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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the weekend. Here’s today’s news:
IRAN WAR
President Trump has received conflicting advice on next steps in the Iran war, U.S. officials told the Wall Street Journal. Officials said U.S. Vice President JD Vance and U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff support diplomatic efforts for a deal to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and Vance even told Trump of his intention to blame the Republicans’ losses in the U.S. midterm elections on the war. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and U.S. Central Command Chf. Adm. Brad Cooper have supported a return to major combat operations, and several outside advisers have told Trump his legacy depends on forcing Iran to surrender its nuclear program, according to U.S. officials and another source. Finally, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent have advocated for tightening sanctions and continuing the blockade on Iranian trade. Alexander Ward, Lara Seligman, Benoit Faucon, and Natalie Andrews report.
Trump in a phone interview with CNN yesterday said he was “highly unlikely” to order new attacks on Iran as long as talks to end the conflict progress. Trump added that it “depends on whether or not they sign a very strong agreement.” Jim Sciutto reports.
Trump today will meet with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani and Vance in the White House. Rubio yesterday described Iran’s proposal to end the war as “outrageous and ridiculous and really not realistic,” while Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei today defended the plan as the most reasonable offer on the table. Yomna Ehab and Alexander Cornwell report for Reuters.
Vance has spent the past two weeks personally involved in indirect talks aimed at reaching a new ceasefire and resuming nuclear negotiations with Iran, sources told Axios. The sources said Vance has been in almost daily communication with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, Pakistani Chief of Army Staff Mar. Asim Munir, and other mediators. U.S. officials and regional sources said that for now Trump is willing to let diplomatic efforts play out and wants to see if any kind of deal is possible. Barak Ravid reports.
IRAN WAR – YEMEN
Over 50 people were killed in Yemen over a 24-hour period stretch between Friday and Saturday. Houthi officials on Saturday said airstrikes hit the village of al-Shariya in the Bani Hushaysh district and killed at least 27 people, while another 30 were wounded. The Iran-aligned Houthis blamed Saudi warplanes, and the Saudi government did not immediately respond to questions about the strikes. A Houthi-run news agency said that on Friday strikes on a crowded market in Taiz province killed at least 30 people, and both sides have blamed each other. Shuaib Almosawa and Ismaeel Naar report for the New York Times.
Regional officials yesterday told the Wall Street Journal that the Saudi Aramco tower in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh was damaged by shrapnel caused by a drone-and-missile attack launched by the Houthis. A spokesperson for the Saudi Energy Ministry said no one was hurt by the attack. Summer Said and Jon Gambrell report.
IRAN WAR – OTHER DEVELOPMENTS
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein yesterday said Iraq has reached understandings with the United States to allow Iraqi oil exports through the strait via a shipping lane near Oman. Ahmed Rasheed reports for Reuters.
The U.S. military on Saturday said it is launching a task force, Task Force Iron Gate, to help crack down on Iran’s movement of advanced weapons and other sanctioned materials over its land borders and through the Caspian Sea. The force will also focus on halting the flow of dual-use technologies used by Iran and stemming what the United States calls illegal revenue streams. Phil Stewart reports for Reuters.
Rubio yesterday said the Iran war was necessary to safeguard the world from Iran even if it was not “necessarily popular.” Rubio did not comment directly about the Republicans’ midterm losses. Matthew Lee and Michelle L. Price report for AP News.
WEST BANK DEVELOPMENTS
The Hamas-run Gaza government office on Saturday said heavy rains have flooded tens of thousands of tents housing displaced Palestinians across Gaza. The territory’s civil defense service said it had received 1,500 distress calls from displaced residents, and three abandoned houses collapsed without causing injuries. Dawoud Abu Alkas and Nidal Al-Mughrabi report for Reuters.
