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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the weekend. Here’s today’s news:
IRAN WAR
U.S. Vice President JD Vance on Saturday said that in “some ways” the United States has “decisively won” the Iran war. Tara Suter reports for The Hill.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi yesterday said Iran has “unfinished jobs” too and warned against the United States renewing attacks. Araghchi urged the United States to accept Iran’s proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days as the deal is still on the table. Araghchi added that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is “driving America into another war to stay out of jail, whatever the consequences for Israel.” Mira Bhakta reports for The Hill; Reuters reports.
IRAN WAR – YEMEN
An attack on a Yemeni government military training camp in Yemen’s Shabwa province by the Iran-aligned Houthis today killed at least 18 people, government officials and medical sources told Reuters. The sources said the attack was carried out using three ballistic missiles and targeted soldiers during a morning training. Mohammed Ghobari reports.
The Egyptian National Defense Council, chaired by President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, yesterday announced “all possible forms of support” to enable Saudi Arabia to defend its security. Araghchi later in the day said he discussed “the latest regional developments” with his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty. Samy Magdy reports for AP News.
IRAN WAR – OTHER DEVELOPMENTS
U.S. CENTCOM Com. Adm. Brad Cooper on Friday said Iran-backed militias in the region have been sending money back to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to relieve the economic pressure of the Iran war. Cooper said the U.S. naval blockade has cost Iran $25 billion in lost revenue and added that CENTCOM and the U.S. Treasury Department in recent weeks managed to freeze $350 million that Iran held in cryptocurrency. Barak Ravid reports for Axios.
WEST BANK VIOLENCE
Masked Israeli settlers on Saturday attacked Palestinians and European diplomats in the West Bank town of Taybeh who were participating in the annual olive harvest. Taybeh Mayor Suleiman Khourieh said the extremists beat a Palestinian teenager, pushed an older woman, and smashed the window of a Belgian diplomatic vehicle, and that the violence “shows nobody is protected- not Palestinians, not journalists, and not diplomats.” U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Riley Barnes, U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Brian Burch, and other U.S. diplomats yesterday visited Taybeh. Israeli police today said they arrested 10 suspects as part of an investigation into violent incidents in the West Bank over the weekend. Aaron Boxerman and Adam Rasgon report for the New York Times; Ali Sawafta and Steven Scheer report for Reuters; Alexander Cornwell and Lili Bayer report for Reuters.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy today said Ukraine received no advance warning from its partners of a Russian attack overnight that killed 3 people. Russia launched one of its broadest air assaults in months, cutting power to more than half a million households as more than 10 energy facilities were damaged. Zelenskyy yesterday announced that the United States had resumed providing Ukraine critical intelligence to help it defend against Russian missile strikes, while U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio today denied that the United States had paused some intelligence sharing with Ukraine. Olena Harmash reports for Reuters; Dan Peleschuk and Michael Derby report for Reuters; Gram Slattery reports for Reuters.
Ukraine yesterday launched the biggest attack on Russian city St. Petersburg since the start of the war, killing one person and injuring another five, according to St. Petersburg Gov. Alexander Beglov. The strikes hit St. Petersburg’s oil infrastructure and the city’s airport temporarily suspended its services. Milàn Czerny reports for the Wall Street Journal.
President Trump on Friday issued an executive order suspending numerous sanctions on Russia two days before they were due to take effect. Trump justified the suspensions by saying they were in the U.S. national interest. Zelenskyy said it was unfortunate that the United States had decided to “completely disregard” the sanctions, and later told leaders at an EU summit that it was nice to be among “real leaders.” Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev said Trump’s order was “an important and truly historic moment,” and that the sanctions would have inflicted “serious damage” on the United States and global market. Max Matza reports for BBC News.
Trump’s suspension of Russian sanctions drew bipartisan backlash on Saturday. U.S. Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said that “Trump’s deal with the devil keeps getting dirtier,” while House Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va) said “Trump’s latest surrender to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin again betrays our Ukrainian partners and defies clear congressional intent of legislation designed to punish Russia for its illegal war of aggression.” Ben Berkowitz reports for Axios.
U.S. Special Envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner last month proposed that Europe should resume buying more Russian gas to help incentivise Russia to end the war, sources told the New York Times. European officials reportedly recoiled at the idea, while Trump officials see the Russian gas exports as a potential part of the peace settlement, given the money that would flow to Ukraine and what they see as the desire of European voters for cheaper energy. Separately, Zelenskyy yesterday said he had spoken with Witkoff and Kushner as part of “virtually nonstop communication” between Ukraine and the United States aimed at the “next steps in diplomacy.” Anton Troianovski and Jim Tankersley report; Dan Peleschuk reports for Reuters.
Trump on Friday said his administration did not disrupt SpaceX’s Starshield satellite system and added that he doesn’t “think it was Elon.” A Ukrainian official told Axios that “our guys who speak to SpaceX say the White House was involved in the decision.” Zelenskyy on Saturday said Ukraine’s use of SpaceX’s satellite system remains partially restricted following a test on Friday. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent yesterday said Zelenskyy “should be careful” with “reckless” comments about the United States slowing down Starlink. Barak Ravid reports; Barak Ravid reports for Axios; Tara Suter reports for The Hill.
