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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments in the last 24 hours. Here’s today’s news:
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff had “some very good talks with Putin,” and while there was no “breakthrough,” “there’s a good chance that there will be a meeting very soon,” President Trump said yesterday after Witkoff’s Moscow meeting with the Russian president. Separately, Trump told European leaders that he wanted to meet with Putin potentially as early as next week, with the meeting followed by trilateral talks with the Russian leader and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. According to White House sources, Putin suggested a meeting with Trump to Witkoff. Anna Chernova, Svitlana Vlasova, Catherine Nicholls, Ivana Kottasová, Kylie Atwood, Kristen Holmes, and Kevin Liptak report for CNN.
Putin had provided Witkoff with “concrete examples” of conditions for Russia to agree to peace, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said yesterday. Earlier in the day, Trump said that there would be no ceasefire by the U.S. sanctions deadline he had set for Moscow. Matthew Luxmoore, Alexander Ward, and Alex Leary report for the Wall Street Journal.
Weapons Russia uses to target Ukraine contain “many components from western nations,” which suggests that Moscow is finding ways to circumvent sanctions, according to prosecutors in Ukraine’s Kharkiv who analyse remains of the Russian bombs, rockets, missiles, and drones. Jonathan Beale reports for BBC News.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — U.S. AND INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
Trump will not oppose Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to expand Israel’s military occupation of Gaza, according to U.S. and Israeli officials. The Israeli Security Cabinet is expected to approve Netanyahu’s controversial plan to expand the war later today. Barak Ravid reports for Axios.
According to assessments by the EU’s foreign policy and humanitarian arms, the humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to be very severe, an EU official told Reuters today. The official said that while there were some positive developments regarding fuel delivery, the reopening of some routes, and an upward trend in the number of daily trucks entering, “significant obstructive factors” such as the “lack of a safe operating environment” prevent the distribution of aid at scale.
Indonesia is working to convert a medical facility on its currently uninhabited island of Galang to treat about 2,000 Gazans wounded in the war, a presidential spokesperson said yesterday. The Gazans would return home after recovery, the spokesperson added. Reuters reports.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
Israeli airstrikes killed at least 25 people in Gaza yesterday, according to local hospitals in the territory. At least 38 Palestinians were also killed overnight into yesterday while seeking aid from U.N. convoys and the Israel- and U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), local health officials said. The Israeli military said it had fired warning shots when crowds approached its forces and that it was not aware of any casualties. Wafaa Shurafa, Fatma Khaled, and Natalie Mezler report for AP News.
Israel used U.S. munitions to “illegally and indiscriminately” attack school shelters in Gaza, the Human Rights Watch alleged in a report published today. The report suggests that there were no military targets at two schools Israel targeted in mid-2024, based on a review of satellite imagery, photos, and videos of the attacks and their aftermath. Sana Noor Haq reports for CNN.
The GHF will soon “scale up” its operations, Mike Huckabee, the United States ambassador to Israel, said yesterday. According to Huckabee, the “immediate plan is to scale up the number of sites up to 16 and begin to operate them as much as 24 hours a day.” Ephrat Livni reports for the New York Times.
OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
Iran yesterday executed one of its nuclear scientists over allegations that he spied for Israel and had facilitated Israel’s assassination of another nuclear scientist during the Israel-Iran war in June, according to the Iranian judiciary’s news outlet, Mizan. Farnaz Fassihi reports for the New York Times.
Hezbollah yesterday said that it would disregard a decision by Lebanon’s government to task the army with establishing a state monopoly on arms. The group has to date refused to give up its arsenal, despite calls from the United States and domestic rivals. Ben Hatton reports for BBC News.
Afghanistan’s Taliban have “weaponized” the legal and judicial system to oppress women and girls, with their actions mounting to crimes against humanity, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, Richard Bennett said in a report to the U.N. General Assembly circulated yesterday. Edith M. Lederer reports for AP News.
