Early Edition: August 26, 2025

Signup to receive the Early Edition in your inbox here.

A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the last 24 hours. Here’s today’s news:

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR

Commenting on an Israeli strike that killed at least 5 journalists and 15 other people at a Gaza hospital, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday said that “Israel deeply regrets the tragic mishap that occurred.” The IDF said that it had ordered an inquiry into the “double tap” strike, while the chief spokesperson for the Israeli military said that “reporting from an active war zone carries immense risk.” Isabel Kershner, Aaron Boxerman, and Ameera Harouda report for the New York Times; Reuters reports.

The Executive Editor of the Associated Press, Julia Pace, and Reuters’ Editor-in-Chief Alessandra Galloni yesterday wrote to Netanyahu and IDF leaders “to demand a clear explanation” for Israel’s killing of five journalists in a hospital strike, adding that they are “outraged that independent journalists were among the victims of this strike on the hospital, a location that is protected under international law” and that the IDF’s actions raise “serious questions, including whether Israel is deliberately targeting live feeds in order to suppress information.”

75 people died in Gaza in the last 24 hours, the Hamas-run health ministry said today, adding that 370 injured people have arrived at hospitals across the territory in that timeframe. BBC News reports.

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — U.S. AND INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE

President Trump yesterday claimed that the war in Gaza will have a “pretty good, conclusive” ending “within the next two to three weeks,” adding that he “deals with” Netanyahu “quite a bit” and has told him the war needs to end soon. He did not provide further specifics. Elise Hammond reports for CNN.

Germany will not join an initiative by France and Canada to recognise a Palestinian state at next month’s U.N. General Assembly, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said yesterday, stating that Germany does not “see the requirements met.” BBC News reports.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR — U.S. AND INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE

Officials are working “very, very hard” to end the Russia-Ukraine war, U.S. Special Envoy to Ukraine Keith Kellogg said during a Kyiv visit yesterday, adding that the officials are “hoping to get to a position where, in the near term, we have, with a lack of a better term, security guarantees.” Illia Novikov reports for AP News.

OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS 

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese today accused Iran of directing two arson attacks on a Jewish business and a synagogue in Australia last year. Canberra is severing diplomatic ties with Tehran and expelling its diplomats over the “extraordinary and dangerous acts of aggression” that constituted “attempts to undermine social cohesion and sow discord” in the Australian community, Albanese said. Victoria Kim and Damien Cave report for the New York Times; Kirsty Needham reports for Reuters.

Senior officials from Iran, France, the United Kingdom, and Germany are scheduled to meet in Geneva today to discuss the Western countries’ demand that Tehran revives nuclear inspections and diplomacy or face the reimposition of “snapback” sanctions under a U.N. Security Council mechanism. Emma Farge, John Irish, and Parisa Hafezi report for Reuters.

Israeli forces could begin withdrawing from southern Lebanon if Lebanon takes the necessary steps to disarm Hezbollah, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday. Lebanon’s Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri responded by stating that Israel has an obligation to comply with the ceasefire agreement, “which has not yet happened.” AP News reports.

U.S. FOREIGN DEVELOPMENTS 

U.S. and Russian government officials discussed several energy deals on the sidelines of U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff’s trip to Moscow and the Trump-Putin Alaska summit earlier this month, sources say. The deals were put forward as potential incentives to encourage Russia to agree to peace in Ukraine and for the United States to ease its sanctions on Moscow, the sources add. Anna Hirtenstein and Marwa Rashad report for Reuters.

The Trump administration is considering imposing sanctions on the EU or EU officials responsible for implementing the bloc’s landmark Digital Services Act in connection with complaints that the law imposes costs on U.S. tech companies and censors speech, sources suggest. The sources added that the sanctions would likely take the form of visa restrictions, and senior State Department officials have yet to make a final decision on whether to impose them. Humeyra Pamuk reports for Reuters.

Trump yesterday also said that he would increase tariffs and impose export restrictions on countries that tax or regulate U.S. tech firms. Gavin Bade and Amrith Ramkumar report for the Wall Street Journal.

