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A curated guide to major news and developments over the weekend. Here’s today’s news:
VENEZUELA QUAKE – TOLL AND RESCUE
A 4.8-magnitude earthquake struck off Venezuela’s coast on Saturday, according to U.S. Geological Survey data. Officials said the region has recorded more than 430 aftershocks since Wednesday’s major quakes. Ishani Desai reports for the New York Times; Reuters reports.
Venezuela’s earthquake death toll has risen to 1,450, with 3,150 people injured, 12,721 displaced, and 774 buildings collapsed, National Assembly leader Jorge Rodríguez said yesterday. Rescue teams continued searching for survivors in La Guaira, where foreign crews have arrived and an opposition-linked site listed just under 50,000 people as unaccounted for. Reuters reports; Alan Yuhas reports for the New York Times.
VENEZUELA QUAKE – AID RESPONSE
UNICEF said about 1.8 million people in Venezuela, including 680,000 children, need humanitarian aid after the earthquakes, and that it has expanded its response. Farnaz Fassihi reports for the New York Times.
The United States is taking a leading role in coordinating Venezuela earthquake relief and has deployed additional Miami-based search-and-rescue teams, bringing specialized U.S. civilian rescuers in the country to nearly 250, senior State Department official Jeremy Lewin said Saturday. Lewin said USS Fort Lauderdale has also been positioned in the region to coordinate logistics and treat Venezuelan patients airlifted aboard. Jonathan Wolfe reports for the New York Times; Jonathan Wolfe reports for the New York Times.
The U.S. military repaired one runway at Simón Bolívar International Airport, allowing Venezuela’s main international airport to reopen, Lewin said Saturday. He said the repairs should increase the flow of international aid and that the State Department is preparing another major rescue package after already mobilizing $150 million. Jonathan Wolfe reports for the New York Times.
Venezuelan authorities restricted access to hard-hit La Guaira after volunteer aid convoys clogged the only highway into the disaster zone, delaying ambulances and rescue crews. Aid workers urged people to leave donations at collection centers in Caracas instead of traveling to La Guaira themselves, warning that traffic was obstructing efforts to reach survivors trapped under rubble. Genevieve Glatsky, María Victoria Fermín, and Fabiola Ferrero report for the New York Times.
VENEZUELA QUAKE – RELIEF POLITICS
Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, is facing accusations that her government is politicizing earthquake relief after opposition volunteers said police and civil protection officials tried to shut down or restrict donation drives. Rodríguez’s government says it is trying to keep roads and disaster zones clear for official convoys and rescue crews, while critics say the restrictions could help bolster her authority after Maduro’s removal. Frances Robles reports for the New York Times.
U.S. officials said they are frustrated with exiled Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado for seeking help returning to Venezuela after the earthquakes, with one White House official calling the requests a “political stunt.” Officials said they support her eventual return but do not want her traveling back while the immediate disaster response is underway. Tyler Pager reports for the New York Times; Steve Holland reports for Reuters.
IRAN WAR – U.S.-IRAN STRIKES
The U.S. military carried out a second straight night of strikes on Iran on Saturday, saying the attacks responded to an Iranian one-way drone strike on the Panama-flagged tanker Kiku in the Strait of Hormuz, though Iran has not confirmed responsibility. U.S. Central Command said the strikes targeted Iranian surveillance, communications, air-defense, drone-storage, and minelayer capabilities, a broader set of targets than Friday’s strikes; the U.S. did not specify locations, but Iranian state media reported explosions on Iran’s southern coast and projectiles hitting nearby islands in the strait. Pranav Baskar reports for the New York Times; John Ismay reports for the New York Times; Pranav Baskar and Shirin Hakim report for the New York Times; Reuters reports.
President Trump said Saturday that Iran had violated the cease-fire and threatened further military action after the U.S. strikes, writing on Truth Social that the United States may be “forced to militarily complete the job” and that, if so, “the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist.” Tyler Pager reports for the New York Times.
All drones and missiles launched by Iran in the latest attack wave were intercepted, shot down, or failed to reach their targets, a U.S. official said Sunday. No U.S. troops were injured, and no U.S. bases were affected, the official said. John Ismay reports for the New York Times.
Bahrain and Kuwait said their air defenses intercepted Iranian attacks yesterday morning, with Kuwait reporting two ballistic missiles intercepted and no casualties reported. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said Saturday they had struck eight U.S. targets at the Fifth Fleet base in Bahrain and the Al Salam military base in Kuwait in retaliation for U.S. strikes on Iran’s southern coast, and warned that cease-fire violations could jeopardize the broader agreement. Yan Zhuang reports for the New York Times; Pranav Baskar reports for the New York Times and New York Times; Farnaz Fassihi reports for the New York Times.
