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With President Donald Trump rejecting Iran’s latest proposal to end the war on Saturday, multiple experts suspect the president is risking significant “danger” due to a fundamental misunderstanding of the United States’ negotiating position, one that could have deadly consequences within the next 30 days.Trump told Axios on Sunday that the deal Iran proposed to end the war was “not the deal I want to make,” adding that he may have agreed to the terms “maybe a year ago,” but that Iran had since “overplayed their hand.” Andreas Krieg, an associate professor at King’s College London, told Al Jazeera for its Sunday report that in actuality, it may be Trump who overplayed his hand.Krieg suspected that Trump was under the belief that “time is improving the U.S. bargaining position,” Al Jazeera wrote, but the problem for the White House, Krieg said, was that “the gamble cuts both ways.”“[Trump] wants Tehran to reopen Hormuz without Washington paying the full economic and political price Iran is currently demanding,” Krieg said. “The danger is that he is confusing Iranian pain with Iranian willingness to capitulate. Those are not the same thing.”Trump’s alleged miscalculation, Krieg warned, could not only fail to bolster the United States’ negotiating position, but could end up backfiring.“So this can backfire,” Krieg told Al Jazeera. “Trump thinks Iran’s clock is running faster than America’s. Tehran thinks the opposite: that Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, global energy markets and ultimately Trump himself have a lower tolerance for prolonged disruption than Iran has for economic punishment.”Beyond backfiring on the United States economically, another expert warned that Trump’s hesitance to reach a deal could pose risks to American service members stationed in the Middle East.“All signs point to a major escalation between the US, Iran and Israel. And it may very well be initiated by Tehran itself a week or two before the midterm elections,” warned foreign policy expert Trita Parsi earlier this month.

Seventeen people killed near Johannesburg in suspected ‘illegal goldmining turf war’, as 10 killed in separate incident at barbecue venue near Cape TownTwo separate mass shootings near South Africa’s two biggest cities killed at least 27 people, as the country grapples with one of the world’s highest murder rates amid investigations into corruption and criminality within the police.The South African police service said on Sunday that 17 people were killed on Saturday night when eight suspects armed with AK-47 assault rifles and pistols opened fire at a bar in Wedela township, about 50 miles south-west of central Johannesburg. At least 15 other people sustained gunshot injuries in that attack, police said. Continue reading...

Former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt described President Donald Trump telling British Prime Minister Keir Starmer over a private lunch that his policies were "extremely stupid." One pro-Trump TV host says she should have kept that to herself.Leavitt told the story on "Hang Out with Sean Hannity." Hannity had asked how "brutally honest" Trump is with world leaders."With Starmer, I remember we sat down for lunch," Leavitt said. She said she couldn't remember whether it was Windsor Castle or "the place where Keir Starmer lives," and noted that the trip was "a year ago today," because the memory had come up on her phone."We were sitting around the table and enjoying lunch in this beautiful place. The president began attacking him because of his policies," she said.According to Leavitt, Trump told Starmer, "Your policies here are extremely stupid," and "You need to close your borders.""He says it exactly like that," she said. "'You must deport these people who are in your country.'"She said Trump told the prime minister that the British people "hate what you do." Leavitt also pointed out where the scolding happened."In his home, and in his country," she said. "We're not even in the White House. We're not even on our own land."Newsmax host Greg Kelly, a strong Trump supporter, was furious."Unbelievable. So now that she's an Ex press secretary, Karoline (with a K) Leavitt GOSSIPS about PRIVATE meetings the President had with world leaders?" Kelly wrote on X on Saturday."We're in the middle of MIDTERM MADNESS and Karoline (with a K) 'dishes' Without a Care In the World," he added. "A BREACH of Trust: The President's, and the Nation's. So IMMATURE!!!!"Kelly's post had more than 325,000 views by Saturday evening.Trump made a state visit to the U.K. last September. He stayed at Windsor Castle and met with Starmer at Chequers, the prime minister's country residence.Unbelievable. So now that she’s an Ex press secretary, Karoline (with a K) Leavitt GOSSIPS about PRIVATE meetings the President had with world leaders? We’re in the middle of MIDTERM MADNESS and Karoline (with a K) “dishes” Without a Care In the World. A BREACH of Trust: The…— Greg Kelly (@gregkellyusa) September 27, 2026

