Early Edition: October 31, 2025

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

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR – CEASEFIRE

Israel confirmed last night the identities of two deceased Israeli hostages whose bodies were returned from Gaza to Israel yesterday. Hamas has now returned the remains of 17 bodies, with 11 others still to be returned. David Gritten reports for BBC News.

U.S. officials intend to present a plan for the international force in Gaza in the next few weeks, three sources told Axios. “If we don’t have reliable security and governance in Gaza that the Israelis agree to, we will get stuck in a situation where Israel is attacking all the time,” one source said. Another source said, “The Israelis are nervous and skeptical because they are not in control and they don’t have the cards anymore.” A key issue concerns Turkey’s participation in the force. “The Turks were very helpful in getting the Gaza deal, and Netanyahu’s bashing Turkey has been very counterproductive,” a U.S. official said. Barak Ravid reports.

The United States notified Hamas that they had 24 hours to evacuate their fighters from areas of Gaza under Israeli control to the western side of the ‘yellow line’ through a proposal conveyed to Hamas on Wednesday by Egyptian and Qatari mediators, U.S. and Israeli officials told Axios. The proposal intended to stabilize the ceasefire and clear the Israeli-controlled areas of Hamas fighters. A U.S. official said that once the 24-hour window lapsed, Israel would be able to engage Hamas targets east of the yellow line. A senior IDF officer said no one had crossed over as of yesterday evening, adding that the Israeli army is “working on a thorough and systematic clearing of these areas.” Barak Ravid reports.

A classified report by the State Department’s Office of Inspector General has found that Israeli military units committed “many hundreds” of potential violations of U.S. human rights law in Gaza, which would take multiple years to review, according to two U.S. officials. The officials said that it was doubtful that the Israeli army would be held accountable, given the large backlog of incidents and the nature of the review process. John Hudson reports for the Washington Post.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR

Russia has fired the 9M729 cruise missile at Ukraine 23 times since August, a senior Ukrainian official told Reuters. The secret development of this missile prompted President Donald Trump to abandon a nuclear arms control pact with Moscow in his first term. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said, “Russia’s use of the INF-banned 9m729 against Ukraine […] demonstrates Putin’s disrespect to the United States and President Trump’s diplomatic efforts.” Tom Balmforth reports.

Trump’s planned Budapest summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin was cancelled following a Russian memo to Washington showing a lack of willingness to negotiate, sources said. The memo underlined Putin’s ongoing maximalist demands: territorial concessions, a steep reduction in Ukraine’s armed forces, and guarantees that Ukraine will never join NATO. Max Seddon and Amy Mackinnon report for the Financial Times.

OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS

Intelligence shows that Hezbollah is rebuilding its armaments, including restocking rockets, anti-tank missiles, and artillery in breach of the ceasefire agreement with Israel, sources said. Some sources said that weapons are coming into Lebanon via seaports and smuggling routes through Syria. Hezbollah is also manufacturing some new weapons, one source said. Israel has carried out more than 1,000 strikes against Hezbollah since the cease-fire was signed last November. Omar Abdel-Baqui and Summer Said report for the Wall Street Journal.

“The Department of State ordered non-emergency employees and their family members to leave Mali due to safety risks,” the State Department said yesterday in an updated travel advisory. Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin militants, the official branch of Al-Qaeda in Mali, are moving closer to seizing Bamako, Mali’s capital, according to security specialists. The insurgents have been blocking food and fuel deliveries to the capital since early September. Daphne Psaledakis reports for Reuters; Benoit Faucon reports for the Wall Street Journal.

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te said today that Taiwan does not want China’s “one country, two systems,” because “we will forever uphold our free and democratic constitutional system.” China said earlier this week that it “absolutely will not” rule out using force over Taiwan. Yi-Chin Lee reports for Reuters.

The Yale Humanitarian Research Lab released satellite analysis this week showing clusters of what appeared to be human bodies in the hospital grounds in El Fasher, Sudan. Satellite images also captured red patches that appear to be blood on the city’s streets. Graphic footage circulating online shows fighters in El Fasher’s Saudi hospital shooting a patient in a room full of bodies. William Wallis and Jana Tauschinski, Chris Campbell, and Sam Joiner report for the Financial Times.

Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed yesterday to extend a ceasefire that began on October 19.  “All parties have agreed to put in place a monitoring and verification mechanism that will ensure maintenance of peace and impose penalties on the violating parties,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said, adding that there would be a follow-up meeting on November 6 to discuss implementation. Tuvan Gumrukcu and Sayed Hassib report for Reuters.

