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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the past 24 hours. Here’s today’s news:
U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS
President Trump yesterday unveiled expansive tariffs on dozens of the United States’ trading partners in a move likely to ripple through the global economy and affect domestic prices. China described the tariffs as “unilateral bullying” that will be met with countermeasures, while the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Europeans “feel let down by our oldest ally” and vowed the bloc would respond. Ana Swanson and Tony Romm report for the New York Times; Seb Starcevic and Camille Hijs report for POLITICO; David Pierson reports for the New York Times.
The Senate yesterday passed a resolution against Trump’s tariffs on Canadian imports, with Republican Sens. Susan Collins (ME), Mitch McConnell (KY) Lisa Murkowski (AK) and Rand Paul (KY) joining Democrats in supporting the measure. Alexander Bolton reports for the Hill.
The White House is seriously considering Iran’s proposal for indirect nuclear talks, while building up forces in the Middle East in case Trump opts for military strikes, U.S. officials say. Barak Ravid reports for Axios.
The United States yesterday sanctioned an alleged network of financial facilitators, procurement operatives and companies that helped procure arms and other transfers to Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, the Treasury announced. Filip Timotija reports for the Hill.
Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren (MA), Christopher Coons (DE), Tim Kaine (VA), Tammy Duckworth (IL), Chris Van Hollen (MD), and Jeffrey Merkley (OR) yesterday criticized what they described as the “paltry” U.S. response to the earthquake in Myanmar in a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. Edward Wong reports for the New York Times.
Nobel laureate, vocal Trump critic, and former Costa Rican president Óscar Arias Sánchez on Tuesday said the United States had revoked his visa, saying that no reason for the revocation was given. Yan Zhuang reports for the New York Times.
GLOBAL AFFAIRS
Hungary today announced it would begin the procedure for withdrawing from the International Criminal Court, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Budapest in defiance of the ICC’s international arrest warrant against him over his conduct of the war in Gaza. AP News reports.
Myanmar’s ruling military junta has announced a temporary ceasefire in its operations against armed opposition groups to aid recovery efforts in the wake of last Friday’s earthquake. According to Myanmar’s state-run television, the truce will last until April 22. Eve Brennan, and Kocha Olarn report for CNN.
Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik is in Moscow, according to a video message he posted on social media on Monday night. Sarajevo authorities last week requested an international arrest warrant for Dodik following his conviction for defying the country’s Constitutional Court and advancing a separatist agenda. Una Hajdari reports for POLITICO.
Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces paramilitary killed at least two people in intensifying attacks on a famine-stricken camp in North Darfur this week, officials and humanitarian organizations said. Fatma Khaled reports for AP News.
China’s new barge systems could help its army land large numbers of vehicles and troops in Taiwan, according to a study published late last month. Chris Buckley, Christoph Koettl, and Agnes Chang report for the New York Times.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
Israel is establishing a new security corridor across Gaza that will cut off the southern city of Rafah, Netanyahu announced yesterday, saying that Israel is “cutting up the strip” to pressure Hamas. Wafaa Shurafa and Isaac Scharf report for AP News.
Hamas will not respond or engage with Israel’s counter-proposal for a renewed Gaza ceasefire and remains committed to the mediators’ proposal, an official said yesterday. Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Jaidaa Ahmad report for Reuters.
Some of the 15 humanitarian workers whose bodies were recovered from a mass grave in Gaza were shot multiple times, with one of the dead paramedics found with his hands and feet tied, officials who recovered the bodies or carried out the autopsies said. The U.N., typically cautious about assigning blame, accused Israel of killing the workers. A survivor of the attack challenged Israel’s claim that the workers’ vehicles were moving suspiciously towards Israeli positions. Farnaz Fassihi reports for the New York Times; Dan Johnson reports for BBC News.
Hundreds of Palestinians yesterday rallied against Hamas in Gaza’s Beit Lahiya, as the militant group said that it would “not allow any party to spread chaos” following reports of a street killing of a Hamas police officer by a Palestinian family in central Gaza. Nidal Al-Mughrabi reports for Reuters.
SYRIA
Israeli overnight strikes on Syria killed nine people, wounded dozens, and destroyed an air base in Hama, according to Syria’s state news agency SANA and Damascus’ foreign ministry. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said that the airstrikes were a “warning” for Syria’s new leaders to not allow forces hostile to Israel to enter. Reuters reports.
