Early Edition: June 30, 2025

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

ISRAEL-IRAN CEASEFIRE

President Trump on Friday said that he “absolutely” would be willing to bomb Iran again if Tehran resumed enriching uranium to a concerning level, adding that “Iran wants to meet” and that he does not believe that the country is “going to go back into nuclear anytime soon.” Separately, Tehran’s deputy foreign minister told BBC News that the United States must rule out any further attacks if it wants to resume diplomatic talks and that Iran would “insist” on continuing to enrich uranium for “peaceful purposes.” Michael Crowley and Jonathan Swan report for the New York Times; Lyse Doucet and Alex Boyd report.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Thursday said that Israel was contemplating more strikes on Iran and that he plans to pursue a “policy of enforcement” against the country. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that Tehran would respond to anything it considered a breach of the ceasefire. Erika Solomon, Ronen Bergman, Adam Rasgon, and Johnatan Reiss report for the New York Times.

Iran has the capacity to start enriching uranium again in “a matter of months,” International Atomic Energy Agency head Rafael Grossi said on Saturday, adding that it is clear that the damage to Tehran’s nuclear program is “severe” but not “total” and that “one cannot claim that everything has disappeared.” Caroline Linton reports for CBS News.

Senior Iranian officials have privately remarked that U.S. military strikes on Tehran’s nuclear program were less devastating than they had expected, according to intercepted communications between Iranian officials obtained by the United States. Responding to the reports, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that “the notion that unnamed Iranian officials know what happened under hundreds of feet of rubble is nonsense.” John Hudson and Warren P. Strobel report for the Washington Post.

Iran on Saturday held a state funeral for about 60 people killed in the war with Israel, including some of its top military commanders and nuclear scientists. Neil MacFarquhar and Sanam Mahoozi report for the New York Times.

Israel’s strike on Iran’s Evin Prison last Monday killed 71 people, according the Iranian judiciary’s news outlet, Mizan. A judiciary spokesperson yesterday added that those killed include “prison administrative staff, conscripted soldiers, inmates, family members of prisoners […], and neighbors living near the prison.” Irene Nasser and Manveena Suri report for CNN.

ISRAEL-IRAN CEASEFIRE — U.S. AND INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE

Iran is not threatening IAEA head Rafael Grossi, or any other nuclear inspector, Iran’s Ambassador to the U.N. Amir Saeid Iravani said in an interview aired yesterday. Iravani’s comments follow U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s Saturday social media statement calling for Iranian officials to condemn the calls for Grossi’s execution. CBS News reports; Sarah Fortinsky reports for the Hill.

The U.S. Senate on Friday voted 47-53 to reject a resolution brought by Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) that would have blocked U.S. military action in Iran without authorization from Congress. Stephen Neukam reports for Axios.

The United States did not use bunker-buster bombs to strike Iran’s Isfahan nuclear site last weekend because the site is so deep that the bombs likely would not have been effective, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine told lawmakers during a classified briefing last week, sources say. Natasha Bertrand and Zachary Cohen report for CNN.

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR

Israel yesterday ordered Palestinians to evacuate from neighbourhoods across Gaza City and Jabalia ahead of “intensifying” westward Israeli military actions. According to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, Israeli attacks killed at least 86 people in the 24 hours before midday yesterday, with at least 23 people killed yesterday morning. Israeli strikes also killed at least 81 Palestinians and injured more than 400 others between Friday and Saturday, the ministry said. Alex Boyd reports for BBC News; Dan Johnson reports for BBC News.

The IDF has rejected a Friday report by the Haaretz newspaper alleging that Israeli soldiers in Gaza were instructed by their commanders to shoot at the crowds of Palestinians approaching aid sites even in the absence of an immediate threat. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz also rejected the report, describing it as “vicious lies” designed to discredit “the most moral army in the world.” Oren Liebermann and Tamar Michaelis report for CNN.

Trump on Friday said that he thinks that a ceasefire in Gaza is possible “within a week.” Separately, Netanyahu yesterday said that “many opportunities,” including the possibility of bringing home the hostages held by Hamas, “have opened up” following Israel’s military operations in Iran. Oren Liebermann and Tamar Michaelis report for CNN; the Washington Post reports.

