The briefing for Monday, October 12.

King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh was struck for the second time in 24 hours on Sunday, a day after a missile attack on the same terminal killed 12 to 13 people and wounded more than 300, according to the AP and BBC. Saudi officials said a projectile caused a fire in a passenger hall; the airport remained closed and Riyadh schools moved online. Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed the attacks, saying they used ballistic and cruise missiles along with drones, and also struck oil facilities and Dammam airport in eastern Saudi Arabia.

The Houthis say they are retaliating for Saudi support of Yemen's government forces and an airstrike on Sanaa's airport, which the Yemeni government claims it carried out to block an unauthorized Iranian flight. A four-year informal ceasefire began unraveling in July when the Houthis declared a 'maritime embargo' against Saudi Arabia. The group has warned airlines and travelers to avoid all Saudi airports except those in Mecca and Medina, and vowed to continue 'escalating operations deep inside Saudi Arabia.'

President Trump said he is weighing direct U.S. military involvement against the Houthis and planned to speak with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Saudi Arabia has reportedly asked France, Britain, Pakistan and Egypt for air defense support, as its own missile interceptor stockpiles run low. The crisis threatens global oil supplies and shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, and a deeper U.S. intervention could carry political risk for Trump's party ahead of the midterms.

A bipartisan group of senators demanded Sunday that the Trump administration 'immediately reverse course' on a deal to import Russian diesel, arguing it violates a 2022 law banning Russian energy imports. Trump announced Friday that Vladimir Putin agreed to supply 300,000 tons of diesel immediately, with additional shipments growing to millions of tons in the following months, as part of an effort to lower U.S. fuel prices. Republicans Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Thom Tillis and John Curtis joined Democrats Jeanne Shaheen, Richard Blumenthal and Ron Wyden in the statement, saying the U.S. 'should not provide Putin with a financial lifeline.'

Separately, Trump claimed Sunday that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to an 'energy ceasefire,' effective immediately, though he provided no details. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the announcement was 'news' to him but that Kyiv would support it if Moscow does; he later said Russia struck a Kyiv power plant and energy facilities in Kharkiv after Trump's post. Russia has not commented on the ceasefire claim.

Energy experts question whether the diesel deal will meaningfully lower U.S. prices, noting the initial 300,000-ton shipment amounts to less than a day's worth of U.S. diesel consumption. The average U.S. diesel price stands at $6.28 a gallon. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent defended the deal, while Senator Thom Tillis said it 'absolutely will' put American lives at risk; the disputes reflect growing strain over Trump's approach to ending the Russia-Ukraine war ahead of November's midterms.

U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Rochon issued a temporary restraining order Sunday night requiring the Trump administration to cancel any remaining taxpayer-funded television ads promoting Trump's political messaging, according to the AP. The ruling sided with a coalition including watchdog group Common Cause, which argued the $20 million ad campaign, funded through the Department of Homeland Security, violated a federal statute barring the use of congressionally appropriated money for 'publicity or propaganda.'

The ads, which began airing in late September, include footage of Trump discussing communism and a replay of a past campaign ad; a fifth ad focused on the administration's capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican, said the ads 'shouldn't be paid for with taxpayer dollars.' The Democratic National Committee has filed a separate lawsuit over the campaign.

Amid the backlash, Trump said he would begin paying for the ads using campaign funds, though a White House official said there are no immediate plans to reimburse the government for money already spent. The ruling marks another legal setback for the administration as it heads into the midterms under scrutiny over its use of public resources for political messaging.

A growing majority of Americans disapprove of Trump's trade policies, with more than 64% saying he has gone too far on tariffs, up from 58% in January, according to AP polling. Despite this, Trump has maintained some of the highest U.S. import duties since the Great Depression, primarily using Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 to impose 10-12.5% tariffs on imports from 60 economies, including the EU, India, Japan, Canada and Mexico.

The policy is creating real consequences for workers in manufacturing-heavy districts. In Michigan, longtime Republican voter Nelson Vandermeer lost his product design job when clockmaker Howard Miller closed its factory and laid off nearly 200 workers, citing tariff costs on imported parts. In Iowa, backhoe manufacturer Case closed its Burlington plant, and RV maker Winnebago cut 200 jobs after tariffs raised costs on aluminum, steel and electronics.

Studies from the New York Fed and Harvard show that U.S. businesses, not foreign exporters, are largely absorbing or passing along the cost of tariffs to consumers. The White House maintains that a factory boom is underway, pointing to rising manufacturing output, though the sector still employs fewer workers than when Trump took office in January 2025. The backlash is creating competitive races in Michigan, Iowa, Kansas and Ohio, where Republican incumbents face scrutiny over their support for the tariff policy ahead of the Nov. 3 midterms.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari declared a state of emergency Sunday in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and suspended its government, led by imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan's party, ahead of a planned march on Islamabad demanding Khan's release. The move, recommended by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's Cabinet, places the province under the authority of a federally appointed governor and followed accusations that the provincial government showed 'deliberate disengagement from the fight against terrorism.'

Khan's spokesperson Zulfiquar Bukhari called the suspension a 'disguised coup,' noting the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government was the only one in Pakistan with a mandate from the disputed February 2024 elections. Talks between Khan's PTI party and the federal government to postpone the march failed last week. Khan has been imprisoned since 2023 on corruption charges he and his party say are politically motivated, while the government maintains he is in good health and receiving regular family visits.

Authorities detained several PTI supporters overnight and deployed additional security forces in the province and Islamabad, where shipping containers have blocked key routes since last month. The crisis unfolds against a backdrop of rising violence from the Pakistani Taliban, which Islamabad has accused Khan's party of sympathizing with — an allegation the party denies.