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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the last 24 hours. Here’s today’s news:
IRAN WAR
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei yesterday accused the United States of a war crime after Iranian officials said a missile strike hit a wedding celebration. The Iranian Red Crescent Society said shrapnel from a missile hit a home where the wedding ceremony took place. Four people, two women and two children, were killed, and more than 60 were wounded. U.S. Central Command spokesman Capt. Tim Hawkins said the military was looking into reports about the strike, but did not say if they had launched a formal investigation. Joe Coughlan, Claire Keenan, and David Gritten report for BBC News; Lee Keath and Sarah El Deeb report for AP News.
Iran has targeted U.S. Gulf allies for a second consecutive night. Drones today were fired at Kuwait and Bahrain. Kuwait’s Ministry of Defense said the attack constituted “blatant Iranian aggression.” AP News reports.
Top aides to President Trump are pushing to keep the Iran war from escalating before the midterms, sources have told Reuters. White House officials will also consider ramping up military action after the elections. Nandita Bose, Humeyra Pamuk, and Gram Slattery report.
Special Envoy Steve Witkoff last weekend met with the national security advisor of the UAE in Sardinia to discuss next steps in Iran, according to two sources. The talks were not announced by the White House and were only reported by Axios yesterday. Barak Ravid reports.
Saudi Arabia yesterday said an Iranian attack hit an oil tanker owned by its national shipping company, killing two Filipino seafarers. Reuters reports.
Iran yesterday added 11 more ships to their blacklist. The ships are deemed non-compliant and subject to fines, confiscation or detention if they try to sail through the Strait of Hormuz. Jonathan Saul reports for Reuters.
IRAN WAR- LEBANON
Iran last month warned the United States it would respond forcefully to an Israeli offensive on a mountainous ridge in southern Lebanon where Iranian military personnel are holed up alongside Hezbollah militants, officials have told Reuters. Hezbollah declined to comment on whether Iranian forces were present in Ali al-Taher. A White House official said “this is not accurate,” in response to questions about the message, or whether the United States had pressured Israel to not attack the ridge. Maya Gebeily reports.
The Israeli military yesterday said Hezbollah launched two explosive-laden drones at Israeli troops operating in the Ali al-Taher ridge, prompting strikes on the terror group’s infrastructure in the area. According to the IDF, one of the drones was shot down by the troops, and no injuries were reported. Lebanese official media said Israeli strikes killed one person in southern Lebanon. Emanuel Fabian reports for the Times of Israel.
IRAN WAR – OTHER DEVELOPMENTS
The Pentagon has removed decades of classified documents associated with the Secretary of Defense Order Book from the Secret Internet Protocol Router Network after the Washington Post published a story detailing senior military officers’ concerns about the Iran war, sources have told the Washington Post. It remains unclear if the documents are otherwise available to U.S. personnel or how the reduction in access could complicate military planning. Dan Lamothe and Alex Horton report.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is quietly extending troop deployments in the Middle East into 2027, sources have told the Wall Street Journal, adding that it is part of an open-ended military strategy designed to give Trump options in the war. Shelby Holliday and Alexander Ward report.
Chinese President Xi Jinping yesterday called on Middle Eastern nations to oppose external interference and consider reshaping the region’s security order during his visit to Egypt. Xi said China was ready to work with countries to safeguard shipping routes. Alexander Dziadosz and Shi Bu report for Reuters.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio yesterday downplayed reports about Russian aid going to Iran, saying that “nothing” has impeded U.S. objectives against Iran. Ryan Mancini reports for The Hill.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
More than 900 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza this year despite the ceasefire, according to the latest figures from Gaza’s Ministry of Health. The IDF disputes the ministry’s figures, and told BBC News there is “no basis to assume” that all those listed were killed as a result of IDF activity. Emma Pengelly and Richard Irvine-Brown report.
WEST BANK VIOLENCE
Two Palestinian teenagers were killed yesterday in an attack by Israeli settler militants and army troops in al-Mughayyir village in the occupied West Bank, according to local officials and the Palestinian Health Ministry. The IDF said its forces entered the village to provide security for police officers and an Israeli citizen seeking to retrieve livestock. Troops fired on and struck “key instigators” of a “violent disturbance.” Reuters reports.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
The head of Odesa’s military administration Serhiy Lysak today said Russian air strikes wounded 17 people and damaged a 21-storey residential building in Ukraine’s Black Sea port city. Reuters reports.
