Just ahead of the midterms, the Trump administration appears to be softening one of its signature policy pledges, immigrant advocates told The Washington Post.

According to a Trump administration official who spoke with the Post on the condition of anonymity, and to the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington, the Department of Homeland Security is expected to extend Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, which shields noncitizens from certain countries from deportation, for around 100,000 Ukrainians whose protections were scheduled to expire Monday. An embassy spokeswoman said the extension is expected to last six months.

DHS did not confirm the extension. “An announcement on Ukraine’s TPS will be made at the appropriate time. Until such an announcement is made, Ukrainian individuals present in the U.S. under TPS remain under protection,” the department said in a statement.

The move follows DHS’s decision last month to let TPS remain in place for around 232,000 migrants from El Salvador. The administration never formally announced a decision, instead issuing what the Post described as a “last-minute notice.” The lack of a clear timeline has forced Salvadorans “to grapple with an uncertain future,” the Post reported. Sudanese TPS holders, also set to lose protections Monday, will keep them until further notice, DHS said.

“This is different,” said Jessica Bansal, an attorney focused on TPS litigation, speaking with the Post.

The Trump administration has moved to strip protected status from 13 of 17 countries whose nationals were covered by TPS when Trump returned to office. As to why the administration is now letting protections continue for some groups, Bansal speculated that officials may be reluctant to deprive American businesses of workers so close to the election. The administration’s mass deportation push has also proven unpopular with voters.

“There’s some very concrete negative consequences for businesses and other sorts of constituents that the administration may care more about if they strip these people of their status,” Bansal told the Post.

Todd Schulte, president of the pro-immigration advocacy group FWD.us, told the Post that forcing out tens of thousands of Ukrainians just ahead of the midterms would be politically costly.

“From a political perspective, demanding Ukrainians with TPS in battleground states like Ohio — who fled Putin’s invasion — leave the U.S. would be very unpopular,” Schulte said. “This is weeks before voters in the U.S. would issue a judgment on what would be seen as purging Ukrainians and a signal that the administration is siding with the Russian authoritarian.”

The editorial board of the conservative Wall Street Journal joined the pile-on of Donald Trump for betraying his friendship with the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC).

And they didn’t pull their punches.

“President Trump’s assistance to Vladimir Putin keeps growing by the day, and in the latest example he stuck a shiv in the back of the legacy of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham,” the board wrote in an editorial.

The board said Trump waived tariffs for an indefinite period against the top buyers of Russian energy covered by the Graham bill, which passed the Senate 86-11. His executive order also waives new sanctions on Russian political and military officials, government entities, financial institutions, the energy industry and the shadow fleet Moscow uses to evade sanctions, the board wrote.

Trump "offered no explanation" beyond a statement that “the issuance of such a waiver at this time is in the national interests of the United States,” the WSJ board accused. The White House has said enforcing the sanctions now would impede U.S. efforts to negotiate a peace agreement.

“The opposite is true, and Mr. Trump is now Mr. Putin’s best friend in the world, after perhaps China’s Xi Jinping,” the editors wrote.

The board wrote that Putin responded Friday night with "one of the largest attacks" on Ukrainian energy infrastructure in the four-and-a-half-year war, including strikes on more than 15 power generation and transmission facilities.

On Sunday, the editorial said, Trump posted that he doesn’t “want to do anything that will drive, foolishly, Russia away from the bargaining table.” The editors countered that “he’s been courting Mr. Putin this way for two years, to no avail.”

The board also pointed to Trump dropping sanctions on Russian diesel sales, which it called a $4.5 billion windfall for Russian energy companies, and to threats to cut off U.S. intelligence to Kyiv. Trump has denied threatening to stop sharing intelligence, Euronews reported. The editors added that the administration still hasn’t explained who ordered speed limits on SpaceX’s Starshield satellite service used in Ukraine.

The editorial urged “a bipartisan reckoning” after the Nov. 3 election over Trump’s “budding alliance with the Kremlin against Ukraine, Europe and American interests.”

President Donald Trump's name was floated as a potential attendee to what some political analysts have described as a "treason summit."

The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday that Trump may be invited to an upcoming summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin and China's Xi Jinping to discuss an end to Russia's war in Ukraine. The hypothetical invitation came at a time when Trump had sparked fury for not only buying diesel fuel from Russia and allowing the proceeds to go toward continuing the war in Ukraine and arming America's adversaries in Iran, but also lifting sanctions on Russia that were implemented under legislation passed in honor of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC).

The report ignited a firestorm on social media.

Grant Stern, executive editor of Occupy Democrats, posted on X that the summit should be known as "Treason Summit 2.0," an ode to the last time Trump met with Putin in Alaska.

John Jackson, a military veteran and frequent Trump critic, acknowledged the possibility of the summit happening, even though nothing official has been organized.

"Of course. This will play to Trump’s ego," Jackson posted on X.

David Corn, a columnist for Mother Jones, argued that the summit would mark the formation of a new, nefarious global alliance.

"A new Axis of Evil?" Corn posted on Bluesky.

Conservative columnist Charlie Sykes skewered President Donald Trump on Sunday as the president's "treachery" abounds.

Sykes, who authors "To The Contrary" on Substack, argued in a new essay that Trump's repeated attempts to appease Russian President Vladimir Putin amounted to the president's "October surprise," or one that could ultimately lead to his defeat during the midterm elections. Over the last week, Trump has agreed to buy millions of barrels of Russian diesel fuel and agreed to ease sanctions against Russia as a way of keeping the country "at the negotiating table" to end the war in Ukraine.

"Donald Trump’s treachery was predictable and predicted. Even so, watching him throwing a financial lifeline to Putin as the monstrous mob boss murders Ukrainians is sick-making stuff," Sykes wrote.

Sykes' new column arrived on the same day that Trump repeated claims that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was responsible for the global rise in diesel fuel costs because Ukraine continues to attack Russian oil infrastructure. Analysts have pointed out that Trump's alleged "energy ceasefire" between Ukraine and Russia has not yet worked, as both countries continue to attack each other.

At the same time, Trump has tried to deflect blame for recent Russian attacks against Ukrainian civilians. Last week, reports indicated that a slowdown in Ukraine's Starshield systems, which help identify and defend against ballistic missile attacks, resulted from an order from Trump's White House.

Sykes argued that the recent moves are "vindication" of the long-standing belief that Trump is working in Russia's favor.

"Would it help if he had the grace to admit that the critics were right from the start? Maybe," Sykes wrote. "But vindication doesn’t mean we don’t feel like throwing up as we watch the United States shiv a brave democratic ally, while Ukrainians die."

President Donald Trump's shocking rants about his turn toward Russia on Sunday sparked immediate backlash across the political spectrum.

"My decision on Russia is a very simple one. I am in the process of negotiating Peace in the war between Russia and Ukraine, and don’t want to do anything that will drive, foolishly, Russia away from the bargaining table," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "Great progress is being made, and that includes current hostage negotiations! Signing that document at this time will do that, and I can sign it later, or any time that I want! Perhaps more importantly, Russia is doing very little, if anything, to help the Islamic Republic of Iran, compared to what they could be doing, and I want to keep it that way, and will, unless stupid people get in the way."

Trump's comments came after he repeatedly blamed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for rising diesel fuel prices because of his military's attacks against Russian oil refineries. Oil industry experts have said the rising prices are more closely tied to the ongoing war against Iran.

The Truth Social post sparked immediate and furious outrage from analysts.

Joseph Allen, a professor at Harvard University, described Trump's statement as "disgraceful."

"A disgraceful message from Trump. He is not worthy of the position of president of the United States," Allen wrote on X. "He is a corrupt, small-minded fool, setting fire to American ideals that have served us and the world well for decades. He is burning it to the ground while enriching himself and his family."

Edin Mujkic, a professor at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, said it was another example of how much of a "despicable human being" Trump is.

"He is shifting focus from the disaster in the Strait of Hormuz and making Zelensky a sacrificial lamb to his base. A despicable human being who never took responsibility for anything in his life," Mujkic posted on X.

Mike Nellis, a Democratic political strategist, posted on X that Trump's screed is a sign that he's worried about the backlash he's already received.

"Trump is clearly freaking out as both parties have universally condemned his decision to remove Lindsey Graham’s sanctions against Russian oligarchs," Nellis wrote. "He’s now trying to argue it’s about some secret plan he has to end the war in Ukraine. You have to be a special kind of stupid to believe this guy’s lies at this point."

President Donald Trump defended his latest turn toward Russia in a lengthy Truth Social screed Sunday as outrage over the president's recent moves continues to escalate.

Last week, Trump announced that the U.S. would buy millions of barrels of diesel fuel from Russia in an effort to lower gas prices ahead of the midterms. That's despite Russia's weakened oil infrastructure that has been battered by repeated Ukrainian drone attacks. At the same time, the president announced he would lift sanctions on Russia that were included in a bill to honor the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC). Both moves have sparked outrage among Democrats and Republicans alike.

Trump defended those moves Sunday by saying he "[doesn't] want to do anything that will drive, foolishly, Russia away from the bargaining table."

"Great progress is being made, and that includes current hostage negotiations!" Trump wrote. "Signing that document at this time will do that, and I can sign it later, or any time that I want! Perhaps more importantly, Russia is doing very little, if anything, to help the Islamic Republic of Iran, compared to what they could be doing, and I want to keep it that way, and will, unless stupid people get in the way."