ICE officers around the country got verbal orders this weekend to stop arresting immigrants who have no criminal record. According to Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin, the Trump administration now says the guidance was a mistake and has reversed it.Jennie Taer broke the story Saturday for The Daily Wire. Citing agency sources, she reported that ICE officers were told they could only arrest undocumented immigrants who had criminal convictions or pending charges "for the time being."Melugin said on X Saturday night that he had talked by phone with Trump and with nine ICE and Department of Homeland Security sources. According to him, the guidance was real."Yes, this verbal guidance did go out to ICE offices across the country last night," Melugin wrote. "I've spoken with ICE agents who received it & were shocked & frustrated by it."He said no one could tell him where the order came from."It's unclear who it started with," he wrote. "However, I'm told it's erroneous, was some type of 'miscommunication' during conversations about prioritizing 'worst first,' and there is no change in immigration enforcement policy."Melugin said Trump told him that anyone in the country illegally is still "on the table" for arrest and deportation. He also reported that new guidance went out to ICE field offices that night to reverse the earlier message, and that ICE sources confirmed they received it. Under the new guidance, arrests of immigrants without criminal records, including "collaterals," will continue.DHS then posted its own denial."This is false. No one is off the table," the department wrote on X. "Anyone in our country illegally will be arrested and deported."Melugin still couldn't explain how the order went out."I'm not really sure what happened here," he wrote.The mix-up comes as some Republicans have started criticizing the administration's immigration crackdown ahead of the midterms. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.) recently accused Trump of "betrayal," and Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) has also spoken out.

Donald Trump Jr.'s ex-fiancée has used her ambassadorship to promote one foreign firm while keeping its paid lobbyist at her side.Kimberly Guilfoyle, whom President Donald Trump named ambassador to Greece, has repeatedly pressed Balkan governments to work with Aktor Group, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday. Aktor is a Greek construction company that only recently moved into the natural gas business.Christos Marafatsos, who lobbies for the firm, has joined Guilfoyle at so many meetings that some foreign officials took him for her chief of staff. Federal lobbying records show Aktor paid Marafatsos $160,000 through June to build ties with the White House and the State and Energy departments. Several people who met with the pair, including government officials, told The Journal he never disclosed his work for the company.This spring, Guilfoyle arrived in Bulgaria on a private jet provided by Aktor's CEO and urged officials there to do business with the company."There is no doubt that this is kind of an official position of the U.S. government," a person familiar with the talks told The Journal.Robin Brooks, who oversaw the Balkans on the National Security Council under former President Joe Biden, called an ambassador promoting a foreign company "absolutely problematic." Bringing a registered lobbyist into meetings with foreign officials, she said, "calls into question whether the meeting is advancing American interests or advancing some sort of private interest."Guilfoyle's lawyer, Jesse Binnall, said she has "worked with companies across the energy sector" and that her official meetings are arranged through embassy channels rather than through Marafatsos. Lawyers for Aktor said the company's involvement began before it had any contact with the ambassador."I am proud to champion commercial initiatives that advance U.S. interests and create lasting economic opportunity in Greece and Southeastern Europe," Marafatsos said in a statement.Secretary of State Marco Rubio called Guilfoyle an "incredibly effective advocate for the President's agenda."

President Trump has turned down a proposed pause in fighting with Iran and confided to aides that he anticipates striking the country again once this fall's midterm elections have concluded, the Wall Street Journal reported.The rejected offer came out of weekend talks in Qatar, where Iranian representatives suggested a seven-day halt to hostilities that would have seen Tehran reopen a critical shipping waterway and resume nuclear discussions, contingent on Washington easing its economic squeeze on the country, including its naval presence blocking Iranian ports. Trump maintains publicly that Iran will ultimately have no choice but to accept a deal once the election passes, but sources say he harbors real doubts Tehran will cooperate and has already signaled to staff that renewed airstrikes feel like the more probable path forward.Just how extensive any future strikes might be is still uncertain. Sources describe a president torn between wanting to preserve limited weapons stockpiles for other potential flashpoints and a pattern of threatening dramatic military action whenever talks stall, threats he's historically walked back from at the last moment.Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly this week, Trump insisted electoral politics play no role in his Iran strategy."The Republican Party is running, and I'll be helping them, but I am not running. I gave absolutely no credence and will not give credence through the election when it comes to Iran," Trump said.Behind the scenes, talks are still ongoing through go-betweens, and one U.S. official credited a successful American operation keeping oil tankers moving safely through the Strait of Hormuz, despite Iranian threats, with easing some of the pressure to rush into an agreement. Washington has made clear to both Tehran and outside negotiators that ending the naval blockade isn't happening anytime soon, calculating that continued financial pain will eventually force Iran's hand on more favorable terms.Regional go-betweens say Iranian officials have conceded their economy is in serious trouble and put forward several possible frameworks to wind down the conflict.Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, effectively controlling the country since February, has pushed back on new arrangements, indicating a willingness to fight indefinitely and preferring instead to revive elements of an earlier framework from June, one built around sanctions relief, unfrozen funds, and some acknowledged Iranian involvement managing the strait once it reopened.

