United States

No US grid attack, large outage or new DOE emergency order found for Nov 3-4. DOE's 2026 Federal Power Act 202(c) emergency-order list (read Nov 4) still shows its newest order as No. 202-26-50, issued Oct 12 to PJM for Oct 13-16; the page's only newer item is an Oct 30 press release about a grid supply chain funding opportunity, not an order. Orders keeping older plants available remain in force: Craig Unit 1 in Colorado (Sep 27 to Dec 25), Culley 2 and Schahfer 17-18 in Indiana (to Dec 18) and Centralia Unit 2 in Washington (to Dec 11). The Stanton Unit 1 (Florida) order, listed in the Nov 3 report as running to Nov 30, did not appear in the page's recent-orders table. FORTRESS America: reporting describes the Pentagon program, announced Sept 30, to let major bases run without the civilian grid, with a program office directed Oct 6 (DefenseScoop); no November developments found. Carried from Nov 3: George Washington University reported a Foggy Bottom power outage on Nov 2 with Pepco restoring service (not re-checked). EO 14421 (Aug 26, 2026) sets a DOE review process for certain foreign-made bulk-power equipment; no new DOE rule found, and the Dec 24 rule date from the playbook was not confirmed in anything read. Not checked: NERC winter assessment.

Iran: Al Jazeera reported Trump confirmed US strikes early Tuesday on an Iranian anti-aircraft facility, which Iranian media placed on Qeshm Island; he called it a 'minor attack' that 'wasn't war'. US officials told US media the strikes were 'defensive' after Iranian fire at a US aircraft. Those outlets, citing officials, also reported Central Command has prepared strike plans that could begin as early as Wednesday, after the midterms. Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, called Washington's reply to Iran's seven conditions 'not convincing' and said the Strait would reopen only if they are fully met; the conditions include lifting sanctions and ending the US naval blockade. Qatar's foreign ministry said both sides remain committed to talks. Al Jazeera reported UKMTO said two projectiles hit a tanker's engine room about 14 nautical miles northeast of Oman's Limah with no casualties reported; Iran's Revolutionary Guard claimed four tankers were destroyed by mines and a US MQ-9 drone was shot down (unverified, no US confirmation found). Iranian officials suggested European countries and Gulf undersea cables could be targets (Al Jazeera; attributed, no action reported). Ukraine: Zelenskyy said Russia launched 289 attack drones, 17 ballistic missiles and 59 cruise missiles overnight Nov 2-3, mainly at energy sites in several regions (Al Jazeera). Ukraine's Air Force, per Interfax-Ukraine, reported 257 drones, 49 cruise missiles and 3 ballistic missiles downed. At least 73 people were injured when a Kharkiv hospital was hit; more than 180,000 people lost power in Zhytomyr region, per its governor. A Russian strike on an aid distribution centre the previous day killed at least 33, and the UN human rights mission said it likely violated international law (Al Jazeera). US, Russian and Ukrainian officials are due to meet in Abu Dhabi next week (Al Jazeera; a search summary gave Nov 10-11, not confirmed on a fetched page). Gaza: As of Nov 2, ABC (Reuters) reported Israeli strikes killed eight people in Gaza, medics said; no tier 1-3 report for Nov 3 was verified. Lebanon: nothing verified for Nov 2-3. North Korea and Taiwan: no November 2026 events found.

Oil edged lower again Tuesday on hopes for a US-Iran deal. Bloomberg (via Rigzone) reported WTI settled at $96.09 and Brent at $103.60, down $1.17 (CNBC gave the same Brent figure), so WTI stays under $100. Futures pared losses late after Iran said the US response to its demands was not 'satisfactory'. Some pages quoted higher intraday levels (WTI near $98, Brent above $106) after a reported US strike on Qeshm Island; those are not settlements. AAA's national average for Nov 4 shows $4.15 for regular (about 12 cents below a week ago and 23 cents below a month ago) and $6.29 for diesel (about 7 cents below a week ago). AAA's page headline figure was $4.12, which differs from its table and was not explained, so the table is used here. EIA's weekly retail survey (released Nov 3, for Nov 2) put regular at $4.153 and diesel at $6.292. The industry group API reported a 5.3 million barrel crude draw for the week ending Oct 30 (aggregator report; not the official EIA number). The official EIA weekly inventory report is due Wednesday Nov 4; the latest EIA stock figure found is distillate (diesel and heating oil) at about 102.8 million barrels for the week of Oct 23, carried from the Nov 3 report.

