May 2, 2025

MIDDLE EAST | Updates from regional conflicts:

• Israel carried out airstrikes near Syria's presidential palace in Damascus early today after warning Syrian officials to not move forces toward villages inhabited by members of the Druze minority sect. Reports note that the action follows several days of clashes between pro-Syrian government gunmen and Druze fighters near the capital city. [more]
• Reports say a cargo ship carrying aid to Gaza in contravention of the Israel blockade of such aid was struck by an attack drone off the coast of Malta today. According to grassroots organization Codepink, the ship is part of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla project. [more]
• In an interview today, Russian special representative for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov said that Russia will assist Afghanistan's ruling Taliban in fighting Islamic State militants. [more]

U.S. DEPORTATIONS | U.S. District Court Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. ruled yesterday that the Trump administration's use of the 18th-century Alien Enemies Act as justification for deporting suspected Venezuelan gang members the administration says are invading the United States is "unlawful." In his ruling, Rodriguez said the power of the Executive Branch to direct the removal of aliens who engage in criminal activity is not being questioned, but that invocation of the Alien Enemies act "exceeds the scope of the statute and is contrary to the plain, ordinary meaning of the statute’s terms.” [more]

U.S. IMPORTS | Under an order from President Donald Trump, the long-standing de minimus exemption on goods from China, which has allowed shipments of goods worth under $800 to enter the U.S. duty free, expired today. Analysts say the expiration will drive up costs for as many as 4 million low-value parcels that come into the U.S. every day. [more]

U.S. PUBLIC BROADCASTING | President Donald Trump signed an executive order yesterday directing the federal government and all federal agencies to cease funding for public broadcasters NPR and PBS, saying that "neither entity presents a fair, accurate, or unbiased portrayal of current events to taxpaying citizens." [full executive order] [more]

U.S. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION | In continuing fallout from the revelation of a magazine editor being included on a Signal messaging thread used to discuss military plans earlier this year, national security adviser Mike Waltz and his deputy were removed from their roles yesterday. President Donald Trump said that he would nominate Waltz to be the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and that Secretary of State Marco Rubio will take over Waltz's national security duties on an interim basis. [more]

U.S. ARMY BIRTHDAY PARADE | The Associated Press cites government planning documents as calling for more than 6,600 soldiers, 150 vehicles, 50 helicopters, and seven bands to take part in a potential military parade in Washington, DC, next month. Reports note that such a parade would likely cost tens of millions of dollars, and that the 250th anniversary of the founding of the U.S. Army falls on June 14, which is also President Donald Trump's 79th birthday. [more]

U.S. SOUTHERN BORDER | Defense Department officials say a second stretch of land along the U.S.-Mexico border has been designated a military zone, making an area attached to Fort Bliss, Texas, along with an earlier-designated region in New Mexico, a region in which military personnel are authorized to take custody of migrants who illegally cross the border. [more]

U.S. UNEMPLOYMENT | Labor Department data released yesterday shows that initial claims for unemployment benefits in the U.S. rose by 18,000 to a higher-than-expected 241,000 in the week ended April 26. Continuing claims reached 1.916 million for the week – the highest level since November 2021. [full report] [more]

U.S. LIBRARIES | Saying the executive branch likely doesn’t have the legal authority to unilaterally shutter the agency in compliance with a March 14 executive order from President Donald Trump, a federal judge yesterday temporarily blocked the Trump administration from taking steps to dismantle the Institute of Museum and Library Services, which was established by Congress in 1996 to  "advance, support, and empower America's museums, libraries, and related organizations through grantmaking, research, and policy development." [more]

U.S.-CHINA TRADE WAR | The Chinese Commerce Ministry said in a statement today that government officials are evaluating approaches from U.S. President Donald Trump's administration about opening formal trade talks, but that Beijing sees the "unilateral imposition" of tariffs by the U.S. as an obstacle to such talks. [more]

NORTH AMERICAN MEASLES | Researchers say outbreaks of the measles continue to grow in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, with more than 2,500 cases of the disease reported across the three countries. [more]

GERMANY | The German domestic intelligence service announced today that it has classified the Alternative for Germany, or AfD, political party, which placed second in national elections earlier this year, as a “right-wing extremist effort," making it subject to increased surveillance of its activities. [more]

VENEZUELA AND GUYANA | The U.N.'s International Court of Justice said yesterday that Venezuela must refrain from holding planned elections for officials who would administer the resource-rich Essequibo region of neighboring Guyana that both countries claim as their own. [more]

AUSTRALIA | In general elections tomorrow, voters in Australia will choose between Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's center-left Labor Party and an alliance of conservative parties called the Liberal-National Coalition, headed by opposition leader Peter Dutton. Reports note that this is the first Australian general election in which members of the Baby Boomer generation are outnumbered by younger voters. [more]

SOUTH KOREA | Former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo announced today that he will run against liberal front-runner Lee Jae-myung in next month's presidential election in South Korea to fill the vacancy left by Yoon Suk Yeol, who was impeached and removed from office earlier this year. [more]

SOCIAL MEDIA INDUSTRY | Ireland's Data Protection Commission fined Chinese-owned social media platform TikTok $599 million today for illegally transferring European user data to China in violation of the E.U.'s GDPR data protection laws, saying the company was not transparent about the practice and had failed to show that Chinese authorities could not access Europeans’ personal information. Reports say TikTok intends to appeal the decision. [more]

BROADWAY AWARDS | Nominations for the 2025 Tony Awards were announced yesterday, with “Buena Vista Social Club,” “Death Becomes Her,” and “Maybe Happy Ending” each earning a pack-leading 10 nominations. [full nominee list] [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1611, the King James Version of the Christian Bible, originally commissioned in 1604, was published. The Early Modern English translation, sponsored by England's King James VI, has been described as one of the most important books in English culture and a driving force in the shaping of the English-speaking world. [more history]