Today In Issues:
FDD Research & Analysis
The Must-Reads
A weakened Hamas struggles to respond to Israel's attacks Israel says it intercepted two missiles launched from Yemen IDF, Shin Bet eliminate Hamas counterintelligence chief U.S. Treasury Sanctions Network Supporting Iranian Oil Exports US, Israel to hold high-level talks on Iran at White House next week Iran says it will consider 'opportunities' as well as threats in Trump letter Trump says US will sign Ukraine minerals deal soon Germany reopens embassy in Syria in cautious thaw with Islamist leaders MEI’s Gonul Tol: Turkey is now a dictatorship Top Russia security official arrives in North Korea, state media say Bloomberg’s Karishma Vaswani: Indonesia just took a giant step back in time Sudanese army seizes full control of presidential palace in Khartoum, Sudan TV and military sources sayIn The News
Israel
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired his domestic intelligence chief, extending a purge of rivals in the security establishment while further overhauling the cabinet that presided during the devastating Oct. 7, 2023, attacks. – Wall Street Journal
Hamas delivered its first response to three days of Israeli assaults on the Gaza Strip, launching a volley of rockets at Tel Aviv on Thursday that set off alerts and sent residents running for shelters. – Wall Street Journal
Israel’s military said it intercepted two missiles launched from Yemen on Thursday, days after U.S. President Donald Trump said he would hold Iran responsible for any attacks carried out by the Houthi group that it backs in Yemen. – Reuters
The United Nations said on Thursday that each day of renewed violence in Gaza makes the return of the remaining hostages held there a more distant objective. – Reuters
Israel’s parliament on Thursday approved the framework for the 2025 state budget and its accompanying economic plan, clearing a political hurdle that likely paves the way for final approval by the end of the month to avoid the collapse of the government. – Reuters
Freed Israeli hostage Eli Sharabi, who was beaten, chained and starved while held for 491 days by Hamas, expressed his anger during an appearance at the U.N. Security Council on Thursday for having to suffer for so long and worry every day about being killed. – Associated Press
Israel’s President Isaac Herzog on Thursday expressed concern over steps being taken by the government, hours before the cabinet was due to fire the domestic security chief in an unprecedented move. – Agence France-Presse
Israel’s military said it struck military sites in east and south Lebanon on Thursday, in its latest attack despite a November ceasefire that ended a war against militant group Hezbollah. – Agence France-Presse
Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) chief Ronen Bar accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of posing a threat to national security by barring an investigation into ‘Qatargate’ via his dismissal in a letter sent to Israel’s cabinet as it convened on Thursday night to vote on Bar’s firing. – Jerusalem Post
Israel’s former ambassador to the US, Mike Herzog, sharply criticized recent efforts by US hostage affairs envoy Adam Boehler to directly engage Hamas, describing the initiative as “unhelpful” and warning it could risk creating divisions between Israel and the United States. – Jerusalem Post
A new Foreign Ministry report highlighted the deepening strategic ties between Israel and Azerbaijan, emphasizing economic cooperation, security collaboration, and Azerbaijan’s exceptional support for its Jewish community. – Jerusalem Post
Defense Minister Israel Katz conducted a situational assessment on operations in Gaza in which Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) and Mossad chiefs were not present, according to a statement issued by the minister’s office. – Jerusalem Post
The IDF and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) eliminated Hamas’s chief of counterintelligence, Rashid Gachgoach, in an air strike, the military and the agency said in a joint announcement on Thursday. – Jerusalem Post
Editorial: Netanyahu has been a voice of fervent denial surrounding the investigation, calling it a “fake scandal campaign” and a “desperate attempt to invent a baseless justification for an offense that does not exist.” […] While the country feels as though it is on the brink of civil war, an investigation such as this would give the public good reason to trust leadership. After all, if no wrongdoing occurred, why oppose confirming that to the public? Netanyahu’s fervent opposition, as a result, only draws ire and suspicion. – Jerusalem Post
