Early Edition: June 26, 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 Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei today said that the United States “failed to achieve anything significant” by attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities and that President Trump’s account of the damage was “unusually exaggerated.” In a social media post, Khamenei also said that Iran “delivered a heavy slap to the US’s face.” Ghoncheh Habibiazad reports for BBC News.

Iran’s nuclear installations were “badly damaged” in U.S. and Israeli strikes, an Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson said in a televised interview yesterday. The spokesperson also said that while the Iranian parliament voted to suspend cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, it did not approve the suspension of Iran’s membership in the Non-Proliferation Treaty. Mostafa Salem reports for CNN.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe yesterday said that the agency had obtained “a body of credible evidence” that “indicates Iran’s Nuclear Program has been severely damaged” by recent strikes. Ratcliffe said the CIA’s evidence indicates that “several key Iranian nuclear facilities were destroyed and would have to be rebuilt over the course of years.” Ratcliffe’s statement came a day after an initial analysis by the Defense Intelligence Agency that suggested that U.S. strikes likely only set back Tehran’s nuclear ambitions by a matter of months. Katie Bo Lillis, Zachary Cohen, and Natasha Bertrand report for CNN.

Israel’s intelligence services believe the U.S. and Israeli strikes caused “very significant” damage to Iran’s nuclear programs, sources say, adding that although Israel has not produced a final assessment on the issue, the emerging Israeli assessment presents a more optimistic view than a preliminary report from the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency. Barak Ravid and Zachary Basu report for Axios.

ISRAEL-IRAN WAR — U.S. RESPONSE

President Trump yesterday said that U.S. officials plan to meet with the Iranians next week but that a nuclear agreement with Iran is “not necessary” in light of the extent of damage U.S. and Israeli strikes have done to Tehran’s nuclear facilities. In response to a question on the potential easing of the U.S. sanctions on Iran, Trump also stated that Tehran will “need money to put that country back into shape” and “[w]e want to see that happen.” Amy MacKinnon reports for POLITICO; Jeff Mason reports for Reuters.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Gen. Dan Caine are expected to brief the Congress on U.S. strikes on Iran in a classified briefing today. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who in March testified that Iran was not building a nuclear weapon according to U.S. intelligence, is notably absent from the expected line-up. Emily Davies, Theodoric Meyer, and Dan Lamothe report for the Washington Post.

The White House plans to limit its intelligence sharing with the Congress after an early assessment that undermined Trump’s claims as to the extent of damage to Iranian nuclear sites was leaked from a Congress system used for sharing classified intelligence , a senior Trump administration official said. Emily Davies, Theodoric Meyer, and Dan Lamothe report for the Washington Post; Kristen Holmes reports for CNN.

Nuclear enrichment and weaponization of nuclear technology by Iran are red lines for the United States, U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff told CNBC yesterday, adding that he was hopeful to strike a comprehensive peace agreement with Tehran. Reuters reports.

U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS

NATO leaders yesterday unanimously agreed on a goal of “allies” spending 5% of their gross domestic product on defense, according to a brief communiqué issued following the alliance’s annual summit. Speaking of the alliance members’ expected expenditure, Trump said that NATO is “not a rip-off” and “most of them, I guess almost all of them, are going to be contributing now 5 percent.” Trump added that the United States would “make” Spain “pay twice as much” in a trade deal between the two countries after Spanish leaders pushed for language that avoided committing all NATO members to the spending target. Lara Jakes reports for the New York Times; Michael Birnbaum, Natalie Allison, and Ellen Francis report for the Washington Post.

Trump yesterday called for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s long-running corruption trial to be “cancelled immediately” or for Netanyahu to be given a pardon. Trump’s comments amount to an unprecedented intervention by a sitting U.S. president in legal proceedings in an allied country. Barak Ravid reports for Axios.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. yesterday announced that the United States will withdraw its financial support for Gavi, the leading international vaccine organization. Without offering evidence for his allegations, Kennedy accused the organization of having “ignored the science” when immunizing children and treating vaccine safety issues “as a public relations problem.” Stephanie Nolen reports for the New York Times.

It is “best to just scrap the whole [U.S. Agency for Global Media] and start over,” Senior Advisor to the United States Agency for Global Media Kari Lake testified before the House Foreign Affairs Committee yesterday. Pointing to the “firewall” policy prohibiting interference by U.S. government officials in the independent reporting of news, Lake described the agency as “rotten to the core” and said that whatever remains of it after restructuring should be put under State Department control. David Bauder reports for AP News.

Trump is no longer interested in annexing Canada, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney told CNN on Tuesday. Jaya Sharma, Ken Olshansky, Ivana Kottasová, and Max Saltman report.

The Treasury Department yesterday issued its first sanctions under the Fentanyl Sanctions Act and the FEND Off Fentanyl Act, prohibiting certain transactions with Mexico-based financial institutions CIBanco, Intercam Banco, and Vector Casa de Bolsa on grounds of “primary money laundering concerns.” David Lawder and Kylie Madry report for Reuters.

With support from the United States, Ecuadorian authorities yesterday detained the country’s most notorious drug trafficker, José Adolfo “Fito” Macías Villamar, more than a year after he escaped from prison. Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa said that the country has “done [its] part to proceed with Fito’s extradition to the United States” and awaits a U.S. response. Arturo Torres and Samantha Schmidt report for the Washington Post.