"Lastly, Zelenskyy is using Diesel Refineries in Russia as a target, knowing that these attacks are seriously hurting the world diesel markets, including those in the United States. Farmers, ranchers, and businesses of all kinds are suffering greatly from this, but Russia is, nevertheless, sending, at a low price, millions of barrels of diesel to the World," Trump added. "Zelenskyy doesn’t care, and frankly, with all of the money that Europe is famously giving him, and that Crooked Joe Biden gave him in the past, he doesn’t want to end this war, and probably never did. He could have made a better deal two years ago than he can now. His country is in shambles, a large portion of his land is lost, his oceans and seas are gone, and his male population is low, wounded, and/or dead. I WANT THIS WAR END (sic)!"

A former ambassador to Ukraine sounded the alarm Sunday as President Donald Trump continues to send "kisses" to one of the U.S.'s chief adversaries.

Last week, Trump announced that the U.S. was planning to buy millions of barrels of Russian diesel fuel in an effort to lower gas prices ahead of the midterms. Trump backed up that move this week by lifting sanctions against Russia that were included in the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026, a law passed in honor of the late Republican Senator from South Carolina who took a hard-line approach to dealing with Russia. Both moves caused a plethora of outrage from Republicans and Democrats alike, although no legislative action has been taken to rein in Trump.

John Herbst, senior director at the Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center and a former ambassador to Ukraine, said on "CNN Newsroom" with host Fredricka Whitfield that Trump's moves are a "very bad look" for the president and the U.S. as a whole.

"They haven't handed him victory, but they've given him several gifts over the past week, [or] week and a half, while Putin has done everything he can, not just to conquer Ukraine, but to counter the United States in the Middle East," Herbst said. "So, while Putin is warring against us, we are sending him kisses, and that's a very bad look."

Herbst also took issue with reports that White House officials ordered a slowdown of Ukraine's Starshield system, the military equivalent of the Starlink internet service provided by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. Trump denied knowing who gave the order, which raised speculation that he himself gave it.

The former ambassador described the Starshield service as "one very good element of support that Trump has provided and actually precedes Trump."

"In his term, he's provided almost the entire time," Herbst added. "Cutting that off is very serious. It makes it much harder for Ukraine to stop the strikes that are killing civilians, going after Ukrainian energy and water infrastructure. So that's the most important thing."

President Donald Trump formally endorsed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for reelection on Sunday. The move angered critics on the left and some of Trump’s own “America First” supporters.

Trump posted the endorsement on Truth Social as a letter “To the Great People of Israel.” He called Netanyahu “a great warrior Prime Minister, and an even greater partner for peace in the fight against the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

“If Israel has the wrong leader, meaning anyone other than Bibi, America will have to do the job itself, and I have no inclination to do so,” Trump wrote. “Please consider this letter my full and complete endorsement of Benjamin Netanyahu in his next race for reelection as Prime Minister of Israel. Bibi Netanyahu will never let you down!”

Axios reporter Barak Ravid was among the first to flag the post. Netanyahu answered with a video saying that only he and Trump would destroy Iran’s nuclear program.

Danny Citrinowicz, a senior fellow at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies and a nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council, said the wording worried him.

“I may be reading too much into this statement, and I certainly hope I am wrong,” he wrote. “But it is hard not to interpret it as suggesting that Netanyahu promised Trump another joint military operation against Iran in exchange for his political support.”

“Israel cannot afford another war with Iran driven by political calculations rather than a genuine national security necessity,” he added.

Kenneth Roth, former executive director of Human Rights Watch, pointed to the International Criminal Court arrest warrant issued for Netanyahu in 2024 over the war in Gaza.

“Netanyahu has committed genocide, yet Trump endorses him,” Roth wrote. “I suppose that’s not worse than aiding and abetting the genocide, which Trump also did.”

Some of the sharpest criticism came from the right. Conservative commentator Breck Worsham, who posts as ThePatrioticBlonde, called the endorsement a “slobber filled love letter of idolatry.”

“Trump just once again endorsed Netanyahu, KNOWING how much the American people hate him, KNOWING how much the American people detest Israel,” she wrote. “He just continues to give the middle finger to the country he was elected to represent.”

Rich Baris, director of the right-leaning Big Data Poll, noted that the endorsement came hours after a report said Trump wouldn’t weigh in on Israel’s election.

“Welp, that was wrong. He did,” Baris wrote.

The endorsement comes more than six months into Trump’s war with Iran, which polls show is deeply unpopular with American voters.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio tried to clear up why Ukraine’s satellite internet has been slowing down. Critics say he made things murkier, and one prominent conservative predicted Congress would be asking about it.

Rubio talked to reporters Saturday at Joint Base Andrews before leaving for Central Asia. One asked about Starshield, the military version of SpaceX’s Starlink. Elon Musk had said this week that limits on the system are up to the president.

“Starshield is a defense product, a military product,” Rubio said. “It’s not at this moment available to Ukraine, and that’s under conversation.”

Asked about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s claim that the slowdown was deliberate, Rubio waved it off.

“I’m not sure Zelenskyy knows what he’s talking about, but it wasn’t deliberate,” he said. “We have nothing to do with that. I don’t – the United States, nobody ordered that Starlink speed to be slowed down. It sort of happened, but my understanding is it’s been restored.”

He added that Ukraine wants Starshield “in order to conduct deep strikes inside of Russia” but doesn’t have access to it.

Christopher Miller, chief Ukraine correspondent for the Financial Times, said that’s wrong.

“In fact, Ukraine has had access to and contracts for Starshield since 2024,” Miller wrote. “So it seems the Ukrainian president is not the one who doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”

Miller noted that a week after the slowdown, Ukraine still has no explanation of who ordered the speed limits.

“The White House and SpaceX each claim it’s the other who’s responsible,” he wrote. “Rubio says nobody in the US is responsible.”

Barak Ravid, a politics and foreign policy reporter for Axios, pointed out that Rubio’s account doesn’t match what Kyiv has said.

“This is very strange. Ukrainian officials claim they had access to starshield through the Pentagon until a few days ago when it was restricted,” Ravid wrote. “Maybe there is some misunderstanding.”

Even some critics on the right questioned Rubio’s version. David Pyne, a conservative national security commentator who posts as “America First Con,” wrote: “Rubio is lying. Biden gave Ukraine access to Starshield years ago when he authorized deep strikes into Russia. Trump has only disabled it intermittently since October 14th.”

Jonah Goldberg, the conservative editor-in-chief of The Dispatch, said the moment won’t go away.

“This interview is weird,” Goldberg wrote. “What he says here will be revisited by journalists, historians, and Congressional committees.”

Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) went after Rubio’s tone.

“Innocent civilians are dying in Ukraine because of Trump/Musk and Rubio treats it like it’s a special at Applebee’s that has run out,” he wrote.

Terry Moran, an independent journalist and former ABC News correspondent, said Rubio has given up the hawkish views he once held.

“Marco Rubio was once a serious man,” Moran wrote. “Now he cannot even whisper a syllable of the principles he once proudly and effectively proclaimed. It profits a man nothing to sell his soul for the whole world. But for Donald Trump?”

German military analyst Julian Röpcke, a former journalist for the tabloid Bild, wrote in German that “the former Russia critic Rubio” had shown how Trump’s “authoritarian aura turns formerly principled politicians into spineless Putin supporters.”

An American YouTuber based in Ukraine who posts as Jay in Kyiv put it more bluntly: “Rubio tells a series of complete lies.”

The remarks come shortly after President Donald Trump put on hold the sweeping Russia sanctions law named for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, and a week after he struck a deal to import Russian diesel.

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee broke his silence this weekend on an American journalist who was “severely” beaten by Israeli settlers, and quickly drew scorn for what he said.

On Friday, The Washington Post’s Heidi Levine was attacked by Israeli settlers despite “wearing a protective vest clearly marked PRESS on front and back,” the Post reported. She was “kicked repeatedly” after being knocked to the ground and “stripped of her cameras and phone.”

Outrage soon poured in as Huckabee remained silent on the matter until the next day, when he released a statement.

“Heidi Levine, photojournalist for [The Washington Post], suffered serious injuries from vicious & cowardly attack. Heidi is US Citizen, clear ID as journalist. Details of who under investigation, but those who attacked unarmed reporter should spend YRS in prison,” Huckabee wrote.

“We have called for a full investigation, arrest, and prosecution to the fullest extent of the law to whoever participated in this. Attacking a female photographer is despicable act of terror carried out by masked cowards. Dishonorable act of senseless violence.”

Despite the encounter being captured on video, Huckabee did not identify the assailants as Israeli settlers, which multiple outlets had already confirmed. More than 700,000 Israeli settlers live in settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, which are considered illegal under international law, with Israeli settler violence reaching record-high levels in recent months.

“[Thirty-six] hours later and no mention of the illegal Israeli settlers we all saw on camera attacking her. No mention of Israel whatsoever. Pathetic stuff here,” wrote journalist and former MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan.

Independent journalist Jasper Nathaniel, who extensively reports on Israeli settler violence, sarcastically jabbed at Huckabee’s omission of the incident’s assailants.

