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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the last 24 hours. Here’s today’s news:
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS
The White House has fired the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director, Susan Monarez, a spokesperson confirmed yesterday, stating that she was “not aligned with the President’s agenda.” Prior to the White House’s announcement, Monarez’s lawyers said that she was being targeted for refusing to “rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives and fire dedicated health experts.” A Health and Human Services Department official said that Monarez was called into a meeting on Monday with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and a top aide, Stefanie Spear, who pressured her to resign and fire several senior CDC staff. Sophie Gardner, David Lim, and Megan Messerly report for POLITICO; Nadine Yousif reports for BBC News.
Multiple top CDC officials resigned shortly after Monarez’s ouster, citing recent vaccine policy changes and the “weaponizing of public health.” According to emails seen by the Hill, the officials who resigned include Chief Medical Officer Debra Houry, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases Director Demetre Daskalakis, and National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases Director Daniel Jernigan. NBC News reports that Jen Layden, the director of the Office of Public Health Data, Surveillance and Technology, has also resigned. HHS did not address the resignations. Joseph Choi and Nathaniel Weixel report; Erika Edwards and Berkeley Lovelace Jr. report.
Trump yesterday fired Robert Primus, a Democratic member of the Surface Transportation Board, a railroad regulator that is currently weighing a proposed merger between Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern. Primus told the Wall Street Journal he plans to continue fulfilling his duties and challenge the termination, which he described as “deeply troubling and legally invalid.” Esther Fung reports.
The investigation into Trump’s former national security adviser John Bolton began during the Biden administration, when U.S. intelligence officials collected information from an adversarial country’s spy service that appeared to show that Bolton had mishandled classified information, sources say. The information suggested that Bolton appeared to have sent emails with sensitive information to people close to him using an unclassified system during the first Trump administration, the sources add. It is not clear which country intercepted Bolton’s private emails. Devlin Barrett, Julian E. Barnes, Michael S. Schmidt, Glenn Thrush, and Maggie Haberman report for the New York Times.
The State Department’s Policy Planning Director, Michael Anton, is set to leave his role this fall, the department confirmed. According to a senior Trump administration official, Anton is expected to leave once the administration finishes drafting its national security strategy, of which he is a lead author. A Senate aide and another source suggested that Anton had already tried to quit this spring amid frustration with the Trump administration’s foreign policy processes. Felicia Schwartz, Daniel Lippman, and Jack Detsch report for POLITICO.
The Justice Department yesterday announced it is investigating the California Environmental Protection Agency over its policies on racial equity in hiring practices. Rachel Frazin reports for the Hill.
The U.S. Air Force will provide Jan. 6 rioter Ashli Babbitt with military funeral honors, according to a letter from Air Force Under Secretary Matthew Lohmeier published by the legal group representing Babbitt’s family. The Biden administration previously denied military honors for her funeral “due to the circumstances preceding her death.” Ella Lee reports for the Hill.
GABBARD’S SECURITY CLEARANCE REVOCATIONS
President Trump and National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard last week revoked the security clearance of one of the CIA’s top Russia experts, who was expecting an imminent move to Europe to take up an assignment approved by CIA Director John Ratcliffe, the agent’s former agency colleague says. The agent’s clearance was stripped as part of Gabbard’s summary revocation of clearances from many current and former U.S. intelligence officials. Former officials say the officer’s ousting sent shockwaves through the CIA workforce, and may contribute to the remaining officials being less willing to report intelligence that challenges the Trump administration’s views. Warren P. Strobel, Ellen Nakashima, Greg Miller and Karen DeYoung report for the Washington Post.
