Ceasefire Gaslighting, Sudan Massacre, and Election Day

• What ceasefire? Israel launched a barrage of attacks on Gaza this week, killing at least 100 people, including 46 children, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health. The strikes were a clear violation of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which the UN says Israel had already violated 125 times.The latest attacks followed Israeli claims that Hamas returned body parts of a hostage Israel said it had already recovered. It appears Hamas had returned additional remains. Israel also accused Hamas of killing two IDF soldiers — a claim Hamas denies. Hours after their attack, Israel declared the ceasefire was “back on,” as if flipping a light switch while Trump claimed the ceasefire was just fine. More in Gaza below.
• SNAP Shutdown: A federal judge ruled that the government must use the USDA’s contingency fund to pay for SNAP benefits during the government shutdown, which were set to expire on Saturday, November 1. Dozens of states had sued to force the government’s hand, arguing that the fund exists for precisely this purpose — and that it was used during past shutdowns, including under Trump in 2019. Republicans now claim the fund “doesn’t exist” and appear to have deleted references to it from the USDA’s website. During the hearing, the judge called the government’s position “ridiculous,” adding that it makes no sense to withhold a rainy-day fund “meant to feed people during a shutdown.”
• Elections Preview: This Tuesday’s elections aren’t just handing out governorships — they’re sending a message about the national mood heading into 2026. Two pivotal states, New Jersey and Virginia, are acting as proxy battlegrounds for the broader fight over America’s political future. These are early but powerful indicators of who and what is gaining ground ahead of next year’s midterms.
• Sudan in Crisis: The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) launched drone attacks that killed hundreds in Darfur’s El Fasher, including 450 people at a maternity hospital. The bloodstains left behind were so vast they were visible from space, according to Yale’s Humanitarian Research Lab. Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal reports that the United Arab Emirates — a key US ally — has armed the RSF with Chinese drones, machine guns and ammunition, worsening the humanitarian crisis and prolonging war. “The war would be over if not for the U.A.E.,” said Cameron Hudson, a former chief of staff to successive U.S. presidential special envoys for Sudan. “The only thing that is keeping them in this war is the overwhelming amount of military support that they’re receiving from the U.A.E.,” he said of the RSF. The UAE denies their involvement.

Guess the "Bibi-sitting" didn't work.

• Israel continues to violate the ceasefire by blocking aid. Under the agreement, Israel agreed to allow at least 600 aid trucks in per day. Local officials say Israel has only allowed in about 24% of that. (Al Jazeera)
• Israel claims that the remains of three people Hamas returned are not those of hostages. Hamas says they offered to give samples of the remains earlier to be tested for identification but Israel refused. (CBS News)
• Israel returned more bodies of Palestinian hostages and detainees — again showing signs of severe torture and abuse. (ABC News)
• Despite accusing the entire world of lying, Israel still refuses to allow international journalists into Gaza. (Drop Site News)
• In the illegally occupied West Bank, Israeli settlers continue to target Palestinian olive farmers. The UN reports at least 126 attacks this season in 70 towns and villages that damaged more than 4,000 olive trees. “Settler violence has been surging in the occupied West Bank, with 757 attacks recorded in the first half of 2025 alone, according to data from the Israeli NGO Peace Now. This marks a 13 percent increase compared with the same period last year.” (Al Jazeera)

Tuesday is Election Day.

In California, voters will decide on Proposition 50, which would redraw congressional districts to carve out more Democratic seats — a countermeasure to Republican-led gerrymandering efforts nationwide ahead of the 2026 midterms. The measure is also a test of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s political capital. Newsom is expected to run for president in 2028, and a win here could boost his standing within the Democratic Party.

There’s also a tight governor’s race in New Jersey, where Democrat Rep. Mikie Sherrill faces Republican Jack Ciattarelli, who has been endorsed and heavily bankrolled by Trump. A Republican win would hand Trump a symbolic victory in a blue state he lost twice. A Democratic win would signal voter resistance to MAGA and buoy Democrats ahead of 2026.

In Virginia, the governor’s race could serve as another referendum on Trump’s return to office — and an early test of how Democrats plan to message heading into midterms. Democrat Abigail Spanberger has taken what PBS calls a “pragmatic focus on economic concerns and a toned-down pledge to address Trump’s most damaging policies, when possible.” Her opponent, Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, is leaning into Trump-aligned messaging.

Former President Barack Obama is expected to campaign this weekend for both Sherrill and Spanberger.

Meanwhile, in New York City, where Islamophobia has reached a fever pitch, Zohran Mamdani — who’s taken a bolder, more progressive approach than Spanberger — is challenging former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who was accused of sexually harassing at least a dozen women, in a bid to become the city’s first Muslim mayor (NPR).

“Just as Spanberger and Sherrill embrace moderation, progressive leaders such as Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have lined up behind Mamdani, who is also on the ballot Tuesday. The self-described democratic socialist has called for government-run grocery stores, free public transit, and rent freezes — policies that may be difficult to enact if he wins.”

