I. Legislative Branch
1) Personnel and Correspondence
Democrats Condemn Republican Anti-Arab and Anti-Muslim Rhetoric Ahead of the US Midterms. Ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, several Republican figures have used anti-Arab and anti-Muslim rhetoric to target Democratic candidates, including President Donald Trump’s October 25 reference to Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed as a “jihadist.”
On October 26, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. drew further backlash after falsely claiming that Arabs do not produce science or literature and “don’t win Nobel Prizes.” He also suggested that the Muslim Brotherhood had destroyed the intellectual achievements of Islamic civilization.
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) along with Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) and Valerie Foushee (D-NC) criticized Kennedy’s remarks, while Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) condemned Republicans’ anti-Muslim rhetoric more broadly.
Democratic Lawmakers Condemn Egypt’s Closure of Mada Masr. Between October 27 and 29, several lawmakers, including Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Reps. Don Beyer (D-VA), Jim McGovern (D-MA), and Gregory Meeks (D-NY), condemned an Egyptian court’s October 27 decision to close Mada Masr, one of the country’s most prominent remaining independent news outlets. The outlet’s editor-in-chief, Lina Attalah, faces a one-year prison sentence previously issued in absentia in 2024. Murphy also criticized the Trump administration’s decision to waive human rights conditions on $320 million in US military assistance to Egypt, linking the move to the Egyptian government’s subsequent crackdown on independent media.
House Committee Report Alleges Antisemitism at the American Psychological Association. On October 29, House Education and Workforce Committee Chairman Tim Walberg (R-MI) released a report alleging “widespread antisemitism and leadership failures at the American Psychological Association (APA).” The report accused “radical activist-academics” of using the association to “push political ideology, demonize Israel, and minimize Hamas terrorism.”
Stevens Endorses Republican Mike Rogers After Dispute with El-Sayed over Israel. On November 1, Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI), who lost the Democratic Senate primary to Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, endorsed Republican nominee Mike Rogers after weeks of escalating tensions between the two Democrats over their respective stances on Israel, including on US military aid to the country. The latest clash centered on an independent pro-El-Sayed advertisement criticizing US support for Israel, which Stevens urged El-Sayed to denounce. Her subsequent endorsement of Rogers prompted a backlash from Democratic leaders and resignations from members of her staff. President Trump celebrated the endorsement and said that he would “love to have” Stevens join the Republican Party.
II. Executive Branch
1) White House
The United States Prepares for Possible Renewed Strikes on Iran. On October 27, the Wall Street Journal reported that the United States had warned several Gulf Arab states to prepare for a possible short, intensive renewal of strikes on Iran after the November 3 midterm elections. The United States has reportedly been boosting regional air defenses and munitions and moving some troops away from regional bases vulnerable to Iranian retaliation.
At the same time, Qatari-mediated talks were held in Tehran on October 30 and again in Qatar on October 31 in a diplomatic effort to avert renewed fighting between Iran and the United States. Trump also reportedly spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on October 31. After the call, Trump said the talks with Tehran were going “fine” but also called Iranian authorities unreliable. At the same time, he claimed that the United States still had “one or two sites” in Iran to “take care of.”
Meanwhile, on October 28, the Pentagon provided a new estimate to Congress, putting the cost of the Iran war to US taxpayers at $47.1 billion as of October 16, up $3.5 billion from early September.
2) The Department of State
The United States Joins International Warning on Famine Risk in Sudan. On October 26, the United States joined 30 other governments and the European Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness, and Crisis Management to warn of a rapidly worsening hunger crisis in Sudan. The statement urged the warring parties to remove barriers to humanitarian aid, protect aid workers, and allow cross-border, cross-line, and air access into Darfur, while calling on the international community to scale up funding to prevent famine.
Inspector General Says that Reviewing Alleged Israeli Human Rights Violations Would Take 12.5 Years. On October 29, Lawfare published a previously nonpublic September 2025 Department of State Office of Inspector General report that determined it would take 12 and a half years to review allegations of human rights violations involving Israeli military units receiving US security assistance. The report concluded that the delay created a risk that those units later found ineligible to receive such assistance could continue receiving aid while their cases remained under review.
Rubio Meets with Turkish Foreign Minister. On October 30, Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on the margins of the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting to discuss strengthening US-Turkish ties ahead of the December G20 Leaders’ Summit and cooperation on regional peace and stability.
Rubio Meets with Saudi Foreign Minister. On October 30, Secretary Rubio met with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting to discuss bilateral cooperation on Iran, Sudan, and Yemen. Rubio also signed an agreement formalizing US participation in Expo 2030 Riyadh, which the Department of State said would showcase American innovation, expand opportunities for US businesses, and strengthen US-Saudi ties.
