Brazil Elections, New York Archdiocese Settlement, & Spooky Waves

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Adam Rogers
October 26, 2026

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Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won reelection Sunday against Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro to secure a fourth nonconsecutive term leading Latin America’s largest economy. Lula received about 51.75% of the vote against Bolsonaro’s 48.25%.
Bolsonaro led the first round by more than 2.2 million votes as concerns over living costs weighed on Lula. Lula shifted his campaign from defending past achievements to promising household debt relief and expanded welfare payments while mobilizing supporters online and in the streets.
Delivering that agenda will require negotiating with a conservative-dominated Congress. Bolsonaro’s Liberal Party emerged from the election as the largest party in both chambers and gives Lula’s opponents substantial influence over which proposals become law.

Ukraine said Starlink and its military counterpart Starshield resumed normal service Saturday after more than a week of restrictions disrupted military operations.
The restrictions cut satellite connections when Ukrainian drones exceeded certain speeds. That prevented some drones from intercepting Russian attacks or delivering supplies to frontline troops. Ukrainian officials said restoring normal service allows those missions to resume.
Starlink provides commercial internet access while Starshield serves government and military operations. Musk said SpaceX restricted Starlink to prevent prohibited offensive strikes but attributed control of Starshield’s limits to Washington. Who ordered the military restrictions remains unresolved, and U.S. senators have opened an inquiry seeking answers from SpaceX and the Pentagon.

About 1,300 clergy-abuse survivors approved an $800 million settlement with the Archdiocese of New York after more than seven years of litigation. Attorneys announced their unanimous approval Saturday following a framework agreement reached in May.
The lawsuits followed New York’s 2019 Child Victims Act, which allowed survivors to bring claims over abuse that had occurred decades earlier. The settlement would resolve their claims against the archdiocese while allowing them to pursue additional payments from its insurers.
The agreement awaits formal signatures expected in early November. Once finalized, it would become the second-largest clergy-abuse settlement involving a U.S. Catholic archdiocese behind Los Angeles’ $880 million agreement in 2024.

Flooding kept residents evacuated across parts of the Four Corners region Sunday after days of heavy rain overwhelmed homes and damaged wastewater facilities on the Navajo Nation. (More)

The Justice Department sued to block certification of a Democratic victory in Alaska’s Senate race if a second candidate named Dan Sullivan remains on the ballot alongside Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan. (More)

Eleven people were shot near Florida A&M University’s football stadium Saturday during homecoming weekend in Tallahassee; police said at least three suffered serious injuries. (More)

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado returned Sunday after nearly a year in exile and appeared with supporters at a church in Barquisimeto. (More)

Saudi Arabia reopened two terminals at Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport more than two weeks after deadly Houthi strikes as air defenses continued intercepting attacks. (More)

Serbia’s Aleksandar Vučić conceded Sunday’s parliamentary election to a student-led movement whose campaign grew from protests over corruption after a railway-station canopy collapse killed 16 people in 2024. (More)

U.S. stock markets closed lower on Friday (S&P -0.52%, Nasdaq -0.21%, Dow -1.23%) as Thursday’s tech sell-off spread to other sectors and U.S. oil prices topped $100 a barrel on fears of renewed fighting between the U.S. and Iran. (More)

Audi plans a roughly $4 billion factory near Macon in Georgia that would create approximately 4,500 jobs and produce 200,000 SUVs annually. (More)

The Federal Reserve meets this week ahead of Thursday’s economic-growth and inflation reports as investors also await earnings from major technology companies. (More)

The Milwaukee Brewers rallied from four runs down to beat Tampa Bay 5–4 Saturday and take a 2–0 World Series lead. (More)

The Golden State Valkyries beat Atlanta 67–62 Saturday to tie the WNBA Finals at two games apiece. (More)

Luka Dončić scored an NBA season-high 52 points Sunday as the Lakers rallied from 18 points down to beat Utah 132–123 and improve to 3–0. (More)

An experimental ultrasound device detected bone cracks thinner than a credit card in testing and could help identify stress fractures before they become disabling injuries. (More)

A gel inspired by sea cucumbers helped damaged tendons heal better than stitches alone in rats by supporting new tissue growth before dissolving into the body over eight weeks. (More)

Ancient proteins identified fossils from China as Denisovans and helped reconstruct the little-known human relatives’ appearance, including thick skull bones and prominent brow ridges. (More)

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