Democrats win both chambers as Hungary opens state-security files
Democrats won majorities in both chambers of the US Congress, setting up stronger scrutiny of the Trump administration. In Hungary, a newly opened database of state-security records prompted disclosures and debate over how to interpret incomplete files. Other major stories included Ukraine’s proposed talks with Russia and the United States, and a police investigation into pandemic-era ventilator purchases.
- Trump family finances under scrutiny and presidential appointments stalled: a new era in Washington after the Democrats’ sweeping victory — With Democrats set to control both chambers of Congress from January, they will be able to scrutinize Trump administration appointments, set the legislative agenda and investigate matters including the Trump family’s business dealings, the Iran war and immigration enforcement.
Original (Hungarian): Vizsgálat a Trump család pénzügyeiről és megakasztott elnöki kinevezések: új korszak jön Washingtonban a demokraták elsöprő győzelme után - Zelensky: “Our proposals are clear; we have already handed them to the American side” — Zelensky said representatives of Ukraine, the United States and Russia could hold trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi on November 10–11, and called for a swift end to the war, security guarantees, reconstruction cooperation and Patriot interceptor missiles.
Original (Hungarian): Zelenszkij: „Javaslataink egyértelműek, már átadtuk őket az amerikai félnek” - Police seized evidence at the Foreign Ministry in the ventilator procurement case — The National Bureau of Investigation seized evidence at the Foreign Ministry over pandemic-era ventilator purchases, while the tax authority investigates suspected budget fraud and money laundering involving more than three billion forints in proceeds and 660 million forints in evaded tax.
Original (Hungarian): A Külügyminisztériumban foglalt le bizonyítékokat a rendőrség a lélegeztetőgép-beszerzések ügyében - Zelensky says Russian bombing of an aid center was one of the war’s most serious attacks — A Russian airstrike hit a school in Zaporizhzhia where civilians had sought shelter and aid was being distributed, killing 40 people and leaving more than 30 missing, according to the report, while the UN said the strike raised concerns about a possible breach of international humanitarian law.
Original (Hungarian): Zelenszkij szerint a háború egyik legsúlyosabb támadása volt, amikor az oroszok hétfőn lebombáztak egy segélyközpontot - Magyar Péter: “We should ask questions, not pass judgment” as state-security files database opens — The Nyitottaktak.hu database has opened with some state-security network records searchable, and Magyar Péter urged caution and dialogue as most recruitment dossiers are due to be published by February 25, 2027.
Original (Hungarian): Magyar Péter: Nem ítélkezni, hanem kérdezni kell – megnyílt az ügynökakták adatbázisa - Nyitottaktak.hu has launched — The ÁBTL website allows searches of tens of thousands of former state-security network members and provides data from their index cards, logs and magnetic tapes, alongside guidance on interpreting the records.
Original (Hungarian): Elindult a nyitottaktak.hu - Former central bank governors, Olympic champions, a former foreign minister and a well-known quiz host appear on nyitottaktak.hu — The newly public state-security register includes names of politicians, academics, artists and athletes, but being listed does not by itself show that someone wrote reports or acted as an informant because the database does not contain the reports.
Original (Hungarian): Egykori MNB-elnököket, olimpiai bajnokokat, volt külügyminisztert és ismert kvízmestert is találtunk a nyitottaktak.hu-n - Constitutional Court says Patyi András’s personal data on a published index card cannot be ignored — Patyi András’s name appears on a published state-security index card and magnetic tape, with the card stating he was recruited under the codename Kocsis Márton in 1988, but the Constitutional Court said the incomplete records are insufficient to establish his activities and it would respond substantively only after learning the circumstances.
Original (Hungarian): Az Alkotmánybíróság szerint nem hagyható figyelmen kívül, hogy Patyi András személyes adatai szerepelnek egy nyilvánosságra hozott hatos kartonon - On the day the files opened, celebrated photographer Korniss Péter spoke about his recruitment — Korniss Péter said he signed with state security after the 1956 uprising and later submitted reports, but was removed from the network in 1966 as unsuitable, and explained that he chose to speak publicly because the files had been released.
Original (Hungarian): Az aktanyilvánosság napján a híres fotográfus, Korniss Péter is előállt beszervezése történetével - “I never reported on anyone, but I have been tormented by it for decades”: Gyurgyák János on his recruitment — Gyurgyák János said state security recruited him as a university student in 1976, but that he did not report and sabotaged the cooperation before being expelled from the network in 1978.
