Riots Fuel Midterm Debate, Sharing AI's Wealth? & NBA's Tip-Off - Tuesday, October 20, 2026

Erica Mandy (0:00)

Today is Tuesday, October 20th. We'll tell you why violent riots in France are becoming a flashpoint in America's midterm elections, and how early voting turnout is stacking up against past elections so far. Also, what a viral video shows that has sparked more protests against ICE. Plus, what new federal efforts could mean for women's health, how people outside the tech industry could get a piece of the AI boom, and who are the teams to beat as the NBA season gets underway. Those stories and even more news to know coming up.

Welcome to The NewsWorthy, all the day's news in less than 15 minutes. I'm Erica Mandy. Thanks so much for being here. Let's do this.

President Trump is pointing to violent riots in France as a warning to Americans ahead of next month's midterm elections. He says the US could burn like France if Republicans lose power. House Speaker Mike Johnson also called the riots a chilling warning for Americans, blaming France's immigration policies and comparing the far left there to Democrats here. Though some Dems have pushed back on that, saying immigration has nothing to do with it and calling Republicans' comparison an attempt to distract from the real issues for Americans, like rising prices and corruption. Remember, the demonstrations in France started with students protesting underfunded schools, but grew into a much broader backlash against rising living costs and the French government's spending cuts. Many people have demonstrated peacefully, but violent groups have also left destruction across French cities. Buildings have been set on fire, stores have been looted, and protesters clashed with police. Now authorities are imposing curfews in some areas and increasing law enforcement presence. France's interior minister acknowledged that police were not prepared for the scale of this violence and offered to resign. French President Emmanuel Macron rejected that offer. More protests, though, are expected in France this week, and the US embassy in France has issued an alert advising any Americans to travel to avoid areas impacted by recent demonstrations.

There are new questions about a tragic incident at a youth soccer game in Kansas. Since the person originally detained was freed from police custody. A pickup truck drove onto a soccer field in Wichita on Saturday. Two people were killed, including a six-year-old boy and ten others were hurt. Police say they've since interviewed more than 30 witnesses, including the woman behind the wheel and her two children who were inside the truck at the time. At this point, the woman has not been charged with a crime. The local police chief says he has a really good idea of what happened, but so far has not shared an official cause of this crash. Apparently, part of the investigation is looking into whether the woman was actually operating the vehicle or if it was moving on its own. But investigators are still waiting for toxicology test results and an examination of the truck. Authorities are also warning about claims spreading online about this incident and are urging people not to share unverified information.

Outrage is growing over a video showing another violent encounter between ICE agents and an American citizen. Now local officials are demanding answers about what happened. The man is Ricardo Gonzalez, who lives in Long Beach, California. In fact, he's a former longtime city employee, and family members say he's a US citizen. But videos from over the weekend show agents restraining him as he screams and begs for medical help. His daughter says he was hit by an ICE vehicle and tased twice.

Once local police arrived, they took him to the hospital with serious injuries. Now, Long Beach's mayor has filed a formal complaint with the Department of Homeland Security calling for answers and accountability. The incident has also sparked protests in Long Beach as people demand answers about ICE's use of force. It's still unclear what led to the confrontation or why force was used in this case. The Department of Homeland Security has not publicly responded to questions about the incident, but already this month ProPublica reported that hundreds of US citizens have been detained by immigration officers under the current Trump administration.

With midterm elections just two weeks away now, the Trump administration is ramping up its efforts to root out alleged voter fraud. This week, federal authorities charged 28 green card holders in California with illegally registering to vote or actually casting ballots. They blamed state officials, accusing them of not properly maintaining their voter rolls and hiding it from the public. This escalates a fight between the Trump administration and the state of California. Since, remember, just last week, the US Justice Department sued the state over its voter rolls, saying it may actually be allowing thousands of non-citizens to vote. Still, California officials point to data that show non-citizen voting is still incredibly rare and has not been shown to change the outcome of any races. Meanwhile, the FBI and federal cybersecurity officials are warning election officials around the country to be aware of hackers trying to disrupt the midterm elections. One concern is cybercriminals could try to steal login information from election workers, candidates or political organizations using fake emails and texts that, because of AI, look even more convincing than usual. Officials are actually warning all voters to be vigilant, since scammers could also put out fake messages telling people they need to register to vote with links sending them to fake websites meant to steal their personal information. Plus, there are warnings about scammers setting up fake campaign donation pages or websites selling political merchandise that never arrives. And that's just a few examples of how bad actors could be exploiting this election season that's now in the final stretch.