“The two NASA astronauts whose eight-day stopover on the International Space Station (ISS) turned into a nine-and-a-half-month mission are finally back on Earth. On Tuesday at 5:57 pm EDT, SpaceX Dragon Freedom splashed down off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida, carrying Sunita ‘Suni’ Williams and Butch Wilmore along with NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov. … Williams and Wilmore had in June 2024 performed the first astronaut-crewed flight of Boeing’s Starliner capsule. What was expected to be a weeklong trip to the ISS instead turned into a nine-month stay. The Boeing Starliner that was expected to carry them home after about 10 days experienced issues, leaving the pair at the station for months.” (03/18/25)
“US Chief Justice John Roberts said on Tuesday that Donald Trump’s threat to impeach federal judges was ‘not an appropriate response’ to disagreements about their rulings. ‘For more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision,’ Roberts said in statement. ‘The normal appellate review process exists for that purpose.’ The chief justice’s intervention came shortly after the US president slammed a federal judge who attempted to block the deportations of alleged Venezuelan gang members to El Salvador. ‘This judge, like many of the Crooked Judges’ I am forced to appear before, should be IMPEACHED!!!’ Trump wrote on Truth Social. … The rare public rebuke from the most senior judge on America’s top court underscores the mounting tensions between the Trump administration and the judicial branch of government.” (03/18/25)
“At least 18 people have been killed in an airstrike in northern Mali, a separatist group said. The army said it had mounted an attack targeting armed militants. The Collective for the Defence of the Rights of the Azawad People, which is part of a Tuareg separatist coalition, said Monday the Malian army bombed a market 50 km (30 miles) north of Lerneb, in the Timbuktu region. Seven people were also injured in the strike on Sunday, the group said in a statement, denouncing a ‘barbaric act from another age’ and a ‘flagrant human rights violation.’” (03/18/25)
“The immunity hearing for an Alabama police officer charged with murder will proceed in March, a criminal appeals court ruled, after finding no evidence to support the officer’s accusation that the judge overseeing the case improperly divulged his intentions to rule against him. … [Decatur police officer Mac] Marquette is charged with murder for fatally shooting Steve Perkins in 2023 while accompanying a tow-truck driver to repossess Perkins’ truck. Marquette’s lawyers said Perkins pointed a gun at the tow-truck driver, and that the officer should be granted immunity under “stand your ground” laws, which remove the duty to retreat before using deadly force in the face of danger. A neighbor’s home surveillance video, broadcast by WAFF, appears to show Marquette firing his weapon almost 20 times.” (03/18/25)
“Japan plans to deploy long-range missiles in its southwestern island of Kyushu near the East China Sea, amid growing fears of conflict in the Taiwan Strait, according to a Japanese media report. Japanese news agency Kyodo reported on Sunday that the missile deployment under consideration would strengthen ‘counterstrike capabilities’ in the event of an emergency. The deployment was likely to begin at the end of March next year, the report said, citing Japanese government sources. It said the move aimed to boost the security of the Nansei islands – an island chain in southwestern Japan also known as the Ryukyus that has gained strategic importance due to its proximity to Taiwan, around 110km (70 miles) apart at its closest point. ” (03/18/25)
“Starting March 28, Amazon Echo users will no longer have the option to process their Alexa voice recordings locally which means those recordings will be sent to the company’s cloud. Alexa currently offers an opt-in feature called ‘Do Not Send Voice Recordings’ to its customers which stops audio requests from being sent to Amazon. ‘We are reaching out to let you know that the Alexa feature ‘Do Not Send Voice Recordings’ that you enabled on your supported Echo device(s) will no longer be available beginning March 28th, 2025,’ the company said in an email sent to Echo customers who have enabled the option.” (03/18/25)
“German lawmakers have voted to allow a huge increase in defence and infrastructure spending — a seismic shift for the country that could reshape European defence. A two-thirds majority of Bundestag parliamentarians, required for the change, approved the vote on Tuesday. The law will exempt spending on defence and security from Germany’s strict debt rules, and create a €500bn ($547bn; £420bn) infrastructure fund. This vote is a historic move for traditionally debt-shy Germany, and could be hugely significant for Europe, as Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine grinds on, and after US President Donald Trump signalled an uncertain commitment to Nato and Europe’s defence. However, state government representatives in the upper house, the Bundesrat, still need to approve the moves — also by a two-thirds majority — before they officially become law. That vote is set for Friday.” (03/18/25)
“The White House has dismissed a French politician’s symbolic call for the return of the Statue of Liberty — a gift from France some 140 years ago — on the grounds that the United States no longer represents the values embodied by the monument. President Donald Trump would ‘absolutely not’ return the statue, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday when asked about the comments from Raphael Glucksmann, a member of the European Parliament.” (03/18/25)
“Sarepta Therapeutics said Tuesday that a patient died while taking its closely watched gene therapy for muscular dystrophy, sending company shares plummeting in morning trading. The young man died of acute liver injury, a known side effect, Sarepta said in a statement. But the company said the ‘severity’ of the patient’s case had not previously been seen with the therapy, called Elevidys. It’s the first known patient death with the therapy, which has been used in more than 800 patients, the company said. In 2023, Elevidys received expedited U.S. approval despite concerns from some Food and Drug Administration scientists about its effectiveness in treating Duchenne muscular dystrophy. It’s the first gene therapy approved in the U.S. for the rare muscle-wasting condition, which causes weakness, loss of mobility and early death in males.” (03/18/25)
“An iconic 354-year-old Canadian retailer is going out of business and shutting down all of its stores. And it’s pointing the finger at America and the ongoing tariff war. Hudson’s Bay, a retailer and an anchor to dozens of malls across Canada, is preparing for an ‘immediate’ liquidation after failing to secure enough money to stay afloat. Clearance sales will begin as early as next week at all 80 Hudson’s Bay locations, as well as three Saks Fifth Avenue and 12 Saks Off 5th stores it operates in Canada. Hudson’s Bay blames its collapse on sluggish consumer spending, post-pandemic declines in foot traffic, and even trade tensions between Canada and the U.S.” (03/18/25)
