Today’s Top Stories from NBC News
|
|
|
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2026
|
|
|
In today’s newsletter: A federal judge blocks the Trump administration from threatening or intimidating election officials. Anxiety sets in among Russian men who fear a military draft. And how permanent daylight saving time would affect sunrises and sunsets.
Here’s what to know today.
|
|
|
|
(Stephen Maturen / Getty)
|
A federal judge issued a sweeping order last night barring the Trump administration from threatening or intimidating election officials in the days leading up to the midterm elections. The eight-page ruling prohibits any action that could “threaten, intimidate or coerce state or local election officials or workers” into halting the processing of ballots from registered voters the administration believes are ineligible to vote.
In her decision, U.S. District Judge Trina Thompson wrote that the administration’s efforts “are likely to have the effect of interfering with election administration and disenfranchising lawful voters.”
The order extends through Nov. 16, nearly two weeks after Election Day. It follows efforts to require states including California and Washington to segregate ballots the administration says may have been cast by noncitizens.
A federal appeals court yesterday rejected the administration’s latest effort to force California to set aside 20,000 ballots allegedly cast by noncitizens. Earlier this week, a separate appeals court denied the Justice Department’s attempt to block those ballots from being counted. The Washington case remains pending.
Here’s what else to know.
|
Dive deeper into the 2026 election:
|
- The races to watch in Washington? See who’s running and how Republicans and Democrats fared in past elections. Then, scroll to the end of the page to explore data in other states.
|
- Senate What If: Explore different paths to a Republican or Democratic Senate majority, mapped out by NBC News chief data analyst Steve Kornacki and “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker. Then, create your own scenarios.
|
- The Trump administration asked a federal judge to issue an order before Monday directing Alaska election officials to segregate ballots ranking Senate candidate Dan J. Sullivan.
|
- For subscribers: Ohio gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton and Ohio Sen. Jon Husted have, for different reasons, become the buzziest candidates in their respective races.
|
- The Trump administration approved the sale of $2.1 billion in Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine.
|
|
|
|
Save 25% on an NBC News subscription
|
- Deeper analysis, insights and early voting data.
- Subscriber-exclusive articles and videos.
- Subscriber-only Q&As and newsletters, including The Data Dive from Steve Kornacki.
|
|
|
|
|
Limited-time offer of 25% off a monthly subscription or the first year of an annual subscription to NBC News. No redemption code necessary. Offer exclusive to web. Offer ends 11/05/26 at 11:59:59 PM ET. Must be 18 or older. After discount ends, you will be automatically charged $59.99 (+tax)/yr. for an annual subscription or $5.99(+tax)/mo. for a monthly subscription until you cancel. Cancel anytime through your Account page and selecting 'Cancel Plan'. See full terms.
|
|
|
|
A sell-off of tech stocks on Friday pushed the Nasdaq 100 close to “correction territory” — a decline of 10% or more from an index’s last record high. The index fell 3.4% in afternoon trading, erasing more than $1 trillion in value and marking its worst one-day drop since mid-June. The broader S&P 500 dropped 1.8%, and its tech sector tumbled by more than 4.2%.
The sell-off was driven by concerns over tech companies’ vast AI spending and whether they will generate sufficient returns. The seeds of Friday’s losses were sown a day earlier, when Amazon and Intel reported quarterly results that failed to reassure investors.
Amazon said its AI spending was continuing at a faster pace than expected. But investors appear less convinced than they were three months ago, when the company last announced an increase in its AI spending budget. Intel, meanwhile, plunged 29% on Friday after warning that fourth-quarter profits and sales would fall short of expectations, citing supply chain issues.
Why investors are growing skeptical of big AI spending.
|
|
|
|
For months, Russians have feared that President Vladimir Putin may be preparing a new wave of military call-ups, despite repeated Kremlin denials. But many men worry authorities are using subtler ways to bolster the military’s ranks, leaving them little time or opportunity to avoid being swept up.
“The general level of anxiety — it’s absolutely paralyzing,” said a 25-year-old man from the western Leningrad region who said he has turned to alcohol and gaming to cope. He is also seeing a psychiatrist, in part to build a medical record that could help him avoid service if he is called up.
Putin insists Russia has the upper hand in its war with Ukraine and that his forces are advancing. But Russian losses appear staggering, while Ukrainian drone strikes are reaching deeper into the country than ever before. At home, Russians are also contending with an ailing economy, rising prices and tighter restrictions on internet freedoms.
What happened during Russia’s first mobilization in 2022.
|
|
|
|
Find out the answer and test your knowledge of this week's most-read stories. (The answer to the question is also at the bottom of this newsletter.)
|
|
|
|
Are you a fan of daylight saving time or do you hate it? From Congress to the president to public health experts, opinions differ on the future of the century-old practice — and what might replace it if it is scrapped.
Legislation passed by the House this summer would make daylight saving time permanent, bringing darker mornings and brighter evenings during the winter months. But the effects would vary across the country. Whether you live in Maine or western Texas, permanent daylight saving time could have a very different impact on your daily routine.
Using a range of federal datasets, I set out to calculate how much darker mornings and brighter evenings would affect counties across the country if the legislation becomes law.
Check out our maps and see how many more late sunrises or fewer early sunsets your county could see if daylight saving time became our year-round reality.
— Joelle Gross, data reporter
|
|
|
|
- A manhunt is underway for a shooter who killed one person and injured six in a Spirit Halloween store on Friday night, police in Fairfield, California said.
|
- A Texas grand jury indicted an ICE officer accused of driving his vehicle into Miguel Parra Hernandez earlier this month in Houston.
|
- The death of 75-year-old Australian actor and martial artist Richard Norton last year was triggered by peptides, a coroner concluded.
|
- Activision said it will remove footage of a 2022 crowd crush in South Korea that killed nearly 160 people from its new “Call of Duty” game.
|
|
|
|
▼ NBC Selected: Online Shopping, Simplified
|
|
|
|
Sign up to The Selection newsletter for hands-on product reviews, expert shopping tips and a look at the best deals and sales each week.
|
|
|
|
Thanks for reading the Morning Rundown. Today’s newsletter was curated for you by Elizabeth Robinson.
By the way, the answer to the quiz question above is B. 1970.
If you have any comments — likes, dislikes — send us an email at: MorningRundown@nbcuni.com
If you're a fan, please forward it to your family and friends. They can sign up here.
|
|
|
|
Download the NBC News Mobile App
|
|
|
|
|
No comments:
Post a Comment