Here are today’s top stories.
Headlines
Trump says decision on resuming Iran war is coming soon
President Trump said Thursday he will soon decide whether to restart the war against Iran that the U.S. and Israel launched in February. "I would rather not destroy the rest of the country if possible, but maybe I will have to. You’ll know soon enough," Trump told reporters after meeting with national security advisers. U.S. Central Command has reportedly stepped up preparations for possible renewed operations but has received no new orders. See Details
Gavin Newsom said he will commute the death sentences of all 548 inmates on California’s death row to life without parole, effectively ending capital punishment in the state. "State-sanctioned killing is incompatible with California’s values," Newsom wrote. Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman countered that only the Legislature or voters can end the death penalty. See Details
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth released a combative "fight, fight, fight" video as talk of impeaching him over the Iran war grows following the Democratic midterm sweep. The message signals he has no plans to back down as an incoming Democratic House weighs action against him. See Details
Politics
Ballots are still being tallied in several undecided contests three days after the midterms, with Senate races in Alaska and Mississippi and House contests in Kansas yet to be called. Democrats have already won control of both the House and Senate, and the remaining races will set the size of their new majorities. See Details
Sen. Ted Cruz bluntly called his party’s midterm showing an "a– kicking" as Democrats flipped statewide races in Texas. Democrats James Talarico and Gina Hinojosa ran against Republicans Ken Paxton and Gov. Greg Abbott, and both won by wide margins even in Cameron County, home of Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starbase. Read More
Harmeet Dhillon, who led the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division for 18 months, resigned Thursday, Attorney General Todd Blanche announced. More than 75% of the division’s staff left during her tenure, and the division lost 27 of 31 lawsuits seeking unredacted voter rolls from states. The division also sent a record of more than 1,000 monitors to polling sites on Election Day. Source
U.S. News
Indiana, Florida and Alabama each executed a man by lethal injection Thursday, the nation’s second triple-execution day this year. Indiana put to death Jeffrey Weisheit for a 2010 house fire that killed two children, Florida executed Jesse Guardado for a 2004 killing, and Alabama executed Michael Taylor for the 1991 murders of an older couple. Florida’s execution tied its 2025 state record of 19. See Details
A study of more than 108,000 adults found that transportation noise above 50 decibels was tied to an 8% to 10% increase in major cardiovascular risk factors and higher odds of a major heart event. Getting healthy sleep did not appear to reduce the risk. The preliminary findings are being presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions in Chicago, Nov. 6-9. See Details
Four police officers were shot, one fatally, in a firefight with a gunman in Lakewood, Colo., which began on a Regional Transportation District bus. A civilian was also injured, and the suspect was killed in the shootout. Source
Business
The Dow plunged about 1,800 points Thursday and the Nasdaq fell 5.5%, its worst day since the 2025 tariff sell-off, as investors fled tech and AI stocks after the midterms. The "Magnificent 7" megacap tech stocks lost about $1 trillion in market value in a single session. Source
S&P 500 and Nasdaq futures moved unevenly early Friday after Thursday’s brutal sell-off. Investors are watching the government’s monthly jobs report for signs of whether the economy can steady markets. Source
Elon Musk spent heavily to keep Texas in Republican hands, and Democrats still won major statewide races there. The result raises questions about the political standing of his business empire, including SpaceX and Tesla, which both have large operations in the state. Source
World News
A man armed with a shotgun killed eight people at three locations in Turkey’s Afyonkarahisar province Thursday before he was caught in neighboring Eskisehir province. One other person was wounded, and the motive was not immediately known. See Details
Several passenger planes in Europe were diverted Thursday after bomb threats, the second wave of such disruptions within a week. Authorities are investigating the threats as airlines and passengers deal with the delays. See Details
Paraguayan President Santiago Peña resigned under mounting pressure over a bank collapse that has shaken the country. He had faced a criminal investigation and impeachment proceedings tied to the failure. Find out More
Entertainment
Ella Langley, Kacey Musgraves, Miranda Lambert and the Red Clay Strays are among the first performers announced for the 60th CMA Awards. Lainey Wilson is hosting this year’s show, and Langley leads the field with nine nominations. See Details
NBC named Carson Daly co-anchor of "Saturday Today," a bigger role for the longtime "Today" contributor and "The Voice" host. The move adds weekend anchor duties to his schedule at the network. Source
Swing Inn Cafe in Temecula, Calif., which "Breaking Bad" actor Dean Norris and his estranged wife Bridget bought in 2022, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Court papers list about $147,000 in assets against more than $1.8 million in liabilities, and yearly revenue has fallen sharply since 2024. See Details
Sports
Jacksonville beat Baltimore 33-10 Thursday night as rookie Joe Fagnano, making his first NFL start, went 10-of-18 for 60 yards with two interceptions. Lamar Jackson was placed on injured reserve with a right thumb injury and will miss at least three games. The Jaguars improved to 6-2, while the Ravens fell to 4-5 and are expected to trade for quarterback Jacoby Brissett. Source
No. 1 Miami visits No. 11 Notre Dame on Saturday night, with the Irish favored by 6 points. No. 5 Alabama plays at No. 14 LSU, and No. 3 Utah hosts No. 9 BYU in a top-10 Holy War rivalry game. See Details
The 2-6 Colts have taken "plenty of calls" on running back Jonathan Taylor, and decisions on him, receiver Josh Downs and defensive tackle Grover Stewart are expected early next week. Indianapolis has already traded Quenton Nelson to Seattle and DeForest Buckner to San Francisco. Source
Off the Wall
A malfunctioning gas pump set off a chain of events that ended with a North Carolina man winning a $2 million lottery prize. Find out More
