Politics & World Affairs — July 24, 2026

ICC members vote on prosecutor. The International Criminal Court's 125 member states are voting by secret ballot Friday on whether to dismiss chief prosecutor Karim Khan over sexual misconduct allegations.

Reuters describes the proceeding as historic and without precedent in the court's history. A dismissal would remove the tribunal's top prosecutor mid-tenure, and the secret-ballot format means individual member governments' positions will not be publicly recorded. The outcome rests with the full body of 125 states that are party to the court.

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Justice Department drops subpoenas. The Justice Department withdrew subpoenas seeking testimony and phone records from three New York Times reporters covering President Trump's Qatari-gifted jet. A federal judge had pushed back.

The subpoenas went beyond records, demanding grand jury testimony from the three journalists, according to NPR. The outlet reports the withdrawal followed sharp questioning of the government by the federal judge handling the matter, indicating judicial scrutiny preceded the department's reversal. The reporting at issue concerned the jet gifted by Qatar for use as Air Force One.

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DOJ turns to dormant court. The Justice Department filed its first-ever case with the Alien Terrorist Removal Court, invoking a 1996 law never before used to deport a terrorism suspect.

Fox News reports the filing followed Judge Boasberg's reference to the tribunal during the administration's deportation fight, and the outlet characterizes the never-used venue as a 'zombie' court. The body was created by statute in 1996 specifically to handle removals of terrorism suspects, but no administration had brought a case there until this first filing.

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