Trump on Thursday told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he wants him to take steps to implement his Gaza peace plan, sources told Axios. The sources said that now the Israeli elections are over, Trump wants Netanyahu to forge ahead with his peace plan, regardless of whether Netanyahu or his opposition forms a new Israeli government. Barak Ravid reports.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
Russia today struck Ukraine’s power grid again, while Ukrainian forces hit another Russian oil refinery, according to officials. Russia’s Ministry of Defense said it had targeted four electrical substations in Ukraine, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy today said the EU had agreed to activate a special emergency mechanism that speeds up funding for power grid repairs. Susie Blann reports for AP News.
The Russian Defense Ministry yesterday said overnight strikes by its forces hit three cargo vessels that were carrying military goods for Ukraine and two electricity substations in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk and Zhytomyr which the military said supplied power to the Ukrainian defense industry. Reuters reports.
Zelenskyy on Saturday promised more “personnel decisions” at Ukraine’s domestic security service, SBU, following a corruption scandal. Anti-corruption authorities last week unveiled charges against several senior security and law enforcement officials over their alleged role in shielding a vast criminal ring. Investigators said the group ran scam centers, traded drugs, and produced fake currency and cigarettes. Dan Peleschuk reports for Reuters.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre told POLITICO in an interview published today that Russian President Vladimir Putin may not want peace. Støre said “I would be cautious,” and that “Abu Dhabi is a stepping stone, and one output of it should be a follow-up quite soon after.” Støre added that the Abu Dhabi agenda will potentially include talks about a ceasefire for the Black Sea to allow grain to be safely transported, a ceasefire on energy infrastructure, a front-line freeze in the conflict, and other “confidence building measures.” Tim Ross reports.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot yesterday said European officials will turn up for the U.S.-mediated peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in the United Arab Emirates this week. Barrot said “France will be there and will ensure that Europe’s voice is heard,” but did not say who would represent France. Willem Marx reports for NPR.
OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
A covert Russian network sought to exploit last month’s riots and protests in France by using social media to blame the unrest on uncontrolled immigration and portray the government as having lost control, according to an internal EU assessment seen by Reuters. A separate internal assessment, compiled by France’s foreign ministry and also seen by Reuters, found that social media accounts linked to Israel and to the U.S. MAGA movement also pushed “hostile narratives” around the riots, linking them to radical Islamism and migration. Antoni Slodkowski and John Irish report.
Several flights in Europe have been grounded by bomb threat hoaxes over the past week, and on Friday several newsrooms in Ireland were evacuated after they received bomb threats. Ireland’s government called the hoaxes a “coordinated campaign of disruption,” which has come as Ireland is set to host dozens of European leaders this week. Separately, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani on Saturday said his personal data had been disseminated on the dark web and that he has been exposed to “threats and intimidation.” Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni blamed pro-Russian hackers and called the hack “a matter of grave concern that must be addressed with the utmost determination.” Megan Specia reports for the New York Times; Colleen Barry reports for AP News.
A far-right Polish man on Saturday shot and killed six people and wounded 15 people in the city of Krakow’s central square before police shot and wounded him. Poland yesterday began two days of national mourning, and Polish Defense Minister Władysław Marcin Kosiniak-Kamysz described the tragedy as an “act of terror.” Polish police today confirmed the shooter died in hospital. Rafal Niedzielski, Claudia Ciobanu, and Beata Zawrzel report for AP News; AP News reports.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Saturday announced that he selected leader of the Yashar party Gadi Eisenkot to attempt to form a new government. Eisenkot has 28 days to establish the government, and he said that he intends to form a “national emergency government” built around the 48 members of his bloc. Barak Ravid reports for Axios.
A Tanzania court on Friday sentenced the leader of the opposition Chadema party Tundu Lissu to four years in prison after he was found guilty of incitement for statements he’d made ahead of a presidential election in Oct. 2025. Lissu urged supporters to boycott the election and disrupt the vote, which caused Lissu to be arrested months before the election and the Chadema party to be disqualified from contesting the vote. Lissu was acquitted of treason for lack of evidence, but convicted of the lesser charge. Matthew Mpoke Bigg reports for the New York Times.
Colombia’s army yesterday confirmed a drone attack on a military base in Santa Rosa del Sur, a town in northern Colombia, killed three soldiers and injured at least 16 others. Authorities have not said who carried out the attack, but the area has been long disputed by the Gulf Clan, the National Liberation Army, and smaller groups led by former members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. AP News reports.
