Ukraine seeks U.S. satellites for strikes in Russia.
Today's events
Ukraine's satellite request.
Secretary Rubio said Ukraine has asked for access to Starshield, the military's satellite network, to conduct deep strikes inside Russia, and does not have it; the request remains under discussion.1Oct 18 · StateCaribbean dialogue.
Deputy Secretary Landau hosted 15 Caribbean delegations at the State Department, announcing $175.8 million for trusted undersea cables, $103 million in regional security programming, and $61.5 million for health workforces.2Oct 16 · StateFortinet flaw exploited.
CISA added a path-traversal flaw affecting multiple Fortinet products to its known-exploited-vulnerabilities catalog on evidence of active exploitation; federal agencies must prioritize remediation on publicly exposed assets.3Oct 16 · CISAGambling and swaps.
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission filed a final rule excluding casino-style gambling products from the legal definition of a swap, with a companion proposal defining what the term does cover.4Oct 16 · CFTCIllegal-voting charges.
The Justice Department charged 16 noncitizens in North Carolina, New York, and Idaho with illegal voting and false claims of citizenship; ten are accused of voting in the 2024 general election.5Oct 16 · DOJDrug-cash laundering.
A Brazilian national drew 12 years for managing a courier network that deposited more than $30 million in drug proceeds at banks across the country; five co-defendants were sentenced in September.6Oct 16 · DOJGrid capacity funding.
The Energy Department will put up to $50 million of Defense Production Act money into advanced conductors and dynamic line rating on Appalachian Power's Virginia system, adding 290 megawatts of capacity.7Oct 16 · DOEThree emergencies renewed.
Three notices of October 15 continued the national emergencies covering Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and significant narcotics traffickers centered in Colombia, keeping each sanctions program in force.8Oct 16 · Fed. Reg.Clock on a chip.
NIST researchers generated a high-quality optical frequency comb from two lasers on a microchip without laboratory equipment, a step toward portable atomic clocks for navigation where GPS is jammed or unavailable.9Oct 16 · NIST
Voices
“I think the President wants to take the 60-day period of time to sort of analyze what imposing both sanctions and tariffs will mean to the global economy.”
Sec. of State Marco Rubio, Joint Base Andrews · Oct 181
“The Department of State announced $175.8 million to expand trusted, high-speed undersea cable connectivity across the Caribbean and Central America.”
U.S.–Caribbean Dialogue media note, Dept. of State · Oct 162
“These types of vulnerabilities are a frequent attack vector for malicious cyber actors and pose significant risks to the federal enterprise.”
CISA, Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog · Oct 163
“[The Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section's] mission is to take the profit out of crime, eliminate drug cartels, and protect the U.S. financial system.”
DOJ Criminal Division · Oct 166
“A stronger electric grid doesn't always mean building more power lines. Sometimes it means making better use of the ones we already have.”
Asst. Sec. Katie Jereza, DOE Office of Electricity · Oct 167
“Mobile optical clocks could be used for many applications beyond timekeeping, such as military navigation and oil, gas and mineral exploration.”
NIST, on chip-based frequency combs · Oct 169
Sources
- U.S. Dept. of State, “Secretary of State Marco Rubio Remarks to the Press” (Joint Base Andrews), October 18, 2026. state.gov/releases/…/rubio-remarks-to-the-press-18
- U.S. Dept. of State, “United States Hosts Caribbean Dialogue to Advance Shared Security and Prosperity,” October 16, 2026. state.gov/releases/…/caribbean-dialogue
- CISA, “CISA Adds Two Known Exploited Vulnerabilities to Catalog” (CVE-2025-61624, Fortinet path traversal), October 16, 2026. cisa.gov/news-events/…/kev-cve-2025-61624
- Commodity Futures Trading Commission, “Further Definition of ‘Swap’ to Exclude Casino-Style Gambling Products” (final rule) and “Further Definition of ‘Swap’ — Inclusions” (proposed rule), filed October 16, 2026. federalregister.gov/documents/…/swap-casino-style-gambling
- U.S. Dept. of Justice, “Justice Department Announces Charges Involving 16 Aliens for Illegal Voting,” October 16, 2026. justice.gov/opa/pr/…/charges-16-aliens-illegal-voting
- U.S. Dept. of Justice, “Brazilian Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Managerial Role in Conspiracy to Launder Tens of Millions of Dollars in Illicit Cash Proceeds,” October 16, 2026. justice.gov/opa/pr/…/brazilian-man-sentenced-12-years
- U.S. Dept. of Energy, “Energy Department Announces Virginia and West Virginia Transmission Project to Receive Defense Production Act Funding,” October 16, 2026. energy.gov/articles/…/virginia-west-virginia-transmission
- Federal Register, “Colombia; Continuation of National Emergency With Respect to Significant Narcotics Traffickers” (Notice of October 15, 2026); companion notices continuing the Sudan and Democratic Republic of the Congo emergencies. federalregister.gov/documents/…/colombia-narcotics-emergency
- NIST, “New Chip-Based ‘Tape Measure’ for Light Could Revolutionize Mobile Timekeeping and Enhance National Security,” October 16, 2026. nist.gov/news-events/…/chip-based-tape-measure-for-light