Evening Brief: Trump Orders US Space Command Headquarters to Relocate to Alabama, Israel Mobilizes Reservists, Kim Jong Un Arrives in Beijing

· Guy D. McCardle

US President Donald Trump speaks at a press conference in the Oval Office, Washington, D.C., September 2, 2025. (Screenshot/X)

Here’s your Tuesday evening recap for September 2, 2025.

 

Trump Orders US Space Command Headquarters to Relocate to Alabama

President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that US Space Command will move its permanent headquarters to Huntsville, Alabama, overturning a Biden-era decision to keep it in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

The move concludes years of political and economic competition between the two states, with Alabama leaders celebrating the decision as a win for “Rocket City,” home to the Army’s Redstone Arsenal and NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center.

Trump said Alabama earned the headquarters because “they fought harder for it than anybody else” and accused Colorado’s mail-in voting system of influencing his reversal.

Huntsville officials said the relocation would bring about 1,400 jobs over the next five years.

Colorado officials criticized the decision, warning it could harm military readiness and waste taxpayer resources.

The Pentagon inspector general previously found no clear justification for choosing Colorado over Alabama, leaving the selection process unresolved until Trump’s announcement.

 

Trump Vows Federal Action on Crime in Chicago and Baltimore Despite Local Opposition

President Donald Trump said Tuesday he will send federal law enforcement to address crime in Chicago and Baltimore, even as state and local leaders in both cities reject the plan.

Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump said, “We’re going in,” but did not specify when. He argued he has an obligation to protect the country, citing his earlier deployment of federal forces in Washington, D.C., which he said made the capital “a safe zone.”

The White House reported more than 1,650 arrests since federal mobilization began on August 7.

Trump praised Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser for cooperating with federal efforts but criticized Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Maryland Governor Wes Moore for resisting intervention.

Trump insisted federal action would move forward regardless of state approval.

 

Pentagon to Send 600 Military Lawyers to Serve as Temporary Immigration Judges

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has authorized sending up to 600 military attorneys, both uniformed and civilian, to the Justice Department to act as temporary immigration judges, according to an August 27 memo.

The deployment will begin with groups of 150 lawyers identified as soon as next week.

The move comes amid the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown and a record backlog of about 3.5 million cases. With more than 100 immigration judges recently fired or resigned, the Pentagon effort could nearly double the current bench of roughly 600 judges.

The temporary appointments will last up to 179 days and may be extended.

The Justice Department requested the support, and the White House said the plan reflects broader efforts to ease the backlog, though officials stressed compliance with the Posse Comitatus Act to avoid misuse of military personnel in domestic law enforcement.

Immigration cases often take years to resolve, underscoring the pressure to expand judicial capacity.

 

Trump Says US Carried Out Strike on Drug Vessel From Venezuela

President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that US forces struck a drug-laden vessel in the southern Caribbean that had departed from Venezuela.

Trump gave few details but said the boat carried “a lot of drugs.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio called it in a social media post a lethal strike against a “designated narco-terrorist organization.”

The operation follows US plans to increase maritime patrols off Venezuela to counter drug trafficking.

Venezuela’s government, led by Nicolás Maduro, has dismissed US claims as part of a campaign to oust him, while deploying troops along its coast and borders.

The Pentagon and Venezuelan officials have not commented on the incident.

 

US Imposes Sweeping Visa Restrictions on Palestinians, Blocking PA Passport Holders

The Trump administration has enacted strict new visa restrictions on Palestinians, effectively halting travel to the United States for nearly all Palestinian Authority passport holders.

Since early August, the State Department has instructed consular officers to deny or refuse processing for non-immigrant visa applications from these individuals, citing tightened vetting requirements.

The measures also apply to Palestinians suspected of ties to the Palestinian Authority or the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), regardless of purpose of travel. Exceptions for official visits have been removed, leading to visa denials for President Mahmoud Abbas and dozens of Palestinian officials scheduled to attend the UN General Assembly.

The policy has also suspended a program allowing war-wounded children from Gaza to receive medical treatment in the US. While Palestinians with non-PA passports may still apply, they face possible rejection under the same criteria.

The State Department defended the move as necessary for national security, while the Palestinian Authority condemned it as a violation of US obligations as UN host nation.

 

Israel Mobilizes Reservists, Expands Gaza City Offensive Amid Rising Casualties and Protests

Israel began calling up tens of thousands of reservists on Tuesday and issued new evacuation warnings as it prepared to intensify its offensive in Gaza City.

Strikes targeted Zeitoun and Shijaiyah, neighborhoods Israel says remain Hamas strongholds.

At least 47 Palestinians were killed across Gaza, including 15 in a single residential strike in Gaza City. Hospitals in Khan Younis and Nuseirat reported additional casualties from airstrikes near aid distribution sites. Gaza’s Health Ministry says more than 63,600 people have died since the war began in October 2023, with famine and malnutrition worsening conditions.

