Monday, November 2, 2026

Forecasters and polls give Democrats a clear edge for the House and a narrower one for the Senate going into Tuesday, with a record early vote already in. Kyle Kondik of Sabato's Crystal Ball calls the House "almost certain to flip," and the Senate much less settled.

The math: Republicans hold the Senate 53-47, so Democrats need a net gain of four; a 50-50 split leaves Republicans in control through Vice President Vance. In the House, Republicans hold 218 seats plus an allied independent, Democrats 214, with two vacancies. Democrats need a net gain of three. Cook Political Report projects Democratic gains of 12 to 25 House seats and makes Democrats slight Senate favorites, while saying Republicans keep a plausible but less likely path.

Cook rates seven Senate seats toss-ups: Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Ohio and Texas. Michigan is the only one Democrats hold. Forbes' Sunday roundup lists YouGov numbers: Maine, Jackson 52, Sen. Collins 47; Texas, Talarico 51, Paxton 47; Ohio, Brown 50, Sen. Husted 48; Iowa, Turek 50, Hinson 49; and Nebraska, Sen. Ricketts and independent Osborn tied at 49. Emerson has Kansas at Hamilton 49, Sen. Marshall 45. October polls had Peltola up 2 to 7 in Alaska and El-Sayed up 1 to 7 in Michigan. North Carolina looks like the likeliest flip: Cook rates it Likely Democratic, and Elon has Cooper up 52-39.

Nationally, the final NBC News poll, taken Oct. 28-30 among 1,000 registered voters with a 3.1-point margin of error, has Democrats ahead 52-45, with Trump at 40% approval and 60% disapproval. Averages put the Democratic lead at about 8 to 9 points. Early voting topped 54 million by one count early Monday. The University of Florida's Election Lab had 53.1 million as of Sunday morning, against about 46 million early votes in all of 2022. Registered Democrats led about 11 million to 8 million, but only 27 states report party, and party ballots are not candidate votes.

Republicans say polls understate them: Senate Majority Leader John Thune said last month the party will outperform them, and Speaker Mike Johnson told supporters to dismiss bad numbers. Democrats' House campaign chair, Rep. Suzan DelBene, predicts they will retake the majority. Sen. Raphael Warnock told CNN he is nauseously optimistic. Polls close Tuesday night.

Sources checked: Asharq Al-Awsat (Nov 2, 12:36 a.m. ET, link), Iowa Public Radio (Nov 1, 10:18 p.m. ET, link), NBC News poll via Yahoo (Nov 1, 9:00 a.m. ET, link), Forbes (Nov 1, link), Al Jazeera, early vote (Nov 1, link), Al Jazeera, polls (Oct 31, updated Nov 1, link), Yahoo News (Oct 31, updated 5:35 p.m. ET, link), Newsweek (Oct 31, 8:17 a.m. ET, link), Election Central on forecasts (Oct 31, 9:54 a.m. ET, link), Epoch Times on Cook (Oct 30, link), ABC News (Oct 27, 7:32 a.m. ET, link), Fox News (Oct 21, updated 2:51 p.m. ET, link)

U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason on Sunday dismissed the Justice Department suit that sought to block or delay certification of Alaska's Senate race if Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan loses to Democrat Mary Peltola. The ruling removes, for now, a federal path to freezing one of the seven toss-ups that could decide the Senate. The department filed notice of appeal to the 9th Circuit the same day.

The suit, filed Oct. 22, claimed voters might mistake retired teacher Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. for the senator. It asked that ballots marked for him be set aside and investigated. Gleason called that infeasible because many ballots are already cast and commingled, and said the government offers "no workable plan" that would preserve voter secrecy. AP reported she also found the request conflicted with the Constitution's grant of election authority to the states and with the rule against late changes to election procedures. NPR, as cited by Yahoo News, and Legal Insurrection reported she found the federal government lacked authority or standing to sue.

The department said she ruled on procedural grounds without disputing its claim that the second Sullivan entered to confuse voters. Peltola's campaign and Senate Democrats called the suit baseless election interference. Sullivan told CNN he will accept the results but expects to lose votes to the other name, and Fox News reported he declined to say whether he would back refusing certification.

The fight is not over. Published reports alleged that Peltola allies helped recruit the second Sullivan. Peltola and Daniel J. Sullivan deny it. A federal criminal investigation continues, and the FBI has contacted his donors. Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy has suggested he might not certify a Peltola win. The Alaska Supreme Court ruled this summer that the challenger could stay on the ballot; he drew about 2.5% in the August primary. The ballot lists the senator as "Dan S. Sullivan."

Unresolved: reports differ on the challenger's label. Alaska Public Media says the ballot shows no party, FactCheck.org and Fox News say he ran as a Republican, and Democracy Docket calls him an independent. October polls had Peltola ahead by 2 to 7 points.

Sources checked: Democracy Docket (Nov 1, 12:57 p.m. ET, link), Yahoo News (Nov 1, updated 1:40 p.m. ET, link), Alaska Public Media (Nov 1, updated 2:02 p.m. ET, link), Bloomberg Law (Nov 1, 3:32 p.m. ET, link), Legal Insurrection (Nov 1, 5:00 p.m. ET, link), AP via ABC7 (Nov 1, updated 5:33 p.m. ET, link), Fox News (Nov 1, 6:16 p.m. ET, link), Roll Call (Nov 1, updated 10:04 p.m. ET, link), Al Jazeera (Nov 1, link), FactCheck.org (Oct 30, link)

Rep. Haley Stevens, the Democrat who lost Michigan's August Senate primary to Abdul El-Sayed, endorsed Republican Mike Rogers on Sunday, two days before the vote. The seat, open with Democrat Gary Peters retiring, is the only Democratic-held toss-up on the Cook Political Report's list, and Republicans could use it to offset losses elsewhere.

Why: Stevens asked El-Sayed to disavow an ad from an outside group backing him that tied U.S. military aid to Israel to grocery prices. She called it antisemitic. El-Sayed said his campaign did not make the ad and that he disagrees with it, and accused her of relitigating the primary. Stevens also objected to his campaigning with streamer Hasan Piker. She says El-Sayed told her she was no longer welcome in his campaign. "I don't belong in Abdul's campaign," she said in a video.

The break played out in Detroit churches. Rep. Debbie Dingell had organized a unity event with Rep. Jim Clyburn, then asked Stevens to stay away, calling the dispute too distracting. Stevens instead attended a service at Perfecting Church with Rogers while El-Sayed appeared with Clyburn at another. The stop matters because Stevens won Wayne and Oakland counties in the primary, and Democrats need Black and Jewish voters there to turn out. As recently as last week she told CNN she would vote the Democratic ticket.

Democrats responded hard. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called it a betrayal, and state party chair Curtis Hertel said she is no longer a party member, though Stevens says she remains a Democrat. Her chief of staff resigned. Rogers said he was honored and President Trump praised her. El-Sayed said he doesn't think about Stevens.

Effect is unclear. October polls mostly showed El-Sayed ahead by 1 to 7 points, and more than 1.8 million Michiganders had voted by Friday, before the endorsement. Polls close Tuesday.

Sources checked: Bridge Michigan/AP (Nov 1, updated 11:59 a.m. ET, link), CBS News (Nov 1, 12:11 p.m. ET, link), ABC News (Nov 1, updated 5:00 p.m. ET, link), WDIV ClickOnDetroit (Nov 1, 6:49 p.m. ET, link), AP via ABC News (Nov 1, updated 10:35 p.m. ET, link), Al Jazeera (Nov 1, link), Yahoo News, polls (Oct 31, updated 5:35 p.m. ET, link)

President Trump closed his midterm rally run Sunday night at Salina Regional Airport in Kansas, after an earlier stop in Dubuque, Iowa. He chose two states where Republican Senate seats are in play, a sign of how far the map has moved: Kansas has not elected a Democratic senator since 1932, and Trump carried Iowa by 13 points in 2024.

In Salina he told the crowd this was his last rally and that he came to make sure Sen. Roger Marshall wins. He urged supporters to vote as if he were on the ballot and attacked Democrat Adam Hamilton as a radical. The line that drew headlines, "I'm closing the sucker down," came in an aside about a supporter's suit, addressed to Marshall, per a rush transcript that is partly garbled. He added that he was getting out of here and had done too many of these. Trump, Marshall and Kansas outlets called Salina his 30th rally in 32 days; NBC News counted 28 stops.

In Dubuque he spoke for about two hours, predicted a bigger Republican win on Tuesday and said a vote for any Democrat puts extremists in power. He defended the Iran war, calling higher gas prices a small price for security, and said polls showing him unpopular are wrong. He also commented on Republican Senate candidate Ashley Hinson's weight, acknowledging the remark might be inappropriate. Protesters were removed. Democrats held a small event nearby, where former state Senate President Pam Jochum said Republicans are failing to connect with voters. Hamilton, in a video, pitched past Trump voters on health costs and Iran war effects on fuel and fertilizer.

Both stops were canceled Thursday in favor of tele-rallies, then restored about a day later.

Next: AP reports Trump will make his closing pitch Monday afternoon at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, the renovation that ran late and far over budget and that he now says is finished. ABC News reported early Monday that he speaks at 2 p.m. ET and will hold nine tele-rallies, the first at 11 a.m. ET from the White House.

Sources checked: ABC News live updates (Nov 2, updated 4:02 a.m. ET, link), AP via Central Western Daily (Nov 2, 2:32 a.m. ET, link), KCUR/Kansas News Service (Nov 1, 11:27 p.m. ET, link), Rally transcript, Tommy Christopher Substack (Nov 1, 11:34 p.m. ET, link), Iowa Public Radio (Nov 1, 10:18 p.m. ET, link), Des Moines Register via Yahoo (Nov 1, updated 7:32 p.m. ET, link), KAKE (Nov 1, link), Epoch Times (Nov 1, link), NBC News (headline only; article could not be fetched, link)

Iranian negotiators left Doha on Sunday with a draft proposal to end the war with the U.S. still in circulation, an official briefed on the Qatari-mediated talks told Reuters. The official said the departure did not signal trouble and that a follow-up meeting is possible, but gave no terms and no date. The stakes are the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran claims control and targets ships crossing without its permission, and the risk of renewed fighting after Tuesday's U.S. midterm elections.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Monday the talks rest on a seven-step plan Iran drafted in September, which President Trump rejected. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi now says the strait could reopen in two days rather than seven under a deal. Tehran's conditions are an end to the war on all fronts, release of frozen assets, oil sanctions relief and an end to the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports. Daily Sabah reported Monday that Araghchi also wants U.S. troop cuts in the region and acceptance of a new transit route agreed with Oman.