Original (Hungarian): „Soha nem jelentettem senkiről, de évtizedek óta mardosom magam” – Gyurgyák János a beszervezéséről - Szikora Róbert says he never reported on anyone after his name appeared in the state-security files — Szikora Róbert’s name appears under the codename Nanu-Nanu in the newly opened files, but he said he never wrote reports and was only asked not to speak with journalists or defectors abroad, while the incomplete documents cannot establish his activities conclusively.
Original (Hungarian): Szikora Róbert azt mondja, nem jelentett senkiről, miután kiderült, hogy szerepel a neve az ügynökaktákban - Nógrádi György on his published index card: “Everything is written in my book” — A published index card says Nógrádi György was recruited under the codename Raguza in 1981 and was mentioned in a 1989 action plan, but he again denied being an agent and said he had already addressed the questions in a book and court proceedings.
Original (Hungarian): Nógrádi György a nyilvánosságra került 6-os kartonjáról: A könyvemben minden le van írva - Szijjártó Péter moved quickly to dispel suspicions about his family members — After a person with a similar name appeared in the newly opened state-security database, Szijjártó Péter listed his relatives’ birth and civil-registration details, which the article says do not match the database entry for Szijjárto István Gábor.
Original (Hungarian): Szijjártó Péter üstöllést igyekezett eloszlatni a családtagjaival kapcsolatos gyanút - Tarr Zoltán’s father is also on the list, but his son says he had written proof he did not work as an agent — Tarr Zoltán said his late father’s name appears because he had a state-security index card, which does not itself prove agent activity, and that his father received written confirmation in 2002 that he had not engaged in such activity.
Original (Hungarian): Tarr Zoltán apja is szerepel a listán, de a fia szerint írásos igazolása volt arról, hogy nem végzett ügynöki tevékenységet - To complete the transition, the lights must be turned on in rooms where darkness was long taken for granted — The author argues that publishing state-security files offers a chance to reassess the pasts of public and cultural figures and that a genuine reckoning with the political transition requires uncovering what has been kept silent.
Original (Hungarian): A rendszerváltáshoz olyan szobákban is fel kell kapcsolni a villanyt, ahol eddig természetes volt a sötétség - We have long known that many bishops were part of the network—the question is what the churches will do about it — State-security records show that the communist regime recruited numerous Catholic, Reformed and Lutheran bishops, while church leaders support examining the past but caution against simplistic judgments and stigmatizing those involved.
Original (Hungarian): A püspökök nagy részéről már rég tudjuk, hogy a hálózat része volt – a kérdés az, mihez kezdenek ezzel az egyházak - Fidesz calls the publication of the state-security files a “political circus” — Bóka János called the release a political circus, arguing that publication without analysis fuels division rather than helping society process the past, while Magyar Péter criticized his position.
Original (Hungarian): A Fidesz szerint az ügynökakták nyilvánosságra hozatala „politikai cirkusz” - Balog Zoltán will not continue as bishop — Balog Zoltán did not seek another term as bishop of the Reformed Church District of Dunamellék, leaving Nyilas Zoltán András as the likely successor, after Balog resigned as synod president in 2024 over the pardon affair but remained bishop.
Original (Hungarian): Balog Zoltán nem folytatja püspökként - The National Election Office asks the Justice Ministry to ban campaigning with children — The National Election Office proposed more than 100 changes to election rules, including banning the use of children in campaigns, tightening address requirements and enabling postal voting for people working abroad.
Original (Hungarian): Az NVI az igazságügyi minisztériumhoz fordult, hogy betiltsák a gyerekekkel kampányolást - Public consultation begins on the new public-order law package — The government is accepting public comments until November 12 on a package that would change police and disaster-management operations and staff conditions, expand some duties, extend retention of recordings of police actions and phase out the guest-investor visa from 2027.
Original (Hungarian): Társadalmi egyeztetés kezdődik, mindenki elmondhatja, hogy mit gondol az új rendészeti törvénycsomagról - Constitutional Court overturns Curia ruling: not every political graffiti is a crime — The Constitutional Court annulled a 2022 Curia ruling that treated all graffiti as vandalism, requiring courts to consider the circumstances and content of a message when balancing property rights against freedom of expression.
Original (Hungarian): Az Alkotmánybíróság megsemmisítette a Kúria döntését: nem minden politikai falfirka bűncselekmény - Final ruling: Bús Balázs will remain in prison until Christmas — A court definitively extended Bús Balázs’s detention until December 25 over suspected breach of trust causing particularly significant financial damage, which he denies.
