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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the past 24 hours. Here’s today’s news:
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR — U.S. RESPONSE
President Trump yesterday accused Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of prolonging the “killing field” and described Zelenskyy’s rejection of any peace deal that would involve ceding territory to Moscow as “inflammatory.” Trump added that he thinks the proposal is on the verge of acceptance by Russian President Vladimir Putin and “it’s harder” to “deal with Zelenskyy.” Vice President JD Vance called the U.S. deal “a very fair proposal” and warned the United States may “walk away from this process” if Russia and Ukraine do not agree to it. Illia Novikov, Aamer Madhani, and Jill Lawless report for AP News; David E. Sanger, Michael D. Shear, and Mark Landler report for the New York Times.
Reports that the White House is debating lifting sanctions on Russia’s Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline and other Russian assets in Europe are “totally fictitious” and “irresponsible,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said in a statement. POLITICO’s sources alleged such ideas formed part of discussions on how to approach the Ukraine peace negotiations. Ben Lefebvre and Felicia Schwartz report.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
A major Russian strike killed at least eight and injured more than 70 people in Ukraine’s Kyiv overnight, mayor Vitali Klitschko said. The attack was the biggest on the Ukrainian capital this year. Zelenskyy today announced he would cut short his official trip to South Africa and return to Kyiv in the wake of the strikes. Vasilisa Stepanenko and Samya Kullab report for AP News; Yurii Kovalenko reports for Reuters.
GLOBAL AFFAIRS
India yesterday blamed an attack that killed 26 in the Kashmir region on what it described as Pakistan’s “support for terrorism” on Indian soil and announced a series of retaliatory measures, suspending its participation in a water treaty governing the flow of rivers between the two countries, closing the only land border crossing between two countries, and downgrading their diplomatic ties. Pakistan today retaliated by canceling visas for Indian nationals, closing its airspace for Indian airlines, and suspending all trade with India. Mujib Mashal and Suhasini Raj report for the New York Times; Shivam Patel and Fayaz Bukhari report for Reuters; Aijaz Hussain and Sheikh Saaliq report for AP News.
The Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda-backed M23 rebels yesterday announced they had agreed to a temporary truce in eastern Congo, lasting “until the conclusion” of peace talks mediated by Qatar. Wycliffe Muia reports for BBC News.
Bosnian state security officers yesterday unsuccessfully tried to arrest Milorad Dodik, the pro-Russian leader of the Republika Srpska entity, according to a spokesperson for Bosnia’s State Investigation and Security Agency. Bosnian courts issued an arrest warrant for Dodik in March in connection with his separatist policies. AP News reports.
South Korean prosecutors today indicted former President Moon Jae-in on a bribery charge, making Moon the country’s latest ex-leader to face a criminal trial. Moon’s lawyers and Democratic Party allies disputed the charge. Choe Sang-Hun reports for the New York Times.
Jordan will enforce a ban on the activities of the Muslim Brotherhood, the kingdom’s interior ministry said yesterday, linking last week’s arrest of 16 people over plotting threats to Jordan’s national security to “elements” of the Islamist group. Rana F. Sweis and Vivian Nereim report for the New York Times.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
Germany, France, and Britain yesterday urged the Israeli government to end its “intolerable” blockade on aid, pointing to Israel’s international law obligations and warning of “an acute risk of starvation, epidemic disease and death” if Israel does not “immediately re-start a rapid and unimpeded flow of humanitarian aid” to Gaza. Abbie Cheeseman reports for the Washington Post.
In an unprecedented set of remarks, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas yesterday called on Hamas to release the hostages to “block [Israel’s] justifications” for the “genocide that the Gaza Strip is being subjected to.” Abbas also called on Hamas to “refrain from carrying arms” and transform into “a political party that operates according to the laws of the Palestinian state.” Ibrahim Dahman, Pauline Lockwood, and Oren Liebermann report for CNN.
An Israeli strike on a school-turned-shelter for displaced families in Gaza killed ten people and set fire to tents and classrooms yesterday, according to medics. Israel said it targeted militants operating from within the complex. Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Dawoud Abu Alkas report for Reuters.
U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS
The Trump administration is considering rolling back its tariffs on Chinese imports, in some cases by more than a half, to de-escalate trade tensions with Beijing, sources say. Trump has not yet made a final determination on the issue and several options are on the table, sources add. While signalling it was open to trade talks, Beijing warned yesterday that it would not negotiate under continued threats from the White House. Gavin Bade, Lingling Wir, Josh Dawsey, and Alex Leary report for the Wall Street Journal.
