United States

No major US grid emergencies were found in the last 48 hours. DOE has issued no new Federal Power Act 202(c) emergency orders since October 12; several earlier orders keeping older plants available run out during November (Guam Nov 4, Puerto Rico Nov 7, Campbell in Michigan Nov 14, Wagner Nov 17, Eddystone Nov 20, Stanton Nov 30). FORTRESS America, set by a September 30 memo from Defense Secretary Hegseth, aims to keep bases running for months if the commercial grid or supply chains fail (90 days, according to internal documents reported by Fox News Digital; the Pentagon has not published that figure); its program office was due within 30 days, and no funding amount has been named. Newsweek reports officials have not presented it as a response to a specific imminent threat. DOE's implementing rules on foreign-made bulk-power equipment under EO 14421 are due within 120 days, which lands around December 24.

Late Sunday, Nov 1, Iran's Revolutionary Guard said two crude tankers hit mines in the Strait of Hormuz, and CGTN reports one was burning. Shipping through the strait stays close to a standstill, and UKMTO (the UK's maritime security office) counted just over 30 attacks in the region in October, about twice September's total. Iranian negotiators left Doha on Sunday after three days of talks with Qatari mediators. An official told Reuters the departure was not caused by problems in the talks. Iran says Hormuz could reopen within two days of a deal if the US meets its demands, while Foreign Minister Araghchi said nothing is final. In Ukraine, President Zelenskyy said Russian strikes overnight into Nov 1 hit power infrastructure in four regions and cut electricity to hundreds of thousands of households.

Crude fell in early Monday trading. Reuters, as carried by Pajhwok, put Brent at $109.75 (down $3.68, 3.2%) and WTI at $100.69 (down $3.43, 3.3%) at 0407 GMT. The drop followed Iran-Qatar talks on a plan that Iran's foreign minister said could reopen the Strait of Hormuz within two days if the US meets several conditions. He also said no direct talks with the US were underway. On Friday Oct 30, WTI settled at $104.12 and January Brent, now the front month, at $113.43; the expiring December Brent contract closed near $118. On Sunday Nov 1, the core OPEC+ members kept December production targets unchanged at about 31 million barrels a day; most members are producing below target because of the war, and the next meeting is Nov 29. Tim Waterer of KCM Trade, quoted by Reuters, said tensions could rise after Tuesday's midterms and push Brent toward $120. AAA's national averages for Nov 1 were $4.17 for regular (down from $4.28 a week earlier and $4.41 a month earlier; $3.03 a year ago) and $6.30 for diesel (down from $6.34 a week earlier; the record is $6.53, set Sept 22, 2026). No new major US refinery outage turned up in this check.

The Pentagon investigation into late-August freezer failures at at least six base commissaries continues. Reuters reports Cyber Command and Defense Department law enforcement units are treating it as a suspected hack and working with French authorities after a similar attack on French supermarkets; no one has been publicly named as responsible. CISA added two Ivanti Connect Secure VPN flaws to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list (flaws attackers are already using) on Oct 30, with the federal patch deadline for the more serious one today, Nov 2. No new US utility or water-system attack was found in the last 48 hours; the University of New Mexico health system, which diverted ambulances after an Oct 26 incident, said clinical operations were fully back by Oct 28.

A storm system moves out of the Southwest into the Plains today. AccuWeather (updated Nov 1) expects severe thunderstorms Monday from Texas to southwestern Missouri and southeastern Kansas, with damaging winds, flash flooding and possibly a tornado or two. On Election Day (Tue Nov 3) it expects rain from Kansas and Nebraska to Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan (including the Minneapolis, Chicago and Kansas City areas), and thunderstorms from the Texas and Louisiana coasts north into Missouri and Illinois. Some of those storms could cause scattered power outages. The severe-storm risk may shift Tue-Wed into Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana. KSN Wichita forecasts storms in a line Monday, with all severe types possible, then gusts over 40-50 mph behind the system Tuesday. In West Texas, KOSA reports a High Wind Warning for the Guadalupe Mountains (gusts 60+ mph) and a slight chance of one or two severe storms near midday Monday. In the Southwest, the WPC had a moderate flash-flood risk (level 3 of 4) for parts of the Four Corners on Sunday, and flood watches ran into Monday morning. AccuWeather says washouts and road closures may last into Tuesday. The Rockies get snow at high elevations. FOX Weather reports a Storm Prediction Center Slight Risk (level 2 of 5) Monday for parts of Kansas, Oklahoma and north Texas; the SPC page itself was not read for this report. Space weather: NOAA SWPC reported minor to moderate geomagnetic storming (G1-G2 on NOAA's 5-step G scale) on Nov 1 from a fast solar wind stream. That level can bring auroras farther south and small fluctuations on power grids, with no widespread effects. SWPC forecasts quiet to unsettled conditions today and mostly quiet Nov 3. Radio blackout (R scale) and solar radiation storm (S scale) chances are 1% each day.

No significant unrest has been reported ahead of Tuesday's Nov 3 midterms. On Sunday, Nov 1, U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason dismissed a Justice Department lawsuit that sought to set aside ballots in Alaska's Senate race and delay certification. The Justice Department plans to send about 1,000 election monitors to all 50 states, its largest such effort.

