Good morning, and welcome to The Epoch Times News Brief for Thursday, March 6, 2025. I’m Bill Thomas, we have some pressing stories to share with you right now, and here’s what’s happening both nationally and around the world.
The U.S. Supreme Court issues a critical ruling regarding the Trump administration’s block on billions of dollars in foreign aid; on Capitol Hill, a number of big city mayors defend their policies concerning sanctuary for illegal immigrants; and our nation’s border czar says that in order to effectively execute his mission, he’ll need additional resources.
Also, the Kremlin volunteers to broker a peace deal between the United States and a foreign adversary, and the leaders of Greenland respond to President Donald Trump’s vow that the island will eventually fall under the control of the United States.
Supreme Court Rejects Trump Admin’s Bid to Freeze Foreign Aid Payments
By a 5–4 vote, the Supreme Court has just ruled that the Trump administration must now follow through with the payment of $2 billion in foreign aid.The new ruling was issued after the high court temporarily blocked a federal judge’s previous order, which required both the U.S. Agency for International Development and the State Department to restore funding for contracts that predated Jan. 20 but were frozen by the Trump administration.
By the way, the plaintiffs in the case include the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition. In their brief, they called the federal government’s aid freeze an “unconstitutional exercise of presidential power” that upended thousands of congressionally funded foreign assistance projects across the globe.
They urged the Supreme Court to immediately restore the funding, saying that the work of the groups involved advances U.S. interests abroad as well as improves and even saves the lives of millions of people worldwide.
For its part, in its emergency application to the Supreme Court, the federal government argued that the previous judge had given the Trump administration only about 30 hours to comply with his order, making compliance difficult. It said that his decision was not tailored to any actual payment deadlines and that it had thrown an orderly government review into chaos.
For the record, Justice Samuel Alito wrote a dissenting opinion, and he was joined by Justices Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, and Brett Kavanaugh. Alito expressed shock at the high court’s ruling, and he pointed out that a single district court judge should not have the unchecked power to compel the U.S. government to pay out $2 billion in taxpayer money.
Mayors Defend Sanctuary City Policies in Testimony to Congress
The mayors of New York, Chicago, Boston, and Denver have just testified in front of the House Oversight Committee, and they faced a number of tough questions from lawmakers.Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) asked both Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson about turning over jailed illegal immigrants to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
Wu says that whenever someone commits a crime, her city holds them accountable. She also says that if there’s a criminal warrant and if ICE deems an individual to be dangerous, Boston police will definitely enforce that warrant.
When it comes to the Windy City, Johnson says that his local law enforcement works hard every day to get criminals off the streets of Chicago. He also says that “any actions that amplify fears of deportation make Chicago more dangerous,” that those fears cause people to avoid cooperating with police, and that his city’s policies regarding illegal immigration contribute positively to public safety.
Meanwhile, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston says that as a man of faith, he feels his city has a moral obligation to provide food and shelter for its large illegal immigration population. In the past, he’s also said that he’s willing to use the Denver Police to block federal immigration officials from deporting that city’s illegal immigrants.
As a result, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) mentioned a recent incident in which an ICE officer was allegedly assaulted in a parking lot by an illegal immigrant gang member, who was subsequently released by Denver authorities. Jordan pointed out that it would have been safer to release that gang member to ICE while he was in detention as opposed to letting him back onto the streets.
Border Czar Says More Funding Needed for Crackdown on Illegal Immigration
Border czar Tom Homan says that the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration needs more funding to pay for additional beds, air flights, and enforcement efforts.He says that the amount of money that is required is significant; however, he points out that it’s a “one-time cost,” unlike the recurring payments applied toward schools, hospitals, and other services for illegal immigrants.
Homan says that so far, the efforts are going well and are “hitting on all cylinders,” but additional funds are needed to accomplish even more.
He went on to say that the new funding would help Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the agency he once led, as well as a number of other federal departments locate and deport illegal immigrants. He also says that President Donald Trump has been “a game changer” who has secured the border “in a matter of weeks.”
Meanwhile, federal data suggests that the number of encounters with illegal immigrants at the U.S.–Mexico border has dropped sharply since Trump began his second term on Jan. 20. However, a higher number of arrests are being made by ICE officers rather than Customs and Border Protection, signaling more operations inside the United States than at the border.
By the way, right now, more than 43,000 illegal immigrants are currently in custody, either awaiting deportation or another action. The Trump administration has been sending some of the most violent of those illegal immigrants to Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, which Homan calls “the perfect place for the worst of the worst.”
Kremlin Ready to Assist in Prospective Talks Between US and Iran
Russia now says that it is prepared to assist in talks between the United States and Iran concerning that country’s nuclear program.A Kremlin spokesman says that Russia believes both the United States and Iran should resolve all of their problems exclusively through peaceful, political, and diplomatic means, and that Moscow is standing by to do everything in its power to help them achieve that goal.
He went on to describe Iran as an ally and partner of Russia, and he says that the United States is very aware of that fact. However, he did not say whether or not Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed to mediate those potential talks.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump recently revived his “maximum pressure” approach to Iran, which he also applied throughout much of his first term in office. It’s a policy that entails a range of measures aimed at reducing Iranian oil exports to zero, and it’s aimed squarely at stopping Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
Trump also says that he’s open to holding direct talks with Iran and meeting with its leaders. A White House spokesman says that the U.S. administration is willing to talk to both adversaries and allies alike, but from “a position of strength” to defend national security.
However, Iran has indicated that it won’t take part in direct talks with the United States as long as Trump’s “maximum pressure” policy remains in place.
Greenland Responds After Trump Says US Will Control Island ‘One Way or the Other’
So you know, Greenland is a semi-autonomous territory, with its foreign affairs and defense controlled by Denmark. Now, Greenland’s prime minister is dismissing notions of an American takeover of that island after Trump reiterated that it would eventually come under the governance of the United States.He says that his Inuit people, who form the island’s majority population, don’t want to be Americans, but they don’t want to be Danes, either. He also says that the island is not for sale, that it cannot simply be taken, and that they will decide their own fate.
During his recent address to a joint session of Congress, Trump said that he strongly supports the right of the people of Greenland to determine their own future—including the possibility of choosing to join the United States. He went on to promise the people of the island that America would keep them safe, make them rich, and take the island to new heights.
He also says that obtaining Greenland will improve the security of our nation as well as the entire world, and that he thinks the United States is going to get the island “one way or the other.”
A little background on Greenland; it’s home to a critical U.S. military base equipped with space surveillance and missile warning systems, and plays a significant role in monitoring the activity of our adversaries throughout the north polar region.
And now, it looks like our time is just about up for today, so we’re going to call it a wrap for the Thursday edition of The Epoch Times News Brief.
Don’t forget the News Brief Motto: We’re portable, affordable, and we’re always on-demand.
Finally, as we do each day on this program, we wrap everything up with a very notable quote and this one comes to us from Sylvester Stallone who said: “I am not the richest, smartest or most talented person in the world, but I succeed because I keep going and going and going.”
Stallone is an American actor, director, and screenwriter, and he’s known for creating and starring in the Rocky and Rambo franchises. His career spans over 50 years.
For all of us here at The Epoch Times News Brief, I’m Bill Thomas.
The Epoch Times News Brief program is written each day by David Ross.
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For now, it’s imperative that we all continue to watch out for one another, and have an absolutely superb day today. Bye for now.
