Early Edition: June 27, 2025

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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the past 24 hours. Here’s today’s news:

ISRAEL-IRAN WAR

Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium remains largely intact following U.S. strikes on the country’s main nuclear sites, according to preliminary intelligence assessments provided to European governments. The intelligence suggests that the stockpile was distributed to various locations away from the Fordow enrichment plant before the strikes, sources say. Neither the White House nor the CIA commented on the stockpile’s status, while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that he was not aware of any intelligence that “things were not where they were supposed to be” at the Fordow complex. Henry Foy and Andrew England report for the Financial Times; Michael R. Gordon, Dustin Volz, and Lara Seligman report for the Wall Street Journal.

Centrifuges at the Fordow uranium enrichment plant in Iran are “no longer operational,” International Atomic Energy Agency head Rafael Grossi said yesterday, citing IAEA’s assessments based on satellite imagery. Grossi added that while it would be “too much” to assert that Iran’s nuclear program had been “wiped out,” it has suffered “enormous damage.” Aurelien Breeden reports for the New York Times.

Iranian authorities carried out hundreds of arrests and multiple executions of people suspected of links to Israeli intelligence agencies in recent days and weeks. The Iranian government has also stepped up pressure on journalists working for Persian-language media outlets abroad, affected journalists say. BBC News reports.

ISRAEL-IRAN WAR — U.S. RESPONSE

Senate Republicans briefed on U.S. strikes in Iran yesterday did not clearly endorse President Trump’s claim that Iran’s nuclear program was “obliterated,” with Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) telling reporters he does not think “anybody’s been on the ground to assess the extent of the damage” and Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) stating the results of the strikes were “as expected.” Connor O’Brien, Joe Gould, John Sakellariadis, Lisa Kashinsky, and Calen Razor report for POLITICO.

The Trump administration has discussed helping Iran access as much as $30 billion to build a civilian-energy-producing nuclear program, easing sanctions on Tehran, and releasing billions in restricted funds in order to bring Iran back to the negotiating table, sources say. The proposals are preliminary, the sources note, and contingent on Iran carrying out no uranium enrichment. Zachary Cohen, Alayna Treene, Kylie Atwood and Jennifer Hansler report for CNN.

Iran currently has no plan to meet with the United States, Tehran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said yesterday, contradicting Trump’s earlier claim that U.S.-Iran talks are to take place next week. Reuters reports.

Trump on Wednesday threatened to sue the New York Times and CNN for publishing articles about a leaked preliminary intelligence report that suggested that the U.S. strikes were less damaging to Iran’s nuclear program than Trump claimed. Both news outlets refused to retract their reports. Trump also threatened to prosecute Democrats who he accused, without evidence, of leaking information about the strikes. Michael M. Grynbaum reports for the New York Times; April Rubin reports for Axios.

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR

The U.S. State Department has approved $30 million in funding for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), the agency said yesterday. The announcement marks the first known U.S. government financial contribution to the controversial aid organization. Daphne Psaledakis and Humeyra Pamuk report for Reuters.

An Israeli strike on a central Gaza market where a crowd of people was getting bags of flour from a local police unit killed 18 people yesterday, according to hospital officials. Eyewitnesses said Israeli drones fired at members of a Hamas police force who were confronting vendors they accused of price gouging and selling goods looted from aid trucks. Wafaa Shurafa, Kareem Chehayeb, and Sam Metz report for AP News; Rushdi Abualouf reports for BBC News.

Israel has stopped aid from entering northern Gaza but is still allowing entries from the south, two officials said yesterday. In a joint statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz on Wednesday accused Hamas of seizing aid intended for civilians in northern Gaza, as images circulated of masked men on aid trucks. The Higher Commission for Tribal Affairs, representing influential clans in Gaza, said the men were protecting the trucks in a process managed “solely through tribal efforts.” Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Alexander Cornwell report for Reuters.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR

Ukrainian forces have halted Russia’s advance into the northern Sumy region and stabilized the front line near the Russia-Ukraine border, Ukraine’s top military commander Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi said yesterday. Russian officials made no immediate comment on Syrskyi’s claim. Illia Novikov reports for AP News.

GLOBAL AFFAIRS

Congolese negotiators have dropped a demand that Rwandan troops immediately leave eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, paving the way for a U.S.-brokered truce agreement to be signed in Washington today, sources say. Sonia Rolley reports for Reuters.

The death toll from protests against government corruption and police brutality across Kenya now stands at 16, the executive director of Amnesty Kenya said yesterday. Eve Sampson reports for the New York Times.

