Good morning, it's Friday, Oct. 23. The U.S. and Israel have drawn up plans for new strikes on Iran, and they're timed for after Americans vote.

Also in today's issue: Voter checks reined in, No student IDs in New Hampshire, Trump backs an attack ad, A Virginia senator charged, A Trump ally under scrutiny, No betting on war, Desegregation cases dropped, Trump's Iowa farm pitch.

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If you vote on Nov. 3, a military plan drawn up this week is set to wait until you're done. And one detail inside it shows how closely war planners are watching your gas tank.

The United States and Israel have prepared plans for a new round of strikes on Iran after the U.S. midterms. The New York Times reported it first, and NPR and ABC News confirmed it Thursday. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth flew to Israel this week to discuss it with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. President Trump has not approved an attack. A person briefed on the plans told NPR the buildup could also be meant to pressure Iran into an agreement.

Start with what it costs you now. Brent crude, the world's benchmark oil price, rose about 4% Thursday to $113 a barrel, its highest since May. The jump followed a claim by Iran's Revolutionary Guard that seven tankers near the Strait of Hormuz were hit by its forces or by mines. Trump wrote that Iran was "making up fake hits" to push prices up before the election. None of the claims has been confirmed. Still, the International Monetary Fund says oil will average $130 a barrel next year if the disruptions continue.

What would the strikes hit? The likely targets are Iran's nuclear sites, its missile and drone stockpiles, and its energy facilities. Here's the detail that matters at the pump. Some officials say oil refineries would be spared, so gas prices don't climb higher. Planners are weighing your fuel bill next to their military goals.

Now the timing. Israel reportedly wanted to strike in mid-October, about two weeks before its own Oct. 27 election, and Trump objected. He has also promised not to strike before Americans vote. Presidents usually try not to be seen timing military moves around elections. It invites an awkward question about whose interests come first. This time, both countries' elections sit on the calendar.

The administration's case is simple. Iran keeps attacking ships, and the Houthis, its allies in Yemen, keep hitting Saudi airports and oil sites. Supporters argue that one short, intense campaign could squeeze Iran's economy until it negotiates, ending a war that began in February. The U.S. naval blockade has already cost Iran at least $25 billion in oil sales, according to Central Command.

Critics see a war being paused for politics, not ended. Iran's foreign minister said his country is "just as prepared for diplomacy as we are for war." The Revolutionary Guard, Iran's most powerful military force, has threatened to hit data centers and undersea internet cables in the Gulf if attacks resume. And early Friday, U.N. Ambassador Mike Waltz told the Financial Times the war could last another year. In March, Trump said it would take four to five weeks.

Watch the week after Nov. 3. If strikes come quickly, voters will have picked a new Congress without knowing what came next. If they don't, the planning may have been leverage. Either way, oil prices will likely move first.

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A federal judge restricted Homeland Security's search for noncitizen voters in nine states. The order takes effect at 5 p.m. Friday unless the administration wins an appeal. Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín barred agents from questioning people in the field when they know, or should suspect, the person is a citizen. The states are California, Connecticut, Georgia, Missouri, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, Washington and Wisconsin. She said the agency's target list was full of errors. DHS says its goal is to remove noncitizens whose votes cancel out citizens' votes. Separately, the Justice Department plans to send more than 1,000 election monitors to all 50 states. That's up from 388 in 2022. Kansas's top election official, a Republican, will let them in. Colorado's, a Democrat, says the department is hostile to fair elections (PBS News).

The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that New Hampshire can fully ban student IDs at the polls in the midterms. That includes using them as backup proof of who you are. A state law passed this year had already dropped student IDs from the approved list. A lower court, though, had let local officials keep accepting them as backup. The unsigned order cited a long-standing rule that federal courts shouldn't change election rules right before a vote. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented, arguing the lower court hadn't changed the law at all. The state says the ruling ends last-minute confusion. Students who challenged the law noted that DMV offices are more than 30 minutes from campuses like the University of New Hampshire and Dartmouth. It lands 12 days before a close Senate race.

