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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
President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio yesterday again raised the possibility of military intervention in Cuba, a day after the administration announced criminal charges against Cuba’s former leader Raúl Castro. Over the years, Cuba has gotten used to “buying time and waiting us out,” Rubio said. “They’re not going to be able to wait us out or buy time. We’re very serious, we’re very focused.” Matthew Lee and Will Weissert report for AP News.
Rubio also announced yesterday that the sister of the executive president of GAESA – a powerful Cuban military-run conglomerate – who was living in the United States, has had her green card revoked and is being held in ICE custody. Reuters reports.
A spokesperson for Russia’s foreign ministry said yesterday that Russia would provide active support to Cuba despite attempts by the United States to intimidate and tighten the “sanctions noose” around the island. The spokesperson provided no details on the support Russia would provide. Reuters reports.
The Supreme Court yesterday ruled 8-1 that the Havana Docks Corporation, a U.S. company whose docks in Cuba were seized by Fidel Castro’s government in 1960, can sue cruise companies for later using those docks without compensation. The Trump administration supported Havana Docks in its suit, arguing that lawsuits to allow such compensation were an important foreign policy tool for discouraging investment in Cuba. Ann E. Marimow reports for the New York Times.
IRAN WAR – CEASEFIRE
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi met Pakistani Interior Minister Syed Mohsin Naqvi in Tehran today to discuss proposals to end the war, Iranian media reported. A senior Iranian source told Reuters yesterday that gaps between Iran and the United States had narrowed, although uranium enrichment and the Strait of Hormuz remained sticking points. Two senior Iranian sources said yesterday that Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei had issued a directive that uranium should not be sent abroad. Hours later, Trump vowed that the United States would not allow Iran to keep its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. Jacob Bogage and Parisa Hafezi report; Parisa Hafezi and Rami Ayyub report for Reuters.
IRAN WAR – STRAIT OF HORMUZ
Full oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz will not return before the first or second quarter of 2027, even if the Middle East conflict ends now, the head of the United Arab Emirates’ state oil firm ADNOC said on Wednesday. Reuters reports.
Amid discussions with Oman, Iran’s newly created Persian Gulf Strait Authority said on social media that it had “defined the boundaries of the Strait of Hormuz management area” and that passage would require a permit from the authority. Iranian state media reported that Iran has created a new mechanism to control traffic through the route and to charge fees for “specialized services.” Two sources said Oman had initially rejected a joint partnership with Iran on the strait but is now in discussion over a share of the revenues. Ephrat Livni, Vivian Nereim, Erika Solomon, and Farnaz Fassihi report for the New York Times.
IRAN WAR – LEBANON OPERATIONS
The United States yesterday announced sanctions against nine Hezbollah-aligned individuals in Lebanon, including Iran’s designated ambassador to Lebanon, for obstructing the peace process and impeding the disarmament of Hezbollah. It is the first time Washington has sanctioned sitting Lebanese state security officials. Andrea Shalal reports for Reuters; Fatima Hussein and Kareem Chehayed report for AP News.
IRAN WAR – OTHER DEVELOPMENTS
House Republicans yesterday abruptly canceled a vote on a resolution directing Trump to withdraw U.S. forces from Iran or win approval from Congress to continue the war, after realizing they likely lacked enough votes to defeat it. Megan Mineiro, Robert Jimison, and Michael Gold report for the New York Times.
The U.S. military used far more advanced missile-defense interceptors to defend Israel than Israel itself prior to the recent ceasefire with Iran, significantly depleting U.S. stockpiles while Israel conserved many of its own high-end systems, according to Defense Department assessments. John Hudson reports for the Washington Post.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
The High Representative for Gaza on Trump’s “Board of Peace,” Nickolay Mladenov, yesterday warned the U.N. Security Council that Gaza’s current division could become permanent, leaving more than 2 million people crowded into less than half its territory, unless a ceasefire takes hold. Mladenov presented his report to the body, emphasizing that Hamas’s refusal to hand over weapons and relinquish control was the principal obstacle to implementation of the peace plan. Emma Farge reports for Reuters.
An Israeli drone strike yesterday killed a 13-year-old boy in northern Gaza, according to health officials. Gaza residents also reported that Israeli forces have in recent days resumed issuing evacuation orders ahead of strikes. Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Mahmoud Issa report for Reuters.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
The Kremlin yesterday dismissed as false a Reuters report that China’s army secretly trained about 200 Russian soldiers in China late last year, some of whom went to fight in Ukraine. Reuters reports.