Original (Hungarian): Jogerős: Bús Balázs karácsonyig börtönben marad - Pécs man stabbed his former partner dozens of times, shot her in the face with a blank-firing gun, then collected their child from physiotherapy — The Pécs Court sentenced a man to 18 years in prison for killing his former partner in January, after which he returned to Pécs and collected their child, while the non-final judgment is being appealed by the defendant.
Original (Hungarian): Több tucatszor megkéselte, majd riasztópisztollyal kétszer arcon lőtte volt élettársát a pécsi férfi, aztán ment, és elhozta gyereküket a gyógytornáról - Serbian special anti-terrorism unit commander arrested — Igor Žmirić was arrested on suspicion of taking part in the beating of students and civilians last August, in a case in which nine police officers have been detained on suspicion of assault and torture.
Original (Hungarian): Letartóztatták a szerb különleges terrorellenes egység parancsnokát - Kitchen responsible for Semmelweis University catering partly suspended over rodent contamination — Authorities suspended operations in three rooms of the Gasztvitál kitchen serving Semmelweis University because of rodent contamination and hygiene problems, while the university said patient care was unaffected and no illnesses were known.
Original (Hungarian): Rágcsálószenyezettség miatt részlegesen felfüggesztették a Semmelweis Egyetem étkeztetéséért felelős cég konyháját - Needles and nails found in Halloween sweets given to children in Hungary and other countries — Sharp metal objects were found in Halloween treats in Hungary, Germany and Austria; a child in Gyömrő spotted a nail in caramel, while a nine-year-old in Germany injured their tongue on a pin in chocolate, and Hungarian police opened a criminal investigation.
Original (Hungarian): Magyarország mellett több országban találtak a gyerekeknek osztogatott halloweeni édességekbe rejtett tűket, szögeket - Hackers breached France’s blood-supply system and raised refrigerator temperatures — Hackers accessed controls at three French blood-product storage sites and raised temperature thresholds, but the EFS alarm systems enabled staff to intervene before supplies were damaged.
Original (Hungarian): Hackerek törték fel a francia vérellátó rendszert, és megemelték a hűtők hőmérsékletét - Bavarian deputy premier found dead in Berlin hotel room — Hubert Aiwanger, Bavaria’s deputy premier and economy minister, was found dead in a Berlin hotel room, and police and prosecutors have opened an investigation into the still-unclear cause and circumstances.
Original (Hungarian): Holtan találták berlini hotelszobájában a bajor miniszterelnök-helyettest - Trump barely discussed Republicans’ election defeat, instead admiring his ballroom — In his first remarks after the Republican defeat, Trump focused mainly on construction of a new White House ballroom, blamed his absence from the ballot and partly acknowledged that higher fuel prices linked to the Iran war may have hurt his party.
Original (Hungarian): Trump alig akart beszélni a republikánusok választási vereségéről, helyette a báltermében gyönyörködött - J. D. Vance says Iran, rising living costs and Israel contributed to Republican defeat — J. D. Vance cited the Iran war as the main reason for the Republicans’ midterm defeat and also pointed to rising living costs and the US relationship with Israel, while Trump continued to defend the military action.
Original (Hungarian): J. D. Vance szerint a republikánus vereség okai: Irán, dráguló megélhetés, Izrael - The White House reminded Americans that Trump is still president — After Democrats won majorities in both chambers of Congress in the midterm elections, the White House responded on X with the message, “Trump is still your president.”
Original (Hungarian): A Fehér Ház emlékeztette az amerikaiakat, hogy még mindig Trump az elnök - Elon Musk spent more than ever to help Republicans win, but to no avail — Elon Musk spent at least $445.6 million supporting Republican candidates and organizations, but heavily backed Texas candidates Ken Paxton and the Republican governor both lost as Democrats won majorities in both chambers of Congress.
Original (Hungarian): Elon Musk minden korábbinál több pénzt költött el a republikánusok győzelmére, de hiába - Georgia’s Democratic senator wins easily and is already being mentioned as a 2028 presidential candidate — Jon Ossoff won re-election to the Senate by a wide margin against Donald Trump-backed Mike Collins, prompting speculation about a 2028 presidential bid, although Ossoff says he will serve out his Senate term.
