Verified brief — 2 November 2026

A federal judge throws out DOJ’s Alaska ballot suit on the eve of the midterms, and DOJ appeals. Washington finalises PBM fee disclosure for big employer plans. Ottawa fast-tracks Roberts Bank Terminal 2 and takes a stake of up to $1.6 billion in Cohere. The Dutch Council of State tells the cabinet to restart its savings-tax overhaul for 2030.

Published Nov 2, 2026, 7:08 a.m. EST

Item 1
Alaska: Judge Gleason dismissed DOJ’s ‘second Sullivan’ suit for lack of standing. Setting aside ballots for a law-enforcement inquiry into voters’ intent would breach the secret ballot, she held. DOJ appealed the same day. Tuesday’s vote goes ahead on the printed ballot.
Read the article →D. Alaska Dkt. 79–81
Item 2
Drug costs: a Labor Department final rule makes pharmacy benefit managers disclose their pay to self-insured employer plans with 100+ participants, every six months, with annual audit rights. It applies from plan years starting 1 July 2027. Disclosures go to employers, not workers.
Read the article →91 FR 69092
Item 3
B.C. port: cabinet listed the $5.9-billion Roberts Bank Terminal 2 under the Building Canada Act, deeming permit preconditions met. Its own note says the project ‘would cause significant adverse effects’ to endangered southern resident killer whales.
Read the article →P.C. 2026-1047
Item 4
AI: Ottawa commits up to $1.6 billion for a staged equity stake in Cohere, in exchange for 1,000 jobs and $1.7 billion of Canadian computing by 2030. The stake size, valuation and penalties for missed targets have not been published.
Read the article →PMO release, 29 Oct
Item 5
Netherlands: the Council of State tells the cabinet to withdraw its Box 3 savings-tax overhaul. The Tax Administration finds it unworkable for 2028. The advice is to switch once in 2030 and keep the current system for 2028–29.
Read the article →Raad van State advice, 2 Nov
Item 6
Robots: Proclamation 11077 (Section 232, robotics and industrial machinery) is now in the Federal Register at 91 FR 69199. It orders negotiations; there is no tariff yet.
Read the article →FR Doc. 2026-22385
Item 7
DHS: the nine-state injunction on election-related field operations against suspected U.S. citizens stays in place through the end of voting on 3 November, after the Ninth Circuit refused a stay.
Read the article →9th Cir. No. 26-7139
Item 8
U.S. v. California: the next steps are witness lists on 6 November, replies on 10 November and a hearing with the special master on 13 November. The Ninth Circuit refused DOJ’s emergency ballot-segregation bid 2–1.
Read the article →C.D. Cal. Dkt. 159; 9th Cir. 26-7231
Item 9
North Carolina: DOJ has now charged 30 people in 2026 with illegally voting as noncitizens in 2024. Defendants have not been convicted.
Read the article →DOJ PR, 29 Oct
Item 10
Medicaid: a federal judge vacated CMS’s narrow ‘medically frail’ test. The 1 January 2027 work-requirement start date is unchanged.
Read the article →D. Mass. Dkt. 147
Item 11
Canada–EU: the summit text says ‘short of full membership’, while Ottawa says ‘associate member’. The concept is to be defined by the 2027 summit.
Read the article →PMO joint statement
Item 12
EU: the €2 handling fee on each item in non-EU online parcels has been in force since Sunday, 1 November, on top of the €3 duty.
Read the article →Commission; Revenue.ie
Item 13
Federal Budget: Thursday 5 November at 4 p.m. ET. The PBO’s October outlook is the latest independent baseline.
Read the article →PBO EFO