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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the past 24 hours. Here’s today’s news:
GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
Three U.S. citizens freed in the Russian-West prisoner swap have returned to U.S. soil. Reporters Evan Gershkovich and Alsu Kurmasheva and former U.S. marine Paul Whelan landed in Maryland late yesterday, where they were greeted by President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. The deal is the largest prisoner swap since the Cold War, freeing 24 detainees from seven countries, and had been more than 18 months in the making. BBC News reports; the Wall Street Journal reports.
Famine has officially been declared in the Darfur region of Sudan, two organizations that monitor world hunger announced yesterday. Refugees in the Zamzam camp near El Fasher, the capital city of North Darfur, have been facing famine since June, the agencies said. “This is a milestone moment where we really need to step up all the resources required,” the Norwegian Refugee Council’s Sudan country director said. Abdi Latif Dahir reports for the New York Times.
The United States yesterday recognized Venezuela’s opposition presidential candidate Edmundo González as the winner of the country’s disputed election. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement that “the overwhelming evidence” shows González “won the most votes.” President Nicolás Maduro has yet to provide clear evidence of a victory. Julie Turkewitz reports for the New York Times.
Protests erupted in multiple cities across Nigeria yesterday over increasing civilian hunger and “bad governance.” The demonstrations are part of a larger wave of unrest spreading across Africa, including in Kenya and Uganda. Nimi Princewill and Stephanie Busari report for CNN.
Germany joined the U.S.-led United Nations Command in South Korea today, becoming the 18th nation in a group that helps police the border with North Korea and has committed to defend the South in the event of war. Josh Smith reports for Reuters.
Bangladesh yesterday banned the Jamaat-e-Islami party, its student wing, and other associate bodies as “militant and terrorist” organizations. The move is part of a nationwide crackdown following weeks of deadly protests over government job quotas. Bangladesh’s prime minister has blamed the party for inciting the recent violence. Julhas Alam reports for AP News.
South Korea yesterday offered to send humanitarian aid to flood-stricken North Korea. North Korea did not immediately respond to comment. If accepted, the help could lead to the first official bilateral dialogue in several years. Choe Sang-Hun reports for the New York Times.
The Philippines and Japan held their first joint military exercises in the South China Sea today, the Philippine armed forces said. The drills, which took place within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, followed similar exercises between Manila and Washington on Wednesday. Reuters reports.
ISRAEL-HEZBOLLAH CONFLICT
The leader of Lebanese Hezbollah said in a televised address yesterday that the conflict with Israel has entered a “new phase.” Nasrallah said the enemy must wait for the “inevitable response” because it had crossed “red lines,” adding that the reaction would be proportionate to Israel’s targeting of a civilian building. Hugo Bachega reports for BBC News.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated on Wednesday by an “explosive device covertly smuggled into the Tehran guesthouse where he was staying,” according to seven Middle Eastern officials. The bomb had been hidden around two months ago in the guesthouse run by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, sources said. Ronen Bergman, Mark Mazzetti, and Farnaz Fassihi report for the New York Times.
The Israeli military yesterday confirmed it had killed Al Jazeera journalist Ismail Al-Ghoul in an airstrike in Gaza, claiming he was a Hamas operative who had taken part in the Oct. 7 attack. The network dismissed what it said were “baseless allegations” which it said was an attempt to justify the intentional killing of its journalists. Reuters reports.
A former IDF reservist has alleged serious misconduct by Israeli forces in Gaza in an interview with CNN. Yuval Green, 26, said Palestinian homes were destroyed “for revenge,” and that there was an atmosphere of “demonizing Gazans.” Ami Kugman and Bianna Golodryga report.
ISRAEL-IRAN CONFLICT
The Biden administration is preparing to counter an Iranian attack on Israel within days, three U.S. officials told Axios. U.S. officials say they expect any retaliation “to be from the same playbook as their Apr. 13 attack on Israel,” but potentially larger in scope. Barak Ravid reports.
The body of Haniyeh arrived in Doha yesterday from Iran in preparation for his burial today. CNN reports.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — U.S. RESPONSE
Biden and Harris spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday. According to a White House statement, Biden “discussed efforts to support Israel’s defense against threats … to include new defensive U.S. military deployments.”
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
An Australian government review has found that “serious failures” by the Israeli military led to drone strikes on an aid convoy in Gaza that killed seven World Central Kitchen workers in April. Published today, the review says that the IDF failed to follow procedures and made fatal decision-making errors. Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the government would “press for full accountability” for those responsible for the incident, “including any appropriate criminal charges.” Gavin Butler reports for BBC News.
TRUMP LEGAL MATTERS
A New York state appeals court yesterday rejected former President Trump’s challenge to a gag order in his hush money criminal case. The decision by the Appellate Division in Manhattan means Trump cannot comment publicly about prosecutors and others in the case until Justice Juan Merchan sentences him on Sept. 18, seven weeks before the Nov. 5 election. Luc Cohen and Jonathan Stempel report for Reuters.
OTHER U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
Trump ally Jeffrey Clark should be suspended from practicing law for two years over efforts to overturn the 2020 election, the D.C. Bar ruled yesterday. The Bar made a non-binding, preliminary ruling in April that started a process that could result in penalties including Clark’s disbarment. If the recommendation is adopted, he would escape the latter, more severe penalty. Rebecca Falconer reports for Axios.
A Washington Post investigation uncovered a secret criminal investigation into whether Trump took money from Egypt before he became president in 2017. Five days before Trump was inaugurated, a bank in Cairo received a letter from an organization linked to the Egyptian intelligence service asking to withdraw nearly $10 million in cash. Federal investigators learned of the withdrawal in 2019, intensifying an earlier probe into whether Egypt’s president, Abdel Fateh El-Sisi, sought to support Trump’s presidential campaign. Aaron Davis and Carol Leonnig report.