California ballot hearing set after Trump’s Oct. 26 $1 million reward offer
An NPR/PBS News/Marist poll found that Democrats led likely voters by 8 points on the generic congressional ballot. NPR’s Up First newsletter said the result gave Democrats a significant advantage heading into the 2026 midterms and said the party was favored to gain control of the U.S. House. Domenico Montanaro, discussing the poll for Up First, said it was unlikely Democrats would lose the House but described the Senate as a toss-up. The newsletter separately said signs suggested that a potential Democratic wave could be limited.
Montanaro said patience would be crucial because the winners in many races were unlikely to be clear by election night. He said voters could expect that uncertainty in close contests, where the counting process can delay the outcome.
The poll also found that one in three Americans face financial hardships and four in 10 say their personal finances are worsening. NPR said President Trump remains unpopular; his approval rating sits at 40%, a slight improvement. Preserving democracy resonated with Democrats and independents, while immigration ranked as the top issue for MAGA supporters.
On Oct. 27, Israelis were voting in a parliamentary election, the first time since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks that they could choose their national leaders. NPR wrote that “Voters will decide whether to keep Israel’s far-right, longest-serving prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, or replace him with Gadi Eisenkot, a former military chief promising more diplomacy and less extremism.”
NPR’s Ruth Sherlock said a high turnout was expected and that many voters casting ballots considered the election critical to the country’s future. Israelis abroad had flown in to participate. At a polling station, Sherlock met Itamar Ariel, who believes only Netanyahu can ensure Israel’s security even though the country faces problems.
Other Israelis believed Netanyahu should be voted out because of security failures. People seeking a change in leadership also wanted an investigation into how the Oct. 7 attacks happened, and NPR reported that Netanyahu had blocked the investigation.
Sherlock said the count should show which side had secured the most seats in Parliament by Wednesday morning. She said the total could continue for days, while the next prime minister would not be determined until after days or possibly weeks of negotiations among the parties.
A federal judge was scheduled to hear arguments on Oct. 27 in the Trump administration’s bid to compel California to set aside ballots from voters the administration alleges may not be citizens. The scheduled hearing came after an appeals court’s decision the previous night to decline the administration’s request to intervene.
On Oct. 26, Trump announced a $1 million reward for tips on voter fraud that lead to a conviction. Eric McDaniel told NPR that Trump has claimed fraud in every election in which he participated, prompting Democrats, election officials and good-governance groups to prepare for similar accusations. The White House said its efforts aim to secure elections. McDaniel said credible evidence of voter fraud significant enough to affect election outcomes in the U.S. has never been found.
With the elections a week away, Polymarket had already investigated dozens of bets on its prediction markets concerning the midterms, according to Shana Bautista, the company’s head of global intelligence and investigations.
KUOW reported that Microsoft sent memos on Oct. 26 to about 60,000 employees, offering voluntary buyouts to further reduce its headcount. The offer was available to roughly one quarter of its workforce.
Invasive blue catfish threatening blue crabs in the Chesapeake Bay prompted officials to create kid-friendly catfish recipes that meet federal dietary requirements for school lunches in Maryland and Virginia.
The Archdiocese of New York agreed to pay $800 million to settle claims from around 1,300 people who said they faced sexual abuse by clergy members and lay workers.
Life Kit’s desk-sitting guidance said walking five minutes every 30 minutes helps combat fatigue, weight gain and joint pain and reduces the risk of chronic diseases such as obesity, heart disease and cancer. It advised rotating the spine by mimicking its natural movements when the back aches from slouching to relieve stress and enhance flexibility, and said fidgeting indicates a need to change position, switching among sitting, standing, reclining and moving. For screen-time eye strain, it recommended stretching the eye muscles by holding one arm straight in front with the thumb pointing up, keeping the head still and following the thumb through a large circle.
A photo feature profiled Cape Town’s College of Magic, where almost 200 students ages 10 to 18 attend Saturday classes in puppetry, mime, clowning, juggling, card tricks, illusions, mentalism, stage magic, theater production and escapology. David Gore and a friend founded the school in 1980, when South Africa was under apartheid, a system of racial segregation, and state schools remained strictly segregated. The school was multiracial from its first day. Almost 50 years later, it continued to operate in a city deeply divided along racial and economic lines.