Monday brought a heavy mix of politics, markets and world news for Virginia Times readers: Meta unveiled a $35 billion stock sale to fund its AI buildout, Anthropic filed for a Nasdaq listing, Democrats opened a nine-point lead on the congressional ballot, early voting began in Washington, and Lula won a fourth term in Brazil, alongside major developments on Iran, Ukraine, measles in Pennsylvania and flooding in the Four Corners.
In This Recap
- Meta Launches $35 Billion Stock Sale to Support AI Buildout
- Trump Promotes $250 Million-Plus Plan to Recruit Nursing Home Nurses
- Democrats Lead Republicans by 9 Points on Congressional Ballot
- European Defense Ministers Call Russia Top Threat, Back Ukraine
- Pennsylvania Measles Cases Reach 1,360 Across 44 Counties
- Bond Granted for Man Accused of Smashing Iwo Jima Statue
- Anthropic Files S-1 for Nasdaq IPO Under Symbol ANT
- Early Voting Opens in DC for Mayor, Delegate Races
- Voronezh Drone Attack Kills Two, Injures 17, Governor Says
- Jordan Arrests Three Relatives Over Deadly Church Attack
- SpaceX Signs $40 Billion GPU Lease Deal With Apollo Entity
- Liberman Seeks Treason Probe of Netanyahu Over Iran Allegations
- Nurse Killed in Attack on Ebola Response Team in Congo
- DOJ Charges 48 Noncitizens With Election-Related Crimes
- U.S. Survey Points to 25% Drop in Serious Violent Victimization
- D.C. Police Seek Tips After 16-Year-Old Killed in Northeast
- Judiciary Democrats Call for Epstein Special Counsel
- Teen Arrested in Perry Street Shooting That Injured 12
- US Ready for Major Iran Strikes if Trump Orders, Officials Say
- Katz Says Israel Won't Attack Iran Before Election
- Former Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda Dies at 90
- Yemen Coalition Says It Destroyed Houthi Missile Tunnels, Launchers
- Govt Acknowledges India Border Encroachment, Gives No Details
- Russia Struck 52 Zaporizhzhia Settlements 857 Times, Officials Say
- Lula Wins Fourth Term in Brazil Runoff
- Evacuations to Start as Cyclone Arnab Nears India's East Coast
- Four Corners Flooding Closes Bridges, Prompts Evacuations
- Petro Denies Trading Government Contracts for Sex
- Voting Opens in New Zealand With No Clear Frontrunner
1 Meta Launches $35 Billion Stock Sale to Support AI Buildout
Meta launched about $35 billion in stock offerings and outlined a roughly $60 billion at-the-market program for its Class C shares, part of a financing plan of up to $95 billion behind its AI infrastructure spending.
2 Trump Promotes $250 Million-Plus Plan to Recruit Nursing Home Nurses
President Donald Trump promoted the Nurses for Nursing Homes initiative on Monday, a federal-state effort of more than $250 million offering grants of up to $50,000 to nurses who work in rural or understaffed nursing homes.
3 Democrats Lead Republicans by 9 Points on Congressional Ballot
Democrats lead Republicans 53% to 44% among likely voters in a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted Oct. 22-26. Democrats also lead on the economy, while President Trump's approval stands at 32% overall and 20% on living costs.
4 European Defense Ministers Call Russia Top Threat, Back Ukraine
The defense ministers of France, Germany, Italy, Poland and Britain called Russia the most serious long-term threat to Euro-Atlantic security and pledged continued political, military and financial support for Ukraine.
5 Pennsylvania Measles Cases Reach 1,360 Across 44 Counties
Pennsylvania has confirmed 1,360 measles cases across 44 counties this year, with 258 hospitalizations and five deaths, the state Department of Health said Monday. Only four cases were in vaccinated people, and the department is urging vaccination and running pop-up clinics statewide.
6 Bond Granted for Man Accused of Smashing Iwo Jima Statue
A judge granted a $2,500 secured bond Monday to Miguel Alonso Maldonado Soriano, accused of beheading a figure on the Quantico Iwo Jima monument with a sledgehammer.
7 Anthropic Files S-1 for Nasdaq IPO Under Symbol ANT
Anthropic said Monday it filed a Form S-1 with the SEC for a proposed Nasdaq IPO under the symbol ANT. The filing reports $16.29 billion in revenue for the first half of 2026 and an $80.7 billion net loss, most of it a fair-value charge.
8 Early Voting Opens in DC for Mayor, Delegate Races
Early voting opened Monday in the District of Columbia at 25 centers open daily through Nov. 1. Voters will choose a new mayor for the first time in 12 years and a new congressional delegate for the first time in 35 years.
9 Voronezh Drone Attack Kills Two, Injures 17, Governor Says
Governor Alexander Gusev said a drone attack on Russia's Voronezh region killed two men and injured 17 people, including a child. Air defences destroyed 113 drones, a Moscow-bound passenger train was damaged and rail services were suspended.
10 Jordan Arrests Three Relatives Over Deadly Church Attack
Jordanian security forces arrested two brothers and their brother-in-law after a shootout in Karak, three days after gunmen killed nine people during a funeral at a Greek Orthodox church in Hamoud, officials said.
