Trump defends Iran war as Pentagon casualty figures contradict his claims
Summary
- The war began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, 2026; a naval blockade and sporadic strikes continue amid stalled negotiations.
- President Trump says the war is effectively over and that nobody has been killed in five months, defending the conflict in interviews and speeches.
- Pentagon figures report 23 US service members have died in the war, 11 of them to enemy fire, contradicting Trump's claim.
- US intelligence assesses Iran retains 1,500 to 2,500 missiles, countering Trump's assertions about Iran's arsenal.
- Trump says Gulf allies asked him to hold off further attacks, and has rejected a deal, pulling JD Vance off Iran talks.
- Iran resumed drone attacks on US targets in Bahrain, which intercepted them, while UN figures show 25 seafarers killed around Hormuz since February.
Reactions
- Survivors of the March drone strike in Kuwait disputed the Pentagon's account, saying their unit was left unprepared.
- Critics on X called Trump's no-casualties claim a lie and wildly disrespectful of killed and injured service members.
- JD Vance blamed the Iran war for the Republicans' midterm losses; Trump said he would make the same call again.
- Families of USS George H.W. Bush sailors confronted Navy leaders over a second deployment extension with no return date.
- Stock futures declined after Trump's post rejecting a deal with Iran.
- A poll found 71 percent of Americans favour legislation halting the war.
Timeline newest first
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they sent six drones against a US air defence radar at Bahrain's Al-Rifaa helicopter base, and explosions were heard around Manama.
Bahrain's military said its air defences intercepted and destroyed several Iranian aerial attacks, the first interceptions since September; the US denied an earlier radar attack, saying it downed two drones.
US officials said the intelligence community assesses Iran has 1,500 to 2,500 missiles, countering President Trump's assertions about Iran's arsenal.
The UN said at least 25 seafarers had been killed in and around the Strait of Hormuz since the war began in February 2026, and Iran reported three tankers hit mines.
Trump said he was leaning toward declaring the Iran nuclear crisis over without a deal; Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the approach as strategic patience.
Trump told Stephen A. Smith he was stretching out the war at the request of Middle Eastern nations he described as tremendous investors in the United States.
Trump said in interviews that nobody had been killed in the war in the previous five months; Pentagon figures reported 23 US service members dead, 11 to enemy fire.
Trump announced on social media that he was relieving JD Vance of responsibility for negotiating a peace deal with Iran, hours after reports Vance sought talks.
Navy leaders told families of the USS George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group at a Norfolk town hall the crew would not be home for the holidays, after a second extension.
Iran's security chief Mohsen Rezaei said Tehran will not transfer its enriched uranium to any country, including Russia, as part of a peace deal.
Oil prices fell to their lowest since August as Trump called the Iran war effectively over.
The US moved at least eight air refuelling tankers and three Ospreys out of RAF Mildenhall in England amid threats from Iran.
Trump said he would make the same decision to launch the war again, responding to Vance's post blaming the war for the Republicans' midterm losses.
Representative Thomas Massie moved to force a House vote on impeaching Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over the war launched without congressional authorisation.
US Central Command said a military aircraft fired on and disabled a cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman that tried to violate the naval blockade of Iran.
Trump threatened to destroy the rest of Iran; the Pentagon put war costs above $47 billion, and incoming House Armed Services chair Adam Smith vowed to end the war.
JD Vance's post that the reason Republicans lost the midterms is the war deepened strains with Trump after the Democratic landslide.
The United States carried out limited strikes on Iranian targets in the Strait of Hormuz and Qeshm Island hours before the November 3 midterm elections.
Survivors of the March 1 Iranian drone strike at Kuwait's Port of Shuaiba, which killed six US troops, disputed the Pentagon's account and said their unit was unprepared.
Sources newest first
Iran targets Bahrain airbase as strikes resume in Gulf - Middle East crisis live
The Guardian's live blog reports Iran's resumption of strikes on Bahrain, with the Revolutionary Guards saying they sent six drones against a US radar at the Al-Rifaa helicopter base, and explosions heard around Manama. It also covers US strikes on Iranian sites, stalled negotiations, Houthi gains near Bab el-Mandeb, and Hamas confirming a senior commander killed in an Israeli airstrike.
Bahrain intercepts Iranian aerial attacks as Tehran says it attacked US base
Bahrain's military says it intercepted and destroyed several Iranian aerial attacks, while Iran's Revolutionary Guard says it struck the Al-Rifaa helicopter base in retaliation for hostile US actions; the US denied a reported attack on an early-warning radar facility, saying it downed two drones without damage. The war began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, and diplomatic efforts to end the conflict have yet to produce a breakthrough.
U.S. Figures Iran Still Has up to 2,500 Missiles, Countering Trump Assertions
A Wall Street Journal article by Alexander Ward and Anat Peled reports that U.S. intelligence assesses Iran retains 1,500 to 2,500 missiles, a low-confidence estimate that counters President Trump's assertions about Iran's arsenal. U.S. officials say Iran's stockpile figures into discussions over whether to resume strikes on Iran.
UN says 25 seafarers killed in, around Hormuz since US-Israel war on Iran
The UN reports at least 25 seafarers killed in and around the Strait of Hormuz since the US-Israeli war on Iran began in February 2026, with assistant secretary-general Khaled Khiari telling the Security Council that incidents are rising and calling the situation unacceptable. Iran demands approval for crossings and threatens offending tankers, while the US says it has cleared the main routes and UK tracking puts shipping 65 percent below pre-war levels.
Trump touts Iran victory by ‘status quo’ economic pressure
Joshua Keating's Washington Post article covers President Trump's touting of victory over Iran through "status quo" economic pressure. It reports that Trump suggested the war would end "immediately" after the midterm elections, and that in the conflict's eighth month he indicated willingness either to resume full-scale military action or to reach a negotiated settlement.
What's Trump's strategy now with Iran? To keep things as they are
npr.org· 41h
An NPR article reports that nine months into the war with Iran, Trump's strategy is to keep things as they are — negotiations are stuck, the U.S. is escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz and blockading Iranian oil — as renewed war between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis spreads devastation across Yemen. IMF figures show Gulf economies in recession, while Iran says it will enter nuclear talks only after seven demands are met and Rubio calls those conditions absurd.
Trump Signals New Strategy on Iran: A Waiting Game
David E. Sanger's Times article reports that President Trump is leaning toward declaring the Iran nuclear crisis over without a deal, redirecting JD Vance from talks with Iran's security chief, while roughly 970 pounds of 60 percent enriched uranium sits untouched under Pickaxe Mountain and the naval blockade holds. Secretary of State Marco Rubio calls the approach strategic patience, awaiting sanctions to crack Iran's government, but the article predicts Tehran will keep disrupting the Strait of Hormuz, escalate under economic pressure, and that regional officials worry Iran may seek a bomb.
Trump insists ‘nobody’s been killed’ as he admits dragging out war for ‘investors’: report
RawStory reports on Donald Trump's interviews with Hugh Hewitt and Stephen A. Smith about the war with Iran, in which Trump insisted nobody had been killed and that he was stretching out the conflict at the request of Middle Eastern nations he called "tremendous investors" in the United States. The Washington Post and Pentagon figures cited in the article point to 23 American service members killed during the war, 11 of them to enemy fire.
Trump falsely claims ‘nobody’s been killed’ in Iran war ‘in the last five months’
The Washington Post's The 7 leads with Trump's interviews defending the war with Iran, in which he claimed nobody had been killed in the last five months, though the Pentagon reports 23 American service members died in the war, 11 from enemy fire. The briefing also covers Ukrainian, Russian, and U.S. talks in Abu Dhabi and the Starlink speed limits Zelensky says persist, Mauricio Pochettino's move from the U.S. men's team to Manchester United, a deadly Logan Circle shooting, the court fight over East Potomac Golf Links, and U2's new song with Rosalía.
Can You Fire the Vice-President via Truth Social?
In her New Yorker column, Susan B. Glasser writes that Donald Trump stripped J. D. Vance of responsibility for negotiating peace with Iran hours after a Wall Street Journal report said Vance was open to meeting Tehran's negotiator, days after Vance blamed the Republicans' epic 2026 midterm drubbing on the war. Glasser sees the split as a once-unthinkable break between a President who ran on "no new wars" and a Vice-President who never backed the one he started, with Trump left choosing among negotiate, escalate, or strangulate.
Trump says he held off on more Iran strikes at Gulf allies’ request
Al Jazeera's live updates report Trump's claims that Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other Gulf allies asked him to hold off further attacks on Iran, which he says he could devastate within three days, while adding that he would not hesitate to strike again. The page also covers Houthi drone and missile attacks on Saudi Arabia that led Akasa Air, IndiGo, KLM, British Airways and others to extend flight suspensions, the IRGC's claim it hit a US radar in Bahrain, a UN Security Council extension of Yemen sanctions, and an Israeli strike on Gaza's Nasser Medical Complex that killed at least seven.
