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GOP trolled by Iran after major election debacle: 'We endorse this message'
The massive electoral wipeout Republicans suffered on Tuesday did not go unnoticed by Iran’s leadership.According to Politico, Tehran took a victory lap as voters dealt a resounding blow to President Donald Trump’s Republican Party.“Conscience or the cost of living, Americans said NO TO WAR, and we endorse this message,” Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf wrote on X as the results came in.Ghalibaf, who has played a prominent role in negotiations to end the monthslong war, also threatened retaliation if Washington resumes all-out fighting, Politico is reporting.“If the US govt betrays their public will to serve international paymasters and blackmailers, it will learn our NO comes with a Nightmare,” he wrote.Tehran had been anxiously watching the midterms for weeks. According to Politico, Iranian negotiators reportedly even stalled recent talks to keep gas prices high and fuel voter frustration with the Trump administration over affordability.Iranian state media also had a field day as Democrats flipped both the House and the Senate, according to the report.“War on Iran Emerges As Major Factor in Republicans’ Midterm Defeat,” read one headline from Tasnim News Agency, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.State-run IRNA led with a headline announcing a “heavy defeat for Trump and his supporters,” citing “an unprecedented level of dissatisfaction with US President Donald Trump,” driven in large part by the war.Some anti-war voices in Washington also declared the vote a win for Tehran, Politico also reported.“The Democrats didn’t win the midterms,” wrote Trita Parsi, co-founder of the anti-interventionist Quincy Institute. “Iran did.”
Fox anchor revolts against Trump for giving in to Israel critics: 'Our number-one ally!'
Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade took to Fox Business Tuesday to question President Donald Trump’s supposed decision to “cut off” all U.S. aid to Israel by the end of this year, accusing the president of giving in to the demands of some Democrats.Earlier on Tuesday, Trump ignited an international firestorm after claiming that he’d reached an agreement to end all U.S. aid to Israel within the next two months, potentially putting the roughly $4 billion in annual U.S. aid to Israel in jeopardy. Talks on phasing out such aid have been underway for months, but they’ve centered on a 10-year phaseout, not a cutoff by the end of 2026.“[Trump] went on to say the $4 billion, we’re gonna be cutting off to not give the Democrats a talking point... I don’t know,” Kilmeade said, speaking with Fox Business’ Stuart Varney. “I know their GDP is growing at a pretty good rate, and I know that economically they’ve been a miracle story even while fighting this war for the last four years, but I have no idea why you would give in to Democrats who want to cut off aid to Israel, our number-one ally in the region!”Varney echoed Kilmeade’s alarm, taking it a step further.“He seems like he is accommodating the anti-Israel feeling that is clearly growing in this country — and the president is accommodating it on Election Day!” Varney said.The announcement reportedly caught Israeli officials by surprise. The Israeli Finance Ministry, according to Fox News’ Jonathan Hunt, reporting live Tuesday from Tel Aviv, Israel, said it was “entirely unaware of any intention by the U.S. to cancel that $4 billion in aid.” Israeli politician Yair Golan said Trump’s announcement was a “severe blow to Israel’s security and the quality of life within the country.”“It really caught me by surprise,” Kilmeade continued. “And I’ll tell you, I have no patience for any antisemitism in this country and any anti-Israel sentiment. They’re not perfect, but they’re a democracy and they’re our ally and they’re literally surrounded by enemies — they have no choice!”
