Good morning, and welcome to The Epoch Times News Brief for Tuesday, March 25, 2025. I’m Bill Thomas. We have some pressing stories to share with you right now, and here’s what’s happening nationally and around the world.
Negotiators from the United States and Russia take a huge step toward an end to the fighting in Ukraine; a federal judge doubles down on a critical decision concerning the deportation of hundreds of violent gang members; and after the Trump administration freezes hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funds, a leading American university makes enormous changes in an effort to get that money back.
Also, a jury in the state of Georgia issues a staggering judgment against one of the largest chemical companies in the world, and the acting head of our nation’s federal retirement program weighs in with new comments after warning last week that the agency might have to be shut down.
US and Russian Negotiators Meet in Saudi Arabia
U.S. and Russian negotiators are holding significant talks in Saudi Arabia to discuss a partial cease-fire in Ukraine.White House national security adviser Mike Waltz says that for the first time, the Russian and Ukrainian delegations are both in the same building, although they’re each meeting separately with the U.S. team.
Waltz says that topics under discussion include ways to verify the cease-fire, peacekeeping efforts, and a proposal to freeze the front lines where they are now. He says that a number of what he calls “confidence-building measures” are also on the table, including the possible return of Ukrainian children who were taken by Russia.
Additionally, Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, says he expects some real progress from the talks, particularly concerning a cease-fire between ships on the Black Sea.
However, Moscow is accusing Ukraine of already breaking a previously agreed-upon limited 30-day cease-fire by targeting a gas metering station in Russia’s Kursk region.
Ukraine denies the allegations and blames Russian forces for the shelling. They also accuse Russia of launching a recent deadly drone attack on their capital city, Kyiv, which killed at least seven people.
For his part, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that in order for the talks to be successful, Russian President Vladimir Putin must be pushed to call an end to the ongoing strikes. Zelenskyy also wants the current cease-fire to be expanded to include railways and ports.
Judge Maintains Blocks on Trump Admin’s Use of Alien Enemies Act for Deportations
U.S. District Judge James Boasberg has just denied the Trump administration’s request to remove two of his orders, which are blocking the federal government’s ability to deport members of a Venezuelan gang under the Alien Enemies Act.In his opinion, the judge made an effort to point out that he has jurisdiction to rule on the issue. He says that the plaintiffs, who are challenging the Trump administration’s actions, are likely to succeed in their argument that they’re entitled to individualized hearings to determine whether or not the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 applies to them.
The judge went on to say the plaintiffs are disputing that they’re members of the Tren de Aragua terrorist group and that they cannot be deported until a court rules on the merits of their challenge.
By the way, the judge’s latest decision follows a number of recent courtroom clashes with attorneys for the Department of Justice, who have described his orders as “an affront” to President Donald Trump’s legal and constitutional authority.
In a recent court filing, those attorneys say the case has “devolved” into an issue of “micromanagement.” They also say the court has requested the administration to provide it with unnecessary details regarding our country’s interactions with foreign nations which have “no bearing” on any legal issue that is at stake in the case.
Columbia University on Track to Unfreeze $400 Million in Federal Funds
Education Secretary Linda McMahon says that Columbia University has just agreed to enact a number of policy changes suggested by the Trump administration, and as a result, they’re well on the way to recovering their federal funding.McMahon says that the university’s interim president Katrina Armstrong told her she wants to ensure that there is no discrimination of any kind on her campus, that she knows it’s her responsibility to keep students safe, and that she wants to address any “systemic issues” related to anti-Semitism at the school.
In case you missed it, earlier this month, the Trump administration revoked $400 million in research grants and other funding from the university. That move came in response to how the school handled on-campus pro-Palestinian protests that criticized Israel’s military response to the Hamas terror attack of Oct. 7, 2023.
Federal officials demanded nine individual changes to Columbia’s academic and security policies in order to return the withdrawn funds and consider the school for billions of dollars more in future grants.