11 SpaceX Signs $40 Billion GPU Lease Deal With Apollo Entity
SpaceX said in an SEC filing Monday that it has signed a binding commitment for a finance lease with an Apollo-managed entity, covering GPU pods and related equipment for its data centers, with principal payments expected to total about $40 billion.
12 Liberman Seeks Treason Probe of Netanyahu Over Iran Allegations
Avigdor Liberman asked Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara on Monday to open a criminal investigation into Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for treason, alleging he pressed security chiefs toward steps that could trigger a miscalculation with Iran ahead of Tuesday's election.
13 Nurse Killed in Attack on Ebola Response Team in Congo
A nurse answering an Ebola alert in Bafwasende, Tshopo province, was killed by protesters on Saturday and another health worker was badly hurt, UN officials said, in Congo's deadliest Ebola outbreak on record.
14 DOJ Charges 48 Noncitizens With Election-Related Crimes
The Justice Department said Monday it has charged 48 noncitizens in five states with election-related crimes, including illegal voting, fraudulent registration and false claims of U.S. citizenship to register or vote.
15 U.S. Survey Points to 25% Drop in Serious Violent Victimization
Serious violent victimization fell 25% in 2025, to 7.4 per 1,000 people age 12 or older, according to preliminary estimates from a national household survey released Monday by the Bureau of Justice Statistics.
16 D.C. Police Seek Tips After 16-Year-Old Killed in Northeast
D.C. police are seeking tips after 16-year-old Jabrell Young was found with apparent gunshot wounds at a Northeast Washington residence. MPD offers a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction.
17 Judiciary Democrats Call for Epstein Special Counsel
House Judiciary Democrats released a staff report Monday calling for an independent special counsel to investigate Jeffrey Epstein's co-conspirators. The report cites accounts involving 11 women, and the White House rejected the allegations.
18 Teen Arrested in Perry Street Shooting That Injured 12
Tallahassee police have arrested a 15-year-old in Saturday night's Perry Street shooting. He faces 11 counts of attempted second-degree murder, and police say more arrests are possible.
19 US Ready for Major Iran Strikes if Trump Orders, Officials Say
U.S. forces in the Middle East could launch new, potentially major operations against Iran within 96 hours of an order from President Donald Trump, two U.S. officials told CNN, with Israel pressing for joint action and mediators heading to Tehran.
20 Katz Says Israel Won't Attack Iran Before Election
Defense Minister Israel Katz said Monday Israel had no intention of initiating an attack on Iran before Tuesday's elections, calling reports of disagreements between the political leadership and the IDF completely baseless and false, and warning that Israel would respond with great force if Iran attacked.
21 Former Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda Dies at 90
Yasuo Fukuda, who served as Japan's prime minister from 2007 to 2008, has died at 90. Fukuda and his father, Takeo Fukuda, were the first father and son to lead Japan in its constitutional history.
22 Yemen Coalition Says It Destroyed Houthi Missile Tunnels, Launchers
The coalition supporting Yemen's government said it destroyed Houthi missile storage tunnels and launchers and targeted supply routes. Its statement gave no strike date or casualty figures, and the account could not be independently verified.
23 Govt Acknowledges India Border Encroachment, Gives No Details
The Foreign Ministry acknowledged cross-border occupation and encroachment on no-man's-land in some areas along the India border in a written response to lawmaker Nishkal Rai, but named no locations.
24 Russia Struck 52 Zaporizhzhia Settlements 857 Times, Officials Say
Russia launched 857 attacks on 52 settlements in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region over the past day, regional officials said. Drones accounted for 674 of the strikes, and officials logged 60 reports of damage to homes, vehicles and infrastructure.
25 Lula Wins Fourth Term in Brazil Runoff
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva defeated Sen. Flavio Bolsonaro in Brazil's presidential runoff, securing a fourth nonconsecutive term after reversing the first-round result.
26 Evacuations to Start as Cyclone Arnab Nears India's East Coast
Coastal evacuation in Andhra Pradesh gets under way Monday evening, officials said, as Cyclone Arnab moves over the Bay of Bengal toward a Wednesday morning landfall with gusts that may reach 140 kph.
27 Four Corners Flooding Closes Bridges, Prompts Evacuations
The U.S. 160 bridge over the San Juan River stayed closed Oct. 25 as Four Corners flooding prompted evacuations in southeastern Utah, closed a second bridge and disrupted Shiprock's wastewater plant.
28 Petro Denies Trading Government Contracts for Sex
Former Colombian President Gustavo Petro denied exchanging government contracts for sex and using public power to obtain sexual relations. In a statement addressing Semana magazine, he accused opponents of invading his private life.
29 Voting Opens in New Zealand With No Clear Frontrunner
Advance voting opened in New Zealand on Monday for the Nov. 7 general election, with 207 places open and polling showing no clear frontrunner ahead of election day.
Editor’s Note: This recap was prepared with the assistance of AI tools. Virginia Times gathered the source material from multiple sources and thoroughly reviewed the information before publication.
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