October 31, 2025
U.S. MILITARIZATION | Reports cite a series of memos distributed this month as ordering National Guard units in all 50 states and U.S. territories to develop quick reaction units that can be deployed within hours to deal with civil disturbances and riots. The memos mandate that states have their quick reaction forces operational by January 1, 2026, and that troops assigned to the units be trained in such areas as "crowd management techniques" and "domestic civil disturbance." [more]
U.S. IMMIGRATION | According to a Federal Register notice posted yesterday, the Trump administration will limit U.S. refugee immigration to 7,500 people in 2026 – down from the current 125,000 limit – and will prioritize the refugee admission of white South Africans, who President Trump says are "victims of unjust racial discrimination." [more]
U.S. GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN | Day 31. President Donald Trump called yesterday for the Senate to do away with the filibuster rule that, in effect, imposes a 60-vote threshold to force a simple majority vote on legislation in order to end the federal government shutdown. [more]
MORE U.S. GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN | Boston-based U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani indicated yesterday that she may issue an injunction ordering the federal government to continue Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program aid payments amidst the government shutdown ahead of tomorrow's anticipated expiration of the benefits, which help an estimated 1 in 8 Americans purchase food. [more]
U.S. DRUG WAR | United Nations human rights chief Volker Türk called today for an investigation into the recent U.S. military strikes on boats allegedly carrying drugs from South America in which more than 60 people have reportedly been killed since early September. In a briefing today, U.N. human rights office spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said Türk believes the U.S. strikes "violate international human rights law" and must stop in order to prevent "extrajudicial killing." [more]
U.S. POLITICS | Amidst recent similar actions by both Republican- and Democrat-controlled states, legislators in Virginia and Ohio are expected to move forward today with measures to re-draw congressional districting maps as part of efforts to gain advantage in the 2026 mid-term elections. [more]
U.S. MILITARY | In a memo released this week, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the various branches of the U.S. military to identify 48 attorneys for temporary assignment to Justice Department offices along the U.S. southern border and in areas where increased federal immigration enforcement operations are taking place. Reports note that it is not clear what types of litigation the military lawyers would be involved with for the Justice Department. [more]
GLOBAL TRADE | The two-day Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit opened today in Gyeongju, South Korea, with Chinese leader Xi Jinping telling attendees that his country would seek to defend global free trade amidst an "international situation becoming increasingly complex and volatile." [more]
U.K. | In continuing fallout over Prince Andrew's association with late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Buckingham Palace announced yesterday that King Charles III is stripping Andrew of his titles and evicting him from his royal residence. [more]
PAPUA NEW GUINEA | Local authorities say at least 21 people were killed early this morning when a landslide swept through the village of Kukas in Papua New Guinea's Enga province. [more]
SERBIA | Thousands of people are reported to be taking part in a two-day march from Belgrade, Serbia, to the country's north to mark the anniversary of a deadly train station roof collapse that protesters say was caused by government corruption and negligent construction oversight. [more]
ASIA JOURNALISM | Independent news organization Radio Free Asia, which has focused for nearly 20 years on publishing in areas where the free flow of information is repressed, said today that it is shutting down its news operations due to lack of funding related to the U.S. government shutdown and the Trump administration's cuts to government-funded news services. [more]
TANZANIA | Reports say a heavy military and police presence is being maintained in the Tanzanian commercial capital of Dar es Salaam amidst ongoing nationwide protests following Wednesday's elections in which the two biggest challengers to President Samia Suluhu Hassan were excluded from ballots. United Nations officials say reports indicate that at least 10 people have been killed in the protests, while local opposition leaders say that hundreds have been killed. [more]
BRAZIL | Ahead of next month's COP30 U.N. climate summit, Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research says deforestation in the country's Amazon rain forest fell from August 2024 to July of this year by 11% compared to the previous year. The agency says 5,796 square kilometers of the Amazon were destroyed during the latest evaluation period – the lowest level since 2014. [more]
EGYPT | Following 20 years of sometimes-interrupted work, the Grand Egyptian Museum is scheduled to open tomorrow in Cairo with some 50,000 artifacts on display to highlight Egypt's ancient civilization. The museum, located near the Giza pyramids, includes 258,000 square feet of exhibition space, a children’s museum and conference and educational facilities, as well as a commercial area and a conservation center, and is reported to be the world’s largest museum dedicated to a single civilization. [more]
SPACE | The International Space Station will mark 25 years of continuous occupancy on Sunday, November 2. According to NASA, 290 people from 26 countries have visited the space station, which is scheduled to be decommissioned and destroyed during re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere in early 2031. [more]
TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1941, after nearly 15 years of work, the Mount Rushmore National Memorial in the Black Hills of South Dakota was completed. The colossal sculpture features the heads of Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. [more history]