Early Edition: October 20, 2025

U.S. CARIBBEAN OPERATIONS 

Colombian President Gustavo Petro accused the United States of murdering an innocent fisherman during a U.S. strike in September. In response, President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that he would withdraw aid to Colombia and impose new tariffs on the country. “U.S. government officials have committed a murder and violated our sovereignty in territorial waters,” Petro wrote on social media. He identified the victim of the September strike as Alejandro Carranza, a Colombian fisherman. The Colombian president’s comments prompted Trump to accuse him of being an  “illegal drug dealer,” who had “a fresh mouth toward America.” Simon Romero, Genevieve Glatsky, and Zolan Kanno-Youngs report for the New York Times.

On Sunday, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced on social media that a U.S. strike on Friday killed three men and destroyed another boat the Trump administration claims was running drugs in the Caribbean. Hegseth said the boat was affiliated with the National Liberation Army, a Colombian rebel group known as the E.L.N. As with previous U.S. strikes against suspected drug runners in the Caribbean, Hegseth provided no evidence for his claims. “It was the seventh boat known to have been attacked since early September as part of the Trump administration’s use of the military to kill people suspected of smuggling drugs as if they were enemy soldiers in a war, rather than arresting them as criminals,” Carol Rosenberg, Charlie Savage, and Eric Schmitt report for the New York Times. But it was the first time the Trump administration named the E.L.N. as the target of a strike.

On Saturday, Trump announced that the United States was returning two survivors of an earlier U.S. strike to their home countries of Colombia and Ecuador, where they would be detained and processed. The move “means that the U.S. military will not have to grapple with thorny legal issues surrounding military detention for suspected drug traffickers.” Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali report for Reuters.

“All of these people have been blown up without any evidence of a crime,” Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) told Meet the Press’ Kristen Welker on Sunday. “When you kill someone, if you’re not in a declared war, you really need to know someone’s name at least. You have to accuse them of something. You have to present evidence.”

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR – CEASEFIRE

Over the weekend, the ceasefire in Gaza unravelled. Israel accused Hamas of violating the agreement and, in response, resumed its bombing of the enclave and temporarily suspended the delivery of humanitarian aid. By Sunday night, however, Israel said it had “begun the renewed enforcement of the cease-fire.” Isabel Kershner reports for the New York Times.

Trump told reporters onboard Air Force One late Sunday that the ceasefire was still in place, Chantal Da Silva reports for NBC News.

While Israel accused Hamas of killing two Israeli soldiers on Sunday, thereby violating the truce, Trump said it was possible that Hamas leadership was not involved in that attack. Hamas’ military wing denied any involvement in the incident. Meanwhile, at least 23 Palestinians were killed in the Israeli strikes, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health. Barak Ravid and Marc Caputo report for Axios.

Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and his adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner have returned to Israel this week to oversee the ceasefire agreement, reports the Guardian.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR 

In a phone call with Trump on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin demanded Ukraine “surrender full control of Donetsk, a strategically vital region in eastern Ukraine, as a condition for ending the war,” the Washington Post’s Michael Birnbaum reports. Putin suggested he would be willing to surrender Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, parts of two other regions of Ukraine, in exchange for full control of Donetsk. A senior European diplomat told Birnbaum, “It’s like selling them their own leg in exchange for nothing.”

During a Friday meeting at the White House, Trump urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to accept Putin’s terms for ending the war. Trump “tossed aside maps of the front line in Ukraine, insisted Zelenskyy surrender the entire Donbas region to Putin, and repeatedly echoed talking points the Russian leader had made in their call a day earlier.” Christopher Miller, Max Seddon, Henry Foy, and Amy Mackinnon report for the Financial Times.

Zelenskyy had gone to the White House to try to secure U.S. Tomahawk missiles for its war with Russia, but Trump denied the request. Trump told reporters following his meeting with Zelenskyy that the war should end immediately: “You go by the battle line, wherever it is. Otherwise, it’s too complicated. You’ll never be able to figure it out. You stop at the battle line.”  Laura Sharman reports for CNN.

CHINA

One of the top commanders in the Chinese military has been ousted. Gen. He Weidong, the No. 3 figure in China’s military hierarchy, will now be “prosecuted on charges of corruption and abuse of power, confirming that the Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s extraordinary succession of purges in the People’s Liberation Army had reached its topmost ranks.” Chris Buckley reports for the New York Times.

China’s leaders are meeting this week to set the country’s policy agenda for the next five years. The gathering of the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee, “known as the fourth plenum, provides an opportune moment for Xi to showcase China’s brand of highly choreographed economic planning and his tight control over its political apparatus, days before a potential meeting with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of an international summit in South Korea.” Simone McCarthy reports for CNN.

