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:
U.S. POLITICAL VIOLENCE
An unknown gunman yesterday shot and killed conservative activist Charlie Kirk during an event at Utah Valley University. Kirk was a co-founder of Turning Point USA, a conservative organization, and a long-standing ally of President Trump. At the time of publication, the search for the person who carried out the attack was ongoing, according to a Utah Department of Public Safety spokesperson. Dareh Gregorian, Vaughn Hillyard, and Corky Siemaszko report for NBC News; Tali Arbel reports for the Wall Street Journal.
In a video address, Trump yesterday expressed “grief and anger” about Kirk’s killing and blamed rhetoric from the “radical left” as being “directly responsible for the terrorism that we’re seeing in our country today.” He also vowed to find “those who contributed to this atrocity and to other political violence, including the organizations that fund it and support it.” According to the White House’s website, Trump has ordered that the flags of the United States be flown at half-mast in all U.S public buildings and grounds until Sep. 14. Betsy Klein reports for CNN; Tyler Pager reports for the New York Times.
U.S. FOREIGN DEVELOPMENTS
The Venezuelan boat destroyed by a U.S. military strike last week appeared to have turned around before the attack, likely because the people on board noticed a military aircraft stalking it, U.S. officials say. According to the officials, the U.S. forces “repeatedly hit the vessel before it sank.” Legal experts say the disclosure further undercuts the administration’s claim that the strike was lawful self-defense. Charlie Savage and Helene Cooper report for the New York Times.
[Editor’s Note: Readers may be interested in expert commentary published by Just Security referenced in the New York Times’ coverage. Marty Lederman’s The Many Ways in Which the September 2 Caribbean Strike was Unlawful … and the Grave Line the Military Has Crossed, Just Security, September 10, 2025; and Tess Bridgeman, Brian Finucane, and Rebecca Ingber’s The Just Security Podcast: Murder on the High Seas? What You Need to Know about the U.S. Strike on the Caribbean Vessel, Just Security, September 9, 2025. Readers may also be interested in Michael Schmitt’s Striking Drug Cartels under the Jus ad Bellum and Law of Armed Conflict, Just Security, September 10, 2025.]
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer today dismissed the U.K. Ambassador to the U.S., Peter Mandelson, over what the U.K. Foreign Office said was new information concerning “the depth and extent” of Mandelson’s past relationship with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. BBC News reports.
South Korean companies will hesitate to invest in the United States unless the U.S. visa system is improved, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said today, pointing to the Sept. 4 immigration raid on a Hyundai-LG construction site in Georgia. Kim Tong-Hyung and Hyung-Jin Kim report for AP News.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — U.S. AND REGIONAL RESPONSE
Trump on Tuesday told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel’s strike on Hamas political leaders in Qatar was “not wise,” according to senior U.S. administration officials. During a heated phone call, Trump told Netanyahu that he was angry to learn about the strike on a U.S. ally mediating the Gaza ceasefire negotiation while the attack was already underway, and to learn about it from the U.S. military rather than Israel. According to the officials, Netanyahu told Trump that “he had a brief window to launch the strikes and took the opportunity.” A later call between the two men was more cordial, the sources added. Alexander Ward and Josh Dawsey report for the Wall Street Journal.
Israel’s strike on Hamas leaders in Doha “killed any hope” for the Israeli hostages remaining in Gaza, Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani told CNN yesterday. Al-Thani described the attack as a “barbaric action” and indicated that Qatar is “reassessing everything” about future ceasefire talks and Israel’s commitment to the peace process. Asked about the whereabouts of Hamas’ chief negotiator Khalil Al-Hayya, Al-Thani said that “until now … there is no official declaration.” Hamas has claimed that Israel failed to kill any of its negotiators. Max Saltman, Caitlin Danaher, Mitchell McCluskey, and Mostafa Salem report.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
If Hamas leaders survived the Doha strike, Israel will succeed in killing them in the future, the Israeli ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, said yesterday. In a speech at the U.S. Capitol complex, Leiter also accused Qatar of “financing and supporting terrorism by playing host to Hamas.” Maayan Lubell, Alexander Cornwell, and Patricia Zengerle report for Reuters.
HOUTHI DEVELOPMENTS
Israel yesterday launched a round of airstrikes at Yemen, killing at least 35 people and wounding more than 130 others, according to a tally by the Houthi-run health ministry. The ministry said that most of those killed were in Sanaa, Yemen’s capital. Wafaa Shurafa, Samy Magdy, and Lorne Cook report for AP News.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR — U.S. AND INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
Trump yesterday offered an ambiguous response to Russian drones’ incursion into Polish airspace, saying, “What’s with Russia violating Poland’s airspace with drones? Here we go!” Polish President Karol Nawrocki said that he spoke with Trump yesterday, and their conversation “confirmed allied unity.” Separately, the U.S. Ambassador to NATO, Matthew Whitaker, said that the United States stands by its NATO allies “and will defend every inch of NATO territory.” Aamer Madhani reports for AP News; Elena Giordano reports for POLITICO.
On Poland’s request, the U.N. Security Council will hold an emergency meeting to discuss Russian drones’ incursion into Polish airspace, the Polish Foreign Ministry said today. Reuters reports.
OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
The Nepalese army is in talks with “Gen Z” protesters to pick an interim leader for the nation, an army spokesperson said. According to a source, former Chief Justice Sushila Karki is a front-runner for the post, with efforts currently being made to find a constitutional mechanism to appoint her. Gopal Sharma and Sarita Chaganti Singh report for Reuters.
Iran’s foreign minister yesterday said that the deal between Tehran and the International Atomic Energy Agency announced on Tuesday does not guarantee inspectors’ access to Iranian nuclear sites, and Tehran wants to hold further talks on how the inspections are to be carried out. Reuters reports.
TECH DEVELOPMENTS
OpenAI will purchase $300 billion in computing power from Oracle over the span of roughly five years, sources say. The OpenAI-Oracle agreement, set to start in 2027, is one of the largest cloud contracts ever signed. Berber Jin reports for the Wall Street Journal.
The Transportation Department’s Federal Highway Administration late last month advised that solar-powered highway infrastructure should be scanned for the presence of foreign technology hidden inside batteries and inverters, according to a security note reviewed by Reuters. The note says that undocumented radios had been discovered “in certain foreign-manufactured power inverters and [battery management systems],” without specifying the origin of the components. Jana Winter and Raphael Satter report.
Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-TX) yesterday released the text of a bill that would direct the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy to establish a “regulatory sandbox” that would give “AI developers space to test and launch new AI technologies without being held back by outdated or inflexible federal rules.”
U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
In a 231-196 vote, the House yesterday passed a $892.6 billion defense policy bill that claws back Congress’ war authorizations, a pair of decades-old authorizations for the use of military force in Iraq in 1991 and 2003. The bill also contains provisions banning gender-affirming care for members of the military and rejecting protections for service members’ abortion access. Robert Jimison reports for the New York Times.
The Senate Banking Committee yesterday voted to advance Stephen Miran’s Federal Reserve Board candidacy. Jasper Goodman reports for POLITICO.
U.S. IMMIGRATION DEVELOPMENTS
More than 300 South Koreans detained during last week’s immigration raid on a construction site of a Hyundai-LG battery plant in Georgia have been released today, and are expected to shortly board a plane back to South Korea. According to a South Korean official, Trump temporarily paused the workers’ repatriation to hear Seoul’s position on whether they should stay in the United States and continue working and training U.S. workers, a proposal that Seoul did not accede to. Jiyoung Sohn and Dasl Yoon report for the Wall Street Journal.
The Justice Department yesterday backed off its representations that the returns of hundreds of Guatemalan children who U.S. immigration officials attempted to send to the country last month were requested by the minors’ parents. During a court hearing earlier this month, senior DOJ attorney Drew Ensign claimed that “all of these children have parents or guardians in Guatemala who have requested their return.” Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein report for POLITICO.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS
Education Secretary Linda McMahon yesterday announced she is halting $350 million in federal funding for programs aimed at supporting Black, Native, Hispanic, and Asian American students across the country, alleging that the programs were discriminatory. Danielle Douglas-Gabriel and Dan Rosenzweig-Ziff report for the Washington Post.
The Land Management Bureau yesterday proposed to repeal a Biden-era rule that, according to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, “the potential to block … energy and mineral production, timber management, grazing and recreation across the West.” Maxine Joselow reports for the New York Times.
Harvard University yesterday said that it had “begun to receive notices of reinstatements on many of the previously terminated federal awards from a range of federal agencies,” though the award payments have not been made yet. A judge last week ruled the Trump administration could not continue to withhold the money from the school. Lexi Lonas Cochran reports for the Hill.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION
Shira Perlmutter can, for now, continue serving as the register of copyrights of the U.S. Copyright Office, a federal appeals court ruled yesterday. The majority of the court held that Trump likely did not have the authority to fire Perlmutter, as she “leads an agency that is housed in the Legislative Branch and her primary role is to advise Congress” and does not exercise significant executive power in her post. Josh Gerstein reports for POLITICO; Michael Kunzelman reports for AP News.
The White House has issued political loyalty tests at the FBI and directly ordered the firings of agents targeted by Trump and his allies, exerting an unprecedented level of influence over decisions at the Bureau, three former FBI agents allege in a lawsuit filed yesterday. The lawsuit accuses FBI Director Kash Patel of dismissing the agents as part of “a campaign of retribution” for their “failure to demonstrate sufficient political loyalty.” Alan Feuer and Glenn Thrush report for the New York Times.
The American Oversight nonpartisan watchdog group yesterday sued the Homeland Security Department over the department’s alleged failure to respond to three FOIA requests concerning Corey Lewandowski’s work at the agency. Lewandowski is a special government employee serving as a senior adviser to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Brittany Gibson reports for Axios.
The Trump administration yesterday filed notice of intention to appeal a judicial order permitting Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook to continue in her post as she challenges Trump’s attempt to fire her. Ben Berkowitz reports for Axios.
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
How the United States Is Undoing the Post-9/11 Security Architecture That Has Kept It Safe
By Donell Harvin
The Just Security Podcast: Sen. Elissa Slotkin on a New Vision for American National Security
By Elissa Slotkin, Tess Bridgeman, and Ryan Goodman