Trump says the U.S. doesn’t ‘need’ a deal with Iran
Rebecca Shabad reports for NBC News that, in a 12 November 2026 Truth Social post, President Donald Trump wrote, "We don't need a deal with Iran. Those days have long since passed," and said he asked Vice President JD Vance to focus on "crime and corruption" in Democrat-run cities and states rather than talks with Iran. The report notes Vance had reached out to an Iranian security official to restart talks days before Republicans' midterm losses, which he blamed on voter anger over the Iran war, and that some Trump advisers have told him the window for major combat operations is closing before Democrats retake Congress in January 2027.
Trump says no deal needed on Iran war and orders Vance to focus on domestic issues
The Guardian reports Donald Trump saying the US no longer needs a deal to end the war with Iran and ordering JD Vance to focus on corruption in Democratic-run cities. The war began in February with joint US-Israeli strikes; Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, driving up global fuel prices, though the strait has mostly reopened and months have passed without major strikes from either side. Vance, who had sought negotiations and blamed the war for the Republicans' midterm rout, is now sidelined, the paper judges, from his vice-presidency's main foreign policy challenge.
Trump sidelines JD Vance as he kills off VP's ambitious Iran deal
dailymail.com· 2d
A Daily Mail news article by Phillip Nieto, published 12 November 2026, reports that Donald Trump has pulled JD Vance off the Iran war and ordered him to hunt what Trump calls massive corruption in Democrat-run cities instead. Vance had led negotiations since spring 2026 and recently proposed fresh talks to General Mohsen Rezaei, but Trump wrote on Truth Social, "We don't need a deal with Iran. Those days have long since passed," while still weighing how to end the war.
Trump rejects Iran deal, targets blue states over ‘corruption’
newsweek.com· 2d
A Newsweek article by Dan Gooding reports that Donald Trump rejects a deal with Iran, saying instead that the budget could be balanced by tackling what he calls 'corruption and crime' in Democratic-run states, and that he has asked JD Vance to focus on states including Minnesota, California and Illinois — though Trump offers no proof of the alleged corruption. A GAO report estimates $223 billion to $521 billion lost to federal fraud annually but does not single out Democratic-run states, and Gavin Newsom's office calls Trump 'the king of fraud'.
Trump Says He’s Pulling Vance Off Iran Talks to Focus on Fraud Campaign
A New York Times report says President Trump announced he was pulling Vice President JD Vance back from potential peace talks with Iran, writing that Vance should instead focus on "Massive Corruption and Crime" in Democratic-run cities and states. The article details Vance's earlier role seeking talks with Iran through Gen. Mohsen Rezaei, Trump's weighing of options for ending the war, and the Times' view that federal data does not support Trump's fraud claims.
Trump says no deal needed with Iran, closes down Vance negotiations
The Washington Post reports that President Trump suggested Thursday he was dialing back diplomatic efforts with Iran, ending Vice President JD Vance's dealmaking effort in favor of keeping a naval blockade and pressuring Iran's economy, and that a military sentinel scolded Hegseth at the Tomb of the Unknowns. An AI-generated summary says reader comments criticize Trump over the war with Iran and alleged corruption, a linked live update reports one killed and four injured in a Washington shooting, and Ramesh Ponnuru writes in an opinion column that conservatives are warning Vance to skip the 2028 race.
Trump says ‘we don’t need a deal with Iran’
CNBC reports that in a Truth Social post, days after Republicans' midterm losses, President Trump wrote "We don't need a deal with Iran," calling the Strait of Hormuz "their Strait" — just as the Wall Street Journal reported Vice President JD Vance was considering face-to-face talks with a top Iranian security official. Trump also directed Vance to focus on corruption and crime in Democratic cities and states, and stock futures declined after the post about the ninth-month U.S.-Iran war.
‘Unsustainable and unaffordable:’ USS George H.W. Bush families confront Navy leaders over Iran mission
At a combative November 9, 2026 town hall at Naval Station Norfolk, Navy leaders told some 500 family members of the USS George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group — the second extension since it left Norfolk on March 31, 2026 — that their sailors would not be home for the holidays and should plan for a worst-case yearlong deployment, as Iranian attacks continue to "pepper" U.S. ships enforcing the blockade of Iran. Families yelled about the "runaround," mental health care and shipboard conditions, and while Acting Secretary Hung Cao conceded mental health resources are lacking, he offered no timeline for bringing the crew home.
Trump defends his war policies in speech at Arlington National Cemetery
In a Veterans Day speech at Arlington National Cemetery on 11 November 2026, President Donald Trump defends his use of military force amid rising costs of the war with Iran, praising the Maduro raid's payoff, vowing "total victory" over Iran, and repeating his pledge that Iran will never get a nuclear weapon. Article commenters strongly criticize his appearance and military policies.
Rubio backs blockade, Vance wants deal: Is Trump’s team split on Iran war?
Al Jazeera examines whether Trump's team is split on the Iran war, as Rubio backs the blockade and economic pressure, a Reuters-sourced report says Vance favours a deal Trump doubts is possible, and Trump calls further strikes "quite unlikely" while citing "positive momentum". Both Trump and Vance blame the war for the Republicans' midterm defeat, and a Reuters/Ipsos poll finds 71 percent of Americans favour legislation halting it.
Iranian Security Chief Insists Enriched Uranium Won't Leave Country
Iran's security chief Mohsen Rezaei tells Al Mayadeen TV that Tehran will not transfer its enriched uranium to any country, including Russia, as part of a peace deal with the United States. The article describes a nine-month unresolved war, IAEA uncertainty over uranium stocks, and Marco Rubio's quoted remark that "the economic campaign against Iran is so devastating that right now there is no need for major combat operations."
Oil Prices Just Fell to Their Lowest Since August as Trump Says the Iran War Is ‘Effectively Over’
247wallst.com reports oil prices fell to their lowest since August 31, 2026 on November 9 — Brent crude settling at $92.57 and West Texas Intermediate at $86.85 — as President Trump called the Iran war "effectively over," a comment that came after settlement and did not cause the drop. The article notes no ceasefire is signed, and that supply, with OPEC output up 1.38 million barrels a day, is pushing prices down more steadily than diplomacy.
U.S. moves military aircraft from British base amid Iran threats
NBC News reports that the United States moved at least eight air refueling tankers and three Ospreys out of RAF Mildenhall in England on 9 November 2026 amid threats from Iran, sending the tankers to Germany, Spain, and Scotland and the Ospreys to nearby RAF Lakenheath. A U.S. official said the aircraft are operating under enhanced force protection measures but would not speculate on the threat, while President Trump downplayed new attacks, saying Iran is militarily effectively over.
Trump says escalation ‘unlikely’, Iran demands ‘surrender’
A live updates page follows the US and Israel's war on Iran, with Donald Trump calling the war militarily effectively over, saying Iran is talking to the US very politely and that escalation is unlikely, as a third US carrier heads to the Middle East. Congressman Thomas Massie has introduced impeachment articles against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over the war without congressional authorisation, and the US State Department warns Americans against travel to Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Syria and Yemen.
Trump says US war in Iran ‘effectively over’ as he plays down escalation concerns
Donald Trump declared the US war in Iran "effectively over" and downplayed escalation concerns at a White House press conference, after talks with Qatar's prime minister, who has lobbied him not to resume the fighting. The Guardian judges Trump has frequently exaggerated claims about negotiations, while JD Vance called the war a key reason for the Republicans' midterm defeats.
Rubio sees little hope of diplomatic breakthrough to Mideast deadlock amid 'outrageous' Iranian demands
CNBC reports Marco Rubio seeing little hope of a U.S.–Iran breakthrough, calling Iranian demands unacceptable and in some cases outrageous, ridiculous, and unrealistic. Rubio, speaking in Florida before the G7 foreign ministers' meeting in Paris, said talks are not near a breakthrough; Donald Trump says renewed strikes are unlikely if negotiations progress, while Iran's Esmaeil Baghaei wants sanctions lifted and the war ended before talks begin, and Tehran proposed shortening the restart timetable from seven days to two.
Trump reacts to Vance’s Iran war post, says he’d make the same call
Politico reports on 8 November 2026 that President Donald Trump pushed back on JD Vance's post blaming the Iran war for the Republicans' midterm losses, saying Vance should have added that he would make the same call again — which Trump says he would, citing the need to stop Iran getting a nuclear weapon. Vance, who gave the White House a heads-up before publishing, had challenged war backers to say whether it was worth losing the Senate, while Trump had linked the war's effect on gas prices to the Democrats' wins.
