He urged Trump supporters to be patient, arguing that the conflict in Iran was not a 'forever war' in the Middle East like previous lengthy and unpopular wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

Secretary of State Marco Rubio also privately advised Trump caution before going to war in Iran but took care not to speak often about the operation after it did not end quickly as the President predicted. 

Trump conceded in a late-night interview with Fox News that high gas prices were a negative consequence of the war in Iran, that cost Republicans in the elections.

'I understand that, I don't agree with it... it's a short-term problem for long-term gain…The gasoline was caused by Iran,' he said. 

Throughout the runup to the midterms, he traveled to rallies across the country and told supporters to 'pretend I'm on the ballot.'

However, he also sought to deflect blame from himself even before the full extent of his party's losses was known. 

Trump said: 'I don't like to consider it a defeat for me. I wasn't on the ballot.'

Which US president best reflects YOUR political views?

The President claimed he simply 'didn't like the [Republican] candidates' on the ballot. 

Democrats increased their support with moderate voters, especially in key Senate races where they flipped Republican-held seats.

Roughly two-thirds of moderates supported the Democratic candidate in their local US House race, an uptick from the approximately six in ten moderate voters who backed Kamala Harris.

A large majority of moderate voters, about eight in ten, said Congress was not doing enough to provide checks and balances on the presidency. 

A similarly high share said they had experienced at least a 'moderate' hardship in the past year because of inflation.

More to follow. 

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are to visit Brussels next week as they resume public appearances in the wake of child sexual abuse image allegations facing Meghan's father.

Prince Harry and Meghan will deliver a joint keynote address at the opening of the Lost Screen Memorial in the European Parliament on Tuesday.

It is expected to be the first time the pair will have been seen in public since Thomas Markle Sr was reported to police in the Philippines and the FBI over a haul of suspected child abuse images.

The brief trip abroad will see Harry and Meghan listen to addresses by European Parliament president Roberta Metsola and MEP Antonio Lopez-Isturiz, the first vice-chairman of the Child Rights Intergroup, before delivering their own speech.

The Sussexes will have between 15 and 20 minutes for their rare dual-address, which they will use to speak about the importance of children's digital safety.

Harry and Meghan will also be shown the memorial exhibition, which remembers children who have lost their lives as a result of the harm they suffered on social media.

The Duke will later join a panel discussion called Beyond Promises: Building A Digital Future That Works For Children to discuss how to protect children online.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) has said videos of alleged child sexual abuse and exploitation were among files found in four storage boxes that allegedly belonged to Mr Markle Sr, after he was reported by his son Thomas Markle Jr last month.

Major General Wilson Asueta of the PNP said it had yet to be confirmed who owned the devices, which included nine mobile phones, three memory cards, five hard drives and a camera.

The 82-year-old was reported to police in the Philippines and the FBI last month by Mr Markle Jr, who handed over a haul of alleged child abuse images he said he found in his father's belongings in Cebu City.

A second hoard was discovered last Friday in a storage unit Thomas Markle Sr is said to have rented near his former home in Rosarito, Mexico, during a raid by Mexican police.

Reports have since claimed Mr Markle Sr was moved into a care home for dementia patients in Florida, described as a specialist 'memory care' facility.

It has raised concerns the FBI may never be able to interview Meghan's estranged father because of the legal barriers over interrogating suspects with cognitive issues in care homes.

Meghan was left 'deeply distressed' at the allegations and revealed she was sent a letter via the Metropolitan Police and Royalty and Specialist Protection seven years ago which made 'troubling and disturbing allegations' about her father, but that she was given assurances these were being investigated.

The Metropolitan Police has admitted it never shared the details with other law enforcement agencies, with the police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct, now investigating the force's conduct.

The Duchess had wanted to 'speak out' immediately after reading the letter but police advised her against this, sources said.

Meghan has been estranged from her father since the run-up to her 2018 wedding when he was caught staging paparazzi photographs and then had a heart attack, meaning the King, then-the Prince of Wales, stepped in to walk Meghan down the aisle.

When former TV lighting director Mr Markle Sr had his leg amputated in the Philippines last year, he made pleas for the duchess to contact him, saying he did not want to die while they were still estranged.

A spokesperson for the duchess confirmed at the time she had 'reached out to her father'.

Last week, it emerged Meghan wrote in this final letter that she knew he was an abuser and that he would never see his grandchildren Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

Mr Markle Sr, who returned to the US in May, has admitted to paying for sex in the Philippines but denied ever possessing child abuse imagery.

READ MORE: Harry and Meghan lose another key member of staff as Archewell's head of factual programmes steps down after more than five years

Blake Lively looked as if she had some new pep in her step when she was spotted out in New York City on Tuesday night in a stunning little black dress.