The mobilization includes 60,000 new reservists and an extension for 20,000 already serving, but some soldiers are refusing to return, accusing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of prolonging the war for political reasons instead of pursuing a hostage deal.

Netanyahu said the conflict has reached a “decisive stage.”

The offensive has drawn criticism at home and abroad as protests grow in Israel and international agencies warn of deepening humanitarian catastrophe.

Meanwhile, 48 hostages remain in Gaza, about 20 of them believed to be alive.

 

UN Watchdog Finds Uranium Traces at Suspected Former Syrian Nuclear Site

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported Tuesday that inspectors discovered uranium particles at a Syrian site linked to the country’s undeclared nuclear program under former President Bashar Assad.

The particles, consistent with uranium conversion for reactor use, were found during sampling at one of three locations tied to the destroyed Deir el-Zour reactor, which Israel bombed in 2007.

Syria had previously blocked inquiries, but the new interim government under President Ahmad al-Sharaa has allowed renewed access. Inspectors collected further samples and may conduct follow-up visits.

IAEA chief Rafael Mariano Grossi said Syria has expressed interest in pursuing nuclear energy, likely through small modular reactors, and the agency is also offering support to rebuild medical nuclear facilities damaged by years of civil war.

 

Madagascar Receives Skulls of King Toera and Warriors Returned by France After 128 Years

Madagascar held a ceremony Tuesday to mark the return of three skulls taken by French colonial troops in 1897, including one believed to be that of King Toera of the Sakalava people.

France handed over the remains on August 27 under a 2023 law that streamlines the restitution of human remains seized during colonial conquests.

The skulls, draped in Madagascar’s flag, were received in Antananarivo by President Andry Rajoelina, Sakalava leaders, and dignitaries before being placed in the city’s mausoleum.

King Toera’s great-grandson, Sakalava King Georges Harea Kamamy, welcomed the remains with a traditional ritual, calling it a moment of relief and joy, though some family members expressed regret that the skulls were entrusted to the government instead of the royal family.

The remains will travel 800 kilometers (500 miles) to Menabe this week, where the king’s skull will be reunited with his skeleton in Ambiky, the site of his death in 1897.

The skulls, once kept as trophies in Paris’s national history museum, symbolize both colonial violence and the ongoing effort to return plundered cultural and human heritage to former colonies.

 

Belgium to Recognize State of Palestine at UN, Announces Sanctions on Israel

Belgium will officially recognize the State of Palestine during the UN General Assembly in September, Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot announced Tuesday.

Prevot also said Belgium is imposing sanctions on the Israeli government, citing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where Israeli offensives have displaced most residents and the UN has declared a famine.

Prevot stressed that the move targets Israel’s government, not its people, and aims to enforce respect for international and humanitarian law.

The decision follows France’s pledge in July to recognize Palestinian statehood at the same UN session and comes amid growing calls from other Western nations for coordinated recognition efforts.

 

Ukraine Rejects Russian Control of Zaporizhzhia Plant

Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said Tuesday it will never accept Russian control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, insisting that safety can only be restored through the full withdrawal of Russian forces.

The statement followed Vladimir Putin’s remarks in China suggesting Moscow’s willingness to cooperate with the US on the issue.

Kyiv reiterated that the plant remains sovereign Ukrainian territory.

US President Donald Trump expressed disappointment in Putin and said his administration plans measures to reduce casualties in the war, while warning of possible new sanctions if peace talks stall.

Trump, who met Putin in Alaska in August and later hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has floated land-swapping as part of a settlement, an idea Ukraine firmly rejects.

Zelenskyy said Russia is building up forces on parts of the frontline and continues heavy drone strikes, with more than 150 launched overnight. He accused Moscow of undermining peace efforts and using Putin’s visit to Beijing to deflect blame for the war.

Russia currently occupies about a fifth of Ukraine, and no direct Putin-Zelenskyy talks have been scheduled despite Trump’s push for a leaders’ meeting.

 

Kim Jong Un Arrives in Beijing to Join Xi and Putin at Military Parade

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrived in Beijing by train on Tuesday to attend a military parade with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, marking his first participation in a major multilateral event since taking power in 2011.

The parade, commemorating the 80th anniversary of World War II’s end, is expected to highlight three-way unity against the United States, though no trilateral summit has been confirmed.

Kim, accompanied by senior officials and his daughter Kim Ju Ae, is expected to hold bilateral meetings with Xi and Putin while seeking to restore ties with China and expand his diplomatic profile. South Korea’s intelligence service said Kim may stand alongside Xi and Putin at Tiananmen Square and will likely receive protocol equal to Putin’s.

North Korea has deepened its alignment with Russia by sending troops and workers in exchange for military and economic aid, but experts say Kim also hopes to repair relations with China, its largest trading partner. His visit comes as he continues advancing missile development at home, including work on a next-generation intercontinental ballistic missile designed to evade U.S. defenses.

 

Sources: News Agencies