Early Edition: June 25, 2025

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

ISRAEL-IRAN WAR — U.S. RESPONSE

The U.S. military strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities last weekend did not destroy Tehran’s nuclear program and likely only set it back by months, according to officials familiar with the early intelligence assessment findings. The assessment by the Pentagon’s intelligence arm is at odds with Trump’s repeated claims that the strikes “completely and totally obliterated” Iran’s nuclear capabilities. Trump today insisted that Iran’s nuclear prorgram has been set back “decades,” and said the damage inflicted was “very severe … it was obliteration.” Natasha Bertrand, Katie Bo Lillis, and Zachary Cohen report for CNN; Felicia Shwartz reports; BBC News reports; Jeff Mason, Alexander Cornwell, and Parisa Hafezi report for Reuters.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the leaked report is “preliminary” and “low confidence,” and suggested there may be a “political motive” behind it. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said today that Iran is “much further away from a nuclear weapon than they were before the president took this bold action … Substantial damage was done to a variety of different components, and we’re just learning more about it.” Hegseth said today that the FBI is probing the leak of the intelligence report. BBC News reports; Felicia Shwartz reports; The Wall Street Journal reports/

Iran should not try to rebuild its nuclear program after the U.S. strikes, Trump said today at the NATO summit in the Hague, adding that “the last thing they want to do is enrich anything.” When asked if Washington would strike Tehran again if they do rebuild nuclear capacities, Trump replied, “Sure.” Annie Linksey reports for the Wall Street Journal.

ISRAEL-IRAN WAR

Iranians and Israelis were working to get back to normal today as the ceasefire deal appears to be holding up. Both countries have taken steps indicating that they expect the truce to hold, with Israel lifting emergency restrictions that had closed schools and workplaces, and supporters of the Iranian government holding a victory rally yesterday. Adam Rasgon, Michael D. Shear, and Francesca Regalado report for the New York Times.

Under pressure from Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu significantly reduced a planned retaliation against Iran’s breach of the ceasefire agreement, Israeli and U.S. officials said yesterday. Barak Ravid reports for Axios.

Iranian lawmakers today approved the outline of a bill to suspend cooperation with the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog in a 221-2 vote, Iranian state broadcaster reported today. Feliz Solomon reports for the Wall Street Journal.

Three people described as “Mossad spies” who “smuggled assassination equipment into the country” were executed in Iran today, according to an Iranian media outlet. NBC News reports.

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR

At least 46 people waiting for aid have been killed by Israeli fire in two incidents in central and southern Gaza, rescuers and local hospitals say. U.N. agencies have condemned the U.S.-Israeli backed food distribution system, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), with one official calling it “a death trap.” Yolande Knell reports for BBC News.

Seven Israeli soldiers were killed yesterday in Khan Younis when their armored vehicle was struck by an explosive, an Israeli military official said today. Julia Frankel reports for AP News.

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — U.S. RESPONSE

The United States is giving $30 million to the GHF under a “priority directive” from the White House and State Department, a document reviewed by Reuters shows, despite concerns among some U.S. officials about the operation and the killings of Palestinians near the food distribution sites. Jonathan Landay reports for Reuters.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR

Russian airstrikes killed at least 17 people yesterday and wounded 100 others in southeastern Ukraine, Ukrainian officials say. Joel Gunter reports for BBC News.

Drone debris found in Ukraine indicates that Russia is using new technology from Iran, a Ukrainian drone expert told AP News. Emma Burrows reports.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR — INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE

The U.K. yesterday vowed to boost Ukraine’s air defense with hundreds of missiles, with the fresh military aid package being paid for with £70 million ($95.3 million) raised from interest on seized Russian assets. The package marks the first time the U.K. has used Moscow-linked funds to purchase weapons for Kyiv. Aletha Adu reports for The Guardian.

GLOBAL AFFAIRS

A court in Leipzig has overturned a ban imposed by the German government on the far-right magazine Compact. The German interior ministry banned the magazine in 2024 and described the publication as “a central mouthpiece of the right-wing extremist scene” that “incites unspeakable hatred against Jews, against people with a migration background, and against our parliamentary democracy.” The court ruled that while the magazine had published anti-constitutional content, this was insufficient to justify a ban. Damien McGuinness reports for BBC News.

China and Taiwan are intensifying their clashes over their conflicting interpretations of history, with a spokesperson from China’s Taiwan Affairs Office saying yesterday that it is impossible for China to “invade” Taiwan because it is already Chinese land. Meanwhile, Taiwan’s president said yesterday that the future of Taiwan can only be decided by its people, and that “Taiwan independence” refers to the island not being a part of the People’s Republic of China. Reuters reports.

In a response to Trump’s demand, NATO leaders are set to sign up to an increase in spending today during the summit, with the alliance widely expected to endorse a higher defense spending goal of 5% of GDP. Separately, hours before the summit, Germany unveiled a new budget yesterday that boosts military spending to 3.5% of GDP by 2026 and increases funding for infrastructure upgrades. Andrew Gray, Sabine Siebold, and Jeff Mason report for Reuters; Melissa Eddy reports for the New York Times.

