- Friday October 30th, 2026
- "It Is Not A Question of Who Is Right Or Wrong But What Is Right Or Wrong That Counts."
- --Geoff Metcalf
- Providing an on line Triage of the news since 1998
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World & Nation
Ukraine hits Russian oil refinery, ending pause and defying Trump
Ukraine struck an oil refinery in Russia’s Samara region early on
Friday, ending a two-week pause in refinery attacks that came amid
heavy pressure from the Trump administration to halt such operations.
Photos and video footage posted on social media showed columns of smoke rising into the sky over the Novokuibyshevsk refinery.
Ukrainian forces last hit an oil refinery on Oct. 15, and had not
struck Russian oil infrastructure of any kind since Oct. 20. The pause
took place against a background of repeated demands by Trump and other
U.S. officials to stop hitting refineries.
Trump has publicly blamed Ukraine’s strikes for high global fuel
prices, which energy experts mostly attribute to the U.S.-Iran war.
Earlier this month Trump also called for Zelensky’s removal earlier
this month and blamed him for Russia’s continuing war on Ukraine.
Residents Evacuated From Oleshky, Reach Crimean Peninsula
A humanitarian convoy carrying residents evacuated from the
Russian-controlled city of Oleshky in Ukraine has reached the
Russian-annexed Crimean peninsula, witnesses said on Friday.
They said the convoy of buses crossed into Crimea from the Kherson region of Ukraine.
Starving residents of Oleshky began evacuating on Friday as part of
a joint relief operation by the opposing sides, the first of its
kind in four years and eight months of war.
Midterm voters forced to choose between alleged adulterers, abusers, criminals and other ethically challenged pols
They can’t all be winners.
On Election Day, millions of voters across the country will be forced
to decide whether to elect ethically or criminally challenged
candidates as they juggle their political and moral priorities.
From allegations of adultery and abuse to criminal indictments, a
number of midterm candidates on both sides of the aisle managed to
survive their primaries or had scandals emerge after securing their
party’s nomination, creating a dilemma for voters.
Here are some of the most scandalous pols on the ballot Nov. 3:
General fired by Hegseth referred for criminal prosecution, Pentagon says
The U.S. military said it has made a criminal referral to the
Justice Department in the case of Army Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia, a top
officer who was suddenly ousted after Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth
accused him of leaking classified information.
Hegseth fired Sylvia on Oct. 28 in a decision that was initially
announced without explanation. Sylvia served on the Joint Staff as the
director for strategy, plans and policy, a role known as the Pentagon’s
chief military planner.
Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell wrote in a post on X that “the
Department took necessary personnel action to protect sensitive
information.”
“This matter, along with others, have been referred to the Justice Department for potential further legal action,” he added.
A spokesperson for the DOJ said in a statement that it “has ongoing
investigations related to possible leaks of classified information.”
Cook Political Report: Dems Could Win 240 House Seats
Democrats could capture as many as 240 House seats in Tuesday's midterm
elections, giving the party its largest majority in nearly two decades,
according to a new forecast from The Cook Political Report.
The election handicapper shifted 12 additional House races toward
Democrats on Friday, projecting the party will flip between 12 and 25
Republican-held seats and finish with a majority of 227 to 240 seats.
The latest forecast reflects growing concerns among Republicans about
President Donald Trump's declining approval ratings, voter turnout, and
whether heavy GOP campaign spending can overcome a political
environment increasingly favoring Democrats.
'Decoy Dan' Sullivan case leads top senator to break four-year X silence: 'Pattern of lies'
The reported recruitment by Democrats of a second "Dan Sullivan" to
allegedly confuse voters in Alaska’s Senate race drew a rare public
rebuke from Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, who appeared to break four
years of silence on her personal X account.
The New York Times reported that members of Mary Peltola’s team helped
recruit a candidate who shares the name of incumbent Republican Sen.
Dan Sullivan, potentially confusing voters in a closely watched race
that also features Republican Gerald Heikes.
In a statement on her personal account @LisaForSenate, Murkowski said
the report "revealed… a pattern of lies and coverups" on the part of
Peltola.
"While some may try to write this off as just how politics works now,
ballot-stacking should have no place in our electoral process,"
Murkowski said.
Dershowitz to Newsmax: Rep. Omar could still face criminal prosecution
Alan Dershowitz, Harvard Law professor emeritus, told Newsmax on
Thursday that Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., could still face criminal
prosecution over a previous marriage that federal investigators
examined in 2016 and predicted she will ultimately have to resign or be
barred from the House.
"This is not a simple crime. This is a complex and potentially continuing crime," Dershowitz said.
"So I think it's still an open, possible open case for criminal
prosecution, for denaturalization, for deportation, all of those."
The Times reported that prosecutors declined to pursue charges in 2016
after concluding that the five-year statute of limitations had expired,
a conclusion Dershowitz disputed.
North Korean hackers steal $6.3B from Binance in ‘largest bank heist in human history’
North Korean hackers stole $6.3 billion from Binance, the world’s
largest cryptocurrency exchange, in a lightning-fast theft that an
insider has called “the largest bank heist in human history.”
Cybercriminals swiped the digital coins out of Binance wallets within a
mere 20 minutes starting at 4:30 p.m. ET Thursday, exploiting the
system by hacking into an engineer’s laptop, according to analytics
firm TRM Labs and industry insiders.
