Edition 76 · Sunday, November 1, 2026
Here's what happened.
More than 50.5 million Americans had cast early ballots by Saturday morning, according to a University of Florida analysis. That total is nearly 5 million higher than the number of early votes cast in the 2022 midterm elections, with Democrats outnumbering Republicans in states that report party data.
A wastewater pipe burst in Long Beach, California, releasing nearly 30,000 gallons of raw sewage. The coastal city closed its open swimming sites in response to the spill.
Governor Gavin Newsom sent a letter to California’s top federal judges warning of potential election interference by the Trump administration. The letter places election integrity and the role of the federal judiciary at the center of a statewide political conflict.
As federal immigration enforcement intensifies, California says it is continuing to connect families with protections. The state is also deepening efforts to expand legal capacity for immigration-related assistance.
A defeat for Serbia’s Aleksandar Vučić in a recent vote is described as closely mirroring Viktor Orbán’s fall in Hungary. The comparison highlights a significant political setback for Serbia’s leader.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is hosting a G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Atlanta focused on economic and security challenges. The meeting has been difficult, with officials struggling to reach a common position.
A new local government has taken office in the southern Philippines. The change marks a milestone in a peace process addressing a conflict that has lasted about 80 years.
A judge allowed an NAACP lawsuit over pollution from an xAI data center to move forward. The lawsuit accuses the SpaceX-owned AI company of violating the Clean Air Act.
OpenAI has reportedly lowered its funding target for a new round. TechCrunch reports that the latest round does not appear to be meeting expectations.
California Proposition 45 is pitched as a way to fast-track “essential” infrastructure, but environmental advocates warn it could give data-center developers a loophole. The measure would shorten timelines for state environmental assessments and make it harder for residents to challenge eligible projects in court.
Astronomers have found two rings of gas and dust around a dying star 1,600 light-years from Earth. They believe the rings are remnants of planetary bodies once hosted by the star, offering a possible picture of how the Solar System could eventually look.
A rare short-necked oil beetle has been found in Wales again after 60 years. Recent surveys had raised fears that the species was extinct there.
As many as 40 percent of injured soldiers in Ukraine face severe infections that can lead to amputations and death. One initiative is testing an approach that treats those infections like biological-warfare attacks.
A Welsh health board is consulting on closing urgent primary care centres at hospitals in Holyhead, Tremadog and Bangor by April 2027. Betsi Cadwaladr University health board cited funding and recruitment problems, while the proposal has drawn widespread criticism.
The latest economic picture is mixed ahead of the midterm elections: GDP growth has increased, but prices have also risen. Interest rates are staying unchanged for now, leaving voters to weigh competing signals about the economy.
A route toward mortgage rates below 7% has returned as rates have fallen. Housing demand has stabilized over the past two weeks.
A federal judge temporarily barred the Justice Department from threatening or coercing election workers to stop processing ballots. The order also prevents the department from demanding that local officials segregate or refuse to count ballots the federal government considers potentially illegal.
A federal judge dismissed President Donald Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch over a report about Trump’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein. The judge said Trump was “grasping at straws.”
A campaign-finance operation in Wisconsin illustrates how nonprofit grants and super PAC spending can obscure political donors. Federal Election Commission records show a nonprofit described a $445,000 grant as educational while money was transferred to a super PAC that spent against Republican candidates.
California’s largest law enforcement union is urging voters to oust Supreme Court Justice Kelli Evans in a last-minute campaign before Election Day. The campaign targets a sitting state Supreme Court justice in a consequential judicial election fight.
A new legal-engineer role is gaining traction as big law firms, legal-technology vendors and in-house legal departments hire people with legal and A.I. skills. The position is emerging at companies including Microsoft and Nvidia and does not require a traditional J.D. in every case, according to the headline and source summary.
A Fast Company analysis argues that A.I. could create a second act for older creative professionals whose experience has been devalued by hiring biases and industry change. It cites data indicating that many older workers who have used A.I. are comfortable with it, while agencies are bringing experienced creatives into A.I.-driven content work.
The Golden State Valkyries won the WNBA championship in only their second year in the league. They defeated the Atlanta Dream in the series-deciding Game Seven.
Australia set a new international scoring record by beating Wales 124-6 in the Rugby League World Cup. The reigning champions scored 21 tries in the match.
Two new surveys find that a majority of American teens and tweens now use AI chatbots. Their uses include homework help and emotional support, suggesting that chatbots are becoming a normal part of young people’s lives.
TikTok may be expanding beyond short-form video toward a broader “super app” used for activities including restaurant guides and payments. TechCrunch reports that the platform could be seeking a larger role in users’ everyday digital lives.
Activision has apologized to families of victims of the Itaewon crowd crush and confirmed it will remove real footage of the tragedy from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4. The footage’s inclusion had drawn criticism.
Final Fantasy 14’s Evercold expansion will launch on 23 February 2027, with preorders opening next week. Square Enix also revealed Zephyr, a physical ranged DPS job using a crossbow and a bird.
An EA office building in Madrid was reportedly vandalized with “Save Mass Effect” graffiti. The incident came days after EA announced it had shuttered BioWare, the series’ developer.
Forza co-creator Dan Greenawalt is reportedly leaving Microsoft. PC Gamer’s headline characterizes the move as another blow to Forza Motorsport.
A former West Point cadet and current Columbia student pleaded guilty to forcing an abortion on another cadet in 2022. His former girlfriend is now suing him for assault and battery.
New York City parents are raising children in one-bedroom apartments as a housing shortage and skyrocketing rents squeeze household space. The families are learning to adapt to the limited room available.
The second series of “Celebrity Traitors” reached its finale on Friday, with winners saying they were relieved the secret was out. The hit show attracted 11.2 million live viewers for the finale.
Rosalind Ashford, a founding member of Martha and the Vandellas, has died at 83. She was the crystalline soprano on 1960s Motown hits including “Nowhere to Run” and “Jimmy Mack.”
More than 5,000 people have died in the Democratic Republic of Congo's deadliest Ebola outbreak. Government data says more than 10,000 people have contracted the virus.
Debt held by data centres is measured in the tens of billions of pounds. The borrowing is adding to fears that the AI boom could become a bubble.