HOUTHI DEVELOPMENTS
Suspected U.S. airstrikes killed at least six people across rebel-controlled areas of Yemen overnight yesterday, the Houthis said. Jon Gambrell reports for AP News.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
A Russian strike yesterday killed at least four civilians and injured 14 in the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih, officials said. Reuters reports.
U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
A federal judge yesterday permanently dismissed the criminal case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, denying the Justice Department’s request to refile the charges in the future while criticizing the DOJ’s rationale for abandoning the prosecution. Erica Orden reports for POLITICO.
Democrats will “very likely” file a lawsuit against Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott over his delay in calling the special election to fill a House seat vacant since the death of Rep. Sylvester Turner (D-TX) in early March, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said yesterday. Melanie Zanona, Ben Kamisar, Scott Wong, and Ryan Nobles report for NBC News.
TECH DEVELOPMENTS
California State Sen. Steve Padilla (D-San Diego) has introduced one of the first bills attempting to directly regulate children’s access to AI companions. Andrea Jiménez and Will Oremus report for the Washington Post.
In a paper released yesterday, Google DeepMind urges a renewed focus on long-term AI safety planning with better-than-human level AI (or AGI) now on many experts’ horizon. Ina Fried reports for Axios.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS
National Security Advisor Mike Waltz’s team “regularly” used “at least 20” Signal chats to coordinate official work on issues including Ukraine, China, Gaza, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe, according to sources included in the chats. Sensitive information was discussed in the chats, the sources added. Dasha Burns reports for POLITICO.
The CIA has withdrawn agency veteran Ralph Goff from consideration to serve as the agency’s Deputy Director, a position responsible for overseeing the agency’s covert activity and the gathering of human intelligence, sources say. Amy MacKinnon reports for POLITICO.
Trump yesterday announced he plans to nominate Stanley Woodward for Associate Attorney General, the third-highest Justice Department position. Woodward previously represented Trump’s co-defendant and personal aide Walt Nauta in the classified documents case. Perry Stein reports for the Washington Post.
At least seven federal agencies, including the Defense Department, Transportation Department, and the General Services Administration, are giving thousands of federal workers another chance to take up a deferred resignation offer, according to agency notices. Sophia Cai and Jake Traylor report for POLITICO.
Law firm Milbank will provide $100 million in pro bono legal services to causes supported by the Trump administration and not engage in “illegal D.E.I. discrimination,” Trump announced in a social media post yesterday. Milbank is the third big law firm to strike a deal with Trump to stave off an executive order that could impair its business. Matthew Goldstein reports for the New York Times.
The Homeland Security Department has cancelled federal grant programs for groups helping legal immigrants become U.S. citizens, the groups say. According to a senior DHS official, the decision was a response to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s directive to restrict funding to sanctuary cities. Tobi Raji reports for the Washington Post.
DOGE has asked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to cut $2.9 billion of its spending on contracts alongside the CDC’s extensive reductions in staff, sources say. Apoorva Mandavilli reports for the New York Times.
The head of the Wilson Center foreign policy think tank, Mark Green, resigned on Tuesday following visits from DOGE employees, sources say. The move is likely a sign of DOGE implementing Trump’s executive order that last month directed the nonpartisan policy group be largely dismantled. Aishvarya Kavi and Edward Wong report for the New York Times.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION
Trump’s pardons “plainly” did not cover Jan. 6 defendants’ crimes not related to the Capitol riot, a federal appeals court ruled yesterday while rejecting the DOJ’s claim that the pardons were broad enough to cover a conviction for illegal possession of weapons months after the riot. Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney report for POLITICO.
The ACLU yesterday filed a challenge alleging the National Institutes of Health’s “ongoing ideological purge of critical research projects” violates federal and constitutional law. Evan Bush reports for NBC News.
A University of Minnesota graduate student detained by immigration authorities has sued for his immediate release, arguing the authorities violated his rights and did not provide a reason for the arrest. Steve Karnowski reports for AP News.
A federal judge yesterday criticised the Trump administration for failing to offer proof of wrongdoing that would justify its move to claw back $20 billion in climate grants during a hearing and questioned whether the grant agreement was terminated lawfully. Alex Guillén reports for POLITICO.
U.S. immigration authorities moved a detained Turkish doctoral student to Vermont by the time a federal judge ordered authorities to keep her in Massachusetts, DOI lawyers said. The student’s attorneys called ICE’s “secretive” transfers of the student an “unlawful attempt to game the system.” Kathy McCormack and Michael Casey report for AP News.
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