'Horrible': Trump sparks outrage with 'wildly disrespectful' claim about troop casualties
Raw Story reports that Donald Trump told reporters at West Palm Beach that no US soldiers were killed in the conflict with Iran — a claim his own Defense Department has refuted, as Stars and Stripes reports the Pentagon raised the death toll to 23 in October. Critics on X, including Nick Field, Quentin Ocama, and Aaron Rupar, called the remarks lies and 'wildly disrespectful' of killed and injured service members.
Live updates: Trump says Iran war is militarily 'effectively over’ as House moves to vote on impeaching Hegseth
The Associated Press live-updates page tracks a November 9, 2026, news day in which President Donald Trump declared the Iran war militarily "effectively over" as Rep. Thomas Massie moved to force a House vote on impeaching Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who vows to keep his post. Other updates cover Nvidia shares tumbling 5% over a spying investigation into CEO Jensen Huang even as the S&P 500 posted its best day since April, lawmakers returning for a lame-duck session after Democratic midterm wins, and U.S. envoys set to mediate Ukraine talks in Abu Dhabi.
Iran threatens to ‘rain down hell’ if US escalates war
Al Jazeera reports on escalating United States-Iran war rhetoric, with Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi warning Tehran will "rain down hell" if Washington resumes attacks, and Donald Trump saying renewed strikes are "highly unlikely" if negotiations progress. The exchange came after Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress in the November 2026 midterms, and an oil tanker caught fire after hitting a naval mine east of the Strait of Hormuz.
US military fires at cargo ship in Gulf of Oman
A U.S. military aircraft fired on a commercial vessel in the Gulf of Oman on 7 November 2026, disabling it; U.S. Central Command says the crew ignored repeated warnings and tried to violate the naval blockade against Iran after visiting an Iranian port. Centcom says enforcement since July 2026 has redirected 147 compliant vessels and disabled five that refused.
Trump’s Clashing Advisers Press Him to Make Iran War Decision
A Wall Street Journal article reports that Vice President JD Vance and Gulf allies are pressing President Trump to end the Iran war while other advisers push for renewed attacks, with both camps racing to shape his decision after the midterms. Officials say Vance told Trump he intended to blame the midterm defeat on the war, and the Journal judges that voters soundly repudiated the war at the ballot box.
As Trump Threatens to ‘Destroy the Rest of’ Iran, Top Democrat Vows Ending War Will Be One of ‘First Things We Do’ | Common Dreams
A Common Dreams article reports President Trump's renewed threats to "destroy the rest of" Iran months into a war the midterms punished Republicans for, with the Pentagon putting costs above $47 billion and reports of bombing plans Sen. Chris Murphy called "insane." Incoming House Armed Services chair Rep. Adam Smith vows ending the war will be among Democrats' first acts, while Rep. Thomas Massie plans a vote to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the National Iranian American Council urges Congress to cut off funding by December 11.
Democratic tsunami deepens Trump/Vance strains on Iran war
Laura Rozen reports on Diplomatic that a Democratic landslide in the 3 November 2026 midterms — Senate wins in South Carolina, Kansas, Iowa, and Texas, where James Talarico defeated a rival backed by nearly half a billion dollars from Elon Musk — has deepened strains between Donald Trump and JD Vance over the Iran war. Quoting Vance's post that 'the reason we lost is the war,' Rozen reads Trump's defense of the war and his 'maybe he won't run' jab at Vance's future as a sign of limited tolerance for Vance's distancing, while calling Trump a diminished figure and Talarico's speech extraordinary.
U.S. strikes Strait of Hormuz hours before Tuesday midterms
An AP article on pbs.org reports the United States carried out limited strikes on Iranian targets in the Strait of Hormuz hours before the 3 November 2026 midterms, hours after weeks of back-channel talks in which Iran offered to reopen the strait if the U.S. lifted its naval blockade and sanctions. Officials and allies, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, pressed both sides, while Iran's Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf warned of readiness if Washington miscalculated again.
8 months into the war with Iran, Trump remains ignorant about U.S. fatalities and costs
MaddowBlog argues that on the eve of the 2026 midterms, Donald Trump misstated key facts about the war with Iran: he told Sean Hannity there had been no shooting for months, called $30 billion in costs "peanuts," and put U.S. fatalities at 18, though the administration's own tally is higher and every cost estimate far exceeds $30 billion. MaddowBlog writes that Trump showed an unsettling amount of ignorance about a conflict he apparently has no idea how to end.
U.S. launches new attacks on Iranian targets days after Netanyahu pressed Trump for more strikes
PBS News carries an Associated Press report that the United States struck Iranian targets in a limited operation on the eve of the 3 November 2026 midterm elections, days after officials say Benjamin Netanyahu pressed for another wave of strikes. The eight-month-old war has rattled the global economy, with a naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, back-channel talks underway, and Iran announcing plans to train 1 million paramilitary volunteers.
US strikes Iran’s Qeshm Island as Vance voices optimism about a deal
A Guardian report says the US launched limited strikes on Iran's Qeshm Island late on Monday, hours after JD Vance voiced optimism that diplomacy to end the war was moving forward. The US called the strikes defensive, Israel denied a role, Iran's leaders warned of unpredictable consequences and set seven conditions including lifted sanctions, while Trump told Fox News there was "a very good chance we make a deal" and mediators expect clarity within two days.
Trump says he had ‘very good talk’ with Netanyahu, discussed Iran
Iran Says It Would Reopen Strait of Hormuz in 2 Days as Part of U.S. Deal
A New York Times report says Iran's foreign ministry announced it could reopen the Strait of Hormuz, closed since U.S. and Israeli strikes in February, within two days if Washington lifts sanctions and releases frozen assets. Qatari mediators are pushing a phased deal, while Trump warns he may give Iran "the hammer."
Army survivors of deadly attack in Kuwait dispute Pentagon's account, say unit "was unprepared" to defend itself
In interviews with CBS News, survivors of the March 1, 2026 Iranian drone strike at the Port of Shuaiba in Kuwait — the deadliest attack on U.S. troops since 2021, killing six and wounding more than 20 — dispute the Pentagon's account, saying their 103rd Sustainment Command unit was left dangerously exposed and unprepared to defend itself. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called the drone a "squirter" that got through a fortified unit's defenses, and Assistant Secretary of Defense Sean Parnell said every possible measure was taken to safeguard troops, while an injured soldier calls the attack preventable.
Background newest first
Israel kills a top Hamas commander in Gaza
abc.net.au· 1h
The article reports that Israel killed Samir Mahmoud Hassan Abu Younis, commander of Hamas's Rafah Brigade, in an overnight air strike on southern Gaza, and that Jordan's State Security Court sentenced three men to death over the Karak church shooting that killed nine. It also covers Iran's Revolutionary Guard claim it struck a US radar in Bahrain, which CENTCOM denies, and a Houthi–Saudi escalation including an air strike Houthi officials said wounded four in Sanaa.
Massie offers Republicans a 'life boat from MAGA' over Iran war
Newsweek reports Representative Thomas Massie's push to force a House vote on ending the war in Iran before his term ends in January, urging fellow Republicans to take a "life boat from MAGA" after the party's November 3 midterm losses. A previous War Powers resolution passed 220-204 in September but did not compel withdrawal, and the House voted 211-204 to refer Massie's impeachment articles against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who called the effort sabotage, to committee. Trump has called Massie a "stone-cold loser" as the longtime Kentucky lawmaker, defeated after Trump backed Ed Gallrein, makes his final push.
After Relative Silence, Joe Rogan Said MAGA Has Lost the “Podcast Bros”
A New York Times article by Jesse McKinley reports that Joe Rogan said after the midterm wipeout that Trump and Republicans "didn't just lose the podcast bros. They lost most of the country," citing the Iran war and masked immigration crackdowns. Rogan, Tucker Carlson, Theo Von, Tim Dillon and Matt Walsh have turned critical, and Times estimates show men 18-29 shifting more than 30 points left.
NEWS: Trump Absent as Ground Stop Impacts Millions, Americans are Furious—US loses Measles Elimination Status, Bomb in Illinois
Aaron Parnas's news roundup reports that every U.S. departing flight was grounded for over four hours Friday — only the third such national stop — after a malfunction officials trace to overloaded routers at Chicago Midway, leaving thousands of flights delayed or canceled, and that the United States has lost its measles elimination status for the first time in more than 25 years amid an outbreak centered in Pennsylvania, where 1,542 cases and seven deaths are recorded. It also reports a credible bomb threat at a Peoria, Illinois, ethanol plant forced more than 5,000 people from their homes, and Parnas says President Trump was nowhere to be found during the ground stop.