A Qatari citizen was killed, and another person was injured after shrapnel from regional military operations struck their boat, Qatar’s Interior Ministry said. Maritime units found the vessel early Sunday after it failed to return to port Saturday, and the injured person was hospitalized in stable condition. Ephrat Livni reports for the New York Times.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi yesterday met senior Iraqi officials in Baghdad and accused the United States and Israel of violating parts of the memorandum of understanding. Araghchi said Iran was acting in good faith but would respond to breaches, and called for a security framework led by countries in the region rather than outside military powers. Shirin Hakim reports for the New York Times.
IRAN WAR – U.S.-IRAN TALKS
Iran and the United States agreed to halt recent attacks in the Gulf and resume technical talks over the Strait of Hormuz, a U.S. official said yesterday, though Iran has yet to confirm an agreement. The official said both sides would “stand down for now” and vessels could move freely, while Axios reports talks are expected Tuesday in Qatar. Iranian state TV separately cited an official saying Tehran skipped talks scheduled for Sunday because of recent attacks and unmet memorandum conditions, including access to unfrozen funds. Barak Ravid reports for Axios; Benoit Faucon, Robbie Gramer, and Alexander Ward report for Wall Street Journal; Nandita Bose, Menna Alaaeldin, and Yomna Ehab report for Reuters; Elwely Elwelly reports for Reuters.
IRAN WAR – STRAIT OF HORMUZ
Araghchi said yesterday that Tehran interprets the preliminary U.S.-Iran memorandum as giving Iran sole responsibility for managing Strait of Hormuz transit, and warned that alternate routes bypassing Iranian waters could delay the waterway’s full reopening and increase tensions. Analysts told the New York Times that Iran views control over the strait as key leverage in nuclear talks and as a fallback deterrent if diplomacy collapses. Erika Solomon reports for the New York Times; Sanam Mahoozi reports for the New York Times.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency said yesterday that the threat level in the Strait of Hormuz remains “substantial,” following attacks on vessels Thursday and Saturday. The agency said overall risk is lower than before the U.S.-Iran agreement, that traffic has increased through both Omani- and Iranian-controlled routes, and that U.S.-assisted commercial transits continued despite the elevated threat. Ephrat Livni reports for the New York Times.
IRAN WAR – LEBANON
More than 3,000 people have been killed in Lebanon since Hezbollah attacked Israel in March in solidarity with Iran, Lebanese officials said. Aaron Boxerman reports for the New York Times.
Israel and Lebanon signed a U.S.-mediated framework agreement Friday aimed at easing fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, but both sides described it as an initial step. The framework provides for phased Israeli withdrawals from parts of southern Lebanon and Lebanese army deployments in “pilot zones,” while allowing Israeli forces to remain in an expanded security zone for now. Hezbollah rejected the deal as a “surrender.” Rami Ayyub, Maya Gebeily, and Michael Martina report for Reuters; Jana Choukeir, Eman Abouhassira, and Pesha Magid report for Reuters; Ben Finley, Abby Sewell, and Melanie Lidman report for AP; Michael Crowley reports for the New York Times.
Israel said yesterday that the Israeli military destroyed a 200-meter Hezbollah tunnel in Majdal Zoun in southern Lebanon. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said the United States was informed ahead of the attack and that the tunnel contained hundreds of weapons and launchers. Hezbollah called the strikes a “flagrant” cease-fire violation. Reuters reports.
The Israeli military said yesterday it had killed a Hezbollah militant it said was responsible for the death of an Israeli soldier in southern Lebanon. The military said it would continue acting against threats to Israeli troops and civilians. Ephrat Livni reports for the New York Times.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
Israeli strikes and shelling yesterday killed at least four Palestinians in Gaza, including a 13-year-old girl, local health officials said. On Saturday, an Israeli drone strike killed two Palestinian siblings in a tent camp in Muwasi. The Israeli military said one Sunday strike and the Saturday Muwasi strike targeted Hamas militants, without providing further details. Wafaa Shurafa reports for AP; Wafaa Shurafa reports for AP.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
Russian drone strikes on Friday killed three people in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk and Sumy regions, local officials said. The Dnipropetrovsk strike hit a minibus in Nikopol, killing two passengers and injuring 12 people, including two children. Civilian deaths were also reported on both sides of the Russia-Ukraine border on Saturday, as officials described drone and artillery attacks across Russian and Ukrainian border regions. Reuters reports; Ron Popeski reports for Reuters.
Russian attacks yesterday killed at least five people in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, and Sumy regions, local officials said. The strikes also injured at least 24 people, including two children, and killed a police officer who was helping organize evacuations in the region. Ron Popeski and Bogdan Kochubey report for Reuters.
