Senators were skittish on Tuesday when asked if they would support Senator Chuck Schumer for majority leader. Large sections of the Democratic base say they want Schumer out. But alternative plans are scarce, and most Dems won’t do more than hint at them, even when asked outright.
Two potential challenges appear to be brewing: one from Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland and perhaps one from Elissa Slotkin of Michigan.
Large crowds took to the streets across Italy on Friday, October 30, in response to a call from the Unione Sindacale di Base (USB), a grassroots trade union that had organized a general strike in the public sector. Although many civil servants did not walk out and public transportation was only minimally disrupted, the streets and squares of major cities were packed with demonstrators, reflecting a rising tide of social discontent nationwide.
“Very happy about Lula’s victory in Brazil. Many, many congratulations to President Lula and the people of Brazil. It is a breath of fresh air for Latin America and the Caribbean. We are very, very happy,” Sheinbaum said during her morning news conference.
Her remarks came a day after the Mexican president congratulated Lula through her social media accounts, celebrating the election result with the message: “Long live democracy, the people of Brazil won. Congratulations, President Lula!”
In Marseille, southern France, all demonstrations have been banned for Saturday, October 24, and a curfew currently in place for minors in the city center of France‘s second-largest city has been extended to adults. The same rules were set for Lyon, Nice and Montpellier, where a protest, previously declared to the authorities, was eventually banned. In Paris, while a curfew remains in place every night until Monday morning around Place de la République and Les Halles, the Police Prefecture authorized a march from Bastille to Nation.
Fearing new outbreaks of violence and looting, officials have imposed protest bans and restrictions on freedom of movement across France, not only in major cities but also in smaller towns.
Ein Forschungsteam der Freien Universität Berlin hat untersucht, wie Handlungsspielräume bei der Berichterstattung über den Nahostkonflikt von Medienschaffenden wahrgenommen werden. Diese Studie ist im Oktober 2026 als Arbeitspapier des CeMIL erschienen.
Für die Studie befragten Prof. Dr. Carola Richter, Dr. Jannis Julien Grimm und Nina Moya Schreieder im Mai und Juni 2026 Journalist:innen, die für deutsche Medien zur Nahost-Region und damit verbundenen Themen berichten. Von fast 600 systematisch ausgewählten Journalist:innen nahmen rund 30 Prozent an der anonymen Online-Befragung teil – eine vergleichsweise hohe Rücklaufquote. „Offensichtlich gab es ein großes Bedürfnis bei mit dem Thema befassten Journalist:innen, sich zu äußern“, sagt Prof. Dr. Carola Richter.
Witnesses said the activists assaulted attendees and tried to reach the floor housing the Joint List‘s election headquarters; police arrived after they were removed
During a rally in Tennessee on Saturday, President Trump repeatedly misnamed Michigan’s Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El‑Sayed as “Mohammed,” calling him a “jihadist.”
President Donald Trump: “Like Mohammed El-Sayed — I call him Mohammed. Somebody said, ‚His name isn‘t Mohammed; it’s Abdul.’ I said, ‚To me, it‘s Mohammed.’ I’m the president. I can call him whatever the hell I want. To me, he’s Mohammed, and he’s a radical jihadist.”
Civilians stopped the attack when security systems failed. Netanyahu, weeks before an election, rushed to claim the credit
TLS 1.3 was defined in RFC 8446 in August 2018.[7] and updated with RFC 9846 in July 2026. It is based on the earlier TLS 1.2 specification.
(…)
Network Security Services (NSS), the cryptography library developed by Mozilla and used by its web browser Firefox, enabled TLS 1.3 by default in February 2017.[61]
(…)
In September 2018, the popular OpenSSL project released version 1.1.1 of its library, in which support for TLS 1.3 was „the headline new feature“.[74]
Configuration
Protocols
TLS 1.3 No
TLS 1.2 Yes
TLS 1.1 Yes
TLS 1.0 Yes
Configuration
Protocols
TLS 1.3 No
TLS 1.2 Yes*
TLS 1.1 No
TLS 1.0 No
Configuration
Protocols
TLS 1.3 No
TLS 1.2 Yes*
TLS 1.1 No
TLS 1.0 No
(September 18, 2026)
Before a plenary session composed of diplomats, experts, and representatives of organizations from around the world, Bonet de la Cruz spoke about the negative effects that the United States’ economic, commercial, and financial blockade against Cuba, as well as the unilateral coercive measures imposed by the world power against the small Caribbean island, have on all sectors, especially culture and artistic creation.