JD Vance Reportedly Having New Reservations About 2028 After Bruising Midterms
forbes.com· 42h
Forbes reports, citing a new report, that Vice President JD Vance appears to be veering away from a 2028 presidential bid after midterms losses he blamed on the war in Iran left him an uphill battle in Donald Trump's shadow. CNN sources say he already had reservations, while potential rivals like Ron DeSantis—who denies planning a run—have been emboldened.
The next ‘Bachelor’ star is Commanders quarterback Sam Hartman
A Washington Post roundup leads with news that Commanders practice-squad quarterback Sam Hartman, who set records at Wake Forest before transferring to Notre Dame, will star in season 30 of ABC's "The Bachelor," premiering March 21, and told "Good Morning America" he is nervous about dating 20 to 30 women at once. The page's other articles report Mauricio Pochettino's exit as U.S. men's soccer coach for Manchester United, Zelensky's complaints about Starlink speed limits, Trump's disputed claims about Iran war deaths, the deadly Logan Circle gym shooting, a court fight over East Potomac Golf Links, and Emily Heil's sweet potato recipes.
Iran Escalates Low-Level Conflict With a Shot at Bahrain
Zelensky says Starlink limits continued in the middle of his talks with U.S., Russia
Dan Merica anchors The Washington Post's Early Brief, a roundup of developing stories: Zelensky's post says a 161 km/h Starlink speed limit blocks Ukrainian interceptors against Shahed drones, senators call for investigating the Trump administration and Elon Musk, meteorologists track a record-early stratospheric warming that could send frigid air south, and Donald Trump defends the Iran war in interviews while falsely claiming no troops died in five months. Also inside: Scott Colom's Mississippi win over Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, Sam Hartman cast as the next Bachelor, Mauricio Pochettino leaving U.S. soccer for Manchester United, and sweet potato recipes.
Mauricio Pochettino leaves U.S. men’s soccer to coach Manchester United
A Washington Post developing-stories page reports that Mauricio Pochettino, 54, is leaving the U.S. men's national team to coach Manchester United three months into a new four-year cycle, calling it a tough decision. The page also covers Pentagon-reported service member deaths in the war with Iran, Trump's interview defenses of the war, the deadly Logan Circle shooting, a court fight over closing East Potomac Golf Links, U2's Rosalía collaboration, a State Department report on more than $12 billion in Venezuelan oil revenue, and allies saying JD Vance still likely runs in 2028.
Botched Hegseth impeachment may have handed Democrats a sharper weapon: legal expert
A RawStory article covers law professor Claire Finkelstein's Guardian column arguing that House Republicans' scuttling of Rep. Thomas Massie's articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth — which targeted the Iran war and boat strikes but skipped Signalgate — may have handed Democrats a sharper weapon: an impeachment inquiry's subpoena power, which she says could force out the Office of Legal Counsel memo justifying the boat strikes. She urges Democrats to press on despite expected executive privilege claims, aiming at long-term restoration of checks and balances.
Opinion | The Upside of an American Pullback in the Middle East
Becca Wasser and Dina Esfandiary argue that the Iran war, which has damaged nearly all U.S. bases in the region and killed at least 21 American service members, offers Washington a chance to reshape its Middle East presence. They recommend a smaller, distributed footprint of outposts farther from Iran's reach, conceding that less American influence is a trade worth making.
Chris Van Hollen says he will run for Senate majority leader, challenging fellow Democrat Chuck Schumer – live
The Guardian's live blog leads on Chris Van Hollen announcing a challenge to Chuck Schumer for Senate majority leader, which Schumer, saying he has the votes, answered within a minute. Among the day's other news: Jensen Huang resigns as Nvidia's chief executive over affair reports, drawing investigations from Ron Wyden and Richard E Neal into the Trump administration's Nvidia chip-export scheme; Trump, in a Stephen A Smith interview, defends the Iran war and rejects a deal; Democrats gather in Denver after midterm wins including Cindy Holscher's Kansas governorship; and the outgoing Republican Senate confirms Trump's judicial nominees.
Live updates: Democrats prepare an onslaught of investigations into the Trump administration
An AP News live-updates page reports that after Democrats won both chambers of Congress in the midterms, they are preparing investigations into the Trump administration, targeting the $495 million Minnesota detention facility purchase and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s vaccine overhaul, while the Justice Department says it will cooperate but "will not back down." The page also covers Chris Van Hollen's challenge to Chuck Schumer for Senate Democratic leader, Republicans reelecting John Thune and picking Jim Jordan in the House, and Donald Trump's mixed messages on the Iran war and immigration enforcement.
Trump bluntly tells JD Vance to shift focus from Iran to targeting 'corruption and crime' at home
An Associated Press article reports that President Donald Trump told Vice President JD Vance on 12 November 2026 to shift his focus from the eight-month-old Iran war to his anti-fraud campaign against what Trump calls corruption and crime in Democratic-controlled cities and states, after Republicans' sweeping midterm losses. The article adds that Vance led an unsuccessful summer push for a truce, is weighing a 2028 White House run, and that oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz have recovered even as tankers there keep coming under attack.
As Top Dems Waver, Van Hollen and Khanna Work to Axe Funds for Trump's Iran War | Common Dreams
Common Dreams reports that as leading Democrats hesitate to use the December 11 government funding fight to cut off money for Trump's Iran war—launched without congressional authorization in late February 2026 and costing $47 billion by the Pentagon's count—Sen. Chris Van Hollen and Rep. Ro Khanna are pushing to bar any funding for it. Sen. Tim Kaine backs them, Hakeem Jeffries defers to appropriators Patty Murray and Rosa DeLauro, and Van Hollen says any shutdown blame would fall on Trump and Republicans.
Pentagon backs war memorial guard who reprimanded Hegseth's group
yahoo.com· 2d
An article reports that the Pentagon backed a US Army sentinel who shouted at Pete Hegseth's group to keep silent and respectful while posing for photos at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier during Arlington's Veterans Day observance. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the soldier correctly reminded everyone to maintain decorum.
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Why Hegseth Is Hated by So Many Troops
kenklippenstein.com· 3d
Ken Klippenstein's Veterans Day article argues that Pete Hegseth is unpopular among ordinary troops not for the reasons his Washington critics give but for how he runs the military — his firings of leaders like Gen. CQ Brown and Adm. Lisa Franchetti, a shaving-waiver policy falling hardest on Black men, the transgender troop ban, long Iran war deployments, and a death count Hegseth puts at 18 where the Pentagon counts 23. Klippenstein draws on military message boards, where commenters call the firings political, and says the troops are right.
Sen. Van Hollen Criticizes Schumer for Siding with AIPAC and Crypto Lobbies in Primaries
democracynow.org· 3d
Democracy Now!'s November 12, 2026 headlines lead with Senator Chris Van Hollen criticizing Chuck Schumer and the DSCC for siding with AIPAC and crypto lobbies against winning Democratic candidates like Abdul El-Sayed and Troy Jackson, and for considering a majority leader challenge. The page also covers Scott Colom's Mississippi Senate win, an Israeli strike on Nasser Hospital, Trump's Iran sanctions, Jensen Huang's resignation amid alleged Chinese spying, SpaceX's planned Texas data center,
Tenn. wants to bar inspection of drug used in Christa Pike’s failed execution
The 7 leads with Tennessee's request that a judge bar Christa Pike's attorneys from inspecting the pentobarbital used in her botched execution, saying disclosure could unmask the supplier. The digest also covers the Congress funding impasse before Dec. 11, Democrats' sweep of endangered House seats, Trump's Veterans Day remarks on Iran, Grand Theft Auto VI's record preorders, Gwyneth Paltrow's new vodcast, and a sheet-pan hash recipe.
‘This country is a disgrace’: Veterans condemn Trump’s ‘criminal’ war in parade protest
Raw Story reports that Vietnam veteran Bob Mash, 83, protested at New York City's Veterans Day Parade, condemning the Trump administration's war in Iran as criminal and genocidal, alongside a Peace Corps veteran who called Trump and Pete Hegseth war criminals and urged them to resign. The article also covers the Haitian American Veterans Association float, whose members highlighted Haitians' contributions to the United States amid an immigration crackdown targeting Haitian migrants.
One month from shutdown, Congress is far from a deal to fund government
The Washington Post's developing-stories roundup reports Congress at an impasse a month before the Dec. 11 funding deadline, with Democrats favoring short-term funding and restrictions on Pentagon money for the Iran war, which Chairman Tom Cole says a Republican Congress won't pass. It also covers Trump's Veterans Day defense of the Iran war, Grand Theft Auto VI's record preorders, Gwyneth Paltrow's new Goop Guide vodcast, and forthcoming books from Wes Moore and Pete Buttigieg.
