Wednesday's Virginia Times coverage was dominated by the run-up to the Nov. 3 midterms and a deadly train collision in Spain. A federal judge blocked a $20 million taxpayer-funded Trump ad campaign, the Fed held rates steady, the death toll in Spain rose to 68, Israel's partial count put Likud ahead, and a poll put President Trump's approval at 39%.
In This Recap
- Judge Blocks Trump’s $20 Million Taxpayer-Funded Ads
- Trump Demands Peltola, Other Sullivan Off Alaska Ballot
- Reuters: 100-Plus Subpoenas Seek Voter Records in a Dozen States
- Microsoft Revenue Climbs 19% to $92.3 Billion as Azure Jumps 48%
- Robinhood Reports Record Revenue, Lower Third-Quarter Profit
- UK Establishes AI Biosecurity Lab Backed by OpenAI, Anthropic
- Bank of Canada Hikes Rate to 2.5%, Its First Increase Since 2023
- Netanyahu’s Party Seeks Police Inquiry Into Vote Theft Claims
- Fed Holds Rates Steady as Two Policymakers Favor an Increase
- Jordan Says Strikes in Syria Killed Over 20 Islamic State Militants
- Supreme Court Keeps Bar on Shelving Deportation Cases
- Death Toll in Spain Train Accident Rises to 68, García-Page Says
- Poll: Trump Approval Falls to 39% as Democrats Widen Midterm Lead
- Netanyahu’s Likud Leads Partial Israeli Election Count With 20.74%
- Ukraine Works on Legal Changes to Implement NATO Forces Agreement
- Zelenskyy Says He and Trump Differ on How to End Russia’s War
- AP: ICE Has Held Mentally Ill US Citizen for Nearly 10 Months
- At Least 68 Dead as Two High-Speed Trains Collide in Spain
- Renfe Reports Deaths in Accident Involving 2 Trains in Spain
- Bolsonaro Flees Brazil for US After Election Loss, Officials Say
- Fires at Russian Steel and Chemical Plants After Overnight Attacks
- Over 100 Killed in Nyala Market Drone Strike, Rights Group Says
- Trump Ties Respect for Midterms to ‘Honest Elections’
- Justice Department Sues Anne Arundel Schools Over Gender Policies
- Trump Promises 1 Million Barrels of Venezuelan Oil, Free
- Lilly Endowment Awards $7.5M to Elizabeth Dole Foundation
- Oleshky Ceasefire Holds for 30 Hours, Ukraine’s Lubinets Says
- Bhatt Jury Hears Searches About Missing Spouse; Defense Questions Timing
1 Judge Blocks Trump’s $20 Million Taxpayer-Funded Ads
A federal judge in Washington granted the DNC a temporary restraining order against a $20 million taxpayer-funded Trump ad campaign, staying the budget apportionment and ordering the government to stop airing and distributing the challenged ads.
2 Trump Demands Peltola, Other Sullivan Off Alaska Ballot
President Donald Trump demanded that Mary Peltola and a second Dan Sullivan be removed from the Alaska Senate ballot, accusing Democrats of recruiting the other Sullivan to confuse voters and of lying under oath about it.
3 Reuters: 100-Plus Subpoenas Seek Voter Records in a Dozen States
The Trump administration has issued more than 100 subpoenas demanding records on tens of thousands of voters in at least a dozen states ahead of the midterms, Reuters reported, including at least 44 issued under grand jury authority.
4 Microsoft Revenue Climbs 19% to $92.3 Billion as Azure Jumps 48%
Microsoft reported $92.3 billion in fiscal first-quarter revenue as Azure grew 48%. Net income reached $36.6 billion, while Microsoft Cloud revenue rose 30%.
5 Robinhood Reports Record Revenue, Lower Third-Quarter Profit
Robinhood reported record third-quarter revenue of $1.42 billion, but net income fell 14% as cryptocurrency transaction revenue declined and operating expenses increased.
6 UK Establishes AI Biosecurity Lab Backed by OpenAI, Anthropic
Britain is establishing an AI Biosecurity Lab with £100 million in government funding and up to £200 million in commitments from OpenAI and Anthropic to detect biological threats earlier and speed up vaccines and treatments.
7 Bank of Canada Hikes Rate to 2.5%, Its First Increase Since 2023
The Bank of Canada raised its overnight rate target by 25 basis points to 2.5% on Wednesday, its first increase since July 2023, as Governor Tiff Macklem warned that elevated energy prices could spill over into broader inflation.
8 Netanyahu’s Party Seeks Police Inquiry Into Vote Theft Claims
Netanyahu’s Likud party wants police, the Shin Bet and election officials to investigate alleged fraud at Arab polling stations. Its statement does not establish whether the alleged offenses occurred or affected the outcome.
9 Fed Holds Rates Steady as Two Policymakers Favor an Increase
The Federal Reserve kept its benchmark rate at 3.75% to 4% in a 10-2 vote. Lisa D. Cook and Beth M. Hammack favored a quarter-point increase, while the committee said inflation remained elevated.