Trump says the U.S. will not attack before the vote and calls the talks productive, but said Saturday that one or two targets remain, including Pickaxe Mountain, a suspected underground nuclear site. Tehran denies it is nuclear. Axios, as relayed by other outlets, reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pressed Trump to strike right after the midterms while Trump leans toward more diplomacy. Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei ordered preparations for new attacks and said any response would have no geographic limits. Baghaei said an attack would bring an immediate, comprehensive response.

That threat lands hardest on Iran's neighbors. Gulf governments fear fiercer retaliation if the U.S. strikes again, the Japan Times reported; the Gulf Cooperation Council says its members have already suffered casualties and infrastructure damage from Iranian attacks. Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, told a conference in Manama on Sunday that the UAE hopes for a diplomatic breakthrough, that another round serves no one in the region, and that it is "braced for the worst."

Why: the war began Feb. 28 with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, and Tehran says Hormuz stays shut until its demands are met. Next: security chief Mohsen Rezaei says Tehran has a letter from Vice President JD Vance seeking to revive talks and has not yet answered.

Sources checked: Reuters via 93.3 The Drive (Nov 2, link), Daily Sabah (Nov 2, 5:04 a.m. ET, link), Times Kuwait (Nov 2, 5:19 a.m. ET, link), Euronews (Nov 1, 7:10 a.m. ET, link), Kurdistan24 (Nov 1, 10:31 a.m. ET, link), Gulf News (Nov 1, link), AFP via Times of Israel (Nov 1, link), Japan Times excerpt via PressBee (Nov 2, link), Israel National News on Axios report (undated, link)

A Learjet 60 flying from Austin, Texas, to North Eleuthera in the Bahamas crashed in Palm Beach County, Florida, about 12:50 p.m. Sunday, killing all nine people aboard. It hit near a road beside homes and a shopping area, and the cause is the open question. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed the deaths. Investigators will have to explain why a jet at cruising altitude fell so fast.

The FAA said the 22-year-old twin-engine jet dropped from 35,250 feet to 8,750 feet in just over a minute. Air traffic recordings archived by LiveATC.net capture the crew reporting ice, moderate turbulence, precipitation and an outside temperature of minus 47 Celsius, then asking to climb. Within moments the pilot called a mayday and reported an accelerating descent. "We're gonna crash into the ground," the pilot said.

Who: officials have not named the victims or said how many were crew and how many passengers. Gov. Ron DeSantis said no one on the ground was reported hurt or killed. Where: Military Trail between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North. Officials and outlets variously call the area Cresthaven, Palm Springs, Greenacres or Lake Worth Beach. The impact left a crater and scattered debris, about 600 nearby residents went to shelters, and Military Trail was closed.

Why: not determined. FAA registry records list the owner as LR60271 LLC of Wilmington, Delaware. International Business Times reported at 1:21 a.m. Monday that operator records show the jet authorized for charter under Aurora Aviation's certificate, though no official has confirmed this flight was a charter. Austin's airport called the flight general aviation, not commercial.

Next: the NTSB is leading the investigation with FAA support. Its go-team was due on site by Monday morning, and a media briefing is planned Monday in West Palm Beach, time not yet announced.

Sources checked: Fox 13 Tampa (Nov 1, 11:14 p.m. ET, link), Fox 13 Tampa, cockpit audio (Nov 1, 10:59 p.m. ET, link), CBS Austin (Nov 1, 11:55 p.m. ET, link), ABC News (Nov 1, 4:24 p.m. ET, link), Newsweek (Nov 1, 5:28 p.m. ET, link), SOFX (Nov 1, 11:42 p.m. ET, link), International Business Times UK (Nov 2, 1:21 a.m. ET, link), CBS Miami (Nov 1, 3:43 p.m. ET, link)

Pacific storms flooded a wide stretch of the normally dry Southwest on Sunday, forcing evacuations and helicopter rescues in Arizona and pushing Pagosa Springs, Colo., toward what forecasters projected would be its highest river level on record. A National Weather Service meteorologist in Tucson described "two or three months of rain in a span of a couple of days." Flood warnings and watches covered nearly all of Arizona and parts of southern Utah, southwestern Colorado, western New Mexico and southern Nevada.

In Pagosa Springs, a town of more than 2,000 known for its hot springs, forecasts for the San Juan River climbed from about 17 feet on Saturday to nearly 21.9 feet on Sunday. The 1911 flood that destroyed much of the town crested at about 17.8 feet. The river reached about 15 feet in flooding a week earlier. It stood near 14 feet at sundown Sunday. No confirmed crest or damage report could be found as of this writing. Downtown was evacuated, inbound traffic was stopped, residents were told to avoid the river after a sewage discharge, and officials warned helicopters would be grounded and rescuers might not reach people until conditions improved. La Plata County closed all public roads.

In Sedona, Ariz., Oak Creek rose fast. Helicopter crews lifted people from rooftops, about 100 homes were in the evacuation zone, and nearly 20 needed emergency help getting out. Camp Verde and Gisela also ordered evacuations, and Tucson saw swift-water rescues. Yavapai County reported no injuries or deaths in the Sedona area as of Sunday. The Business Standard reported early Monday that police were searching for a man said to have fallen into floodwaters in Flagstaff.

Why: a series of Pacific systems, described by CBS Colorado as an atmospheric river, fell on ground already saturated by earlier storms, so the rain ran straight off. The weather service estimated up to 4 inches across the region.

Next: rain was expected to continue through Monday, tapering in Arizona as the system moves east. The San Juan was forecast to stay at major flood stage through much of Monday morning, under a flood warning through Monday evening. National Guard equipment and additional rescue teams were headed to southwest Colorado, and the Pagosa Springs incident team said roads are not expected to improve for several days.

Sources checked: AP via Sentinel Colorado (Nov 1, 11:37 p.m. ET, link), AP via WHEC (Nov 1, 7:08 p.m. ET, link), AP via KSL (Nov 1, link), CBS Colorado (Nov 1, 6:27 p.m. ET, link), CBS Colorado (Oct 31, 11:07 p.m. ET, link), Pagosa Springs Sun, incident team and town release (Nov 1, 1:56 p.m. ET, link), Denver7 (Nov 2, link), Fox 5 Las Vegas (Nov 2, 3:26 a.m. ET, link), The Business Standard (Nov 2, 2:14 a.m. ET, link)

Gunfire at parties, nightlife districts and college towns across the U.S. killed at least 13 people and wounded 92 from Friday through early Sunday, according to CNN's preliminary estimate, based partly on Gun Violence Archive tallies. CNN called it one of the most violent Halloween weekends in recent years. The archive counts nearly 400 mass shootings so far this year, more than one a day.

The counts differ because no official national tally exists and each outlet picks its own incidents. The AP's Sunday figure of at least 6 dead was early and focused on nightlife districts. CNN's later list covers 14 shootings but omits at least three fatal ones others reported: Boulder, Colo. (1 dead, 1 critical); Madison Heights, Mich. (1 dead); and southwest of Little Rock, Ark. (1 dead, several hurt). Adding those would make at least 16 dead. South Korea's SBS, citing U.S. media, reported 24 dead and 94 hurt, but gave no incident list, and that number could not be verified.

The deadliest scene was Dallas's Deep Ellum entertainment district, where three shootings at about 12:20, 1:05 and 1:35 a.m. Sunday left 4 dead and at least 15 hurt. Chief Daniel Comeaux said police, already on extra patrol, have found no evidence the shootings are linked. ABC reported early Monday that one suspect is in custody and at least one other is being sought, and that the injury count could rise. Jacksonville, Fla., had two shootings, with 2 dead and 11 hurt combined, and Jackson, Miss., had 2 dead and 4 hurt at a nightclub costume party.

A separate Fox count tallies 3 dead and at least 29 hurt in five college communities: Birmingham, Ala., after the Magic City Classic (1 dead, 8 hurt); Bloomington, Ill. (a 19-year-old woman dead, 7 hurt); Boulder (a 19-year-old CU student dead, another critical); Bloomington, Ind. (7 hurt); and Newark, Del. (6 hurt). CNN reported that a 17-year-old is in custody in Birmingham and that the gun carried a Glock conversion switch, and that Bloomington, Ind., Mayor Kerry Thomson said none of those victims attend school there.

Why: no common cause has been established. Police describe fights or altercations before some shootings, including in Jacksonville and Fayetteville, Ark. The Dallas motive is unknown, and most other investigations are still open.

Sources checked: CNN via KQ2 (Nov 2, 1:00 a.m. ET, link), CNN via ABC17 (Nov 2, link), ABC News via AOL (Nov 2, 3:21 a.m. ET, link), AP via PBS NewsHour (Nov 1, 2:36 p.m. ET, link), Fox 4 Dallas, college communities (Nov 1, 9:18 p.m. ET, link), Fox 4 Dallas, Deep Ellum (Nov 1, 10:02 a.m. ET, link), Straight Arrow News (Nov 1, 12:12 p.m. ET, link), SBS Korea (Nov 1, 9:08 p.m. ET, link)

Spanish authorities say at least 69 people died when a high-speed train hit a stopped train near Urda, in Toledo province, on Oct. 28. It is the second major crash this year on the Madrid-Seville line, after a January wreck that killed 46, and it has put a network that had no fatal crashes in more than three decades before this year under scrutiny.

The state body identifying victims lists four U.S. citizens; one each from Canada, Japan, Argentina, Mexico, Tunisia and the Czech Republic; one French and one Portuguese citizen; and 54 Spaniards. All but three victims are identified. Two Australians and one Japanese citizen remain reported missing. Among the dead is Dr. Marta Shahbazi, a group leader at Cambridge's MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, who was traveling to collect a prize from the Spanish Society for Developmental Biology. Injury counts differ: CBS said 58 on Sunday night; AP reported more than 200, with 39 still hospitalized as of Friday.