One week of consecutive drone strikes have struck Kyiv. Yesterday’s strikes wounded 11 people and damaged residential and university buildings, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Dan Peleschuk reports for Reuters.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen yesterday vowed to increase pressure on Russia, including with new sanctions. Von der Leyen said the attempted drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport in Germany showed Russia’s growing “recklessness.” Andrew Gray and Andreas Rinke report for Reuters.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov today said Russia will close Germany’s Goethe-Institut cultural centres, after Germany blamed Russia for the drone incident at the Leipzig/Halle Airport. Germany yesterday closed a Russian cultural centre in Berlin and a consulate in Bonn. Jekaterina Golubkova reports for Reuters.
Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot yesterday said Belgium’s position opposing the use of Russia’s frozen assets to help Ukraine has remained unchanged. He claimed despite attempts to reopen the discussion by some EU nations last week, it has “generated little enthusiasm or appetite among colleagues.” Reuters reports.
Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Mykola Kalashynk yesterday sent a letter to International Civil Aviation Organization Chairman Juan Carlos Salazar urging the agency to ask its members to fully ban operations in Russian airspace. Yuliia Dyssa and Allison Lampert report for Reuters.
Danish national security and intelligence service, PET, today said Russia is recruiting Danish citizens to help plan sabotage against Danish defense firms with ties to Ukraine. PET has uncovered concrete examples of Russia attempting recruitment through social media and gaming platforms for tasks such as taking photos of companies or infrastructure. Jacob Gronholt-Pederson reports for Reuters.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk yesterday said Russia is likely behind a “deliberate arson” attack on a WB Electronics drone factory supplying weapons to Ukraine. Daria Zakharova reports for POLITICO.
SUDANESE CIVIL WAR
A U.N. fact-finding mission today said foreign weapons, military technology, fighters, and logistical networks are helping sustain Sudan’s conflict and expanding the warring parties’ ability to strike distant civilian areas with drones. The mission said investigators have grounds to believe a network involving individuals and entities in the UAE, Chad, Libya, and Somalia supplied the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary with weapons, equipment, logistics, training, and foreign personnel, and up to 2,000 Colombian contractors had helped operate and maintain drone systems and other advanced weapons used by the RSF. The UAE’s diplomatic mission in Geneva rejected allegations of involvement in the war, Somalia’s government said it took the report’s allegations seriously, and Colombia said it opposed mercenarism. Olivia Le Poidevin reports for Reuters.
CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENT
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres today warned that the world has entered a “danger zone of extreme weather,” following the latest data release from the World Meteorological Organization. The data shows that the weather phenomenon El Niño could be the strongest in more than 70 years, and last until at least February 2027. Esme Stallard, Mark Poynting, Becky Dale, Yvette Tan, Tiffanie Turnbull, and Nilkita Yadav report for BBC News.
A federal judge yesterday blocked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from sending landmark California vehicle emissions rules for a potential repeal to Congress. The four waivers granted California authority to enact its own emissions standards for cars, trucks, and garden equipment. The judge said the EPA has urged the court to “engage in Orwellian doublethink” in seeking approval and arguing the agency is ignoring serious inconsistencies. David Shepardson reports for Reuters.
A federal judge on Monday ordered the U.S. Forest Service to suspend a commercial logging project in southern Illinois. The judge found that the 2024 approval of the project under former President Joe Biden violated the Endangered Species Act. Hannah Meisel reports for AP News.
TECH DEVELOPMENTS
The U.S. Justice Department on Tuesday told a federal court it was in the national interest for the judge to find that OpenAI did not violate copyright law when it used articles by the New York Times and other publishers to develop AI systems. The department argued developing AI was critical to national security, and that training AI systems sufficiently transformed the written works into new material allowed under copyright law. Karen Weise and Mike Isaac report for the New York Times.
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) yesterday unveiled restrictions on AI in schools. Mamdani established a one-year moratorium on student-facing AI for kids in 2-K through eighth grade, which will impact 600,000 students. Madina Toure and Isa Dominguez report for POLITICO.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the Trump administration now trusts Anthropic, as the company has “done what we asked.” Maria Curi reports for Axios.
OpenAI told two House Democrats that its engineers are developing “automated shutdown capabilities” for AI systems, according to a company letter reviewed by Reuters. Courtney Rozen reports.
U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS
The Trump administration today imposed tariffs up to 100% on drones. The tariffs apply to drones that weigh more than 55 pounds or use thermal imaging. The vast majority of these drones are made in China, and have become essential for tracking wildfires and finding lost people. Farah Stockman reports for the New York Times.
U.S. IMMIGRATION DEVELOPMENTS
The Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel yesterday released a legal opinion that warned states risk losing billions in welfare funding if they do not report all illegal immigrants known to any state agency. Previously, only state agencies that administered federal funding for two key welfare programs had to report any known illegal immigrants to the Department of Homeland Security. Dan Rosenzweig-Ziff and Kristina Cooke report for Reuters.
