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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the over the past 24 hours. Here’s today’s news:
U.S. PRESIDENTIAL TRANSITION AND NEW CONGRESS
Former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) yesterday withdrew his bid to become Attorney-General, citing his confirmation “unfairly becoming a distraction” to the Trump transition team’s work. The announcement came shortly after CNN revealed the House Ethics Committee learned of a second sexual encounter between Gaetz and a minor. Alexandra Marquez, Sarah Fitzpatrick, Jake Traylor, Olympia Sonnier, and Peter Nicholas report for NBC News; Paula Reid and Sarah Ferris report.
Some Senate Republicans welcomed Gaetz’s withdrawal, with Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) describing it as “appropriate.” Separately, Rep. Sean Casten (D-IL) yesterday said he will continue to press for the release of the Gaetz report. Tim Balk and Maya C. Miller report for the New York Times; Lauren Peller and John Parkinson report for ABC News.
Trump yesterday named former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi as his new pick to run the Justice Department. Hannah Rabinowitz, Kristen Holmes, Zachary Cohen, Steve Contorno, Evan Perez, and Alayna Treene report for CNN.
Trump’s Education Secretary pick, Linda McMahon, has been accused of failing to stop a ringside announcer from grooming and sexually abusing children in a recent lawsuit against the World Wrestling Federation, which she used to lead. Sharon Otterman and Zach Montague report for the New York Times.
Rep. Majorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) yesterday announced she will serve as the chair of a new House panel on government efficiency working with Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy’s DOGE. Annie Grayer and Haley Talbot report for CNN.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday said the Kremlin fired a new intermediate-range ballistic missile at Ukraine, which he warned U.S. air defense systems would be unable to stop, adding that it “could be used to attack any Ukrainian ally whose missiles are used to attack Russia.” Hanna Arhirova, Illia Novikov, Aamer Madhani, and Tara Copp report for AP News.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy yesterday said Russia’s use of an experimental ballistic missile is a “clear and severe escalation,” with Ukraine’s parliament reportedly postponing today’s sitting because of “potential security issues.” Pjotr Sauer and Dan Sabbagh report for the Guardian.
Russia is supplying North Korea with oil transfers in violation of U.N. sanctions, according to analysis by the U.K.’s Open Source Centre and BBC News. Jean Mackenzie reports.
Russia supplied air defense missiles to North Korea in exchange for troops to support its war against Ukraine, a South Korean official said today. Hyung-Jin Kim and Kim Tong-Hyung report for AP News.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR — U.S. RESPONSE
The Treasury Department yesterday sanctioned Russia’s third largest bank, Gazprombank, and its six foreign subsidiaries, seeking to curtail Moscow’s ability to evade sanctions and fund its military. Fatima Hussein and Dave McHugh report for AP News.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office yesterday condemned the International Criminal Court’s decision to issue arrest warrants for him and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. In a rare show of unity, Israeli opposition politicians also condemned the warrants. Jonathan Saul reports for Reuters.
The Gaza war death toll has surpassed 44,000, the Hamas-run health ministry said yesterday, adding that over half of the verified fatalities were women and children. Wafaa Shurafa and Fatma Khaled report for AP News.
A “massive strike” near Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza yesterday killed at least 66 people, ABC News reports.
Israeli prosecutors yesterday charged one of Netanyahu’s aides with leaking classified information on Hamas and “most likely” harming national security. Aaron Boxerman reports for the New York Times.
Israeli authorities will stop holding Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank under administrative detention or incarceration without trial, Defense Minister Israel Katz announced today. The Guardian reports.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — U.S. RESPONSE
President Biden yesterday described the ICC arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant as “outrageous.” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre also said the United States “fundamentally rejects” the warrants. Sammy Westfall reports for the Washington Post; the Guardian reports.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, and Slovenia said they are prepared to comply with the ICC’s arrest warrant, while Germany is “examining” how to respond. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said he will invite Netanyahu to visit Budapest, calling the warrants a “defamation” of international law. The Guardian reports; Csongor Körömi reports for POLITICO. UPDATE: Readers may also be interested in Just Security’s interactive tracker of state reactions to the ICC’s arrest warrants.
ISRAEL-HEZBOLLAH WAR
Lebanon is seeking changes to a U.S. ceasefire proposal to expedite Israel’s withdrawal from the south and preserve both parties’ “right to self-defense,” a senior Lebanese official said yesterday. Laila Bassam reports for Reuters.
Israeli strikes killed at least 47 people in eastern Lebanon yesterday, a local official said. Israel also carried out four rounds of airstrikes on Beirut and continued strikes in the country’s south, according to the IDF. Laila Bassam and Crispian Balmer report for Reuters; ABC News reports.
GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
Brazilian federal police yesterday indicted former President Jair Bolsonaro and 36 others for allegedly attempting a coup to keep Bolsonaro in office following his 2020 elections loss. Gabriela Sá Pessoa and Mauricio Savarese report for AP News.
U.S. Special Envoy for Sudan, Tom Perriello, yesterday said he does not see enough “political appetite” from the country’s warring parties to find “a real resolution” to the conflict. Trisha Thomas reports for AP News.
Heavy gunfire erupted in South Sudan’s capital late yesterday after security forces moved to arrest the former head of the intelligence service. Aaron Ross reports for Reuters.
The U.N. nuclear watchdog agency yesterday censured Iran for failing to cooperate fully with the agency’s monitoring and inspection. Iran’s foreign ministry quickly responded by announcing plans to operate new centrifuges for enriching uranium. Steven Erlanger reports for the New York Times.
The party of Senegal’s president won a clear parliamentary majority, according to provisional election results released yesterday. Ngouda Dione and Anait Miridzhanian report for Reuters.
U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-CA) introduced parallel resolutions of disapproval seeking to halt U.S. weapons sales to the United Arab Emirates until the United States certifies the U.A.E. is not arming Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Patricia Zengerle reports for Reuters.
OTHER U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
Senate Democrats yesterday struck a deal with Republicans to allow speedier consideration of some of Biden’s judicial appointments. Kevin Freking reports for AP News.
Russia may be targeting U.S. defense companies with sabotage operations, the National Counterintelligence and Security Center warned yesterday. Julian E. Barnes reports for the New York Times.
The ongoing Chinese Salt Typhoon espionage campaign is “by far” the “worst telecom hack in our nation’s history,” Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) told the Washington Post yesterday. Ellen Nakashima reports.
The House of Representatives yesterday passed legislation that would allow the Treasury to target nonprofits it deems to support terrorism. Civil liberties groups warn it could be used to target organizations that a future presidential administration disagrees with. Thalia Beaty and Farnoush Amiri report for AP News.
The Justice Department yesterday said it found that the police force in Trenton, NJ, engaged in systemic misconduct, including by using excessive force and carrying out unlawful stops and searches. David Nakamura reports for the Washington Post.
The frequency of Neo-Nazi incidents in the United States is increasing, according to the Anti-Defamation League’s Center on Extremism. Audra D. S. Burch reports for the New York Times.