Both trains were running from Madrid to Seville with more than 540 people aboard. By AP's account, the system that tracks trains and can brake them automatically lost communications at 8:31 a.m., leaving controllers in Madrid in charge. Five minutes later a controller cleared the Renfe train to resume normal speed while the private Iryo train sat stopped about 25 km ahead. The Iryo crew reported that they could not restart, but the Renfe train was never told to stop. It hit at 100 to 125 mph at 8:53 a.m.

Transport Minister Óscar Puente called the restart order "inexplicable" and blames the controller's judgment for much of what went wrong. Unions dispute that focus, citing too few controllers, heavier workloads and an aging safety system that they say should already have been replaced.

Why: the findings so far are preliminary and the final cause is undetermined. Next: a judge and an independent rail accident commission are investigating, and the trains' black boxes have gone to the Civil Guard. Puente is under pressure to resign.

Sources checked: CBS News/AP (Nov 1, 7:58 p.m. ET, link), AP via WCCB (Nov 1, 10:43 a.m. ET, link), ABC News (Oct 30, 9:46 a.m. ET, link), ITV News Anglia (Nov 1, link), LBC (Nov 1, link)

Ebola has now killed 5,026 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo out of 10,351 confirmed infections, according to the Health Ministry's update Saturday. That is roughly half of those infected, and it makes this the second-deadliest Ebola outbreak on record, behind West Africa's 2014-2016 epidemic, which killed more than 11,000. The Bundibugyo strain driving it has no approved vaccine or treatment.

Declared in mid-May, the outbreak has reached eight of Congo's 26 provinces, with Ituri and North Kivu the epicenters. U.S. CDC counts as of Oct. 28 show cases elsewhere in Kenya (9, with 2 deaths), Uganda (20, with 2 deaths, none active), France (1, recovered) and Nigeria (1, a patient flown to Switzerland). BusinessToday reported Monday that Nigeria has since isolated two suspected cases and is testing them. CDC reports no U.S. cases and rates the risk to Americans as low.

Whether it is plateauing is the open question. Experts told AP on Oct. 29 that about 400 to 500 new confirmed cases a week looked steady: not exponential growth, but no decline, at what one called a very high set point. AP said Sunday that cases are spiraling in Beni. The Africa CDC says about 80% of new cases fall outside monitored contact chains, meaning most spread is untracked. WHO says about a third of deaths occurred outside treatment centers.

Africa CDC chief Jean Kaseya told CBC that the outbreak could reach more countries and continents without more support. "No one is safe today," he said.

Why it persists: fighting in the east involving M23 rebels and the Allied Democratic Forces limits access, and attacks on health workers, unpaid wages and shortages of fuel and money have slowed the response. Next: trials in Bunia will test whether the existing vaccine for the Zaire strain protects against this one, and experts expect the outbreak to run through year's end.

Sources checked: AP via Manila Times (Nov 1, 3:42 a.m. ET, link), BusinessToday (Nov 2, 4:52 a.m. ET, link), Anadolu (Oct 31, link), CBC via News Beep (Oct 31, 2:14 p.m. ET, link), AP via ABC News (Oct 29, 11:10 a.m. ET, link), U.S. CDC (Oct 30, link), UN News (Oct 28, link)

A Yakima County, Wash., resident who caught H5N1 bird flu at a dairy with infected cattle died Sunday of complications, the Yakima Health District said. It comes amid a dairy outbreak that has spread fast since early October. UPI reported it is apparently the first U.S. bird flu death of 2026 and the third on record. The most recent earlier death was also in Washington, on Nov. 21, 2025.

The patient, the county's second dairy-linked case, was hospitalized with severe illness and had underlying health conditions. Officials are withholding the person's name, age and gender. Why this case turned deadly beyond those conditions has not been explained. On Sunday the district also confirmed a third case in a resident exposed at a county dairy. That person was not severely ill or hospitalized. UPI dates the county's first dairy-linked human case to Oct. 15.

Bird flu was first confirmed in Washington dairy cattle at two Yakima County farms in early October. By Oct. 29, 33 county herds had tested positive, and UPI counts one more in Benton County. Twenty states have now reported it in dairy cattle. In Colorado, a routine bulk-milk test at a Weld County dairy brought the first detection there in more than two years, confirmed Oct. 24. That dairy is quarantined. The strain appears to be B3.13, a type that has spread among dairies nationwide.

On risk, health officials and Gov. Bob Ferguson say the danger to the general public remains low. Dairy workers and others with close, prolonged contact with infected animals face greater risk. Officials say human-to-human spread is extremely rare and has never been documented in the U.S., and pasteurized milk is safe. "Avian influenza can cause severe illness, particularly among people who have underlying health conditions," said district health officer Dr. Dave Atteberry. The CDC's page, last updated Oct. 15 and so before this death, lists 72 U.S. human cases since February 2024 and calls the public risk low. No CDC statement on the death could be found.

Next: the district is monitoring the patient's close contacts and tracing people exposed to the third case. It will update its avian flu page Mondays and Thursdays at 2 p.m.

Sources checked: UPI via Yahoo (Nov 1, 10:53 p.m. ET, link), KOMO (Nov 1, 9:55 p.m. ET, link), NBC Right Now (Nov 1, link), Yakima Herald-Republic (Nov 1, link), Yakima Health District release (Oct 31, link), Kiowa County Press (Oct 31, link), Denver7 (Oct 30, 4:03 p.m. ET, link), CDC situation summary (updated Oct 15, link)

The FBI said Saturday that North Korea's TraderTraitor hacking group stole more than $6 billion in digital assets from Binance, the world's largest crypto exchange, in the Oct. 29 attack. It is the largest crypto theft on record, more than four times the roughly $1.5 billion taken from Bybit in 2025, which was blamed on the same group. Working with the Secret Service and IRS investigators, the FBI published attacker wallet addresses and asked exchanges to block them.

The dollar figures measure different things. Binance estimates its loss at about $6.3 billion. Blockchain firm Elliptic puts it at $6.43 billion, based on on-chain transfers to the attacker valued at the time of theft, and excludes $169 million that left after withdrawals were suspended. Elliptic says $2.85 billion has been frozen, against Binance's estimate of about $3 billion, and that about $3.25 billion sits in assets issuers cannot freeze.

The $3.6 billion is separate: it is customer money, not stolen money. When Binance reopened withdrawals in phases at 1 a.m. ET Sunday, it logged about $4.65 billion out and $1.01 billion in over 9.5 hours, a net outflow of $3.64 billion, or 2.1% of its assets by its own count. Cointelegraph, citing DefiLlama data late Sunday, put 24-hour net outflows at $5.8 billion, a different source and time window, so the two numbers do not compare directly. Binance says withdrawals spiked and then slowed. It says it has replaced 90% of the stolen assets from its treasury and insurance funds, that customers will not bear the loss, and that the remaining 10% is in less liquid tokens that take longer to buy.

How: Binance has linked the breach to a compromised engineer's laptop and later reported additional entry points. Funds went out across 11 blockchains. Why: the FBI statement as reported gives no motive, and reports reviewed carry no North Korean response.

Next: the FBI expects the group to launder the funds further through decentralized finance and instant-swap services.

Sources checked: Reuters via Cyprus Mail (Nov 2, 4:37 a.m. ET, link), The Hacker News (Nov 1, link), Elliptic (updated Nov 1, 3:00 a.m. ET, link), Infosecurity Magazine (Nov 2, link), Al Jazeera (Nov 1, link), AP via ABC News (Oct 31, link), ABC Australia (Nov 1, 1:46 a.m. ET, link), Cointelegraph (Nov 1, 6:59 p.m. ET, link)

U.S. stock futures were up early Monday after Friday's tech-led selloff. As of about 5:15 a.m. ET, S&P 500 and Dow futures were each up about 0.5% and Nasdaq 100 futures about 0.8%. Monday's gain comes with oil sharply lower and a crowded week ahead: Apple tonight, midterm elections Tuesday, the jobs report Friday.

On Friday the Nasdaq Composite fell 2.86% to 25,437, its worst day since June 5. The S&P 500 lost 1.82% to 7,580 and the Dow 1.09% to 51,770. Investors punished AI-linked earnings: Alphabet dropped about 13% and Intel more than 20% despite an earnings beat. For October the Nasdaq Composite lost more than 5% and the S&P 500 roughly 1%, while the Dow gained 1.5% to 1.7% as money rotated to defensive stocks. Outlets differ slightly on the October S&P and Dow figures.

U.S. crude fell about 4% to just under $100 a barrel and Brent traded near $109. The trigger was an Axios report that President Trump told Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu he wants to give diplomacy with Iran more time before further strikes. Secretary of State Rubio said Saturday no decision on new strikes has been made. Risk remains: Britain's maritime monitoring agency reported more ships hit in and near the Strait of Hormuz. Oil rose by double digits in October.

Apple reports after the close, its first results under CEO John Ternus. Apple guided to a gross margin of 47% to 48%, down from 50.1% last quarter, as memory-chip costs climb. Analysts expect revenue near $113 billion and profit up about 6%, which would be the slowest growth in six quarters.

Next: all 435 House seats and 35 Senate seats are on the ballot Tuesday. The October jobs report lands Friday at 8:30 a.m. ET, with consensus near 55,000 new jobs and 4.2% unemployment, according to CNBC figures cited by other outlets.

Sources checked: Yahoo Finance (Nov 2, 5:00 a.m. ET, link), Stocktwits (Nov 2, 5:18 a.m. ET, link), Investing.com (Nov 2, data as of 3:50 a.m. ET, link), Investing.com (Nov 2, data as of 1:47 a.m. ET, link), Nairametrics (Nov 2, 5:23 a.m. ET, link), The National (Nov 2, 12:12 a.m. ET, link), BeInCrypto via Yahoo Finance (Nov 1, 10:16 p.m. ET, link), FinanceFeeds (Nov 1, 11:14 a.m. ET, link), Tech Insider (Nov 1, 5:21 a.m. ET, link), Rallies (Nov 2, link), Zacks via Yahoo Finance (Oct 29, 1:30 p.m. ET, link), Pepperstone (Oct 27, link)

The UN's peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara, MINURSO, is over. Its mandate expired at midnight Oct. 31 after the Security Council deadlocked, and Secretary-General António Guterres said Sunday that liquidation has begun, with assets going back to contributing countries. The mission's departure removes the UN's monitors from a 50-year territorial dispute in which low-level fighting has continued since the Polisario Front resumed armed struggle in 2020.

