Current and former Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services leaders urged Medicare beneficiaries to review their plan choices carefully during this year’s reenrollment period. They said recent changes have made Medicare options more complex.
Key Facts
The advisers spoke Wednesday at The Hill’s “Bang for Your Buck: Get the Most…” event.
They urged Medicare beneficiaries to pay close attention to their options when reenrolling.
The article says changes in recent years have made the Medicare plan landscape more complex.
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The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned 10 people and one entity over an alleged information technology fraud scheme. Treasury said the scheme defrauded American businesses and generated money for North Korea’s military.
Key Facts
The sanctions were announced on Wednesday.
The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control imposed the sanctions.
The targets included eight North Korean nationals and two Russian nationals.
Treasury accused the individuals of helping run a North Korean government IT scheme.
The department said the scheme aimed to defraud American businesses.
Treasury said the proceeds benefited North Korea’s military.
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The Hind Rajab Foundation has filed a criminal complaint in the United Kingdom against Israeli reservist Lidor Dafna over alleged war crimes in Gaza. The complaint alleges that Dafna took part in demolishing wheat silos in May 2025; the foundation says it used social media footage and digital investigation methods to build its case.
Key Facts
The Brussels-based Hind Rajab Foundation filed the complaint with UK authorities.
Dafna is believed to be visiting the United Kingdom, according to the article.
The complaint alleges that Dafna participated in the demolition of a flour-producing facility in Gaza in May 2025.
The article identifies Dafna as having served in the Israeli military’s 603rd Combat Engineering Battalion.
The foundation says social media footage posted by Dafna shows a military bulldozer demolishing wheat silos in southern Gaza.
The foundation says its investigators follow the Berkeley Protocol for collecting and verifying digital evidence, including geolocating footage against satellite imagery.
Al Jazeera said it had contacted the UK Metropolitan Police for comment but had not received a response.
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Israel’s election remained unsettled as vote counting continued, with neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc nor rival Gadi Eisenkot’s bloc projected to win the 61 seats needed for a Knesset majority. Arab-led parties were projected to win about 19 seats, potentially giving them influence in efforts to form a government, though cooperation with them could carry political costs for Eisenkot.
Key Facts
More than 85 percent of votes had been counted when the article was published.
Neither major bloc appeared on track to secure the 61 of 120 Knesset seats needed for a majority.
The Arab-led Joint List and Ra’am were projected to win about 19 seats combined.
Voter turnout exceeded 77 percent, the highest in almost three decades, according to the article.
Arab parties won 10 seats in the 2022 election.
Netanyahu warned against forming a government that relies on Arab parties he described as anti-Zionist.
Eisenkot said his bloc represented Israel’s Zionist majority, but the article said working with Arab parties could alienate some Jewish voters.
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Two former FBI agents are asking a magistrate judge to dismiss charges accusing them of lying to Congress about investigations into Hunter Biden’s laptop. The judge criticized prosecutors’ handling of the case, while testimony indicated that President Donald Trump’s July speech preceded the FBI investigation and that FBI Director Kash Patel assigned it to the Kansas City field office.
Key Facts
The agents’ lawyers argue that the charges lack evidence and that prosecutors engaged in misconduct.
Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui struck a superseding complaint from the record because it lacked proper judicial approval.
Faruqui said the government’s actions raised concerns about the agents’ claim that the charges were politically motivated.
FBI agent Bryan Witt testified that the investigation began after Trump gave a July speech focused on unverified claims of election fraud.
Witt said Patel assigned the investigation of a list of former agents, including Nikki Floris and Brian Benavides, to the FBI’s Kansas City field office.
Witt testified that FBI leadership regularly checked in on the investigation’s progress.
The charges concern alleged false statements to Congress about whether investigators sought to suppress or discredit material from Hunter Biden’s laptop before the 2020 election.
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Arizona’s affluent, competitive 1st Congressional District is shaping up as a closely watched House race, with Democrat Amish Shah and Trump-backed Republican Jay Feely competing for an open seat. Interviews and recent voting patterns suggest some traditionally Republican voters in the district are uneasy with Trump and MAGA politics, though others support the country’s direction under his presidency.
Key Facts
The district includes north Scottsdale and Paradise Valley, and has a median household income of $102,000.
Republican David Schweikert is not seeking another term, leaving the seat open.
Amish Shah, an emergency room doctor who narrowly lost the district in 2024, is seeking the Democratic nomination.
Republican Jay Feely, a former NFL kicker backed by Trump, is competing for the seat.
Republicans retain a voter-registration advantage in the district, although the party’s hold has weakened over time.
In the 2024 Republican presidential primary, Nikki Haley received nearly 25% of the district’s vote after Trump had secured the nomination.
Trump won the district in the 2024 general election by 3 percentage points, compared with a 5.5-point margin statewide.
The article describes voters who oppose Trump alongside residents who say they support the direction of the country under his presidency.
