Midday Brief: Friday, Oct. 30, 2026

• Local (Monroe) Weather Service Warns of 'Major Saltwater Flooding' in the Florida Keys This Evening
  A coastal flood warning covers the Upper, Middle and Lower Keys until 11 p.m. Friday. Numerous roads may close.
• Local (Lake/Volusia) St. Johns River Floods Near Astor; Some Homes on Wildhog and Bonnet Roads Cut Off, Forecasters Say
  Moderate flooding is happening near Astor, and minor flooding is forecast near DeLand, the National Weather Service in Melbourne says.
• State · Election More Than 4.27 Million Floridians Have Voted Ahead of Tuesday's Election, State Data Show
  About 2.5 million voted early in person and nearly 1.77 million returned mail ballots, according to the Division of Elections.
• State 'Flying Cars' Fly Over Tampa Bay in Florida's First eVTOL Demonstration Flights, DeSantis Says
  Three types of electric air taxis retraced the route of the world's first commercial airline flight, part of an FAA pilot program.
• State Coastal Flooding Continues From Jacksonville to the Keys; State Warns Drivers About Saltwater
  Warnings and advisories cover much of Florida's Atlantic coast, and rip currents stay dangerous through the weekend.
• Nation DHS Says ICE Arrested 4,170 People in a 10-Day Texas Enforcement Operation
  The department says the 'Lone Star Mission' ran Oct. 19 to Oct. 29 with state and local partners.
• Nation Syrian Hacker Who Worked for Assad's Regime Gets 42 Months; DOJ Says One Hack Briefly Erased $136 Billion in Stock Value
  Ahmad Umar Agha hacked about 47 Western media outlets, businesses, NGOs and government entities, the Justice Department says.
• World EU Creates an Expert Group to Prepare Europe for Wildfires and Extreme Weather, Including a Possible Firefighting Fleet
  The 17-member PreparEU Advisory Group meets in early November and reports to Ursula von der Leyen by spring 2027.
• World 69 Dead After Two High-Speed Trains Collide Near Urda, Spain
  UPDATED: Castilla-La Mancha's government says the toll stands at 69 dead, with 39 still hospitalized and 71 discharged. Updated Oct. 30, 1:45 PM ET.
• Money Americans' Spending Rose 0.5% in September as Prices Climbed 3.6% From a Year Earlier, BEA Says
  Personal income rose 0.2%, and the saving rate was 3.8%. After inflation, disposable income fell 0.3%.
• Money Alphabet Says Revenue Rose 25% to $127.6 Billion; Google Cloud Sales More Than Doubled
  The Google parent reported third-quarter earnings of $2.12 a share. Google Services revenue grew 11%.
• Crime Six Sentenced in Tampa in a Smuggling and Asylum-Fraud Scheme Behind Over 1,700 Fake Claims, DOJ Says
  Sentences range from two to four years. Prosecutors say migrants paid $1,500 to $40,000 and some were flown in on chartered planes.
• Crime Personal Assistant Gets 48 Months for Stealing Nearly $10 Million From Elderly Employers, Spending It at Louis Vuitton and Gucci
  Prosecutors say Catalina Corona cashed hundreds of checks and hid more than 300 luxury items in two storage units.
• Science & Technology NASA Asks Companies How They Could Boost, Service or Safely Bring Down the Hubble Space Telescope
  Hubble is likely to re-enter the atmosphere around 2033 to 2034, so a mission would need to fly by 2032, NASA says. Responses are due Nov. 30.
• Science & Technology Hurricane Center Releases Its Final Report on July's Tropical Storm Bertha, Which Brought Flooding to the Panhandle Coast
  The report calls Bertha 'a highly sheared tropical storm' that caused 'minor-to-moderate coastal flooding' on the northern Gulf Coast.

• Local (Volusia) · Election Trump Holds a Midterm Rally in Daytona Beach Tonight; Expect Road Closures Around the Ocean Center
  Doors open at 3:30 p.m. and the president is expected to speak at 7 p.m. Republican governor nominee Byron Donalds is expected to join him, four days before the Nov. 3 election.
• World Russia's Novaya Gazeta Says It Will Close Nov. 9, Blaming Pressure From Authorities
  The independent newspaper says it was evicted from its Moscow office and cut off from reader donations. "We have been killed," its statement begins.
• Crime Sheriff's Office: Driver Rammed a Deputy's Truck, Hit a Water Pipe and Crashed Into a Tampa Apartment Building While Fleeing
  Deputies and a K9 tracked him down on foot after Thursday morning's attempted traffic stop, HCSO says. He faces five charges and is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
• Image: NASA/Johns Hopkins APLScience & Technology NASA Will Fly the Public's Names to Saturn's Moon Titan on Its Dragonfly Rotorcraft; Sign-Ups Close Jan. 15
  Names go on a microchip aboard the mission, scheduled to launch in 2028 and arrive in 2034. Everyone who signs up gets a digital boarding pass.
• Entertainment · Special Report Special Report: Sir Patrick Stewart, From Mirfield to the Royal Shakespeare Company to the Starship Enterprise
  Published last night after the Evening Brief: a look back at the life and career of the actor, who died Thursday.

That's Friday midday. Stay off flooded roads, and we'll see you tonight.

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