Early Edition: August 1, 2025

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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 Russian barrage of drones and missiles yesterday killed at least 28 people and injured some 159 others in Kyiv, Ukraine’s Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said today while providing an update on the attack’s death toll. Jonathan Beale and Paul Kirby report for BBC News; Reuters reports.

Russia yesterday claimed that it had captured the town of Chasiv Yar in eastern Ukraine after nearly 16 months of fighting, with a video verified by Reuters showing a Russian paratroop banner and the national flag being raised by soldiers in the ruins of the town. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed the claims as “disinformation.” Mark Trevelyan reports for Reuters.

Germany will provide two Patriot interceptor missile systems to Ukraine after reaching an agreement with the United States that Berlin would be prioritised in the Patriot delivery pipeline, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said today. Reuters reports.

U.S. Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff will travel to Russia in the coming days, ahead of the U.S. deadline for imposing sanctions on Moscow, President Trump said yesterday. Trump also described Russia’s bombing of Kyiv as “disgusting” and a “disgrace,” adding that the United States is “going to put sanctions” on Russia. Separately, a source said that Witkoff’s trip to Russia and a possible meeting with Putin have yet to be fully finalized. Barak Ravid reports for Axios.

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR

Senior Trump administration officials told the U.S. Congress this month that Israel has agreed to match the U.S. award of $30 million to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), according to sources. Apart from the U.S. award, announced in June, the sources of the GHF’s funding have not been disclosed to date. Jonathan Landay, Humeyra Pamuk, and Daphne Psaledakis report for Reuters.

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — U.S. RESPONSE

The State Department yesterday imposed U.S. visa bans on the members of the Palestine Liberation Organization and Palestinian Authority officials, citing claims that the groups are “continuing to support terrorism” and “undermining the prospects for peace.” It is unclear whether the sanctions would bar senior Palestinian Authority officials from traveling to the U.N. conference where France said it would recognize a Palestinian state. Giselle Ruhiyyih Ewing and Felicia Schwartz report for POLITICO; Michael Crowley reports for the New York Times.

Steve Witkoff has arrived at a GHF aid site in Gaza, according to an Israeli source. A White House spokesperson yesterday said Witkoff and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee would “inspect the current distribution sites and secure a plan to deliver more food” as well as “meet with local Gazans.” Trump will “approve a final plan for food and aid distribution” in Gaza after Witkoff and Huckabee brief him on their findings, the spokesperson added. Ibrahim Dahman reports for CNN; Barak Ravid reports for Axios.

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE

Berlin will be “compelled to respond “to any “unilateral actions” taken by Israel on Palestinian territory, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said yesterday, pointing to the “open annexation threats from parts of the Israeli government” that led a “growing number of countries” to prepare to recognise a Palestinian state “even without a prior negotiation process.” Sarah Marsh reports for Reuters.

Slovenia yesterday imposed an embargo on exports, imports, and transit of arms to Israel, the state news agency STA reported, citing a government statement. Prime Minister Robert Golob said that Slovenia was the first European country to make such a move, the agency reported. Reuters reports.

GLOBAL AFFAIRS

El Salvador’s National Assembly yesterday voted to end presidential term limits and extend a president’s term in office from five years to six. The move paves the way for President Nayib Bukele, currently in his second term in office, to run for re-election indefinitely. Francesca Regalado reports for the New York Times.

Myanmar’s military government yesterday lifted a four-year state of emergency to prepare for a December election. As part of the move, the head of the military junta, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, nominally transferred power to a civilian-led interim government by appointing himself as acting president. The planned election has been dismissed by Western governments as a sham, with opposition groups either barred from running or refusing to take part. Sui-Lee Wee reports for the New York Times; Reuters reports.

Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo yesterday held the first meeting of a joint oversight committee monitoring the implementation of a peace deal agreed in Washington, D.C. last month. Daphne Psaledakis and Sonia Rolley report for Reuters.

The Ukrainian Parliament yesterday approved legislation restoring the powers of the country’s anticorruption agencies, a week after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s approval of a bill that would threaten their independence prompted domestic and international backlash. Marc Santora and Oleksandr Chubko report for the New York Times.

U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Trump yesterday signed an executive order imposing tariffs of between 15% and 41% on goods shipped to the U.S. from more than 67 countries from August 7 onwards. Trump also signed an order raising U.S. tariffs on Canada to 35% as of today and announced he had extended the temporary 25% tariff on Mexico for 90 more days. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said that he was “disappointed” by Trump’s decision. Daniel Desrochers and Ari Hawkins report for POLITICO; James Wagner, Emiliano Rodríguez Mega, and Ian Austen report for the New York Times; Reuters reports.

India’s purchases of Russian oil are a “point of irritation” in the U.S.-India relationship, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said yesterday. Cherylann Mollan reports for BBC News.

