1. History is on the line in this year's Senate races: since 1789, only one of every 400 U.S. senators has been a Black woman. Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland and Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware recently became the first two Black women to serve at the same time. Illinois Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton is set to join them, and if Florida's Angie Nixon wins, four Black women would serve together.
2. Black farmer Jamie Davis is running to become Louisiana's next U.S. senator, traveling farm to farm to shake hands with voters. The Democrat from Waterproof is challenging Representative Julia Letlow, who has President Trump's endorsement. If Davis wins, he would be the first Black person to hold the seat since P.B.S. Pinchback, who was elected in 1873 but never allowed to take it.
3. The cost of the Iran war to American taxpayers has grown to an estimated $47.1 billion. The Pentagon's latest figure to Congress, as of October 16, is up $3.5 billion since early September, and the cost has become a key issue in the midterm elections. With the war now eight months old, most voters say they want Congress to prioritize ending it.
4. Beyoncé's BeyGOOD Foundation has awarded $25,000 to Camp HBCYouth, a summer camp that introduces young children to HBCUs. The seven-week program has served 2,000 children in kindergarten through fifth grade, with HBCU students and alumni as mentors, and partners including Spelman, Morehouse, Clark Atlanta and Tennessee State. Founder Reagan Fresnel says the grant will put more children on HBCU campuses and keep the camp affordable for families.
5. On October 29, 1969, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Alexander v. Holmes County Board of Education that school segregation had to end "at once," replacing Brown v. Board's "all deliberate speed." The case was led by Beatrice Alexander Ross, a Mississippi ninth grader. Her stand forced Southern districts into immediate desegregation.