US stocks closed sharply lower on Friday Oct 30: S&P 500 down 1.8% to 7,580.07, Nasdaq down 2.9% to 25,437.00, and Dow down 1.1% to 51,770.31. Intel shares fell about 30% after its fourth-quarter revenue outlook came in below estimates. Intel pointed to weaker PC demand, higher memory prices and a deadly factory explosion in Israel, which it expects to cut revenue by about $600 million over two quarters. CNBC's Sunday-evening live coverage reported that stock futures rebounded ahead of a week with the midterms, jobs data and major earnings, including Apple. The Fed held its rate target at 3.75-4.00% on Oct 28. The vote was 10-2: Governor Lisa Cook and Cleveland Fed President Beth Hammack both preferred a quarter-point increase, and the statement said inflation remains elevated. This check found no current major US bank or payment-network outage.

On Oct 30, the Pacific Maritime Association and ILWU Local 26 (about 250 port watchmen, the security staff at terminal gates) agreed to extend talks at Los Angeles and Long Beach. gCaptain puts the new strike deadline at 5 p.m. PT Wednesday Nov 4; Reuters described the talks as extended through Nov 5. Local 26 members work at terminals that handle about 85% of Long Beach cargo and 33% of Los Angeles cargo. The union named eight terminals that could be affected. The employer group warned that other ILWU workers are unlikely to cross a picket line, which could halt ship, yard and gate work at those terminals. Federal mediators are assisting, and this check found no weekend settlement report. Diesel at a national average of $6.30 is still weighing on trucking costs. This check found no major FAA or airline disruption reported for the weekend.

A rail backlog is already building at the Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex. As of Oct 26, 35,688 import containers were waiting for on-dock trains (19,626 at Los Angeles and 16,062 at Long Beach), and 10,562 of them had been waiting nine days or more. Causes cited include record September volumes, a tight supply of railcars and an extended peak season. BNSF and Union Pacific serve the ports, and Union Pacific said it is maintaining flow. A watchmen strike after Wednesday's deadline would add to this backlog. On chips, Intel cut its outlook partly because of a deadly factory explosion in Israel and higher memory prices. This check found no new US tariff action and no new auto-parts shortage in the last 48 hours.

No major US internet, cloud or cell outage was found in the last 48 hours. The main risk on the board is overseas: Reuters reported on Oct 23 that two senior Iranian security officials said Iran has plans to attack undersea internet cables in the Gulf if US or Israeli strikes resume, and an IRGC official said on Oct 21 that seven cables under the Strait of Hormuz could be targeted. No cable damage has been reported. Locally, a storm-damaged fiber line cut Spectrum internet and phone service on Washington's Long Beach Peninsula for about 40 hours Oct 25-26.

Contagion Live, summarizing CDC notices on Oct 24, lists five active multistate outbreaks. They are: Salmonella from Virginia raw oysters (27 cases, 12 states, recalled); E. coli from Graziers raw-milk cheeses (13 cases, 3 with kidney complications, recalled); Salmonella from broccoli sprouts (32 cases); E. coli and Salmonella from alfalfa sprouts (76 cases, 16 states, recalled); and Salmonella from pet turtles (20 cases). No deaths were reported in any of them. Food Safety News reported Oct 30 that FDA warned consumers not to serve Once Upon a Farm Tractor Wheels toddler soft-baked bars after several reports of toddlers choking, and that FDA asked the company to recall them. A recall has not been confirmed. No major new water-system emergencies turned up.

Measles: CDC counted 4,852 confirmed US cases as of Oct 29. That is up 264 from 4,588 a week earlier and is the highest yearly total in 35 years. CDC lists 3 deaths. Pennsylvania is the largest hot spot (1,426 cases per the state figures CIDRAP cited Oct 29; the state's Oct 28 release said 1,398, with 5 deaths), followed by Wisconsin (392). Flu: CDC says activity is low nationally but rising in many areas. In the week ending Oct 24, 7.6% of lab tests were positive and hospitalization rates were early-season highs, but CDC notes an early start does not mean a higher peak. The first child flu death of the season was reported. Bird flu: APHIS confirmed 29 H5N1 poultry outbreaks in the past 30 days, about 1.32 million birds, including a 934,600-hen egg farm in Illinois and turkey farms in North Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Ebola (Bundibugyo strain) in DR Congo: per ECDC figures cited by CIDRAP, 10,141 confirmed cases and 4,928 deaths. Kenya has 9 cases and 2 deaths per CDC, and Nigeria had one imported case, a traveler infected in Uganda who has since been evacuated to Switzerland. From Nov 3 through Dec 18, CDC requires international passengers to the US to sign a statement that they have not been in DRC in the past 21 days. CDC calls the risk to Americans low. Drug shortages: ASHP added cytarabine and irinotecan injection products to its chemotherapy shortage list in October, partly because of flooding at a Pfizer plant in India. Pfizer expects that disruption to last into 2028. Total active US drug shortages held at 225.