On Friday, Russia vetoed a U.S. draft that had 11 of 15 votes, including France and Britain. It would have extended the mission a year, cut its military component, dropped "referendum" from its name and made Morocco's autonomy plan the only basis for talks. A rival Russian text for a plain one-year extension fell well short of the nine votes needed; Reuters counted three in favor, Al Jazeera two. U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz blamed the veto for preserving a referendum that never happened. Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said the Council cannot predetermine sovereignty.

Morocco welcomed the result. The royal palace called it a "significant development," said the issue should leave the Council's agenda and said the mission should depart within days, while restating its commitment to the ceasefire. Algeria voiced deep regret and accused Washington of excessive bias toward Morocco. The Algeria-backed Polisario, which seeks independence, thanked Russia for the veto and said it was concerned by the deadlock.

Guterres said he is worried about security across the territory and the risk of escalation, and urged maximum restraint. The UN says the mission had about 200 civilian staff, military observers and staff officers from more than 35 countries, and lost 20 personnel over its life. It was created in 1991 to monitor a ceasefire and prepare a referendum, which never took place because the sides could not agree on who could vote.

Next: a small UN team will oversee disposal of equipment, and the UN says it will keep pursuing a settlement through envoy Staffan de Mistura. No new talks have been announced.

Sources checked: Reuters via KELO (Nov 1, link), Reuters via WMBD (Oct 30, link), UN News (Nov 1, link), Al Jazeera (Nov 1, link), Al Jazeera (Nov 1, link), Anadolu (Oct 30, link), Reuters via Club of Mozambique (Nov 1, 10:11 p.m. ET, link), Copenhagen Post (Nov 2, 12:46 a.m. ET, link)

Students at dozens of U.S. campuses rallied Sunday night in a coordinated Take Back the Night action, driven by a civil suit accusing seven Cornell University fraternity members of rape. It has become a national test of how colleges handle sexual assault complaints. Smaller "We Are Jane" marches have sprung up off campus, including about 25 people in Clarksville, Tenn., on Halloween. Newsweek and La Voce di New York reported 79 campuses taking part, while the organizer's page shows 98 campus logos. No turnout total could be found.

The case: a former student, called Jane Doe in court papers, alleges in a Sept. 14 lawsuit that several men plied her with alcohol and drugs and raped her at Cornell's Chi Phi house in October 2024. She reported it to campus police that November. Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten declined to prosecute, saying a six-page police summary showed consensual activity. Her lawyer says that summary left out key allegations and that she was misled into believing the investigation was still open. No one has been criminally charged. Those of the accused who have responded deny wrongdoing, saying the contact was consensual or that they were not involved.

Protesters' five national demands are prevention education for all students, trauma-informed investigations with independent oversight, 24-hour emergency response, monthly transparency reports with annual climate surveys, and help modernizing assault laws. At Cornell, where thousands rallied Oct. 5, some groups went further, demanding expulsions, revoked degrees and President Michael Kotlikoff's resignation.

Cornell says its process led to suspensions and expulsions and that it banned the chapter. The suit alleges only two of the seven were expelled. Kotlikoff called the allegations "deeply disturbing" and said Cornell is committed to finding answers. The trustees hired former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates to review the school's handling, and students can now ask state police rather than campus police to investigate. Cornell also revised an earlier claim that its police had shared all investigative material with the DA, and has declined to discuss police conduct, citing litigation.

Next: after the suit, Gov. Kathy Hochul removed Van Houten and named Attorney General Letitia James special prosecutor. One accused student argues a James social media post shows bias; her office calls the claim without merit. Acting Justice James Farrell questioned both sides Oct. 29 and has not ruled. His lawyers have until Nov. 5 to file more papers. James has given no firm timeline for her investigation.

Sources checked: Stanford Daily (Nov 2, 5:14 a.m. ET, link), Cornell Daily Sun (Nov 1, 5:04 p.m. ET, link), La Voce di New York (Nov 1, 1:42 p.m. ET, link), Newsweek (page undated, link), Take Back the Night, organizer page (undated, link), Clarksville Now (Oct 31, 6:45 p.m. ET, link), Spectrum News (Oct 29, 5:18 p.m. ET, link), CNN via Local 3 News (Oct 29, link), ABC News (Oct 8, link), AP via PBS NewsHour (Oct 8, 10:43 a.m. ET, link), Truthout (Oct 7, link), AP via WRAL (Oct 4, 7:48 a.m. ET, link)

Colon and rectal tumors in younger patients contain more connective tissue relative to cancer cells than tumors in older patients, a Boston-led study found. That shielding tissue may help explain why the disease often resists treatment in the young. It matters because colorectal cancer is now the leading cause of cancer death in Americans under 50, and younger patients are more often diagnosed at advanced stages.

Researchers at Mass General Brigham, Dana-Farber and the Broad Institute published the work Oct. 29 in Nature Medicine. They studied 189 frozen tumors from patients aged 29 to over 90, 54 of them diagnosed before age 50. Using single-nucleus RNA sequencing, which reads which genes are switched on in each cell, they profiled more than 850,000 cells. They then treated age as a gradual scale rather than splitting patients into young and old, and checked the connective-tissue pattern against 564 other tumors and images of 712 more.

In plain terms, three things stood out in younger patients. More supporting cells surround the cancer, a pattern tied to chemotherapy resistance in other solid tumors, possibly because they block drugs and dampen immune attack. Gene activity suggests stronger signaling between cells that could help cancer invade nearby tissue. And long non-coding RNAs, stretches that regulate genes without making proteins, are more active, though many of their functions are unknown.

The limits are real. The authors say the findings do not prove these differences cause more aggressive disease. The method captured few immune cells, so immune differences by age remain unknown. Samples came from surgeries at one hospital, the study does not explain why the tumors differ, and it offers no new treatment or personal advice yet. The coverage reviewed quoted only study authors, not outside experts.

The rise is also no longer just a young person's story. Reuters reported Oct. 30 on a NEJM Evidence analysis led by the University of Chicago's Caitlin Murphy: incidence in adults up to 70 fell from 55.2 per 100,000 in 2000 to 36.7 in 2022, then rose to 38.3 in 2023, the first overall increase in more than 20 years. The sharpest jump, in ages 45 to 49, likely reflects the screening age dropping to 45, but screening does not explain the overall rise. Next, the Boston team plans studies of how these cell changes affect tumor growth, and whether they open paths to prevention or treatment.

Sources checked: Reuters via SRN News (Oct 30, 9:05 a.m. ET, link), Broad Institute (Oct 29, link), News-Medical (Oct 29, link), Live Science (Oct 29, link), Business Insider via AOL (Oct 29, 6:00 a.m. ET, link), STAT (Oct 29, 6:00 a.m. ET, link)

Postmenopausal women who started testosterone had far more first-time heart and stroke diagnoses than matched women who did not, according to a study presented in October at The Menopause Society's annual meeting in San Diego. The finding matters because testosterone is prescribed off-label for low sexual desire, but it does not prove the drug caused the harm. No testosterone product is FDA-approved for women in the U.S.

Dr. Xuezhi Daniel Jiang of Drexel University College of Medicine and colleagues used the TriNetX network of electronic health records. They compared women aged 45 and older with no prior cardiovascular disease, 3,164 in each group, matched on factors such as age, smoking, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and hormone therapy. Average follow-up was under three years.

The combined outcome, which included heart attack, angina, stroke and heart failure, occurred in 3.8% of testosterone users and 0.5% of non-users. That is a hazard ratio of 8.08, with a wide range of 4.72 to 13.82, or roughly 33 more diagnoses per 1,000 women. The absolute rates were low. Fox's headline names heart attack and stroke, but the figures cover this broader group of conditions.

The caveats are significant. This is observational data, so matching cannot balance what records do not capture, and there were few events. Dose, form and reason for treatment were not available, so it cannot speak to low-dose creams specifically, and the study did not examine other libido drugs. It is a conference presentation, and no journal publication has been reported. Jiang called it "a potentially important cardiovascular safety signal" and said prospective research is needed.

What to do: The Menopause Society's medical director, Dr. Stephanie Faubion, advises clinicians to weigh individual risks and benefits. The society's release notes testosterone has proven effective for hypoactive sexual desire disorder, estimated to affect 10% to 15% of postmenopausal women. Fox said it had sought comment from the researchers and reported no response.

Sources checked: Fox News (Nov 1, 1:54 p.m. ET, link), JustCare Health News (Oct 22, link), Menopause Society release via Mirage News (Oct 20, link), Medical Daily (Oct 15, 10:31 a.m. ET, link)

Four volunteers left NASA's simulated Mars habitat in Houston on Saturday, Oct. 31, ending a 378-day isolation mission. Their health and performance data will feed planning for NASA's Moon missions and a possible crewed trip to Mars, which the agency has targeted for as early as the 2030s.

The crew of the second CHAPEA (Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog) mission were commander Ross Elder, science officer Matthew Montgomery, medical officer Ellen Ellis and flight engineer James Spicer. They entered the 1,700-square-foot, 3D-printed habitat at Johnson Space Center on Oct. 19, 2025.

Inside, they grew crops in simulated Martian soil, ran simulated Mars operations, maintained the habitat, managed limited resources and dealt with built-in communication delays. "It's been a hell of a year," Ellis said. NASA says the data bears on food systems, crew time, Deep Space Network bandwidth, and medical and behavioral support.

Next: two weeks of post-mission evaluations and debriefings with NASA scientists, who want to learn how crews readjust to daily life. The first CHAPEA mission, with a different crew, also ran 378 days, across 2023 and 2024.

