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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the past 24 hours. Here’s today’s news:
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — U.S. RESPONSE
President Trump yesterday declared that the United States should “take over” Gaza and turn it into “the Riviera of the Middle East.” Speaking at a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump also reiterated his call for “all of” Palestinians from Gaza to be displaced to countries like Egypt and Jordan. Michael D. Shear, Peter Baker, and Isabel Kershner report for the New York Times; Kevin Liptak reports for CNN.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio yesterday appeared to endorse Trump’s plan for the United States’ takeover of Gaza, stating that “the United States stands ready to lead and Make Gaza Beautiful Again” in a post on X. Kanishka Singh reports for Reuters.
Several Democratic lawmakers expressed shock over Trump’s Gaza remarks. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (MD) and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (MI) both described the idea as “ethnic cleansing.” Frances Vinall reports for the Washington Post.
Some Republican lawmakers appeared skeptical of Trump’s plan, with Sen. Lindsey Graham (SC) saying it “might be problematic” and Sen. Josh Hoeven (ND) doubting whether “it’s the best use” of U.S. resources. Aamer Madhani, Tia Goldenberg, and Zeke Miller report for AP News; Jordain Carney and Mia McCarthy report for POLITICO.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and senior Hamas officials issued statements rebuking the suggestion that Palestinians should be expelled from Gaza. Reuters reports.
Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry reaffirmed its support for an independent Palestinian state in a statement issued today, adding that the normalization of its ties with Israel would depend on the creation of such a state. Qasim Nauman reports for the New York Times.
China, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, Ireland, Spain, Turkey, and Australia all expressed disapproval of Trump’s Gaza proposals. Reuters reports.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS
The Treasury Department yesterday said it is conducting an “operational efficiency assessment” of its payment systems and that it has not suspended or rejected any payments, also stating that Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) employees have “read-only” access to the systems. Richard Rubin reports for the Wall Street Journal.
A group of House and Senate Democrats protesting DOGE staffers’ access to federal payment systems were denied entry to the Treasury Department headquarters yesterday, Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL) said. Andrew Solender reports for Axios.
The Trump administration yesterday announced it is arranging the repatriation of all U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) staff located overseas within 30 days and that nearly all of the agency’s “direct hire” staff will be put on leave effective Friday. Missy Ryan and John Hudson report for the Washington Post.
The CIA yesterday became the first national security or intelligence agency to offer its entire workforce the Trump administration’s “buyout” offer, a CIA spokesperson said. The offer had not previously been made available to most national security personnel and it is unclear whether all CIA employees will be allowed to take it. Katie Bo Lillis and Kaitlan Collins report for CNN.
The Trump administration is moving to open the Office of Personnel Management’s (OMP) chief information officer posts to political appointees and reduce the position’s protections against firings, the OPM announced in a memo yesterday. Kevin Collier reports for NBC News.
The U.S. Air Force yesterday transferred the first group of migrants from the United States to a Guantánamo Bay detention facility, according to the White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt. A Homeland Security official said the flight was carrying around 10 migrants with criminal records. Hamed Aleaziz and Eric Schmitt report for the New York Times; Priscilla Alvarez, Natasha Bertrand, and Haley Britzky report for CNN.
Education Department officials yesterday told employees in the civil rights office that Elon Musk’s DOGE team is scrutinizing the department’s operations. Zach Montague and Jessica Silver-Greenberg report for the New York Times.
About 20,000 federal workers have accepted the Trump administration’s “buyout” offer so far, a senior administration official said. Marc Caputo reports for Axios.
U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Trump yesterday said he is open to El Salvador’s offer to host U.S. prisoners, stating that if the move is legal, he would “do it in a heartbeat.” Legal experts say the deal, under which U.S. citizens could be transferred to a prison abroad, is almost certainly not lawful. Zolan Kanno-Youngs reports for the New York Times.
China’s foreign ministry today announced it had lodged complaints with the United States over “irresponsible” remarks concerning the Panama Canal and “attacks” on the China-Panama cooperation on the waterway. Reuters reports.
Trump signed a presidential memorandum restoring a “maximum pressure campaign” against Iran, as well as an executive order calling for a review of U.S. funding and involvement in the U.N. David E. Sanger reports for the New York Times; Farnaz Fassihi reports for the New York Times.
More than $13 million in U.S. funding for a security force helping fight armed gangs in Haiti has been blocked under Trump’s executive order freezing foreign aid, the U.N. said yesterday. Michelle Nichols reports for Reuters.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION
Two sets of FBI agents yesterday filed lawsuits seeking to block the Justice Department from aggregating and publicly identifying FBI agents who worked on the Jan. 6 Capitol attack and Trump classified documents cases. Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein report for POLITICO.
Unions representing federal workers filed a lawsuit yesterday seeking to block the Trump administration’s employee “buyout” offer. The lawsuit argues the scheme is “arbitrary and capricious” and violates federal law. David Shepardson and Karen Freifeld report for Reuters.
A federal judge yesterday issued a temporary restraining order blocking the Prisons Bureau from transferring transgender women to men’s prisons and stopping gender transition treatment, citing the risk of “irreparable harm” to the inmates. Shaila Dewan reports for the New York Times.
A medical advocacy group sued the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration yesterday over their removal of websites containing public health information. The group argued that the move was “arbitrary” and made without required notice. Brendan Pierson reports for Reuters.
[Editor’s note: Readers may be interested in Just Security’s Litigation Tracker monitoring the legal challenges to the Trump administration’s actions.]
OTHER U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
The Senate yesterday voted 54-46 to confirm Pam Bondi as Attorney General. Shania Shelton and Morgan Rimmer report for CNN.
The Senate Intelligence Committee yesterday approved Tulsi Gabbard’s nomination to become the next Director of National Intelligence, progressing her candidacy to a floor vote. Julian E. Barnes and Robert Jimison report for the New York Times.
Federal health workers are expressing alarm after a website called “DEI Watch List” published photos, names, and public information about primarily Black employees who work in agencies mostly within the Department of Health and Human Services. Berkeley Lovelace Jr. and Erika Edwards report for NBC News.
The FBI yesterday released “seeking information posters” for two Iranian intelligence officers the agency believes were involved in the 2007 disappearance of former FBI agent Robert Levinson. Shania Shelton reports for CNN.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
Ukraine is “open” to developing an aid-for-minerals agreement with the United States, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in response to Trump’s suggestion of an interest in such a deal yesterday. Isabelle Khurshudyan and Ellen Francis report for the Washington Post.
A Russian missile killed five civilians and wounded 55 in northeast Ukraine’s town of Izium, officials said. Vitalii Hnidyi and Yuliia Dysa report for Reuters.
OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
Congo’s government yesterday described the Rwanda-backed rebels’ unilateral declaration of ceasefire in eastern Congo as a “false communication.” Separately, a U.N. spokesperson said the U.N. had received reports of heavy fighting in the region. Justin Kabumba and Jean-Yves Kamale report for AP News.
Uganda deployed more than 1,000 additional soldiers near the conflict zone in eastern Congo last week, according to diplomatic and U.N. sources. David Lewis and Sonia Rolley report for Reuters.
A Rapid Support Forces strike on a hospital in Sudan’s Omdurman city killed six people and injured 38 others, the Khartoum province health ministry said yesterday. Reuters reports.
An attacker killed two Israeli soldiers and injured eight others in an exchange of fire in the occupied West Bank yesterday, the Israeli military said. No group has claimed responsibility for the incident. Adam Rasgon reports for the New York Times.