Trump sparks global 'political and financial earthquake' with offhand remark: Fox News
President Donald Trump ignited an international firestorm Tuesday after casually claiming that U.S. aid to Israel would be “cut off” by the end of this year, leaving Israeli officials scrambling to make sense of the surprise announcement.“Let’s get to that breaking news that is causing a political and financial earthquake here in the region,” said Fox News’ Jonathan Hunt, reporting live Tuesday from Tel Aviv, Israel. “The president saying it’s not just about Israel’s needs, but it’s also about taking away a talking point that Democrats have been using against Republicans.”Israel is by far the greatest recipient of U.S. foreign aid, receiving more than $300 billion in inflation-adjusted dollars since 1948. The aid has come under scrutiny in recent years as Israel has carried out its ongoing military bombardment of Gaza, which countless human rights groups and a United Nations committee have labeled a genocide.Earlier on Tuesday, Trump called into “Fox & Friends” and casually dropped the announcement, confusing Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade, who pressed the president for answers.“We were giving them $4 billion [annually] — we are — but it gets cut off at the end of the year,” Trump told Kilmeade.“Why?” Kilmeade asked, to which Trump said the decision was made “because they don’t need it.”Trump’s announcement came one day after Iran fired surface-to-air missiles at U.S. aircraft flying over the Strait of Hormuz, prompting the U.S. military to carry out strikes on Qeshm Island, which sits in the middle of the strait. The announcement also confused Israeli officials, who said, according to Hunt, that the revelation came as a complete surprise.“The Israeli Finance Ministry now reportedly telling local media here that they were entirely unaware of any intention by the U.S. to cancel that $4 billion in aid, so it really is a political and financial earthquake here in the region,” Hunt said.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has supported a plan to phase out U.S. aid to Israel, but over a period of 10 years. However, he’s also backed a plan to integrate the U.S. and Israeli militaries in such a manner that critics warn would be difficult to reverse.
The private creative world of Rabindranath Tagore, the man Yeats called ‘greater than any of us’
A previously unseen family archive offers a glimpse into the Indian Nobel prize winner’s artistic process and personal relationships in his final yearsDon’t get This is India delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereIt’s easy to run out of words to describe Rabindranath Tagore. The first non-European to win the Nobel prize in literature, Tagore was a Bengali poet, musician, novelist, philosopher, songwriter, painter, humanist and educator.Born in 1861, Tagore left an indelible mark on the subcontinent’s literature, music, education and art. Among his enduring legacies are the national anthems of India and Bangladesh. Continue reading...
Trump reveals escape plan if Americans get 'tired' of him: 'I'll become prime minister!'
President Donald Trump revealed Tuesday a potential escape plan he’s considering pursuing should Americans ever get “tired” of him.Calling into Fox News, Trump boasted about his popularity among Israelis, falsely claiming to have a “99% approval rating” in the Middle East nation. His supposed popularity there, Trump said, could provide him with a fresh political opportunity. “I’m at 99% approval rating in Israel, can you believe it?” Trump said. “In fact, if people ever got tired of me in the U.S., I’ll move to Israel and become prime minister. Think of it: I’m at 99%, I have the highest approval rating of anybody in history!”Trump’s claims regarding his popularity in Israel are undercut by several polls, including a recent poll from the Jewish People Policy Institute showing that just 10% of Israelis expressed having a great deal of confidence in Trump regarding U.S.-Israeli relations. A separate poll from the Jewish People Policy Institute published last month showed 69% of Israelis agreed that Trump was the friendliest U.S. president Israel had ever had.Back home, a Reuters/Ipsos poll completed Monday put Trump’s approval at just 32%, near the lowest of his career. Trump: "If people ever got tired of me in the US, I'll move to Israel and become prime minister" https://t.co/AfVG7YYoVe— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) November 3, 2026
Trump floors Fox News with bonkers bombshell out of nowhere: 'We won't be paying Israel'
President Donald Trump left Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade confused Tuesday after casually revealing that he had brokered a deal to end U.S. aid to Israel “by the end of this year.”Calling into Fox News’ “Fox & Friends,” Trump boasted about his administration’s accomplishments on border security and accused former President Joe Biden of allowing noncitizens “who hate Israel” to come into the country “by the millions.” Trump then pivoted to reveal a supposed deal he had brokered with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.