US & World Headlines: Travel Bans, Gaza Ceasefire Veto, Ukraine Conflict, and More

U.S. Travel Ban and Immigration Policies

• ✈️ President Trump signed a new travel ban barring citizens from 12 countries, sparking criticism from Amnesty International as "discriminatory, racist, and downright cruel."
• ⚠️ New travel restrictions are also being placed on visitors from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
• 🏛️ The White House cited "extreme dangers posed to our country by the entry of foreign nationals" following a recent terror attack in Boulder, Colorado.
• 🎓 Trump also moved to block nearly all international students from attending Harvard University, citing national security concerns.
• 📉 The Trump administration proposed cutting funding for tribal colleges and universities by nearly 90%, potentially leading to shutdowns.

Gaza Conflict and International Response

• 🇺🇳 The United States vetoed a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, with all other permanent members supporting it.
• 💔 Palestinian UN ambassador Riyad Mansour criticized the veto, stating the resolution aimed to end the "horrific humanitarian situation" and stop "genocide."
• 🏥 Israel attacked Al-Aqsa Baptist Hospital in Gaza City, killing three Palestinian journalists, marking the eighth time the hospital has been targeted.
• 🆘 A US and Israel-backed aid group, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, suspended operations after over a hundred Palestinians were shot dead while seeking aid.
• 🔍 A CNN investigation backs eyewitness accounts that Israeli troops opened fire near an aid distribution site, contradicting Israeli denials.
• 🕊️ Seven members of Doctors Against Genocide were arrested on Capitol Hill for attempting to deliver a "prescription to end the forced starvation of children in Gaza."
• ✊ Pro-Palestinian protesters in London formed a red circle around the British Parliament, protesting the arming of a "genocide."

Ukraine Conflict and Russian Aggression

• 💥 Russian drone strikes in Ukraine killed five people, including a one-year-old child, in the city of Pripyat.
• 🏙️ Russian bombs struck the southern Ukrainian city of Kon, damaging a government building and injuring two people.
• 🏠 At least 18 people were injured in Kharkiv when Russian drones struck apartment buildings, including two children.
• 📞 The attacks followed a phone call between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, where Putin reportedly promised retaliation for Ukraine's drone strikes on Russian airfields.
• 🌉 Ukrainian saboteurs set off explosives at the foundations of a key bridge connecting Russia and occupied Crimea, marking the third attack on the bridge.

International Relations and Trade

• ⚛️ Iran's Supreme Leader rejected a key demand of a proposed nuclear deal, insisting Iran must be allowed to continue enriching uranium for peaceful purposes.
• 🚢 Human Rights Watch is calling for an investigation into a US bombing of an oil port in Yemen that killed 84 people, including port workers and children, citing "callous disregard for civilian lives."
• 📈 President Trump's order doubling tariffs on steel and aluminum imports to 50% took effect, leading Mexico to accuse Trump of violating the USMCA and announce counter-measures.

U.S. Domestic Policy and Legal Issues

• ⚖️ The Congressional Budget Office reported that President Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" would add $2.4 trillion to the national debt and cause nearly 11 million people to lose health insurance.
• 🚨 Newark Mayor Ross Baracas filed a federal lawsuit claiming false arrest and malicious prosecution after being arrested by federal agents.
• 🏛️ Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee called on Republican Chair Jim Jordan to condemn Homeland Security agents for handcuffing and detaining a staffer from New York Democratic Congress member Jerry Nadler.
• ⚖️ In El Salvador, a judge ordered the detention of prominent anti-corruption lawyer Ruth Lopez for six months while she awaits trial on embezzlement charges she claims are trumped up.