Also, the DOJ will deploy election monitors to California and New Jersey at Republicans’ request. While monitors are routine, Democrats warn this round is about voter intimidation, not integrity—especially in California, where immigration agents can racially profile. (PolitiFact)

• Unilateral warfare: The U.S. military launched strikes on 14 boats off South America, killing more than 60 people in what the UN calls a violation of international law. Trump insists the U.S. is “at war with narcoterrorists,” but only Congress can declare war. (PBS)
  • Bipartisan senators are demanding Defense Secretary Hegseth release the strike orders required under oversight law. (FOX News)
  • Democrats weren’t even invited to the intelligence briefing. “This is against every norm of how national security policy has worked,” said Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA). (Semafor)

• Nuclear bluster: Trump announced on Truth Social that he’s restarting nuclear weapons testing—something the U.S. ended 30 years ago. Advisors were blindsided, and the Defense Department, which he cited, doesn’t even control testing (that’s the Energy Department). The claim alone risks escalating tensions with Russia and China.
• Militarizing dissent: Trump’s August executive order instructing the Pentagon to reorganize the National Guard has raised alarm among legal experts. He’s tasked Pete Hegseth with building a 200-person unit deployable nationwide to suppress “civil unrest,” and ordered states to form similar forces. The move shatters 150 years of precedent separating the military from domestic policing. Trump even bragged this week, “The courts wouldn’t get involved… I could send anybody I wanted.” (Washington Post)
  • The courts could still block it. The Ninth Circuit has already paused a related attempt to send the Guard into Portland. (CNN)
• Refugee rollback: The administration will cap refugee admissions at 7,500 for 2026—down from 125,000 under Biden—favoring white South Afrikaners claiming “white genocide.” (AP)
• Speaker in hiding: House Speaker Mike Johnson has kept the House out of session for nearly two months, even as the government shutdown drags on. Johnson—who counts Newt Gingrich as a mentor—has little control over his members and prefers to keep them home so he can spin the narrative that Democrats alone caused the shutdown. Optics over governing. (New York Times)

• Trump’s tantrum, on record: A new book by ABC’s Jonathan Karl reveals that on January 6, 2021, Trump called Mike Pence a “wimp” when Pence refused to defy the Constitution and block certification of Biden’s victory. (ABC News)
• Purging watchdogs: After demolishing the East Wing, Trump fired all six members of the Commission of Fine Arts—an independent body overseeing federal architecture. Earlier this year, he also axed members of the National Capital Planning Commission. Biden made similar moves in 2021, but Trump’s pattern looks personal—and aesthetic. If D.C. ends up looking like his ballroom, brace for gold trim and bad taste. (Washington Post)
• Not Medical Advice: After falsely claiming Tylenol use during pregnancy causes autism, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. now admits there’s “not enough evidence.” His reversal came one day after Texas sued Tylenol’s makers for the same claim. (The Hill | Texas Tribune)
• On the economic front:
  • The Fed cut rates for a second straight month but signaled a pause ahead. (WSJ)
  • The Senate passed a bipartisan—but largely symbolic—measure to end Trump’s global tariffs. (The Hill)
  • The Supreme Court will soon hear challenges to those tariffs. (SCOTUS Blog)
  • During a trip through Asia, Trump announced a 10% tariff reduction for China after meeting Xi Jinping, in exchange for fentanyl-control cooperation, renewed U.S. soybean imports, and a temporary lift on rare-earth bans. He’ll visit China again in April. (NPR)
  • Meanwhile, an AP investigation found U.S. tech companies have been quietly enabling Chinese surveillance and human-rights abuses. (AP)
  • In Japan, Trump lied to U.S. troops about grocery prices and the 2020 election. (CNN)
• Trump continues to make political retribution a goal of his administration:
  • Republicans have asked the DOJ to investigate Joe Biden for allegedly abusing the autopen, claiming he didn’t know what he was signing. The DOJ is reportedly starting with pardons. (NBC News)
  • Illinois congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh was indicted for blocking a federal agent’s car near a detention center—days after a viral video showed agents slamming her to the ground. Advocates call it retaliation. (Chicago Sun-Times)
  • Chicago’s ICE units have drawn lawsuits for “a pattern of extreme brutality,” including tear-gassing a children’s Halloween parade. A judge ordered daily oversight by the ICE chief—later overturned on appeal. (New York Times | CBS News)
  • The DOJ suspended two prosecutors hours after they described January 6 as “a mob of rioters” in a sentencing memo for Taylor Taranto, a rioter later found outside Obama’s home with weapons. The revised filing omitted the phrase. A federal judge publicly praised the suspended attorneys for doing “a truly excellent job.” (ABC News)
  • The indictment of New York AG Letitia James for mortgage fraud appears baseless; experts found her loan contract doesn’t even prohibit renting out the home in question. (Politico)

• ARGENTINA: Javier Mieli, Argentina’s libertarian president and Trump ally, secured a decisive victory in Sunday’s midterm legislative elections, with his party taking roughly 40.7 % of the vote and gaining control of 64 of 127 contested lower‐house seats. Meanwhile, Trump’s reported $20-$40 billion bailout and backing of Milei’s campaign raise serious questions about foreign influence in a supposedly sovereign election.
• UNITED KINGDOM: King Charles officially stripped his brother Andrew of all royal titles and honors — including his princedom. He’ll now go by Andrew Mountbatten Windsor. (AP) The move follows renewed attention to Andrew’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein and fresh details in Virginia Giuffre’s newly released memoir in which she claims that she was forced to have sex with Andrew on three occasions.
• AFRICA: A surge in diphtheria cases is hitting parts of Africa and Asia after the Trump administration slashed global vaccination funding. Programs that once sent mobile clinics and tracked outbreaks are gone — and preventable diseases are filling the gap. The news suggests a wider, creeping public-health risk that may eventually reverberate back to wealthier nations as diseases cross borders. (Think Global Health)

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