The Justice Department plans to send federal election monitors to polling places in Portland and Lewiston, Maine. Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows said their role would be “observation only,” as the Trump administration plans to deploy about 1,000 monitors nationwide.
Key Facts
The Department of Justice plans to deploy federal election monitors in Maine.
The monitors will be stationed at polling places in Portland and Lewiston.
Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows said the monitors' role is “observation only.”
The deployment is part of a broader Trump administration plan.
The administration plans to send about 1,000 election monitors around the United States.
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A New York Times/Siena Research Institute poll found South Carolina Senate candidates Darline Graham and Annie Andrews tied at 48 percent among likely voters, with 3 percent undecided. The poll was released a day before President Donald Trump was scheduled to appear with Graham at a rally in Rock Hill.
Key Facts
The survey polled 707 likely voters in South Carolina from October 19 to 26, 2026, and reported a 4.3 percentage-point margin of error.
Men favored Graham, 55 percent to 40 percent, while women favored Andrews, 54 percent to 43 percent.
Among independent voters, 57 percent supported Andrews and 37 percent supported Graham.
The poll found that 51 percent thought Andrews would do a better job on the economy, while 50 percent thought Graham would do a better job on immigration.
Graham was viewed favorably by 44 percent of respondents and unfavorably by 41 percent; Andrews had a 45 percent favorable rating and a 29 percent unfavorable rating.
The Cook Political Report rated the race as lean Republican, and Kalshi and Polymarket showed Graham leading on Wednesday afternoon.
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Fox News commentators Brian Kilmeade and Brit Hume expressed doubts about Vice President JD Vance’s prospects in the 2028 presidential race. They questioned whether his close association with President Donald Trump could hurt his chances of winning the Republican nomination.
Key Facts
Kilmeade and Hume discussed Vance’s prospects on Wednesday.
Both commentators questioned Vance’s standing with Republican voters.
Kilmeade said he did not think Vance was as popular with Republicans as Vance believed.
The discussion focused on the 2028 presidential race.
The commentators raised Vance’s association with Trump as a possible liability in the Republican nomination contest.
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The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady despite high inflation, according to CBS News. The article provides no further details about the decision or the Fed’s reasoning.
Key Facts
The Federal Reserve kept interest rates unchanged.
The report says inflation remains high.
CBS News' Kelly O'Grady covered the decision.
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Recycling companies say used needles from injectable weight-loss drugs are increasingly turning up in household waste and recycling, putting workers at risk of injury and infection. They advise people to get a sharps container and disposal instructions from a GP or pharmacy, and never put needles or sharps containers in recycling.
Key Facts
A recycling plant in Coventry found a crushed yellow sharps container in waste on its sorting line.
Sherborne Recycling serves about 1.5 million residents across several local authorities.
Workers may encounter needles while removing items that cannot be processed and inspecting waste.
Recycling managers say some people who obtain weight-loss injections privately may not receive a sharps container or disposal guidance.
A needle injury can require testing and waiting months for results, according to Sherborne Recycling’s managing director.
Used needles should be disposed of separately through clinical waste services.
The article advises people to ask a GP or pharmacy how to obtain and safely dispose of a sharps container.
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An ABC News analysis of early voting in Texas and Georgia found that voters modeled as likely Democrats make up a larger share of early ballots than they did at the same point in 2022, especially among less-frequent voters in Texas. The analysis uses voter records and party-support models; it does not show how individuals voted or predict who will vote by Election Day.
Key Facts
More than 39 million Americans had voted early by Wednesday afternoon, according to the University of Florida Election Lab.
More than 5 million Texans had cast early ballots by Wednesday, representing more than 20% of registered voters.
As of Monday, voters modeled as likely Democrats made up 51% of Texas early voters, compared with 45% modeled as likely Republicans.
The modeled Democratic share in Texas was 14 percentage points higher than its position in the completed 2022 early vote, when it trailed Republicans by about 8 points.
Voters who participated in all four of the last four federal elections made up 60% of Texas early voters as of Monday, compared with 47% of the full early vote in 2024 and 44% in 2022.
The article says Texas has closely watched Senate and governor races, and Democrats are seeking to win statewide offices there for the first time since 1994.
Texas and Georgia do not register voters by party, so the analysis uses models based on factors such as primary turnout to estimate likely party support.
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At least 68 people were killed when two high-speed trains collided in Spain, according to the report. The crash derailed at least two carriages and was described as the country’s second major train disaster of the year.
Key Facts
At least 68 people were killed in the collision.
Two high-speed trains collided.
At least two carriages derailed.
The report describes the crash as Spain’s second major train disaster of the year.
The report features passengers speaking about the crash.
