Good evening. Here is what happened today, Friday, October 30, 2026.
BREAKING / ÚLTIMA HORA: Hackers steal about $6.3 billion from Binance in the biggest crypto heist on record
File photo of Bitcoin coins.
Hackers drained about $6.3 billion in cryptocurrency from Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange, in about 20 minutes late Thursday, October 29, according to Binance, Reuters, and CNN. Binance said it froze withdrawals while it investigates and works with law enforcement and blockchain firms. About $3 billion has been frozen on-chain so far, Binance said. The company said it will cover all losses and expects withdrawals to resume by Sunday morning, within about 48 hours. Blockchain firm TRM Labs attributed the attack to TraderTraitor, a North Korean hacking unit, based on on- and off-chain intelligence. Binance itself said its investigation had not yet attributed the attack to anyone and had found no evidence of a private-key leak. North Korea routinely denies involvement in crypto thefts, Reuters noted. The previous record was the February 2025 Bybit theft of about $1.5 billion.
Chart: Binance heist figures. Source: Binance, October 30, 2026.
INTERNATIONAL / INTERNACIONAL
Israel’s election ends in a deadlock: Netanyahu bloc 53, opposition 48, Arab parties 19
The Knesset in Jerusalem (file photo).
Final results released Friday from Israel’s election left no bloc with a majority in the 120-seat Knesset, according to Israel’s Central Elections Committee, reported by the Associated Press, the New York Post, and IANS. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc won 53 seats, the opposition bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot won 48, and Arab parties won a record 19. A majority takes 61 seats. Likud stayed the largest single party, with 27 seats. Turnout was 77.9%, the highest in decades. The results go to President Isaac Herzog on November 4, and the new Knesset is set to be sworn in on November 10. Coalition talks now decide who governs, and another election remains possible if talks fail.
Chart: Israel election final results. Source: Israel Central Elections Committee, October 30, 2026.
Oil jumps past $117 as a tanker catches fire in the Strait of Hormuz
File photo of an oil tanker at sea.
A tanker caught fire Thursday in the Strait of Hormuz after a small boat attached two explosive devices to its hull, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center, reported by OilPrice and Reuters. The crew is safe, the fire is out, and the ship is continuing to its next port, UKMTO said. No one has claimed that attack. Separately, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard claimed Thursday that four tankers struck mines in the strait, a claim U.S. officials dispute. Yemen’s Houthis also claimed attacks on Saudi refineries at Ras Tanura and Rabigh and an Aramco site at Abqaiq, but damage there was not independently confirmed. Brent crude traded above $117 a barrel Friday, on track for a fourth straight monthly gain of about 13%.
Yemen: 280,000 displaced as aid grows too dangerous to reach
More than 280,000 people have now been displaced by fighting in Yemen, the UN refugee agency UNHCR said Friday. Many of the most vulnerable cannot reach lifesaving relief because it is too dangerous, UNHCR said. Fighting between Houthi fighters and government forces escalated last month and ended a four-year ceasefire. UNHCR also launched a $50 million appeal Friday to help nine million people survive winter across Afghanistan, Ukraine, Syria, and Lebanon. Note: this item is single-sourced to UN News / UNHCR. No fitting real photo was found for this story, so it runs without an image.
POLITICS / POLÍTICA
Trump approval hits a new low in Emerson poll: 37%, days before the midterms
File photo of President Donald Trump at a rally.
President Donald Trump’s approval rating fell to 37% in Emerson College’s poll released Friday, October 30, USA Today reported. That is the lowest Emerson has recorded for him, down two points from his previous low of 39% in September, July, June, and May. The poll surveyed 1,000 likely voters from October 24 to 26, with a margin of error of 3 points. Democrats led Republicans by 10 points on the generic congressional ballot. The RealClearPolitics average on Friday put Trump at 38.4% approval and 59.7% disapproval, USA Today added. The Cook Political Report also shifted 14 House and Senate races toward Democrats on Friday, saying Democrats could flip between 12 and 25 House seats. Democrats need 218 seats for a House majority.
Trump rallies in Kansas and Iowa are back on for Sunday
President Trump will hold rallies in Kansas and Iowa on Sunday, November 1, after canceling them Thursday, USA Today and NPR reported. A source familiar with the plans said the dates were rearranged to fit dozens of tele-rallies for Republican candidates. Trump told reporters Friday he got calls from Republicans in both states asking him to come. He also held a rally in Daytona Beach, Florida, on Friday. In Kansas, a Washington Post poll released Friday put Democrat Adam Hamilton ahead of Republican Senator Roger Marshall 52% to 43%. In Iowa, Republican Ashley Hinson leads Democrat Josh Turek by less than 1 point in the RealClearPolitics average.
IMMIGRATION / INMIGRACIÓN
ICE activity surges in several states ahead of the midterms, NPR reports
File photo of immigration enforcement officers.