“As far as paying Israel, Bibi Netanyahu and I have made a deal… we give Israel $4 billion a year, and we made a deal months ago that we’re stopping [payments], and they’re fine with it, because they’ve become a very successful country, they don’t need it, and we won’t be paying anymore, Israel,” Trump said. “So it’s just a wasted thing because we’ve already agreed that by the end of this year, we won’t be paying Israel. Now, we’ll help Israel if they need it, you know, they’ve been a great ally and we’ve been the greatest of all allies — to many, many countries, we’ve been great to many countries!”Discussions about ending U.S. aid to Israel — the single largest recipient of U.S. foreign aid in history, having received more than $300 billion in inflation-adjusted dollars since its founding in 1948 — gained traction this year. However, discussions have centered on a plan to phase out aid over a decade, not by the end of this year.Netanyahu has backed the plan to phase out U.S. aid but has also championed a separate push to integrate the U.S. and Israeli militaries in an “unprecedented” fashion, one critics warn would be near-impossible to unwind.Trump’s remark immediately caught the attention of Kilmeade, who jumped in to clarify what the president meant.“So, Mr. President, you’re saying you’re not giving them $4 billion worth of weapons?” Kilmeade asked, likely referencing the roughly $4 billion in military assistance the United States gives to Israel every year.Trump brushed off the question and instead bragged that the U.S. had secured “total control” of the Strait of Hormuz — a claim undercut by U.S. strikes in the strait Monday — as Kilmeade tried, and failed, to pin him down.“You’re not — you’re no longer — you’re not — OK,” Kilmeade said, unsuccessfully trying to get Trump to answer his question.Later in the interview, Kilmeade pressed Trump on the matter again, to which the president finally responded.“Why? Because they don’t need it, Brian,” Trump said. "By the end of this year, we won't be paying Israel"- Trump just now on Fox News https://t.co/6vqTKEeIOm— Alexander Willis (@ReporterWillis) November 3, 2026
Trump's 'curious' rally brag immediately blows up in his face: 'Couldn't defeat algae'
A strange brag President Donald Trump let out during his rally in Iowa on Sunday immediately blew up in his face. Trump traveled to Dubuque, Iowa, to rally for Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA) as she seeks higher office in the Senate against Democratic challenger Josh Turek. During his speech, Trump made an unsettling claim about his ability to "win" wars, and how he would have handled some of the biggest conflicts in U.S. history. "I could have won Vietnam in a week," Trump said. "They dropped whatever the hell that crap is that hit the forest: Agent Orange! Instead of going after Ho Chi Minh and the other cities."Trump also claimed he could have solved the war in Afghanistan in a "week" as well. The president's comments didn't land well with several political analysts. Gregory Brew, an Iranian oil analyst for the Eurasia Group, argued that Trump's comment was a "curious" one to make. "Throughout the entirety of Trump's first term, the U.S. was at war in Afghanistan. Not only did he not win it, but his administration negotiated the deal that made the events of 2021 essentially unavoidable. This is a curious boast to make," he posted on X. Jonah Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Dispatch, said that Trump had an opportunity to prove his boast true during his first term, but failed to do so. "He could have 'won' Afghanistan during his first term. But he spent most of it trying to get out," Goldberg posted on X. Alex Cole, a liberal news creator, highlighted a glaring irony in Trump's comments. "Draft dodger Trump couldn't defeat algae in a swimming pool, but he was going to conquer the jungles of Vietnam in a week," Cole wrote in a post on X. Alex Ward, a national security reporter for The Wall Street Journal, posted on X that Trump's deal with the Taliban during his first term set the stage for a disastrous end to another war Trump claims he would have better solved. "Trump oversaw four years of the war in Afghanistan, and made a deal with the Taliban—cutting out the Afghan government—that set the table for Biden’s disastrous withdrawal," Ward posted. Trump: I would’ve won The Vietnam War in a week. I would’ve won the war in Afghanistan. https://t.co/eaWK6o2pnb— Acyn (@Acyn) November 1, 2026
Trump hounded to restart war in 'direct and pointed' call with right-wing ally: insiders
One of President Donald Trump's right-wing allies hounded him to restart the war in Iran during a "direct and pointed" call on Saturday, according to a new report. Two sources familiar with the call told Israeli outlet N12 that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pushed Trump to restart the war instead of letting negotiations play out. "According to the sources, Netanyahu is pressuring Trump to resume the war against Iran immediately after the midterm elections on November 3, and he is concerned about the negotiations currently underway," the report reads in part. "Trump, on the other hand, is interested at this stage in letting the negotiations exhaust themselves and does not want Israel to interfere. If he fails, of course, this could change significantly." Reports have indicated that Netanyahu and Saudi Arabia's Mohammed Bin Salman had pushed Trump to launch the war against Iran in the first place. The war has significantly affected the global economy, sending diesel prices skyrocketing because of the attacks on ships attempting passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
Tens of thousands protest against Narendra Modi regime in Delhi
Led by Congress party, India’s opposition alliance channels anger over removal of 130 million names from voter rollThousands of opposition supporters have gathered in Delhi as protests against the Narendra Modi government continue to gather momentum.Led by the Congress party, India’s opposition alliance has brought together supporters from across the country, amid growing anger over a large-scale revision of the country’s voter roll that has seen 130 million names erased. Continue reading...
