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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
The U.S. House of Representatives yesterday voted for a third time to direct President Trump to end the Iran war or seek explicit authorization to continue it. Seven Republicans joined Democrats in supporting the resolution, which does not carry the force of law. Robert Jimison reports for the New York Times.
The spokesman for U.S. Central Command Capt. Tim Hawkins yesterday said the military struck and destroyed two small Iranian boats this week that were trying to steal a drone ship in waters off Iran. Iranian state media on Monday reported that a pair of fishing boats came under attack in the Hormozgan province. Konstantin Toropin reports for AP News.
IRAN WAR – YEMEN
The Iran-aligned Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree today said Saudi warplanes pounded Yemen. Saree said the Houthis shot down a Saudi fighter jet though no immediate evidence was presented. Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen’s spokesperson Turki al-Malki today said Saudi Arabia’s air defenses destroyed a Houthi drone south of Mecca before it entered prohibited airspace over the holy city yesterday. Jana Choukeir and Nayera Abdallah report for Reuters.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman yesterday sought backing from Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi against the Iran-aligned Houthis during a meeting in Cairo. The crown prince said the pair confirmed “their shared commitment to ensuring freedom and security of maritime navigation,” though neither side gave details on future steps. Lee Keath, Fatma Khaled, and Samy Magdy report for AP News.
IRAN WAR – OTHER DEVELOPMENTS
The U.S. Congressional Budget Office yesterday released a report estimating the cost of the Iran War at $38 billion through Aug. 1. The report also predicts the war will continue costing up to $3 billion a month or more depending on the intensity of the conflict. The estimate largely aligns with a previous estimate from U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Lisa Mascaro reports for AP News.
U.S. officials said the government is investigating suspected cyberattacks against at least two foreign tankers bound for American shores. A specialized team led by the U.S. Coast Guard that included FBI agents boarded two tankers in August targeted in cyberattacks after they arrived in the Gulf of Mexico. Sources said the incident has fueled concerns that Iran or other adversaries are seeking to widen the Middle East conflict. Shelby Holliday and Milan Czerny report for the Wall Street Journal.
U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) yesterday introduced a resolution to impeach Hegseth, accusing him of defying Congress and illegally continuing the Iran war. Kate Santaliz reports for Axios.
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright yesterday told CNBC that Saudi Arabia’s East-West oil pipeline will start operating again “in days.” Spencer Kimball reports.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi today told his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi that Iran and the United States should return to the Islamabad memorandum and “engage in substantive consultations,” while Araghchi was in Beijing. Wang said the parties should “take effective measures to reopen the Strait of Hormuz at an early date,” and that China does not want tensions to spill further into Yemen and the Red Sea. Xiuhao Chen, Yukun Zhang, and Liz Lee report for Reuters.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
Gaza City Civil Defense Service Director Raed Al-Dahshan today said at least 12 people, including five children, were killed and 14 others injured when a bombed-out apartment building collapsed overnight. The Head of the U.N. Development Programme’s Gaza office Alessandro Mrakic said rescuers from some U.N. agencies were taking part in rescue efforts from the rubble. Egypt’s relief agency was also taking part in rescue efforts. Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Dawoud Abu Alkas report for Reuters.
Israeli airstrikes in northern and southern Gaza yesterday killed at least five people, including two children and a Hamas armed commander, according to health officials and Hamas sources. Israeli airstrikes on a vehicle in the northern Gaza neighbourhood of Sheikh Radwan killed at least two people, including a child. The Israeli military said it struck a militant in the area. In a separate incident, British health charity Medical Aid for Palestinians said a patient was killed at a health center it supports in the northern Gaza city of Jabalia. In the southern Gaza Mawasi area in Khan Younis, an Israeli airstrike killed two people, including a child, according to medical staff. The IDF said it struck a Hamas commander in the Rafah Brigade yesterday, according to a statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz. Nidal Al-Mughrabi reports for Reuters.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region Gov. Oleksandr Hanzha today said a Russian drone attack on a passenger bus killed five people and wounded at least seven more in an area around the city of Nikopol, southeast Ukraine. Anna Pruchnicka reports for Reuters.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy yesterday said Ukraine was carrying out tests on a weapon to intercept drones and had recorded a successful hit overnight. Ron Popeski reports for Reuters.