ISRAEL-HEZBOLLAH CEASEFIRE

Israel on Friday hit southern Lebanon with a series of airstrikes in what analysts and officials said were some of the most intense attacks since Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire in November. The IDF said Israeli jets targeted a “significant underground project” by Hezbollah. According to Lebanon’s health ministry, the strikes killed one person and injured 21 others. Rachel Chason, Suzan Haidamous, Mohamad El Chamaa, and Lior Soroka report for the Washington Post.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR

Russia launched its biggest aerial attack on Ukraine to date overnight into yesterday, targeting several regions, the head of communications for Ukraine’s air force said. The drone strikes killed at least 4 civilians across Ukraine, regional governors said, and led to the death of a Ukrainian F-16 pilot and the loss of his aircraft. Following the attack, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for more support from Washington and Western allies to bolster Ukraine’s air defences. Volodymyr Yurchuk reports for AP News; Pavel Polityuk and Andriy Perun report for Reuters.

Russian forces are 12 miles away from the northern Ukrainian regional capital of Sumy, outnumbering Ukrainian troops roughly 3-to-1, according to soldiers fighting there. Ian Lovett and Nikita Nikolaienko report for the Wall Street Journal.

Russian forces in recent days captured a valuable lithium deposit in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, according to battlefield maps from independent groups tracking Russian advances. Constant Méheut reports for the New York Times.

GLOBAL AFFAIRS

Top diplomats from Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo on Friday signed a peace agreement in Washington in a bid to end the war in eastern Congo. Congo’s Foreign Minister, Thérèse Kayikwamba, said that the countries need “the United States to make sure that this agreement holds and that you hold us accountable.” The deal, which offers few details of how the truce will be implemented, elicited mixed reactions, with the former Congolese president, Joseph Kabila, describing it as “nothing more than a trade agreement.” Edward Wong, Zolan Kanno-Youngs, and Ruth Maclean report for the New York Times; Paul Njie reports for BBC News.

Hong Kong’s League of Social Democrats party, known for its street protests, has decided to disband due to “a lot of pressure,” the party chair said. The group is the third major opposition party to disband this year in Hong Kong. Danny Vincent reports for BBC News.

At least 1.2 million Afghans have been forced to return from Iran and Pakistan this year according to U.N. estimates, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, Arafat Jamal, said on Saturday, warning that massive-scale returns have the potential to destabilise the fragile situation in Afghanistan. AP News reports.

U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS

China’s Ministry of Commerce on Friday said that it had confirmed details of a trade framework with the Trump administration that includes an agreement on critical minerals exports. Beijing’s description of the deal echoed Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s earlier remarks that the United States would “take down” its export controls once rare earth minerals deliveries resume. David Pierson reports for the New York Times.

Canada’s government yesterday announced it would cancel a digital services tax on U.S. tech companies that Trump cited as the reason for abruptly halting the U.S.-Canada trade talks on Friday. Prime Minister Mark Carney’s office also said that Canada’s Finance Minister, François-Philippe Champagne, spoke with the United States Trade Representative, Jamieson Greer, a sign of resumption of the talks. Cat Zakrzewski, Jeff Stein, and Amanda Coletta report for the Washington Post; Matina Stevis-Gridneff reports for the New York Times.

U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Thomas Barrack expects Trump and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan to resolve defense-related U.S. sanctions on Turkey by the end of the year, according to an interview published by the Turkish state-owned Anadolu Agency yesterday. Reuters reports.

The State Department’s mass layoff plans, combined with extra demands to assist U.S. citizens seeking to flee Israel’s war with Iran, have left its workforce exasperated and embittered, employees say. One State Department staffer said the push for extra hours exposed how the State leadership “either doesn’t appreciate or just doesn’t care” about its workforce. Citing widening global crises, sixty Democratic lawmakers on Friday told Secretary of State Marco Rubio to pause the mass layoff plans and an ongoing hiring freeze. Adam Taylor, John Hudson and Hannah Natanson report for the Washington Post; Edward Wong and Michael Crowley report for the New York Times.

U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) yesterday announced he would not seek re-election next year. Tillis’ announcement came a day after Trump threatened to back a primary challenger against him over Tillis’ criticism of Trump’s domestic agenda mega-bill. Rep. Don Bacon (R-NB) is also set to announce his retirement today, sources say. Annie Karni reports for the New York Times; Kate Santaliz reports for Axios; Punchbowl News’ Jake Sherman reports.