U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS — TARIFFS
The United States will impose 50% tariffs on India starting this month as punishment for New Delhi’s continued purchases of Russian oil under an executive order signed by Trump yesterday. Trump also threatened to impose “a lot more” penalties on other countries that buy Russian energy, directing administration officials to “determine whether any other country is directly or indirectly importing [Russian] oil.” Responding to the new tariff rate, which doubles the previously announced level, the Indian foreign ministry reiterated that its motives for importing oil from Russia were tied to the energy needs of its population. Tony Romm reports for the New York Times; Kevin Liptak, Rhea Mogul, Nectar Gan report for CNN.
Brazil has requested World Trade Organization consultations over tariffs imposed by the United States, Brazil’s foreign ministry said in a statement that accused the United States of “flagrantly” violating WTO commitments, including the most favored nation and WTO tariff ceilings. Separately, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva yesterday described Trump’s actions as an “unacceptable” intervention in Brazil’s sovereignty and said that he thinks former President Jair Bolsonaro should face legal proceedings for “inciting the United States against Brazil.” Mauricio Savarese reports for AP News; Brad Haynes and Lisandra Paraguassu report for Reuters.
Trump yesterday announced he plans to impose a 100% tariff on imported chips and semiconductors used in consumer electronics and other products, with a carveout for companies that commit to making chips in the United States. Doug Palmer reports for POLITICO.
The U.S. tariffs on more than 90 countries announced by Trump over the past few months came into effect at midnight today. Tony Romm reports for the New York Times.
U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS
The Trump administration is set to dramatically scale back U.S. government criticism of El Salvador, Israel, and Russia, according to the leaked drafts of the State Department’s long-delayed annual human rights reports. The leaked country reports do not contain any references to LGBTQ+ individuals or crimes against them, and soften the language describing government abuses. Adam Taylor, Hannah Natanson, and John Hudson report for the Washington Post.
The State Department has instructed U.S. diplomats in Europe to launch a lobbying campaign against the EU Digital Services Act, according to an internal diplomatic cable signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio seen by Reuters. The cable accuses the EU of pursuing “undue” restrictions on freedom of expression through the DSA’s efforts to combat hateful speech and disinformation. Humeyra Pamuk reports.
Late last month, the United States wrote to at least a handful of countries urging them to reject the goal of a U.N. plastic treaty that seeks to tackle the upstream causes of plastic pollution, according to a memo and communications seen by Reuters. The U.S. red lines contained in the memo place Washington in direct opposition to over 100 countries that have supported measures such as restrictions on plastic production and plastic chemical additives. Olivia Le Poidevin and Valerie Volcovici report.
U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
A series of cyber intrusions into the electronic case filing system used by the U.S. federal judiciary is believed to have exposed sensitive court data across multiple U.S. states, sources say. Officials fear that the hack, the full extent of which is yet to be determined, compromised the identities of confidential informants involved in criminal cases at multiple federal district courts, the sources added. While the identity of the perpetrators has not been confirmed, nation-state-affiliated actors are widely suspected. John Sakellariadis and Josh Gerstein report for POLITICO.
U.S. authorities yesterday arrested a U.S. Army member and charged him with attempting to send sensitive information about U.S. battle tanks to Russia, the Justice Department announced. According to federal prosecutors, the active-duty service member with a top secret/sensitive compartmented information (TS/SCI) clearance offered assistance to Russia and sent technical information about the M1A2 Abrams tank. Piper Hudspeth Blackburn reports for CNN.
Justice Department prosecutors have indicted the man accused of fatally shooting two Israeli diplomatic staffers outside a Jewish museum in Washington, D.C., on federal hate crime and murder charges, according to court documents unsealed yesterday. Alanna Durkin Richer reports for AP News.
Local police authorities yesterday evacuated the Texas Democrats and other hotel guests staying in a Chicago suburb convention complex after their hotel received a bomb threat, the Texas Democratic Caucus leadership said in a statement, adding that the lawmakers are “safe, secure, and undeterred.” Shia Kapos reports for POLITICO.
