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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the past 24 hours. Here’s today’s news:
GLOBAL AFFAIRS
There is “credible intelligence” that India will carry out military action against Pakistan within the “next 24-36 hours,” Pakistan’s information minister said yesterday. The claim comes amid escalating tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, and follows New Delhi accusing Islamabad of being involved in last week’s deadly Kashmir attack, a claim which Islamabad denies. Both the United States and China have urged restraint, with a State Department spokesperson saying yesterday they will speak to their counterparts in both India and Pakistan. Rhea Mogul and Sophia Saifi report for CNN; Asif Shahzad reports for Reuters.
Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada’s Liberal Party fell just short of securing a parliamentary majority in Monday’s election, securing 169 of 343 seats, meaning he will need support from smaller parties to pass laws. The result is still a resounding success for Carney’s party, who until recently was widely expected to lose to the Conservative opposition. President Trump congratulated Carney on his victory, and the two have agreed to meet in the near future. Matina Stevis-Gridneff reports for the New York Times; Jessica Murphy reports for BBC News.
Iranian officials investigating Saturday’s explosion at Tehran’s biggest port which killed 70 people said they have found “false statements” in the documentation for the cargo shipment believed to have triggered the blast. Without specifying details, the officials said the cargo — which was classified as a container holding ordinary goods — should have been identified as a shipment carrying dangerous substances. Leily Nikounazar and Erika Solomon report for the New York Times.
France has accused Russian military intelligence of conducting nearly ten years of cyberattacks targeting French government ministries, defense firms, and media outlets, allegedly aiming to collect intelligence and create discord within the country. Sam Schechner reports for the Wall Street Journal.
Deadly sectarian clashes erupted on the outskirts of Damascus, killing at least 12 people, Syrian officials and a war monitoring group said yesterday. The fighting came after an audio clip — which was circulated on social media of a man insulting Prophet Muhammad — was attributed to a cleric in the minority Druse sect. The Syrian interior ministry has urged for calm and said its initial findings show that the cleric was not responsible. Euan Ward and Reha Mourshed report for the New York Times.
The Philippines signed a military agreement with New Zealand today, enabling joint exercises between their armed forces as Manila strengthens its security partnerships amid rising tensions with China in the contested South China Sea. Jim Gomez reports for the Associated Press.
Germany’s center-left Social Democrats have agreed to join a new coalition government, clearing the path for parliament to elect conservative leader Friedrich Merz as the next chancellor. The party of outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz will enter a coalition led by Merz’s center-right Christian Democratic Union and the Christian Social Union, which won 28.5% of the vote in the February election. The Associated Press reports.
Germany and Greece have asked the EU for approval to increase significantly investments in defense equipment and weaponry. The request comes after the European Commission proposed a plan last month to strengthen the EU’s defense capabilities and aid Ukraine, amid signs that the U.S. might scale back its military support to Europe. Cristina Gallardo and Edith Hancock report for the Wall Street Journal.
In a draft strategy obtained by POLITICO, the EU states that breaking away from U.S. tech companies is “unrealistic.” The draft also pitches for strategic tech alliances with China, Japan, South Korea, and India. Mathieu Pollet reports for POLITICO. Separately, Microsoft today announced its new European digital commitments, saying, “Our support for Europe has always been–and always will be–steadfast.”
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
Out of a total deployment of around 15,000, an estimated 600 North Korean troops have been killed so far on frontline fighting for Russia, with 4,700 suffering casualties, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service said today. In exchange for deploying troops and weapons supply to Russia, Pyongyang appears to have received drones, anti-air missiles, and assistance on spy satellites, South Korean lawmakers added. Hyunsu Yim and Ju-min Park report for Reuters; Hyung-Jin Kim reports for the Associated Press.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
The Israeli military has released a Palestinian paramedic who had been detained when Israeli soldiers killed 15 other emergency workers in southern Gaza last month, the Palestine Red Crescent Society said. David Gritten reports for BBC News.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — U.S. RESPONSE
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is weighing the possibility of eliminating the U.S. security coordinator position for the West Bank and Gaza as part of a broader restructuring of diplomatic personnel, sources told Axios. The position, typically held by a three-star general, plays a key role in facilitating coordination between Israeli and Palestinian political and military leaders to manage and prevent security crises. Sources told Axios that removing the coordinator could risk further destabilizing the region, particularly as the conflict in Gaza continues. Barak Ravid reports.
HOUTHI DEVELOPMENTS
Britain’s military, in coordination with U.S. forces, carried out airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen yesterday, marking the first publicly acknowledged joint operation since the Trump administration ramped up U.S. efforts against the rebel group. The strikes targeted “a cluster of buildings” south of Sanaa that the Houthis were reportedly using to produce drones, Britain’s Ministry of Defence said in a statement today. Jessie Yeung reports for CNN.