Sources checked: Reuters via Daily Maverick (Nov 1, 11:42 p.m. ET, link), Reuters via Yahoo (Nov 1, 11:37 a.m. ET, link), Digg aggregation of NASA posts (date not shown, link), NASA news release (Oct 27, updated Oct 28, link), Leo.space (Oct 28, 12:30 a.m. ET, link)

A meteorite found in Mali in 2022 formed more than 4.1 billion years ago on Mars, making it one of the three oldest Martian meteorites known, according to a NASA-funded study published in Science on Oct. 29. It matters because it is the first sample of Martian crust from a region never sampled before, and it records water at work early in the planet's history.

Teghaza 001, named for the salt plain where it turned up, weighs about 800 grams, under 2 pounds, in eight fragments. It is one of about 435 known Martian meteorites. Discover reported it was found by a group of meteorite hunters; the sources read do not name them.

Water altered the rock about 4.1 billion years ago, so it likely formed earlier still. A team led by Francois Tissot of Caltech dated it with a new technique that analyzes single mineral grains on a piece smaller than a fingernail, sparing the rare sample. Yang Liu of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory is lead author.

Its minerals match what NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has observed in the cratered southern highlands, the rock's likely source. A separate June paper in Science Advances examined its water content and pointed to a more dynamic early water cycle than scientists had assumed. Liu says the work has "only scratched the surface."

Sources checked: Discover (Oct 30, link), Sci.News (Oct 30, link), CBS News (Oct 30, 11:09 a.m. ET, link), NASA JPL (Oct 29, link)

A NASA satellite image published Oct. 30 shows ice, rock and glacial debris on Antarctica's Vega Island forming a grinning skull in profile. The Halloween image also carries a warning: unusually bare, dark ice at the start of the melt season, which absorbs more sunlight and is expected to speed melting as spring goes on.

Landsat 9 took the views on March 22, 2025, and Oct. 10, 2026. Vega sits in the Weddell Sea east of the Antarctic Peninsula. A nunatak, a rock peak poking through ice, forms the eye socket; a lateral moraine the mouth; Devil's Bay Glacier the jaw. The skull appears to look toward Devil Island. NASA attributes the exposed ice to above-average winter temperatures, especially in June, along with limited new snow, sublimation and wind scouring.

"The winter season was no treat for these glaciers," Nichols College glaciologist Mauri Pelto told NASA. He said melt will gradually reshape the jawline and enlarge the eye socket. The longer record supports the concern: a 2004 study by Argentine researchers found Devil's Bay Glacier losing mass from 1999 to 2003 and rated it highly sensitive to climate, and NASA says its mass has kept declining.

Sources checked: NASA Earth Observatory, primary source for the image and its facts (Oct 30, link), Brownstone Worldwide, summarizing NASA (Oct 31, 6:07 a.m. ET, link), Atlas Obscura, background on the skull (date not shown, link), Annals of Glaciology (2004, link), Mauri Pelto, From a Glacier's Perspective (Jan 22, 2012, updated Mar 9, 2015, link)

November's best skywatching is mostly before dawn, with the main events a tight Mars-Jupiter pairing in mid-month and a supermoon on Nov. 24. Times below are Eastern.

Taurid meteors come first: the Southern Taurids peak Nov. 4-5 and the Northern Taurids Nov. 11-12, best from midnight to early morning. The new moon on Nov. 9 leaves the second peak in fairly dark skies.

Mars and Jupiter: look east about an hour before sunrise on Nov. 15-17, when the two sit about 1.2 degrees apart, roughly the width of a pinky at arm's length. Jupiter is the brighter; Mars is the reddish one. Most guides list Nov. 16, while EarthSky and The Weather Network put the exact closest approach late on Nov. 14 Eastern, before the pair rises here, so any of those mornings should work.

Leonids: most guides give the night of Nov. 17 into the morning of Nov. 18, though Forbes lists the night of Nov. 16-17. A nearly first-quarter moon may wash out fainter meteors. Late in the month, the Beaver Supermoon is full at about 9:53 a.m. on Nov. 24, below the horizon here, so look for it rising around sunset on Nov. 23 and 24 near the Pleiades.

Sources checked: EarthSky (Nov 1, updated 9:16 a.m. ET, link), Forbes (Oct 31, link), Popular Science (Oct 31, 9:00 a.m. ET, link), Star Walk (updated Oct 31, 4:15 a.m. ET, link), The Weather Network via Yahoo (Oct 31, 4:00 a.m. ET, link), High Point Scientific (Oct 15, link), Royal Museums Greenwich (Oct 8, link), Starlust (date not shown, link)

Google is testing a permanent status bar for smartwatch apps, in a test build labeled Wear OS 7.1. The catch: the bar is not expected to ship with 7.1. Google says it is coming in "a later platform release" and has not given a date.

The feature sits at the top of the round display and shows the time and system icons in a standard font and position, much as Android phones do. It hides during scrolling and returns after about two seconds, and full-screen apps, pop-ups and pickers can suppress it. The apparent aim is a consistent clock across apps, replacing each app's own version.

It appeared in a canary (early developer) emulator Google released in Android Studio on Oct. 26, based on Android 17. Google wants developer testing and feedback before the bar reaches consumers. Apps built with a recent version of Google's Compose for Wear OS tools adopt it automatically. Which watches will get it is unknown.

Sources checked: Digital Trends (Nov 2, 5:26 a.m. ET, link), the5krunner (Nov 2, 4:58 a.m. ET, link), TuttoAndroid (Nov 2, link), 9to5Google (Nov 1, 3:44 p.m. ET, link)

Google says detachable Googlebooks, tablets with removable keyboards, are coming, widening its new laptop line beyond the five models on sale. The company described the line in a developer keynote at Android Dev Summit 2026 as spanning "clamshells, convertibles, and soon detachables." It gave no launch date, price or hardware.

Four of today's five Googlebooks are clamshells, from Asus, Dell, HP and Lenovo. The $899 Acer Googlebook 14 is the only convertible. Google has work to do first: the Googlebook home screen, Overview and app tray run only in landscape, though full-screen apps can open in portrait.

The first detachable is expected from Lenovo, but that rests on a July leak, not on Google. The leaked tablet reportedly has a detachable keyboard, a kickstand and a Glowbar beside the camera. Lenovo has not confirmed it and no date for the keynote has been announced.

Sources checked: Digital Trends (Nov 2, link), NewsBytes (Nov 2, link), Tbreak (Nov 1, 11:40 p.m. ET, link), SSBCrack (Nov 1, 6:31 p.m. ET, link), 9to5Google (Nov 1, 3:07 p.m. ET, link)

Apple's $299 HomeView smart display may be able to serve as a home security camera, according to text found in its software. This is a leak, not an announcement. Apple has not confirmed the feature, and the find does not show it will be available when HomeView launches Nov. 13.

The finding comes from a code sleuth known as pdfu, who located settings text in HomeView Software 27.2. MacRumors and iClarified credit a post on X; Digital Trends and NewsBytes say Reddit. One setup line reads: "Your HomeView can be used as a security camera with HomeKit Secure Video."

The text describes modes for off, activity detection, streaming, and streaming with recording, set by whether household members are home, away or asleep. Viewing would be limited to home members, with a green light and a sound when viewing or recording starts. MacRumors, in the latest report, also cited a 1080p, 30-frames-per-second setting with microphone input.

The idea would use hardware already there: HomeView has a built-in FaceTime camera and a 7-inch screen. Digital Trends says the feature is not active in current software.

Sources checked: MacRumors (Nov 2, 4:56 a.m. ET, link), NewsBytes (Nov 2, link), Digital Trends (Nov 1, 6:34 p.m. ET, link), iClarified (Nov 1, 9:58 a.m. ET, link)

Martha Stewart apologized Sunday for dressing as a homeless person for Halloween, hours after a first statement that stopped short of saying sorry. The photo showed her in ripped, tattered clothes holding a sign reading "I AM HUNGRY. HELP ME!!" It ran in an Instagram carousel promoting her QVC candles and was deleted after commenters attacked it.

Her first statement, given to Page Six, said she was distressed that people were offended, that the costume was meant to raise awareness of homelessness, and that she supports charities fighting it. Hours later she wrote on Instagram: "It's hard to admit when you've really screwed up." She said the first statement fell short, that many people are suffering economically, and that the costume was insensitive and not funny.

Accounts differ slightly on the apology's closing words: The Express has her saying she is sorry; Men's Journal, the newest report checked, has "very sorry."

Sources checked: TMZ (Nov 1, 1:05 p.m. ET, link), TheWrap (Nov 1, updated 4:09 p.m. ET, link), Fox News (Nov 1, 5:46 p.m. ET, link), Fox News via WFMD (Nov 1, link), The Express via AOL (Nov 1, 10:56 p.m. ET, link), Men's Journal (Nov 2, 1:37 a.m. ET, link)

"You Can See Everything," the three-hour Elizabeth Holmes documentary from Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim, reached No. 1 in North America for the first time in its third weekend. Sunday studio estimates gave it $10.6 million from 2,655 locations, about $200,000 ahead of "Clayface" at $10.4 million. The figures are estimates, and a margin that thin could still shift.

The A24 film has now taken in $63.9 million on a reported $7 million budget. "Clayface" fell 57% in its second weekend from an opening of about $24 million and stands at $44.1 million domestically on a reported budget of $44 million. Laika's "Wildwood" was third at $7.5 million, followed by "Wicker" at $4.1 million.

Total ticket sales were not expected to top $63 million, which would be the third-lowest weekend of the year. The Associated Press blamed Halloween for pulling audiences away on Saturday. The domestic box office remains up more than 17% for the year, at nearly $8.5 billion.

Sources checked: TheWrap (Oct 31, updated 11:44 a.m. ET, link), AP via KSL (Oct 25, link), AP via CP24 (Nov 1, 12:48 p.m. ET, link), AP via ABC News (Nov 1, 1:00 p.m. ET, link), AFP via Philstar (Nov 2, link)

HBO's "The Gilded Age" opened Season 4 on Sunday night with an episode titled "Ring the Bells" and an uncredited surprise: Matt Damon and David Letterman, in period dress, silently crossing the street outside the Russell home a little over eight minutes in. The shot lasts about six seconds, and HBO confirmed the appearances.

The stunt comes from Letterman's Netflix show. According to Vulture, Letterman had wanted for nearly 50 years to work as a background extra, and the idea was built into Damon's coming episode of "My Next Guest Needs No Introduction." Damon himself started out as a background actor. LateNighter, citing the same reporting, says the scene was shot in May.

