Daily Brief · Thursday, October 22, 2026

Daily Brief: Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026

Iran says seven tankers were hit or struck mines in and near the Strait of Hormuz, Russia pounds Kyiv with ballistic missiles hours after agreeing to resume talks, early voting soars in key Senate states, an AP-NORC poll finds voters want Congress focused on costs and the Iran war, and critical PHP flaws send website operators scrambling.

World

Iran says seven oil tankers were hit or struck mines in and near the Strait of Hormuz overnight

AP reported Iranian state TV, citing the Revolutionary Guard navy, said the tankers caught fire or were damaged, a claim AP could not independently confirm; the Guard again threatened U.S. bases in the region if Washington keeps helping guide ships through the strait. Reuters reported the Guard said four vessels were hit during what it called illegal oil transfers in the northern Persian Gulf and three hit mines west of the strait. Separately, the State Department ordered non-emergency U.S. staff and their families to leave Saudi Arabia, citing Houthi attacks, BBC News reported.

Source: AP via CBC News (also Reuters, BBC News) (opens in new tab)

Russia pounds Kyiv with ballistic missiles hours after saying it is ready to resume U.S.-mediated talks

Reuters reported Ukraine said Russia fired at least 21 ballistic missiles at Kyiv in three waves overnight, a day after the Kremlin said it was ready to resume talks next month following Putin's meeting with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff. Zelenskyy said at least two people were killed and dozens injured, Euronews reported. Russia's Defense Ministry said it downed 808 Ukrainian drones overnight, and Moscow's mayor said 630 were fired toward the capital, AP reported.

Source: Reuters via NBC News (also AP, Euronews, The Guardian) (opens in new tab)

UN weather agency says this El Niño could push Pacific temperatures to a record 3.8 C above normal

Reuters reported the World Meteorological Organization's new seasonal outlook projects central Pacific temperatures about 3.8 degrees Celsius above normal from November to January, peaking around December. WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo said record El Niños have previously reached about 3 C. UN relief chief Tom Fletcher called it "a wrecking ball" and said some 50 million people could face increased hunger.

Source: Reuters via CBC News (also World Meteorological Organization, UN Geneva) (opens in new tab)

U.S.

Early voting is up sharply from 2022 in many states expected to decide control of the Senate, AP analysis finds

AP reported early voting through Tuesday is up 74% in Texas compared with the same point in 2022 and has more than doubled in Kansas, with Maine, North Carolina and Ohio each up more than 30%. Nationally, more than 13 million mail and early in-person votes have been cast, versus 9 million at this point in 2022, partly reflecting expanded early voting and data in some states. In most of those states, Republicans account for a smaller share of advance voters than four years ago, AP reported.

Source: AP (also The Hill, The Korea Herald) (opens in new tab)

Voters want the next Congress to focus on lowering costs and ending the Iran war, AP-NORC poll finds

AP reported about 8 in 10 registered voters, including large majorities of Republicans and Democrats, say lowering the cost of living should be one of Congress's highest priorities, and roughly 7 in 10 say the same about ending the war with Iran. About 4 in 10 want Congress to prioritize investigating the Trump administration. The AP-NORC Center said the poll of 1,119 adults was conducted Oct. 8-12 with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 points.

Source: AP (also AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, The Washington Post) (opens in new tab)

Federal judge limits DHS voter-fraud field operations in nine states, including Washington, through Election Day

Courthouse News reported U.S. District Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguín in Oakland issued a preliminary injunction barring election-related field operations and interviews under the "Unlawful Voter Initiative" that involve people agents know or suspect are U.S. citizens, in California, Connecticut, Georgia, Missouri, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, Washington and Wisconsin. The order, sought by nurses' unions and others, is stayed until 5 p.m. Friday. A Justice Department attorney argued at a hearing that the tactics are part of lawful efforts to stop illegal voting, Courthouse News reported.

Source: Courthouse News Service (also San Francisco Chronicle, The New York Times) (opens in new tab)

Money & Tech

Websites worldwide scramble to patch critical flaws in the PHP programming language

CNBC reported government agencies in the Netherlands and Finland took sites offline as a precaution after PHP's developers disclosed two critical vulnerabilities, before releasing a fix Wednesday. Cloudflare's CTO said early attacks were emerging and its firewall rules were only a stopgap. PHP runs roughly 75% of websites whose programming language can be identified, according to W3Techs, and Wordfence warned that WordPress automatic updates won't apply the fix.

Source: CNBC/Reuters (also Ars Technica, Google Cloud) (opens in new tab)

Tesla beats third-quarter estimates, but profit falls as spending on AI and robots doubles

CNBC reported Tesla earned 48 cents a share adjusted on revenue of $28.05 billion, above analyst estimates, while automotive revenue fell 3% and net income dropped to $787 million from $1.11 billion a year earlier. Capital spending more than doubled to $3.73 billion. Musk declined to add to his comments on a possible SpaceX merger, and shares slid more than 3% in extended trading, CNBC reported.

