Early Edition: November 14, 2025

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

U.S. CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC OPERATIONS

The U.S. military yesterday killed another four people in a strike against an alleged drug-trafficking vessel, according to Pentagon officials. Officials said that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was waiting for the video of the strike before announcing it on social media. Helene Cooper and Eric Schmitt report for the New York Times.

Hegseth yesterday announced Operation Southern Spear, which he said will target “narco-terrorists” and shield “our homeland from the drugs that are killing people.” It is unclear whether Hegseth has attached a new label to ongoing U.S. operations in the Caribbean and Pacific or whether this refers to a new, expanded mission. Colin Demarest reports for Axios.

The Justice Department’s classified legal opinion on the legality of U.S. strikes on alleged drug vessels is said to begin with a list of claims submitted by the White House, including that drug cartels are intentionally trying to kill U.S. citizens and destabilize the Western Hemisphere, according to sources who have read the memo. It is based on such claims that the memo states that Trump has legitimate authority to determine that the United States are legally in a formal state of armed conflict with “narco-terrorist” drug-cartels. Charlie Savage and Julian E. Barnes report for the New York Times.

A U.S. military strike in the Caribbean Sea allegedly killed a Colombian fisherman, Alejandro Carranza, on 15 September, according to Carranza’s family and Colombian President Gustavo Petro. Petro accused the United States of murdering Carranza; Carranza’s family have repeatedly denied Carranza’s involvement in smuggling drugs. A U.S.-based lawyer is preparing a legal claim on behalf of Carranza’s family and said even “if the people on the boat were suspected of drug trafficking, they should have been arrested, not killed.” Simon Romero reports for the New York Times.

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR – CEASEFIRE

Hamas and Islamic Jihad yesterday handed over the body of the deceased hostage, Meny Godard, to Israel, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office. The remains of three hostages are still in Gaza. Jana Choukeir reports for Reuters.

Russia yesterday circulated a “counter-proposal” for a U.N. resolution on Gaza at the U.N. Security Council, which is “inspired by the US draft.” The Russian draft, seen by Reuters, requests that the U.N. Secretary-General identify options for an international stabilization force for Gaza, but does not mention the “Board of Peace” that the United States has proposed as a transitional administration for Gaza. The United States warns that “attempts to sow discord now – when agreement on this resolution is under active negotiation – has grave, tangible, and entirely avoidable consequences for Palestinians in Gaza,” a U.S. official to the U.N. said. Simon Lewis and Michelle Nichols report.

WEST BANK VIOLENCE

Israeli settlers yesterday set fire to a mosque in the village of Deir Istiya in the occupied West Bank, according to Palestinians officials. An Israeli military statement confirmed an arson attack on a mosque in the same area, but did not say who was behind it. Several Israeli commanders overseeing operations in the West Bank recently asked the Chief of Staff of the IDF, Gen. Eyal Zamir, to urge the Israeli government to reinstate the use of administrative detention orders against violent settlers, according to two Israeli defense officials. The graffiti left by settlers on the mosque in Deir Istiya said, “We are not afraid of Avi Bluth,” who is the top commander of the Israeli military in the West Bank. Natan Odenheimer and Adam Ragson report for the New York Times.

SUDANESE CIVIL WAR

Sudanese Rapid Support Forces paramilitary has shifted its offensive eastward into the Kordofan region of Sudan, where it and the Sudanese army are both massing troops and deploying drones, according to sources. Up to 50,000 people have been displaced from Kordofan since the RSF escalation last month, at the same time that it seized the city of El Fasher, according to Director General of the International Organization for Migration Amy Pope. Khalid Abdelaziz, Eltayeb Siddig, and Nafisa Eltahir report for Reuters.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that pressure was being applied to countries providing weapons to the RSF. A senior adviser to the RSF commander said yesterday that Rubio’s comments calling for a halt to military support from abroad could jeopardize global efforts aimed at reaching a ceasefire, calling them “an unsuccessful step.” Noha Elhennawy reports for AP News.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR

A Russian drone and missile attack on Kyiv early this morning killed four people and wounded dozens, according to Ukrainian officials. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the Russian forces used 430 drones and 18 missiles, making the attack one of the biggest on Kyiv so far. Anastasiia Malenko and Olena Harmash report for Reuters.

OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS

China’s foreign ministry yesterday demanded that Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi retract her “egregious” remarks related to Taiwan, otherwise Japan “must bear all the consequences” for the comments. Takaichi sparked a diplomatic row with Beijing following her remarks in the Japanese parliament last week that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could amount to a “survival-threatening situation” and potentially trigger a military response from Tokyo. Mei Mei Chu reports for Reuters.

2.3 million Afghans have returned to Afghanistan this year, many of them forced out by neighbouring host countries, according to a survey released on Wednesday by the United Nationals Development Program. This has “sharply intensified pressure on already fragile systems,” the survey says. Abdul Qahar Afghan and Elena Becatoros report for AP News.

TECH DEVELOPMENTS

Hackers used Anthropic’s AI technology to automate break-ins of major corporations and foreign governments in September, Anthropic said yesterday, noting it was confident the attacks were run by Chinese state-backed hackers. Anthropic’s head of threat intelligence, Jacob Klein, said that the level of automation involved in the hack was unprecedented, adding that 80% to 90% of the attack was automated, with humans only intervening in a handful of decision points. Anthropic did not disclose which corporations and governments had been targeted, but said it had detected roughly 30 targets. Sam Schechner reports for the Wall Street Journal.

Amazon and Microsoft both support legislation, known as the Gain AI Act, which would give priority to U.S. demand for AI chips before exports to other countries, according to Microsoft’s announcement and other sources. Nvidia says the act would mark an unnecessary intervention in the semiconductor market that could open the door to more export restrictions. Tech executives say that there are enough chips in the U.S. and that power is the AI industry’s main bottleneck. Amrith Ramkumar reports for the Wall Street Journal.

U.S. IMMIGRATION DEVELOPMENTS

The Trump administration will deploy U.S. Border Patrol to Charlotte, N.C., as early as this weekend, Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden confirmed yesterday. Details of the federal operation were not disclosed by federal officials who contacted McFadden, and the sheriff’s office was not asked to assist with any immigration enforcement actions. Alexandria Sands reports for Axios.

The State Department has reissued B-1 business visas for around 180 South Korean workers who were detained and deported following a raid on a factory in southern Georgia in September. Two lawyers representing the workers confirmed that all the B-1 visa holders who were detained, out of 317 South Koreans detained in total, had their visas restored. John Yoon reports for the New York Times.

Rubio has directed U.S. diplomats to consider obesity, alongside various chronic health conditions, as potential grounds for denying visas under a stricter enforcement of the “public charge” rule, according to excerpts of a cable viewed by POLITICO. This rule bars prospective immigrants from entering the country if they are deemed likely to later require public assistance. Gregory Svirnovskiy and Nahal Toosi report.

U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Rubio said yesterday that he has designated the German-based Antifa Ost group as “Specially Designated Global Terrorists,” along with three other groups in Greece and Italy. Rubio said he also intends to designate the groups as “Foreign Terrorist Organizations” from November 20 and warned that Washington will target other groups around the world. “Groups affiliated with [Antifa] ascribe to revolutionary anarchist or Marxist ideologies, including anti-Americanism, ‘anti-capitalism,’ and anti-Christianity, using these to incite and justify violent assaults domestically and overseas,” Rubio said. Daphne Psaledakis reports for Reuters.

A Pentagon intelligence report has raised concerns that China could acquire the advanced F-35 fighter jet technology if the sale of 48 F-35 jets to Saudi Arabia goes through, according to sources. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) is set to meet with Trump at the White House next week to discuss the potential F-35 deal and a mutual defense agreement, U.S. officials said. Edward Wong and Eric Schmitt report for the New York Times.

Trump told MBS in a phone call last month that he expects Saudi Arabia to move towards normalization with Israel as the war in Gaza comes to an end, two U.S. officials told Axios. One official said that MBS said he was willing to work on it with the Trump administration. Barak Ravid reports.

