April 29, 2025

UKRAINE | Today is day 1160 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here is your update:

• Responding to a three-day cease-fire declared by Russia for next week's Kremlin commemoration of the 80th anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, Ukrainian officials questioned yesterday why Moscow has refused calls for an immediate cease-fire lasting at least 30 days and called the Russian cease-fire plan a "manipulation." [more]

U.S. LAW ENFORCEMENT | A portion of a law enforcement-focused executive order signed by President Donald Trump yesterday includes a directive for the Attorney General and the Secretary of Defense, along with other federal agencies, to "increase the provision of excess military and national security assets in local jurisdictions to assist State and local law enforcement" and to "determine how military and national security assets, training, non-lethal capabilities, and personnel can most effectively be utilized to prevent crime." Analysts note that use of the U.S. military for domestic law enforcement is generally illegal under the Posse Comitatus Act, but that there are provisions for such use under the Insurrection Act and other declared emergency situations. [more] [full executive order] [Posse Comitatus Act Congressional Report]

U.S. CHURCH AND STATE | The U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments today on an Oklahoma Supreme Court ruling last year that blocked establishment of what would have been the state's first state-funded religious charter school. Opponents say allowing public money to flow directly to the St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School would blur the separation between church and state. [more]

CALIFORNIA | Public services in California's Los Angeles County are expected to be disrupted after more than 50,000 county workers began a two-day strike yesterday evening in response to failed negotiations over a new contract. [more]

U.S. MILITARY HONORS | The Congressional Gold Medal will be awarded today to the only Black, all-female U.S. military unit to serve in Europe during World War II. The 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, commonly known as the “Six Triple Eight,” has been credited with solving a growing military mail crisis during its operations in England during the war. [more]

ILLINOIS | Four young people between the ages of 4 and 18 were killed, and several others were injured, yesterday when a car smashed through a building hosting an after-school program in Chatham, Illinois. Authorities say it is not yet clear what led to the crash or whether it was intentional, and that the driver of the vehicle was hospitalized following the incident. [more]

U.S. EDUCATION | The U.S. Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services announced investigations yesterday into Harvard University and the Harvard Law Review amidst what Trump administration officials say are reports of race-based discrimination “permeating the operations” of the legal journal's membership and article selection practices. [more]

U.S. AND MEXICO | In a joint statement yesterday, the U.S. and Mexico announced that an agreement has been reached to continue, without renegotiation, a 1944 treaty under which Mexico provides water from six tributaries of the Rio Grande basin to Texas farmers along the two countries' shared border. [more]

CANADA | Preliminary results indicate that Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberal Party won Canada’s federal election yesterday, though it remains unclear if the party will win an outright majority of seats in parliament. In a victory speech late last night, Carney warned of the threat Canada faces from U.S. President Donald Trump, saying that the mutually beneficial system Canada and the U.S. had shared since World War II had ended and that "We are over the shock of the American betrayal, but we should never forget the lessons." [more]

INDIA AND PAKISTAN | Amidst rising tension sparked by the recent killing of 26 people in India-controlled Kashmir that Indian officials claim was carried out by Pakistan-backed militants, Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif suggested in an interview yesterday that a military incursion by neighboring India was imminent. [more]

MATERNAL AND NEWBORN HEALTH | A group of major philanthropies, including the Gates Foundation and the United Arab Emirates' Mohamed Bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity, launched the $500-million Beginnings Fund today with the aim of helping to save the lives and improve the outcomes of newborn babies and mothers in sub-Saharan Africa. [more]

SPAIN AND PORTUGAL | Emergency officials in Spain and Portugal say power has been restored to about 99% of their countries following yesterday's widespread electrical blackout that paralyzed transportations, disrupted communications, and shuttered businesses. Authorities say that while the cause of the blackout remains under investigation, no evidence points to a cyber-attack being responsible. [more]

EUROPEAN CITIZENSHIP | Saying the practice "essentially amounts to rendering the acquisition of nationality a mere commercial transaction," the European Court of Justice ruled yesterday that Malta must end its so-called 'golden passport' program that allows wealthy foreigners to buy citizenship and the resulting right to live and work in any E.U. country. [more]

GLOBAL ECONOMY | World stock indices are generally up today following reports that the Trump administration plans actions to reduce the impact of tariffs imposed on foreign parts in vehicles manufactured in the U.S. and to keep tariffs on vehicles made abroad from stacking up on other duties. [more]

BRAZIL | An order by Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Flávio Dino yesterday directs the federal government to seize private properties when owners are found to be responsible for illegal deforestation or wildfires and to seek compensation from landowners for illegal and intentional destruction. [more]

CHINA | Chinese media reports that at least 22 people were killed in a fire that broke out today in a restaurant in the northern China city of Liaoning. [more]

PAKISTAN | Two people were killed, and 56 others were injured, yesterday when a leaking oil tanker exploded along a road in the Naushki district of Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province. Authorities say the explosion took place as firefighters were attempting to suppress a fire on the tanker. [more]

SHIPPING INDUSTRY | United Parcel Service says it plans to cut up to 20,000 jobs and end more than 73 building leases amidst economic uncertainty and anticipation of lower shipment volumes from its largest customer, Amazon, sparked by increased U.S. tariffs. [more]

SPACE | Amazon launched its first tranche of 27 satellites for its Kuiper broadband internet constellation into low-Earth orbit yesterday. The company plans to eventually launch more than 3,000 satellites for its Project Kuiper, which analysts say is projected to be the first major competitor to SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet service. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1992, a jury in Simi Valley, California, acquitted four Los Angeles police officers charged with assault and using excessive force in the videotaped beating of motorist Rodney King. The verdicts were followed by days of rioting in Los Angeles that destroyed hundreds of businesses and resulted in more than 60 deaths. [more history]