President Donald Trump said U.S. and Iranian officials met Tuesday, shortly after he threatened in his address to the U.N. General Assembly that he may “annihilate” the Islamic Republic if a deal isn’t reached soon to end nearly seven-month war. Trump told reporters about the meeting but offered few details about the talks.
Trump returned to the U.N. General Assembly at a tumultuous moment for the world — and for his presidency.
The president used his address to tick off progress — including adding private sector jobs, stemming illegal migration and curbing crime — before defending his decision to start a war with Iran. He accused Iran of stalling to make a deal to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz and negotiate an endgame to the war until after the midterm elections in the U.S.
The global economy, meanwhile, continues to roil from the war.
Trump later held talks with new British Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
Also, Trump is hosting Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Washington this week as economic and tech competition escalates between the two countries. Both leaders are aiming to stabilize fragile ties, though no major agreements are expected. The meeting itself is seen as significant given the deep differences and a lack of trust between the United States and China.
Here's the latest:
DOJ charges former postal worker with throwing away 300 ballots
Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter said during a news conference that 34-year-old Damon Matai Seei was arrested on Tuesday and appeared in federal court in Salt Lake City to be arraigned.
It wasn’t immediately clear who Seei’s attorney was.
Prosecutors said Seei discarded the mail-in ballots in a dumpster soon after his shift began in early June, when Utah was conducting a primary election. Officials did not give a motive, but Melissa Holyoak, the U.S. attorney for Utah, said Seei indicated there was no political agenda.
US announces additional $31 million in flood assistance for Nepal
The Trump administration has pledged an additional $31 million in flood assistance for Nepal as it struggles to recover from devastating floods that hit the Nepalese-Chinese border last month.
The new funding announced on Tuesday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly brings the total amount of U.S. flood aid to $36 million since the August 26th disaster, two senior officials said.
Several million dollars of the assistance is being devoted to forensic analysis and identification of victims. Sixty-nine Americans remain missing and are presumed dead on the Nepalese side of the border.
Trump says Witkoff and Kushner met with Iranian mediators
The U.S. president said that his two diplomatic representatives, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, had “a very productive meeting today” with Iranian mediators.
Trump suggested there is momentum for a peace deal with Iran. The president has previously that the war with Iran that began at the end of February would only last a few weeks, only for the conflict to continue and keep energy prices elevated.
Trump was speaking at a meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council and was joined by officials from Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Oil industry warns against diesel export ban
The oil industry’s top lobbying group is warning the Trump administration that a possible ban on diesel exports could exacerbate refining challenges and hurt consumers.
Trump said Tuesday he has asked Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to examine whether an export ban could help stem rising domestic diesel prices, which have spiked above $6 per gallon.
Mike Sommers, president and CEO of the American Petroleum Institute, said that while he understands “Americans are hurting from rising diesel costs driven by an unprecedented disruption to global refining capacity” because of the Iran war, an export ban “would only compound the problem.”
Sommers said “the answer is more supply and more flexibility — not new restrictions that risk making a difficult situation worse.”
Farm state senators, including Republicans, have urged an ban on diesel exports.
Trump calls for sanctions against gangs and cartels
The president has asked members of the U.S.-created “Shield of the Americas” bloc to collectively impose sanctions on two dozen criminal gangs and cartels that his administration has accused of “narcoterrorism” throughout the Western Hemisphere.
Trump made the call at a meeting with leaders and senior officials from the bloc held at United Nations headquarters on Tuesday on the sidelines of the annual U.N. General Assembly. Should the group agree, its members will join the United States in blacklisting 24 gangs as “foreign terrorist organizations.”
That designation brings with it a variety of sanctions depending on each nation’s laws and opens them up to potential military action.
“I’m asking all nations in the Shield of the Americas to formally designate narcoterrorists as common threats to stability and apply crushing sanctions against all 24 US designated foreign terrorist organizations,” Trump said. It was not immediately clear if all the members had agreed.
