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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
Hossein Mohebbi, an Iran Islamic Revolutionary Guard spokesman, yesterday warned that Iran would “change the geography of the war” if the United States escalated the conflict. Mohebbi said that the war was “not over” and warned that the Revolutionary Guard had prepared for a long-term war. AP News reports.
IRAN WAR – YEMEN
The Iran-aligned Houthis yesterday pushed to seize strategic heights to cut off the Red Sea coast from remaining areas held by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen. Sources told Reuters that the Riyadh-based president of Yemen’s Saudi-backed, internationally recognised government Rashid al-Alimi called President Trump on Sunday for help, but that Trump did not make a direct pledge of support during the call. Mohammed Ghobari, Timour Azhari, and Jana Choukeir report.
U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham yesterday said that the United Kingdom has agreed to provide limited military support to Saudi Arabia to repeal attacks by the Houthis in Yemen. Burnham said the Royal Air Force will provide air-to-air refueling of Saudi planes, and that the agreement was only for a matter of weeks, subject to review. Jill Lawless reports for AP News.
G7 foreign ministers yesterday called on Iran to end its support for the Houthis in Yemen. John Irish reports for Reuters.
IRAN WAR – OTHER DEVELOPMENTS
The Trump administration has proposed investing $5 billion in a new fund that would help Middle East countries rebuild energy infrastructure damaged during the Iran war, according to sources and documents seen by the Wall Street Journal. Under the plan the United States would seek a matching contribution from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Iraq, and Jordan, with the goal of generating a $10 billion investment fund called the Partnership for Allied Trust and Construction. Alexander Ward and Summer Said report.
WEST BANK DEVELOPMENTS
Hundreds of thousands of children in Gaza on Saturday returned to in-person teaching for the first time in nearly three years. The United Nations Children’s Fund says 98% of schools in Gaza were either damaged or destroyed during the war. Nidal Al-Mughrabi, Haseeb, and Alwazeer report for Reuters.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
Russian attacks on Ukraine’s southeastern industrial heartland overnight killed four, while an attack in the north cut power supplies to thousands, according to Ukrainian officials. Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Gov. Oleksander Hanzha said Russian strikes simultaneously hit industrial sites in the cities of Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih, and Pavlohrad. Anna Pruchnicka reports for Reuters.
Russian attacks across Ukraine yesterday killed at least five people, according to regional officials. Prosecutors in the northeastern Kharkiv Region said a drone strike in Lozova killed one person and injured three, while a drone killed a car driver in Nikopol. Russian strikes in the Donetsk region killed one person in an apartment in Kramatorsk and another in a nearby village. Ron Popeski reports for Reuters.
Russia’s Samara Region Gov. Vyacheslav Fedorishchev yesterday said Ukrainian drones hit civilian areas in the region, killing one person and wounding four. Fedorishchev added that drones were also shot down by air defenses in the Volga region. Reuters reports.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. C.I.A. Chief John Ratcliffe yesterday met at Shannon Airport in Ireland, according to sources. One source said the pair spoke informally while their planes were being refueled, while both sources did not disclose details of the conversation. Tom Balmforth and Jonathan Landay report for Reuters.
French President Emmanuel Macron yesterday said he had discussed initiatives aimed at securing a moratorium between Ukraine and Russia on attacks linked to the energy sector with Trump. Macron described the talks as “very good” and “very constructive.” John Irish reports for Reuters.
Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs yesterday said Latvia would reject any proposal deal that would lift EU sanctions on Russia-linked billionaires Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman in return for keeping thousands of other individuals and businesses under sanctions. All sanctions are due to expire at midnight today, unless EU members make a unanimous decision to renew them. Andrew Gray reports for Reuters.
OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
Litgrid CEO told Reuters in an interview published today that Lithuania is planning defenses against military drones at a future power grid substation in an area that intelligence sources say Russia could target with a false flag attack. Construction plans at the substation which would link Lithuania with western Europe include fencing strong enough to resist an explosives-laden truck, sensors searching for possible tunnels dug by hostile actors, and concrete “sarcophagi” for transformers to withstand any drone attack. Andrius Sytas and Marek Strzelecki report.
