ACTUAL NEWS: Wednesday, March 5th 2025 Recap
"Today in History" and the Latest National and Global News
QUICK HITS
President of France Macron: "We have prepared a peace plan for Ukraine:
Europe is entering a new era, the threat from Russia extends to all of us;
Peace cannot be concluded on Russia's terms;
We must prepare for the fact that the US will not be on our side;
Peace cannot be signed in Washington or Moscow."
Panama’s President José Raúl Mulino has accused President Donald Trump of lying after the U.S. president claimed his administration was “taking back” the Panama Canal.
Mulino on X: “Once again, President Trump is lying. The Panama Canal is not in the process of recovery. I reject this affront to our dignity.”
TODAY IN HISTORY
1770: Harassed by a mob, British troops opened fire, killing Crispus Attucks and four others in the Boston Massacre, an event that galvanized anti-British feelings in the lead-up to the American Revolution.
1798: Napoleon invaded Switzerland and occupied Bern, ending the ancient ruling system of that country, the Confederation of the Thirteen Cantons.
1946: British Prime Minister Winston Churchill popularized the term “Iron Curtain”—describing the separation of the Soviet Union and its eastern and central European allies from Western nations—in a speech at Fulton, Missouri.
1979: The U.S. space probe Voyager 1 flew by Io, the innermost of Jupiter's satellites, and observed nine active volcanoes on its surface.
QUICK ACTUAL NEWS
NATIONAL
Democratic U.S. Representative Sylvester Turner, former mayor of Houston, who was sworn into office in November, passed away on Wednesday, according to a spokesperson. This news came hours after he posted about attending President Donald Trump's address to Congress.
A U.S. judge blocked President Donald Trump's administration on Wednesday from implementing severe cuts to federal grant funding for research. Universities and Democratic-led states warned that these cuts would lead to layoffs, lab closures, and disruptions in scientific and medical studies.
The Supreme Court rejected President Trump's emergency request to freeze nearly $2 billion in foreign aid, which was part of his broader efforts to reduce government spending.
On Wednesday, a Trump administration official overseeing cuts to U.S. foreign aid programs briefed members of Congress, but lawmakers said the briefing provided little insight into how billions of dollars in international assistance will be redistributed.
Rising U.S. energy prices could increase even more in some areas if the tariffs imposed by the Trump administration this week affect Canadian electricity supplies and provoke retaliation, according to energy experts and grid operators.
Hundreds of diplomats at the State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) have formally written to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, protesting the dismantling of USAID. They argue that these cuts undermine U.S. leadership and security, creating power vacuums for China and Russia.
The World Health Organization warned on Wednesday that the Trump administration’s decision to pause U.S. foreign aid could undo progress made in controlling tuberculosis (TB) infections in low- and middle-income countries, putting millions of lives at risk.
The Department of Veterans Affairs plans to cut more than 80,000 jobs from its workforce, which supports
military veterans' benefits, according to an internal memo obtained by Reuters.
The Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives initiated a process on Wednesday that could lead to the censure of Democrat Al Green, who was expelled from the chamber after interrupting President Donald Trump during his SOTU address.
President Donald Trump's administration dropped a lawsuit on Wednesday that had been filed by the Biden administration in an attempt to block Idaho's enforcement of its near-total abortion ban in medical emergencies.
A U.S. judge on Wednesday declined to order the Trump administration to immediately return $80.5 million in grants to New York City, funds intended to help cover the city's costs for housing migrants.
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump suggested that U.S. lawmakers should eliminate the landmark 2022 bipartisan law that allocates $52.7 billion in subsidies for semiconductor manufacturing. Instead, he proposed using the funds to pay down the national debt.
The Trump administration disbanded two expert committees that worked with the government to produce economic statistics, potentially impacting the quality of data. The terminations, announced by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, were effective February 28 and communicated via email to one of the panels, the Federal Economic Statistics Advisory Committee (FESAC), which contributed to inflation and GDP data.
A U.S. board overseeing the firing of federal employees ordered the U.S. Department of Agriculture to temporarily reinstate thousands of workers who were let go as part of President Trump's layoffs of the federal workforce.
More young Americans have been joining the Air Force's delayed-entry program recently, a positive sign for recruitment after years of effort to reverse a pandemic-era slump.
Lockheed Martin has been excluded from the Navy’s sixth-generation fighter jet program, known as Next Generation Air Dominance or F/A-XX, according to sources who told Breaking Defense. The company submitted a proposal but failed to meet the Navy's criteria and is no longer pursuing the bid.
A U.S. congressional committee urged Americans on Wednesday to remove Chinese-made wireless routers from their homes, including those by TP-Link, citing security concerns that they could allow China to hack U.S. critical infrastructure.