“Dang it the unknowable masked bandits of the West Bank strike again,” Nathaniel wrote in a social media post on X.

Others, like the independent news outlet Drop Site News, condemned Huckabee for his past rhetoric, which it alleged helped fuel such attacks.

“[Levine] was left with a broken rib, four broken vertebrae and a finger ripped open to the bone, the Post said. Israeli military jeeps drove through while the attack continued, and soldiers fired tear gas at Palestinians, witnesses said. No arrests have been reported,” reads a statement from the outlet.

“Huckabee has spent his career erasing the people Israeli settlers target. He rejects the term ‘West Bank’ in favor of ‘Judea and Samaria,’ and said in 2008 that ‘there's really no such thing as a Palestinian.’”

President Donald Trump said he was “not inclined” to continue his deeply unpopular war against Iran if a far-right ally of his loses in an election next week.

That ally is Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose party is trailing behind his chief political rival’s party in recent polls ahead of next week’s Israeli elections.

“If Israel has the wrong Leader, which would be anyone other than Bibi, America will have to do this work ourselves, and I am not inclined to do so. Bibi Netanyahu has been Strong, Brave, and Brilliant in the face of tremendous opposition, including that coming from even Israel, itself,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.

“Please let this Letter serve to represent my Complete and Total Endorsement of Bibi Netanyahu in his upcoming Race for Re-Election as Prime Minister of Israel. BIBI NETANYAHU WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!”

The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu, accusing the criminally indicted leader of intentionally targeting civilians and using starvation as a method of war during Israel’s ongoing siege on Gaza.

Netanyahu’s top political rival, Gadi Eisenkot, the former chief of staff for the Israel Defense Forces, is a chief proponent of the Dahiya doctrine, an Israeli military strategy involving the mass destruction of civilian infrastructure.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued President Donald Trump a fierce rebuke Sunday after striking a Russian oil terminal just days after the U.S. president demanded a halt to attacks on energy infrastructure.

In what Russian state media called “one of the biggest drone attacks of the year,” Ukraine struck an oil terminal in St. Petersburg on Sunday — just one week after Trump claimed that a ceasefire had been brokered between Ukraine and Russia to halt attacks on energy infrastructure.

Three days after Trump’s ceasefire announcement, Ukraine’s access to Starlink — the internet service provided by Elon Musk’s SpaceX — was abruptly restricted, with subsequent reporting suggesting that the order to limit Starlink services came directly from the White House.

Zelenskyy has since broken with Trump publicly, and on Sunday issued a scathing message in defense of Ukraine’s latest attack on Russian energy infrastructure.

“In total, over this past week, the Russians have attacked Ukraine with almost 2,700 attack drones, 1,700 aerial bombs, and 66 missiles, most of them ballistic,” Zelenskyy said in a statement.

“The main targets of these strikes are energy facilities – the Russians are trying to cause a blackout. And America should see that Russia is not taking any reciprocal steps in response to sanctions relief or agreements. On the contrary, they take every signal of an opportunity to make money as proof that their bet on war is paying off and they can keep fighting.”

Trump has increasingly pressed Zelenskyy to cede territory to Russia in his bid to end the Russo-Ukraine war. Zelenskyy has refused, sparking a threat from Trump to cut Ukraine off from U.S. intelligence.

“It is because of this position of Russia’s that the war continues, not because Ukraine is rightfully defending itself,” Zelenskyy continued. “It is Russia that must face pressure for peace to have a chance. Thank you to everyone who understands this and helps.”

Protests erupted throughout France on Saturday, with demonstrators citing a wide variety of grievances including inequality, the high cost of living, and poor conditions in the nation’s schools.

As reported by Agence France-Presse, tens of thousands of demonstrators marched in Paris and other cities to protest what they said was inaction by the French government on the biggest problems facing the country.

“For years we’ve had climate, economy, and equality problems,” one protester identified as Agnes told AFP, “but the government is not doing anything about it.”

18-year-old student Kamil Alahyan told AFP that there are “so many reasons” to protest, including “the elections coming up in 2027, politicians who lie, the ultra-rich who’ve been taking more and more wealth over the past 10 years.”

A 19-year-old protester identified as Lola expressed a similar view in an interview published by The Guardian on Saturday.

“We are fighting because the cost of living is too harsh,” Lola said, “because the price of fuel is too high, because high school pupils are being violently attacked and hurt all over the country just for trying to protest and ask for more teachers and decent learning conditions.”

Student organizer Ryad Rani told AFP that “the government is trembling and it’s right to tremble because when the French people are angry, they never let up.”

Saturday’s demonstrations mark the expansion of a movement that began last month when students blockaded their schools to protest staffing shortages, dilapidated buildings, and a widely criticized university application system.

According to The New York Times, demonstrations took place in at least 140 cities across the country.

Some of the protests did turn violent in major cities including Lyon, Marseille, and Paris, AFP reported. A Saturday BBC report claimed that more than 270 protesters have been arrested nationwide.

French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu accused “ultra-left groups” of inciting violence at the demonstrations.

“To those who clearly want to use these acts of violence as a ‘warm-up’ ahead of the presidential election, let me be clear: we will not be intimidated,” Lecornu wrote in a social media post. “No one will impose their political agenda through violence.”

Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader the left-wing France Unbowed party, slammed the media for focusing too much on the isolated incidents of violence and not reporting on the overwhelmingly peaceful nature of the demonstrations.

“Crowds of people everywhere, calm and joyful everywhere when the police aren’t around,” Mélenchon wrote in a social media post that featured photos of peaceful marches from across the country, which he described as “images you won’t see in the official media.”

Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) says President Donald Trump’s plans for the post-election session of Congress are finished. He blamed the president’s latest move on Russia.

“Congress has a lame-duck session. The President has an agenda: supplemental, reconciliation, Ballroom, etc… I think the agenda is dead,” Bacon wrote on X Saturday.

“Many of us won’t fund these things knowing he is propping up a dictator’s invasion and throwing an ally under the bus,” he added.

Bacon is a retired Air Force brigadier general. He was replying to CNN anchor Kate Bolduan, who had pointed to the GOP backlash over Trump’s decision to put on hold the sweeping Russia sanctions law named for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).

“Tillis. Not holding back. Also saw @JohnCornyn just tweet ‘Lindsey would be appalled,’” Bolduan wrote. “But key question…what can/is the senate going to do about it?”

Bacon’s answer was money.

Trump signed an executive order Friday pausing the package, which he had signed into law only last month. He told Congress the pause was in the national interest. The law targets Russian banks, officials and the “shadow fleet” of tankers carrying Russian energy. It also calls for tariffs on the biggest buyers of Russian oil and gas.

A week earlier, Trump had announced a deal to import Russian diesel. He has since said Ukraine needs “a new president.”

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) had already blasted the pause as “beyond irresponsible.” He accused the administration of “capitulating to a Russian dictator who illegally invaded Ukraine and butchers innocent civilians every single day.”

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said, “Lindsey would be appalled,” Bolduan noted.

Bacon isn’t running for reelection. He has been one of the few House Republicans willing to break with Trump on Ukraine.

Congress has a lame-duck session. The President has an agenda: supplemental, reconciliation, Ballroom, etc… I think the agenda is dead. Many of us won’t fund these things knowing he is propping up a dictator’s invasion and throwing an ally under the bus.
— Rep. Don Bacon 🇺🇸✈️🏍️⭐️🎖️ (@RepDonBacon) October 17, 2026

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted a five-word tribute to the late Sen. Lindsey Graham on Saturday. Plenty of people took it as a jab at President Donald Trump.

“Thank you for everything, Lindsey!” Zelenskyy wrote on X, in English and Ukrainian. He attached a photo of himself shaking hands with Graham, who is giving a thumbs-up.

Zelenskyy didn’t mention Trump. But the timing stood out. The post went up hours after Trump put on hold the sweeping Russia sanctions law named for Graham, a South Carolina Republican and longtime Russia hawk who died in July.

“Late last night, President Trump waived the financial punishments on buyers of Russian oil that Congress had enacted to stop funding Putin’s war machine,” wrote Margaret Brennan, moderator of CBS’ “Face the Nation.” “Passing that bipartisan bill was meant to honor Lindsey Graham’s legacy, as he had pushed for those sanctions.”

She added that Zelenskyy said Saturday “it is harder now without Senator Lindsey Graham in Ukraine’s corner.”

Caitlin Doornbos, a foreign policy and war reporter who founded the outlet The Correspondent, also pointed to the timing.

“Wow. President Zelensky posts this hours after Trump announced waivers of the new Lindsey Graham sanctions law on Russia,” she wrote.

Christopher Miller, the Financial Times’ chief Ukraine correspondent, shared the post with a one-word reaction: “Wow.”

Others read it as a deliberate shot.

“Zelenskyy is basically just trolling Trump at this point, and I’m all for it,” wrote Vatnik Soup, a popular pro-Ukraine account.

Finnish geopolitical analyst Joni Askola called it “a clear message from Zelensky to Trump.” Nicolas Tenzer, a senior French civil servant and senior fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis, wrote: “This is the message.”

John O’Brennan, a professor of European politics, called it “master trolling.”

Fox News co-host Jessica Tarlov brought up Graham’s sister, Darline Graham, who was appointed to finish his term.