Melanie Phillips writes: There are also allegations that Qatar secretly funded Israeli officials and influencers, including some connected to the prime minister’s office. This may be propaganda. But Israel’s indulgence of the Islamists of Qatar is baffling. Maybe, precisely because Hamas knows that if it kills the remaining hostages it will lose its only leverage, it won’t murder those who remain under its vicious thumb. Maybe the IDF will get to them before Hamas can do so. Maybe the increased military pressure will force them to release their captives. With no realistic alternative to the war, we can only hope and pray. – Arutz Sheva
Iran
The U.S. Treasury Department on Thursday stepped up actions to enforce sanctions against Iranian crude oil, including designating a Chinese refining company and its chief executive. – Wall Street Journal
The United States and Israel will hold high-level talks on Iran’s nuclear program at the White House early next week, a person familiar with the matter said on Thursday. – Reuters
Iran will consider the “opportunities” as well as the threats in a letter from U.S. President Donald Trump that urged it to reach a new nuclear deal, and will soon respond, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Thursday. – Reuters
Two purported mobsters were convicted Thursday of plotting to assassinate Iranian American journalist Masih Alinejad at her home in New York City in a murder-for-hire scheme that prosecutors said was financed by Iran’s government. – Associated Press
As President Trump increases pressure on the Islamic Republic of Iran and its Mideast proxies, prospects for a negotiated pact over the nuclear file are dimming and kinetic attacks on Tehran’s bomb facilities seem closer than ever. – New York Sun
“The renewed attacks by the usurping Zionist regime on Gaza is a truly large, atrocious crime,” Iran’s Ayatollah Khamenei said during his speech to commemorate Nowruz, the start of the Iranian New Year on Thursday. – Jerusalem Post
Russia & Ukraine
The Trump administration’s latest idea to bring peace to Ukraine is for the U.S. to take control of the country’s power plants, including its nuclear facilities, as an insurance against further aggression by Moscow toward Kyiv. – Wall Street Journal
Russia is dangling the promise of new investment opportunities for American companies as the Trump administration seeks an end to the war in Ukraine, from energy and critical minerals to space cooperation with Elon Musk. – Wall Street Journal
Russian and U.S. experts will discuss ways to ensure the safety of shipping in the Black Sea at talks on a possible Ukrainian peace settlement in Riyadh on Monday, the Kremlin said. – Reuters
Ukrainian soldiers in Kursk have lost ground in recent days but are not encircled by Russian forces, contrary to recent comments by U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to three U.S. and European officials familiar with their governments’ intelligence assessments. – Reuters
An explosion rocked an oil depot in Russia’s Krasnodar region where firefighters are trying to extinguish a blaze that broke out after a Ukrainian drone attack earlier this week, regional authorities said on Friday. – Reuters
European Union leaders said on Thursday that they will continue to support Ukraine, but they did not immediately endorse a call by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to provide at least 5 billion euros for artillery ammunition purchases. – Reuters
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday Ukrainian experts would be present at upcoming talks involving the United States and Russia, but will not be in the same room as Russia, as a diplomatic push to end the war intensifies. – Reuters
Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov inspected navy training in the Caspian Sea and ordered the rapid completion of work on new facilities there, his ministry said on Thursday. – Reuters
Ukraine’s President Volodymr Zelenskiy will be in Paris next week to hold talks with key European leaders and discuss ongoing efforts to end the war, security assurances for Kyiv and how to boost aid for his country, two diplomats said. – Reuters
James Stavridis writes: Nations can at least create a sensible ceasefire, leading to negotiations and then to an armistice. Don’t let the desire for a perfect outcome become the enemy of a pretty good one — especially if it allows the guns to go silent. To paraphrase Winston Churchill: Sometimes to see into the future, you need to look further into the past. Looking at history, especially the Winter War and Korea, can help us see a better future for Ukraine. – Bloomberg
Daniel Kochis writes: With last month’s acrimonious back and forth between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky behind us, the moment is ripe for the U.S. to implement policy actions that strengthen Ukraine’s independence and buttress Kyiv’s ability to withstand Russia for the long haul. It is clear who the “impediment to peace” is in Ukraine. Ceasefire agreement or not, getting Russia to willingly agree to a settlement that preserves an independent Ukraine is an illusion. The sooner this idea is dispelled, the quicker the real work toward peace can begin. – The Hill
