Israel critic Van Hollen announces ‘underdog’ run to unseat Schumer as Senate majority leader
Trump says he’d consider it a defeat if Iran regime still in power by end of his term * UK, Qatar, Jordan lead dozens in demanding Israel allow more winter supplies into Gaza
Israel critic Van Hollen announces ‘underdog’ run for Senate majority leader, challenging Schumer
US Senator Chris Van Hollen says he will run for Senate majority leader, challenging Chuck Schumer, who has led the Democrats in the Senate since 2017, after the Democratic Party won a majority in the chamber in the midterm elections.
Schumer, who is expected to retain his party’s leadership in the chamber but previously predicted not having a challenger, releases his own statement saying he had the votes to continue as the Democratic leader in the Senate.
The closed-door secret-ballot vote will take place next month.
Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat, says that in the midterm elections, in which Democrats also secured a majority in the House of Representatives, voters called for “a change from the status quo that isn’t working for working people.”
“It’s now on us to meet this moment, and to do that we need new leadership,” Van Hollen says. “That is why I’m running for Senate Majority Leader.”
The 67-year-old tells MSNOW in an interview that he has the support of more than 10 of the 55 Democratic senators who are known to be voting, but acknowledges he was the “underdog” in the race against the 75-year-old Schumer.
Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed of Michigan and Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, said they would support Van Hollen, who has been a US senator for nearly a decade and spent 14 years before that in the House of Representatives.
At a press conference earlier this week, Sanders and Democratic US Senator Elissa Slotkin of Michigan called for new leadership.
Van Hollen, who has hinted at a possible 2028 presidential campaign, has said Democrats need to simultaneously advance multiple goals, including holding President Donald Trump’s administration accountable for “gross corruption,” trying to end the US-Israeli war on Iran and uniting behind an aggressive economic agenda targeted at working-class Americans.
On the foreign policy front, he has been critical of Israel’s policies in the West Bank and Gaza, while advocating against deepening defense ties with the US ally.
IRGC says it targeted US early-warning radar in Bahrain after ‘enemy attack’ on telecom tower
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says it targeted a US early-warning radar in Bahrain, the first such claim of an attack on American military assets in a Gulf country since early September.
The IRGC says the strike was in retaliation for what it described as an air attack on a telecommunications tower in Iran’s southern Sirik county, in Hormozgan province, according to Iranian state media.
The claim comes amid a fragile lull in the conflict between Iran and the US, which began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28 and has since spread across the region.
Iran launched missile and drone attacks on US bases in Gulf states and sought to restrict shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for global oil and gas supplies. Washington, in turn, imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports.
There is no immediate comment from the US or Bahrain.
IDF says sirens in Gaza border town of Nachal Oz were false alarm
The IDF says that the sirens triggered shortly before 3 a.m. in the Gaza border town of Nachal Oz were a false alarm.
IDF says it’s probing what triggered sirens in Gaza border town of Nachal Oz
The IDF says it is checking what triggered sirens in the Gaza border town of Nachal Oz moments ago.
‘It’s a tough group to get’: Trump laments lack of support from Jews after many backed El-Sayed
US President Donald Trump recognizes that most Jewish voters in Michigan ended up backing progressive Democrat Abdul El-Sayed in last week’s Senate race, while lamenting that he has had a hard time securing the minority community’s support.
“If you look at El-Sayed in Michigan, he got more votes than the Republican candidate got by quite a bit from Jewish people,” Trump says in an interview with the Salem News Channel
“It’s not even understandable. It’s a tough group to get,” he adds.
Trump has long vented his frustration with Jews who vote for Democrats, suggesting they are crazy, while touting his support for Israel.
Trump:
If you look at El-Sayed in Michigan, he got more votes from Jewish voters than the Republican candidate.
It's not even understandable. It's a tough group to get. pic.twitter.com/1JF9uVeaK8
— Clash Report (@clashreport) November 12, 2026
Trump says he’d consider it a defeat if Iran regime still in power by end of his term
US President Donald Trump says he would consider it a defeat if the regime in Iran remains in power by the end of his term.
Asked about such a possibility during an interview with the Salem News Channel, Trump responds, “Yes, that would be a defeat… Absolutely.”
????Q: If the Iran crazies are still in power when you leave office, will that have been a defeat for you?
????#Trump: Yes, that would be a defeat. Absolutely.#Iran | #USA @clashreport https://t.co/eZ7s3fPPct pic.twitter.com/8f8Wi6nbtk
— ⚡️???? Sarwar ????⚡️ (@ferozwala) November 12, 2026
Asked if he would hesitate to again use military force against Iran, Trump says he would do so without hesitating.
“If I saw things going the other way, I would do that. It’s possible I would do it right now,” he adds.
Q: Would you hesitate to use military force against Iran?
Trump: If I saw things going the other way, I would do that. It's possible I would do it right now. No hesitation. pic.twitter.com/yg25ya29HM
— Clash Report (@clashreport) November 12, 2026
UK, Qatar, Jordan lead dozens in demanding Israel allow more winter supplies into Gaza
The United Kingdom, Qatar and Jordan lead a coalition of more than 50 countries and organizations calling on Israel to provide immediate entry of critical items for shelter, fuel, water, sanitation and health to Gaza.
The group says too many people in Gaza “risk exposure to hypothermia, respiratory infections, waterborne diseases and other preventable illnesses” with winter’s arrival.
The statement echoes recent criticism by the Board of Peace and UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher.
Israel has said that allegations that COGAT — the Defense Ministry body overseeing Gaza — is not allowing in enough supplies “divert attention from Hamas’s responsibility.” Israel is reportedly digging in over allowing so-called dual-use items, which it says can be exploited by Hamas.
Trump says he wouldn’t hesitate to strike Iran if ‘I saw things going the other way’
US President Donald Trump says he would not hesitate to renew strikes on Iran if he deemed it necessary.
In an interview with conservative TV host Hugh Hewitt on the Salem News Channel, Trump asserts that “we’re doing very well with it right now,” claiming that more oil is leaving the area since “before the war started.”
Trump also asserts that the US “totally” controls the Strait of Hormuz, despite ongoing near-daily attacks on ships passing through.
However, he adds, “the answer is, if I saw things going the other way, I would [strike Iran]; it’s possible I would do that right now.”
“NO HESITATION.” @POTUS isn't ruling out further military action against Iran. Speaking with @HughHewitt, Trump said he would do whatever is necessary to stop the regime from threatening American allies and ships.
Watch President Trump's exclusive interview with Hugh Hewitt… pic.twitter.com/z2LO5oXV9f
— Salem News Channel (@WatchSalemNews) November 12, 2026