Kamala Harris and Abdul El-Sayed convene a roundtable on Black maternal health
The former vice president and 2024 presidential nominee is at Birth Detroit, a Black-led birth center, with Michigan’s Democratic Senate nominee.
Harris and El-Sayed are sitting beside each other at a U-shaped table with community representatives to talk about policies that affect health outcomes for Black women and their children.
El-Sayed needs to shore up his support among Black voters as he tries to hold a critical Senate seat for Democrats. El-Sayed’s primary opponent, Rep. Haley Stevens, carried the Detroit area and Republican nominee Mike Rogers has been campaigning there hoping to limit the usual Democratic advantage.
For Harris, the visit launches the public phase of her midterm campaigning for fellow Democrats. Some Democrats around the country have said they don’t want the 2024 presidential nominee’s help as she considers whether to seek the presidency again in 2028.
Harris lost Michigan narrowly two years ago.
Ukraine pushes US for more Patriot interceptors, but awaits concrete answer, Zelenskyy says
Ukraine has continued to press the U.S. for more Patriot interceptors to defend against Russia’s ballistic missiles, but is yet to get any confirmation, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters at the United Nations on Tuesday
“They are positive to help us, but I didn’t get the very concrete answer,” Zelenskyy said.
Defense experts say the U.S. has been experiencing a global shortage of Patriot interceptors because many have been expended to defend against Iranian attacks on U.S. and allied bases in Middle East.
Zelenskyy spoke of the urgency of needing the weapons, which can shoot down Russia’s more advanced ballistic missiles. The shortage in Ukraine has left Kyiv and other cities increasingly exposed to devastating attacks.
“I’m asking United States to help me now, to help our people, to save our people,” he said.
Trump administration announces $235M more for historically Black colleges and tribal colleges
U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon described HBCUs as “engines of opportunity” in announcing the funding increase during a White House summit of school leaders.
Trump has long called himself a champion of HBCUs. During his first term, Congress added $250 million a year for HBCUs. And last year the administration redirected nearly $500 million in federal funding toward HBCUs and tribal colleges, an investment covered primarily by cuts to other colleges serving large numbers of minority students.
Trump also signed an executive action last year that pledged the annual White House summit, an advisory board and other support for HBCUs. While that executive action won praise from some Black universities, it drew pushback from the NAACP, which described the president’s executive action as hypocritical coming on the heels of efforts to dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives across the country.
Melania Trump announces events for her global children’s coalition
The first lady held a luncheon in New York City for members of her Fostering the Future Together program.
Several upcoming events will be hosted by her counterparts during the ASEAN summit in the Philippines, a European regional meeting in Poland and a Caribbean regional meeting in St. Kitts and Nevis.
Melania Trump said she will host a meeting during the G20 summit in Miami in December.
Nearly 60 countries have joined the program, which encourages countries to support children through technology and education.
She also announced new partnerships with several leading technology companies. Tim Cook, the immediate past CEO of Apple, was in the audience.
“The future of our world will be determined by what we do for our children today,” Melania Trump said.
San Francisco sues Trump’s media company for charging for early access to president’s posts
City Attorney David Chiu, a Democrat, alleged that by offering early access to Trump’s post on U.S. policy, Trump Media & Technology –- which owns Truth Social –- violated federal ethics laws and facilitated insider trading.
“This scheme turns the public trust into private profit,” Chiu said in a statement. “It is corruption, plain and simple.”
The move comes weeks after Trump was sued for making money off of the new paid service. Trump Media argued that the plaintiffs were trying to silence him.
Lawmakers demand Trump stop work on his proposed arch
In a letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, a Democratic senator says the president’s 250-foot (76-meter) “Triumphal Arch will cast a shadow over some of our nation’s most historic monuments and memorials.”
Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, join other lawmakers opposing the project.
