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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the last 24 hours. Here’s today’s news:
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
Russian missile and drone strikes in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities overnight and early this morning killed at least 17 people and wounded more than 90, according to Ukrainian authorities. Damage from the strikes was recorded at more than 30 locations in Kyiv, including 20 residential buildings and a medical facility, the officials said. Stephen Kalin reports for the Wall Street Journal; Kylie MacLellan, Farouq Suleiman, Christina Anagnostopoulos, and Isabella Lapadula report for Reuters.
The Russian defense ministry claims it intercepted a Ukrainian ballistic missile in the last 24 hours, potentially marking Kyiv’s first combat use of such a weapon. The ministry did not specify where the intercept took place, nor did it identify the specific missile type. Bloomberg reports.
Russia has started seaborne imports of gasoline from India, two industry sources said yesterday, in an effort to mitigate fuel shortages triggered by Ukrainian attacks on its energy infrastructure. Reuters reports.
More than two million Russian and Ukrainian troops have been killed or wounded since the war started in Feb. 2022, according to a study published yesterday by the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. The study shows that Russia has borne the heavier toll, with 1.4 million troops killed or wounded. Helene Cooper reports for the New York Times.
Russia likely used shadow ships to launch drones over Europe that repeatedly disrupted civilian aviation, according to a report published today by the International Institute of Strategic Studies. The report plotted 144 suspected drone sightings across Europe between 2024 and 2026. The IISS said the Russian campaign was designed to fall below the threshold of triggering discussions for a collective NATO response and was a “strategic failure” for Europe that exposed how the continent’s air defenses are not fit to deal with the current threat. Emma Burrows reports for AP News.
IRAN WAR – NEGOTIATIONS
Iran and the United States concluded two days of indirect talks yesterday without making progress toward a lasting peace, sources said. Negotiators focused on ensuring safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz and unfreezing Iranian funds, while Iran’s nuclear program was not discussed, the sources added. Trump, however, said “the denuclearization of Iran is moving along well,” adding “they’ve had very good meetings, and we’ll see.” Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said the next meeting will take place after funeral processions for Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who is due to be buried on July 9. Andrew Mills, Parisa Hafezi, and Jacob Bogage report for Reuters.
An Iranian military commander today warned the United States and Israel against any attack on Iran as it prepares for Khamenei’s state funeral, adding that Iran’s armed forces would ensure “harsh retaliation” against any threat. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi yesterday gave a similar warning that Tehran would deliver an immediate and powerful response to any threat against its people or leadership after Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that Iran’s current Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, was “marked for death.” Reuters reports.
IRAN WAR – STRAIT OF HORMUZ
Iran’s joint military command warned today that all oil tankers moving through the Strait of Hormuz must use Iran’s approved routes or face a “forceful response. Jon Gambrell reports for AP News.
IRAN WAR – LEBANON
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani met Lebanese government leaders in Beirut today and said he was open to meeting Hezbollah “if interests require it,” according to Lebanon’s state news agency. A statement from Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said that Syria and Lebanon wanted each other’s stability and that al-Sharaa had assured him that Syria would not take sides in Lebanon’s internal issues. Trump has repeatedly proposed that Syria could help subdue Hezbollah during discussions on how to prevent the Israel-Hezbollah conflict from unraveling the U.S.-Iran peace deal. Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said last week that a solution for Lebanon involving Syria “does not mean war and does not mean the old image of Syrian tutelage over Lebanon under a former regime.” Reuters reports; Christina Goldbaum and Raja Abdulrahim report for the New York Times.
IRAN WAR – OTHER DEVELOPMENTS
A U.S. Navy MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter made an emergency landing in the Arabian Sea, with three crew members rescued in stable condition while a fourth remains missing, according to a U.S. Naval Forces Central Command statement. The Navy said there is no evidence of hostile action, and the incident occurred as U.S. forces continue operating in the region following the end of the naval blockade of Iran. John S. W. MacDonald reports for the New York Times.
WEST BANK VIOLENCE
Israeli security forces yesterday detained five Palestinian women across the occupied West Bank, and the families said they were not told why the women were detained. The number of Palestinian women and girls in Israeli detention has more than doubled since the start of the Israel-Hamas war and increased by 80% since the start of 2026, according to Palestinian rights groups. Sam Metz reports for AP News.
SUDANESE CIVIL WAR
The Sudanese Rapid Support Forces paramilitary committed crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing during their campaign to seize the city of el-Fasher last year, according to an Amnesty investigation released yesterday. The RSF has not commented on the Amnesty report but has denied previous such accusations. Barbara Plett Usher and Wycliffe Muia report for BBC News.
OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
Nigeria will seek compensation from South Africa for its citizens who have left the country following recent protests targeting undocumented migrants, Nigerian foreign ministry spokesperson Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa told BBC News. Acting High Commissioner to South Africa Alexander Ajayi said on local television on Tuesday that the government had begun documenting businesses and properties left behind by Nigerians. Makuochi Okafor reports.
Syria’s first post-Assad parliament is taking shape, following yesterday’s announcement of 70 legislators selected by President Ahmed al-Sharaa to join the 140 chosen in elections over the past eight months. The 210-member Parliament will hold its first meeting on Monday when the members will be sworn in, the head of Syria’s electoral committee, Mohammed Taha al-Ahmad, told reporters. Ghaith Alsayed reports for AP News.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko yesterday pardoned 28 political prisoners on “humanitarian” grounds as part of his efforts to improve relations with Western countries. In a report released earlier this week, the U.N. special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus, Nils Muižnieks, warned that despite the release of several hundred political prisoners over the past year, there has been no overall improvement in the human rights situation in the country. Yuras Karmanau reports for AP News.