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A collection of George Michael memorabilia, including the guitar from his “Faith” music video, is due to be auctioned by Sworders on Thursday. Siobhan Bailey’s brother objects to the sale, but the article says her estranged husband inherited the items under the law because she died without a will while they were still married.
Key Facts
The 32 auction lots come from the collection of Siobhan Bailey, Michael’s personal assistant for 20 years.
Bailey died in 2014, and her estranged husband, Ian Belcher, inherited the items because she left no will and was legally married to him.
Siobhan’s brother, Gerard Bailey, says she would have opposed the auction and says the items should have gone to her nieces and nephews.
Gerard Bailey has asked the auction house to cancel the sale or list it under Belcher’s name rather than his sister’s.
The Faith music-video guitar is estimated to sell for £60,000 to £120,000.
A Filofax from the 1988 Faith tour, containing Siobhan Bailey’s handwritten notes, had a guide price of up to £600 and a current bid of £1,750.
Sworders and Belcher declined to comment.
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With nearly 90 percent of votes counted, neither major bloc has the 61 seats needed to form a government in Israel. Netanyahu’s bloc is projected to win 53 seats and the opposition bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot 48, while Arab parties may together hold 19 seats; final results could change as special ballots are counted.
Key Facts
The Central Elections Committee said it had counted more than five million votes by 9 p.m. local time on Wednesday.
More than 500,000 special double-envelope ballots remain to be counted, including votes from soldiers, diplomats and people voting away from their registered polling stations.
The 120-seat Knesset requires 61 seats for a majority.
Final results could be released as early as Thursday evening.
Netanyahu will remain caretaker prime minister until a new government is formed.
President Isaac Herzog plans to consult party leaders about forming a government after official results are released next week.
Eisenkot ruled out forming a minority government with Arab-led parties, and Netanyahu also rejected that option.
Likud accused Arab parties of election-related crimes, while the Joint List said Arab voter turnout helped keep Netanyahu’s coalition short of a majority.
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Japan’s “incident properties,” or jiko bukken, can rent or sell for less after deaths such as suicides or lonely deaths. Some buyers and renters accept the discount despite the stigma: Tokyo resident Ryua says she pays about 30% less for her apartment, while American resident Diane Tincher bought a rural house for less than half the usual price of comparable homes.
Key Facts
Japan’s 2021 government guidelines require agents to disclose suicides, murders, deaths by fire, and deaths discovered after an extended period.
For rentals, agents must disclose covered deaths for three years; for properties offered for sale, they must disclose them indefinitely.
Ryua says she was told a man died by suicide in her Tokyo apartment and that she hears footsteps and voices there.
Ryua pays 45,000 yen a month for a 25-square-meter apartment in Setagaya, compared with an estimated 62,000 yen without the discount.
Tokyo estate agent Erik Oskamp says properties linked to suicides, serious crimes, or lonely deaths can be difficult to rent.
Diane Tincher paid 20 million yen for a three-bedroom house in Kagoshima; similar homes in the area can sell for up to 45 million yen.
Tincher says the agent told her the house was discounted because an elderly woman had died alone there.
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President Donald Trump campaigned in Ohio for Republican candidates in the state’s governor and Senate races. The report also highlighted data centers as an issue in Ohio’s elections and discussed concerns driving voters to the polls.
Key Facts
Trump visited Ohio on Wednesday to campaign for Republican candidates.
Ohio’s governor and Senate races were described as closely watched.
Data centers were among the issues highlighted in the report.
Danny Eldredge, the Toledo Blade’s Columbus bureau chief, discussed issues affecting Ohio voters.
The report focused on voters ahead of the midterm elections.
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More than 58,000 Alaskans have cast ballots ahead of the November 3 midterm election, putting early turnout ahead of the pace in 2022 and near the 2024 record. The Senate race between Democrat Mary Peltola and Republican Senator Dan Sullivan has drawn attention over a second candidate named Dan J. Sullivan, and the Justice Department has sued Alaska over his candidacy.
Key Facts
More than 58,000 ballots have been cast, nearly 10 percent of Alaska’s registered voters.
The total includes more than 39,000 early votes and more than 19,000 absentee ballots.
Early voting has exceeded the 2022 midterm pace by about 1,500 votes, with six days remaining before November 3.
The early-voter record cited in the article is 73,146, set during the 2024 presidential election.
Republican early voters made up nearly 27 percent of early voters, compared with 18.4 percent for Democrats, according to the Alaska Beacon.
Dan J. Sullivan is running alongside incumbent Senator Dan Sullivan under Alaska’s ranked-choice voting system.
Republicans allege the namesake candidate was recruited to confuse voters; Peltola’s campaign has rejected the allegations.
