September 25, 2024

ISRAEL AND LEBANON | In what reports say is the militant group’s deepest-yet strike into Israel, Hezbollah fired a surface-to-surface missile from Lebanon targeting the headquarters of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency in Tel Aviv this morning. Israeli officials say the missile was shot down and that the site from which the missile was launched was hit in a retaliatory strike. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 944 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to present Ukraine’s proposed ‘plan for victory’ to U.S. President Joe Biden this week in Washington. Reports cite unnamed Ukrainian sources as saying the yet-undisclosed plan includes NATO membership for Ukraine, continued military and political pressure on Russia, and strengthening of Ukraine’s air and land defense capabilities. [more]
• Reuters cites reviewed documents and unnamed European intelligence agency sources as saying that Russia has established a China-based weapons program to develop and produce long-range attack drones for use in its invasion of Ukraine. [more]

TROPICAL STORM HELENE | Currently a tropical storm, Helene is expected to strengthen into a Category 3 or higher hurricane as it travels through warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico. Hurricane warnings have been issued and emergency declarations have been made for portions of Mexico and the southeastern U.S., including Florida and Georgia, ahead of the storm’s expected arrival along the U.S. Gulf Coast tomorrow. [more]

U.S. GOVERNMENT FUNDING | The House of Representatives is expected to vote today to approve a stopgap spending bill that would fund federal government operations through December 20. Senate approval is expected later this week on the measure, which is aimed at preventing a government shutdown when the new fiscal year begins next Tuesday. [more]

U.S. ELECTIONS | Social media platform TikTok announced this week that it has removed accounts associated with Russian state-backed media agencies, including RT, TV-Novosti, and others, over what it says are the agencies’ “covert influence operations” ahead of the U.S. presidential election. [more]

OHIO | Authorities in Hamilton County, Ohio, say schools and nearby residents were evacuated from locations around a train car leaking the toxic and flammable chemical styrene yesterday near the town of Cleves. [more]

U.S. ABORTION | Citing freedom of religion protections, a federal judge in North Dakota granted a temporary injunction yesterday that allows some 8,000 Catholic employers in the U.S. to reject federal regulations aimed at protecting workers seeking abortions and other reproduction-related medical services. [more]

U.S. DEBIT CARDS | The Justice Department filed a civil antitrust lawsuit yesterday against financial services giant Visa, alleging that the company uses its dominance in the debit card market to illegally limit competition, costing consumers and businesses billions of dollars per year. [press release] [more]

U.S. SECRET SERVICE | A bipartisan report released today by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee says multiple Secret Service failures occurred ahead of, and during, the July campaign rally in Pennsylvania at which a man attempted to assassinate Republican candidate and former President Donald Trump. Report authors contend the failures, including lack of a clear chain of command, communications breakdowns, and poor planning, were both foreseeable and preventable. [press release] [full report] [more]

U.S., PHILIPPINES, AND CHINA | Amidst protests by China, U.S. and Filipino security officials have reportedly reached an agreement to maintain the presence of U.S. mid-range missile systems in the northern Philippines indefinitely. [more]

IRAN | Speaking before the United Nations General Assembly yesterday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that his country is ready to end its standoff with the West over the Iranian uranium enrichment program, which has raised fears of Iran nuclear weapon development and has prompted the imposition of sanctions by the U.S. and other nations. [more]

CHINA | Chinese military officials say their forces test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile into international waters in the Pacific Ocean today as part of routine annual training. Reports note China typically test fires missiles into its western deserts and that its last test into the Pacific is thought to have taken place in 1980. [more]

THAILAND | Same-sex marriages will be allowed in Thailand starting next year following yesterday’s signing into law of the country’s landmark marriage equality bill. Thailand will be the third Asian location, along with Taiwan and Nepal, to allow same-sex marriage. [more]

SRI LANKA | Newly elected President Anura Kumara Dissanayake dissolved Sri Lanka’s parliament yesterday and called for new elections to be held in mid-November. Reports note that Dissanayake’s political party held only three seats in the now-dissolved parliament and that the upcoming election is expected to give the party more power in the 225-member body. [more]

EUROPEAN FLOODING | Climate and weather research group World Weather Attribution says in a new report that the exceptionally heavy rainfall that caused flooding across Central Europe earlier this month was made twice as likely by human-caused climate change. [full report] [more]

ASIAN ECONOMIES | Citing several positive economic trends, including increased export of computer chips and other advanced technologies and stabilizing energy and food prices, the Asian Development Bank revised its 2024 growth forecast for developing countries in Asia to 5% today – up from the bank’s previous estimate of 4.9%. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1789, the first United States Congress voted to adopt 12 amendments to the U.S. Constitution – ten of which became the Bill of Rights. [more history]