“Wonder what Darline would say about who she stands with,” Tarlov wrote.

The post comes during a rough stretch between the two leaders. Trump said last week that Ukraine needs “a new president.” He also blamed Zelenskyy’s strikes on Russian refineries for high U.S. diesel prices, and Thursday he said he finds Zelenskyy “more difficult to deal with than Putin.”

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) is furious that President Donald Trump put sweeping new Russia sanctions on hold. Trump signed those sanctions into law only last month.

“Beyond irresponsible,” Tillis wrote on X Saturday. “What part of enforcing a law passed 86-11 by the Senate does the President and his advisors not understand?”

“It’s unconscionable that this administration is capitulating to a Russian dictator who illegally invaded Ukraine and butchers innocent civilians every single day,” he added.

Trump signed an executive order Friday that pauses the package. He told Congress the move was in the national interest, the Associated Press reported. The White House didn’t immediately say how, and the order came before the sanctions took effect, according to CNBC.

The law is named for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a longtime Russia hawk who died in July. It targets Russian officials, banks and the “shadow fleet” of tankers that carries Russian energy. It also tells the president to put tariffs of up to 100% on the biggest buyers of Russian oil and gas.

The pause comes a week after Trump announced a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to import Russian diesel. Lawmakers in both parties warned that the deal could help fund Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Tillis said Trump was going about lowering prices the wrong way.

“If the President wants to actually bring down energy prices, he can do it by solving the Iran problem, not by doing a solid for Vladimir Putin,” he wrote.

Tillis isn’t running for reelection. He had already questioned whether the diesel deal is legal.

Beyond irresponsible. What part of enforcing a law passed 86-11 by the Senate does the President and his advisors not understand? It’s unconscionable that this administration is capitulating to a Russian dictator who illegally invaded Ukraine and butchers innocent civilians every single day. If the President wants to actually bring down energy prices, he can do it by solving the Iran problem, not by doing a solid for Vladimir Putin.https://t.co/ccCakQUTDt
— Senator Thom Tillis (@SenThomTillis) October 17, 2026

Critics across the political spectrum unloaded on President Donald Trump after he threw Russia a lifeline with a stroke of his pen.

Trump signed an executive order Friday night exempting Russia from a sweeping package of penalties Congress passed last month, just two days before they were set to take effect, The New York Times reported. The law, named for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), targeted Russian officials, oligarchs and banks to choke off cash for Moscow's war on Ukraine.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), who co-wrote the bill, tore into the president on X. "Donald Trump confirms again that he stands on the side of a bloodthirsty thug & the enablers of Russia's war machine & against the majority of Americans, their representatives in both houses of Congress, & our European allies," he wrote.

In a statement reported by the Associated Press, Blumenthal said the waivers have "nothing to do with our national security, and everything to do with sucking up to Vladimir Putin."

Jamie Metzl, a former State Department and National Security Council official, called the move "a despicable and disgraceful betrayal of the brave people of Ukraine, European allies, and American values."

"As Ukrainians fight and die defending their freedom, Trump is throwing an economic lifeline to the dictator invading their country," he wrote. "Generations of American heroes who fought and sacrificed to defend freedom against tyranny are rolling in their graves," he added.

Gregg Nunziata, a former Republican Senate aide, saw the order as a slap at the late senator who championed the bill. "Among other things, a final dishonor for Senator Graham," he wrote.

Progressive activist Amy Siskind was more blunt. "WTF IS TRUMP DOING!" she posted.

Investigative journalist Julie K. Brown, known for breaking open the Jeffrey Epstein case at the Miami Herald, offered a sarcastic take. "I guess times change and we are friends with Russia dictators now," she wrote.

Others piled on. "Almost comical how in the tank he is for Putin," wrote veteran and political commentator John Jackson.

Ukrainian commentator Kate Bohuslavska, who runs the popular account Kate from Kharkiv, kept it short. "Traitorous yet expected. What an embarrassment," she wrote.

President Donald Trump has handed Russia an economic lifeline days before a punishing crackdown on Moscow's war chest was set to begin.

Trump signed an executive order Friday night exempting Russia from penalties laid out in the Graham Act, The New York Times and the Associated Press reported. The law, named for Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who died in July, was scheduled to take effect Sunday.

The measure aimed to hit Russian officials, oligarchs and banks in an effort to choke off the money funding Moscow's war on Ukraine. It also handed Trump fresh tariff powers, including the ability to slap up to 100 percent levies on countries buying Russian oil and gas and up to 500 percent on Russian goods entering the U.S., per The Times.

"I am hereby waiving the application of such sanctions, restrictions and duties provided for in the Graham Act," Trump wrote in the order, adding that he had certified to Congress that the waiver serves "the national interests of the United States."

President Donald Trump's own base is starting to recognize something critics have long warned about, according to an economic analyst.

On Friday's episode of "Receipts Live," The Bulwark economics editor Catherine Rampell and its editor Jonathan V. Last pointed to new AP-NORC polling showing that 55 percent of Republicans believe Trump has prioritized his own business interests since returning to office.

About three-quarters of Americans overall said the same, and a similar share of Republicans said Trump has prioritized the business interests of his friends, family and those close to him, Rampell noted.

"This is penetrating, which I think is pretty striking because again, this is a group of voters, a group of Americans who are not particularly inclined to unplug their ears and hear this inconvenient news about how Donald Trump is getting paid off," Rampell said.

She pointed to a string of recent reports, including one that a federal regulator was told to back off a probe into suspiciously timed trades and another on the apparently overseas buyers of Trump's memecoin.

"Even Republicans are now acknowledging, yeah, he's in it for himself," she said.

Last zeroed in on the intensity of those Republicans' responses.

"Twenty-one percent of Republicans say not at all, which is insane. But that number is slightly smaller than the percentage of Republicans who say a lot, which is 23 percent," Last said.

"You get almost a quarter of Republicans saying, yeah, sure seems like he's using the government to enrich himself a lot," he added. "And that's not nothing."

Last cautioned that the numbers don't mean those voters will turn against Trump, noting some might still argue "everybody does it" or that it's "no worse than what Joe Biden" did.

Rampell also flagged a caveat. Republicans in the same survey overwhelmingly said Trump was prioritizing the country at large and people like them as well.

"If you know how priorities work, you can't prioritize everything and everyone," she said. "But I think this is the only way to keep a handle on all of that cognitive dissonance."

Rampell added that a recent Fox News poll found corruption in government topped voters' list of concerns heading into the midterms, edging out inflation and gas prices.

Elon Musk’s attempt to wash his hands of a decision Ukraine says proved deadly blew up in his face after a new report tied him to it, and critics wasted no time pouncing.

The Telegraph reported Friday that Musk brought President Donald Trump the idea of slowing Ukraine’s access to Starshield, the military-grade version of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite network, citing four sources familiar with the discussion. One source said Trump “agreed,” after which the Pentagon capped the system’s speed, crippling Ukraine’s drone defenses.

The report came two days after Musk publicly pinned the blame on Trump. Replying on X Wednesday, the SpaceX chief insisted, “Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS.”

However, a senior source told The Telegraph, “The reality is that they were both in it,” and critics didn’t hold back when The Telegraph’s diplomatic editor Joe Barnes shared the scoop on X.

“They both lied. Ukrainians died,” the progressive MeidasTouch Network reacted on X.

Vatnik Soup, an anti-disinformation account, argued the story played out “exactly as people imagined,” adding that “fear of losing business in Europe” drove Musk’s quick reversal.

“The decisions of these two small, greedy men may have cost many Ukrainian soldiers and civilians their lives,” Vatnik Soup wrote. “An absolute disgrace.”

British-Lebanese journalist Oz Katerji charged that Musk and Trump “decided to punish Zelenskyy by throttling Starshield because of domestic US fuel prices.”

“That didn’t bother Musk though, the only thing he cared about was his profit margin,” Katerji added.

Writer Richard Hanania asked if Musk and Trump “were working together to help Putin because they thought it’d be good for Republicans in the midterms.”

“These people are more evil than you thought,” he concluded.

Electrek editor-in-chief Fred Lambert quipped, “At this point, there’s simply no difference between Trump and Musk. Might as well be the same person.”

Veteran political reporter Jamie Dupree observed that “the Sgt. Schultz response (‘I know nothing’) seems to be wearing off,” referring to the “Hogan’s Heroes” character. Dupree added that if the report holds up, it “would not be a surprise to anyone.”

Trump, for his part, told reporters at the White House Friday evening that he didn’t think either he or Musk was responsible for Ukraine losing Starlink access, and a senior U.S. official told Reuters that “no such request was ever made by the president.” The Telegraph said it had approached SpaceX for comment, and the Pentagon has yet to publicly explain the restrictions.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk pitched President Donald Trump on slowing Ukraine’s military Starlink service before publicly blaming him for it, The Telegraph reported.

Four people familiar with the talks told the British newspaper that the idea of throttling the system, which crippled Ukraine’s drone defenses, came from Musk.

One said Trump “agreed,” after which the Pentagon slowed Starshield, the military-grade version of Musk’s satellite network. The Telegraph said it had approached SpaceX for comment, and the Pentagon has not offered a public explanation.

