Quick Hits

• Brazil heads to the polls in a close presidential race: Lula seeks a historic fourth term against strong opposition from Flavio Bolsonaro (Al Jazeera, live coverage).
• Bosnia votes in one of the world's most complicated general elections, shaped by economic woes and ethnic rivalries across multiple tiers of government (Al Jazeera).
• Trump tells an Ohio rally to expect a "big surprise" in the upcoming midterms (Al Jazeera); separately, Tangle examines whether his taxpayer-funded TV spot tied to NFL coverage is a PSA or a campaign ad.
• Yemen escalation: Saudi-backed government forces claim 700 Houthis were killed in 24 hours, while the Saudi-led coalition dismisses a Houthi claim of targeting Riyadh as "misleading" (Al Jazeera).
• Minnesota scrutiny of Big Tech power: Attorney General Keith Ellison's office raises electricity-cost concerns over Google's proposed Pine Island data center (MPR News).

Top Stories

• US midterms: Al Jazeera reports Trump rallied for Republicans in Ohio, telling supporters he believes there will be a "big surprise" in the upcoming elections. In an accountability piece, Tangle asks "Why Are Your Taxes Paying for Trump's NFL Ads?" — presenting the question of whether a taxpayer-funded TV spot is a public service announcement or a campaign ad.
• Brazil: Voting begins with Lula seeking a historic fourth term in a race Al Jazeera's live blog describes as close, facing Flavio Bolsonaro.
• Bosnia: Bosnians cast ballots October 4 in elections Al Jazeera calls among the world's most complicated — a "dizzying number of officials across multiple tiers of government" — with economic woes and ethnic rivalries shaping what it calls a closely watched vote.
• Yemen: Al Jazeera reports Yemen's Saudi-backed government forces claim to have killed 700 Houthi fighters in 24 hours while attempting to retake lost territory. A Saudi-led coalition spokesman called Houthi claims of targeting Riyadh "misleading," saying the group is "attempting to divert attention" from its losses; Somalia's president separately said the Houthis are "not in a position" to bring Yemen peace, accusing them of destabilising the region and disrupting navigation through the Bab al-Mandeb.

Left Perspective

Source: MPR News (classified lean-left in today's feed)

• Data center fight: Attorney General Keith Ellison's office is raising new concerns about Google's proposed data center in Pine Island, southeast Minnesota, over electricity costs — concerns MPR News reports could intensify opposition to what it calls the controversial mega project.
• Iowa subsidies: Iowa's governor signed a bill Friday raising the ceiling on state tax incentives to help secure a $15 billion steel plant announced at the White House earlier in the week.
• School shooting: Two people suffered non-life-threatening injuries in a shooting at about 8:40 p.m. Friday outside Eden Prairie High School's homecoming football game against Minnetonka.
• Community and culture: The Indigenous Peoples Task Force opened the Mikwanedun Audisookon art and wellness center in south Minneapolis. In sports and lifestyle coverage: Minnesota beat Michigan 20-14 for a rare Little Brown Jug lift, with Drake Lindsey hitting Darius Taylor for the go-ahead fourth-quarter touchdown and the defense overwhelming quarterback Bryce Underwood; the 50th-anniversary 2027 Grandma's Marathon sold out in three hours; MPR profiles Vikings fans spending hundreds to thousands of dollars annually on the team; four finalists were named in the third-annual "Coolest Thing Made in Minnesota" contest, including a teardrop trailer and all-terrain wheelchair; and MPR reviews Kawai Strong Washburn's new climate-disaster novel "The Names of the New World," which opens with four out-of-season tornadoes flattening Minneapolis blocks.

International View

Source: Al Jazeera

• Gaza: Gaza's Christian community mourned Maysa Abu Daoud and her daughter Mary al-Najjar, among five Palestinians killed in an Israeli attack on Gaza City.
• Aviation: A flight instructor recreated the Flydubai jet's near-vertical 17,000-foot dive in a simulator as part of an explainer on what happens when a plane plunges that distance.
• Weather and oddities: Huge hailstones pounded Paraguay's capital, breaking windows and denting cars; in Russia, a pickup truck attempting to carry an Mi-2 military helicopter overturned in what Al Jazeera calls a stunt gone "awfully wrong."
• Sports: Shai Hope's 162 led the West Indies to a record run chase in a five-wicket ODI win over India; Lamine Yamal scored a stunning goal in Spain's 3-1 Nations League win over Czechia, becoming the first player to score within the first 10 minutes of three consecutive men's football games; Sabalenka and top seed Rybakina suffered shock defeats at the China Open, with Rybakina losing to unseeded Charaeva in her first match as world number one; and Tyson Fury said he will invite Trump — his "old pal" — to lead his ring walk before the December 11 fight against Joshua in Cardiff.

Underreported

• Yemen's "kill box": An Al Jazeera feature profiles Yemenis who stayed behind in Houthi-held Mocha, with residents of the Red Sea port city describing deteriorating conditions.
• Gaza's surviving books: With libraries, schools and homes destroyed, surviving books have become treasured possessions — Al Jazeera traces the story of one such book.
• Dakar: Volunteers and students united to clean a dilapidated school ahead of Senegal's academic year (Al Jazeera photo gallery).
• Cornell: The university's president says Cornell "must do better" after rape allegations (Al Jazeera video).

Sources

Feed composition: MPR News (9 items, lean-left), Tangle (2, center), Al Jazeera (22, center). No right-leaning outlets were included in today's supplied feed, so the Right Perspective section is omitted.

MPR News: Ellison/Pine Island data center; Iowa steel plant incentives; Eden Prairie shooting; Indigenous center; Gophers-Michigan; Grandma's Marathon; Vikings fan costs; Coolest Things Made in Minnesota; Washburn novel

Tangle: Trump NFL ads

Al Jazeera: Trump Ohio rally; Brazil elections live; Bosnia elections; Bosnia explainer; 700 Houthis claim; Riyadh claim dismissed; Somalia president on Houthis; Mocha feature; Gaza Christians; Gaza book; Flydubai; Paraguay hail; Russia helicopter truck; West Indies-India; Yamal; China Open; Fury-Trump; Dakar school; Cornell