ACTUAL NEWS: Friday, April 18th 2025 Daily Briefing
- Olga Nesterova
- Apr 18
- 10 min read
QUICK HITS
To set the stage and level expectations, here’s President Trump at the swearing-in ceremony for Dr. Oz as CMS Head:
Trump: Boy, oh, boy. I thought he just did a show. You know why I know he did the show? He said I was a little overweight. I did a show and that’s what I got out of it.
“Just doing the TV show” was apparently the qualifier for the position. Outstanding.
Dr. Oz then, speaking after being sworn in, said that it is “everyone’s patriotic duty to stay healthy” as “healthy people don’t consume healthcare resources.”
Then, a family member of his fainted in the Oval Office.
Dr. Oz wasn’t alone in sharing thoughts steeped in ignorance today.
Rep. Tim Burchett, appearing on Fox News, said the following about medical research at universities: "They want to destroy this country. The research stops when the money stops. That's bull. We ought to put it out in the private sector ... and we find out that a majority of their students aren't even American citizens? ... it's a disloyalty to our country."
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. will abandon efforts to end the war in Ukraine if meaningful progress cannot be brokered in the next few days.
“If it is not possible to end the war in Ukraine, we need to move on,” Rubio said while departing meetings in Paris.
"The US has supported Ukraine for three years, but now we reached a point where US need to focus on something else," – Secretary Rubio.
"Also, the US is not yet ready to publicly discuss the issue of Ukraine's security guarantees," he added.
He also said the U.S. is advising the EU to drop sanctions on Russia to secure a “deal.”
Today in the Oval Office, Trump said the following on Ukraine ceasefire negotiations:”If for some reason one of the two parties makes it very difficult, we're just going to say ’you are foolish, you’re fools, you’re horrible people’ and we're going to just take a pass”
This is someone who built his campaign around “ending the war in Ukraine in 24 hours.”
Regarding the “minerals (extortion) deal” with Ukraine — after signing a memorandum with Ukrainian officials…
President Trump said: "We expect to sign a minerals deal Thursday. We’ll see if they live up to it."
According to Ukrainian sources, it is physically impossible to meet that deadline.
The U.S. peace plan reportedly includes easing sanctions against Russia — Bloomberg
According to Bloomberg, U.S. officials presented allies in Paris with a proposal for a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine. The plan outlines conditions to end hostilities and suggests sanctions on Moscow could be relaxed if a long-term ceasefire is upheld.
This initiative reportedly followed Secretary Rubio’s remarks about the administration’s willingness to walk away from peace efforts. The proposal would effectively freeze the conflict — leaving Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories under Moscow’s control. Ukraine’s NATO aspirations would be taken off the table.
...So all you did was align with Russia for nothing? ..or perhaps that was the reason.
Yesterday, as President Trump sat in the Oval Office with Italian PM Giorgia Meloni telling the world the “US is very close to a ceasefire deal with Russia,” Russia’s ambassador to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, told reporters a ceasefire is “unrealistic.”
On Good Friday, Russia launched missile and drone strikes across multiple regions in Ukraine. In Sumy, a bread factory was destroyed. The owner, who came to pick up Easter bread, was killed. In Dnipro, a fitness center, private home, hotel, and office were all hit.
Last night, Russia again struck Kharkiv — my birthplace — with three ballistic missiles loaded with shrapnel. Civilians were the target. One missile hit a high-rise residential building, killing at least one and injuring 60 — including children.
In Kherson, Russia obliterated a residential building near the train station full of civilians.
“This is a murder” – President Zelenskyy rebuked President Trump for calling the deadly Sumy strike a mistake.
“Excuse me, but this is a murder. This strike went to the (city) center, it did not go to the front line,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
Russia today removed the Taliban from its list of terrorist organizations.
The Taliban can now legally operate within Russia.
Give it a few weeks, and Taliban fighters may be fighting shoulder-to-shoulder with Russian and North Korean troops in Sumy or Donetsk.
China is sending troops to Ukraine to prepare for an attack on Taiwan, The Hill reports.
Experts say Chinese forces fighting alongside Russia are gaining combat experience to be used in a future invasion of Taiwan. Some predict an assault could come within six months.