The top aide to Beijing’s lead trade negotiator will meet with the deputies of U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Treasury Department officials in Washington later this week, according to sources. The dialogue, aiming at restoring regular U.S.-China communication during the ongoing trade truce, will be the first to take place in the U.S. capital. Lingling Wei reports for the Wall Street Journal.

While meeting reporters alongside South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, Trump yesterday repeatedly stressed his positive relationship with the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, at one point offering to arrange a meeting between Kim and Lee. North Korea weeks ago summarily rejected a series of Lee’s efforts to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula. Maggie Haberman reports for the New York Times

The top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) yesterday met with Syria’s transitional president, Ahmed al-Shara, and other top officials in Damascus. Shaheen and Wilson’s visit is the first official U.S. Congress delegation to enter the country in years. During their trip, the lawmakers pressed for permanent repeal of U.S. sanctions. Robert Jimison reports for the New York Times.

TECH DEVELOPMENTS 

Trump yesterday signaled that he is open to pursuing investments in major companies, stating that he hopes he will have “many more cases” similar to the United States’ recent acquisition of a 10% stake in chipmaker Intel. Tony Romm and Ana Swanson report for the New York Times.

Elon Musk’s AI firm xAI yesterday filed a lawsuit accusing Apple and OpenAI of anticompetitive practices and alleging Apple is manipulating App Store rankings to give preferential treatment to OpenAI. An OpenAI spokesperson said the lawsuit was “consistent with Mr. Musk’s ongoing pattern of harassment.” Kate Conger reports for the New York Times.

The Defense Department hopes to use AI and machine learning to match China’s reported information warfare capabilities and to create and distribute propaganda overseas with a view to “suppress dissenting arguments” and “influence foreign target audiences,” according to a U.S. Special Operations Command document seen by the Intercept. Sam Biddle reports.

Silicon Valley firms are investing over $100 million in political action committees and organizations to advocate against strict AI regulations ahead of next year’s midterm elections, the Wall Street Journal reports. The advocacy network hopes to emulate Fairshake, a cryptocurrency-focused super-PAC network. Amrith Ramkumar and Brian Schwartz report.

FEDERALIZATION OF D.C. POLICING

Trump yesterday signed an executive order formalizing a specialized unit of the DC National Guard that is deputized “to enforce federal law” in the District, directing the Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to ensure that each state’s National Guard is prepared to respond to civil disturbances, and creating “a standing National Guard quick reaction force … for rapid nationwide deployment.” Dan Lamothe reports for the Washington Post.

Illinois “is ready to stand against” Trump’s threatened deployment of military to Chicago “with every peaceful tool we have,” Gov. JB Pritzker (D) told reporters yesterday, stating that Illinois would “see the Trump administration in court.” Joe Barrett, Vera Bergengruen, and John McCormick report for the Wall Street Journal.

U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS 

Federal prosecutors yesterday filed a misdemeanor case against a woman accused of assaulting an FBI agent during an immigration protest last month after three grand juries refused to indict her with a felony. It is highly unusual for prosecutors to fail to obtain an indictment from a grand jury. Alan Feuer and Minho Kim report for the New York Times.

House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-KY) yesterday subpoenaed Jeffrey Epstein’s estate, requesting Epstein’s attorneys to produce material including “any document or record that could be reasonably construed to be a potential list of clients involved in sex, sex acts or sex trafficking” as well as the “birthday book” compiled by Epstein’s former partner Ghislaine Maxwell that reportedly includes a collection of messages from Epstein’s high-profile friends. Kadia Goba reports for the Washington Post.

Sinaloa Cartel patriarch Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada yesterday pleaded guilty to two counts of drug trafficking in a Brooklyn federal court. Zambada’s kidnapping and transfer to the United States last year sparked a civil war among drug bosses. José de Córdoba reports for the Wall Street Journal.

Backed by China, New York City’s “hometown association” social clubs have quietly influenced city elections by foiling the careers of several politicians who opposed the Chinese government while backing those who supported the Chinese Communist Party’s policies, a New York Times investigation found. Michael Forsythe, Jay Root, Bianca Pallaro, and David A. Fahrenthold report.