The Chinese government is pressing for answers about the death of a Chinese man in ICE custody in August. ICE announced Lianyong Wei’s death on Tuesday in a press release, which said Wei was found unresponsive during routine morning checks by a guard. Ryan J. Foley reports for AP News.
The Justice Department blocked a federal prosecutor’s plan to file civil rights charges against ICE agent Christian Castro, who is accused of shooting Venezuelan immigrant Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis and lying about it. According to an email reviewed by ProPublica, assistant U.S. attorney in Minnesota Matthew Evans on Tuesday told lawyers for Sosa-Celis and other victims to prepare for Castro to be charged “only with False Statements.” He went on to say that this “is being directed by the Main Justice and the US Attorney.” Evans had planned to charge Castro with deprivation of rights under color of law for the shooting, according to sources. Megan Rose and Andy Mannix report.
U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
Deposed Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro yesterday asked a federal judge to toss the indictment against him, arguing that he is immune from prosecution as a foreign head of state. The Trump administration has attempted to characterize him as an illegitimate leader. His lawyers in a memo argued that “complete immunity for sovereign heads of state is a bedrock of customary international law.” Erica Orden reports for POLITICO.
The FBI yesterday said it was investigating a report that tens of millions of drivers’ licenses belonging to U.S. and Canadian citizens were being sold on the dark web. Independent journalist Brian Krebs on Tuesday said he discovered a dark web site selling digital scans of the IDs, and confirmed the authenticity of the data being sold with nine people. The breach, if confirmed, could be one of the largest-ever exposures of government-issued identity documents in North America. Raphael Satter reports for Reuters.
New Jersey authorities yesterday asked the Supreme Court to overturn an appellate court’s decision in April holding that the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission has exclusive jurisdiction over sports-related event contracts that Kalshi and other competing platforms allow people to trade. New Jersey argues this amounts to sports betting and that states should have the power to police it. Nate Raymond reports for Reuters.
The House of Representatives yesterday voted down a proposed constitutional amendment to keep the Supreme Court at nine seats. The Constitution does not specify the size of the Supreme Court, and defers it to Congress on that matter. Sahil Kapur and Kyle Stewart report for NBC News.
Reps. Robert Garcia (D-CA) and Joseph D. Morelle (D-NY) on Tuesday asked the Postal Service’s inspector general to investigate the new online portal. The portal is being built despite ongoing legal questions over Trump’s executive order to restrict voting by mail. Eileen Sullivan reports for the New York Times.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS
Hundreds of federal agents from the Department of Homeland Security have been assigned to a weekslong search for noncitizens despite an absence of evidence of widespread fraud, according to documents and training videos reviewed by the New York Times. In some cases, investigators are effectively posing as individual voters by plugging their names and personal information into public-facing websites, potentially raising privacy concerns. Nick Corasaniti and Hamed Aleaziz report.
The U.S. Mint yesterday announced that $1 coins bearing Trump’s portrait are now in circulation and available for purchase to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary. Ashley Ahn reports for POLITICO.
During Army Secretary Dan Driscoll’s resignation, Trump suggested that he could stay at least through the midterm elections, sources told the Washington Post, adding that Driscoll also told Trump of his concerns about the damage Hegseth was doing to the Army. A spokesperson for the White House disputed the characterization of the meeting. Tara Copp, Noah Robertson, and Michael Birnbaum report.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and White House Domestic Policy Council Director Vince Haley sent the Smithsonian’s governing board a letter last Friday warning that federal agencies could stop helping the institution if its leaders do not abandon an “ideological agenda that seeks to transform both the Smithsonian and the country.” Jonathan Edwards reports for the Washington Post.
The Pentagon yesterday announced detailed guidance for a new, mandatory testosterone deficiency screening policy for active-duty and reserve service members aged 30 and older. The guidance takes effect immediately. The Food and Drug Administration plans to hold a meeting of experts to discuss medical use of testosterone in mid-September. Reuters reports.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION
A federal judge temporarily blocked Trump’s latest effort to restrict birthright citizenship. The judge ruled that the Supreme Court already settled questions reopened by an executive order Trump signed on Aug. 6. Zach Montague reports for the New York Times.
Twenty-one states yesterday sued to block the Department of Health and Human Services plan to bar federal payments from Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program for gender-transition medication and surgery to transgender adolescents. The lawsuit argues that the new rule oversteps the Trump administration’s authority and fails to justify its restrictions. Amy Harmon reports for the New York Times.
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