Two actors from Season 3 are confirmed gone, per Deadline's reporting as relayed by TVLine and People: Patrick Page (Richard Clay) and Sullivan Jones (T. Thomas Fortune). No official reason was given, and TVLine says either could guest-star later. Claybourne Elder (John Adams) is out because his character died last season. Nathan Lane's status is unresolved: People says it has not been announced, while Just Jared, the later report, cites Deadline in saying viewers have probably seen the last of him and lists Nicole Brydon Bloom and Rachel Pickup as seemingly gone too. Jim Gaffigan and Elizabeth Marvel join the cast.

Sources checked: TVLine (Oct 19, 9:44 p.m. ET, link), People via Yahoo (Nov 1, 10:30 a.m. ET, link), Just Jared via Yahoo (Nov 1, 11:53 a.m. ET, link), Decider via Yahoo (Nov 1, 10:00 p.m. ET, link), The Daily Beast (Nov 1, updated 11:43 p.m. ET, link), Vulture via NewsBeep (Nov 2, 12:36 a.m. ET, link), LateNighter (Nov 2, 2:47 a.m. ET, link), Soap Central (Nov 2, 3:51 a.m. ET, link)

"The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Dorit Kemsley and her estranged husband, PK Kemsley, reached a partial financial settlement last week in Los Angeles County Superior Court, according to Page Six and TMZ. The terms are confidential. Custody of their two children is still open. Accounts built on Page Six's report place the hearing on Oct. 28 or Oct. 29. Court records themselves were not available for this report.

Those accounts say Judge George Bird sent the couple to another judge to work on custody, with settlement talks to resume Nov. 24 and virtual custody mediation set for Dec. 2. Dorit filed for divorce in April 2025.

The nanny has not testified, as far as any report shows. TMZ, citing court documents, says PK plans to call her, Dorit's personal assistant and Dorit herself as witnesses. In the newest report, TMZ says a PK declaration accuses Dorit of cutting him out of school decisions and leaving daily parenting to a nanny and housekeeper. Those are his allegations; TMZ says Dorit denies them, and no judge has ruled on them.

Sources checked: TMZ (Oct 28, 6:15 p.m. ET, link), Page Six summary via PressBee (Oct 30, link), Reality Blurb (Oct 30, 2:30 p.m. ET, link), Entertainment Now (Oct 30, 3:48 p.m. ET, link), Time News (Nov 2, link), TMZ (Nov 2, 4:00 a.m. ET, link)

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson will have surgery on his right thumb and go on injured reserve after being hurt on Baltimore's first offensive snap Sunday in Orchard Park, N.Y. His throwing hand struck the arm of Bills pass rusher Greg Rousseau on the follow-through. It was his first game back after missing three with a high ankle sprain. Asked if the injury could end his season, first-year coach Jesse Minter said, "Potentially." No surgery date or return timeline has been given.

The damage went past Jackson. Backup Tyler Huntley left in the second quarter with a toe injury, and undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano made his NFL debut, going 10-of-21 for 91 yards with an interception and a lost fumble. Buffalo won 36-10, and Baltimore fell to 4-4 on a three-game losing streak.

The Ravens went 1-2 with Huntley starting and play Jacksonville on Thursday. Huntley's availability was not reported. Sports Illustrated, in the latest report, says Jackson's $84 million cap hit next season makes a contract renegotiation likely.

Sources checked: CBS Sports (Nov 1, 1:41 p.m. ET, link), ESPN (Nov 1, 1:44 p.m. ET, link), New York Post via Yahoo (Nov 1, 4:52 p.m. ET, link), AP via ABC News (Nov 1, 5:27 p.m. ET, link), Baltimore Ravens (Nov 1, link), Field Level Media (Nov 1, link), Sports Illustrated (Nov 1, 8:18 p.m. ET, link)

Arizona beat Dallas 33-30 in overtime Sunday at AT&T Stadium after trailing 24-10 with 14:20 left in the fourth quarter. ESPN, citing Elias Sports Bureau, says that matches the largest fourth-quarter lead the Cowboys have ever lost. Dallas is 3-5; the Cardinals are also 3-5 and have beaten the Cowboys five straight times.

Gardner Minshew replaced Jacoby Brissett in the third quarter, and Tyler Allgeier turned the game with a 63-yard touchdown run and a 50-yard run that set up a touchdown catch, finishing with 191 yards from scrimmage. Minshew's touchdown pass to Michael Wilson tied it at 30 with 6 seconds left. Kicker Chad Ryland then missed the extra point that would have won it in regulation, but hit a 42-yard field goal to win in overtime.

Asked about a coaching change, owner Jerry Jones told reporters it is "not in my mind at this time." He said many people let coach Brian Schottenheimer down and called the loss an indictment of the whole operation. Pressed on whether Schottenheimer is getting it done, Jones said none of them are, Bleacher Report reports. ESPN puts Schottenheimer at 10-14-1 in Dallas.

Sources checked: CBS News Texas/AP (Nov 1, 5:03 p.m. ET, link), The Big Lead via Yahoo (Nov 1, 5:59 p.m. ET, link), CBS Sports (Nov 1, 6:41 p.m. ET, link), ESPN (Nov 1, 6:53 p.m. ET, link), Bleacher Report (Nov 1, link), ESPN game page (Nov 1, link)

Washington scored the last 27 points to beat Philadelphia 27-10 Sunday night at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Md. The Eagles fell to 2-6 and last in the NFC East, while the Commanders got their second win, moved to 2-4-1 and climbed out of the division basement. It is Philadelphia's first six-game losing streak since 2012, when it lost eight in a row in Andy Reid's final season, and its worst start through eight games since 1999.

Philadelphia led 10-0 in the first quarter on a Jake Elliott field goal and a Saquon Barkley touchdown, then did not score again. Tanner McKee, starting for the injured Jalen Hurts, turned the ball over twice, including a third-quarter fumble that set up a Washington field goal. A long Eagles drive came up empty when a penalty wiped out an Elliott field goal and his retry hit the upright. Jayden Daniels threw for 217 yards and a touchdown without a turnover, and Drew Stevens kicked four field goals.

The Philadelphia Inquirer, in the newest report, says coach Nick Sirianni is sticking with offensive coordinator Sean Mannion and his other assistants. Reports checked gave no timeline for Hurts's return. The NFL trade deadline is Nov. 10.

Sources checked: NBC Sports Philadelphia (Nov 1, link), Fox News (Nov 1, 11:39 p.m. ET, link), Heavy (Nov 1, 11:53 p.m. ET, link), Delaware Online via Yahoo (Nov 2, 12:12 a.m. ET, link), ClutchPoints via Yahoo (Nov 2, 1:08 a.m. ET, link), The Philadelphia Inquirer (Nov 2, updated 5:06 a.m. ET, link)

Rawlings named its 2026 Gold Glove winners Sunday night on ESPN. Boston and Arizona led with three each, and the Cubs, Braves and Brewers had two. Nine of the 20 winners are first-timers, marked below. Managers and up to six coaches per team voted, barring their own players, with a SABR defensive index counting for about 25%.

American League: P Tanner Bibee, Guardians (first); C Dillon Dingler, Tigers; 1B Christian Walker, Astros; 2B Cole Young, Mariners (first); 3B Caleb Durbin, Red Sox (first); SS Taylor Walls, Rays (first); LF Cody Bellinger, Yankees; CF Ceddanne Rafaela, Red Sox; RF Wilyer Abreu, Red Sox; Utility Ezequiel Duran, Rangers (first).

National League: P Nolan McLean, Mets (first); C Gabriel Moreno, Diamondbacks; 1B Matt Olson, Braves; 2B Brice Turang, Brewers; 3B Alex Bregman, Cubs; SS Geraldo Perdomo, Diamondbacks (first); LF Jackson Chourio, Brewers (first); CF Pete Crow-Armstrong, Cubs; RF Corbin Carroll, Diamondbacks (first); Utility Mauricio Dubón, Braves.

MLB.com says Crow-Armstrong won for the second straight year and led the majors with 26 Outs Above Average. Bregman, who won with Houston in 2024, is the second Cubs third baseman to win, after Ron Santo. Durbin is Boston's first infielder to win since Ian Kinsler in 2018, and Abreu now has three straight. Walker and Olson lead this year's group with four career awards each. Platinum Glove fan voting runs through Thursday, with winners announced Friday in New York.

Sources checked: Rawlings via PR Newswire (Nov 1, 9:30 p.m. ET, link), MLB.com (Nov 1, link), Boston Red Sox release via MLB.com (Nov 1, link), Yardbarker (Nov 1, 10:17 p.m. ET, link)

U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, 53, D-Conn., is at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore after a stroke. His office disclosed it Sunday. It comes two days before Tuesday's election, in which he had been campaigning for Democrats; Murphy himself is not on the ballot.

Chief of staff Allison Herwitt said Murphy felt numbness in his arm Saturday afternoon at his son's hockey game. He went to a local hospital, where doctors found the stroke, then moved to Johns Hopkins for further monitoring. Herwitt said he is responding well to treatment, "awake and alert," and that the team is optimistic he will fully recover. That Sunday statement was the latest status found. The rink, the first hospital and the type and cause of the stroke have not been disclosed.

Murphy had campaigned across Connecticut and swing states and was due in New Hampshire on Sunday for Senate candidate Chris Pappas. Gov. Ned Lamont, who said he was with Murphy two days earlier urging residents to vote, said he and his wife are praying for the family. Senate President Pro Tem Martin Looney and Majority Leader Bob Duff said they were relieved and look forward to his return. Sen. Richard Blumenthal said he expects to welcome him back soon.

Support crossed party lines. Republican gubernatorial nominee Ryan Fazio and Republican Sens. Chuck Grassley and Pete Ricketts offered prayers. President Trump said he was surprised by the news.