Ukraine said yesterday it had struck two Russian oil refineries in Krasnodar and Yaroslavl. Krasnodar’s governor said a fire broke out at the Slavyansk-na-Kubani refinery, killing one person and injuring another in a nearby village. Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged a fuel shortage and said Russia would strengthen protection of oil facilities and boost fuel output, while rejecting Ukraine’s proposal to halt long-range strikes. Reuters reports; Reuters reports; AP reports.
The European Commission proposed extending temporary protection for Ukrainians in the EU until March 2028, while limiting access for newly arriving military-age men who lack authorization from Ukraine to leave. The Council of Europe’s human rights commissioner warned against measures that could force premature returns. Amina Ismail and Sudip Kar-Gupta report for Reuters; Lorne Cook reports for AP.
OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
The Democratic Republic of the Congo on Friday filed a case against Rwanda at the International Court of Justice, accusing it of legal responsibility for decades of violence in eastern DRC and violations of international conventions on genocide, racial discrimination, discrimination against women, and torture. The filing asks the court to order Rwanda to halt its activities in the DRC and pay reparations, though the court has not said whether it has jurisdiction. Jean-Yves Kamale and Mark Banchereau report for AP; Ange Adihe Kasongo reports for Reuters.
Ugandan soldiers yesterday shut the Kampala offices of the Daily Monitor and other Nation Media Group outlets after army chief Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, President Yoweri Museveni’s son, ordered media closures and warned that all outlets must “follow the rules.” The National Association of Broadcasters said at least six Nation Media publishing and broadcasting outlets were closed. Rodney Muhumuza reports for AP.
Pakistani officials said yesterday that security forces killed at least 32 militants in a ground operation and strikes along the Afghanistan border, a day after a Jamaat-ul-Ahrar attack on a Pakistan Rangers headquarters in Karachi killed three paramilitary soldiers. Afghanistan’s Taliban government said Pakistan’s strikes killed at least 36 civilians and wounded more than 160 others. Munir Ahmed and Suzan Fraser report for AP; Muhammad Farooq reports for AP; Elian Peltier and Safiullah Padshah report for the New York Times.
Israel’s Cabinet yesterday unanimously approved a proposal to recognize the Ottoman-era killings of Armenians during World War I as genocide, a step that still requires Knesset approval and is likely to further strain ties with Turkey. Turkey denounced the move as politically motivated and aimed at distracting from Israel’s conduct in Gaza. AP reports.
Argentine President Javier Milei’s Cabinet chief and close ally, Manuel Adorni, resigned on Saturday amid a corruption scandal and federal investigation into alleged illicit enrichment. Adorni has denied wrongdoing, while Milei previously publicly defended him as innocent. Clara Preve and Isabel DeBre report for AP.
Vietnam arrested at least 56 activists, dissidents, and others in politically related cases in 2025, double the number in 2022, according to a new analysis by The 88 Project. The group said authorities are increasingly using broad criminal laws, including Article 331’s ban on “abusing democratic freedoms,” to target dissent and criticism of state officials. David Rising reports for AP.
U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS
At least a dozen Mexican elected officials, including governors and members of Congress, have approached U.S. authorities about providing information on fellow politicians as the Trump administration expands corruption investigations into Mexico’s governing party, the New York Times reports. The outreach follows U.S. indictments of current and former Mexican officials and comes as President Claudia Sheinbaum publicly denounces the investigations as foreign interference. Steve Fisher, Jack Nicas, and Alan Feuer report.
TECH DEVELOPMENTS
The Commerce Department on Friday partially lifted restrictions on Anthropic’s Claude Mythos 5, allowing approved U.S. organizations to regain access after a Jun. 12 export-control order forced Anthropic to take its top models offline. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s Jun. 26 letter said Anthropic had made “significant progress” addressing national-security risks and that approved entities would no longer need export licenses for Mythos 5 access, while restrictions remain for others. David Shepardson and Chris Thomas report for Reuters; Sheera Frenkel reports for the New York Times.
The Trump administration is close to allowing Anthropic to restore Claude Fable 5, the company’s powerful public-facing model that has been offline since the Jun. 12 order, Axios reports. Insiders expect limits could be lifted as soon as this week, though Pentagon and NSA approval remain pending; A source told Reuters that the government is moving toward allowing Fable’s release, but that timing remains unclear. Mike Allen and Zachary Basu report for Axios; Reuters reports.
OpenAI said Friday it is launching GPT-5.6 Sol and related models in a limited preview to a small group of trusted partners whose participation has been shared with the U.S. government, before a broader rollout expected in the coming weeks. The company said Sol is its strongest model yet, with improved coding, biology, and cybersecurity capabilities, but said it does not believe government access approval should become the long-term default. Gerrit De Vynck and Isaac Arnsdorf report for the Washington Post; Matt O’Brien reports for AP.
