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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the past 24 hours. Here’s today’s news:
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR — U.S. AND INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
Russia and the United States yesterday agreed to start working toward ending the war in Ukraine and re-establish diplomatic communication, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, adding that the countries will seek to appoint a team to facilitate Ukraine peace talks. Dasha Litvinova reports for AP News; Ivana Kottasová and Jennifer Hansler report for CNN.
President Trump yesterday falsely suggested that Ukraine started the war with Russia, stating that Kyiv “should have never started” the war and “could have made a deal.” [See CNN for the analysis of the falsity of Trump’s claim.] Zoë Richards reports for NBC News.
France plans to host a second, wider European summit on Ukraine today, diplomatic sources said. Reuters reports.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy yesterday canceled a planned trip to Saudi Arabia in protest over Kyiv’s exclusion from the Russia-U.S. talks, saying that the lack of invitation was a “surprise.” Andrew E. Kramer reports for the New York Times.
The United States has “zero intelligence Putin is interested in a real peace deal right now,” a U.S. congressional official and Western intelligence officials said yesterday. Courtney Kube and Carol E. Lee report for NBC News.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
Israel and Hamas will open negotiations on a second stage of the Gaza ceasefire deal “this week,” Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar announced yesterday. Israeli sources say Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appointed Ron Dermer, a close confidant with strong ties to the Trump White House, to lead the negotiations. The Guardian reports; AP News reports.
Hamas will hand over the bodies of four additional deceased hostages next week, Netanyahu’s office said in a statement. The move would complete the hostage releases planned under the ceasefire’s first phase. The Washington Post reports.
Israel will start allowing the entry of mobile homes for displaced Palestinians into Gaza, an Israeli official said. Hamas has previously accused Israel of delaying the deliveries. James Mackenzie and Nayera Abdallah report for Reuters.
Aid workers and medics say they fear Palestinians leaving Gaza for medical treatment may not be able to return in light of Trump’s proposals to displace all of the territory’s inhabitants. Susannah George reports for the Washington Post.
ISRAEL-HEZBOLLAH CEASEFIRE
The Lebanese government yesterday said it considers any Israeli presence on its soil an occupation and reserves the right to use “all means” to ensure Israel’s withdrawal. Lebanon’s leaders also called on the U.N. Security Council to take action. Abbie Cheeseman reports for the Washington Post.
U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS
The United States and Russia agreed to explore “the incredible opportunities that exist to partner,” Secretary of State Rubio said following the Riyadh talks yesterday. Russia’s Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, said he “has reason to believe” that the United States “started to better understand our positions.” Anton Troianovski and Ismaeel Naar report for the New York Times.
Migrants deported from the United States say they are detained in a hotel in Panama and barred from seeing lawyers. At least one person tried to commit suicide, the migrants said. Panamanian officials yesterday said that more than 170 migrants had agreed to be deported to their countries of origin and that the remaining deportees would be relocated to a camp. Julie Turkewitz, Hamed Aleaziz, Farnaz Fassihi, and Annie Correal report for the New York Times; Annie Correal and Julie Turkewitz report for the New York Times.
U.S. ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson yesterday condemned the “dangerous” maneuvers of a Chinese helicopter that flew within 10 feet of a Philippine plane over the South China Sea. Joeal Calputian reports for AP News; Brad Lendon reports for CNN.
The CIA is stepping up covert drone flights over Mexico seeking to locate fentanyl labs, according to U.S. officials. Julian E. Barnes, Maria Abi-Habib, Edward Wong, and Eric Schmitt report for the New York Times.
The State Department has directed U.S. embassies and consulates to cancel all “non-mission critical” news subscriptions, according to internal email guidance viewed by the Washington Post. Jeremy Barr and John Hudson report.
The State Department office overseeing the resettlement of Afghan refugees has been told to start planning to close by April, a U.S. official said. Jonathan Landay reports for Reuters.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS
Trump yesterday issued an executive order seeking to “rein in” independent agencies established by Congress and centralize the presidential control over the executive branch. Charlie Savage reports for the New York Times.
The Trump administration is expected to start firing Defense Department employees as soon as this week and has directed defense agencies to turn over lists of their probationary employees by the end of yesterday, sources say. Dan Lamothe, Alex Horton, and Hannah Natanson report for the Washington Post.
Trump yesterday told reporters Musk’s role can be called “whatever you want,” sidestepping questions over the billionaire’s official post after the White House said Musk is not part of DOGE. Alex Gangitano reports for the Hill.