On Sunday, Xi called for “reunification” in a congratulatory message to the new leader of Taiwan’s main opposition party, Cheng Li-wun, whose election occurred amid accusations of interference by China. Reuters reports.

OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS

Afghanistan and Pakistan announced on Sunday that they had agreed to a ceasefire, ending two weeks of violent attacks between the two countries. “After meeting in Doha on Saturday under the mediation of Qatar and Turkey, Afghanistan and Pakistan vowed to de-escalate and to meet again later this month.” Elian Peltier reports for the New York Times.

On Friday, a federal jury in Manhattan found that French bank BNP Paribas “helped Sudan’s government commit genocide by providing banking services that violated American sanctions.” The company was ordered to pay “a combined $20.5 million to three Sudanese plaintiffs who testified about human rights abuses perpetrated under former President Omar al-Bashir’s rule.” Jan Wolfe reports for Reuters.

Yemen’s Houthi rebels have detained 20 United Nations employees in Sana’a, the country’s capital. “They are holding five Yemenis and 15 international workers but released another 11 after questioning them on Sunday. It was the second raid on a UN building in Sana’a in 24 hours.” The Associated Press reports.

TECHNOLOGY

A new study discovered that satellite transmissions—including thousands of T-Mobile users’ calls and texts and even U.S. military communications—are being sent unencrypted, making them easy to capture by anyone with $800 in equipment. Andy Greenberg and Matt Burgess report for Wired.

U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS

To secure Washington’s access to El Salvador’s most notorious prison, Secretary of State Marco Rubio promised to turn over “informants” under the protection of the U.S. government. Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele said he would detain the hundreds of Venezuelan immigrants the Trump administration wanted to deport if the United States would give him nine MS-13 gang leaders in U.S. custody, but some of those men had worked as informants and were under the protection of the U.S. government. “While the outlines of the quid pro quo have been public for months, the Trump administration’s willingness to renege on secret arrangements made with informants who had aided U.S. investigations has not been previously reported.” John Hudson, Jeremy Roebuck, and Samantha Schmidt for the Washington Post.

U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS

Nearly 7 million people participated in No Kings protests across the country on Saturday, about 2 million more than in June. The gatherings were largely peaceful, with police departments saying no arrests were made in New York City, Washington, D.C., Austin, Charlotte, San Diego, and elsewhere. Danya Galnor reports for CNN. Alana Wise, Chandelis Duster, Emma Bowman report for NPR.

In response to the nationwide protests, Trump “posted an AI-generated video of himself flying a jet while dumping brown sludge over crowds of protestors.” In the fake clip, Trump is “seen wearing a crown while sitting in a fighter jet marked ‘King Trump.’” Escher Walcott reports for People.

The California Highway Patrol said shrapnel from an artillery shell, fired during a Marine Corps live-fire demonstration at Camp Pendleton, struck a law enforcement vehicle on Saturday. The Marine Corps has launched an investigation into the incident. “California Gov. Gavin Newsom had been critical of the plan to fire live munitions over the interstate in the days leading up to Saturday’s celebrations, which were attended by Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who both spoke at the event.” “This could have killed someone,” Newsom said on X. Dennis Romero for NBC News.

On Friday, Trump granted clemency to former New York Rep. George Santos, who was serving a seven-year sentence for wire fraud and identity theft. On Sunday, House Speaker Mike Johnson defended the decision. Cheyanne M. Daniels reports for POLITICO.

The FBI is investigating what federal officials describe as a “suspicious stand” near an area of Palm Beach International Airport used by Air Force One when President Trump travels to Florida. Joe Walsh reports for CBS News.

A reporter working for the right-wing Epoch Times newspaper resigned on Friday after his publication signed onto rules restricting news gathering within the Pentagon. Ken Bensinger reports for the New York Times.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION

On Friday, the Trump administration appealed to the Supreme Court to reverse an appellate court decision preventing the deployment of federalized National Guard troops to Chicago. Josh Gerstein, Kyle Cheney, and Shia Kapos report for POLITICO.

The Trump administration will appear before a federal judge today “to answer questions about whether the government violated a court order by using tear gas against protesters and residents in a crackdown on illegal immigration in the Chicago area.” Mattathias Schwartz reports for the New York Times.

60 Minutes featured the first television interview by Justice Department whistleblower Erez Reuveni, who says he was fired after refusing to lie to federal courts and that DOJ leadership told their subordinates to defy court orders. The segment included denials by former principal deputy associate attorney general Emil Bove, who is now a federal judge.

[Editor’s note: A study published at Just Security is featured in the 60 Minutes segment.]