Evening Brief: Trump Threatens to Invoke Insurrection Act, UK Retires MQ-9A Reaper Fleet, Russia Hosts Taliban Delegation

  ICE Plans Vermont Hub Expansion to Boost Nationwide Digital Surveillance Operations US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) plans to expand its digital surveillance capabilities through its National Criminal Analysis and Targeting Center in Williston, Vermont, according to federal contracting records. The agency intends to hire at least a dozen contractors there and additional staff in Santa Ana, California, to strengthen intelligence gathering. Draft plans show ICE wants to use social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and X, along with government and commercial databases, to track individuals deemed national security or public safety risks. The effort, still in the planning phase, could begin in 2026. ICE is reportedly trying to buy powerful surveillance tools to track people through data from hundreds of millions of phones — without warrants. This is a dangerous step toward mass surveillance. No agency should have unchecked power to spy on Americans. https://t.co/DERC1zLVlQ — Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) October 7, 2025 The Vermont hub will collect data such as tagged locations and social connections of targeted individuals. Civil liberties advocates, including the ACLU of Vermont, warned that the expansion raises privacy concerns and called for oversight of ICE’s surveillance activities.   Pentagon Nears Decision on Next-Generation Navy Stealth Fighter to Counter China The Pentagon is expected to choose this week between Boeing and Northrop Grumman to design and build the US Navy’s next-generation stealth fighter, the F/A-XX, a multibillion-dollar program critical to maintaining US air superiority against China. The carrier-based jet will replace the aging F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fleet and is expected to feature advanced stealth, extended range, and integration with unmanned systems. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth approved moving forward with the selection Friday after months of delays caused by funding disputes and concerns over contractor capacity. Congress has allocated $750 million to accelerate development and another $1.4 billion for fiscal 2026. 🇺🇸 Sec Def Hegseth has given the green light for the Pentagon to select the contractor for F/A-XX, the US Navy’s 6th generation stealth fighter program ~Reuters The competition is between Boeing and Northrop Grumman. The Trump Admin had attempted to cancel the program but… pic.twitter.com/xf1shfInTj — Colby Badhwar 🇨🇦🇬🇧 (@ColbyBadhwar) October 7, 2025 The F/A-XX is slated to enter service in the 2030s, complementing the Navy’s F-35C fleet as part of a broader modernization push for naval aviation.   UK Retires MQ-9A Reaper Fleet, Transitions to MQ-9B Protector for Modern European Missions The United Kingdom has flown its MQ-9A Reaper drones for the final time, ending their Middle East service as the Royal Air Force transitions to the MQ-9B Protector. The new aircraft, built by General Atomics, can operate in both civilian and military airspace, allowing routine flights across Europe without special clearance. The UK is acquiring 16 Protectors, which will be based at RAF Waddington and equipped with Brimstone 3 missiles and Paveway IV bombs. NATO officials view the upgrade as a boost to the alliance’s surveillance and deterrence capabilities amid heightened tensions with Russia. ✈️ After 18 years of service, the RAF’s MQ-9 Reaper has flown its final operational mission. 🕐 173,000 hours flown 🌍 Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria ➡️ Will be replaced by the cutting-edge Protector RPAS pic.twitter.com/XlUxluqg8r — Royal Air Force (@RoyalAirForce) October 3, 2025 Belgium and Poland are also adopting the MQ-9B platform, expanding NATO’s shared drone operations and logistics network. Meanwhile, the US Air Force continues to phase out its older Reapers, keeping some in service until the mid-2030s.   Slovakia Approves US Deal to Build New State-Owned Nuclear Reactor Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico announced Tuesday that his government has approved an agreement with the United States to construct a new nuclear reactor at the Jaslovské Bohunice plant in western Slovakia. The state-owned reactor will produce over 1,000 megawatts of power, with an estimated cost of up to 15 billion euros ($17.5 billion). The deal, expected to be signed soon, involves US company Westinghouse, which is in direct talks with Bratislava after the government dropped plans for an open tender. Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico says his government has approved a proposed intergovernmental agreement with the USA on the construction of a new unit at the Bohunice #nuclear power plant https://t.co/HQSCbvZ6fP pic.twitter.com/VxnnoOWF7L — World Nuclear News (@W_Nuclear_News) October 7, 2025 Slovakia, which generates more than 80 percent of its electricity from nuclear power, joins other Central and Eastern European nations expanding their nuclear capacity amid regional efforts to strengthen energy independence.   Ukrainian Drone Strike Temporarily Cuts Power in Russian-Held Zaporizhzhia, Officials Say A Ukrainian drone strike caused widespread power outages Tuesday in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, according to Russian-installed governor Yevgeny Balitsky. Balitsky later said electricity had been fully restored and praised emergency crews for their quick response. This morning, Ukrainian strikes successfully knocked out power to the entirety of Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Oblast. pic.twitter.com/Xjwf4tzFvg — OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) October 7, 2025 In neighboring Kherson, Russian-appointed governor Vladimir Saldo reported about 38,000 people without power but did not confirm if the outages were related. Russia controls roughly three-quarters of both southern regions, where frontlines have remained largely static since 2022.   