Peace In Gaza & France's New Government

Hi readers, happy Tuesday! Today we’re covering the peace deal in Gaza, problems at the CDC, France’s new government, Ukraine’s Tomahawk missile bid, the trade war scare, a shooting in South Carolina, and a spyware firm buyout.

“We remember autumn to best advantage in the spring; the finest aroma of it reaches us then.” – Henry David Thoreau

A New Week, A New Peace

Monday marked a tremendous moment in the Middle East. As part of the U.S.-backed peace deal negotiated last week, Hamas released its 20 living Israeli hostages, exchanging the group for an uneasy peace as well as almost 2,000 Palestinians who were being held in Israeli jails. 1,700 of those Palestinians were spirited away from Gaza during the conflict and held without any legal charges against them. It’s unclear where things will go from here, though the IDF has already withdrawn from parts of Gaza and aid has begun flowing into the region.

As the hostages were returned to their families in Israel and Gaza, world leaders met at a summit in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh. Noticeably absent was Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but Trump showed up at the meeting – he announced that the world had “a once-in-a-lifetime chance to put the old feuds and bitter hatreds behind us,” and urged leaders “to declare that our future will not be ruled by the fights of generations past.” 

Along with Trump, the leaders of Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey all signed off on a mysterious document at the meeting. None of them shared its contents with the media, though Trump said that it contained “a lot of rules and regulations and lots of other things, and it’s very comprehensive.” Egyptian leader Abdel Fattah el-Sissi indicated that the meeting aimed to “end the war” in Gaza and “usher in a new page of peace and regional stability.” Middle Eastern leaders seem happy to follow Trump’s peace plan for Gaza, meaning they might pressure Hamas to lay down its arms to bring some form of peace to Palestine. We’ll have to see if the peace lasts.

The CDC Is Unwell

On Friday, hundreds of workers at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) were laid off as higher-ups at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) deemed them “non-essential.” Among those fired were leaders of departments focused on respiratory diseases, chronic diseases, and global health. 70 Epidemic Intelligence Service officers (also known as “disease detectives”) and the team behind the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report were also fired. “CDC will have lost its ability to detect outbreaks and respond to them,” said one Canadian virologist. “Together, this means the CDC is not functional. It cannot carry out any of its mission.”

Over the weekend, the White House reversed its decision without actually admitting any fault. More than half of the 1,300 employees fired on Friday were quickly re-hired, receiving emails that their layoffs were being rescinded. According to one Trump official, hundreds of CDC staffers “were sent incorrect notifications,” and another said the layoffs were the product of a “coding error.” 

“Think about what it’s like to be at CDC. It’s like living with an abusive partner that attacks and then takes back some of the abuse. That doesn’t make the partner less abusive. Sending strength to CDC staff held hostage,” said the former director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, who resigned earlier this year. “CDC damage is done. Rescinded firings or not. US health security is compromised.”

What your employer sees before you even walk in the door

No Rest For The Centrists

• Last Monday, France’s government collapsed when Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu resigned from his post. This week, a new government has risen in Paris: a center-right coalition headed by… none other than now-no-longer-former-Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu. This marks French President Emmanuel Macron’s sixth attempt at establishing a working government during the first two years of his second term in office – politicians on France’s left and right are calling for his resignation, as his centrist coalition struggles to actually govern the nation.

• “A mission-based government has been appointed to draw up a budget for France before the end of the year,” said Lecornu after making his return to the prime minister’s office. France needs to pass a budget for 2026 before the end of the year, and Macron’s centrists are expected to make cuts to public spending to make up for the country’s fiscal shortfalls. Meanwhile, the far-right National Rally and far-left France Unbowed say they both plan to put forth no-confidence votes aimed at bringing down Macron’s sixth government, while the less-radical Socialist party will wait for Lecornu to publish his budget proposal before deciding whether to support or oust the prime minister.

Throwing Ukraine A Tomahawk

• On Sunday, Trump indicated that the U.S. might consider sending its long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles to aid Ukraine in its war against Russia. “We'll see... I may,” the president said when asked about selling Tomahawks to Kyiv. He noted that the act would constitute “a new step of aggression” in the Russia-Ukraine war – the missiles have a range of up to 2,500 miles, meaning Kyiv could theoretically use them to strike Moscow.

• Trump’s statements followed a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky over the weekend, and the two leaders are set to meet in person on Friday. “I might tell them [Russia] that if the war is not settled, that we may very well [sell the missiles to Kyiv],” Trump went on. “We may not, but we may do it… Do they [Russia] want Tomahawks going in their direction? I don't think so.” It turns out he was right: Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the U.S. giving Kyiv long-range missiles was of “extreme concern” to Moscow, adding, “Now is really a very dramatic moment in terms of the fact that tensions are escalating from all sides.”