"The Communist Party is seeking firsthand battlefield experience in Ukraine to prepare the People’s Liberation Army for future wars. For the PLA, the battlefield in Ukraine is the most vivid and brutal example of revolutionary confrontation between unmanned weapons and the electronic warfare systems used against them."
TODAY IN HISTORY
1506: Pope Julius II laid the cornerstone for the new St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, marking the beginning of what would become one of the most iconic churches in the world.
1775: Paul Revere made his legendary midnight ride to warn Boston-area residents of the approaching British forces at the outset of the American Revolution.
1906: A massive earthquake struck San Francisco, triggered by movement along the San Andreas Fault, causing widespread devastation and fires throughout the city.
1942: U.S. Lieutenant Colonel James H. Doolittle led a daring surprise air raid on Tokyo and other Japanese cities; though it caused minimal damage, the Doolittle Raid significantly boosted Allied morale during World War II.
1945: Celebrated American war correspondent Ernie Pyle was killed by Japanese gunfire on Ie Island during the Battle of Okinawa in World War II.
1956: American actress Grace Kelly married Prince Rainier III of Monaco in a civil ceremony, leaving behind her Hollywood career; a lavish religious ceremony followed the next day.
1980: Zimbabwe officially gained independence from the United Kingdom, with Robert Mugabe becoming the country’s first prime minister.
QUICK ACTUAL NEWS
NATIONAL
The Trump administration introduced a new rule allowing federal agencies to swiftly remove employees in policy-influencing roles for "poor performance, misconduct, corruption, or subversion of presidential directives"—without lengthy procedural hurdles.
A 20-year-old student fatally shot two people and injured six others at Florida State University in Tallahassee. Authorities confirmed the gunman is the son of a local sheriff’s deputy. He was arrested after being shot by police. Some students who sheltered during the attack had also survived the 2018 Parkland school massacre.
A panel of federal appellate judges expressed frustration with the White House for refusing to assist in the release of Abrego Garcia.
Two federal judges overseeing deportation flight cases said they had reason to believe Trump officials acted in bad faith by failing to comply with court orders.
The Trump administration has threatened to block Harvard University from enrolling international students unless it hands over detailed student records.
An administration official asked the IRS to investigate whether Mike Lindell, a Trump ally and CEO of MyPillow, had been unfairly targeted for an audit.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed Friday that Deputy Treasury Secretary Michael Faulkender has been named acting IRS Commissioner, replacing longtime career official Gary Shapley. Faulkender will serve until Trump’s nominee, Billy Long, is confirmed.
White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said Friday that President Trump and his team are still exploring the possibility of firing Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell—a move that would have significant consequences for the Fed’s independence and global markets.
The Trump administration announced it will take over the renovation of New York’s Penn Station, the busy and deteriorating transit hub beneath Madison Square Garden.
At Meta’s antitrust trial, former executive Sheryl Sandberg testified that the company supported Instagram’s growth post-acquisition, challenging accusations that Meta stifled competition.
A new clinical trial suggests a daily pill may be as effective in lowering blood sugar and aiding weight loss as injectable drugs like Ozempic.
The Texas House of Representatives approved a $1 billion taxpayer-funded private school voucher program.
A federal grand jury has indicted Luigi Mangione in connection with the killing of a healthcare executive in Manhattan.
A federal judge granted a preliminary injunction Thursday, extending a ban on Elon Musk’s aides accessing private data from the Social Security Administration’s systems.
Valley Democrat Rep. Jim Costa clashed with the Trump administration by signing a forceful letter after the IRS began cooperating with the Department of Homeland Security. Action News obtained the letter exclusively.
Lawyers for detained Venezuelan men urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday to block their imminent deportation, arguing it violates the judicial review protections guaranteed by the Court.
A Justice Department lawyer told a judge Friday that the Trump administration reserves the right to deport alleged Venezuelan gang members as early as Saturday. “DHS has no current flight plans, but reserves the right to remove people tomorrow,” said DOJ attorney Drew Ensign.
U.S. District Judge James Boasberg denied a request Friday to block the Trump administration from deporting suspected Venezuelan gang members. The decision came during an emergency hearing requested by the ACLU.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s chief of staff, Joe Kasper, will depart in the coming days to take on a new role within the agency, according to Politico.
