Trump rape allegation, Maine toss-up, Lula's comeback

Plus: Israel decides  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Richard Hall | October 27, 2026     Hello there. Not long ago, pundits across the Western Hemisphere (including us here at The Brief) were writing Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s political obituary. It seemed Brazil would follow the same path as the United States, returning a right-wing populist movement to power after a term away. But this weekend, Lula pulled off a remarkable comeback and won a record fourth term. Scroll to the end of today’s newsletter to read a piece from Brazilian journalist Adriana Carranca on why Lula’s victory is a defeat for Trumpism.  We also have a fascinating story on how Japan is trying to revitalize its monarchy. IN TODAY’S BRIEF New details of an allegation against Trump Susan Collins’ hold on Maine Bishops regret praying with Trump Japan reshapes its monarchy $80.7 billion Belgrade celebrates         READ THIS FIRST New details of rape allegation against Trump revealed in House Democrats’ Epstein report Alex Wong—Getty Images A report released Monday by Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee examining President Donald Trump's ties to Jeffrey Epstein included new details from a woman who alleged Trump raped her in 1993.  Beatrice Keul, a model and former Miss Switzerland finalist, alleged to Judiciary Committee staff that she was raped by Trump in a Plaza Hotel suite in Manhattan when she was 24. Keul said that while attending the American Dream Pageant, which had a partnership with Trump, she met with Trump at a press luncheon at the event. Trump, according to Keul, promised to arrange her visa in the U.S. and ensure her acceptance into New York University through his friend Paolo Zampolli, a close Trump ally who was, until earlier this month, part of his Administration. At the same event, she also spent at least 10 minutes talking to Epstein, who she said claimed to have organized “many parties with Don.” Later that day, Keul alleges, a representative of Trump invited her to a hotel suite where Trump “grabbed Keul from behind and forcibly raped her,” causing “bleeding and bruising on multiple parts of her body,” the report says. Following the incident, Keul alleges Trump made her promise she would keep quiet and repeated his promise for visa and college admission. TIME has been unable to independently verify details of Keul’s account. In a statement, the White House denies the allegations and says that President Trump has been “fully exonerated of anything related to Epstein.” —Philip Wang Read the full story here.         SPONSORED BY THE MARKETING MILLENNIALS A free newsletter read by 117,000 marketers The best marketing ideas come from marketers who live it. That’s what The Marketing Millennials delivers: real insights, fresh takes, and no fluff. Written by Daniel Murray, a marketer who knows what works, this newsletter cuts through the noise so you can stop guessing and start winning. Subscribe and level up your marketing game. Sign Up Free         IN THE NEWS In Maine, a toss-up Senate race is about the incumbent Gregory Rec—Portland Press Herald Senator Susan Collins was standing on a debate stage in Portland earlier this month, explaining how she deserved credit for ensuring concrete and road salt were exempted from President Trump’s Canadian import levies. The move saved one small town in northern Maine $10,000, Collins said. It helped a cement business owner avoid a $150,000 per month hike. It was an updated version of the same argument Collins has been making for decades to win re-election in a state that hasn’t backed a Republican President since George H. W. Bush. When it was her opponent’s turn to respond, Democrat Troy Jackson shrugged. What about everything else going up in price, he asked her, before adding, “We can’t eat road salt.” For Jackson, the comeback was a hit. It sparked “let them eat road salt” memes of Collins depicted as Marie Antoinette and assuaged some fears among Democrats about how the last-minute replacement candidate would fare in the spotlight. The viral moment also brought into focus the race’s defining issue: Collins herself. Amid a handful of Senate races that will decide which party controls the upper chamber for the last two years of the Trump era, the race in Maine has emerged as the one most decisively about voters’ view of the incumbent. —Julia Terruso Read the full story here.          THE CONTEXT Why Catholic bishops are apologizing over 'exploited' Trump meeting Chandan Kanna—Getty Images A video of Catholic bishops praying around President Donald Trump during a meeting at the White House last week has sparked debate, with some bishops claiming their attendance was “exploited” for political purposes less than two weeks before the midterm elections. The 12 clergymen joined Trump on Thursday in the Oval Office, for what Archbishop Jeffrey Grob of Milwaukee has said was intended to be a private meeting to discuss matters such as immigration enforcement, religious worker visas, and human dignity. But in a “public apology” issued Sunday, Grob expressed deep regret over the meeting that he suggested was used as a "political photo opportunity” after White House officials shared images and footage of a moment of prayer. The video, which Grob claims was posted without the bishops’ consent, has been viewed over 1.8 million times on X alone. Grob said he had received “many questions” over the encounter and wanted to emphasize that the meeting “was in no way an endorsement of the President, his policies, or his party.” —Tiago Ventura Read the full story here.         