🚨 HAPPENING RIGHT NOW 🚨
A nationwide scare is unfolding as the FBI and U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigate more than 100 letters containing an unidentified white powder sent to Senate Democrats and election offices in at least 19 states, with the probe now widening to Senate Republicans after Sen. Ted Cruz's Houston office received one Friday. Rep. Hillary Scholten's Grand Rapids office was also targeted, with one envelope bearing a return address tied to the Democratic Socialists of America, though the group denies involvement. No suspect has been identified, and officials warn more letters may still be in transit as the investigation continues.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18th, 2026
The United States formally took possession of Alaska on October 18, 1867, after buying the 665,000-square-mile territory from Russia for $7.2 million, about two cents an acre, in a deal negotiated by Secretary of State William Seward. A flag ceremony in Sitka swapped the Russian colors atop Castle Hill for the Stars and Stripes, though critics at the time mocked the purchase as "Seward's Folly" and dismissed the frozen territory as worthless. That skepticism faded fast once gold turned up in the 1880s, and Alaska went on to become the 50th state in 1959.
Thomas Edison died at his West Orange, New Jersey, home on October 18, 1931, at age 84, closing out a career that produced 1,093 patents despite a childhood hearing loss he blamed on being yanked aboard a moving train by his ears. The self-taught inventor opened the world's first industrial research lab in 1887 and is best remembered for the phonograph, the practical incandescent light bulb, and an early movie camera, earning him the nickname "the Wizard of Menlo Park." He kept working at his lab well into his 80s, right up until his death.
🛢️ Bipartisan Backlash Erupts Over Trump's Russia Sanctions Waiver, Even as Zelenskyy and GOP Senators Object
Trump is facing bipartisan blowback after signing an executive order Friday waiving key Russia-related sanctions and tariffs under the Graham Act — a law he signed himself last month — with critics on both sides of the aisle warning it rewards Vladimir Putin as diesel and gasoline prices climb amid the Iran and Ukraine wars.
Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley called it a "terrible misjudgment of Putin," while Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said "I think it was a mistake" and that he wished Trump hadn't done it.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) called the move "beyond irresponsible" and questioned why the administration won't enforce a law the Senate passed 86-11; Sen. Darline Graham (R-S.C.), who succeeded her late brother Lindsey Graham, vowed to keep pressure on Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the sanctions relief only helps Russia keep attacking Ukraine, while Trump dismissed the criticism, calling the waiver "a very good decision" that would be good for "the country and the world."
🗣️ Trump Rallies Northern Kentucky for Barr and Gallrein, Mocks Heckler as a 'Paid Protester'
Trump rallied Saturday night at Northern Kentucky University's Truist Arena in Highland Heights, urging voters to elect Senate nominee Andy Barr and 4th District candidate Ed Gallrein — who beat Rep. Thomas Massie in the primary — ahead of Kentucky's Nov. 3 election.
Trump called Democratic Senate candidate Charles Booker a "radical Left Dumocrat" and credited tariffs with driving a $2 billion Ford investment and a $1 billion GE Appliances expansion in Louisville.
Barr labeled Booker the "Mamdani of Kentucky," while Gallrein cast the race as "the Communist Manifesto vs. the Constitution."
Trump mocked a heckler in the crowd as a "paid protester," closing the rally with the line "America does not belong to those who hate it."
💣 Pentagon Weighs 'Mother of All Bombs' Strike on Iran's Pickaxe Mountain Nuclear Site
Trump said this week the U.S. is evaluating a strike on Iran's underground Pickaxe Mountain nuclear complex, with reports saying the Pentagon has drawn up contingency options including the massive GBU-43 "Mother of All Bombs," even as he rules out nuclear weapons and ground troops.
"We may have to go there... We'll knock it out fast," Trump said in a Thursday interview, later telling Newsmax the MOAB "is not nuclear."
Gen. Keith Kellogg warned on Fox Business that if Trump holds off until after the midterms, "something will happen" afterward.
Officials said strikes could come before or after the Nov. 3 election, as Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian insisted Tehran is "not seeking nuclear weapons" and "will not submit to coercion."
— Fox News
⚾ Brewers Sweep Dodgers, Reach First World Series Since 1982
The Milwaukee Brewers clinched the National League pennant by sweeping the two-time defending champion Dodgers in the NLCS, sending the franchise back to the World Series for the first time since the 1982 "Harvey's Wallbangers" squad.
NLCS MVP Jake Bauers and Jacob Misiorowski — the NL Cy Young front-runner with an MLB-best 1.80 ERA — led a 103-win Brewers team that outhomered the Dodgers 7-1 across the series.
Milwaukee opens the World Series Oct. 23 at American Family Field against the winner of the Rays-Guardians ALCS, which Cleveland leads 2-1.
The Brewers' only other World Series trip ended in a Game 7 loss to the Cardinals in 1982; a title this year would be the franchise's first championship ever.
🚀 Houthi Attacks on Saudi Arabia Escalate, 19 Dead This Month as UK Issues Travel Warning
Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia have killed 19 people so far this month, prompting the United Kingdom to advise against all but essential travel to the kingdom as the Yemen-based militants keep striking despite a U.S.-backed coalition response.
Saudi forces intercepted drones and missiles Friday, and the Saudi-led coalition destroyed two Houthi missile launchers in northwestern Yemen the same day.
Two missiles hit Aden airport Friday night with no casualties reported, while CENTCOM says the IRGC struck and sank a Singapore-flagged civilian vessel near the Strait of Hormuz this week.
Saudi Arabia has accused Iran of encouraging the Houthi attacks, a claim Tehran denies, as President Pezeshkian insists Iran is not pursuing nuclear weapons.
— Fox News