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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the last 24 hours. Here’s today’s news:
U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS — U.S. MILITARY ACTION IN THE CARIBBEAN
President Trump has “determined” that cartels involved in drug trafficking are “nonstate armed groups” the actions of which “constitute an armed attack against the United States” and with whom the United States is engaged in “noninternational armed conflict,” the Trump administration told Congress in a confidential notice this week. The document also asserted that cartels “illegally and directly cause the deaths of tens of thousands of American citizens each year,” and refers to the crew of the vessel struck by U.S. forces in mid-September as “unlawful combatants.” The White House yesterday said that the notice was an explanation of the legality of Trump’s actions and does not represent a new policy shift. Charlie Savage and Eric Schmitt report for the New York Times; Leo Shane III, Myah Ward, and Connor O’Brien report for POLITICO.
In a closed-door Senate Armed Services Committee meeting, senators from both sides of the aisle questioned the Defense Department’s legal justification for striking alleged drug smuggling boats in the Caribbean and urged officials to devise a stronger legal case, sources say. During the Wednesday meeting, the Pentagon general counsel, Earl Matthews, repeatedly argued that Trump’s designation of some Latin American drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations granted the Defense Department unilateral authority to use military force. Matthews reportedly also refused to provide a written justification for the strikes. Lara Seligman, Alexander Ward, and Siobhan Hughes report for the Wall Street Journal.
Venezuela yesterday criticised what it described as an “illegal incursion” of U.S. fighter jets into an area of Venezuelan air traffic control, 75 kilometres from the Venezuelan coastline. Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino said the U.S. activity was “vulgarity, a provocation, a threat to the security of the nation.” John Silk reports for DW.
[Editor’s note: Readers may be interested in Just Security’s collection of expert commentary on the legality of the U.S. use of force in the Caribbean, including Daniel Maurer, US Servicemembers’ Exposure to Criminal Liability for Lethal Strikes on Narcoterrorists, Just Security, 24 September 2025; Annie Shiel, John Ramming Chappell, Priyanka Motaparthy, Wells Dixon, and Daphne Eviatar, Murder by Drone: The Legal and Moral Stakes of the Caribbean Strikes, Just Security, 17 September 2025, and Brian Finucane, Asserting a License to Kill: Why the Caribbean Strike is a Dangerous Departure from the “War on Terror,” Just Security, 15 September 2025.]
U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS
The Trump administration has approved and released $230 million in funding for Lebanon’s security forces this week, according to U.S. and Lebanese sources. A State Department spokesperson said that the U.S. assistance is intended to support the forces “as they work to assert Lebanese sovereignty across the country and fully implement UN Security Council Resolution 1701.” Patricia Zengerle and Maya Gebeily report for Reuters.
Taiwan “will not agree” to produce 50% of its semiconductors on U.S. soil, Taiwan’s Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun said on Wednesday. U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick last weekend insisted in a TV interview that Taiwan should split its chip production evenly between domestic and U.S. facilities. John Liu reports for CNN.
Trump said yesterday that he would meet with the Director of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, Russ Vought, to determine which “Democrat agencies” he could cut and whether the “cuts will be temporary or permanent.” Trump referred to the shutdown as an “unprecedented opportunity” to achieve his agenda in the same social media post. In an interview yesterday, Trump said “we could cut projects that they wanted, favourite projects”, adding “I am allowed to cut things that should have never have been approved […] and I will probably do that.” Tony Romm reports for the New York Times; Reuters reports.
Several furloughed workers at the Education Department found out yesterday that their out-of-office email messages had been changed without their knowledge to reflect the Trump administration’s view that the shutdown had been caused by Democrats. “Unfortunately, Democrat Senators are blocking passage of H.R. 531 in the Senate which has led to a lapse in appropriations,” the email said. Eileen Sullivan and Michael C. Bender report for the New York Times.
A third of White House staff will be furloughed during the shutdown, while all 45 DOGE officials and most Office of Management and Budget staff will continue working as their compensation comes from a source other than annual appropriations, according to a contingency plan posted online yesterday. Sophia Cai reports for POLITICO.
