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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the past 24 hours. Here’s today’s news:
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s conditions for ending the war in Ukraine include a demand for Western leaders to sign a “written pledge” to halt NATO’s eastward expansion and lift some sanctions on Russia, according to Russian sources. “Putin is ready to make peace, but not at any price,” a senior Russian source said. Guy Faulconbridge reports for Reuters.
Ukraine and Russia may meet in Istanbul for a second round of peace talks next Monday if the Kremlin produces a memorandum detailing Russia’s conditions for peace, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said yesterday. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov proposed to hold the talks on June 2 earlier in the day and said that Moscow would present its terms in Istanbul. Siobhán O’Grady, Isobel Koshiw, and Natalia Abbakumova report for the Washington Post.
A top Putin aide has said that Moscow came to the conclusion that President Trump is “not sufficiently informed” about “ what is really happening” in Ukraine after Trump warned that Putin is “playing with fire,” according to an interview aired by the Russian state TV channel Russia-1. Anna Chernova and Ivana Kottasová report for CNN.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR — U.S. AND INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
Trump yesterday appeared to downplay the possibility of immediately imposing new sanctions on Moscow and set a deadline for Russia, saying that he will tell reporters “in two weeks” if Putin is serious about ending the Ukraine war. Tarini Parti and Alex Leary report for the Wall Street Journal; Brandon Drenon and Tom Bateman report for BBC News.
Germany will increase funding for arms production and supply of military equipment for Ukraine by roughly 5 billion euros ($5.7 billion), Chancellor Friedrich Merz and the German Defense Ministry announced yesterday. Berlin will also help Kyiv produce long-range weapons, Merz added. Christopher F. Schuetze and Marc Santora report for the New York Times; Rachel Hagan and Jessica Parker report for BBC News.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
“Hordes of hungry people broke into the [World Food Programme’s] warehouse in … Central Gaza in search of food supplies” yesterday, the WFP said, adding that initial reports indicate that two people died and several were injured in the scramble. The “tragic incident” reflects “alarming and deteriorating conditions on the ground” linked to Israel’s aid blockade, the WFP added. Mohammed Tawfeeq and Ibrahim Dahman report for CNN.
Supplies in Gaza remain limited amid aid distribution chaos, with aid provided by the U.S- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation running out, Gaza residents say. Abeer Ayyoub, Suha Ma’ayeh, and Anat Peled report for the Wall Street Journal.
Some 1,300 academics from universities and colleges across Israel on Tuesday urged the heads of the Israeli academic system to “mobilize the full weight of Israeli academia to stop the Israeli war in Gaza,” citing a “horrifying list of war crimes and crimes against humanity – our own doing.” Noa Limone reports for Haaretz.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — U.S. AND INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
The White House is optimistic that Special Envoy Steve Witkoff’s new proposal could help produce a ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza soon, sources say. According to a U.S. source, “[i]f each side moves just a bit, we could have a deal within days.” Barak Ravid reports for Axios.
“Yesterday, we saw tens of thousands of desperate people — under fire — storming a militarized distribution point established on the rubble of their homes,” Jonathan Whittall, a senior U.N. humanitarian official said yesterday, adding the new U.S. and Israeli-backed aid operation was “engineered scarcity.” Separately, the EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, said that “the disproportionate use of force and the deaths of civilians cannot be tolerated.” Aaron Boxerman reports for the New York Times.
The United Kingdom is increasingly considering imposing sanctions against Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, but is likely to wait to see whether the aid situation in Gaza improves before it acts, officials say. Mark Landler reports for the New York Times.
ISRAEL-HEZBOLLAH CEASEFIRE
The Lebanese army has largely disarmed Hezbollah in its southern strongholds, in part with the help of Israeli intelligence, U.S. and Israeli officials say. Separately, Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam told CNN he would like to see the Trump administration put pressure on Israel to withdraw from locations in southern Lebanon. Omar Abdel-Baqui and Adam Chamseddine report for the Wall Street Journal; Mostafa Salem reports.
HOUTHI DEVELOPMENTS
Israeli warplanes yesterday bombed the main international airport in Yemen in retaliation for the Houthi rebels’ recent missile attacks, destroying the Houthi government’s last remaining aircraft at the airport, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said. Natan Odenheimer reports for the New York Times.
GLOBAL AFFAIRS
The Haitian government has signed a contract with Erik Prince, a private military contractor and prominent Trump supporter, for Prince to conduct lethal operations against gangs threatening to take over Haiti’s capital, according to U.S. and Haitian government officials. David C. Adams, Frances Robles, and Mark Mazzetti report for the New York Times.
The EU yesterday lifted a wide range of sanctions on Syria, and imposed new “restrictive measures” on people and groups it says participated in attacks “targeting civilians and especially the Alawite community” during a wave of violence this March. Abby Sewell and Sam McNeil report for AP News.
Israel yesterday announced the biggest approved expansion of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank in decades, including by retrospectively legalising some existing settlements. The Palestinian Authority reported a spike in Jewish settlers’ activity to establish new footholds in the West Bank. David Gritten reports for BBC News; Ali Sawafta reports for Reuters.
The Israeli Defense Ministry yesterday claimed it has intercepted drones with laser-powered weapons more than 40 times since the start of its war against Hamas in October 2023. If confirmed, the development would mark a technological leap on the battlefield. Dov Lieber reports for the Wall Street Journal.
