$20M reward for Iran nuclear tips, New Zealand election too close to call, EU tells TikTok to change its feed
The U.S. offers up to $20 million for information on Iran's nuclear program as President Trump confirms "minor strikes," New Zealand's election is too close to call, the EU tells TikTok to change its For You feed, Minnesota lawmakers pick new leaders, and No. 5 Alabama visits No. 14 LSU.
U.S. Central Command said Friday that the State Department's Rewards for Justice program is offering up to $20 million and "possible relocation" for information about Iran's nuclear program, including its facilities, equipment and personnel. The State Department says that without Iran's compliance with IAEA safeguards, the agency has lost "continuity of knowledge" about Iran's centrifuges. The same day, President Trump confirmed what he called "minor strikes" on Iran, saying U.S. forces knocked out an Iranian anti-aircraft site; Iranian state media reported two explosions in the Suza area of Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's army said its air defenses destroyed an American drone over Qeshm. A U.S. security alert urged Americans in the Middle East to be on heightened alert.
The U.S. saysPresident Trump said the strikes hit "a little bit of an anti-aircraft device" and that Iran wants to make a deal; he says U.S. forces have effectively destroyed Iran's nuclear program, while the State Department says the IAEA has lost "continuity of knowledge" about Iran's centrifuges.
Iran saysIran's army says it shot down an American drone over Qeshm. Tehran rejects U.S. claims of control over the Strait of Hormuz, and President Masoud Pezeshkian says his government is still pursuing dialogue to resolve the crisis.
New Zealand's general election ended Saturday with no clear winner. In preliminary counts, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon's National Party and Chris Hipkins' Labour Party were each at about 29 percent of the party vote, and seat projections for the governing National–ACT–NZ First bloc and the left-leaning opposition kept shifting through the night. The new Opportunity party, led by Qiulae Wong, was just over the 5 percent threshold and on track to enter Parliament for the first time, which could make it the party holding the balance of power. The official count starts Sunday, and the Electoral Commission aims to release official results, including overseas special votes, by November 27.
Luxon's sidePrime Minister Christopher Luxon has ruled out working with the Opportunity party.
Hipkins' sideLabour leader Chris Hipkins has said he is open to working with Opportunity.
Opportunity saysThe party says it will negotiate with either bloc, starting with whichever major party wins the most votes.
The European Commission issued preliminary findings Friday that TikTok breaches the Digital Services Act through the "rabbit hole effect" of its For You feed, which it says keeps recommending similar videos and can expose children and vulnerable users to harmful content about sadness, isolation or body image. The Commission says TikTok must change the feed's design and that its current safeguards are not effective. If the findings are confirmed, TikTok could be fined up to 6% of its total worldwide annual turnover. TikTok called the findings "fundamentally inaccurate."
The European Commission saysTikTok's existing measures are ineffective, and it should give more weight to users' stated preferences and stop using viewing time to recommend videos.
TikTok saysThe findings are "fundamentally inaccurate" and misrepresent how its platform works and the protections it has in place.
Minnesota House Republicans chose Rep. Harry Niska of Ramsey as minority leader on Friday, with Rep. Jim Nash of Waconia as deputy minority leader. House Democrats, who are expected to hold 77 seats to Republicans' 57 pending a recount in District 32A, chose Rep. Zack Stephenson of Coon Rapids as speaker-designate. Senate Democrats reelected Sen. Erin Murphy as majority leader, and Senate Republicans chose Sen. Jordan Rasmusson of Fergus Falls as minority leader. The 2027-28 session begins January 12, 2027, with Democrats controlling both chambers.
Democrats saySpeaker-designate Zack Stephenson says, "We will be laser-focused on making life more affordable for Minnesotans."
Republicans sayMinority Leader-elect Harry Niska says he hopes there will be "a similar ability to at least talk to each other" across party lines.
Alabama, No. 5 in the first College Football Playoff rankings, plays at No. 14 LSU on Saturday afternoon at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, on ABC. Both teams are 6-2. Alabama has won the last three meetings; LSU's last win in the series was a 32-31 overtime victory in 2022. It is LSU coach Lane Kiffin's first game against Alabama since taking over the program, and the last regularly scheduled annual meeting as the SEC moves away from permanent annual opponents.
