March 4, 2025

MIDDLE EAST | Update from regional conflicts:

• Arab League leaders meeting in Cairo today are expected to endorse an Egypt-backed plan for post-war Gaza that would see Palestinians relocated to safe areas within the territory while cities are rebuilt and under which Hamas would cede power to an interim administration of political independents until a reformed Palestinian Authority can assume control. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 1104 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• U.S. President Donald Trump yesterday ordered a pause in all military aid provided to Ukraine, according to statements by White House officials, who media reports cite as saying the pause is meant to give officials an opportunity to review aid to Ukraine to “ensure it is contributing to a solution.” [more]
• Amidst U.S. efforts to facilitate a cease-fire in Ukraine, numerous media outlets cite U.S. military officials as saying that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered a pause in offensive cyber operations against Russia by U.S. Cyber Command. Separate reports note that President Donald Trump has told multiple federal agencies to assess plans for the possible easing of sanctions against Russia. [more]

U.S. TARIFFS | The Trump administration imposed 25% tariffs today on goods entering the U.S. from Canada and Mexico, and increased tariffs on most goods from China from 10% to 20%. Both China and Canada have announced retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods. President Donald Trump said yesterday that the tariffs are a “very powerful weapon that politicians haven’t used because they were either dishonest, stupid or paid off in some other form,” while others have characterized them as an economic “act of war” (Warren Buffett) and the “dumbest in history” (WSJ Editorial Board). [more]

U.S. SCHOOL PROTESTS | In a social media post today, President Donald Trump threatened to withhold federal funding for schools, colleges, and universities that allow "illegal protests" and said agitators would be imprisoned or sent back to their country of origin, while “American students will be permanently expelled or, depending on the crime, arrested.” [more]

U.S. PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS | The “renewal of the American dream” will be the theme of President Donald Trump's address to a joint session of Congress tonight at 9pm EST, according to the White House. Freshman Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin will deliver the Democratic response to Trump's address. [more]

CALIFORNIA | Some 30 officers at southern California’s Los Padrinos juvenile detention facility have been charged in a state indictment with child endangerment and abuse, conspiracy, and battery in connection with their alleged roles in facilitating so-called “gladiator fights” between youth in their care. Reports say the officers, all of whom have been placed on leave without pay, allowed and sometimes encouraged nearly 70 fights to take place between July 2023 and December 2023. [more]

ILLINOIS | Robert E. Crimo III, 24, withdrew his earlier not-guilty plea and pleaded guilty yesterday to killing seven people and injuring dozens more when he opened fire on a 2022 Independence Day parade in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park. [more]

U.S. ONLINE REGULATION | First Lady Melania Trump was on Capitol Hill yesterday to voice her support for the “Take It Down Act” – a bill that would make it a federal crime to knowingly publish or threaten to publish intimate imagery online without an individual’s consent, including realistic, computer-generated intimate images of people who can be identified. The bill, which was passed by the Senate last month, would also require social media platforms to take down such content within 48 hours after a victim’s request. [more]

U.S. CORPORATE INVESTIGATIONS | A new report from nonprofit watchdog group Public Citizen says that, since January, the Trump administration has halted or tried to dismiss cases or investigations against at least 89 companies – which represents about 25% of the corporations in Public Citizen’s tracker of prominent investigations into and enforcement actions against corporations at the end of the Biden administration. [press release] [full report] [more]

U.S. AND MEXICO | The U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments today on a request by two U.S. gun companies – Smith & Wesson and Interstate Arms – to dismiss a lawsuit brought by the Mexican government accusing the companies of aiding illegal firearms trafficking to drug cartels and fueling gun violence. [more]

EUROPEAN DEFENSE | European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said today that E.U. leaders meeting in Brussels on Thursday will discuss a proposed 800-billion-euro ($841 billion) plan to strengthen defenses in European Union nations in the face of potential U.S. disengagement with Europe and to provide Ukraine with military support. [more]

TAIWAN | Amidst ongoing tensions with China, which claims the territory as its own, Taiwan said this week that it plans to significantly increase its military spending to address the “rapidly changing international situation and the escalating threats from adversaries.” [more]

CONGO | The U.N. Human Rights Office said yesterday that Rwanda-backed M23 rebels recently abducted at least 130 sick and wounded men they suspected of being members of either a rival militia or the Congolese military from two hospitals in the eastern Congo city of Goma. [more]

PHILIPPINES | Philippine military officials say an FA-50 fighter jet with a crew of two is missing today after losing communication with other aircraft while taking part in a mission against the New People’s Army insurgent group in a southern province. [more]

SERBIA | Opposition lawmakers set off smoke grenades and flares inside the Serbian parliament in Belgrade today in a show of opposition to the policies of long-time President Aleksandar Vucic and of support for ongoing student-led demonstrations. [more]

TECH INDUSTRY | Chip giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. plans to invest an additional $100 billion in the United States, according to CEO C. C. Wei, who announced the plan alongside U.S. President Donald Trump yesterday at the White House. Reports say the investment will fund three new chip manufacturing plants and two packaging facilities in Arizona. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1789, the Constitution of the United States went into effect as the governing law of the United States, the date having been established by Congress. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, and originally included seven articles. Since taking effect, the Constitution has been amended 27 times, including with the first ten amendments, known collectively as the Bill of Rights, which offer specific protections of individual liberty and justice and place restrictions on the powers of government. [more history]