University of Virginia President James E. Ryan on Friday announced he is stepping down following the Trump administration’s pressure for him to resign over the college’s diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Michael S. Schmidt and Michael C. Bender report for the New York Times.

House Republican leaders are discussing new ways of restricting the classified information that all lawmakers can receive, lawmakers say. The discussions follow the White House’s indication it would limit intelligence sharing with Congress. Annie Grayer reports for CNN.

U.S. IMMIGRATION DEVELOPMENTS

The Homeland Security Department on Friday announced that it was terminating deportation protections for Haitians in the United States, declaring that the gang violence-stricken Caribbean nation is safe enough for the humanitarian parole program to end by September. Tim Balk reports for the New York Times.

The Trump administration has agreed to not deport and release from prison the star witness in the government’s case against Kilmar Abrego García, in exchange for the three-time felon’s cooperation in the federal prosecution, according to a review of court records and official testimony. Maria Sacchetti reports for the Washington Post.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS

A culture of secrecy permeates decision-making and interactions in the Trump administration, with closed-door meetings, auto-deleting chat logs, and an aversion to written records, according to the Washington Post’s interviews with more than 40 employees across two dozen agencies. A senior White House official said the administration is determined to crack down on unauthorized information disclosures, while an Interior Department spokesperson said the suggestion that there is “any so-called ‘secrecy’ … is a complete fabrication.” Hannah Natanson reports.

The Justice Department on Friday dismissed at least three prosecutors involved in the U.S. Capitol riot criminal cases, sources say. A copy of a letter, seen by AP News, that one of the prosecutors received did not provide a specific reason for their removal, citing only “Article II of the [U.S.] Constitution and the laws of the United States.” Alanna Durkin Richer reports.

DOGE last Thursday lost control over a key federal grants website that allowed its employees to supervise the government’s process for awarding billions of dollars in federal funds, according to sources and emails reviewed by the Washington Post. An unnamed senior administration official said that DOGE will continue to be involved in the review of grants and remain embedded at each agency. Dan Diamond and Hannah Natanson report for the Washington Post.

The Trump administration on Friday rescinded its layoff notices to Voice of America employees after employees discovered errors in documents. The email announcing the rescission stated that the agency would run another reduction in force attempt “in the near future.” Minho Kim reports for the New York Times.

DOGE staffers are working with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives general counsel to revise or eliminate dozens of rules and gun restrictions by July 4, sources say. Perry Stein reports for the Washington Post.

The Trump administration is preparing a package of executive orders aimed at boosting U.S. energy supply to power expansion of AI technology and other measures helping the United States in the AI race with China, sources say. Valerie Volcovici and Jarrett Renshaw report for Reuters.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION

In a Friday ruling, the Supreme Court sharply curtailed the power of district courts to issue injunctions blocking federal government policies nationwide, handing Trump a major victory. In proceedings challenging Trump’s executive order purporting to end the right to birthright citizenship, the Supreme Court split 6-3 to hold that in most cases, judges can only grant relief to the individual parties who brought a particular lawsuit. The majority’s opinion left the door open to wider injunctions in class action lawsuits, and certain cases under the Administrative Procedure Act. In the majority opinion, the Court did not rule on the constitutionality of Trump’s birthright executive order, although the three liberal justices, in dissent, said the president’s order is clearly illegal. Josh Gerstein reports for POLITICO.

Trump’s executive order targeting the law firm Susman Godfrey is unconstitutional, a federal judge ruled on Friday, holding that the directive infringed on the free speech clause of the First Amendment and the due process clause of the Fifth Amendment. Mark Berman reports for the Washington Post.

A federal appeals court on Friday stayed a lower court’s ruling blocking the Trump administration from dismantling the U.S. Institute of Peace. The court ruled that the administration’s appeal of the lower court’s ruling would likely succeed on the merits and that the president would face “irreparable harm from not being able to fully exercise his executive powers.” Gary Fields reports for AP News.

The organization representing immigrants challenging Trump’s birthright citizenship executive order amended its lawsuit on Friday to include a class action asking a federal judge to issue an emergency block on the administration’s policy. Kyle Cheney reports for POLITICO.

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