ECM WORLD WATCH: NATIONAL AND GLOBAL NEWS

April 4, 2025 -- As part of our commitment to reflect all voices and views, we include links to a variety of news sources representing a broad spectrum of political, religious, and social views. Top world and U.S. headlines include:

U.S.

• Noem said she plans to eliminate FEMA (The Hill)
• Trump's first 50 days mark one of the worst starts for the S&P 500 under any presidency (Yahoo News)    
• Trade war escalation over Trump’s tariffs sends stocks tumbling  (CNN)
• ‘Amateur hour’: Washington aghast at Trump administration’s war plan group chat (Politico)
• 5 revelations from the Trump administration’s war plan texts  (Politico)
• Concerns about espionage rise as Trump and Musk fire thousands of federal workers (AP)
• Florida debates lifting some child labor laws to fill jobs vacated by undocumented immigrants (CNN)
• Immigration officers are becoming 'extreme' in how they vet travelers entering the U.S. (NPR)
• Trump administration halts funding for two cybersecurity efforts, including one for elections   (AP)
• Concerns about espionage rise as Trump and Musk fire thousands of federal workers (AP)
• ‘Something stinks’: Elon Musk, congressional Republicans target Democrats’ main fundraising machine (CNN)
• 2 months into Trump's second administration, the news industry faces challenges from all directions (AP)
• NASA weighs doing away with headquarters (Politico)
• Is planting trees 'DEI'? Trump administration cuts nationwide tree-planting effort (NPR)
• Flight data show Steve Witkoff was in Russia during group chat on Signal (CBS)
•  Here Are the Attack Plans That Trump’s Advisers Shared on Signal (The Atlantic)
• Trump won't rule out seeking a third term: ‘There are methods' for doing so” (NBC)
• Trump officials face records lawsuit over Signal chat (The Hill)
• U.S. consumer sentiment falls for third straight month amid tariff, inflation worries(UPI)
• Trump admin accidentally sent Maryland father to Salvadorian mega-prison and says it can’t get him back (UK Independent)
• Judge blocks Trump from enforcing 'chilling' order against law firm (NPR)
• Judges threatened with impeachment, bombs for ruling against Trump agenda (NPR)

WORLD

• Iran urged to strike Diego Garcia U.S. military base ‘immediately’ (UK Telegraph)
• Who are the Houthis and why is the US targeting them? (BBC)
• The US lifts bounties on senior Taliban officials, including Sirajuddin Haqqani, says Kabul (AP)
• Mexicans searching for missing relatives uncover possible mass killing site (NPR)
• Some European countries and Canada issue advisories for travelers to the U.S.  (NPR)
• Turkey's opposition urges peaceful protests over Istanbul mayor's arrest despite bans (AP)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

U.S.

Noem said she plans to eliminate FEMA (The Hill)

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said she planned to “eliminate” the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) during a televised Cabinet meeting Monday.

Trump's first 50 days mark one of the worst starts for the S&P 500 under any presidency (Yahoo News)

The Trump 2.0 stock market is off to one of the worst starts of any presidency since 1950.    

Trade war escalation over Trump’s tariffs sends stocks tumbling  (CNN)

China said it will impose reciprocal 34% tariffs on all imports from the US starting April 10, in retaliation to Trump’s tariffs against Beijing, ratcheting up the trade war between the world’s two largest economies.

‘Amateur hour’: Washington aghast at Trump administration’s war plan group chat (Politico)

Members of Congress and national security staffers were stunned Monday by a bombshell report that top Trump administration officials — including the vice president and Defense secretary — discussed war plans in a Signal group chat... In the report in The Atlantic, the magazine’s editor revealed that he had accidentally been added to a group chat on the secure messaging app Signal where senior members of the Trump administration were discussing plans for airstrikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen.

5 revelations from the Trump administration’s war plan texts  (Politico)

Vice President JD Vance suggested the president doesn’t understand the stakes of the Houthi strikes and other takeaways from the messages inadvertently shared with a journalist.