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR

The United States is making a fresh push in negotiations for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal, hoping to build on the Israel-Iran ceasefire momentum, according to Arab officials mediating the talks. A senior Hamas official also told BBC News that mediators have intensified their efforts to broker a new Gaza deal. Trump yesterday said that “great progress is being made on Gaza because of” the U.S. attack on Iran. Summer Said, Anat Peled, and Alexander Ward report for the Wall Street Journal; David Gritten and Rushdi Abualouf report.

Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry yesterday reported that Israeli attacks killed 79 people over the past day, while an Israeli military spokesperson said a Palestinian attacker killed seven Israeli soldiers on Tuesday. Of the 79 reported killed in Gaza, 33 people were killed by Israeli fire while trying to access aid, according to Palestinian witnesses and health officials. Julia Frankel and Fatma Khaled report for AP News.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR

Trump yesterday described Russian President Vladimir Putin as the “more difficult” party to convince to end the war in Ukraine, adding that Putin “really has to end that war” and that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is fighting a “brave” and “tough” battle. Alexander Ward reports for the Wall Street Journal.

The United States will see “if [it] can make some [additional Patriot air defense systems] available” to Ukraine, Trump said yesterday, while cautioning that the systems are “very hard to get” and in limited supply. Trump did not make it clear whether the planned transfer would be a donation or a sale of the systems. Constant Méheut reports for the New York Times.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR — INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE

Ukraine and the Council of Europe yesterday signed an agreement forming the basis for the creation of a special tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine. Ukraine has demanded the creation of such a body since Russia’s February 2022 invasion. Reuters reports.

GLOBAL AFFAIRS

At least eight people were killed and over 400 injured during nationwide protests in Kenya yesterday, according to rights groups. The Kenyan police fired live rounds, rubber bullets, and tear gas and sprayed water cannons at protesters, the groups added. Eve Sampson and Abdi Latif Dahir report for the New York Times.

OpenAI yesterday said its analysts have seen a China-backed company called Zhipu AI aggressively court governments in developing countries in Asia and Africa in order to “lock Chinese systems and standards into emerging markets before US or European rivals can.” Ina Fried reports for Axios.

U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS

Rep. LaMonica McIver yesterday pleaded not guilty to federal charges accusing her of assaulting and interfering with immigration officers outside a New Jersey detention center. Separately, the Campaign for Accountability, a liberal watchdog group, this week filed a complaint with the New Jersey Office of Attorney Ethics alleging that interim U.S. Attorney for New Jersey, Alina Habba, has acted improperly since becoming a prosecutor, including in McIver’s case. Ry Rivard reports for POLITICO.

Department of Justice attorneys yesterday charged a man accused of attacking a demonstration in support of hostages held by Hamas in Boulder, Colorado with 12 hate crimes. Cheyanne M. Daniels reports for POLITICO.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers yesterday announced their plan to introduce a bill in both houses of Congress that would bar U.S. executive agencies from using AI models developed in China. Stephen Nellis reports for Reuters.

U.S. IMMIGRATION DEVELOPMENTS

The Trump administration is planning to close the asylum claims of up to hundreds of thousands of migrants who entered the United States unlawfully and then applied for asylum, making the immigrants immediately deportable, sources say. Asked about the reports, a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services spokesperson said the agency has nothing to report at this time. Priscilla Alvarez reports for CNN.

The Defense Department is creating two additional expanded military zones at the southwestern U.S. border, according to Pentagon officials. The new zones, which will be patrolled by U.S. troops, are an effort to help further reduce migrant crossings, the officials added. Eric Schmitt reports for the New York Times.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS

Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove yesterday denied to Congress that he once told his subordinates he intended to ignore court orders to accomplish Trump’s deportation goals. During his Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing for an appeals court judgeship in Philadelphia, Bove was repeatedly questioned about a whistleblower complaint that accused Bove of planning to undermine court orders, among other questions. Devlin Barrett reports for the New York Times.

Trump is considering naming his pick to succeed Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell earlier than expected, according to sources. Reportedly frustrated with Powell’s take-it-slow approach to cutting interest rates, Trump may name the next leader as early as this summer, despite the next chair not taking office until next May, sources say. Brian Schwartz and Nick Timiraos report for the Wall Street Journal.

The Education Secretary Linda McMahon yesterday accused California of having violated Title IX by allowing transgender student athletes to compete in women’s sports, stating that the California Department of Education and the California Interscholastic Federation will face “imminent enforcement action” if they do not change their policies in the next 10 days. Jo Yurcaba reports for NBC News.

The Justice Department has closed its investigation into a planned housing development in Texas with a mosque at its center, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon said, adding that the developers had pledged to abide by federal fair housing laws. The proposed development previously drew scrutiny from GOP activists and Texas leaders. J. David Goodman reports for the New York Times.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION

A federal judge yesterday granted a preliminary injunction to stop the Department of Labor from shutting down Job Corps until a legal challenge to the effort to wind down the program is resolved. Cathay Bussewitz reports for AP News.

A grand jury yesterday indicted Ksenia Petrova, a Russian-born Harvard University scientist, on additional charges of concealment of a material fact, making a false statement, and smuggling goods into the United States. Petrova was previously charged only with smuggling frog embryos into the United States. Nate Raymond reports for Reuters.

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