Trump tells CNN he's not insisting Iran needs to be a democratic state (opens in new tab)

Meanwhile, back in the U.S.[0]

> President Donald Trump said he's not considering declaring a national emergency around the midterm elections, as a draft executive order circulating among his allies suggests.

> The 17-page proposal, a working document reviewed in full by PBS News, would give him extraordinary power over the 2026 midterm elections. It claims to address election integrity issues caused by foreign interference. By declaring a national emergency, the document hypothesizes, the president could take control over some voting mechanisms in the country, including requiring hand-counting of ballots and voter identification at the polls.

> "Who told you that?" the president said in response to a question from PBS News about the proposal.

Countdown to emergency 5, 4, 3, 2 ...

[0] https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-says-hes-not-mul...

> And pressed on if he is insisting there needs to be a democratic state, Trump told CNN, “No, I’m saying there has to be a leader that’s going be fair and just. Do a great job. Treat the United States and Israel well, and treat the other countries in the Middle East — they’re all our partners.”