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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. IMMIGRATION DEVELOPMENTS
Commenting on the case of a Maryland man who was wrongly deported from the United States, El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele yesterday said “do[es] not have the power to return him to the United States,” in an Oval Office press conference with President Trump. Bukele said that returning the man would amount to “smuggling a terrorist” into the United States. Attorney General Pam Bondi said it’s “up to El Salvador” whether to return the man. Justice Department attorneys referred to Bukele’s remarks in their court-ordered daily update on the efforts to return Abrego Garcia. Zolan Kanno-Youngs reports for the New York Times; Kyle Cheney, Josh Gerstein, and Hassan Ali Kanu report for POLITICO.
Immigration authorities yesterday detained Mohsen Mahdawi, a Columbia University student activist and a green card holder, when he attended a naturalization appointment at a federal office building, according to a filing his attorney submitted to block Mahdawi’s transfer to an out-of-state detention facility. Ali Bianco reports for POLITICO.
White House aide Stephen Miller yesterday contradicted sworn declarations made by Trump administration officials about Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s deportation, claiming that “nobody was mistakenly deported anywhere” and that the DOJ lawyers who said in court filings that the removal was an error had made a mistake. Rebecca Beitsch reports for the Hill.
U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS
The White House will ask Congress to cancel $9.3 billion in funds already approved for foreign aid initiatives, public broadcasting, and other programs, a White House official has confirmed. The cuts are expected to target the State Department, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. Institute of Peace, and the funding assistance to PBS and NPR. Jennifer Scholtes and Megan Messerly report for POLITICO.
The Trump administration has proposed cutting the budget of the State Department and USAID by almost half, with humanitarian assistance, global health, and international organizations funds facing significant cuts, according to an internal memo seen by the Washington Post. Adam Taylor and John Hudson report.
The European Commission is issuing burner phones and basic laptops to some staffers travelling to the United States to avoid the risk of espionage, sources say. Similar measures were previously applied mainly to trips to China and Ukraine. Andy Bounds reports for the Financial Times.
The second round of the U.S.-Iran nuclear program talks will take place in Oman, Iran’s state news agency IRNA quoted a foreign ministry spokesperson as saying. Earlier reports suggested that the Trump administration wants follow-up talks to be held in Rome. Reuters reports; Barak Ravid reports for Axios.
The Commerce Department yesterday announced it plans to impose a nearly 21% tariff on most tomatoes from Mexico in the summer, withdrawing from a 2019 trade agreement on the issue. Filip Timotija reports for the Hill.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed a special envoy to the U.S. in an effort to ease tensions between the two countries. Khanyisile Ngcobo reports for BBC News.
Beijing’s imposition of export restrictions on a wide range of critical minerals and magnets poses a risk to U.S. national security, with the Pentagon and U.S. defense industry heavily reliant on the supply of rare earths mined or processed in China, according to industry and defense experts. Helene Cooper reports for the New York Times.
HOUTHI DEVELOPMENTS
Pro-government militias in Yemen are planning a ground offensive targeting the Houthis to try to take advantage of the U.S. bombing campaign degrading the group’s capabilities, according to Yemeni and U.S. officials. Private U.S. security contractors advised the factions on the operation after the United Arab Emirates, which supports the groups, raised the plan with U.S. officials in recent weeks, the officials added. Benoit Faucon, Nancy A. Youssef, and Saleh al-Batati report for the Wall Street Journal.
SYRIA
Saudi Arabia plans to pay off Syria’s debts to the World Bank, sources say. Syria presently has around $15 million in arrears that must be paid off before the World Bank can approve new grants and other forms of assistance. Timour Azhari, Suleiman Al-Khalidi, and Pesha Magid report for Reuters.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
Russia yesterday claimed its missile attack that killed at least 34 in the city centre of Ukraine’s Sumy on Palm Sunday targeted a gathering of senior Ukrainian military officers. Moscow did not provide evidence supporting its claims. Separately, Ukraine’s Air Force said another Russian missile and guided bombs targeted Sumy late yesterday, with no casualties reported. Lorne Cook reports for AP News; Reuters reports.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov yesterday said it is “not easy to agree” on the key parts of a Ukraine war ceasefire agreement with the United States, adding the peace deal is “being discussed.” Reuters reports.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR — U.S. RESPONSE
Trump yesterday described the conflict between Ukraine and Russia as “Biden’s war” and blamed former President Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “for allowing this travesty to begin.” In a later comment, he also added that Russian President Vladimir Putin “should have never started” the war. Brett Samuels reports for the Hill.
Rep. Greg Meeks (NY), the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, yesterday introduced legislation that would provide security and reconstruction funding for Ukraine and impose steep sanctions on Russia, according to a copy of the bill seen by Reuters. Patricia Zengerle reports.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
The latest round of Cairo-mediated talks to restore the Gaza ceasefire and free Israeli hostages ended with no apparent breakthrough, Palestinian and Egyptian sources said yesterday. Hamas later said it was studying a proposal it received from mediators and that it would send a delegation to Qatar to continue indirect ceasefire talks. Nidal Al-Mughrabi, Maayan Lubell, and Hatem Khaled report for Reuters; Wafaa Shurafa and Samy Magdy report for AP News.
