January 23, 2025

MIDDLE EAST | Update from regional conflicts:

• Israeli military officials say two members of the Islamic Jihad militant group who carried out a deadly attack on a bus in the West Bank earlier this month were killed today in an operation in the West Bank village of Burqin. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 1064 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• U.S. President Donald Trump yesterday threatened to impose significant new sanctions on Russia if Vladimir Putin refuses to commit to a deal to end the war in Ukraine. Ukrainian officials welcomed Trump's statement and Russia said it remains ready for a "mutually respectful dialogue" on ending the war. [more]
• Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, today, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte urged the U.S. to continue supplying Ukraine with weapons to fight Russia's invasion and suggested that European countries would be ready to pay for the weapons. [more]

U.S. GUN VIOLENCE | One student was killed, and another was wounded, yesterday when a student gunman opened fire in the cafeteria of Antioch High School in Nashville, Tennessee. Police identified the shooter as 17-year-old Solomon Henderson, who was also a student at the school and who shot and killed himself during the incident. [more]

U.S. IMMIGRATION | The House voted, 263-156, yesterday to pass a measure requiring the detention of unauthorized immigrants accused of theft and other crimes. The Laken Riley Act, which also gives legal standing to state attorneys general to sue the federal government for harm caused by federal immigration decisions, was passed earlier by the Senate and is expected to be signed into law by President Donald Trump. [more]

U.S. CIVIL RIGHTS | Newly installed Justice Department chief of staff Chad Mizelle, in a memo distributed this week, ordered the department’s Civil Rights Division to not file any new complaints, amicus briefs, or other certain court papers “until further notice.” The memo says the reason for the move was to ensure “that the federal government speaks with one voice in its view of the law and to ensure that the President’s appointees or designees have the opportunity to decide whether to initiate new cases.” [more]

TRUMP PARDONS | President Donald Trump issued “full and unconditional” pardons yesterday to two Washington, DC, police officers – Andrew Zabavsky and Terence Sutton – who were convicted for their roles in the death of 20-year-old Karon Hylton-Brown during a vehicle chase in 2020 and for related attempts to cover up details surrounding the incident. [more]

CALIFORNIA | Fire-risk warnings have been extended through Friday in southern California’s Los Angeles and Ventura counties as firefighters continue to battle the weeks-old Palisades and Eaton fires, as well as the new Hughes fire, which broke out yesterday and has burned about 16 square miles. [more]

TEXAS | Seven police officers were shot yesterday evening in San Antonio, Texas, while responding to a “suicide in progress” call. Reports say the subject of the call – a man in his 40s – was found dead after an hours-long standoff, but that it is not clear if his death was from a self-inflicted wound or from shots fired by police. [more]

U.S. SOUTHERN BORDER | Acting Defense Secretary Robert Salesses announced yesterday that about 1,500 active-duty military personnel are being deployed to the U.S. southern border to assist in border security operations. The new deployment supplements some 2,500 National Guard and Reserve forces already working in the region. [more]

U.S. AND SAUDI ARABIA | According to Saudi media, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said today that he wants to invest $600 billion in the United States over the next four years – a pledge that follows comments by U.S. President Donald Trump about such an investment being a factor in possibly making a trip to Saudi Arabia the first foreign visit of his new term in office. [more]

MEXICO | Reports say officials in Mexico’s states that border the southern United States have ordered the construction of large shelters meant to house migrants ahead of expected action in the U.S. to implement President Donald Trump’s mass deportation and border security measures. [more]

AFGHANISTAN | International Criminal Court Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan announced today that he has applied for arrest warrants for senior Taliban leaders in Afghanistan, including supreme spiritual leader Haibatullah Akhundzada, accusing them of being "criminally responsible for persecuting Afghan girls and women, as well as persons whom the Taliban perceived as not conforming with their ideological expectations of gender identity or expression, and persons whom the Taliban perceived as allies of girls and women." [more]

EUROPEAN ENERGY | A new report from climate and energy industry think-tank Ember says that a record 47% of the European Union’s electricity now comes from solar and other renewable sources amidst the bloc’s continuing commitment to clean energy production. [full report] [more]

THAILAND | Hundreds of same-sex couples in Thailand are expected to register their marriages today as the Asian country’s new law granting such unions full legal status takes effect. [more]

PAKISTAN | Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar introduced a proposal in Pakistan’s National Assembly yesterday that would create a social media governance agency with the power to block “unlawful and offensive content” from social media, ban platforms, and ban individuals and organizations from social media. The law would also make spreading disinformation a criminal offense punishable by up to three years in prison. [more]

SOUTH AFRICA | Twenty-five victims' families and survivors of apartheid-era political crimes filed a lawsuit this week against South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and his government for what they say is a failure to properly investigate the offenses and deliver justice. [more]

TENNIS | With a win over Paula Badosa today, defending champion Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the finals of the Australian Open, where she will face the winner of a match between Iga Swiatek and American Madison Keys. In the tournament’s men’s bracket, Novak Djokovic will face Alexander Zverev and Jannik Sinner will play Ben Shelton in tomorrow’s semi-finals. [women's bracket] [men's bracket] [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1986, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted its first members. Inductees in the initial class included: Jimmie Rodgers, Jimmy Yancey, Little Richard, Elvis Presley, Sam Phillips, Jerry Lee Lewis, Robert Johnson, Buddy Holly, John Hammond, Alan Freed, The Everly Brothers, Fats Domino, Sam Cooke, Ray Charles, James Brown, and Chuck Berry. [full info on all 1986 inductees] [more history]