The Justice Department’s lawsuit seeks to stop Alaska from certifying the election outcome if Senator Dan Sullivan loses. Trump called for Peltola and Dan J. Sullivan to be removed from the ballot.
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ABC News anchor David Muir remembered actor Barbara Barrie’s life and legacy in a segment published October 28, 2026. Barrie earned Oscar, Emmy and Tony nominations and appeared in many films and television series, including “Breaking Away.”
Key Facts
David Muir presented the remembrance of Barbara Barrie.
The segment was published on October 28, 2026.
Barrie was nominated for an Oscar, an Emmy and a Tony.
She appeared in numerous films and television series.
Barrie played a supportive mother in “Breaking Away.”
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An experienced zookeeper in the Netherlands died after a leopard mauled her during her morning rounds. The attack happened at the animal enclosures, according to the report dated October 28, 2026.
Key Facts
The attack happened in the Netherlands.
The victim was an experienced zookeeper.
A leopard mauled the zookeeper.
The zookeeper died after the attack.
The attack occurred during her morning rounds.
The zookeeper was at the enclosures when the attack happened.
The report was dated October 28, 2026.
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President Donald Trump said Democrat Mary Peltola should not be allowed to run in Alaska’s Senate election, accusing her of election fraud after a report said people aligned with her campaign helped recruit a candidate named Daniel J. Sullivan. Peltola’s campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee denied involvement, while the Alaska Supreme Court ruled that the second Sullivan could appear on the ballot.
Key Facts
The Alaska Senate race includes incumbent Republican Dan Sullivan, Democrat Mary Peltola, and Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., along with a fourth candidate.
Alaska uses ranked-choice ballots, which let voters rank candidates instead of choosing only one.
The New York Times reported that a Democratic operative who worked with Peltola’s campaign and national Democrats helped encourage Daniel J. Sullivan to run.
Peltola’s campaign said it had no involvement with either Sullivan campaign, and the DSCC also denied involvement with Daniel J. Sullivan.
Alaska officials initially tried to keep Daniel J. Sullivan off the ballot, but the Alaska Supreme Court ruled he could run.
The Justice Department sued to prevent certification of the election if Dan Sullivan loses because of voter confusion between the candidates.
Trump told reporters he supported the Justice Department lawsuit and said he had called for it.
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Navy Lieutenant Commander Kevin Vassighi surprised his son in a middle school lunchroom after returning from an overseas deployment that lasted nearly a year. CBS correspondent Tony Dokoupil reported on the reunion.
Key Facts
Kevin Vassighi is a Navy lieutenant commander.
Vassighi had been deployed overseas for nearly a year.
He surprised his son in the boy’s middle school lunchroom.
Tony Dokoupil reported on the reunion for CBS News.
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King Charles III is touring the Bahamas, Guyana, and Antigua and Barbuda as calls grow for Britain to apologize and pay reparations for slavery. The palace says he will acknowledge the suffering and injustice, but he is not expected to apologize; the United Kingdom abstained from a recent United Nations resolution calling for reparatory justice.
Key Facts
The king’s nine-day tour includes the Bahamas, Guyana, and Antigua and Barbuda.
At a youth rally in Nassau, Charles said it was right to acknowledge the suffering and injustices of the past.
Historian Brooke Newman argues that British monarchs profited directly from the transatlantic slave trade.
Newman says Queen Elizabeth I backed John Hawkins’ slave-trading voyage in 1563 and received a share of its profits.
King Charles II granted the Royal African Company exclusive trading rights on the West African coast; he and his brother, later King James II, invested in the company.
Caribbean and African nations have increased calls for reparations from Britain and other countries that profited from slavery.
In March, the United Nations General Assembly approved a resolution calling for reparatory justice, including an apology and compensation.
The United Kingdom abstained from the United Nations vote.
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More than 200 passengers, mostly Americans, are stranded in Cambodia after a luxury cruise ship stopped operating. The ship’s operator said it ran out of money because of rising fuel costs.
Key Facts
More than 200 passengers are stranded in Cambodia.
Most of the passengers are Americans.
The stranded passengers were traveling on a luxury cruise ship.
The ship’s operator said it ran out of money.
The operator attributed its financial shortfall to rising fuel costs.
The ship has halted operations.
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Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took steps that could expand access to some unapproved peptides promoted for wellness. Dr. Jon LaPook said evidence about their safety and effectiveness is limited.
Key Facts
Kennedy took the steps on Wednesday.
The measures could expand access to some unapproved peptide drugs.
Peptides are being promoted for wellness.
The article says there is little evidence that the peptides are safe and effective.
CBS News doctor Jon LaPook explained the controversy.
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