Today’s desk

Monday, October 26, 2026 edition: 43 stories with labeled sources. Every brief from Monday, October 26, 2026 · All editions · RSS feed

Top Stories

• Israel votes Tuesday with Eisenkot bloc ahead in polls

  Israelis vote Tuesday in a tight race for the Knesset. Late polls from the October 23 cutoff put Gadi Eisenkot's group ahead of Benjamin Netanyahu's camp, The Jerusalem Post, Haaretz, and Jewish Insider reported. Neither side is near 61 seats.

• Machado returns to Venezuela after months in exile

  Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado came home Sunday after more than 10 months away, BBC News, NPR, and The Guardian reported. She posted "I am here. With you" as crowds met her in Lara and later in a Caracas convoy.

• Lula wins Brazil runoff; Flávio refuses to concede

  Lula won Brazil's national runoff 51.79 percent to 48.21 percent over Flávio Bolsonaro, The Guardian and G1 reported after a full count late Sunday. Flávio refused to concede. He said he wants the race voided over a two-hour voting extension.

• Trending now Anthropic files to go public on Nasdaq under ticker ANT

  Anthropic made its IPO filing public Monday, with plans to list on the Nasdaq under the ticker ANT. The filing shows $16.29 billion in revenue for the first half of 2026 and an $80.7 billion net loss. The company says most of that loss came from non-cash charges on convertible notes.

• Trump says no Iran strike today, weighs deal or force

  President Donald Trump said Sunday there would be no US strike on Iran that day. He framed a choice between a deal and military force. That came a day after he floated a possible strike "maybe tomorrow," Ynet and Moneycontrol reported.

• Hebron families displaced as Israeli forces take homes

  Palestinian families in Hebron say Israeli forces pushed them from homes after a deadly checkpoint attack, The Guardian and BBC News reported. The army said people who wished to leave could go for a time. The mayor called it group punishment.

• Zelenskyy confirms Ukraine-Russia-US talks in November

  President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday that Ukraine, Russia, and the US will meet in November to restart stalled peace talks, Euronews and The Guardian reported. The pages named no date for those talks yet. They also named no host city.

Politics

• Fifth Circuit denies bond hearings for many ICE holds

  According to the full Fifth Circuit ruling and reports by Fox News, the Texas Tribune, and Bloomberg Law, many people held by ICE after entering without inspection have no right to a bond hearing. The judges split 10 to 7. The order binds Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi.

• Ninth Circuit skeptical of DOJ California ballot bid

  A federal appeals panel pushed back Sunday on a Justice Department bid to freeze about 20,000 California mail ballots, NBC News and the Los Angeles Times reported. Judges have not ruled. The state says the federal name list is flawed.

• Blanche defends Alaska Senate suit; declines Trump order talk

  Attorney General Todd Blanche backed the Justice Department's Alaska Senate court case on Sunday TV news shows, The Guardian, Washington Examiner, Fox News, and CNBC reported. President Trump said he ordered the court filing. Blanche would not confirm Trump's claim.

Business

• Trending now Anthropic files to go public on Nasdaq under ticker ANT

  Anthropic made its IPO filing public Monday, with plans to list on the Nasdaq under the ticker ANT. The filing shows $16.29 billion in revenue for the first half of 2026 and an $80.7 billion net loss. The company says most of that loss came from non-cash charges on convertible notes.

• Bon Secours affiliate agrees to buy Surgery Partners for $5.7 billion

  An affiliate of Bon Secours Mercy Health agreed Monday to take Surgery Partners private in a deal worth about $5.7 billion with debt, Reuters reported. Shareholders other than Bain Capital will get $23.50 a share in cash. The shares jumped more than 46 percent, set for their best day in over six years.

• On this day, 1825: The Erie Canal opens

  On this day in 1825, the Erie Canal opened. It linked the Hudson River at Albany to Lake Erie at Buffalo. History.com and the Library of Congress say it helped make New York City the nation's top port in day-of coverage.

• Apollo economist says AI payoff is zero outside tech

  Apollo chief economist Torsten Slok says AI has so far brought no clear money gain for most firms outside tech, TechCrunch and the Indian Express reported. He points to flat margins in the S&P 493. Apollo's Daily Spark carries the same line.

