Third Carrier Heads to Middle East as Early Ballots Pass 21 Million

A third U.S. aircraft carrier is moving into the Middle East region. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the deployment. He recently met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. A person briefed on U.S. and Israeli war planning told NPR that the two nations are preparing for a possible attack on Iran. This action is expected to wait until after the U.S. midterm elections on Nov. 3. President Trump is weighing the timing to prevent oil prices from spiking before voters head to the polls.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that his country is ready for both diplomacy and war. Tehran is demanding formal control of the Strait of Hormuz. It also wants U.S. troops to leave the region. The U.S. and Israel have the capability to cause heavy damage, but Iran has not shown signs of making major concessions.

Voting in the United States is already well underway. Nearly 21 million Americans have cast ballots by mail or in person. The University of Florida's Election Lab reported that this total rose by about 2 million in a single day. Early voting in key battleground states is higher than in the last midterm cycle. However, experts caution against using early figures to predict final results. Democrats are voting early at higher rates than Republicans. Unaffiliated voters are also participating at higher levels.

In California, a federal judge is restricting pre-election field operations by the Department of Homeland Security. The department claims these efforts aim to identify noncitizens who allegedly voted illegally in nine states. Meanwhile, a federal magistrate judge ruled that Donald Trump must sit for a deposition in his $10 billion defamation case against the BBC. The judge ordered Trump to comply with court rules or face sanctions. The suit centers on a Panorama broadcast from late October 2024. The network allegedly edited his Jan. 6 speech to make it seem he incited a violent siege of Congress.

BBC attorneys say more than 200 Jan. 6 defendants have said the speech motivated them. The network is seeking details on how Trump has profited since returning to the White House. They want to gauge the extent of any damage to his brand. Trump has called the broadcast false and defamatory under Florida law. He previously canceled a deposition citing matters of national importance and proposed January instead.

Grocery costs remain a concern for voters. Ground beef reached $6.79 per pound last month. That is an 85% increase over a decade, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Eggs fell to $2.27 per dozen after a record high of $6.23 in March 2025. Butter averaged $3.96 in September, down 17.3% from a year earlier due to oversupply. Coffee is still 44% higher than two years ago despite the removal of tariffs.