- Tuesday October 19th, 2026
- "It Is Not A Question of Who Is Right Or Wrong But What Is Right Or Wrong That Counts."
- --Geoff Metcalf
- Providing an on line Triage of the news since 1998
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World & Nation
Egypt agrees to help Saudi Arabia defend itself against Houthis
Egypt’s top security body said Sunday it has agreed to support close
ally Saudi Arabia in the major escalation of fighting between the
kingdom and Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, which has marked the
latest front in the Iran war.
Saudi Arabia has been pressing allies for military assistance. The
Houthis have repeatedly attacked airports and oil infrastructure across
the kingdom with drones and missiles that can change direction during
flight, posing a challenge to interceptors. At least 19 people have
been killed, thousands of flights have been affected and global markets
have been rattled.
Also on Sunday, the Saudi defense minister was meeting with the United
Arab Emirates president about ways to strengthen cooperation, according
to the UAE’s news agency WAM. The countries have had tense relations in
the recent past as they backed different factions in the Yemeni
coalition fighting the rebels.
The Egyptian announcement on military assistance came a month after a
visit by the Saudi crown prince. Chaired by President Abdel-Fattah
el-Sissi, the National Defense Council decided to provide “all possible
forms of support” to enable Saudi Arabia to defend its security,
according to a presidential statement.
UK will deploy Typhoon fighter jets to defend Saudi Arabia from Houthi attacks
Britain will fly Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter jets on defensive
missions to help protect Saudi cities and critical national
infrastructure from Houthi aerial attacks, the Ministry of Defence said
on Tuesday.
The ministry said the aircraft would operate only in a defensive role
and would not conduct offensive strikes against the Iran-aligned
Houthis, whose attacks Britain says threaten regional stability and
risk disrupting energy supplies and trade routes.
“The continuing attacks from the Houthis on our ally Saudi Arabia are
absolutely despicable. The targeting of the airport in Riyadh in
particular shows the lengths the Houthis are going to escalate the
situation in the region,” defense minister Wes Streeting said in a
statement.
Trump Warns Kansans: US Will Burn Like France If Democrats Win
President Donald Trump on Monday used violent unrest in France as an
argument against Democrats in his battle to defend a Kansas Senate seat
long held by Republicans but in danger of falling.
Trump's rally on behalf of Republican incumbent Sen. Roger Marshall was
his latest foray into conservative states where Republican candidates
are on defense due to voter frustrations over the Iran war and rising
prices.
"I love you Kansas, but I'm here for a guy named Roger Marshall," Trump said.
In a new addition to his stump speech, Trump pointed to widespread
protests in France as a scenario that could erupt in the United States
unless Republicans win.
Ukraine just launched 1,000 drones at Russia. Saint Petersburg and oil refineries were hit hard
Ukraine Launches Massive Drone Attack On Russian Oil Facilities - Kyiv
is pushing ahead with its strike campaign against Russian oil and
energy infrastructure in defiance of Washington’s instruction to cease
the attacks, launching one of its largest-ever drone strikes overnight
into Sunday, October 18. The overnight assault involved more than 1,000
drones, according to Russian officials, and caused major fires
throughout St. Petersburg, Russia’s second-largest city.
The huge overnight attack comes as Zelenskyy continues to publicly
reject President Donald Trump’s attempts to negotiate a ceasefire that
would see both sides agree to refrain from targeting refineries.
Trump’s concerns come as the world faces a diesel supply shortage
caused by shrinking refining capacity.
Three strikes targeted several major facilities in St. Petersburg,
including an oil export terminal and a storage depot. The strikes also
impacted civilian infrastructure, killed at least one person, and
injured five others.
US contradicts Zelensky on intelligence sharing claim
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has rejected Ukrainian President
Volodymyr Zelensky’s view that Washington had paused and then resumed
intelligence sharing with Kyiv in the latest disagreement between both
sides.
Rubio responded on Monday to Zelensky’s comments that intelligence
sharing between the U.S. and Ukraine had been interrupted, but later
“de-blocked.”
But on Monday, Rubio said, “there’s been no pause” and criticized Zelensky for his comments.
Rubio’s remarks highlight the increasingly tense relationship between
Washington and Kyiv, in which Zelensky has taken aim at Trump for
easing sanctions on Russian diesel exports and restricting speeds on
the Starlink satellite network Kyiv needs for air defense.
Feds interview Ilhan Omar’s sister as probe of ‘Squad’ congresswoman intensifies
Federal investigators quizzed Rep. Ilhan Omar’s sister last week after
the Minnesota Democrat’s Washington, DC home was raided in connection
with an ongoing immigration fraud investigation, The Post has learned.
Sahra Noor voluntarily spoke with authorities at some point after the
Oct. 12 search of the bungalow Omar shares with her husband, Tim
Mynett, in northeast DC, a source familiar with the probe said.
Noor was scheduled to appear at the University of Minnesota’s Rochester
branch on Thursday of last week to promote her new book “Salt in the
Snow: A Somali Immigrant Story.” A rep for a local bookstore that
sponsored the event told Fox News Digital that Noor canceled due to a
“family emergency.”
The Post reported Wednesday that the feds have obtained DNA samples in
an effort to prove that Omar — and possibly other members of her family
— defrauded immigration authorities.
One source said the DNA evidence was critical to proving an allegation
that Omar married her brother, Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, in 2009 to help him
get a green card — which never came to fruition.
Macron jets out of riot-torn France for Gulf trip as political pressure mounts
Over 2,500 people have been arrested and damages exceed $1B after student protests spiraled into widespread unrest
French President Emmanuel Macron pressed ahead with a trip to the
Arabian Gulf as violent riots rocked France, fueling fresh criticism of
his leadership as his government struggled to contain the unrest.
What began weeks earlier as purportedly student-led demonstrations over
classroom conditions escalated into widespread riots involving a range
of political and ideological factions across France over the weekend.
Images and videos posted to social media on Saturday and Sunday showed
groups of men waving foreign flags while engaging in acts of
destruction on the streets of France's major cities. A Fox News Digital
investigation found that communist organizations, Islamic advocacy
groups, labor unions and environmental activists were involved in the
unrest.
Amid this backdrop, Macron was planning a trip to the Arabian Gulf for
energy negotiations. The chaos in his country did not dissuade him from
traveling. He left for Kuwait on Sunday, shortly after denouncing the
"unbridled" violence of the rioters in a nationwide address.
Le Pen Gains as France Riots Fuel Immigration Debate
French nationalist leader Marine Le Pen could emerge as the biggest
political beneficiary of violent riots sweeping France, as a new survey
shows nearly half of the country's Muslims would consider leaving if
she wins the presidency in 2027.
An IFOP survey published by French weekly Marianne found that 46% of
Muslim respondents would contemplate emigrating if Le Pen, leader of
the National Rally party, becomes president, The Organizer reported.
France has an estimated 7 million Muslims, and Le Pen has campaigned on
sharply reducing immigration, strengthening border security, and
enforcing the country's secularism laws.
The findings come as France struggles with widespread rioting, arson,
and looting that have exposed President Emmanuel Macron's inability to
restore order and strengthened Le Pen's law-and-order message.
WNBA tells Congress that Enes Kanter Freedom, Royce White are ‘both men’ in eligibility dispute
The commissioner responded to Republican lawmakers' inquiry on eligibility without defining 'women' as requested
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert told Republican lawmakers that former
NBA players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White are ineligible to play
in the league because they are "both men," responding to a
congressional inquiry without supplying the definition of "women" that
lawmakers had requested.
"With respect to your questions regarding eligibility, only women are
eligible to play in the WNBA and the individuals you cite in your
letter are both men," Engelbert wrote in the Oct. 16 response. The
letter, which is dated Oct. 16, was provided to OutKick by the America
First Policy Institute (AFPI), which represents Freedom.
The letter answered a Sept. 17 inquiry from Rep. Marlin Stutzman,
R-Ind., and four other House Republicans about eligibility, player
safety and confrontations with fans. Freedom and White had announced
plans to enter the 2027 WNBA Draft while saying they identify as women.
CBS boss fuels left-wing uproar amid report she urged staff to probe alleged El-Sayed, Muslim Brotherhood ties
Bari Weiss directed reporters to investigate the Michigan Democrat's connections to the Islamist group
CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss is taking heat from the left yet
again, this time over a report urging her staff to probe Democratic
Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed's potential ties to the Muslim
Brotherhood.
Semafor reported Sunday that Weiss "personally advocated for CBS News
journalists to pursue numerous story angles related to El-Sayed’s
supposed sympathy towards the Muslim Brotherhood."
The report cited two anonymous CBS News staffers who were aggrieved by
Weiss' directive. Anonymous CBS News staffers complaining about their
boss to liberal media outlets has become commonplace in the media
industry.
Trump to Offer Up to $30,000 for Fraud Tips
President Donald Trump plans to announce a $25 million program Tuesday
offering rewards of up to $30,000 for tips that lead to convictions for
government fraud, according to the White House.
The Justice Department will administer the program, and tips will be
submitted through a government website, The Wall Street Journal
reported.
The initiative is part of an effort by Vice President JD Vance's
anti-fraud task force, which was launched this year to investigate the
misuse of public funds.
Jeffries' Miami Bakery Visit Sparks Socialist Backlash
A campaign stop by House Democrat leader Hakeem Jeffries at a Cuban
bakery in Miami triggered a backlash from conservatives, forcing two
prominent bakery chains to publicly denounce socialism amid growing
debate over the Democratic Party's leftward shift.
The controversy began when Democrat congressional candidate Eliott
Rodriguez, a Cuban American, hosted Jeffries at CAO Bakery & Cafe
in Pinecrest, Florida, Axios reported.
The appearance drew criticism from conservatives who questioned why a
business with ties to Cuban political exiles would host Democrat
politicians they associate with socialist policies.
Conservative influencer Josue Alvarez intensified the backlash with an
Instagram video blasting CAO for welcoming Jeffries, whom he
characterized as a socialist ally despite the House Democrat leader's
public rejection of the Democratic Socialists of America agenda.
Elissa Slotkin’s threats to prosecute conservatives moves America closer to civil war
By Glenn H. Reynolds
Democrats speak with forked tongue.
On Sunday, former President Barack Obama denounced the Trump
administration’s investigation of Rep. Ilhan Omar for immigration fraud
as un-American.
In America, we don’t go after our political opponents, he said.
This from the man who sent his Internal Revenue Service after Tea Party
protesters, and whose running mate, after he became president, treated
traditional Catholics, COVID-vaccine skeptics and parents who spoke out
at school board meetings as potential terrorists.
Trump going for ‘Yalta 2’ with Putin and Xi would blow up the Republican Party
By New York Post Editorial Board
If President Donald Trump wants a full-on riot within the Republican
Party, going along with Vladimir Putin’s idea for a “Yalta 2” summit
with Xi Jinping is the way to do it.
Putin knows that the original Yalta was a triumph for Joseph Stalin,
who persuaded an ailing President Franklin Roosevelt to open the door
to postwar Soviet domination of Eastern Europe.
Look: Yalta One was a meeting of allies — this new one would be Trump volunteering to be outnumbered by our determined foes.
It doesn’t matter how much contempt the prez has for Ukraine’s
Volodymyr Zelensky — setting out a plan to resolve the war without him
present recalls another conference last century: the Munich Agreement
that fed Czechoslovakia to Adolf Hitler.
That “peace in our time” deal ensured that British Premier Neville
Chamberlain would go down in history as one of history’s greatest
chumps.
