Signup to receive the Early Edition in your inbox here.
A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the last 24 hours. Here’s today’s news:
IRAN WAR – CEASEFIRE
President Trump was presented with a plan last week to send naval vessels through the Strait of Hormuz to open it by force, a senior U.S. official told Axios, adding that at the last minute, Trump opted for a more cautious approach. As of yesterday, the U.S. Navy is helping commercial ships crossing the strait by advising them on how to avoid mines and standing ready to intervene if Iran attacks them, though a source close to Trump warned this could mark the beginning of a process that may lead to renewed confrontation with Iran. Barak Ravid and Marc Caputo report.
U.S. warships yesterday shot down cruise missiles and drones that Iran fired at ships and commercial vessels being guided through the Strait of Hormuz by the U.S. Navy, Adm. Brad Cooper, the head of U.S. Central Command, said. Army Apache helicopter gunships also sank six Iranian military speedboats, Cooper added. The U.S military said two U.S.-flagged merchant ships had successfully transited the strait yesterday as part of Trump’s latest plan to reopen it. Eric Schmitt reports for the New York Times; Adam Schreck, Ben Finley, and Sam Metz report for AP News.
The United Arab Emirates said yesterday that it had been attacked by Iran, blaming the Iranians for a drone attack that caused a fire in the Fujairah Oil Industry Zone and an attack on an oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz. In Oman, two people were injured by an attack in Bukha, according to an Omani state news agency. Iran has not officially confirmed or denied that it resumed attacks. Aaron Boxerman, Ismaeel Naar, and Eric Schmitt report for the New York Times.
IRAN WAR – LEBANON OPERATIONS
Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri told reporters yesterday there could be no negotiations with Israel without a halt to the war that has raged in southern Lebanon despite a ceasefire. Berri’s comments came as Israeli forces ordered residents out of four more villages in southern Lebanon. Reuters reports.
IRAN WAR – OTHER DEVELOPMENTS
U.S. intelligence assessments indicate that the ongoing war has not significantly changed Iran’s nuclear timeline, which remains roughly up to a year to build a weapon if it chooses to do so. While recent U.S. and Israeli strikes damaged some facilities and military capabilities, Iran still retains key nuclear materials, meaning a major setback would likely require targeting its enriched uranium stockpiles. Gram Slattery, Jonathan Landay, and Erin Banco report for Reuters.
“Iran is the largest state sponsor of terrorism, and China has been buying 90 percent of its energy, so they are funding the largest state sponsor of terrorism,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said yesterday. Bessent also urged China to “step up with some diplomacy” and push Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz. Over the weekend, China ordered its companies not to comply with U.S. sanctions on Iranian oil, invoking a 2021 “blocking measure” that protects its firms from foreign laws that the Chinese government believes violate international norms. Alan Rappeport reports for the New York Times.
The United States and Gulf Arab nations are drafting a U.N. Security Council resolution designed to condemn Iran for blocking the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz said yesterday. The resolution is expected to require Iran to cease attacks on merchant shipping and attempts to impose tolls on shipping in the strait, and it will demand that Iran stop placing sea mines. Simon Lewis reports for Reuters.
A small group of Republicans is still working on an authorization of military force for Iran that they can move if Trump reprises strikes, according to several sources. The War Powers Act allows expedited consideration of a military authorization if it is introduced within 30 days of the next 60-day period of hostilities, meaning it would get a quick floor vote in the Senate. Some Republicans believe it might only require a simple majority, rather than a 60-vote threshold, in the Senate. Burgess Everett reports for SEMAFOR.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday declared a two-day ceasefire on May 8-9 to mark Russia’s World War Two victory. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy countered with his own proposed pause in fighting, saying Ukraine would observe its own ceasefire beginning at midnight on May 5. Reuters reports.
The United Kingdom yesterday announced sanctions against 35 people and entities involved in recruiting vulnerable migrants to fight for Russia in its war in Ukraine and produce drones for use in the conflict. Reuters reports.
SUDANESE CIVIL WAR
The Sudanese government yesterday accused Ethiopia of being behind recent drone attacks on sites including Khartoum airport and recalled its ambassador. A Sudanese military spokesperson said the government has evidence that four drone strikes since March 1 came from Ethiopia’s Bahir Dar airport. The spokesperson also accused the United Arab Emirates of supplying the drones. AP News reports.
OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
Afghanistan yesterday accused Pakistan of carrying out cross-border attacks into its territory that hit civilian areas, killing at least three people and wounding 14 others. A Taliban spokesperson said the attacks also destroyed two schools, two mosques, and a health center. Pakistan’s Information Ministry rejected the allegation on social media, saying that the accusations follow recent firing from Afghan territory into Pakistan. AP News reports.
TECH DEVELOPMENTS
Anthropic is partnering with major Wall Street firms like Blackstone and Goldman Sachs to launch a new company that helps businesses integrate its AI model, Claude, into their operations. Maureen Farrell reports for the New York Times.
The Securities and Exchange Commission reached a $1.5 million settlement with Elon Musk yesterday in a lawsuit that accused Musk of breaking securities law during his purchase of Twitter. The S.E.C. had said Musk hid purchases of the social media company’s stock in 2022 and did not disclose them promptly, allowing him to underpay when he bought Twitter. The S.E.C. said the settlement was the largest penalty ever for this type of case. Cecilia Kang reports for the New York Times.