Panic spreads as insider warns of 'embarrassed' Trump's plan if GOP loses midterms
A U.S. official warned that President Donald Trump may authorize a major military operation against Iran if he “feels embarrassed or disenfranchised” after the midterms, sparking panic among countless onlookers.“The mad King theory just might be the right theory. But so sad for our country,” wrote Yale University professor Howard Forman, referencing a political theory that suggests a political figure being perceived as mad can help boost credibility.The initial warning was reported by Axios’ Barak Ravid, who claimed that the unnamed U.S. official warned that Trump “might be more inclined to order a major military operation if Republicans lose badly in the midterms.”“If he feels embarrassed or disenfranchised he will do something bold,” the U.S. official said, according to Ravid. “That’s what everyone are telling the Iranians. Their best shot to get a deal is right now.”Iran was sent a draft peace plan on Sunday by Qatari mediators, Reuters reported, as talks between Washington and Tehran continue. A senior Iranian official, however, has already “dismissed the proposals as unacceptable,” according to Reuters.With the midterms fast approaching on Tuesday, and with Republicans facing an increasingly dire midterm outlook, critics feared a deadly escalation could be imminent.“A slightly different/more accurate way to phrase this is Trump requires a kind of executive self-soothing,” wrote journalist Josh Marshall, editor-in-chief of Talking Points Memo. “His loss of power/popularity at home requires him to focus on areas of presidency where his power is essentially unlimited to try to reassert a sense of dominance.”Others, like Tommy Vietor, a former Obama administration official and Democratic political commentator, argued that the U.S. official’s warning was nothing more than an attempt to manipulate Tehran into accepting the Trump administration’s terms for ending the deeply unpopular conflict.“Give me a f------ break with this spin. You don’t need to regurgitate this bull----,” Vietor wrote in a social media post on X.Trump official says Trump might bomb Iran because his feelings are hurt.— Dan Pfeiffer (@danpfeiffer) October 31, 2026
Fury as Dem senator remains lone lawmaker to spill on Trump's 'insane' post-midterm plan
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) warned this week that the Trump administration plans to resume its war on Iran after the midterms — an “insane” scheme he said he learned of in confidential briefings. By Saturday night, he was still the only lawmaker to speak out about those briefings, leaving one independent journalist furious.“In one of these briefings, we did get the chance to have a fairly detailed conversation about what the war plan would be if we restarted military operations,” Murphy said, speaking at the Middle East Institute. “You’ve heard a preview that it would be a short-duration plan. I will just say this: their plan is insane. It will lead to devastating escalation and the likely destruction of our commitment to the rule of law. The plan that they have developed will lead, in my view, to a prolongment and escalation of this war that will be devastating for our security interest.”As a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and ranking member of the Department of Defense Subcommittee, Murphy is often briefed on matters related to U.S. military operations and foreign policy. As noted by Murphy, however, he was not the only member of Congress to have been briefed on the Trump administration’s post-midterm plans for Iran.“How has literally no other member of Congress mentioned this briefing???” independent journalist Ken Klippenstein wrote in frustration Saturday evening, later calling the lack of interest in the briefings from other members of Congress “just pathetic.”Murphy’s warning came after reports that the U.S. told Gulf nations to prepare for a short-lived, high-intensity campaign after the Nov. 3 election. The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump was weighing strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites and civilian infrastructure. Trump has said he won’t launch any attacks on Iran until after the election.How has literally no other member of Congress mentioned this briefing ???— Ken Klippenstein (@kenklippenstein) October 31, 2026
What Marco Rubio’s sidestepping of New Delhi says about the US’s stance on India
Rubio’s decision not to meet Narendra Modi last week was seen by some as a snub – but by focusing on business leaders and oil, the secretary of state made American priorities clear. Plus: the artist bringing a female perspective to men’s clothing• Don’t get This is India delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereWhen the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, visited India for the second time this year, headlines concentrated on who he met and where he went.The fact that Rubio bypassed New Delhi and did not meet the prime minister, Narendra Modi, during his trip last week, and instead traveled to the financial capital, Mumbai, where he met India’s foreign minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar (pictured top with Rubio), and business leaders, did not go unnoticed. Nor did his decision to travel to Jamnagar, the small Gujarati town that is home to Reliance Industries’ colossal oil refinery complex. Continue reading...