Putin Claims Russian Forces Seized 5,000 Square Kilometers in Ukraine, Assert Full Battlefield Control Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that Russian forces captured nearly 5,000 square kilometers (1,930 square miles) of territory in Ukraine this year and now hold complete strategic initiative in the conflict’s fourth year. Speaking to top military commanders, Putin claimed Ukrainian troops were retreating across all fronts despite attempts at resistance. Russia’s Defense Ministry reported the capture of two additional villages, while General Valery Gerasimov said Russian forces were advancing in multiple directions, including the Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kharkiv regions. Russia holds ‘strategic ADVANTAGE’ in Ukraine conflict – Putin More than 5,000 square kilometers of territory liberated this year Extends ‘sincere gratitude to all military personnel for their courage and for their daily HEROISM’ pic.twitter.com/tFlvCQscWy — RT (@RT_com) October 7, 2025 Ukraine disputed the account, saying its troops regained ground near Dobropillia in Donetsk and in the border Sumy region. Putin reaffirmed that Russia’s objectives remain the “demilitarization and denazification” of Ukraine, the same goals he declared at the start of the invasion in 2022.   Russia Hosts Taliban Delegation, Warns Against Any Foreign Military Presence in Afghanistan Russia hosted senior Taliban officials in Moscow on Tuesday and warned that any foreign military presence in Afghanistan or neighboring states would be “categorically unacceptable.” Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov praised the Taliban government for its efforts against Islamic State militants and drug trafficking while criticizing Western sanctions and frozen Afghan assets. The meeting followed the Taliban’s recent rejection of a US proposal to regain access to Bagram Air Base. Lavrov said Russia aims to expand trade and security cooperation with Kabul, having officially recognized the Taliban government in July. Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi thanked Moscow for its recognition and urged other nations to follow suit, saying his government has restored security and opened opportunities for regional investment. The 7th Moscow Format talks on Afghanistan see senior officials from 11 countries meet in Moscow. For the first time, Afghanistan, led by FM Amir Khan Muttaqi, participated as a full member. Russia recognized the Islamic Emirate in June, lifting all restrictions on cooperation.… pic.twitter.com/avcsTCvVmY — Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) October 7, 2025 Officials from China, India, Iran, and several Central Asian countries also attended the talks, which highlighted Russia’s push to strengthen influence in the region while the Taliban remains internationally isolated over restrictions on women’s rights.   US Military Families in Asia Brace for Financial Strain as Government Shutdown Continues A week into the US federal government shutdown, military personnel, civilian employees, and families in Japan and South Korea are feeling the effects as paychecks stop and uncertainty grows. Many Defense Department workers, like those on Okinawa, are already going unpaid, while property managers and housing offices are waiving or delaying rent fees to ease the burden. Relief organizations such as the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society in Hawaii are preparing to assist service members if the shutdown continues past the October 15 payday. Rent, groceries on minds of US military families in Asia Pacific as government shutdown continueshttps://t.co/MQXVWhWzPH — Stars and Stripes (@starsandstripes) October 7, 2025 Across US bases in the Pacific, families are rationing food, tapping savings, and considering local markets or food banks to get by as the political deadlock in Washington shows no sign of ending.   Pentagon Nominee Backs Trump’s Call for Taiwan to Spend 10% of GDP on Defense John Noh, nominee for the Pentagon’s top Indo-Pacific post, told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday that he fully supports President Donald Trump’s proposal for Taiwan to allocate up to ten percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) to defense. Noh called Taiwan’s recent defense spending increases “promising” and said the higher investment is justified given the island’s “existential threat” from China’s military.   Israel Marks Two Years Since Hamas Attack Amid Mourning, Division, and Renewed Peace Talks Thousands gathered across Israel on Tuesday to mourn victims of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, which killed 1,200 people and triggered a war that continues two years later. The main memorial in Tel Aviv, organized by bereaved families, highlighted divisions over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s leadership and his failure to secure the release of 48 remaining hostages. In Gaza, civilians fled renewed Israeli assaults as the death toll surpassed 67,000, with most of the population displaced and famine conditions worsening. The war has also drawn Israel into wider clashes with Iran and its allies. Israelis commemorated the second anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attack with memorials at Kfar Aza and the Nova Music Festival site in Reim https://t.co/SHQNKTJBA5 pic.twitter.com/ImaqO6NOFE — Reuters (@Reuters) October 7, 2025 While Israelis honored the dead at memorial sites like the Nova music festival grounds, Israel and Hamas held a second day of indirect talks in Egypt over a US-backed peace plan. The International Criminal Court (ICC) is seeking Netanyahu’s arrest over alleged war crimes, which Israel denies, maintaining it is acting in self-defense against Hamas militants entrenched in civilian areas.   Israel and Hamas Resume Peace Talks in Egypt as Trump-Backed Plan Gains Support Israel and Hamas resumed indirect peace talks Tuesday in Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh on the second anniversary of Hamas’s 2023 attack on Israel that ignited the Gaza war. The negotiations center on a plan proposed by US President Donald Trump that calls for a lasting ceasefire, the release of remaining hostages, Hamas’s disarmament, and international governance of Gaza under joint oversight by Trump and former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair. Israel has accepted the proposal, while Hamas insists on guarantees of a permanent ceasefire and full Israeli withdrawal but has not agreed to disarm. #WATCH: Peace talks between #Israel and #Hamas resume in #Egypt, the two-year anniversary of the militant group’s surprise attack on Israel that triggered the bloody conflict that has seen tens of thousands of #Palestinians killed in #Gaza https://t.co/yTnLSkbSV5 pic.twitter.com/4N37VRPQAa — Arab News (@arabnews) October 7, 2025 The talks, facilitated by Egypt and Qatar, have drawn international backing, with top officials from both countries and US representatives, including Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, joining the discussions.   Sources: News Agencies