• Oil slips from near six-month highs as Fed week opens

  Oil fell Monday from near six-month highs, with WTI near $101.13 and Brent near $114.60 early on, CNBC reported. Asian stocks also slipped ahead of Fed, ECB, and Bank of Japan calls and a big week of tech earnings reports.

• Musk says SpaceX closed $40 billion debt for AI chips

  Elon Musk said SpaceX closed $40 billion in debt to buy AI chips, CNBC and Reuters via Channel News Asia reported. He warned that many "neocloud" data firms without other revenue may fail. No public filing was cited yet on the pages.

Sports

• Bournemouth stun Manchester United 3-0 at Old Trafford

  Bournemouth beat Manchester United by three goals to nil at Old Trafford on Sunday in the Premier League. Rayan scored in the thirty-eighth minute. Marcus Tavernier and Evanilson added the other goals later, Sky Sports and The Guardian reported from the ground.

• Burrow throws four TDs as Bengals rout Ravens 35-13

  Joe Burrow threw four touchdown passes as the Bengals wiped out a 13-0 halftime hole and beat the Ravens 35-13 on Sunday in Baltimore. Lamar Jackson did not play, CBS Sports and an AP recap on ESPN reported, according to the counted outlets.

• Bates walk-off field goal lifts Lions over Packers

  Jake Bates kicked a 22-yard field goal as time ran out, and the Detroit Lions beat the Green Bay Packers 20-17 on Sunday in Detroit. The win snapped Green Bay's streak, CBS Sports and Deadspin reported, according to the counted outlets.

• Seahawks defense smothers Chiefs in 20-3 Sunday night win

  The Seattle Seahawks beat the unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs 20-3 on Sunday Night Football, NBC News and The Seattle Times reported. Seattle held Patrick Mahomes to 165 passing yards and slowed star back Kenneth Walker III all through the night.

• Thunder's Jalen Williams stretchered off with leg injury

  Oklahoma City star Jalen Williams left on a stretcher with a bad left-leg injury late in a 108-101 win over the Clippers, ESPN and NBC Sports reported. Coach Mark Daigneault said more news is due Monday. No diagnosis was given.

• Mbappé double lifts Real Madrid past Barcelona 2-1

  Kylian Mbappé scored twice, with a late 87th-minute winner, as Real Madrid beat Barcelona 2-1 at Camp Nou on Sunday night, The Guardian and BBC Sport reported. Raphinha had leveled the score after Mbappé's first goal around the 41st minute.

World

• Helen Haines improves to serious but stable as Parliament returns

  Australian MP Helen Haines is now serious but stable, up from critical, her hospital said Saturday. It was her first gain since the alleged attack at her office on October 19, which cost her both legs. Parliament met in Canberra Monday without her, with tighter security and time for MPs to back her.

• Kenya church bus crash kills 22 near Mtito Andei

  A church bus hit a truck on Kenya's Nairobi-Mombasa highway near Mtito Andei and killed at least 22 people, NBC News reported. The riders were heading home from a funeral. Kenyan media later put the death toll at 24 in day-of coverage.

• China opens fifth plenum with Xi anti-graft push

  China's Communist Party opened its fifth plenum Monday. The closed meeting runs four days through October 29 under Xi Jinping. The Straits Times and The Guardian say anti-graft themes sit at the center in day-of coverage this week this week.

• Portugal police clear housing camps, 33 hurt, 31 held

  Police in Lisbon and Porto cleared housing camps overnight Sunday. A revised tally put injuries at at least 33 and detentions at 31, Diário de Notícias said. The Guardian and Euronews also covered the dawn raids in day-of coverage this week.

• Le Pen launches presidential campaign at Orléans rally

  Marine Le Pen opened her race for president before thousands of fans in Orléans, Euronews and franceinfo reported, with organizers putting the crowd at 8,500. She vowed to restore the rule of law. Her top court appeal is still pending.

• Russian strikes kill four in Dnipro; Zelenskyy seeks Patriots

  Russian strikes killed four people and hurt 28 in Ukraine over the weekend, officials said, Euronews and ABC News reported. Zelenskyy said Russia fired about 1,600 guided bombs, 48 missiles, and nearly 2,300 drones in a week. He urged faster Patriot deliveries.

Tech

• UK puts £100 million into new AI biosecurity lab

  Britain will put £100 million of public money into a new AI Biosecurity Lab, BBC News and GOV.UK reported. The lab will use top AI models to spot germ threats sooner and speed vaccines. OpenAI and Anthropic are pledging up to £200 million in model credits.

