Over 70 million Americans are affected.
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| Ivan Pentchoukov
National Editor |
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| Ivan Pentchoukov
National Editor |
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Good morning. It’s Thursday. Here are today’s top stories. |
- Election integrity, birth tourism, and tackling transnational repression and government weaponization are among the priorities of the Department of Justice, Attorney General Todd Blanche told The Epoch Times in an exclusive interview.
- Nine of the largest U.S. banks maintained policies that disadvantaged some customers because of their political or religious views or their affiliation with lawful but “disfavored” industries, according to a sweeping review by a federal banking regulator.
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Health officials poring over death records and other data have recently found that 189,000 people were improperly enrolled in subsidized Affordable Care Act coverage despite also being enrolled in a government insurance coverage program or being dead.
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At least 600,000 people in Ukraine are without power following a Russian overnight aerial attack on energy infrastructure in Kyiv, the Kyiv region, and Kharkiv, according to the Ukrainian president. Russian forces fired 39 ballistic missiles and 120 attack drones against energy and critical infrastructure, with there being “significant damage” to facilities, including 26 power facilities and four in the oil and gas sector, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
- 🍵 Health: A baby’s diet in the first 1,000 days shapes their health for a lifetime.
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(William Thomas Cain/Getty Images) |
Under the latest cost-of-living adjustment, Social Security payments are set to rise by the highest increase in four years.
The cost-of-living adjustment, which also applies to SSI payments, will begin in January 2027 for more than 70 million Americans. The adjustment factored in federal inflation metrics from the past three months. Our reporter Jack Phillips outlines four things to know about the upcoming increase. |
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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT — We made these articles free for you to read
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Attorney General Todd Blanche speaks during an interview in Washington on Oct. 5, 2026. (Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times) |
Attorney General Todd Blanche is charging ahead to reshape an agency he said was weaponized under the previous administration. In a wide-ranging interview, Blanche opened up about some of the department’s ongoing work and how he wants to steer the agency “back to the basics.”
With consequential midterm elections kicking off in the coming weeks, the attorney general was asked what he felt the current and biggest vulnerabilities were. “I think it’s obvious. It’s making sure that the only people voting are eligible to vote, and that we have assurance that that’s happening,” Blanche said. “That’s our biggest objective.” The attorney general also shared the latest steps his agency is taking against the threats facing the United States—from both within and beyond its borders. President Donald Trump’s administration has ramped up efforts against illegal noncitizen voting.
“This isn’t an isolated issue in a particular state. It’s something that’s happening, I think, unfortunately, in a lot of states,” Blanche said. On Oct. 5, the DOJ announced 16 individuals face charges including voting by aliens in federal elections, false claims of U.S. citizenship to register or vote, and false statements on citizenship applications. A grand jury indicted 10 foreign nationals who allegedly registered and voted illegally in Minnesota in the 2022, 2024, and 2026 elections, the Justice Department said on Sept. 30. To date, the DOJ has charged nearly 100 foreign nationals over illegal voting, Blanche said.
“What do you hear from the critics about that? ‘Well, it’s not that many. We’ve only charged 96 people.’ What does that matter?” Blanche said. “For months and months, it was, ‘There’s no proof there’s anybody voting illegally,’ and then it was, ‘Well, OK, there’s a little bit of proof,’ and then we keep on coming up with more and more examples of it happening.” (More) |
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An election worker moves mail-in ballots to be organized for tabulation in the City of Industry, Calif., on June 2, 2026. (Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images) |
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Senate Republicans are training their own election observers to send to battleground states ahead of the Nov. 3 midterms, a spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) told The Epoch Times.
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The House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party made public more than 700 pages of previously nonpublic federal investigative records, detailing American university researchers’ undisclosed affiliations, financial arrangements, and research ties with Chinese institutions.
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Georgia residents flocked to the polls on Tuesday for the first day of early voting in the 2026 midterm elections and shattered the state’s previous early record by more than 53,000 ballots.
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- The U.S. housing market tilted further in buyers’ favor in September, as falling demand and a growing supply of homes pushed the gap between sellers and buyers to its widest on record dating back to 2013.
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Consumers faced higher monthly cost pressures in September as surging gasoline prices resulted in hotter annual inflation, U.S. government data show.
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The United States has recorded more than 4,000 cases of the measles throughout 2026, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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The U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday the first nationwide “tax fraud surge” that led to prosecutorial actions against 76 defendants in 45 days whose alleged crimes totaled an intended loss of over $490 million.
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Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway has sued Chinese online retailer Temu, alleging the company illegally collects personal data and deceives consumers.
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FILE PHOTO: A Ukrainian serviceman of the 47th brigade prepares a Starlink satellite internet systems at his positions at the front line, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near the town of Avdiivka, recently captured by Russian troops in Donetsk region, Ukraine, Feb. 20, 2024. (Reuters/Inna Varenytsia) |
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SpaceX CEO Elon Musk denied reports that the company curbed its military-oriented Starshield satellite internet service in Ukraine, saying any limits on the service would have been imposed by the U.S. military.
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Ukraine’s bid to join the European Union moved a step forward as Kyiv opened negotiations with Brussels on internal market and competitiveness standards
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Doctors treating Pope Leo XIV said he began walking and doing respiratory exercises on Wednesday, coming a day after the Vatican announced he was being treated for lung cancer.
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Colombia opened its embassy in Jerusalem, deepening a diplomatic rapprochement with Israel after restoring bilateral relations two months earlier.
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A Chinese state-media correspondent accused of gathering intelligence for Beijing went on trial in Prague on Wednesday, becoming the first person to be prosecuted under a Czech law targeting unauthorized activities on behalf of a foreign power.
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Taiwan plans to buy 6 million metric tons of liquefied natural gas annually from Alaska and invest up to $4.4 billion in a major pipeline and export project, the nation’s Ministry of Economic Affairs said.
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Cuba’s government plans to open oil and gas exploration and production to private firms at home and abroad next week.
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- Not Fine at All—by John Stossel (Read)
- Stabilization Policy Is the Wrong Path—by Jeffrey A. Tucker (Read)
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A Bipartisan Wake-Up Call on China’s Infiltration—by Chad Wolf (Read)
- America Needs Permitting Reform—With No Gimmicks—by E.J. Antoni (Read)
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Cornell: Consent v. Self-Respect—by Ian Haworth (Read)
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Forget ricotta. This lasagna gets its creamy texture from a Parmesan-rich béchamel sauce layered with savory meat sauce and noodles.
It takes a little planning, but you can make both sauces a day ahead. No-boil noodles are another way to cut prep time. When you’re ready to eat, assemble the layers and bake until the top is golden and bubbling. |
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“Everything comes in time to him who knows how to wait.” |
— Leo Tolstoy, "War and Peace" |
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— Simon Veazey, Ivan Pentchoukov, Madalina Hubert, and Kenzi Li |
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