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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 – CEASEFIRE
The United States said it attacked military sites in Iran yesterday in retaliation for “unprovoked Iranian attacks.” U.S. Central Command said that Iranian missiles, drones, and small boats had attacked the U.S. Navy destroyers in the Strait of Hormuz, but that U.S. forces had “eliminated inbound threats.” In response, the U.S. military targeted Iranian missile and drone launch sites, among other locations. The Iranian military accused the United States of first violating the ceasefire a day earlier by firing on an Iranian oil tanker heading toward the strait. Farnaz Fassihi, Pranav Baskar, Helen Cooper, and Erica L. Green report for the New York Times.
President Trump told reporters yesterday evening that the cease-fire with Iran was still intact after the exchange of fire. “They trifled with us today,” Trump said. “We blew them away.” Helene Cooper and Eric Schmitt report for the New York Times.
A confidential CIA analysis delivered to administration policymakers this week concludes that Iran can survive the U.S. naval blockade for at least three to four months before facing severe economic hardship, four sources told the Washington Post. The analysis also shows that Tehran retains significant ballistic missile capabilities, three sources said. Warren P. Strobel, John Hudson, and Ellen Nakashima report.
IRAN WAR – LEBANON OPERATIONS
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday there was no “immunity” for Israel’s enemies, a day after Israel’s first strike on Beirut since a ceasefire was declared last month. Israel said the attack killed the commander of the Iran-backed group’s Radwan force. Steven Scheer reports for Reuters.
IRAN WAR – OTHER DEVELOPMENTS
The United Arab Emirates has secretly sailed several tankers loaded with crude through the Strait of Hormuz by switching off location trackers to avoid Iranian attacks, according to industry sources and shipping data. Florence Tan and Jonathan Saul report for Reuters.
Rep. Tom Barrett (R-MI) introduced a bill yesterday that would authorize continued U.S. military operations in Iran through the end of July, but with strict limits. The move implicitly rejects Trump’s claim that the war has ended. Barrett said the legislation was an effort to give Congress a say in the ongoing conflict. Robert Jimison reports for the New York Times.
German intelligence officials believe the war with Iran has increased the risk of Iranian-linked hybrid attacks and domestic terrorism, including plots against Jewish and Israeli targets, five sources said. However, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt have publicly downplayed the threat as largely hypothetical, creating tension between security agencies and the government over how serious the danger is and how openly it should be communicated. Jim Tankersley, Philip Kaleta, and Christopher F. Schuetze report for the New York Times.
The Trump administration has approved sales of thousands of air defense interceptor missiles and related services valued at $17 billion to Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain, according to State Department and congressional officials. The State Department gave formal notification of the sales to Congress last Friday, but it did not announce them in public statements, as with other arms sales to Israel and Gulf Arab nations that it authorized that day under an emergency provision. Edward Wong reports for the New York Times.
OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
Al Qaeda-linked insurgents attacked two villages in central Mali on Wednesday night, killing around 50 people, including members of pro-government self-defense forces and civilians, three sources told Reuters yesterday. During a press conference in Bamako on Wednesday, Malian army commander Djibrilla Maiga said insurgents were attempting to reorganize after the strikes, which killed the defense minister and drove Russian troops aligned with Mali’s leaders from the strategic northern town of Kidal last month. Reuters reports.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s governing Labour Party suffered big losses, and the hard-right party Reform U.K. made major gains in local elections, according to partial results this morning. With about a quarter of the votes counted, Starmer said he took responsibility for the “very tough” results but would not resign. Jill Lawless reports for AP News.
U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Trump yesterday hosted a meeting with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva at the White House, during which they discussed “many topics”, including trade, according to Trump’s post on social media. The two leaders did not make the scheduled joint appearance before reporters, though Lula later offered a generally positive, but vague, view of the meeting. Adam B. Ellick reports for the New York Times.
The State Department yesterday announced that it would review the 53 Mexican consulates in the United States, following claims circulating in conservative media in recent months that Mexican consulates interfere in U.S. politics and encourage mass migration to the United States. The State Department did not elaborate on what the review would entail, but said it could lead to the closure of Mexican consulates. Jack Nicas reports for the New York Times.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio yesterday met privately with Pope Leo XIV in the Vatican. According to the State Department, the pair discussed “the situation in the Middle East and topics of mutual interest in the Western Hemisphere.” State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott added that the meeting underscored the “strong relationship” between the Vatican and Washington, as well as their “shared commitment to promoting peace and human dignity.” Motoko Rich reports for the New York Times; Anthony Faiola, Stefano Pitrelli, and Adam Taylor report for the Washington Post.
Rubio yesterday announced new sanctions on Cuba’s military-industrial enterprise, its leader, and a state-owned natural resources company. Rubio imposed the sanction under Trump’s May 1 executive order targeting “Those Responsible for Repression in Cuba and for Threats to United States National Security and Foreign Policy.” Marc Caputo reports for Axios.