The limit, about 160 kilometers per hour (about 100 mph), left Ukraine’s interceptor drones unable to catch Russian jet-powered drones and missiles moving at twice that speed, The Telegraph reported.

“So people were killed because not enough destroying, not enough interceptors, including interceptors with Starlink, which didn’t work, of course,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told British broadcaster Piers Morgan on Wednesday.

“Starlink connectivity at speeds of up to 160 km/h is being restored. Removing Starshield’s speed limit entirely is now critical for Ukraine’s defense. Thank you, @elonmusk. We hope for your continued support,” former Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov wrote on X the same day.

“Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government. Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS. Starlink is a commercial service owned and controlled by SpaceX,” Musk replied, distinguishing the government-controlled Starshield from SpaceX’s commercial Starlink.

“He tweeted out that he was innocent and that it was the US administration that did it. The reality is that they were both in it,” a senior source told The Telegraph.

The same source said Musk grew worried about a consumer backlash in Europe after what was described as a “night of carnage” in Kyiv, the newspaper reported.

“As your European customers, we are watching you,” Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski wrote to Musk on social media, according to the newspaper.

Poland has purchased Starlink services from SpaceX for Ukraine.

The order to slow the service came from inside the White House, two U.S. officials and a Western official told Reuters on Thursday. The move came as Trump pressed Kyiv to stop striking Russian oil refineries, the news agency reported.

The officials said Defense Department leaders received a message that the service “needed to be slowed.”

Ukrainian officials who called the White House, State Department and Pentagon were told it was a White House decision, a senior Ukrainian official told Reuters.

“No such request was ever made by the president,” a senior U.S. official told Reuters, though the White House did not answer whether other administration officials might have made it.

“Well, I don’t know if it was anybody, because it wasn’t me, and I don’t think it was Elon,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday.

“And I think it’s probably functioning, from what I understand,” Trump added.

Zelenskyy, who called the slowdown a “very dangerous and unpleasant surprise,” said Friday on the sidelines of a European Union summit in Brussels that service was coming back.

“Our defence ministry is in touch and my partners, they told me that there were signals from the White House that they would return these capabilities. Have they returned to the previous speed limits? No. But is it coming back now? Yes,” he said, according to The Telegraph.

An audience laughed at President Donald Trump during a European summit after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy answered a question about Trump’s midterm troubles with only a smile.

The exchange closed Zelenskyy’s press conference Friday at the European Council summit in Brussels after Sky News Europe correspondent Alistair Bunkall asked him the question.

“President Trump is facing pretty difficult midterm elections. His personal popularity is very low. Diesel prices in the U.S. are very high. And the war that he started in the Middle East is not going the way he wants it,” Bunkall said.

“Do you think you are being treated as a scapegoat for his own problems?” Bunkall asked.

Zelenskyy paused for about eight seconds, looked down at his podium and then smiled at the audience.

The room broke into laughter as Zelenskyy opened his hand toward the crowd, the video shows.

“This is my answer,” Zelenskyy said.

The reply drew a second wave of laughter, according to the video.

“Thank you so much,” Bunkall said.

Al Jazeera reported that the question came a week after Trump struck a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to buy diesel, then blamed Zelenskyy’s strikes on Russian oil refineries for high U.S. diesel prices.

“I think it’s time for Ukraine to get a new president,” Trump told reporters at the White House the next day, the outlet reported.

“He wants to make problems for our farmers, our ranchers, with diesel fuel,” Trump said, according to Euronews.

Euronews reported that Trump puts the blame for diesel prices solely on Zelenskyy, but the refinery strikes are part of Ukraine’s defense against the invasion Russia launched in 2022.

Ukrainian drones were striking Russian refineries months before the Iran war, hitting two major plants in a single night in August 2025, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported.

U.S. diesel prices surged after Trump launched his war with Iran on Feb. 28, rising from $3.81 a gallon to $6.19 by early October, according to Energy Information Administration figures cited in an Al Jazeera analysis. The analysis found that those figures show the war in Ukraine changed prices little.

The spike has become a political liability for Republicans ahead of next month’s midterm elections, Al Jazeera reported.

“Prices are rising because of the war in the Middle East, the blocking of Hormuz,” Zelenskyy told ABC News the day after Trump called for his replacement, according to Mother Jones.

Tensions spread to Ukraine’s military internet Wednesday, when a Zelenskyy adviser said SpaceX had slowed Starlink satellite service on moving terminals without warning Ukraine’s forces, CNBC reported.

“Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military, and ultimately POTUS [the president],” SpaceX CEO Elon Musk wrote on X about Starshield, the military version of Starlink, the outlet noted.

SpaceX began restoring Starlink speeds that day, CNBC reported, even though Musk insisted his company had nothing to do with the limits.

“I am sure they knew what they did, absolutely,” Zelenskyy told British journalist Piers Morgan that day, referring to Trump and Musk.

“I’ll be frank—this was a very unpleasant and dangerous surprise regarding the ‘Starlink’ satellites,” Zelenskyy said when asked about it again at Friday’s press conference.

Trump kept up his criticism Thursday, a day before the press conference, calling Ukraine’s renewed refinery strikes a “disgrace” after Kyiv dropped his energy ceasefire.

“I think I find Zelenskyy to be more difficult to deal with than Putin,” Trump told Newsmax.

Two Americans were “severely” beaten Thursday and Friday in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, and outrage poured in as U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee remained silent on the matter.

Heidi Levine, a veteran journalist and photographer for The Washington Post, was “severely” beaten Friday, the Post reported, while “wearing a protective vest clearly marked PRESS on front and back.” She was “kicked repeatedly” after being knocked to the ground, and “stripped of her cameras and phone” by Israeli settlers.

“I just got back actually two days ago from three weeks in Ukraine,” Levine said from a hospital bed, video shared by independent journalist Jasper Nathaniel showed. “I’ve been covering this conflict here for over three decades, and this is the second time that I’ve been brutally attacked — 15 years ago I was also attacked in front of the [Israeli] army.”

Haitham Taysir, a U.S. citizen, was assaulted on Thursday “while working in his family’s olive groves,” The Vulnerable People Project reported.

Huckabee, the chief diplomatic representative in Israel whose top responsibilities include protecting U.S. citizens, has condemned Israeli settler violence in the past. He has also, however, ignored violent attacks on Americans in Israel.

“An American citizen, Haytham Taysir, was just severely beaten by settlers in his olive groves in Burqa, Ramallah,” wrote Nathaniel in a social media post on X. “[Huckabee], how’s that crackdown on settler terrorists going?”

Nathaniel, who rushed to Levine’s aid shortly after the attack, provided additional details on the incident.

“The [Israel Defense Forces] provided cover, with tear gas and machine guns, while the settlers beat Washington Post journalist Heidi Levine nearly to death,” Nathaniel wrote. “Then the IDF shot a Palestinian bystander, and aimed their guns and shoved the paramedics who were trying to treat him. All of this [is] documented.”

Journalist and former MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan was left shaken by video of Levine receiving medical treatment.

“Israeli settlers, funded and protected by the United States, attacked this female American journalist in her sixties,” Hasan wrote in a social media post on X.

There are more than 700,000 Israeli settlers illegally living in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, with instances of Israeli settler violence reaching record-high levels in recent months.

Critics of President Donald Trump unloaded on his White House after a new report traced a deadly battlefield decision straight to his doorstep.

Reuters reported Thursday that the order to limit Starshield, the military-grade version of SpaceX's Starlink service that Ukrainian troops use for drone operations and battlefield communications, came from inside the White House, according to two U.S. officials and a Western official briefed on the matter.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said people were killed when interceptor drones relying on the system stopped working. On Wednesday, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk pinned the limits on the U.S. military and "ultimately" the president. A senior U.S. official insisted to Reuters that "no such request was ever made by the president."

Marc Polymeropoulos, a former senior CIA operations officer, warned the fallout reached far beyond the battlefield.

"If true, this is a very big deal. Not just in terms of Ukrainian lives that were lost. I'm not sure if people realize that this put the lives of US embassy officials and US citizens at large in Ukraine at great risk," he cautioned on X. "This is madness. The White House did this. I've never seen anything like this in my career. Heads should roll."

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) zeroed in on a possible motive. "How much did Putin pay. And to whom?" he asked.

Former Illinois Republican Rep. Joe Walsh didn't hold back in his reaction. "Trump is on Putin's side. Always has been," he fumed. "Trump is actively helping Putin kill Ukrainian men, women, and children." Walsh went on to brand the president a traitor who "should be treated as such."

Miles Taylor, who served as Department of Homeland Security chief of staff during Trump's first term, called the revelation "a bigger scandal than Trump's first Ukraine impeachment."

The Bulwark's Tim Miller skewered the White House order as "a huge gift from Trump to our ally Russia." His colleague Sam Stein, The Bulwark's managing editor, hailed the report as a "big scoop."

MeidasTouch co-founder Ben Meiselas argued the order came from the "exact place the orders came from to cover up the Epstein Files, or destroy the Kennedy Center, or chop down the trees at the DC Golf Course."

Journalist Michael Weiss summed up his reaction in a single sarcastic word. "Surprise," he quipped.