TECH DEVELOPMENTS
Apple yesterday announced it has committed to investing $100 billion in U.S. manufacturing. Trump previously threatened to impose a 25% tariff on iPhones if Apple does not move their production to the United States. The announcement brings Apple’s total planned investment in the United States to $600 billion. Nathan Bomey reports for Axios.
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) yesterday sent a letter to Intel chairperson Frank Yeary expressing “concern about the security and integrity of Intel’s operations and its potential impact on U.S. national security,” pointing to the chipmaker’s new CEO Lip-Bu Tan’s links to Chinese firms and a recent criminal case. An Intel spokesperson said that the company would address the matters raised by Cotton and that “Intel and Mr. Tan are deeply committed to the national security of the United States.” Max A. Cherney reports for Reuters.
The Chinese government is using companies with AI expertise to monitor and manipulate public opinion, according to current and former U.S. officials and documents obtained by Vanderbilt University’s Institute of National Security. Internal documents from one of the companies show it has collected data on several prominent U.S. citizens, including members of Congress, and undertaken influence campaigns in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Julian E. Barnes reports for the New York Times.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS
With Trump’s consent, National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard overrode concerns from the CIA and other intelligence agencies when releasing a minimally redacted version of a highly classified report on Russia’s interference in the 2016 election, according to several sources. The intelligence agents were concerned that more of the document should remain classified to protect CIA human sources reporting on Putin’s plans and their methods, the sources say. Warren P. Strobel reports for the Washington Post.
The Justice Department has asked a federal judge to impose “substantial monetary sanctions” on a California attorney who argued that his client, an immigrant from Laos who pleaded guilty to attempted murder in the 1990s, might be unlawfully ensnared in the Trump administration’s aggressive effort to expel foreigners under the Alien Enemies Act. Legal experts describe the sanctions motion as highly unusual. In March, Trump signed a memorandum instructing Attorney General Pam Bondi “to seek sanctions against attorneys and law firms who engage in frivolous, unreasonable, and vexatious litigation against the United States.” Josh Gerstein reports for POLITICO.
The Trump administration is moving forward with its plan to end collective bargaining with federal employees’ unions, with the Veterans Affairs Department yesterday announcing it had moved to strip labor protections for more than 400,000 of its workers. The administration previously told a court that it would not end the agreements until a court dispute challenging the plan was resolved. Chris Cameron reports for the New York Times.
The Trump administration is drawing up plans to increase the federal law enforcement presence in Washington, D.C., with ICE, FBI, National Guard, and local DHS agents set to be part of the deployment. A senior White House official said that the move was a follow-up on Trump’s executive order concerning D.C. and only in part related to last weekend’s assault on a well-known DOGE staffer. Kristen Holmes and Holmes Lybrand report for CNN.
The Trump administration has frozen $584 million in federal research funds for UCLA, the school said in the first official tally of the cuts threatened by the federal government. The DOJ last week announced it was investigating whether the school violated civil rights laws by failing to protect Jewish students and faculty from antisemitism. Nicole Norman reports for POLITICO.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION
The Trump administration’s mass cancellation of National Endowment for the Humanities grants to humanities councils is likely unconstitutional, a federal judge ruled yesterday while issuing a preliminary injunction halting the budget cuts. In his opinion, the judge stated that the administration’s conduct reflects a “deliberate decision to flout Congressional command and refuse to spend appropriated funds.” Gary Fields reports for AP News.
Stanford University’s student-run newspaper and two noncitizen former college students yesterday filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration’s use of federal immigration law to target and deport pro-Palestinian activists, arguing the government’s actions infringed students’ First Amendment rights. Devan Cole reports for CNN.
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ICYMI: yesterday on Just Security
Big Budget Act Creates a ‘Deportation Industrial Complex’ That Will be Hard to Dismantle
By Margy O’Herron