The U.K. will purchase 12 F-35A jets, which are capable of carrying nuclear weapons, from the United States, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will announce today during the NATO summit. The announcement follows repeated criticisms from Trump who accuses NATO countries of failing to meet their defense spending commitments. Vasco Cotovio reports for CNN.

A Russian warship used a false identification signal to disguise itself while transiting the English Channel alongside two sanctioned oil tankers on Saturday, a BBC Verify investigation has found. Ned Davies, Joshua Cheetham, and Matt Murphy report.

RECENT TECH DEVELOPMENTS

Chinese AI firm DeepSeek is supporting Beijing’s military and intelligence activities, a senior U.S. official told Reuters, claiming that the tech startup sought to use Southeast Asian shell companies to access advanced semiconductors barred from export to China under U.S. regulations. The U.S. assessments highlight growing concerns in Washington that the rapid rise of China’s leading AI companies may have been exaggerated and relied heavily on U.S. technology. Michael Martina and Stephen Nellis report.

U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS

A State Department delegation held talks with senior members of France’s far-right National Rally (RN) in late May, but the party rejected the State Department delegation’s offer of public support for its figurehead Marine Le Pen after a court barred her from holding office, sources say. Le Pen had been a top contender for the 2027 French presidential election until a court convicted her of misusing EU funds in March, effectively disqualifying her from the race. The RN officials declined the U.S. offer because they were concerned it could damage the party’s hopes of winning the 2027 election, one source added. Gabriel Stargardter and Elizabeth Pineau report for Reuters.

The U.S. Treasury Department said yesterday it has sanctioned Giovanni Vicente Mosquera Serrano, an alleged leader of Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. Reuters reports.

U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS

The FBI is reassigning counterterrorism agents who had been redirected to immigration cases back to their original roles due to growing concerns about potential threats from Iran, sources told NBC News. The move is directly related to the possibility of a retaliatory attack by Iran for the recent U.S. bombing of three Iranian nuclear sites, the sources added. While the FBI does not confirm or deny operational changes, in a statement, the agency said, “We continuously reassess and realign our resources to respond to the most pressing threats to our national security.” Ken Dilanian and Julia Ainsley report.

Trump is urging Republicans to get their “one big, beautiful bill” to his desk by July 4, and said in a social media post yesterday that “no one goes on vacation until it’s done.” Key issues in the bill include Medicaid, energy, deficits, and state and local tax deductions. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said yesterday he expects voting on the bill to begin Friday. Richard Rubin and Siobhan Hughes report for the Wall Street Journal; Stef W. Kight reports for Axios.

A senior Justice Department official, Emil Bove III, voiced his intent to disobey court orders to fulfill Trump’s deportation efforts, according to a whistleblower complaint by Erez Reuveni, a department lawyer who has since been fired. Other senior law enforcement officials reportedly stonewalled, lied, or misled judges in a bid to further the administration’s deportation agenda, Reuveni’s account states. The complaint was filed yesterday, just one day before Bove is scheduled to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee for a nomination to a federal appeals court. Bove’s superior, deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, said the claims “are utterly false,” with a White House spokesperson praising Bove as “a staunch defender of the U.S. Constitution who will make an excellent circuit judge.” Devlin Barrett reports for the New York Times.

Trump yesterday announced appointments to an advisory council inside the Department of Homeland Security. The list includes Trump’s former attorney Rudy Giuliani, who helped lead efforts to try to overturn the 2020 election results and was later successfully sued for defamation by two Georgia election workers, and top former Trump campaign adviser, Corey Lewandowski. Holmes Lybrand reports for CNN.

The Trump White House has denied nine former senior Biden aides the protection of executive privilege during their interviews for a congressional probe into Biden’s mental fitness for office. Unless the decision is legally challenged, the move now means the former aides may be compelled to answer questions about their private discussions with Biden. Alex Thompson reports for Axios.

Texas lawmakers delivered several wins for gun rights advocates in the recently wrapped legislative session, easing restrictions on the possession of certain firearms and prohibiting red-flag laws that enable courts to temporarily take guns from individuals deemed a potential threat to themselves or others. Gov. Greg Abbott (R) signed the bills ahead of the veto deadline Sunday — along with around 600 other pieces of legislation — with the laws taking effect Sept. 1. Kim Bellware reports for the Washington Post.

Edward Corstine, the 19-year-old high profile operative who was hired by Elon Musk for the Department of Government Efficiency, resigned yesterday. Corstine has not commented on the resignation, which has been confirmed by a White House official, at the time of writing. Chris Cameron and Nicholas Nehemas report for the New York Times.

Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old state lawmaker, is poised to win New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary. While Mamdani declared victory and former Governor Mario Cuomo conceded the primary win to Mamdani, the final tally will not be known until next week, due to New York’s ranked choice system that allows citizens to choose up to five candidates in order of preference. Maria Tsvetkova and Joseph Ax report for Reuters; the New York Times reports.

Advocates filed a federal lawsuit on Friday seeking to block a new Tennessee law that criminalizes harboring or sheltering undocumented immigrants, just days before it is set to take effect. The lawsuit argues that the legislation is unconstitutionally vague, infringes on federal authority over immigration, and could unfairly target churches, landlords, and immigrant communities. Marie-Rose Sheinerman and Daniel Wu report for the Washington Post.

Eleven Iranian nationals with either criminal records or suspected terrorist links who had been residing in the United States illegally were arrested over the weekend, federal officials announced yesterday. Separately, in a statement, the Department of Homeland Security said ICE agents have arrested a U.S. citizen who is alleged to have harbored one of the Iranian nationals and threatened to “shoot ICE officers in the head.” Corky Siemaszko reports for NBC News.

Two appeals court judges appointed by Trump told lawmakers yesterday that they viewed calls to impeach judges over their rulings as inappropriate, and that the judiciary requires increased resources to strengthen security for members of the bench. Nate Raymond reports for Reuters.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS

The Trump administration is increasing its negotiating efforts with Harvard University in a bid to end its months-long battle with the school, with a deal expected by the end of the month, according to a White House official. Emily Davies, Justine McDaniel, Danielle Douglas-Gabriel, and Susan Svrluga report for the Washington Post.

TRUMP PERSONAL LITIGATION

In a bid to avoid paying the $83.3 million judgment Trump owes writer E. Jean Carroll for defamatory remarks he made about her after she accused him of sexual assault, Trump’s lawyer yesterday told a federal appeals court that the judgment should be tossed out because, at the time of the lawsuit, “President Trump was denied the protection of presidential immunity.” Citing the Supreme Court’s landmark 2024 immunity ruling, Trump’s attorney argued that the principles behind the immunity ruling also shield Trump from Carroll’s civil lawsuit. The panel appeared skeptical that the Supreme Court’s decision extended to the Carroll case, with Judge Maria Araújo Kahn stating that the court had previously determined that Trump had waived immunity in this case. Erica Orden reports for POLITICO.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION

Another person who was deported to El Salvador in violation of a court order must be returned to the United States, a three-judge panel federal appeals court ruled yesterday. The decision marks the fourth ruling since March in which courts have ordered the administration to facilitate the return of immigrants who were deemed illegally or improperly deported. The New-York based Second Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that officials must begin seeking the return of Jordin Meglar-Salmeron, sent to his native country of El Salvador on May 7, “as soon as possible,” and ordered the administration to provide an update next week of his location and the steps officials will take to facilitate his return. A DHS spokesperson said, “The ruling is completely at odds with President Trump’s duty to faithfully execute federal law.” Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein report for POLITICO.

A federal judge yesterday issued a temporary block on Trump’s attempt to terminate the collective bargaining rights for over a million federal employees. Judge James Donato of the U.S. District Court in San Francisco granted the preliminary injunction sought by a coalition of unions whose members would lose their bargaining rights under Trump’s executive order. The ruling conflicts with a May decision by the D.C. Circuit of Appeals, which overturned a different judge’s block on Trump’s order affecting another union’s members. With the unions raising “a serious question as to whether their First Amendment rights have been violated,” Donato said he was halting the executive order pending a trial over its constitutionality. Tami Luhby and Devan Cole report for CNN.

The Trump administration returned to the Supreme Court yesterday in the case of eight men it seeks to deport to South Sudan. The administration asked the justices to clarify that an order they issued Monday — which permitted the government to send migrants to countries with which they have no connection without the opportunity to argue they would face torture — was intended to also apply to the group of men currently held in Dijbouti. Adam Liptak and Mattathias Schwartz report for the New York Times.

The Justice Department is suing the entire federal district court bench in Maryland over its standing order requiring an automatic two-day stay in cases involving immigrants who file for habeas corpus. The suit requests the entire Maryland bench recuse itself from the case. Kyle Cheney reports for POLITICO; POLITICO’s Josh Gerstein reports.

A coalition of Attorneys General from 21 states yesterday sued the Trump administration over billion-dollar funding cuts arguing that the federal government is using an obscure rule to justify the termination of grants. “Congress has the power of the purse, and the president cannot cut billions of dollars of essential resources simply because he doesn’t like the programs being funded,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said. Joseph De Avila reports for the Wall Street Journal.

A lawsuit filed yesterday by civil rights advocates argued that the agreement between Nassau County and ICE agents to conduct immigration arrests violates state law, undermines individuals’ rights, and will result in racial profiling. Carolyn Thompson reports for AP News.

A federal judge in Seattle yesterday blocked the Trump administration from withholding EV charger infrastructure funds from 14 states.

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