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Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) says he’s been briefed on the Iran war plan President Donald Trump is expected to launch after the midterms and calls it “insane,” the Daily Beast reported on Thursday.Murphy said he couldn’t share details. However, in a post on X, he claimed the plan would likely destroy the country’s commitment to the rule of law, adding that it “will not achieve objectives and will set off a new cycle of escalation.”At the Middle East Institute on Thursday, Murphy said he’d had a “fairly detailed conversation” about it and predicted it would prolong the conflict with Tehran. He acknowledged the public has heard it described as short in duration, but said the plan is “insane.”He noted reports that the Pentagon may be considering civilian infrastructure targets.Murphy said officials had been asked by the president to develop a plan, and that whether they think it will work, he couldn’t say. In his view, it would drag out the war and hurt U.S. security interests.He is a member of the Senate Foreign Relations and Appropriations committees. His comments followed reports that Gulf nations were told to prepare for a brief but intense campaign after Nov. 3. The Wall Street Journal cited officials as saying Trump was weighing strikes on nuclear sites and civilian infrastructure. Trump has said he won’t strike Iran before the election.Trump's campaign against Iran has proven wildly unpopular, with the public largely seeing him as breaking a promise to avoid foreign entanglements, and with the Strait of Hormuz crisis driving up energy prices to uncomfortable levels.

Canadian rock star Bryan Adams brutally mocked President Donald Trump in a new song he released just before the midterm elections, according to a new report. The Guardian reported that Adams wrote a new song titled "Lake Ontario," which takes a shot at Trump for his efforts to "rename" one of Canada's most famous bodies of water. The move further escalated the feud between the two countries and resulted in the U.S. and Canada placing additional tariffs on goods coming from either side. The lyrics make it clear that Trump's renaming efforts were an attempt to "deflect from the president’s other political problems, including the war in Iran and renewed scrutiny of the Jeffrey Epstein files," according to the report. "But things weren’t going his way in Iran/ So like a baby tossing the toys from the pram/ But it feels like another distraction/ while the Epstein files were getting traction," the lyrics read in part. Adams explained that the song came from a project he called a "love letter" to Canada. “After finishing the first song, I moved on to that one, and then moved on to another one, and then started thinking maybe I should just carry on with my theme,” Adams told The Guardian.

A GOP strategist torched a former Trump White House aide on live TV over her "naive" plan to end a raging war.Republican strategist and CNN commentator Shermichael Singleton tore into Caroline Sunshine on Wednesday's episode of "NewsNight," guest hosted by CNN's Michael Smerconish, after she urged the U.S. to pull funding from Ukraine to force it to negotiate an end to its war with Russia. Singleton called the idea "the most absurd thing" and told her she was "incredibly naive."The clash broke out during a segment on young men souring on President Donald Trump. Smerconish cited Harvard's latest youth poll, noting nearly 70 percent of men under 30 disapprove of the job Trump is doing.Sunshine, a former Trump White House aide, laid the blame on the president's staff."I want us to win the midterms. But if we don't win, it will be because the president's staff failed to execute his winning playbook in 2024," she said. "We're not live streaming the rallies. We're not making TikToks. We're not going on podcasts. We're not talking to that audience."She said she had been "dismissed" for months while pushing for appearances with podcasters Joe Rogan and Theo Von."I don't think the president's staff trusts his instincts," Sunshine said, before urging Trump to "get a staff that understand where young men are at," to "get Ukraine to the negotiating table" and to "stop listening to" rapper Nicki Minaj.Singleton immediately jumped in."What do you mean get Ukraine to the negotiating table? You mean Russia?" he asked. "What did they do that was unlawful, illegal, immoral and unethical? It wasn't the Ukrainians. It was the Russians."Sunshine countered that "hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians are dying every day in this war" and argued the U.S. should cut Ukraine off."Ukraine is not a NATO ally. The United States has no role in this war except to end it. And the only way that it ends is by yanking funding from Ukraine," she said.Singleton shot back that it was “the most absurd thing,” as Sunshine insisted she was talking about “ending the war peacefully.” He accused her of being "intellectually dishonest" and blasted the idea of forcing Ukrainians to "come to the table over something they didn't start.""That's never been the posture of the United States," he said.As Sunshine kept pressing, Singleton cut her off. "You are incredibly naive," he said. "Why would we put pressure on the Ukrainians instead of the Russians?"He then questioned whether she grasped the subject at all."Do you even understand these issues? No, I don't think you do. I don't think you understand these issues at all," Singleton said.Smerconish eventually stepped in to move the conversation along.

