March 17, 2025

MIDDLE EAST | Updates from regional conflicts:

• U.S. forces struck Houthi rebel positions in Yemen over the weekend, killing at least 53 people and wounding nearly 100 others, according to reports. U.S. President Donald Trump said actions against Houthi rebels would continue until the Iran-backed group ceases attacks on shipping in the Red Sea region. [more]
• Reports say clashes have broken out on the border between Lebanon and Syria after three Syrian soldiers were killed in a kidnapping incident on Saturday. Syria’s interim government accused Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group of kidnapping and killing the soldiers, but Hezbollah has denied any involvement. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 1117 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here is your update:

• U.S. President Donald Trump said yesterday that he will speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday to discuss efforts aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. Trump indicated that negotiations on a cease-fire progressed over the weekend. [more]

U.S. DEPORTATIONS | President Donald Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 this weekend to authorize the immediate deportation of Venezuelan gang members. Hundreds of suspected members of the Tren de Aragua gang were flown to El Salvador despite a Saturday order by U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg temporarily blocking the deportations. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said yesterday that the Trump administration did not refuse to comply with the court order, claiming that the order was “issued after terrorist TdA aliens had already been removed from U.S. territory.” [more]

U.S. PARDONS | In a social media post early today, President Donald Trump said presidential pardons issued by former President Joe Biden in the final days of his administration are invalid because they were signed with an automatic signing machine. Trump claimed the pardons are “void, vacant, and of no other force or effect,” and said his declaration opens up potential investigation and prosecution of members of the House select committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, attacks on the U.S. Capitol and others to whom Biden issues pardons. Reports note that the Constitution makes no provision for subsequent presidents to rescind pardons and that Trump’s plans for furthering his declaration are uncertain. [more]

U.S. BUDGET | President Donald Trump on Saturday signed into law a temporary spending measure that funds the federal government through September, averting the threat of a partial government shutdown. The measure passed in the Senate on Friday, with 10 Democrats joining the Republican majority to pass the spending bill. [more]

U.S. SEVERE WEATHER | At least 39 people are reported to have been killed in a series of severe weather systems that struck large parts of the central, south-central, and southern U.S. over the weekend, spawning tornadoes, wildfires, dust storms, and large hail that damaged or destroyed hundreds of homes and left hundreds of thousands without power. [more]

U.S. BROADCASTING | The Trump administration ordered over the weekend that operations of the U.S. Agency for Global Media be reduced to the minimum level required by law. The agency houses Voice of America, Radio Free Europe and Asia, and Radio Marti, which broadcasts Spanish-language news into Cuba, which been responsible for decades for promoting freedom and democracy around the world. Reports note that nearly all of the agency’s 1,300 employees have been placed on administrative leave. [more]

U.S. ECONOMY | The Commerce Department reports that U.S. retail sales rose a lower-than-expected 0.2% in February – up from a revised 1.2% decline in January. Economists surveyed by data firm FactSet had predicted a 0.7% increase for February. [more]

NORTH MACEDONIA | Authorities say 59 people were killed, and 155 others were injured, early Sunday when a fire broke out in a crowded nightclub in the town of Kocani in North Macedonia. Reports say a preliminary investigation found numerous safety code violations at the club and that at least 15 people have been detained for questioning as investigations continue. [more]

CANADA | Newly installed Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is in Europe today, where he is scheduled to meet with the leaders of both France and the U.K. as part of efforts to strengthen cross-Atlantic ties amidst ongoing and threatened expansion of U.S. tariffs, as well as threats by U.S. President Donald Trump against Canada's sovereignty. [more]

SERBIA | Reports say at least 100,000 people took part in a mass rally Saturday in the Serbian capital of Belgrade as part of a months-long series of protests against populist President Aleksandar Vucic and his government. [more]

PAKISTAN | At least seven people were killed yesterday in a suicide car bombing that targeted a convoy of buses carrying security forces in southwestern Pakistan’s Balochistan province. The outlawed Baloch Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the attack. [more]

CHINA | New data from the National Bureau of Statistics shows that the Chinese economy grew in important areas in the first two months of 2025, with retail sales up 4% and industrial production up 5.9%. Data does indicate, however, a continuation of China’s real estate crisis, with overall real estate investment falling 9.8% in the January-February period. [more]

CUBA | Electrical service has been restored to most of Cuba today following three days in which an electrical grid failure led to a nearly island-wide blackout. [more]

INDIA AND NEW ZEALAND | Following a weekend agreement to revive free-trade negotiations, the leaders of India and New Zealand met today to sign new agreements to strengthen defense, food processing, pharmaceuticals, renewable energy, and critical minerals cooperation between their countries. [more]

COLLEGE BASKETBALL | Selections for the 2025 men’s and women’s NCAA basketball tournaments were announced yesterday. Auburn, Duke, Florida, and Houston top the men’s bracket, while UCLA, South Carolina, USC, and Texas are the No. 1 seeds in the women’s tournament. [full men’s bracket] [full women’s bracket] [more]

WEEKEND MOVIES | "Novocaine" topped the North American box office over the weekend with an estimated $8.7 million in receipts, followed by "Mickey 17" and "Black Bag." [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1992, nearly 69 percent of white South African voters backed President F.W. de Klerk's reforms—which included the repeal of racially discriminatory laws—and effectively endorsed the dismantling of apartheid. [more history]