Andrei Soldatov and Irina Borogan write: If Trump’s moves lead to a dramatic decline in surveilling Russia, it will not be the first time the U.S. intelligence community will have taken its eye off the ball. […] This intelligence decline very likely contributed to the West’s misjudging of Putin during his early years in power, when he laid the foundations for renewed Russian autocracy and confrontation with Europe and the United States. It would be disastrous to repeat the same mistake today. – Foreign Affairs
Syria
When he returned to Syria recently for the first time in 12 years, Kazem Togan asked the passport control agent to check whether he “had a name” — meaning that he was among the millions of citizens named on wanted lists under the ousted Assad dictatorship. – New York Times
President Vladimir Putin sent a message to Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa backing efforts to ensure Syria’s territorial integrity and offering Russia’s “practical cooperation” on a whole range of issues, the Kremlin said on Thursday. – Reuters
Germany reopened its embassy in Syria on Thursday, establishing official diplomatic ties with the new leadership in Damascus as it faces deep humanitarian and security problems in rebuilding the country following the fall of Bashar al-Assad. – Reuters
Turkey
Thousands of Turks ramped up protests on Thursday despite a ban on street gatherings over what they called the undemocratic detention of Istanbul’s mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, as the opposition sought to pin the blame on President Tayyip Erdogan. – Reuters
Turkey’s main opposition leader said on Thursday any move to legally bar Istanbul’s detained mayor from running for president would only strengthen support for their party, and that any candidate would beat President Tayyip Erdogan in elections. – Reuters
Detained Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu appeared to address Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in a social media post on Thursday, accusing him of corruption and calling on members of his ruling party and the judiciary to oppose injustice. – Reuters
The US has agreed to extend a sanction waiver, which would allow Turkey to continue buying Russian natural gas until May, according to a Turkish official with direct knowledge on the matter. – Bloomberg
Gonul Tol writes: More important, Erdogan may aspire to be like Putin, but Turkey is not Russia. Unlike Russia, which thrives on resource wealth, Turkey’s economy is deeply dependent on foreign investment. Investors are already fleeing as the county grows more authoritarian, and a slide into full autocracy will hardly bring them back. The Turkish economy would remain mired in crisis. And even a strongman must deliver results to maintain his grip on power. – Foreign Affairs
Yemen
Fresh attacks hit two areas of militant-held Yemen, the Iran-backed Houthis’ Al-Masirah TV station reported on Thursday, blaming “US aggression.” – Agence France-Presse
The US has asked Israel not to strike Houthi targets in Yemen, a source told the Jerusalem Post. “Leave it to us” was the US request. – Jerusalem Post
Rebeccah Heinrichs writes: Putin has a history of setting things on fire, blaming others for the tragedy and destruction, and then offering to help. This is true of his wish to “cooperate” on Iran-caused violence in the Middle East, and it is true of Russia’s war against Ukraine, which could end today if Putin would simply order the bombing to cease and withdraw his forces. Trump should remember that Putin is the arsonist — and until Trump makes it clear that Washington will no longer tolerate his bedlam, we should expect it to continue, duplicitous promises notwithstanding. – New York Post
Alex Winston writes: Now is the time for the US and Israel to make sure the job is finished and the Houthis can no longer cause little children to be running to the bomb shelter in the middle of the night. The time has come to deal with them, just as Hamas and Hezbollah have been dealt with, before all eyes turn to Iran and the ayatollahs. The time has come to remove the Houthis from the political game and bring peace to Yemen. Around 130,000 people have died in the famine since the Civil War erupted throughout the country, and it is time for Yemen to finally know peace. The Houthi chutzpah must be taken care of once and for all. – Jerusalem Post
Middle East & North Africa
The U.S. State Department has approved what would be the first sale of advanced precision kill weapon systems to Saudi Arabia for an estimated cost of $100 million, the Pentagon said on Thursday. – Reuters
