Quick Hits

• Record penalty against Meta. A judge ordered Meta to pay New Mexico $25 billion after a jury found the company liable for deceiving users about privacy — the largest fine ever against Facebook's owner (MPR News).
• Omar escalates fight with federal investigators. Rep. Ilhan Omar says the investigation and search of her home is an intimidation attempt ahead of the midterms, and announced she will move out of her Washington, D.C., home because the attention has made her feel unsafe (MPR News).
• Apparent political violence in Australia. Doctors amputated both legs of federal lawmaker Helen Haines, who remains in critical condition after being repeatedly hit by a car in what MPR News describes as an apparent act of political violence.
• Ukraine's Starlink access in question. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Ukraine's access to Starlink is "a decision for Elon Musk," denying White House responsibility for reported speed limits on internet services there (Al Jazeera); Tangle examines a broader U.S.–Ukraine policy shift ahead of Election Day.
• U.S.–France friction. France's Emmanuel Macron dismissed as "stupid talk" President Trump's attempt to blame French unrest on migration (Al Jazeera).

Top Stories

• Meta fine: Per MPR News, the $25 billion order Wednesday follows a jury verdict that Meta deceived users about privacy on Facebook, marking the largest fine ever against the company's owner.
• Omar investigation: Omar told supporters Tuesday she won't be intimidated, framing the federal investigation and home search as election-season pressure; on Wednesday she said she would leave her D.C. residence (MPR News).
• Haines amputation: The Australian lawmaker's family disclosed the double amputation as she remains in critical condition after the vehicle attack (MPR News).
• Starlink and Ukraine: Al Jazeera reports Rubio's comments responding to reported service limits in Ukraine; Tangle's mid-week edition argues the U.S.–Ukraine policy shift is "equally important" as the nearing U.S. election despite the news cycle's domestic focus.
• Trump vs. Macron: Trump "turned his attention to France," blaming unrest on migration, but Macron rejected the claim outright (Al Jazeera).
• Campaign flashpoints: In Ohio's gubernatorial race, a new attack ad features Amy Acton's estranged mother claiming Acton misrepresented her childhood and urging voters not to support her, in the contest between Acton and Vivek Ramaswamy (Tangle); Al Jazeera covers the Michigan Senate face-off between Abdul El-Sayed and Mike Rogers.

Left Perspective

Coverage from MPR News (lean-left) is dominated by Minnesota's midterm races and federal–state friction:

• Governor's debate: MPR News calls Wednesday's showdown between DFLer Amy Klobuchar and Lisa DeMuth in the state's "history-making" race a lively exchange that put the nominees' records and plans in sharp focus, offering voters "a clear contrast."
• Flanagan credential dispute: DFL Senate nominee Peggy Flanagan on Wednesday provided evidence of her Phi Beta Kappa membership, which MPR News says undermines a Wall Street Journal report that she inflated her credentials.
• DOJ vs. Minnesota judges: The Justice Department is seeking to disqualify two Minnesota federal judges from immigration-related cases, following ethics complaints the DOJ filed against them (MPR News).
• Homelessness policy: Minneapolis City Council members advanced a plan allowing unsheltered residents to sleep overnight in their cars at designated, supervised parking lots (MPR News).
• St. Paul schools: The school board unanimously delayed a decision on cutting more than 18 full-time-equivalent English-as-a-second-language teaching positions (MPR News).
• Moorhead Senate race: With 17 days until the election, MPR News reports heavy spending in the race between state Sen. Rob Kupec (DFL) and Austin Peterson.

Right Perspective

No right-leaning outlets appear in today's supplied feed; this section is omitted.

International View

• Korean Peninsula: North Korea plans to resume anti-South propaganda broadcasts along the armed border; South Korea is urging dialogue (Al Jazeera).
• El Salvador/Haiti: President Nayib Bukele says he has launched a military operation to rescue four Salvadoran soldiers abducted in Haiti, threatening Haitian gangs (Al Jazeera).
• Global debt: Al Jazeera reports the world carries $365 trillion in debt with a climbing interest bill, noting European protests and that France now pays more to borrow than Italy or Greece.
• Gymnastics: China edged the USA by 0.233 points for women's team gold at the World Championships, ending the Americans' bid for an eighth consecutive title (Al Jazeera).

Underreported

• Yemen: An Al Jazeera feature describes how a grassroots aid effort by women in Taiz has transformed into an initiative supplying ammunition to the front amid growing threats to the city.
• Healthcare consolidation: Stellis Health, a doctor-owned provider in Wright County, plans to merge with CentraCare, central Minnesota's largest healthcare system (MPR News).
• MPD firing: A Minneapolis officer, Chanica Hall, was fired in April after the department determined she warned her brother that police were seeking him in connection with a shooting (MPR News).
• Mall of America lawsuit: The mother of a man fatally shot in the Nordstrom at Mall of America in 2022 filed a wrongful-death lawsuit this month alleging negligence by the store and mall (MPR News).
• Campus accountability: An Al Jazeera opinion piece argues the Cornell case shows U.S. university bureaucracy discourages sexual-assault complaints and shields institutions — presented as the author's view.

Sources

• MPR News: Meta/New Mexico fine; Omar investigation and relocation; Helen Haines; Klobuchar–DeMuth debate; Flanagan credentials; DOJ/Minnesota judges; Minneapolis car-sleeping policy; St. Paul ESL layoffs; Moorhead Senate race; CentraCare–Stellis merger; MPD officer firing; Mall of America lawsuit (mprnews.org)
• Al Jazeera: Starlink/Rubio; France–Trump; North Korea broadcasts; Bukele/Haiti; global debt; Yemen feature; gymnastics; El-Sayed–Rogers; campus sexual-assault opinion (aljazeera.com)
• Tangle: U.S.–Ukraine policy shift; Amy Acton attack ad (readtangle.com)