If true, this is a very big deal. Not just in terms of Ukrainian lives that were lost. I’m not sure if people realize that this put the lives of US embassy officials and US citizens at large in Ukraine at great risk. This is madness. The White House did this. I’ve never seen anything like this in my career. Heads should roll. If true…
— Marc Polymeropoulos (@Mpolymer) October 16, 2026

Elon Musk's attempt to pin a deadly battlefield decision on President Donald Trump just got backing from an explosive new report.

The directive to throttle Starshield, the military-grade version of SpaceX's Starlink satellite service on which Ukrainian troops rely, originated inside the White House, Reuters reported Thursday, citing two U.S. officials and a Western official who had been briefed on the matter.

According to officials, Defense Department leaders were sent a message instructing them to slow the service for Ukraine's military. They did not say who in the White House gave the order or who carried it out.

The report lands a day after Musk publicly laid the blame at the president's feet. Responding on X Wednesday to former Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who had pressed him to lift the speed cap, the SpaceX chief insisted his company wasn't calling the shots.

"Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government. Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS," Musk wrote.

The Trump administration pushed back Thursday. Asked about the order, a senior U.S. official told Reuters, "No such request was ever made by the president." The White House didn't answer questions about whether anyone else in the Trump administration was behind it.

A senior Ukrainian official told Reuters that Kyiv spent Tuesday and Wednesday calling senior officials at the White House, State Department and Pentagon looking for an explanation, and was told that the restriction was a White House decision.

The stakes are high. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Piers Morgan Wednesday that people were killed because interceptor drones that depend on Starlink stopped working. Ukrainian officials said the slowdown also hampered strikes on Russian forces and supply lines. A Defense Ministry source told Reuters the receptors are functioning in motion again, but only up to 100 miles per hour.

The clampdown came as Trump has leaned on Kyiv to halt its attacks on Russian oil refineries, which he blames for rising energy prices heading into the midterms. At an October 9 meeting in Miami, Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and envoy Steve Witkoff took a hard line with Ukrainian officials over the strikes, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Musk himself had backed Trump's pressure campaign just days ago, sharing a clip of the president's warning to Zelenskyy on October 10 with the comment, "Zelensky has gone too far."

A GOP analyst came unglued on CNN on Thursday while discussing President Donald Trump's plan to send "blood money" to Russia in exchange for a little diesel fuel.

Marc Short, the former chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence, told CNN's Boris Sanchez that Trump's plan to import Russian diesel fuel in an attempt to offset high costs ahead of the midterms is as "nonsensical" as it is "nefarious." Short said Russia not only doesn't have the supply to make a difference in the oil market, but Russia will also use the money it earns from the sales to continue attacking Ukraine and arming America's enemies in the war against Iran.

"So, economically it's nonsensical," Short said, noting Russia's capacity shortages. "But if they did and we were buying it, it's just blood money to Russia to kill more Ukrainians. Meanwhile, Russia is providing intel to Iran, which is using it against our men and women in uniform. So this whole policy makes no sense economically. But from a national security perspective, it's even more nefarious."

Short's comments came at a time when Trump is struggling to keep his so-called "energy ceasefire" between Ukraine and Russia intact. Russia has repeatedly attacked Ukraine since the ceasefire was announced, and the U.S. secretly turned off Ukraine's access to its Starlink internet service, which paved the way for a massive Russian drone attack on a civilian area, according to reports.

President Donald Trump’s decision to approve Russia selling a substantial amount of diesel on the world market caught U.S. allies flat-footed, according to the Wall Street Journal.

In a deep dive on growing U.S.-Ukraine tensions, the Journal reported that the deal has created a schism that has allies, and some Republican lawmakers, furious.

Senior Ukrainian and European officials flew to Miami on Oct. 9 to meet Trump negotiators Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff in a bid to revive peace talks, the Journal reported. During the six-hour meeting, Kushner and Witkoff said the president was considering a diesel deal with Russia. The Ukrainian and European officials were “floored,” people familiar with the matter told the paper.

That same day, Trump held a 90-minute phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin and announced the deal shortly after hanging up, the Journal said. Treasury then issued a temporary license allowing Russian diesel into the global market, according to ABC affiliate WJLA.

“Lower prices for Americans, especially our Great Farmers, Ranchers, and Truckers, is my Greatest Priority,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called it “a weak decision, unfortunately, a weak decision by strong partners.”

The Journal reported that Trump "had increasingly soured on Zelensky" over the previous month. Since a discussion between the two, it said, the U.S. "had asked Ukraine about a half dozen times to halt strikes" on Russian energy. Ukrainian officials said they would agree to any energy truce, but Russia refused, so they didn’t pull back. Trump was annoyed that Ukraine was using U.S. resources to target Russia’s energy exports in a way he thought could hurt American consumers, people familiar said.

Several Republican lawmakers called the White House angry after the announcement, the Journal reported, saying the deal handed Russia a win without concessions and went against a 2022 law banning U.S. imports of Russian energy. Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA) said: “It makes me a little bit nervous anytime we’re talking about relieving a sanction on Russia.”

On Sunday, Trump declared on Truth Social that “there is an ENERGY CEASEFIRE in the War between Russia and Ukraine” effective immediately. “Both parties have agreed. Do not break it!” he wrote.

Moscow had not confirmed it, the Journal reported while adding, Zelensky said Russia struck multiple Ukrainian power plants that day, including one in Kharkiv.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk named President Donald Trump as “ultimately” responsible for limits on Ukrainian troops’ satellite internet after Ukraine’s president said a sudden slowdown left people dead.

Musk made the remark Wednesday in a post on X, replying to former Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who had urged him to lift a speed limit on Starshield, the government version of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service.

Earlier Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told British broadcaster Piers Morgan in an interview that people were killed because interceptor drones relying on Starlink did not work.

“Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government. Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS,” Musk wrote.

“Starlink is a commercial service owned and controlled by SpaceX. Usage of Starlink is limited to civilian or defensive activities and cannot be used for offensive military action, as doing so would be inappropriate for a commercial company,” he added.

“Starlink connectivity at speeds of up to 160 km/h is being restored. Removing Starshield’s speed limit entirely is now critical for Ukraine’s defense,” Fedorov had written, thanking Musk.

SpaceX capped Starshield terminals in motion at 100 miles per hour overnight, without warning, disrupting several military missions, presidential adviser Serhii Beskrestnov said, the Kyiv Independent reported.

“This complicates drone missions — specifically those involving interceptors and mid-range strike drones — and hampers capabilities for frontline logistics, reconnaissance, and signal relay,” a Defense Ministry source told the outlet.

Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said the actual limits were “significantly lower” during the day, but service had stabilized by evening with the cap still in place, according to the Kyiv Independent.

In the interview, Morgan pointed out that only four of 40 ballistic missiles fired at Ukraine had been shot down and asked whether Musk, who Morgan said had recently called for a new Ukrainian president, had deliberately slowed the service.

“I’m sure that they knew what they did. Absolutely. Because it was 1 a.m.,” Zelenskyy replied.

“And Starlink was blocked, of course, by SpaceX and ... by the United States. It is their right, but … what they did, [is] they made (sic) whole pressure on us ... No working information about ballistic [missiles] before attack, and then switch off the Starlinks,” he continued.

“And when you destroy Shaheds [Russia’s Iranian-designed attack drones], and often when we destroy jet Shaheds, we use drones with Starlinks … So people were killed because not enough destroying, not enough interceptors, including interceptors with Starlink, which didn’t work, of course,” Zelenskyy said.

Zelenskyy also told Morgan he hoped the slowdown was only a “mistake,” The Hill reported.

“Obviously, this action cannot be a coincidence and is associated with the current political situation,” Beskrestnov said earlier, according to the Kyiv Independent. The outlet noted that the White House has not commented on the restriction.

The satellite slowdown came days after Trump publicly warned Zelenskyy to stop the refinery strikes, in remarks the White House shared on X.

“We told Zelensky, ‘You can do whatever you want to Russia, but don’t hit the refineries because that’s a world problem.’ And what does he do? He goes and hits the diesel fuel. He better damn well stop,” Trump said Oct. 10.

“Zelensky has gone too far,” Musk wrote the same day, sharing the clip.

President Donald Trump seems to be caught up in what The Guardian's editorial board describes as a "coordinated pressure" campaign to tip the Ukraine war in Russia's favor.

The editorial board pointed to several "perilous circumstances" that have arisen in recent weeks. They pointed to Ukrainian forces losing access to Elon Musk's Starlink internet service, Ukraine suffering significant casualties after a Russian missile strike that the U.S. did not warn them about, and Trump's insistence that Ukraine hold elections despite the country still being at war, something that Russian President Vladimir Putin has also called for.

"This raises suspicion of coordinated pressure to tip the scales in Russia’s favor after many months when Mr. Putin’s forces have failed to deliver significant advances and his country’s economy has been suffering from the effect of Ukrainian missile and drone counterstrikes," the editorial argued.

The editorial argues that there is good reason to suspect Trump would go along with such a campaign. For instance, Trump has sought to blame Ukraine's attacks on Russia's oil refineries as the reason for rising diesel prices to avoid scrutiny of his disastrous war against Iran, which resulted in the Strait of Hormuz being closed for several weeks.