‘Grand Theft Auto VI’ reportedly passes $1B in sales a week before release
A Washington Post live-updates page leads with Sensor Tower's estimate that Grand Theft Auto VI has passed $1 billion in sales a week before its November 19, 2026, release, sending Take-Two shares up more than 8 percent. It also covers Tennessee's effort to block Christa Pike's attorneys from testing the lethal-injection drug, Congress's funding impasse ahead of a December 11 shutdown deadline, no House Democrat losing to a Republican in the midterms, Trump's Veterans Day defense of military force, and Gwyneth Paltrow's new "The Goop Guide" vodcast.
More and more veterans say their duty is to resist Trump
motherjones.com· 3d
Mother Jones reports on a growing movement of veterans who see their duty as resisting President Trump, driven by opposition to his war with Iran. Michael McPhearson of Veterans For Peace has twice been arrested at Capitol protests, more than 500 veterans marched in Philadelphia on the Fourth of July, the GI Rights Hotline's calls more than doubled after the first strikes, and billboard campaigns tell troops they have a duty to refuse illegal orders.
How Veterans Feel About Iran War as U.S. marks Veterans Day
A Newsweek article by Suzanne Blake reports that some U.S. veterans sharply criticize President Trump's handling of the Iran War as the country marks Veterans Day, citing Congress's lack of authorization and his renaming of the ceremony. It cites Pentagon figures of 23 U.S. deaths, declining Pew approval, and veterans like Adam Dunigan and Nick Paro calling the war a disaster.
GOP branded ‘sinking ship’ as Republicans block efforts to impeach Hegseth – US politics live
The Guardian's US politics live blog reports House Republicans blocking Thomas Massie's impeachment of Pete Hegseth by a 211-204 vote to refer his articles to the judiciary committee, though The Daily Beast says 11 absent Democrats may have doomed it. Also: Jim Jordan wins the House minority leadership race, the Kennedys sue over a planned Arlington arch, and Trump's $10bn BBC defamation suit proceeds.
Honor and Anguish: A Veterans Day When the Losses Are New
Christina Morales reports for The New York Times on families newly grieving service members lost in the war with Iran, which began Feb. 28 and has left at least 23 dead and nearly 900 injured. She profiles Mia Swinton, whose husband Sgt. Michael Swinton was killed by drone debris in Iraq, and Capt. Ariana G. Savino and Master Sgt. Tyler Simmons, who died in a refueling plane crash, as their relatives describe grief, pride, anger and a first Veterans Day without them.
Trump calls Kaitlan Collins a 'loser' — CNN anchor brutally reminds him who just lost the election
An UnPresidented article by Scott C. Galenti reports that President Trump called CNN's Kaitlan Collins "a loser" when she asked about the eight impeachment articles Representative Thomas Massie filed against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, over Iran and civilian deaths, and that Trump said he would stand by him. It cites Jake Tapper's X post noting voters repudiated one person's behavior and policies coast to coast — including in Texas, Kansas, Iowa, Ohio, and Georgia — and that it was not Collins.
Bessent Moved to Military Base In Wake of Iranian Threats
The New York Times reports, citing three people with knowledge, that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has moved from his Washington-area home onto a military base after Iranian threats tied to his leading the economic pressure campaign against Iran, joining at least half a dozen senior Trump officials who took protected housing. A Treasury spokesperson said Bessent "will not be deterred by the Iranian regime's threats," though the severity of the threats is unclear.
Trump Calls Veterans “Wall of Flesh and Blood” in Disgusting Speech
newrepublic.com· 4d
The New Republic's news roundup leads with Trump's Veterans Day speech at Arlington, where he called troops a "wall of flesh and blood," and argues he disrespects troops and veterans. Other posts cover ICE hiding detainees in its database, the agent with racist emails who killed a Colombian man, Marco Rubio's $1.2 million in taxpayer-funded flights to Gators games, and Palantir's Alex Karp recasting himself as a progressive.
'JUST FOLLOWING ORDERS': Hegseth Impeachment MELTDOWN
youtube.com· 4d
Breaking Points covers Thomas Massie's filing of impeachment articles against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, whose first Pentagon press briefing in six months drew a host's charge that Hegseth borrowed Donald Rumsfeld's lines about history vindicating his decisions and warned that questioning him means coming for the troops. The hosts blame Trump for the Iran war and blockade, forecast Hegseth's likely impeachment or resignation, and praise Massie's effort as courageous despite his primary defeat.
Hegseth defends his record, Iran war as impeachment vote looms
The Washington Post reports that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth held his first Pentagon news conference in six months, a combative appeal to President Trump to save his job days before a House impeachment vote over the stalemated Iran war, which he called "sabotage." A resolution by Rep. Thomas Massie accuses Hegseth of violating the War Powers Act by starting the war without Congress's consent, and Trump, in a post the article quotes, says Hegseth should be praised, not impeached.
Iran lifts 2,000km limit on its ballistic missiles: What that means
Al Jazeera explains Iran's lifting of its self-imposed 2,000km ballistic-missile range limit, announced by IRGC spokesman Brigadier-General Hossein Mohebbi during the war the US and Israel launched on 28 February 2026, a shift the outlet reads as deterrence towards US-hosting European states and negotiating leverage. It notes Iran can already reach the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant and parts of Southeastern Europe, has no intercontinental missiles, and that analysts like Muhanad Seloom see the move as worrying but not alarming for Europe.
Pete Hegseth to hold news briefing as he faces possible impeachment – US politics live
The Guardian's US politics live blog tracks defense secretary Pete Hegseth's rare news conference as he faces House impeachment articles introduced by Thomas Massie over the Iran war, and Donald Trump's defense of him. It also covers the midterm fallout, with Democrats' sweeping majorities, Senate action on a bipartisan permitting bill, and Trump's border wall win at the Supreme Court.
House set to vote to impeach Hegseth. And, SCOTUS allows border wall work to proceed
NPR's Up First newsletter previews a House vote this week on impeaching Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over Rep. Thomas Massie's articles, which include charges of illegally waging war against Iran, and reports the Supreme Court allowed border barrier work in west Texas to proceed. It also covers Nvidia's stock drop after CEO Jensen Huang admitted an affair with a woman U.S. intelligence suspects of spying for China, Democrats' gains among young voters in the midterms, a National Park Service land-swap proposed on Cumberland Island, M. John Harrison's Booker Prize win, and Russell Brand's prison sentence.
Hegseth Defends Himself as He Faces Possible Impeachment Vote: Live Updates
The New York Times live-tracks Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's Pentagon news conference as Representative Thomas Massie's impeachment articles — accusing him of abusing power and endangering troops — face a possible House vote, with House Republican leaders weighing a procedural move that could kill the articles or bottle them up in committee. Hegseth calls the effort a political spectacle and predicts it will fail, while staying silent on the strike on an Iranian school that killed more than 170 people.
Trump says Israel, Gulf allies must repay Iran war cost: What does it mean?
An Al Jazeera explainer examines Donald Trump's call, in a CBS interview after his party's midterm defeat, for Israel and Gulf allies he names — Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait — to repay the United States' 47.1-billion-dollar cost for the war on Iran, which Israel jointly launched. Analysts quoted expect any repayment to be indirect, such as investment or arms purchases, with Gulf states offering quiet resistance.
Hegseth to Hold Rare News Conference as Impeachment Vote Looms
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth plans to hold a rare Pentagon news conference Tuesday as Representative Thomas Massie's impeachment articles — accusing him of defying Congress in the Iran war, unlawful strikes, capturing Nicolás Maduro, and retaliating against critics — head toward a House vote. President Trump is standing by him, while Senator Chuck Schumer says the Senate must put Hegseth on trial and remove him for his "catastrophic failure in Iran."
President Trump Calls In to C-SPAN's Washington Journal Primetime
President Trump calls in to C-SPAN's Washington Journal Primetime, saying the US took in 25 million people under Biden, has won Venezuela — taking its oil, which he says includes a free million barrels as friendship — and devastated Iran, warning a next hit would be five times bigger. He defends Pete Hegseth, whose impeachment vote host Mimi says could come the next day, says he would be disappointed in Republicans who vote for it, and calls the JCPOA a disaster.
