Donald Trump claims ‘Iran war will end very soon’ as midterm rallies heat up – US politics live

By Ariana Baio and Uwa Ede-Osifo

James Talarico, the Texas Democratic nominee for Senate, sat face to face with several undecided voters who grilled him on a slew of contentious issues including Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, abortion and foreign aid, during a CNN town hall on Wednesday evening.

Jodi Hunt, a self-described single-issue voter, probed Talarico’s pro-choice stance, asking: “How would you convince me as a Catholic voter that I can trust you would protect the most innocent among us?”

Talarico described the Bible as being silent on abortion, to which Hunt countered quoting “Thou shalt not kill”.

“We may have different, moral conclusions when it comes to this particular ethical question, but we actually have the same public policy goal,” Talarico said, framing abortion as a public health issue that could be solved with a reduction in unplanned pregnancies.

During the night, Talarico cast himself as a moderate, who would put the needs of Texans over party allegiances. He railed against the ultra-wealthy, framing them as the common enemy.

Turning to James Talarico, the Democratic candidate fighting for a Texas US Senate seat might not have sparred with his Republican rival Ken Paxton last night but that doesn’t mean he was spared from attacks.

At a rally in Texas on Wednesday, JD Vance responded to an audience member who shouted his praise by responding: “I love you too sir.” He then added: “In a totally platonic way, to be clear. I’m the vice president, not James Talarico.”

It’s part of the Republican strategy to cast doubt down on Talarico’s Texan credentials and whether he’s “man enough,” according to the New York Times.

Recent polls have shown that the Democratic candidate is leading against his Republican counterpart.

Meanwhile Paxton, who declined an invitation to meet voters with Talarico last night, has focused his efforts in an ad blitz. Already more than $۵۰۰m has been spent on television ads for the Texas race, according to CNN.

The White House’s unilateral effort to negotiate an energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine has collapsed as Moscow sent a record swarm of drones overnight to attack infrastructure in central Ukraine and Kyiv appeared to resume strikes on Russian oil refineries – despite warnings from Donald Trump.

Moscow accused Ukraine of launching its first strike against a Russian oil refinery in the Ryazan region since Trump abruptly declared an “energy ceasefire” that neither Russia nor Ukraine said they had agreed to. Trump has demanded that Volodymyr Zelenskyy stop attacking Russian oil refineries, claiming that it was the cause of a global rise in the price of diesel fuel.

Zelenskyy said on Wednesday that he would resume strikes on Russian oil refineries after halting those attacks to show that Ukraine was ready for peace talks. “The block [on attacking refineries] is out. We’re done,” he told the Financial Times. He also attacked the gap in US intelligence sharing as “dangerous”.

Images from Ryazan showed flames at the refinery, which regional officials said had been targeted by ۶۹ drones and four Flamingo cruise missiles. Debris from a drone struck by anti-aircraft fire had hit the refinery and sparked the fire, the ministry claimed.

In Ukraine, more than ۳۶۰ Russian drones targeted Kirovohrad, a central region that has been hit less hard than others closer to Russia, in attacks that killed three and injured six.

US president Donald Trump claimed the Iran war ‘will end very soon,’ as voters consider their options ahead of midterm elections that are taking place amid economic uncertainty and ongoing global conflict.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday evening, Trump said: “The Iran war will end very soon. It’s going to end very soon, as soon as I want it to end, it’ll end.” He added that Iran would “never have a nuclear weapon” and that oil prices would “drop like a rock”.

The US president has in recent weeks attempted to shift focus towards Ukraine, and has suggested that its attack on Russian refineries are responsible for rising fuel prices. His renewed messaging on Iran suggests that the price of daily goods – and gas at the tank – are having an impact at the polls.

Voting groups that are key to winning votes in the midterms are increasingly disenchanted with the economy, according to an exclusive Harris poll for the Guardian. Three in four Americans are now concerned about the potential for a recession.

Elsewhere:

• James Talarico, the Texas Democratic nominee for Senate, faced a grilling from undecided voters on a range of issues from Gaza to his faith at a town hall. Something he emphasized was his aspiration to put residents above party allegiance.

• Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he felt ‘betrayed’ by the US after Ukraine’s military access to Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite was restricted. The US president has denied that the administration has cut intelligence sharing but Musk suggested on X that the US government was behind the restrictions.

• Trump’s new press secretary Katie Zacharia is facing scrutiny over her claims that she’s a lawyer. Zacharia has clarified some of the questions but the big one remains: has she ever passed the bar?