More than 50m Americans cast ballots in early voting with three days to go before midterms

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Record number of early votes cast, with Democrats outnumbering Republicans in states which collect that information

There has been a surge of early voting for the US midterm elections, with millions more Americans going to the polls compared with the last such election amid a series of tight contests that will determine control of Congress.

More than 50.5m early votes have been cast across the US as of Saturday morning, according to an analysis by the University of Florida. This is already nearly 5m more votes than the total number of early votes made in the last midterm elections, in 2022.

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Iran’s Khamenei warns US and Israel against new attacks – France 24

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  1. Iran's Khamenei warns US and Israel against new attacks  France 24
  2. Iran's supreme leader orders "maximum" response to any U.S. attack  Axios
  3. Live Updates: Iran's supreme leader warns U.S., Israel against new attacks  CBS News
  4. Iran's leader says response to attack would have no 'geographic limits,' and other Mideast news  AP News
  5. Iran’s Khamenei Orders Military to Expand US Retaliation Plans  Bloomberg.com
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Putin’s potential G20 comeback risks normalizing Russian war crimes, says Kallas – POLITICO.eu

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  1. Putin’s potential G20 comeback risks normalizing Russian war crimes, says Kallas  POLITICO.eu
  2. US cancels G20 ‘family photo’ after Australia, UK and others refuse to appear with Russia  The Guardian
  3. G20 foreign ministers end Atlanta meeting without consensus on key issues  AP News
  4. Distaste for Russian Diplomat Forces U.S. to Cancel Photo Session in Atlanta  The New York Times
  5. Secretary Rubio has a tough time getting officials at G20 on the same page  NPR
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A world-first focus on long-term outcomes could transform UK government – or create new spending fights

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Tucked away in John Healey’s budget is decision to ringfence preventative projects where future savings outweigh initial cost

It merited the briefest of mentions in John Healey’s speech and just one paragraph in the 166-page budget document, but some believe it could revolutionise not just public spending but the very process of government itself: a new focus on long-term outcomes.

The idea in the broad sense is very simple. Any spending deemed to be “preventative” – that is, the initial outlay will be more than made up for by future savings – will from now on be ringfenced, meaning it cannot be raided for more immediate needs.

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Maurene Comey ruling offers hope of check on Trump’s assault on rule of law

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Legal experts welcome judge’s rejection of firing of James Comey’s daughter prosecutor but warn an appeal is likely

A recent legal ruling against an effort to fire the star-prosecutor daughter of a former FBI chief targeted by Donald Trump could send a strong message about politicized firings – and influence other judges weighing similar cases, legal veterans said.

Judge Jesse Furman ruled this week that the Department of Justice’s firing of assistant US attorney Maurene Comey without cause was unlawful. Comey, the daughter of former FBI director James Comey, successfully litigated numerous high-profile cases during her tenure at the southern district of New York, including guilty verdicts against Ghislaine Maxwell and Sean “Diddy” Combs.

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Finland’s Stubb Rebuts Report on Putin Slavic History Lecture – Kyiv Post

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  1. Finland’s Stubb Rebuts Report on Putin Slavic History Lecture  Kyiv Post
  2. Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, October 27, 2026  Institute for the Study of War
  3. Finnish president says he conveyed two messages from Zelenskyy to Putin  Українська правда
  4. ​Pragmatic or pointless? Europe’s rift over whether to pick up the phone to Putin  The Guardian
  5. Norway and Finland hold rare call with Putin to discuss ending war  BBC
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Starmer says UK must get closer to Europe as US relationship changes

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Shift in dealings with Washington not likely to reset once Trump leaves Oval Office, former PM says

The UK and other European nations must draw closer together as the US becomes a less-reliable partner, Keir Starmer has said in his first significant political intervention since leaving No 10.

The former prime minister warned European leaders of the threat posed by Russia, among others, and said the shift in relations with Washington during Donald Trump’s presidency was not likely to reset once he leaves the Oval Office. He accused them of being caught out by these new realities twice already.

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Ukraine hits Putin with kamikaze drones launched from weather balloons sparking chaos at Russian airports – The Sun

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  1. Ukraine hits Putin with kamikaze drones launched from weather balloons sparking chaos at Russian airports  The Sun
  2. Ukraine sends drones towards Moscow, Russia strikes Kharkiv, officials say  Reuters
  3. All Moscow airports shut amid drone attack on Russian capital  Українська правда
  4. Russia Downs Record Total of Ukrainian Drones Amid Summit  Bloomberg.com
  5. Ukraine and Russia bombard each other as Melania Trump ceasefire holds  Yahoo
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Merz ‘surprised’ by Asian pushback to ‘Made in Europe’ plan for car industry – POLITICO.eu

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  1. Merz ‘surprised’ by Asian pushback to ‘Made in Europe’ plan for car industry  POLITICO.eu
  2. Merz Sees Mounting Concern in Asia Over EU ‘Buy European’ Rules  Bloomberg.com
  3. Germany's Merz to relay Asian partners' protectionism concerns to Brussels  Reuters
  4. Takaichi presses Merz not to leave Japan out of 'Made in Europe' EV subsidies  Nikkei Asia
  5. Japan Wants EU EV Policy Changes by Nov: 1 Deadline [2026]  shattered.io
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