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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the past 24 hours. Here’s today’s news:
INDIA-PAKISTAN CONFLICT
Pakistan today said it has downed 25 Indian drones in its airspace after what it described as a “serious provocation” from New Delhi, alleging that India’s drone attacks wounded four soldiers and killed a civilian in Pakistan earlier today. Esha Mitra, Sophia Saifi, Helen Regan, and Aishwarya S Iyer report for CNN; Babar Dogar and Munir Ahmed report for AP News.
The U.S. Consulate General in Lahore, Pakistan, has directed its staff to shelter in place amid reports of drone explosions and possible airspace incursions, and has received reports that “authorities may be evacuating some areas adjacent to Lahore’s main airport,” according to a statement on the consulate’s website. BBC News reports.
President Trump yesterday offered to help India and Pakistan defuse tensions, saying that the two states have “gone tit-for-tat, so hopefully they can stop now.” Rebecca Falconer reports for Axios.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
Israeli airstrikes killed at least 59 people across Gaza yesterday, the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry said. A bombing of a Gaza City cafe where young people gathered to use the internet caused at least 33 of those deaths, the health ministry added. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the target of the attack. Rawan Sheikh Ahmad, Lara Jakes, and Saher Alghorra report for the New York Times.
The U.S.-based World Central Kitchen charity yesterday announced it has halted its work in Gaza as it no longer has the supplies to cook meals or bake bread in the territory. The charity added it would continue to support Palestinian families by distributing critically needed potable water, but that its food distribution can only resume when Israel lifts its aid blockade. Nidal Al-Mughrabi reports for Reuters.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — U.S. RESPONSE
The United States is pressing the U.N., aid organizations, and U.S. allies to participate in Israel’s new plan for overhauling and controlling the distribution of aid supplies in Gaza, with U.S. Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff briefing the U.N. Security Council on the plan yesterday, aid officials say. The U.N. and other organizations previously refused to participate in the plan, which they described as against “fundamental humanitarian principles.” Karen DeYoung and Claire Parker report for the Washington Post; Barak Ravid reports for Axios.
The United States and Israel have held preliminary discussions on the formation of a possible U.S.-led administration in Gaza, lasting until the territory is demilitarized and a viable Palestinian administration has emerged, sources say. Alexander Cornwell reports for Reuters.
U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Trump is expected to announce that the United States will strike a trade agreement with the United Kingdom today, sources say. The agreement would be the first deal announced after Trump imposed tariffs on several U.S. trading partners. Separately, Trump yesterday said that he would not lower tariffs on goods from China ahead of the U.S.-China talks this weekend. Ana Swanson, Maggie Haberman, and Tyler Pager report for the New York Times; Ana Swanson reports for the New York Times.
Trump yesterday said he has not yet decided whether Iran should be allowed to enrich uranium under a new nuclear deal, his latest comments on the United States’ fluctuating position in its talks for a new nuclear pact with Tehran. Laurence Norman and Michael R. Gordon report for the Wall Street Journal.
Europe and the United States “are on the same team” but need a better joint security posture, Vice President JD Vance said yesterday, striking a more conciliatory tone after his sharp remarks during a February visit to Germany. Jeff Mason and Andrea Shalal report for Reuters.
The United States is pushing countries facing U.S. tariffs to give Elon Musk’s Starlink company access to their markets, according to a series of internal government messages obtained by the Washington Post. Jeff Stein and Hannah Natanson report.
Denmark’s foreign minister has said he would summon the U.S. ambassador to Denmark in connection with a “somewhat disturbing” report that Washington’s spy agencies have been told to focus on Greenland. Max Matza reports for BBC News.
The Brazilian government has rejected a U.S. request to designate two major criminal gangs as terrorist organizations, Brazil’s national secretary of public security said yesterday, adding that under Brazilian law, the designation is limited to groups that violently clash with the government for religious or racial reasons. Ricardo Brito reports for Reuters.
Venezuela’s government yesterday denied that the members of the country’s opposition arrived in the United States in the course of what Secretary of State Marco Rubio called an international “rescue” operation, stating that the group’s movements were negotiated with the government. Regina Garcia Cano and Andry Rincon report for AP News.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
Russia has already broken its unilaterally-declared ceasefire that came into effect yesterday, Ukraine’s Air Force has claimed, saying that a Russian strike killed one person and wounded two others in northeastern Ukraine in the opening hours of the ceasefire. Ivana Kottasová reports for CNN; AP News reports.
Moscow is “asking for too much” in concessions, and it is time for both sides of the conflict in Ukraine to come together in “direct negotiations,” Vice President JD Vance said yesterday. Kit Maher reports for CNN.
Russia is building a major factory expansion in remote Siberia to ramp up production of an explosive used in munitions in the war in Ukraine, according to a review of publicly available state documents and satellite imagery by Reuters. The new line could “significantly” boost Russia’s firepower, defense analysts say. Maria Tsvetkova, Polina Nikolskaya, Anton Zverev, and Ryan McNeill report.
SYRIA
The Syrian government is holding indirect talks with Israel to “calm and contain” Israel’s attacks on Syria and for Israel to retreat to the boundary demarcated by a U.N.-brokered 1974 disengagement agreement, Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa said yesterday. Abbas Al Lawati and Becky Anderson report for CNN.
The United Arab Emirates today denied it is mediating “secret talks” between Israel and Syria following reports that it had set up a backchannel for talks between the two states with no official relations. Abbas Al Lawati and Becky Anderson report for CNN; Timour Azhari and Suleiman Al-Khalidi report for Reuters.
OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro yesterday signed a strategic partnership agreement focused on the energy sector in a ceremony televised on Russia’s state TV. Reuters reports.
