Last week in one sentence: The Justice Department issued more than 40 grand jury subpoenas and record-preservation notices in its investigation of Alaska’s Senate race; the Justice Department subpoenaed Los Angeles County election workers to appear before a federal grand jury as part of a criminal investigation into alleged noncitizen voting; Trump offered $1 million for voter fraud tips that lead to an arrest and conviction; Trump’s war with Iran has cost $47.1 billion so far – up $3.5 billion in roughly six weeks; and the economy grew at a 3.4% annual rate in the third quarter.

🧩 The news quiz.

How much did Trump offer for voter-fraud tips that lead to an arrest and conviction? That and seven more questions about this week’s news. Answers and explanations as you go.

Take the Last Week in WTF News Quiz

🗞️ The week in WTF.

1/ The Justice Department issued more than 40 grand jury subpoenas and record-preservation notices in its investigation of Alaska’s Senate race. The requests follow reports that aides to Democratic candidate Mary Peltola and national Democratic operatives helped recruit an independent candidate named Daniel J. Sullivan to draw votes from incumbent Republican Sen. Dan S. Sullivan. Peltola’s campaign denied involvement with either of the Sullivan campaigns. The Justice Department already sued to delay certification if the Republican incumbent narrowly loses and the votes for the other Sullivan could change the outcome. The Alaska Supreme Court, however, ruled that the independent candidate could remain on the ballot. Alaska Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy ordered a state investigation into whether Democrats broke state law, but didn’t identify what law may have been broken. Trump, meanwhile, claimed the alleged scheme was “voter fraud at the highest level,” demanded prosecutions, and declined to say whether Republicans should seat Peltola if she wins. (Monday / Thursday)

2/ The Justice Department subpoenaed Los Angeles County election workers to appear before a federal grand jury as part of a criminal investigation into alleged noncitizen voting. The subpoenas require them to appear the day after the midterms and seeks records about how the county identifies and prevents noncitizen voting. A federal judge, meanwhile, rejected the administration’s request to set aside ballots from roughly 20,000 voters it claims are likely noncitizens, saying the federal government could “create chaos for their own political purpose to disrupt the election process.” The 9th Circuit had already rejected the department’s emergency appeal because it hadn’t given the lower court an adequate chance to rule. California officials also questioned the list’s accuracy, saying 112 of 200 sampled registrations were canceled or inactive and many others appeared to belong to U.S. citizens. (Monday / Tuesday / Thursday)

3/ Trump offered $1 million for voter fraud tips that lead to an arrest and conviction, including tips about past elections and the 2026 midterms. Trump didn’t say where the money would come from, and the White House declined to provide details. There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud in U.S. elections, despite Trump’s repeated false claims that fraud cost him the 2020 election. (Tuesday)

4/ Trump’s war with Iran has cost $47.1 billion so far – up $3.5 billion in roughly six weeks. About $29 billion of that is for replacing munitions, and the estimate excludes damage to U.S. bases in the Middle East. Trump said the war would end “Whenever I want it to end,” but that he requires a “total statement” that Iran would never have a nuclear weapon. The U.S., meanwhile, told several Gulf Arab countries to prepare for a possible short, intense military campaign after the Nov. 3 midterms. (Monday / Wednesday / Thursday)

5/ The economy grew at a 3.4% annual rate in the third quarter, its fastest pace in a year and up from 2.2% in the spring. Consumer spending rose 3.8%, while business investment outside housing climbed 12.7% amid a surge in AI spending. Inflation accelerated to 3.6% in September, above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target. And, the Fed held interest rates steady at 3.75% to 4%, even as Fed Chair Kevin Warsh acknowledged that “inflation is too high.” Investors, meanwhile, expect a rate increase in December. (Monday / Wednesday / Thursday)

⏰ Dept. of Since I’ve Been Gone.

What just happened since my last update.

  1. A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to stop trying to “threaten, intimidate or coerce” election officials into removing voters from rolls, withholding or segregating ballots, or stopping vote counts based on allegations of noncitizen voting. Judge Trina Thompson found that the administration likely violated federal voter-intimidation protections, warning that its actions could have the effect of “interfering with election administration and disenfranchising lawful voters.” The Justice Department had threatened election officials with prosecution and issued grand jury subpoenas to Los Angeles County election workers as part of a criminal investigation into suspected noncitizen voting. (Politico / New York Times / CNN / CBS News / Axios)

  2. A federal appeals court – again – rejected the Trump administration’s effort to set aside ballots from roughly 20,000 California voters it claims may be noncitizens. In a 2-1 ruling, the court warned that separating the ballots could have “potentially catastrophic effects on the entire system” and risk disenfranchising eligible voters. (New York Times / NBC News / CBS News / Axios)

  3. An ICE agent was indicted by a Texas grand jury for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Mario Alberto Morales allegedly “aggressively steered his vehicle” into Parra Hernandez, who suffered a broken leg. Morales faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted. (Wall Street Journal / CBS News / CNN / NBC News)

  4. A federal judge opened an investigation into whether the Trump administration misled the court about plans to close and remake Washington’s East Potomac golf course. U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes said they’ll investigate whether Justice Department lawyers and administration officials withheld information, made false statements, or acted in “bad faith” while denying plans to redevelop the public course. (Washington Post / Politico / CNN / NPR)

📊 The Dept. of Numbers.

A few figures that caught my eye this week.

  • U.S. national debt reached 100% of GDP for the first time since 1946. The $32.2 trillion in publicly held debt equaled 100.03% of GDP, up from 99.4% last fiscal year.

  • Hackers leaked a searchable database of more than 41,000 Homeland Security employees and contractors, including undercover ICE agents. The records include names, work phone numbers, email addresses, supervisors, and internal access groups tied to undercover operations, wiretaps, facial recognition, and surveillance programs.

  • Trump joked that his promised $5,000 checks to Americans if Republicans retain control of Congress in the midterms would buy little more than “a hamburger and maybe a small dessert” at Mar-a-Lago. “I’m not even sure you could buy that,” Trump added, saying that his club is “not a good place if you’re price-conscious.”

👀 Most clicked.

The articles I linked to that caught your eye this week.

  1. Democrats reportedly recruited a second candidate named Dan Sullivan to run against Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan. (New York Times)
  2. Vivek Ramaswamy’s personal attack ad “is having a significant effect.” “Republicans fear that Vivek Ramaswamy’s explosive attack ad featuring his opponent’s estranged mother could cost them the Ohio governor’s race, based on new internal polling that shows him falling further behind.” (Axios)
  3. Nate Silver predicts the midterms will “mark the end of the Trump era.” (New York Times)
  4. South Carolina Senate race is effectively tied. “Senator Darline Graham, the South Carolina Republican, is struggling to replicate her late brother’s success.” (New York Times)
  5. Trump jokes $5,000 would buy ‘a hamburger and maybe a small dessert’ at Mar-a-Lago as affordability looms over midterm. (CNBC)
  6. Trump said he’ll respect the midterm results “if they’re honest.” (ABC News)
  7. Alaska GOP governor orders investigation into Democrats’ ballot-stacking allegations. (Politico)

📰 Daily editions.

Monday · Tuesday · Wednesday · Thursday