Senior federal officials have advised several agencies against firing employees during the shutdown, warning that the strategy might violate appropriations law, two sources told the Washington Post. Plans for such firings have been developed across several agencies, according to two federal officials. A senior White House official said those plans outline firings for fewer than 16,000 people, a smaller reduction in force than the White House previously projected. Emily Davies and Hannah Natanson report.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS
The Justice Department is set to close the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, an inter-agency office created in the 1980s to tackle major drug cartels, according to documents seen by Reuters. The documents show the DOJ will also shutter the Community Relations Service, focused on mediating racial and ethnic tensions in the United States, and the Office for Access to Justice, which works on access to legal aid. Sources say that current and former officials said they are surprised by the plan to close the Task Forces, as the type of cases it oversees is aligned with the Trump administration’s efforts to pursue major drug-trafficking organizations. Sarah N. Lynch reports.
Trump is considering providing over $10 billion to U.S. farmers due to the economic fallout sparked by his tariffs, sources told the Wall Street Journal. Sources said that Trump and his team are thinking about using tariff revenue to fund the majority of the aid, with much of it going towards soybean producers. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said yesterday that the government would make an announcement next Tuesday regarding support for U.S. farmers in light of China’s refusal to buy soybeans. Brian Schwartz, Patrick Thomas, and Natalie Andrews report; Reuters reports.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has stopped the release of hundreds of millions of dollars in emergency preparedness grants, requesting that states prove their population counts before receiving the money, FEMA told CNN. States started receiving notices on Tuesday that they must submit a population certification, outlining their methodology, and confirm those deported under US immigration laws are not included in the count. Gabe Cohen reports.
FBI Director Kash Patel has fired a FBI employee who displayed a Pride flag in his workspace, according to several sources. Patel did not mention the Pride flag by name in the dismissal but said he was being dismissed for “poor judgment” and “an inappropriate display of political signage.” The sources said that the employee had received multiple awards for service during his career and had been the field office diversity program coordinator. Josh Campbell and Jamie Gangel report for CNN.
The University of Texas said yesterday it would be eager to sign up to the Trump administration’s list of demands in return for favourable terms for government financial aid. Most of the eight other institutions that were approached have not indicated whether they would agree to the terms. Anemona Hartocollis, Michael C. Bender, and Alan Blinder report for the New York Times.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy has fired Dr Jeanne Marrazzo, leading scientist at the National Institutes of Health, three weeks after she filed a whistle-blower complaint against the Trump administration, according to her lawyer and copy of the termination letter. The dismissal letter did not provide any explanation. Dr Marazzo’s lawyer has said that the firing was retaliatory. Benjamin Mueller reports for the New York Times.
U.S. IMMIGRATION DEVELOPMENTS
Apple said yesterday that it had removed ICEBlock, the most popular ICE-tracking app, from the App Store following “information we’ve received from law enforcement about the safety risks associated” with the app. Kanishka Singh reports for Reuters.
As of yesterday, the U.S. Navy base at Guantánamo Bay is holding no detained migrants, following the transfer of the 18 remaining men on a charter flight to the United States. Since the base was set up in February, fewer than 700 people have been held there despite plans for the base to hold tens of thousands of migrants. The Department for Homeland Security has not responded to a question of why the base has been entirely cleared. Carol Rosenberg reports for the New York Times.
Training for the first group of Army Reserve lawyers selected to be temporary immigration judges by the Trump administration is set to start on Monday, according to an email reviewed by AP News.The administration is planning to bring in as many as 600 military-trained attorneys to make immigration decisions following the firing of dozens of existing immigration judges this year. Julie Watson and Amy Taxin report.
Immigration journalist Mario Guevara is set to be deported to El Salvador today, according to his legal team. A federal appeals court this week denied his emergency request for stay. Victoria Albert reports for the Wall Street Journal.
The superintendent of Iowa’s largest school district, Ian Roberts, was charged yesterday in federal court for possessing firearms while illegally in the United States, following his detention last week by ICE agents. Hannah Fingerhut reports for AP News.
TECH DEVELOPMENTS
Nvidia and Fujitsu agreed today to collaborate on AI to deliver smart robots using Nvidia’s chips. “The AI industrial revolution has already begun. Building the infrastructure to power it is essential in Japan and around the world,” Nvidia Chief Executive Jensen Huang said alongside his Fujitsu counterpart Takahito Tokita. Yuri Kageyama reports for AP News.
