According to Barak Ravid of Axios, U.S. President Donald J. Trump is set to make an announcement soon on the hostages deal with Hamas. It’s yet unclear if the coming announcement only pertains to the U.S.-Hamas talks or the wider hostage deal. More to come.

A Delegation of Hostages released by Hamas during the recent Ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, met today with U.S. President Donald J. Trump in the Oval Office, stating that they believe he has been sent by God to release the Hostages, “You have the power to do it.” To which President Trump responded, “I've heard shocking stories, we'll get them out.”

While meeting today in the Oval Office, a Delegation of Hostages released from the Gaza Strip by Hamas presented U.S. President Donald J. Trump with a Plaque, which read in both Hebrew and English, “To President Trump. Whoever saves one life saves the world entire.”

In a post on the Truth Social app, U.S. President Donald J. Trump has urged Hamas to “release all the hostages now, not later, and immediately return all of the dead bodies.” President Trump reiterated past promises that “there will be hell to pay” if the hostages are not released. This comes against the backdrop of the ongoing U.S.-Hamas negotiations.

Hayden Haynes, the Chief of Staff for Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, was arrested this morning in Washington D.C. and charged with driving under the influence (DUI), after running into a parked car following last night’s address before Congress by U.S. President Donald J. Trump.

According to Bloomberg, the Italian Government has begun to consider a number of alternatives to Elon Musk’s Starlink, who they were expected to close a €1.5B deal with soon for use by the Italian Armed Forces and Government Officials, due to recent pullback by the United States of previous commitments made towards European security, likely to include issues related to Ukraine. Both Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and President Sergio Mattarella have expressed support for searching for an alternative to Starlink, claiming the search to be a result of “changing geopolitics.”

U.S. President Donald J. Trump has said that it has been communicated to the mayor of Washington D.C., Muriel Bowser, that the homeless problem in the nation’s capital must be dealt with. Especially outside a number of federal buildings, including the U.S. State Department and near the White House. If the problem is not dealt with, the president has promised direct action to deal with the problem.

French President Emmanuel Macron addressed the nation earlier today, as countries in Europe prepare to shift towards a “wartime economy” amidst uncertainty over security guarantees and continued support from the United States. During his speech, Macron called for European counties to increase their defense spending and posture, stating that Europe must be prepared to go alone in the defense of Ukraine and the rest of the continent against Russia, “I want to believe that the U.S. will stand by our side, but we have to be ready for that not to be the case.” Macron also announced the start of discussions on France extending the protection of its nuclear arsenal to other countries, stating, “Our nuclear deterrent protects us: it's complete, sovereign, French through and through — I have decided to open the strategic debate on the protection of our allies on the European continent through our deterrence,” with this following calls from soon-to-be German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, for both France and Britain to begin expanding their nuclear arsenals for the defense of Europe. President Macron has called for a meeting of European Defense Ministers and Chiefs next week in Paris, where the topics of nuclear deterrence and European rearmament can be discussed, as well as the possibility of deploying a peacekeeping force to Ukraine to enforce a ceasefire with Russia. Finally, Macron ended the speech by calling for unity amongst the French people, stating, “The French nation needs you. Political decisions, military equipment, that is just one part of the puzzle. But it will never come without solidarity. Our generation will not be able to just live off the dividends of peace. It is up to us to sow the seeds for the future.”

Citing U.S. President Donald J. Trump’s overhaul of the Kennedy Center’s board of trustees and its mission, “Hamilton” producer Jeffrey Seller has announced that the musical will no longer take place at the center as part of its 2026 lineup. The musical’s producers will seek out another venue in the Washington D.C. area.

According to a report from Politico, four senior members of U.S. President Donald J. Trump’s Administration have held “secret discussions” recently with some of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s top political opponents, as Washington attempts to see if it can hold a quick presidential election to oust Zelensky from power in Kyiv.

Some of the politicians spoken to by U.S. Officials are reported to be Yulia Tymoshenko, the former Prime Minister of Ukraine, as well as senior members of the European Solidarity party, which is led by Zelensky’s predecessor, Petro Poroshenko.

Aides to President Trump appear to be confident that Zelensky would lose any election due to “war fatigue and public frustration over rampant corruption” despite Zelensky still polling between 45-55% in most polls, well above both Tymoshenko and Poroshenko.

All of this appears to stem from several weeks now of disinformation claims made by U.S. President Trump and other members of his administration, including Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard, about Ukraine and President Zelensky, which culminated in last week’s heated-argument in the Oval Office between Trump, Zelensky and U.S. Vice-President JD Vance. These include President Trump calling Zelensky a “dictator without elections” as well as Gabbard and Elon Musk both falsely claiming that Zelensky had “canceled the elections” despite the Ukrainian Constitution forbidding any election to occur while the country is still under martial law as a result of the Russian invasion.

Footage has now been released which appears to show yesterday’s “accidental bombing” in South Korea, in which an ROKAF KF-16 Multirole Fighter dropped 8 Mk-82 500lb Bombs on the Town of Dong-myeon in the Gyeonggi Province, during a Live-Fire Exercise with the U.S. Air Force.

The Trump Administration is reportedly preparing to revoke the temporary legal status of upwards of 240,000 Ukrainian refugees who fled to the United States after the Russian invasion in 2022, possible paving the way for their fast-tracked deportation and repatriation to Ukraine.