Tunisian President Kais Saied sacked Prime Minister Kamel Maddouri less than a year after his appointment, and named Sara Zaafarani as his replacement, amid a faltering economy and a worsening flood of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa countries. – Reuters
The United Arab Emirates are becoming an increasingly powerful partner for U.S. interests in the Middle East as President Donald Trump seeks to curb Iran and its “Axis of Resistance” against Israel. – Newsweek
Anders Streubel-Kristensen and David Vestenskov write: As Operation Inherent Resolve potentially enters its final phase, the Trump administration has yet to decide on its exact approach. With three possible options on the table, the most likely choice appears to be an accelerated drawdown, prioritizing a shift in dominating Middle East security from the United States to regional players like Israel, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and, to some extent, Iraq — each with differing priorities. However, with Iraq being the weakest country among them, a sudden decrease of U.S. military support could very well leave its security forces overwhelmed if the looming catastrophe of an Islamic State resurgence ignites. – War on the Rocks
Korean Peninsula
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the test-firing of the country’s latest anti-aircraft missile system on Thursday, state media KCNA reported on Friday. – Reuters
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s top security adviser Sergei Shoigu has arrived in North Korea and plans to meet its leader Kim Jong Un, the TASS news agency reported on Friday, his latest visit amid dramatic advances in security ties between the countries. – Reuters
South Korean opposition parties will bring a motion to impeach acting President Choi Sang-mok on Friday, the majority Democratic Party said in a notice to reporters, in a move likely to escalate recent political strife in the country. – Reuters
South Korea and the United States wrapped up on Thursday 11 days of annual joint military drills known as Freedom Shield, which included staging a river-crossing exercise close to the heavily militarised border with North Korea. – Reuters
Despite a recent accident with an Israeli-built drone, South Korea’s military is pressing ahead ahead with unmanned technology, including a stealthy loyal wingman designed to accompany the air force’s new KF-21 Boramae fighters. – Defense News
China
China is willing to deepen cooperation with Russia in cyber security, counter-terrorism and combating cross-border crimes, China’s police chief told the head of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) in Beijing on Friday. – Reuters
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will travel to China in April to meet with President Xi Jinping, a government spokesperson said. – Reuters
The China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) will invest $1.4 billion to upgrade the Tanzania-Zambia railway, the line’s operator said on Thursday, improving a key route for copper exports from central Africa. – Reuters
Beijing on Thursday demanded protections for Chinese students in the U.S. after a congressional panel asked six American universities to hand over a large amount of detailed information on their Chinese students, citing national security concerns. – Associated Press
Joseph C. Sternberg writes: What transforms this from an economics-textbook case study into a political-economy emergency for Beijing is the timing. In addition to the enormous benefits for China’s households, a true market-led reorientation toward domestic consumption in recent years might have inoculated China from President Trump’s trade wars and a general global environment that remains uncertain. Instead, Mr. Xi falls back on the export dependence that so irritates trading partners while leaving China’s economy as vulnerable as ever to foreign protectionism. Whatever his economic plan originally was, one assumes it wasn’t this. – Wall Street Journal
Janusz Bugajski writes: In every case, the story is similar: ex-colonizing powers struggle to retain colonial-era influence and poison the well for American and non-colonial Western investors. Policymakers in Washington need to seize the opportunity for a more proactive American policy based on investment and economic ties in Africa to counter China and Russia free from post-colonial baggage. – National Interest
South Asia
X, the social media company owned by billionaire Elon Musk, sued the Indian government, accusing it of illegally blocking content on the platform. – Washington Post
U.S. citizen George Glezmann has been released by the Taliban after 2½ years in captivity, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement Thursday. – Washington Post
A hard-line Hindu group’s call for the removal of the tomb of a 17th-century Mughal ruler has ignited tensions with Muslims in the western Indian state of Maharashtra, leading to communal violence and the imposition of a curfew. – New York Times