Germany’s federal government is preparing to restrict access to a 1,000 page blueprint from 2024 for the potential far-right AfD government in Saxony-Anholt over military leader fears that the party might pass the plan to Russia, according to sources. The blueprint sets out how to respond to another Russian attack in Eastern Europe. A spokesman for the German Defense Ministry said it was assessing what security-related information needed protection, while Jork Herrmann, a spokesman for the AfD said any attempt to withhold intelligence information based on “unsubstantiated and unprovable allegations” would be “undemocratic.” Jim Tankersley, Christopher F. Schuetze, and Philip Kaleta report for the New York Times.
Pope Leo XIV will visit France on Friday for the first formal visit by a pope in nearly 20 years. Leo will meet abuse survivors and address French, U.N., and European leaders in separate events during his four-day trip. Joshua McElwee and Elizabeth Pineau report for Reuters.
Pakistani airstrikes yesterday killed 28 militants in eastern Afghanistan, according to Pakistani officials. The strikes came after Pakistan warned it could target militants inside Afghanistan following two deadly attacks on Pakistani security forces near the border in recent days. Munir Ahmed and Abdul Qahar Afghan report for AP News.
Seven regional opposition groups in Ethiopia on Sunday announced they have formed an alliance, called the Ethiopian Peoples’ Forces Alliance for Survival, aimed at removing Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and his government. The Tigray People’s Liberation Front spokesman Michael Asgedom told AP News that TPLF’s cooperation with other opposition factions was political and military, and that military operations may “become necessary to achieve the objective of removing the dictatorial regime.”
The U.N. Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua report published today said the Nicaraguan government is responsible for at least eight deaths in custody since it began its crackdown on dissent and assault of democratic institutions in 2018. The report detailed inconsistencies in the government’s account of the death of Indigenous Miskito leader Brooklyn Rivera while he was imprisoned. AP News reports.
CLIMATE DEVELOPMENTS
A report compiled by the International Renewable Energy Agency, the COP31 Presidency, and Global Renewables Alliance showed that global development of renewable power must more than double to meet a climate pledge on renewable growth by 2030. Susanna Twidale reports for Reuters.
Colombian authorities yesterday declared a public calamity as a wildfire burned through mountains in the northeast of the country, with nearly 20 other active fires across Colombia. The fire began on Saturday on a mountain overlooking the town Villa de Leyva, a popular tourist destination. Environment Minister Fabio Arjona said preliminary information from the disaster management agency suggested it may have been deliberately started. Steven Grattan reports for AP News.
The Alaska Division of Forestry and Fire Protection yesterday said two pilots died on Sunday when their helicopter crashed while they were dropping water on a wildfire in California’s Yosemite National Park. The cause of the crash is under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board. Andrew Hay reports for Reuters.
A U.S. federal judge yesterday permitted a land exchange that would allow SpaceX to expand its launching and production site into a federal wildlife refuge in Texas. Under the proposed land swap with SpaceX, the Fish and Wildlife Service would give the company about 715 acres that are currently a part of the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge, and in return, SpaceX would give the government around 683 acres it purchased in Cameron County, Texas. Maxine Joselow reports for the New York Times.
TECH DEVELOPMENTS
Ireland’s Data Protection Commission yesterday announced that Google has been fined €403 million for breaching EU privacy rules by mishandling users’ location data. The investigation, which began in 2020, found Google did not lawfully or fairly process location data in users’ Web & App Activity and in their Location History. Ireland is the lead regulator for Google in the EU because Google’s European headquarters is based in Dublin. AP News reports.
U.S. AI DEVELOPMENTS
British Columbia yesterday sued OpenAI, claiming the company failed to report to police the violent comments made by a user of its chatbot who went on to kill nine people and injure two. The shooter documented some of her mental health issues and curiosity about violence on social media, and had at least two ChatGPT accounts, one of which was shut down eight months prior to the shooting due to violating OpenAI’s user policy. More than 30 lawsuits have been filed against OpenAI by families of the victims. Vjosa Isai reports for the New York Times.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) yesterday signed seven bills aimed at regulating the fast-growing data center industry. The bills imposed new requirements on electricity costs, water use, and local oversight. Nichola Groom reports for Reuters.
An OpenAI proposal published yesterday urged the United States to lead an international approach to establish technical standards for evaluating model capabilities and risks of advanced AI. OpenAI also called on countries to create “secure channels of communication” where they could share emerging threats or national security concerns. Cheyenne Haslett and Aaron Mak report for POLITICO.
