Hi from CNN, this is Madeline Thompson with five things you need to know for

Thursday October 24th. Former President Donald Trump said in a radio interview

today that if re-elected he would fire

special counsel Jack Smith quote within two seconds Smith was appointed to

oversee two investigations into Trump, one over his alleged

mishandling of classified documents, and another over his efforts

to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

Trump still faces charges in the latter, but the classified documents case was ultimately dismissed by a federal judge, though Smith is appealing.

And in response, Vice President Kamala Harris is leaning into her description of Trump as a fascist.

Here she is speaking to reporters today.

Either you have the choice of Donald Trump, will sit in the Oval Office,

stuing, plotting revenge, retribution, writing out his enemies list, or what I will

be doing, which is understanding the need to work on, lifting up the American people.

Russian President on lifting up the American people.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said today that his country is quote not interested in escalating conflict in the Middle East.

Russia is not interested in an exacerbation of this conflict because strategically

we're not winning anything.

Quite the contrary, we would only stand to see additional problems cop up.

Putin has long been positioning Russia as a possible neutral mediator in the Middle East,

capable of working with both Israel and its regional neighbors. But observers say Putin and his

officials are using the conflict to press his argument for a new world order without

the US at the helm, especially as anger grows across the global south over US support

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