Sources checked: CT Mirror (Nov 1, updated 12:51 p.m. ET, link), NBC Connecticut (Nov 1, 12:47 p.m. ET, link), WFSB (Nov 1, 12:43 p.m. ET, later updated, link), ABC News (Nov 1, updated 1:28 p.m. ET, link), Fox News (Nov 1, updated 1:52 p.m. ET, link), Looney & Duff statement via EIN Presswire (Nov 1, 3:25 p.m. ET, link), AP via PBS NewsHour (Nov 1, 4:20 p.m. ET, link)

Polls open Tuesday from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., and anyone in line at 8 can still vote. On the ballot: governor and the other five constitutional offices, all five U.S. House seats, all 151 state House seats and all 36 state Senate seats. Photo ID is not required; a voter without ID can sign an affidavit. Same-day registration is at each town's designated location, not at regular polling places. Absentee requests close today, and ballots must reach the clerk by 8 p.m. Tuesday. To check your polling place, use the state locator. The state's Election Day hotline is 1-866-733-2463.

Early voting ended Sunday. Through Saturday, the Secretary of the State counted 467,707 ballots, early and absentee, as unofficial totals. Registered Democrats cast about 48%, unaffiliated voters 31% and Republicans 19%. A final count including Sunday was not found.

Gov. Ned Lamont, 72, a Democrat, seeks a third term against Republican state Sen. Ryan Fazio of Greenwich, who was 36 when nominated in May. Lamont has led by double digits in every recent public poll, including 58–38 in Quinnipiac's Oct. 8–12 survey. Fazio closes by arguing living costs are too high and that voters should hold the governor responsible, not the president. Lamont closes on recovery from the budget shortfall and debt he inherited.

In Congress, the 5th District is rated the state's most competitive race, though it has moved toward Democrats: Rep. Jahana Hayes against Republican Chris Shea, a retired Navy SEAL and first-time candidate. The 1st District is open after Rep. John Larson lost his primary; Democrat Luke Bronin faces Republican Amy Chai. Rep. Jim Himes said that if Democrats win the House, he could chair Intelligence, Rosa DeLauro Appropriations and Joe Courtney the Sea Power subcommittee, leaving Connecticut "punching above its weight."

Democrats hold the House 102–49 and the Senate 25–11. Connecticut Public reports Democrats expect to gain three or four House seats and two Senate seats; Courant columnist Kevin Rennie also predicts further Republican losses. Senate seats to watch are the 36th, which Fazio is leaving (Jill Oberlander vs. Joe Kelly), and the 28th, open with Tony Hwang's retirement (Rob Blanchard vs. Amybeth Laroche).

Sources checked: CT Secretary of the State totals via EIN Presswire (Nov 1, 2:56 p.m. ET, link), CT Secretary of the State voting page (undated, link), CT Mirror (Nov 1, 4:34 p.m. ET, link), CT Mirror (Nov 1, updated 3:15 p.m. ET, link), Connecticut Public (Nov 1, 9:54 a.m. ET, link), NBC Connecticut (Nov 1, updated 12:16 p.m. ET, link), NBC Connecticut (Nov 1, updated 10:57 a.m. ET, link), WTNH via Yahoo (Nov 1, 11:46 a.m. ET, link), NBC Connecticut voting guide (Oct 22, 4:12 p.m. ET, link), CT Mirror voter guide (updated Oct 26, 4:36 p.m. ET, link), ImpactCT (Oct 29, link), CT Mirror (May 16, link), CT Mirror (Oct 14, 4:22 p.m. ET, link), Patch (Oct 15, updated 5:15 p.m. ET, link)

State and New Haven officials say Justice Department election monitors may not enter Connecticut polling places Tuesday. The dispute is Connecticut's piece of a national fight over federal presence at the polls. Activist groups nationally say they are preparing for possible interference; the specifics of Connecticut groups' plans could not be confirmed from reporting available.

The department plans four monitors, in two-person teams, for New Haven, part of about 1,000 nationwide. New Haven's Democratic and Republican registrars told the department in a joint letter that state law limits polling-place entry to voters, election officials and the news media. Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas, who is also on Tuesday's ballot, said monitors may observe from outside the 75-foot zone, and that federal officials assured the state they would stay there.

The Justice Department says monitors only observe, report possible federal violations for review after Election Day, carry no firearms and have no arrest powers. A court filing says the FBI and ICE will not supply monitors. Bridgeport, Danbury and Hartford officials said as of Friday they had received no monitor letters.

Connecticut has also passed a new law restricting certain law-enforcement activity within 250 feet of election sites, including checking voters' qualifications and loitering; routine patrols and emergency response remain allowed. Violations are a Class C felony. Democratic lawmakers say it shields voters from intimidation. Local police have questioned how it applies in practice, with Fairfield's chief calling parts of it unclear. Thomas wrote that officials are planning for "what-ifs," but that fear itself could keep people home.

Nationally, AP reported in September that Indivisible has gamed out 17 scenarios and that activists plan mass protests if voting or counting is disrupted. Voters who see problems can call the state hotline at 1-866-733-2463 or email elections@ct.gov.

Sources checked: Hartford Courant via Yahoo (Oct 31, 5:00 a.m. ET, link), CT Insider via Yahoo (Oct 30, updated 3:52 p.m. ET, link), NBC Connecticut (Oct 30, updated 4:14 p.m. ET, link), Spectrum News (Oct 29, 12:51 p.m. ET, link), Stephanie Thomas op-ed in CT Mirror (Oct 28, 12:02 a.m. ET, link), CT Secretary of the State (Oct 15, updated Oct 17, link), Connecticut Public (Aug 28, updated Sept 2, link), AP via PBS NewsHour (Sept 14, link), CT Mirror voter guide (updated Oct 26, 4:36 p.m. ET, link)

State Rep. Anne Hughes, a four-term Democrat from Easton, was charged Saturday with sixth-degree larceny, a misdemeanor, three days before she faces Republican Darrell Harris in the 135th House District, covering Easton, Redding and Weston.

Easton police said Harris campaign staff complained Friday that signs had been taken near Route 59 and Judd Road. An AirTag on one sign placed it at property owned by Hughes. Police said she returned several signs, including the tracked one, but that they still found probable cause for a summons. Harris said a volunteer frustrated by disappearing signs had hidden the trackers.

Hughes acknowledged removing the signs, arguing they were improperly placed on public property. She apologized for not calling police or Harris's campaign and said she takes "full responsibility and accountability." She told CT Mirror she was instructed to appear in court in two weeks; no exact date has been reported.

House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora, a Republican, criticized the conduct while saying she deserves her day in court. Easton Republicans said her apology does not make the matter less serious. Easton Democrats said they do not condone her actions and trust the legal process.

Sources checked: CT Mirror (Oct 31, updated 7:34 p.m. ET, link), WTNH via Yahoo (Oct 31, 5:44 p.m. ET, link), FOX61 via Yahoo (Oct 31, 10:39 p.m. ET, link), WFSB (Oct 31, 11:34 p.m. ET, later updated, link)

A state-backed panel of about 100 randomly chosen residents has given Connecticut 10 proposals to cut property taxes, led by highway tolls and a tax surcharge on millionaires. Both major candidates for governor have already ruled out tolls, the idea drawing the most attention, days before Tuesday's election. The Connecticut Citizens' Assembly on Property Taxes, organized by Comptroller Sean Scanlon's office and the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities with help from Yale and UConn faculty, met from July through September and released its report Oct. 26. Each proposal needed two-thirds support.

The list: restore tolls; add at least 1 percentage point to the income tax on earnings over $1 million; have the state pay all special education costs; tie the $2.5 billion Education Cost Sharing grant to inflation; study regional school districts, without mandating them; study shared town services; send towns part of the hotel and meals taxes; delay new state mandates by a year; create an independent panel to price those mandates; and tighten rules on nonprofit property tax exemptions.

Tolls could raise about $950 million a year, roughly what towns collect from the car tax, which backers would replace. About 40% would come from out-of-state drivers, by the assembly's estimate. Joe DeLong, the municipal conference's CEO, said on NBC Connecticut's "Face the Facts" on Sunday, the latest report, that the toll idea is narrow and tied to ending the car tax, and that both parties seem open to the mandate delay.

Politics are the obstacle. At their final debate, Gov. Ned Lamont (D) said of tolls, "We're not going to do that," and Republican Ryan Fazio said he opposes new taxes on residents. Both also rejected forced school regionalization, and both oppose raising income tax rates on top earners. Senate Republicans immediately opposed tolls; lawmakers rejected Lamont's own toll plan in 2019. How much the package would actually cut local tax bills has not been estimated; the group left that and any legal hurdles for lawmakers to work out.

Sources checked: CT Mirror (Oct 26, updated 4:13 p.m. ET, link), NBC Connecticut (Oct 26, updated 6:10 p.m. ET, link), CT Insider via Yahoo (Oct 26, 7:12 p.m. ET, link), WSHU (Oct 27, 4:08 p.m. ET, link), News 12 Connecticut (Oct 27, 10:44 p.m. ET, link), WFSB (Oct 28, 6:25 a.m. ET, link), Yale ISPS (Oct 29, 8:00 a.m. ET, link), NBC Connecticut Face the Facts (Nov 1, updated 10:56 a.m. ET, link)

Connecticut announced Oct. 29 a $2 million starter fund to help its defense manufacturers harden their networks and keep Pentagon work. The Connecticut Defense Cybersecure Program is run by the Department of Economic and Community Development's Office of Manufacturing and administered by the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology. State officials say Connecticut holds more than 900 defense manufacturers and took in $38.4 billion in Defense Department prime contracts in fiscal 2025.

The money is for defense manufacturers with fewer than 300 employees. The program's page lists up to $5,000 for a gap analysis, up to $50,000 for remediation and a matching award of up to $10,000 on reaching certification under the Pentagon's Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC), pending a Defense Department determination. Firms also get technical help and a vetted list of cybersecurity providers. Gov. Ned Lamont called the industry "a cornerstone of our economy" and said the program helps companies compete for new work.

The federal target has moved. On July 13 the Pentagon suspended CMMC Phase 2, the third-party certification requirement due to start Nov. 10, and ordered a 60-day review, with officials citing high costs. Self-assessments and the duty to protect covered defense information remain in force. No replacement rule turned up in this check, so the final standard these grants are meant to meet is not settled.

The $2 million comes on top of the state's older Cybersecurity Adoption Program, which offers manufacturers up to $35,000 on a 50-50 cost share. How many firms the new fund can reach is not stated.