The Justice Department seized nearly 400 domains allegedly used to illegally stream World Cup matches, saying the operation targeted international networks profiting from unauthorized broadcasts. DOJ said the domains were identified with help from FIFA, NBC Universal, Warner Brothers, and others, and warned the sites also exposed viewers to malware and insecure connections. Jasper Ward reports for Reuters.
Federal regulators have opened a new investigation into Polymarket, the Trump-linked prediction market company tied to Donald Trump Jr., according to two sources. The inquiry tests whether the Commodity Futures Trading Commission will scrutinize Polymarket after the agency last year overruled enforcement attorneys and dropped a separate probe into whether the company was illegally serving U.S. customers. Sharon LaFraniere and David Yaffe-Bellany report for the New York Times.
U.S. IMMIGRATION DEVELOPMENTS
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said yesterday that migrants in the United States on Temporary Protected Status should seek permanent residence or leave for their home countries. Mullin said the government would offer plane tickets and about $2,100 to help people return, following the Supreme Court’s decision allowing the administration to end TPS protections for Haitians and Syrians. Reuters reports.
Trump said he will nominate Lance Schroyer, a former Oklahoma state trooper and senior adviser to DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, to lead ICE. Schroyer appears to have limited national policy experience and had never worked at ICE before joining the agency after Mullin became homeland security secretary in March. Reuters reports; Tyler Pager reports for the New York Times.
U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
John Bolton pleaded guilty Friday to mishandling classified information and agreed to pay a $2.25 million fine, forfeit his government pension, and complete up to 100 hours of community service. Bolton faces up to five years in prison at sentencing on Oct. 28, while prosecutors said no classified information appeared in his memoir. Dan Rosenzweig-Ziff and Joseph Ax report for Reuters.
The Justice Department closed a criminal investigation into Abbott Laboratories’ handling of a baby-formula plant where potentially deadly bacteria were found, despite some prosecutors believing there was enough evidence to charge the company, sources told the Wall Street Journal. Senior officials instead pursued a civil resolution focused on Abbott’s sale of formula through federally funded nutrition programs. Dave Michaels, Sadie Gurman, and Liz Essley Whyte report.
The House Oversight Committee on Friday subpoenaed billionaire investor Leon Black for documents and testimony about alleged nondisclosure agreements with victims of Jeffrey Epstein. Black denied abusing women, paying Epstein for access to women, or being blackmailed, while committee members said he refused to answer questions about survivors and NDAs. Nolan D. McCaskill reports for Reuters.
A Utah judge found prosecutor Christopher Ballard in civil contempt for comments to TMZ about the presumed guilt of Tyler Robinson, who is accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The judge ordered measures to limit potential jury taint but refused to bar prosecutors from seeking the death penalty. Andrew Hay reports for Reuters.
The U.S. Army last week gave chaplains 90 days to remove rank insignia from Army Combat Uniforms and 180 days to remove them from cold-weather gear, implementing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s directive that chaplains be identified first by faith role rather than military grade. Eve Sampson reports for Military Times.
John Yoo, a prominent conservative law professor, will serve as a part-time constitutional law adviser to Justice Department prosecutor Joseph diGenova. DiGenova is leading an investigation into matters related to the Trump-Russia inquiries that Trump’s allies describe as part of a “grand conspiracy” against Trump’s first term. Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney report for POLITICO.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS
Trump personally joined negotiations that gave U.S.-backed Kaz Resources access to a major Kazakh tungsten deposit, after the administration approved preliminary applications for as much as $1.6 billion in federal financing, the New York Times reports. Trump’s sons and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s family have financial ties to partners in the deal, part of a broader Times finding that the Trump or Lutnick families are linked to at least 14 critical-minerals companies working with the federal government. Paul Sonne and Eric Lipton report.
The White House privately pressed the Merit Systems Protection Board before it issued a March ruling accepting Trump’s claim of broad Article II power to fire certain federal workers without usual due-process protections, sources told the New York Times. Jonah E. Bromwich, Michael S. Schmidt, and Rebecca Davis O’Brien report.
Acting Director of National Intelligence Bill Pulte has installed Christina Norton, a former RNC official whose recent work centered on election issues, as his chief of staff, former officials told the New York Times. Julian E. Barnes and Dustin Volz report.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION
The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to review a Sixth Circuit ruling rejecting DHS’s policy of mandatorily detaining noncitizens who entered without inspection and have not been admitted, without bond hearings, while removal proceedings continue. Nate Raymond reports for Reuters.
Did you miss this? Stay up-to-date with our Litigation Tracker: Legal Challenges to Trump Administration Actions.
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