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A curated guide to major news and developments over the weekend. Here’s today’s news:
GLOBAL POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu and his government resigned today. Lecornu, who was appointed in September, named his new cabinet hours before their resignations. Lecornu pointed to political parties “who continue to posture as if they had a majority” in France’s hung National Assembly as the reason for his decision. France’s main opposition parties called on French President Emmanuel Macron to call new parliamentary elections or resign in the wake of Lecornu’s departure. Victor Goury-Laffont reports for POLITICO.
The populist party of the Czech Republic’s former Prime Minister, billionaire Andrej Babiš, on Saturday won parliamentary elections in the country, although it fell short of an overall majority. Babiš, who during the election campaign argued that the high consumer costs are linked to the Czech Republic spending too much to support Ukraine in its war with Russia, is expected to be invited to lead talks on forming a new coalition. Rob Cameron reports for BBC News; Lara Jakes reports for the New York Times.
Syria yesterday held its first parliamentary elections since the fall of the Assad regime, with the vote count ongoing at the time of writing. Voting in three provinces dominated by Kurdish and Druze factions was postponed due to “security and logistical challenges,” the authorities said. Eyad Kourdi reports for CNN.
Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Saturday elected hardline conservative Sanae Takaichi as its new leader. If confirmed in an Oct. 15 parliamentary vote, Takaichi will become the country’s first female prime minister. A protégé of the late former leader Shinzo Abe, Takaichi has vowed to bring back his economic vision, known as “Abenomics.” Tim Kelly, John Geddie, and Satoshi Sugiyama report for Reuters; Shaimaa Khalil reports for BBC News.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
The U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner are expected to participate in negotiations in Egypt today on ending the war in Gaza, according to a White House official. Delegations from Israel and Hamas will participate in indirect talks on the first phase of the deal, concerning hostage release and prisoner exchange mediated by Egypt and Qatar, the Egyptian foreign ministry said yesterday. Hamas on Friday expressed willingness to release the remaining hostages but did not comment on many other parts of the U.S.-backed ceasefire plan, such as disarmament. Ashley Ahn, Shawn McCreesh, and Aaron Boxerman report for the New York Times.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio yesterday said that the United States was aiming for a quick deal to return the hostages to Israel, noting that the next phase of negotiations dealing with disarmament and setting up a new government in Gaza would be tougher. Trump said yesterday that talks with Hamas were advancing rapidly. “I am told that the first phase should be completed this week, and I am asking everyone to MOVE FAST,” Trump said on social media. Kanishka Singh reports for Reuters; Aaron Boxerman reports for the New York Times.
Israeli airstrikes killed at least 36 Palestinians in Gaza on Saturday, according to local health officials. 18 people died in sporadic incidents, while 18 others were killed in a strike on a house in the Tuffah neighbourhood in Gaza City, medical staff said. The strikes occurred after Trump’s call on social media on Friday evening for Israel to stop bombing Gaza. Trump on Saturday said he appreciated that Israel had “temporarily stopped bombing.” Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Mahmoud Issa report for Reuters.
“I don’t know why you’re always so f***ing negative. This is a win. Take it,” Trump told Netanyahu on Friday evening following Hamas’ initial positive response to the ceasefire plan, a U.S. official told Axios. The source said that Netanyahu had told Trump there was nothing to celebrate and that Hamas’ position meant nothing. An Israeli official said that Netanyahu viewed Hamas’ response as a rejection of Trump’s plan. Trump told Axios on Saturday that Netanyahu’s “fine with it. He has no choice. With me, you got to be fine.” Barak Ravid and Marc Caputo report.
Israel has deported a further 29 activists who were detained last week for taking part in the Global Sumud Flotilla, the Israeli foreign ministry said yesterday. Israel has deported 170 of the 450 detained activists so far. Alexander Cornwell reports for Reuters.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
Russia yesterday killed at least five people and damaged energy infrastructure across Ukraine, officials said. Four of those killed were in the western Lviv region, bordering Poland. The combined assault, which involved dozens of missiles and over 500 drones, struck nine regions in Ukraine and cut electricity for tens of thousands of people. Siobhán O’Grady and Serhiy Morgunov report for the Washington Post; Andriy Perun and Dan Peleschuk report for Reuters.
There is evidence of a “high level of cooperation” between China and Russia “in conducting satellite reconnaissance” of Ukraine to identify strategic objects to target, a senior Ukrainian intelligence official said on Saturday. The official did not disclose what evidence supported this position. Ron Popeski reports for Reuters.
OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda will not sign an economic framework agreement this week as scheduled under the U.S.-brokered June peace agreement, sources told Reuters on Friday. According to a Rwandan official, the text was finalized after a round of negotiations in Washington, D.C., but Kinshasa was unwilling to sign the deal. Daphne Psaledakis, Jessica Donati, and Sonia Rolley report.
The U.N. Human Rights Council will today consider an EU proposal to set up a U.N. investigation into abuses in Afghanistan by both the Taliban and foreign troops similar to existing investigations into crimes in Syria and Myanmar. Emma Farge reports for Reuters.
The Somali government today said that all seven al-Shabab militants who on Saturday attacked a high-security prison in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu have been killed. Neither the government nor al-Shabab confirmed their respective numbers of casualties. Wedaeli Chibelushi and Mohamud Abdisamad report for BBC News.
TECH DEVELOPMENTS
OpenAI and chip-designer Advanced Micro Devices today announced a new multibillion-dollar partnership to collaborate on AI data centers that would run on AMD’s new MI450 chips. The OpenAI-AMD agreement is one the most direct challenges yet to Nvidia’s dominance in the chipmaking sector. Robbie Whelan and Berber Jin report for the Wall Street Journal.
A Kremlin-backed cryptocurrency operation appears to have circumvented U.S. sanctions, moving at least $6 billion since August when several of its entities were blacklisted, according to a Financial Times analysis. Anastasia Stognei, Oliver Hawkins, and Eade Hemingway report.
U.S. IMMIGRATION DEVELOPMENTS
Trump is expected to reduce refugee admissions from 125,000 to 7,500 people per year, according to a presidential determination signed 30 September seen by the New York Times. The unannounced refugee program proposes to reserve a bulk of the limited slots for white Afrikaners from South Africa, according to sources. Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Hamed Aleaziz, and Miriam Jordan report
ICE agents arrested 37 people and separated U.S. children from their parents during an overnight raid on apartments in Chicago last week. The Homeland Security Department said the building was targeted because it was “known to be frequented by Tren de Aragua members.” Tenants said it appeared that everyone in the building was detained by federal officers, including four children who are U.S. citizens. DHS said the children were taken because their parents were detained due to their lack of legal status. Rebekah Riess and Bill Kirkos report for CNN.
The Trump administration is offering $2,500 to minors who came to the United States alone to “voluntarily” return to their home countries under a programme rolled out on Friday without a press release. ICE confirmed to POLITICO that ICE and the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugees and Resettlement are offering a “strictly voluntary” self-deportation service. Erica Bazail-Eimil reports.
U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS — U.S. MILITARY ACTION IN THE CARIBBEAN
Trump said yesterday that U.S. forces hit another vessel allegedly carrying drugs off the coast of Venezuela on Saturday. It is currently unclear if Trump was in fact referencing a strike announced on Friday by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. “They’re not coming in by sea anymore, so now we’ll have to start looking about the land,” Trump continued in a speech delivered at Naval Station Norfolk. Reuters reports.
The U.S. military killed four people in a strike against a boat in international waters near Venezuela, Hegseth announced on Friday. Hegseth alleged that the men had been smuggling narcotics but did not offer any evidence. This was the first strike since the Trump administration told Congress that the United States is in an “armed conflict” with Latin American cartels. Hegseth said yesterday that he has every authorization needed for U.S. military strikes on vessels off the coast of Venezuela. “These are designated foreign terrorist organizations.” Charlie Savage reports for the New York Times; Reuters reports.
U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS
China is using a barter-like system to pay Iran for oil while bypassing U.S. sanctions, Western officials told the Wall Street Journal. In order to side-step the international banking system, Iranian oil is shipped to China and, in return, state-backed Chinese companies build infrastructure in Iran. Some officials said that up to $8.4 billion in oil payments flowed through the hidden funding conduit last year to finance the Chinese infrastructure projects. Lauren Norman and James T. Areddy report.
Advisers of Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir approached U.S. officials with an offer to build and run a port on the Arabian Sea, according to a plan seen by the Financial Times. The plan envisages U.S. investors developing the town of Pasni as a terminal to ship Pakistan’s critical minerals to the United States. A senior U.S. official said that Trump and his advisers had not discussed such a proposal. Alec Russell and Humza Jilani report.