A multibillion-dollar deal signed in May to send Nvidia’s AI chips to the United Arab Emirates is facing delays, frustrating Nvidia chief Jensen Huang and some senior administration officials, sources told the Wall Street Journal.The UAE promised to invest in the United States in exchange for Nvidia’s chips supplies but the investment is yet to arrive, the sources said. Brian Schwartz, Amrith Ramkumar, and Josh Dawsey report.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
Israeli strikes and gunfire killed at least 57 Palestinians in Gaza yesterday, according to health officials. 29 people were killed by Israeli troops in southern Gaza, the Nasser Hospital indicated. Separately, officials at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital said they had received 16 people killed by strikes. Doctors without Borders said one of its occupational therapists was killed in a strike that wounded four others. Wafaa Shurafa and Bassem Mroue report for AP News.
Mediators yesterday made contact with Izz al-Din al Haddad, the head of Hamas’s military wing in Gaza, who indicated that he would not agree to the U.S. ceasefire proposal as the plan is designed to destroy Hamas, BBC News has been told. Rushdi Abualouf reports.
Many Palestinians in Gaza have voiced their support for the current ceasefire plan, according to interviews in Gaza. Some said that news of the proposal on Monday sent a rare flash of hope through Gaza, while others said it was clear there were terms Hamas would not agree to. Abdelhalim Awad, living in Deir al Balah, said that he would accept almost “any price” to end the war but that Hamas would not do the same. “They don’t care about what people think […] if they cared about that, we wouldn’t be in this situation.” Liam Stack reports for the New York Times.
Israeli forces yesterday blocked the road to Gaza City, preventing those who had left the city in search of food or shelter from returning. “This is the last opportunity for Gaza residents who wish to do so to move south and leave Hamas operatives in Gaza City itself in the face of the IDF’s continuing full-scale operations,” Defense Minister Israel Katz said. Nidal Al-Mughrabi reports for Reuters.
Israel’s interception of the boats in the Global Sumud Flotilla sparked protests across Europe and South America yesterday. Israel has detained more than 450 activists. Reuters reports.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — U.S. RESPONSE
A U.S. federal judge this week dismissed a lawsuit accusing the U.N. aid agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) of allegedly allowing its funds to be diverted to support Hamas’s 2023 attack on Israel. Contrary to the position advanced by the Trump administration, the judge found that as part of the United Nations, as UNRWA was protected by immunity and could not be sued. The lawsuit was brought on behalf of about 100 Israeli plaintiffs, the estates of some of the victims, and at least one person whom Hamas held hostage. Benjamin Weiser reports for the New York Times.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
U.S. long-range Tomahawk missile shipments to Ukraine appear unlikely as current stock is committed to the U.S. Navy and other uses, according to a U.S. official and other sources. The U.S. official said there was no shortage of shorter-distance weapons that could be supplied to Kyiv. Mike Stone reports for Reuters.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said yesterday that he had no plans to invade NATO countries. Putin criticized “European elites” for “whipping up hysteria” about a “Russian threat,” denying Russia’s involvement in the drone violations of Danish and Norwegian airspace last week. Nataliya Vasilyeva reports for the New York Times.
OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
U.N. High Commission for Human Rights Volker Türk said yesterday that the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary killed at least 91 Sudanese civilians in the besieged city of el-Fasher last month. Türk said the city’s Draga Oula neighbourhood had been repeatedly attacked during RSF shelling, drone strikes, and ground incursions between September 19 and 29. According to the Sudan Doctors Network, an RSF missile yesterday killed 16 people and injured 21 others in the city. AP News
Türk also told the U.N. Human Rights Council yesterday he is concerned that Haiti’s use of “lethal force” against gangs was “unnecessary and disproportionate.” According to Türk, Haitian police units summarily executed 174 people for alleged gang affiliation this year, while government drone strikes against alleged gang members had killed at least 559 people. “Most of these drone strikes are likely unlawful under international human rights law,” Türk said. Farge reports for Reuters.
Russia has mounted a vast disinformation campaign in the Czech Republic ahead of the parliamentary elections today and tomorrow, according to an investigation by Czech outlet Voxpot. According to Voxpot, 16 Russia-linked websites containing false information and conspiracy theories, are producing more content than all Czech traditional media outlets combined. 300 TikTok accounts promoting pro-Russia narratives have garnered over 5 million views per week, more than the combined reach of mainstream party leaders, Czech analysts say. Dana Nickel and Giselle Ruhiyyih Ewin report for POLITICO.
Munich Airport stopped flights yesterday evening after drone activity was identified near the airport. 17 flights were unable to take off from Munich and 15 inbound flights were redirected to other German airports. There has been no confirmation of where the drones came from. Daniel Victor reports for the New York Times.
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