U.S. IMMIGRATION DEVELOPMENTS

Kilmar Abrego Garcia will face trial in the United States before the Trump administration moves to deport him, the Justice Department said yesterday. The DOJ statement was released after a DOJ lawyer reportedly said that the Homeland Security Department will initiate proceedings to remove Abrego Garcia to a third country during a court hearing yesterday. Ben Finley and Alanna Durkin Richer report for AP News; Katelyn Polantz and Devan Cole report for CNN.

The United States has signed agreements with Guatemala and Honduras for the countries to potentially offer refuge to asylum seekers from other countries who otherwise would seek refuge in the United States, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said yesterday. Rebecca Santana and Christopher Sherman report for AP News.

Canada is “urgently seeking more information” about the death of a Canadian citizen in ICE custody in Miami this week, Foreign Minister Anita Anand said yesterday. Kelsey Ables reports for the Washington Post.

U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Trump yesterday claimed that the United States and China have signed an agreement on trade. Separately, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said that the deal was signed earlier this week. Neither provided any details about the agreement. Trump added that he expects to have a trade deal with India soon. Elaine Kurtenbach reports for AP News.

The U.S. Ambassador to Russia, Lynne Tracy, is leaving her post in Moscow, the U.S. embassy in Moscow announced today. Reuters reports.

Mexican financial authorities yesterday said they are taking over two small banks and a brokerage firm that the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned over alleged involvement in money laundering and facilitating payments related to fentanyl. Anthony Harrup and Santiago Pérez report for the Wall Street Journal.

U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS

Federal prosecutors yesterday unveiled charges against 11 Eastern Europeans accused of running a $10.6 billion Medicare fraud scheme. According to the indictment, the group submitted billions of dollars in false health care claims using personal information stolen from more than 1 million U.S. citizens. Jeremy Roebuck and Dan Diamond report for the Washington Post.

A New York appeals court yesterday determined that Kenneth Chesebro, a lawyer who has admitted to helping craft a bid to send fraudulent pro-Trump electors from six states to Congress after the 2020 election, should be disbarred. Gregory Svirnovskiy reports for POLITICO.

The House Judiciary Committee yesterday subpoenaed Harvard University in its investigation into alleged Ivy League universities price coordination. Steven Moity reports for the New York Times.

TECH DEVELOPMENTS

Google’s Deepmind on Wednesday introduced AlphaGenome, a new AI-powered DNA sequence modelling tool available in a preview API for non-commercial research.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS

The Office of Management and Budget on Wednesday recommended terminating U.S. funding for nearly two dozen programs that conduct war crimes and accountability investigations globally, according to sources and internal documents seen by Reuters. The State Department can appeal the OMB’s decision. Humeyra Pamuk and Anthony Deutsch report.

The Homeland Security Department has restored counter-terrorism funding and reimbursement for security at major events to Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco, and other cities that brought a legal challenge to the Trump administration’s attempt to withhold the funds, officials say. Shia Kapos reports for POLITICO.

The Justice Department has demanded that the University of Virginia removes its president, James E. Ryan, to help resolve a DOJ investigation into the school’s diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts and preserve the university’s federal funding, sources say. Michael S. Schmidt and Michael C. Bender report for the New York Times.

The DOJ yesterday opened an investigation into whether California’s plan to build a university system that more closely reflects the state’s racial and ethnic diversity violates anti-discrimination protections. The DOJ’s investigation was announced a day after the Education Department declared that California breached federal law by allowing transgender girls to compete on female sports teams. Michael C. Bender reports for the New York Times.

Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine emerged as one of Trump’s closest advisers in the week before U.S. strikes on Iran, according to U.S. officials and a campaign official. Lara Seligman, Josh Dawsey, Alexander Ward, and Natalie Andrews report for the Wall Street Journal.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION

A family detained in a Texas immigration center on Tuesday filed a lawsuit arguing that their arrest after fleeing Honduras and entering the United States legally using a Biden-era appointment app violated their Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights. The case is believed to be the first lawsuit involving children challenging the administration’s policy on immigrant arrests at courthouses. Hallie Golden reports for AP News.

The Supreme Court will today issue the final opinions of its term, Chief Justice John Roberts announced yesterday. The six pending cases include a case on whether Trump’s birth right citizenship executive order can take effect anywhere in the United States. AP News reports.

Did you miss this? Stay up-to-date with our Litigation Tracker: Legal Challenges to Trump Administration Actions