Dozens of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh gathered to pray for the early release of a Rohingya insurgent leader arrested this week on charges of murder, illegal entry and militant activities. – Reuters
Pakistani security forces raided a militant hideout in the country’s northwest on Thursday, triggering an intense gunbattle that left an army captain and 10 militants dead, the military said. – Associated Press
The UK and India are “very close” to agreeing a long-awaited free trade agreement just weeks after the two countries restarted talks, a senior Indian diplomat said. – Bloomberg
Asia
The visit had been advertised for weeks. Former President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines was going to a rally in Hong Kong during the second weekend in March. But as soon as it began, the trip took on a tantalizing element of intrigue: Was he ever coming back? – New York Times
An eruption of Indonesia’s Lewotobi Laki-laki volcano spewed ash clouds more than 8 kilometres (5 miles) high, authorities said as they raised the alert status to the highest level, and an Australian airline cancelled some flights into Bali on Friday. – Reuters
Taiwanese President William Lai Ching-te said Thursday that the island’s defense budget will exceed 3% of its economic output as it overhauls its military in the face of the rising threat from China. – Associated Press
Australian prosecutors on Thursday dropped a charge against a Papua New Guinea government minister accused of assaulting a woman in Sydney. – Associated Press
Australia’s opposition leader said he will make his first foreign visit to the US to meet with President Donald Trump if he wins the forthcoming election, arguing the longstanding allies must deepen their relationship despite simmering tensions with the new administration. – Bloomberg
Karishma Vaswani writes: He should consider the lessons from his former father-in-law, who ignored the complaints of his people for far too long, convinced that staying in power was more important than delivering on his promises. History has shown what happens when an Indonesian leader neglects to heed the sentiments of his people. – Bloomberg
Europe
With cease-fire talks continuing with the Kremlin, defense officials from dozens of Western nations met in the U.K. on Thursday to hammer out details of how the so-called “coalition of the willing” led by the U.K. and France could help Ukraine deter Russia from attacking in the future. No U.S. troops would be involved. – Wall Street Journal
Giorgia Meloni was reluctant to join the video call with European leaders to discuss sending peacekeeping troops to Ukraine, an idea she rejects. When the Italian prime minister ultimately dialed in on Saturday morning, she berated her colleagues, including the leaders of France and the U.K., for making plans to support Ukraine without American involvement. – Wall Street Journal
France will add an extra 1.7 billion euros ($1.85 billion) to defense expenditure via public-investment vehicles as European countries prepare for a shakeup of the continent’s security order. – Wall Street Journal
European Union officials are delaying their retaliation against President Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs — including 50 percent levies on American whiskey — until mid-April, aiming to refine the list of products that will be hit while also allowing more time to strike a deal with the United States. – New York Times
Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary pioneered many of the themes dear to conservatives in the United States, railing for years against “migration insanity,” “the woke virus” and “gender madness.” – New York Times
Britain has in recent weeks revised its advice for citizens travelling to the United States to include a warning that anyone found breaking its entry rules could face arrest or detention. – Reuters
Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on Thursday that he did not consider buying U.S. weapons a security risk, though he added that it might be good for Europe to become somewhat less dependent on Washington for arms and other defence equipment. – Reuters
Poland is ready to start work on resuming the production of anti-personnel mines, its defence minister said on Thursday, after Warsaw joined the Baltic states this week in announcing a plan to withdraw from a treaty that bans their use. – Reuters
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez pledged on Thursday to boost Spain’s defence spending along with the rest of the EU, though a parliamentary vote indicated divisions within his ruling coalition on the issue. – Reuters
