☕ What happened at the 'Peace Summit'

Good morning!

Today, President Trump is expected to posthumously award Charlie Kirk the nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. On what would have been Kirk’s 32nd birthday, a ceremony at the White House will see Kirk’s family and a number of political supporters gather for the dedication.

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Some headlines from this morning:

• Madagascar's President Andry Rajoelina has gone into hiding after an alleged assassination attempt amid ongoing nationwide protests. Authorities say the military is running the country after Rajoelina disappeared, claiming in a Facebook Live stream that "a group of military personnel and politicians planned to assassinate me." The protests, dubbed "Gen-Z Mada," started two weeks ago over water and power shortages but have escalated into broader dissatisfaction with the government. The opposition party TIM confirmed the military remains in charge, though the military has not issued a statement.

• At least 64 people are dead and another 65 are missing after devastating floods hit central and eastern Mexico. Two tropical storms converged over Mexico, bringing up to 24.7 inches of rainfall over three days in some areas. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum is leading aid operations and recovery efforts, though many villages remain cut off. "There are sufficient resources; this won't be skimped on because we're still in the emergency period," she said on Monday.

• Multiple media organizations across the political spectrum will refuse to sign a new Defense Department policy restricting press freedoms. The policy, announced by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last week, requires reporters to agree not to solicit or report unauthorized information. Those who don't sign by 5 PM Tuesday (Washington time) will be expelled from the Pentagon, which historically maintains offices for reporters. Organizations refusing to sign include The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Associated Press, CNN, and Newsmax.

• Ukraine will send a delegation to Washington to discuss strengthening its power and energy infrastructure as Russian attacks continue targeting essential power sources ahead of winter. The delegation arrives before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who will meet President Trump on Friday to discuss U.S. provision of long-range missiles capable of striking deep into Russian territory. It comes as Ukraine's Energy Minister announced sweeping blackouts would be imposed across the country to reduce pressure on an energy grid damaged by Russian attacks.

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President Trump joined world leaders in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, on Monday at a summit whose aim is “to end the war in the Gaza Strip, enhance efforts to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East, and usher in a new era of regional security and stability.”

The leaders of the Palestinian Authority, Turkey, France, the United Kingdom, and Germany joined the President, alongside representatives from Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates.

The summit comes after the first phase of a peace deal was successfully carried out, securing the release of the remaining 20 living Israeli hostages and thousands of Palestinian prisoners.

What happened at the Summit?

President Trump celebrated the return of the hostages and the signing of the ceasefire agreement as the start of a new age in the region.

"This is the day that people across this region and around the world have been working, striving, hoping, and praying for,” he said. Signalling that the second phase of the peace deal and rebuilding of Gaza would begin immediately.

Other world leaders were more cautious, warning that only the establishment of a permanent Palestinian State, something Israel opposes, could lead to lasting change.

Egypt’s President pleaded for the region to choose lasting peace but acknowledged, “experiences have shown over the past decades that this choice can only be established upon justice and equality in rights.”

Israel did not send representatives to the meeting because it coincided with a religious holiday. Hamas was also not represented

The memorandum

President Trump, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani also publicly signed a peace memorandum.

The memorandum, titled "The Trump Declaration for Enduring Peace and Prosperity," outlines four broad ways the signatories would support the Israel/Gaza peace deal.

What now?

President Trump said, "Phase two has started. And, you know, the phases are all a little bit mixed in with each other. You’re gonna start cleaning up. You look at Gaza, it needs a lot of clean-up."

Continuing in a later speech to say, “Now, the rebuilding begins.”

Despite these claims, no formal agreement setting out the terms of “phase two” has been announced as Gazans await the further withdrawal of Israeli troops from the area and Israel awaits the return of the bodies of the dead hostages.

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The U.S is on track to execute more prisoners in 2025 than in any year since 2012. So far, 34 inmates have been put to death, with another eight scheduled before year's end, bringing the expected total to 42. Here's what you need to know.

Trump’s push

President Donald Trump reinstated federal executions on his first day in office, reversing a pause introduced by Joe Biden. A month later, Trump urged state governors to use the death penalty for drug dealers. "Your states have the right to go death penalty also for drug dealers," he said. "But only do that if you want to get rid of drugs."

How it works

Courts in 27 states can sentence prisoners to death. Four states - California, Pennsylvania, Oregon, and Ohio - have paused executions under their current governors. Federal courts can also order capital punishment.

Most executions use lethal injection, a three-drug process involving a sedative, paralytic, and heart-stopping agent. Experts have documented cases of botched procedures causing pain and distress. South Carolina carried out two executions by firing squad this year.

Florida

Florida has executed 13 prisoners in 2025, the most of any state, compared to one in 2024. Robin Maher, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, told the Associated Press that Governor Ron DeSantis is "scheduling all of these executions with complete autonomy and in complete secrecy." Two more Florida inmates are scheduled for execution before the end of the year.

Longer-term decline

Despite 2025's spike, death penalty use is declining overall. Approximately 2,100 people were on death row in January 2025, down from 3,593 in 2000. The modern peak was 98 executions in 1999.

This year's 34 executions occurred in 10 states. Four states - Florida, Texas, Alabama, and South Carolina - accounted for 76% of all executions.

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