IRAN-U.S. NUCLEAR TALKS
The United States is “very close to a solution” on striking a nuclear agreement with Iran, Trump said yesterday. The President also confirmed that he has personally told Prime Minister Netanyahu that it would not be “appropriate” for Israel to disrupt the talks. Kylie Atwood, Alayna Treene, and Jennifer Hansler report for CNN.
Iran may temporarily pause uranium enrichment and reach a “political understanding” with Washington if the United States releases frozen Iranian funds and recognises Tehran’s right to refine uranium for civilian use, Iranian sources told Reuters yesterday. Parisa Hafezi and John Irish report.
U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS
The Trump administration has suspended some sales of critical U.S. technologies to China in response to Beijing’s recent restrictions on exports of critical minerals to the United States, sources say. Ana Swanson reports for the New York Times.
Despite the Pentagon’s claims, the U.S. and Qatari legal teams have not yet finalized the terms of an agreement for transferring a luxury jet that Trump wants to use as Air Force One, officials say. John Hudson, Natalie Allison, Dan Lamothe, and Ellen Nakashima report for the Washington Post.
U.S. IMMIGRATION DEVELOPMENTS
The United States will work to “aggressively” revoke visas of Chinese students, including those with ties to the Chinese Communist Party or those studying in “critical fields,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced yesterday. Edward Wong reports for the New York Times.
The State Department is reviewing the visas of all Harvard University-affiliated visa holders, not just students, according to senior State Department officials. The officials did not say why the review is being conducted. Jennifer Hansler reports for CNN.
U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
The CIA’s traditional tactics of human espionage are increasingly not working, and recruitment of new foreign agents has dropped by double-digit percentages since 2019, current and former U.S. intelligence officials say. Warren P. Strobel and Ellen Nakashima report for the Washington Post.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS
Elon Musk is leaving his government role as a Senior Advisor to Trump, a White House source confirmed yesterday. Prior to his departure, on Tuesday Musk expressed disappointment with Trump’s “massive spending bill,” stating that it “undermines” the work done by DOGE. Nnamdi Egwuonwu, Julia Jester, and Jason Abbruzzese report for NBC News.
Trump announced yesterday that he would nominate Emil Bove, the Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General and Trump’s former criminal defense lawyer, to be a federal appeals judge in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Glenn Thrush and Charlie Savage report for the New York Times.
Trump plans to send a $9.4 billion spending reduction package to Congress for approval next week, White House budget director Russ Vought confirmed yesterday. The move, which sources say would target NPR and PBS, as well as foreign aid agencies, would be the first step in formalizing the cuts made by DOGE. Meredith Lee Hill and Jennifer Scholtes report for POLITICO.
The Trump administration has cancelled over $700 million in contracts for the development of its bird flu vaccine for humans awarded to Moderna by the Biden administration, the pharmaceutical company announced yesterday. Patrick Wingrove reports for Reuters.
Several of Trump’s recent nominees for Inspector General roles have partisan backgrounds, ties to the agency they would be supervising, or controversial histories, the Washington Post reports. Meryl Kornfield and Lisa Rein report.
Former interim U.S. Attorney for D.C. and current Pardon Attorney and Director of DOJ’s Weaponization Working Group, Ed Martin, is reaching out to witnesses he believes may have information relevant to his investigations into the alleged politicization of DOJ, sources say. Paula Reid and Casey Gannon report for CNN.
Trump yesterday issued a flurry of clemency actions. According to sources, more than two dozen people received pardons or commutations. Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Luke Broadwater report for the New York Times.
All 800 remaining Voice of America staffers are expected to receive reduction-in-force notices this week, VOA employees say. The move would effectively shut down the international broadcasting network. Ben Johansen reports for POLITICO.
The Pentagon has officially ended “what did you do last week” emails introduced by Elon Musk, a DOD spokesperson said yesterday. Jason Lalljee reports for Axios.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION
A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of International Trade yesterday unanimously ruled that several of the tariffs imposed by Trump “exceed any authority granted to the President by [the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977].” The court’s decision nullifies Trump’s orders imposing a 10% tariff on all U.S. trading partners, “reciprocal” tariffs on 60-odd trading partners, and tariffs on Canadian, Mexican, and Chinese products imposed in response to a purported drug trafficking emergency. The DOJ has appealed the ruling. Doug Palmer, Kyle Cheney, and Josh Gerstein report for POLITICO.
A federal judge yesterday temporarily blocked the Trump administration from dismantling the legal protections for Ukrainians, Afghans, and some South and Central American migrants who entered the United States under Biden-era programs. Zach Montague, and Jazmine Ulloa report for the New York Times.
The Trump administration’s effort to deport pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil was likely unconstitutional, a federal judge ruled yesterday. In his decision, the judge stopped short of ordering Khalil’s release, telling Khalil’s attorneys to present further legal arguments for why he should be released. Erica Orden reports for POLITICO.
A federal judge yesterday rejected a request from the former head of the U.S. Copyright Office, Shira Perlmutter, for an order temporarily reinstating her to her former position. Katherine Tully-McManus reports for POLITICO.
A federal judge yesterday said she would grant bail to Kseniia Petrova, a Russian scientist working at Harvard University who immigration authorities stripped of her visa over Petrova’s failure to declare scientific samples she was carrying into the country. Ellen Barry reports for the New York Times.
Trump administration attorneys yesterday said government officials are complying with a federal judge’s orders to return a wrongly deported Guatemalan man to the United States. The judge previously ordered the government to take “all immediate steps” to facilitate the man’s return. Maria Sacchetti reports for the Washington Post.
Did you miss this? Stay up-to-date with our Litigation Tracker: Legal Challenges to Trump Administration Actions