Sources checked: WTNH (Oct 29, 2:29 p.m. ET, link), Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology program page (undated, link), U.S. Defense Department Office of Industrial Base Growth (Jul 13, link), CSIS (Jul 29, link), CONNSTEP (May 4, 2025, link), Kelser (Aug 14, 2025, link)

Connecticut's first homeschool regulation has become a campaign issue ahead of Tuesday's election, and at least one homeschooling parent is running for the legislature because of it. Nicole "Coco" Roscoe, a Republican who has homeschooled her three children since kindergarten, is running in the 6th House District, covering Hartford's south end and part of West Hartford. She cited the "recent homeschool and vaccine legislation" as her motivation when she announced in July. Emily Hau, the Republican running in the 132nd District in Fairfield and Southport, says she would file a bill to change the law, though her campaign site does not name it as her reason for running. How many such candidates there are could not be established.

The law, Public Act 26-37, passed the Senate 22-14 in May, largely on party lines, and Gov. Ned Lamont signed it May 26. Families must file an annual form saying how each child will be educated. Anyone pulling a child from school to homeschool cannot be under Department of Children and Families investigation or on the state child abuse and neglect registry. Families already homeschooling are grandfathered. The Family Institute of Connecticut, which opposes the law, reads it as taking effect in stages, with data sharing starting July 1, 2027, and annual filing for the 2028-29 school year.

Supporters, including Sen. Douglas McCrory (D-Hartford) and Rep. Jennifer Leeper (D-Fairfield), say it closes a child-protection gap, and McCrory notes teachers face a similar check. Opponents say it treats homeschoolers as suspects, relies on an administrative registry instead of court findings, and intrudes on parental rights. Ryan Fazio, the Republican nominee for governor, has said he will defend the protesting parents.

The fight is also moving beyond the ballot. The Home School Legal Defense Association says it plans legal action, and according to Lumen News, the latest report, it has asked the U.S. Education Department to review whether the law violates federal student privacy rules. No lawsuit or federal ruling turned up in this check.

Sources checked: CT Mirror (May 5, updated 9:27 a.m. ET, link), Inside Investigator (May 5, link), Coalition for Responsible Home Education (May 26, link), HSLDA release via Yahoo Finance (May 28, link), Connecticut Centinal (Jun 2, link), Family Institute of Connecticut (Jun 8, updated Oct 14, link), We-Ha (Jul 9, link), Lumen News (undated, after Jul 10, link), Emily Hau campaign site (undated, link)

A New Britain Superior Court jury is weighing two accounts of how a 17-year-old Lewis Mills High School junior suffered fatal injuries on a Burlington road on May 20, 2023. Prosecutors say her boyfriend, Cooper Ouellette, now 21, of Harwinton, ran over Sophie Ringquist with his pickup after a fight at an underage drinking party in Terryville. Ouellette has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter and to delivering alcohol to a minor. The Hartford Courant, the newest report, lists the charge as first-degree manslaughter; Court TV says vehicular manslaughter.

The state's version: witnesses say Ouellette kicked her at the party. Later, prosecutors say, he hit the gas with her door open and she fell, then he picked her up, and she separated from the truck a second time on Fieldview Drive and was run over. The medical examiner, Dr. Gregory Vincent, testified Friday that her crushing injuries were not consistent with a fall alone. "I do believe she was run over by the wheel of the vehicle," he said. He ruled the death a homicide from blunt injuries to the torso.

The defense version comes from Ouellette's police interview: she said she needed to vomit, then jumped out as he slowed to about 10 mph; he stopped, checked on her and drove her home, where she got worse. Her mother testified he first said she fell out while he was slowing down.

The state's own witnesses left openings. Trooper Spencer Bronson, the crash reconstructionist, testified that he found no evidence the truck or its tire struck her, no skid marks and no usable data from the truck's recorder, and estimated its speed at about 13 to 15 mph. Police also conceded they followed a wrong route in their first canvass, and no blood or hair was found on the truck's undercarriage. The Courant reports testimony resumes Monday with the defense's cross-examination of Vincent.

Sources checked: CT Insider via Yahoo (Oct 29, 5:00 a.m. ET, link), Court TV via Yahoo (Oct 29, 2:42 p.m. ET, link), FOX61 via Yahoo (Oct 29, 7:23 p.m. ET, link), CT Insider via Yahoo (Oct 30, link), NBC Connecticut (Oct 30, updated 11:33 a.m. ET, link), Hartford Courant via Yahoo (Oct 30, 6:22 p.m. ET, link)

A fire in a second-floor apartment on Kohanza Street in Danbury killed one person and a dog Sunday afternoon. Three firefighters were taken to Danbury Hospital with minor burns. The victim has not been identified, and the cause is under investigation by the Danbury Fire Marshal's Office, Danbury police and the state fire marshal.

The call came shortly after 1 p.m., with reports that up to two people might be trapped. A volunteer firefighter driving past saw smoke, found a woman outside screaming for help, broke a window and tried to get in, but heavy smoke blocked the way. Crews then went up a ladder and through a second-floor window, found the person unconscious and brought them out the same way. Life-saving care failed. The dog could not be revived.

Mayor Roberto Alves offered condolences and wished the injured firefighters a full recovery, according to the latest report. How many residents were displaced has not been reported.

Sources checked: Patch (Nov 1, 4:50 p.m. ET, link), WFSB (Nov 1, 4:56 p.m. ET, link), NBC Connecticut (Nov 1, updated 4:56 p.m. ET, link), News 12 Connecticut (Nov 1, 9:22 p.m., link), I-95 Rock (Nov 2, link)

Bridgeport police arrested two local men shortly after midnight Sunday after a resident called 911 to report an intruder at a home on Kent Avenue on the East Side. People were home during the break-in. No injuries were reported.

Police said the caller held his bedroom door shut as one or both men tried to break through it. Officers saw Michael Lozada, 21, walk out the front door in a ski mask; he surrendered and first gave a false name. Entering through a damaged back door, they found Syncaire Williams, 20, also masked, smashing a kitchen window to get out and carrying the caller's wallet. A running car in the driveway had a stolen plate and was later reported stolen in Derby.

Both men face charges including home invasion and first-degree burglary, and bond is set at $100,000 each. Police have not given a motive or said why this home was targeted, and no court date has been reported. The investigation continues.

Sources checked: WFSB (Nov 1, 11:52 a.m. ET, link), NBC New York (Nov 1, 12:07 p.m. ET, later updated, link), WTNH via Yahoo (Nov 1, 12:43 p.m. ET, link), FOX61 via Yahoo (Nov 1, updated 1:06 p.m. ET, link)

PAM Health's $33 million inpatient rehabilitation hospital at 351 Harpers Ferry Road in Waterbury is set to open Tuesday, Nov. 3, according to the company's website; a Hartford Business Journal report from early October said the second week of November. It is the second national chain to enter a Connecticut market that until recently had two independent hospitals of this licensed type, Gaylord Hospital in Wallingford and the Hospital for Special Care in New Britain. Encompass Health opened a 40-bed hospital in Danbury in September 2025 and wants a second, a $69.5 million, 50-bed site in Branford. The driver is an aging population and demand for care after strokes, brain and spinal injuries, and joint surgery.

The Waterbury building was built for 42 beds, but state regulators have authorized 34 to start. PAM can seek the rest after sustained high occupancy, and expects referrals from the city's two acute-care hospitals. It will start with 50 to 60 full-time staff; officials project about 200 jobs in all. Waterbury Hospital quit as a partner in 2024 amid its former owner's financial trouble. Under its new UConn Health ownership, the two sides are discussing a renewed tie, and PAM's CEO says he is interested in further Connecticut sites.

Incumbents have pushed back. Gaylord and the Hospital for Special Care opposed PAM's entry, citing patient overlap, and Gaylord argued the bed-need estimate was overstated by 43% to 328%. Encompass says Branford would fill a gap in south-central Connecticut, where it says no inpatient rehab beds exist in or near its service area.

Branford's fate is unconfirmed. The state closed its hearing record, with a decision due by mid-July, per the Office of Health Strategy's archived June status page, and a local zoning vote was set for July 9. No outcome turned up in this check. The Hartford Business Journal's new article on competition for patients and workers could not be read, so current effects on rivals' staffing and patient volumes are not confirmed here.

Sources checked: Encompass Health (Sep 25, 2025, link), Hartford Business Journal via Connecticut Hospital Association (Sep 26, 2025, link), Hartford Business Journal via Connecticut Hospital Association (Nov 25, 2024, link), Hartford Business Journal on Encompass Branford (undated, link), CT Office of Health Strategy (Jun 15, link), Insider Monkey citing New Haven Register (Jul 7, 3:34 a.m. ET, link), Connecticut Visitor Guide (Oct 7, 1:23 p.m. ET, link), Hartford Business Journal repost via Europe Says (Oct 7, 5:52 p.m. ET, link), PAM Health (undated, link)

Stamford is considering tax breaks to draw full-service supermarkets to its densest neighborhoods, the South End, Downtown and East Side, which have lacked a convenient one since the Fairway at Harbor Point closed in 2020. City Rep. Ryan Hughes is leading an ordinance to create an "Urban Grocery Store Development District," where eligible properties would be assessed below market value so new grocers pay less tax.

Mayor Caroline Simmons' office supports the idea, saying the help would be limited and not expected to disrupt existing grocers. Hughes calls the subsidy modest. The Connecticut Food Association is skeptical of how the city would vet recipients, and its president, Wayne Pesce, says incentives should go to operators with proven local records.

The Board of Representatives' Legislative and Rules Committee was scheduled to take up the ordinance Oct. 27, and a full board vote had been possible as soon as November. The committee's result was not found.

A Stamford Advocate headline this morning says a legal hurdle changed the plan. That article could not be read and no other source describes the problem, so what changed is unknown here.

Sources checked: Stamford Advocate via DataHaven (Sep 28, link), News 12 Connecticut (Oct 7, 9:31 p.m. ET, link), WiseVoter (Oct 7, 10:38 p.m. ET, link), Patch (Oct 11, 12:01 p.m. ET, link), Patch (Oct 25, 12:01 p.m. ET, link)