Source: CNBC (also Tesla Q3 update, AP) (opens in new tab)

Brent crude tops $112 and stocks slide on Mideast tensions and AI spending worries

CNBC reported Brent rose 3.3% to $112.37 a barrel Thursday morning and U.S. crude briefly topped $100, after The New York Times reported U.S. and Israeli plans for renewed strikes on Iran after the midterms; Trump said something will happen "fairly soon" on Iran. AP reported AI and chip stocks led declines worldwide, with Japan's Nikkei down 2.7% and Hong Kong's Hang Seng down 3%, as investors weighed Tesla and Meta results.

Source: CNBC (also AP, Reuters) (opens in new tab)

Washington State

Washington and other West Coast states say the CDC didn't answer their request to validate a faster measles test for two months

The New York Times, via The Seattle Times, reported health officials from the West Coast Health Alliance, including Washington, asked the CDC in May to validate a test that can diagnose 500 cases in eight hours, and the agency later said it had "other competing priorities." In a letter to CDC Director Erica Schwartz, they urged it to develop protocols for high-volume tests. An HHS spokesperson said the CDC is ensuring states have support to strengthen measles detection.

Source: The Seattle Times/The New York Times (also Honolulu Star-Advertiser, KFF Health News) (opens in new tab)

Seattle Mayor Wilson expands a Pioneer Square homelessness outreach program citywide

KUOW reported Mayor Katie Wilson said the program, which moved about 70 unsheltered people off the streets before the World Cup, will focus the city's most intensive shelter beds on people with the greatest impact on neighborhoods, modeled on approaches in Denver and Houston. Wilson said the shift won't cost additional money and that encampment removals will continue at much the same pace. A former regional homelessness authority CEO said the plan resembles past efforts that lacked enough shelter spaces.

Source: KUOW (also Office of the Mayor, KOMO News) (opens in new tab)

Seattle City Council passes an RV permit program with stricter street parking limits

The Seattle Times reported the six-bill package passed by margins of at least 6-3 Tuesday and would limit RVs without a permit to two-hour parking with no overnight parking, while permit holders must stay on a shelter waitlist. The council said $5 million in existing funding would go to services such as safe lots and vehicle storage, and the RV rules would take effect April 30, 2027, with enforcement starting July 31, 2027. The bills await Mayor Wilson, whose team has raised cost concerns.

Source: The Seattle Times (also Seattle City Council, KUOW) (opens in new tab)

Colorado

Denver judge rejects a last-minute bid to block Amendment 87, the graduated income tax measure

Colorado Newsline reported Denver District Judge Heidi L. Kutcher ruled that paperwork issues with some paid petition circulators don't outweigh voters' "fundamental right" to the initiative process. The lawsuit by Republican activist Michael A. Hancock sought to invalidate signatures; the Colorado Sun reported it is unclear whether opponents can appeal before Election Day. Amendment 87 would replace the 4.4% flat income tax with six brackets, lowering taxes on income under about $500,000 and raising them above that.

Source: Colorado Newsline (also The Colorado Sun, Colorado Public Radio) (opens in new tab)

Ugandan priest released from Aurora ICE detention after 13 months, carried out by fellow detainees

Colorado Newsline reported a federal magistrate judge ordered the release of Rev. Edward Nalwamba, who turns 79 in November and has lived in Colorado for more than 25 years, and that two fellow detainees carried him out because the facility didn't provide a wheelchair when he left. CBS Colorado also reported he was carried out. Sen. John Hickenlooper said GEO Group staff had assured his office they would provide one; a motion to reopen Nalwamba's asylum case is pending.

Source: Colorado Newsline (also CBS Colorado, Westword) (opens in new tab)

Flood watch covers Southwest Colorado through Friday morning as a tropical air mass brings heavy rain

The Durango Herald reported the National Weather Service in Grand Junction expects 1 to 3 inches of rain Wednesday through Friday, with 2 to 4 inches possible in the South San Juan Mountains, raising the risk of flash and river flooding. The watch includes all of La Plata County, Cortez, Dolores, Silverton and Pagosa Springs. La Plata County is offering free sand and sandbags at five locations.

Source: The Durango Herald (also National Weather Service) (opens in new tab)

Broncos

Pat Surtain II returns to practice on a limited basis as Broncos prepare for Arizona

DenverBroncos.com reported the All-Pro cornerback practiced Wednesday for the first time since his Week 4 ankle injury, and running back Jonah Coleman was a full participant after being designated to return from injured reserve. Safety Talanoa Hufanga, running back Tyler Badie and outside linebacker Jonah Elliss did not practice; Payton said Elliss' injury isn't expected to end his season. The Cardinals listed eight players as not practicing, azcardinals.com reported.

Source: DenverBroncos.com (also azcardinals.com, Mile High Report) (opens in new tab)

Bo Nix says 'I have to play better' as Payton rules out a quarterback change

DenverBroncos.com reported Nix said Wednesday he has reviewed his preparation and wants to be "aggressive, not stupid" as the 4-2 Broncos look for more consistent offense. Arizona Sports reported Nix has 1,049 passing yards this season and that Payton answered "No" when asked Monday whether he was considering a change. Denver plays the 2-4 Cardinals on Sunday in Glendale.

Source: DenverBroncos.com (also Arizona Sports) (opens in new tab)

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