Gabbard also stripped the security clearance and publicly revealed the name of an undercover senior CIA officer during last week’s tranche of revocations, the Wall Street Journal reports. According to sources, Gabbard did not know the CIA officer had been working undercover. Other sources suggest that Gabbard’s office did not meaningfully consult with the CIA before releasing the list, and the CIA had no foreknowledge of Gabbard’s plan to publicly post the names of people whose clearances she revoked. Brett Forrest reports.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
A “massive” overnight Russian attack on the Ukrainian capital city Kyiv killed at least 15 people and wounded 48 others, according to the head of Kyiv City Military Administration, Tymur Tkachenko. The attack killed four children, and the casualty numbers are expected to rise, with rescue teams working to free people trapped underneath rubble, Tkachenko added. Russia’s defense ministry said it struck “military-industrial complex enterprises and military air bases in Ukraine.” Hanna Arhirova and Samya Kullab report for AP News; Laura Sharman, Svitlana Vlasova, Daria Tarasova-Markina, and Catherine Nicholls report for CNN.
Russia’s attack on Kyiv damaged the building of the EU mission to Ukraine, Ukraine’s foreign minister said. The offices of the British Council were also “severely damaged” in the attack, the Council said. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen today said that she confirmed no diplomats were hurt and was “outraged” by the strikes, while the bloc’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas said that Russia’s attack “shows a deliberate choice to escalate and mock the peace efforts.” BBC News reports.
IRAN
Britain, France, and Germany are planning to jointly notify the U.N. Security Council today that Iran is in “significant” violation of a 2015 nuclear agreement and that they are reinstating international sanctions on Iran, according to several European officials. The intention of the three countries, jointly known as E3, is reportedly to trigger the 30-day countdown to sanctions reimposition before Russia takes over the Security Council’s rotating chairmanship on October 1. Diplomats say the E3 hope that Tehran will provide nuclear programme commitments within 30 days that would justify deferring the sanctions threat. Karen DeYoung reports for the Washington Post; John Irish and Parisa Hafezi report for Reuters.
Iranian officials yesterday confirmed that International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors have supervised the changing of fuel at Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant for the first time since the country suspended cooperation with the nuclear watchdog last month. IAEA’s Director-General Rafael Grossi said that the agency is still discussing how to resume inspections, and has not yet been given access to the enrichment sites damaged by U.S. and Israeli strikes in June. Erika Solomon and Julian E. Barnes report for the New York Times; Michael R. Gordon and Laurence Norman report for the Wall Street Journal; Reuters reports.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
Israel’s foreign ministry yesterday asked the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) to retract its assessment finding famine in Gaza City and surrounding areas. In a message to the global hunger monitor, the ministry alleged the report is “deeply flawed, unprofessional, and gravely missing the standards expected from an international body” and threatened to urge the IPC’s donors to halt their funding if the report is not retracted. Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry yesterday said that 10 more people had died from hunger in the territory in the preceding day. Reuters reports.
Israel’s “double tap” strike on a Gaza hospital was in fact composed of three strikes, according to a new video obtained by CNN that the news outlet says shows that the “second” strike on the medical facility was in fact two near-simultaneous strikes. The strikes killed at least 22 people, including health workers, emergency response crews, and five journalists. According to CNN, the second and third strikes appear to have caused most of the deaths. Abeer Salman, Lauren Kent, Thomas Bordeaux, Gianluca Mezzofiore, and Sarah El Sirgany report.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — U.S. AND INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
All U.N. Security Council member states, except for the United States, yesterday issued a joint statement describing the famine in Gaza as a “man-made crisis” and calling for an immediate ceasefire accompanied by the release of all hostages and the resumption of aid deliveries. Acting U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Dorothy Shea questioned the credibility and integrity of the report finding famine to be present in Gaza during the Security Council meeting. Reuters reports.
Former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner presented Trump with ideas for a post-war plan for Gaza during a White House meeting yesterday, according to sources. Barak Ravid and Marc Caputo report for Axios.