Election Day: no confirmed cyberattack on voting systems. An update from the Elections Infrastructure ISAC (election-security information-sharing group), issued 3 p.m. ET Nov 3, reported limited threat activity; former CISA official Geoff Hale said incidents were not significantly different from prior years (Nextgov). As of 1:30 p.m. ET the group had received no reports of foreign influence operations. One election office saw over 600 web requests a minute, cause unclear. Website problems: Colorado's results site went down about 7 p.m. for about 45 minutes; the Secretary of State's office said a vendor reported a surge of automated traffic, did not call it a cyberattack, and said results were unaffected (Denver Gazette). South Carolina's polling-place lookup site crashed in the morning and was back by 11 a.m. (WTOC/WIS); no cause was given in the report. CISA's advisories page (read Nov 4) newest item is a Nov 3 alert adding one known-exploited vulnerability to its catalog; no election-specific advisory listed. Refrigeration attacks (open thread, re-checked): Europe attacks real, French wave about Oct 12 (about 150-200 Intermarche and nearly 100 Cooperative U stores per NPR) and a second wave reaching Sweden, Estonia, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Belgium in early November; Sweden and Estonia said impact was limited. US: the Pentagon described a 'possible refrigeration disruption' at Defense Commissary Agency stores in August and has not confirmed a hack; the Defense Criminal Investigative Service said it is investigating with French police (NPR). Attribution is disputed: Profero's Omri Segev Moyal told NPR he is confident Iranian military hackers calling themselves Cyber Isnaad Front are responsible, based on forensic data and the hackers' claims; two anonymous officials told Nextgov a US suspicion of Iran exists; no official has said so on the record, and Al Jazeera's headline says there is no clear culprit. NPR also reported earlier incidents at an Israeli grocery chain (March) and a food plant (May). NPR reported no attack on a US civilian store; Danfoss urged customers to update firmware and take devices off the internet. Connected thread, water systems: CISA and FBI warned July 30 of a 'significant escalation' in attacks on programmable controllers at water utilities, with 30+ Minnesota systems hit and seven states affected (Cybersecurity Dive); Defense One links Iran to suspected August attacks on US water-treatment equipment. No newer water-sector item found for Nov 1-4 and no link between the water attacks and the freezer attacks has been established in the sources read. Checked for this thread: Reuters/Nextgov (Oct 29/Nov 2), NPR (Nov 3), Defense One, CISA page. Not checked: hospital ransomware (search returned nothing dated November).

Wed Nov 4. The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) rates severe-storm risk 1 to 5 (1 Marginal, 2 Slight, 3 Enhanced, 4 Moderate, 5 High). Its 5:34 AM UTC outlook (issued 11:34 PM CST Nov 3) has only a Marginal risk (level 1) for the Southeast and southern Appalachians, with isolated damaging gusts and perhaps a brief tornado; strong storms are expected from northeast Alabama into northwest Georgia this morning. The Weather Prediction Center (WPC, 3 AM EST) says isolated heavy rain and severe weather are possible over the lower Ohio Valley and Southeast, locally heavy rain is possible along the southeast Florida coast and 'could drive additional flash flooding' on ground already soaked by several days of flooding, with rain tapering after today; an upper-level low from the Four Corners brings snow to the peaks of the Central Rockies, with modest mountain snow in the Northwest. Southwest flooding: the National Weather Service (NWS) active-alerts feed at about 3 AM CST still listed Flood Warnings in Arizona (Pima, Maricopa, Coconino and Navajo counties, issued Nov 3), in San Juan County NM (issued 11:19 PM Nov 3), San Juan County UT and Montezuma County CO (Nov 3), and Alamosa, Conejos and Costilla counties CO (Nov 2). Tropics: the National Hurricane Center (NHC) 1 AM EST outlook watches one area south of Bermuda, 20% chance of development in 48 hours and 40% in 7 days, possibly with some subtropical traits late this week; unfavorable by early next week. Space weather (NOAA SWPC): a warning that a K-index of 4 (a measure of geomagnetic activity; minor) is expected was issued 08:19 UTC Nov 4, valid to 15:00 UTC, with weak power-grid fluctuations possible mainly poleward of 65 degrees latitude; an alert that 2 MeV electron flux (energetic particles that can affect satellites) exceeded 1,000 units continued Nov 3 (peak 4,481 on Nov 2). SWPC scales show G (geomagnetic storm), R (radio blackout) and S (radiation storm) at 0 now and G0 forecast for Nov 4-6, with a 25% chance of a minor and 10% chance of a major radio blackout daily. No G3 or higher and no grid warning.

Election Day, Nov 3: USA TODAY reported scattered problems and no confirmed widespread interference. Ballot scanners failed in Westchester County, N.Y., tied to a programming update, and the county said every eligible vote will be counted. Flooding closed or disrupted some polling sites in Florida and the Southwest, including one in Palm Beach County. Two bomb threats paused voting at a Toledo, Ohio, elementary school until police cleared it, and a bomb threat temporarily closed a Michigan polling site. Fulton County, Ga., said it did not send texts telling voters of polling-place changes. The department says it will appeal the Nov 1 dismissal of its Alaska Senate suit (as of Nov 3, AP via Spectrum). National Guard: Guard roles reported were cybersecurity support and, in some Washington counties, unarmed Guard members watching drop boxes (as of Nov 3, Hill and KUOW). D.C. Guard deployment: appeals arguments were Oct 14 (as of Nov 3, NBC Washington/AP); no ruling found. No new emergency declarations or Guard orders for Nov 4 found. News outlets reported Democrats winning the House early Nov 4 (see top stories); post-election protests were not checked.

