April 14, 2025

MIDDLE EAST | Updates from regional conflicts:

• Palestinian health officials say at least 21 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes across Gaza yesterday, including at the Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City, where administrators say the emergency room, pharmacy, and surrounding buildings were severely damaged and the care of more than 100 patients was affected. [more]
• Yemen's Houthi rebel group says at least six people were killed, and 26 others were wounded, in suspected U.S. airstrikes overnight on the capital city of Sanaa. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 1145 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here is your update:

• Ukrainian officials say Russia struck the northeastern Ukraine city of Sumy with two ballistic missiles yesterday, killing at least 34 people and wounding at least 117 others. Reports note that the attack, which allegedly used cluster munitions, hit the city's central region as residents gathered to celebrate Palm Sunday. [more]

U.S. DEPORTATIONS | In a court update filed yesterday, Justice Department attorneys said the Trump administration is not required to work with El Salvador to secure the return to the U.S. of a Maryland man mistakenly sent to a prison for suspected terrorists in El Salvador. The DOJ assertion came despite a Supreme Court ruling last week that upheld a lower court order that the government "facilitate" the return of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia while also giving "due regard for the deference owed to the Executive Branch in the conduct of foreign affairs." [more]

U.S. TARIFFS | After China announced retaliatory tariffs of 125% on U.S. goods last week, President Donald Trump announced a temporary tariff exemption for imported smartphones, computers, and other electronics. World stock indices are generally up today on the exemption move, as are U.S. stock futures ahead of Monday's opening. Reports note, however, that Trump administration officials emphasized over the weekend that the electronics tariff exemption is only temporary and are expected to be re-implemented in some form "in the not distant future." [more]

PENNSYLVANIA | Gov. Josh Shapiro, his family, and guests were evacuated from the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion early Sunday following a suspected case of arson that caused significant fire damage to the residence. Pennsylvania state police have arrested one suspect, Cody Balmer, 38, of Harrisburg, in connection with the incident, and officials say Balmer is expected to face charges including attempted murder, terrorism, and attempted arson. [more]

U.S. PRESS FREEDOM | Following a Sunday evening broadcast of CBS' "60 Minutes" that contained stories he felt were unfairly critical to him, President Donald Trump called for the network to "pay a big price" and for the Federal Communications Commission to impose fines and punishment for what he called CBS' "unlawful and illegal behavior." [more]

U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT | The Associated Press cites an internal State Department memo distributed on Friday to all U.S. diplomatic missions as inviting Department staff to report any perceived discriminatory actions taken against Christians or other religious discriminatory conduct during the Biden administration. The memo, according to the AP, says such discriminatory actions could include formal or informal actions taken against a person because they requested religious accommodation regarding vaccines or religious holidays and pressure to "participate in events and activities that promoted themes inconsistent with or hostile to one’s religious beliefs, including policies or practices related to preferred personal pronouns." [more]

U.S. POLITICS | An estimated 36,000 people attended a "Fight Oligarchy" rally in Los Angeles, California, on Saturday, at which Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders and Democratic U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez criticized the political, economic, and social policies of President Donald Trump and said that the United States is facing a period of "extraordinary danger." [more]

NEW YORK | Federal investigators say it is too early to tell if reduced visibility from weather conditions was a factor in the Saturday crash of a private plane in upstate New York in which six people were killed. A full accident report is expected within 12-24 months, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. [more]

U.S. AND E.U. | Amidst strained political and economic relations, reports say the European Commission, in a move similar to ones usually reserved for areas such as China and Russia, is issuing burner phones and basic laptops to European Union officials traveling to the International Monetary Fund and World Bank spring meetings in the U.S. next week over concerns of possible U.S. government surveillance and espionage. [more]

GLOBAL SHIPPING EMISSIONS | Member nations of the International Maritime Organization on Friday approved the imposition of a minimum fee of $100 for every ton of greenhouse gases emitted by ships above certain thresholds. The measure, which is estimated to bring in $11 billion to $13 billion in revenue annually from the fees, is expected to be formally adopted in October and to take effect in 2027. [more]

WORLD EXPO | Some 180 countries, regions, and organizations are taking part in the six-month Expo 2025 Osaka, which officially opened yesterday on Yumeshima island in Japan's Osaka Bay with the theme of "Designing Future Society for Our Lives." [more]

ECUADOR | With 92% of ballots counted, Ecuador's National Electoral Council says incumbent President Daniel Noboa was re-elected yesterday, having received 55.8% of the vote. Reports note that voting is mandatory for adults aged 18-65 in the South American country, with those not voting being subject to a $46 fine. [more]

AFGHANISTAN | Just days after four men were executed by firing squad at sports stadiums in three separate Afghan provinces after having been found guilty of murder, the country's Taliban leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, said yesterday that executions are part of Islam and that God has commanded people to "enforce his punishments." [more]

HUNGARY | Hungarian lawmakers are expected to approve a constitutional amendment today that would permanently codify a ban on public events held by LGBTQ+ communities and allow authorities to use facial recognition tools to identify individuals that attend prohibited events. [more]

CONGO | Congolese authorities say at least 50 people were killed over the weekend in a continuation of fierce fighting between government forces and Rwanda-backed M23 rebels in the African nation's eastern regions surrounding the city of Goma. [more]

SOUTH KOREA | The criminal insurrection trial of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol begins today in Seoul. Prosecutors charge that Yoon, who was impeached and removed from office, "made it impossible for constitutional institutions to exercise their authority" through his short-lived imposition of martial law last December. [more]

GREECE | A new extremist group calling itself the Revolutionary Class Struggle claimed responsibility yesterday for a bomb that exploded Friday evening near the offices of Greece’s main railway services operator. The group also claimed responsibility for planting a bomb near the Labor Ministry in February, and said its actions were part of an armed struggle against the state. [more]

SOCIAL MEDIA | An anti-trust trial of Facebook parent company Meta opens today in Washington, DC, with the social media giant accused of building an illegal social networking monopoly through years of anticompetitive conduct. Reports say the company could be forced to sell off its Instagram and WhatsApp products if found guilty in the case. [more]

GOLF | Rory McIlroy beat Justin Rose in a playoff yesterday to win the 2025 Masters tournament at Augusta National and join Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods as the only players to have ever won the men's modern Career Grand Slam. [more]

WEEKEND MOVIES | "A Minecraft Movie" topped the North American box office over the weekend with an estimated $80.6 million in receipts, followed by "The King of Kings" and "The Amateur." [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1865, just after the effective end of the American Civil War, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln was shot and mortally wounded in Washington, D.C., by John Wilkes Booth while attending a production of the play “Our American Cousin” at Ford's Theatre.  [more history]