TECH DEVELOPMENTS
China-backed Salt Typhoon hacking campaign has expanded into new industries and regions, reaching at least 200 U.S. organizations and 80 countries, according to an advisory jointly issued by the FBI and intelligence agencies from Finland, the Netherlands, Poland, the Czech Republic, and the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance. According to the joint advisory, three companies allegedly participated in the hack and provided services to multiple units in China’s People’s Liberation Army and the Ministry of State Security. Joseph Menn reports for the Washington Post.
Microsoft yesterday fired two of its employees over their participation in a sit-in protest against the company’s ties to Israel at the office of Microsoft’s president, a spokesperson said. Kanishka Singh reports for Reuters.
U.S. FOREIGN DEVELOPMENTS
“India can get 25 percent off [tariffs] tomorrow if it stops buying Russian oil and helping to feed the war machine,” White House trade adviser Peter Navarro told Bloomberg yesterday. Lauren Dezenski and Joe Mathieu report.
“The Danes need to calm down,” a White House official said in response to the Danish foreign minister’s decision to summon the top U.S. diplomat in the country over reports that U.S. citizens were conducting a covert influence campaign in Greenland. The official would not confirm whether such a campaign was underway. Paul Kirby reports for BBC News.
FEDERALIZATION OF D.C. POLICING
The Transportation Department will take control over Washington D.C.’s Union Station central train and bus hub, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced yesterday, framing the move as part of Trump’s crackdown on crime in the city. The department already owns Union Station, but its daily operations are managed by a local nonprofit. Karoun Demirjian reports for the Washington Post.
A grand jury on Tuesday refused to indict a former DOJ employee accused of throwing a sandwich at a federal law enforcement official in Washington, sources say. Federal prosecutors sought to charge the man with a felony count of assaulting, resisting or impeding a federal officer. Salvador Rizzo and Michael Laris report for the Washington Post.
U.S. IMMIGRATION DEVELOPMENTS
Kilmar Ábrego García has asked an immigration judge to grant him asylum in the United States, his lawyers said yesterday during a hearing on Ábrego García’s challenge to the Trump administration’s attempt to deport him for the second time. The federal judge overseeing Ábrego García’s deportation challenge yesterday ruled that the Trump administration cannot deport him at least until the evidentiary hearing in the case, scheduled for October 6. Alan Feuer reports for the New York Times; Devan Cole reports for CNN.
The Trump administration plans to limit how long foreign students can study at U.S. universities, the Homeland Security Department said yesterday. A DHS spokesperson stated that the rule change is aimed at correcting a system under which foreign students have “taken advantage of U.S. generosity” by becoming “forever students.” Rebecca Carballo reports for POLITICO.
ICE wants to use a U.S. Navy base north of Chicago as a launchpad for federal law enforcement activity, officials at the Great Lakes Naval Station acknowledged yesterday. The base would “provide facilities, infrastructure, and other logistical needs” if Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth approves the DHS request, the officials added. Dan Lamothe reports for the Washington Post.
U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
The U.N.-backed Net-Zero Banking Alliance yesterday said it was pausing its operations and setting up a vote on whether to continue as a membership-based alliance or operate as a framework initiative. Several U.S. and European banks left the organization in recent months amid political pressure from the Trump administration. Yusuf Khan reports for the Wall Street Journal.
The FBI is investigating a shooting at a Minneapolis Catholic school that left two children dead as an anti-Catholic hate crime, FBI Director Kash Patel said on social media. Tom Bateman and Ana Faguy report for BBC News.
OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend a military parade in Beijing next week alongside 26 other heads of state, Beijing announced. The event will be Kim’s first multilateral international meeting, and the first time a North Korean leader has attended a Chinese military parade since 1959. Lara Bicker and Jean Mackenzie report for BBC News.
The U.N. Security Council will today vote on whether to end the more than four-decade deployment of the U.N. peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon in December 2026, two diplomats said yesterday. It is not clear whether the United States, which has demanded an earlier termination but did not object to a French resolution aiming at the end of the year, will vote in favour or abstain, the diplomats added. Edith M. Lederer reports for AP News.
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