The United States, together with 13 other states, yesterday condemned the “attempts of Iranian intelligence services to kill, kidnap, and harass people in Europe and North America in clear violation of our sovereignty.” The joint statement was signed by the governments of Albania, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Iran’s foreign ministry rejected the statement’s allegations as “blatant fabrications and a diversionary tactic.” Reuters reports.

U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS

The FBI has not been able to verify reports that alleged that 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton approved a plan for her campaign to vilify Trump by linking him to Russian President Vladimir Putin, with foundational document for the theory most likely created by Russian spies, according to an annex to a report by former Special Counsel John Durham that the Trump administration declassified yesterday. Warren P. Strobel reports for the Washington Post; Charlie Savage and Adam Goldman report for the New York Times.

In a 52-45 vote, the Senate yesterday confirmed Andrea Lucas for a renewed term as commissioner at the Equal Opportunity Commission. Lucas has been at the forefront of Trump’s push against diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. Niko Gallogly reports for the New York Times.

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History this month removed references to Trump’s impeachments from an exhibit display, in part as a result of a content review that the museum agreed to undertake following pressure from the White House. Responding to a Washington Post report on the change, the Smithsonian said that “a future and updated exhibit will include all impeachments.” Janay Kingsberry reports.

The Legal Accountability Center, a legal watchdog group, yesterday filed complaints accusing three rank-and-file DOJ lawyers of professional misconduct with the grievance committees of bar associations in Washington, DC and other cities. The complaints allege the lawyers had made false statements to a federal judge in the National Treasury Employees Union v. Vought case that challenges the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Alan Feuer reports for the New York Times.

Trump’s targeting of elite law firms has led the firms to scale back pro bono legal services that could place them in conflict with the administration, including the provision of legal support to non-profits and the vulnerable, according to Reuters’ interviews with over 60 lawyers and 30 nonprofits. According to Reuters’ analysis of court dockets, Big Law firms have also pulled back sharply from litigation against the federal government. Mike Spector, Brad Heath, Kristina Cooke, Joseph Tanfani, and David Thomas report.

TECH DEVELOPMENTS

The U.S. Army yesterday issued a contract worth up to $10 billion over the course of the next decade for Palantir to process data for the military. The Army said the new agreement would consolidate existing software contracts and lead to “significant cost efficiencies across mission-critical programs.” Elizabeth Dwoskin reports for the Washington Post.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS

The federal government is currently paying more than 154,000 employees not to work as part of the Trump administration’s deferred resignation program, according to two Office of Personnel Management officials. The officials could not provide an estimate of how much the government is spending on the departing employees’ salaries. Meryl Kornfield, Hannah Natanson, and Laura Meckler report for the Washington Post.

For more than two months, the Justice Department Inspector General’s Office did not act on an early May whistleblower complaint accusing top DOJ officials, including Emil Bove, of overseeing an effort to mislead judges and skirt or ignore court orders, sources say. The Office’s inaction has raised serious concerns from current and former department lawyers that the unit responsible for overseeing the DOJ, the FBI, and the DEA may have gone largely dormant. Devlin Barrett reports for the New York Times.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the end of the deployment of all but 250 National Guard troops the Defense Department sent to Los Angeles in response to protests over the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. According to a Pentagon spokesperson, the remaining troops will protect federal personnel and property. Jaimie Ding and David Klepper report for AP News.

The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights on Wednesday told Harvard University that it has referred it to the Justice Department over allegations of “antisemitic discrimination.” Kanishka Singh reports for Reuters.

The White House in recent days detailed nine employees from the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Personnel Management to the General Services Administration, according to internal agency records and a source. The move is an apparent attempt by the White House to water down the influence of DOGE staffers at agencies like the GSA. Sophia Cai and Ben Johansen report for POLITICO.

The Energy Department on Tuesday released a report contending that the mainstream scientific view on climate change is too dire and does not acknowledge the positive effects of a warming planet. Climate scientists say the report, authored by five climate skeptics, misrepresents or cherry-picks the existing research on global warming. The Environmental Protection Agency this week cited the report in its proposal to repeal a landmark 2009 finding that greenhouse gases pose a public health threat. Maxine Joselow and Brad Plumer report for the New York Times.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION

A federal judge yesterday extended an injunction prohibiting the Trump administration from ending deportation protections for more than 60,000 migrants from Nepal, Honduras and Nicaragua. Under the DHS’ current policies, the migrants “are told to atone for their race, leave because of their names, and purify their blood,” the judge wrote, with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s statements “stereotyping the T.P.S. program and immigrants as invaders that are criminal” and “perpetuat[ing] the discriminatory belief that certain immigrant populations will replace the white population.” “Color is neither a poison nor a crime,” the judge added. Zach Montague reports for the New York Times.

A federal judge yesterday issued an injunction permanently barring the Trump administration from imposing penalties on two law professors over their involvement with the International Criminal Court, finding that the move violated their First Amendment rights. Zach Montague reports for the New York Times.

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