Early Edition: September 12, 2025

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

GLOBAL AFFAIRS

A panel of five Brazilian Supreme Court justices yesterday sentenced former President Jair Bolsonaro to 27 years and three months in prison after finding him guilty of leading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power following his 2022 election loss. They also barred Bolsonaro from running for public office until 2060. Four of the justices voted to convict Bolsonaro, while one voted to acquit him. Bolsonaro’s lawyers called the sentence “absurdly excessive” and indicated they are planning to file “appropriate appeals.” Bolsonaro is the first former president in Brazil’s history to be convicted for attacking democracy. Ione Wells and Vanessa Buschschlüter report for BBC News; Ricardo Brito, Luciana Novaes Magalhaes, and Manuela Andreoni report for Reuters.

The Rapid Support Forces paramilitary may have gained access to long-range “kamikaze” drones, designed to crash into their targets, according to satellite imagery and analyses conducted by the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab and verified by Reuters. The drones, which have a range exceeding that of any models the group was previously known to possess, would enable RSF to reach targets anywhere in Sudan. Nafisa Eltahir reports.

U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS

The United States will respond “accordingly” to former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s conviction, State Secretary Marco Rubio said yesterday. “The political persecutions by sanctioned human rights abuser Alexandre de Moraes continue, as he and others on Brazil’s supreme court have unjustly ruled to imprison … Bolsonaro,” Rubio said in a social media post. Brazil’s foreign ministry called Rubio’s comments a “threat that attacks Brazilian authority and ignores the facts and the compelling evidence in the records.” Jasper Ward and Andrea Shalal report for Reuters.

Belarus yesterday pardoned and freed 52 political prisoners in a deal brokered by the United States, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda announced in a post thanking Trump for his involvement in the process. A Trump administration official said that the United States would ease some of its sanctions on Belarus’ state-run airline in exchange, “based on the prisoner releases to date and constructive engagement.” Darya Tarasova, Lauren Kent, and Jennifer Hansler report for CNN.

Defense Department officials did not present conclusive evidence that the targets of a U.S. strike on a vessel in the Caribbean were members of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang while briefing congressional staff on Tuesday, according to Sen. Jack Reed (RI), the ranking Democrat of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and three others. Natasha Bertrand and Zachary Cohen report for CNN.

[Editor’s Note: Readers may be interested in 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 andMichael Schmitt’s Striking Drug Cartels under the Jus ad Bellum and Law of Armed Conflict, Just Security, September 10, 2025.]

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is scheduled to meet with China’s Vice-President He Lifeng and other senior officials next week in Madrid for further talks on trade, economic, and national security, the Treasury announced yesterday. David Lawder reports for Reuters.

Contraceptive supplies valued at nearly $10 million purchased for women in low-income countries have been destroyed at the direction of the Trump administration, the U.S. Agency for International Development said yesterday. For months, the contraceptives were stuck in a Belgian warehouse after the State Department said that the supplies were not “lifesaving” and incorrectly claimed that they included abortifacients. According to internal documents reviewed by the New York Times, several international organizations, including the Gates Foundation and the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, had offered to buy or accept a donation of the supplies to prevent their destruction. Stephanie Nolen, Jeanna Smialek, and Edward Wong report.

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

All U.N. Security Council members, including the United States, yesterday issued a statement condemning the Israeli strike on Qatar. The UNSC members “expressed their condemnation of the recent strikes in Doha” and “underlined their support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Qatar, in line with the principles of the U.N. charter,” the statement reads. The United States has historically shielded Israel from statements of condemnation, which have to be issued unanimously. Farnaz Fassihi reports for the New York Times.

Trump is expected to discuss the aftermath of Israel’s strike on Hamas leaders in Doha with Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani later today, sources say. U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, is also expected to be present at the meeting in New York, the sources add. Barak Ravid reports for Axios.

The Trump administration’s frustration with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has deepened after the Doha strike, with Trump and some top aides coming to doubt whether Netanyahu is trying to sabotage the talks, according to a person close to the president’s national security team. “Every time they’re making progress, it seems like he bombs someone,” the person opined. Eli Stokols and Nahal Toosi report for POLITICO.

Germany will support a U.N. resolution for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, though it does not believe the time has come to recognise a Palestinian state, a government spokesperson said yesterday. Reuters reports.

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday signed an agreement to proceed with a controversial settlement expansion plan that would cut the occupied West Bank in half and pose a major obstacle for the functioning of a Palestinian state. “There will never be a Palestinian state. This place is ours,” Netanyahu said. Steven Scheer reports for Reuters.

Conditions in overcrowded encampments for displaced Palestinians on Gaza’s coast are so desperate that some people who have fled Israel’s offensive on Gaza City say they are heading back to the besieged city, Reuters reports. According to the displaced Palestinians, the coastal camps have “no space for shelter, few tents, inadequate water supply and restricted health care.” Ramadan Abed and Mahmoud Issa report.

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

The intelligence services of NATO countries have concluded that Russian drones’ Wednesday incursion into Polish airspace was most likely a deliberate attack after conferring to discuss their findings on the incident, sources say. Thomas Grove, Bojan Pancevski, and Max Colchester report for the Wall Street Journal.

The Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Germany, and France have announced they are moving some of their troops, artillery, and air defense systems closer to NATO’s eastern flank. One of the alliance’s biggest weaknesses is a shortage of air-defense systems, as several such systems have been provided to Ukraine, a NATO general tasked with air defense said. Poland on Wednesday requested Article 4 consultations under the NATO charter to discuss a potential joint response to the security concern. The U.N. Security Council is also set to hold a session on the incident later today. Laura Gozzi reports for BBC News; Thomas Grove, Bojan Pancevski, and Max Colchester report for the Wall Street Journal.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR

Russia and Belarus today began a major joint military exercise at training grounds in both countries, including close to the Polish border. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced that Poland would close its border with Belarus in response to the “very aggressive” manoeuvres. Lithuania has also said it is protecting its border because of the military exercise. Mark Trevelyan reports for Reuters.