U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS
The United States plans to open two military bases in Greenland, sources told Reuters. The deal between the United States, Greenland, and Denmark, to be signed today, will allow the United States to re-open a Cold War-era military base in Narsaruaq, southern Greenland, and open a new base on the east coast of the island. Stine Jacobsen, Erin Banco, and Gram Slattery report.
Chinese President XI Jinping is expected to press Trump to halt Taiwan arms sales under a 1982 joint statement during his visit to Washington this week, sources told Reuters. The United States is bound by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself, despite the lack of formal diplomatic relations. Trevor Hunnicutt, Yimou Lee, and Ben Blanchard report.
In an interview with the New York Times on Friday, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung urged the United States to ease sanctions on North Korea in exchange for an agreement that North Korea would freeze its weapons programs. Lee argued that despite the unpalatability of the agreement, the world has no realistic alternative, and that Trump was the only leader capable of bringing North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un to the negotiating table. Choe Sang-Hun reports.
U.S. IMMIGRATION DEVELOPMENTS
Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, who was shot by ICE agents on Sunday, yesterday said he was bleeding and in pain, and that a bullet remained in his back. Perez said doctors did not remove the bullet because ICE were in a hurry to transport him. Sources told the New York Times Perez had a deportation order on file, while eyewitnesses said Perez was shot after a short chase following an initial stop by ICE. Perez told his lawyer the deportation order existed because he changed his address and a hearing notice was sent to his old address, which meant he did not attend the appointment. Christina Morales, Hamed Aleaziz, and Billy Witz report.
ICE has stopped publicly revealing where it is holding thousands of detainees who are subject to final deportation orders in an unannounced move that has made it difficult for lawyers and families to find clients and relatives, sources told AP News. ICE removed detainees from its online detainee locator system on Sep. 15, and several lawyers confirmed their clients vanished from the system and that the American Immigration Lawyers Association warned its members about the situation on Friday. Ryan J. Foley reports.
U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
The Washington Bureau Chief at Fox News and TV pool Chair Bryan Broughton yesterday told pool members the “TV pool will not be covering events designated as pool coverage of the President.” The White House press pool is a rotation of news outlets who cover the president when he travels or conducts events in spaces too small for the entire press corps. Trump was inaudible during a press conference as a result of the suspended coverage. Print and photo journalists have not suspended their pool coverage of the president. Gareth Vipers and Isabella Simonetti report for the Wall Street Journal; Josephine Walker reports for Axios.
A federal appellate panel yesterday sided with Missouri Republicans in the midterm election map conflict. The ruling contradicts, but does not overrule the Supreme Court’s decision to allow for the midterm election map of 2022 and 2024 to be used in the 2026 elections. The decision said that Missouri’s current plan to use the 2022 map “violates the Constitution,” and ordered a federal judge to give the Supreme Court a week to review the issue. Mitch Smith reports for the New York Times.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office yesterday said charges, relating to a pro-Palestine demonstration, against five former and current Stanford University students will be dismissed if they completed 100 hours of community service each, and paid a total of $52,000 in restitution to the university. Protestors had barricaded themselves inside the university president’s office. A representative of one of the defendants said all had made “full restitution and agreed to complete substantial community service so they can move forward with their lives.” Kanishka Singh reports for Reuters.
Housing Chief Bill Pulte last year examined the mortgages of Trump’s political adversaries and of Attorney General Todd Blanche, sources told the Wall Street Journal. Pulte’s examination occurred while Blanche was Deputy Attorney General and the pair were clashing over investigations related to the adversaries’ mortgage records. Some officials believed Pulte had been trying to collect information on Blanche to pressure him to more quickly pursue the investigations into Trump’s adversaries. Sadie Gurman and Josh Dawsey report.
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) and Trump yesterday agreed to deepen talks over a major housing project in Queens for 12,000 affordable homes during another friendly encounter. Despite disagreements on display over Trump’s recent White House press ban, the pair praised one another to reporters. Rebecca Falconer reports for Axios.
Mamdani met Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva yesterday in New York. Lula told reporters that the pair talked about problems that are common to both countries, particularly the rising cost of living, while Mamdani said he would take inspiration from Lula. Marcelo Teixeira reports for Reuters.
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