The hour's dominant story was a US strike on Iran's Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday night, on the eve of the midterm elections ^1,2,3. Washington framed the strikes as defensive, aimed at Iranians using surface-to-air missiles against US assets ^1,4. A senior official called them retaliation after Tehran fired on a US plane ⁵, and another report tied them to Iran downing an American drone . IRNA reported five powerful explosions on the island ⁶. Accounts differ on context: one report calls this the first US strike in two months ¹, while others describe it as one of several unannounced limited strikes in recent weeks ^2,6. The action came as Trump signaled progress in talks with Tehran ² and Vance spoke of hoping for a negotiated settlement ⁷, though Trump also said one or two more Iranian sites still need to be addressed . The politics are pointed. The Iran war is described as a major obstacle for Republicans trying to hold Congress, and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has pushed up oil and gas prices, making gas prices a top voter concern ¹. On the campaign trail, fallout continued from Democrat Haley Stevens dropping her endorsement of Abdul El-Sayed and backing Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers in Michigan ^8,9, a rupture framed as a preview of Democratic divisions over Israel ¹⁰. Separately, Senator Chris Murphy was hospitalized after a stroke, and his office says he is expected to make a full recovery . In Ukraine, a Russian strike on an aid hub in Zaporizhzhia killed 26 as the US announced new peace talks ¹¹. About 2,800 troops from 10 European countries will hold the first exercise in Poland for a force meant to back Ukraine after a potential ceasefire ¹². In markets, Apple beat September-quarter expectations, but shares fell after hours. CEO John Ternus guided December-quarter gross margin to 45%–46%, citing memory-chip costs and slowing Services growth, down from 47.9% in the September quarter, which included roughly one point of tariff-refund benefit ¹³. Greater China sales hit a record ¹⁴ and rose 21%, yet still came in $1 billion short of targets . The fallout from last week's $6.3 billion Binance attack continued as South Korea pressed exchanges to move more assets into cold storage ¹⁵. Also notable: OpenAI hired former Army Secretary Dan Driscoll for a national security role ^16,17. Two ARCH Venture funds each bought 1.2 million Aspen Neuroscience shares at $15 on the open market ^18,19. ICE is reportedly planning to deport Afghans through Pakistan ²⁰, prompting lawmakers to urge a halt ²¹.