The U.S. government announced indictments on Wednesday against several alleged Chinese hackers, sanctioned a Chinese tech company, and offered a $10 million bounty in connection with a years-long spy campaign that stole information globally.
The Defense Logistics Agency has begun firing civilian employees hired, transferred, or promoted in the last one to two years, as part of a larger Pentagon workforce reduction announced last month, though temporarily put on hold.
U.S. Defense Department leaders and lawmakers are considering major acquisition reforms, bureaucratic fixes, and new funding flexibilities for emerging military capabilities in the early days of the second Trump administration, officials said on Capitol Hill on March 4.
The Federal Aviation Administration announced on Wednesday that upgrading the aging U.S. air traffic control system will require multiple technologies and companies as it tests Starlink systems at various agency sites.
The top official overseeing the care of unaccompanied migrant children was abruptly removed on Tuesday, according to an email reviewed by Reuters. Mellissa Harper, acting director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement, informed staff of her termination.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday considered whether the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has the authority to license nuclear waste storage facilities, amid objections from the state of Texas and oil industry interests.
Top officials from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission affirmed on Wednesday that their agencies will continue to monitor market misconduct, as the Trump administration seeks to remake Washington and its enforcement efforts.
Billionaire Elon Musk, advising President Donald Trump on plans to drastically shrink the U.S. government, said on Wednesday that the U.S. Postal Service and passenger railroad Amtrak should be privatized.
The mass layoffs from the federal payroll will have a “devastating” effect on cybersecurity and national security, warned a former National Security Agency official on Wednesday. Rob Joyce, former NSA director of cybersecurity, testified before the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party about the potential harm from these aggressive cuts to U.S. government employees.
The U.S. Marshals Service is providing security for Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., according to an email obtained by Reuters on Wednesday, marking an unusual arrangement.
GLOBAL
The Italian government is growing increasingly uncertain about finalizing a €1.5 billion deal with Elon Musk’s Starlink, following the U.S. retreat from its commitments to European security, according to Bloomberg.
Former Putin advisor Illarionov revealed that he learned of the Trump administration's decision to cut off all military support to Ukraine on February 25, before Zelenskyy's White House meeting on February 28. The decision was retroactively linked to Zelenskyy's visit in the March 4 announcement.
Canada could use oil and gas exports as leverage in negotiations if U.S. tariffs on Canadian imports escalate, Foreign Minister Melanie Joly stated during a speech to a Toronto business audience on Wednesday.
President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had a 50-minute discussion on Wednesday, which covered fentanyl smuggling and trade, according to a Canadian source familiar with the conversation.
BlackRock, a major U.S. asset manager, plans to purchase ports at both ends of the Panama Canal from a Hong Kong-based company. The deal could alleviate some of the pressure Trump has placed on Panama.
Researchers from the Air Force and Space Force indicated at the AFA Warfare Symposium on March 4 that U.S. military personnel could one day target smart weapons using location data from Chinese or Russian GPS systems.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang affirmed on Wednesday that China will “firmly advance” efforts for “reunification” with Taiwan while opposing external interference, and will strive to work with Taiwanese people to achieve the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
Brig. Gen. Anthony J. Mastalir, commander of Space Forces Indo-Pacific, noted that the increasing complexity of China’s military exercises, coupled with its use of space weapons, makes it difficult to distinguish between exercises and actual operations aimed at invading Taiwan.
Taiwan is seeking closer security ties with the U.S. and plans to purchase additional weapons, according to a senior Taiwanese official, as reported by Bloomberg News on Wednesday.
Taiwan is drawing lessons from Ukrainian companies that continue to operate amid the ongoing conflict with Russia. A senior Taiwanese official informed Reuters on Wednesday that the island is speeding up its contingency planning due to heightened Chinese threats.
China unveiled more fiscal stimulus on Wednesday, signaling greater efforts to boost consumption to support its economy’s path toward a roughly 5% growth target this year, amid an escalating trade war with the U.S.
China will increase its defense spending by 7.2% this year, maintaining steady growth despite three years of sluggish economic expansion and rising geopolitical challenges, from Taiwan to Ukraine.
U.S. companies called on Wednesday for tougher legislation to enforce trade laws and ensure criminal prosecution of Chinese government-subsidized companies that circumvent U.S. tariffs by shipping goods through third countries.
President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the person responsible for the deaths of 13 U.S. service members during the 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal has been arrested with Pakistan's help and is now on his way to the U.S. to face justice.
In his address to Congress on Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump reiterated his interest in acquiring Greenland, presenting it as a path to prosperity and safety for its people, an autonomous territory of Denmark.
