Hour in Review — 2026-11-02 00:00 UTC 22 sources
The midterm vote, set for Nov. 3, dominated the hour, and its sharpest story came from Michigan. Rep. Haley Stevens, who lost the Democratic Senate primary to Abdul El-Sayed, endorsed Republican Mike Rogers after once being one of his fiercest critics 1. Democrats called it a 'despicable betrayal' 2, Sen. Mallory McMorrow called it 'sad' and 'desperate' 3, and Trump praised the switch 4. The race carries national stakes: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has staked much of her 2028 calculus on El-Sayed winning and contributed $1 million to his campaign 5. Around the vote, Graphika reports that a China-linked Spamouflage network is using repurposed accounts to pose as American voters and amplify posts on immigration, mass shootings and election integrity 6. A federal judge dismissed the Justice Department's bid to delay certification of Alaska's Senate race, and the DOJ says it will appeal to the 9th Circuit 7. Gov. JD Pritzker said a Democratic Congress would hold hearings into Trump's 'corruption' 8, while Trump rallied in Iowa predicting sweeping Republican wins 9. On the Iran war, oil slipped more than 1% as talks on ending it continued 10. Trump said the war would end soon 'one way or the other' but gave no specifics 11, and Rep. Ro Khanna said he would cut off funding for further US military action there as voter discontent grows 12. Separately, a vessel was reportedly struck by an unknown projectile in the Strait of Hormuz 13. Crypto showed concentrated stress. Binance users pulled $3.6 billion in net outflows 14,15, and total crypto market capitalization fell 3.3% for the week amid reports of a Binance security breach 16. BTCPay Server, in an unrelated incident, urged operators to shut down installations after hot-wallet drains 17. HTX also ceased UK operations after a settlement with the FCA 18. On fiscal strain, Brookings' Robin Brooks argues Fed Chair Kevin Warsh is managing fragile US debt costs, noting that fiscal 2026 interest costs exceeded defense spending 19. Colombia's vice president warned the country could default without a fiscal adjustment bill 20. Elsewhere, a Learjet crash near West Palm Beach killed nine people 21, and Halloween shootings left at least 24 dead nationwide 22.
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