August 29, 2025

MIDDLE EAST | Updates from regional conflicts:

• The Israeli military today declared Gaza City a "dangerous combat zone," and said it is suspending daily pauses in operations in the city that were aimed at allowing increased delivery of humanitarian aid to residents. The move comes as Israel prepares for what it has said would be increased military activity against Hamas militants in the city. [more]
• The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously yesterday to end operations of the U.N. peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, which has been in place since 1978, at the end of next year. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 1,282 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Defense ministers from across the 27-nation European Union are scheduled to meet in Copenhagen, Denmark, today to discuss various Ukraine-related issues, including possible increased sanctions on Russia, providing additional military aid to Ukraine's forces, and potential European contributions to any post-war security guarantees for Ukraine. [more]
• The U.S. State Department announced yesterday that it has approved a new $825 million, NATO-funded, arms sale to Ukraine that includes extended-range missiles and related equipment. [more]

U.S. TARIFFS | Under an executive order from President Donald Trump, the de minimis tariff exemption for low-value packages entering the U.S., which had been in place since 1938, expired today. The move has prompted dozens of international postal systems to suspend the mailing of packages to the United States and will likely result in consumers paying more for international products, according to analysts. [more]

U.S. MILITARIZATION | Amidst reports that the Trump administration is developing plans for a federal crackdown on crime and immigration in and around Chicago, Illinois, military officials say the administration asked the Naval Station Great Lakes military base this week for "limited support in the form of facilities, infrastructure, and other logistical needs" to support Department of Homeland Security operations in the area. [more]

U.S. ECONOMY | In revised data released yesterday, the Commerce Department indicates that the U.S. economy, as measured by gross domestic product, expanded at a 3.3% annual rate in the April-June quarter – up from 0.5% growth the first quarter of 2025 and an upgrade from the initial second-quarter estimate of 3%. [more]

JANUARY 6 | U.S. Air Force officials said yesterday that Ashli Babbitt, the Air Force veteran who was shot and killed by a police officer while she took part in the January 6, 2021, attacks on the U.S. Capitol, has been offered military funeral honors. Reports note that a request for the honors was denied under the Biden administration. [more]

ALABAMA | Reports cite court filings as indicating that Alabama intends to appeal a federal judge’s order to swiftly draw new state Senate districts for the 2026 legislative elections and seek a stay on the court's order that a new map be in place by this fall. U.S. District Judge Anna Manasco ruled last week that the state's voting maps violated the Voting Rights Act by diluting the influence of Black voters around the state capital of Montgomery. [more]

U.S. FEDERAL RESERVE | Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook filed a lawsuit yesterday seeking an emergency injunction to block her firing by President Donald Trump over what Trump alleges was mortgage fraud committed by Cook in 2021. [more]

U.S. POLITICS | Ahead of the release of her upcoming memoir on the 2024 presidential campaign and a related book tour, President Donald Trump this week revoked Kamala Harris’ Secret Service protection, which had been extended for an additional year by then President Joe Biden. [more]

TENNESSEE | A federal judge yesterday ordered new trials for three former Memphis, Tennessee, police officers who were convicted of federal charges related to the 2023 fatal beating of Tyre Nichols after defense lawyers argued that another judge who presided over their trial was biased in his belief that at least one of the officers was in a gang. [more]

IRAN | France, Germany, and the U.K. moved yesterday to re-impose U.N. sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program. The so-called "snapback" sanctions would freeze Iranian assets abroad, halt arms deals with Tehran, and penalize any development of Iran’s ballistic missile program within 30 days pending additional developments. Iran called the European countries' move an "unlawful and unwarranted measure" that would "gravely undermine" Iran's cooperation with the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency. [more]

THAILAND | Ruling that she violated constitutional rules on ethics in a June phone call with Cambodia’s Senate President Hun Sen, Thailand's Constitutional Court removed Paetongtarn Shinawatra from her position as prime minister today. [more]

INDIA AND JAPAN | At a meeting in Tokyo today, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba are expected to sign a cooperation agreement aiming to increase Japanese private sector investment in India to $68 billion over the next 10 years and to increase human resources exchanges to half a million people in the coming five years. [more]

COLOMBIA | Columbian officials say 33 soldiers allegedly taken by villagers acting under the orders of the largely-defunct FARC rebel group were freed yesterday after being held in the country's southeastern Guaviare province for three days. [more]

HAITI | Dorothy Shea, the acting U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said yesterday that the U.S. and Panama plan to seek U.N. authorization for a new "Gang Suppression Force" to battle armed gangs that have taken control of much of Haiti. Reports note that it is unclear how such a force would differ from the Kenya-led Multinational Security Support force that has operated in the Caribbean island nation since June of last year. [more]

GERMANY | Government data released today indicates that the number of unemployed people in Germany rose to more than 3 million in August for the first time in 10 years. The country's labor office says a seasonally adjusted 3.02 million Germans were unemployed during the month – up 46,000 from July. [more]

BASEBALL | In a 19-4 win over the Atlanta Braves last night, Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber became just the 21st player in Major League Baseball history to hit four home runs in a single game. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck the U.S. Gulf Coast, devastating New Orleans and surrounding areas. The storm caused nearly 1,400 deaths and an estimated $125 billion in damages. [more history]