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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
A car bombing in Moscow today killed General Yaroslav Moskalik, a high-ranking general in the Russian army, the main federal investigating authority in Russia confirmed. The authority’s statement did not identify who might be behind the incident. Vitaliy Shevchenko reports for BBC News; Reuters reports.
Russian strikes killed at least eight people across Ukraine overnight into today, local officials say. Todd Symons and Svitlana Vlasova report for CNN.
Russia is “ready to reach a deal” to end the war in Ukraine, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview excerpt aired after Moscow’s strikes on Kyiv yesterday. Gregory Svirnovskiy reports for POLITICO.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR — U.S. AND INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
President Trump yesterday urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to “STOP” Russia’s bombing of Ukraine and agree to a peace deal after Moscow’s deadliest attack on the city of Kyiv in nearly a year killed twelve people. Jonathan Swan reports for the New York Times.
United States’ European allies are highly alarmed by the framework to end the Ukraine war that would entail significant territorial concessions by Kyiv proposed by the Trump administration, diplomatic sources say. Trump yesterday claimed that Russia’s “not taking the whole country” is a “pretty big concession.” Jennifer Hansler, Alex Marquardt, and Kylie Atwood report for CNN.
GLOBAL AFFAIRS
Indian and Pakistani soldiers briefly exchanged fire along the two countries’ Kashmir border, Indian officials said today, amid sharply escalating tensions in the region. Separately, Pakistan yesterday said it would consider it an “act of war” if India implemented its threat to block the flow of crucial rivers in retaliation for a deadly militant attack in Kashmir. Aijaz Hussain and Rajesh Roy report for AP News; Salman Masood reports for the New York Times.
The Myanmar junta has continued its military campaign against opposition armed groups despite announcing a ceasefire after a major earthquake killed thousands in March, according to the U.N. and data from a crisis monitor. Devjyot Ghoshal, Poppy Mcpherson, and Pasit Kongkunakornkul report for Reuters.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
The Israeli military yesterday acknowledged it was responsible for killing a U.N. aid worker in a strike on a U.N. guesthouse in Gaza last month, after previously describing the U.N.’s assertion that Israeli fire killed the staffer as “baseless slander.” Jeremy Diamond, Ibrahim Dahman, Abeer Salman, and Tamar Michaelis report for CNN.
Israeli strikes killed 50 people in Gaza yesterday, local health authorities said. According to territory’s Hamas-run health ministry, the Durra Children’s Hospital in Gaza City had also become non-operational after an Israeli strike yesterday damaged the facility’s intensive care unit and solar panel system. AP News reports; Nidal Al-Mughrabi reports for Reuters.
The Appeals Chamber at the International Criminal Court yesterday ordered the court’s lower panel to reconsider Israel’s objections to the court’s jurisdiction to issue arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. Reuters reports.
HOUTHI DEVELOPMENTS
The Houthis, and not the United States, are responsible for a deadly blast on Sunday near a UNESCO heritage site in Yemen’s capital, a U.S. Central Command spokesperson said yesterday. Vivian Nereim and Shuaib Almosawa report for the New York Times.
The Houthi militants successfully shot down at least seven multi-million-dollar U.S. drones in the past month, multiple U.S. officials say. Natasha Bertrand, Haley Britzky, and Zachary Cohen report for CNN.
U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Trump yesterday signed an executive order directing the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to expedite permits for companies to mine in international and U.S. territorial waters. The move would entail the United States unilaterally circumventing the International Seabed Authority, whose authority is recognised by 168 states. Max Bearak, Rebecca Dzombak, and Harry Stevens report for the New York Times.
The United States is poised to offer Saudi Arabia an arms package worth over $100 billion during Trump’s May visit to Riyadh, sources say. Mike Stone and Pesha Magid report for Reuters.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi raised the possibility of negotiating an interim nuclear deal during last Saturday’s U.S.-Iran talks, sources say. Araghchi told White House envoy Steve Witkoff that it might not be possible to reach a final accord on Trump’s proposed timetable of two months, the sources add. Representatives of Washington and Tehran will meet for the next round of talks in Oman on Saturday. Barak Ravid reports for Axios; Karen DeYoung reports for the Washington Post.
The State Department is eliminating the Office of Global Change, which oversees international climate change negotiations for the United States, according to the unit’s staffers. A State Department spokesperson said the move gives effect to Trump’s directives to cease U.S. participation in international agreements. Sara Schonhardt reports for POLITICO.
U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
The Trump Organization, run by President’s son Eric Trump, yesterday announced it would fire William Burck, the co-managing partner of Quinn Emanuel law firm hired in January to help the company manage conflicts of interest after Trump took office. Trump this week indirectly criticized Burck for his representation of Harvard University in its lawsuit against the administration. Erin Mulvaney reports for the Wall Street Journal.
The American Federation of Government Employees, the largest union for federal staffers, announced yesterday that it is planning to lay off more than half of its staff nationwide. The AFGE justified the move by pointing to the impact of Trump’s policies on its finances. Ryan J. Foley reports for AP News.