Given their importance, we share in full the words of the intellectual and director before the CDDHH and the international community:
(10 Dec 2019)
אני מודה ל @noamr ו- @GilBahat על ה-peer review
Cuba denounced on Friday the impact of the US blockade on human rights, just days before the presentation of the report by Special Rapporteur Alena Douhan to the United Nations.
According to Alejandro González, Director of International Organizations at the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the report on the negative repercussions of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights in the Caribbean nation will be presented in Geneva on September 8 and 9.
“There are foreign companies that have yielded to this pressure and have withdrawn from the country. Others remain and continue working with us,” the Deputy Prime Minister stated.
According to Pérez-Oliva, the intensification of the blockade has severed Cuba’s banking and financial relations with numerous institutions and imposes a trade embargo through direct threats against international shipping companies.
The Minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment explained that Cuba has containers being held in international ports because some shipping companies have suspended services to the island, while others are operating under “restrictions imposed illegally and unilaterally by the United States.”
(August 26, 2026)
The Cuban government, in a statement to the Security Council on Tuesday, August 25, warned against the use of hunger as a weapon of war and argued that conflicts, economic inequalities and unilateral coercive measures were aggravating global food insecurity.
Havana specifically linked the worsening food situation in Cuba to the impact of the United States’ economic, commercial and financial restrictions, which it refers to as a blockade.
The intervention came only days after Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez launched a fresh attack on Washington over new sanctions imposed on Cuban state entities and officials, accusing the administration of US President Donald Trump of deliberately squeezing the Cuban economy and undermining the government’s capacity to provide basic services.
Rodríguez said the latest measures were particularly affecting the movement of containers carrying food, medicines and medical equipment, including supplies acquired by Cuba’s private micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.
In a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron, Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Falih al-Zaidi emphasized that regional issues should be resolved through dialogue, while recalling the end date of the US coalition mission in Iraq.
He also announced September 30 as the final deadline for the withdrawal of US coalition forces from Iraq.
His Excellency Mr Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), condemned in the strongest terms the treacherous Iranian attacks that targeted the Kingdom of Bahrain, the State of Kuwait, and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, alongside the targeting of infrastructure and civilian facilities, which resulted in the injury of a number of civilian workers in the State of Kuwait.
„Iran‘s actions constitute a highly dangerous escalation, a grave violation of international law and the United Nations (UN) Charter, as well as war crimes requiring international accountability and prosecution, given the deliberate targeting of infrastructure and civilian facilities in flagrant violation of all international norms and conventions, and a persistent determination to destabilise regional security and stability,“ His Excellency underlined.
Moreover, His Excellency stressed that the GCC stands as one with the Kingdom of Bahrain, the State of Kuwait, and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, supporting all measures they take to protect their security, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, while expressing his wishes for a speedy recovery to the injured individuals in the State of Kuwait.
Eight people were killed and 20 injured in overnight US attacks on Iranian infrastructure, according to state media. The health ministry said the monthly death toll has reached 38, including three women and one minor, as US strikes continue for a sixth consecutive night.
At least 38 people have been killed and over 400 have been injured since the US resumed strikes on Iran in July, according to the Head of Public Relations of Iran‘s Ministry of Health and Medical Education.
In a post on X, Hossein Kermanpour said that as of July 17, „the number of injured from US attacks has exceeded 400, and 38 compatriots have been martyred; among them are 22 injured women, 3 martyred women, 9 injured under 18, and 1 martyr under 18.“
„Health is the first victim of war,“ he said.
Araghchi agreed that whoever provides safe passage for commercial vessels through the Strait should be paid for the service.
Then came the catch.
„Iran has always been the GUARDIAN of the Strait and will remain so FOREVER,“ he wrote on X.
And as for Trump‘s proposed price?
„20% is of course too much. We will be fair.“
The strait was open before the US and Israel joined forces to wage war on Iran, only to have that nation slam it shut. Some vessels got through during the ceasefire, with Iran charging $3 million for a fully loaded supertanker to transit the strait.