Earlier, Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., said Trump’s plan to house drones and snipers at the arch for national security is “a ludicrous pretext to force construction through, just as he did with his wildly expensive White House ballroom boondoggle.”
Trump says both sides of Russia-Ukraine war want it to end
Sitting next to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the United Nations, Trump told reporters that both Russia and Ukraine want to see the war between them end.
The U.S. president struck an optimistic tone about concluding the conflict.
Trump said he’d be willing to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin again, although he didn’t commit to where or when.
“I think we’re going to make a deal,” he said. “And I don’t want to say what the deal is. We talked about it a lot, including with President Putin, and I think something’s going to happen.”
Trump also said the U.S. is discussing with Ukraine the production of Patriot missile interceptors there.
Democratic lawmakers demand medical care, not deportation for man shot by ICE agent
More than 100 Democratic lawmakers are calling on Homeland Security officials to cease any efforts to interfere with a comprehensive investigation into the shooting of a Venezuelan man by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Austin, Texas.
The lawmakers said in their letter to DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin and acting ICE Director David Venturella they are deeply concerned ICE is attempting to swiftly deport Wilber Rafael Garces Perez to impede an independent investigation.
“Mr. Garces Perez is a key witness to this shooting, and given ICE’s history of obscuring the facts in similar investigations, he must not be removed,” the lawmakers wrote.
They said Garces Perez and the ICE agent who short him must remain in Texas until a thorough investigation is complete.
The Democratic lawmakers called on DHS officials to respond by next Monday on why agents used deadly force, whether they followed policy requiring them to render medical aid and whether ICE will release all bodycam footage.
They also called for Garces Perez to be released from detention so he can receive medical treatment, though he was in the hospital on Monday night, according to his attorney.
Senators seek release of US journalist detained in Iran
In a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the senators expressed concern about the health and safety of Reza Valizadeh, a former broadcast journalist for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Persian language service, on the two-year anniversary of his detention.
“We ask that his freedom and welfare be an urgent priority,” wrote Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, and others.
They noted that Rubio himself had recognized Valizadeh as “wrongfully detained.”
Valizadeh is serving a 10-year term in the notorious Evin Prison on charges stemming from his work, and his health has significantly deteriorated in custody, they said.
Donalds’ revamped campaign site includes toned-down references to Trump
Florida Republican Byron Donalds, who is running for governor, overhauled his campaign website, which now no longer includes prominent references to President Donald Trump.
Donalds’ earlier website included a photo of him with the president and said “Trump-Endorsed” and “Endorsed by President Trump!”
The change was first reported by the Miami Herald.
The new site hasn’t totally removed references to the president, whose social media post praising Donalds is still included in a rotating display of similar posts from others and includes a photo of the president under an endorsements section.
Donalds’ campaign said in a statement it’s proud to have the president’s endorsement and called the attention on the changes “FAKE NEWS.”
The shift comes as some Republican candidates have quietly begun to distance themselves in subtle ways from Trump now that they’ve won contested primaries in which his endorsement was often the most coveted prize.
Trump says he would like to ban diesel exports from US
With voters facing higher fuel prices ahead of the midterm elections, Trump is exploring a ban on selling diesel abroad.
“I’ve called for it,” the president said in response to a reporter’s question “I’ve called for it within my people. I’ve been talking about it.”
The president said he has asked Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to examine if an export ban could help to curb inflation.
Bessent said at Trump’s prompting: “We’re examining that, whether it’s feasible in terms of the overall refining capacity and whether a full or partial ban would work.”
Trump said the timeline for the decision would be “fast.”
Trump says his aides met with Iranian officials for three hours
Trump told reporters U.S. and Iranian officials met on Tuesday for talks he said went on for three hours.
Earlier, Trump had threatened in his address to the U.N. General Assembly that he may “annihilate” the Islamic Republic if deal isn’t reached soon to end the nearly seven month war.
Trump offered few details. “It was a very good meeting,” he said.
