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Nov 3, 2026 - World

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

Nov 3, 2026 - World

Guardian and Mongabay reveal approaches to officials and MPs on behalf of Vantara zoo ahead of UK-chaired Cites meeting on endangered animal importsBritish government ministers were told not to engage formally with Vantara, the controversial mega-zoo run by the Indian billionaire Anant Ambani, after lobbying efforts by the private animal sanctuary in the run-up to a UK-chaired meeting on the trade in endangered species, according to documents.This week, the UK heads a 32-country committee meeting in Geneva of Cites, the United Nations body that regulates trade in endangered species. The meeting will examine how India has responded to compliance concerns about imports of endangered animals. Continue reading...

Nov 3, 2026 - World

The Trump administration sparked immediate outrage after it conducted what some described as a "secret" bombing campaign on the eve of the midterm elections. Barak Ravid, global affairs correspondent for Axios, reported Monday night that a U.S. fighter jet destroyed an Iranian weapon on Qeshm Island. The strikes mark a significant escalation in the conflict as the Trump administration braces for a midterm election where Republicans are expected to lose the House of Representatives, and possibly the Senate as well. "Senior U.S. official: A U.S. Army fighter jet conducted a self-defense strike and destroyed a surface-to-air missile launcher on Qeshm Island after the Revolutionary Guards launched an anti-aircraft missile from it," Ravid posted on X. The move outraged Jamal Abdi, president of the National Iranian American Council."After eight months of an illegal war, there was finally some hope that a diplomatic agreement might be within reach and this war could end through negotiations rather than spiral into the violent scenarios being threatened after the midterm elections. But these deeply alarming revelations suggest we may be heading in precisely the opposite direction," he said in a statement.

Nov 2, 2026 - World

Independent journalist Ken Klippenstein reports that a military source of his gives even odds that the U.S. will strike Iran after the midterms — but says any attack would be smaller than first planned.Klippenstein writes that President Donald Trump’s plan for a decisive attack on Iran is now in doubt. Trump said last month the U.S. would not attack before the election, but Klippenstein says target sets were drafted and forces were being positioned, including a third aircraft carrier and two amphibious groups carrying about two dozen additional F-35s.Gulf Arab allies, he says, told Washington they would help defend themselves but would not join an offensive.He reports the plan frayed further when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lost his majority, leaving planners unable to count on Israel until a new government forms.In his account, Hegseth told the White House that a sea-based strike without Israel or Gulf bases remained workable. Gulf states objected to hitting energy infrastructure, and some military leaders warned that strikes on power production might violate the law of war. Hegseth responded by firing Army Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia, the top Joint Chiefs war planner, Klippenstein says.Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) said last week, “Their plan is insane,” and predicted “devastating escalation.”Klippenstein says Murphy was referring to classified briefings. Citing military sources, he writes that Trump has criticized the proposed attack as “uninspired, worthless, and weak” and wants Iran’s nuclear program as its focus. He says Trump hinted on Halloween at hitting one or two remaining nuclear sites.Additionally, Iran has threatened retaliation beyond the Middle East, and people in Trump’s orbit have discussed responding at home with a national emergency, wrote Klippenstein.

Nov 2, 2026 - World

Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers of Michigan was paid more than $420,000 while serving on the board of the MITRE Corporation, a consultancy that is now working with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on the future of U.S. warfare, according to tax filings reported by Drop Site News.Rogers sat on MITRE’s board of trustees, at one point as chair, for six years until 2023, when he stepped down to run for Senate, the outlet says.IRS records show his yearly pay, and MITRE’s CEO has said Rogers was recruited for his “vast national security expertise.”MITRE is coordinating Project Meridian, which Hegseth announced Sept. 30 as a study of future warfare. Hegseth named tech tycoon Elon Musk, former GOP congressional leader Newt Gingrich, and defense entrepreneur Palmer Luckey as top officials.Drop Site says some have raised conflict-of-interest concerns, noting that former defense officials told NPR the project could push the military toward drones and space systems built by Musk’s and Luckey’s companies. Musk is one of Rogers’ biggest backers through his America PAC.Rogers’ support for the Iran war has been a liability as he has navigated his fight against Democratic opponent Abdul El-Sayed, the report noted. A poll cited by the outlet shows up to 67 percent of Michigan voters disapprove of the war.In March, Rogers said the war’s end “should be conditional,” but in recent weeks he has been trying to downplay his old hawkishness, even telling Fox News “we need to start wrapping it down.”