Compiled from public records, court filings, and wire reports published through the early hours of Monday, October 26, 2026. Where a claim rests on a single outlet’s account, the attribution is stated.
Brazilian voters returned Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to office overnight, while in Washington the courts and the Justice Department continued to shape the final stretch before the November 3 midterm elections. Here is what the public record shows as the week opens.
Government
1. Justice Department sues California over mail ballots tied to a “likely noncitizen” list
The Justice Department has sued California and Los Angeles County in an effort to keep certain mail-in ballots from being counted, according to reporting carried by KUNC. The department asks a federal judge to segregate ballots tied to a list of roughly 20,000 people the federal government considers “likely” noncitizens. California Secretary of State Shirley Weber has refused to comply, calling the accusations “unsupported and likely inaccurate,” per that report.
The dispute began with letters that arrived October 13 from First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli, which gave county and state officials 48 hours to respond, Colorado Politics reported. Los Angeles County declined, citing the way the list was delivered and concerns about federal limits on voter-roll changes close to an election. The government has not publicly explained how the list was built, and outside experts quoted in the coverage say matching voter and immigration data can produce false positives.
The matter moved again over the weekend. According to a Fox News live blog, Justice Department attorneys filed with the Ninth Circuit on Sunday asking that California be ordered to set aside ballots from people flagged as likely noncitizens. Prosecutor Essayli was quoted warning that up to 20,000 noncitizens may already have voted in Los Angeles County; that figure is his office’s assertion, and TIJ has not seen court findings confirming it. No ruling has been reported.
2. Alaska Senate race: DOJ reportedly moves over a namesake candidate
The same Fox live blog reports that the Justice Department has sued to block certification of the Alaska Senate results should Sen. Dan Sullivan lose to Democrat Mary Peltola, arguing voters could be confused by a second candidate named Daniel J. Sullivan. TIJ was unable to locate the underlying complaint this morning, so the description should be treated as a single-source account pending the filing itself. The ballot-access fight over the namesake dates to the summer, when an Alaska judge ordered him onto the primary ballot, according to Alaska’s News Source.
The coverage adds that Ms. Peltola and relatives were treated for minor injuries after a two-vehicle crash in Anchorage on Saturday, and that her campaign postponed some appearances as a precaution.
3. White House launches fraud whistleblower incentive program
President Trump announced a Fraud Whistleblower Incentive Program in the Oval Office on October 20, Fox News reported. A White House official described a $25 million initiative administered by the Justice Department, with tips directed through fraud.gov. Eligibility requires that a tip lead to a successful fraud conviction or a significant federal enforcement action.
The reward structure was described in two ways: the president spoke of a 1% commission on recovered funds, while an official cited payments of up to $30,000. The article does not reconcile the figures, and the program’s formal rules have yet to be seen. The administration also said it is deferring $1.2 billion in California Medicaid payments for personal care services, per the same report.
4. Denaturalization filings reach a record volume
In a press release dated October 5, the Justice Department said it filed denaturalization actions against 40 individuals in 19 districts between August 21 and October 2, which it called the largest volume in a single period under this administration. Attorney General Todd Blanche described it as “the largest denaturalization effort in modern history.”
The complaints allege offenses ranging from espionage to fraud. The department’s own release states that the claims are allegations only and that no determination of liability has been made. Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, citizenship may be revoked if it was illegally procured or obtained through concealment or willful misrepresentation, so each case will turn on what the government can prove in court.
5. Nine days out: the congressional map
Per Reuters figures cited in the Fox live blog, Republicans hold a 53-47 Senate majority and a 218-214 House majority, and Democrats need a net gain of four seats in each chamber to take control. President Trump rallied in Michigan on Sunday for Senate nominee Mike Rogers and gubernatorial nominee John James, while former President Obama campaigned in Detroit for Democrats. At a Georgia rally Saturday the president floated a $5,000 “Trump dividend” for adult citizens if Republicans win both chambers; no legislative text has been published. Speaker Mike Johnson argued that polls undercount Republican voters, a claim for which the coverage offers no data.
Courts
1. Supreme Court lets New Hampshire enforce its student-ID rule
On Thursday, October 22, the justices stayed a federal district court ruling that had limited New Hampshire’s student-ID restrictions, SCOTUSblog reported. The brief unsigned order invoked the Purcell principle, under which lower federal courts should ordinarily not alter election rules on the eve of an election. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented.
The state’s HB 323 removed student IDs from the list of photo IDs expressly valid for obtaining a ballot. Judge Joseph Laplante declined to block the statute but did block a directive from Secretary of State David Scanlan to the extent it discouraged officials from accepting student IDs under a safety-valve provision. The appeal continues in the First Circuit.