A bipartisan group of senators hoping for answers about a recent disruption to Ukraine's battlefield communications hit a wall at the Pentagon.The Defense Department's inspector general has turned down the lawmakers' request to investigate the throttling of Elon Musk's Starlink satellite internet service in Ukraine, The Associated Press reported Wednesday. In a response dated Tuesday, the watchdog told the nine senators that the Air Force was better positioned to address their concerns.The senators, four Republicans and five Democrats, sought the probe after Ukrainian officials said this month that connection speeds on Starlink and Starshield, its military-grade counterpart, had been slowed. Officials in Kyiv said the restrictions hampered their ability to intercept incoming Russian drones.A congressional aide who spoke with the AP on condition of anonymity characterized the decision as the watchdog declining to look into Musk and Starlink, even though the office is well equipped to do so. According to the aide, worries in Congress about Musk's grip on Starlink stretch back years and helped drive the creation of Starshield in the first place."It is concerning that the Inspector General has apparently decided not to investigate satellite communication disruptions that Ukraine relies on to protect its civilians," Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and one of the lawmakers requesting an investigation, said in a statement to the AP.Shaheen added that "the Trump administration and SpaceX have provided conflicting accounts of what led to those disruptions" and called for "an independent accounting and review to determine responsibility and prevent this from happening in the future."Those accounts have indeed diverged. Musk admitted over the weekend that SpaceX had throttled Starlink in Ukraine, claiming the country broke the service's terms, a charge Ukrainian officials rejected. He insisted, however, that any changes to Starshield were in the hands of the U.S. government. President Donald Trump has denied ordering any restriction, while Vice President JD Vance has hinted at coordination between the White House and Musk.Mollie Halpern, a spokeswoman for the inspector general's office, said the watchdog "carefully considered the congressional request and determined that the matters raised were best addressed by the Department."The Pentagon pointed questions to the inspector general's office, and the Air Force did not immediately answer the AP's request for comment. Both have previously sidestepped questions about the slowdown.

A White House promise aimed squarely at voters in several red states is running into an awkward reality, according to an administration insider.A person close to the Trump administration told Politico in a report published Tuesday that the recent burst of optimism about a looming trade agreement with Canada is meant to send a signal to places like Iowa and Kansas. But "no one expects a deal," the person said.The remarks cut against the message coming from the top. President Donald Trump predicted at a Sunday rally in Michigan that the trade fight would be "settled pretty soon," while National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett told Fox News the same day that the two countries were "very close."Talks between Washington and Ottawa have picked up since Trump spoke by phone with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Oct. 21. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Canadian Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc have been in frequent contact since then, Politico reported, though a senior Canadian official described the discussions as still informal.Neither country has budged on its core demands. Canada is still pushing for relief on autos, steel and aluminum, while the United States wants a bigger foothold in Canada's dairy and alcohol markets. People familiar with the negotiations told Politico that any final agreement is likely weeks or months away.Carney also has little reason to hand Trump a win ahead of the midterms. The prime minister's poll numbers have climbed since he walked away from negotiations in August, and he is set to host European Union leaders in Montreal for a summit meant to strengthen ties with the bloc."Carney would have to have some reason to want to get a deal before the midterms," the Trump administration insider said. "But I can't imagine why he would at this point."An industry official told Politico that Lutnick's resistance to cutting sector-specific duties remains the biggest obstacle. "Any potential Canada deal is going to have the same issue," the official said.Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH), who told Politico he believes the two countries will eventually reach an agreement, couldn't say whether it would happen before Election Day. "I don't know," he said.