Trump yesterday said he has instructed the Justice Department to terminate all remaining U.S. attorneys appointed by former President Biden. Jasper Ward reports for Reuters.
The Trump administration yesterday cut off funding to providers who give advice and legal representation to unaccompanied children who cross the U.S. border, a memo reviewed by the Washington Post shows. Teo Armus and Arelis R. Hernández report.
The Agriculture Department is trying to rehire “several” employees working on the federal response to the H5N1 avian flu outbreak after “accidentally” firing them, the agency’s spokesperson said yesterday. Allan Smith, Melanie Zanona, and Laura Strickler report for NBC News.
The Trump administration is directing federal agencies to no longer look at DEI considerations when making procurement decisions, according to an announcement from the General Services Administration. Michelle Hackman reports for the Wall Street Journal.
The director of the Food and Drug Administration’s food division resigned on Monday, saying the “indiscriminate” layoffs of critical employees made his work impossible. Christina Jewett reports for the New York Times.
OTHER U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
The top criminal prosecutor in the office of the U.S. Attorney for Washington D.C., Denise Cheung, submitted a letter of resignation yesterday after refusing to open an investigation into Biden-era climate spending decisions, sources say. Katelyn Polantz, Jamie Gangel, Dana Bash, Ella Nilsen, and Evan Perez report for CNN.
The Senate yesterday confirmed Howard Lutnick as Commerce Secretary in a 51-45 vote. Alan Rappeport reports for the New York Times.
The federal judge overseeing the corruption case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams will today consider the DOJ’s motion to dismiss the charges against Adams. Kara Scannell and Lauren del Valle report for CNN.
Hundreds of former DOJ prosecutors, notably including former Special Counsel Jack Smith, signed an open letter expressing concern about charging decisions being made on “considerations other than the facts and the law.” Sareen Habeshian reports for Axios.
Trump’s pardon of Jan. 6 Capitol riot defendants does not apply to a rioter convicted by a federal jury in Tennessee for plotting to murder FBI agents, Justice Department prosecutors told a federal court yesterday. Ryan J. Reilly reports for NBC News.
A former Guatemalan congressman was sentenced to 18 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to involvement in an international drug trafficking conspiracy, the DOJ said yesterday. AP News reports.
OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
Brazil’s top prosecutor yesterday formally charged former President Jair Bolsonaro with attempting a coup to remain in power, alleging that the plot included a plan to poison the current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and kill a Supreme Court judge. Eléonore Hughes and Mauricio Savarese report for AP News.
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary yesterday announced a plan to form a breakaway government for Sudan at a political event in Kenya. Declan Walsh reports for the New York Times.
RSF fighters killed more than 200 unarmed civilians, including infants, in a three-day assault in Sudan’s White Nile state, a local rights group said yesterday. Fatma Khaled reports for AP News.
Some embassies are making arrangements to evacuate staffers from the Democratic Republic of Congo’s capital city of Kinshasa amid anxieties over the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels’ advance. Ange Adihe Kasongo and Sonia Rolley report for Reuters.
M23 rebels executed three children who donned abandoned army weapons and uniforms in the DRC city of Bukavu, the U.N. human rights office said yesterday. Reuters reports.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION
A federal judge yesterday declined to issue an order temporarily restraining DOGE from ordering mass firings or accessing federal agencies’ data, ruling that the plaintiff states did not provide specific examples of how DOGE’s actions would cause imminent or irreparable harm. However, the judge appeared to suggest the lawsuit, alleging Elon Musk and DOGE are exercising authority in violation of the Appointments Clause, has a strong chance of succeeding with the benefit of additional evidence. Zach Montague reports for the New York Times.
A federal judge yesterday ordered the temporary reinstatement of Cathy Harris as chair of the Merit Systems Protection Board, holding that the Trump administration had not indicated adequate grounds for her removal. Olivia George reports for the Washington Post.
A federal judge yesterday put on hold for five days the firing of 11 CIA officers told to resign or face dismissal over their involvement in DEI programs. Jonathan Landay reports for Reuters.
Trump’s executive order banning transgender people from joining the U.S. Army has an “unadulterated animus,” a federal judge said yesterday while considering whether to indefinitely suspend the measure. Devan Cole reports for CNN.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops yesterday filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration’s efforts to block funding for refugee resettlement programs, arguing the move undermines Congress’s power of the purse. Zach Schonfeld reports for the Hill.
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