🇺🇸🇮🇷⚡️ — The Iran war has cost U.S. consumers an estimated $265 billion since late February, equivalent to roughly $2,000 per household, according to Moody’s Analytics chief economist Mark Zandi.

Higher energy prices account for approximately $1,100 of the average household's additional costs, with that figure increasing by around $50 per week.

Gasoline now averages $4.34 per gallon, compared with $2.98 before the war, while diesel prices remain near record highs due to disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz.

🇺🇸🇬🇷 Trump fires ambassador to Greece Guilfoyle after reports of misconduct

The White House said on Tuesday it ​had asked US Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle to resign after a series of news reports raised concerns she sold access ‌to Trump administration officials in exchange for money, gifts and favors.

US President Donald Trump had said on Monday that he was considering firing Guilfoyle, who was once engaged to his son Donald Trump Jr. On Tuesday, he told reporters: "She was doing a good job, but we didn't like what we were reading."

US lawmakers had raised the alarm after a series of stories ​in the Wall Street Journal beginning last month that detailed Guilfoyle's conduct, including claims she threatened to use US influence to undermine the ​Greek government.

New White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia confirmed Guilfoyle had been asked to resign, telling a briefing: "She has ⁠been a wonderful asset to the team, and we wish her well."

In a post on X, Guilfoyle repeated denials of wrongdoing and said her gratitude and ​respect for Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio remained "unwavering."

One of the reports published by the Journal described Guilfoyle's close relationship with a lobbyist for a Greek energy company and her promotion of that firm, while another cited audio recordings of ​Guilfoyle bragging about her ties to wealthy Greek businessmen as she sought an invitation to a Davos dinner honoring another of Trump's sons, Eric.

US businessman ​Eric Deters also told the newspaper that Guilfoyle, a former San Francisco prosecutor, had offered access to Trump administration officials for money, at one point asking him to pay ‌her $100,000 credit ⁠card bill. Britain's Daily Mail reported last week that the State Department's internal watchdog was looking into complaints of inappropriate behavior from staff at the Athens embassy.

Guilfoyle's tenure in Athens was high profile from the start as she appeared on the cover of Vogue ​Greece and attended late-night parties with Greek celebrities.

She aggressively touted American interests, including signing deals for the import of ​US liquefied natural ⁠gas and drilling deals involving companies including Exxon Mobil.

But she also created diplomatic waves. In her first interview with local media after arriving last November, she said China should sell its 67% stake in the port of Piraeus, which has become a cornerstone of Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative. China’s ambassador to Greece, Fang Qiu, responded ⁠by accusing the ​US of having "an outdated and a harmful mentality" and "a hegemonic mindset."

🔗 https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/white-house-says-us-ambassador-greece-guilfoyle-asked-to-resign-2026-10-13/

🇻🇦 Pope Leo diagnosed with cancer as doctors remove lobe of lung, Vatican says

Pope Leo was diagnosed with a common form of lung cancer after doctors removed ​a lower lobe of his right lung in surgery on Tuesday, the Vatican said in a medical bulletin.

The 71-year-old pontiff ‌has lung adenocarcinoma, with tissue tests conducted during the operation confirming what doctors had suspected from preparatory examinations, the bulletin said.

The Vatican said earlier this week that the pope was expected to recover in hospital for about a week. All his public ‌events ⁠have been cancelled until October 20.

Leo, elected by the world's cardinals in May 2025, is relatively young for a Church leader. He enjoys sports, including tennis, and is not known to be a smoker or to have had recent health issues.

The late Pope Francis, Leo's predecessor, was hospitalised several times as he grew frail in his later years. He died aged 88 in April 2025.

Leo, who spoke in a firm, clear voice at his only ​public event on Monday, keeps a ​very busy schedule. He is due ⁠to make an 11-day tour of Uruguay, Argentina and Peru from November 6 to 17.

🔗 https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/pope-leo-enter-hospital-tuesday-surgery-lung-nodule-2026-10-13/

🇮🇱🇺🇸⚔️🇮🇷 In recent days, unusual aerial activity by the Israeli Air Force has been reported over Syria and Iraq, reminiscent of the period leading up to February 28, indeed, just minutes ago, locals reported heavy fighter jet activity over central Israel.

This activity is most likely linked to readiness drills ordered by Israeli defense officials, given that the periods of heightened aerial activity did not coincide with any massive airstrikes against Lebanon or other countries.

Another indication that Israel is preparing for a new bombing campaign is today's report by Israeli Channel 12, stating that Israeli PM Netanyahu discussed with President Trump the possibility of launching a joint attack against Iran, potentially even before the Israeli and U.S. midterm elections, scheduled for October 27 and November 3, respectively.

Meanwhile, Iran has been conducting missile tests at various sites across the country, checking the readiness of air defense units and the Aerospace branch of the IRGC responsible for surface-to-surface missile launches.

🔗 MoloMonitor

✡️🤖 ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt reveals in Israel that he's been working with all the top AI Frontier Labs to push them to suppress "anti-Semitism."

"We've been working with the Frontier Labs—OpenAI, Anthropic, Alphabet, the company that runs Gemini, Google, Meta, who runs Muse, and others, X, who run Grok—testing their models and using the results to push them to do better."

"We've had excellent collaboration with Silicon Valley."

"We've run the tests and seen where anti-Semitism shows up and helped them develop strategies to tackle it right in the source code."

🔗 Chris Menahan 🇺🇸 (@infolibnews)

🇭🇺🤝🏳️‍🌈 Hungary: Lawmakers scrap Orbán-era anti-LGBTQ+ provisions

Hungary's parliament passed a bill amending the 2021 "child protection law." The move is considered the first significant reversal of Orban's curbs targeting the LGBTQ+ community.

The 2021 "child protection" law introduced restrictions on the "portrayal" or "promotion" of sexual and gender diversity in content accessible to children. In reality, this meant that even books addressing these topics in an age-appropriate manner could only be sold in black plastic packaging with warnings.

Critics argued that the law promoted the bigoted view automatically linking homosexuality and child abuse. The European Court of Justice had also ruled in April that it violated EU treaties.

Tuesday's amendment repeals most of the statute, except the provision protecting under-18s from sexually explicit or violent material. It passed with the support of the governing majority, with 139 lawmakers voting in favor and 51 against.

🔗 https://www.dw.com/en/hungarys-parliament-votes-to-reverse-anti-lgbtq-legislation-from-orban-era/a-79647826