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Senior Iranian officials told Reuters on Oct 21 that Tehran is deliberately prolonging talks with Washington to weaken Trump before the midterms while preparing for renewed US and Israeli strikes, as seaborne oil exports fell to zero and a Houthi missile strike killed 73 in Shabwa. Alex and Jordan unpack Iran's strategy and the escalating regional toll.

Police launched a murder investigation on Oct 21 after a man was found seriously injured inside a bin on a service road in Plymouth's West Hoe area and pronounced dead at the scene, with cordons in place on Grand Parade and Garden Crescent. Alex and Jordan cover what's known so far and the questions detectives are trying to answer.

The Met Office issued an amber wind warning as Storm Austen, the first named storm of the season, approaches the UK with 80mph gusts forecast for Cornwall, Devon and the Isles of Scilly from Thursday night into Friday, plus 21 hours of heavy rain for Scotland. Alex and Jordan run through what to expect and how to stay safe as the storm moves in.

President Macron pledged on Oct 21 to prevent a repeat of last weekend's riots and looting as the Yellow Vests filed plans for a major Saturday march through ransacked parts of Paris, while French 10-year bond yields jumped to 5%, their highest since July 2002. Alex and Jordan examine the pressure on Macron's government and what another mass protest could mean for France.

Arsenal fought back twice to earn a 2-2 Champions League draw at Bayern Munich on Oct 21, with Declan Rice equalizing eight minutes from time after Eze's strike and a Harry Kane penalty. Alex and Jordan look at what the result means for Arsenal's league-phase campaign after their 14-match winning run came to an end.

Como stunned Manchester United 4-1 in the Champions League on October 21, with Nico Paz scoring twice in one of the most humiliating nights in United's European history, leaving Michael Carrick's side with one win from three league-phase games. Alex and Jordan unpack how the first-time qualifiers pulled it off and what it means for Carrick. DIALOGUE: Alex: I need you to sit down for this one. Como — Como! — just beat Manchester United four-one in the Champions League. Jordan: Four-one. I'm going to say it again because it doesn't sound real: Como beat Manchester United four to one. In Europe. This actually happened. Alex: This is one of the most humiliating nights in United's entire European history. And it's not like Como are some sleeping giant — they're first-time qualifiers. This was supposed to be a routine away win. Jordan: Supposed to be. Instead, Nico Paz scored twice and ran the show. Two goals against Manchester United on a Champions League night — that's a career-defining performance. Alex: Let's talk about Paz for a second, because he's the story. To score twice against United, to be the best player on the pitch in a four-one win — that's announcing yourself to the world. Jordan: And Como as a team — the tactical discipline, the fearlessness. First-time qualifiers aren't supposed to dismantle Manchester United. They're supposed to be happy to be there. Como played like they owned the place. Alex: Which makes you ask: what is going on at United? Michael Carrick's side now has one win from three league-phase games. One win. That's a crisis by United's standards. Jordan: It's beyond a blip now. Three games, one win, and a four-one humiliation to Como. The pressure on Carrick is going to be enormous after this. Alex: Remember, this is Manchester United — the club that measures itself against European Cups. Losing is one thing. Getting dismantled by first-time qualifiers is another thing entirely. Jordan: The fans will be furious. You can already hear it — the away end, the phone-ins, the pundits. A result like this lives forever. People will talk about Como four, United one for years. Alex: And here's what worries me for Carrick: it's not just the result, it's the manner of it. Four-one means United were second best in every department. That's a systemic failure, not bad luck. Jordan: Tactically, Como clearly had a plan and United had no answer. When a smaller club out-thinks you that completely, questions get asked about preparation, about motivation, about everything. Alex: Let's give Como their flowers though. This is what the Champions League is supposed to produce — nights where the supposed minnows remind everyone why the game is beautiful. Jordan: Absolutely. For Como supporters, this is the greatest night in their club's history. First Champions League campaign, and they've just humiliated Manchester United. That's folklore now. Alex: And Paz — clubs across Europe just added his name to their lists. Two goals against United on this stage? His phone's going to be busy. Jordan: So where does United go from here? One win from three, confidence in ruins, and the fixtures don't get kinder. Carrick needs a response, and he needs it fast. Alex: The league phase is unforgiving. Drop too many points early and you're fighting just to stay in the competition. United are dangerously close to that territory. Jordan: My takeaway: nights like this are why we watch. Como were fearless, Paz was electric, and Manchester United got a lesson they'll never forget. Football, man. Alex: Football indeed. Congrats to Como — and United fans, maybe skip the highlights on this one.