US stocks finished mixed on Election Day (Tuesday, Nov 3): the S&P 500 rose about 0.36% to 7,568.92, ending a three-day losing streak; the Nasdaq composite rose 0.83% to 25,372.01; the Dow fell 0.38% to 51,786.72, weighed by Apple (Anadolu, MarketScreener/Yahoo). Chipmakers rebounded. Investors were watching midterm results. As of the Nov 3 report, the 10-year Treasury yield was about 4.9%; no Nov 3 close was found. The Fed held its target range at 3.75% to 4% on Oct 28 on a 10-2 vote, with two dissenters wanting a quarter-point increase; next meeting Dec 8-9 (carried from Nov 3; Fed statement). The October jobs report is due Friday Nov 6 (carried from the Nov 3 report). No major US bank or payment outage was found.

LA/Long Beach watchmen strike: the outcome is not yet known. The extended contract runs to 5 p.m. Pacific Wednesday Nov 4 (about 7 p.m. Central), so the deadline had not passed at the time of this sweep (3 a.m. Central). The latest coverage found (up to Nov 3-4) reports no agreement and no strike. About 250 ILWU Local 26 watchmen are involved, with federal mediators helping. The Pacific Maritime Association says their terminals handle roughly 85% of Long Beach and 33% of Los Angeles cargo and that other ILWU workers, who are under a separate contract, are not expected to cross picket lines. The PMA said significant differences remain, including on wages; the union accuses employers of not making meaningful progress. One Reuters report (via Investing.com) and Baird Maritime give Nov 5 as the new deadline; most outlets say Nov 4. Other transport: no US rail, trucking or airline strike or nationwide air disruption was found for Nov 3 (search results were old or undated; the FAA's own status page was not checked). Diesel at $6.29 still weighs on trucking (AAA).

No new supply-chain disruption found. As of Oct 29, NPR reported General Motors expects chips and diesel to cost it as much as $2 billion this year and Stellantis's CEO said higher memory-chip prices will affect the industry (carried). Tariffs: a Japan Times piece (Oct 27) said the US and Canada were working on a deal to ease steel and auto tariffs, citing sources, while talks had broken down in August; other outlets say differences remain and no deal was finalized. A watchmen strike at LA/Long Beach after Wednesday would add to a rail container backlog; the last count seen was about 35,000 containers waiting for rail service (FreightWaves, Oct 28, carried).

FDA's recalls page (as of Nov 3) lists two new entries since the Nov 3 draft: Nov 3, Brad's Crunchy Kale and Veggie Chips, possible thallium contamination (a toxic metal); Nov 2, Once Upon a Farm Tractor Wheels Organic Toddler Soft-Baked Bars, choking hazard. Earlier entries: Oct 30 365 Whole Foods Market ashwagandha capsules (possible Salmonella), Oct 29 Wise Wife ground cinnamon (possible elevated lead), Oct 27 cold-smoked sprat fish (possible botulism). As of Oct 28 (last check, Nov 2 draft): a Salmonella Javiana outbreak of 59 cases, Listeria outbreaks, and 25 active multistate foodborne investigations; the FDA and CDC outbreak tables were not re-checked today. Water notices were not checked. Open thread: refrigeration hacks (Europe store freezers, US commissaries): nothing new was found by this sweep; the Cyber sweep owns it.

Measles: CDC page (updated Oct 30) still shows 4,852 confirmed US cases as of Oct 29 (including 18 among international visitors), 3 deaths, 43 new outbreaks this year, 96% outbreak-associated; no newer weekly update yet. Ebola (Bundibugyo strain): CDC's situation summary (page updated Nov 3) gives 10,563 confirmed cases and 5,130 deaths as of Nov 1: DR Congo 10,532 and 5,126; Uganda 20 and 2 (plus 1 probable); Kenya 9 and 2; Nigeria 1 and 0; France 1 and 0. CDC says no cases linked to this outbreak have been reported in the US. Travel rule: travelers who were in DR Congo within 21 days cannot board commercial flights to the US, and after 11:59 PM EST Nov 3 all passengers boarding international flights to the US must sign a statement that they have not been in DR Congo in the prior 21 days; travelers from Uganda and South Sudan are routed through designated airports for screening. Bird flu: USDA APHIS announced Nov 2 that H5N1 (genotype B3.13) was confirmed in an Indiana dairy herd found by routine National Milk Testing, the first in Indiana cattle and the 21st state with infected dairy cattle since March 2024; FDA says pasteurization inactivates the virus and the CDC rates public risk as low. Drug shortages: drug shortages were not re-checked today. Flu: not obtained; CDC FluView pages returned old or empty content.

Kilauea (Hawaii): USGS HVO's Nov 3, 10:35 AM HST daily update keeps the alert level at Watch and the aviation color code at Orange; episode 56 lava fountaining had not begun, lava overflows from the north vent started Nov 2, and HVO says it is reasonable to estimate fountaining starts by Nov 8. Quakes: USGS's significant-quake feed for the past week still lists one event, M6.4 southeast of Easter Island, time 07:49 UTC Oct 29 (this resolves the date question from Nov 3), green PAGER alert, no tsunami flag. Nuclear (NRC) and wildfire (NIFC) were not checked today.