2. Justices decline to revive the Bureau of Prisons policy on transgender inmates
On October 21 the Court denied the government’s request to pause a lower-court order barring the Bureau of Prisons from enforcing a 2026 healthcare policy for transgender inmates, SCOTUSblog reported. Justices Thomas and Alito would have granted the request. The majority gave no reasoning.
The order from Senior Judge Royce Lamberth came August 26 in a class action by three inmates. Solicitor General D. John Sauer argued the court substituted its judgment for that of prison administrators. The case continues on the merits, so Wednesday’s action is procedural rather than a final ruling.
3. Border wall dispute reaches the emergency docket
The administration asked the Court on October 21 to let border wall construction resume in Texas’s Big Bend region, according to SCOTUSblog. U.S. District Judge Kathleen Cardone in El Paso had barred construction on October 2 pending compliance with environmental and other laws, and her October 14 opinion found the challengers likely to succeed under the major questions doctrine. The government contends federal law limits challenges to border-barrier waivers to constitutional claims.
Per SCOTUSblog’s interim docket roundup, responses are due by 4 p.m. EDT Thursday, October 29.
4. Immigration-judge rule fight: City of Baltimore v. Texas
Three cities and a legal services group have asked the Court to pause a consent judgment between Texas and the Justice Department that struck down a 2024 rule allowing immigration judges to administratively close certain deportation cases, SCOTUSblog reported. The challengers allege collusion; the government and Texas respond that the challengers lack standing. Responses were filed October 22, and no ruling has been reported.
5. The merits docket pauses
The October sitting heard six cases, including Suncor Energy v. Boulder County on climate-damage suits, according to a recap by No Labels. Decisions are expected by the end of June 2027. Per Ballotpedia’s calendar, nothing is argued this week, and the November session opens November 2.
International
1. Lula wins a fourth term in Brazil
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won Sunday’s presidential runoff with 51.8% of the vote, a margin of nearly 4.4 million votes over Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, with all votes counted, CBS News reported. Mr. Lula’s new term begins January 5, 2027. Voting was extended by two hours in some places after a ruling by Justice Cristiano Zanin, and CBS noted the extension could prompt a legal challenge; it did not report a concession from Mr. Bolsonaro, who CBS says is under investigation in a separate matter; no finding of liability has been reported.
On the U.S. side, the same report says President Trump said he was watching the election but declined to endorse a candidate. The Trump administration has imposed tariffs on Brazilian exports, so trade policy is likely to be an early test for the incoming government.
2. Ukraine: trilateral talks targeted for early November
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Kyiv backs a U.S. proposal for negotiator-level talks with Russia and the United States, preferably by early November, according to a Reuters report. He said Russia supports such a meeting. The Kremlin, per Reuters, said President Putin agreed to resume U.S.-mediated talks as soon as next month, following a meeting with envoy Steve Witkoff in St. Petersburg.
A Hong Kong newspaper’s Monday recap, The Standard, relays Mr. Zelenskiy as saying the meeting will take place in November. No venue or date has been confirmed in the sources reviewed.
3. Riyadh airport reopens partially under Houthi threat
King Khalid International Airport reopened to limited domestic traffic on October 21 after closing October 10 following Houthi strikes, the Associated Press reported. Lufthansa and Air France canceled flights through mid-November. The AP also reported tanker incidents off Oman and Iraq with no crew injuries, and five drones intercepted over Medina by a Saudi-led coalition.
The Standard’s recap reports that Saudi Arabia says two terminals have resumed operations and that the Houthis have vowed further strikes. TIJ has not independently confirmed that claim. Iran’s foreign minister wrote that Tehran is willing to “give diplomacy another chance,” the AP noted, while warning it would defend itself if full-scale war resumed.
4. Venezuela: opposition leader’s reported return
The Standard reports, citing her social media post, that opposition leader María Corina Machado has returned to Venezuela after nearly a year abroad. TIJ has not found independent confirmation from a second outlet this morning, so the report should be considered preliminary.
Worth Watching
Today and this week. Watch for any Ninth Circuit action on the Justice Department’s California ballot request and for a district court schedule in the Los Angeles County case. Responses in the Big Bend border wall application are due Thursday, October 29, after which the Court could act at any time.
Next week. The Court’s November sitting opens Monday, November 2, with Maxwell v. Dinis and Younge v. Fulton Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office, per SCOTUSblog’s schedule. Election Day is Tuesday, November 3.
Abroad. Look for Mr. Bolsonaro’s response to the Brazilian result and any formal announcement of a U.S.-Ukraine-Russia meeting date. Airlines’ decisions on Riyadh service will be a practical gauge of the security situation.
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