Wednesday, March 19th, 2025 - Gaza ceasefire ends; Trump-Putin deal; SC rebukes Trump; Musk Blocked; FTC Firings; NASA crew returns

Today’s Headlines: The ceasefire in Gaza has officially collapsed after months of stalled negotiations. The IDF launched widespread strikes, while the U.S. blamed Hamas for rejecting past proposals and refusing to return hostages. Meanwhile, Trump and Putin’s highly anticipated call resulted in a 30-day ceasefire on energy infrastructure in Ukraine and Russia, suspension of U.S. aid to Ukraine, and negotiations for a maritime ceasefire. The Kremlin also claimed they discussed hosting a U.S.-Russia hockey series. At the same time, the Trump administration terminated a U.S.-funded initiative tracking Russian war crimes, including the deportation of Ukrainian children. Trump faced rare criticism from Chief Justice John Roberts for calling for a judge’s impeachment after a ruling against his deportation policy. Separately, a federal judge blocked Elon Musk’s attempt to shut down USAID, ruling it unconstitutional, and another judge ordered the Department of Education to restore grants cut during the administration’s DEI purge. In a controversial move, Trump fired two Democratic members of the FTC, who argue the decision was illegal. And finally, NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore returned to Earth after an unplanned nine-month stay on the ISS due to a failed test flight. Resources/Articles mentioned in this episode: BBC: Gaza ceasefire deal - the latest on the truce NBC News: Trump and Putin begin laying groundwork for a ceasefire in Ukraine as Russia agrees not to attack energy targets AP News: Trump and Putin discuss a US-Russia hockey series during their call, the Kremlin says WA Post: Trump terminates program tracking mass abductions of Ukrainian children AP News: Roberts rejects Trump's call for impeaching judge who ruled against his deportation plans CNN: Federal judge says Elon Musk exceeded his authority and that dismantling USAID was ‘likely’ unconstitutional Axios: DOGE staff enter U.S. Institute of Peace building after standoff NY Times: Judge Orders Education Dept. to Restore Some Grants to Schools CNN: Democratic FTC commissioners say they were ‘illegally fired’ Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage alongside Bridget Schwartz and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices