First thing: Trump launches wide-ranging, unverified attack on the integrity of the US electoral system | US News

Good morning. Donald Trump accused China of interfering with the 2020 election in a prime-time televised speech that laid bare his enduring obsession with his loss to Joe Biden, but which his opponents said was a smokescreen to allow him to interfere in the upcoming congressional midterms. Trump’s claims are unverified.

In a 25-minute speech, the US president cast extraordinary doubts on the integrity of the US electoral process, saying it fell “catastrophically” short of standards of fairness and trust, while being vulnerable to intrusion by foreign powers. Democrats have warned that Trump is trying to sow confusion, spread disinformation and lay the groundwork to challenge the results of the midterm elections.

What was the objective of Trump’s speech? In this analysis article, Sam Levine explains how the president is using his office and U.S. intelligence agencies to try to undermine confidence in the election. Instead of offering compelling evidence, the release of new documents appeared to be a return to a classic Trump strategy of flooding the zone with information in an attempt to cover his tracks.

What have American networks done to broadcast Trump’s allegations? America’s biggest television networks are divided over whether to air Trump’s White House speech, filled with unproven accusations. While CNN, ABC, and NBC chose not to air the speech live, CBS, Fox News, and MS Now (formerly MSNBC) aired at least a large portion of the speech live.

‘Enemies of civilization’: Top Trump officials launch sweeping attack on the left Marco Rubio arrives to speak at the meeting. Photograph: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

In another strand of the administration’s attack on its opponents, senior Trump officials hosted a 66-nation gathering on Thursday to discuss the supposed threat of left-wing violence. The conference, called by Marco Rubio, the secretary of state, and attended by Stephen Miller, one of Trump’s top advisers, and Scott Bessent, the Treasury secretary, was billed as a “ministerial conference on the resurgence of political violence.”

The goal was only to crush left-wing violence. This occurred as Donald Trump increased his efforts to label his political opponents and a growing number of politicians identified with the Democratic Socialists of America as “communists.” Officials did not mention episodes of right-wing attacks, such as the Jan. 6 riots at the Capitol.

What did Rubio say? “They can call themselves anti-capitalists or anti-imperialists, communists, anarchists or Marxists. It’s always the same thing. It’s a poisonous resentment wrapped in the language of equality and the liberation of justice – a compelling need to demolish, to destroy what is beautiful and what is right in the name of people who are filled with nothing but ugliness,” he said. He called leftists “encroaching darkness” and “enemies of civilization.”

Marines board an oil tanker amid the blockade of Iranian ports as the United States expands its strikes with attacks on bridges. Anti-Trump propaganda exposed in Tehran. Photo: Anadolu/Getty Images

US forces boarded a ship in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday as part of a new blockade of Iranian ports that began earlier this week, the US military said. US Central Command also said it had “redirected” three commercial vessels “attempting to execute the blockade”.

The boarding of the ship comes as the United States expands its airstrikes campaign against Iran with attacks on several bridges, in line with Donald Trump’s threats to destroy infrastructure, prompting Tehran to fire on Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait. Attacking civilian infrastructure may constitute a war crime.

How could the conflict continue to escalate? Iran has asked its allies in Yemen, the Houthis, to be prepared to close the oil route across the Red Sea if the United States targets Iranian energy infrastructure. Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi also threatened that Saudi oil facilities could be targeted if Riyadh intervened in Yemen. The threat emerged after Saudi Arabia struck Sanaa airport, leading to retaliatory missile strikes by the Houthis against Saudi Arabia.

In other news… A Taco Bell restaurant in Pasadena, California. Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images

Authorities are viewing a Taco Bell lettuce supplier as a potential source of the outbreak of cyclosporosis, the parasitic disease that causes watery, explosive diarrhea, that has affected thousands of people.

A White House teleprompter operator was placed on leave for allegedly betting on Trump speeches, which Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, called “deeply unfortunate and frankly shameful.”

The remains of Los Angeles millionaire Thelma Gaston, missing since 1981, have been identified after more than 40 years.

Two women who accused the International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, of sexual abuse have voiced their complaints against the prominent British lawyer.

Stat of the day: General Mills is recalling 736,000 Pillsbury bearings due to concerns about glass contamination. The Pillsbury Doughboy balloon flies in the 2025 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Photograph: Brendan McDermid/Reuters

An advisory issued earlier this week by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says General Mills is recalling nearly 736,000 Pillsbury rolls over concerns they contain glass. Items were delivered to multiple states. More details here.

Christopher Nolan at the premiere of The Odyssey in New York. Photography: Gilbert Flores/Variety/Getty Images

I’m nervous about having such a long lifespan when I prefer my films a little snappier, but then, I guess it’s The Odyssey after all. Peter Bradshaw has no such qualms, saying Christopher Nolan has done full justice to the Homeric legend with a film that conveys the true cost of war. It’s sparked a new appetite for an old classic, and Ioan Marc Jones offers a guide to the translations, podcasts and audiobooks that make the original accessible, and Tom Shone interviews Nolan. It should be noted, however, that there are dissenting voices about the production. Earlier this week, Mohamed Sleiman Labat wrote eloquently for the Guardian about what it feels like to see a film praised when it was filmed in Moroccan-occupied Western Sahara, one of the world’s most often overlooked conflicts.

Don’t miss this: Trump made $1.4 billion from crypto in one year. Is Justin Sun the man who helped him do it? A Hong Kong cartoon image of Donald Trump with Bitcoin tokens. Photography: Bloomberg/Getty Images

Matt Shea looks at the entrepreneur known in Washington as the financial powerhouse behind the president’s crypto fortune and questions how Justin Sun’s business dealings with the Trump family spiraled into dueling lawsuits.

Climate toll: Air quality plummets in 20 US states as smoke from Canadian wildfires spreads. The New York City skyline seen through a blanket of wildfire smoke. Photograph: Eduardo Muñoz/Reuters

Smoke from wildfires burning in south-central Canada and parts of Minnesota is spreading, prompting air quality alerts in more than 20 states, and millions of Americans are expected to face unhealthy air conditions. Ed Markey, the junior senator from Massachusetts, said the smoke was “darkening the skies and entering our lungs. The climate crisis is here and it doesn’t stop at our borders.”

Last thing: California firefighters give oxygen to suffering pigeon birds in a fountain. Photograph: Anna Szilágyi/EPA

If you’ve ever wanted to see a video clip of a pigeon being given oxygen by a fire crew, today is your lucky day. An Oakland crew spotted a pigeon “in distress” after a vehicle fire and took action. A firefighter administered oxygen with a mask placed over the bird’s face while it was in the road. You can watch it here.

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