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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
Hamas has postponed this weekend’s planned release of Israeli hostages “until further notice,” the group’s spokesperson said yesterday, citing alleged Israeli violations of the ceasefire deal. Charlie Summers and Emanuel Fabian report for Haaretz; Jeremy Diamond, Abeer Salman, Kareem Khadder, Lauren Izso, and Mostafa Salem report for CNN.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has moved up today’s cabinet meeting in response to Hamas’s delay announcement, according to Israeli sources. Separately, Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz described the move as a “complete violation of the ceasefire.” Jeremy Diamond, Abeer Salman, Kareem Khadder, Lauren Izso, and Mostafa Salem report for CNN.
President Trump “must remember” that “the only way” to bring back Israeli prisoners is by respecting the ceasefire agreement, a senior Hamas official said today. Reuters reports.
The Israeli police said it arrested two people over “selling books containing incitement and support for terrorism” during a Sunday raid on Palestinian bookstores in the occupied east Jerusalem. Kareem Khadder, Abeer Salman, and Irene Nasser report for CNN.
Some hostages freed by Hamas have been tortured while in captivity, family members said, citing intelligence from the Israeli military. Ephrat Livni reports for the New York Times.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — U.S. AND REGIONAL RESPONSE
Trump yesterday said that the ceasefire deal should be “canceled” and “all hell is going to break out” if hostages are not released from Gaza by noon on Saturday. Lara Jakes, Ronen Bergman, Adam Rasgon, and Johnatan Reiss report for the New York Times.
Trump yesterday said he would consider withholding aid to Jordan and Egypt if they do not agree to the United States “taking over” Gaza. Trump also indicated that Palestinians would not be allowed to return to the territory under his plan. Brett Samuels reports for the Hill; Claire Moses and Shawn McCreesh report for the New York Times.
Mediators are concerned the Gaza ceasefire agreement may break down, two Egyptian security sources said yesterday. Reuters reports.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS
Trump yesterday pardoned former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich, whose 2011 corruption conviction included a charge of attempting to sell former President Barack Obama’s vacated Senate seat. Niha Masih reports for the Washington Post.
Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove yesterday instructed the Justice Department to drop the corruption charges against New York Mayor Eric Adams, claiming the indictment limited Adams’ ability to cooperate in the immigration crackdown and that it could interfere with the mayoral primaries. William K. Rashbaum, Dana Rubinstein, Glenn Thrush, Michael Rothfeld, and Jonah E. Bromwich report for the New York Times.
Trump removed the Office of Government Ethics Director, David Huitema, from his post, the agency said. Myah Ward reports for POLITICO.
Seventeen Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency employees working on U.S. elections security have been placed on administrative leave pending review in recent days, a source said. Christina A. Cassidy reports for AP News.
The Homeland Security Department has asked the Treasury Department to deputize some of its law enforcement workers to assist in immigration enforcement, a document viewed by the Wall Street Journal shows. Tarini Parti and Richard Rubin report.
A 19-year-old DOGE staffer’s posting to new State Department and Homeland Security senior advisor roles has raised concerns about his access to sensitive information, U.S. officials say. Faiz Siddiqui, John Hudson, and Isaac Stanley-Becker report for the Washington Post.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced yesterday he is renaming Fort Liberty in North Carolina to Fort Roland L. Bragg. Before a 2023 change, the base’s name honored the Confederate general Braxton Bragg. John Ismay reports for the New York Times.
The U.S. Army will no longer allow transgender people to join the military and will stop facilitating gender transition procedures for service members, according to a court memo from Defense Secretary Hegseth. Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart report for Reuters.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION
The White House has failed to comply with an order blocking the federal funding freeze, a federal judge ruled yesterday. The ruling is the first express finding the Trump administration failed to comply with a judicial mandate. Mattathias Schwartz reports for the New York Times.
A third federal judge yesterday issued an injunction blocking Trump’s birthright citizenship executive order. Jenna Russell reports for the New York Times.