"Mr. Trump is unhappy with Ukraine targeting Russian oil refineries. He claims that this is the cause of high energy prices afflicting American consumers and threatening Republican prospects in next month’s midterm elections," the editorial reads in part. "The domestic imperative to keep pump prices down led Mr. Trump to do a grubby deal to import diesel from Russia, in flagrant breach of international sanctions."

"Russia is failing to achieve its war aims because the invasion was conceived in delusional hatred for the very idea of independent Ukrainian nationhood, which routinely underestimates that country’s will to resist. That is a flaw in Mr Putin’s plans that no amount of collusion with Mr Trump can fix," it added.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) drew a public rebuke from Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski after parroting a Kremlin talking point by asking whether he was part of the problem in Ukraine peace talks.

The exchange played out Wednesday on X, where Luna responded to a post Sikorski had aimed at SpaceX owner Elon Musk.

Sikorski had asked whether Musk was “playing politics” with Starlink after Ukrainian officials said SpaceX restricted their access without warning, the Kyiv Independent reported.

SpaceX imposed a 100-mile-per-hour speed limit on Ukraine’s moving Starlink terminals overnight, disrupting several missions, Ukrainian presidential adviser Serhii Beskrestnov said, according to the outlet. Ukraine’s military relies on the satellite internet service for communications and drone operations, the Kyiv Independent reported.

“Obviously, this action cannot be a coincidence and is associated with the current political situation,” Beskrestnov said.

President Donald Trump has threatened to withhold intelligence and other aid from Kyiv, but Beskrestnov offered no evidence that the restrictions were tied to U.S. pressure, the outlet reported. The White House has not commented, the Kyiv Independent said.

“Hey, @elonmusk, big man, are you playing politics with your products again? As your European customers, we are watching you,” Sikorski wrote.

Sikorski and Musk clashed over Starlink in March 2025, when Musk wrote that Ukraine’s “entire front line would collapse” if he turned the service off.

“Starlinks for Ukraine are paid for by the Polish Digitization Ministry at the cost of about $50 million per year. The ethics of threatening the victim of aggression apart, if SpaceX proves to be an unreliable provider we will be forced to look for other suppliers,” Sikorski replied at the time.

Luna lobbed an attack at Sikorski.

“That goes both ways @sikorskiradek. Have you at all assisted [Trump] or [Secretary of State Marco Rubio] in the peace negotiations or are you PART of the problem??” Luna wrote on Wednesday.

Sikorski responded about two hours later.

“Madam, as a neighbour of both Ukraine and Russia, we would be delighted to support [Trump] in peace negotiations. Please note, however, that to get to a deal pressure should be put on the aggressor and not on the victim of aggression,” the Polish official said.

The attack followed a year of Luna’s meetings with Russian officials, including Kirill Dmitriev, Russia’s economic envoy to President Vladimir Putin. Dmitriev met Luna in Miami in October 2025 and gave her flowers and chocolate printed with Putin quotes, Russia’s state-run TASS news agency reported.

In March, Luna hosted Russian lawmakers in Washington who face U.S. sanctions for voting to back Russia’s 2022 invasion, The Moscow Times reported.

Russian lawmaker Vyacheslav Nikonov, who led the delegation, said the two sides discussed a possible visit by U.S. lawmakers to Moscow, the outlet reported.

Paul Mackenzie and his church set up sect that ordered followers to starve themselves and their children, say prosecutors

A Kenyan court has found the starvation cult leader Paul Mackenzie and about 30 others guilty of murder over the deaths of ⁠190 children and one adult in one of the world’s worst cult-related disasters in recent history.

Mackenzie was arrested in 2023 after police received a tipoff, and weeks later authorities began uncovering bodies in shallow graves in the Shakahola forest near the coast ⁠in south-eastern Kenya.

Witness says drone struck twice at transport hub in al-Dibab, in one of deadliest single attacks of war

A drone strike near a market in southern Sudan on Sunday evening killed 80 people, mostly commuters catching rides home.

Ahmed Wadi, a witness, said the attack in the town of al-Dibab in West Kordofan state left “50 bodies who I helped bury, one of them my own brother Mohamed”.

Opposition to US-led quarantine center in Kenya follows sweeping funding cuts and withdrawal from WHO

An eighth person in Kenya has tested positive for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola in the country’s first-ever cluster of cases of the virus, as the second-largest outbreak in history has killed more than 4,300 and sickened more than 9,000 people in the region.

It highlights the diminished role the US has played in the worsening Ebola outbreak by building a controversial quarantine center in Kenya, pulling back health support globally, and banning travelers from certain countries. All of this has also reduced the ability to identify and respond to the outbreak and exacerbated mistrust.

Style of emceeing based on high-octane, ad-libbed vocals has flourished thanks to its unique way of captivating crowds

For the 2015 freshmen cohort of the history degree programme at the University of Lagos, their classmate’s first-semester presentation was so captivating that they began calling him Toby Shang, after the 16th-century Chinese dynasty he had focused on.

His crowd engagement that day had been harnessed from his high school days as a ginger-man (energiser) in a three-man band and as a private tutor. By his final year at university, his viral catchphrases and infectious energy had resulted in a hit song, Shedibalabala. Today, he is one of the self-acclaimed “evangelists and pioneers” in the Afrobeats sub-genre some are now calling Afrohype or lamba.

A girl called Àìná was captured by an African king and later taken to England to become Sarah Forbes Bonetta, protege of the imperial monarch

When she was seven years old, Bayo Randle’s great-great-grandmother Sarah Forbes Bonetta was presented to Queen Victoria at Windsor Castle as a “diplomatic gift” from an African king.

Victoria would go on to pay for Bonetta’s education, approve her marriage to one of west Africa’s wealthiest men, and become godmother to her eldest daughter.

Trudy weakens to tropical storm after warnings of strong winds and heavy rain, while one person killed in Greece

In contrast to the quiet Atlantic hurricane season, there has been ongoing activity in the Pacific, with Trudy being the 22nd and latest named system. The category 2 hurricane remained roughly 100 miles (160km) south-west of the coast of Mexico, meaning the worst of the conditions stayed offshore. However, the US National Hurricane Center put coastal parts of the states of Jalisco, Michoacán and Colima under hurricane warnings, with sustained winds of up to 60-90mph forecast on Sunday.

Rainfall totals of 100-150mm were likely for these areas, prompting warnings of flooding and landslides. Warnings also covered the risk of a dangerous storm surge accompanied by damaging waves in areas of onshore winds across the coast of south-western Mexico. By Monday morning, Trudy had weakened and been downgraded to a tropical storm, with coastal warnings being lifted.

Voters to be asked whether province should remain part of Canada or hold a second, binding independence vote

Albertans are going to the polls to decide their place in Canada, in a referendum that has exposed deep divisions within the province, not least in the separatist movement itself.

On Monday, voters will respond to the question of whether Alberta should remain in Canada, or hold a second, binding independence referendum.

Prime minister Mark Carney describes blaze as ‘one of the worst tragedies for the forces on Canadian soil in peacetime’

Four people have been killed and dozens more seriously injured after a “violent, fast-moving” fire tore through one of Canada’s busiest military training bases in Alberta, the country’s prime minister said on Sunday.

Mark Carney called the incident “one of the worst tragedies for the forces on Canadian soil in peacetime”.

Facing a slump in the polls, Argentina’s president is making economic attacks on the islands’ oil industry, and suggesting its key fisheries industry could be next

A dozen local people and a uniformed military police officer (“Do you mind if I sit in?”) took their seats at the back of the handsome wood-panelled courtroom that doubles as the Falkland Islands’ legislative assembly. Outside, it was a typically blowy early evening. It may nominally be spring in the south Atlantic, but Stanley harbour, with its dark grey water speckled with historical shipwrecks, was a cauldron of swells and churn.

Six of the assembly’s eight members – five men, one woman – waited patiently at a row of desks and microphones. The heating had been turned up to just short of uncomfortable. Behind them, a portrait of King Charles. From the other walls, dusty photographs of governors peered down on the scene.

Australian ​brothers Jake ​and Callum Robinson, and ​their ‌American friend Carter Rhoad, were killed while on a surf trip in Baja California in 2024

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A Mexican ⁠judge ⁠has sentenced ​three men to 158 years ⁠and nine months in prison each for ⁠the murder of ​two Australian ‌brothers ‌and their American friend during ‌a 2024 surf trip to the state of Baja California.

The ‌defendants were declared guilty a week ​ago of homicide, aggravated robbery, robbery with violence and vehicle theft ⁠with violence, crimes committed against ​Australian ​brothers Jake ​and Callum Robinson, and ​their ‌American friend ​Carter Rhoad.

Third-quarter GDP up by 4.5% compared with last year as industrial output is buoyed by electronics demand

Roaring exports lifted China’s economic growth in the third quarter of this year, with factory output growing much faster than consumer spending.

China’s GDP grew by 4.5% year-on-year between July and September, the National Bureau of Statistics of China reported on Monday. The figures were better than economists had expected and up from the second quarter’s growth rate of 4.3%.

Deputy mayor of Saijo died after becoming trapped under float, days after two similar incidents elsewhere

There is mounting concern over the safety of Japan’s traditional festivals after the death of a senior local official who was reportedly crushed beneath a float at the weekend, days after two men died in similar incidents in another part of the country.