Israel has proposed extending their next security agreement with the U.S. from 10 to 20 years and to use some of the money for joint U.S.-Israeli research and development, rather than direct military aid. “This is out-of-the-box thinking. We want to change the way we handled past agreements and put more emphasis on U.S.-Israel cooperation. The Americans like this idea,” one Israeli official said. The initial discussions over the new security MOU began in recent weeks, according to two Israeli officials and one U.S. official. Barak Ravid reports for Axios.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Wednesday called for the United Nations to impose “appropriate measures” against the United States and Israel over the military strikes in June against Iran’s nuclear sites. Trump told reporters on November 6 that he was “very much in charge” of Israel’s initial strike on Iran. Araghchi said that Trump’s comment constitutes clear evidence of U.S. control during the 12 day Israel-Iran war. Jasper Ward reports for Reuters.

The BBC said yesterday that it would not rebroadcast the misleadingly edited documentary, “Trump: A Second Chance,” but added, “We strongly disagree there is a basis for a defamation claim.” Mark Landler reports for the New York Times.

U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS 

A federal judge yesterday expressed skepticism about the legality of Lindsey Halligan’s appointment as acting U.S. attorney, raising concerns about missing grand jury records and whether Halligan had the authority to indict former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. Attorneys for Comey and James  argued that the indictments should be thrown out because Halligan was essentially a private citizen at the time. The Justice Department contends that procedural statutes would still allow reindictment even if her appointment is ruled invalid. The judge said she plans to rule by Thanksgiving. Gary Grumbach, Fiona Glisson, and Gabrielle Khoriaty report for NBC News.

A federal judge yesterday refused to dismiss charges against Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-NJ), who was charged for assaulting law enforcement officers outside an immigration detention facility in May. The judge ruled that McIver’s alleged physical actions outside the detention facility were not protected by the Constitution’s “speech or debate clause.” Ry Rivard and Matt Friedman report for POLITICO.

The Nevada Supreme Court yesterday unanimously revived the criminal case against six of Trump’s allies who falsely claimed to be legitimate presidential electors during efforts to subvert the 2020 election. The justices concluded that the Attorney General Aaron Ford had properly brought the forgery case in Las Vegas, overruling a lower court decision that found the case should have been brought in Carson City. Kyle Chen reports for POLITICO.

Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency Bill Pulte alleged in a letter sent to Attorney General Pam Bondi on Wednesday that Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) may have made false or misleading statements in loan documents. The referral to the Justice Department calls for an investigation into possible mortgage fraud, state and local tax fraud. “As the most vocal critic of Donald Trump over the last decade and as the only person who still has a surviving lawsuit against him, the only thing I am surprised about is that it took him this long to come after me,” Swalwell said. Swalwell also denied the allegations in an interview with MSNBC yesterday, saying he had only one mortgage and a residence in California. Katherine Doyle reports for NBC News; John Yoon reports for the New York Times.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS

Paul Ingrassia, who withdrew from his nomination to lead the Office of Special Counsel following a texting scandal involving racist remarks, said yesterday that he is leaving his role as White House liaison to the Homeland Security Department to become deputy general counsel at the General Services Administration. Ingrassia said that Trump called him into his office on Wednesday to offer him the job himself. Daniel Lippman reports for POLITICO.

The Trump administration announced yesterday that oil and gas drilling will be allowed in Alaska’s North Slope. The move reverses actions taken during the Biden administration to restrict development in half of the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. The administration first announced its plans in June; Thursday’s announcement was the final step. Lisa Friedman reports for the New York Times.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced yesterday that an unspecified number of Transportation Security Administration officers would be awarded $10,000 bonuses for going “above and beyond” during the government shutdown. Karoun Demirjian reports for the New York Times.

The Trump administration is increasing its engagement with Congress on foreign military sales and plans to provide more classified briefings on military operations, according to a source. The State Department this week sent nearly two dozen draft notifications for foreign weapons sales to Congress, totalling tens of billions of dollars, according to another source. Hans Nichols reports for Axios.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION

The Justice Department yesterday filed legal action against Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) and Secretary of State Shirley Weber for the State of California’s newly adopted redistricting plan enacted with the passage of Proposition 50. The DOJ has intervened as a plaintiff in a November 5 lawsuit by the California Republican Party and 19 registered voters in the state. Josephine Walker reports for Axios.