Almost 21 million Americans vote early as military reinforcements move to Mideast

Military preparations around Iran

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the country is prepared for diplomacy or war. NPR's Greg Myre said Iran shows little sign of making major concessions, and is demanding formal control of the Strait of Hormuz and the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the region.

Early voting grows nationwide

Nearly 21 million Americans have voted by mail or in person before Election Day, according to the University of Florida's Election Lab. NPR's Saige Miller said the total was about 2 million higher than the day before.

Early voting in key battleground states is significantly above the level recorded in the previous midterm election. Democrats are voting early at higher rates than Republicans, and unaffiliated voters are also participating.

Miller cautioned against treating early-vote figures as a prediction of the final outcome. Democrats generally vote early more often, while Republicans are more likely to cast ballots on Election Day.

Trump deposition ordered in BBC case

A federal magistrate judge ruled that Trump must sit for a deposition in his $10 billion defamation case against the BBC. The judge said he must follow court rules or face sanctions.

The lawsuit concerns a Panorama broadcast from late October 2024. It allegedly edited Trump's Jan. 6 speech to suggest he incited a violent attack on Congress; Trump has called the broadcast false, misleading and defamatory under Florida law.

NPR's David Folkenflik said it is uncertain whether Trump will appear after previously canceling, citing “matters of national importance,” and proposing January instead. The BBC apologized for the editing and is seeking testimony about Trump's state of mind and his profits since returning to the White House. BBC attorneys say more than 200 Jan. 6 defendants said his speech motivated them.

Grocery costs show mixed changes

Trump pledged to reduce grocery prices in his second term, but overall grocery costs have risen since he returned to office. The article attributes increases to higher labor costs, tariffs and energy prices linked to the conflict with Iran.

Some individual products have become less expensive, while crop, animal or regional conditions can push other prices well above inflation. NPR examined ground beef, eggs, coffee, butter and chocolate chip cookies to explain the forces behind food prices.

Ground beef reached $6.79 per pound last month, an 85% increase over the past decade, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The rise is largely tied to weather and financial pressures on producers; butter averaged $3.96 per pound in September, down 17.3% from a year earlier.