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Risks growing as diplomatic efforts remain stalled and Iran threatens unrestrained retaliation DUBAI—America’s Gulf allies are steeling themselves for a heavy U.S. bombardment of Iran that they expect to trigger a vicious cycle of retaliation against their own economic and civilian infrastructure as early as this week.The Trump administration and Arab mediators are making a number of efforts to reach a negotiated end to the conflict. But the lack of progress paired with U.S. and Iranian threats of especially ferocious fighting if the conflict resurges are heightening concerns across the region.President Trump has been leaning toward a large postelection attack...

Idea is intended to unlock energy ceasefire between Moscow and Kyiv but it faces resistance in European capitals The U.S. is backing a quick resumption of Russian natural-gas sales to Europe via pipelines running through Moscow’s wartime enemy—Ukraine—as part of negotiations aimed at securing an energy ceasefire ahead of the coming winter, according to U.S., European and Ukrainian officials.The idea, broached by U.S. envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff during trips to Moscow and Kyiv in September, would involve selling Russian gas via a U.S. intermediary to circumvent European sanctions—and could create a lucrative opportunity for American investors, people who...

There are new signs that the American and Israeli militaries are preparing a potential wave of strikes to muscle Tehran to the negotiating tableDUBAI—The U.S. has told several Gulf Arab countries to be prepared for a short, intense military campaign after the U.S. midterm elections, people briefed on the conversations said. The communications through diplomatic and military channels are among a growing number of indications that the U.S. and Israel are readying to launch a new round of heavy combat operations against Iran, risking a major escalation in hopes of degrading Tehran’s strength and pushing it toward negotiations. The U.S....

The former president, typically circumspect when criticizing Trump, gave an unusually sharp rebuke at an Ohio rally Former President Barack Obama harshly criticized President Trump and Republicans in an Ohio rally Saturday, his first appearance at a midterm rally with less than two weeks until Election Day.He appeared alongside Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton and Senate candidate Sherrod Brown, both of whom are in neck-and-neck races. Brown’s face-off against incumbent Jon Husted, a Republican, could decide the balance of power in the Senate.In a roughly 40-minute appearance, Obama cast Trump as responsible for high prices given his decision to wage...

Soldiers and government officials say connections continued to fail if drones fly at high speeds KYIV—The Starlink system used by Ukraine’s military was suffering from low speeds limits early on Friday, despite President Trump saying that SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk had restored the service. Ukrainian drone units and government officials said connections with Starshield, a military-grade service using Starlink’s infrastructure, continued to fail in most of the country when drones flew faster than 161 kilometers an hour, equivalent to around 100 miles an hour.Some units had successfully tested drones at 200 kilometers an hour on Thursday, raising hopes that...

Military-grade system appeared to be working more normally on Thursday, soon after the call WASHINGTON—President Trump called Elon Musk on Wednesday and asked him to lift restrictions on a military-grade version of Starlink in Ukraine that the SpaceX chief had throttled, U.S. officials said. The system was working more normally Thursday, shortly after their conversation, U.S. and Ukrainian officials said. Some Ukrainian officials said the system wasn’t restored to full functionality but was working at higher speeds than under the cap. Trump told Musk said he was frustrated the system’s speeds remained capped at around 100 miles an hour, officials...

Artificial-intelligence tools helped find one of the most severe online bugs ever. Cyber experts are racing to patch it before hackers use AI to exploit it. First, artificial intelligence heralded the Bugmageddon. Now it is triggering an all-hands-on-deck cyber emergency. The creators of PHP, a technology that powers as much as 70% of the world’s websites, disclosed a critical security issue Wednesday that could be leveraged by hackers to take control of any system running its software. That would allow an attacker to steal information or launch a cyberattack on anyone visiting a hacked website.Security researchers found the vulnerability using...

Musk Ordered Starlink Slowdown That Blindsided Ukraine WASHINGTON—Elon Musk ordered the slowdown of a military-grade version of Starlink relied on by Ukraine, a decision that sparked panic in Kyiv and confusion inside the Trump administration, U.S. officials and people familiar with the matter said.Both Musk and President Trump have expressed anger at Ukraine for attacking Russian diesel refineries in recent weeks, which the president blames for high energy prices. Last week, Musk capped the speeds at which Ukrainian hardware could stay connected to the satellite-based network, the people said, rendering some offensive drones and interceptor drones virtually useless.Musk and Trump...

Oct 18 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed a summit next month with US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping ‌to negotiate an end to the four-year-old Ukraine conflict that would ‌favour Moscow, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing people familiar with the discussions.The proposed summit ​comes amid warming ties between Trump and Putin especially after the US President announced a deal to buy Russian diesel and signed an order on Friday waiving key sanctions on Moscow.Citing a former Russian intelligence officer briefed on the matter, the ‌paper said that Putin's suggestion ⁠came in...

Prime Minister Mark Carney tries to rally oil-rich province to stick with country SUNDRE, Alberta—This town nestled in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains is known for its annual pro rodeo in June, which includes a parade of cowboys and cowgirls on horseback, school marching bands and colorful floats celebrating the heritage of rural Alberta.This year, a feud erupted over a proposed parade float festooned with Alberta provincial flags. Volunteer parade organizers rejected the idea as too political amid campaigning around a referendum on Alberta staying in Canada or moving toward independence—and were then met with an onslaught of harassment...