10 Jordan Says Strikes in Syria Killed Over 20 Islamic State Militants
Jordan said its airstrikes in southern Syria killed more than 20 Islamic State militants after a deadly church attack. Syria said seven people, including three children, also died and condemned the strikes.
11 Supreme Court Keeps Bar on Shelving Deportation Cases
The Supreme Court refused to reinstate immigration judges’ power to shelve deportation cases, leaving in place a Trump administration-Texas agreement that bars administrative closure while litigation continues.
12 Death Toll in Spain Train Accident Rises to 68, García-Page Says
Emiliano García-Page said the latest data show 68 people dead after the accident involving a Renfe AVE train and an Iryo train in Toledo province. Emergency units remain mobilized at the scene near Urda.
13 Poll: Trump Approval Falls to 39% as Democrats Widen Midterm Lead
Trump’s approval fell to 39% in the October Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll. Democrats led Republicans 52% to 48% among likely congressional voters, while half of registered voters said their personal finances were getting worse.
14 Netanyahu’s Likud Leads Partial Israeli Election Count With 20.74%
Likud leads Israel’s partial election count with 20.74% of valid votes, ahead of Yashar’s 16.19%. The figures remain provisional, with final results due for publication by Nov. 4.
15 Ukraine Works on Legal Changes to Implement NATO Forces Agreement
Ukraine’s Defense Ministry brought together representatives of 18 state institutions to discuss legal changes needed to implement NATO SOFA, including criminal jurisdiction, damage claims, customs and taxes.
16 Zelenskyy Says He and Trump Differ on How to End Russia’s War
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he and President Donald Trump want to end Russia’s war but disagree on the approach. In interview excerpts, he discusses Putin’s thinking, pressure on Ukraine and the country’s use of decentralized infrastructure.
17 AP: ICE Has Held Mentally Ill US Citizen for Nearly 10 Months
An AP investigation found ICE has held Phillip James, 39, in Indiana since early January while seeking to deport him, even as his mother, lawyers and public records say he was born in Florida, not Jamaica as he claims.
18 At Least 68 Dead as Two High-Speed Trains Collide in Spain
At least 68 people died when a high-speed train ran into a stopped train in Toledo province, Spain, on Oct. 28, regional president Emiliano García-Page said. There were 544 people aboard the two trains.
19 Renfe Reports Deaths in Accident Involving 2 Trains in Spain
Renfe reported deaths and injuries after an accident involving an AVE train and an Iryo train in Toledo province. Rail traffic between Madrid, Ciudad Real and Andalusia was suspended.
20 Bolsonaro Flees Brazil for US After Election Loss, Officials Say
Flavio Bolsonaro fled Brazil for the United States two days after losing the presidential runoff, according to U.S. officials. A senior State Department official said Washington will issue visas to him and his family despite a court order barring him from leaving.
21 Fires at Russian Steel and Chemical Plants After Overnight Attacks
Fires were reported at Russia’s Novolipetsk steel plant and the Azot chemical plant after overnight attacks, as Moscow claimed 531 Ukrainian drones were destroyed and Kyiv did not comment.
22 Over 100 Killed in Nyala Market Drone Strike, Rights Group Says
Emergency Lawyers said a drone strike on a busy Nyala market killed more than 100 people and injured 113. MSF said its hospital received 36 bodies and saw more than 150 wounded, and the tolls have not been reconciled.
23 Trump Ties Respect for Midterms to ‘Honest Elections’
President Trump said he will respect the Nov. 3 midterm results only if they are “honest elections.” The comment, to reporters at Joint Base Andrews, came a day after he warned of fraud in Minnesota’s Senate race and amid a Justice Department suit over Alaska’s ballot.
24 Justice Department Sues Anne Arundel Schools Over Gender Policies
The Justice Department sued Anne Arundel County’s school board, alleging its gender identity policies violate federal laws governing parental access to student records and the collection of sensitive information.
25 Trump Promises 1 Million Barrels of Venezuelan Oil, Free
President Trump claimed the United States will receive 1 million barrels of Venezuelan oil at no cost to taxpayers, calling it the first shipment of billions of barrels to come. Virginia Times has not independently verified the claim.
26 Lilly Endowment Awards $7.5M to Elizabeth Dole Foundation
The Elizabeth Dole Foundation has received a $7.5 million, three-year grant from Lilly Endowment to help more of the nation’s 14.3 million military and veteran caregivers identify themselves, find peer support in their communities and get services tied to their quality of life.
27 Oleshky Ceasefire Holds for 30 Hours, Ukraine’s Lubinets Says
Ukraine’s human rights commissioner, Dmytro Lubinets, said a ceasefire in Oleshky had held for 30 hours without an incident. He credited continued communication with his Russian counterpart and assistance from first lady Melania Trump.
28 Bhatt Jury Hears Searches About Missing Spouse; Defense Questions Timing
A digital forensic investigator, Katherine Zaimis, testified Wednesday that Naresh Bhatt’s March 2024 searches included “what happens if a spouse disappears,” while defense attorneys questioned records that had no timestamps. The testimony came on Day 13 of the trial, which is scheduled to continue Thursday, Oct. 29.
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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