• Instagram launches Apple TV app for watching Reels

  Instagram launched an Apple TV app so people can watch Reels and other video on a TV, MacRumors and The Verge reported. The App Store added Apple TV around October 23. Meta had already put the app on Fire TV, Google TV, and Samsung sets.

• Google privacy update ties Gmail and Photos data to ads

  Google changed its privacy rules so Gmail and Photos data used by AI help tools may also shape ads, The Verge and Ars Technica reported. Google says users must opt in first and can cut the link in account settings.

• NHTSA proposes cyan lights to mark robotaxis in control

  US road safety officials want cyan marker lamps on self-driving cars. The lamps would show when the software is in control, The Verge, Electrek, and the Federal Register reported Sunday. Comments on the plan are due by November 25, 2026.

Entertainment

• Peggy King, George Gobel Show singer, dies at 96

  According to Variety, Peggy King, the singer known for The George Gobel Show, died Sunday at 96. She had Alzheimer's and died at a care home in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania. Her publicist confirmed the death to Variety in day-of coverage this week.

• xAI releases first seven minutes of Grok Odyssey

  Elon Musk's xAI released the first seven minutes of an AI-made take on Homer's Odyssey built with Grok, Variety and TechCrunch reported. The clip credits Wonder Studios and director Dev Walker. Musk had promised a full film by year end.

• H3 Podcast crew cuts ties with Ethan Klein

  The H3 Podcast crew cut ties with co-host Ethan Klein and put the show on pause after his wife, Hila Klein, said he had been having an affair, Variety and the Los Angeles Times reported. Ethan asked for privacy. He said his family shares the outrage.

• Trump posts 1,323-word Truth Social attack on Bill Maher

  President Trump posted a long Truth Social attack on Bill Maher. It ran 1,323 words, his longest post ever by CNN's count, CNN and Deadline reported on Sunday. He called Maher a "complete and total loser" after Friday's HBO show.

• Looney Tunes voice actor Eric Bauza dies at 46

  Eric Bauza, the modern voice of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, has died at 46, BBC News and The Guardian reported. His family said he died suddenly. Variety said a heart and blood-pressure disease caused the death at home Sunday.

Health

• England study finds breast screening gap by ethnicity

  According to The Guardian, Black, Asian, and mixed-ethnicity women in England were less likely than white women to learn they had breast cancer through routine scans. They were more likely to be found after urgent referral or emergency care. The study covered diagnoses from 2009 to 2019.

• Lilly's retatrutide cuts sleep apnea events in phase 3

  Eli Lilly's test drug retatrutide cut sleep apnea events a lot in two big phase 3 trials. EMJ and Physician's Weekly reported the new results, citing the New England Journal of Medicine. The shot is not FDA-approved for sale yet.

Science & Climate

• NASA ends Swift mission ahead of Earth re-entry

  According to SpaceNews, NASA has shut down its Swift space telescope after more than twenty years of burst science, and a private reboost try failed. SpaceNews says the craft should fall back to Earth in November after that failed boost.

• Scientists recreate Roman color-changing Lycurgus glass

  Sheffield scientists say they remade the color-changing glass of Rome's Lycurgus Cup, which looks green in normal light and red when lit from behind, The Guardian and GB News reported. Tiny gold and silver bits create that light shift effect.

Lifestyle

• On this day, 1881: Gunfight at the O.K. Corral

  On this day in 1881, Wyatt Earp, his brothers Virgil and Morgan, and Doc Holliday faced Ike and Billy Clanton and the McLaury brothers in Tombstone. The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral lasted about 30 seconds, History.com and Wikipedia note.

• Colton police recover $54,000 in stolen Hot Wheels cars

  Colton, California, police recovered about $54,000 in Hot Wheels toy cars after a train break-in. NBC Los Angeles, CBS Los Angeles, and the Los Angeles Times reported the haul. Officers said they seized 350 boxes and booked one suspect on theft charges.

• Part of London's Oxford Street goes traffic-free Monday

  Part of London's Oxford Street went car-free Monday. The closed stretch runs between Orchard Street and Great Portland Street, the Evening Standard, The Guardian, BBC, and City Hall reported. Mayor Sadiq Khan called it the first step in a wider plan.