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A report by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency says major U.S. banks engaged in widespread debanking—denying or ending banking services—based on customers’ religious, social, or political views. The report covers individuals and businesses.
Key Facts
The report came from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.
It describes conduct by major U.S. banks.
The report characterizes the conduct as widespread.
It says individuals and businesses were affected.
The reported reason for debanking was customers’ religious, social, or political views.
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Israel’s election results were nearly complete Wednesday, but no clear winner had emerged. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party had lost ground since the 2022 election, while opponents weighed whether to work with Arab-led parties to form a parliamentary majority.
Key Facts
Voter turnout was the highest in more than a quarter-century.
No party or bloc had secured a clear path to form a government.
Negotiations to assemble a governing coalition could take weeks.
Arab-led parties made a historic showing.
It remained unclear whether Netanyahu’s opponents would form a coalition with Arab-led parties.
Netanyahu rejected the idea of partnering with Arab parties and called it treasonous.
Netanyahu is seeking to remain Israel’s longest-serving prime minister.
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Four films open in French cinemas this week, according to a France 24 arts24 program. They include Martin McDonagh’s “Wild Horse Nine,” set in 1973 Chile and starring John Malkovich as a dying CIA agent alongside Sam Rockwell.
Key Facts
“Wild Horse Nine” reunites director Martin McDonagh with an ensemble cast.
John Malkovich plays a dying CIA agent in Chile in 1973, and Sam Rockwell also stars.
The program says Malkovich won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival.
The other films discussed are “Godzilla Minus Zero,” “Club Kid” and “Hope.”
“Godzilla Minus Zero” follows the Oscar-winning film “Godzilla Minus One.”
Jordan Firstman writes, directs and stars in “Club Kid,” about a hard-partying New Yorker who discovers he has a 10-year-old son.
“Hope,” directed by Na Hong-jin, is his first film in a decade and has a reported budget of about $75 million.
Arts24 critic Emma Jones calls “Wild Horse Nine” her favorite McDonagh film since “In Bruges.”
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With the U.S. midterm elections scheduled for November 3, 2026, activist Scotty Smart is traveling around Atlanta, Georgia, to encourage Black voters to vote. The report says he is responding to voter abstention and aiming to turn civic engagement into a force for change.
Key Facts
The U.S. midterm elections are scheduled for November 3, 2026.
Scotty Smart is an activist working to encourage Black voters to vote.
Smart is traveling around Atlanta, Georgia, as part of his effort.
The report describes voter abstention as a challenge.
Smart aims to increase civic engagement among Black voters.
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Brazilian Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro and his family landed in Miami on Wednesday after leaving Brazil following the election results. The U.S. State Department extended their visas, according to The Associated Press.
Key Facts
Flávio Bolsonaro is a Brazilian senator and failed presidential candidate.
Bolsonaro and his family landed in Miami on Wednesday.
They left Brazil after the election results.
The U.S. State Department extended their visas.
Brazil’s Supreme Court had ordered Bolsonaro’s passports returned.
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Dolores Huerta, a labor rights leader who co-founded the United Farm Workers, has died at age 96. Her family announced her death in a social media statement on October 28, 2026, and said it would share plans to honor her life and legacy later.
Key Facts
Huerta was 96 when she died.
Her family announced her death in a social media statement.
The family said she died on October 28, 2026.
Huerta co-founded the United Farm Workers.
Her family asked for privacy as it grieves.
The family said it would later share plans to recognize and celebrate her life and legacy.
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Anthony Williams, 33, denies 14 counts of attempted murder over a series of alleged knife attacks in Peterborough, London and aboard a train in November 2025. Prosecutors told Cambridge Crown Court that passengers fled or tried to protect one another during the train attack; jurors must decide whether Williams intended to kill the people he allegedly attacked.
Key Facts
Prosecutors say the train made an emergency stop in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, on 1 November 2025.
Williams is accused of attempting to murder 10 passengers and staff aboard the train.
He is also accused of attacking three people in Peterborough on 31 October and a 17-year-old on a Docklands Light Railway train in east London.
Williams denies all 14 attempted-murder charges.
The prosecution says the jury must consider whether Williams intended to kill those he allegedly attacked.
The court heard that passengers fled, hid in toilets and used items from the train buffet car to defend themselves.
Train crew member Samir Zitouni allegedly tried to stop Williams with a frying pan and was stabbed multiple times.
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Sony released a trailer for Jumanji: Open World, the next film in director Jake Kasdan’s Jumanji series. The movie brings the game’s avatars and creatures into the real world and is scheduled to open in theaters on December 25, 2026.
Key Facts
Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, and Karen Gillan return for the film.
The trailer shows Jumanji’s avatars and animals spilling out of the game console into the real world.
Characters become trapped in different avatars, including Spencer in Ruby Roundhouse’s avatar and Spencer’s mother in Dr. Bravestone’s.
