February 14, 2025

UKRAINE | Today is day 1086 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Ukrainian officials say a Russian drone with an explosive warhead hit the containment shell of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in northern Ukraine overnight. Following an assessment, the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency says no increase in radiation levels at the plant have been noted and that there was no indication of a breach of the plant’s inner containment shell. [more]
• U.S. Vice President JD Vance is scheduled to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy today on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, at which the Russia-Ukraine conflict is expected to dominate discussions. [more]

NEW YORK | Multiple federal prosecutors, including the interim U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York and two senior Justice Department officials, resigned yesterday amidst pressure by Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove to drop corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams. [more]

U.S. GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY | Attorneys general from 14 states filed a lawsuit yesterday challenging the authority of Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency from issuing orders and taking actions in various federal departments. The lawsuit contends that many actions taken by Musk can only be performed by a nominated and Senate-confirmed official. [more]

U.S. TARIFFS | President Donald Trump yesterday ordered government agencies to begin developing plans to impose reciprocal tariffs on imported goods that match tariffs that all other countries have on U.S. goods. European Commission officials said the E.U. would react "firmly and immediately" against tariff increases resulting from Trump's plan. [more]

U.S. FOREIGN AID | A federal judge yesterday ordered the Trump administration to temporarily lift a funding freeze that has shut down U.S. aid and development work worldwide. Judge Amir Ali said in his ruling that the administration has not offered sufficient explanation for its "blanket suspension of all congressionally appropriated foreign aid.” [more]

U.S. FEDERAL STAFFING | Reports say multiple U.S. federal agencies have begun to fire thousands of employees as part of President Donald Trump’s initiative to reduce government size and costs. Reports note that the layoffs have included more than 1,000 positions at the Department of Veterans Affairs, 3,000 at the U.S. Forest Service, and at least hundreds at the Department of Education, the Small Business Administration, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and the General Services Administration. [more]

U.S. SOCIAL MEDIA | Almost a month after removing the app from its stores, both Apple and Google have made social media app TikTok available again after President Donald Trump delayed enforcement of a law banning the Chinese-owned app in the United States. [more]

LOUISIANA | The Associated Press cites a memo from Louisiana health officials as saying that the state plans to end media and health fair efforts to promote vaccinations. The AP notes that the order from Louisiana Surgeon General Ralph Abraham came on the same day that vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was sworn in by the U.S. Senate to serve as President Donald Trump’s health secretary. [more]

FLORIDA | Gov. Ron DeSantis signed new immigration-related measures for Florida into law yesterday that fund efforts to coordinate with federal mass deportation efforts, mandate the death penalty for immigrants in the U.S. without legal authorization who commit capital offenses, and create a new crime of entering the state after coming to the U.S. illegally. [more]

NATO | Reports say many NATO nations are speculating on the future of the military and defense alliance following U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s statements in Brussels this week that, “strategic realities prevent the United States of America from being primarily focused on the security of Europe,” and that, “The United States faces consequential threats to our homeland. We must — and we are — focusing on security of our own borders.” [more]

NUCLEAR PROLIFERATION | U.S. President Donald Trump said yesterday that he wants to resume nuclear arms control talks with both Russia and China. Trump suggested that an end to building new nuclear weapons could allow all three countries to significantly reduce their defense budgets. [more]

CONGO | Amidst the ongoing conflict between M23 rebels and government forces in eastern Congo, Catherine Russell, executive director of the U.N. children's fund, UNICEF, says "horrific reports" from health facilities in the region show a marked increase in incidents of rape and other forms of sexual violence against children by armed fighters on both sides of the conflict. [more]

AUSTRALIA | Authorities in Western Australia have warned of potential flooding, winds, and storm surge today after Cyclone Zelia made landfall near Port Hedland as a category 5 storm. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1946, the first general-purpose high-speed electronic digital computer, the ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer), was demonstrated to the public by its creators, J. Presper Eckert, Jr., and John W. Mauchly. [more history]