Friday, October 23, 2026

Virginia Democratic state Sen. L. Louise Lucas, 82, was arrested Thursday after a federal indictment charged her with racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to distribute marijuana, money laundering, honest services fraud and maintaining a drug-involved premises, tied to a family-run cannabis business. Six others, including her daughters and grandson, were also charged. Attorney General Todd Blanche said the DOJ intends to prove Lucas violated the trust of Virginia constituents and colleagues.

Calley Means, a senior adviser to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and leading MAHA advocate, resigned Thursday. He cited "entrenched, dark forces in DC" in a statement on X while voicing "tremendous respect" for Trump and Kennedy. He helped revise dietary guidelines and push food companies to drop artificial dyes. The Wall Street Journal reported, citing unnamed people, that Means was frustrated by delays on policies including defining ultra-processed foods.

The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that New Hampshire can fully bar voters from using student IDs during the Nov. 3 midterm elections, a request backed by the Republican National Committee. A lower court judge had ruled officials must still consider student IDs when voters lacked other identification. The Supreme Court majority said the judge's intervention came too close to the election. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented.

A federal judge, U.S. Magistrate Judge Enjoliqué Lett, ordered President Trump to appear for a deposition by Dec. 11 in his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC over its editing of a speech in a Jan. 6 documentary. Trump's lawyers had sought to delay until January 2027, citing presidential duties; the judge ruled the case could be dismissed if he fails to appear.

A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to halt investigations in nine states into whether noncitizens are registered to vote. The ruling blocks the probe from continuing in those states while the case proceeds.

The Justice Department asked the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday to intervene in its lawsuit against California, seeking to temporarily stop the state from counting more than 20,000 mail-in ballots the Trump administration claims were sent to noncitizens on the state's voter rolls.

A New Mexico judge ordered Meta to pay a $25 billion civil penalty on Wednesday after the company was found to have committed 43 million privacy violations, each carrying a maximum $5,000 fine, for misleading Facebook users about its data practices. The case relates to a data privacy scandal from more than eight years ago. Meta said it plans to appeal, and legal experts told Reuters the penalty has a strong chance of being reduced.

Meta's board agreed to a deal with CEO Mark Zuckerberg after he raised concerns that a proposed California billionaire wealth tax could force him to sell shares, weakening his voting control of the company. He had told the board he planned to list his Silicon Valley home for sale. The company restructured its stock to help him pay the tax if voters approve it, allowing him to remain in California.

The Justice Department has begun investigating former Homeland Security adviser Corey Lewandowski over allegations he improperly profited from his role at DHS, following a criminal referral from the department's inspector general. The inquiry reportedly began over a roughly $220 million advertising contract featuring Kristi Noem and expanded after reports Lewandowski sought payment from GEO Group, which the company declined; his representative has denied he demanded compensation. A representative said he has not been contacted by the DOJ.

The Defense Department announced Thursday it finalized a 10-year agreement with Lockheed Martin to produce at least 850 F-35 Lightning II fighter jets, covering production and future maintenance. Lockheed agreed to contribute at least $7 billion of its own funding toward initiatives supporting the F-35 program. Lockheed also raised its annual financial forecast following the agreement.

A magnitude-7.0 earthquake struck China's Tibet region late Thursday, killing at least 16 people, local authorities said. More than 300 homes were destroyed in the Nagqu region, and injuries rose to 76 while the death toll remained at 16, according to officials. The quake hit a mountainous, sparsely populated area and was described by China's state broadcaster CCTV as the region's biggest in five years. Rescue efforts continue.

An attack on an airport in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, near Saudi Aramco's headquarters, killed at least two people on October 22. The New York Times attributed the strike to Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi militia, which has targeted Saudi aviation and energy sites for weeks; UPI did not identify an attacker. The U.S. has ordered some diplomats to leave Saudi Arabia after a series of deadly attacks.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard navy said it hit seven oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, claiming four were hit while transferring oil and three others involving naval vessels. Iran's foreign minister said the strait would reopen on day six of a seven-day plan, with talks starting the next day. President Trump called Iran's claims false, accusing Tehran of inventing incidents to raise oil prices.

French authorities are deploying military forces alongside police ahead of protests expected Saturday, aiming to prevent a repeat of violence from the previous weekend. The move follows President Emmanuel Macron's decision to restrict protests to authorized unions, which he said was necessary "so that calm prevails." Businesses and events are also expected to close as more unrest is anticipated.

Israeli officials said two Palestinian gunmen opened fire near Hebron in the occupied West Bank on Friday, wounding five Israelis, two critically. Israeli soldiers killed both suspected attackers, whom the military said carried an M16 rifle and a handgun and were preventing a "terror attack against Israeli civilians." Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a full lockdown of the West Bank. The attack occurred four days before Israel's general election.

Typhoon Champi struck Taiwan, killing at least one person who was swept away by waves off Liuqiu island, and injuring more than 170 others. Authorities shut schools and workplaces and cancelled nearly 1,000 flights as the storm brushed past the island, causing widespread travel disruption.

The European Union awarded its 2026 Sakharov Prize, its highest human rights honor, to the International Criminal Court in The Hague. The announcement came days after the Trump administration imposed sanctions on the court as part of efforts opposing its work.

El Salvador deployed 100 special forces soldiers to Haiti on Thursday to rescue four Salvadoran soldiers, part of a U.N.-backed multinational force, who were kidnapped by gangs. Bukele said he had launched a military operation and threatened a harsher response if the men are not returned alive. The four are described as aviation technicians who came under attack.

Trump reportedly called Elon Musk to lift speed restrictions on SpaceX's Starshield network that had hampered Ukrainian drone operations, the Wall Street Journal reported. Trump confirmed restrictions were eased but would not confirm making the call, saying "he put it back." Ukrainian soldiers and officials say connections still fail when drones fly at high speeds, despite Trump's statement that the issue was resolved.

Governments and businesses worldwide continued rushing to patch critical vulnerabilities in PHP, a programming language researchers say powers up to 70% of websites, discovered with help from AI technology. Some government websites in Europe, including the Dutch parliament's lower house homepage, were taken offline as a precaution. Hacking attempts have risen since the flaws were disclosed, and India's eMudhra exited its website security business amid the alarm.