Conditions at Gaza hospitals are “beyond description,” a World Health Organization spokesperson has told BBC News, adding that the organization was seeing “attack after attack” on hospitals and healthcare workers amid medical supplies reaching critically low levels. David Gritten reports.
GLOBAL AFFAIRS
More than 400 people have been killed in recent attacks by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan’s Darfur region, a U.N. has said, citing “credible sources.” The attacks also displaced up to 400,000 people from Sudan’s Zamzam camp, according to data from the U.N.’s International Organization for Migration. Danai Nesta Kupemba reports for the BBC News; Reuters reports.
Diplomats and aid officials from around the world will meet in London today in an effort to relieve the humanitarian crisis in Sudan, described by the U.N. as the world’s worst. Neither the Sudanese military nor the RSF has been invited to the summit. Jill Lawless reports for AP News.
The EU yesterday unveiled a financial aid package of up to 1.6 billion euros ($1.8 billion) to support the Palestinian Authority and fund projects in the occupied West Bank, Jerusalem, and Gaza. AP News reports.
Gabon’s junta leader Brice Oligui Nguema secured a commanding win in the weekend’s presidential election, turning the page on more than half a century of Bongo family rule in the country. Gerauds Wilfried Obangome and Ngouda Dione report for Reuters.
U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
Five former prosecutors who worked on criminal cases related to the 2021 Capitol riot have urged the D.C. Bar’s Office of Disciplinary Counsel to open an investigation into Ed Martin, who Trump nominated to be the district’s top prosecutor. In a letter filed Sunday, the prosecutors allege Martin violated several professional rules while serving as the interim U.S. attorney for D.C. Devan Cole and Jamie Gangel report for CNN.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS
Trump yesterday indicated he would be open to sending U.S. citizens who are “violent criminals” to El Salvador prisons, adding that Attorney General Pam Bondi is “studying” the laws to determine whether the move would be lawful. Legal experts say that if implemented, the move would be illegal. Brett Samuels reports for the Hill.
Government officials yesterday announced they would freeze $2.2 billion in multiyear federal grants to Harvard University, along with a $60 million contract, after Harvard said it would not comply with the Trump administration’s demands and described them as going “beyond [the administration’s] lawful authority.” Vimal Patel reports for the New York Times.
The Internal Revenue Service’s Chief Information Officer, Rajiv Uppal, yesterday told his staff he would resign effective later this month, according to an email seen by Reuters. Earlier this month, the acting IRS head, as well as the chief risk, privacy, and financial officers have likewise announced their resignations. Nathan Layne and Tim Reid report.
The Department of Commerce yesterday confirmed it has opened investigations into the effects of importing certain pharmaceuticals and semiconductors on national security, in a likely prelude to initiating tariffs on prescription drugs and electronic chips. Nathaniel Weixel reports for the Hill.
The area of land Trump is turning over to the U.S. military would be controlled as part of a military base, according to U.S. officials. The move likely represents an attempt by the Trump administration to get around a federal law that prohibits U.S. troops from being used in domestic law enforcement. Tara Copp and Lolita C. Baldor report for AP News.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION
The White House barred a reporter and photographer from the Associated Press from the Trump-Bukele Oval Office news conference yesterday, despite a federal court decision that prohibits the Trump administration from punishing the AP for refusing to rename the Gulf of Mexico. David Bauder reports for AP News.
The Liberty Justice Center yesterday filed a lawsuit before the U.S. Court of International Trade on behalf of a group of U.S. businesses arguing that the tariffs announced by the Trump administration are illegal under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. Matthew Kaufman reports for CNN.
A federal judge yesterday temporarily blocked the Trump administration from ending parole and the right-to-work program for over half a million immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, ruling the migrants can remain in the United States while a challenge against the move proceeds. Filip Timotija reports for the Hill.
The Protect Democracy Project nonprofit yesterday sued the Trump administration over allegedly breaching federal law by taking a public spending database overseen by the Office of Management and Budget offline “without explanation” last month. Aris Folley reports for the Hill.
The ACLU yesterday brought a new challenge to Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act to carry out summary deportations, seeking an order temporarily restraining the administration from deporting migrants detained in Colorado. Zach Schonfeld reports for the Hill.
Several international students who had their visas revoked in recent weeks have filed challenges to the revocations, arguing the government lacked a justification to terminate their legal status and denied them due process. Annie Ma reports for AP News.
The federal government appears to have based its decision to deport Columbia student activist Mahmoud Khalil in part on unverified tabloid articles or erroneous information, according to an NBC News review of the documents submitted by the federal government and Khalil’s team in proceedings challenging his removal. Chloe Atkins reports.
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