September 23, 2025

MIDDLE EAST | Update from regional conflicts:

• The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center says a ship traveling off the coast of Yemen in the Gulf of Aden came under attack early today. No claims of responsibility have yet been made, but reports note that the attack was similar to ones previously carried out by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels. [more]

U.S. HEALTH | President Donald Trump and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. promoted their views yesterday of links between both vaccines and the over-the-counter medication Tylenol, known generically as acetaminophen or paracetamol, and increased risks of autism. The suggested links were presented largely without evidence and prompted opposing views or sharp criticism from physician groups, including the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. [more]

U.S. ANTIFA | President Donald Trump signed an executive order yesterday designating the anti-fascist movement Antifa as a "domestic terrorist organization," saying in the order that Antifa "uses illegal means to organize and execute a campaign of violence and terrorism nationwide" to achieve its goals. Reports note that Antifa is a decentralized movement rather than a distinct organization and that the legal justification for the designation remains unclear. [full executive order] [more]

U.S. SPEECH | Broadcaster ABC announced yesterday that Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show will return Tuesday night after being suspended last week following criticism from FCC chair Brendan Carr and some network affiliates over Kimmel's comments on the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. [more]

U.S. EXECUTIVE POWER | In a 6-3 decision yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed President Donald Trump to remove Rebecca Slaughter, a Democratic member of the Federal Trade Commission, from her position while court challenges to her firing play out. Analysts say the decision suggests that the Court may move later this year to overturn or narrow a nearly century-old precedent that found commissioners could be removed only for misconduct or neglect of duty. [more]

U.S. GOVERNMENT FUNDING | Ahead of the September 30 deadline for funding government operations, President Donald Trump has reportedly agreed to meet with Democratic congressional leaders Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, who have indicated their opposition to a Republican plan to pass a stop-gap spending measure over health care program and subsidy concerns. [more]

U.S. SOCIAL MEDIA | Under the terms of a proposed deal outlined by President Donald Trump yesterday, oversight of the algorithms, data, and security of Chinese-owned social media platform TikTok in the U.S. would be led by tech giant Oracle. Trump is expected to sign an executive order this week indicating that the deal, which has yet to receive final approval by China, adequately addresses the security concerns that promoted Congress to ban the platform. [more]

U.S. AND INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT | Reuters cites unnamed U.S. and diplomatic sources as saying the Trump administration is considering imposing sanctions as soon as this week on the entirety of the International Criminal Court in retaliation for the Court's investigations of suspected Israeli war crimes. [more]

UNITED NATIONS | The 80th annual session of the United Nations General Assembly opens today and runs through September 29, with conflicts in Gaza, Ukraine, and Sudan set to be among the most heavily discussed and debated topics. U.S. President Donald Trump is scheduled to address the assembly later this morning. The theme of this year's general debate is: "Better together: 80 years and more for peace, development and human rights." [more]

NATO | Member nations of the NATO alliance are scheduled to hold formal consultations today at Estonia’s request after the Baltic country said that three Russian fighter jets entered its airspace last week without authorization. [more]

TYPHOON RAGASA | Schools and businesses have been closed, flights have been cancelled, and mass evacuations have been ordered in multiple cities in Hong Kong and southern China today as Super Typhoon Ragasa approaches the region. China’s National Meteorological Center says the storm is expected to make landfall tomorrow in the coastal area between Zhuhai and Zhanjiang cities in Guangdong province. [more]

EGYPT | Pro-democracy movement leader Alaa Abd el-Fattah, one of the most prominent Egyptian activists in the 2011 Arab Spring uprising, was pardoned and released yesterday in Egypt by presidential proclamation after serving nearly 12 years in prison. [more]

HAITI | Local reports say at least 13 people, including eight children, were killed Saturday in a police drone attack targeting a suspected gang leader inside a slum in the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince. [more]

DENMARK | Copenhagen's main Kastrup airport was closed for several hours last night due to the presence of multiple drones being flown in the travel hub's airspace. Authorities say there were no signs that the yet-unidentified drone pilot intended harm to people or facilities, but Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called the incident “the most serious attack on Danish critical infrastructure to date." [more]

WEST AFRICA | Accusing the global tribunal of what they say is selective justice, the ruling military juntas of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger announced in a joint statement yesterday that their countries are withdrawing from the International Criminal Court. [more]

MOLDOVA | Just days ahead of a key parliamentary election in the Eastern European country, Moldova’s anticorruption agency says it carried out more than 30 raids and detained one person today over the financing of a political party allegedly linked to Russia through cryptocurrencies. [more]

PHILIPPINES | In redacted charges revealed by the International Criminal Court yesterday, former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is alleged to have committed crimes against humanity related to his involvement in the killings of at least 76 people while he was president and, earlier, as the mayor of Davao City. The charge sheet says, among other things, that Duterte instructed and authorized “violent acts including murder to be committed against alleged criminals, including alleged drug dealers and users.” [more]

PHILANTHROPY | UNCF, the United Negro College Fund, has announced the donation of $70 million from billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott to strengthen operations, education, and scholarships at 37 historically Black colleges and universities in the United States. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1932, by royal decree, the dual kingdom of the Hejaz and Najd, along with its dependencies, was unified under the name of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. [more history]