US official confirms memo is legit. CNN has obtained a copy. Substance also broadly consistent with IC read on things, per source. Some question as to why this would be communicated from DNI to SecState via this kind of memo, if not solely with intention of public release.

New: The US is rushing to move some diplomats & their family members from posts in the Middle East as the threat of regional escalation looms, per multiple sources. Story w/ @jmhansler, @kylieatwood & @snlyngaas cnn.com/2026/10/23/politics/…

This comes back to the question of who authorized the slowdown & to what extent the US government has ceded operability of a military-grade satellite system to a tech billionaire. Based on what we've heard from POTUS, Musk & top officials to date ... most, if not all of the possible scenarios at play raise pretty serious concerns, to say the least. At this stage, Trump's public remarks do not exactly message that he is in control of the situation.

Smart story from @shaneharris here. theatlantic.com/national-sec…

In 2018, prior to midterms, CBP officials also weighed using it against migrants, but then-Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen shot it down. “The issue was treating immigrants and citizens like enemy combatants,” a former DHS official familiar with previous discussions about using the weapon against migrants told CNN.

The Pentagon has given DHS permission to test a military-grade heat ray & develop tactics for potentially using it in operations at the southern US border, per a memo signed by SecDef Hegseth last month & obtained by CNN. New reporting w/ @priscialva cnn.com/2026/10/21/politics/…

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth traveled to Israel in an unannounced trip, two sources familiar & a US official tell me & @talshalev1. Hegseth met Monday evening with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz, per sources.  Representatives from the UAE were at one of the meetings, per Israeli source. The Pentagon declined to comment when asked about Hegseth's travel to Israel.  Hegseth’s unannounced visit to Israeli comes days before the country holds its elections. Trump recently gave his endorsement to Netanyahu calling him a  “Great Warrior Prime Minister” in a post on social media. Confirms @BarakRavid

Iran's claim the US struck an Iranian naval base is "inaccurate ... as usual," a US official tells me.

Vance says the President “did this because he believes it is very important, and I think he’s right…” But then he tries to suggest the war with Iran has successfully ensured Iran “cannot have a nuclear weapon” (which is certainly not true at this stage) & that the polling data suggests voter discontent about the conflict amounts to disagreements over “the particulars of the policy.”