Ukraine carried out one of its largest drone operations of the war overnight on October 20-21, sending more than 400 drones across 12 Russian regions, while Moscow claimed 373 were intercepted and Russian strikes killed three people in Kyiv and Kharkiv and damaged a university in Kremenchuk. Alex and Jordan break down the scale of the barrage and what it signals about the war's next phase. DIALOGUE: Alex: This was one of the biggest drone operations of the entire war. Overnight, Ukraine sent more than four hundred drones across twelve Russian regions. Jordan: Four hundred drones. Twelve regions. Let that sink in — this wasn't a pinpoint strike, this was a mass barrage designed to overwhelm. Alex: And Moscow claims it intercepted three hundred seventy-three of them. Even if you take that number with a grain of salt — and you should — the scale of the operation is undeniable. Jordan: Right, both sides inflate their numbers. Russia always claims a high interception rate, Ukraine always claims maximum damage. The truth is somewhere in the middle, but the intent is clear. Alex: The intent is to show Russia that nowhere is safe. Twelve regions means this wasn't about one target — it was about demonstrating reach, stretching air defenses thin, and making the war felt far from the front. Jordan: And it's working as a strategy. Every drone that gets through forces Russia to spend enormous resources on air defense across a massive country. That's the economics of drone warfare — cheap offense versus expensive defense. Alex: Meanwhile, Russia hit back overnight too. Russian strikes killed three people in Kyiv and the Kharkiv region, and damaged a university in Kremenchuk. Jordan: A university. That's the part that never stops being grim. Civilian infrastructure keeps getting hit, and every night brings the same terrible math of casualties. Alex: It shows the war's rhythm right now — massive exchanges in both directions, night after night. Ukraine reaches deep into Russia with drones, Russia pounds Ukrainian cities in return. Jordan: And here's the timing angle that matters: this barrage came right as peace talks are supposedly restarting. Remember, Putin just agreed "in principle" to November negotiations. Alex: Exactly. This is leverage in action. Ukraine is showing it can strike across twelve regions right before sitting down at the table. Every drone is a bargaining chip. Jordan: And Russia's strikes are the same message in reverse — we can still hurt your cities, so don't get too confident. It's brutal, but it's how negotiations get shaped. Alex: Let's talk about the drone war itself for a second, because four hundred in one night represents a massive industrial achievement. Ukraine has built a drone program from almost nothing into one of the most formidable in the world. Jordan: It's genuinely changed warfare. Cheap, mass-produced drones doing the work that used to require fighter jets. Military academies will study this conflict for decades. Alex: And the twelve-region spread is the evolution. Early in the war, Ukrainian strikes barely reached across the border. Now they're hitting targets across the breadth of Russia. Jordan: Which raises the stakes for everyone. The deeper Ukraine can strike, the more pressure on Moscow — but also the more unpredictable the escalation ladder gets. Alex: My takeaway: this wasn't just a military operation, it was a message — to Moscow, to Washington, and to anyone watching the peace talks. Ukraine is negotiating from strength, not desperation. Jordan: And the cost keeps mounting on both sides. Three more lives lost overnight, a university damaged. The drones make headlines, but the human toll is the real story. We'll keep tracking it.

