Thursday, October 29, 2026

Prices rose faster in September even as the economy grew strongly over the summer. The new figures leave households facing higher costs and the Federal Reserve facing pressure to keep borrowing expensive.

• The price picture: The personal consumption expenditures index, the Fed’s preferred inflation measure, rose 3.6% from a year earlier, up from 3.4% in August. Prices increased 0.5% during September.
• Beyond fuel and food: Core inflation, which excludes those volatile categories, reached 3.1% over the year. That measure also moved higher, rather than showing that the problem was confined to gasoline.
• Growth versus spending: The economy expanded at a 3.4% annualized pace in the third quarter. But September consumer spending was unchanged after adjusting for inflation; higher dollar spending did not mean people bought more.
• Interest rates: The Fed held its benchmark range at 3.75%–4% Wednesday. A December increase remains an expectation among economists and investors, not an announced decision.

Middle Eastern allies have been warned to prepare for possible renewed U.S. attacks on Iran after the November 3 elections, according to diplomats briefed on the discussions. President Trump has not made a final decision.

• What allies were told: The warnings included the possibility of Iranian retaliation against energy facilities and other infrastructure. Preparing for that risk is different from receiving confirmation that attacks will happen.
• Diplomacy remains open: Qatar has offered a new draft agreement. An Iranian official dismissed its terms, while Iran’s foreign minister said diplomacy still had a chance. No accepted settlement is established.
• Shipping dangers: Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said three tankers hit mines near Hormuz while using an unauthorized route. This is an Iranian account, not an independently established description of each incident.
• Regional consequences: Fighting between the Houthis and a Saudi-led coalition is adding to the danger. Oil prices fell early Thursday on diplomatic hopes, but disrupted shipping and renewed attacks remain risks to supplies.

A federal judge rejected the Justice Department’s emergency request to set aside mail ballots linked to more than 20,000 California voters it suspects are noncitizens. The ruling leaves the requested restriction out of place while voting continues.

• What was requested: Federal prosecutors wanted a temporary order preventing those ballots from being counted. They argued that the measure would protect their ability to enforce the ban on noncitizen voting.
• Why the judge refused: Judge David Carter said the late intervention threatened eligible voters and state control of elections. He also found that prosecutors had not explained how counting ballots would prevent criminal enforcement.
• The disputed evidence: California challenges the federal list’s reliability. The ruling does not establish that every person flagged is eligible, or that the entire list identifies unlawful votes.
• What remains unresolved: This decision concerns emergency relief. California is still seeking dismissal of the broader lawsuit, and the accuracy of the matching process remains contested.

Alaska’s governor has ordered an investigation into whether Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola’s campaign helped recruit a similarly named rival to draw votes from Republican Senator Dan Sullivan. Peltola’s campaign denies recruiting candidates.

• Why the names matter: The ballot includes incumbent Dan S. Sullivan and retired teacher Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. The allegation is that the second candidacy was encouraged to confuse voters or divide the incumbent’s support.
• The new trigger: Reporting about campaign involvement prompted the inquiry. Investigators must determine whether laws were broken; opening an investigation does not establish guilt.
• The wider stakes: The contest could help decide Senate control. President Trump has called for prosecution, adding national pressure five days before the election.
• Earlier disputes: Courts allowed the second Sullivan onto the ballot after an eligibility challenge. A separate federal lawsuit seeks to restrict certification under specified circumstances; that request is not an order changing the result.

Israel’s election has left neither major bloc with a clear path to govern. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is challenging Arab parties’ gains with fraud allegations that he has not publicly substantiated.

• The basic arithmetic: Preliminary projections give Netanyahu’s bloc 53 of parliament’s 120 seats, versus 48 for the Jewish opposition parties. A governing majority requires 61; the projected 19 Arab-party seats could therefore be decisive.
• Why a majority is difficult: Several opposition leaders have opposed relying on Arab parties. Parties that agree about replacing Netanyahu do not necessarily agree about governing together.
• The allegations: Election officials are examining suspicions of interference, but said the election’s integrity was not systematically compromised. Arab leaders reject Netanyahu’s accusations and accuse him of incitement.
• What happens next: Coalition bargaining will determine whether a government can be formed. Neither preliminary seat totals nor a request to investigate interference proves that the election was stolen.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has removed Lieutenant General Brett Sylvia, the officer responsible for coordinating military strategy and planning for the Joint Chiefs. The change comes while President Trump considers renewed operations against Iran.