Original (Hungarian): Simán nyert a georgiai demokrata szenátor, akit már a 2028-as elnökjelöltek között emlegetnek - Attacked in an ad over her own mother, she still defeated Trump’s candidate in Ohio’s governor race — Democrat Amy Acton defeated Donald Trump-backed Vivek Ramaswamy to become Ohio’s first woman governor, campaigning on living costs despite personal attacks in an advertisement that omitted the circumstances of her childhood abuse.
Original (Hungarian): A saját anyjával támadták egy reklámban, mégis legyőzte Trump jelöltjét az ohiói kormányzóválasztáson - Abdul El-Sayed wins and will become the first Muslim senator in US history — Abdul El-Sayed won Michigan’s Senate election after campaigning on a progressive platform, and said he aims to expand Social Security and influence the Democrats’ policy toward Israel.
Original (Hungarian): Abdul El-Sayed is győzni tudott, az USA történetének első muszlim szenátora lesz - Kansas elects a Democratic senator for the first time in 94 years — Adam Hamilton defeated incumbent Republican senator Roger Marshall, becoming the first Democrat to win a Senate election in Kansas in 94 years.
Original (Hungarian): 94 év után választottak demokrata szenátort Kansasben - Almost missed it: North Korea fires missiles toward the Sea of Japan — North Korea fired several missiles toward the Sea of Japan on Wednesday, according to South Korea’s military, while Kim Jong-un said international conditions justified plans to develop advanced warships that could carry nuclear weapons.
Original (Hungarian): Már szinte hiányzott: Észak-Korea rakétákat lőtt a Japán-tenger felé - China plans to send astronauts to the Moon within four years — China aims to send astronauts to the Moon by 2030, with tests of the Mengzhou spacecraft and Lanyue lander planned for 2027 and 2028, followed by a lunar-orbit docking test in 2029.
Original (Hungarian): Kína négy éven belül űrhajósokat tervez a Holdra küldeni - Reality-bending extra: “It’s a wine bottle,” China says of a 32-kilogram artillery shell found in Papua New Guinea — A 32-kilogram Chinese-made artillery shell or shell-like object was found in a container in Port Moresby and four Chinese nationals were detained, while local authorities investigate and China’s embassy says the object is harmless.
Original (Hungarian): Valósághajlítás extra: „Ez egy borosüveg” – mondja Kína a Pápua-Új Guineában talált 32 kilós tüzérségi lövedékről - A space telescope may fall back to Earth today, but only Orbán Gáspár is at risk among Europeans—if he is still in Chad — NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory is expected to re-enter the atmosphere after 22 years, with some debris potentially reaching land between 20.6 degrees north and south, while Europe is outside the risk zone and NASA puts the chance of anyone being injured at 1 in 2,100.
Original (Hungarian): Ma visszazuhanhat a Földre egy űrtávcső, de az európai emberek közül csak Orbán Gáspár van veszélyben, feltéve, hogy még Csádban kolbászol - 51 red cards at an under-20 match as chairs and stretchers flew across the pitch and the dressing room was wrecked — A mass brawl at the Uberlândia–Mamoré U20 semifinal led the referee to send off 51 players and staff, with damage to the visiting dressing room and possible suspensions and further club sanctions under consideration.
Original (Hungarian): 51 piros lapot osztottak ki az U20-as meccsen, székek és hordágyak repültek a pályán, pozdorjává zúzták az öltözőt is - Family found for amnesiac man who lived for weeks at Naples airport and only knew he was called Daniel and was Swedish — Authorities connected the man, who had been living at Naples airport and said his name was Daniel, with his family, which had not heard from him since August, and are arranging his return to Sweden.
Original (Hungarian): Megtalálták a családját az amnéziás férfinak, aki hetek óta a nápolyi reptéren élt, és csak azt tudja magáról, hogy Danielnek hívják és svéd - Bob Dylan meets Pope Leo XIV — Bob Dylan met Pope Leo XIV in a brief audience before his Thursday concert in Rome, giving the pope his autobiography and receiving a rosary.
Original (Hungarian): Bob Dylan találkozott XIV. Leó pápával - Creators of The Price of a Vote and Kovács István Ádám win the Szabad Award — The TASZ’s eighth Szabad Award went to the DE! Action Community and speakers in the film The Price of a Vote for documenting election abuses in small towns, while the audience award went to Kovács István Ádám, known as clown Ádi, for helping sick children and people in need.