Akihiro Nabae, the deputy mayor of Saijo, in western Japan, was carrying a giant float with other participants in a festival on Saturday when he became trapped beneath the structure, Agence France-Presse reported. Nabae, 62, was taken to hospital and later pronounced dead, local media said, adding that no one else was injured.

Expedition was drawn to Nikumaroro after spotting what was described as a metallic glint in waters off uninhabited island

A US expedition that voyaged to a remote Pacific island in the hope of solving the mystery of what happened to pioneering pilot Amelia Earhart has said an object they suspected to be her plane was a clump of washed-up trees.

“Unfortunately, we weren’t able to find that smoking gun,” said Steve Schultz of Purdue University, standing on the sand in front of a blue lagoon on the atoll of Nikumaroro, about halfway between Australia and Hawaii.

Beijing warns against ‘discriminatory’ step after France drops opposition to British role in Made in Europe package

No 10 has left the door open to imposing tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles as part of the Made in Europe package, prompting a warning from Beijing that such a move would be “discriminatory”.

Downing Street said on Friday that it would “welcome the objective to have the UK included in the Industrial Accelerator Act” after France dropped its opposition to Britain joining the scheme.

Images from New Zealand aerial survey of Nikumaroro in 1938 offer new clues over aviator’s disappearance

A New Zealand museum has released nearly 50 photos from a 1938 aerial survey of the island where Amelia Earhart is believed to have crash-landed, offering amateur sleuths new evidence to scour for traces of the pioneering aviator and her plane.

The black-and-white images were published by the Air Force Museum of New Zealand after renewed interest in one of the biggest mysteries of the 20th century, spurred by a US expedition to the Pacific atoll of Nikumaroro in search of new clues.

A joint counter-terrorism taskforce is investigating the incident, which Anthony Albanese alleged ‘wasn’t an accident’

• ‘Deeply appalled’: politicians condemn alleged attack after Helen Haines critically injured

• Helen Haines, the principled MP respected across parliament

• What we know so far

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‘It’s very clear that this was a deliberate act’, PM says

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said Haines’ alleged attacker “did a U-turn in order to get back to where Helen Haines was” after passing her on the road.

It would appear that the driver of the vehicle that inflicted the damage to Helen Haines did a U-turn in order to get back to where Helen Haines was after passing where she was getting things from the boot or putting things into the boot of her car.

So it’s clear that there was a deliberate act here, this wasn’t an accident – someone, you know, just getting off the road here.

Australia’s politicians have been facing increasing threats and abuse. It can no longer be dismissed as social media noise or harmless comment

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• Politicians condemn alleged attack after independent MP Helen Haines critically injured

• Who is Helen Haines, the MP allegedly attacked in Victoria?

Victorian independent MP Helen Haines was at the opening of a dog park in Mansfield on Monday, out and about the sprawling northern Victorian electorate, talking to locals and moving freely.

Later in the afternoon, at 3.35pm, she was unpacking a car outside her electorate office when a man understood to be known to authorities struck her with his car. He allegedly completed a U-turn when he saw Haines.

Dearth of bananas coincides with poor apple harvest and lack of summer stone fruit

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A shortage of Australia’s most popular fruit, bananas, has hit supermarket shelves at a tricky time for lunchboxes, right as apple season winds down after tough growing conditions and summer stone fruit is yet to arrive en masse.

Cool weather in key Queensland growing regions has severely slowed banana production, leaving major supermarkets Coles, Woolworths and Aldi with sparse displays or very green stock.

Monitoring tools common in a range of workplaces, including factories, office jobs, delivery work and in retail – often without employees being informed

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Employers are increasingly using technology, from CCTV to keystroke monitoring, to track workers’ moves and it is being accelerated by the use of AI, the Human Technology Institute has warned.

Examples provided to Guardian Australia by the institute include a fast-food restaurant using surveillance cameras to stop workers using their phones, and AI tracking leading to a cashier warned over making a mistake once every 533 scans.

The choreographer said goodbye to Lucy Guerin Inc by dancing in public for the first time in 13 years - which she found ‘incredibly confronting’

If there is one thing the professional dancer learns never to expect, it’s longevity. The physical demands on the body and increasing risk of injury tend to necessitate short careers. Melbourne-based choreographer Lucy Guerin has certainly bucked that trend, with a CV spanning decades and several international awards under her belt. But after 25 years at the helm of her eponymous company, she is now stepping away, conferring her artistic directorship on choreographer Melanie Lane.

Before she left, Guerin returned to the stage for an exquisite solo show, Place Dances, inside Melbourne’s Buxton Contemporary art gallery. It was the first time she had danced publicly in 13 years. “I have found it incredibly confronting, to be honest,” she says, hours before the premiere. “As a dancer, you always remember in your body what it feels like to do an arabesque or a jump. And part of me thought I could still do all those things if I just got back in the studio and trained a bit.” She laughs at her own hubris. “But I’m afraid that wasn’t the case.”

Curfews to apply to parts of cities including Paris, Nice and Lyon after days of violence on French streets

• Macron criticises ‘unbridled violence’ after 2,400 arrests across France

French PM Lecornu says he has asked prefects to implement “a number of partial curfews” in certain “localised” urban areas to stop further disorder, which he attributes to “the extreme-left” and some criminal elements.

We will no doubt hear more on this from local authorities, as in the example of Marseille (10:32).

As Cop17 kicks off, records since 1921 show more bee species declining than increasing in all parts of Europe except the Alps

Most of Europe’s wild bee species and about half of its hover fly species have declined over the last century, a study has found, as a UN biodiversity summit begins in Armenia.

Records since 1921 show more bee species are declining than increasing in all parts of Europe except the Alpine region. The richness of bee and hover fly species suffered a persistent drop in the Atlantic and Continental regions, the study found, though trends in other regions were mixed or even positive.

Interior minister concedes police ‘lost control’ of weekend protests as PM vows to restore public order

Partial curfews have been issued for a number of French cities, including parts of Paris, after the government admitted police had “lost control” during violent weekend protests around the country.

Sébastien Lecornu, the French prime minister, said after an emergency cabinet meeting on Monday he was “fully resolved to restore public order” and had called for “local and partial” curfews if needed. There was “no question” of imposing a full curfew on entire cities, he said.

French president has compounded impression of arrogance with strategic errors – and consequences could be profound

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The near-universal chorus of condemnation that greeted Emmanuel Macron’s address to the nation on Sunday, after one of the most violent days of rioting and looting in France’s recent history, was a stark reflection of just how weakened he now is.

Speaking from his office at the Élysée Palace, the president delivered an eight-minute speech expressing “anger and shame” after a weekend in which a town hall was set ablaze, 2,000-plus shops were looted, 2,300 people were arrested and 1,000 police injured.

Last weekend there were mass protests across France, with more than half a million people estimated to have been involved. The unrest included rioting, looting and violent clashes with outnumbered police in cities including Paris, Marseille and Limoges. The interior minister conceded that police ‘lost control’ in some cities, while President Emmanuel Macron demanded a full security review. Lucy Hough speaks to the Guardian’s Europe correspondent, Jon Henley – watch on YouTube

Move comes after US photojournalist and group of European diplomats and Palestinians were assaulted in separate attacks

Israeli police have detained 10 people in a rare raid against settlers, after a weekend of extreme violence in the occupied West Bank including an attack on US photojournalist Heidi Levine, which she described as an “attempted lynching”.

She was knocked down, kicked and beaten by a group of masked Israeli men as she covered the olive harvest in a Palestinian village on Friday. The militants broke four vertebrae and a rip, ripped open her finger so it required surgery and left her with lacerations across her body.

More than 200 mostly young people said to be injured after ballistic missile attack on training camp for government forces

At least 53 people have been killed in a Houthi ballistic missile attack on a training camp for Yemeni government security forces, making it the largest single loss of life since the country’s civil war reignited in September.

The attack on al-Alam camp in the southern Shabwa province was said to have injured more than 200 others, mostly young recruits, and was described as a disaster by the country’s UN-recognised government. The injured were taken from the police and army training camp in the Jardan district to a hospital in the local capital, Ataq, where pleas for blood donations were made.

At least 15 vessels struck in waterway in past 10 days, with rumours that they were carrying valuable goods

People have been scouring the strait of Hormuz for spilt cargo after Iran attacked at least 15 container ships passing through the crucial waterway in the past 10 days.

Some ships have been hit by drones, others by mines. On Sunday, a ship was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade launched from a small boat 75 miles (120km) north-east of the Saudi port of Jubail.

Two-thirds of population face crisis levels of food insecurity and 200,000 people are in danger of famine

This winter is likely to deepen hunger for Palestinians in Gaza, after sweeping aid cuts forced the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) to end support for more than half a million people each month, the agency’s director for Palestine said.

More than a year after a Trump-brokered ceasefire came into force, promised reconstruction has not begun, there are few jobs and the vast majority in Gaza still rely on aid to eat.

New video footage of Israeli settler assault on European delegation as Netanyahu attempts to raise doubt

Hours after Israeli militants attacked a delegation of European diplomats, French clerics and a visiting mayor in the occupied West Bank, Israel’s leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, responded by questioning the delegation’s account of the assault.

“Serious accusations require serious evidence” was the all-caps headline of a social media post from the office of the prime minister. As news of the attack spread globally there was no pledge to find those accountable and bring them to justice.