Communities in New Jersey, Illinois, Oregon, Detroit, California, and New York City have reported a rise in Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in the weeks before the midterms, NPR and its member stations reported Friday. In Dover, New Jersey, a councilwoman got messages Wednesday morning about a dozen or more agents gathering outside a Walgreens. The Department of Homeland Security no longer publicly shares timely operation data. It told NPR: “ICE agents uphold our nation’s immigration laws in all 50 states, seven days a week, 24 hours a day.” Advocates quoted by NPR said the tactics look designed to intimidate voters. That is their view, not an established fact. NPR also reported early voting is surging in minority communities, and the Brennan Center’s Wendy Weiser said there is no sign the raids are cutting turnout.
Appeals court freezes the 2027 green card lottery days before it was set to open
A federal appeals court on October 29 halted an order that would have forced the State Department to open registration for the 2027 Diversity Visa lottery, CitizenPath reported, citing Bloomberg Law. Registration had been scheduled to open November 1. The lottery makes up to 55,000 green cards available each year to people from countries with relatively low immigration to the United States. A district court had ordered the department on October 14 to announce registration by October 29 and accept entries starting November 1. The 9th Circuit panel granted the government’s emergency stay while the appeal moves forward, so the lottery stays paused for now.
CORPORATE WATCH / EMPRESAS BAJO LA LUPA
Operation Ghostbusters: 5 charged in student-aid fraud tied to 830,840 suspect accounts and nearly $130 million
File photo of university graduates.
The Justice Department announced Thursday the first charges in Operation Ghostbusters, a nationwide probe of federal student-aid fraud built on stolen identities and fictitious students, Inside Higher Ed and Capital FM reported. Five defendants were charged in Virginia, Nebraska, and New Jersey. Prosecutors say fake FAFSA applications enrolled “ghost students” who never attended class, and refunds left after tuition were diverted to accounts controlled by the suspects, including associates in Kenya. Investigators seized more than $750,000 in cryptocurrency from a Kenyan account, with help from Kenyan law enforcement. They flagged 830,840 potentially fraudulent Federal Student Aid IDs linked to nearly $130 million, and recommended the Education Department disable them. The Justice Department estimates the wider fraud could exceed $200 million. These are charges and estimates, not convictions or a final proven loss figure.
MARKETS / LA BOLSA
File photo of Wall Street.
U.S. stocks closed sharply lower Friday in a tech-led selloff, according to CappNotes and DataForge, which agree on the closes. The Dow Jones fell 1.09% to 51,770.31. The S&P 500 fell 1.82% to 7,580.07, its worst day since June. The Nasdaq fell 2.86% to 25,437.00. The Russell 2000 fell 1.66% to 2,811.84. The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index fell 7.20%. Intel fell 28.58% after weak guidance. The VIX jumped 12.84% to 19.42. Reports tied the drop to worries about how much big technology companies are spending on artificial intelligence and data centers, after Alphabet fell 12.64% Thursday and Amazon fell about 7% after the close.
Chart: Friday, October 30, 2026 market closes. Source: CappNotes / DataForge market close summaries, October 30, 2026.
OTHER STATES / OTROS ESTADOS
Texas: ICE officer indicted after striking a man with his vehicle in Houston
File photo of Houston, Texas.
A Texas grand jury indicted Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer Mario Alberto Morales on aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare announced Friday, USA Today and Reuters reported. Prosecutors say Morales struck Miguel Parra-Hernandez, 48, with his vehicle on October 10 on Clay Road in northwest Harris County, after Parra-Hernandez fled on foot during a stop. Parra-Hernandez suffered a broken leg and remains in custody, recovering. Morales faces 2 to 20 years if convicted and was not yet in custody Friday. His attorney said the collision was a tragic accident, not a crime. ICE called the allegations reckless and false. Prosecutors also said they released body-camera and surveillance video and 911 audio Friday.
California: appeals court again rejects bid to block counting of 20,000 ballots
A panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday rejected the Justice Department’s request to block California from counting mail ballots from more than 20,000 registered voters the department alleges are likely noncitizens, Reuters and the New York Post reported. It was the second denial this week. A Los Angeles federal judge had denied the request Wednesday, saying it would “wreak havoc” on an election already underway. The panel voted 2-1, pointing to the lower court’s finding that the department’s list may not be fully reliable. California officials have until December 3, the certification date, to resolve the issue. California Governor Gavin Newsom also announced the state is sending 134 election attorneys and trained volunteers to key voting locations on Election Day.
Sources / Fuentes: CNN and Reuters on the Binance heist; Associated Press, New York Post, and IANS on Israel’s election; OilPrice and Reuters on Hormuz and oil prices; UN News / UNHCR on Yemen; USA Today and NPR on U.S. politics and the midterm polls; NPR on ICE activity; CitizenPath / Bloomberg Law on the Diversity Visa lottery; Inside Higher Ed and Capital FM on Operation Ghostbusters; CappNotes and DataForge on the Friday market close; USA Today and Reuters on the Texas ICE indictment; Reuters and New York Post on the California ballot ruling.
Leave a Reply