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Trump’s former campaign manager on GOP ahead of midterms: ‘It’s ugly’

24 October 2026 at 19:55
President Trump’s former campaign manager is joining a growing list predicting midterm doom for Republicans, highlighting recent allegations of government corruption as a key reason. Bill Stepien, who managed Trump’s 2020 campaign and had a stint as White House political director in the president’s first term, told CNN’s Abby Phillip that recent scandals in the…

Bill Maher to Karoline Leavitt: ‘I don’t give a s—’, ‘I like the ballroom’

24 October 2026 at 16:56
Bill Maher, a left-leaning comedian and talk show host, told former White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt he actually likes President Trump’s proposed ballroom in the East Wing, despite frequent criticism from Democrats. “I don’t give a s— about any of this. I like the ballroom. America does need a ballroom,” Maher told Leavitt in…

Ukraine’s military says Starlink satellite connection stable after recent restrictions

24 October 2026 at 22:25

But Elon Musk, whose company SpaceX owns Starlink, accuses Ukrainian military of violating ⁠the company’s terms

Ukraine’s military has a “stable connection to Starlink”, the Ukrainian government said, 10 days after its ability to use the satellite communications system was suddenly restricted.

But hours after the announcement, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, whose company owns Starlink, accused the Ukrainian military of violating ⁠the company’s terms. Neither Musk nor the US government, which operates Starshield using Starlink technology, took responsibility for imposing the curbs.

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© Photograph: Sergey Dolzhenko/EPA

© Photograph: Sergey Dolzhenko/EPA

© Photograph: Sergey Dolzhenko/EPA

Government contractor arrested for allegedly leaking national defense information

24 October 2026 at 14:58
Federal authorities arrested a government contractor and charged him with leaking classified national defense information, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Friday. FBI investigators have accused 42-year-old Ian Brinksman, an employee of a third-party company which provided services to a government agency, of leaking national defense information to his girlfriend, who writes an online…

Trump hints that White House press area may be moved to another location

24 October 2026 at 14:51
President Trump pushed back Saturday morning against reports he was considering replacing the White House press briefing room with an indoor swimming pool but said he was considering moving media “to a less obnoxious location.” On Tuesday, The New York Times reported Trump expressed to aides he would like to bring back an indoor pool…

DOJ demands California counties identify noncitizen voters: Reports

24 October 2026 at 14:10
The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Friday sent letters to election officials in every California county asking that they identify potential noncitizens on their voter rolls, according to several reports.  The letter warned local officials would “risk significant federal scrutiny” if they failed to comply with this request, The New York Times reported, citing a…

Live Updates: Obama, Harris to campaign for Democrats in 3 battleground states; Trump travels to Georgia

24 October 2026 at 14:00
President Trump has held rallies throughout the week in Iowa, Kansas, Florida and more, but leaders of the Democratic Party are set to hold a midterm blitz of their own on Saturday ahead of Election Day. Former President Obama is expected to make two Midwest trips to Cleveland, Ohio and Detroit, Mich. to help move…

DNI warned Rubio of ‘advanced’ Iranian efforts to target US personnel, memo shows

24 October 2026 at 04:24
Iranian plots to target and kill U.S. officials in the Middle East have “substantially increased,” according to a declassified intelligence memo dated Friday, with these efforts reportedly reaching “advanced stages.” The warning, addressed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio from Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton, came days after the State Department ordered the departure…

Rubio floats CIA ‘partnership’ to Cubans tired of ‘failed promises, corruption’

24 October 2026 at 03:51
Secretary of State Marco Rubio offered Cubans a discreet CIA partnership opportunity in a Friday social media post, saying “now is the time” for those looking to “create positive change” in the Caribbean country. “The disappointment of failed promises, corruption, and the privileged lives of only a few; seize this opportunity to create the change…

Ukraine war briefing: Russian diesel tankers headed for North America, says Moscow, as US tries to revive peace talks

Tankers part of US-Russia deal that could see 500,000 metric tonnes of fuel supplied to world market this month. What we know on day 1,704

Three tankers carrying Russian diesel are on their ⁠way to North America, Russian deputy prime minister Alexander Novak said ⁠on Friday. In ​a statement quoted by Russian news agencies, Novak said the cargoes were ⁠part of a deal that could see Russian companies supply 500,000 metric tonnes to US and world markets in October. “The first ⁠three fuel tankers are already on their ​way to the eastern ‌coast of ‌the Atlantic Ocean, with significant support from the ‌RDIF (Russian Direct Investment Fund),” Novak said. Under a deal announced this month by US president Donald Trump, Russia agreed ‌to supply diesel to global markets in an effort to lower fuel ​prices in return for Trump temporarily lifting US sanctions on Russian fuel. Reuters reported that the Malta-flagged ⁠medium-sized tanker Agioi Fanendes, loaded with ultra-low sulphur diesel, is expected to arrive in ‌the US on 7 November.

The White House has said that Russia and Ukraine have agreed to a ceasefire in the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky, where a deepening humanitarian crisis has left thousands of civilians struggling to survive. In a statement on Friday, the White House said both sides had agreed to halt all military operations in the city from 27 October to allow humanitarian aid deliveries and preparations for the evacuation of civilians. Residents of the southern Ukrainian city, which has been under Russian occupation since February 2022, have described increasingly desperate conditions amid severe shortages of food, water and electricity. An estimated 2,000 people remain in the city, with some reportedly forced to survive on weeds, boiled grass, bread and meagre rations. Both Russian and Ukrainian officials said all sides were close to agreeing to a ceasefire.

The Oleshky ceasefire comes as the US is trying to organise new talks aimed at ending the war. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday negotiators from Ukraine, Russia and the US have agreed to technical-level meetings in the first half of November in Abu Dhabi. A US official later said the three ⁠countries may hold their next talks in a couple weeks in Abu Dhabi or Switzerland. Zelenskyy said he hoped a meeting of the countries’ leaders would follow.

The peace efforts follow a rift between Washington and Kyiv in recent weeks and a series of moves by Trump seen as favouring Russia, including limitations being placed on the Starlink communication system that Ukraine uses to protect against incoming attacks. Trump said on Friday that if Ukraine still faced a problem accessing the system, he would straighten it out ​and, if necessary, speak about the matter to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.

As the UK government prepares next week for the first budget under Andy Burnham’s leadership, EU leaders have pressed the new prime minister at a summit in Brussels to contribute more to Ukraine’s defence effort. EU officials say Canada and Japan also should do more to support Ukraine.

The UN nuclear watchdog IAEA said ⁠Fiday ​that repairs to key ⁠power infrastructure near Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia ⁠nuclear power ​plant ‌had been completed ‌under a ‌temporary ceasefire it brokered. The repairs strengthened the plant’s connection ‌to its sole remaining external power ​line, known as Ferosplavna-1, reducing the ⁠risk of another ​loss of ​off-site ​electricity at ​Europe’s largest ‌nuclear ​power ​station.

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© Photograph: Yoruk Isik/Reuters

© Photograph: Yoruk Isik/Reuters

© Photograph: Yoruk Isik/Reuters

Kennedy rolls out US-caught seafood labeling, Seafood.gov

24 October 2026 at 00:40
The Trump administration unveiled new initiatives for U.S. fishermen Friday, including a new government website known as Seafood.gov. At a rally in Fort Myers, Fla., Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the creation of a voluntary label made for U.S.-caught fish, which the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began offering…

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