DOJ pressures California to stop election fraud
California has 20,000 noncitizens registered to vote in Tuesday’s midterm election, the Department of Justice says. From October 21–24, the DOJ sent three subpoenas ordering employees of the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder to appear in court the day after the election. The subpoenas request documents related to federal allegations of noncitizens on the voter rolls sent to LA between July and October. They also require an explanation of the Registrar-Recorder’s “methods of screening unlawful voting by aliens.” The LA registrar fired back, arguing these subpoenas represent “threats and intimidation [that] have no place in elections.” The Trump administration sought to set aside the ballots of the 20,000 suspected noncitizens, but U.S. District Judge David O. Carter, a Bill Clinton appointee, rejected that request and issued a scathing response.

FY26 debt reaches WWII-era ratio
The economy grew at a healthy 3.4% during the third quarter, but federal borrowing climbed just as quickly. The U.S. national debt reached 100.03% of gross domestic product for the 2026 fiscal year that ended September 30. America hasn’t hit that triple-digit mark since 1946. During World War II, it reached 106%, and forecasts show the U.S. headed in that direction. The federal government released a statement on Thursday reporting $32.2 trillion in publicly held debt. Gross federal debt recently passed $40 trillion, but economists argue publicly held debt better measures the borrowing burden. The ratio rose from 99.4% in fiscal 2025, a far cry from the low debt-to-GDP ratios of the 1990s and early 2000s.

Ramaswamy pulls controversial ad attacking Acton
Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has pulled his campaign’s controversial ad, which featured Democrat candidate Amy Acton’s mother imploring voters to vote against her own daughter. The attack ad quickly drew backlash, as it seemed like Ramaswamy was punching below the belt. Acton’s mother has been estranged from her daughter for decades, and their relationship was marred by abuse. The ad seems to have significantly hurt Ohio Republicans’ election chances, with polling numbers for both Ramaswamy and Senate candidate John Husted tanking in recent days. Ramaswamy’s campaign said it “ran to completion,” but after $1 million in spending, not the $4 million he promised.

Dirty Democrat tricks in Maine
In an apparent effort to win votes through deception, Maine’s Democrat Senate candidate Troy Jackson has been accused of running an ad featuring a Sen. Susan Collins supporter who appears to express support for Jackson. The voter featured in Jackson’s ad, Kelly Kusnirak, has spoken out, saying she was surprised to see the ad supported Jackson when she thought she was participating in an ad to support Collins. Kusnirak warns, “If they can trick me, they’ll trick you too.” It’s underhanded tactics like this that are the real threat to the nation’s democratic election process. By running it, Jackson contradicts his own expressed concern that “our democracy hinges on our ability to participate in free and fair elections.” As RNC national press secretary Natalie Baldassarre observes, “Troy Jackson has no problem casting his principles aside when the process is rigged in his favor.”

Hegseth fires general due to accusations of leaking classified docs
The Pentagon purge continues as Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has fired one of his senior strategic planners over allegations that he leaked classified information to the press about the war in Iran, the war in Ukraine, and other restricted information. After failing three polygraph exams related to the alleged leaks, the DOJ has taken over the investigation into Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia. This is the second removal of an officer leading the J5, the Joint Staff’s Directorate for Strategy, Plans and Policy, which advises the chairman of the Joint Chiefs. Hegseth fired Lt. Gen. Douglas Sims earlier this year, and three other Pentagon officials were removed after a leak investigation last year. A Pentagon spokesman said that the firing followed “an extensive Air Force OSI investigation” and that investigators will find those who leak classified information.

DOJ “ghost busters”
In keeping with the Halloween spirit, the DOJ is conducting a nationwide investigation into “ghost students.” These scams are called “ghost students” by federal officials because perpetrators steal a person’s identity, obtain student financial aid in that person’s name, and then vanish, leaving the victim to deal with the ramifications. Prosecutors have charged five people who have worked with Kenyans to steal more than $1.3 million from student financial aid programs. Community colleges are the primary target of these scammers, who use artificial intelligence to submit large numbers of fraudulent applications and complete coursework to maintain enrollment status. Over the past five years, “ghost students” have stolen more than $200 million in student loan money, according to authorities. Of California’s 116 community colleges, nearly one-third of all applications in 2024 were fraudulent, culminating in about $13 million in stolen state and federal funds.

Crypto thieves steal $6.3 billion
On Thursday, cryptocurrency giant Binance confirmed that thieves stole $6.3 billion. As a precaution, Binance suspended all deposits and withdrawals and pledged to cover any financial losses from the incident. Its security teams are working with law enforcement to secure assets, although there is no evidence that private wallet keys were compromised. The thieves likely hacked a DevOps engineer’s laptop, accessed a service container, and submitted unauthorized withdrawals. Other crypto companies froze assets related to the incident. Several currencies, including bitcoin, fell as much as 2% to six-week lows. Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, called the theft “the biggest hack in history.”

Cyberattack heated freezers, spoiled food
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth recently announced FORTRESS America, an initiative to secure U.S. military installations with independent power generation and stockpiles of resources for at least 90 days. Further reporting indicates the initiative responds to growing awareness of the vulnerability of previously secure systems. A freezer may seem secure from outside attack, but the U.S. now suspects that a series of malfunctions in late August were a cyberattack. At least six base commissaries are believed to have been affected, with freezers entering defrost mode overnight, heating up and spoiling the contained food. The attack appears similar in nature to one that affected more than 350 establishments in France earlier this month. There, too, freezers were sent into continuous defrost mode, raising temperatures to as high as 122 degrees Fahrenheit. Losses in France are believed to be in the millions of Euros.

Xi purges his party
Seeking a fourth term as leader of China, President Xi Jinping continued a campaign to purge potential threats to his power under the guise of stronger internal discipline and anti-corruption efforts. This week, China’s Communist Party held a four-day meeting and ratified the expulsion of more than 30 senior party officials, including China’s top army general. Since Xi took power in 2012, he has overseen the removal of almost 1,000 senior party officials, most on corruption allegations. Under Xi, the government has initiated 8.1 million investigations, resulting in the often severe discipline of 7.9 million people. Xi’s efforts to eliminate any potential threats to his power will result in a more cautious and less innovative government. As Benjamin Hillman, a professor at the Australian National University, notes, “Officials are increasingly cautious of trying new things because mistakes can be costly.”

Headlines

  • Trump briefed on military options for Iran (Hot Air)
  • National popular vote indirectly on the midterm ballot (Center Square)
  • California high-speed rail CEO resigns after reporter confronts board over scandal (RedState)
  • Marco Rubio’s State Department just ranked No. 1 with Americans (Daily Signal)

The Executive News Summary is compiled daily by Jordan Candler, Thomas Gallatin, Sterling Henry, Jacob Geoffrey, Hudson Baldwin, and Sophie Starkova. For the archive, click here.