Benjamin Netanyahu is battling to stay in power as Israelis vote in the country’s first election since the October 7 attacks. The Trump administration faces a setback in its push to block alleged noncitizen votes in California. Plus, key takeaways from Anthropic’s IPO filing.

Here’s what to know today.

Israelis vote in country’s first election since Oct. 7 attacks

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing one of the most significant electoral tests of his decades-long political career, as voters head to the polls in the first election since the Hamas-led attacks of Oct. 7, 2023.

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Netanyahu’s Likud party was neck and neck with the military’s former Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, who has emerged as his strongest rival.

For three years, Netanyahu has navigated war, crisis and global outcry over the country’s military campaign in the Gaza Strip, which has killed about 74,500 people since Oct. 7.

Voter turnout stood at 31.5% as of midday local time, Israel’s Central Elections Committee said, the highest at this hour in decades.

No single party has ever earned a majority in the Knesset, or parliament, in Israel’s history so it is unlikely we’ll know a winner when polls close this evening. Negotiations to build a governing coalition will likely need to take place.

Follow our live blog for the latest updates.

Related coverage:

• For subscribers: Eisenkot has the best chance of ousting Netanyahu. And according to his friends and supporters, his lack of glamour is exactly what Israel needs.

• Hours before voting began in Israel, Macklemore launched his Free Palestine Tour in Ireland, with some traveling hundreds of miles to show their support for the rapper who was dropped from Ed Sheeran’s tour. See photos from the event.

Trump admin faces setback in push to block alleged noncitizen votes in California

02:22

A hearing is scheduled today in the Trump administration’s effort to block California from counting mail ballots from a list of 20,000 people the federal government alleges are likely noncitizens. This comes a day after a U.S. appeals court ruled against the Justice Department, saying it failed to give a lower court judge an adequate opportunity to consider the case.

The lawsuit — which alleges more than 20,000 registered voters are noncitizens, including 28 who have been criminally charged with illegally voting — marks the first time the administration sought to prevent a state from counting votes and a rare intervention by the DOJ in the voting process weeks before an election.

Yesterday, the administration asked officials in Washington state to review a list of more than 400 registered voters the DOJ believes are noncitizens and to sequester any ballots they cast. President Donald Trump also offered $1 million to anyone who reports voter fraud.

What appeals court judges said about the California lawsuit.

Dive deeper into the 2026 election:

• See the latest polling and the battleground states in play.

• What are the key races to watch in California? See who’s running and how Republicans and Democrats fared in past elections. Then, scroll to the end of the page to explore data in other states.

More politics news:

• Former FBI Director James Comey, a longtime Trump target, has been charged for the third time.

• For subscribers: NBC News’ chief data analyst Steve Kornacki takes a closer look at Michigan, the state that could tip the scales in the battle for the Senate majority. The Data Dive is a subscriber-exclusive newsletter on the numbers, trends and data shaping the biggest stories heading into the midterms.

• For subscribers: South Carolina isn’t home to a top midterm battleground race, but more than a dozen high-profile Democrats have made stops there. It has everything to do with 2028.

Key takeaways from Anthropic’s IPO filing

03:17

In its IPO filing yesterday, Anthropic offered a first-of-its-kind window into how the AI company is managing its explosive growth, massive risks and bottom line. NBC News tech reporter Jared Perlo highlighted a few details that stuck out in the 335-page filing.

First, Anthropic made sure to highlight its large, diverse pool of customers, likely in a bid to ease concerns that the funding behind the AI boom is too insular. For example, the company said it had nearly 12,000 customers who were each on track to pay over $100,000 per year, compared to 950 customers the year before.

And while companies typically disclose traditional business risks in SEC filings, Anthropic’s risks go further, to include the possibility that its own products could actively harm the company. That’s something you don’t see in filings from other industries.

Here are other takeaways from the filing.

Staff Pick: She had five siblings, but only she survived childhood

Britney Lundy survived a childhood that few people can probably imagine. Over a nearly decade-long period beginning in 1992, all of her five baby siblings died or disappeared.

Lundy, now 36, came to believe that her father, Paul Perez, was responsible for their deaths. But she kept that terrible secret buried for years because of a powerful fear: that authorities would also charge her mother if she came forward.

Still, Lundy eventually talked when investigators came knocking seven years ago. She played a crucial role in helping build a case against her father, who was convicted in four of the deaths earlier this year and is awaiting sentencing. But, as Lundy feared, her mother was also charged and pleaded guilty to child abuse. She, too, is awaiting sentencing.

Over several interviews, Lundy unspooled her story of survival and described her decades-long frustration with authorities, including what one investigator called a law enforcement clerical error that allowed Perez “to get away with murdering a child.” — Tim Stelloh, reporter

Read All About It

• For subscribers: America’s Persian Gulf allies are increasingly worried that the U.S. could pull the bulk of its forces from the Middle East after the war with Iran ends, sources say.

• A humanitarian ceasefire brokered by first lady Melania Trump to save people in the Russian-occupied town Oleshky has gone into effect.

• Jay-Z, whose company Roc Nation has helped select artists for past Super Bowl halftime performances, will headline the 2027 show.

• Walter Koenig, the actor who played Chekov on the original “Star Trek” TV series, has died at age 90.

• The Golden State Valkyries could clinch the WNBA title before the clock strikes noon Thursday in California because an NBA game took priority.

NBC Selected: Online Shopping, Simplified

Who said stocking up on winter necessities had to be expensive? This week, we spotted fleece-lined Crocs for 50% off, a heated blanket with six temperature settings for 42% off, and winter beauty deals for up to 40% off for a limited time.

Sign up to The Selection newsletter for hands-on product reviews, expert shopping tips and a look at the best deals and sales each week.

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