Kyiv lacks an answer, for now, to Moscow’s mass-produced new weapons In a field in central Ukraine, an experimental drone zoomed into the sky as engineers demonstrated its potential to intercept Russia’s jet-powered attack drones, which are tormenting the country. The prototype, called a Zirka, reached a top speed of 280 miles an hour as its propellers whirred frantically. Not fast enough, the testers acknowledged.“We still need to find a counter-jet solution,” said Lika Volovych, a manager at the Zirka’s manufacturer Noctis, as she watched it buzz high above.On the horizon, black smoke rose from a Russian drone strike on...

Limitations on Ukraine’s access to military-grade Starlink terminals sparked panic among its officials and several U.S. lawmakers In the early hours of Wednesday morning, Denys Sienik, the top Ukrainian diplomat in Washington, D.C., sent a frantic message to U.S. lawmakers: Ukraine was suddenly facing restrictions on its military-grade Starlink terminals, and he didn’t know why. The change, Sienik warned, would give Russia an upper hand in the war and make it tougher for Kyiv to intercept strikes against Ukrainian civilians. By the time Washington’s morning rush hour was under way, other Ukrainian officials were already suspecting the worst: that President...

Space Force electromagnetic warfare systems are playing a key role in U.S. military operations around the world. WSJ’s Shelby Holliday visited a base in Colorado to learn more. An array of U.S. Space Force electromagnetic-warfare systems is playing a key role in protecting American troops and degrading enemy satellites around the world. The Wall Street Journal was granted rare access to a Space Force base in Colorado to learn how those systems work, and to speak exclusively with Guardians who flew them overseas to support operations in both Venezuela and Iran. Hours after Tech. Sgt. Joshua Lomax jammed satellites to...

Sweden and Denmark are pouring money into defense, tightening ties with each other and Europe—and moving beyond the U.S. It’s paying off. COPENHAGEN and STOCKHOLM—Sweden’s central bank has been worrying about what cashless consumers would do if an emergency such as a Russian cyberattack took down the electrical or communications grid. And so as of July, Swedish consumers can buy essential goods using their Mastercard and Visa cards without a network connection. The central bank (the Riksbank) wants to go further by enabling offline purchases with Swish, a local mobile payments system that bypasses the Visa and Mastercard networks altogether....

Watch as a WSJ reporter visits Idaho, where a battle is under way for the future of the Republican PartyThis is an episode of Rooted In, where our reporters take you back to their hometowns to capture the voice of the nation ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.Video Transcript Summary ISLAND PARK, Idaho—If you’re trying to understand the ongoing battle over the soul of the Republican Party, a good place to start is out on a lake in eastern Idaho near the Wyoming border. Armed with a fishing rod, of course.I met Jack Nelsen, a lifelong Republican and state representative...

An Iraqi demand that tens of thousands of militants turn in their weapons falls short in a conflict fed by America’s war with Iran BAGHDAD—After spending more than 23 years and $1.7 trillion, America is winding down what critics have called its forever war in Iraq, closing the last major U.S. military base on Wednesday.“We don’t think we need the military there anymore,” President Trump said during a White House visit by Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi in July. “We have a fantastic champion, a new champion,” the president said. “He’s young, and he’s handsome.”Zaidi, a 41-year-old businessman, sat beside...

Even Ohio and Iowa, after trending Republican for years, are battlegrounds in the midterm elections. An old saying suggests that the road to the White House runs through Ohio. For more than 125 years, the Buckeye State has served as the nation’s bellwether. More recently many Midwestern states—not only Ohio, but also Iowa, Illinois, Indiana and Minnesota—have turned either ruby red or navy blue. That polarization has hit a tipping point. The heartland is set again to become the nation’s pre-eminent battleground, and Democrats need to appreciate what that means for the future. The history is dramatic. Barack Obama won...

The auto industry has a new solution to Americans’ fear that electric vehicles will run out of juice: a gasoline engine.

When Georgia Republican Rep. Mike Collins announced his candidacy for Senate last year, his official “war room” account on X posted a short campaign video that ended with the on-screen slogan: “Georiga, Let’s Ride.” From that widely mocked spelling mistake on day one to a House ethics probe to revelations that his son-in-law made white nationalist posts on social media, Collins has suffered a series of setbacks that have hobbled his campaign. Meanwhile, incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff has developed a national profile by blasting President Trump and surged in state polls. The latest polls show Ossoff, 39 years old,...

The kids are “Nixonmaxxing.” More than half a century after Watergate, conservative youth are discovering the aesthetic, and adopting the attitude, of the late Richard Nixon. It’s a vibe. Videos that feature archival footage of the famously square 37th president over rap music from artists such as Drake and Biggie Smalls are going viral on Instagram and YouTube. Influencers sport ball caps, crew necks and fanny packs emblazoned with messages such as “Pretty Girls for Nixon” and “Nixon Now More Than Ever.” Hats stamped with “Nixonmaxxing” sold out in a matter of hours earlier this year. “Nixon hype edit was...