President Donald Trump's administration is quietly weighing a fresh concession to Moscow, one the Kremlin has pushed hard behind closed doors.The New York Times reported Tuesday that the Trump administration is reviewing a request to lift sanctions on the Russian Direct Investment Fund, a multibillion-dollar state fund the Biden administration branded a "slush fund" for Russian President Vladimir Putin when it hit the fund with penalties days after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.A U.S. official confirmed to The Times that the Trump administration is assessing the fund's application through established channels as part of an effort to "improve U.S.-Russia relations and help end the war." The official praised the fund's chief, Kirill Dmitriev, as "a helpful envoy."Russian officials pressed for the relief during talks over the fund's role in shipping Russian diesel to the U.S., people familiar with the negotiations told The Times. Trump suspended sanctions on Russian diesel on Oct. 9, and the fund has since helped line up the first shipments, according to a senior Russian official. Three tankers have set out for the U.S. this month, and the diesel shipped before any American buyer paid for it, The Times reported.Dmitriev, Putin's economic envoy to Washington, said nothing about his push for relief when he spoke at a Moscow conference on Oct. 16. Instead, he bragged that the diesel deal was helping convince Americans that sanctions are "philosophically wrong."He has found a warm reception in Trump's orbit. Special envoy Steve Witkoff told Putin at a negotiating table in St. Petersburg last week, "It's been really, really good dealing with Kirill."Eric Green, who oversaw Russia policy on the Biden White House's National Security Council, told The Times the fund was an early target because its access to Western finance could help Moscow pay for the war. Lifting the penalties now, he said, would send a "real strong message" that Washington is backing away from its position to keep the economic pain on until a settlement in Ukraine.Critics, including some Republican lawmakers, argue Trump is giving away economic perks to Putin while asking nothing in return on the war. Trump has so far kept nearly all Biden-era sanctions on Russia in place.Dmitriev's Kremlin ties run deep. People who know him told The Times his wife is close with one of Putin's daughters, and he has done deals with Gulf power players like Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who also has Trump's ear."The ice has finally broken," Dmitriev declared at an October conference.

A heated confrontation erupted at the United Nations on Tuesday when President Donald Trump’s ambassador repeatedly ordered a Cuban official to back away from the stage during a tense exchange over the communist nation’s leadership.U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz was delivering remarks criticizing Cuba’s government when Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parilla approached the podium, prompting an angry response.“Back up! Back up, ambassador. Back away!” Waltz shouted.“You’re not going to intimidate me. You understand who you’re dealing with?” he continued as Rodriguez stood just feet away, refusing to budge.“This is America, back up!”The confrontation unfolded Tuesday as Cuban delegates protested Waltz’s remarks, pounding on their table and attempting to interrupt his speech.Waltz had accused Cuba’s leadership of enjoying extravagant luxuries while ordinary citizens struggled financially. “Let’s start with Castro’s two Rolexes that he proudly wore,” Waltz said while holding up an image of former Cuban leader Fidel Castro.“Two Rolexes worth $40,000 in today’s money,” he continued.Waltz then displayed an image of current Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel wearing what he described as another Rolex.As tensions escalated, the presiding official attempted to restore order, repeatedly instructing delegates to sit down.“This individual needs to back away from this podium,” Waltz declared. “He’s not going to intimidate me in the United States of America.”Global affairs analyst Olga Nesterova, who shared video of the confrontation on Bluesky, reported that the exchange erupted after the U.S. accused Cuba’s leadership of corruption, prompting a Cuban official to shout, “Liar!”US and Cuba got into a shouting match at the UN.[image or embed]— Olga Nesterova (@onestpress.onestnetwork.com) October 27, 2026 at 1:51 PM

Early exit polls from Israel's high-stakes election set off a wave of stunned reactions online, with observers zeroing in on one unexpected kingmaker.Israel's Channel 12 exit poll put the opposition bloc at 52 seats, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc at 50 and Arab parties at 18, CNN reported Tuesday."This is a DRAMATIC result," Omri Marian, an internationally recognized tax law professor at the University of California, Irvine, and an Israeli expat, wrote on Bluesky. "Palestinians with Israeli citizenship hold all the leverage."Marian then laid out four possible outcomes, including Jewish opposition parties breaking their campaign vow not to partner with Arab parties, another election, a unity government with Netanyahu's Likud party or a short-lived minority coalition. He feared the unity option, under which "Bibi goes free even though he is not PM." "I worry this is where we might end up," he wrote.UC Irvine political scientist Sara Wallace Goodman asked whether a caretaker government and another election were next. Marian agreed that a minority coalition would send Israel back to the polls "within a few months."William Adler, a professor of political science at Northeastern Illinois University, was skeptical the math would translate into power. "Seems like the only way to majority government is Arab parties and it won't happen," he wrote. Marian replied, "That's what I worry, but everyone saw it coming."George Pearkes, a markets strategist, noted that two networks showed Netanyahu's bloc trailing while a third, Channel 14, showed it ahead, adding that turnout two hours before polls closed was the highest since 1988. "Man this is going to be CHAOS," he wrote. Justin Joque, a University of Michigan media scholar, cast doubt on the outlier, noting that Channel 14's pre-election polls had Netanyahu winning even as other surveys moved the opposite way.Others urged caution. Eric Columbus, a Lawfare senior editor and former Justice Department official, shared a reminder from New York Times correspondent Yair Rosenberg that Israeli exit polls miss the final hours of voting, when the right has sometimes surged. "Too soon to pop any corks?" Columbus asked.