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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments. Here’s today’s news:
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
Senior Russian and U.S. officials will meet in Saudi Arabia today to hold bilateral talks on improving ties and ending the war in Ukraine, paving the way for a meeting between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to a senior Ukrainian government source, Kyiv was not invited to the talks. Matthew Lee, Justin Spike, and Barry Hatton report for AP News; James Waterhouse and Maia Davies report for BBC News; Alex Marquardt, Kevin Liptak, Alayna Treene, and Michael Rios report for CNN.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy yesterday reiterated he would not accept a peace deal negotiated without Ukraine’s input. Separately, Trump’s Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg, said that no one would impose a peace deal on Kyiv. James Marson and Ian Lovett report for the Wall Street Journal; Reuters reports.
Zelenskyy has told his aides to reject the Trump administration’s proposal of granting the United States access to rare earth minerals over the offer’s insufficient security guarantees for Ukraine, an aide confirmed. Kristen Welker, Courtney Kube, Carol E. Lee, and Nnamdi Egwuonwu report for NBC News.
The United Kingdom is “ready and willing” to send UK troops to Ukraine to help guarantee its security under a peace deal, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said yesterday. David Mercer reports for BBC News.
The European Union is preparing new sanctions targeting the “shadow fleet” used by Russia to transport illicit oil, sources say. It is unclear whether the Trump administration will join the effort, the sources added. Alan Cullinson, Benoit Faucon, and Georgi Kantchev report for the Wall Street Journal.
ISRAEL-HEZBOLLAH CEASEFIRE
Israeli troops will stay in five southern Lebanon locations after today’s deadline for Israel’s full withdrawal elapses, the Israeli military said yesterday. Patrick Kingsley and Euan Ward report for the New York Times.
Israel yesterday killed a Hamas leader in southern Lebanon’s Sidon area, the Israeli military and a Hamas official said. Reuters reports.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
Hamas will not disarm and will regroup in Gaza, a Hamas spokesperson and political bureau member said on Saturday, seemingly contradicting an earlier statement by another Hamas spokesperson that the group is not “clinging to power.” Nadeen Ebrahim reports for CNN.
Israel is preparing to receive the bodies of four hostages from Gaza on Thursday and is working on securing the release of six living captives on Saturday, an Israeli security official said yesterday. Reuters reports.
A former Palestinian detainee released by Israel on Saturday said he was subjected to “torture and hunger” while in prison, a claim rejected by the Israeli military. Reuters reports.
SYRIA
Russia will likely maintain a reduced military presence in Syria, with Moscow close to striking a deal with the interim Syrian government, sources say. Alberto Nardelli and Donato Paolo Mancini report for Bloomberg.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS
Elon Musk is not the leader or employee of DOGE, a White House official said yesterday in a court filing. According to the affidavit, Musk is a Senior Advisor to Trump employed by the White House as a Special Government Employee and “has no actual or formal authority to make government decisions.” Kyle Cheney reports for POLITICO.
DOGE staffers are expected to arrive at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in the coming days, sources say. The SEC recently sued Musk over his alleged failure to properly disclose his 2022 Twitter stock purchases. Declan Harty reports for POLITICO.
The Social Security Administration’s Acting Commissioner, Michelle King, resigned this weekend over DOGE’s access to Social Security recipient data, sources say. Fatima Hussein reports for AP News.
DOGE is seeking access to the Internal Revenue Service’s data systems, containing some of the most sensitive financial information on U.S. taxpayers, a source said. Alayna Treene and David Goldman report for CNN.
The Trump administration is preparing to fire hundreds of high-level Homeland Security Department employees it perceives as potentially standing in the way of Trump’s agenda goals this week, sources say. Julia Ainsley reports for NBC News.
Trump yesterday said he nominated Ed Martin, a far-right election denier and interim U.S. attorney for Washington D.C., to run the office on a permanent basis. Glenn Thrush reports for the New York Times.
The acting U.S. Archivist, William Bosanko, and several senior National Archives and Records Administration staffers have resigned over a Trump administration push to install its appointees at the agency, a source said. Maegan Vazquez reports for the Washington Times.
The Trump administration has started firing “several hundred” Federal Aviation Administration probationary employees who maintain critical air traffic control infrastructure, the staffers’ union said. Pete Muntean reports for CNN.
The Education Department on Friday warned schools they may lose federal funding if they take race into account “in all … aspects of student, academic, and campus life” and scholarships and hiring decisions. Zach Montague reports for the New York Times.
The White House is limiting AP News’ access partly due to perceived “partisan” word choices in the wire service’s stylebook, White House deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich said. Marc Caputo reports for Axios.