U.S. CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC OPERATIONS
The U.S. military said yesterday that it had struck another boat in the Caribbean Sea, killing two men as part of a campaign against people accused of smuggling drugs by sea. John Yoon reports for the New York Times.
U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS
The State Department on Saturday revoked visas for several board members of Costa Rica’s leading newspaper, La Nación, without providing an official explanation, the newspaper said. “In the absence of any explanation for this decision or objective reasons to support it, only one conclusion can be drawn: Its purpose has been to punish La Nación’s editorial stance,” the newspaper said yesterday. Emiliano Rodriguez Mega report for the New York Times.
U.S. IMMIGRATION DEVELOPMENTS
After accepting about 3,000 deportees from the United States in early 2025, China has scaled back its cooperation with the Trump administration to “take back its citizens” in the past six months, a senior U.S. official said. The official added that if China did not increase cooperation, the United States would consider increased cash bonds accompanying visa applications, as well as denying more visas and blocking more entries at the border. Michel Martina reports for Reuters.
ICE staff members used physical force or chemical agents to control immigration detainees at least 780 times during the first year of the Trump administration, a Washington Post investigation based on ICE records has found. The internal “Daily Detainee Assault Report[s]” show that detention staff used force 37 percent more times than the previous year. Douglas MacMillan, Andrew Ba Tran, Drea Cornejo, and Luis Melgar report.
A federal judge said yesterday that the Trump administration had put her security at risk by posting a “patently false” allegation that she knowingly released an ICE detainee with an international warrant for murder. She is considering contempt charges after learning that officials from the Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security withheld key information from her about an international warrant. Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein report for POLITICO.
U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
Secret Service agents yesterday shot and wounded an armed man near the Washington Monument after he allegedly fled and opened fire on them. A 15-year-old bystander was also hit but not seriously injured. Officials said there was no connection to the White House or Trump, and the incident remains under investigation. Glenn Thrush, Michael Gold, Minho Kim, and Pooja Salhotra report for the New York Times.
A federal judge yesterday ordered the release of a government contractor charged with forwarding classified information to a Washington Post reporter. Prosecutors argued Aurelio Perez-Lugones could leak more secrets, but the judge found that concern too speculative and noted he no longer has access to classified systems. Josh Gerstein reports for POLITICO.
The Federal Trade Commission yesterday entered into a legal settlement with Media Matters, withdrawing its investigative demand and agreeing not to issue the same one again, the watchdog said in a press release. Media Matters described the outcome as “a complete and total victory.” Bryan Koenig reports for Law360.
The Justice Department has decided not to appeal a court ruling that quashed two subpoenas directed at the Federal Reserve and its chair, Jerome Powell, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office announced yesterday. Instead, prosecutors are seeking to void the judge’s earlier decision while maintaining that it improperly restricted executive authority. Salvador Rizzo and Andrew Ackerman report for the Washington Post.
The Justice Department has issued a grand jury subpoena demanding the identities of every worker who staffed the 2020 election in Fulton County, Georgia, according to court records. The demand targets employees of Fulton County elections as well as volunteer poll workers, who likely numbered in the thousands during the 2020 election. Nick Corasaniti, Richard Fausset, and Alan Feuer report for the New York Times.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS
The Trump administration is considering the introduction of government oversight over new AI models, according to U.S. officials and other sources. The administration is discussing an executive order to create an AI working group that would bring together tech executives and government officials to examine potential oversight procedures. The shift comes as the White House wants to avoid any political repercussions if a devastating AI-enabled cyberattack were to occur, sources said. Some officials are pushing for a review system that would give the government first access to AI models, the sources added. Tripp Mickle, Julian E. Barnes, Sheera Frenkel, and Dustin Volz report for the New York Times.
The Department of Homeland Security failed to effectively secure smartphones used by staff in its intelligence office, raising the risk of cyberattacks and unauthorized access to sensitive information, the department’s inspector general said in a report published yesterday. Madeleine Ngo and Hamed Aleaziz report for the New York Times.
The Education Department opened an investigation yesterday into Smith College, an all-women’s institution in Massachusetts, for admitting transgender women. Jamie Ding reports for AP News.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION
The Supreme Court yesterday restored nationwide access to a widely used abortion medication, mifepristone, in a temporary order allowing women to obtain the pill by mail. Ann E. Marimow and Pam Belluck report for the New York Times.
The Supreme Court also ruled that its decision declaring Louisiana’s congressional map unconstitutional should go into immediate effect. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson opposed the order, calling it “unwarranted and unwise.” Jackson wrote in her dissent, “To avoid the appearance of partiality here, we could, as per usual, opt to stay on the sidelines and take no position by applying our default procedures. But today, the Court chooses the opposite. Not content to have decided the law, it now takes steps to influence its implementation.” Aaron Pellish reports for POLITICO.
Did you miss this? Stay up-to-date with our Litigation Tracker: Legal Challenges to Trump Administration Actions.
If you enjoy listening, Just Security’s analytic articles are also available in audio form on the justsecurity.org website.
ICYMI: Yesterday on Just Security
By