Trump is privately and publicly urging Egypt to compensate the United States for its efforts to protect shipping lanes leading to the Suez Canal from Houthi attacks. The push mirrors the administration’s broader strategy of seeking financial benefits from its foreign policy actions, as seen in Ukraine and Gaza. Summer Said reports for the Wall Street Journal.
U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Syria’s Foreign Minister Assad al-Shibani met with senior State Department officials yesterday in New York, sources say. The meeting, which was the first between U.S. officials and Shibani on U.S. soil, comes as Damascus pushes for a definitive plan from Washington outlining the steps required for permanent sanctions relief. A State Department spokesperson confirmed the meeting, saying it “continue[s] to assess [its] Syria policy cautiously.” Humeyra Pamuk reports for Reuters.
Anticipating pending cuts by the Trump administration, the U.N. told its departments last week to draw up plans for budget cuts, including staff relocations from New York and Geneva to lower-cost regions, according to a memo obtained by The New York Times. The memo, which follows a Trump-ordered review of U.S. funding to the agency, was sent by Secretary General António Guterres’s office, and lists a May 15 deadline for all cost-cutting proposals. Farnaz Fassihi reports.
The Trump administration told Congress it is planning to designate Haitian gangs as foreign terrorist organizations, sources told the Associated Press. Neither the State Department or the White House have commented at the time of writing. Michelle L. Price and Farnoush Amiri report.
U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
The Wisconsin Supreme Court yesterday unilaterally suspended Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan from her judicial duties following federal charges alleging she helped a Mexican national evade arrest by immigration authorities. The two-page order, issued without dissent, stated that the suspension serves to “uphold the public’s confidence in the courts of this state.” Judge Dugan now faces federal charges of obstructing a proceeding and concealing an individual to prevent arrest, with her attorneys confirming yesterday that former U.S. solicitor general Paul Clement will be assisting her case. Patrick Marley and Jeremy Roebuck report for the Washington Post.
Federal election officials are indicating that states may need to commit to enforcing Trump’s directive limiting diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives as a condition for receiving $15 million in election security funding. The new stipulation has prompted Democratic secretaries of state across the nation to urgently evaluate the financial, legal, and operational consequences of accepting funds from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, an independent bipartisan body. The issue is complicated by the ambiguous language in the revised federal grant agreement, which requires compliance with federal anti-discrimination laws while also referencing a Trump executive order on DEI. Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Patrick Marley report for the Washington Post.
The White House budget office is disregarding investigators as the nation’s top watchdog, the Government Accountability Office (GAO), conducts 39 separate inquiries into Trump’s extensive funding freezes, the head of the GAO’s said yesterday. Katherine Tully-McManus reports for POLITICO.
Harvard University President Alan Garber has issued an apology following the release of internal reports highlighting incidents of antisemitic and anti-Muslim bias at institution. The reports featured testimonies from students who shared feelings of alienation and pressure to hide their identities from both peers and faculty. In response, Harvard said it would review its academic programs and admissions policies — addressing a key request from the White House, which accuses the university of not effectively combating antisemitism on campus. Max Matza reports for BBC News.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is supporting a Navy admiral as his preferred candidate to lead U.S. military operations in the Middle East, bypassing an Army general long seen as the frontrunner for the post, defense officials and sources say. The recommendation will be reviewed by Trump, who will submit a nomination to the Senate for the role. Dan Lamothe and Missy Ryan report for the Washington Post.
Leaders from some of the country’s top universities have formed a private coalition to strategize about how to push back against the Trump administration’s attacks on research funding and academic freedom within higher education, sources say. Around 10 institutions are included, primarily from Ivy League schools and prominent private research universities in blue states. Emily Glazer, Douglas Belkin, and Juliet Chung report for the Wall Street Journal.
The Senate yesterday confirmed 67-29 former Georgia Sen. David Perdue as the new U.S. ambassador to China. Perdue’s confirmation was widely expected, with his pitch to committee members earlier this month referencing his views that Beijing is waging “a new kind of war.” Phelim Kine reports for POLITICO.
IBM will invest $150 billion in the United States over the next five years, the company announced Monday, over $30 billion allocated for quantum computer production. Zaheer Kachwala and Aditya Soni reports for Reuters.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION IMMIGRATION ACTIONS
The Justice Department has initiated its first criminal prosecutions against migrants who have crossed into an expanded military zone along the southern border which is under U.S. military patrol. At least 28 migrants were charged Monday with crossing the “National Defense Area,” with prosecutors adding a new charge of violating security regulations to the more common charge of entering the United States illegally. While both crimes are misdemeanors, the new charge raises the potential penalties to as much as one year in custody and fines of up to $100,000. Maria Sacchetti, Jeremy Roebuck, and Dan Lamothe report for the Washington Post.
