April 17, 2025

MIDDLE EAST | Updates from regional conflicts:

• The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says Gaza is "now likely facing the worst humanitarian crisis in the 18 months since the escalation of hostilities in October 2023," with the Palestinian enclave's 2 million residents now relying for food on the approximately 1 million prepared meals produced daily by charity kitchens supported by aid groups. [more]
• Egyptian officials say their country's revenue from the Suez Canal fell to $3.991 billion in 2024 – down from a record high of $10.25 billion in 2023. Government officials attribute the almost two-thirds drop in revenue to regional tensions and wars in the Middle East that have impacted traffic through the canal. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 1148 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here is your update:

• French President Emmanuel Macron is hosting top Ukrainian officials, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. presidential envoy Steve Witkoff, and others in Paris today for a series of talks about Ukraine, its security, and potential paths toward achieving a ceasefire in its war with Russia. [more]

U.S. ECONOMY | U.S. stock indices fell yesterday following Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell's statements warning that Trump administration trade and tariff policies risked pushing inflation and employment further from the central bank's goals. President Trump criticized Powell's remarks, saying the Fed should have lowered interest rates long ago and that Powell is "always too late and wrong." [more]

U.S. DEPORTATIONS | U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg said yesterday that he has found probable cause to hold the Trump administration in criminal contempt of court for violating his recent orders to turn around planes carrying deportees suspected of gang membership to an El Salvador prison under the Alien Enemies Act. In his finding, Boasberg said "The Constitution does not tolerate willful disobedience of judicial orders," and warned that he could potentially refer the matter for prosecution if the administration does not act to remedy the violation. [full finding] [more]

MORE U.S. DEPORTATIONS | Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen says he was refused permission to meet with deported Maryland immigrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia on a visit to El Salvador yesterday. Reports say continued refusal by both the U.S. and Salvadoran governments to facilitate the return of Abrego Garcia to the U.S. despite court orders to do so raises concerns over his wellbeing. [more]

NEW YORK | Interior Secretary Doug Burgum directed the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management yesterday to halt construction on the Empire Wind power project off the coast of New York, saying it appeared that approval of the offshore wind power project, federal leases for which were finalized during the first Trump administration, were rushed by the Biden administration. [more]

PUERTO RICO | Nearly all of Puerto Rico was hit with a power outage yesterday, with some 1.4 million customers without power and 328,000 customers left without running water. Authorities say power had been restored to about 12% of customers by late last night and that investigations into the cause of the outage continue. [more]

U.S. HIGHER EDUCATION | In the ongoing Trump administration effort to force Harvard University to align its policies with administration priorities, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has reportedly threatened to ban the school from enrolling foreign students. The new move follows the freezing of some $2.2 billion in federal grants and contracts with Harvard and President Trump's threat to revoke the school's tax-exempt status. [more]

U.S. ENDANGERED SPECIES | In a newly proposed rule, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service proposes changing the definition of "harm" in the context of the Endangered Species Act to not include altering or destroying the places in which endangered species live. Reports cite opponents to the rule as saying it could lead to the extinction of critically endangered species due to logging, mining, development, and other activities. [proposed rule] [more]

U.S. EMPLOYMENT | Labor Department data released today show that initial claims for unemployment benefits fell by 9,000 to 215,000 in the week ended April 12, and that ongoing claims rose to 1.89 million for the week ended April 5. [more]

U.S. EDUCATION | U.S. Sen. Patty Murray's office cites an analysis of federal data as showing that early education Head Start centers across the U.S. have received nearly $1 billion less in federal funding so far this year compared to the same period last year, and says the decreased funding has caused some preschool classrooms for low-income children to close. [more]

U.S. TAX FILING | The Associated Press cites unnamed government sources as saying the Trump administration plans to eliminate the Internal Revenue Service's Direct File program, an electronic system for filing tax returns directly to the agency for free. Reports note that the IRS announced last May that the program was being made permanent after being rolled out as a pilot program in 2024. [more]

WORLD PANDEMIC TREATY | Reports say World Health Organization member countries have reached an agreement on a draft "pandemic treaty" that is expected to be adopted next month at the WHO's annual meeting in Geneva. The treaty, which comes five years after the COVID-19 pandemic triggered national lockdowns, economic uncertainty, and killed millions, sets guidelines for international responses to future global health crises. Of note, the United States, following President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the country from the WHO, did not participate in the talks and is not expected to sign the treaty. [more]

SERBIA | Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said yesterday that his country will go forward with its participation in Russia's World War II victory commemoration parade next month in Moscow despite pressure from European Union officials, who say the move could jeopardize Serbia's declared E.U. membership ambitions. [more]

COLOMBIA | Health officials in Colombia have declared a nationwide emergency due to an ongoing outbreak of yellow fever in the South American country in which at least 34 people have died out of 74 confirmed cases of the disease. [more]

TUNISIA | A new report from Human Rights Watch concludes that the government of Tunisia has significantly expanded the use of politically motivated arrests and prosecutions to intimidate and silence critics of President Kais Saied and his government, particularly targeting lawyers, judges, journalists, and activists. [press release] [full report] [more]

TURKEY | Turkish officials say thousands of police officers took part in dawn operations across the capital city of Ankara today in what has been termed the biggest narcotics operation in the country's history. Reports say police targeted 625 addresses in the operation and detained 525 suspected drug dealers. [more]

MYANMAR | State-run media reports that Myanmar’s military government has granted amnesty to about 4,900 prisoners to mark the country’s traditional new year. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, an independent organization that keeps detailed data on arrests and casualties linked to Myanmar's political conflicts, says those released included at least 22 political detainees. [more]

EUROPEAN ECONOMY | Amidst ongoing economic uncertainty over U.S. tariffs, the European Central Bank cut its interest rate for the seventh time since June today, reducing the central bank's benchmark rate a quarter point to 2.25%. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1982, the Canada Act, also known as the Constitution Act, took effect, establishing certain individual rights, preserving parliamentary supremacy, and making Canada a wholly independent, fully sovereign state. [more history]