February 20, 2025

MIDDLE EAST | Update from regional conflicts:

• Hamas today released the bodies of four Israeli hostages taken during the October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel by the militant group. Among the bodies returned to Israel are reported to be those of Shiri Bibas and her two young children, Ariel and Kfir, who Hamas officials say were killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 1092 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Amidst plans to begin negotiations with Russia for an end to the war in Ukraine, U.S. President Donald Trump, in a social media post, called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “dictator” and said that Ukraine needs to move fast to end the war with Russia or risk not having a country. [more]
• Reuters cites unnamed diplomatic sources as saying that the United States is refusing to co-sponsor a draft U.N. resolution marking the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, backing Ukraine’s territorial integrity, and condemning Russian aggression. [more]

U.S. CITIZENSHIP | The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals yesterday let stand a lower court order blocking President Donald Trump’s executive action that sought to end the granting of birthright citizenship for children born in the U.S. if neither their mother nor father was a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident. [more]

U.S. DEFENSE SPENDING | Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has reportedly directed U.S. military services to identify $50 billion, or about 8% of the U.S. defense budget, in programs that could be cut next year. [more]

U.S. ECONOMY | In newly released minutes of their latest policy meeting, Federal Reserve officials say the increasing risk that inflation could worsen is a key reason for having kept their benchmark interest rate unchanged. Fed officials suggested that President Donald Trump's proposed tariffs, mass deportations of migrants, and strong consumer spending were factors that could push inflation higher this year. [more]

U.S. BIRD FLU | The U.S. Department of Agriculture says it is working to rehire employees involved in the government’s response to ongoing bird flu outbreak after they were fired over the weekend as part the Department of Government Efficiency’s efforts to streamline and reshape federal agencies. [more]

ARIZONA | Two people were killed yesterday following a midair collision involving two small planes near the Marana Regional Airport on the outskirts of Tucson, Arizona. [more]

INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE | The Associated Press cites unnamed sources as saying the Internal Revenue Service will begin laying off about 7,000 workers nationwide today as part of federal workforce reductions coordinated by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. Most of the layoffs will reportedly be of workers in compliance departments. [more]

AUSTRALIA AND CHINA | Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles said today that his country is monitoring three Chinese warships that have traveled unusually far south along Australia’s east coast on an unknown mission. Marles noted that the Chinese ships are entitled to be where they are, and that Australia has coordinated with Papua New Guinea and New Zealand regarding surveillance of the ships. [more]

KOREA | South Korea and the U.S. conducted joint aerial exercises over the Korean Peninsula today that included at least one U.S. B-1B bomber and multiple fighter jets. South Korea’s Defense Ministry says the exercises were conducted to demonstrate deterrence capabilities against North Korean nuclear and missile threats and improve interoperability between South Korean and U.S. forces. [more]

SOUTHEAST ASIA | Reports say more than 1,000 Chinese nationals were repatriated from Myanmar today as part of coordinated efforts by Thailand, China, and Myanmar to shut down online scam centers in Myanmar and to return as many as 10,000 workers at the centers to their home countries. [more]

CANADA | Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced yesterday that the Canadian government will commit CDN$3.9 billion (US$2.74 billion) over six years to build a 100% electric high-speed rail network between Quebec City and Toronto. The network will span approximately 1,000 kilometer (622 miles), with trains reaching speeds of up to 300 kph (187 mph). [more]

ITALY | Tech giant Google has reportedly agreed to pay 326 million euros ($340 million) in exchange for Italian regulators dropping an investigation into the company’s alleged non-payment of taxes on earnings in Italy from 2015-2019. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1905, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Jacobson v. Massachusetts, upheld compulsory vaccination laws intended to protect the public’s health. [more history]