Trump meets with Japanese PM Takaichi
The U.S. president praised Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi as “a friend of mine,” while she said that Trump had made a powerful commitment to their countries’ alliance.
The two leaders were meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. Takaichi said the goal of the meeting was to demonstrate the robust nature of the partnership.
Japan has sought to solidify its currency with U.S. support and position its industries for rising levels of competition from Chinese automakers and electronics firms.
Trump is hosting Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House on Thursday for a state dinner.
Qatar’s emir says Israeli leaders are ‘openly advocating the displacement of Gaza’s population’
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani warned Tuesday that such a policy would obstruct efforts to improve conditions for Palestinians.
He called on Israel to fulfill its commitments to halt operations, withdraw from Gaza and lift the blockade. Qatar has worked with Egypt and the United States to mediate the Gaza ceasefire and push for implementation of the agreement.
Turning to Iran, Tamim said Qatar remains convinced that the conflict can be resolved through “diplomatic means,” adding that the region’s lack of “collective regional security” encourages efforts to resolve disputes peacefully. Qatar has played a key mediation role between the United States and Iran during the war, including in efforts to sustain a ceasefire and revive diplomacy.
Trump says settlement with Iran in sight
Speaking to the United Nations General Assembly, Trump warned that he was considering whether to “annihilate” Iran.
A few hours later, he struck a decidedly softer tone after a discussion with United Kingdom Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
“I think that a settlement is going to be reached,” Trump said of the war in Iran while sitting alongside Burnham. “They want to talk to us. They have been talking to us, even today. They’ve been talking to us, and the relationship is developing.”
Vance jokes about White House media ban
The vice president held a news conference on Tuesday related to his fraud task force at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, which is part of the White House campus.
Vance said as he turned to take questions, “I have my notes here that I’m supposed to take questions from CNN and Politico. Anybody from CNN and Politico here? No.”
His remarks were met quiet laughs from his staffers seated in the room.
Turkish president decries denial of US visa to Palestinian Authority leader
Because of the visa denial, Mahmoud Abbas was not able to attend the U.N. General Assembly meeting.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan decried that as an “injustice.” He said Turkey would “serve as the voice of the free and sovereign state of Palestine and to proclaim the struggle of the Palestinian people to the world from this podium.”
Erdogan called on all U.N. members to recognize Palestinian statehood. So far, 157 of 193 member nations have done so.
A harsh critic of Israel, Erdogon said Gaza had become “the world’s largest graveyard for children” and the place with the highest rate of child amputees globally.
“Gaza is the most inhumane and most shameful concentration camp of our time,” he added.
King of Jordan warns that Israel presents a ‘regional threat’
In a speech Tuesday at the U.N. General Assembly in New York, King Abdullah II said Israel was displaying an “expansionist appetite” that was threatening its neighbors.
Jordan, which signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994, has long called for a resolution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the establishment of a Palestinian state.
“For decades, I have stood before this General Assembly and warned of the dangers of leaving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict unresolved, but the international community has chosen to manage the conflict rather than confront it,” Abdullah said.
He called the “destruction in Gaza and the de facto annexation of lands in the West Bank” an “attempt to erase the Palestinian presence,” and said the Israeli goal was to make establishing a Palestinian state “impossible.”
“Forcibly removing Palestinians from their homes in the West Bank is forced displacement,” he said, adding his country will “continue to support the Palestinian resistance.”
Trump praises the people of Greenland for being ‘so nice’
Speaking during Tuesday’s signing ceremony, Trump called the deal to boost the U.S. military’s presence in Greenland “tremendous for Europe and the United States and everybody and for Greenland.”
“It’s going to be incredible,” Trump said. “And the people of Greenland have been so nice. The people of Denmark have been amazing.”
Trump faced resistance earlier this year when he had threatened to take Greenland by force. Leaders of the self-governing territory of Denmark, with a population of about 56,000 people, said it was not for sale.