The film also features returning cast members including Bebe Neuwirth, Morgan Turner, Madison Iseman, Nick Jonas, Awkwafina, and Alex Wolff.
Jake Kasdan directed the film, which follows 2017’s Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and 2019’s Jumanji: The Next Level.
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle earned more than $960 million worldwide, according to the article.
The article describes Open World as the final installment of the action-adventure trilogy.
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Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the United Farm Workers and a prominent labor and civil rights activist, died at 96, her family announced. She helped lead strikes and boycotts, advocated for Hispanic Americans, and coined the rallying cry “Sí, se puede.”
Key Facts
Huerta died at age 96, according to a statement from her family.
Her family announced her death in a statement posted on her Instagram account.
Huerta co-founded the United Farm Workers.
She helped lead labor strikes and boycotts.
She advocated for expanded rights for Hispanic Americans.
Huerta coined the rallying cry “Sí, se puede.”
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A student-led movement in Serbia won 140 of the 250 seats in parliament after campaigning amid protests over a deadly railway-station roof collapse and demands for accountability. The movement now faces the challenge of governing without a formal leader or hierarchy, while supporters call for changes to state institutions and public life.
Key Facts
Students began protesting after a roof collapse at Novi Sad’s main railway station killed people.
The protests spread across Serbia and faced police force and accusations of treason from political figures.
Dozens of students rode bicycles from Serbia to Strasbourg to seek European support and draw attention to concerns about democracy.
The article says more than 50% of voters backed the student movement in an election with the highest turnout since Yugoslavia broke up in 1992.
The movement won 140 of 250 parliamentary seats, giving its candidates a majority.
Candidates on the movement’s slate included academics and athletes, and student assemblies selected them before the election.
The article describes the movement as having no hierarchy or leader and says it must now take on the work of governing.
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At New York Comic Con, Naruto voice actors Junko Takeuchi and Noriaki Sugiyama discussed how they built their characters and recorded key scenes. The franchise is also preparing a manga return, a crossover with Ninku and a new trading card game.
Key Facts
Takeuchi said she developed Naruto’s motivations before the production revealed the character’s full backstory.
Sugiyama identified the Valley of the End confrontation as a breakthrough moment for Sasuke’s emotional expression.
The actors recorded the Valley of the End dialogue in person and said they drew energy from each other’s performances.
Sugiyama and Takeuchi said returning to their roles feels natural after voicing the characters for more than 20 years.
The article says creator Masashi Kishimoto is returning to the manga with Naruto: Shadow Rising, his first manga work since the series ended in 2014.
A Naruto crossover with the manga series Ninku is planned for next year.
The franchise is expanding into competitive gaming with a new trading card game from Bandai.
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A RENFE high-speed train struck a stopped IRYO train in Spain’s Toledo province, killing at least 68 people and sending 58 others to hospital, according to regional authorities. Transport Minister Óscar Puente said a computer failure disabled a safety system and that a central command center then ordered the RENFE train to move without speed restrictions; investigators were still examining the crash.
Key Facts
The collision happened Wednesday morning between Urda and Los Yébenes in Castilla-La Mancha.
Both trains were traveling from Madrid toward Seville and carried hundreds of passengers.
The RENFE train hit the rear of the stopped IRYO train, knocking two cars off the track.
Rescue workers searched the wreckage for survivors and victims, while emergency crews took injured passengers to hospitals.
Puente said a safety system stopped working because of a computer malfunction on a 63-kilometer stretch of track at 8:30 a.m.
Puente said the central command center ordered the RENFE train to resume without speed limits, and the collision occurred at 8:53 a.m.
Rail service was suspended between Madrid, Ciudad Real and Andalusia.
The collision was Spain’s second deadly rail crash of the year, according to the article.
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U.S. Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib condemned anti-Muslim rhetoric during a press conference in Michigan. She warned that it affects the Muslim community and said political ads on television had affected her family as well.
Cornell University faculty will conclude debate and begin voting Wednesday on a no-confidence resolution over the administration’s response to a woman’s report that she was gang raped at a campus fraternity house in 2024. At an Oct. 14 Faculty Senate meeting, President Michael Kotlikoff acknowledged missteps, defended his leadership and cited an independent investigation that he said could lead to reforms.
Key Facts
The proposed resolution concerns the university administration’s handling of the allegations.
The woman reported that she was gang raped at a campus fraternity house in 2024.
Faculty will meet Wednesday to conclude debate and begin voting on the measure.
Faculty members confronted President Michael Kotlikoff at an Oct. 14 Faculty Senate meeting.
The Oct. 14 meeting was closed to the media, but The Associated Press obtained an audio recording.
In the recording, Kotlikoff acknowledged some missteps and defended his leadership.
Kotlikoff asked faculty for more time to pursue cultural changes in student social life and reforms.
Kotlikoff pointed to an independent investigation into the university’s handling of the case.
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