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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments in the last 24 hours. Here’s today’s news:
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
More than 600 retired Israeli security officials, including former heads of intelligence agencies, yesterday urged President Trump to pressure Israel to immediately end the war in Gaza. “It is our professional judgement that Hamas no longer poses a strategic threat to Israel,” the officials’ open letter reads. In a video accompanying the letter, former director of the Shin Bet security service, Ami Ayalon, said that “when we achieved all military objectives, this war ceased to be a just war” and is “leading … Israel to lose its security and identity.” Paulin Kola reports for BBC News; France24 reports.
Israeli gunfire and airstrikes killed at least 40 Palestinians in Gaza yesterday, 10 of whom were seeking aid, Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry said. Another five people died of starvation, the ministry added. Burial shrouds are also running out in the territory due to continued Israeli border restrictions and the mounting number of daily deaths, according to Gazans. Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Mahmoud Issa report for Reuters.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reached a decision to fully occupy Gaza and will urge the Israeli security cabinet to support the “full conquest” of Gaza today, according to a source in Netanyahu’s office. The Israeli defense circles oppose an expansion of ground operations in areas where the hostages are believed to be held, a source added. Amichai Stein reports for the Jerusalem Post; Tim Lister, Dana Karni, Kareem Khadder, and Catherine Nicholls report for CNN.
Israel will allow gradual and controlled entry of goods to Gaza through local merchants in order to increase the volume of aid entering the territory while “reducing reliance on aid collection by the U.N. and international organisations,” the Israeli military aid agency COGAT said today. The agency said the approved goods include basic food products, baby food, fruits and vegetables, as well as hygiene supplies. Reuters reports.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
Canada yesterday said that it had delivered 21,600 pounds of aid to Gaza through airdrops, adding that Israel’s “obstruction of aid is a violation of international humanitarian law and must end immediately.” Kanishka Singh reports for Reuters.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
Russia “no longer considers itself bound” by the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, prohibiting the deployment of intermediate-range missiles, Moscow’s foreign ministry announced yesterday. The treaty is largely defunct; the United States pulled out of the agreement during Trump’s first term, and Washington has long accused Moscow of violating the pact. Paul Sonne and John Ismay report for the New York Times.
The Kremlin is not ruling out the possibility of a meeting between the U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, and Russian President Vladimir Putin later this week, the Kremlin spokesperson said yesterday. Earlier on, Trump said that Witkoff “may be going to Russia” as “we’ve got to get to a deal where people stop getting killed.” Nataliya Vasilyeva reports for the New York Times.
The Netherlands announced yesterday that it would contribute 500 million euros ($578 million) to purchase U.S. military equipment for Ukraine, marking the first time a NATO country has made such a declaration under the new scheme. Reuters reports.
A Russian air attack killed one person and injured ten others early today in the Ukrainian town of Lozova, local officials said. The “massive strike” also damaged the train station and other infrastructure in the town, the state rail operator added. Reuters reports.
GLOBAL AFFAIRS
The Israeli government yesterday unanimously voted to dismiss Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara from office. Baharav-Miara is the chief prosecutor in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ongoing corruption case. Immediately after the vote, the Israeli High Court of Justice issued a temporary order upholding an earlier ruling that Baharav-Miara’s dismissal would not come into effect until further notice from the court. Jeremy Sharon reports for the Times of Israel; Shira Rubin and Lior Soroka report for the Washington Post.
One of Russia’s nuclear submarine bases appears to have sustained minor damage during an earthquake last week, according to satellite images taken on Sunday by Planet Labs, a commercial satellite company. International bodies monitoring nuclear sites have not reported heightened radiation levels in the area. Nataliya Vasilyeva and Josh Holder report for the New York Times.
U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes yesterday ordered former President Jair Bolsonaro to be put under house arrest, citing Bolsonaro’s repeated failure to comply with restraining orders. In a social media statement, the U.S. State Department said that it “condemns” the house arrest order and “will hold accountable all those aiding and abetting sanctioned conduct.” Ricardo Brito reports for Reuters; Ione Wells and Yang Tian report for BBC News.
Trump yesterday said that he would “substantially” raise tariffs on India as it is “buying massive amounts of Russian Oil” and “selling it on the Open Market for big profits.” The Indian external affairs ministry responded by describing “the targeting of India” as “unjustified and unreasonable.” Elisabeth Buchwald and Michael Rios report for CNN.
