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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
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday demanded the Iranian delegation to the U.N. General Assembly immediately left the United States after negotiations stalled, sources told Axios. Barak Ravid reports.
Iran yesterday said it had received a U.S. response to its latest ceasefire proposal. A source told Reuters that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Tuesday was briefed on the U.S. response, and that the sides largely agree about the steps needed to achieve a ceasefire but still disagree about the order in which to take them. Ahmed Rasheed, Jana Choukeir, and Andrew Mills report.
IRAN WAR – OTHER DEVELOPMENTS
U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham yesterday said the U.K. government believes Iran played a role in the Royal Air Force Fairford incident. Burnham did not provide further details. Araghchi said the United Kingdom was “barking up the wrong tree.” Chris Mason reports for BBC News.
President Trump yesterday described U.S. withdrawal from Iraq as the conclusion of a “very expensive excursion into Hell.” Trump said the withdrawal was “orderly.” Qassim Abdul-Zahira and Michelle L. Price report for AP News.
LEBANON
Representatives of the Syrian government and Lebanese militant group Hamas held face-to-face talks in Turkey to try to calm tensions between them last month, sources told Reuters. A U.S. official attended the talks, which were arranged by Turkish security and intelligence agencies in an effort to de-escalate tensions. Feras Delatey, Laila Bassam, and Timour Azhari report.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
Gaza health officials yesterday said Israeli airstrikes killed at least seven people. One airstrike on an apartment in Gaza City killed one woman and injured her husband and several others. The Israeli military said the strike targeted a Hamas militant who was planning to execute attacks against its forces. Another strike in the Tel Al-Hawa neighborhood in Gaza City hit a vehicle and killed at least four people while injuring another 14. A strike near a mosque in Khan Younis killed local journalist Mohammad Al-Najar and wounded others. Finally an Israeli airstrike killed one person near Qaara town in southern Gaza. Nidal al-Mughrabi reports for Reuters.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
The charge d’affaires at Ukraine’s embassy in Washington Denys Sienik yesterday said Ukraine will present the Trump administration and Congress this week with a wish list of Russian entities it would like to see hit with U.S. sanctions under the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026. Sienik said the top priority should be several Russian companies that are producing components for Russia’s version of Stralink. Matthew Lee reports for AP News.
Russia yesterday warned NATO it would be ready to use “the entire arsenal of forces and capabilities at its disposal, including nuclear weapons” if the alliance attempted to cut off Kaliningrad, a Russian enclave that borders the Baltic Sea, according to a diplomatic note seen by Reuters. The note said attacks would include strikes “against decision-making centers in the alliance’s member states right from the outset.” NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte yesterday said NATO is a defensive alliance and Russia should stop nuclear threats. Lili Bayer and Mark Trevelyan report; Charlotte Van Campenhout reports for Reuters.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy yesterday visited a military command post, near the town of Lyman and eastern frontline, and praised gains against Russian forces during a counteroffensive operation. Zelenskyy handed out decorations to servicemen. Anna Pruchnicka and Max Hunder report for Reuters.
SUDANESE CIVIL WAR
Amjad Farid, a top advisor to Sudan’s army-led authorities, told Reuters that a U.S. ceasefire proposal to pause Sudan’s civil war could push the country towards a Libya-style partition in its current form. Farid said the army-led government presented its proposed changes to the deal, but the United States appeared to ignore them. Khalid Abdelaziz and Nafisa Eltahir report.
OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
Russian opposition figure and former world chess champion Garry Kasparov yesterday said that security services in the United States and Lithuania had warned him that his life was in danger following a suspected plot against Kremlin opponents living outside Russia. While Kasparov was not an explicit target of alleged plots involving Russian intelligence to assassinate two opposition figures last month, he was told to “take precautions.” Suramya Kaushik reports for Reuters.
The EU and Canada will use a landmark summit on Oct. 29 to announce a new expansive partnership, according to a draft joint statement obtained by POLITICO. The draft paper reiterates the idea that Canada and the EU should build a deeper and more integrated relationship due to “unparalleled trade access, shared values, and complementary economic strengths.” Gabriel Gavin and Camille Gijs report.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and French President Emmanuel Macron yesterday expressed enthusiasm for the prospect of the United Kingdom rejoining the EU. Sanchez described France and Spain as leaders of Europe’s “resistance to enemies of our continent and the European model.” Victoria Waldersee and Mieria Merino report for Reuters.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday said the co-pilot who stabbed the captain of a passenger jet on its way to Israel was being investigated in Saudi Arabia, and he believed he would be taken to the United Arab Emirates. Netanyahu added that it was too early to say if Iran was involved. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israel’s preliminary information indicated that the co-pilot intended to crash the plane. Doron Spielman, a spokesperson for Netanyahu’s office, told Reuters that Israel is set to increase security checks on pilots flying into the country. Sources told Reuters that Saudi Arabia turned down Israel’s request to allow its planes to bring back Israeli passengers after the flight landed in the kingdom. Maayan Lubell and Eman Abouhassira report for Reuters; Alexander Cornwell and Joanna Plucinska report; Jonathan Saul reports.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Information today said Pakistan carried out airstrikes against two militant hideouts in two Afghan provinces. The ministry said “initial reports suggest” 22 militants had been killed, while Afghanistan said nine women and children were killed, and another 11 civilians were wounded. Spokesman for Afghanistan’s Taliban government Zabihullah Mujahid said Afghanistan considers the attacks “an act of aggression and a crime that violates all universally accepted principles.” Abdul Qahar Afghan and Elena Becatoros report for AP News.