Greenlanders had mixed reactions when Trump first started talking about acquiring the territory. In Denmark, many expressed relief following last week’s announcement of the deal.
As he was leaving the ceremony, Trump did not answer a question about whether he had taken the threat off the table.
Greenland’s prime minister says the accord with the US and Denmark is ‘a win-win-win agreement’
Jens-Frederik Nielsen said at the signing ceremony that “it takes into account the people of Greenland, our rights, our livelihoods and the development of our country.”
Nielsen said that was a key priority for Greenland throughout the process, which was marked by tensions over Trump’s designs on the semiautonomous territory of Denmark.
Danish prime minister praises the security agreement struck with the US and Greenland
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen says the agreement “represents a milestone” in her country’s longstanding cooperation with the United States.
“This deal is good for the United States, it’s good for Greenland, Denmark, for the NATO alliance and therefore also good for Europe,” she said in remarks before leaders from the three countries signed it.
The agreement is set to give the U.S. military a larger footprint on Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, though it falls short of the total control of the island that Trump had sought after returning to office.
Trump signs US-Denmark-Greenland agreement to bolster Arctic security
President Trump signed the agreement with Denmark and Greenland aimed at strengthening Arctic and North Atlantic security, easing tensions over his repeated calls for Greenland to become part of the United States.
The signing Tuesday on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York comes days after Trump announced the deal to bolster U.S. military presence on the vast, icy island but keep it under Danish control. The governments provided few details of the agreement before the signing.
For months, Trump has expressed his desire for Greenland to become part of the United States and issued threats to seize the semiautonomous territory from Denmark, a NATO ally.
Soundtrack set the mood ahead of Trump signing deal with Denmark and Greenland
There was an unusual playlist before Trump was set to sign an agreement giving the U.S. the ability to expand its military presence on Greenland.
As aides and media awaited the leaders for the signing, they listened to a cover of “Send in the Clowns.” That ballad is from the musical “A Little Night Music” and includes the lyrics:
“Sorry, my dear,
But where are the clowns?
Quick, send in the clowns.
Don’t bother, they’re here.”
Other tracks included “One More Night” by Phil Collins and “I Wanna Know What Love Is” by Foreigner.
New York and California sue to block Trump administration’s deals canceling offshore wind projects
Democratic attorneys general from California and New York are suing the Trump administration over its plans to buy back offshore wind leases as Trump seeks to discourage the expansion of wind energy in favor of fossil fuels.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta said he’s suing over removal of a project off his state’s coast planned by Chicago-based Invenergy. The Trump administration said in June that it’s buying back the company’s U.S. offshore wind leases for four wind projects.
New York Attorney General Letitia James, meanwhile, led seven states in suits seeking to block two deals that would hand energy companies $1.4 billion in exchange for the cancellation of four planned offshore wind projects. One challenges a deal with Bluepoint Wind and the other challenges a deal with Invenergy.
James called the deals illegal and said they will ultimately increase Americans’ electricity bills by sabotaging states’ ability to meet growing energy demands.
Protester unfurls banner protesting Xi near the US Capitol
A student activist scaled a light pole on Pennsylvania Avenue, four blocks away from the U.S. Capitol in the rain Tuesday morning to hang banners in protest of the Chinese government.
Organizers say it was meant to “unwelcome” Chinese leader Xi Jinping ahead of his Wednesday arrival to Washington to meet with President Trump.
One banner said, “Dictator Xi Your empire will fall Free Tibet.” Another said, “Dictator Xi: You are not welcome.”
The protester was taken into police custody later.
Thousands of protesters are expected to gather in Washington this week to protest Beijing’s policy and practices in Tibet, China’s ethnic region of Xinjiang, Hong Kong and what it calls human rights abuses.
Trump has finished his speech to the UN General Assembly
And in contrast to his typical addresses, he rarely deviated from the script in his roughly 40-minute speech.