The 39-year-old Gossip Girl star was spotted out in Manhattan's Upper East Side for an event celebrating the launch of jeweler Brent Neale's new holiday collection, according to E! News.

Although Lively was reportedly joined by friends, her husband Ryan Reynolds, 50, didn't appear by her side.

The Daily Mail has reached out to Lively's representative for comment but hasn't yet heard back. 

Lively – who recently revealed her over-the-top beauty regimen – channeled classic glamour in her skimpy black dress, which was decorated with glittering sequins.

The off-the-shoulder minidress featured a playful black bow that covered her cleavage for a touch of modesty.

Lively's short skirt showcased her toned legs, which culminated in clear Louboutins that strapped around her ankles and featured black-tipped toes.

The It Ends with Us star, who is stepping out in the wake of her bruising legal drama with her former costar and director Justin Baldoni, wore her long blond hair in dramatic waves cascading down her shoulders.

She completed her glamorous ensemble with a simple black leather hobo handbag, and she added some extra sparkle with dangling earrings and multiple enormous sparkling rings.

Lively looked as if she was on top of the world as she beamed for photographers outside the shindig.

The outing comes after Lively revealed the secrets of the beauty regimen she uses to look as if she's in the 'first trimester of life' last week.

The actress took to her Instagram Story to share a candid clip of the nighttime routine she uses to maintain her 'natural beauty.'

She appeared to be wearing headgear with red-light therapy over her hair, in addition to a sheet mask with extra pieces she had pasted to her bare face. 

The Gossip Girl alumna was also bundled up in a brown fleece hoodie while seemingly winding down for the night with her beauty routine.

Lively gave a glimpse into her cozy wind-down routine shortly after the drama involving her film It Ends With Us and her director and costar Justin Baldoni. 

'Natural beauty is effortless,' she quipped at the bottom of her post, which pictured her taking a deep breath while the mask covered her face.

Lively also drew thought bubbles around her face, and in one, she wrote: 'If I don't look like I'm in the first trimester of life after this much effort I quit.' 

She continued: 'I miss the 2000s when we just used that handsoap with fish characters on it on our face & called it a day.' 

The Gossip Girl star also noted the lights in the background of her room in another thought bubble: 'My kids' star projector that I stole is a vibe tho.'

She set her candid post to the tune of Fergie and Ludacris' 2006 smash hit Glamorous.

The mother of four – who shares James, 11; Inez, ten; Betty, seven; and Olin, three, with her husband Ryan Reynolds – often shares snippets of her hair and beauty routines on social media.

In August, she shared a video of herself getting ready in her bathroom before rushing out the door as a busy mother and businesswoman. 

'The look: no time but need to look cute while ALSO raising children,' the movie star, who was seen using products from her Blake Brown haircare brand, wrote over the clip. 

'Moment of truth: bun out after running around the city,' she continued, before almost running out the door with her pants unbuttoned.

Her post comes after she was in a legal battle with Baldoni, and the former costars settled right before their trial was set to begin. 

Baldoni was ultimately ordered to pay $400,000 of Lively's legal fees. 

Lively previously sued Baldoni and his production company Wayfarer in December 2024. 

Right before their trial was set to begin earlier this year, Lively was awarded just over $400,000 of the $8 million she sought in legal fees from their dispute due to his countersuit. 

In her lawsuit, Lively asserted that she was subjected to sexual harassment as well as retaliation, alleging he orchestrated a smear campaign to harm her reputation after she brought up complaints about his behavior on set.  

In response, Baldoni denied harassment and claimed Lively made complaints to seize creative control of the movie. 

In June 2025, the countersuit was thrown out. In May of this year, just two weeks before the scheduled trial date, the former costars reached their settlement.

They also released a joint statement, writing that they 'remain firmly committed to workplaces free of improprieties and unproductive environments.' 

The Alexander brothers have been enjoying life at a New York City federal detention center where they've been held since early 2025.

So much so, in fact, that they have asked to stay there.

Last week, all three were sentenced to 30 years each in federal prison after a jury found them guilty in March of sex trafficking offenses, in a scheme in which they drugged and raped women over more than a decade. All three continue to deny wrongdoing.

After sentencing, inmates are normally moved from facilities like the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC), which mainly hold people awaiting trial or sentencing, to more permanent prisons.

But in an October 30 court filing, lawyers for the three brothers – twins Oren and Alon, 39, and Tal, 40 – urged the judge to keep them at MDC during their appeals process, which could take years. The judge had already refused the request at sentencing on October 27.

In the filing, defense attorney Deanna Paul asked the judge to reconsider, citing 'unique circumstances'. She argued that most of the issues on appeal affect all three brothers and that their lawyers need to be able to meet with them together.

