“American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan visited Pope Leo XIV at the pontiff’s residence on Wednesday as part of the Vatican’s wider effort to create a bridge between the Catholic Church and popular culture. The Vatican News said the visit between the two men was brief and included a few lighthearted exchanges. Pope Leo gave Dylan a rosary and the singer gifted the pontiff a copy of his book Chronicles: Volume One. … Pope Leo quoted Dylan’s 1963 song ‘Go Away You Bomb’ in the preface of a printed collection of his speeches and reflections released in July.” (11/04/26)
“Races between the candidates for U.S. Senate in Alaska and Mississippi are separated by razor-thin margins days after polls closed in the crucial midterm elections. In Mississippi, where 95.6% of the votes have been counted, according to the Associated Press, Democratic candidate Scott Colom leads incumbent Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith [R-MS], 464,926 votes to 463,788, as of Thursday morning. In Alaska, former Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola, leads incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan [R-AK] by less than 700 votes. While Alaska still has a quarter of its votes to count, according to the AP, if the gap between Peltola and Sullivan remains this slim, the introduction of a second candidate named Dan Sullivan will loom large in post-election analyses.” (11/05/26)
“San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan conceded her race for Congress on Wednesday evening, as state Sen. Scott Wiener continued to pull ahead in vote totals after voting concluded Tuesday. That puts Wiener on track to succeed Rep. Nancy Pelosi despite her endorsement for his opponent. Chan posted a message to X and shared a statement with CNN, writing: ‘While we expect the margin to narrow significantly, we do not have a clear path to victory. I congratulate Scott Wiener on his election and wish him success in serving San Francisco.’ The latest vote totals released Wednesday afternoon by the San Francisco Department of Elections had Wiener ahead with more than 55% of the vote. The New York Times estimated that 57% of votes have been counted.” (11/04/26)
“Orders for what one official called a ‘national no enforcement day’ began circulating on Monday inside U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. Handed down through ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations division through internal group chats and verbal commands, the directive called for a halt to all immigration enforcement operations on Election Day, according to ICE officials across the country who spoke to The Intercept. … According to multiple ICE officials who spoke to The Intercept, the orders were handed down quietly to avoid media attention.” (11/04/26)
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“French trade unions are joining forces on Thursday for nationwide strikes and demonstrations for higher wages and in support of the high school protest movement, piling new pressure on the beleaguered government. After more than a month of regular and large protests across France, major rallies are again expected in Paris, Lyon and Marseille, with hundreds of thousands of people likely to turn out. Transportation chaos is expected and some schools could be shut as teachers join the strike. French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said that 70,000 police are being deployed, backed by armored vehicles, drones and helicopters. Police have been criticized for injuring protesters with heavy-handed tactics.” (11/05/26)
“The Russian military said on Thursday it hit logistics and transport targets in various regions of Ukraine overnight. In Kharkiv region, a Nova Poshta logistics hub was struck, as well as railway locomotives and an industrial building at the Thermal Power Plant 2. The logistics hub was used by Ukrainian military to assemble drones, the Russian Defence Ministry said In Dnipropetrovsk region a power station was hit.: (11/05/26)
“An Indiana man who admitted killing his girlfriend’s two children was [killed] early Thursday in the first of three lethal injections scheduled for the same day in the U.S. Jeffrey Weisheit killed the children, ages 8 and 5, by setting fire to his girlfriend’s house in the Evansville area in 2010. … Florida and Alabama were also set to carry out [prisoner killings] Thursday, which would mark the second time this year that three people in the U.S. would be put to death on the same day.” (11/05/26)
“Ethiopia has ordered six Sudanese diplomats to leave the country within 48 hours and closed Sudan’s consulate in the border town of Asosa, according to media reports. The reports on Tuesday came as tensions between the countries continue to rise, with Sudan accusing Ethiopia of supporting the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), while Ethiopia accuses Sudan of backing rebels in its northern Tigray region. The allegations and counter-allegations, which both sides deny, have raised fears that the two wars could bleed into each other, spawning a broader conflict in the Horn of Africa.” (11/04/26)
“The Mississippi Senate race may take days to resolve, as Democrat Scott Colom leads GOP Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith by just 65 votes in the current vote count. And as votes continue to be counted, all eyes are on an unknown number of ballots that could shift the result — and lead to a very murky recount process. … Around 6,000 mail ballots appear to have been distributed but not yet been returned Monday, according to data from the Mississippi secretary of state’s office, which did not reply to a request for comment. Mail ballots postmarked by Election Day can be counted in Mississippi if they are received by 5 p.m. Nov. 10. An unknown number of so-called affidavit ballots, also known as provisional ballots, are also outstanding.” (11/04/26)
