September 12, 2025

UKRAINE | Today is day 1,296 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here is your update:

• Reports say Ukraine carried out a drone attack on Russia's northwestern port of Primorsk overnight, sparking fires on a vessel and at a pumping station at one of Russia's largest oil and fuel export terminals. [more]

CHARLIE KIRK MURDER | President Donald Trump said in an interview this morning that the suspect in this week's shooting death of conservative activist and influencer Charlie Kirk shooting is “in custody" and that the suspect was turned in by someone very close to him. Authorities have scheduled a press conference on progress in the case for later this morning. [more]

U.S. COLLEGES | Multiple historically Black colleges and universities across the U.S. received threats yesterday, prompting lockdown orders, canceled classes, and heightened security. FBI officials say the "hoax threat calls" are being taken seriously and that there is "no information to indicate a credible threat." Reports note that lockdowns related to the threats have since been lifted. [more]

U.S. COPYRIGHT OFFICE | Reversing a lower court ruling, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit this week blocked President Donald Trump from firing U.S. Copyright Office Director Shira Perlmutter while Perlmutter's court challenges to her May firing play out. [more]

U.S. SENATE CONFIRMATIONS | Amidst what they say is obstruction by Democratic colleagues, Senate Republicans formally changed the chamber's rules yesterday to allow unlimited groups of nominees that require confirmation for federal positions to be voted on at once. Reports say such en-bloc votes are expected to begin next week. [more]

NEW MEXICO | Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced plans this week for New Mexico to use windfall state funds from oil and gas production to provide universal free childcare in her state to families of all income levels. If approved by state legislators, the program would be the first of its kind in the United States. [more]

U.S. AND VENEZUELA | Reports cite U.S. national security sources as saying the U.S. military strike last week on what was said to be a speedboat operated by drug traffickers from Venezuela, and in which 11 people were killed, was carried out after the vessel had turned around and was heading back to shore. [more]

BRAZIL | Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was convicted by Brazil's Supreme Court yesterday of attempting a coup to stay in office after losing his 2022 presidential race against current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The court sentenced Bolsonaro to 27 years and three months in prison. [more]

MORE BRAZIL | Government data released yesterday indicates that wind and solar power generated a record 19 terawatt-hours of electricity in Brail in August – the first time the two clean energy sources produced more than a third of Brazil’s electricity in a month. [more]

RUSSIA AND BELARUS | Showcasing their close defense ties, Russia and Belarus launched planned joint military exercises involving thousands of troops today. The "Zapad 2025" exercises, which have prompted concern by neighboring countries, are scheduled to last through Tuesday. [more]

E.U. ENERGY | Dismissing a challenge from Austria, the General Court at the European Court of Justice ruled yesterday that natural gas and nuclear energy can be considered environmentally sustainable economic activities. Analysts say the ruling will potentially drive massive amounts of financing toward energy projects that had not been widely considered "green" previously. [more]

TAIWAN | Amidst increasing tensions with China, which claims the island territory as its own, Taiwan has announced updates to its security guidelines and civil defense handbooks for citizens that instruct residents on what to do if they see enemy soldiers and clarifies that any claims of Taiwan's surrender should be considered false. [more]

U.K. | Veteran politician and diplomat Peter Mandelson was fired from his role as the U.K.'s ambassador to the United States by Prime Minister Keir Starmer yesterday following the publication of e-mails linking Mandelson to late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Mandelson said the ambassadorial role had been the privilege of his life and that he deeply regretted his association with Epstein 20 years ago. [more]

TURKEY | Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said today that Turkish authorities arrested 161 suspected members and supporters of the Islamic State terrorist group at locations across Turkey this week. [more]

AI INDUSTRY | The U.S. Federal Trade Commission said yesterday that it has launched an inquiry into what steps, if any, major artificial intelligence and social media companies have taken to evaluate the safety of their chatbots when acting as companions to children and teenagers. [more]

FOOTBALL | Ratings and viewing data indicate that games during Week 1 of the National Football League season averaged 22.3 million viewers – a 5% increase from the Week 1 average last season and the highest season-opening viewership on record. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1940, in Montignac, France, four teenage boys found the Lascaux cave, which contains one of the most outstanding displays of prehistoric art ever discovered. The cave's paintings are generally believed to be more than 17,000 years old. [more history]