Trump’s threatened toll would jack that cost up to $69 million.
(July 6, 2026)
This development is particularly critical given the ongoing Strait of Hormuz crisis. Gwadar is situated 400 km east of the strait and serves as a virtual bypass of the conflict zone, allowing Central Asian exports to reach international waters without entering the high-risk zones of the Persian Gulf.
For Pakistan, this creates a substantial economic windfall as well. By positioning itself as the primary transit state for a massive market, the country is positioning itself to secure consistent revenue through port handling, logistics, and transit fees. In the wake of the Strait of Hormuz crisis, tariff at the Gwadar port has multiplied.
Gas prices in the United States, up by 50% since the U.S. and Israel launched the war, have soared as the global oil supply constricts.
Now at a national average of more than $4.50 per gallon, according to data from motor club AAA, this price increase is straining already-stretched budgets in households across the country.
(May 6, 2026)
Trump surprised Gulf allies by announcing “Project Freedom” on social media Sunday afternoon, the officials said, angering leadership in Saudi Arabia. In response, the Kingdom informed the U.S. it would not allow the U.S. military to fly aircraft from Prince Sultan Airbase southeast of Riyadh or fly through Saudi airspace to support the effort, the officials said.
A call between Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman did not resolve the issue, the two U.S. officials said, forcing the president to pause Project Freedom in order to restore U.S. military access to the critical airspace.
President Donald Trump told reporters that he spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin in a phone call about the wars in Iran and Ukraine. NBC News’ Gabe Gutierrez reports on the assistance Putin offered to the U.S. in the war with Iran.
(2007)
5 Example: Dr. Ayman al Zawahiri
As-Sahab is the video production branch of Al Qaeda. They periodically release videos designed to remind people of Al Qaeda’s existence, issue threats, recruit members, and potentially act as a covert channel for triggering terrorist cells. Many of the videos by As-Sahab appear to have been manipulated.
On 20-Dec-2006, Dr. Ayman al Zawahiri (#2 guy in Al Qaeda) released a video. USA Today covered the video release with a headline story (Figure 25).24 USA Today’s description of the video says, “He wore a black turban and white robe … he had a rifle behind his right shoulder that was leaning against a plain brown backdrop.” While this is a valid description of the As-Sahab video, the picture used by USA Today did not show that image. Instead, USA Today used a picture from another video, dated 28-Sept-2006. This is an example of a mislabeled image.
The picture that USA Today chose to use with the story includes many other interesting features. First, it came from the IntelCenter (www.intelcenter.com) – an organization that tracks terrorist activities. The IntelCenter placed their logo in the top-right corner of the video. However, the company name is clearly cropped – likely by USA Today. A comparison with the same frame from the actual video shows many other observable differences. In particular, the IntelCenter adjusted the color and sharpness of the picture (Figure 26).
(…)
5.1 Other Al Zawahiri Videos
The video from 28-Sept-2006 was not the only manipulated video. In fact, many of the videos featuring al Zawahiri test positive for chroma-key masking. Consider the video released on 27-July-2006 (Figure 27).26 This video appears to show al Zawahiri sitting in a video studio.
When this video came out, many Americans became enraged at the US government. The main strife was generated
by a single argument: if al Zawahiri is sitting in a studio making videos, the why can’t we catch him? The answer is simple: he is not in a studio.
(…)
5.2 Back in Black
Claiming that there was a chroma-key background is not the same as actually seeing it. On 22-Jan-2007, the SITE
Institute (www.siteinstitute.org) – an organization that tracks terrorist activities – announced that they had
intercepted an Al Qaeda video before it had been publicly released; SITE released it. Three days later, As-Sahab
also released the video. ….
(June, 1979)
Israel on the night of March 14–15, 1978, launched a major invasion of southern Lebanon with 20,000-25,000 ground troops backed by tanks, artillery, fighter planes and gunboats. The operation was mounted notwithstanding a number of diplomatic moves to forestall an anticipated reprisal attack in reply to the March 11 guerrilla raid on Israel and despite assurances by the Lebanese Government that it was in no way responsible for the Palestinian action[see above].