Palestinian American Ahmed Moor Launches 2028 Democratic Primary Challenge Against Sen. Fetterman
Democracy Now!'s November 10 headlines lead with Gaza-born Palestinian American writer Ahmed Moor launching a democratic socialist primary challenge against Senator John Fetterman in Pennsylvania for 2028, tying U.S. military aid to Israel and the war on Iran to the cost of living. The newscast also covers Thomas Massie's impeachment articles against Pete Hegseth, stalled peace talks and tanker strikes near the Strait of Hormuz, midterm vote counts, an Anthropic IPO protest, a Supreme Court border wall ruling, migrant deaths, and Russell Brand's prison sentence.
Schumer Faces Pressure to Step Aside as Chris Van Hollen Hints at Run for Senate Majority Leader
Democracy Now!'s headlines report Senator Chris Van Hollen is open to running for Senate majority leader amid pressure on Chuck Schumer to step aside, and that Representative Thomas Massie has filed eight articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over the Iran war, Yemen, boat strikes, and the abduction of Nicolás Maduro, with a House vote expected November 11. The segment also covers midterm counts favoring Democrats, Trump's reversal on accepting the results, a Senate permitting reform bill, protest at Anthropic's offices, the resumption of border wall construction in Texas, Russell Brand's sentence, Salon's shutdown, and Ahmed Moor's primary challenge to John Fetterman.
Trump, 80, Launches Unhinged Attack on Kaitlan Collins
thedailybeast.com· 5d
The Daily Beast reports that President Donald Trump, 80, attacked CNN's Kaitlan Collins as a loser when she pressed him at a November 9, 2026 White House briefing on whether he would stand by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, whom Representative Thomas Massie has moved to impeach over the Iran war. At his first briefing since the midterm rout, Trump also doubled down on Stephen Miller as chief of staff, defended Nvidia's Jensen Huang over an alleged affair with a Chinese spy, clashed with other reporters, and said he will pardon Pete Rose.
Thomas Massie has always been a pain in the ass
A Mother Jones profile of Thomas Massie, the libertarian Kentucky congressman fighting a Trump-backed primary challenge from Ed Gallrein in the state's 4th District on May 19, traces his rise from MIT inventor and off-grid farmer to "Mr. No" in Congress. The piece says Massie's fight to release the Epstein files made him a household name but cost him Trump's favor, and argues he has been the lone House Republican willing to challenge the president.
BREAKING: Massie Just Charged Pete Hegseth With 8 High Crimes. Here’s Every Single One.
Dean Blundell's Substack post reports that Republican congressman Thomas Massie read eight articles of impeachment against War Secretary Pete Hegseth on the House floor Monday, a privileged resolution forcing a vote by Wednesday, citing the unauthorized Iran war, deadly boat strikes, the kidnapping of Nicolás Maduro, and Hegseth's censure of Senator Mark Kelly. Hegseth called Massie a disgruntled, defeated congressman and declined to resign; Blundell says impeachment is likely but conviction is a steep climb.
https://www.politico.com/f?id=000001a1-be9c-d2f6-adb3-bebcc2110000
Politico has posted the PDF of Representative Massie's House resolution impeaching Defense Secretary Peter Hegseth for high crimes and misdemeanors, referred to the Judiciary Committee. Its articles charge that Hegseth waged war against Iran, Yemen, and Venezuela without congressional authorization and defied a concurrent resolution directing withdrawal, that a Tomahawk strike on Minab's Shajarah Tayyebeh Elementary School killed at least 156 civilians including some 120 schoolchildren, that lethal Caribbean and Pacific vessel strikes killed at least 243 people with no authorization from Congress, and that he retaliated against Senator Mark Kelly for saying "You can refuse illegal orders," concluding he warrants removal and disqualification from office.
Pete Hegseth Gets Impeached This Week, and Todd Blanche Is Next in the Chute As Congress Returns Today
Dean Blundell's Substack lays out an impeachment week for Pete Hegseth as the newly Democratic Congress returns on November 9, 2026, with Thomas Massie's privileged resolution set for a floor vote and Senate trials to come. It also charts Todd Blanche's path toward contempt before Judge Emmet Sullivan over withheld Epstein files, plus a discharge petition nearing 218 signatures.
Russia’s Ambassador To U.S. Dies ‘Suddenly,’ Russian Foreign Ministry Says
huffpost.com· 6d
HuffPost's live-updates page leads with Russia's Foreign Ministry saying Ambassador to the U.S. Alexander Darchiev died "suddenly" on November 11, 2026, at age 66, with no cause or location disclosed. Other updates include Kushner's "tough" Abu Dhabi peace talks, Trump's Veterans Day remarks on his Venezuela operation, Biden's memoir interview, Boebert's uncalled Colorado race, and MLB content workers unionizing.
Hegseth's Group Reprimanded For Laughing During Visit At The Tomb Of The Unknown Soldier
HuffPost reports that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and a group of officials were reprimanded by a Tomb guard for audible laughter while posing for a photo during a Veterans Day visit to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Other updates include the House killing an impeachment resolution against Hegseth 211–204; Trump telling veterans the U.S. "got very little" from past wars; Russia's ambassador to the U.S. dying suddenly at 66; a crash near a North Hollywood Metro station killing three women; MLB content workers unionizing; and Kushner's Abu Dhabi peace talks heading next to Moscow.
Trump tells 60 Minutes that deportation policy was ‘too tough’
The Guardian reports that in a 60 Minutes interview after the Republicans' midterm defeat, Donald Trump called his deportation policy "too tough," said it hurt him politically by ensnaring people with good jobs, and predicted a doable deal with Democrats letting long-term undocumented residents stay while killers, rapists and drug dealers are removed. He blames the Iran war and petrol prices for the defeat, insists the war was won and justified, dismisses Forbes estimates that his fortune rose $3bn saying "I know nothing about" World Liberty Financial, and refuses to forgive enemies like James Comey and Nancy Pelosi.
Extended Interview: President Trump on 60 Minutes
60 Minutes posts an extended interview with President Donald Trump, who blames the war with Iran and weak messaging for the Republicans' midterm defeat while touting the economy, his strikes on Iran and Venezuela, border numbers, and a coming Ukraine deal. Pressed on World Liberty Financial's UAE-linked investors, he says he knows nothing about the company he co-owns, and on forgiveness he says he probably cannot forgive his enemies.
Republicans Pull Huge 180 on JD Vance for 2028 After Elections Loss
The New Republic reports that after the November 2026 election losses, Republicans are abandoning JD Vance's 2028 hopes, with donors and operatives turning to Ron DeSantis and Marco Rubio, while Donald Trump replaced chief of staff Susie Wiles with Stephen Miller. The article also covers Abdul El-Sayed's Senate win and Habibi PAC, immigrant deaths in ICE detention, and a proposed executive order branding nonprofits as terrorist-tied.
Trump Crumbles Trying to Defend How Much Money He’s Made as President
New Republic covers Donald Trump's fumbling '60 Minutes' defense of his $3 billion wealth gain and World Liberty Financial dealings, alongside his 2026 midterm aftermath, the Iran war's 23 soldier deaths, and the administration's push to strip nonprofits of terrorist-tie designations. It also reports JD Vance's 2028 donor woes, Marco Rubio's openings, and first Muslim senator Abdul El-Sayed's new Habibi PAC.
Read the full transcript of Ross Douthat's interview with President Trump
CBS News posts the transcript of Ross Douthat's interview with President Trump, which covers the Republicans' midterm losses, the wars in Iran and Ukraine, the economy, immigration, his family's cryptocurrency company, and UFOs. Trump blames the midterm losses on the Iran war and rising gas prices, says he is close to a deal to end the Ukraine war, expects to issue many pardons when he leaves office, grades himself A+ on closing the border, and says he hates some of his enemies and always will.
Here Are the Difficult Options Trump Is Weighing to Resolve the War in Iran
A New York Times article by David E. Sanger and Eric Schmitt lays out the options President Trump is weighing in the war with Iran: a dayslong air campaign from three aircraft carriers and bombers, a scaled-back version of it, a naval blockade of Iranian oil exports, or talks with Iran, which have stalled over whether nuclear material or frozen funds come first. A public split between JD Vance and Pete Hegseth over the war has widened, and officials say the administration still cannot agree on what it is trying to accomplish.
Trump says mass deportation policy was 'too tough'
lemonde.fr· 6d
A Le Monde article, credited with AFP, reports that in a CBS '60 Minutes' interview recorded after the Republicans' midterm defeat, Donald Trump called his mass deportation policy "too tough." Trump also told CNN renewed war with Iran was "highly unlikely" while talks progressed, as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said US-mediated peace talks were paused over shock at the Democratic landslide, and the paper reads Trump's promotion of Stephen Miller to chief of staff as a signal of a bare-knuckle fightback.