After a three-hour meeting with US envoy Steve Witkoff in St. Petersburg on October 21, the Kremlin said Vladimir Putin agreed "in principle" to resume technical-level trilateral peace talks with the US and Ukraine in November, while Ukraine backed a proposal to freeze the front lines. Alex and Jordan unpack what "in principle" really means and whether this round of talks could actually stick. DIALOGUE: Alex: So after months of stalled diplomacy, we might finally have movement. Putin has agreed — quote — "in principle" to resume Ukraine peace talks. Jordan: "In principle." Those two words are doing a lot of heavy lifting. Let's break down what actually happened, because the details matter here. Alex: Fair. US envoy Steve Witkoff spent three hours with Putin in St. Petersburg on October twenty-first. Three hours — that's a serious meeting, not a photo op. Jordan: And coming out of it, the Kremlin said Putin agreed to resume trilateral talks — Russia, the US, and Ukraine — in November. But here's the catch: they'd be at the technical level. No Putin himself at the table. Alex: Which is actually pretty standard for how these things restart. You don't send the leaders in first — you send the technicians to see if there's anything real to negotiate. Leaders come later, if it works. Jordan: True, but it also gives Putin an out. If the talks fail, he was never personally invested. If they succeed, he can swoop in for the win. It's classic. Alex: Meanwhile, the other big piece: Ukraine has backed a proposal to freeze the front lines. That's significant — it means Kyiv is signaling it's open to stopping where things stand. Jordan: That's the part that surprised me most. Freezing the front lines effectively means accepting the current map, at least temporarily. For Ukraine, that's a huge concession to even put on the table. Alex: It tells you how exhausted everyone is. This war has ground on for years, and both sides are looking for an exit ramp that doesn't look like surrender. Jordan: But let's be honest about Putin's track record here. "In principle" agreements from the Kremlin have a habit of evaporating. Remember how many ceasefires collapsed within days? Alex: More than I can count. So the skepticism is earned. The question is whether something's different this time — whether the pressure is finally real. Jordan: The pressure is definitely different. The US has been leaning hard, the economic strain on Russia is growing, and Ukraine's drone campaign is hitting deeper than ever. Everyone's feeling the cost. Alex: And there's the November timing. Talks in November means both sides spend the next few weeks positioning — military moves on the ground become bargaining chips at the table. Jordan: Which is the dark irony of peace talks. The fighting often intensifies right before negotiations, because every mile of territory is leverage. Alex: So what would success even look like? A frozen front line, some kind of monitoring, maybe a path to a longer settlement. It's not peace — it's a pause with paperwork. Jordan: But a pause with paperwork saves lives. And sometimes a frozen conflict is the best available outcome, even if nobody gets to declare victory. Alex: My takeaway: don't pop the champagne over "in principle." Watch for the actual date, the actual delegations, and whether the guns quiet down when November arrives. Jordan: Exactly. Three hours in St. Petersburg got us a maybe. Now we need to see if the maybe survives contact with reality. We'll be watching.

More than 13 million Americans had already voted by October 20, with El Paso breaking its day-two early voting record, Georgia passing 1.13 million ballots, and Black turnout running well ahead of 2022 levels in North Carolina. Alex and Jordan dig into what the early numbers signal about turnout and momentum ahead of the midterms. DIALOGUE: Alex: Okay, this number stopped me cold. More than thirteen million Americans had already voted by October twentieth. Thirteen million — weeks before Election Day. Jordan: That's massive. And it's not just the national number — the local records are falling everywhere. El Paso just broke its day-two early voting record. Alex: Yeah, El Paso's day-two numbers smashed the previous record. People are lining up like it's already November. And Georgia? Georgia passed one point one three million ballots already. Jordan: One point one three million in Georgia alone. That state has become the poster child for high-turnout elections, and it's delivering again. Alex: And here's the detail that caught my eye — Black early turnout in North Carolina is running well ahead of 2022 levels. That's a demographic signal that campaigns are going to read very carefully. Jordan: Absolutely. North Carolina is a true battleground, and if Black voters are turning out early at a faster pace than the last midterms, both parties are going to adjust their ground game this week. Alex: So the big question: what does all this early voting actually tell us? Because every election cycle, somebody warns that early numbers don't predict the outcome. Jordan: That's the right caution. Early voting tells you about enthusiasm and turnout, not about who people voted for. A record number of early ballots doesn't automatically mean a blue wave or a red wave. Alex: Right, but it does tell you the electorate is engaged. Thirteen million people didn't vote early by accident — they're motivated. The question is which side's motivation is running hotter. Jordan: And there's a strategic angle too. Both parties have spent years arguing about early voting — remember when one side said it was bad and the other said it was essential? Now everyone's all-in on banking votes early. Alex: Exactly. The playbook has changed. Campaigns now treat early voting as their first Election Day. They want their reliable voters locked in weeks ahead so they can spend the final days chasing the undecided. Jordan: Fair point. So let's talk about what the campaigns are seeing. High early turnout in Georgia and North Carolina — those are both states where Senate and governor races could decide the national story. Alex: And the midterms are weeks away now. Every early ballot is one less voter the campaigns have to chase, which means more resources for persuading the fence-sitters. Jordan: Here's what I'll be watching: whether the pace holds. Early voting always starts strong with the most motivated voters. The real test is whether the surge continues through the final days of early voting. Alex: And whether Election Day itself still delivers. If everyone's already voted, does November fourth feel like a coronation or does the other side show up late and flip the script? Jordan: That's the drama. Thirteen million early votes is a headline, but the finish line is still weeks out. My takeaway? The energy is real, the records are real — and both parties should be nervous, because nobody owns this electorate. Alex: Well said. Get out there, vote early if you can, and we'll be watching every number until the last ballot is counted.

