Tuesday morning news: September 2, 2025

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Ukraine latest » Vladimir Putin is not living up to his word.

That from U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

BESSENT: President Putin, since the historic meeting in Anchorage, since the phone call when the European leaders and President Zelenskyy were in the White House--the following Monday--has done the opposite of following through on what he indicated he wanted to do.

He characterized recent Russian attacks on Ukraine as despicable and said President Trump is considering all manner of responses.

Meanwhile, the European Union is accusing Russia of a cyberattack on an EU official's plane. Spokeswoman Arianna Podesta said the Kremlin intentionally jammed the navigational systems of a plane carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

PODESTA: We can indeed confirm that there was GPS jamming, but the plane landed safely in Bulgaria. We have received information from the Bulgarian authorities that they suspect that this was due to blatant interference by Russia.

Bulgaria issued a statement saying that “the aircraft's GPS navigation was disrupted as the aircraft approached the airport.”

The Kremlin denies any involvement.

Von Der Leyen is a fierce critic of Russia's war with Ukraine and of Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Guatemalan children » The Trump administration is blasting a federal judge's ruling in another matter.

District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan on Sunday issued a temporary restraining order halting the deportation of 10 migrant children from Guatemala. She said the government cannot return the children to their home countries without a deportation order.

All of the children are unaccompanied minors who do not have parents in the United States.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche says the U.S. government has.

BLANCHE:  Working with the Guatemalan government for over a month to identify children who were smuggled into this country, away from their parents who are now sitting in foster homes and orphanages around this country to send them back to their parents.

But the judge says the government must prove that is in fact the case.

The court order could ultimately affect hundreds more — by some estimates, around 600 children — now in federal custody.

Maduro’s remarks » Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro says he would declare a “republic in arms” if the U.S. takes military action in Venezuela.

At a news conference on Monday, he called a nearby US military buildup in the Caribbean—his words—unjustifiable, immoral, and absolutely criminal.

MADURO: [Speaking in Spanish]

He also called it the greatest threat his country has faced in a hundred years. But at whom is that threat actually aimed?

The U.S. government says it is the cartels within Venezuela that should be worried. The Pentagon says it is a “counter-narcotics operation” aimed at disrupting drug trafficking networks and routes.

U.S.-Venezuela tensions » But the U.S. military buildup, along with other measures, may also be a threat to Nicolás Maduro’s grip on power.

WORLD’s Benjamin Eicher has more.

BENJAMIN EICHER: The U.S., like many other nations, says that after multiple rigged elections in Venezuela, Maduro is not the justly elected president, but an illegitimate dictator and “narco-terrorist.”

And the Department of Justice is offering a $50 million dollar reward for his arrest.

There are no indications that President Trump plans to order a military invasion to oust Maduro by force. But analysts say that with the arrest reward, along with targeting his financial networks, sanctions, and shows of force, the U.S. may be working to make Maduro's hold on power unsustainable.

Following Venezuela’s last presidential election just over a year ago Maduro once again claimed victory, despite a mountain of evidence indicating he had lost.

For WORLD, I’m Benjamin Eicher.

SOUND: [Helicopter]

Afghanistan quake » In eastern Afghanistan, a military helicopter airlifting a group of Afghans to safety after a powerful earthquake that has killed more than 800 people and injured thousands.

Many desperate residents are searching for missing loved ones in the rubble.

VILLAGER: [Speaking in Pashto]

One man said his entire village was destroyed, and that children and elders were still trapped under the debris. And he added, “We need urgent help.”

The 6.0-magnitude quake struck late Sunday. A Taliban government spokesman said most of the casualties are in Kunar province, near the border with Pakistan.

Rescue operations are underway, with medical teams arriving from Kabul and other parts of the country. The quake, however, has worsened communications in the mountainous region, making rescue efforts challenging.

I'm Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: conflict in the Middle East is spilling over Israel’s borders. Plus, the music of hope from despair.

This is The World and Everything in It.

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