The International Monetary Fund “devotes disproportionate time and resources to work on climate change, gender, and social issues,” and the World Bank must “demonstrate tangible value for all member countries,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said yesterday during a speech on the sidelines of the two organizations’ spring meetings. Alan Rappeport reports for the New York Times.
Direct U.S.-Beijing talks on tackling the fentanyl epidemic continue despite the trade tensions between the two countries, but are “at an impasse,” according to U.S. officials. Michael Martina reports for Reuters.
Global aid funding cuts, led by the United States, are causing as much disruption to efforts to vaccinate children as the Covid-19 pandemic, the WHO and UNICEF said today in a joint release with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. Jennifer Rigby reports for Reuters.
U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), the No. 2 Senate Democrat and the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday announced he will not run for reelection next year. Theodoric Meyer and Hannah Knowles report for the Washington Post.
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) yesterday said that he is seeking records concerning allegations that Trump’s nominee to lead the Customs and Border Protection agency, Rodney Scott, improperly intervened in the criminal probe into the death of an undocumented immigrant in federal custody. Maria Sacchetti reports for the Washington Post.
The federal government owes the state of North Dakota nearly $28 million for the state’s policing of protests of the Dakota Access oil pipeline in 2016 and 2017, a federal judge ruled yesterday. Jack Dura reports for AP News.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had the unclassified Signal messaging app installed on a desktop computer in his Pentagon office so that he could send and receive instant messages in a space where personal cellphones are not permitted, sources say. It is unclear how widely the app’s use proliferated across the Pentagon or whether its use complied with federal records laws, the sources added. Dan Lamothe reports for the Washington Post.
Trump yesterday signed seven executive orders that included a directive to “repeal or amend” Title VI regulations, a civil rights enforcement tool used to identify and fight measures with discriminatory effects, and an order to overhaul the college accreditation system. Danielle Douglas-Gabriel, Susan Svrluga, and Laura Meckler report for the Washington Post.
The Trump administration’s approach to terminating Biden-era climate funds is “believed to have significant legal vulnerabilities,” a veteran career attorney warned the Environmental Protection Agency staff in an internal email days before EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin terminated the grants last month, according to emails obtained by POLITICO. Alex Guillén reports.
Attorney General Pam Bondi on Tuesday directed the Justice Department employees to enforce the Trump administration’s policies restricting gender-affirming care for minors, according to a copy of Bondi’s memo reviewed by CNN. Casey Gannon and Evan Perez report.
About 20% of Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) permanent workers are expected to take a voluntary buyout offered as a DOGE staff reduction effort, sources say. According to a FEMA official, several senior leaders are expected to leave the agency as part of the buyout. Gabe Cohen reports for CNN.
DOGE is shutting down the Millennium Challenge Corporation, a Congress-established bipartisan foreign aid agency that partners with developing countries to promote economic growth, according to a Tuesday email obtained by POLITICO. Ben Johansen reports.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION
A federal judge yesterday ordered the Trump administration to facilitate the return of a 20-year-old Venezuelan man deported to El Salvador whose removal violated a previous court settlement and to not remove other individuals covered by the settlement. Katherine Faulders, James Hill, and Laura Romero report for ABC News.
A dozen states yesterday filed a legal challenge arguing that Trump has no power to “arbitrarily impose tariffs as he has done” and contending that the latest trade measures should be blocked as only Congress has the power to legislate tariffs. David W. Chen reports for the New York Times.
A federal judge yesterday agreed to give the Trump administration another week to provide answers to detailed questions about the unlawful deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia to El Salvador, stating that the extension order was made “with the agreement of the parties.” Ben Finley reports for AP News.
Attorneys representing the Homeland Security Department yesterday argued that the DHS did not violate a court order limiting when people may be deported to countries other than their own because the deportations were carried out by the Defense Department, not the DHS, and the Defense Department was not a defendant in the lawsuit to whom the order would apply. Rebecca Boone reports for AP News.
A federal judge yesterday pressed a DOJ lawyer for information on the penalties and the deals the Trump administration struck with law firms hoping to avoid punitive orders, appearing skeptical of the lawfulness of the President’s actions. Mark Berman reports for the Washington Post.
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