US offers $20m reward for information about Iran's nuclear programme
bbc.com· 7d
The US is offering a reward of up to $20 million for information about Iran's nuclear programme, including its facilities, equipment and personnel, with the State Department also offering to relocate informants. It comes as President Donald Trump has threatened to bomb the suspected underground site Pickaxe Mountain and Qatar works to broker a deal after a June agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz collapsed.
Opinion | 8 Bold Ideas for the New Democratic Congress
A New York Times Opinion feature asks eight contributors for legislation Democrats should pursue now that they won Congress in the 2026 midterms after two years of deferring to President Trump. The essays urge action on housing, junk fees and surveillance pricing, A.I. and privacy, children's health coverage, expanding the Supreme Court, contractor corruption, ending the Iran war, and legalizing undocumented immigrants.
Will Trump strike nuclear sites again as Iran engages ‘cognitive warfare’?
Al Jazeera reports on whether Donald Trump will strike Iran's nuclear sites again after the US midterms, as he alternates between threats to "destroy" Iran and claims of progress in talks, and US forces hit Qeshm Island air defences. Iran's "cognitive warfare" includes distributing iodine tablets near nuclear facilities and threatening wider retaliation, while it floated a new proposal via Qatari mediators.
Trump confirms new US strikes on Iran’s Qeshm Island
President Donald Trump confirmed US strikes on Iran's Qeshm Island on 6 November 2026, calling them minor hits on air defence systems in the first strikes since the 3 November midterms dealt his party a blow. Iranian state media reported explosions and said its forces downed an American MQ-9 drone, while Trump says talks with Tehran are making progress and Qatar dismisses claims the negotiations have failed.
‘This Is a War They Started,’ Says Mamdani After JD Vance Blames Iran Debacle for GOP Losses | Common Dreams
A Common Dreams article reports that after the 2026 elections, in which Democrats flipped seven Senate and 43 House seats and took both chambers from the GOP, Vice President JD Vance wrote on X that "the reason we lost is the war" in Iran, which President Trump joined Israel in launching in February 2026 and which has killed more than 3,400 Iranians and 13 US service members. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani calls it ironic for the vice president to describe the war "as if he's describing the actions of a different administration," saying "this is a war that they started" and one "they can end."
US military carries out new targeted strikes on Iran as Tehran's leaders weigh mediator's proposals
The Associated Press reports new U.S. strikes on Iran on 6 November 2026 that President Donald Trump said targeted an Iranian air defense system, the first since Republicans lost both chambers of Congress in the midterms. Officials said Iran is reviewing Qatari proposals for a two-day trust-building deal covering the U.S. blockade, frozen funds, IAEA inspections, and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, while Iran maintains its own core ceasefire conditions.
Opinion | Time’s Up, Hegseth
W.J. Hennigan's New York Times opinion essay calls Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth America's least qualified Pentagon leader ever and argues President Trump should follow the 2006 Rumsfeld precedent and part with him, after midterms that Hennigan reads as voters' dissatisfaction with the eight-month Iran war, which has killed at least 23 U.S. service members. Hegseth posted a video defending his record and praising Trump as Democrats plan January investigations and Representative Thomas Massie prepares impeachment articles, which Hennigan calls largely symbolic but likely to fail in the Senate.
Hegseth defends Iran war, assails critics as calls mount for his removal
Washington Post reports that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended the unresolved, eight-month Iran war in a video days after Republicans lost Congress over it, assailing critics including Rep. Thomas Massie, whose impeachment effort looms in the House. President Trump said he intends to keep Hegseth, who also faces $1.5 trillion budget pushback and planned Democratic investigations.
Transcript: Trump Shivs Hegseth in Weird Aside as GOP Knives Come Out
The Daily Blast podcast interviews Congressman Adam Smith, incoming chair of the House Armed Services Committee, about Pete Hegseth's impeachment vote, the Iran war that had cost $47 billion, and the Caribbean boat strikes that have killed over 200 people. Smith calls the war a complete disaster, puts the odds of Trump dropping Hegseth at 50-50, and says Democrats will move to cut off war funding, while Greg Sargent quotes Trump saying of Hegseth, "I get these calls about him. I don't understand why."
Trump Runs Away as Reporter Reminds Him He’s a Big, Giant Loser
The New Republic reports that after Republicans' heavy November 2026 midterm losses, Trump walked away from reporters who asked about replacing chief of staff Susie Wiles with Stephen Miller, whom the outlet calls his most hardline aide. It also covers Abdul El-Sayed becoming the first Muslim U.S. senator and ICE detainee deaths linked to deficient medical care.
Hegseth Lashes Out at Critics Calling for His Firing
The Times reports that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, facing calls from G.O.P. lawmakers to fire him over the Iran war and his purge of top generals, released a video outside the Pentagon vowing to fight for his job, while President Trump backed him and defended the seven-month Iran war. The strikes on Caribbean and Pacific boats the administration calls drug-running have killed scores, which experts call illegal extrajudicial killings, and the Times expects an impeachment effort as Representative Jason Crow tells Hegseth to start packing.
How Online Maps Lay Bare the US Military Bases Targeted by Iran - bellingcat
bellingcat.com· 10d
Bellingcat reports that Google Maps and other public mapping platforms label dozens of facilities — headquarters, accommodation, gyms, fuel points — at four heavily hit US bases in Kuwait, Jordan and Qatar, revealing how they are used, even as Iranian strikes have damaged at least 20 US military sites across seven countries since the conflict began in February 2026. Experts told Bellingcat the information could have informed Iranian targeting, though Iran had other intelligence sources, and RUSI's Matthew Savill warned such vulnerabilities must be addressed before conflicts begin.
A Democratic-controlled Congress will likely try to constrain Trump’s foreign adventures
The Guardian's Andrew Roth analyses how Democrats, newly in control of both houses of Congress after the 2026 midterms but unable to override vetoes, will likely use budget leverage to constrain Donald Trump's war in Iran and tariffs, which his analysis and JD Vance blame for the Republicans' "generational wipeout". Trump retains veto power over Iran, tariff and Ukraine policy, Roth writes that he may resume strikes on Iran now the midterms have passed, and Ryan Crocker warns Democrats must not overplay their hand.
How Trump Lost the Midterms
A Wall Street Journal article by Josh Dawsey, Alex Leary, and Lindsay Wise recounts how President Trump's Iran war, immigration crackdown, and focus on White House renovations led Republicans to sweeping defeat in the November 3, 2026, midterms, with Democrats winning Senate races in Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Texas. It details his costly Senate picks like Ken Paxton, aides' failed warnings on affordability, and Trump's own view that his absence from the ballot was the biggest issue.
‘Sweeter icing on the cake’: CNN journalists mock Trump’s bizarre 2028 prediction
An Erik De La Garza article relays CNN journalists' mockery of President Trump's remarks about the 2028 race and a war. In a played clip, Trump says nobody knows who will run for president and that, on the war, he would have done nothing different; a commentator jokes that if no Republican runs, that is just sweeter icing on the cake, while another predicts someone will run in 2028 regardless of what Trump says.
BREAKING: Trump Is About to Feed Pete Hegseth to the Wolves, and the Wolves Have Subpoenas
Dean Blundell's Substack post argues Trump is set to make Pete Hegseth the scapegoat for the 2026 midterm loss, which Trump himself partly blamed on the Iran war, after CBS reported he asked advisers whether Hegseth should keep his job. It lays out Thomas Massie's eight impeachment articles — the Iran war and the Minab school strike, the Caribbean boat strikes, the Maduro kidnapping, Yemen, and the threatened court-martial of Senator Mark Kelly — plus Hegseth's bid for Marsha Blackburn's Senate seat and Democrats' planned subpoenas, while Blundell calls the seat a bunker from prosecution and jokes Hegseth will need divine help.
Trump brags about the White House ballroom in his first post-election appearance
Rebecca Shabad's NBC News article reports that at his first public appearance after the 2026 midterms, President Donald Trump boasted about the White House ballroom, signing a steel beam for the project, which is rising where the East Wing stood and has faced legal obstacles despite Supreme Court approval. With Democrats having won both houses of Congress and Speaker Mike Johnson not seeking reelection, Trump said he did not ask Johnson to step down, would stay out the leadership race, and agreed with JD Vance that Republicans lost because of the war on Iran.
Pres. Trump Comments in Washington, D.C Construction Site and Midterm Elections
c-span.org· 10d
A C-SPAN video records President Trump signing the final steel beam at the White House ballroom construction site, where he says the project is ahead of schedule and under budget, funded by donated money, with 512 workers present as Interior Secretary Doug Burgum speaks after him. He then tells reporters the war with Iran probably hurt his side in the midterm elections but that he would do it again because Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.