Zelenskyy yesterday told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that he is concerned that the United States might abandon Ukraine and side with Russia. Zelenskyy said if the United States supports Putin, it would be a “historic mistake and a big tragedy.” Zelenskyy also rejected Trump’s comparison of the Ukrainian president and Putin, and said Putin is the “aggressor. He occupied us,” but maintained that Ukraine ultimately still trusts the United States. Constant Méheut reports for the New York Times; Cheyanne M. Daniels reports for POLITICO; Ryan Mancini reports for The Hill.
Putin has proposed that he, Trump, and Chinese President Xi Jinping meet next month to talk about Ukraine in an attempt to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, sources told the Wall Street Journal. A former Russian intelligence officer said Putin floated the idea during an Oct. 9 phone call with Trump. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that discussions were taking place over a potential meeting, while a senior U.S. official said Trump hadn’t agreed to such a summit but could be receptive to the idea. Lingling Wei, Alex Leary, Thomas Grove, and Josh Dawsey report.
OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney yesterday said four service members were killed and dozens more seriously injured in a fire at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright military in Alberta on Saturday. Carney said flags across the country would fly at half-staff on federal buildings to honor those affected by the tragedy. Canadian Maj. Gen. Wade Rutland said a fast moving grass fire caused the incident, and that military officials knew about the fire for hours but believed it was sufficiently contained to allow training to continue before winds suddenly shifted. Rob Gillies and Ty O’Neil report for AP News.
German authorities yesterday investigated how a hole was cut overnight into a fence surrounding Leipzig airport. The police reported that no vehicles or intruders were found on airport grounds. AP News reports.
French President Emmanuel Macron yesterday voiced the public’s “anger” and “shame” over rioting and looting during nationwide protests against rising living costs and poor conditions in schools. At least 2,400 people were arrested, and Macron said those “who looted will have to pay for the damage, and those who sought to bring down the Republic will be held accountable.” French mayors from the country’s biggest cities today demanded answers from the government to what they called a lack of preparation by security forces, while Macron’s office said Macron turned down French interior Minister Laurent Nunez’s offer to resign, telling Nunez to instead put an end to the barricades and looting and be transparent over what Macron called “intelligence and foresight failings.” Sylvie Corbet and Alexander Turnbull report for AP News; Sudip Kar-Gupta and Elizabeth Pineau report for Reuters.
Meta on Friday denied accusations that it acted with political bias during Brazil’s presidential campaign following Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court’s ruling that Meta’s algorithm was biased against President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Meta said that a series of recent platform issues stemmed from unrelated global technical glitches, strict anti-fraud measures, and regulatory compliance rather than targeted suppression. Mauricio Savarese reports for AP News.
CLIMATE DEVELOPMENTS
Brazil’s government on Friday said that annual deforestation in the Amazon fell to its lowest level since records began in 1988. Official satellite data showed the rainforest lost 1,300 square miles from Aug. 2025 through Jul. 2026. Gabriela Sá Pessoa reports for AP News.
U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung today said the country is fully capable of taking back the wartime operational control of the combined forces with the United States stationed in South Korea. Lee said talks with the United States are progressing and added that South Korea has built a powerful military that can counter North Korea even though the North has developed nuclear weapons, which Lee said are fundamentally a means for defense, not combat in war. Jack Kim and Kyu-seok Shim report for Reuters.
Trump yesterday endorsed Netanyahu’s efforts to remain the Israeli Prime Minister. Trump said anyone other than Netanyahu would be the “wrong leader” and added that Netanyahu has been “Strong, Brave, and Brilliant in the face of tremendous opposition.” Tyler Pager and Aaron Boxerman report for the New York Times.
The Federal Aviation Administration on Friday issued three temporary flight restriction notices announcing that U.S. skies within one nautical mile of the border with Mexico and up to 400 feet in elevation would be designated as national defense airspace and closed to drones. The FAA said drones that do not comply with the restrictions could be shot down and their pilots could face civil or criminal penalties. Karoun Demirjian reports for the New York Times.
Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) on Saturday accused Turkey of “thuggish behavior” toward Greece and Cyprus during visits to both countries. Scott told AP News that Turkey was “not acting like a NATO ally,” citing airspace and maritime disputes with Greece, and its continued military presence in northern Cyprus. Theodora Tongas and Derek Gatopoulos report.
U.S. IMMIGRATION DEVELOPMENTS
The Department of Homeland Security yesterday said people from Ukraine and Sudan would be able to keep their Temporary Protected Status for now. The program was due to expire for about 100,000 Ukrainians and 1,800 Sudanese today, but the DHS said the future of both programs would be “made at the appropriate time,” and that people covered by them would be protected until then. Madeleine Ngo reports for the New York Times.
