Daily Brief · Wednesday, October 28, 2026

Daily Brief: Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026

Israel's partial count leaves neither bloc with a majority, Flavio Bolsonaro is reported to have left Brazil for the U.S., midterm ad spending sets a record six days out, AI chip stocks lift Wall Street as the Fed meets, Washington's disclosure commission pauses some late-campaign contribution limits, U.S. 160 reopens in flood-hit southwest Colorado, and the Broncos watch Pat Surtain II's ankle ahead of the Chiefs.

World

Israel's partial count leaves neither bloc with the 61 seats needed to govern

With about 85.6% of votes counted, the Central Elections Committee count reported by The Times of Israel had Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc at 53 seats, Gadi Eisenkot's bloc at 48 and Arab parties at 19; roughly 600,000 special ballots, mostly from soldiers, were still to be counted. Turnout was 77.7%, up from 70.6% in 2022. The AP reported it could take weeks to name a prime minister. Eisenkot cited "a complete lack of confidence" in Netanyahu, who said "Likud is the largest party in Israel."

Source: The Times of Israel (opens in new tab)

Flavio Bolsonaro reported to have left Brazil for the U.S. after a passport deadline passed

The AP reported the defeated presidential candidate is said to have left Brazil for the United States after a deadline to surrender his passports expired. Xinhua quoted a Liberal Party lawmaker describing the move as "exile." His spokesperson had not commented, and the reports had not been confirmed by Bolsonaro.

Source: Xinhua (opens in new tab)

U.S.

Midterm ad spending reaches a record $11.21 billion six days before the election, AdImpact says

The AP, citing the ad-tracking firm AdImpact, reported spending for the 2026 midterms has passed the 2024 cycle, which included a presidential race. President Trump campaigned in Texas for Attorney General Ken Paxton's Senate bid against Democrat James Talarico. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Source: AP (opens in new tab)

Supreme Court declines to revive a Biden-era rule letting immigration judges pause some deportation cases

The AP reported the court declined a request to revive the rule, which had let immigration judges pause some deportation cases.

Source: AP (opens in new tab)

Money and tech

AI chip stocks lift Wall Street as the Federal Reserve begins its two-day meeting

The S&P 500 rose 0.6% to 7,722.60 Tuesday, the Dow added 0.03% and the Nasdaq gained 1.18%, Reuters and the AP reported. CNBC said Broadcom climbed 4% after banks and Blackstone announced $63 billion in financing for Anthropic's purchase of Broadcom technology. Boeing fell 10.7% after a bigger-than-expected loss, while UPS rose 5.8% after raising forecasts. Reuters said the Fed is widely expected to hold rates at 3.75% to 4% on Wednesday; Microsoft and Alphabet report later today.

Source: Reuters (opens in new tab)

Washington State

Washington's Public Disclosure Commission suspends enforcement of some late-campaign contribution limits

The commission voted to stop enforcing a law capping how much legislative and statewide candidates can give their own campaigns, and how much some political committees can accept, in the 21 days before a general election, citing concerns the statute may not survive a legal challenge, the Washington State Standard reported. "The law has not changed," PDC spokesperson Natalie Johnson said. The PDC said limits on individual contributions to candidates and 48-hour reporting of $1,500-plus contributions remain in place.

Source: Washington State Standard (opens in new tab)

Winter weather advisory brings up to a foot of snow to parts of the Cascades

The National Weather Service issued an advisory through 5 p.m. Wednesday, with up to 8 inches possible above 4,000 feet in the Cascades and Olympics, up to 12 inches at Mount Rainier and about 4 inches at Snoqualmie Pass, an NWS Seattle meteorologist told Axios. Check WSDOT pass reports before traveling.

Source: Axios Seattle (opens in new tab)

Colorado

U.S. 160 over Wolf Creek Pass reopens with delays as southwest Colorado flood recovery continues

CDOT reopened U.S. 160 between Pagosa Springs and South Fork at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday with single-lane alternating traffic and up to an hour of added travel time. Archuleta County officials said about 800 structures, 540 of them homes, were affected, and the Pagosa Springs town manager estimated about $38 million in damage within town limits, KRQE reported. The town said FEMA and state partners began a preliminary damage assessment; federal aid has not been approved.

Source: Colorado Department of Transportation (opens in new tab)

Denver Broncos

Pat Surtain II's ankle is the key watch as the 5-2 Broncos prepare for the 5-1 Chiefs

Surtain has missed three games with an ankle injury and said "possibly" when asked about playing Sunday, Broncos Wire reported; the team's first practice of the week is Wednesday. Yahoo Sports and Broncos Wire reported Denver has eight players on injured reserve. Kansas City beat Denver 31-10 in Week 1; Sunday's rematch at Empower Field kicks off at 1:25 p.m. PT on CBS, per Sports Illustrated.

Source: Broncos Wire (opens in new tab)

Every story links to its source. Spot an error? hello@levelheadlines.com

All briefs