Thousands of mourners flocked to funerals Thursday in North Macedonia for the dozens of victims of last weekend’s devastating nightclub fire, bringing flowers and photographs and some of them collapsing in grief. – Associated Press
Bosnia-Herzegovina was added to the agenda at a European Union summit as alarm among leaders mounted that a potential disintegration of the war-scarred Balkan nation could unleash turmoil in southeastern Europe. – Bloomberg
Lee Hockstader writes: A payout of $500,000 to each of the island’s 56,000 citizens, spread over five years, would come to roughly $28 billion. “The great secret of power,” said Henrik Ibsen, the 19th-century Norwegian playwright who wrote in Danish, “is never to will to do more than you can accomplish.” Trump, characteristically heedless of that advice, has a choice: He can keep gabbing, or put a serious offer on the table. – Washington Post
Marija Golubeva writes: The Baltic states can serve as an example in the changing security landscape, taking bold steps to secure energy infrastructure and improve cyber security, as well as measures to secure democratic institutions from Russia’s proxies. Resilience to hybrid threats in Europe’s security architecture needs to be achieved by joint effort, and the Baltic states can continue showing the way. – Center for European Policy Analysis
Lotje Boswinkel writes: Today, the mood is different, and European capitals will rethink what taking responsibility for Europe’s conventional deterrence and defense looks like in practice. This is not to say that any reliance on foreign produce should be avoided (something that is also impossible in light of increasingly integrated transatlantic supply chains), but one thing is sure: Europe is in missile short supply, whether it comes to the stocks it is buying and producing or the command-and-control networks and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance assets it is fielding. – War on the Rocks
Africa
Rare-earth minerals critical for smartphone manufacturing. Lucrative trafficking routes and dizzying stockpiles of weapons. The lives of millions of people. All are now under the control of the M23 militia and its powerful backer, Rwanda. – New York Times
The Sudanese army seized full control of the Presidential Palace in Khartoum on Friday, Sudan TV and military sources said, in one of the most significant advances in a two-year-old conflict threatening to fracture the country. – Reuters
Nigerian lawmakers approved on Thursday President Bola Tinubu’s state of emergency measures and suspension of an opposition governor in oil-producing Rivers state in the Niger Delta region. – Reuters
Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said on Thursday that his government would not seek conflict with longtime foe Eritrea over access to the Red Sea, after regional officials and experts warned of a possible war between the Horn of Africa neighbours. – Reuters
South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has sacked the governor of northeastern Upper Nile state where clashes have escalated between government troops and an ethnic militia he accuses of allying with his rival and First Vice President Riek Machar. – Reuters
The Americas
The proclamation hit the White House website just before 4 p.m. Eastern time on Saturday: President Trump was invoking wartime powers to immediately deport alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. In less than four hours, three planes with more than 250 migrants were in the air. – Wall Street Journal
A Colombian-Venezuelan migrant deported from the U.S. over the weekend and being held in a high-security prison in El Salvador has no criminal record or ties to a Venezuelan gang and his rights are being violated, his wife said on Thursday. – Reuters
Argentina’s largest umbrella union, the powerful General Confederation of Labor (CGT), announced on Thursday it will hold a broad 24-hour strike on April 10 in protest of President Javier Milei’s economic austerity measures and reforms. – Reuters
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) will lend El Salvador $500 million to shore up its budget as the Central American nation carries out structural reforms stipulated under a recent deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the IDB said on Thursday. – Reuters
Panama’s President Jose Raul Mulino said on Thursday that he didn’t place any value on reports the U.S. military is looking into options for ensuring full U.S. access to the Panama Canal, since these reports came from unnamed sources. – Reuters
Brazil’s federal police on Thursday raided the homes of suspected smugglers who brought in 2,000 assault rifles from Miami to supply a criminal organization in Rio de Janeiro, authorities said. – Associated Press
North America
For decades, drug boss Rafael Caro Quintero sat in a Mexican prison serving a 40-year sentence for the brutal 1985 murder of a federal narcotics agent whose death set off a crisis in U.S.-Mexico relations. – Wall Street Journal