A federal judge yesterday ruled that Special Counsel Hampton Dellinger, a federal ethics watchdog who Trump tried to remove, can temporarily return to his post pending a detailed legal argument in the case. Josh Gerstein reports for POLITICO.
A federal judge yesterday extended the pause on the Trump administration’s deferred resignation “fork in the road” program until he rules on its legality. Noah Weiland and Maya Shwayder report for the New York Times.
A federal judge yesterday issued a temporary order restraining the National Institutes of Health from cutting research funding in 22 states. Erin Schumaker and Shawn Zeller report for POLITICO.
An advocacy group yesterday filed a lawsuit seeking to halt the Trump administration’s foreign aid freeze. Carmen Paun reports for POLITICO.
A coalition of refugee resettlement organizations yesterday sued the Trump administration over its refugee assistance program freeze. Hamed Aleaziz reports for the New York Times.
A teachers’ union and other labor groups yesterday filed a federal lawsuit alleging the Treasury Department has unlawfully disclosed information in its national student loan data system and other federal programs. Juan Perez Jr reports for POLITICO.
Justice Department lawyers are trying to reverse an order blocking individuals without background checks and training from accessing Treasury data, court documents show. Shayna Jacobs reports for the Washington Post.
OTHER U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
The Senate voted 52-46 to advance Tulsi Gabbard’s Director of National Intelligence nomination yesterday, clearing her way toward confirmation later this week. Alexander Bolton reports for the Hill.
The U.S. Army will not continue its long-standing recruiting efforts at the prestigious Black Engineer of the Year Awards this year, Army officials say. Steve Beynon reports for Military.com.
A federal judge yesterday ordered the FBI to disclose some of the confidential records related to the now-defunct investigation into Trump’s mishandling of classified materials. Alan Feuer reports for the New York Times.
Senate Democrats have set up a whistleblower complaint portal for federal workers to report information on any perceived unlawful activities in their agencies in response to Elon Musk’s federal government downsizing efforts. Mariana Alfaro reports for the Washington Post.
U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS
The Trump administration’s freeze has left $8.2 billion in unspent aid without oversight and made it more difficult to track potential misuse of the U.S.-funded assistance, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Inspector General’s Office said in a report released yesterday. Jennifer Hansler reports for CNN.
The United States has lifted a pause on food donations to the World Food Programme, the agency said on Sunday. Michelle Nichols and Humeyra Pamuk report for Reuters.
The U.S. military has significantly increased its surveillance of Mexican drug cartels in the past two weeks, according to U.S. officials and open-source data. Avery Schmitz, Katie Bo Lillis, Priscilla Alvarez, and Natasha Bertrand report for CNN.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen today said U.S. tariffs will prompt “firm and proportionate countermeasures.” Philip Blenkinsop reports for Reuters.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
The United States-Russia relations are “balancing on the brink of breakup,” Moscow’s deputy foreign minister said yesterday. Separately, a Kremlin spokesperson refused to confirm whether Trump and President Vladimir Putin have recently spoken, as Trump claimed. Astha Rajvanshi reports for NBC News.
The U.S. aid freeze has begun impacting efforts to hold Russia responsible for alleged war crimes in Ukraine, according to documents seen by Reuters. Anthony Deutsch and Dan Peleschuk report.
OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
The U.N. yesterday announced it is suspending all humanitarian operations in a Houthi-controlled area in northern Yemen over arbitrary detention incidents creating “hostile conditions” for its staff. Farnaz Fassihi reports for the New York Times.
CODECO militants yesterday killed more than 35 civilians in an attack on villages in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a village chief said today. Reuters reports.
The International Criminal Court yesterday opened an investigation into Italy’s non-compliance with an arrest warrant for a Libyan warlord, the court’s spokesperson said. Molly Quell reports for AP News.
The Rapid Support Forces paramilitary has imposed “operational restrictions” on aid supplies to the famine-hit Darfur, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator in Sudan said yesterday. Samy Magdy reports for AP News.