Concerns about espionage rise as Trump and Musk fire thousands of federal workers (AP)

As President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk work to overhaul the federal government, they’re forcing out thousands of workers with insider knowledge and connections who now need a job.  / For Russia, China and other adversaries, the upheaval in Washington as Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency guts government agencies presents an unprecedented opportunity to recruit informants, national security and intelligence experts say. 

Florida debates lifting some child labor laws to fill jobs vacated by undocumented immigrants (CNN)

...The state’s legislature on Tuesday is set to debate a bill that would loosen child labor laws, allowing children as young as 14 years old to work overnight shifts. If the new law is passed, teenagers would be able to work overnight jobs on school days.

Immigration officers are becoming 'extreme' in how they vet travelers entering the U.S. (NPR)

If you have a green card or a valid visa, entering the U.S. is usually a straightforward affair. Border officials might ask the purpose of your visit and how long you intend to stay before waving you through. But lately, officers have stepped up their questioning of travelers. Visitors with apparently minor visa violations have been shackled and chained and sent to U.S. detention centers.

Trump administration halts funding for two cybersecurity efforts, including one for elections   (AP)

The Trump administration has cut millions of dollars in federal funding from two cybersecurity initiatives, including one dedicated to helping state and local election officials. 

Concerns about espionage rise as Trump and Musk fire thousands of federal workers (AP)

As President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk work to overhaul the federal government, they’re forcing out thousands of workers with insider knowledge and connections who now need a job.  For Russia, China and other adversaries, the upheaval in Washington as Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency guts government agencies presents an unprecedented opportunity to recruit informants, national security and intelligence experts say. 

‘Something stinks’: Elon Musk, congressional Republicans target Democrats’ main fundraising machine (CNN)

ActBlue, a fundraising juggernaut for liberal candidates and causes, is facing stepped-up scrutiny and criticism from Republicans on Capitol Hill and allies of President Donald Trump – as the GOP flexes its new power in Washington and targets one of the key pillars of the Democratic Party’s financial infrastructure.

2 months into Trump's second administration, the news industry faces challenges from all directions (AP)

During the first Trump administration, the biggest concern for many journalists was labels. Would they, or their news outlet, be called “fake news” or an “enemy of the people” by a president and his supporters?  They now face a more assertive President Donald Trump. In two months, a blitz of action by the nation’s new administration — Trump, chapter two — has journalists on their heels.

NASA weighs doing away with headquarters (Politico)

 NASA is weighing closing its headquarters and scattering responsibilities among the states, a move that has the potential to dilute its coordination and influence in Washington.

Is planting trees 'DEI'? Trump administration cuts nationwide tree-planting effort (NPR)

In February, communities around the country learned that funding was canceled for a nationwide tree-planting program aimed at making neighborhoods cooler, healthier and more resilient to climate change.  The urban forestry initiative, administered by the nonprofit Arbor Day Foundation, was supposed to distribute $75 million in grant funding to about 100 different cities, nonprofit organizations and tribes…In a letter terminating the contract, the U.S. Forest Service stated the program "no longer aligns with agency priorities regarding diversity, equity and inclusion."

Flight data show Steve Witkoff was in Russia during group chat on Signal (CBS)

 President Trump's Ukraine and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff was in Moscow, where he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, when he was included in a group chat with more than a dozen other top administration officials — and inadvertently, one journalist — on the messaging app Signal, a CBS News analysis of open-source flight information and Russian media reporting has revealed. 

Here Are the Attack Plans That Trump’s Advisers Shared on Signal (The Atlantic)

- The administration has downplayed the importance of the text messages inadvertently sent to The Atlantic’s editor in chief.

Trump won't rule out seeking a third term: ‘There are methods' for doing so” (NBC)

President Donald Trump did not rule out the possibility of seeking a third term in the White House, which is prohibited by the Constitution under the 22nd Amendment, saying in an exclusive interview with NBC News that there were methods for doing so and clarifying that he was “not joking.”

Trump officials face records lawsuit over Signal chat (The Hill)

 A government watchdog group is suing national security leaders for their use of Signal to discuss military actions, saying the move violated the Federal Records Act (FRA). / The suit from American Oversight, which routinely files public records requests, said the move obstructs their ability to access government documents. 