A federal judge will today sentence former Rep. George Santos (R-NY), who pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft and admitted a range of other frauds and deceits last year. Grace Ashford reports for the New York Times.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS
Trump yesterday issued a memorandum directing Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate fundraising platforms such as ActBlue, the central fundraising apparatus of the Democratic Party. In the memo, Trump alleges that “online fundraising platforms” like ActBlue have been “willing participants in schemes to launder excessive and prohibited contributions to political candidates and committees.” ActBlue called the claims “baseless.” Maeve Reston and Jeremy Roebuck report for the Washington Post.
Joe Kasper, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s chief of staff, yesterday confirmed he is voluntarily leaving his Pentagon post to become a part-time special government employee with a focus on science, technology, and industry. Kasper’s departure is the latest episode in turmoil gripping the Defense Department amid a spate of leaks, firings, and investigations into senior aides. Dan Lamothe reports for the Washington Post;
“It’s a free-for-all” at the Pentagon, with departures of senior aides causing delays to routine memos and actions and infighting for the newly vacant positions, sources say. Former Pentagon officials warn that the tumult may have potential national security implications. Paul McLeary and Jack Detsch report for POLITICO; Nancy A. Youssef, Alexander Ward, and Vera Bergengruen report for the Wall Street Journal.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard on Wednesday said she had asked the DOJ to investigate who she alleged were “deep state criminals” behind the “intelligence community [leaks].” Gabbard referred two people to the DOJ, with a third referral on its way, according to Alexa Henning, Gabbard’s Deputy Chief of Staff. Perry Stein reports for the Washington Post.
Trump yesterday issued an executive order restricting probationary federal employees’ attainment of full status. The move will likely make it easier for the government to fire probationary staffers. Eileen Sullivan reports for the New York Times.
The Pentagon will resume gender-affirming care for transgender service members due to a court order that temporarily struck down Defense Secretary Hegseth’s restrictions on its provision as unconstitutional, a memo reviewed by POLITICO shows. Jack Detsch, Paul McLeary, and Kyle Cheney report.
Elon Musk and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent engaged in a shouting match in a White House corridor within the earshot of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and multiple senior officials last week, witnesses say. The dispute concerned the choice of the next Internal Revenue Service Acting Commissioner. Marc Caputo reports for Axios.
National Science Foundation Director Sethuraman Panchanathan yesterday announced his resignation, more than a year before the end of his term, according to a memo obtained by POLITICO’s E&E News. The memo did not indicate a reason for his exit. Corbin Hiar reports.
Trump on Wednesday pardoned Michele Fiore, a former Las Vegas City Council member and one-time Nevada gubernatorial candidate found guilty of fraud last year, according to court documents filed by Fiore’s attorneys. Gregory Svirnovskiy reports for POLITICO.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION
A federal judge yesterday blocked part of Trump’s executive order on elections, ruling Trump did not have the authority to issue an order requiring documentary proof of citizenship for all voters. The judge did not block the executive order’s attempt to restrict the deadline for mail-in ballots, finding that the Democrats who challenged it lacked standing. Nick Corasaniti reports for the New York Times.
Federal agents arrested Mahmoud Khalil without a warrant, according to court documents filed in Khalil’s challenge to his deportation. Attorneys for the government argued the arrest was not unlawful by asserting that a warrant is not needed when an immigration officer “has reason to believe that the individual is likely to escape before a warrant can be obtained.” Susan Svrluga reports for the Washington Post.
The Trump administration this month moved a Venezuelan man to Texas for possible deportation after a federal judge had issued an order blocking his removal from Pennsylvania or the United States, according to court records. Luc Cohen reports for Reuters.
A federal judge yesterday temporarily blocked the government from enforcing part of Trump’s executive order that directed agencies to withhold funds from “sanctuary” cities and counties. Zach Montague reports for the New York Times.
Attorneys representing the American Civil Liberties Union today filed an updated version of the group’s lawsuit against Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act, asking a federal judge to direct the Trump administration to take active steps toward securing the release of the Venezuelan citizens it deported to El Salvador. Alan Feuer reports for the New York Times.
Three advocacy groups yesterday filed a lawsuit against the Homeland Security Department in a bid to restore staffing levels at the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, the Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman, and the Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman. Rebecca Santana reports for AP News.
Three federal judges yesterday issued separate rulings declaring that the Trump administration’s sweeping bans on diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in the nation’s K-12 schools likely violate the law. Juan Perez Jr. reports for POLITICO.
In an emergency application, the Trump administration yesterday asked the Supreme Court for permission to enforce its ban on transgender troops serving in the military that lower courts have blocked. Adam Liptak reports for the New York Times.
The Transportation Department yesterday said it would replace the federal lawyers defending it in a lawsuit over New York City’s congestion pricing program after the U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District said it had mistakenly filed a confidential memo in court on Wednesday. The memo, since removed from the public docket, warns that the DOT’s legal strategy is “exceedingly likely” to fail. Stefanos Chen and Benjamin Weiser report for the New York Times; Sareen Habeshian reports for Axios.
Did you miss this? Stay up-to-date with our Litigation Tracker: Legal Challenges to Trump Administration Actions
