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Former speaker is latest target of mailings sent to various Congress members in the lead-up to the midterm elections

California representative Nancy Pelosi’s office received “a suspicious letter” on Wednesday in what appears to be the latest incident of ill-intentioned mailings targeted at US Congress members before the midterm elections.

The offices of more than three dozen members of Congress across the political spectrum have received envelopes containing white powder in recent days. One lawmaker’s office said preliminary tests indicated the powder was not hazardous.

As members of the public tour a fake ‘residential home’ for disabled people riddled with Nazi ideology, you desperately hope someone will speak up. Prepare for the most excruciating viewing of your life

I have never had to pause a programme halfway through before to catch my breath. That is until The Experiment – Channel 4’s highly controversial social exercise designed to find out “how susceptible the British public are” to Nazi ideology about disabled people. This is a show so disturbing, timely and surreal that within 90 seconds of viewing it alone, I am looking around for confirmation from an empty room that any of this is happening.

We start with a clip of Hitler. Against a backdrop of growing anti-benefits and ableist rhetoric, presenters Mat Fraser and Sophie Morgan fear the disabled community globally are once again being framed as a financial burden. Their question is: can the British public be persuaded that disabled people should live in “money saving” segregated institutions and be given low-skilled jobs to be productive?

No Australian citizen, or anyone else, should have to endure the terrible nightmare our family is going through

A bit more than a month ago my husband, Hiep Tran, went missing. It was the beginning of a terrible ordeal for Hiep, me and our entire family.

We now understand that he is being wrongfully detained in a Vietnamese prison.

The hilarious duo are back with deeply silly sketches about an evil trad-wife, Lime bike addicts and Dubai chocolate. There are only three episodes, but each one is gloriously unsettling – and packed with ridiculously good guest stars

In 2022, comics and actors Ellie White and Natasia Demetriou starred in six bite-size episodes of their self-titled sketch show. Among the highlights: a woman who makes wild swimming her whole personality before realising she hates freezing water; a pair of overbearing, overopinionated mums who vlog from a sterilely clean kitchen (“you’re not a real mum unless you’re redecorating or knocking through at least six times a year”) and, of course, Internet Nails, about two decidedly useless eastern European beauty entrepreneurs who were branching out into a variety of business ideas (“please let us scratch you with our ink today, and if you change your mind we can burn the tattoo off with professional match”). It was often hilarious, and was definitely weird, with many parallels to the offbeat Channel 4 series Stath Lets Flats (which White and Demetriou starred in alongside the latter’s brother, its creator Jamie).

Four long years later – reportedly due to scheduling clashes – the duo are back. Ellie & Natasia series two comprises just three episodes, although – gladly – these episodes are now half an hour long rather than a mere 15 minutes. Internet Nails, in particular, remains a crucible for unsettling comedy, with the salon having become a “premiere relax styling and elegance lounge for all makeup, hair straightening and spray tanning mother-baby needs”). The fact that both women were pregnant at the time of filming only makes it funnier, and the low-rent experience (“100% birthing penthouse with perfect lukewarm Jacuzzi”) is deeply silly and – for anyone who has gone to a slightly shonky beauty shop before – astutely observed. The judgy mums are back, too, complete with advice on how to make your wardrobe stretch from “conception to birth, birth to night, night to bed, bed to menopause, menopause to coffin, and coffin to hell …”

This story appeared in The Logoff, a daily newsletter that helps you stay informed about the Trump administration without letting political news take over your life. Subscribe here.

Welcome to The Logoff: President Donald Trump is cozying up to Russia again. 

What’s happening? On Wednesday, Russia released an American prisoner, 74-year-old retired teacher Stephen Hubbard, back to the US. The US, Trump said in a social media post, “out of respect for President Trump, was not required to give anything in return.” 

Hubbard’s release is unquestionably good news. But Trump is wrong: In just the last month, his administration has delivered for Russia in more ways than one, often inexplicably and despite bipartisan condemnation. 

What is Trump doing for Russia? Late last week, he waived upcoming economic sanctions on Russia that he had only recently signed into law after they passed Congress with overwhelming bipartisan support. He also: 

• Struck a diesel deal with Russia, temporarily lifting fuel sanctions on the country in exchange for Russia releasing a trivial amount of diesel into the global market; 
• Announced — seemingly without talking to either party — a Russia-Ukraine “energy ceasefire” favorable to Russia (which has since fallen apart); 
• Temporarily interrupted US intel sharing with Ukraine and played a role in interfering with Ukraine’s access to Starlink, which helps power the country’s drone warfare against Russia; and 
• Called on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to be replaced.

Last month, Trump also invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to the annual G20 summit later this year, which would mark Putin’s first appearance since 2019.

What does Trump get out of all of this? There’s Hubbard’s release, but taking that on Trump’s own terms (muddled though they are), the US didn’t give anything to secure it — which means that all of those favors have amounted to not much at all, other than papering over Russia’s role as an international bad actor and breaking with US allies in Europe. 

Why does this matter? Trump’s Russia embrace comes at an awful time for Ukraine, which, as the New York Times reported earlier this month, is facing a Russian campaign to “freeze Ukrainians into submission” as winter approaches. Nevertheless, on Wednesday, Trump envoy Steve Witkoff called Putin a “humanitarian.”

And with that, it’s time to log off…

I was delighted to learn about the US’s new national park yesterday, its 64th. Chiricahua National Park — until Tuesday, only a national monument — is the first new park in six years. Located in southeastern Arizona, it’s also called the “Wonderland of Rocks,” according to the Washington Post; you can read more about it here with a gift link. 

Have a great evening, and we’ll see you back here tomorrow!

