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Washington and Israel mapped out a possible strike after Election Day, while prosecutors charged 28 noncitizen voters out West and two former FBI insiders over a laptop. Meanwhile, a billionaire floated folding his rocket company and his carmaker together, and hundreds of thousands of French marchers filled the streets as tear gas drifted over Paris.

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The US and Israel were preparing plans for a possible attack on Iran in early November, after the US midterm elections, a person briefed on the war planning said Thursday. Israel had initially planned to strike in mid-October, about two weeks before its own Oct. 27 election, but President Trump objected, according to the same person.

Iran's foreign minister said Tehran was just as prepared for diplomacy as for war, while a security source quoted by state media warned of retaliation against US interests if attacked. Washington kept amassing forces in the region to be ready by early November, though the preparations could also be part of a campaign pressuring Iran toward a diplomatic deal.

The Justice Department charged 28 noncitizens with election crimes in California on Monday and asked a federal court to stop the state from processing ballots from suspected noncitizens. Los Angeles County officials called the department's list of 20,000 "likely" noncitizen voters unreliable, saying some people on it had indicated they were born in the US.

By midweek, the department had already begun notifying counties in Colorado, Florida, Minnesota, Texas and Washington that federal monitors would watch voting there on Election Day. Civil Rights Division chief Harmeet Dhillon had said in September that the department planned to send 1,000 observers nationwide, calling it the largest monitoring effort in its history.

The Justice Department charged two former FBI employees, Bradley Benavides and Nikki Floris, with making false statements to Congress about the bureau's Hunter Biden investigations before the 2020 election. Both once held senior posts on the FBI's now-defunct Foreign Influence Task Force, and each turned themselves in before a first court appearance in Washington on Friday.

Prosecutors alleged the pair misled lawmakers about their roles in the investigations during 2023 testimony, with one claiming to have learned about it only from Wikipedia. Charges came by criminal complaint, meaning prosecutors had not yet secured a grand jury indictment in the latest high-profile case since President Trump returned to office.

On SpaceX's third-quarter earnings call Tuesday, Elon Musk endorsed a potential merger with Tesla and revealed that both companies had formed special committees to explore a deal. Musk said he thought combining his two trillion-dollar companies would be a good idea, while admitting he was "tap dancing through a minefield" by commenting publicly on it.

Merger talk overshadowed Tesla's own quarterly report Wednesday, which showed declining auto revenue and an even steeper drop in its energy business, as executives declined to address a deal. Tesla shares fell 3% on Thursday and stood down 17% for the year, while SpaceX plunged 9%, slipping back below its opening price after its June market debut.

More than 400,000 people rallied in cities across France on Saturday over school funding and soaring living costs, mounting a fresh challenge to French President Emmanuel Macron. Masked protesters hurled objects and fireworks at police near the end of the Paris march, and officers answered with tear gas, sound grenades and water cannons.

Police made nearly 1,000 arrests, a week after widespread rioting and looting, as more than a month of unrest that began in high schools tested Macron's authority. France's far-right National Rally urged voters to channel their anger into votes for Marine Le Pen, with Macron's successor due to be chosen in next May's election.

A day after Palestinian gunmen killed two Israeli soldiers at a checkpoint, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed a West Bank operation on a scale unseen since the 1967 war. Netanyahu faces a tough national election on Tuesday, while troops are already demolishing homes and forcibly removing hundreds of Palestinians from a neighborhood in the city of Hebron.

The White House said Friday it will ease some of its 50% tariffs on Canadian goods, after Maine Sen. Susan Collins said she lobbied for exemptions to help her state. Starting Oct. 30, the relief covers plywood sheets, some paper products, certain machinery and refrigeration equipment, a slice of the $20 billion in goods hit since August.

Medicare Advantage plans are disappearing in many markets for next year, and in 193 counties across the country seniors will have no such plans to choose from. Open enrollment runs through Dec. 7, giving seniors in private plans, which cover more than half of Medicare's 70 million members, time to review options and switch.

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This week brought rising tensions abroad, election disputes at home and fresh economic uncertainty. U.S. and Israeli preparations for a possible strike on Iran raised concerns about a wider conflict, while the Justice Department's election enforcement efforts intensified ahead of the Nov. 3 midterms.

Economic pressures also remained in focus as more than 400,000 people protested across France and Elon Musk explored a potential Tesla-SpaceX merger. Both developments highlighted growing uncertainty for governments, businesses and investors.

Looking ahead, several key decisions are approaching. Israel votes Tuesday amid escalating West Bank tensions, while limited U.S. tariff relief for Canadian goods begins Oct. 30. Medicare recipients also face a Dec. 7 deadline to review coverage as some private plans disappear.

From international security to household finances, the coming weeks could bring significant changes. Readers should watch how these developments affect regional stability, election oversight and everyday costs.

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Fox News hosts Sean Hannity and Ainsley Earhardt got married at their home church in Palm Beach, where they got engaged, surrounded by their children, families and dearest friends.

Clayface oozed its way to first at the North American box office with $24 million, beating You Can See Everything, which pulled in $19.5 million for second place.

An American Horror Story actor said he was as surprised as anyone to learn that his hospice worker character, Ben, would turn out to be the son of Satan.

England defeats France at the Battle of Agincourt (1415) · The Charge of the Light Brigade in the Crimean War (1854) · Albert Fall becomes the first Cabinet member convicted of a crime (1929) · Adlai Stevenson confronts the Soviets at the UN over missiles in Cuba (1962) · U.S. troops invade Grenada (1983) · Sen. Paul Wellstone dies in a Minnesota plane crash (2002)

"I am prepared to wait for my answer until hell freezes over, if that's your decision." — Adlai Stevenson, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, to Soviet envoy Valerian Zorin

That's your Sunday catch-up. Enjoy the rest of your weekend, and share this edition with a friend.

—The Five Minute Daily Team