Lithuania and Latvia each detected drones in their airspace yesterday, urging some residents to seek shelter while NATO fighter jets tried to intercept the devices. The incursions came amid growing concerns over Ukrainian drones being diverted by Moscow into Baltic and NATO territories during attacks on Russia. Janis Laizans and Andrius Sytas report for Reuters.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz wants the EU to consider offering “associate membership” to Ukraine, according to a letter seen yesterday by AP News. Under Merz’s proposals, Ukraine would take part in EU meetings, but without voting rights, and would also have non-voting “associate members” of the European Commission and European Parliament. Merz wrote that his proposal “will help facilitate the ongoing peace talks as part of a negotiated peace solution. This is essential not only for Ukraine’s but for the entire continent’s security.” Lorne Cook and Geir Moulson report.
The EU can freeze assets linked to Russians sanctioned over the war in Ukraine, even if those assets are held by a trust, and there is no direct legal link to the persons involved, the EU’s Court of Justice ruled yesterday. Reuters reports.
OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
The Philippine authorities yesterday started a nationwide manhunt for Senator Ronald dela Rosa, a week after he evaded an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court. The police said they have stepped up monitoring of all ports of exit in the country. The authorities said they have no record of him going abroad. Sui-Lee Wee reports for the New York Times.
Alberta will proceed with a non-binding referendum in October on whether its residents want to remain part of Canada, Premier Danielle Smith said yesterday. The ballot question will not trigger separation, Smith said, but will instead ask residents if the Alberta government should start the legal process that is required to hold a binding referendum at a later date. Amanda Stephenson reports for Reuters.
U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Greenlanders yesterday held a protest against the opening of a new U.S. Consulate building in downtown Nuuk, Greenland’s capital. Hundreds of demonstrators marched through the streets with signs reading “we don’t want your money” and “Greenlanders know a MAGA Trojan horse when we see one.” Maya Tekeli and Jeffrey Gettleman report for the New York Times.
Trump said yesterday that the United States would deploy an additional 5,000 troops to Poland. The announcement came shortly after his administration had canceled a large training exercise in Poland, later saying it had only been delayed, and saying it would withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany. U.S. defense officials expressed confusion today about Trump’s new announcement. “We just spent the better part of two weeks reacting to the first announcement, we don’t know what this means either,’’ said one official. Jacob Wendler reports for POLITICO; Ben Finley and Matthew Lee report for AP News.
Rubio will attend a NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in Sweden today, the same day that senior Pentagon officials are expected to brief the alliance on plans for the U.S. military’s commitment to European defense in Brussels. “I don’t think anyone is shocked to know that the United States, and the president in particular, is very disappointed at NATO right now,” Rubio told reporters before boarding his plane to Sweden. Matthew Lee reports for AP News.
U.S. IMMIGRATION DEVELOPMENTS
The Trump administration has temporarily stopped deportation flights to the Democratic Republic of the Congo amid the Ebola outbreak that has infected at least 600 people in the region so far, according to an administration official. Myah Ward reports for POLITICO.
The Justice Department yesterday announced that it onboarded more than 80 new federal immigration judges this week. Most of the immigration judges joining the DOJ’s ranks previously worked as ICE lawyers, prosecutors, or in the military, as officers, or judge advocates, according to bios provided by the DOJ. Camilo Montoya-Galvez reports for CBS News.
A federal judge in Chicago yesterday dismissed all charges against anti-ICE demonstrators, saying records showed prosecutors acted improperly when presenting the case to a grand jury. Mariah Timms and Joseph Pisani report for the Wall Street Journal.
U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
Blanche met with Senate Republicans yesterday to brief them on a Justice Department plan to create a $1.776 billion fund to pay people who claim government mistreatment. The two-hour meeting turned into a heated confrontation where senators challenged the legality and rules of the funding, raising particular concerns that the fund could compensate some Jan. 6 rioters. “So the nation’s top law enforcement official is asking for a slush fund to pay people who assault cops?” said Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY). “Utterly stupid, morally wrong – take your pick.” The backlash led to Republican leaders delaying scheduled votes on $72 billion in funding for ICE and Border Patrol. Justin Green reports for Axios; Luke Broadwater reports for the New York Times; Michael Gold reports for the New York Times.
The Democratic National Committee yesterday released what it said was a full, unredacted autopsy of the 2024 presidential election, though party chair Ken Martin distanced himself from the report, calling it flawed and incomplete. Multiple sources also noted that the report does not mention the war in Gaza. Alex Thompson and Holly Otterbein report for Axios; Lisa Kashinsky, Andreprincw Howard, and Samuel Benson report for POLITICO.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS
Trump yesterday planned to sign an executive order giving the government power to review AI models before release, but the White House canceled the event hours before it was due to happen. Trump told reporters that he delayed the signing because he “didn’t like certain aspects of it.” Three sources told the Washington Post that tech leaders, such as Elon Musk and Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, warned at the last minute that the administration’s proposed vetting system could inhibit technological and economic progress, according to three sources. Tripp Mickle and Sheera Frenkel report for the New York Times; Cat Zakrzewski, Ian Duncan, Ellen Nakashima, and Isaac Arnsdorf report.
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