Three diplomatic sources in Ethiopia today told Reuters explosions were heard overnight in the capital Addis Ababa. A source linked the opposition alliance fighting government forces said the alliance carried out several drone strikes in Addis Ababa, including some targeting the military’s headquarters, a day after the national intelligence service said it was banning drones over the capital and surrounding areas for security reasons. Ammu Kannampilly and David Lewis report.
CLIMATE DEVELOPMENTS
The GLAMOS Swiss glacier monitoring service and Swiss Academy of Sciences today said glaciers in Switzerland lost 5.5% of their ice volume this year due to heat waves and low winter snowfall. The groups warned that “Alpine glaciers have no chance of surviving in the long term under such conditions.” Jamey Keaten reports for AP News.
U.S. AI DEVELOPMENTS
AI research firm Transluce yesterday said AI agents tried and failed to hack into United States and Canadian government websites. Transluce said the attempts exhibited similar tactics consistent with “prior observed agent activity that we have attributed to OpenAI in a similar timeframe,” and that they informed the Canadian government on Monday. The Canadian Center for Cyber Security on Tuesday said it was aware of reports of suspected AI agent activity, but that there was “no indication that government systems have been compromised at this time.” Kanishka Singh, Christian Martinez, and Deepa Seetharaman report for Reuters.
The Federal Trade Commission yesterday confirmed they opened an investigation into OpenAI, Anthropic, and other AI companies over dangers their technology may pose to consumers. FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson launched the investigation before the “Hugging Face incident,” and the agency is now drafting civil investigative demands to force testimony from the leading firms’ executives, sources told the New York Post. AP News reports; Marisa Schultz and Josh Christenson report.
AI CEOs on Tuesday privately confronted Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei about his warnings against the dangers of AI, sources told the Wall Street Journal. The executives asked Amodei why he was being so extreme about the capabilities of AI in public, and Amodei told them that it is important to be honest with the public about risks. Amrith Ramkumar and Josh Dawsey report.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) yesterday signed an executive order requiring state agencies to refer to AI only as “artificial intelligence” or AI. Newsom said the decree was informed by “common sense,” and added that “super intelligence is clearly not coming from the White House- that’s why California continues to lead.” Tyler Katzenberger reports for POLITICO.
U.S. CHINA DEVELOPMENTS
U.S. officials believe a Chinese invasion of Taiwan before 2028 is increasingly unlikely despite Chinese President Xi Jinping’s instructions for his military to be ready for a potential invasion by 2027, sources told Reuters. The sources added that China may increasingly look to use force in 2028 and beyond if Taiwan’s election sees the Democratic Progressive Party win a fourth consecutive term, and in particular if President Lai Ching-te wins re-election. Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali report.
Trump yesterday said he brought up cases of political prisoners like Myanmar scholar and U.S. citizen Min Zin during his discussions with Xi. Trump added that the discussions were “hopefully, fruitful discussions.” Gram Slattery and Kanishka Singh report for Reuters.
U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS
The Trump administration is excluding several major allies from a gathering of NATO members next month, sources told POLITICO. The planned meeting in Poland spearheaded by Pentagon Policy Chief Elbridge Colby is essentially a working group focused on NATO’s future. Diplomats from the United Kingdom, France, and the Baltic countries have been left out, and an excluded ally nation official said “we’re doing everything that is being asked of us,” and are “trying to understand what the criteria is and what the purpose of these meetings are. Not much has been passed on to us yet.” Paul McLeary, Stefanie Bolzen, and Jack Detsch report.
U.S. CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC OPERATIONS
A federal judge yesterday rejected two arguments the Trump administration made to withhold a Justice Department memo that deems lawful the Pentagon’s disputed policy of summarily killing suspected drug smugglers at sea. The judge ordered the government to submit the memo within two weeks for his confidential review. Benjamin Weiser and Charlie Savage report for the New York Times.
U.S. IMMIGRATION DEVELOPMENTS
The spokesperson for Burundian President Evariste Ndayishmiye, Nancy Ninette Mutoni, on Tuesday said that Burundi has agreed a deal with the United States to receive migrants from other countries, but that the country will only accept those not accused of crime or terrorism links. Mutoni said preparations were underway to arrange accommodation, living conditions, and integration into communities. Clement Manirabarusha reports for Reuters.