U.S. IMMIGRATION DEVELOPMENTS

The Trump administration lowered refugee admissions from 125,000 to 7,500 for this fiscal year, which will “primarily be allocated among Afrikaners from South Africa,” according to a notice in the Federal Register posted yesterday. The notice has formalized plans that have been under discussion for months. The administration has not consulted with the required congressional committees, according to officials. Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Hamed Aleaziz report for the New York Times.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) asked the Trump administration to suspend federal immigration operations across Chicago for Halloween weekend so that families can celebrate in peace, according to a letter sent on Wednesday and obtained by Axios. “Please let children be children for one holiday, free from intimidation and fear,” Pritzker said. The Homeland Security Department, ICE, and CPD did not respond to Axios’ request for comment. Carrie Shepherd reports.

U.S. CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC OPERATIONS 

The Trump administration has identified Venezuelan military facilities, ports, and airports as potential airstrike targets, according to U.S. officials. The officials said that if Trump moves forward with the strikes, the targets would send a message to the Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro that it is time to step down. Trump has not made a final decision on ordering land strikes. Shelby Holliday, Lara Seligman, and Vera Bergengruen report for the Wall Street Journal.

Defense Department legal advisers were pulled from a bipartisan briefing on the strikes against alleged drug vessels with members of the House Armed Services Committee yesterday. The DOD officials who did appear were not able to provide an explanation of the legal basis for the strikes. Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-CA) said, “The [DOD officials] said that they do not need to positively identify individuals on these vessels to do the strikes, they just need to prove a connection to a designated terrorist organization.” They did not provide further information on how this connection is proven. Julian E. Barnes, Robert Jimison, and Megan Mineiro report for the New York Times; Leo Shane III reports for POLITICO.

U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS 

U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent Jarod Forget said that a crackdown in August led to “171 [Sinaloa] cartel member arrests” across New England. The DEA did not name any of the suspects, but Forget described them as “high-level arrests” that were part of a national sweep. A Globe Spotlight Team investigation found that many of the DEA’s targets were actually low-level dealers, shoplifters, addicts, and people living at a homeless encampment. DEA officials said they were unable to comment on these findings due to the government shutdown. Andrew Ryan, Hannah Krueger, Joey Flechas, Steven Porter, and Amanda Milkovits report for the Boston Globe.

Former FBI Director James B. Comey’s lawyers yesterday sought to dismiss the perjury and obstruction charges against him, claiming prosecutors mishandled the grand jury process and falsely accused him of telling a lie that he never told. Alan Feuer reports for the New York Times.

DOMESTIC DEPLOYMENT OF U.S. MILITARY

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the extension of National Guard troops in Washington, D.C. until at least February 2026, according to an official. Paul McLeary reports for POLITICO.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS

Regulations advanced yesterday by the Education Department revise eligibility requirements for Public Service Loan Forgiveness, allowing the education secretary to disqualify employers who engage in activities deemed to have a “substantial illegal purpose” on or after July 1, 2026. “The [loan program] was meant to support Americans who dedicate their careers to public service – not to subsidize organizations […] harboring illegal immigrants or performing prohibited medical procedures that attempt to transition children away from their biological sex,” Education Under Secretary Nicholas Kent said. Danielle Douglas-Gabriel reports for the Washington Post.

The Trump administration fired about a dozen officials from Fannie Mae’s ethics and internal investigations unit, sources said. Fannie Mae held a meeting yesterday informing officials they were being let go, but no reason was given for their termination. Brian Schwartz, Sadie Gurman, and C. Ryan Barber report for the Wall Street Journal.

Rear Adm. Kurt Rothenhaus, chief of naval research for the Navy office, has been replaced by Rachel Riley, a former partner at consulting firm McKinsey & Company, who previously pressed for thousands of job cuts at the Department of Health and Human Services in her role as a Department of Government Efficiency employee. The Office of Naval Research is usually run by a two-star admiral with extensive engineering experience. Rothenhaus has been moved to an unknown position. Ellen Mitchell reports for The Hill.

Hegseth has ordered the military to provide 48 attorneys and 4 paralegals to the Justice Department to act as special assistant U.S. attorneys, according to a memo dated Monday. The memo does not specify what kind of litigation the lawyers would be asked to do, but says that ideally they would have “significant experience” in immigration and administrative law. Konstantin Toropin reports for AP News.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION

A federal judge yesterday appeared to lean toward requiring the Trump administration to use emergency funds to at least partially fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for November. The judge said she planned to issue a ruling later on Thursday, but it has not been reported at the time of writing. Kelly Garrity and Marcia Brown report for POLITICO.