JD Vance says US war on Iran is ‘real reason’ Republicans lost midterm elections
The Guardian reports that JD Vance, in a post on X, blamed the US war on Iran for the Republicans' midterm defeat, saying "The reason we lost is the war," while Trump, who launched the war with Israel in February, told the Wall Street Journal "Iran was a piece of it" and said he had no regrets. The paper writes that Vance's stance signals he seeks to distance himself from the unpopular war ahead of a possible 2028 White House run.
Vance, in Break With Trump, Blames Iran War for Republicans’ 2026 Midterm Losses
A New York Times report says Vice President JD Vance, breaking with President Trump, blamed the war with Iran for Republicans' 2026 midterm losses, including his old Ohio Senate seat, in a lengthy social media post. Trump at first said he was fine with it and called the assessment "largely true," but suggested Vance might not run for president, even as results showed Democrats narrowly ahead in races in Mississippi, Alaska, Colorado, Virginia and elsewhere.
Can Democrats stop Iran war, reverse Trump’s tariffs after midterms win?
Al Jazeera examines whether the Democratic-controlled Congress that emerges from the 2026 midterms can rein in Trump's war on Iran — through a 11 December funding deadline and the War Powers Resolution — and reverse his tariffs, with analysts doubting either, since vetoes need two-thirds supermajorities and tariff policy may wait until 2028. It adds that Democrats' committee chairmanships could bring investigations of the administration's deportations, Trump's businesses, and the war.
Trump tells CNBC he can work with Dems on ‘many more things than people understand’
CNBC's live blog tracks a Democratic midterm wave on 4 November 2026 — sweeping the House and Senate, flipping five governorships including Texas and Georgia, and driving the Dow up more than 1,500 points — as President Trump tells CNBC he can work with Democrats on "many more things than people understand" while blaming the Iran war's oil prices for the losses. The blog also covers Hakeem Jeffries' speaker bid, Pete Hegseth's uncertain future, voters rejecting data center measures in 40 of 41 races, and uncalled Senate counts in Mississippi and Alaska.
Inside the Republican Cataclysm
washingtonsun.com· 11d
The Washington Sun's three reporters chronicle the Republican midterm wipeout of November 3, 2026, in which the party lost at least 25 House and seven Senate seats as Democrats flipped strongholds in Texas, Kansas, South Carolina, Iowa and Michigan. They trace the collapse to Trump's record unpopularity, the Iran war's gas-price hit, a failed redistricting gambit — "a Watergate-level loss," in one Republican's words.
Iran's chief negotiator says Americans voted 'no to war'
The BBC reports that Iran's chief negotiator, parliament speaker Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf, called the US midterm results a vote of "NO TO WAR", while Donald Trump told Fox News that Republican losses were partly due to the conflict and petrol prices and warned the US and Israel could return to all-out war if no deal is reached. Iranian strikes on shipping have kept the Strait of Hormuz largely closed, and BBC Verify found no evidence for the Revolutionary Guard Corps' claim that four tankers were destroyed by mines there.
Republicans Forced to Reckon With How They Destroyed Their Own Party
The New Republic reports that Democrats took the House, Senate, and governorships across the country in the 3 November 2026 midterms, as Republican gerrymanders in Texas, Florida, Ohio, Alabama, Missouri, and North Carolina backfired, and it savors the party's reckoning. Republicans traded blame: Ron DeSantis faulted lawmakers and warned of a lost decade; John Cornyn and Mitt Romney, in quoted posts on X, cited broken coalition politics and bad character; JD Vance and even Donald Trump Jr. pointed to the Iran war; and Trump, conceding the war hurt, insisted he'd have won if he'd been on the ballot and that Hegseth's job is safe.
Trump Says There’s No Way Democrats Are Going to Impeach Him
A New Republic roundup gathers the site's post-midterm coverage: after Democrats took the House and Senate in 2026, Trump gave his first remarks at his White House ballroom construction site, dismissing impeachment and boasting about the ballroom, while Republican gerrymanders in Texas, Florida, Ohio, North Carolina, Alabama, and Utah failed to stop Democratic wins. The site reports Trump may fire Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over the Iran war, which killed 22 U.S. service members and cost an estimated $47.1 billion, and that JD Vance blames the war for the Republican wipeout.
Democrats Win Enough Seats Nationwide to End Electoral College
The New Republic reports that Democratic 2026 midterm wins in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Arizona, Wisconsin, and Nevada could lift the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact—already passed by 19 states holding 222 electoral votes—to 283, effectively nullifying the Electoral College without a constitutional amendment. It also describes Republican redistricting in Texas, Florida, Ohio, North Carolina, Alabama, and Missouri backfiring as voters chose Democrats anyway, and quotes Trump brushing off regrets while saying Hegseth is doing a very good job, though CBS News reports his job may be in jeopardy over the Iran war.
US midterm elections 2026 live: Americans go to the polls to decide control of Congress
The Guardian's live blog covers the 2026 midterms as Americans vote on 3 November in contests seen as a referendum on Donald Trump's agenda, with all 435 House seats, 35 Senate seats and 39 governorships on the ballot. It reports a US strike on Iran's Qeshm Island on election eve, the Supreme Court ruling against Trump's bid to set aside California ballots, federal monitors at a Somali-heavy polling station in Lewiston, Maine, scanner failures over up to 250,000 ballots in Westchester county, and strong early turnout, alongside voters' reasons from Maine to Alaska and Ron DeSantis casting doubt on a 2028 White House run.
Midterm elections 2026 live updates: Ossoff wins Georgia Senate, House control 'leans' Dem
CNBC's live coverage of the Nov. 3, 2026, midterms tracks polls closing across the U.S. as all 435 House seats and 35 Senate seats are decided with Republicans defending narrow majorities. The Associated Press projects Sen. Jon Ossoff's win in Georgia, while CNBC's Election Desk says House control leans Democratic, and Donald Trump posts on Truth Social that Fox News' poll is "so insulting" and its questions "a hit job."
Vote for the lives of immigrants who can’t vote | Will Bunch Newsletter
inquirer.com· 11d
Will Bunch's newsletter makes the Nov. 3, 2026, election a moral plea to vote for immigrants who cannot, telling of Julian Curo Churata, a Peruvian carpenter arrested by ICE and dead in detention at 47, leaving Veronica Ramirez facing deportation and a 6-year-old daughter afraid of being alone. He also warns a post-election attack on Iran could come, forecasts a possible Democratic "blue wave" in Pennsylvania, and rounds up coverage of the war, AI, and local races and ballot measures.
US has conducted defensive strikes on Iranian targets in the Strait of Hormuz, US official says
The Associated Press reports that, per an unnamed U.S. official, the United States carried out defensive strikes on Iranian targets in the Strait of Hormuz on 2 November 2026, the eve of the midterms, hitting Iranians who used surface-to-air missiles against U.S. assets. Backchannel talks continue, with Qatari mediators seeking a deal in which Iran halts attacks on shipping for an end to the U.S. naval blockade, while Netanyahu presses Trump for broader strikes.
Trump's Foreign Policy Doesn’t Have to Be America’s New Normal
Michael McFaul's Substack essay argues that Trumpism is not America's new normal in foreign policy: Trump, not structural forces, is driving the chaos, and a post-Trump president can probably reverse it. Trump's 281 second-term executive orders include 70 touching foreign policy, though he never campaigned on war with Iran, annexing Greenland, or tariffs on nearly every country but Russia. McFaul says polls show most of these initiatives — the stalled Iran war, fights with allies, tariffs, slashed aid to Ukraine and USAID — are unpopular at home, and he urges 2028 candidates to break radically with Trumpism.
Palantir CEO Makes Shocking Confession on Disrupting Democratic Power
A New Republic article centers on Palantir CEO Alex Karp's remarks that his AI technology will disrupt society, lessen the power of highly educated, often female Democratic voters, and boost the economic power of working-class men — a pitch the article reads as aimed at the GOP. It also tallies the costs of the unauthorized U.S. war in Iran, from the Pentagon's $11.3 billion estimate for the first six days to Trump's plan to release 172 million barrels from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve as gas prices climb.
Trump attends dignified transfer of 6 fallen service members killed in Kuwait amid Iran war
abcnews.com· 36w
ABC News reports President Trump attended a dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base for six service members killed by an Iranian drone attack at Shuaiba port in Kuwait in the war's opening hours, the first American soldiers lost in the conflict, with 18 more wounded. In quotes, Trump says "We're winning the war by a lot" and that the US has "decimated their whole evil empire," calls it a "very sad day," and says more dignified transfers would be "a part of war"; the Pentagon identified the dead, who belonged to an Iowa-based Army Reserve unit, and their families paid tribute.