As the Trump administration ramps up efforts to “dismantle” the International Criminal Court (ICC), it also risks letting loose a number of the world’s most notorious alleged mass killers, legal scholar Ryan Goodman argued in a report published Friday.The United States has long been opposed to the ICC, with former President George W. Bush having signed a bill in 2002 that permits the U.S. military to invade the ICC headquarters in The Hague, Netherlands, to rescue American military personnel and elected officials should they be imprisoned for war crimes.The Trump administration has escalated efforts to oppose the ICC in recent months after the international body issued arrest warrants for multiple Israeli officials, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Secretary of State Marco Rubio vowed in July that the United States would “dismantle” the ICC “brick by brick” if necessary, per the Wall Street Journal.Should the Trump administration be successful in its efforts, Goodman warned that those convicted and detained by the court who had “not yet exhausted their right to appeal” may “have to be released.”“The result could have dire consequences for the continued detention of people convicted of, or charged with, war crimes and crimes against humanity,” Goodman wrote in a report published in Just Security.Among those who could be freed is former Philippine President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, who was charged earlier this year with crimes against humanity, including murder and attempted murder. Duterte was accused by the court for at least 76 murders, “including the killings of children,” Goodman wrote.Still in ICC custody, Duterte is scheduled to face trial on Nov. 30, but could walk free should the Trump administration succeed in dismantling the international body.Several other infamous figures could also be released, including Khaled Mohamed Ali El Hishri of Libya, an alleged former soldier charged with crimes such as rape, torture and murder, and Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman, a Sudanese former commander who was convicted of 27 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including rape, torture, forcible transfer and murder.

The U.S. Army Reserve is looking into whether it can supply military police, medical teams and other support units to U.S. Southern Command within the next four months in an apparent buildup to military action in Cuba, according to a new report.An internal Army message reviewed by CBS News doesn't mention Cuba by name, and nothing in it shows that any units have received deployment orders, but several U.S. officials, speaking anonymously because they weren't authorized to comment, told the network the planning is focused on the island.The message, written last week, asks Army Reserve commands to report whether six types of units are available. It says they may be "needed in 90-120 days," which points to action as early as late December. Commands had until Sept. 25 to respond.The requested units include a combat sustainment support battalion and an engineer battalion. The list also includes an expeditionary sustainment command to run logistics across a theater of operations. It adds a medical brigade, a forward surgical team for trauma care near the front lines, and a military police brigade, a type of unit that typically handles security and detention.The Army Reserve did not respond to CBS News, and a Southern Command spokesperson declined to discuss "potential deployment timelines." The spokesperson said the command "continuously coordinates with the Joint Force to assess a range of potential requirements."The request adds to a series of signs pointing toward Cuba. U.S. military personnel told CBS that American forces surveyed the seafloor and sea approaches around the island earlier this year. U.S. air units were also placed on heightened readiness at the time, but those plans were not carried out.In July, CBS reported that Pentagon planners had considered options including an air assault by thousands of 101st Airborne Division soldiers. Officials stressed then that no decision had been made.The planning comes as the Trump administration increases pressure on Havana. This week it imposed new sanctions on Cuban military enterprises tied to the island's nickel industry. At the United Nations, President Donald Trump predicted Cuba's communist government "will fall" and said Secretary of State Marco Rubio was "deep into negotiations" with Havana. The Cuban delegation walked out during his speech.Trump has spoken openly about his ambitions for Cuba for months. In March, he said he expected to have "the honor of taking Cuba.""Whether I free it, take it — I think I could do anything I want with it, if you want to know the truth," Trump said at the time. Later that month, he declared, "Cuba's going to be next."Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel has promised to resist any U.S. attack.