Original (Hungarian): A szavazat ára készítői és Kovács István Ádám nyerték a Szabad-díjat - Fidesz appears to think Fejes Péter apologized to them when he said he was apologizing to society on behalf of the prosecution service — Chief Prosecutor Fejes Péter apologized for some prosecution-service decisions and omissions that offended the public’s sense of justice, while Fidesz interpreted his remarks as an apology for post-election mistakes and demanded the release of “political prisoners.”
Original (Hungarian): A Fidesz szemlátomást azt hiszi, hogy Fejes Péter tőlük kért bocsánatot, amikor arról beszélt: az ügyészség nevében megköveti a társadalmat - Viktor Orbán and eight ministers received a total of 159 million forints in severance pay — Orbán Viktor and eight former ministers received nearly 159 million forints net in severance pay, with Lantos Csaba receiving the largest amount, while payments to six other former ministers had not been made by the end of October.
Original (Hungarian): Összesen 159 millió forint végkielégítést kapott Orbán Viktor és nyolc minisztere - The state budget deficit was 200 billion forints in October, but the position is better than last year — The October deficit was 200.6 billion forints, 138 billion less than a year earlier, while the first ten months’ deficit reached 5,462.5 billion forints and revenues rose 3.5 percent.
Original (Hungarian): Októberben 200 milliárd forint volt az államkassza hiánya, de kedvezőbb a helyzet, mint tavaly - Hungarian industry has not been this strong in more than two and a half years — Industrial output rose 8.2 percent year on year in September after adjustment for working days, reaching 100.2 percent of its 2021 average, driven mainly by vehicle, electronics and electrical-equipment manufacturing.
Original (Hungarian): Több mint 2,5 éve volt ennyire jó formában a magyar ipar - Orbán’s government also promised CATL that public funds would help train imported Asian workers — According to Tárkányi Zsolt, a government-CATL memorandum covered land preparation, transport improvements, rental housing and faster administration for foreign workers, and envisaged partial public funding for worker training.
Original (Hungarian): Orbánék még azt is beígérték a CATL-nek, hogy a behozott ázsiai munkavállalókat is magyar közpénzből képzik - Felcsút residents became much poorer in a year, but remain Hungary’s richest — Hungarians declared 3,048 billion forints in net capital income last year, 7 percent more than in 2024, while per-capita capital income remained highest in Felcsút despite falling from 31 million to 11.6 million forints.
Original (Hungarian): Nagyságrendekkel lettek szegényebbek egy év alatt a felcsútiak, de még mindig ők a leggazdagabbak Magyarországon - Bring potted plants indoors and cover sensitive ones: overnight frosts are coming — Night frosts may occur across Hungary from Thursday, with temperatures falling to minus 5–8 degrees Celsius in frost pockets, while daytime weather remains mild.
Original (Hungarian): Itt az idő bevinni a cserepes növényeket és letakarni az érzékenyeket, holnaptól jönnek az éjjeli fagyok - The strongest espresso had three times the caffeine concentration of the weakest in a test at well-known venues — A laboratory test of espresso bought at 17 locations found caffeine concentrations ranging from 153 to 497 milligrams per 100 milliliters, with 129 milligrams in the largest single serving and 44 milligrams in the smallest, though the test was not representative.
Original (Hungarian): Háromszor akkora volt a koffein töménysége a legerősebb presszókávéban, mint a leggyengébben egy ismert helyeken végzett teszten - Fortune-tellers and mediums worry AI will take their jobs — Fortune-tellers and mediums fear AI prediction apps will deepen distrust of their profession and say they cannot replace human empathy and connection, while also raising privacy concerns.
Original (Hungarian): Aggódnak a jósok és a médiumok, hogy az AI elveszi a munkájukat - Files opened, Republicans crushed — Some state-security files became publicly searchable, including records naming well-known people, while Democrats won convincing majorities in both chambers of the US Congress and Trump and his vice president cited the Iran war among the reasons for the Republican defeat.
Original (Hungarian): Akták: megnyitva, republikánusok: tönkreverve - Possibly a record: someone was recruited on patriotic grounds on November 13, 1989, amid the political transition — A 17-year-old locksmith was recruited by the state-security III/III department on patriotic grounds on November 13, 1989, when monitoring the opposition was already unconstitutional, and the department was dissolved in January 1990.
Original (Hungarian): Rekordgyanús: volt, akit 1989. november 13-án, a dübörgő rendszerváltás közepette szerveztek be hazafias alapon
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