Zelenskyy yesterday told CBS News that Russian drones attacked Moldovan airspace twice while he was in the country. Zelenskyy said it was part of a Russian strategy to intimidate him and other foreign leaders. Aidan Stretch reports.
OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen today said the EU is opening the door for Canada to become its first “associate member.” The status is not set out in the bloc’s treaties and marks a significant shift in EU policy, which has historically resisted flexible categories. Von der Leyen said the EU must “urgently reimagine our partnerships.” Julian Payne reports for Reuters; Jeanna Smialek and Matina Stevis-Gridneff report for the New York Times.
In her annual speech to the European Parliament today, von der Leyen called for EU states to work together, tackle climate change, and deal with other major challenges. Von der Leyen said the only path to dealing with an “openly hostile world” was solidarity among member states, and that the bloc will need to stay its ambitious course on mitigating climate change. Yves Herman, Lili Bayer, and Jan Strupczewski report for Reuters.
The Italian and Spanish Interior Ministers yesterday said the countries had extended the suspension of the EU’s border-free arrangement with each other for another 15 days. Italy said the decision was taken because “significant risks to internal security persist,” while Spain said the circumstances that justified the measure remained in place. Alvise Armellini and Emma Pinedo report for Reuters.
Eight state premiers from German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democrats party today backed Merz in a joint statement. They aim to quell speculation that Merz will step down, saying that now more than ever, “Germany’s political landscape needs stability.” Merz’s party has called a special meeting on Sunday to coordinate the party’s response to upcoming election results in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Berlin, and demonstrate unity behind Merz’s leadership. Merz cancelled his planned trip to the United States for the U.N. General Assembly next week. Andreas Rinke reports for Reuters; Hans Von Der Burchard and Gregor Schwung report for POLITICO.
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto sacked Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa after he clashed with a top ministry official who served on Prabowo’s former special forces team, according to government sources. The dispute between Sadewa and Customs and Excise Chief Djaka Budhi Utama was over the reshuffling of hundreds of officials of the Finance Ministry. Stefanno Sulaiman reports for Reuters.
U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS
The acting government spokesperson of Eswatini Thabile Mdluli on Monday said two U.S. government officials were accidentally shot and wounded by Eswatini’s defense force during an anti-smuggling operation last week. Mdluli said the army had launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident. Bhargav Acharya reports for Reuters.
The Trump administration is planning to deliver a $2.8 billion bomb package to Israel, U.S. officials told the Washington Post. Congress has been informally notified about the pending deal, most of which is to be paid for with foreign military financing, in which U.S. taxpayer money is given to Israel to turn around and buy weapons from the United States. John Hudson reports; Michelle L. Price and Matthew Lee report for AP News.
U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham is set to meet Trump for the first time next week in New York during the U.N. General Assembly. The pair are expected to discuss Ukraine, the Middle East, and energy. Katy Balls reports for The Times.
Hegseth and his German counterpart Boris Pistorius yesterday signed a letter of intent aimed at deepening cooperation between weapons makers in both countries. Pistorius said the two countries were “on the same page” regarding safety concerns in Europe, and U.S. officials understood and appreciated Germany’s accelerated efforts to increase defense spending. Andrea Shalal reports for Reuters.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio yesterday announced a new policy to restrict visas from South African officials alleged to be involved in “race-based discrimination” and “uncompensated land seizures.” Rubio said the United States remained concerned about “racially motivated crime and government-sponsored discrimination” occurring in South Africa. Jennifer Hansler reports for CNN.
Presidential Envoy John Coale today said Belarus has agreed to free 25 prisoners in return for a further easing of U.S. sanctions. Coale said the deal was only an interim, and that the United States will lift sanctions on two companies. Andrius Sytas and Mark Trevelyan report for Reuters.