FEDERALIZATION OF DOMESTIC POLICING
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) yesterday criticised ICE agents for using increasingly violent tactics in Chicago, such as deploying chemical agents near a public school. “They are the ones that are making it a war zone,” Pritzker said. “They fire tear gas and smoke grenades.” Pritzker suggested that the Trump administration was intentionally heightening tensions in Chicago in order to send “even more troops.” Sophia Tareen reports for AP News.
“This morning, the Trump administration’s Department of War gave me an ultimatum: call up your troops, or we will,” Gov. JB Pritzker said on Saturday, adding that Trump plans to federalize 300 National Guard troops in Illinois despite his clear opposition. Gregory Svirnovskiy reports for POLITICO.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth considered sending an elite U.S. Army strike force to Portland to quell the protests last weekend, according to messages shared with the Minnesota Star Tribune. The messages show high-level officials discussing the deployment of the Army’s 82nd Airborne, an infantry division deployed during both world wars and the Vietnam War. Anthony Salisbury, a deputy to White House policy adviser Stephen Miller, sent the texts over Signal while traveling in Minnesota, in clear view of others. Andy Mannix reports.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS
The Trump administration is preparing a plan that would make it harder for older Americans to qualify for Social Security disability payments, sources tell the Washington Post. Under the plan, the Social Security Administration would either no longer consider age in assessing whether a person can adjust to other types of work, or the age threshold would be increased to 60 years, the sources said. Meryl Kornfield and Lisa Rein report.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION
A federal judge this weekend twice blocked the Trump administration from sending National Guard troops into Oregon. In her initial Saturday order, the judge ruled that Trump’s claims that Portland was experiencing daily unrest were “untethered to facts” and said that she expected a trial court to find that the move exceeded Trump’s constitutional authority and likely violated the Tenth Amendment. Late yesterday, the judge issued a follow-up order banning the Trump administration from sending any National Guard troops to Portland after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth tried to send hundreds of members of Texas’ and California’s National Guard to Oregon. The judge said that Hegseth’s action appeared to be “in direct contravention” of her earlier decision. The Trump administration has appealed the Saturday order. Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein report for POLITICO; Anna Griffin reports for the New York Times; Kyle Cheney reports for POLITICO.
The Trump administration can, for now, proceed with plans to remove the Biden-era extension of Temporary Protected Status for more than 300,000 Venezuelans living in the United States, the Supreme Court ruled on Friday. The case returned to the Supreme Court after the administration appealed a substantive lower court ruling that found Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to have broken the law by revoking the TPS for Venezuelan and Haitian immigrants. In a brief order, the majority of the court ruled that “although the posture of the case has changed [since May, when the Supreme Court stayed a preliminary injunction blocking Noem’s move], the parties’ legal arguments and relative harms generally have not.” Julianna Bragg reports for Axios; Mark Berman reports for the Washington Post.
A federal judge ruled on Friday that there was a “realistic likelihood” that the indictment filed against Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia amounted to a vindictive prosecution by the Justice Department. The judge held that Abrego is entitled to discovery and requires an evidentiary hearing before the Court decides on his motion to dismiss his indictment. Alan Feuer reports for the New York Times.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION — LAWSUITS
A group of unions, higher education professionals, religious organizations, and others on Friday filed a legal challenge to the Trump administration’s decision to charge a $100,000 fee on H-1B visas, granted to skilled foreign workers. The lawsuit argues that Trump does not have the authority to unilaterally alter the visa program and that the administration did not go through the required regulatory process to institute the fee. Madeleine Ngo and Hamed Aleaziz report for the New York Times.
A federal workers union on Friday filed a complaint suing the Trump administration over its insertion of blaming Democrats for the government shutdown into Education Department employees’ out-of-office email messages. The lawsuit argues that “Forcing civil servants to speak on behalf of the political leadership’s partisan agenda is a blatant violation of federal employees’ First Amendment rights.” Shannon Bond reports for NPR.
Over 200 international students whose visas were withheld by the Trump administration are suing the State Department to get their visas reinstated, according to court documents reviewed by the Hill. Surina Benkat reports.
Did you miss this? Stay up-to-date with our Litigation Tracker: Legal Challenges to Trump Administration Actions
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ICYMI: last week on Just Security
Legal Flaws in the Trump Administration’s Notice to Congress on “Armed Conflict” with Drug Cartels
By Marty Lederman
The Trump Administration’s Use of State Power Against Media: Keeping Track of the Big Picture
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What the Senate Judiciary Committee Should Ask A.G. Bondi on Drug Cartel Strikes
By Mary B. McCord and Tess Bridgeman
