April 8, 2025

MIDDLE EAST | Update from regional conflicts:

• Palestinian health officials say at least 25 people, including five children in a single home, were killed in overnight Israeli airstrikes across Gaza. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 1139 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here is your update:

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy yesterday publicly acknowledged for the first time that Ukrainian troops have been active in Russia's Belgorod region in addition to their widely publicized operations in the Kursk region. [more]

U.S. AND GLOBAL MARKETS | U.S. stock indices ended mixed yesterday after a morning of large swings after a false story about the possibility of President Trump delaying the imposition of sweeping tariffs circulated online and was amplified by various media outlets. Global markets and U.S. futures are up slightly this morning. [more]

U.S. DEPORTATIONS | With a split ruling yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Trump administration's use of the 18th century Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelan migrants suspected of gang affiliation, but said those subject to the law must be given advance notice of the government's intention to deport them and have the opportunity to challenge their deportation in court. [more]

MORE U.S. DEPORTATIONS | Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts yesterday placed a temporary administrative hold on a lower court order requiring the Trump administration to return a Maryland man mistakenly deported to a prison in El Salvador to the United States. It is unclear when the Court intends to take up the case in more detail. [more]

U.S. TARIFFS | Adding to concerns about a prolonged and intensifying trade war, President Donald Trump yesterday threatened an additional 50% tariff on Chinese goods imported into the U.S. starting tomorrow after Beijing announced reciprocal tariffs of 34% on imported U.S. goods. China's commerce ministry characterized the U.S. moves as "a mistake on top of a mistake" and said China would fight back against the U.S. "blackmail." [more]

U.S. SURVEILLANCE | Reuters cites unnamed government sources as saying that the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency is using artificial intelligence tools to monitor workers' communications at at least one federal agency for hostility to President Donald Trump and his agenda. [more]

U.S. LIBRARIES | In its latest State of American Libraries Report, the American Library Association says that LGBTQ+-themed books faced the most ban attempts in 2024 and that more than 70% of attempted book bans came from organized groups and elected officials, with only 16% originating with a parent. The most-challenged book of the year, according to the report, was “All Boys Aren’t Blue” by George M. Johnson. [press release] [full report] [more]

U.S. WEATHER | The National Weather Service says it has paused the translation of its products after the contract for providing its information in other languages expired. Reports note that some 68 million people in the U.S. speak a language other than English at home, according to 2019 Census data, and that, in addition to English, the NWS products had been provided in Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, French, and Samoan. [more]

U.S. IMMIGRATION | The Department of Homeland Security has reportedly informed migrants temporarily allowed to live in the U.S. through use of the Biden-era CBP One immigration appointment app that they must leave the U.S. immediately. Reports note that more than 900,000 migrants were admitted to the U.S. using the app, but that it is not clear how many are expected to be affected by the new order. [more]

U.S. PUBLIC HEALTH | HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said yesterday that he plans to direct the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to stop recommending fluoridation in water supplies nationwide, reversing a 1950 federal endorsement of water fluoridation to prevent tooth decay. Kennedy has called fluoride a “dangerous neurotoxin” and said it has been associated with arthritis, weak bones and thyroid disease. [more]

TEXAS | Gov. Greg Abbot announced yesterday that a special election will be held November 4 to fill the congressional seat of late Democratic U.S. Rep. Sylvester Turner. Democrats have criticized the late timing as a move to help maintain the Republican House majority, while Republican supporters say the delay will allow Harris County, which has faced election-related scrutiny in recent years, to prepare for the election. [more]

U.S. AND IRAN | President Donald Trump announced yesterday that the U.S. will hold direct talks later this week with Iran about its nuclear program. Iranian officials have confirmed that talks will take place, but insist that they will be indirect discussions through a mediator. The announcement follows recent statements by Trump that Iran would face "great danger" if an agreement on its nuclear program is not reached. [more]

GLOBAL HUNGER | The U.N.'s World Food Program asked the U.S. yesterday to reconsider recent cuts to humanitarian and food aid programs that the group says, "could amount to a death sentence for millions of people facing extreme hunger and starvation." [more]

SOUTH KOREA | Officials have announced June 3 as the date for South Korea to hold a snap presidential election to choose a successor to now-former President Yoon Suk Yeol, whose impeachment was upheld by the country's Constitutional Court last week. [more]

BRAZIL | Reversing a 2019 policy of former President Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil has announced that, beginning later this week, citizens of the United States, Canada, and Australia will be required to have a visa to enter Brazil. [more]

IRAN | President Masoud Pezeshkian is reported to have ordered an investigation into a gas leak at a coal mine near the northern Iran city of Damghan that killed at least seven workers yesterday. [more]

EUROPEAN CLIMATE | According to a new report from the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service, Europe experienced its warmest March on record this year, with an average temperature of 1.6 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial averages. [more]

COLLEGE BASKETBALL | Florida beat Houston, 65-63, last night to claim the 2025 NCAA men's basketball championship. Florida's Walter Clayton Jr. was named the men's tournament most outstanding player. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1820, the Venus de Milo, an ancient statue commonly thought to represent the Greek goddess Aphrodite, was found in pieces by a farmer on the Aegean island of Melos. The statue was later reconstructed and put on display in the Louvre in Paris. [more history]