“Border czar Tom Homan blasted an Obama-appointed federal judge’s decision to temporarily halt President Donald Trump’s use of the wartime Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to deport violent illegal [sic[ immigrant street gangs, telling Fox News that the decision ‘defies logic.’ ‘Who in their right mind, whether you’re a judge or not, wants [to allow] TDA [Tren de Aragua], a recognized terrorist organization sent here by the Maduro regime, to create havoc, to unsettle the United States through the use of fentanyl to kill thousands of Americans, violence to American citizens, raping and murdering young women in this country?’ Homan asked Monday on ‘Fox & Friends.’ ‘President Trump is going to make this country safe again. He’s going to do it. One illegal [sic] alien at a time.'” (03/17/25)
“The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner confirmed four fatalities related to the fires or high winds. Those fatalities were reported in Lincoln, Garfield, Haskell and Pawnee counties. According to the Oklahoma State Department of Health, 142 injuries related to the wildfires were reported to state hospitals. … The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management confirmed at least 400 homes were damaged by the fires across the state.” (03/16/25)
“It’s lights out for the first private lunar lander to pull off a fully successful moon mission. Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lander fell silent over the weekend, wrapping up two weeks of science experiments for NASA. The end came as the sun set at the moon, no longer providing energy for the lander’s solar panels. ‘Mission is completed,’ Firefly CEO Jason Kim said via X late Sunday night. ‘But the Ghost still lives on in our hearts and minds for the journey it’s taken us on!’ The lander operated five hours into the lunar night as planned before it died Sunday evening. Photos of the lunar sunset and glow will be released on Tuesday, Kim said.” (03/17/25)
“North Korea on Monday vowed to ‘steadily update and strengthen’ its nuclear arsenal, rejecting a joint statement by the Group of Seven Foreign Ministers calling for Pyongyang to give up its nuclear ambitions. The North’s Foreign Ministry said its position as a nuclear weapons state has been ‘fixed permanently by the supreme law of its state.’ … Despite facing a raft of international sanctions, Pyongyang has continued to develop its nuclear and missile programs. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un recently visited the construction site of the country’s first ‘nuclear-powered strategic guided missile submarine,’ according to a KCNA report.” (03/17/25)
“President Donald Trump’s administration deported nearly 300 alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua under the Alien Enemies Act despite a federal judge blocking the flights under the 1798 law last wielded during World War II. Chief U.S. Judge James Boasberg’s order Saturday came after Trump issued a proclamation, which he had signed the day before, targeting Tren de Aragua members for immediate deportations under the 18th century law. … Despite Boasberg’s order, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement Sunday that alleged Tren De Aragua gang members were arrested over the weekend at Trump’s direction and had already been deported to El Salvador.” (03/16/25)
“Rwandan-backed M23 rebels said on Monday they would send a delegation to peace talks with Democratic Republic of Congo’s government expected to begin on Tuesday in Angola’s capital. ‘The five-member delegation is expected to leave for Luanda on Monday for dialogue at the request of Angolan authorities,’ Lawrence Kanyuka, a spokesperson for the AFC rebel alliance that includes the M23, said in a post on X. On Sunday, President Felix Tshisekedi’s office said Kinshasa would also send representatives to Luanda, reversing the government’s long-standing vow not to negotiate with the group.” (03/17/25)
“Russia will seek ‘ironclad’ guarantees in any peace deal on Ukraine that NATO nations will exclude Kyiv from membership and that Ukraine will remain neutral, a Russian deputy foreign minister said in remarks published on Monday. U.S. President Donald Trumpis trying to win President Vladimir Putin’s support for a 30-day ceasefire proposal that Ukraine accepted last week and which Putin says needs to meet crucial conditions to be acceptable. Trump is expected to speak with his Putin this week on ways to end the three-year war in Ukraine, U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff told CNN on Sunday after returning from what he described as a ‘positive’ meeting with Putin in Moscow.” (03/17/25)
“Dozens of people have been reported killed after US President Donald Trump ordered ‘decisive’ military action against Houthi rebels [sic] in Yemen, opening a new salvo against the Iran-backed group that has targeted shipping lanes in the Red Sea. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the US would deploy ‘overwhelming lethal force’ against the Houthis ‘until we have achieved our objective,’ signaling the start of a major operation that could last weeks and prompting the Houthis to warn of escalation. The US strikes killed at least 31 people and injured 101 others in Yemen, mostly women and children, the Houthi-run health ministry said.” (03/16/25)
“President Donald Trump on Saturday signed into law a six-month funding bill, averting a government shutdown. In a post on X, White House Spokesperson Harrison Fields said Trump signed the bill and thanked Democrats who joined Republicans to approve the continuing measure. Trump’s signature comes after the Senate passed the bill on Friday just hours ahead of a midnight deadline. The vote was 54-46, with two Democrats joining all but one Republican in support of the measure. Earlier Friday, the bill cleared a key procedural hurdle with the help of 10 Democrats in a 62-38 vote. Sixty votes were needed to defeat a Democratic filibuster.” (03/15/25)
“The US restricted visas to current and former Thai officials involved in the return of 40 Uyghurs to China last month, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday. The visa curbs are part of a new policy to combat China’s efforts to pressure governments to forcibly return Uyghurs and other groups to China, the secretary of state said in a statement. Members of the Chinese minority group are subject to torture and enforced disappearances and the new visa restriction policy will apply to any government officials who deport Uyghurs back to the Asian country, he said.” (03/15/25)
