Here are today’s top stories.
Headlines
Ukraine Continues to Defy Trump on Oil Strikes
Ukraine struck a Rosneft oil refinery in Russia’s Ryazan region Thursday after President Volodymyr Zelenskiy declared Kyiv was abandoning the energy-site ceasefire announced by President Trump. The refinery handles nearly 5% of Russia’s refining throughput and helps supply Moscow. The move risks the deepest rift between Kyiv and Washington since Russia’s 2022 invasion, after Ukraine had paused refinery attacks for three days. See Details
President Trump ruled out livestreaming the firing-squad execution of Nidal Hasan, the Army psychiatrist who killed 13 people in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting. Trump said Hasan will still be executed as scheduled, reversing a livestream plan Defense Secretary Hegseth announced last week that drew bipartisan backlash. Fort Hood survivors praised the decision. Find out More
The White House and Pentagon have drawn up plans to use the Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb, the largest non-nuclear weapon in the U.S. arsenal, against military sites in Iran if President Trump orders combat operations to resume. Separately, the Army chief of staff ousted by Defense Secretary Hegseth said he had warned before the Iran war of a missile-defense munitions shortage that would extend into 2030. Read More
Politics
The Trump administration sued California to block the counting of ballots from roughly 20,000 registered voters the Justice Department says are noncitizens. The suit follows letters giving state officials 48 hours to investigate and set aside ballots from anyone whose citizenship cannot be verified. Voting is already underway, with Election Day less than three weeks away. Find out More
Vice President JD Vance said at a "Things That Matter" town hall in Michigan that anyone found "selling access to the White House" should face consequences. Vance called the practice "disgusting" during the televised forum, held as he campaigns in the state ahead of the midterms. See Details
Sen. Susan Collins and Democrat Troy Jackson met Thursday in their final debate in Maine’s closely watched Senate race, with Collins touting her bipartisan record and Jackson repeatedly tying her to President Trump’s agenda. The exchange turned testy when a protester interrupted and Collins suggested the heckler was a Jackson supporter, which he angrily denied. Jackson also acknowledged his campaign took billionaire donations despite pledging otherwise, and the Iran war emerged as a major flashpoint. Find out More
U.S. News
Police have arrested the ex-fiancé of Michelle Parker, the Orlando mother who vanished in 2011 shortly after the couple’s breakup aired on "The People’s Court." He has been charged with murder and pleaded not guilty. Parker’s mother publicly celebrated the arrest after a 15-year wait for answers. Find out More
Las Vegas investigators say they have identified the shooting victim whose body was found in a barrel at Lake Mead, ending a four-year mystery. The barrel was one of several sets of remains exposed as drought dropped the reservoir’s water levels. Source
Federal investigators are probing a series of mailings containing suspicious substances sent to senators’ offices, arriving on the anniversary of the 2001 anthrax attacks on Capitol Hill. The FBI is leading the investigation. Similar suspicious letters were also reported at election offices. Read More
Business
Stock futures were little changed early Friday after the S&P 500 posted its first winning session in four, with Dow futures up about 81 points. On Thursday, the Dow jumped 556 points, or 1.08%, to 52,177.69 as investors rotated away from the AI trade, while the S&P 500 rose 0.33% to 7,744.06 and the Nasdaq edged up 0.08%. The S&P 500 is still heading for a losing week, while the Dow is on track for a roughly 1% weekly gain. Source
A hotter-than-expected inflation report is clouding hopes for rate relief, with core consumer prices rising 0.3% in September versus 0.2% forecast, leaving annual core inflation at 2.6%. Energy prices jumped 5.2% for the month and gasoline 9.1%. The data, along with a 1.3% jump in producer prices, supports expectations that monetary policy stays tight. Source
Longtime rivals Apple and Meta are teaming up on artificial intelligence, with Meta releasing an open-weight model called Muse Spark Open that can run locally on connected Mac Studio computers. Meta says the 816-billion-parameter model is the most powerful U.S.-developed open-weight AI system available. It will be free to download with a license allowing commercial use. Source
World News
A minibus slammed into a Channel Tunnel shuttle train, injuring 19 people and and halting service on the undersea link between England and France. The crash disrupted one of Europe’s busiest cross-Channel routes. Source
Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged Lebanon’s government to resist pressure from Hezbollah over a cache of seized explosives. The dispute is the latest test of Beirut’s effort to rein in the Iran-backed group amid tensions with Israel. Source
A string of drone strikes on shipping in the Black Sea is raising fears that Russia is escalating to test NATO’s response. Bulgaria says it expects to join a NATO anti-drone initiative by the end of October after a drone attack sank a cargo vessel off its coast for the second time in a week. Read More
Entertainment
Billy Joel, 77, said he is not allowed to drive and must undergo a series of tests before he knows whether he can perform again, as he lives with the brain condition hydrocephalus. The "Piano Man" said his neurologist warned that each concert is "like you’re getting a concussion." Joel is auctioning more than 70 motorcycles from his collection. See Details
Paramount’s "Street Fighter" is expected to lead the weekend box office with a $25 million to $35 million opening from about 3,500 North American theaters. Disney’s survival thriller "Whalefall" should land second with $10 million to $12 million. "Street Fighter" is also projected to earn roughly $35 million overseas. See Details
Actress Anna Faris said it hurt to read Chuck Lorre’s new memoir, in which the TV producer wrote he was right to have doubted casting her as the lead in "Mom." Faris left the CBS sitcom after its seventh season. Tom Arnold also blasted Lorre online, calling him a "terrible human." Find out More
Sports
The Denver Broncos edged the Seattle Seahawks 17-14 in overtime on "Thursday Night Football," winning on a 53-yard field goal by Wil Lutz. Denver’s defense sacked Sam Darnold five times and intercepted him on Seattle’s first overtime possession. The Broncos improved to 4-2. Source
The Milwaukee Brewers beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-4 Thursday to complete a four-game NLCS sweep and reach their first World Series since 1982. Milwaukee rallied from a 4-0 hole after a Shohei Ohtani homer, ending the two-time defending champions’ bid for a third straight title. It is the Brewers’ first National League pennant. Read More
Rookie Petey Halpin hit a go-ahead two-run homer and Gavin Williams struck out nine over five innings as the Cleveland Guardians beat the Tampa Bay Rays 3-2 in Game 3 of the ALCS. Cleveland leads the series 2-1, with Game 4 set for Friday in Cleveland despite rain in the forecast. Source
Off the Wall
A British woman celebrated turning 99 by strapping herself to the top of a plane and becoming the world’s oldest wing walker. Helga Duffy completed the stunt at RFC Rendcomb Airfield in Gloucestershire, where a Guinness World Records adjudicator certified her record. The flight raised money for the Wiltshire and Bath Air Ambulance. See Details
