The government shutdown isn’t stopping the Trump administration from advancing its policy priorities, especially when it comes to fossil fuels. When it announced its contingency plans for the shutdown, the Bureau of Land Management said that staff who are in charge of processing leases and permits for oil and gas, leases for coal or “other energy and mineral resources necessary for energy production” would still have to work...

Frank Bruni: Greetings, Bret. I’m especially eager to hear your thoughts this week because this is our last conversation before Tuesday’s elections, the results of which will be read like rune stones. We’ll see in them the fortunes of President Trump and of the Democratic Party in — and beyond — the 2026 midterms. What do you think these contests will (or won’t) reliably tell us? And while we can’t know who’ll win, which of the races do you find especially significant? Bret Stephens: Hi, Frank. My concern is that a blowout victory for Zohran Mamdani in New York’s mayoral race and tight governors’s races, or even a loss, for Abigail Spanberger in Virginia or Mikie Sherrill in New Jersey will send a misleading signal that voters want more progressive Democrats, not more moderate ones. And I think that’s the worst possible lesson if Democrats want to take back Congress and win nationally.

The Trump administration on Thursday finalized plans to open the coastal plain of Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to potential oil and gas drilling, renewing a long-simmering debate over whether to drill in one of the nation’s environmental jewels. U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced the decision Thursday that paves the way for future lease sales within the refuge’s 1.5 million-acre ( 631,309 hectare) coastal plain, an area that’s considered sacred by the Indigenous Gwich’in. The plan fulfills pledges made by President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans to reopen this portion of the refuge to possible development. Trump’s bill of tax breaks and spending cuts, passed during the summer, called for at least four lease sales within the refuge over a 10-year period...

Speaking to reporters on Air Force One on the way back to Washington, Trump said China and the U.S. would work together to end the war in Ukraine. "Ukraine came up very strongly. We talked about it for a long time, and we're both going to work together to see if we can get something done," he said...

The United States is cutting the number of troops on Europe's eastern flank, Romania's defence ministry said Wednesday. The ministry said the decision wasn’t a surprise given changes in Washington's priorities, and that roughly 1,000 U.S. troops would continue to be stationed in Romania...

After toying with the idea of running for a constitutionally prohibited third presidential term for months, President Donald Trump conceded that the law is "pretty clear" against such a scenario. "I would say that if you read it, it’s pretty clear, I’m not allowed to run," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Oct. 29 as he was traveling overseas. "It’s too bad." The comments came a day after Trump said he'd "love" to serve beyond 2028, again setting off speculation about his intentions...

At 80, Natalie Grabow became the oldest woman to finish the Ironman World Championship, proving age is no barrier to grit, passion and perseverance. Source: At 80, Natalie Grabow Becomes the Oldest Woman to Finish the Ironman World Championship Wow. Inspiring.

Maybe too simplistic for 'The Fifth Beatle'. The post The Beatles song Paul McCartney was sure George Martin would hate: “I was a bit worried” first appeared on Far Out Magazine.

The perfect mix of timbre and taste. The post The singer Kate Bush said had “the most beautiful” voice first appeared on Far Out Magazine.

A blues-rock essential. The post The Fleetwood Mac guitar solo David Gilmour wishes he wrote: “I wish I could” first appeared on Far Out Magazine.