House prices in Sydney are at a two-year low after falling 4.7% in the September quarter to $1.66m, according to Domain report

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House prices are falling across every capital city for the first time in 15 years and the second time on record, according to figures from Domain’s September Quarter 2026 House Price report.

House prices in Sydney are at a two-year low after falling 4.7% in the September quarter, to $1.66m.

With ICE arrests and detentions at their highest levels, immigration remains a key issue for voters less than two weeks before election day.

• From mass raids to quiet crackdown: a timeline of Trump’s strategic ICE pivot

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Cheryl Bath, Wisconsin asks in a callout question: During covid I was surprised to learn how many foreign workers, especially from Mexico, worked in the Wisconsin farm fields. And now, I was more surprised to learn that these workers would also be deported and not allowed to work any longer at these fields even though it was all legal with paperwork. These foreign workers paid into the federal government taxes and social security system which was a plus for U.S. social security. I’ve been wondering how these Wisconsin farms are dealing with the absence of these workers seeing how it is harvesting time right now. Propublica had a article a year or so ago about the effects of this immigration sweep on the workers and the farms but that was still when the workers were still here. I can’t find any follow up or information on this anywhere. I think the farmers really feel left out to deal with this on their own and no one is asking questions. Maybe you can?

Maanvi: Cattle ranchers and dairy farmers have indeed been pushing for immigration reform, not only recently, but for years – because the industry relies so heavily on immigrant labor. In September, the the Texas Cattle Feeders Association, Kansas Livestock Association, and Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association issued a joint warning that ICE operations were threatening their industy, and would have “a massive chilling effect on the legal, documented, skilled workers that put beef on the table and keep the supply chain moving”. I recently spoke with Matt Teagarden, CEO of the Kansas Livestock Association, who said that the US cattle herd has shrunk to its lowest numbers in 75 years – and ranchers are struggling to keep up with consumer demand. Farms aren’t able to expand operations without immigrant labor – and Teagarden said that this could mean that US consumers will increasingly be eating imported beef. He also noticed that ICE crackdowns are having a systemic impact on agriculture – it’s not only dairy or cattle industry workers who are impacted, but also farmworkers who grow the feed for cows, and immigrant workers who process the dairy and meat before it gets to grocery stores. Two-thirds of farm workers are non-citizen immigrants. As the administration targets these workers, food producers could struggle to keep up operations, and prices are expected to increase steeply, according to a study by the thinktank Fwd.us.

José: Many people caught up in the Trump administration’s dragnet are workers in the US — they pay taxes and contribute to Social Security, while receiving almost none of the benefits. The process to gain asylum or remain in the US can be long and arduous — oftentimes, as undocumented people go through the process, they will receive work permits, Social Security numbers and, in certain states, driver’s licenses. Now, many people with those legal work permits have been arrested by federal immigration officials and sit in detention centers, waiting for their immigration cases to proceed.

House prices in Sydney are at a two-year low after falling 4.7% in the September quarter to $1.66m, according to Domain report

• Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast

House prices are falling across every capital city for the first time in 15 years and the second time on record, according to figures from Domain’s September Quarter 2026 House Price report.

House prices in Sydney are at a two-year low after falling 4.7% in the September quarter, to $1.66m.

The penalty in New Mexico stems from a lawsuit about a data privacy scandal that Facebook faced more than eight years ago.

For a little over 20 minutes, Aston Villa could look down on the rest of Europe. They had scaled the Champions League summit on goal difference when Henrik Heggheim put through his own net and the fact was not lost on the Holte End, who reflected their position in song and perhaps allowed themselves another glimpse back to the days when their supremacy was undisputed. “We’ve conquered before, we’re prepared for more,” the pre-match tifo display had read.

Perhaps Villa really will rekindle the spirit of 1982 but the frustration here, albeit minor in the wider scheme, was that they could not maintain their bird’s-eye view over the continent. A superbly taken volley by Peter Christiansen, awarded by the video assistant referee after initially being disallowed for offside, gave Viking a consolation their second-half display deserved and meant Unai Emery’s side must make do with slumming it just behind Paris Saint-Germain.

It is as if Harry Kane cannot get enough of tormenting Arsenal. The Bayern Munich striker has plenty of form from his Tottenham days. He remains the top scorer in north London derby history with 14 goals. He made an impact yet again here and yet it was not a night when he had the final word. That honour fell to Declan Rice, the Arsenal midfielder storming into the Bayern area in the 82nd minute to guide home a low finish that Kane would have been proud to call his own.

Arsenal were hunting their latest statement result. Only once had they ever won away against Bayern – the 2-0 in the Champions League last 16 second leg in 2013, although it did not prevent an away goals exit. Mikel Arteta was an Arsenal player that night. When Eberechi Eze, who came on for the injured Bukayo Saka in the 10th minute, gave them the lead midway through the first half, their hopes surged.

Medics indicate pontiff’s tumour had not spread, but doubts remain about planned trip to South America next month

Pope Leo will not need any further ⁠treatment after undergoing lung cancer surgery last week, his doctors said, indicating ⁠that his tumour had ⁠not ​spread.

The ⁠71-year-old pontiff had the lower lobe of his ​right lung removed on 13 October and was diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma, the most ‌common form of lung cancer.

В какой-то момент HydraScript перестал справляться со своей основной задачей — выполнять программы. Статический анализ падал на корректном коде, и его пришлось отключить. Кодогенерация назначала инструкциям неверные адреса: виртуальная машина зацикливалась или падала с исключением.

Логика анализа и генерации кода была размазана по иерархии узлов AST. Добавлять возможности языка становилось всё сложнее, а разобраться в очередном баге было отдельной задачей. Пришлось остановиться и подумать, как вообще дальше развивать проект. Я решил отделить операции от дерева и выбрал для этого Visitor.