The U.S. dollar hovered near a three-month low against major peers on Wednesday, following the latest round of U.S. tariffs and countermeasures from Canada and China, stoking fears of an escalating trade war.
Japan, South Korea, and other nations are interested in partnering with the U.S. on a “gigantic” natural gas pipeline in Alaska, President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday, claiming they would invest "trillions of dollars each."
British defense minister John Healey is scheduled to meet with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in Washington on Thursday to discuss a peace plan for Ukraine, according to the British Ministry of Defense.
Members of the Volt party in the European Parliament are preparing a nine-point plan to reform the EU, including proposals to strip Hungary of its voting rights and establish a joint European army.
On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a new visa-restriction policy targeting foreign government officials and others believed to be responsible for facilitating illegal immigration into the U.S.
French authorities confirmed that a joint trip by French President Macron, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, and UK Prime Minister Starmer to the U.S. could take place soon, with the group presenting a united front to Trump regarding the peace plan, according to The Daily Mail.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe confirmed that Washington has suspended intelligence sharing with Kyiv.
Zelenskyy offered terms to end the war with Russia, including a promise to release prisoners of war and halt long-range attacks if Vladimir Putin agreed to do the same.
The Trump administration is reportedly preparing to lift sanctions on Russia imposed after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, signaling a reversal in U.S. policy toward Moscow during the war.
Experts warn that Ukraine’s military could collapse in as little as four months without continued U.S. weapons support.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) took action on Wednesday against seven high-ranking members of Ansarallah, also known as the Houthis. These individuals have smuggled military-grade items into Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen and negotiated weapons procurements from Russia. OFAC also designated a Houthi-affiliated operative and his company, who recruited Yemeni civilians to fight on behalf of Russia in Ukraine, generating revenue to support Houthi militant operations.
President Donald Trump has long accused Mexico of sending migrants and drugs to the U.S. In a unique case heard by the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday, Mexico argued that the root cause of its crime and migration problems lies with U.S. gun manufacturers. The Mexican government claims that U.S. firearms manufacturers are aware that their products are trafficked into Mexico and deliberately design and market weapons to target this illegal market. An estimated 70% of weapons used in crimes in Mexico are traced to the U.S., where they are often purchased legally and smuggled across the border.
On March 4, a U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress bomber flew with the Israeli Air Force and the Royal Air Force over the eastern Mediterranean Sea, marking the third Bomber Task Force mission to the Middle East in the past month, according to a U.S. defense official.
The Trump administration has reportedly been holding secret talks with the militant Palestinian group Hamas about potentially releasing U.S. hostages being held in Gaza, according to two sources briefed on the discussions.
Two Israeli companies announced the establishment of defense factories in the U.S. this past weekend, with plans to produce jet and rocket engines for the U.S. military market.
President Donald Trump urged Hamas militants to immediately release all hostages held in Gaza, calling it his "last warning" while also urging the group’s leadership to leave the Palestinian enclave.
Lesotho’s foreign minister expressed shock and offense on Wednesday over President Donald Trump’s comment that nobody had heard of the African country, inviting him to visit.
CARTOON OF THE DAY
POSTS OF THE DAY
NEWS CLIPS - NO COMMENTARY
French President Macron addresses all Europeans to prepare for war with Russia
Hegseth responds to China after its foreign ministry declares readiness for any type of war with US
Gen. Min Aung Hlaing called Putin a king during his visit.
Min Aung Hlaing is a Burmese army general who has ruled Myanmar as the chairman of the State Administration Council (SAC) since seizing power in the February 2021 coup d'état.
French Senator : "Washington has become Nero’s court, with an incendiary emperor, submissive courtiers and a jester high on ketamine. (...) We were at war with a dictator, we are now at war with a dictator backed by a traitor" - Claude Malhuret
ICYMI
Tesla’s stock experienced its worst month since 2022, falling 28% during CEO Elon Musk's first full month as part of the Trump administration.
Kraft Heinz is venturing into the alcohol category for the first time with the launch of a new hard seltzer infused with Crystal Light.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) dropped its lawsuit against JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo over Zelle fraud, as Acting Director Russell Vought continues to overhaul the independent agency.
Anthropic has turned its seven co-founders into billionaires following its latest funding round, which valued the AI company at $61.5 billion, according to Bloomberg.
Samsung is expected to unveil its competitor to the Apple Vision Pro headset later this year, as reported by CNBC.
GOOD TO KNOW
A message from Ranking Member Jim Himes
TODAY'S COVER PHOTO
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 04: Democrats hold protest signs as U.S. President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on March 04, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Win McNamee/Pool via REUTERS
That's all from me for now. Thank you for reading.
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