Evening Wire: Train Collision Kills 68 & SCOTUS Sides With Trump On Deportations | 10.28.26

At least 68 people died when two high-speed trains collided Wednesday morning in central Spain, about 90 miles south of Madrid. Officials said one train rear-ended the other, sending two cars off the tracks and into an embankment; the trains carried 397 passengers combined, and 50 injured people remained hospitalized, so the death toll could rise. The crash occurred on the same rail line and involved the same operators as another high-speed collision earlier this year. The regional president called two such accidents in one year “unacceptable.” It was Spain’s deadliest rail disaster since an 80-person death toll in 2013.

Daily Wire contributor Tim Pierce reported that Israel’s election left Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition without a majority, but former general Gadi Eisenkot’s bloc also failed to win one. Arab parties account for much of the difference and are expected to roughly double their representation. The leading possibilities are a Netanyahu-Eisenkot unity government or another election, with Netanyahu serving as caretaker prime minister; analysts believe another vote would favor him and strengthen his bargaining position. Eisenkot could theoretically work with the Arab-led bloc, but all except one of his partners oppose that because they say the parties downplay terrorism by groups including Hamas. Netanyahu also alleged election theft, citing cash envelopes, threats, double voting, identity discrepancies, and prohibited software.

UN Ambassador Mike Waltz condemned Cuba’s dictatorship, prompting the Cuban delegation to approach the podium and yell until the meeting was suspended. A Cuban delegate then swatted at U.S. diplomat J.P. Freyr while Freyr filmed the confrontation and later confronted him again in a hallway, accusing him of violating his privacy. Waltz told Fox News that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had signed paperwork expelling the Cuban delegation’s first secretary, whom Waltz said had shoved and tried to assault an American diplomat. Separately, Flavio Bolsonaro, son of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, arrived in Miami after losing his presidential bid and refusing to concede. His father is serving a 27-year Brazilian prison sentence tied to his 2022 election challenge.

Russell Brand testified for the first time in his trial over allegations from six women involving rape and sexual assault between 1999 and 2009. Answering his lawyer, Brand categorically denied the charges and described their effect on his personal life as devastating. He acknowledged misusing his fame for “reckless philandering” during the relevant period and expressed regret for that behavior, but maintained that every sexual act was consensual. A judge had already reduced one of seven charges from indecent assault to attempted indecent assault after finding insufficient evidence for the original charge. Brand could face life in prison if convicted of the most serious allegations.

The Supreme Court declined to revive a 2024 federal rule allowing immigration judges to use “administrative closure” to pause certain deportation cases, such as while a crime victim pursued another form of immigration relief. Critics argued pauses often became indefinite. Texas challenged the rule, and the Justice Department agreed it was unlawful the same day a federal judge struck it down nationwide. Baltimore, two other cities, and an immigrant legal-services group tried to defend it, but the judge found they lacked standing; an appeals court declined to pause the ruling. The Supreme Court denied their emergency requests without a noted dissent, though their underlying appeal continues.

A New York Times investigation alleged that Democrats tried to influence Alaska’s Senate race by recruiting a second candidate named Dan Sullivan to draw votes from Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan. The effort allegedly involved a Democratic operative hiding his identity and exploring a conservative-branded party; former Mary Peltola campaign manager said Peltola knew about it but was not directly involved. Her campaign and the DSCC deny recruiting spoiler candidates. Separately, a South Korean study comparing four straw types across 16 environmental categories found conventional plastic performed better in 10, including climate impact and human toxicity. Paper straws produced more than six times the carcinogenic impact of conventional plastic and are difficult to recycle because of their size and coatings.

Billionaire investor Nelson Peltz is leading a $1.4 billion offer to take Wendy’s private, a bid representing a 20% premium over its current market value. His group said the struggling chain, whose share price has fallen nearly 70% in five years, needs years of investment and could manage a turnaround better as a private company. Wendy’s owners had not publicly responded. The episode ended with speculation about Heidi Klum’s 2026 Halloween costume after she posted photos of pale, slimy faux-organ material and wrote, “Can you guess? Here’s your next clue.” Fans suggested characters from The Last of Us or Pirates of the Caribbean, or a cow with its digestive system exposed; Klum has previously dressed as a worm, peacock, E.T., and Medusa.