Today in One Sentence. Trump urged Vivek Ramaswamy to continue airing an attack ad featuring the estranged mother of his Democratic opponent in the Ohio governor’s race, calling it “hitting pay dirt”; FCC Chair Brendan Carr warned that broadcasters airing “Fake Polls” could violate federal news distortion and broadcast hoax rules; a federal judge ordered Trump to sit for a deposition by Dec. 11 or risk having his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC dismissed; Trump called Elon Musk and asked him to lift restrictions on Ukraine’s military-grade Starlink satellite system; a federal judge blocked the Department of Homeland Security from questioning likely U.S. citizens in nine states about their immigration status and voting history; Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth authorized the Department of Homeland Security to test a military-grade “heat ray” for potential use along the U.S.-Mexico border; Russian military intelligence reportedly hacked Jared Kushner’s iPhone during Trump’s first term; Hegseth’s staff reportedly dropped and damaged Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower’s globe while trying to move it to his office; and 9% of Americans 18-to-29 say the country is headed in the right direction.

1/ Trump urged Vivek Ramaswamy to continue airing an attack ad featuring the estranged mother of his Democratic opponent in the Ohio governor’s race, calling it “hitting pay dirt.” The ad features Democratic Ohio gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton’s mother calling her a liar, despite losing custody of Acton after her husband was charged with raping her as a child. Trump called the ad “very powerful,” labeled Acton “defective, dishonest, and incapable,” and argued that her mother’s accusations should disqualify her from office. When asked about Acton’s childhood abuse, Trump said, “I know nothing about it,” but insisted she was “fair game.” Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, meanwhile, called the ad “deeply, deeply troubling” and urged Ramaswamy to take it down. Trump accused DeWine of being “disloyal to the Republican Party.” Ramaswamy’s campaign has committed $4 million to airing the ad. (ABC News / Associated Press / CBS News / CNBC / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal / New York Times / CNN / NBC News)

2/ FCC Chair Brendan Carr warned that broadcasters airing “Fake Polls” could violate federal news distortion and broadcast hoax rules. Less than two weeks before the midterm elections, he claimed there had been a “significant surge” in fake and “Suppression Polls” intended to affect voter turnout. He did not, however, identify any polls or provide evidence for the claim. Meanwhile, the New York Times removed 15 midterm polls from its election trackers after the firm behind them admitted to fabricating its surveys. Wedgewood Polls called the operation an “experimental project” to see whether a fake polling firm could be taken seriously. The scheme was exposed after FiftyPlusOne commissioned a $900 comparison survey using the same questionnaire and online platform, and found discrepancies in respondent IDs and the relationship between transaction IDs and completion times. (Washington Post / Politico / CNN / FiftyPlusOne / FiftyPlusOne / Axios / New York Times / Washington Post)

3/ A federal judge ordered Trump to sit for a deposition by Dec. 11 or risk having his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC dismissed. Trump canceled a previously scheduled deposition on Oct. 16, citing “matters of national importance.” However, he attended a Republican campaign rally in Georgia and a party fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago that day. Trump sued the BBC over a documentary that spliced together separate portions of his Jan. 6, 2021, speech, creating the impression that he directly urged supporters to use violence at the Capitol. The BBC apologized for the misleading edit, but denied defaming Trump. (Associated Press / NBC News / Axios / CBS News / CNBC / The Guardian / Politico / Reuters)

4/ Trump called Elon Musk and asked him to lift restrictions on Ukraine’s military-grade Starlink satellite system. U.S. and Ukrainian officials said service improved following the call, but some restrictions remained. Musk had reportedly ordered the slowdown days after he and Trump criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for attacking Russian diesel refineries. The restrictions disrupted Ukrainian drones and interceptors used to defend against Russian strikes. Trump, who previously denied ordering the slowdown or knowing who was responsible, acknowledged that Musk had restored service, saying “The bottom line: He put it back.” (Wall Street Journal / CNBC / Bloomberg)

5/ A federal judge blocked the Department of Homeland Security from questioning likely U.S. citizens in nine states about their immigration status and voting history. U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín found that the operations likely violated the Voting Rights Act’s ban on intimidating people, and relied on flawed government and commercial data to identify suspected noncitizen voters. The ruling applies to California, Connecticut, Georgia, Missouri, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, Washington, and Wisconsin. (Washington Post / New York Times / ABC News / CBS News / CNN / Axios)

6/ Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth authorized the Department of Homeland Security to test a military-grade “heat ray” for potential use along the U.S.-Mexico border. The seven-month loan lets DHS develop tactics for the Active Denial System, which fires an invisible beam that causes an intense burning sensation. DHS will be responsible for using the system, but hasn’t said where or how it will be tested. (CNN / Axios / The Guardian)

poll/ 9% of Americans 18-to-29 say the country is headed in the right direction, while 62% say it’s on the wrong track, and 26% are unsure. (Harvard Youth Poll)

The 2026 midterms are in 12 days; and the 2028 presidential election is in 747 days.

✏️ Notables.

  1. Russian military intelligence reportedly hacked Jared Kushner’s iPhone during Trump’s first term. Dutch intelligence discovered screenshots of Kushner’s phone on a Russian military intelligence server in late 2017 and by 2018 exploited a security vulnerability that allowed them to monitor his screen as he used it. The surveillance reportedly revealed Kushner accessing a Dubai bank account that had received hundreds of millions of dollars through an Azerbaijani bank. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates had deposited roughly $750 million into the account and that Kushner was authorized to make transactions. (Vanity Fair)

  2. The Justice Department opened a criminal investigation into allegations that Corey Lewandowski profited from his role as Kristi Noem’s top Homeland Security adviser. The inquiry followed a criminal referral from DHS’s inspector general, which had been examining contracting practices during Noem and Lewandowski’s tenure. (Wall Street Journal / CNN / New York Times)

  3. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth banned Defense Department personnel from using nonpublic information to bet on U.S. military operations. The prohibition applies to classified and unclassified information, and includes prediction markets such as Polymarket and Kalshi. (CBS News)

  4. U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee questioned whether Trump’s Board of Peace has the staff and resources needed to disarm and rebuild Gaza. The Pentagon plans to draw down personnel at a U.S.-led coordination hub over the next year, with civilians taking over their jobs. Huckabee, however, wrote that the embassy is “not currently staffed to assume these roles” and that the Board of Peace’s ability to cover all functions at the U.S.-led coordination hub “remains unclear.” (Politico)

  5. A top adviser to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. resigned after growing frustrated with White House delays on food policies, including a definition of ultraprocessed foods. (CNN / Wall Street Journal / Washington Post / New York Times)

  6. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s staff reportedly dropped and damaged Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower’s globe while trying to move it to his office. Hegseth’s staff attempted the move without the Army’s history experts, who were furloughed during a partial government shutdown. (Washington Post)

  7. Trump claimed that he called Google CEO Sundar Pichai and asked about renaming the Atlantic Ocean on Google Maps. He said Pichai replied, “Please don’t ask us to do that,” because oceans border “a lot of countries.” Google, however, hasn’t confirmed the call took place. Trump nevertheless said he would “probably pass” on the Atlantic, but suggested renaming the Pacific “the American Ocean” instead. (Washington Post)