The United Arab Emirates’ foreign ministry yesterday said it did not recognise the Sudanese army-affiliated defense council’s decision to sever ties with Abu Dhabi. Reuters reports.
U.S. IMMIGRATION DEVELOPMENTS
Libya’s two rival governments yesterday both said they had not agreed to accept flights deporting migrants from the United States, after Trump administration officials floated the idea of carrying out the deportations as soon as this week. Jared Malsin, Mariah Timms, and Alexander Ward report for the Wall Street Journal.
U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
The Wall Street Journal’s Editorial Board today described Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) refusal to support Ed Martin’s nomination for the post of U.S. Attorney for D.C. as a “good exercise of the Senate’s advise and consent power,” adding that “[t]he best outcome would be for Mr. Trump to withdraw Mr. Martin and pick someone who can earn the Senate’s confidence.”
The role of the judiciary is to decide cases and “check the excesses of Congress or the executive,” a task that “does require a degree of independence,” Chief Justice John Roberts said yesterday while delivering remarks at an event. John Fritze reports for CNN.
Texas Attorney-General Ken Paxton (R) yesterday announced six individuals, including a county judge and a former elections administrator, were arrested and charged in connection with what Paxton said was a “vote-harvesting scheme” in Texas’ Frio County. Civil rights groups have criticized Paxton’s election as “politically motivated.” Mariana Alfaro, Patrick Marley, and Yvonne Wingett Sanchez report for the Washington Post.
The extremist Veterans on Patrol group is making threats against weather equipment it believes is a “weather weapon” controlled by the military, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration warned this month in an email to employees seen by the Washington Post. Angie Orellana Hernandez and Scott Dance report.
OpenAI yesterday announced it wants to expand its Stargate project to spread “AI that protects and incorporates long-standing democratic principles” and build data centers overseas while “partnering closely” with the U.S. government. Sharon Goldman reports for Fortune.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard both reused simple passwords across multiple personal accounts, according to reviews of the leaked records by WIRED and the New York Times, raising further questions about the security practices of top U.S. defence and intelligence leadership. Tim Marchman reports; Christiaan Triebert, Julian E. Barnes, Helene Cooper, and Greg Jaffe report.
The Trump administration plans to rescind a Biden-era rule that curbed the export of sophisticated AI chips and replace it with a “much simpler rule” that would “ensure American AI dominance,” a Commerce Department spokesperson said yesterday. Karen Freifeld and Arsheeya Bajwa report for Reuters.
Trump yesterday announced he planned to nominate wellness influencer Dr. Casey Means to serve as Surgeon-General after withdrawing the nomination of his previous pick, Dr. Janette Nesheiwat. Tyler Pager reports for the New York Times.
The Voice of America will be offered content from the right-wing One America News Network, Kari Lake, the Senior Advisor for the U.S. Agency for Global Media, said yesterday. Tim Balk reports for the New York Times.
The State Department is “reviewing the visa status” of pro-Palestinian Palestinian protesters who occupied Columbia University’s main library yesterday evening, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said. Rebecca Falconer and Russell Contreras report for Axios.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION
In a 7-4 ruling, the full bench of the D.C. Circuit on Wednesday night ordered the Trump administration to unlock about $25 million in funds for federally-backed news outlets overseen by the U.S. Agency for Global Media, including Radio Free Asia and the Middle East Broadcasting Network. The decision appears to leave in place a panel’s decision allowing the government to place on leave or terminate Voice of America staff. POLITICO’s Kyle Cheney reports.
A coalition of 17 states led by Washington, Colorado, and California yesterday filed a lawsuit accusing the Trump administration of unlawfully withholding billions of dollars for electric-vehicle charging stations allocated by Congress. Karen Zraick and Shawn Hubler report for the New York Times.
The Trump administration cannot deport immigrants to Libya, Saudi Arabia, or any other country where they are not citizens without notice and the right to avail themselves of statutory protections against torture, a federal judge warned yesterday, stating that such a move would violate court orders. Judge Brian Murphy’s decision was in response to an emergency request from lawyers for a number of immigrants following reports of possible deportations to Libya. Maria Sacchetti, Adam Taylor, Marianne LeVine, and Dan Lamothe report for the Washington Post.
Federal immigration authorities have one week to return Rumeysa Ozturk to Vermont from a detention facility in Louisiana, a federal appellate court said yesterday. Masked federal agents arrested Ozturk, a Tufts University doctoral student from Turkey, in March. Vimal Patel reports for the New York Times.
A federal judge yesterday temporarily blocked the Trump administration from imposing new conditions on mass transit grants for the Seattle area or homelessness grants for several local governments worth hundreds of millions of dollars. The court ruled that the claimant governments had shown they were likely to prove the attempted imposition of anti-diversity, equality, and inclusion conditions was unlawful. Gene Johnson reports for AP News.
A federal judge earlier this week ordered the release of Mohammed Hoque, an international student detained by immigration officers in March, finding that the DOJ failed to present any evidence justifying the man’s initial arrest and continued detention. Hoque has argued in court filings that he was targeted for expressing support for Palestine. Gloria Pazmino and Caroll Alvarado report for CNN.
Judge James Boasberg yesterday expressed skepticism about the Trump administration’s reasons for not seeking the return of Venezuelan immigrants deported to El Salvador and stated that he intended to order the government to disclose more information about its arrangements with El Salvador. Alan Feuer reports for the New York Times.
The Trump administration has invoked the state secrets privilege in the case of Kilmar Ábrego García, a Maryland man erroneously deported to El Salvador, according to yesterday’s court filing. Sareen Habeshian reports for Axios.
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