Paraguayan chief prosecutor for corruption and economic crimes Nancy Salomón on Saturday charged the recently deposed former president Santiago Peña with breach of trust and administration for personal gain linked to the collapse of a major bank that meant half of Paraguay didn’t have access to their savings. Prosecutors said Peña could face up to 20 years in prison if he is found guilty of both crimes, and a judge froze Peña’s assets and said the former president will be held at a military base as investigations continue in order to “guarantee his compliance” with the probe. AP News reports.
U.S. MIDTERM DEVELOPMENTS
Trump yesterday pushed back against Vance’s social media post blaming the Iran war for Republicans’ midterm losses. Trump said “he was right, other than one thing,” and “he should have made one other statement…. If you had it to do again, would you do it again? The answer is yes.” Jalen Beckford reports for POLITICO.
Trump in a 60 Minutes interview with CBS News released yesterday admitted that aggressive immigration policies may have hurt Republicans in the midterm elections, and acknowledged that his approach to deportations in particular was “too tough.” Trump said he considered his immigration policy a marquee accomplishment of his second term but acknowledged it was also a reason for why his party suffered losses. Trump added that he believed making a deal on immigration with Democrats was “actually doable.” Erica L. Green reports for the New York Times.
Democratic House members and members-elect are being bombarded with phone calls and emails urging them to not elect Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) as the House speaker, sources told Axios. A senior House Democrat said they received “over 500” calls in the last two days, while an incoming House Democrat said they are “getting inundated” and have received “about 150” calls since the election urging them not to vote for Jeffries. Co-executive Director of the progressive group Indivisible Ezra Levin told Axios that “Democrats in both chambers can’t go back to business-as-usual politics. People want leadership that’s ready to join the rest of us in this new era of politics.” Andrew Solender reports.
The Justice Department on Friday dismissed its failed effort to force California to set aside 20,000 mail-in ballots the Trump administration claimed had been sent to noncitizen voters. California’s attorney general Rob Bonta said “after four court defeats in just one week, including at the U.S. Supreme Court, the federal government has now thrown in the towel.” Shawn Hubler reports for the New York Times.
U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Trump yesterday said he thinks he will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping and Putin at an APEC leaders’ summit in China next week, and discuss ending the Iran war and denuclearization. Trump told reporters “one of the meetings, I think, will be with President Putin and President Xi, and that’ll be interesting.” David Lawder and Costas Pitas report for Reuters.
The U.N. secretary general selection process has been jolted by two last-minute entrants, U.N. Envoy from the United Arab Emirates Lana Nusseibeh, and the Head of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Feridun Sinirlioglu, nominated by Turkey. The nominations have cast doubt on the informal agreement of regional rotation in the role which would have placed a Latin American official in the role. Former U.N. state member and current nonresident fellow at the International Peace Institute Daniel Safran-Hon said “this is uncharted territory,” and “there has simply never been such a chaotic race for U.N. secretary general.” Somini Sengupta reports for the New York Times.
U.S. IMMIGRATION DEVELOPMENTS
A U.S. deportation flight of Iranian nationals bound for Iran via Pakistan yesterday was abruptly canceled, an attorney who spoke to some of the detainees told AP News. The attorney said the flight was canceled without explanation. Safiyah Riddle reports.
Houston Mayor John Whitmire on Friday directed police to limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Whitmire said “elections matter,” and called the order he signed a result of the Democrats reclaiming power in Texas for the first time in decades. Under the new plans, ICE would go after immigrants if the person it stops in a traffic incident is arrested on a charge that is subject to jailing or if ICE issues an administrative warrant, and that Houston would only go after immigrants “that post a danger, not those that are going about their family business, work and education.” Lekan Oyekanmi, Anna Wilder, and Valerie Gonzalez report for AP News.