U.S. consumer sentiment falls for third straight month amid tariff, inflation worries(UPI)

 It's the third straight month of falling consumer confidence in the economy and was well below the Dow Jones consensus estimate of 63.2.  Surveys of Consumers Director Joanne Hsu reported that declines were seen "consistently across all groups by age, education, income, wealth, political affiliations, and geographic regions."  "Sentiment has now fallen for three consecutive months and is currently down 22% from December 2024," it said.

Trump admin accidentally sent Maryland father to Salvadorian mega-prison and says it can’t get him back (UK Independent)

The Trump administration accidentally sent a Salvadorian immigrant to a notorious Salvadorian prison and says it can’t do anything to get him back. That’s even though the man had protected immigration status in the U.S., specifically barring him from being sent back to that country for fear of persecution.

Judge blocks Trump from enforcing 'chilling' order against law firm (NPR)

 A federal judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked parts of President Trump's executive order targeting a prominent law firm for its representation of Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign and for causes unpopular with his administration….  [U.S. District Judge Beryl] Howell said the president's order against Perkins Coie is clearly intended to punish the firm, and likely violates its First, Fifth and Sixth amendment rights… While the executive order takes aim at Perkins Coie, Howell said the "potential adverse impact cannot be understated." The order "casts a chilling harm of blizzard proportion across the entire legal profession," she said, warning that it will be understood as "an effort to intimidate" attorneys and prevent them from advocating on behalf of clients and causes at odds with the president.

Judges threatened with impeachment, bombs for ruling against Trump agenda (NPR)

Federal judges who have ruled against the Trump administration this year are confronting a wave of threats, potentially compromising their personal safety and the independence of the judiciary.

WORLD

Iran urged to strike Diego Garcia U.S. military base ‘immediately’ (UK Telegraph)

Iranian armed forces have called for a preemptive strike on the Diego Garcia military base before America uses it to target the Islamic Republic. A senior Iranian official said military commanders have been asked to target the joint UK-US base, which sits on Britain’s Chagos Islands, in an attempt to deter Donald Trump from striking Iran.

Who are the Houthis and why is the US targeting them? (BBC)

The start of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023 brought a new kind of conflict to prominence, with Iran-backed Houthi rebels attacking commercial ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The US launched several attacks in response. The latest, in mid-March, shook the new Trump presidency after it emerged that a journalist had been invited to a messaging group in which his most senior officials, including the vice-president, were discussing details of the attacks about to be launched.

The US lifts bounties on senior Taliban officials, including Sirajuddin Haqqani, says Kabul (AP)

The U.S. has lifted bounties on three senior Taliban figures, including the interior minister who also heads a powerful network blamed for bloody attacks against Afghanistan’s former Western-backed government, officials in Kabul said Sunday.

Mexicans searching for missing relatives uncover possible mass killing site (NPR)

There are more than 120,000 disappeared people in Mexico, according to the government's tally. Search collectives like the Jalisco Search Warriors have had to organize to do the work that authorities often will not do. They search for sites like the one in Teuchitlan, sometimes with government protection, but more often without, then make their discoveries known to pressure authorities into doing their jobs. This time it worked.

Some European countries and Canada issue advisories for travelers to the U.S.  (NPR)

 Denmark, the United Kingdom, Germany, Finland and Canada have revised their guidelines at a time when some travelers from these countries have been detained by immigration officials. … Some of the warnings also note that the State Department has also suspended its policy allowing transgender, intersex and nonbinary people to update the sex field on their passports …. In 2024, more than 13 million people visited the U.S. from western Europe alone….Spending by those visiting the U.S. this year could also "fall by 12.3%, amounting to a $22 billion annual loss," according to a February report by travel data company Tourism Economics.

Turkey's opposition urges peaceful protests over Istanbul mayor's arrest despite bans (AP)

The leader of Turkey’s main opposition on Friday renewed a call on supporters to take to the streets for peaceful demonstrations against the arrest of Istanbul’s mayor and top rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, even as authorities widened a ban on protests and criticized the appeal as irresponsible.