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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the last 24 hours. Here’s today’s news:
IRAN WAR
President Trump told reporters yesterday that the United States is “the only one” that controls the Strait of Hormuz, calling the U.S. naval blockade on Iran a “steel wall.” Trump also responded to Iran’s conditions for a peace deal with his own demands that Iran pay compensation for people killed in wars, attacks, and protests, telling reporters, “if there’s damages to be paid, I think Iran should pay those damages.” In particular, Trump said Iran should compensate families of the 17 U.S. sailors killed in an October 2000 attack in Yemen on USS Cole, which has been attributed to al Qaeda, not Iran. Duarte Dias reports for CBS News; Steve Holland and Jacon Bogage report for Reuters.
IRAN WAR – OTHER DEVELOPMENTS
Last month, Trump flew out of Ankara in secret on an alternate military aircraft while the White House said he was aboard Air Force One, the Washington Post learned, following a credible threat to Trump’s life involving Iran. The mission was carried out unbeknownst to journalists and some White House staff members who believed they were on the same plane as the president, according to material reviewed by the Post and a U.S. official. Dan Lamothe, John Hudson, Andrew Ba Tran, and Joyce Sohyun Lee report.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
Russian attacks this morning killed at least six people and wounded 20 in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, officials said. A further three civilians were killed by Russian drones and artillery in the central Dnipropetrovsk region. The strikes also hit Kyiv, triggering fires in the capital. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian forces used ballistic missiles supplied by North Korea on Zaporizhzhia. Reuters reports; Illia Novikov reports for AP News.
Ukraine is considering shipping grain by rail through Moldova as a more secure export option than by sea and has asked authorities in Chisinau for a low freight tariff, sources in both countries told Reuters yesterday. The need for a rail route has arisen in connection with Russian attacks on the Odesa port hub. Moldovan Prime Minister Vasile Tofan said yesterday that his country should not lose the opportunity to earn millions of euros in transit revenue from Ukrainian grain cargo. Pavel Polityuk and Alexander Tanas report.
Russia’s Supreme Court yesterday blocked Russia’s only antiwar party, Yabloko, from running in next month’s parliamentary elections, citing alleged copyright violations and claims that it threatened Russia’s territorial integrity. Nataliya Vasilyeva reports for the New York Times.
Former Ukrainian detainees and Ukrainian officials yesterday accused Russia of systematically torturing prisoners of war and civilian detainees. Russia rejected the allegations made at an informal U.N. Security Council meeting, with its Deputy U.N. Representative Maria Zabolotskaya calling it “a disinformation campaign” and alleging that Russian prisoners in Ukraine were subjected to “torture and degradation and moral and physical abuse.” David Brunnstrom and Andrea Shalal report for Reuters.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
A Board of Peace official said yesterday that its 15-point Gaza plan is still operative and discussions with Israel are continuing, even after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu restated his rejection of the plan. Steve Holland reports for Reuters.
OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
A Syrian court today sentenced ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his younger brother Maher to death in absentia for crimes against humanity and war crimes during Syria’s 14-year conflict. Ghaith Alsayed and Samar Kassabali report for AP News.
Turkey yesterday adopted a law aimed at advancing its peace process with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party. The law, which passed by a vote of 468-to-88 in Parliament, could allow for the repatriation of thousands of militants from the group, known as the P.K.K. It may also lead to the suspension of prison sentences for people convicted of belonging to or supporting the group. Ben Hubbard and Safar Timur report for the New York Times.
Taiwan yesterday carried out a 30-minute planned disruption of mobile data as part of an effort to test how the island might cope if a Chinese attack disrupted communications. The activity was part of Taiwan’s annual civil defense exercise, when the government tries to give citizens a sense of how they should respond if China tried to seize the island. Chris Buckley and Amy Chang Chien report for the New York Times.
A 7.4 magnitude earthquake hit Colombia yesterday, killing at least 111 people, according to Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella. Search and rescue efforts remain underway this morning. Astrid Suarez, Manuel Rueda, and Megan Janetsky report for AP News.
TECH DEVELOPMENTS
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg yesterday published a 6,500-word essay, entitled “The Future is for Everyone,” setting out his thoughts on AI distribution, regulation, safety, and cooperation. Zuckerberg said Meta would release more open-weight AI models and establish a $1 billion fund for communities where Meta hosts data centers. Meghan Bobrowsky reports for the Wall Street Journal.
A federal appeals court yesterday allowed thousands of lawsuits against Meta, Google, TikTok, and Snapchat over claims they designed their products to be addictive to young users to proceed. The court rejected an appeal by Meta and TikTok, ruling that the companies had appealed too early against a lower court ruling rejecting their Section 230 immunity defense. Diana Novak Jones reports for Reuters.
U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS
The International Atomic Energy Agency will soon remove nuclear material stored at a clandestine site in Syria linked to the Assad regime’s former nuclear program after the Trump administration reached understandings with Syria and Israel, according to U.S. and Israeli officials. Barak Ravid reports for Axios.
U.S. IMMIGRATION DEVELOPMENTS
The State Department said yesterday that it has revoked more than 175,000 visas from foreign nationals under Trump’s second administration. Most visas were revoked following “law enforcement encounters,” with assault, driving under the influence, theft, and drug crimes as the leading causes, the department added. Reuters reports.
The New York Times reports that the Trump administration has sharply intensified efforts to identify and deport noncitizens who appear on voter rolls, including some who say they registered accidentally or never voted. Madeleine Ngo, Nick Corasaniti, and Hamed Aleaziz report.
U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
Former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said yesterday that he will file a lawsuit to force the Trump administration to restore his security clearance, which was revoked on Friday after claims that Kendall had disclosed sensitive information about the Qatar-gifted jet now serving as Air Force One. Nicholas Riccardi and Konstantin Toropin report for AP News.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS
Trump signed an executive order promoting a childhood vaccination schedule that spaces shots out and separates the MMR vaccine into individual doses, despite medical groups warning this could increase the risk of preventable infections. Speaking about the order, Trump repeatedly suggested that the number or timing of vaccines could play a role in rising rates of autism spectrum disorder. Ali Swenson and Collin Binkley report for AP News.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION
A federal judge yesterday dismissed five of Minnesota’s six claims against the Trump administration’s interpretation of Title IX, the federal law that bars sex discrimination. The judge allowed the remaining claim to proceed because Minnesota could lose roughly $2.9 billion in federal funding. Bianca Quilantan reports for POLITICO.
Did you miss this? Stay up-to-date with our Litigation Tracker: Legal Challenges to Trump Administration Actions.
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