An immigrant judge late on Tuesday ruled that the government can deport Palestinian American Salah Sarsour, who is the president of Wisconsin’s largest Mosque and a U.S. permanent resident, under the Cold-war era Immigration and Nationality Act. The ruling agreed that Sarsour posed a security and foreign policy threat under the act, but rejected government allegations that Sarsour lied on his green card application. Kanishka Singh reports for Reuters.
The Justice Department yesterday filed a complaint against a group of federal judges from Minnesota for speaking to the New York Times about the impact of the immigration enforcement surge on their court. The complaint alleges the jurists behaviour was “improper and unethical” and called for the judges to be recused from any Department of Homeland Security related issues. Avery Lotz reports for Axios.
A federal judge yesterday ruled that Wilber Rafael Garces Perez will remain in custody on charges that he assaulted an ICE agent while trying to evade arrest. Prosecutors presented body-worn camera footage of the encounter in which Garces Perez allegedly struck an ICE officer with his driver’s side mirror. Anna Wilder and Safiyah Riddle report for AP News.
A federal judge yesterday blocked federal agencies’ implementation of a $100,000 Trump administration charge for businesses to hire workers on H-1B visas. The judge ruled that U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and Citizenship and Immigration Services could not enforce or implement policies under a memorandum they issued last month until notice-and-comment rulemaking under the Administrative Procedure Act takes place. Andrew Kreighbaum reports for Bloomberg.
Thousands of refugees and other legal immigrants are today set to lose access to Medicaid. The decision to make these immigrants ineligible for Medicaid was approved by Congress last year as part of Trump’s domestic policy bill. Madeleine Ngo reports for the New York Times.
U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth yesterday delivered a “State of the Force” address at a Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia. Hegseth said the army will have “no fatties, no tr*nnies, no beardos, no weirdos, no wimps, no radicals,” and accused “anti-American losers in our media” of committing treason by aiding the United States’ enemies through reporting on the Iran war. Hegseth used the last portion of his speech to announce new initiatives, such as the creation of a new “autonomous warfare command” for robotics, and Project Meridian, an effort to study the future of warfare led by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, Anduril co-founder Palmer Lucky, and former House speaker Newt Gingrich. Helene Cooper and John Ismay report for the New York Times.
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) yesterday said he received his security clearance, which allows him to participate in classified briefings about security threats and other emergencies impacting New York City. Sam Raskin, a spokesperson for Mamdani, said the Trump administration provided the clearance at some point this week. Chris Sommerfeldt reports for POLITICO.
A report released by the Massachusetts Attorney General yesterday said more than 270 Catholic clerics abused nearly 1,000 children over a century across Fall River, Springfield, and Worcester dioceses. Church officials in the three dioceses knew priests and other church personnel were sexually abusing children but didn’t do enough to prevent it or examine institutional failures. Maia Spoto reports for the New York Times.
A Federal Reserve watchdog yesterday released a report which found no criminal wrongdoing by former Chair Jerome Powell in its investigation of the central bank’s headquarters renovation. The Office of the Inspector General wrote that “at no point during our evaluation did we find reasonable grounds to believe that a violation of federal criminal law had occurred.” The report faults Fed management and oversight of the project as construction costs more than doubled to $2.5 billion. Trump issued a response to the report on social media and said Powell should “be forced to resign, IMMEDIATELY!” Courtenay Brown reports for Axios.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) yesterday sued former Special Counsel Jack Smith. The suit alleges that Smith unlawfully obtained her cellphone toll records during his investigation of Trump and the 2020 election, and that Smith “perpetrated one of the worst abuses of government power in our nation’s history.” Josephine Walker reports for Axios.
California and six other states yesterday sued the Trump administration, accusing it of withholding federal funds approved by Congress which includes around $810 million the White House moved to cancel before the end of the fiscal year. The lawsuit argues that the refusal to spend appropriated money violates the Constitution’s separation of powers, appropriations, and presentment clauses. Devika Nair reports for Reuters.
Louisiana, Alabama, and Arkansas, three states with abortion bans, yesterday asked the Supreme Court to take up their claims that abortion shield laws in California, New York, and Massachusetts violate the Constitution. The states contend that abortion shield laws, which protect health providers who prescribe and mail abortion pills to patients in states with abortion bans, violate constitutional provisions, including one intended to require states to respect each other’s laws. Pam Belluck and Rick Rojas report for the New York Times.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission late on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against Harvard University seeking to force the university to turn over records for an investigation into whether its hiring practices are discriminatory, particularly against white men. Nate Raymond reports for Reuters.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTION
Trump yesterday said the administration began sending $500 checks to nearly one million people, and enclosed a letter touting his record on cutting healthcare costs. The payments are going to people who paid what the Trump administration called excessive fees under the Affordable Care Act. Natalie Andrews reports for the Wall Street Journal.
The Department of Health and Human Services yesterday launched an effort to reimagine the way clinical trials are designed, with the goal of drastically reducing the time and money it takes to develop new drugs. The Simulation-augmented, Real-time Platform Adaptive Seamless Trials program features teams selected through a bidding process that will bring drug candidates through experimental clinical trial processes. Caitlin Owens reports for Axios.
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