U.S. POLITICAL VIOLENCE 

The person who killed conservative activist Charlie Kirk on Wednesday remained on the loose at the time of publication of today’s Early Edition. Late yesterday, Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason said that the authorities have identified a new person of interest in connection with the shooting. Official communications on the investigation throughout Wednesday and Thursday have sowed confusion, with FBI Director Kash Patel and local officials at times making contradictory statements on its progress. Andrew Hay and Brad Brooks report for Reuters; Jana Winter and Sarah N. Lynch report for Reuters; Sadie Gurman, James Fanelli, and Jack Morphet report for the Wall Street Journal.

“We just have to beat the hell” out of “radical left lunatics,” President Trump told reporters yesterday when asked to share his message to conservatives who feel targeted by “radical groups.” In a separate answer, Trump said he’d like people to respond to Kirk’s shooting in a “non-violent” way. Ben Johansen reports for POLITICO.

U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS 

The Senate yesterday voted 53-45 to change its rules to permit the Senate to confirm an unlimited number of presidential nominees at once. The move is aimed at enabling Senate Republicans to speed up the confirmations of some of Trump’s nominees. The new rule does not apply to Cabinet-level and judicial nominations. Sahil Kapur and Frank Thorp V report for NBC News.

TECH DEVELOPMENTS

Microsoft and OpenAI yesterday announced they signed a non-binding deal that would alter their existing partnership to allow OpenAI to restructure itself into a for-profit company. Krystal Hu and Stephen Nellis report for Reuters.

The immigration raid on a Georgia battery plant co-owned by Hyundai Motor and LG will likely cause a minimum startup delay of two to three months, Hyundai CEO Jose Munoz said yesterday. Nora Eckert reports for Reuters.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is set to decide in the coming weeks whether to sign a bill that would fine large social media companies whose algorithms intentionally amplify violent or extremist content, after the measure cleared the state Senate yesterday. Tyler Katzenberger reports for POLITICO.

The Federal Trade Commission yesterday announced it had written to Google’s parent company Alphabet, Instagram, Meta, OpenAI, Snap, xAI, and Character Technologies seeking information for its new inquiry about the effects AI chatbots have on children. According to the FTC’s announcement, the inquiry will be a broad study of the issue, and not a formal investigation into potential violations. Ashley Capoot reports for CNBC.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS

The Trump administration has dissolved a working group that earlier this year authored a report questioning the severity of climate change, CNN reports, citing a letter from Energy Secretary Chris Wright dated Sep. 3. An Energy Department spokesperson said that despite the dissolution, the Department will not withdraw the report, as it “achieved the purpose of the [Climate Working Group], namely to catalyze broader discussion about the certainties and uncertainties of current climate science.” The report’s contents prompted more than 85 scientists to issue a joint rebuttal. Ella Nilsen reports.

Early this month, NASA blocked Chinese citizens holding U.S. visas from working on its programs, according to sources. According to a NASA spokesperson, “NASA has taken internal action pertaining to Chinese nationals, including restricting physical and cybersecurity access to our facilities, materials, and network to ensure the security of our work.” Eric Roston, Sana Pashankar, and Loren Grush report for Bloomberg News.

The Health and Human Services Department should take a range of measures to reduce its cybersecurity vulnerabilities and opportunities for fraud, waste, and abuse, the Government Accountability Office said in a list of recommendations dated Sep. 3. Ruth Reader and Erin Schumaker report for POLITICO.

The Office of Inspector General for the State Department yesterday said it is expanding its oversight to include the foreign assistance programs the Department has taken over after the Trump administration’s dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development. Humeyra Pamuk reports for Reuters.

U.S. IMMIGRATION DEVELOPMENTS 

The State Department yesterday said it would review the legal status of immigrants “praising, rationalizing, or making light” of Charlie Kirk’s shooting. Andrew Childers reports for Axios.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION

A federal appeals court yesterday allowed the Trump administration to, for now, block the transfers of Medicaid reimbursements to Planned Parenthood, overruling a lower court that ordered the administration to keep funding Planned Parenthood clinics while a lawsuit challenging the funding cuts proceeds. AP News reports. 

A federal judge yesterday issued a preliminary injunction temporarily prohibiting the Trump administration from blocking migrants living in the United States irregularly from accessing a number of federally funded services, including Head Start preschools, health clinics, and food banks. A White House spokesperson indicated the administration plans to appeal the ruling. Nate Raymond reports for Reuters.

Attorneys representing the Venezuelans challenging the Trump administration’s attempt to withdraw their Temporary Protected Status yesterday asked a judge to compel the Homeland Security Department to abide by a judgment ordering the protections to be maintained. The attorneys say that despite being ordered to allow the Venezuelans to retain their status last week, the DHS has not updated its website to show that the claimants were still covered by the status, and would not allow many of the claimants to re-register for the status before a Sep. 10 deadline. Allison McCann and Zach Montague report for the New York Times.

The Housing and Urban Development Department has unlawfully coerced applicants for homelessness grants into supporting the Trump administration’s positions on immigration enforcement, transgender rights, and other issues by attaching conditions to the grants, two organizations that support the homeless allege in a lawsuit filed yesterday. Jason DeParle reports for the New York Times.

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

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