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MIDDLE EAST | Update from regional conflicts:

• Amidst renewed airstrikes on Syria, Israel yesterday accused Turkey of trying to turn Syria into a Turkish protectorate. Responding to the accusation, Turkish officials said that Israel "has become the greatest threat to regional security" and that it must "stop undermining efforts to establish stability in Syria." [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 1135 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here is your update:

• Speaking jointly on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Brussels, U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy and French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot suggested today that Russian President Vladimir Putin is purposefully delaying and slowing down cease-fire talks aimed at ending the fighting in Ukraine. [more]

U.S. TARIFFS | National and international effects of sweeping U.S. tariffs announced by President Donald Trump this week continue to mount, including:

• U.S. stock markets had their largest drops since 2020 yesterday, shedding trillions of dollars in value with the S&P 500 down 4.8%, the Nasdaq down 6%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average down 4%. [more]
• Global markets are down for a second day in a row today in the aftermath of U.S. tariffs announced this week as economic uncertainty and fears of a global recession mount. [more]
• Republican U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley and Democratic Senator Maria Cantwell introduced a bill yesterday that would automatically block the enforcement of new presidentially-imposed tariffs if they are not approved by Congress within 60 days of being imposed. [more]
• Following the U.S. announcement of 25% tariffs on imported vehicles, U.S. automaker Stellantis says it will temporarily halt production at two plants, one in Canada and one in Mexico. The production pause will also involve the temporary layoff of about 900 U.S. employees at plants in Michigan and Indiana. [more]
• Responding to the U.S. tariffs, China this morning announced new 34% retaliatory tariffs on imported U.S. goods and said new controls would be implemented on the export of some rare earths. [more]

U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY STAFFING | President Donald Trump removed multiple national security staff members from their positions yesterday, saying in response to a question about the firings that "“Always we’re letting go of people. People that we don’t like or people that we don’t think can do the job or people that may have loyalties to somebody else.” Those fired included National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command head General Tim Haugh, NSA deputy head Wendy Noble, and at least three National Security Council members: Brian Walsh, a director for intelligence; Thomas Boodry, a senior director for legislative affairs; and David Feith, a senior director for technology and national security. [more]

U.S. COMMUNICATIONS SECURITY | The Pentagon's Inspector General's office announced yesterday that it is opening an investigation into Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's recent use of the Signal commercial messaging app to coordinate with other government officials on the March 15 launch of U.S. strikes on Yemen's Houthi rebels. [more]

U.S. EMPLOYMENT | Bureau of Labor Statistics data released today shows that U.S. employers added a higher-than-expected 228,000 jobs in March and that the national unemployment rate rose from 4.1% to 4.2% during the month. [full report] [more]

U.S. MORTGAGES | According to mortgage company Freddie Mac, the average interest rate on a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage in the U.S. fell to 6.64% last week – down from 6.65% the previous week and lower than the year-ago average of 6.82%. [more]

NEW JERSEY | Gov. Phil Murphy signed legislation this week adding New Jersey to a growing list of U.S. states with laws criminalizing the creation and sharing of deceptive media made with artificial intelligence. [more]

U.S. DEPORTATIONS | Washington-based U.S. District Judge James Boasberg said yesterday that the Trump administration may have "acted in bad faith" in deporting suspected Venezuelan gang members despite a court order that the plane carrying the migrants be returned to the United States. Boasberg indicated he could rule as early as next week on whether to pursue contempt of court proceedings in the case. [more]

U.S. PUBLIC HEALTH FUNDING | A federal judge indicated yesterday that she will grant a temporary restraining order blocking the Trump administration from cutting some $11 billion in public health funding allocated by Congress during the COVID-19 pandemic. [more]

U.S. AND CHINA | Two-days of working-level talks between U.S. and Chinese military officials concluded in Shanghai yesterday. Representatives of both countries say the talks centered on concerns over military safety on the seas and Indo-Pacific regional security. [more]

SOUTH KOREA | Following weeks of deliberations, South Korea's Constitutional Court today upheld the impeachment of now-former President Yoon Suk Yeol over his short-lived imposition of martial law last December. In announcing the decision, the court’s acting chief said that "By declaring martial law in breach of the constitution and other laws, the defendant brought back the history of abusing state emergency decrees, shocked the people and caused confusion in the society, economy, politics, diplomacy and all other areas."  South Korean law mandates that an election be held within 60 days to choose Yoon's replacement. [more]

E.U. AND CENTRAL ASIA | Amidst upheavals in global trade relationships, European Union leaders and representatives of five Central Asian countries – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan – held a summit today to discuss a new strategic partnership to boost trade and other ties. [more]

ARGENTINA | In a move analysts suggest is a major blow to libertarian President Javier Milei's state overhaul, the Argentine senate yesterday rejected two Supreme Court appointments made by Milei during the country's summer legislative recess. [more]

MYANMAR | In the aftermath of last week's 7.7-magnitude earthquake, the U.N. human rights office has accused Myanmar’s military junta of blocking humanitarian assistance from reaching parts of the country that it thinks support rebel groups. [more]

CONGO | Ahead of planned peace talks next week, Rwanda-backed M23 rebel forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo have reportedly withdrawn from the strategic eastern Congo town of Walikale. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1968, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was shot and killed while standing on a balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. King’s death triggered a wave of riots in cities across the United States in which at least 43 people died and more than 3,000 others were injured. [more history]