President Trump said in the Oval Office this week that Exxon and Chevron are "making too much money" from high oil prices during the Iran conflict, urging them to lower pump prices after the two giants reported quarterly profits of $14.5 billion and $12 billion. Alex and Jordan unpack whether the pressure can actually move prices and what the move says about midterm politics. DIALOGUE: Alex: You know what's wild? A president telling oil companies to stop making so much money. Jordan: Right? That's usually the other party's line. But Trump said it straight up in the Oval Office this week — Exxon and Chevron are quote, "making too much money." Alex: And he urged them to lower pump prices. With the Iran conflict pushing fuel costs sky high, he's basically saying Big Oil is cashing in while drivers are getting crushed. Jordan: The numbers explain why he said it. Chevron just reported twelve billion dollars in quarterly profit. Twelve billion — in three months. Alex: And Exxon beat that — fourteen and a half billion. These are staggering numbers, and Trump's framing them as profiteering off a crisis. Jordan: Which is pretty ironic coming from him. His whole brand is "drill, baby, drill." He's the most pro-oil president in memory. So publicly squeezing Exxon and Chevron is genuinely unusual. Alex: I think it's pure midterm politics. Elections are weeks away, and nothing sinks an incumbent faster than expensive gas. He needs prices down before November, and pressuring the majors is one lever he can pull loudly. Jordan: But here's the thing — will it actually work? Exxon and Chevron don't set the global oil price. Markets do. With the Iran conflict disrupting supply, crude is expensive for reasons no CEO can just wave away. Alex: True, but pump prices do have wiggle room. Refining margins, retail markups — if the companies absorb a little pain and cut prices publicly, that gives Trump a win he can show voters. Jordan: There's also the two-track message problem. His administration is doing everything pro-oil — opening drilling, cutting regulations — while he's also the guy yelling at the industry for making too much money. Those two stories clash. Alex: Voters probably don't care about the contradiction. When diesel is over six dollars a gallon in some regions, people just want somebody to do something. The nuance is for cable news. Jordan: And affordability is the whole ballgame right now. That's exactly why his approval numbers have been soft — families feel the pinch and blame whoever's in charge. Alex: So the question is whether this is a one-day headline or the start of real pressure. Does he follow through with reserve releases, with leaning on refiners, with actual policy? Jordan: There's already movement on that front. The administration is planning to loan out up to a third of the Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve to tame diesel prices. So there is real action behind the rhetoric. Alex: That makes the Oval Office scolding part of a broader playbook: squeeze prices from every direction, loudly, so voters see him fighting for them before the midterms. Jordan: And if prices drop before November, he takes credit twice — once for the pressure, once for the result. If they don't, he can still say he called out the oil giants. Alex: Classic win-win messaging. But here's my takeaway: fourteen and a half billion and twelve billion dollar quarters are genuinely hard to defend when families are struggling at the pump. Trump knows it, and he's using it. Jordan: Agreed. Watch the pump prices, not the press conferences. That's where this story really gets graded.