Politics & World Affairs — October 24, 2026

U.S. birth rate hits record low. CDC data show the national birth rate at its lowest level ever recorded, though rising births among women over 30 partially offset the decline.

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Ex-FBI officials face charges. Prosecutors charged two former senior FBI officials with making false statements to Congress about the bureau's Hunter Biden laptop investigation.

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Russia, Ukraine confirm Oleshky truce. Both countries confirmed a U.S.-brokered humanitarian ceasefire around the Russian-occupied city, the war's first localized truce, as negotiators prepare for wider talks.

The White House said Melania Trump brokered the arrangement, according to BBC World, which described Oleshky as a city on the brink of disaster where residents have resorted to eating garden weeds to survive. The agreement is limited to humanitarian purposes around the occupied city rather than a broader cessation of hostilities, and its confirmation by both governments comes as negotiators prepare for wider talks.

BBC World · Read more →