OTHER U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
Four top New York City officials yesterday indicated they would resign over the Justice Department’s decision to dismiss Mayor Eric Adams’s corruption case. Hours later, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, who has the power to remove Adams from office, called a meeting for today to discuss “the path forward,” pointing to “serious questions” about the Adams mayoral administration’s sustainability. William K. Rashbaum, Dana Rubinstein, and Emma G. Fitzsimmons report for the New York Times.
Thousands protested yesterday against the Trump administration’s actions across the United States. Minho Kim, Stephanie Saul, and Winnie Hu report for the New York Times.
A Delta Airlines jet crashed while landing amid windy weather at Canada’s Toronto Pearson Airport yesterday, officials said, adding that 18 people were injured with no deaths reported. Allison Lampert and Ryan Patrick Jones report for Reuters.
The Washington Post this week backed out of running an advertising order criticizing Elon Musk, according to the advocacy group that signed an agreement to run the ad with the Post. Alexander Bolton reports for the Hill.
U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, and Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, met Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia yesterday to discuss the Gaza and Ukraine conflicts, the State Department said. Patrick Kingsley and Ismaeel Naar report for the New York Times.
The U.S. Agency for International Development deputy administrator, Pete Marocco, has recently pledged to halt all aid programs that “intervene” in Hungary’s internal affairs, a Hungarian official said. Mark Mazzetti and Karoun Demirjian report for the New York Times.
Costa Rica yesterday announced it would receive a U.S. deportation flight carrying 200 migrants from Central Asia and India. Annie Correal reports for the New York Times.
The Trump administration’s aid freeze has threatened programs working to counter terror threats across Africa, U.S. officials and aid workers say. Katharine Houreld, Rachel Chason, Susannah George, and Mustafa Salim report for the New York Times.
The CIA is working on plans to take a more prominent role in the battle against Mexico-based drug cartels, including through potential covert operations, sources say. Warren P. Strobel and Isaac Stanley-Becker report for the Washington Post.
Russia yesterday released a U.S. citizen held on drug charges in what the Kremlin implied was a goodwill gesture on the eve of talks in Saudi Arabia. Julian E. Barnes reports for the New York Times.
China yesterday accused the United States of a “serious regression” of its Taiwan position following the removal of a reference to the U.S. opposition to the island’s independence on a State Department fact sheet. The State Department said the U.S. position on Taiwan’s independence has not changed. Jennifer Jett reports for NBC News.
Taiwan is exploring a multi-billion purchase of weapons from the United States, sources say. Michael Martina, Yimou Lee, and Ben Blanchard report for Reuters.
The U.S. Navy reduced its headcount on Japan’s Okinawa for the first time in December 2024, more than two decades behind the agreed schedule. Martin Fackler reports for the New York Times.
OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
European leaders met in Paris yesterday for an emergency summit to forge a common security strategy following the Trump administration’s move to exclude Europe from the peace talks with Russia and Vice President Vance’s speech criticizing Europe’s exclusion of far-right groups from power. Catherine Porter and Steven Erlanger report for the New York Times.
M23 rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Sunday entered the eastern trading hub of Bukavu, according to the fighters and videos circulated by local residents. Elian Peltier and Justin Makangara report for the New York Times.
The World Food Programme chief yesterday appealed for $6 billion for Sudan to help ease “the world’s worst ever hunger catastrophe.” Emma Farge reports for Reuters.
Israel’s ongoing military campaign has triggered the most significant displacement of Palestinians from the occupied West Bank since 1967, Palestinian and Israeli experts say. Fatima AbdulKarim and Patrick Kingsley report for the New York Times.
Russia’s intelligence services set up a new unit in 2023 in response to Western support for Ukraine that includes veterans of some of Russia’s most daring clandestine operations in recent years, according to Western intelligence sources. Bojan Pancevski reports for the Wall Street Journal.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION
The first case related to the second Trump administration’s actions reached the Supreme Court on Sunday, with the administration’s lawyers asking the court to vacate a federal judge’s order temporarily reinstating Hampton Dellinger as the head of the Office of Special Counsel. The request challenges a long-standing precedent limiting the President’s power to fire leaders of independent agencies. Adam Liptak reports for the New York Times.
U.S. district judge Tanya Chutkan yesterday said she needs to see specific evidence of imminent harm to issue a temporary restraining order blocking DOGE and Musk from entering federal data systems and making personnel decisions. Daniel Barnes and Natasha Korecki report for NBC News.
Did you miss this? Stay up-to-date with our Litigation Tracker: Legal Challenges to Trump Administration Actions
