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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. RESPONSE
Secretary of State Marco Rubio skipped today’s round of Ukrainian peace talks in London after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine’s constitution prohibits it from accepting any deal that recognizes Moscow’s legal control of Crimea. Sources say the peace plan submitted by the United States proposes allowing Moscow to control nearly all areas occupied since the 2022 invasion, accompanied by a U.S. recognition of Russia’s annexation of Crimea. Mark Landler reports for the New York Times; Siobhán O’Grady, John Hudson, and Steve Hendrix report for the Washington Post; Barak Ravid reports for Axios.
The Trump administration has vacated a Congress-created atrocities coordinator position responsible for gathering intelligence from across the government on Russian atrocities committed in Ukraine, sources say. An interagency working group led by the coordinator has also been dismantled, the sources add. Ellen Nakashima reports for the Washington Post.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
Russian President Vladimir Putin told the U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, that Moscow could halt its invasion of Ukraine at the current front lines as part of efforts to reach a peace deal, sources say. Max Seddon, Henry Foy, and Christopher Miller report for the Financial Times.
Ukraine would be ready to hold talks with Russia once a ceasefire deal is in place and the fighting has stopped, Zelenskyy said yesterday, noting that even in such a scenario, “it will not be possible to agree on everything quickly.” Reuters reports.
A Russian drone attack on a bus carrying workers in the Ukrainian city of Marhanets killed nine people early today, officials said, adding that a wave of drone attacks targeted civilian infrastructure in east, south, and central Ukraine. Separately, Russia’s defense ministry blamed the explosions at a Russian ammunition depot east of Moscow on a “violation of safety requirements.” Reuters reports; Frances Mao reports for BBC News.
GLOBAL AFFAIRS
The European Commission today issued multi-million penalties against tech giants Apple and Meta, fining Apple €500 million ($570 million) for breaching the EU Digital Market Act’s rules for app stores, while Meta drew a penalty of €200 million ($228 million) for its “pay or consent” advertising model. Jacob Parry reports for POLITICO.
Militants yesterday killed at least 26 tourists and injured 17 in the deadliest attack against civilians in the India-administered region of Kashmir in years, according to government officials and local media reports. A little-known “Kashmir Resistance” group claimed responsibility for the attack. Fayaz Bukhari reports for Reuters.
Major Russian banks have set up a netting payments system dubbed the “China Track” for transactions with China to reduce the payments’ visibility to Western regulators and mitigate the risk of secondary sanctions, Reuters cites banking sources as saying.
Myanmar’s military junta has extended a temporary ceasefire in its conflict with rebels to April 30 to expedite earthquake relief and rebuilding efforts, state media reported yesterday. Reuters reports.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
Israeli strikes killed at least 17 Palestinians and destroyed bulldozers and other heavy equipment supplied by mediators to clear rubble in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. The Israeli army claimed Hamas was using the machinery for planting explosives, digging tunnels, and breaching fences. Wafaa Shurafa and Samy Magdy report for AP News.
Over 400 patients requiring dialysis treatment in Gaza died because of a lack of proper treatment during the 18-month conflict, representing around 40% of all dialysis recipients in the territory, according to its Hamas-run health ministry. Wafaa Shurafa and Samy Magdy report for AP News.
Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry has denied manipulating the war death toll figures, attributing the disparities between the August and October 2024 and March 2025 lists of fatalities to an ongoing revision and verification process. Yolande Knell reports for BBC News.
SYRIA
Syrian authorities have arrested two senior members of the Palestinian armed faction Islamic Jihad, the militant group said yesterday. The arrests mark a reversal from the former Assad regime’s policies, which tolerated the presence of Palestinian armed groups on Syrian territory. Euan Ward and Reham Mourshed report for the New York Times.
U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS
The State Department will eliminate its Office of the Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights and fold some of its elements into an Office for Foreign Assistance and Humanitarian Aid, alongside other structural changes, a plan for major cuts unveiled by Secretary of State Marco Rubio yesterday shows. According to a senior official, about 700 positions will be cut during the restructuring. Edward Wong and Michael Crowley report for the New York Times.
President Trump’s trade war is expected to slow down global economic growth this year, with much of the downgrade attributable to the impact of tariffs on the U.S. economy, according to projections released yesterday by the International Monetary Fund. Alan Rappeport reports for the New York Times.
Mexico will “change the law to prohibit foreign governments from carrying out political and ideological propaganda” within the country, President Claudia Sheinbaum said in response to Homeland Secretary Kristi Noem’s appearances on Mexican television. Simon Romero and Paulina Villegas report for the New York Times.