The Trump administration cut legal immigration in half early this year with policies blocking visas for immigrants from nearly half the world. The State Department issued 26,000 visas in Feb. 2026 compared to an average of 52,000 a month in the years before Trump took office, according to the most recent available government data. Albert Sun reports for the New York Times.
Federal investigators have been reviewing family text messages as they aim to build a case against House Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), sources told the New York Times. The messages were obtained from a phone officials seized earlier this year from Omar’s sister, health care executive and author Sahra Noor. The messages contained information that investigators used to get a search warrant authorized by a federal judge. Ernesto Londoño, Alan Feuer, and Hamed Aleaziz report.
Omar on Friday challenged the legality of the search on her home earlier in the week, and asked for the immediate return of all property seized, in a letter sent to federal prosecutors viewed by the Wall Street Journal. Omar said neither she nor her lawyers were given a copy of the warrant before the search, as had been required by the judge, and that her numerous efforts to contact counsel at the start of the search were prevented by federal agents for more than an hour. A Justice Department spokeswoman said the letter was “riddled with false allegations and inaccuracies.” John McCormick and Sadie Gurman report.
Former President Obama on social media yesterday denounced the Trump administration’s pursuit of Omar. Obama said the “fact that any president, or any administration, is willing to engage in such transparent efforts to intimidate someone should outrage all Americans, regardless of how they feel about… Omar’s political views.” Mike Zapler reports for Axios.
U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk told biographer Walter Isaacson that the failed DOGE experiment proved there’s “no way we were gonna solve the deficit from within the government,” in an interview due to be released tomorrow. Musk said the “only way we’re going to solve the national debt is with AI and robots.” Mike Allen reports for Axios.
More members of Congress on Friday reported receiving letters containing suspicious substances. Some lawmakers said their staff had opened the mail with the substances inside their home district offices, exposing a widening number of people to potential danger. Chris Cameron reports for the New York Times.
The board overseeing the National Institutes of Health research hospital on Friday voted unanimously to support a statement by its chairman Jack Leslie accusing Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of undermining trust in science and politicizing the hospital’s work. Leslie began the meeting by reading aloud a six-minute statement that said he was “troubled” by Kennedy’s recent unannounced visit to the N.I.H., where Kennedy held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new clinic to study vaccine injuries. Sheryl Gay Stolberg reports for the New York Times.
California’s Department of Education on Friday announced that personal information about 7 million California students was stolen in a hack of non-profit organization Education Testing Service that contracts with the CDE. The names, addresses, demographic information, and disability status of all 7 million students enrolled in California public schools over the past three school years were exposed in the breach. Eric He and Tyler Katzenberger report for POLITICO.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTION
Mike Sanchez, a spokesman for Los Angeles County’s registrar’s office, on Friday said the Trump administration had sent California officials, who are looking into the administration’s demands to verify the citizenship or block the votes of suspected noncitizens, lists so sloppily compiled, and on such short notice, that it was difficult, if not impossible, to comply. Sanchez said the lists were “basically a data dump,” and added that the method by which they were set initially threatened the security of voter rolls and made election officials reluctant to use it. The DOJ warned California election officials they could be liable as abettors of a federal crime if they count mail ballots returned by more than 20,000 people the Trump administration says are probably noncitizens. Shawn Hubler and Nicholas Nehamas report for the New York Times; Jasper Ward reports for Reuters.
Kate Zacharia was ousted from her role as press secretary on Friday, sources told the New York Times. Trump told reporters he told Zacharia “I don’t think you need this.” White House Communications Director Steven Cheung later said Zacharia would be “transitioning into a new role that will be announced at a later date.” Zacharia on social media said it “was an honor to work for” Trump. Shawn McCreesh, Tyler Pager, and Hamed Aleaziz report.
The Trump administration plans to reduce state and local dependency on federal disaster aid and could move Federal Emergency Management Agency workers outside of the capital, according to an Oct.15 internal FEMA memo obtained by POLITICO. FEMA Administrator Cameron Hamilton wrote that the agency will “strengthen state and local emergency management capacity” in an effort to lower reliance on the federal government, and in a separate section said “FEMA must reduce unnecessary centralization in Washington D.C..” Thomas Frank reports.
A Trump administration environmental assessment published on Friday concluded that Trump’s plan to paint the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next to the White House would diminish the historic character of the White House complex. The EEOB and the Treasury building form a “visual hierarchy” at the seat of government, which would be disrupted by a paint job. Jonathan J. Cooper reports for AP News.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION
Trump yesterday announced his plans to renovate the East Potomac Golf Links in the capital. Trump called the current course “old, broken, dilapidated, and of no further use or effect,” and said renovations will begin Nov. 15 for approximately 15 months. The area is currently at the center of a legal dispute, and on Friday the Department of the Interior and National Parks Service filed a motion seeking to disqualify federal judge Ana C. Reyes, accusing her of bias after she ordered the administration to stop cutting down trees at the park. Trump did not reference the ongoing legal dispute in his announcement of the plans. Andrew Limbong reports for NPR.
Did you miss this? Stay up-to-date with our Litigation Tracker: Legal Challenges to Trump Administration Actions.
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