World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said yesterday he hoped the outbreak of the hantavirus would prompt the Trump administration to reconsider its decision to leave the WHO and that it would “see how important universality is for health security. WHO officials said yesterday that the agency is nonetheless working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in responding to the outbreak. Carmen Paun, Amanda Friedman, and Sophie Gardner report for POLITICO.
TECH DEVELOPMENTS
OpenAI yesterday released GPT-5.5-Cyber, a specialised AI model designed to help vetted cybersecurity professionals detect, analyse, and patch vulnerabilities and malware, as a limited preview for critical infrastructure defenders. A spokesperson for OpenAI told POLITICO the company previewed the model for the White House, the Commerce Department’s Center for AI Standards and Innovation, select Congressional committees, and other “key agencies.” Maggie Miller reports.
Emil Michael, the Pentagon’s chief technology officer, said yesterday that there is no resolution between Anthropic and the Pentagon coming any time soon, despite new agreements with other AI companies. Ashley Gold reports for Axios.
U.S. IMMIGRATION DEVELOPMENTS
The Trump administration is considering declaring an “unforeseen emergency” in South Africa to significantly expand refugee admissions for Afrikaners, potentially more than doubling the number of white South Africans allowed into the United States, according to sources and documents obtained by the New York Times. Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Hamed Aleaziz, and Miriam Jordan report.
Florida is in talks with the Trump administration to shut down the high-profile immigration detention center that opened last summer, known as Alligator Alcatraz, according to a federal official, a former ICE official, and another source. The talks are preliminary, but officials at the Department of Homeland Security have concluded that it is too expensive to keep operating the center. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ (R) administration has been spending $1 million a day to run it. Patricia Mazzei and Hamed Aleaziz report for the New York Times.
ICE is shifting strategy toward buying fully built, ready-to-operate immigration detention facilities from major private prison operators CoreCivic and Geo Group after local opposition and legal challenges stalled its plan to rapidly convert warehouses into large detention centres, according to executive statements. Brittany Gibson reports for Axios.
The Trump administration’s immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota earlier this year dramatically slowed other federal investigations and prosecutions into an array of serious crimes, a Reuters review of federal court records found.
U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
A major cyberattack on the Canvas education platform caused it to go offline yesterday, disrupting access for thousands of schools and universities during exam season. The hacking group ShinyHunters claimed responsibility, saying it may have accessed large amounts of data and threatening to leak it. Heather Hollingsworth reports for AP News.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) yesterday signed a new congressional map into law that slices up Memphis, a move intended to eliminate the state’s last Democratic House seat. It is the first map crafted since the Supreme Court judgment on the Voting Rights Act. Emily Cochrane reports for the New York Times.
A dozen senior State Democrats, including Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, yesterday demanded that FCC Chair Brendan Carr immediately rescind his order hauling in Disney’s broadcast licenses for early review. John Hendel reports for POLITICO.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS
The FEMA review council yesterday approved a report recommending that the Trump administration gradually cut FEMA by 50 percent. The report also recommends that FEMA shift leadership of emergency response and recovery to the state level. The document does not carry any legal weight, but is likely to act as a guide for the Trump administration’s next steps. Brianna Sack, Amy B Wang, and Brady Dennis report for the Washington Post.
The State Department told AP News yesterday that it will begin today revoking the U.S. passports of thousands of parents who owe $100,000 or more in unpaid child support. This would apply to about 2,700 U.S. passport holders, according to figures supplied by the Department of Health and Human Services. The revocation program will soon be expanded to cover parents who owe more than $2,500, the State Department added. Mathew Lee reports.
The White House is downplaying reports that it may require federal pre-release vetting of advanced AI models, stressing it prefers “partnership” with companies over strict government regulation. “There’s one or two people who are very intent on government regulations, but they’re sort of the minority of the bunch,” said one senior White House official. John Sakellariadis, Cheyenne Haslett, Dasha Burns, and Aaron Mak report for POLITICO.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION
A panel of federal judges yesterday found Trump had violated the law when he imposed a 10 percent tariff on most U.S. imports in February. The Court of International Trade ruled that Trump had wrongly invoked a decades-old trade law when he applied those duties, after his previous set of tariffs was struck down by the Supreme Court. Tony Romm and Ana Swanson report for the New York Times.
A federal judge yesterday found that the Trump administration violated a court order from last year that strictly limited instances in which the government can make immigration arrests in the District of Columbia without a warrant. Zach Montague reports for the New York Times.
A federal judge yesterday ruled that the Trump administration’s cancellation of more than 1,400 previously approved grants by the National Endowment for the Humanities violated the Constitution. Jennifer Schuessler 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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