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🌐 Current Events PM

Current Events Afternoon Briefing — Thursday, October 29, 2026 at 3:15 PM

🌐 Current Events PM10/29/2026🕐 3:15 PM⏱ 5:36World briefAfternoon

Top stories, ranked by relevance.

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#1Trump Barnstorms South Carolina as Senate Map Tightens

Five days out from Election Day, President Trump is rallying in South Carolina, where Sen. Darline Graham's race against Democrat Annie Andrews has unexpectedly narrowed. It's the latest stop in an October battleground blitz that's already included three Ohio rallies. Meanwhile, Sen. Mark Kelly says Democrats are worried Trump won't accept the results if Republicans lose Congress.

#2Alaska Governor Orders Probe of Alleged Ballot-Confusion Scheme

Alaska's governor has ordered an investigation into allegations that Democrats recruited a second candidate sharing the name of incumbent GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan to confuse voters. Trump called it "voter fraud at the highest level" and demanded Democrat Mary Peltola be removed from the ballot and prosecuted. Nearly 58,000 Alaskans — roughly one in ten — have already voted early.

#3GDP Surges 3.4% While Inflation Creeps Back Up

Third-quarter GDP grew at a 3.4% annual rate, beating expectations on strong business investment and resilient consumer spending. But the Fed's preferred gauge went the wrong way — headline PCE rose to 3.6% and core to 3.1%, the highest since May. The Fed held rates at 3.75–4.0% Wednesday, with two governors dissenting in favor of a hike.

#4DHS Investigating Breach Exposing 40,000 Employees

The Department of Homeland Security is investigating a massive data breach that exposed personnel records for roughly 40,000 employees, including ICE and Border Patrol agents. An anti-fascist hacking group has claimed responsibility for the doxxing. The exposure raises serious safety questions for agents already facing elevated threats.

#5Netanyahu Falls Short as Arab Parties Become Kingmakers

Newly counted ballots show Netanyahu's right-wing bloc stalling below the 61 seats needed for a majority, while Arab parties surged to a record 19 seats. That puts the Joint List and Mansour Abbas's Ra'am in decisive coalition-forming position, with three possible paths to a government. A Channel 12 report alleges Qatari money may have been funneled in to boost turnout in Arab communities.

#6Military Options on Iran Being Readied for the President

Official and military sources tell Fox News that assets are repositioning across the Middle East to give Trump strike options against Iran, with the Strait of Hormuz in focus. Asked directly about hitting Iran after the midterms, Trump said "I can't tell you that — but anything's possible." He also touted the earlier strikes on Iran's nuclear capability while ripping the Obama-era deal.

#7Ukraine's War Moves Into Soviet-Era Gas Pipelines

With drones making surface movement nearly suicidal, Russian and Ukrainian troops are now fighting inside narrow Soviet-era gas pipelines beneath the battlefield. A Ukrainian underground counteroffensive near Kupiansk reportedly killed more than 100 Russian soldiers and took dozens of prisoners. Separately, a localized ceasefire took hold in a southern Ukrainian city for a humanitarian relief mission brokered by Melania Trump.

#8Space Experiments Point to a New Weapon Against Superbugs

University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers found that bacteria and viruses mutate differently in microgravity, producing genetic changes you simply don't see on Earth. Those novel mutations could reveal fresh vulnerabilities in drug-resistant pathogens. NASA astronauts involved in the orbital work describe the findings as having "profound potential."

#10The Pentagon Is Investigating Its Freezers

At least six military commissaries suffered bizarre refrigeration failures in late August, and the Pentagon now suspects deliberate sabotage. At Fort Huachuca, Arizona, freezers flipped into defrost mode overnight and cooked the stored food until it spoiled. Investigators are coordinating with French authorities after a strikingly similar cyberattack hit hundreds of French supermarkets this month.

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