German federal prosecutors said today that a Ukrainian national tied to the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline blasts has been charged with being an accomplice to a war crime, disruption of public services, causing an explosion, and destroying structures. Reuters reports.
U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS
The United States has resumed some air shipments of U.S. dollars to Iraq after suspending them for several months to pressure Baghdad to curb Iranian influence and crack down on Iran-backed militias, according to two aides to Iraq’s prime minister. The move follows steps by Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi to bring militias under state control and launch an anti-corruption campaign. Raja Abdulrahim and Falih Hassan report for the New York Times.
The U.S. Air Force Reserve and the French Air and Space Force yesterday conducted joint training flights under the Reserve Allies and Partners Program (RAPP), including simulated airdrops and aeromedical exercises, to strengthen interoperability and readiness for future operations. Military leaders from both countries said the exercises demonstrate their ability to operate well together despite political tensions between their governments. Colin Demarest reports for Axios.
NATO is set to announce at next week’s summit in Ankara that its European members have filled almost all the gaps left by the United States in the alliance’s defense plans, a NATO source told Reuters yesterday. The main gap NATO is still struggling to plug is in strategic bombers, where the United States has said it will make only one aircraft available instead of two, said the source. Sabine Siebold reports.
The State Department said yesterday that it had designated the Ecuadorean gang Chones Killers as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, imposing sanctions on a group that Washington accused of carrying out attacks on civilians and public officials. Ecuador’s foreign ministry welcomed the U.S. decision, saying it reflected Washington’s strong support for President Daniel Noboa’s campaign against criminal organizations. Reuters reports.
U.S. IMMIGRATION DEVELOPMENTS
Federal immigration officials have detained more than 10,000 people in the last five days, following orders from agency leaders for an increase in arrests, according to documents obtained by the New York Times. An official said that it was unclear how long this new pace could continue, but that ICE officials had been told that 2,000 arrests a day was the new standard for enforcement. Hamed Aleaziz reports.
BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP
Hours after the Supreme Court struck down Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship, White House aides and allies discussed a number of policy options, according to several sources. Suggestions range from prosecuting organizations or individuals involved in birth tourism schemes to barring the entry of pregnant women into the United States entirely. Myah Ward reports for POLITICO.
TECH DEVELOPMENTS
The U.N. and its International Telecommunication Union are convening the AI for Good Global Commission, which will hold its first meeting on July 8 in Geneva, Axios has learned. Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff and Rwandan President Paul Kagame will co-chair the commission. Ashley Gold reports.
OpenAI has discussed giving a 5 percent stake to the U.S. government, alongside similar contributions from other major AI companies, as a way to ease regulatory pressure and secure political support, according to two sources. The idea, raised by Sam Altman in early talks, is part of a broader proposal to create a public wealth–style system that spreads AI-generated profits to citizens, though it is still at a conceptual stage and would likely require congressional approval. Cristina Criddle and George Hammond report for the Financial Times.
U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
Special Agent-in-Charge Douglas DePodesta, who has led FBI Chicago for the past three years, is leaving his post on July 6. In a message to his team, DePodesta wrote, “I’ve never backed down from a fight, as long as it meant our personnel could continue serving the FBI’s mission. Unfortunately, that has proven unpopular over time, and my departure is a consequence of that.” It remains unclear what he was referring to when he said his efforts were “unpopular.” Chris Tye reports for CBS News
Colorado Gov. Jack Polis (D) fired two members of his clemency board yesterday after they spoke out against his decision to commute the prison sentence of the election denier Tina Peters. Jack Healy reports for the New York Times.
Nineteen former military and defense officials praised Democratic governors who declined to send National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., for this weekend’s America 250 celebration in letters sent yesterday, arguing that such deployment risks politicizing the military and harming civil-military relations. Justin Kaufmann reports for Axios.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS
Trump said yesterday that acting Director of National Intelligence Bill Pulte would be in his role for “a month or two months or something” and is empowered “to declassify almost everything.” Gregory Svirnovskiy reports for POLITICO.
FBI Director Kash Patel failed to properly disclose a six-figure purchase of stock in a bitcoin-fueled business intelligence and mobile software company that has contracted with the Department of Justice, according to federal financial records reviewed by Notus. Dave Levinthal reports.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION
Former CIA Director John O. Brennan’s lawyers yesterday asked a federal judge to order the Trump administration to preserve all records related to ongoing Justice Department investigations into the former C.I.A. director, saying they may later use them to argue any potential charges amount to vindictive or selective prosecution. Alan Feuer reports for the New York Times.
A federal judge has blocked the U.S. Postal Service from implementing Trump’s executive order on mail ballots, ruling it violates a 2021 settlement requiring USPS to ensure timely and neutral handling of election mail. Tierney Sneed reports for CNN.
The Justice Department yesterday filed a lawsuit against Virginia and California over their newly enacted restriction on guns, arguing they are unconstitutional under the Second Amendment. Aishvarya Kavi reports for the New York Times.
Did you miss this? Stay up-to-date with our Litigation Tracker: Legal Challenges to Trump Administration Actions.
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