August 7, 2025

UKRAINE | Today is day 1,260 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here is your update:

• U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have reportedly agreed to meet in person at a yet-undisclosed location as early as next week to discuss the war in Ukraine. Announcement of the meeting comes ahead of a Friday deadline set by Trump for Russia to face increased economic sanctions if there is no progress toward reaching a peace deal in Ukraine. [more]

U.S. GUN VIOLENCE | Officials at Fort Stewart, Georgia, say U.S. Army Sergeant Quornelius Radford, 28, shot five soldiers on the base using a personal handgun yesterday before being subdued by fellow soldiers. Reports note that the soldiers wounded in the shooting are all expected to recover. [more]

U.S. TARIFFS | New tariffs went into effect today on U.S. imports from more than 60 countries and the European Union. President Donald Trump imposed an additional 25% tariff on goods from India yesterday for its continued purchase of Russian oil, bringing the total import duty on Indian goods to 50%. Reports cite economic analysts as saying that while some companies, such as automakers, are expected to cover the tariffs themselves, U.S. consumers are expected to pay about 18.3% more for imported products as firms pass along the tariff costs. [more]

U.S. HEALTH | According to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, most Americans get more than half their calories from ultra-processed foods, which have been linked to increased levels of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease in numerous studies. [full report] [more]

U.S. EDUCATION | University of California, Los Angeles Chancellor Julio Frenk said yesterday that the Trump administration has suspended $584 million in federal grants to the school over allegations of civil rights violations related to antisemitism and affirmative action – a level double what had been expected and what Frenk says will be "devastating" for UCLA. [more]

U.S. AIR TRAVEL | More than 1,000 United Airlines flights at major airports across the U.S. were delayed or canceled yesterday due to a technology issue with the system that helps calculate flight weight and balance and track flight times. The issue was resolved late last night, but reports note that some service disruptions continued into Thursday. [more]

U.S. TECHNOLOGY | President Donald Trump announced plans yesterday to impose a 100% tariff on imported computer chips and semiconductors, which he said companies could avoid by producing the products in the United States. The announcement was made at an appearance with Apple CEO Tim Cook, who said his company would increase its previous domestic manufacturing spending pledge by $100 billion to a total of $600 billion. [more]

U.S. SPACE AND ENVIRONMENT | NASA said yesterday that it will shut down two long-term satellite missions that monitor carbon dioxide emissions and measure plant health, saying the missions are beyond the organization's scope and are being terminated to "align with the President’s agenda and budget priorities." [more]

U.S. AND E.U. | Reuters cites internal U.S. diplomatic communications as showing that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has directed diplomats in Europe to launch a lobbying campaign to build opposition to the European Union's Digital Services Act, which Washington says stifles free speech and imposes costs on U.S. tech companies. [more]

AFGHANISTAN | In a report to the U.N. General Assembly, independent U.N. investigator Richard Bennett says Afghanistan's ruling Taliban have "weaponized" the legal and judicial systems to oppress women and girls in what amounts to "crimes against humanity." [more]

U.K. AND FRANCE | The U.K. Home Office says border officials detained the first group of migrants yesterday under an agreement that allows some migrants who cross the English Channel in small boats to be returned to France. [more]

CAMBODIA AND THAILAND | Following their recent five-day border conflict in which at least 43 people were killed and more than 300,000 people were displaced, Cambodia and Thailand have agreed to allow observers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations regional bloc to inspect border areas and help ensure that the countries' ceasefire holds. [more]

PAKISTAN | Authorities in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province say at least two police officers were killed, and 14 other people were wounded, yesterday when a roadside bomb struck a police vehicle in the city of Wana in the South Waziristan district. There have been no claims of responsibility for the bombing, but reports note that the region has a history of attacks carried out by the Pakistani Taliban. [more]

CHINA | Chinese health authorities have reported more than 7,000 cases of chikungunya disease in a new outbreak of the virus largely centered in the southern manufacturing hub of Foshan. Officials have undertaken various measures to curb the spread of the mosquito-borne disease, including distributing insect nets and spraying residential areas, streets, and construction sites with insecticide. [more]

INDIA | Reports say authorities in India-controlled Kashmir have banned at least 25 books, some by prominent authors and researchers, that they say spread "false narratives" and "secessionism" in the disputed region. Banned works for which people face fines and possible prison time for owning or selling include those by Booker Prize-winning novelist and activist Arundhati Roy and constitutional expert A.G. Noorani. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1942, in the Allies' first major offensive in the Pacific theatre during World War II, U.S. Marines landed on the island of Guadalcanal and captured the airfield from Japan, sparking a battle that lasted some six months. [more history]