Two astronauts returned to Earth yesterday after spending more than nine months in space. Andrea Leinfelder, reporter at the Houston Chronicle, tells us about the journey. The latest from two crises overseas: Hours after Putin agreed in a phone call with Trump to pause attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, Russia launched missiles and drones into Ukraine. And Israeli forces have resumed full combat in Gaza, the BBC reports. Florida offers an early window into how the Trump administration’s crackdown on DEI initiatives at universities nationwide could pan out. Wall Street Journal reporter Doug Belkin has the details. Plus, Chief Justice John Roberts issued a rare statement that rebuked Trump, a judge ruled that the administration most likely acted unconstitutionally when it shut down USAID, and Sabreena Merchant and Justin Williams from The Athletic explain how to fill out your March Madness brackets. Today’s episode was hosted by Shumita Basu.
Full Episode
Good morning. It's Wednesday, March 19th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, why a pair of astronauts on an eight-day mission ended up in space for nine months, how Florida's rollback of DEI policies changed college campuses, and some tips for filling out your NCAA tournament brackets. But first, updates on two big international crises, the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.
Let's start with Ukraine. Hours after a phone call between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, in which Putin agreed to a halt in attacks on energy infrastructure, that agreement appeared to crumble. Russia launched fresh missile and drone attacks on Ukraine, striking both civilian and energy infrastructure.
Ukrainian officials say two hospitals were hit, a violation of international law. Ukraine also launched long-range drones into Russia overnight. Russian officials say one of those hit an oil depot. Before Russia's most recent attacks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was open to the partial ceasefire and supported continuing negotiations for a full ceasefire.
Trump described his phone call with Putin as very good and productive, and a Kremlin spokesperson indicated Putin would consider a long-term ceasefire if all foreign military and intelligence aid to Ukraine were halted. But today, Zelensky said Russia's overnight attacks show that Moscow's claimed support for a full ceasefire is not real. Zelensky is expected to speak with Trump sometime today.
Let's turn to the war in Gaza now, where a wave of deadly attacks by Israeli forces in recent days shattered the country's fragile ceasefire agreement with Hamas. Yesterday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had, quote, resumed combat in full force and that any negotiations would continue under fire.
A Hamas official said Netanyahu's decision to return to full-scale war will be a death sentence for the remaining hostages. Israel's strikes this week were the largest attacks since the ceasefire started in January, killing hundreds of Palestinians in the first 24 hours. They landed across the Gaza Strip as many people were having their pre-dawn meal for Ramadan.
The Washington Post received voice notes from Palestinians the morning after the attacks. One of them was 22-year-old Wassam Tabet.
I was lying in my bed almost asleep when I started hearing the heavy continuous bombing. Everyone in Gaza already waked up, freaked out, checking the news channels. We are still traumatized by what we have here witnessed or experienced in the last war. I don't think we have the energy or strength for another war.
The strikes also came two weeks after Israel began a blockade on aid entering Gaza. Israeli officials say the strikes exclusively targeted terror targets and weapons stockpiles. And Hamas has confirmed that several of its leaders were killed in the strikes, including its de facto head of government.
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