Axios

President Trump suggested Tuesday that the financial cost of the Iran war to Americans is a price worth paying to keep the U.S. safe.

Why it matters: Trump's comments ignited backlash, but the federal government has spent years helping high-risk U.S. urban areas detect radiological and nuclear materials that could be used in an attack.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it is monitoring reports of a suspected pneumonic plague case in Russia and says it is prepared for any threat that emerges.

Why it matters: Pneumonic plague is the most dangerous form of plague and is almost always fatal unless if left untreated.

President Trump's Justice Department moved to revoke citizenship from 40 naturalized citizens accused of crimes in recent months, representing what Attorney General Todd Blanche called the "largest denaturalization effort in modern history."

The big picture: The Trump administration has made denaturalization a priority, moving personnel to pursue more cases and setting a goal of 250 cases by this month.

California leaders blasted President Trump after he said during a Monday rally about Iran, "Let them take out Los Angeles. Let them take out San Diego."

The big picture: The backlash — and the White House's insistence that Trump was misunderstood — underscored the ambiguity of his meandering speech: An argument that the war was worth enduring to protect Americans came out sounding like an invitation to attack two U.S. cities.

• An administration account posted on X that Trump meant that the U.S. was fighting Iran to "STOP Iran from having the ability to take out LA and San Diego."

Global investors did not expect Flávio Bolsonaro to convincingly top the first round of Brazil's presidential election, but now their expectations are running high that Latin America's largest economy could soon be transformed.

Why it matters: Should the right-wing candidate win the run-off on Oct. 25, nearly all of South America would become aligned with the Trump administration on trade, national security and other issues.

Driving the news: Brazilian markets surged Monday after Bolsonaro captured 47% of the vote Sunday.

• The Brazilian currency, the real, surged in value.
• After soaring more than 9%, the benchmark Bovespa stock index closed up 7.7%, its best daily gain since March 2020.

Zoom in: Bolsonaro, the eldest son of the former president known as the "Trump of the tropics," has pledged to cut public spending, which has helped push borrowing costs in Brazil higher.

• While it's unclear how fiscally prudent Bolsonaro might be, "markets are likely to give him the benefit of the doubt," said Thierry Larose, portfolio manager at Vontobel, per Reuters.

It's not just Bolsonaro's surprising show of strength: Other right-wing candidates made gains as well.

• And no presidential candidate who came in second in the first round has gone on to win the run-off since 1989, says the Economist Intelligence Unit.

What they're saying: "An increased likelihood of a change in government, together with the composition of the new congress, raises the probability of a credible fiscal anchor," UBS analysts wrote in a note Monday.

A national Latino civic engagement group is turning to an AI app to help voters cut through an increasingly complicated election system — in English or Spanish.

Why it matters: Nearly 39 million Hispanics can vote in this year's midterms, and their political loyalties are increasingly up for grabs.

The U.S. military evacuated a dozen B-1 bombers from the RAF Fairford airbase in the UK over the weekend as a result of intelligence suggesting an Iranian drone attack, U.S. officials said.

Why it matters: Such an Iranian drone attack from British soil against the base could have led to the killing of U.S. service members and destroyed the strategic bombers.

States are taking on the stubbornly high fuel prices squeezing Americans ahead of the midterm elections, pushing through tax holidays and other tactics to offer relief while federal efforts have stalled.

Why it matters: With November 3 less than 30 days away, the political stakes of those price-lowering levers — even if the relief is only modest — are surging amid sky-high costs.

A suspected pneumonic plague case in Russia rattled health officials, the White House and social media over the weekend, stoking fears about what might happen if the disease spreads around the world.

Why it matters: Pneumonic plague can spread between people and can be deadly without rapid treatment, but it moves differently than COVID-19 and is highly treatable with modern medicine.

The euro fell to a 17-month low against the dollar on Monday as political and fiscal worries rattled European markets.

Why it matters: Rising borrowing costs and political instability are reviving concerns about strains within the eurozone — and whether the European Central Bank may eventually have to step in.

For millions of children, the school day starts on a diesel-powered bus with a driver behind the wheel. Now, school districts are struggling to afford both.

Why it matters: The Iran War is sending diesel costs higher just as districts are grappling with a yearslong bus driver shortage — a double whammy that can ripple into missed breakfasts, late classes and fewer school activities.

The White House is monitoring a suspected outbreak of pneumonic plague in Russia, raising immediate concerns for scientists, researchers and health officials worldwide.

Why it matters: Pneumonic plague is the most dangerous form of plague and can spread between people through respiratory droplets. Without treatment, it is nearly always fatal, but antibiotics can be highly effective when started quickly.

President Trump's top cabinet members huddled for hours at Camp David on Friday to discuss next steps in the Iran war and the Saudi-Houthi conflict in Yemen, three U.S. officials told Axios.

Why it matters: The highly unusual meeting was not announced by the Trump administration. The last time a similar meeting took place was in June 2025, just days before Israel went to war against Iran.

France is dealing with a major debt crisis and social unrest ahead of its presidential election next year.

Why it matters: Worries are rising about contagion in Europe and beyond, and the situation is drawing comparisons with the sovereign debt crisis that rocked the European Union in the 2010s.

• "Government bond yields in France are spiraling out of control. Contagion to the rest of high-debt Europe is unfolding rapidly," Brookings' Robin Brooks wrote recently.

Latino voters, whose dramatic shift toward President Trump helped power his 2024 victory, are moving sharply back toward Democrats ahead of the midterms, two new national polls show.

Why it matters: Republicans built pieces of their 2026 strategy, including newly drawn House districts in Texas and Florida, around the assumption that Trump's historic Latino gains would endure. A reversal is complicating that bet in key races.