Judge Valerie Caproni denied the request again on November 2, noting that they would have 60 to 90 days before being transferred. She bluntly told the attorney to 'make efficient use of the time'.

But sources close to the brothers have described their conditions and treatment at MDC to the Daily Mail – and it suggests there may be other reasons they want to stay put.

Rabbi Chaim Pollack, a prison chaplain who sees the siblings every other day, said the brothers had made friends with around 30 other Jewish inmates who eat and pray together.

'It is a community and they all look out for each other. They have Shabbos [the Jewish Sabbath] meals together and go to services. There is a very tight bond,' Pollack said.

The group gathers twice a week for services in the prison's chapel.

'Usually on Sundays there's religious services, there's a rabbi coming in, and Thursdays also,' Pollack said. 'All the Jews are getting together. It's like a two-hour service.'

Pollack was introduced to the brothers by Oren's cellmate, David Motovich, a convicted fraudster who ran a multi-million-dollar check-cashing scheme.

'I am usually in MDC from 9am to 3.30pm. I usually see a whole slew of people. Sometimes, I see the brothers exclusively. I usually see them every other day,' Pollack said.

'Some days it is just an hour but other times it has been more than four hours. It depends on what needs to be done.'

Pollack, who also helps the brothers with legal guidance, added: 'Sometimes we need to type up an email that needs to be sent out later. You cannot use the internet inside the visiting room the only thing I can do is prepare stuff to send out later. We prepare, research takes time. I work together with them.'

Pollack said that as well as helping them spiritually and legally, he also tries to make their stays as comfortable as possible.

He has arranged for the prison vending machine to be stocked with kosher food, for example.

'Sometimes we have kosher food, fresh vegetables, fresh fruit, sometimes bagels and lox,' he said. 'Non-Jews have burgers and pizza. Why can't you have kosher?'

For Hanukkah, Pollack arranged latkes, apple sauce, sour cream and donuts. 'There is no reason to suffer more than you have to,' he said.

The brothers also worry that leaving MDC means they will be split up.

Judge Caproni has recommended they be sent to separate facilities to serve their sentences because their crimes show they are a 'bad influence' on one another (several of their victims alleged they were raped by multiple brothers at the same time).

But Pollack warned they could be vulnerable if moved to different prisons because of their wealth and status, saying wealthy inmates are seen as opportunities for money or commissary goods.

'And you have to understand [at MDC] they have the Jewish community within the prison, [it] is very tight together. One looks out for the other. They only have each other.'

Pollack said they had increasingly been leaning on each other and their Jewish friends for protection after two of the brothers were attacked.

The Daily Mail understands that Alon and Tal had been working on computers in the library ahead of their sentencing when another inmate rushed into the area.

The inmate, who has harassed them before, was tackled by an officer and sprayed with pepper spray before he could reach them. The incident left both brothers shaken and more aware of their surroundings.

Juda Engelmayer, the Alexander family's PR strategist who speaks regularly with the siblings, said, there was concern within the family about where they will end up.

'We don't know what will happen when they get moved,' he said. He said MDC is convenient for the legal and appeal teams in New York and gives the brothers more time together. 'I think it's just better circumstances for them right now.'

Another benefit of being in Brooklyn is that the brothers' families can make regular trips from Miami to visit - and MDC appears lenient with timings and physical contact

'The family more or less try to make it every Friday,' Pollack said.

'They let you hug the kids. Maybe this is not for a rabbi to say, but they let them kiss the wives, you know? They can comfort each other. And they get over an hour, it's a good amount.'

He said the prison had also been accommodating about timing for Jewish visitors who observe Shabbat, which begins at sundown on Friday.

'There's a special memo, it took a while to get it approved, but for the Jewish visitors to come in at 10 o'clock in the morning on Fridays,' said Pollack.

With their request to stay at MDC denied, the brothers are now pushing to be sent to a prison in Florida, closer to their families and their children.

Pollack said it is their young families that keep the brothers going.

He revealed that Alon's wife brought their two daughters, ages four and six, to visit last Friday, just days after the brothers' sentencing.

'Alon was being a father,' he said. 'He was playing with them. There were some toys.'

Tal, who is divorcing, struggles most with not seeing his son. 'It's difficult because he doesn't see his son,' Pollack said. He added that Tal is optimistic he will remarry. Oren married Brazilian model Kamila Hansen in 2023 and they have one son together. 

With at least 60 more days at MDC, the brothers know they will remain close to family for Thanksgiving and Chanukah - one less worry while they focus on their appeal. 

'The fear of the unknown is over now. They know where they stand now,' said Pollock.

He said they feel relief 'that the charade is over and they could focus on what needs to be done.'

'Thirty years is not a joke. They are still optimistic. That is the Jewish faith and they are working on their appeal.'