A federal judge on Friday ruled that New York City must turn over information about homeless shelter residents sought by ICE. The ruling ordered New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s (D) administration to comply with a subpoena from ICE that seeks information including the names and birth dates of homeless men living in a Bronx shelter. Joe Anuta and Chris Sommerfeldt report for POLITICO.
U.S. AI DEVELOPMENTS
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang yesterday acknowledged to the company’s board that he had been intimate with Chinese business executive Alice Huang who U.S. intelligence determined is a Chinese spy. Nvidia announced it was opening an investigation into Jensen. Jensen in a message to Nvidia said “I was unfaithful to my wife,” and “my actions hurt her and our children. There is no excuse for what I did. I am deeply sorry.” Trump last night defended Jensen, and said “I’d certainly take him” in reference to the president’s trip to China next week. China today denied it engaged in an attempt to ensnare Jensen, and called the spying allegations unsubstantiated and a smear campaign against China. Tripp Mickle, Maggie Haberman, Jonathan Swan, Julian E. Barnes, and Ana Swanson report for the New York Times; Ben Berkowitz reports for Axios; Huizhong Wu reports for AP News.
Rubio last spring oversaw the drafting of the classified memo warning Trump administration officials that Jensen was in a close relationship with a Chinese spy, sources told the New York Times. The document was based on classified intelligence from electronic surveillance of Alice, who was a senior executive at a Singapore-based company that was buying Nvidia AI chips and being investigated for illegally smuggling them into China. Maggie Haberman, Jonathan Swan, Julian E. Barnes, and Tripp Mickle report.
Officials with the Center for Advancing Innovation and Standards for Super Intelligence, an independent division of the Commerce Department, recently were asked to informally report to an office of the White House, two former government officials told AP News. Caroline Siegel Singh, an AI and emerging technology program manager for the Federation of American Scientists, expressed worry that the executive branch might be politicizing decisions in the AI industry. Garance Burke reports.
U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
The faculty senate at Cornell University on Friday passed a resolution of no-confidence in the school’s administration amid President Michael Kotlikoff’s handling of the Cornell 7 case. The vote is symbolic but reflects frustration at the Kotlikoff administration’s response to the allegations of sexual assault made by Jane Doe in 2024. Cornell said the resolution passed with 56% of the 135-member body in favor. Jared Mitovich reports for the Wall Street Journal.
The Heritage Foundation last week ousted longtime scholar Robert Rector, who last year challenged Heritage President Kevin Roberts for Roberts’ defense of Tucker Carlson, sources told POLITICO. Rector had been with Heritage since 1984, and is most famous for playing a major role in crafting the 1996 welfare reform law signed by former president Bill Clinton. One source said the think tank ousted Rector last Thursday while another source said he has a transition period before leaving. Josh Gerstein and Daniel Lippman report.
Some California prosecutors on Friday vowed to continue pursuing the death penalty in the state after Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) on Thursday commuted the death penalty for all current death row inmates. District attorney of Riverside County Michael A. Hestrin called the commutations “an abuse of power,” and several other prosecutors said they were weighing a legal strategy to challenge the mass commutations. The state Supreme Court must approve more than half of the commutations because the inmates have multiple felony convictions, and if the Supreme Court hasn’t approved the commutations by the time Newsom leaves the office in January, they would expire. Tim Arango and Laurel Rosenhall report for the New York Times.
Former federal health official Calley Means during an interview with Joe Rogan on Friday accused former White House chief of staff Susie Wiles of bowing to “unrelenting” pressure from industry lobbyists while prioritizing political fund-raising over U.S. citizens’ health. Means said that Wiles withheld support from his efforts to make children’s diets healthier, demanded more approvals of flavored e-cigarettes, and that Wiles’ team gave in to heavy lobbying from the kratom industry to relax proposed restrictions on products often referred to as “gas station heroin.” Means said he ultimately left because of alleged internal corruption from a “concentrated group of people,” “particularly in many cases to enrich their families.” Attorney General Todd Blanche yesterday dismissed Means’ corruption allegations against senior White House officials. Blanche responded to Means’ comments by saying “something that someone says on a podcast? No, I do not listen to that. Absolutely not.” Christina Jewett and Sheryl Gay Stolberg report for the New York Times; Julianna Bragg reports for Axios; Andrew Pantazi and Marc Caputo report for Axios.
Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor at a conference in Virginia exploring the history and future of American democracy on Saturday said that the United States is experiencing a “rough patch” for rule of law and civic discourse, but that the patch can be overcome through a greater commitment to civility, equality, and educating young people about the United States’ values. Sotomayor pointed at the “outpouring of voters” last week for the midterms as a positive sign of civic engagement as 49% of eligible voters cast a ballot, a figure only exceeded in modern midterm elections by the 2018 midterms. Josh Gerstein reports for POLITICO.
A number of DOJ officials on Friday departed in the wake of the midterm elections, officials told AP News. The top federal prosecutor in Miami Jason Reding Quiñones, who had been tasked with overseeing the “grand conspiracy” investigation, resigned following frustration among Washington officials of his handling of the office assigned to lead the investigation. DOJ’s top national security official John Eisenberg also resigned on Friday, according to Blanche. Alanna Durkin Richer and Eric Tucker report.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTION
Trump on Friday replaced Susie Wiles as White House chief of staff with longtime adviser Stephen Miller. Wiles submitted her resignation on Thursday, and sources told Axios her departure was a mutual decision, but driven by Tuesday’s election results which Trump blamed Wiles for. The sources said Wiles offered to quit two days before she resigned, and Trump accepted her decision on Friday. White House deputy chief of staff Richard Walters on Saturday left the administration, and told Axios in a statement that “I will always be thankful to Susie Wiles for the opportunity.” Andrew Pantazi, Marc Caputo, and Josephine Walker report; Alex Isenstadt reports.
Trump yesterday said he was only kidding about making UFC CEO Dana White his next White House press secretary after urging White to take up the role on social media on Saturday. Trump told reporters “I was only kidding,” but that “Dana loves the idea.” Trump also confirmed White was scheduled to meet him in the White House today. Erica L. Green reports for the New York Times.
Trump on Saturday said he told the DOJ to look into “threats” by Democrats against Republicans in the wake of the Republicans’ midterm electoral defeats, and added that those responsible should be imprisoned. Trump accused Democrats of threatening Republican donors with imprisonment and Blanche and other administration officials with impeachment, and said Democrats were targeting people “just because they happen to be Republicans, or Republican supporters. Ben Johansen and Gregory Svirnovskiy report for POLITICO.
Rubio has moved to tighten control over the State Department and told senior officials that staff must stay in their lanes and avoid actions that present conflicts of interest, sources told Reuters. Rubio’s message was delivered in a meeting last week before the Republicans’ electoral losses, and followed the resignation of former U.S. ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle. Gram Slattery, Humeyra Pamuk, and Jonathan Landay report for Reuters.
First Lady Melania Trump on Saturday announced that Louisiana State University has raised $7.2 million to provide scholarships through her “Fostering the Future” program to LSU students who were formerly in foster care. The private donations will fund a permanent endowment for the scholarships. Darlene Superville reports for AP News.
The DOJ in a court filing on Friday outlined its intention to intervene in the Texas lawsuit against Planned Parenthood after the state elected a Democrat attorney general. The 5-year lawsuit had been championed by outgoing Republican Texas attorney general Ken Paxton, and it accused Planned Parenthood clinic operators in the state and the wider national umbrella organization of committing Medicaid fraud. Katie Benner and Lauren McGaughy report for the New York Times.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION
Federal Judge Ana C. Reyes on Saturday wrote that she intended to appoint former U.S. attorney in Washington Jessie K. Liu to be a so-called special master and investigate the federal government’s conduct in the lawsuit over Trump’s plan to remake the East Potomac Golf Links in the capital. The decision to open an inquiry into the Trump administration’s conduct arose after Reyes stated earlier in the case she had lost confidence that the DOJ had been operating in good faith. Zach Montague and Alan Feuer report for the New York Times.
Did you miss this? Stay up-to-date with our Litigation Tracker: Legal Challenges to Trump Administration Actions.
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