Binance initially said the security incident may have involved a
compromised laptop. In an update Friday, Richard Teng, co-CEO of
Binance, said the company’s security team has “uncovered additional
points of breach,” suggesting it was a complex attack carried out by
more than one person.
“The attacker also used a self-destruct mechanism … making it more
difficult for us to trace and investigate,” Teng said, adding that
Binance’s security team is still deep in the throes of the
investigation.
Putin says Russia is ready for war with Europe in chilling threat
Vladimir Putin said Russia is prepared for a potential war with Europe, though it does not want one.
The Russian president said his country supports any steps aimed at
restoring relations with European countries, as he commented on his
phone call with the leaders of Norway and Finland, which took place on
Tuesday.
But in a chilling threat, he said that if tensions were to escalate too far, there would be no winners.
He added that Moscow did not want the Baltic Sea to face a situation similar to that in the Strait of Hormuz.
DOJ, States Clash Over Midterm Election Rules
The Trump administration and state election officials are engaged in
escalating legal battles over election procedures just days before
Tuesday's midterm elections, with the Justice Department challenging
voting practices in several states amid allegations that noncitizens
may have cast ballots.
The Justice Department is pursuing lawsuits in California and Alaska,
threatening legal action in Washington state, and issuing subpoenas as
part of investigations into potential election violations, The Wall
Street Journal reported.
In California, federal prosecutors have made three attempts to force
state officials to set aside as many as 20,000 ballots submitted by
voters the administration suspects are noncitizens.
Federal prosecutors also issued subpoenas Thursday to state and local
officials as part of an investigation into allegations of illegal
voting, according to the Journal.
CBS News staff revolt after MAGA-friendly boss demands coverage of Alaska scandal
CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss met “significant resistance” from
some staff at Thursday’s morning editorial meeting about a New York
Times report on Alaska’s Senate race, insiders told Fox News Digital.
Weiss called the matter a “scandal,” according to the Fox account. The
Times reported that staff for Mary Peltola’s campaign and allies helped
recruit a second Dan Sullivan to run against Republican Sen. Dan
Sullivan, in an effort to split his support. Peltola’s former campaign
manager said she wasn’t directly involved but was “definitely aware.”
Sources on the call told Fox that several staffers pushed back on
Weiss’s enthusiasm for the story, with many viewing it as routine
politics that Republicans also practice. When Weiss asked for other
examples of ballot confusion, “Face the Nation” moderator Margaret
Brennan mentioned New Hampshire Senate candidate John Sununu, whose
brother Chris is a former governor. Correspondent Ed O’Keefe said
earlier on “CBS Mornings” that Alaska “could be a dirty trick, but it’s
not illegal,” and recalled a 2016 episode involving yet another Dan
Sullivan.
Patrick Stewart's cause of death revealed after actor dies at 86
Patrick Stewart's cause of death has been confirmed.
The British actor, best known for portraying Capt. Jean-Luc Picard in
"Star Trek: The Next Generation" and Professor Charles Xavier in the
"X-Men" film franchise, died Wednesday, Oct. 28, at his Los Angeles
home following a "brief and poignant journey with Alzheimer's disease
and Lewy body dementia," according to a statement shared on his social
media Thursday. He was 86.
"He has been held in the warm embrace of family and friends, surrounded
by live music, prayer, tears, laughter, and the kind of profound
emotion that only he could inspire after a lifetime of devotion to us
all. We will forever cherish the peaceful ease and reflection on his
face, an enduring reminder of his invincible grace," the statement read.
Israel Faces Tough Talks After Netanyahu Loses Majority
Israel's final election results confirmed Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu's bloc lost its parliamentary majority and that weeks of
difficult negotiations among very different parties, from
ultra-Orthodox Jewish to secular to Arab-led, lie ahead.
The results released early Friday showed Netanyahu's bloc won 53 seats
in Tuesday's election. The main opposition bloc won 48. Arab-led
parties secured the other 19, a historic showing. Now parties must
meet, bargain, and seek a way to team up for at least 61 seats in the
120-seat Knesset.
Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving prime minister, remains in charge.
Israel Demolishes West Bank Attackers' Homes
Obama and other Ilhan Omar defenders are looking like fools
Opinion by New York Post Editorial Board
Former President Barack Obama huffed this week that an investigation into Ilhan Omar for immigration fraud was a sham.
“The full weight of the federal government is being brought down on a
law-abiding elected official because she has dared to criticize the
president,” he ranted.
“The fact that any president, or any administration, is willing to
engage in such transparent efforts to intimidate someone should outrage
all Americans.”
Yes, it’s awful that Ilhan Omar was being investigated by — checks the record — the Obama administration.
Way back in 2016, the feds had evidence that Omar entered into a sham marriage with a man thought to be her brother.
The data center boom is rescuing forgotten American towns
From $50,000 teacher bonuses in Louisiana to lower property taxes in Virginia, the economic benefits are reshaping towns
By Chris Johnson
With the midterm elections approaching, data centers have become an
increasingly popular political target. Politicians are raising alarms
about their impact on communities, with some calling for construction
moratoriums or outright bans.
There's been plenty of fearmongering. But the more Americans learn
about data centers, and the more communities experience their benefits
firsthand, the stronger the case for continued development becomes.
Data centers have existed for decades, but the rapid growth of
artificial intelligence has dramatically increased the demand for
computing power. Americans understandably have questions about what
this development means for electricity prices, water supplies, and
their quality of life. Newer facilities are increasingly being designed
with technologies that can address these concerns, including
closed-loop cooling systems and quieter operations.
