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ECM WORLD WATCH: NATIONAL AND GLOBAL NEWS

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May 21, 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.

WORLD

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

U.S.

US Supreme Court maintains block on Trump deportations under wartime law (Reuters)

The U.S. Supreme Court faulted Trump's administration for seeking to remove them without adequate due process, but clarified that the administration was free to pursue deportations under other provisions of U.S. immigration law.

GOP-led House committees meet to tackle Medicaid cuts, taxes and SNAP benefits (NBC)

Three key House committees are set to debate critical portions of a sweeping package for President Donald Trump's agenda, with Republicans eyeing a vote on the final bill in the full chamber before Memorial Day weekend even as they have yet to reach consensus on several key issues.

Trump admin permits sale of device that allows standard firearms to fire like machine guns (NBC)

Gun control groups condemned the move as “a dangerous backroom deal spearheaded by Trump’s general counsel” that “effectively legalized machine guns.”

Biden diagnosed with "aggressive form" of prostate cancer  (CBS)

Former President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with an "aggressive form" of prostate cancer that has spread to his bones, his office said in a statement on Sunday. According to the statement, Biden was diagnosed with "prostate cancer, characterized by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone." The statement noted that while this is a "more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management."

Hegseth sparks fears as he moves to ax generals (The Hill)

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s move to ax the size of the U.S. military’s top ranks has triggered concerns of a political purge. Hegseth, who on Monday directed significant cuts to the U.S. military’s senior-most positions, has already fired several top leaders with no explanation.

FEMA's acting administrator is replaced a day after congressional testimony (AP) — The Federal Emergency Management Agency faced fresh upheaval Thursday just weeks before the start of hurricane season when the acting administrator was pushed out and replaced by another official from the Department of Homeland Security.  The abrupt change came the day after Cameron Hamilton, a former Navy SEAL who held the job for the last few months, testified on Capitol Hill that he did not agree with proposals to dismantle an organization that helps plan for natural disasters and distributes financial assistance.  “I do not believe it is in the best interest of the American people to eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency,” he said Wednesday. 

Rwanda in 'early stages' of talks with U.S. to take in deported migrants  (NPR)

Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehetold Rwandan state TV that his government was in "early talks" with Washington regarding taking in third-country nationals deported from the U.S…. Nduhungirehe said plans weren't concrete yet, but noted that Rwanda has experience in taking in migrants, saying, "it's not the first time that we'd be engaging in such a kind of deal."

White House ‘actively looking’ at suspending habeas corpus in immigration crackdown (The Hill)

White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller said Friday that President Trump and his team are “actively looking at” suspending habeas corpus as part of the administration’s immigration crackdown. . .A writ of habeas corpus compels authorities to produce an individual they are holding and to justify their confinement. It’s been a key avenue migrants have used to challenge pending deportations under the Alien Enemies Act, a rarely-used 18th-century power Trump cited to deport Venezuelan nationals he’s accused of being gang members to a notorious megaprison in El Salvador.

Trump’s Orwellian erasure of women (Time Magazine)

Since President Donald Trump’s January 20 Executive Order against, what he calls, “illegal and immoral” DEI programs, the Trump Administration has been busy commanding an Orwellian erasure of women’s achievements from the public record. In January NASA was ordered to remove mentions of "anything specifically targeting women (women in leadership, etc)" from its website. The Pentagon has deleted online many mentions of female military members who made history. Even a dead woman is still a threat: the Arlington Cemetery website has erased pages on female veterans.

Trump fires top U.S. copyright official (Politico)

... Federal law provides that the Register of Copyrights be appointed by and supervised by the Librarian of Congress, which is a position that requires presidential nomination and Senate confirmation. The previous Librarian of Congress, Carla Hayden, was fired Thursday by the White House with no reason provided in a one sentence e-mail.

DHS Is Considering Reality Show Where Immigrants Compete for Citizenship (Wall St. Journal)

‘This isn’t ‘The Hunger Games’ for immigrants,’ says the producer behind the pitch

Trump says his administration is revoking Harvard’s tax-exempt status (CBS News)

President Trump said Friday that his administration will be rescinding Harvard University's tax-exempt status, further escalating the ongoing feud with the Ivy League school...

WORLD

Israel launches major offensive in Gaza after airstrikes that killed more than 100 (Guardian)

IDF aiming to seize strategic areas as part of expansion of war against Hamas in attempt to force release of hostages

Pope Leo offers Vatican for Ukraine Peace Talks (Politico EU)

The Holy See’s top diplomat said the failure of this week’s Russia-Ukraine meeting in Istanbul was “tragic.”

NATO Ally Gives Blunt Assessment of Trump-Putin Call (Newsweek)

 Germany's defense minister Boris Pistorius said Russian President Vladimir Putin should be judged by his actions, not words, and that he is "continuing to play for time" with "lip service" after his call with U.S. President Donald Trump …. Pistorius noted the massive Russian drone attack on Ukraine over the weekend.

A Russia-NATO War Would Look Nothing Like Ukraine (Foreign Policy)

.... Russia’s primary goal in a war against NATO would not be to seize large territories—at least not initially—but to destroy the alliance as a political and military entity capable of opposing Russia. Doing so would not require defeating NATO’s forces in open battle and marching into Berlin. Rather, it would entail destroying NATO’s unity and resolve, with the Kremlin betting that the alliance would fracture under pressure.

Explosions reported after India and Pakistan agree to ceasefire (Reuters)

Blasts were heard in Srinagar and Jammu and projectiles and flashes were seen in the night sky over Jammu, similar to the events of the previous evening, according to authorities, residents and Reuters witnesses.

Trump says US to lifts Syria sanctions, secures $600 billion Saudi deal (Reuters)

President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that the U.S. will lift long-standing sanctions on Syria, and secured a $600 billion commitment from Saudi Arabia to invest in the United States on a trip to the Gulf.

Israel Bombards Gaza Seeking to Kill Top Hamas Leader, Officials Say (New York Times)

Israeli officials said the military had launched an attack targeting Muhammad Sinwar, one of Hamas’s top remaining commanders in Gaza and the brother of a leader killed last year.

Trump Faces Intense Backlash For Accepting White South African ‘Refugees’(Meidas News)

Trump is accused of racist hypocrisy after denying refugees from Congo, Sudan and Afghanistan.



 

 


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Source URL (modified on 05/21/2025 - 11:58):https://www.eastcountymagazine.org/ecm-world-watch-national-and-global-news-415