SPONSORED BY GLADLY.AI Your Search Bar Is Haunted Shoppers type exactly what they want and get “0 results found” back. They don’t complain. They just vanish to a competitor. Gladly understands what shoppers mean, typos and all, and turns dead-end searches into product recommendations. See how Gladly brings search back to life Turn Dead Ends Into Sales         IN FOCUS How Japan's reforms on imperial succession will change the monarchy Yuichi Yamazaki—AFP/Getty Images Japanese lawmakers are reforming the country’s more-than-a-millennium-old hereditary monarchy to keep it alive as the imperial family shrinks. Amendments to Japan’s Imperial House Law, passed in July, took effect on Saturday. One allows Japanese princesses to keep their royal status even if they marry non-royals, though their future children are not considered royals. The other amendment is an apparent roundabout way to preserve patrilineal succession: members of the royal family may adopt a male from former imperial branch families, and those adoptees’ future male offspring can be considered legitimate successors to the throne. The revisions aim to expand the future pool of eligible heirs to the throne while reinforcing the shutting out of women from leading the Japanese monarchy, which staunch conservatives including the country’s first female Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, have repeatedly advocated against upending. Before the revisions took effect, Emperor Naruhito only had a few viable successors: his younger brother Akishino, followed by his 20-year-old nephew Prince Hisahito, then his 90-year-old uncle Prince Hitachi.  The small pool had raised concerns about the future of the Japanese imperial family. The Japanese public has shown support for female monarchs, signaling a preference to keep the renowned family on the throne. Fans of Princess Aiko, the emperor’s sole daughter, have marched in Japan’s streets in recent weeks in support of her eligibility to become empress. But extreme right-wing factions in Takaichi’s Liberal Democratic Party have insisted that maintaining only males from the male imperial line as eligible to become emperor preserves the authority of the Chrysanthemum Throne. The revisions were ultimately borne out of the coalition agreement signed in October last year by the LDP and its junior partner, the Japan Innovation Party. While the Imperial Household Agency has said it will study how to implement the measures, critics are already studying how to turn the policy over, arguing that it violates the country’s anti-discrimination law. Manga artist Yoshinori Kobayashi filed a lawsuit against the government that called the amendment “unconstitutional.” Experts say the amendments could affect how the Japanese public views the imperial family.  “It could dilute the feeling of closeness or the feeling of holiness that some people might feel towards the royal family,” Jeffrey J. Hall, a lecturer at Kanda University of International Studies, tells TIME, “because they’re more used to the royals that they already know.” —Chad de Guzman Read the full story here.         ONE NUMBER $80.7 billion Anthropic reported a net loss of $80.7 billion in the first half of the year, the Wall Street Journal reports. Most of that loss is the result of accounting charges tied to financing agreements. Its net loss a year earlier was $13 billion. The figures were revealed in a draft prospectus ahead of the company’s initial public offering, which analysts say could be the largest ever.  SOURCE: WALL STREET JOURNAL         A VIRAL MOMENT Belgrade celebrates Video from Belgrade on Monday evening show huge celebrations following the victory of a student-led protest movement won Serbia’s parliamentary election, ousting long-serving strongman leader of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic.         SPONSORED BY WISPR FLOW Stop typing AI prompts. Start talking. You think 4x faster than you type. So why are you typing prompts? Wispr Flow turns your voice into ready-to-paste text inside any AI tool. Speak naturally, tangents and all, and Flow cleans it up. Available on Mac, Windows, iPhone, and Android. Try Wispr Flow Free       Linked In this addictive word-association game, find the steps that will unite two seemingly unrelated words in just four moves. PLAY NOW       ALSO WORTH YOUR TIME IDEAS Lula’s Victory in Brazil Is a Defeat for Trumpism WORLD  Israel's Choice       More Newsletters from Click to sign up. FUTURE PROOF +HEALTH MATTERS +INSIDE TIME +IN THE LOOP +WORTH YOUR TIME + Subscribe to TIME Email us: thebrief@time.com Received this from a friend? Sign up here Connect with TIME   PRIVACY POLICY     © 2026 TIME USA, LLC. All rights reserved. TIME Customer Service, P.O. Box 37508 Boone, IA 50037-0508, United States Unsubscribe