President Trump defended Republican Vivek Ramaswamy's ad featuring Democrat Amy Acton's estranged mother on Thursday. In the ad, now running on TV in Ohio's race for governor, Donna Arthur calls her daughter a liar. Trump said he urged Ramaswamy to keep it up and called it "hitting pay dirt." He also called Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a fellow Republican, "disloyal" for asking that it be pulled. Sen. Jon Husted of Ohio said he wouldn't have run it, while Vice President JD Vance told critics to "stop whining." Acton's brother says their mother stayed married to the stepfather charged with raping Acton as a child, and court records back that. Asked about that history, Trump said he knew "nothing about it."

Virginia state Sen. L. Louise Lucas was charged Thursday with running an illegal marijuana operation out of her licensed medical cannabis shop. Lucas, 82, is the state Senate's highest-ranking senator. She led Democrats' push for a new congressional map with four more Democratic-leaning seats, which the state Supreme Court threw out. Prosecutors say she has used her power over state laws to protect the business since 2019. They say it sold more than 100 kilograms of illegal marijuana. Her two daughters and grandson are among six co-defendants. A source told CBS News the investigation started under President Biden. Attorney General Todd Blanche said she put her own finances before the people she serves. Lucas has long backed legalizing marijuana, and Virginia starts legal retail sales next year. She is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

The Justice Department is investigating Corey Lewandowski, a longtime Trump adviser, over claims he used a job at Homeland Security to make money for himself. Lewandowski was the top aide to former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem until both left in March. It started with a tip from the department's internal watchdog and involves contracts signed under Noem. He hasn't been charged. His lawyer says he denies any wrongdoing and hasn't been contacted. Asked about it, Trump said that if Lewandowski wasn't honest, "you have to pay a price." As secretary, Noem had to sign off on any spending over $100,000. Some officials said that money for disaster relief was delayed. It's a rare case of Trump's Justice Department looking hard at one of his own.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth banned troops and Pentagon workers from using inside information to bet on U.S. military operations, according to a memo obtained by CBS News. The ban names prediction markets, websites like Polymarket and Kalshi where people bet on real-world events. Hegseth warned that foreign spies watch these markets, because a burst of bets can hint at a target or timing. Violations can lead to discipline or criminal charges. The memo follows the arrest of an Army Special Forces soldier. Prosecutors say he bet more than $33,000 on Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro's removal before the raid was public and won over $409,000. He has pleaded not guilty, and Polymarket called the arrest proof its system works. With new strikes on Iran being planned, the timing stands out.

The Justice Department has backed ending desegregation cases in at least 56 school districts since January 2025, a review released Thursday found. The review comes from Red Line for Civil Rights, a group of former department lawyers. It's run by Democracy Forward, a progressive organization. In at least 18 cases, the department didn't first ask a judge to confirm the district had ended its past discrimination. Before oversight ends, courts usually check which schools students attend, where teachers work and how busing works. In Concordia Parish, Louisiana, a judge first refused to drop the case for that reason. It was later dismissed on appeal. Many of these court orders date to the 1960s and 1970s. The department's civil rights chief, Harmeet Dhillon, calls them "onerous and outdated."

President Trump pitched Iowa farmers at a rally in Sioux City on Thursday, as a Senate seat Republicans once counted on looks close. He promoted an $8 billion program to offset farmers' fuel costs this harvest. He also pointed to a waiver letting people buy untaxed "red-dyed" diesel. That fuel is normally limited to tractors and other off-road vehicles. And he touted $150 million to expand U.S. refining. Farmers have faced higher diesel and fertilizer costs since the Iran war began, on top of lost exports from last year's trade fights. Polls show Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson and Democrat Josh Turek neck and neck. Three of Iowa's four House races are competitive, too, in a state Trump won by 13 points. Hinson has said she'll back Trump when it helps Iowa but push back "when necessary."

That's the most time federal agents had to clear each name on a list of people suspected of voting illegally, a judge found. They checked names using private data services. She called the list unreliable and limited their work in nine states.

P.S. What should decide the timing of a military strike? Hit Reply — We Read Everyone.