U.S. IMMIGRATION DEVELOPMENTS 

The Trump administration cannot, for now, deport Kilmar Ábrego García to Uganda, a judge ruled yesterday. ICE agents yesterday detained Ábrego García during an immigration check-in that was part of the conditions of his release Friday from federal custody. The judge held that Ábrego García must remain in the United States at least until she holds an evidentiary hearing on his challenge to deportation. Gary Grumbach, Marlene Lenthang, and Rebecca Cohen report for NBC News.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS

In a letter published on social media, Trump yesterday said he is firing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook. Trump claimed that the Justice Department’s probe into whether Cook lied on mortgage applications amounted to “sufficient cause” to give him the power to remove her from the Federal Reserve board. In a statement, Cook told POLITICO that she would not resign, arguing “no cause exists under the law” for Trump to remove her. Aaron Pellish, Kyle Cheney, and Sam Sutton report. 

The Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit head Doug Beck resigned yesterday, according to sources. Beck, a former Apple vice president who led the Defense Department’s tech incubator, was the last high-profile Biden administration holdover at the DOD. He reportedly did not provide a reason for his departure. Daniel Lippman, Felicia Schwartz, and Jack Detsch report for POLITICO.

More than 180 FEMA employees yesterday warned members of Congress that the agency’s direction and current leaders’ inexperience harm FEMA’s disaster prevention and management readiness. The employees’ letter warns that the Trump administration’s actions are sending the agency back to where it was before Hurricane Katrina, one of the worst disasters in U.S. history that prompted Congress to give FEMA more power and responsibility. Brianna Sacks reports for the Washington Post

Late on Sunday, Trump suggested that the Federal Communications Commission should revoke ABC and NBC News’ broadcast licenses for how they cover Republicans and conservative politicians or make them pay “big” for broadcasting. Earlier in the day, the networks’ programming included criticism of the FBI’s search of the home of Trump’s former national security adviser John Bolton. David Folkenflik reports for NPR.

Trump yesterday signed an executive order threatening to cut federal funding from jurisdictions that allow defendants not to post a cash bail when they face lesser charges. Luke Broadwater reports for the New York Times.

Trump yesterday told reporters he could soon move to rename the Department of Defense as the Department of War. Brett Samuels reports for the Hill.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION

Senior Advisor for the U.S. Agency for Global Media Kari Lake is “on the face of it, on the verge of contempt” for seemingly disobeying a court order to restore programming at Voice of America, a federal judge said yesterday. The judge ordered Lake and two other Trump officials to undergo depositions, adding that “if it comes to that, then we’ll go through a contempt trial.” Minho Kim reports for the New York Times.

A federal judge yesterday declined to block the Trump administration from halting Medicaid funding for one of Maine’s largest abortion providers, holding that do so would override “the will of the people as expressed by Congress” and it would be “a special kind of judicial hubris to declare that the public interest has been undermined by the public.” Zach Montague reports for the New York Times.

The Trump administration is seeking to dismiss the lawsuit brought by Enrique Tarrio and other Proud Boys leaders in connection with their Jan. 6 prosecutions, according to yesterday’s court filing in which the DOJ argued that there is no evidence that the evidence used in the prosecutions was fabricated or knowingly false. POLITICO’s Kyle Cheney reports.

Did you miss this? Stay up-to-date with our Litigation Tracker: Legal Challenges to Trump Administration Actions

If you enjoy listening, Just Security’s analytic articles are also available in audio form on the justsecurity.org website.

ICYMI: yesterday on Just Security

A Security Guarantee for Ukraine? Look to the Taiwan Relations Act

By Philip Gordon

What the Erosion of the International System Means for Afghanistan

By Ambassador Nasir A. Andisha and Hamid A. Formuli

Unlocking Justice: A Policy Roadmap for Victims of Spyware

By Nadine Farid Johnson

Filed Under

Send A Letter To The Editor

DON'T MISS A THING. Stay up to date with Just Security curated newsletters: