At least 69 people were killed when a high-speed train struck a stopped train near Urda, in Spain's Toledo province, on Wednesday, October 28. Transport Minister Óscar Puente said the preliminary investigation points to an "inexplicable" order from the central rail command that let a train proceed at normal speed after a computer failure had halted trains ahead. Investigators are examining the trains' black boxes, and a judge is also investigating.
Final results from Israel's October 27 election give Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc 53 of the Knesset's 120 seats and Gadi Eisenkot's opposition bloc 48, both short of the 61 needed to govern. Arab-led parties won a record 19 seats; both main camps have ruled out working with them. Likud is the largest party with 27 seats. President Isaac Herzog is due to receive the official results and begin consultations with party leaders this week. Netanyahu remains caretaker prime minister. Herzog has urged parties to avoid another election; the lawmaker he chooses will have 28 days to form a government, with a possible 14-day extension.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said a new proposal discussed with Qatari mediators could reopen the Strait of Hormuz within two days, down from a previous seven-day timeline, if the U.S. meets Iran's conditions. President Trump said talks were "going fine" but called Iran "not very reliable" and said the U.S. still had one or two sites to deal with; Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Trump has not decided on new strikes. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei warned any new threat would get an immediate response without geographic limits.
The Trump administration saysTalks through Qatar are ongoing and the U.S. is open to a diplomatic solution, but no timeframe is set and new strikes remain an option.
Iran's leaders sayThe strait can reopen in two days if Washington meets Iran's conditions, and any new attack will get an immediate response.
Binance began reopening withdrawals in phases on Sunday, November 1, starting with bitcoin, ether and other major tokens, after about $6.3 billion in crypto was stolen beginning Thursday. Binance says it has covered about 95% of the stolen amount with company funds and will not pass losses on to users. The FBI said North Korea's TraderTraitor unit was responsible; President Trump said the U.S. is not yet certain North Korea was involved. About $3 billion has been frozen. The FBI said it expects "further laundering" of the assets.
More than 43 million Americans had voted early in person or by mail as of Wednesday, October 28, nearly 10 million more than at the same point in 2022, according to an AP analysis. On Friday, a 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel voted 2-1 to reject the Justice Department's request that California set aside mail ballots from about 20,000 people the department says are likely noncitizens. The majority wrote that "there is no feasible way to identify and segregate the ballots of specific individuals." Election Day is Tuesday, November 3.
The Justice Department saysEnforcing the law against noncitizen voting "is not an agenda item. It is the Department's job."
California officials sayThe department's list is highly unreliable and likely includes many U.S. citizens.
Congo's Ebola outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus, has passed 10,000 confirmed cases; the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control reported 10,274 as of October 29. Nearly half of confirmed cases have been fatal. There is no licensed vaccine or specific treatment for this virus; a Phase 2/3 vaccine trial launched in Bunia on October 23. Cases have also been reported in Kenya and Nigeria. ECDC rates the risk to the general population in Europe as very low. The AP calls it the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in history. Congo began vaccinating frontline workers with the licensed Ervebo vaccine in August.
The Pentagon told Congress the war with Iran has cost U.S. taxpayers an estimated $47.1 billion as of October 16, according to a U.S. Central Command estimate. About $29 billion is for replacing munitions, mainly missile defense interceptors. The figure does not include repairs to U.S. bases damaged in Iranian attacks. The estimate is above the CBO's $38 billion forecast in September. The official tally is 21 service members killed and 865 wounded.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer says"Trump and his ego led us into this war with no plan, no authority, and no exit strategy."
President Trump has saidThe U.S. has "more ammunition than we could ever imagine using."
Actor Sir Patrick Stewart, known for playing Captain Jean-Luc Picard in "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and Professor Charles Xavier in the "X-Men" films, died Wednesday, October 28, at his Los Angeles home. He was 86. His family said he had Alzheimer's disease and Lewy body dementia. He began as a Shakespearean stage actor with the Royal Shakespeare Company and was knighted in 2010. He returned as Picard in "Star Trek: Picard" beginning in 2020.
Dolores Huerta, the labor organizer and civil rights activist who co-founded the union that became the United Farm Workers with César Chávez, died Wednesday, October 28, at her home. She was 96. She coined the rallying cry "Sí, se puede" and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama in 2012.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced felony charges of unlawful voting and identity theft against conservative activists James O'Keefe and Cam Higby on October 28. Prosecutors say the men used the names of registered voters, without those voters' permission, while starting Minnesota's 'vouching' process during the August 11 primary, and filmed it; they did not sign the required oath. O'Keefe says they acted as investigative journalists and never applied for a ballot; Higby denies breaking any state law. Neither has entered a plea; an initial court appearance is set for November 16.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty says"You cannot give somebody else's name and misrepresent yourself as you go through the process."
James O'Keefe says"We didn't apply for a ballot; we were there talking to election clerks, posing hypotheticals and getting answers."