The university’s interim president now says that Columbia will deploy new supervision for their Middle East studies department, as well as overhaul their rules dealing with protests and student discipline. Additionally, they’ve agreed to implement a new definition of anti-Semitism and to increase “intellectual diversity” on campus.
Other significant changes include a ban on most masks that cover students’ faces, a revised recruitment and admissions process, additional public safety staff, and stricter administrative oversight concerning certain academic majors.
Meanwhile, a number of the university’s faculty and free speech groups are condemning the interim president’s decision to make changes, and they’re accusing the school of giving in to government interference in academic freedom.
Bayer Ordered to Pay $2 Billion by Georgia Jury in Roundup Cancer Case
A jury in the state of Georgia has just ordered Germany-based agrochemical giant Bayer to pay nearly $2.1 billion in damages to a man who says he developed cancer after using the company’s Roundup weedkiller.The jury awarded the plaintiff $2 billion in punitive damages to go along with $65 million in compensatory damages over claims that the weedkiller caused non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a type of cancer that forms in the lymph system.
The plaintiff’s lawyer says he’ll use the award to get treatment for his illness. She went on to say that it’s been a long road for her client and that he’s happy that “the truth related to the product” has finally been exposed.
In his case, the plaintiff accused the company of ignoring several scientific studies related to the toxicity of Roundup, and he argued that the company had intentionally tried to find a number of ways to distract people and deny any connection between their product—which contains a chemical called glyphosate—and cancer.
For its part, Bayer says that it disagrees with the verdict, that it “conflicts with the overwhelming weight of scientific evidence,” and that it plans to appeal what it calls an “excessive” decision.
The company went on to say it “stands fully behind the safety” of Roundup, which it acquired through a $63 billion takeover of U.S. manufacturer Monsanto in 2018.
Meanwhile, this latest verdict amounts to yet another court loss for Bayer related to Roundup. In October 2024, a Philadelphia court ordered the company to pay $78 million to a separate plaintiff who also claimed to have developed cancer due to using the weedkiller.
Acting Social Security Chief Confirms He Won’t Shut Down Agency After DOGE Court Order
The acting chief of the Social Security Administration (SSA) has now called off shutting down the agency after previously saying he would do so following a temporary court order that blocked DOGE officials from accessing certain data.Acting Commissioner Lee Dudek says he’s clearing the air because President Donald Trump strongly “supports keeping Social Security offices open.” He also says that, in accordance with the recent court decision, employees at his agency will continue with their work.
You may recall that just last week, a federal judge barred DOGE from accessing a number of Social Security systems that contain personally identifiable information. She also accused the agency of looking for fraudulent activity that may not exist.
As a result, Dudek said that everything in the agency involves personally identifiable information and that unless he received clarification, he may be forced to shut down the entire Social Security Administration. He went on to say that he wanted to turn the system off and let the courts figure out how to run a federal agency.
In response to those comments, the judge made it clear that the agency’s non-DOGE employees are not subject to her order and that any suggestion her ruling might require a delay in the payment of benefits is incorrect.
By the way, the judge’s initial ruling was made in response to a complaint filed by an employees’ union along with other groups which alleged that DOGE’s activity is a power grab and executive overreach. Meanwhile, lawyers for the Trump administration argue that the plaintiffs don’t have standing to file a case because they can’t prove they could face imminent harm if DOGE continues to access the agency’s database.
And now, it looks like our time is just about up for today, so we’re gonna call it a wrap for the Tuesday edition of The Epoch Times News Brief.
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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 the great Ray Charles, who said:
“To me, music is entertainment—what else can it be? In fact, it’s the only language I know of that’s universal.”
Ray Charles was a singer and composer who played a mean piano. He also performed a great duet with Billy Joel and is considered a pioneer of soul music.
If you know anything about Ray Charles, you know he didn’t just sing a song; he lived it.
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.
