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The National Trust for Historic Preservation urged the Trump administration to pause demolition of the White House East Wing while plans for President Trump's proposed ballroom undergo legally required public review. In a Tuesday letter to the National Capital Planning Commission, National Park Service and Commission of Fine Arts, the Trust warned the annex's size could overwhelm the mansion. The Society of Architectural Historians and the American Institute of Architects echoed scale concerns, though none has statutory authority. The White House dismissed "manufactured outrage," called the addition "privately funded," and said presidents have long sought a larger event space.

Family health insurance for most American workers averaged $27,000 this year, with little relief expected next year, a KFF survey found. Employers covered roughly three-quarters, while employees paid $6,850—about $600 a month—and face steeper deductibles that can mean thousands out of pocket after illness or accidents. Employer coverage costs, once tracking overall inflation, jumped sharply this year and are expected to rise again in 2026. About 180 million people under 65 rely on job-based plans. 'It’s looking more and more bleak,' said Lisa Hunter, who warned workers are 'left holding the bag.'

With Week 8 underway, the NFL trade deadline arrives Nov. 4 — the second straight early-November cutoff — and The Athletic’s writers map the market. After an already seismic move (Dallas sending Micah Parsons to Green Bay), contenders like the Bills, Chiefs, Eagles, Steelers, Lions, Rams, Texans and Colts are urged to buy, often for pass rush, secondary help or interior line. The Browns, Raiders, Dolphins, Saints, Jets and Titans are cast as sellers. Several clubs, from the 49ers and Packers to the Cardinals and Falcons, are advised to stand pat.

Alabama death row inmate Anthony Boyd, 53, who maintains he is innocent of the 1993 burning death of Gregory Huguley, urged Gov. Kay Ivey to meet with him “before an innocent man is executed.” Boyd, set to die by nitrogen hypoxia Thursday at the William C. Holman Correctional Facility, made the appeal at a news conference with the Execution Intervention Project and his spiritual adviser. Ivey’s office said she reviews cases but does not hold one-on-one inmate meetings and noted no new filings or clemency request. Courts have rejected Boyd’s bid to halt the controversial nitrogen method.

Papers in hand, Boris Johnson arrived before dawn at the Covid Inquiry to answer questions on pandemic decisions that directly affected children. Evidence focused on school closures and their lasting effects—spiking demand for speech and language support, stubbornly high absenteeism, and record suspensions. Johnson called shutting schools a “personal horror” but said it seemed the only option, pushing back against claims of an “extraordinary dereliction of duty” over the lack of planning before 18 March 2020. Testimony from Gavin Williamson and others depicted chaotic decision-making and frayed relations, while Johnson’s praise of a “heroic” DfE drew Liberal Democrat criticism.

Alejandro Carranza left Santa Marta to fish and was later killed in U.S. strikes that have left at least 32 alleged traffickers dead, his family told AFP, rejecting White House claims he carried narcotics. Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro also said Carranza’s boat was adrift and that he had no ties to trafficking, while Colombian media reported — unconfirmed by prosecutors — a record for stealing weapons. Critics accuse the Trump administration of extrajudicial killings as Washington asserts a conflict with cartels. The dispute has widened into a diplomatic rift after Washington decertified Colombia and Bogotá halted U.S. arms purchases.

GLP-1 weight-loss drugs are surging in popularity at large employers, but steep costs are straining budgets, KFF's Employer Health Benefits Survey finds. Coverage for obesity rose to 43% among firms with 5,000+ workers, versus 16% at mid-size companies, yet nearly 60% of large employers report higher-than-expected use and two-thirds cite significant prescription-spending impacts. Some are tightening eligibility or dropping coverage. Premiums are climbing: family coverage averages $27,000 and individual $9,300, with warnings that 2026 could bring further increases. "A quiet alarm bell" is sounding, the group says.

Construction on a new White House ballroom began Monday with the East Wing demolished, despite President Trump saying construction would not interfere with the existing building. On Tuesday, Stephen Colbert pounced, saying it took Trump “nine months into his term” to go “Hulk smash” on the residence. He added, “We are not giving him the security deposit back,” joked that it took “at least four years” to bring a demo crew to the Capitol, and wondered whether the site might end up a Pizza Hut–Taco Bell instead.

Greta Lee has bid farewell to The Morning Show: in season four’s sixth episode, her character Stella Bak walks away after an AI rollout implodes, her affair is exposed, and she’s left alone at an airport. Showrunner Charlotte Stoudt and Lee confirm the exit, calling it time for Stella to rediscover herself. Lee cites scheduling challenges amid other projects and says the goodbye was bittersweet, recalling illness during the AI presentation shoot and painful scenes with colleagues. New episodes continue to stream Wednesdays.

Russia unleashed drones and missiles across Ukraine, killing at least seven people — including two children — and injuring 27, officials said. A kindergarten in Kharkiv was hit, and Kyiv endured a night of ballistic-missile warnings, explosions and emergency power cuts as energy sites were targeted. Hours earlier, US President Donald Trump said an imminent Budapest summit with Vladimir Putin was shelved to avoid a "wasted meeting," though the Kremlin said preparations continued. Visiting Norway, Volodymyr Zelensky said the strikes showed insufficient pressure on Moscow and tied the summit setback to his unfulfilled request for US Tomahawk missiles.