Trump read key parts of the speech almost exactly how they were presented in excerpts released to the media ahead of time.
One example: “While others have talked, I have acted. While others have spoken of peace, I have made peace.”
Trump tries to rebrand AI as ‘super intelligence’
The U.S. president said he would “officially” change the name of artificial intelligence, saying the existing name makes the technology seem “fake.”
“The use of the word artificial makes intelligence fake, it makes it sound fake and it is not fake. It’s actually amazing,” Trump told other world leaders at the United Nations.
It’s not clear yet if there was an official order making the change, but it would likely mean adjusting the name of the “AI Force” that Trump announced this weekend to the “SI Force.”
The president said at the U.N. that from this “point forward,” U.S. government documents “will be changed to use the much more accurate term super as opposed to artificial. So it’s super intelligence.”
Trump denies the US is running low on advanced weapons
During his United Nations speech, Trump denied the U.S. military is running low on advanced weapons because of the Iran war. But that has been contradicted by experts and allies alike.
“We have more munitions than we could ever possibly even think of using, and we’re building them at levels that we have never done before,” Trump said.
Experts, however, say weapons stockpiles are diminishing and that it’ll take years to replenish Tomahawk cruise missiles as well as Patriot and THAAD missile interceptors.
Depleted stockpiles have caused alarm in Europe, where U.S. and NATO officials have told The Associated Press there is a “beyond critical” shortage of missile interceptors. Saudi Arabia also is running low on interceptors and has turned to allies for help.
Trump says he’ll get peace ‘done’ between Russia and Ukraine
The U.S. president pledged in his speech at the United Nations’ General Assembly that Russia’s war in Ukraine would soon end.
“We’re working very closely with the leaders of Russia and Ukraine, and we will get that one done,” Trump said. “It’s going to happen, I think, more quickly than people understand.”
The war began in early 2022 with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Trump has repeatedly suggested peace was at hand since returning to the White House in 2025, only for the conflict to continue.
Trump says he has a ‘big decision to make’ on renewing attacks on Iran
“Will a deal be made with Iran that lets them rebuild and create a far greater country than it ever was before?” Trump asked.
“Or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly, never giving them a chance to kill and destroy people and countries again?”
The president continued: “Do I drive them into hell?”
Trump said he believes Tehran will “make a deal right after the election” in November.
Trump says midterm election ‘doesn’t even enter my mind’
Trump says he’s not worried that the war in Iran will undermine the Republican Party’s chances in the midterm elections. In fact, he says, the election “doesn’t even enter my mind” when it comes to Iran.
Polling suggests the unpopular war is making it more difficult for the GOP to maintain control of Congress. Republicans in some states have also started to speak out against the war.
Still, Trump insisted Tuesday that he’s not concerned with politics.
“They’re waiting to see how I do in the midterm election,” Trump said of Iran. “What they don’t realize is that I’m not running. I did that already, and won in a landslide … and I’ll be here for two-and-a-half years.”
Iranian delegation walks out as Trump talks about US action against Tehran
As Trump began to describe the last six months of on-and-off military strikes against Iran, the delegation of Iranians began to walk out, with only one person remaining seated.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi are in New York for the annual meeting but didn’t arrive in the General Assembly hall for Trump’s speech. Instead, lower level staff and delegates were seated when he began to speak, only to leave 10 minutes into his speech.
Trump is speaking to world leaders at the UN, but his audience is US voters
The president opened his speech at the United Nations with more of a campaign stump-style speech, largely overlooking foreign affairs to focus on his domestic track record on the economy, immigration and crime.
“I can report to you with pride that America is back and our country is stronger today than ever before,” Trump said. “Our technology is second to none, and we are leading in virtually everything.”
Trump talked about the U.S. stock market performance, the 2025 decline in the official U.S. poverty rate, his efforts to stop illegal crossings on the southern border and reduced violent crime rates in American cities.