As President Donald Trump argued in recent weeks — for the first time, the third time, the 10th time — to eliminate Canadian sovereignty and convert the country into America’s 51st state, messages started arriving in attorney Mitchell Wine’s inbox. – Washington Post
Snow plows rumbled and salt trucks spewed de-icing pellets onto Toronto’s streets, barely visible under two feet of snow. A stocky man brandished a comically small red shovel as he helped dig out a car trapped at an intersection. – New York Times
Canadian farmers are facing a two-front trade war, with China’s tariffs on Canadian canola oil, canola meal and peas taking effect on Thursday and U.S. tariffs expected on additional Canadian products within two weeks. – Reuters
New Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is poised to call a snap federal election on Sunday for April 28, the Globe and Mail reported on Thursday, citing sources. – Reuters
United States
President Donald Trump said on Thursday the United States will sign a minerals and natural resources deal with Ukraine shortly and that his efforts to achieve a peace deal for the country were going “pretty well” after his talks this week with the Russian and Ukrainian leaders. – Reuters
U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday invoked emergency powers to boost domestic production of critical minerals used widely across the economy as part of a broad effort to offset China’s near-total control of the sector. – Reuters
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he’s canceling more than $580 million in programs that don’t align with President Donald Trump’s priorities, as part of his partnership with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. – Bloomberg
European officials say the Trump administration has pared back its engagement with efforts to enforce sanctions on Russia as the US pushes for an end to the war in Ukraine. – Bloomberg
President Donald Trump is wielding the sledgehammer of Elon Musk’s efficiency program to fulfill conservatives’ wildest dreams of dismantling the Department of Education. – Politico
David Ignatius writes: Kilcullen told me his article has encouraged an urgent discussion Down Under. That’s how fast the sweater can begin to unravel. Trump’s aim for a decade has been to force America’s allies in Europe and Asia to take care of their own economic and military security, rather than “free riding” on the United States. To which I would say: Be careful what you wish for. – Washington Post
Cybersecurity
Russian internet users this week faced widespread outages that regulators attributed to issues with “foreign server infrastructure.” However, local experts suggested the disruptions stemmed from Russia’s blocking of Cloudflare, a U.S.-based service that helps websites stay secure, load faster, and remain accessible during cyberattacks. – The Record
Hackers with apparent ties to several China-based groups like Volt Typhoon are targeting critical infrastructure in Taiwan as part of an ongoing campaign. – The Record
U.K. cyber officials are urging local organizations to begin planning how to protect their systems from future threats posed by quantum computers. – The Record
Catherine Thorbecke writes: There have been several quiet product innovations, such as the cost-efficient tweaking of open-source models for local businesses, but they haven’t always received recognition. Breaking through the low receptiveness to AI will be crucial to ensure some of the loftier investments pay off. Japan may seem like it’s playing catch-up now, but it has all the elements in place to emerge as an AI leader. Now is the moment for its entrepreneurs to be fearless. – Bloomberg
Defense
Elon Musk will receive a briefing Friday on the U.S. military’s top-secret war plans for China, according to two U.S. officials, giving the wealthy businessman and presidential adviser insight into one of the Pentagon’s most closely guarded operational blueprints. – Wall Street Journal
A detailed plan sent to the Pentagon for how the House and Senate appropriations committees would have marked up the fiscal 2025 funding bill includes recommendations to make cuts from any initiatives deemed to address climate change, including advancing technology and funding hybrid electric vehicles. – Defense News
Editorial: The Administration has made its point that it is tired of defending what it sees as a decadent Europe. But why give up U.S. command? Mr. Trump won’t like the alliance better when he’s dealing with a French general. Mr. Trump may not even know about these proposals. But they illustrate the risks from the junior achievement Sun Tzus who are filling out his Administration. Republicans in Congress weren’t elected to be potted plants and they’re right to speak up. – Wall Street Journal