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November 5, 2026

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A protest sign is seen near the White House the day after Election Day

Feature

Emboldened Democrats gear up to challenge Trump over Iran war, Gulf business ties

Democrats are weighing options to enforce Congress’ authority to declare war.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

An aerial view shows a campaign billboard depicting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of the Likud party and President Donald Trump in Tel Aviv, on Oct. 26, 2026, on the eve of Israel's legislative elections.

Explainer

Democrats’ midterm sweep tests US-Israel ties as Eisenkot vows reset

Political sources describe the Democrats' midterm victory as a political blow to both US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Latest News

From Tehran to Tel Aviv, Democrats’ midterm triumph sparks Middle East reactions

The sun sets on the US Capitol on Election Day evening on Nov. 3, 2026 in Washington.

'Generational wipeout': Democratic gains to reshape Trump's final years

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Gulf markets gain, oil falls as Democrats win Congress

Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images

Adam Lucente

News and Business Correspondent

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

Elizabeth Hagedorn

Diplomatic Correspondent

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

Jared Szuba

Defense and Security Correspondent

In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military

Joyce Karam

Editor-in-Chief

Rosaleen Carroll

News Reporter and Supporting Editor

In Washington, DC, US, reporting on the Middle East

Paul J. Saunders

In Washington, DC, reporting on Russia in the Middle East

A Palestinian woman sits in a motorised vehicle loaded with aid, outside a distribution center run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip September 4, 2018. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa - RC1A87FA4580

Congress forces Trump to restore Palestinian aid

Congress has a plan to restore some of the Palestinian aid that President Donald Trump eliminated.

U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper holds a press briefing at Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., December 20, 2019. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas - RC23ZD94I24B

Intel: Pentagon refuses to put timeline on Syria mission

Defense Secretary Mark Esper refused to put a timeline on the Pentagon’s scaled-down mission to defeat the Islamic State and guard Syrian oil fields at the agency’s last press briefing of the year.

ISTANBUL, TURKEY - OCTOBER 17: Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the United Arab Emirates Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan (L) meets Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) in Istanbul, Turkey on October 17, 2016. (Photo by Turkish Presidency / Yasin Bulbul/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

UAE insists it’s not lobbying for sanctions against Turkey after all

Lobbyists for the UAE embassy in Washington have clarified their talking points to Congress.

United Arab Emirates

Iranian professor Massoud Soleimani is seen next to Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif during his arrival at Mehrabad airport, in Tehran, Iran December 7, 2019. Picture taken December 7, 2019. West Asia News Agency (WANA) via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY - RC2VQD9YNUU9

Inside the US-Iran prisoner swap, and what comes next

Can Washington and Tehran build on the success of the Swiss facilitated exchange?

Facing US sanctions, credit-fueled Turkish economy heads toward turbulence

Through measures to free up capital flows, Turkey’s economy weathered the 2018 currency crisis, but analysts remain uncertain the nation’s markets can absorb more shocks as US sanctions loom.

U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) speaks during a U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S. February 7, 2018. REUTERS/Eric Thayer - RC1FD9326580

Intel: How Congress is putting Saudi fugitives on notice

Congress is forcing the Donald Trump administration to disclose Riyadh’s alleged role in whisking Saudi fugitives out of the United States, some of whom are wanted for charges as severe as manslaughter, rape and possession of child pornography.

United States Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power addresses media following a United Nations Security Council vote, aimed at ensuring that U.N. officials can monitor evacuations from besieged parts of the Syrian city of Aleppo, at the United Nations in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., December 19, 2016. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly - RC16DD561260

UAE hires its second former Samantha Power aide to defend itself at UN

The UAE has tapped a former aide to Barack Obama’s UN ambassador as the country faces blistering criticism at the world body.

United Arab Emirates

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks to media next to Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu after the Global Refugee Forum at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, December 17, 2019, REUTERS/Denis Balibouse - RC24XD92W2GU

Turkey slams US defense bill as sanctions loom

The US Senate passed a defense bill with several measures deemed hostile by Ankara officials, signaling Capitol Hill’s intent to move forward with sanctions on Turkey.

U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, testify before a House Armed Services Committee hearing on "U.S. Policy in Syria and the Broader Region," at the Rayburn House office building in Washington, U.S., December 11, 2019. REUTERS/Mary F. Calvert - RC25TD96MM2I

Intel: Top US and Russian generals link up to talk Syria

Gen. Mark Milley, the top US military official, met his Russian counterpart Gen. Valery Gerasimov in Bern, Switzerland, today as part of an ongoing high-level military dialogue between the United States and Russia.

Rep. Barbara Lee speaks during the "Progressive While Black" breakout session at the Netroots Nation annual conference for political progressives in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. August 10, 2017. REUTERS/Chris Aluka Berry - RC1CDD089D40

Intel: Why Democrats failed to repeal a key military authorization

As US lawmakers vote on a compromise to fund the government this week, one thing is conspicuously absent in the spending bill: a provision Democrats added to repeal the 18-year-old military authorization that serves as the legal basis for counterterrorism operations throughout the Middle East and across the globe.

People participate in a Yemeni protest against President Donald Trump's travel ban in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, U.S. February 2, 2017. REUTERS/Stephanie Keith - RC134E1B67C0

Democrats urge Trump administration to extend protections for Yemenis

House Democrats are urging the Donald Trump administration to extend protections for Yemenis living in the United States.

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally in Battle Creek, Michigan, U.S., December 18, 2019. REUTERS/Leah Millis? - RC23YD9AE9CJ

Will impeachment curtail Trump’s ability to shield Turkey from Congress?

Turkish-American ties will likely remain strained in 2020, as Trump will be preoccupied with his reelection bid and have less time for Turkey.