U.S. tariffs on China will “come down substantially,” Trump said yesterday, as the White House stated it was “setting the stage for a deal with China.” In a private speech, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that “neither side” considers the present tariffs “sustainable,” cautioning that formal talks between Washington and Beijing had yet to start. Alex Gangitano reports for the Hill; Josh Boak and Fatima Hussein report for AP News.
The Trump administration has told senior U.S. diplomats in Vietnam not to take part in events marking the 50th anniversary of the end of the war, according to sources. Damien Cave reports for the New York Times.
U.S. IMMIGRATION DEVELOPMENTS
Costa Rican immigration authorities this week said they would make it possible for dozens of migrants deported from the United States to temporarily legally stay in the country by granting deportees a three-month humanitarian permit allowing them to leave the detention center where they are currently held. Emiliano Rodríguez Mega reports for the New York Times.
U.S. immigration authorities have failed to list the deportation and the subsequent location of a Venezuelan immigrant deported to El Salvador last month on any publicly accessible records, and only confirmed his whereabouts yesterday in response to news reporting, according to an attorney who tried to locate the migrant. According to immigrant advocates, the incident raises a question of how many other migrants were deported without a legal record. Miriam Jordan reports for the New York Times.
U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
Bill Owens, the executive producer of the respected longtime CBS News magazine show 60 Minutes resigned Tuesday, after 37 years with the news service, citing interference by corporate owners. CBS’s parent company is considering settling a lawsuit brought by Trump that many experts have said the network could win. David Folkenflik reports for NPR.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk yesterday said he would spend less time working for the federal government, but has no plans to entirely withdraw from working with DOGE. Tesla’s quarterly earnings report, released yesterday, shows that Tesla’s net income plunged by 71% year-over-year. Camila Domonoske reports for NPR.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS
The detailed military information Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared with at least two Signal group chats came from information transmitted to him by Army Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla using a secure government system, sources say. Courtney Kube and Gordon Lubold report for NBC News.
Three more federal prosecutors who worked on the corruption case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams resigned yesterday. In a letter to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, the former prosecutors said they felt pressured to confess “wrongdoing” as a condition of being reinstated after refusing to follow orders to end the case against Adams. Larry Neumeister reports for AP News.
The DOJ is reassigning about a dozen senior career attorneys from its civil rights unit, including three senior attorneys who managed offices that investigated abuse by police and handled violations of voting and disability rights, sources say. The Department also cut millions in community grants yesterday, including awards for gun-violence prevention programs, victim advocacy, and efforts to combat opioid addiction, according to emails reviewed by the Washington Post. Sarah N. Lynch and Dan Levine report for Reuters; Perry Stein, Tom Jackman, and Jeremy Roebuck report.
Commissioner Willie Phillips (D), the former chair of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, yesterday told POLITICO he is stepping down effective immediately after being asked to do so by the Trump administration. Philipps’ departure removes the Democrats’ majority on the panel and allows Trump to pick his replacement. Catherine Morehouse reports.
The Environmental Protection Agency will fire 280 staffers working on environmental justice and reassign another 175 effective end of July, according to a notice viewed by POLITICO’s E&E News. Sean Reilly reports.
Former Pentagon aides fired last week amid a leaks probe could face charges at the end of the investigation, Defense Secretary Hegseth said yesterday. Sarah Fortinsky reports for the Hill.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION
A federal judge yesterday said the Trump administration has “failed to respond in good faith” to a court order to identify details about Abrego Garcia’s improper deportation to El Salvador, adding that its provision of “vague” and “evasive” answers “can only be viewed as willful and intentional noncompliance.” Kyle Cheney, Josh Gerstein, and Hassan Ali Kanu report for POLITICO.
The Trump administration has to give Venezuelan migrants detained in Colorado 21 days’ notice “in a language [the migrants] understand” before deporting them under the Alien Enemies Act authority, a federal judge ruled yesterday. Rebecca Beitsch reports for the Hill.
A federal judge yesterday issued a preliminary injunction temporarily blocking the Trump administration from dismantling the federally funded Voice of America, Radio Free Asia, and Middle East Broadcasting Networks news outlets, finding that the administration was “likely in direct violation of numerous federal laws.” Emily Feng reports for NPR.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison (D) yesterday filed a preemptive lawsuit seeking to block the Trump administration from pushing the state to revise its policies on transgender athletes’ participation in girls’ and women’s sports. Steve Karnowski reports for AP News.
The Perkins Coie and WilmerHale law firms are expected to ask judges overseeing their cases against the Trump administration today to permanently block Trump’s orders designed to punish them and hurt their business operations. Eric Tucker reports for AP News.
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