New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared a statewide disaster emergency on Monday as a measles outbreak spreads through under-immunised rural communities, with 108 cases reported this year. The order expands who can administer MMR vaccines and comes as neighbouring Pennsylvania battles an outbreak that has killed five people.

Brazil’s veteran leftist President Luiz Inacio "Lula" da Silva trailed Flavio Bolsonaro, the son of his far-right predecessor, in the first-round presidential vote on Sunday. Some analysts suggest that the sweeping anti-poverty measures Lula put in place over two decades may have helped give rise to a growing lower-middle class drawn to the far right’s promise to get the government out of people’s lives.

Family members of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro won big in Sunday's general election, including the right-wing lawmaker's eldest son Flavio Bolsonaro, who surpassed President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in the first-round presidential vote. During the campaign, Flavio Bolsonaro promised to secure amnesty for his jailed father. 

Right-wing Senator Flavio Bolsonaro pulled off a surprise first-place finish ahead of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in Sunday's election, which heads to a run-off vote on October 25 as neither clinched a majority.

The woman who alleged that she was drugged and raped by seven male students at a Cornell University fraternity house has been the target of threats, her lawyer told CNN on Sunday. Cornell's president earlier voiced support for an external review of the Ivy League institution facing widespread outcry over its handling of the case.

Brazilians voted Sunday in a high-stakes presidential election pitting incumbent Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva against far-right challenger Flavio Bolsonaro, following a campaign dominated by corruption scandals, economic anxiety and accusations of US meddling. The knife-edge election comes at a moment when the region is shifting to the right in line with the Trump administration.

Senator Jon Ossoff, a Democratic favourite, is running for re-election in Georgia in the 2026 US midterms while Abdul El-Sayed is a Senate candidate in the battleground state of Michigan. The two Democrats have very different profiles and platforms, underscoring divergences within the party. They could also determine the party's future ahead of the 2028 presidential election. 

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and his main challenger Flavio Bolsonaro wrapped up their campaigns on Saturday in the powerhouse state of Sao Paulo, where a fifth of the nation's vote is based, seeking to rally supporters and convince the undecided on the eve of Sunday's nail-biter election.

The head of Tennessee's prison system has resigned in the first major shake-up since the stunning failed execution of convicted murderer Christa Pike, who is in critical condition after surviving two lethal injections. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, who previously denied Pike clemency, has halted further executions through the rest of the year while a review is conducted.

The first round of Brazil’s presidential election on Sunday pits two well-known names in the political ring: Lula vs. Bolsonaro. But it’s not former president Jair Bolsonaro facing off against the incumbent head of state – it’s his eldest son, Flavio Bolsonaro. He’s less charismatic than his father but just as ideologically radical as the family patriarch.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will stand for re-election in Brazil on Sunday. At 80, the former steelworker hopes to capitalise on his popularity and economic successes to win a fourth term in office but is neck-and-neck in the polls with far-right rival Flavio Bolsonaro.

The mudslinging between Brazil’s incumbent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and his election rival, Flavio Bolsonaro, has heated up ahead of what is expected to be an extremely close vote this weekend. From stating loose rumours as facts, to taking comments completely out of their context, they are both doing everything they can to win a few more votes.

Christa Pike, who has been on death row in Tennessee for more than 30 years for torturing and murdering a classmate, was on Wednesday set to be executed, but the lethal injections meant to kill her failed. Pike was then transported to a medical facility, where her attorney says she remains in a "critical condition".

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday that his department had cut 20 percent of US admirals, generals and officers who did not fit his vision. "Simple translation of that: no fatties, no trannies, no beardos, no weirdos, no wimps, no radicals. Just warriors – just tough, ready, committed troops," he said.

El Salvador will hold presidential elections on February 28, 2027, the electoral tribunal said Wednesday, opening the way for President Nayib Bukele to seek a third term after constitutional changes removed presidential term limits. Bukele has drawn praise for sharply reducing gang violence but faced criticism over rights abuses during his crackdown.

The Federal Reserve's watchdog on Wednesday found no grounds for a criminal referral over a roughly $1 billion cost overrun on renovations to the central bank's Washington buildings, while faulting project oversight. The findings prompted President Donald Trump to renew his call for former Fed chief Jerome Powell to resign.

A federal judge on Wednesday approved a settlement clearing Paramount’s takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery after 12 US states challenged the deal on antitrust grounds. The agreement includes safeguards for CNN’s editorial independence and requires the merged studio to release at least 30 films a year for its first two years.

The US Supreme Court on Wednesday cleared the way for Tennessee to execute Christa Pike, 50, the state's first woman put to death in 200 years. The ruling came hours after a federal appeals court temporarily halted the lethal injection to consider claims that Pike's childhood sexual abuse was not adequately weighed at sentencing.

Trade ministers of the Group of 20 are meeting in Milwaukee for two days of talks on Wednesday, but US President Donald Trump’s tariffs are expected to hang heavy over the talks. "Don't expect any breakthroughs," an analyst watching the event said.

The US Supreme Court on Tuesday cleared the Trump administration to resume deporting migrants to countries other than their own while it considers the legality of the practice. The court’s conservative majority temporarily blocked safeguards requiring deportees to receive notice of where they would be sent and time to raise persecution concerns.