Evening Update: Trump says 'no rush' on Iran but a deal 'could happen'; 26 killed as Russia bombs a Ukrainian aid center; Trump's final midterm pitch
Iran 'condenses' its plan to two days with the same demands; Kherson fighting resumes after the Oleshky truce; the Supreme Court's November sitting opens, with the Catholic preschools case Tuesday.
5 PM CT video brief · 1:36Presenter voice and image generated with AI tools.Read transcript
I'm Nora Vale with your 5 PM World Brief for Monday, November 2. Trump: 'no rush' on new Iran strikes; a deal 'could happen.' Qatar's mediator heads to Tehran. Iran: plan 'condensed' to two days; demands unchanged. At least 26 killed as Russian bombs hit a Ukrainian aid center. Trump's final midterm pitch at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Supreme Court's November sitting opens; Catholic preschools case argued Tuesday. In national weather, from the National Weather Service: Strengthening frontal system will bring gusty winds, locally heavy rain, and severe weather to the Great Plains and Mississippi Valley the next couple of days. Severe thunderstorms with damaging wind gusts, hail, and a few tornadoes are expected across parts of the southern and central Plains from this afternoon into tonight, a level 3 of 5 severe storm risk. Our opinion. Keep the pressure on Iran and pay nothing up front. Moscow's bombs show who isn't serious about peace. Tomorrow, we vote. Full stories and sources at WorldBriefNow.com. I'm Nora Vale.
President Trump told Axios in a phone interview Monday that he is "in no rush" to decide whether to resume fighting in Iran, saying, "We crippled them financially. They have no money, no gasoline." Hours later he posted on Truth Social that "Iran wants a settlement, as soon as possible. It could happen!" Axios reported that Qatari mediators have drafted a three-day sequence of confidence-building measures and that mediator Ali al-Thawadi traveled to Tehran on Monday, while Vice President JD Vance said, "We made some progress and we will see if we can make some more."
Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Monday that Tehran's ceasefire offer has been "condensed and can be implemented within two days" instead of seven, Al Jazeera reported. Al Jazeera said the conditions include lifting the naval blockade of Iran's ports, repealing sanctions, a guarantee of an end to strikes and a complete regional ceasefire, especially in Lebanon, and that Baghaei gave no indication Tehran had changed its demands. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said if the U.S. accepts the conditions "negotiations will resume," and otherwise "Iran will not bow down."
At least 26 people were killed and five injured Monday when Russian aircraft struck a school serving as a humanitarian aid center in the village of Komyshuvakha in Zaporizhzhia region, DW reported, citing AP, AFP, dpa and Reuters. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the attack "utterly horrific," saying a first bomb was followed by "a double-tap strike with nine more bombs" aimed at the shelter where people took cover; emergency services said two rescuers were among the dead. The strike came less than 24 hours after the six-day humanitarian ceasefire around Oleshky in Kherson region expired.
Fighting resumed Monday in Ukraine's Kherson region after a six-day truce that allowed hundreds of people to be evacuated from Russian-occupied Oleshky, the BBC reported, with local authorities saying Russia hit a medical facility in Kherson city. The BBC said the ceasefire was brokered by First Lady Melania Trump and that Ukraine's General Staff accused Russian forces of using the pause to rotate units and deliver ammunition, while Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called regrouping "completely standard practice." DW reported Zelenskyy told Fox News Ukraine would stop striking Russian refineries for a month if the U.S. provided Patriot missiles for a month.
President Trump delivered his final pitch to voters on Monday, the day before the midterm elections, in front of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, touting his administration's agenda and urging Americans to support Republican candidates, Fox News reported. AP reported that the President spent the day promoting his makeover of the Reflecting Pool rather than campaigning on the trail.
The Supreme Court heard two arguments Monday, Nov. 2: Maxwell v. Dinis (No. 25-5930), with an Assistant to the Solicitor General arguing for the respondent supporting vacatur, and Younge v. Fulton Judicial Circuit District Attorney's Office, Georgia (No. 25-352), according to the Court's day call. The Court's November calendar lists St. Mary Catholic Parish v. Roy (No. 25-581) for Tuesday, Nov. 3, and Guerrero v. Johnson (No. 25-1003) for Wednesday, Nov. 4. The sitting continues Nov. 9 and 10, with Nov. 11 marked a legal holiday.
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