“A federal judge Wednesday found probable cause to hold the Trump administration in criminal contempt for willfully disobeying his order to immediately halt deportations under the rarely used Alien Enemies Act and turn around any airborne planes. U.S. District Judge James Boasberg’s order gives the administration a final opportunity to come into compliance but says he otherwise will take steps to identify the specific people who flouted his March 15 ruling, which was later lifted by the Supreme Court, and refer them for prosecution. ‘The Court ultimately determines that the Government’s actions on that day demonstrate a willful disregard for its Order, sufficient for the Court to conclude that probable cause exists to find the Government in criminal contempt,’ Boasberg wrote.” (04/16/25)
“Ukraine’s parliament has voted to extend martial law and military mobilisation for another three months, prolonging the wartime measures until at least August 6. Lawmaker Yaroslav Zheleznyak said the extension of martial law passed by a 357-1 vote, while a measure to maintain troop mobilisation was approved 356-1. Under Ukraine’s constitution, elections cannot be held during martial law – a provision that remains in effect despite external calls, including from Russia and the United States, for a timeline on a future vote. … As peace talks led by the Trump administration created hopes for a potential ceasefire and eventual elections, some Ukrainian opposition politicians have grown more vocal in their criticism of Zelenskyy. Still, there is broad support for maintaining martial law.” (04/16/25)
“An island-wide blackout hit Puerto Rico on Wednesday as the largely Catholic residents of the U.S. territory prepared to celebrate the Easter weekend, a power company spokesman said. All hospitals on the island are operating on generators after the power went out at 12:38 p.m. Eastern Time, Veronica Ferraiuoli, acting governor and secretary of state for Puerto Rico, said at a news conference. All 1.4 million clients on the island were without power, Hugo Sorrentini, spokesman for Luma Energy, which oversees the transmission and distribution of power, told The Associated Press. … Restoring most of the power will likely at least 48-72 hours, Luma said Wednesday evening. At least 78,000 customers were also without water, according to the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority.” (04/16/25)
“US stocks tumbled on Wednesday with tariff fears returning to Wall Street in earnest, as Nvidia revealed costly new curbs on chip exports to China and Fed Chair Jerome Powell warned of the ‘challenging’ impacts to come from the uncertainty around President Trump’s trade policy. The benchmark S&P 500 dropped more than 2.2% while the Dow Jones Industrial Average shed roughly 700 points, or around 1.7%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite fell over 3% as the new chip provisions weighed on the tech sector.” (04/16/25)
“An appellate court has granted a joint request from Ripple Labs and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to pause an appeal in a 2020 SEC case against Ripple amid settlement negotiations. In an April 16 filing in the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, the court approved a joint SEC-Ripple motion to hold the appeal in abeyance — temporarily pausing the case — for 60 days. As part of the order, the SEC is expected to file a status report by June 15. … Despite support for the end of the case coming from both Ripple and the SEC, the August 2024 judgment and appellate cases leave some legal entanglements.” (04/16/25)
“The Trump administration sued Maine on Wednesday for allowing transgender girls to compete in school sports, dramatically escalating a confrontation that has already seen threats to cut the state’s education and school lunch funding.The attorney general, Pam Bondi, announced the lawsuit flanked by Riley Gaines, the former collegiate swimmer turned conservative [sic] [whiner] who has become the public face in opposition to transgender athletes. … Trump administration officials claim Maine violates Title IX by not barring transgender girls from female sports teams. Maine has flatly rejected this interpretation, refusing to sign a settlement that would implement those restrictions.” (04/16/25)
“Five years after COVID-19 triggered national lockdowns, economic uncertainty and killed millions, the World Health Organization’s member countries agreed on a draft ‘pandemic treaty’ that sets guidelines for how the international community might confront the next global health crisis. After the world’s largely disastrous response to the coronavirus, countries tasked the WHO with overseeing a pandemic treaty in 2021. Negotiations concluded early Wednesday on an agreement expected to be adopted next month at the U.N. health agency’s annual meeting in Geneva.” (04/16/25)
“California Governor Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta are taking on the Trump administration in a new lawsuit, according to a press release from the governor’s office. The two are filing a lawsuit in federal court to challenge President Donald Trump’s emergency powers, which were used to enact sweeping tariffs in the past month. The lawsuit [notices] that the President ‘lacks the authority to unilaterally impose tariffs through the International Economic Emergency Powers Act.’ … The suit will be filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, according to the governor’s office.” (04/16/25)
“China’s first-quarter economic growth outstripped expectations, underpinned by solid consumption and industrial output, but analysts fear momentum could shift sharply lower as U.S. tariffs pose the biggest risk to the Asian powerhouse in decades. President Donald Trump has ratcheted up tariffs on Chinese goods to eye-watering levels, prompting Beijing to slap retaliatory duties on U.S. imports that have raised the stakes for the world’s two biggest economies and rattled financial markets. Data on Wednesday showed China’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew 5.4% in the January-March quarter from a year earlier, unchanged from the fourth quarter, but beat analysts’ expectations in a Reuters poll for a rise of 5.1%.” (04/16/25)
“A university student and Palestinian activist [abducted] by US immigration authorities was worried that an American citizenship interview was a trap. Mohsen Mahdawi, who has permanent US residency or ‘green card’ status, was detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) when he turned up to the appointment on Monday. One day before his arrest he told CBS News that he believed the interview could be a setup. ‘It’s the first feeling of like, I’ve been waiting for this for more than a year,’ Mr Mahdawi said. ‘And the other feeling is like, wait a minute. Is this a honey trap?’ Mr Mahdawi, a philosophy student at Columbia University in New York City who was due to graduate next month, was [abducted] in Colchester, Vermont. Mr Mahdawi’s lawyer, Luna Droubi, said he was arrested ‘in direct retaliation for his advocacy on behalf of Palestinians and because of his identity as a Palestinian.'” (04/16/25)