Additional World News

• LMadagascar president hiding in 'safe place' as he warns of coup attempt (BBC)

• Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy ordered to go to jail next week (Guardian)

• To Inflict Pain on Russians, Ukraine’s Drones Zero In on Oil Refineries (NYT, $)

• US buys Argentine pesos, finalizes $20 billion currency swap (AP)

• At least 60 killed in attack on Sudan’s Al-Fashir, activists say (CNN)

• Afghanistan says it has killed 58 Pakistani soldiers in overnight border operations (NBC) 

Trading Through The Trade War Scare

• The U.S. stock market took a tumble last Friday after Trump threatened to impose 100% tariffs on “virtually every product” coming out of China and signalled that he might not participate in trade talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping later this month. The president’s threats were a response to Beijing tightening its export controls on China’s rare earth metals, which are crucial to manufacturing cars and electronics. After the massive tariff threat, stocks had their worst day in recent months: the Dow dropped 1.9%, S&P 500 fell 2.71%, and the Nasdaq Composite shrank 3.56%.

• Luckily, much like the CDC debacle, the problem was resolved over the weekend. “Don’t worry about China,” Trump wrote via TruthSocial on Sunday. “It will be all fine!” On Monday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent further calmed the markets by stating that trade talks between the U.S. and China had been productive over the weekend, and promising that Trump does indeed plan to meet with Xi later this month. With fears of a possible trade war temporarily relieved, the stock market surged, with the Dow gaining 1.29%, S&P 500 jumping 1.56%, and the Nasdaq Composite rising 2.21%. Just another normal weekend in 2025.

Shots Fired In South Carolina

• Another weekend, another mass shooting. On Sunday, four people were killed and 16 others were injured in a shooting at a South Carolina bar. Hundreds of people were partying at Willie's Bar and Grill early into the morning on Sunday, when a shooter opened fire on the crowd. One witness said they “heard a lot of shots” in the incident, while another said the gunfire sounded “like a machine gun.” Authorities are still searching for possible suspects.

• Willie's Bar and Grill is a much-loved local establishment on South Carolina’s St. Helena Island. The bar serves Gullah-inspired cuisine and, according to its website, seeks to spread the “heartwarming spirit of the Gullah Geechee culture.” The Gullah Geechee are descendants of formerly-enslaved West and Central Africans, who developed a cultural identity unique to the coastal regions of the southeastern U.S.

Additional USA News

• New York Times, AP, Newsmax among news outlets who say they won't sign new Pentagon rules (AP) 

• New Jersey declares emergency as nor'easter approaches, while Alaska flooding carries away homes (AP) 

• Shutdown polls show Democrats’ economic messaging still falling flat (Politico)

• Growing number of US veterans face arrest over Ice raid protests (Guardian)

• More than 150 schoolchildren quarantined as US measles cases hit 33-year high (BBC)

• 4 People Arrested in Deadly Mississippi Shooting (NYT, $)

A Pegasus Gets Its Payout

• A mysterious group of American investors have purchased notorious Israeli spyware firm NSO Group. The firm’s best-known product is its Pegasus software, which can be remotely installed on targets’ phones in order to track their locations, monitor texts and calls, log passwords, and access the device’s microphone and camera. The software has been used to target journalists and human rights advocates across the globe, and it’s been sanctioned and banned by the U.S. after it was used to target dozens of U.S. government officials abroad.

• The buyout occurred last week, though the company has refused to reveal its new owners or the exact price the firm was sold for. “An American investment group has invested tens of millions of dollars in the company and has acquired controlling ownership,” an NSO spokesperson told TechCrunch last Friday. “This investment does not mean that the company is moving out of Israeli regulatory or operational control,” he added. “The company’s headquarters and core operations remain in Israel. It continues to be fully supervised and regulated by the relevant Israeli authorities, including the Ministry of Defense and the Israeli regulatory framework.” 

• Why does this buyout matter? Trump’s government has increasingly adopted the use of spyware similar to Pegasus, and lobbyists have also been pushing for the White House to lift the ban on NSO Group – could the investors have some inside information on the government allowing Pegasus to be used against Americans?

Additional Reads

• Miami Says Farewell to Its Seaquarium (NYT, $)

• Hundreds of societies have been in crises like ours. An expert explains how they got out. (Vox)

• Satellites Are Leaking the World’s Secrets: Calls, Texts, Military and Corporate Data (Wired, $)

• Kids who use social media score lower on reading and memory tests, a study shows  (NPR)

• Trio win Nobel economics prize for work on innovation, growth and 'creative destruction' (Reuters)

• My Dinner at Travis Kelce’s New Restaurant Cost More Than My Electric Bill (The Cut)

• Your Genes Are Simply Not Enough to Explain How Smart You Are (Atlantic, $)

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