• Why the job matters: The planning director helps turn national security goals into military options, working with commanders, civilian officials and allies. A leadership change affects the team preparing those recommendations.
• The immediate gap: Initial accounts did not identify a replacement or an official explanation. Sylvia previously commanded the 101st Airborne Division and had served in the military for 32 years.
• Later allegation: A defense official alleged classified leaks and a Justice Department referral. Neither allegation establishes guilt.
• The wider pattern: The departure follows other senior military removals under Hegseth. The timing alone does not establish that a disagreement about Iran caused this dismissal.

The Federal Trade Commission has ordered nine major companies to explain whether personal information affects what customers pay or what gig workers earn. The inquiry seeks evidence about practices that can be hard to see from outside a company.

• Who is covered: Walmart, Target, Delta, United, JetBlue, Uber, Lyft, DoorDash and Instacart received demands for information. The study spans shopping, travel, rides and delivery work.
• What is being examined: Regulators want to know whether information such as browsing history, location or income helps determine individual prices, wages and job offers.
• Companies’ responses: Several businesses deny using personal information to charge individual customers more. Delta says it does not target passengers with individualized fares based on personal data. Instacart says shopper pay depends on job-related factors.
• What this means now: The information requests are not findings that each company broke the law. The eventual study is intended to inform regulation and enforcement; the FTC says it lacks authority for a blanket ban on personalized pricing.

Congo’s Ebola outbreak is no longer accelerating everywhere, but it is not under control. Hundreds of new cases each week and infections outside Congo are keeping health officials on alert.

• The scale: Confirmed infections have passed 10,000. Roughly 400–500 new cases are being recorded weekly, a high plateau rather than a sustained decline.
• The blind spots: Fewer than a quarter of new cases involve previously identified contacts. That suggests health teams are missing chains of transmission.
• Risk beyond Congo: Experts see much greater danger in countries with fragile health systems than in the United States. Imported infections do not automatically lead to widespread transmission.
• The response: Community trust, testing and contact tracing remain central. A vaccine against the Bundibugyo virus is still being tested; hopes for one next year are not a guarantee.

The federal health department is moving to let licensed pharmacies and physicians prepare six unapproved peptides under an interim enforcement policy. The change expands potential access without establishing that the products are safe or effective.

• What peptides are: These short chains of amino acids are promoted for uses such as recovery and anti-aging. The policy covers particular substances, including BPC-157 and TB-500, rather than approving every product sold as a peptide.
• The conditions: The department says compounders must meet requirements for ingredient quality, manufacturing, labeling, safety reporting and prescriptions for individual patients.
• Why supporters want it: Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. argues regulated access could reduce reliance on products from uncertain overseas sources and give patients more choice.
• Why scientists object: FDA staff opposed the change. Critics warn about contamination and unknown side effects; compounded medicines do not go through the standard premarket approval process for safety and effectiveness.
• What remains open: The measure is an interim enforcement approach, not a clinical endorsement. Officials say it can be reconsidered if safety or quality problems emerge.

New York has enacted restrictions on AI companion chatbots used by children. The law goes beyond warning labels by limiting how these systems can behave toward users under 18.

• What is restricted: Companies cannot offer minors features that pretend to be human, encourage emotional dependency, promote self-harm or produce sexually explicit interactions. These limits target specified behavior, rather than banning every use of AI.
• Age checks: Businesses must verify adulthood before providing restricted features. The rules also address how information gathered for age verification is handled.
• Enforcement: The state attorney general can bring cases against developers. Possible consequences include damages and orders affecting the service or its collected data. The law takes effect January 1.
• The unresolved boundary: A privacy-policy specialist warns that broad language could make it difficult to distinguish ordinary conversation from prohibited behavior. Implementation and enforcement will determine how the safeguards work in practice.