Using data from mail and packages, the law enforcement division of the U.S. Postal Service has quietly started working with federal immigration authorities to track down individuals suspected of being in the country illegally, according to sources and documents obtained by The Washington Post. Jacob Bogage and Hannah Natanson report.
Secretary Hegseth said yesterday he intends to terminate a Department of Defense initiative for women that was launched and advanced during the first Trump administration.The Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) program — a cross-agency effort aimed at increasing women’s participation in diplomacy and national security — was originally authored by current Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and co-sponsored by Secretary of State Marco Rubio during his Senate tenure. “WPS is yet another woke divisive/social justice/Biden initiative that overburdens our commanders and troops — distracting from our core task: WAR-FIGHTING,” Hegseth wrote in a post on X. Rebecca Shabad reports for NBC News.
The White House has dismissed several of former President Biden’s appointees from the board of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, including former second gentleman Doug Emhoff, and is currently vetting replacements, according to an administration official told POLITICO. Confirming the news, Emhoff said in a statement,“Let me be clear: Holocaust remembrance and education must never be politicized.” The list of removed officials also include former Biden White House officials Susan Rice, Ron Klain, and Anthony Bernal, as well as former DNC chair Tom Perez. Gregory Svirnovskiy reports for POLITICO; Katie Glueck and Tyler Pager report for the New York Times.
Trump signed a pair of executive orders yesterday that provide some relief to his automotive tariffs. The orders mean carmakers will now pay a 25% tariff on auto imports without being subject to other levies, such as steel or aluminum, or on specific imports from Canada and Mexico. Ana Swanson and Jack Ewing report for the New York Times.
House Republicans yesterday quietly shut down a tool that allowed members of Congress to force votes seeking information from the Trump administration. The maneuver has temporarily halted an effort by Democrats on the Armed Services Committee to force the administration to release information on Secretary Hegseth’s use of private Signal group chats to discuss military operations, including airstrikes in Yemen. Michael Gold reports for the New York Times.
The U.S. consul general attended a reception event commemorating the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam war, after the Trump administration made a significant policy reversal which had banned senior U.S. diplomats from attending such events. Damien Cave reports for the New York Times.
The Trump administration is considering modifications to a Biden-era regulation aimed at limiting global access to AI chips, including the potential removal of the January rule which divides the world into three tiers with government-to-government agreements, sources say. Karen Freifield reports for Reuters.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION
A federal judge yesterday ordered the Trump administration to reinstate $12 million in funding allocated by Congress to Radio Free Europe, a pro-democracy media organization facing the threat of closure for the first time in its 75-year history. In his ruling, U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth underscored the importance of maintaining the constitutional balance of power, and said the Trump administration could not unilaterally revoke Congressionally-approved funding. Michael Kunzelman reports for the Associated Press; Minho Kim reports for the New York Times.
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) yesterday sued the Trump administration and several officials for attempting to dismiss three members of its board. The lawsuit seeks a temporary restraining order and argues Trump administration officials lack executive authority to remove CPB board members. The case comes amid rising tensions between CPB and the Trump administration, which is aiming to cut funding for PBS and NPR — the two biggest U.S. public broadcasters. The court issued a ruling yesterday afternoon blocking the CPB directors’ firings pending a hearing set for May 14. Sara Fischer reports for Axios; Benjamin Mullin reports for the New York Times.
A federal judge in California ruled yesterday that the Trump administration must continue to provide funding for lawyers representing unaccompanied migrant children, at least temporarily. The preliminary injunction means funding will continue while the case against the administration — brought by nonprofits — continues, after the administration terminated parts of a contract that allocates congressionally approved funds to legal service providers assisting children in navigating the immigration court system. Victoria Albert reports for the Wall Street Journal.
Over 20 states filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration yesterday, challenging the dismantling of AmeriCorps, the federal agency focused on volunteerism that addresses needs ranging from poverty to disaster recovery programs. Aishvarya Kavi reports for the New York Times.
A lawsuit alleging the Trump administration is deporting people for holding pro-Palestinian or anti-Israel views can proceed to trial, a federal judge ruled yesterday, stating that the academic groups who challenged the practice had “plausibly alleged” that their members were being “targeted specifically for exercising their right to political speech.” Josh Gerstein, Kyle Cheney, and Hassan Ali Kanu report for POLITICO.
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