January 22, 2025

MIDDLE EAST | Updates from regional conflicts:

• As the cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas entered its third day, Israel launched a major operation in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin yesterday in which, according to Palestinian health officials, at least nine Palestinians were killed and 40 others were wounded. [more]
• At least four people were wounded in a stabbing attack in Tel Aviv, Israel, yesterday. Authorities identified the attacker, who was killed by security forces, only as a “foreign national” and said the stabbings were considered a terrorist act. [more]

U.S. IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT | Acting Homeland Security Secretary Benjamine Huffman issued a directive yesterday reversing long-standing Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection policies that prevented agents from carrying out immigrant and alien arrests at “sensitive locations” such as schools, churches, day-care centers, and hospitals. [more]

U.S. BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP | At least 22 state attorneys general have filed a lawsuit aimed at blocking President Donald Trump’s executive order that seeks to reinterpret the 14th Amendment’s birthright citizenship clause, which has long been held to guarantee that children born in the United States are citizens regardless of their parents’ status. [more]

U.S. DEI | President Donald Trump issued a memo yesterday directing all federal agencies to place diversity, equity, and inclusion staff on paid leave and to develop plans to lay them off. [more]

TRUMP PARDONS | President Donald Trump announced yesterday that he has pardoned Ross Ulbricht, the founder of the Silk Road dark web marketplace used by many to anonymously purchase and sell drugs and other illegal goods and services using bitcoin. Ulbricht was convicted in February 2015 on charges including money laundering, drug trafficking, and computer hacking, and sentenced to life in prison. [more]

U.S. WEATHER | Residents of several southern U.S. states are experiencing what many have called a “once in a lifetime” winter storm, with regions ranging from Houston, Texas, to New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana and the Florida panhandle receiving multiple inches of snow over the past day. [more]

U.S. HOMELAND SECURITY | As part of what it said is a “commitment to eliminating the misuse of resources and ensuring that DHS activities prioritize our national security,” the new Trump administration yesterday announced the firing of the heads of the Transportation Security Administration and Coast Guard and eliminated membership in the Congressionally-mandated Aviation Security Advisory Committee. [more]

CALIFORNIA | Amidst ongoing high fire risk conditions, authorities in the Los Angeles region say the area’s Palisades and Eaton wildfires, which have killed at least 27 people and burned more than 14,000 structures since January 7, are 63% and 89% contained, respectively. Meteorologists say the region could receive rain this coming weekend, which could help with the fires but pose a risk of debris, chemical, and other harmful runoff into the area's watersheds. [more]

NEW YORK | Gov. Kathy Hochul proposed yesterday that student use of cell phones and other personal electronic devices be banned in New York schools starting next fall. Reports note that the proposal would require legislative approval to take effect. [more]

U.S. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE | President Donald Trump, along with the heads of tech giants OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank, announced the planned $500 billion Stargate partnership aimed at building out AI-related infrastructure in the United States. [more]

U.S. AND CANADA | Ontario Premier Doug Ford says U.S. President Donald Trump has “declared an economic war on Canada” with his threat to impose a 25% tariff on Canadian goods and that retaliatory economic actions will be taken if the tariffs are implemented. [more]

IRAN | International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi said today that Iran has followed through with plans announced last month to "dramatically" accelerate enrichment of uranium to up to 60% purity, raising concerns over potential further enrichment to levels that could be used to produce nuclear weapons. [more]

TURKEY | Umit Ozdag, the leader of Turkey’s anti-immigrant Victory Party, was arrested yesterday on charges of inciting violence through a series of anti-refugee posts on social media. [more]

IRAQ | The Iraqi parliament passed three controversial laws yesterday that critics say give Islamic courts undue authority over family matters, including marriage, divorce, and inheritance and that opponents maintain would, in effect, legalize child marriage. [more]

STREAMING ENTERTAINMENT | After announcing record-high subscriber increases and revenue yesterday, streaming giant Netflix said it would raise its membership prices, with its standard monthly membership seeing an increase from $15.49 to $17.99. [more]

BASEBALL | Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia, and Billy Wagner have been announced as this year’s inductees into the Baseball Hall of Fame. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its Roe v. Wade decision, establishing a nationwide constitutional right to abortion, which was overturned by the Court in the 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision. [more history]