U.S. AI DEVELOPMENTS
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang yesterday said the AI industry does not need new laws during the annual Dreamforce megaconference in San Francisco. Chase Difeliciantonio and Tyler Katzenberger report for POLITICO.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg in a social media post yesterday said AI labs should be focused on safety rather than improving their own technology. He did not name other companies, but said that calls to pause AI development industrywide were the wrong approach. He added that Meta has already made the commitment to move at a pace required to train its models safely, and that other labs can do so as well. Eli Tan reports for the New York Times.
The Gates Foundation on Monday pledged to spend at least $1 billion over the next two years to expand global access to AI and use it to tackle social inequalities. The foundation’s annual Goalkeepers report advocated an urgent effort to ensure AI “helps narrow gaps between the richest and poorest rather than widening them.” Claire Moses reports for the New York Times.
U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
The Senate yesterday voted down the Clarity Act 50-49, in a setback for the crypto industry. The legislation was under negotiation for more than a year. Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) said he voted no because the bill failed to address the “fundamental conflict of interest” related to Trump’s crypto ventures, which was one of the main points of tension in negotiations. Bitcoin and crypto stocks fell on the news. Vicky Ge Huang, Dylan Tokar, and Lindsay Wise report for the Wall Street Journal.
Senate Democrats yesterday grilled FBI Director Kash Patel at a Senate Judiciary oversight hearing. The party pressed Patel on his investigations into journalists, drinking with U.S. hockey players at the Olympics, and using taxpayer money to go on a “VIP snorkel” trip at the Pearl Harbor memorial in Hawaii, among other issues. The tension climaxed when the panel Chair Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) angrily asked Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) to end his questioning of Patel, asking if he was “ready to shut up.” Chris Marquette reports for POLITICO.
The Kennedy Center board yesterday voted to close the center just hours after a federal judge blocked the institution from returning Trump’s name to the building. Trump in a social media post said the closure was needed for safety repairs, but that the repairs would only happen if the board was allowed to move forward with plans to add his name to the building. The federal judge yesterday said that Trump’s name could not go onto the building “without Congress’s blessing.” The Justice Department appealed the ruling. Steven Sloan and Ashraf Khalil report for AP News.
The Defense Department is asking commanders to nominate troops to attend Hegseth’s “State of Force” address this September, and says the servicemembers must meet waist-to-height requirements and exhibit “impeccable” grooming standards, the Wall Street Journal reported yesterday. Hegseth’s plans for the event come a year after he declared “no more beardos” or “fat generals” during a speech at Marine Corps Base Quantico. Lara Seligman reports.
The DOJ has charged five people in connection with alleged Russian plots involving surveillance, recruitment, and targeted killings, according to an indictment unsealed yesterday. The five people allegedly worked for Russian intelligence services to conduct “murders around the world.” and are still at large. Kremlin spokesman Peskov today said Russia did not believe it was necessary to comment on the reports until credible evidence came out. Christian Martinez reports for Reuters.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTION
A months-long secret battle between the DOJ and tech companies over prosecutors’ effort to obtain details on a journalist’s LinkedIn interactions for use in a national security leak probe was made public yesterday during a federal court argument. Details of the case remain sealed, but a panel of the federal court described the case as a fight to find balance between the government’s life-and-death national security interests, and the First Amendment protections for reporters to maintain the secrecy of their sources. Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein report for POLITICO.
Trump in a social media post yesterday said the three Supreme Court Justices he appointed were unrecognizable, in response to the Court’s refusal to allow the Postal Service to limit mail-in ballots for the midterm elections. Attorney General Todd Blanche defended Trump’s post and said the president is allowed to be critical of another branch of government, and indicated that the administration would comply with the Supreme Court’s decision. Marianne LeVine and James Romoser report for the Wall Street Journal.
The Department of Government Efficiency paid federal employees $9.5 billion not to work during 2025, according to an estimate from a report by the Government Accountability Office released yesterday. DOGE’s program to shrink the federal work force through deferred resignations increased the use of paid administrative leave by 435% in 2025. Eileen Sullivan reports for the New York Times.
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