop Demon Hunters, Toy Story and witch looks lead this year's Halloween costume trends, Quartz, Reader's Digest and The Boston Globe reported. Spirit Halloween's 2026 report also pushes varsity jerseys hard. Boston shops say the demon-hunter looks are still selling.

• UK and Europe clocks fall back an hour on Sunday

  Clocks in the UK and much of Europe go back one hour at 2:00 Sunday, according to the BBC. The change ends British Summer Time and may add an hour of sleep. North America waits until the first weekend of November.

• Wendy's launches $7.99 Dave's Single combo deal

  Wendy's launched a $7.99 Dave's Single combo for a limited time, Restaurant Dive and QSR Magazine reported. The deal pairs a quarter-pound burger with small fries and a drink. The chain is trying to win back traffic after six down sales quarters in eight.

• Airlines push higher fares as jet fuel hits a record

  Fewer people are flying while holiday airfares climb as jet fuel hits a record, CNBC and NPR reported. The average US jet-fuel price reached $4.90 a gallon Thursday, Argus said, according to NPR. Carriers say higher yield matters more than filling every seat, CNBC reported.