US

• Contractor for the CIA charged with leaking classified defense information to a romantic partner's Substack

  The FBI arrested Ian A. Brinksman, 42, of Washington, D.C., on Friday, and the Justice Department charged him by criminal complaint with unlawfully transmitting national defense information to a person who runs an online publication on Substack. CIA Director John Ratcliffe said the case followed a referral from the agency.

  Updated 7:10 a.m. ETU.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Government Contractor Arrested for Allegedly Leaking National Defense Information · UPI, Contractor arrested for allegedly leaking classified information · The Straits Times (Reuters), US accuses government contractor of leaking classified info to girlfriend's Substack · Newsweek, Who is Ian Brinksman?

• Justice Department investigating Trump ally Corey Lewandowski over his role at DHS

  The Justice Department is examining allegations that Corey Lewandowski, the former top aide to ex-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, profited from his government role, after a referral from the DHS inspector general. He has not been charged, and his lawyer says he denies wrongdoing. President Trump said dishonest people "have to be prosecuted."

  Updated 4:05 p.m. ETCBS News, DOJ investigating Trump ally Corey Lewandowski over role at DHS, sources say · ABC News, DOJ probing Trump ally Corey Lewandowski's actions at DHS after inspector general referral · NBC News, DHS watchdog refers its Corey Lewandowski investigation to Justice Department for review · Reuters (via The Guardian), Department of Justice opens criminal investigation into Corey Lewandowski

• Justice Department sues to block Alaska Senate certification if Sen. Dan Sullivan loses, citing a second Sullivan on the ballot

  The Justice Department has asked a federal court to stop Alaska from certifying its U.S. Senate result if Republican Sen. Dan S. Sullivan loses and would have won had votes for another candidate, Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., gone to him instead. The department argues voters may confuse the two. Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. has said his candidacy is genuine.

  Updated 2:15 p.m. ETNBC News, Trump administration sues to block Alaska Senate certification if Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan loses in November · Courthouse News Service, Trump administration sues Alaska over two Dan Sullivans on ballot · AP, Trump administration sues to block possible Dem win in Alaska Senate race · USA Today, DOJ sues to stop Alaska from certifying Senate result if GOP loses

• Two former FBI officials charged with lying to Congress about Hunter Biden investigations

  Federal prosecutors in Washington on Friday charged former FBI officials Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides with one count each of making false statements to Congress in 2023 testimony about the bureau's Hunter Biden investigations. Both surrendered and appeared in federal court. A lawyer for Floris called the charges false and politically timed.

  Updated 2:15 p.m. ETU.S. Attorney's Office for D.C., Two Former FBI Officials Charged in Lying to Congress about Hunter Biden Investigations · AP, 2 ex-FBI officials charged with lying about Hunter Biden's laptop · NBC News, DOJ charges two former top FBI officials who were frequent targets of Trump allies · CBS News, 2 ex-FBI officials charged with lying to Congress about Hunter Biden laptop probe · NPR, Two former FBI agents charged over Hunter Biden probes

World

• US orders nonemergency diplomats to leave Saudi Arabia as Houthi attacks escalate

  The State Department ordered nonemergency US government employees and their families to leave Saudi Arabia after a series of Houthi attacks on Saudi airports and energy sites. A strike on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam on Wednesday killed at least one person and injured eight, Saudi authorities said.

  Updated 7:15 a.m. ETAP · The Washington Post · DW · BBC News · Arab News · Dawn

Money

• Dow falls more than 600 points as oil climbs to its highest level since April; tech steadies after AI slide

  The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1.23% on Friday, the S&P 500 lost 0.52% and the Nasdaq slipped 0.21%, a day after the Nasdaq's biggest one-day drop since June, Reuters reported. Brent crude settled at $116.72 a barrel, its highest close since April 29, amid concerns about the conflict with Iran.

  Updated 7:09 a.m. ETCNBC, Stock market today · Reuters (via Yahoo Finance), Tech selloff relents, oil at five-month high · The Wall Street Journal, Stock market today · AP · NBC News · dpa (via Yahoo Finance) · AP (index closes) · AP (Friday markets) · Reuters (via Euronext) · Reuters (via Yahoo Finance), Dow, S&P 500 fall, tech steadies to end rocky week · Yahoo Finance, Stock market today

• Trump lifts 50% tariffs on some Canadian goods and adds others to the list

  President Trump signed a proclamation Friday removing 50% tariffs on some Canadian products, including plywood sheets, some paper products and certain machinery, while adding tariffs on other items such as carpets and valves. The changes take effect Oct. 30, the White House said. Maine Sen. Susan Collins said she had asked for the relief.

  Updated 11:15 p.m. ETAP News · BBC News · The White House (fact sheet)

• Trump signs order aimed at lowering mortgage and homeownership costs as Treasury proposes investor purchase rules

  President Trump signed an executive order Thursday directing federal housing agencies to test automatic cancellation of mortgage insurance, make a title insurance waiver program permanent and lower rates on some government home loans. Separately, the Treasury Department proposed rules for a law that bars large institutional investors from buying more single-family homes starting Jan. 7, 2027.

  Updated 10:25 a.m. ETReuters (via Investing.com) · The Hill · HousingWire · The White House (order text) · U.S. Treasury

Tech

• Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian data centers disrupt payments, maps and cloud services

  Ukrainian drones hit five data centers run by Yandex, Sberbank and VK in October, the Associated Press and Euronews reported, and Russians have reported ongoing trouble paying for goods, ordering taxis and using navigation and cloud services. Experts told the AP the damage could take months or years to repair and has set back Russia's artificial intelligence work.

  Updated 11:25 a.m. ETAP, Ukraine hits Russian data centers and experts say it sets back AI research · Euronews, Ukraine hits Russian data centres in blow to Moscow's AI capabilities · BBC News, Russian search engine Yandex struggles after Ukrainian strikes on data centres · The Record, Russian social media giant VK faces disruptions after data center drone strike

Sports

No major verified stories in this section yet today.

Weather

• Severe flooding in the Four Corners region forces rescues and evacuations in New Mexico and Colorado

  River flooding in the Four Corners region on Friday led to rescues, some from rooftops, and evacuation orders in parts of northwestern New Mexico and southwestern Colorado, the AP reported. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis declared a disaster emergency and authorized the National Guard, and more rain is forecast for the weekend.

  Updated 7:09 a.m. ETNational Weather Service Albuquerque, San Juan River at Farmington flood statement · Navajo Times, Floods strand families, force rescues as San Juan River nears major flood stage · Santa Fe New Mexican, 'A terrible crisis': Flooding prompts rescues, evacuations in San Juan County · AP, Rooftop rescues and evacuations as severe flooding soaks Four Corners region · KOB 4, 'Once-in-a-generation' flooding hits Four Corners region of New Mexico and southern Colorado · Santa Fe New Mexican, Flooding prompts rescues, evacuations in parts of Northern New Mexico · KOAT, What we know about severe weather and flooding in New Mexico · Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, SEOC Update: October 23, 2026