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MIDDLE EAST WAR | Day 248.

• Following weekend talks with Qatari mediators in Doha, reports cite officials as saying a draft proposal to end the U.S.-Iran war is being circulated and that there is the possibility of a follow-up meeting in the near future. Iran's Foreign Ministry said today that its plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz could be carried out within days if Iran's demands, including an end to the U.S. naval blockade, are met. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 1,710 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• The U.S. State Department on Friday approved the potential $2.1 billion sale of 500 Patriot air defense interceptor missiles to Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview this weekend that Ukraine would halt its strikes on Russian oil refineries in exchange for the missiles. [more on the sale] [more on Zelenskyy's offer]
• Authorities in Ukraine and Russia say their countries' emergency alert apps were hit by separate cyberattacks overnight, with Ukrainian users receiving false warnings of a radiation threat, a chemical attack, and street fighting in Kyiv. Ukraine's Center for Strategic Communications has blamed Russia for the hack of Ukraine's app. [more]
• Ukrainian energy company DTEK says emergency power cuts were imposed in Kyiv and the surrounding region today, following weekend Russian attacks that left more than 200,000 people in central Ukraine without power. [more]
• The Wall Street Journal cites U.S., European, and Ukrainian officials as saying the U.S. is backing a quick resumption of Russian natural gas exports to Europe through pipelines crossing Ukraine, as part of efforts to reach an energy ceasefire before winter. [more]

U.S. GUN VIOLENCE | In separate instances of gun violence over the Halloween weekend:

• Police in Dallas, Texas, say four people were killed and about 15 others were injured, in three shootings early yesterday in the city's Deep Ellum nightlife district. Authorities say it is not yet clear whether the shootings were connected. [more]
• Authorities in Birmingham, Alabama, say one person was killed, and eight others were wounded, Saturday night in two shootings outside Legion Field following the annual Magic City Classic college football game. Reports say a 17-year-old has been taken into custody, and authorities note investigations into the shootings are ongoing. [more]
• In Fairfield, California, police say a pregnant woman was killed, and six other people were wounded, Friday night in what they believe was a targeted shooting at a Halloween store. Police say they are working to identify the lone suspect. [more]

U.S. ELECTIONS | In developments ahead of tomorrow's mid-term elections:

• Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens of Michigan, who lost the state's Democratic Senate primary to Abdul El-Sayed in August, endorsed his Republican opponent, Mike Rogers, yesterday. Stevens said El-Sayed had told her she was no longer welcome in his campaign. [more]
• A federal judge yesterday dismissed a Justice Department lawsuit seeking to block certification of Alaska's Senate race if Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan loses. The Justice Department, which had sought an investigation of votes cast for a second candidate named Daniel Sullivan, says it plans to appeal the ruling. [more]
• A federal appeals court on Friday rejected the Justice Department's request that California set aside the ballots of some 20,000 people the Trump administration alleges may not be citizens. Hours later, a federal judge barred the department from threatening or coercing election workers to stop processing ballots. [more]
• According to data compiled by the University of Florida's Election Lab, more than 54 million people across the U.S. had cast early in-person or mail-in ballots in the mid-term elections as of this morning. [UF Election Lab early vote tracker] [more]

U.S. HEALTH INSURANCE | The open enrollment period for 2027 health insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act opened yesterday in most states and runs through January 15. Many enrollees face higher premiums and fewer options, with benchmark premiums rising an average of 13%, according to a report from the nonprofit KFF, which conducts national health policy research. [full report] [more]

FLORIDA | All nine people aboard a Bahamas-bound business jet were killed yesterday when it crashed beside a roadway in Palm Beach County, Florida. The cause of the crash remains under investigation. [more]

WASHINGTON, D.C. | Citing potential harm from traffic disruption and pollution, the District of Columbia and Virginia sued in federal court Saturday to halt construction of President Donald Trump's proposed 250-foot memorial arch near Arlington National Cemetery. The administration has said construction of the arch could begin as early as this week. [more]

U.S. AND CANADA | Following a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said yesterday that negotiators will work toward a trade agreement in the coming weeks. Trump said the two sides have "the concept of a very good deal." [more]

WESTERN SAHARA | After a standoff between the U.S. and Russia in the U.N. Security Council, the 35-year U.N. peacekeeping mission in the non-self-governing African territory of Western Sahara ended Saturday. Russia on Friday vetoed a U.S.-drafted resolution that would have backed Morocco's claim to sovereignty over the disputed territory, and a rival Russian resolution to extend the mission failed to win enough support. [more]

GERMANY | Authorities in the German state of Hesse say more than 100 police officers were injured, and 54 people were detained, when rioting and looting broke out in Frankfurt on Saturday night following largely peaceful youth-led protests across Germany over living costs and education. [more]

FRANCE | French authorities say 779 people were arrested Saturday in the latest weekend of youth-led protests over living costs and public services – down from 1,314 the previous weekend. [more]

ISRAEL | The head of Israel's elections committee said yesterday that the results of last week's parliamentary election will stand even if allegations of foreign interference raised by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party are substantiated. President Isaac Herzog is scheduled to begin consultations with parties on Wednesday to determine who will be asked to form the country's next government. [more]

ISRAEL AND WEST BANK | The governor of Hebron says Israeli forces withdrew from the West Bank city today, ending a 10-day siege imposed after a shooting attack nearby killed two Israeli soldiers. [more]

SUDAN | Sudanese government officials have blamed the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces for drone strikes that knocked out power substations in two northern towns yesterday, the latest in a week of attacks on electricity stations in army-held areas. [more]

UGANDA AND SOMALIA | Uganda is reported to have begun withdrawing its troops from the African Union mission in Somalia on Friday, after nearly two decades of fighting the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab militant group. The phased withdrawal is expected to be completed in August 2027. [more]

U.K. | London's Metropolitan Police Service says 139 people were arrested Saturday at a protest outside the U.S. Embassy in support of the banned Palestine Action group, which the government designated a terrorist organization last year. The arrests come ahead of an appeal against the ban scheduled to be heard Wednesday at the U.K. Supreme Court. [more]

JAPAN | Amidst concerns about the country's readiness for a major earthquake, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, and other potential natural disasters, Japan today launched a National Disaster Management Agency, its first government agency dedicated to disaster response. [more]

RUSSIA | Citing pressure from the country's security services, Novaya Gazeta, one of Russia's last independent news outlets, announced Friday that it will shut down on November 9. [more]

COLLEGE FOOTBALL | Following weekend games, Miami remains at No. 1 atop the AP Top 25 college football poll, followed by Georgia, Utah, Notre Dame, and UCLA. [full poll] [more]

BASKETBALL | The Golden State Valkyries beat the Atlanta Dream, 68-63, Saturday night in Game 7 of the WNBA Finals to claim the franchise's first league championship in just its second season. The Valkyries' Gabby Williams, who scored 30 points in the game, was named the Finals MVP. [more]

COLLEGE BASKETBALL | Notre Dame swept a men's and women's doubleheader against Villanova in Rome yesterday to open the college basketball season, with the men winning, 74-72, and the No. 13 women winning, 99-75. [more]

WEEKEND MOVIES | "You Can See Everything" topped the North American box office over the weekend with an estimated $10.6 million in receipts, followed by "Clayface" and "Wildwood." [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1917, the British government issued the Balfour Declaration, a letter from Foreign Secretary Arthur James Balfour declaring support for "the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people." [more history]