What are the 10 biggest news stories from today?

Based on the latest news, here are 10 of the biggest stories making headlines today (November 2, 2026), heading into tomorrow's U.S. midterm elections:

1.U.S. Midterm Elections Loom – With elections set for November 3, polls show Democrats with an advantage in the midterm election but there are potential limitations and results may take a while to roll in. Control of both the House and Senate is at stake.

2.Gulf Arab Diplomacy to Prevent New Iran Strikes – officials from the Gulf Arab countries met over the weekend at the Ritz Carlton in Bahrain's capital, hoping to stop a new round of U.S. attacks on Iran.

3.Election Integrity Legal Battles – A temporary order, issued two days before the midterm elections, requires Trump administration officials to refrain from pressuring election workers processing voter ballots. Separately, Gavin Newsom urged the state's federal chief district judges to closely scrutinize any attempts to seize election materials before November's election results are certified, saying such seizures would pose a risk "to election integrity," citing threats of prosecution from DOJ officials against election workers.

4.Virginia and D.C. Sue Over Trump's Planned "Triumphal Arch" – The Trump administration has said it plans to begin construction of a triumphal arch near the Lincoln Memorial on Nov. 5, prompting Virginia and the District of Columbia to file a lawsuit in federal court Saturday in a last-ditch effort to stop the construction.

5.Alaska Senate Race Criminal Investigation – Allegations, first reported by The New York Times, claim Democrats recruited a spoiler candidate in the toss-up U.S. Senate race, prompting a DOJ probe and efforts to isolate related ballots.

6.Trump's Lawsuit Against WSJ/Murdoch Dismissed – A federal judge on Saturday threw out Donald Trump's $10 billion lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal and media mogul Rupert Murdoch over a story reporting on his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, after saying the president was "grasping at straws."

7.ACA Open Enrollment Begins Amid Affordability Concerns – The ACA health insurance marketplaces opened Nov. 1 for 2027 coverage, and getting an early start may be especially important this year, with experts warning that "the biggest issue we will face is affordability," and "there definitely will come a breaking point for people."

8.Heightened ICE Activity Nationwide – Following an incident where a man was shot by an ICE officer during an operation in the Bronx, there are reports of heightened ICE activity across the country.

9.Alleged Russia Terror Plot Foiled via U.S. Tip – Russia's FSB said it received information from the United States about preparations for a terrorist attack in Moscow, and after verifying the information, a Russian minor was detained, according to Russia's TASS state news agency.

10.South Korea's Record Budget Speech – South Korean President Lee Jae-myung is delivering a policy speech on the government's budget bill for next year, totaling KRW 821 trillion — the largest scale in history — while the opposition People Power Party has vowed to cut populist budget items.

Note: Many of today's top stories are closely tied to tomorrow's pivotal U.S. midterm elections, which are dominating political coverage worldwide.

Citations (13)

1npr.orgNews and mediaquality 0.93
News: U.S. and World News Headlines : NPR
Source excerpt: “Andrew Harnik/Getty Images North America hide caption toggle caption i Andrew Harnik/Getty Images North America · November 1, 2026 Polls show Democr...”
2npr.orgNews and mediaquality 0.93
News: U.S. and World News Headlines : NPR
Source excerpt: “Handout Photo by the U.S. Navy via Getty Images/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption i Handout Photo by the U.S. Navy via Getty Images/Getty Image...”
3washingtonpost.comNews and mediaquality 0.82
California judge orders Trump officials not to threaten election workers - The Washington Post
Source excerpt: “The temporary order, issued two days before the midterm elections, requires Trump administration officials to refrain from pressuring election workers...”
4cnn.comNews and mediaquality 0.66
Midterm elections: Rift grows between Democrats Abdul El-Sayed and Haley Stevens in Michigan | CNN Politics
Source excerpt: “Gavin Newsom urged the state’s federal chief district judges to closely scrutinize any attempts to seize election materials before November’s election...”
5nbcnews.comNews and mediaquality 0.84
Virginia and D.C. sue to stop proposed Trump arch
Source excerpt: “The Trump administration has said it plans to begin construction of a triumphal arch near the Lincoln Memorial on Nov. 5 following approval of the fin...”
6npr.orgNews and mediaquality 0.93
Justice Department seeks to isolate Alaska ballots amid criminal probe over Senate candidate
Source excerpt: “The latest developments come amid allegations, first reported by The New York Times, that Democrats recruited a spoiler candidate in the toss-up U.S. ...”
7npr.orgNews and mediaquality 0.93
U.S. News and National Top Stories : NPR
Source excerpt: “Jacquelyn Martin/AP hide caption toggle caption i Jacquelyn Martin/AP · November 1, 2026 Saying the president was "grasping at straws," a federal ju...”
8npr.orgNews and mediaquality 0.93
It's ACA open enrollment time. Here are the changes for health insurance shoppers
Source excerpt: “The ACA health insurance marketplaces — find yours at HealthCare.gov — open Nov. 1 for 2027 coverage. Getting an early start may be especially importa...”
9npr.orgNews and mediaquality 0.93
It's ACA open enrollment time. Here are the changes for health insurance shoppers
Source excerpt: “"The biggest issue we will face is affordability," said Anne Petry, who, with her father, owns Jaggi Petry Insurance & Investments in Forsyth, Illinoi...”
10npr.orgNews and mediaquality 0.93
U.S. News and National Top Stories : NPR
Source excerpt: “... Federal agents walk near the scene where a man was shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer during an operation in the Bronx b...”
11nbcnews.comNews and mediaquality 0.84
Minor detained after U.S. warned Russia of possible Moscow terror attack, FSB says
Source excerpt: “Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said it had received information from ‌the United States through established partner channels about preparati...”
12nbcnews.comNews and mediaquality 0.84
Minor detained after U.S. warned Russia of possible Moscow terror attack, FSB says
Source excerpt: “The FSB said that it had “verified” the information received from U.S. law enforcement, and “as a result of these operations, a Russian minor was deta...”
13sbs.co.krNews and media
Morning Wide: Today's Major News (November 2, 2026)
Source excerpt: “President Lee Jae-myung Delivers Budget Speech... Record-High KRW 821 Trillion President Lee Jae-myung will deliver a policy speech on the government'...”