U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
Texas House Republicans yesterday voted to issue civil arrest warrants for dozens of Democratic lawmakers who fled the state in an attempt to block a GOP redistricting attempt by breaking the quorum. The Democrats, presently located in suburban Chicago and beyond the jurisdiction of Texas authorities, said they were undeterred by the move. Patrick Marley, Yvonne Wingett Sanchez, and Molly Hennessy-Fiske report for the Washington Post.
The Wall Street Journal’s Editorial Board yesterday expressed concerns about the frequency of politicians’ attempts to redistrict seats, opining that “if Texas and others have another go now, the new norm might be to re-gerrymander all the time.”
U.S. IMMIGRATION DEVELOPMENTS
The Trump administration will require some foreign visitors to pay bonds of up to $15,000 to help ensure they do not overstay their visas under a new State Department trial measure announced yesterday. The trial will apply to foreigners seeking to enter the United States on tourist or business visas from countries with high visa overstay rates, with foreigners forfeiting their bond if they fail to leave before their visa expiry date. It is not yet clear which countries would be subject to the program. Michael Crowley reports for the New York Times.
Rwanda has agreed to accept up to 250 migrant deportees from the United States, according to a Rwandan government spokesperson. A Rwandan official said that Kigali expects to receive the first 10 deportees soon and will accept deportees in small groups, with the United States providing funds to support those efforts. Felicia Schwartz reports for POLITICO.
The Homeland Security Department’s U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services yesterday issued guidance intended to bar trans women from obtaining “extraordinary ability” visas to compete in female sports events in the United States. A USCIS spokesperson said the agency is “closing the loophole for foreign male athletes whose only chance at winning elite sports is to change their gender identity.” Jo Yurcaba reports for NBC News.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS
Attorney General Pam Bondi has ordered a grand jury probe into allegations that Obama administration officials violated federal laws with respect to the investigation of Russia’s involvement in the 2016 election, a source says. The Justice Department did not comment on whether prosecutors had settled on specific individuals or on crimes they believe occurred. Jeremy Roebuck, Perry Stein, and Gaya Gupta report for the Washington Post.
The White House is preparing an executive order that threatens to fine lenders that purportedly drop customers for political reasons, stepping up pressure on big banks over perceived discrimination against conservatives and crypto companies, according to a draft of the executive order viewed by the Wall Street Journal. Dylan Tokar and Alexander Saeedy report.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s acting chief of staff, Ricky Buria, tried and failed to oust Matthew McNitt, a senior White House liaison assigned to the Defense Department, sources say. Buria’s attempt to push McNitt out coincided with the White House’s refusal to let Buria serve as chief of staff on a permanent basis and was effectively blocked by White House officials, the sources add. It is unclear whether Hegseth supported, or was aware of, Buria’s actions. Dan Lamothe reports for the Washington Post.
The Homeland Security Department appears to have updated a policy document that linked the grant of FEMA disaster grants to states and cities to “limiting commercial relations specifically with Israeli companies,” according to an August notice outlining the terms and conditions of FEMA assistance. A DHS spokesperson said that “FEMA grants remain governed by existing law and policy and not political litmus tests” and denied that any requirements tied to Israel were present in the grant conditions. April Rubin reports for Axios; Maxine Joselow reports for the New York Times.
The Trump administration has asked NASA to create plans to end at least two major satellite missions that collect data on carbon dioxide and plant growth around the globe, a move that would destroy one of the satellites, according to current and former NASA staffers. It is unclear why the Trump administration seeks to end the missions. Rebecca Hersher reports for NPR.
Transportation Secretary and interim NASA administrator Sean Duffy will announce a directive to expedite plans to build a nuclear reactor on the moon this week, according to documents obtained by POLITICO. Duffy will also issue a directive to more quickly replace the aging International Space Station. Sam Skove report for POLITICO.
The Justice Department has requested copies of voter registration lists from state election administrators in at least 15 states, according to an AP News tally. In Colorado, the DOJ also demanded “all records” relating to the 2024 election and any records retained from the 2020 election. Ali Swenson and Gary Fields report.
The Trump administration will restore and reinstall the Washington D.C. statue of Albert Pike, a Confederate diplomat and general, which was toppled by demonstrators during the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020, the National Park Service announced yesterday. Pike worked closely with Native Americans from slave-owning tribes that sided with the Confederacy during the Civil War and fought to protect slavery as an institution. Chris Cameron reports for the New York Times.
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ICYMI: yesterday on Just Security
The Freedom of Information Act and Deteriorating Federal Transparency Infrastructure
By Amanda Teuscher