The U.S. National Archives has released thousands of pages of documents related to the assassination of Senator Robert F. Kennedy, following President Trump’s order to declassify the materials.
A federal judge ruled Friday that the Trump administration’s refusal to issue passports reflecting the gender identity of transgender and nonbinary Americans is likely unconstitutional—but declined to issue a nationwide injunction.
GLOBAL
UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Wednesday, saying he aimed to “facilitate” progress at this “crucial stage.” U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, representing Washington in the talks, has issued conflicting statements—first proposing a cap on enrichment, then demanding its full halt.
In a rare diplomatic visit, Saudi Arabia’s defense minister met with Iran’s top leader on Thursday, signaling a desire to strengthen bilateral ties ahead of the second round of U.S.-Iran nuclear talks in Rome. This marked the highest-level Saudi visit to Iran in decades. The meeting underlined the regional stakes—and potential for conflict—surrounding the ongoing negotiations.
Iran told the United States during talks last week that it is prepared to accept limits on its uranium enrichment—if Washington provides firm guarantees that President Donald Trump will not abandon the agreement again, a senior Iranian official said Friday.
Vice President JD Vance, a Catholic who has publicly clashed with Pope Francis over the Trump administration’s immigration policies, attended a religious service at the Vatican on Friday. The ailing pope did not attend.
The U.S. Interior Department announced Friday it will begin public consultations on a new five-year offshore oil and gas leasing plan, which could include new drilling zones in the Arctic and other areas to maximize energy output.
IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva said the U.S.-driven “reboot of the global trading system” could result in significant growth downgrades, though she stopped short of forecasting a global recession. More precise projections are expected next week. Meanwhile, the European Central Bank cut interest rates Thursday amid tariff-related uncertainty.
The U.S. will impose visa restrictions on over 250 officials from Nicaragua’s government, citing human rights violations under President Daniel Ortega, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday.
The U.S. military will begin consolidating its presence in Syria over the coming months, potentially cutting its troop levels there by half, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell announced Friday.
In a diplomatic milestone, two U.S. lawmakers arrived in Damascus on Friday to meet with Syrian officials—the first visit by members of Congress since Bashar al-Assad was ousted from power by an Islamist-led offensive in December.
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned Global South nations that “unilateral bullying” is undermining a rules-based global system, keeping diplomatic pressure on President Trump to lift punitive tariffs.
As the U.S. grapples with a renewed measles outbreak, both Canada and Mexico are responding to parallel surges in cases.
Google announced plans to appeal the adverse ruling in the DOJ’s antitrust case, after U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema found the company guilty of willfully maintaining monopoly power in ad tech markets.
During a visit to Taipei, a U.S. senator assured Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te that the U.S. will continue to support Taiwan’s self-defense and is committed to peace across the Taiwan Strait, without coercion or force.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán told www.ot.hu that Hungary expects to sign a business agreement with the U.S. within six months to help cushion the impact of Trump-imposed tariffs.
A federal appeals court on Friday rejected the Trump administration’s request to proceed with stripping temporary legal protections from roughly 350,000 Venezuelan migrants, leaving them at risk of imminent deportation.
Lawyers for detained Venezuelan men in Texas asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday to block their deportation, arguing the Trump administration is acting in violation of judicial review rights affirmed by the Court.
CARTOON OF THE DAY
POSTS OF THE DAY
A tone-deaf message from NYC.gov
VIDEO QUICK NEWS
Q: Do you think Russia’s playing you? Trump: This is Biden’s war
ECB is lowering 3 key interest rates by 25 basis points
Trump: I never called Europe a parasite
Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) was confronted by constituents on Tuesday
RECOMMENDED READ
ICYMI
Revolutionary discovery: Scientists reveal potential signs of alien life!
The James Webb Space Telescope has detected dimethyl sulfide and dimethyl disulfide—molecules on exoplanet K2-18b’s atmosphere that, on Earth, are only produced by living organisms.
While not conclusive, it's the strongest evidence yet.
“K2-18b may be teeming with life,” says lead researcher Professor Nikku Madhusudhan.
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