Good morning, and welcome to The Epoch Times News Brief for Friday, March 14, 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.
As U.S. negotiators arrive in Moscow, a cease-fire deal is on the table, and we’ll tell you what Russia is saying; a number of influential Big Tech giants sign a critical pledge concerning nuclear power and our nation’s future; and on Capitol Hill, lawmakers take a significant step toward banning citizens of certain nations from working in critical U.S. federal facilities.
Also, a district judge issues a consequential ruling regarding the firing of thousands of government workers, and as the midpoint of our fiscal year approaches, the numbers concerning our country’s budget deficit are truly unsettling.
US Negotiators Arrive in Moscow
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin is showing his appreciation for the U.S.-backed 30-day cease-fire in Ukraine, but he’s stopping short of agreeing to the framework.Putin says that any cease-fire agreement would have to deal with the root causes of the crisis, that his nation wants a plan that would lead to long-term peace, and that there are still many details that need to be sorted out with U.S. negotiators.
Meanwhile, the White House says that President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff is part of the U.S. delegation that’s now holding face-to-face discussions with Russian officials. They’re urging Russia to sign on to the plan, which they say is the closest we’ve been to bringing peace to the war.
Following meetings earlier this week in Saudi Arabia, the United States agreed to resume weapons supplies and intelligence sharing with Ukraine, who says it’s now ready to accept the deal. However, Secretary of State Marco Rubio says that among Ukrainian demands is the return of all prisoners of war, as well as a number of requests concerning humanitarian aid.
Meanwhile, Russia is pressing ahead on the battlefield. It says its troops will soon completely clear Ukraine’s forces from Russia’s Kursk region, where they have held territory for more than seven months.
Tech Giants Sign Pledge Backing Tripling of Nuclear Power
The World Nuclear Association is an international organization that promotes nuclear power, and here’s what it’s telling us. It says a number of major U.S. tech companies that use large amounts of energy have just pledged to support a push to substantially boost the generation of nuclear power worldwide.The organization says that at a minimum, the goal is to triple global nuclear capacity in the next 25 years. It also says this is the first time that major companies outside of the nuclear sector have come together to publicly back a large expansion of nuclear power.
By the way, Meta, Google, and Amazon are joined by 11 other companies that signed the pledge. Those three companies have taken previous steps to adopt nuclear energy to meet their growing power needs, especially for data centers. The pledge also has the backing of 31 nations, more than a dozen major financial institutions, and 140 nuclear industry businesses.
Meanwhile, the pledge arrives amid concerns that the United States is losing its edge in nuclear innovation to a number of rival nations.
As one U.S. senator points out, Russian and Chinese reactor designs account for nearly 90 percent of all newly installed nuclear reactors worldwide since 2017. He says those countries now dominate an industry we developed, and that it allows them to improve their technologies, invest in their defense, and hold a grip over other countries.
Here in the United States, there has been increased interest in tapping into nuclear power under the Trump administration. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright says the administration wants more reliable, affordable, and secure energy, and that we’re currently “working to launch the long-awaited American nuclear renaissance.”
US Lawmakers Move to Ban Chinese Researchers From National Labs
Republican lawmakers are proposing legislation aimed at blocking citizens of foreign adversaries from having access to U.S. national laboratories.The Guarding American Technology from Exploitation (GATE) Act aims to prohibit foreign scientists from China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and Cuba from visiting or working at the Department of Energy National Laboratories.
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) is the chairman of the Senate’s intelligence committee, and he says that allowing foreign nationals into our country’s most sensitive labs poses a clear threat to our national security. He says that one out of every five foreign scientists entering America’s top labs comes from our “most dangerous foreign adversaries” and he wants to put an immediate stop to that.
Meanwhile, Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) points out that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and a number of other hostile regimes have “systematically” targeted these labs. He also says these adversaries are luring away our top scientists and using American research to fuel their military ambitions.
Lee went on to say that Beijing is “actively exploiting weak security protocols” in a deliberate strategy to use U.S. taxpayer-funded expertise for the benefit of the Chinese military.
U.S. officials have long warned that the CCP is engaging in a wide-ranging espionage campaign targeting American intellectual property in a bid to achieve their global ambitions.
Judge Orders Trump Admin to Reinstate Thousands of Fired Employees
A district judge in San Francisco says that the federal government must bring back thousands of workers who were recently terminated across six agencies, including the Department of Defense and the Treasury Department.He says that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) did not have the power to order the firings, and that there is evidence the office improperly directed the firing of newer employees at the agencies last month.
Right now, at least 9,100 workers will be reinstated at those agencies, which also include the departments of Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Energy, and the Interior.
So you know, there are an estimated 200,000 probationary workers across federal agencies, including a number of entry-level employees, and the OPM has been in contact with the agencies regarding their termination.
As a result, a number of employee unions sued the office, alleging it lacks the authority to fire the workers. They also say the terminations are a violation of federal law.
For their part, lawyers for the government say that the OPM was only issuing guidance to the agencies—not orders. They also say the firings were legal because the individual agencies reviewed their probationary workers and determined whether or not they were fit for continued employment.
However, the judge says the evidence in the case showed that some employees were fired over their alleged poor performance despite receiving positive evaluations just months prior. He says it’s a “sad day” when our government would fire a good employee and say it was based on performance when they know that it’s a lie.
US Budget Deficit Hits Record in First 5 Months of Fiscal Year
According to data from the U.S. Treasury Department, our country’s budget deficit for the first five months of fiscal 2025 has just reached a record of more than $1.1 trillion.The figures were measured from October 2024 through February 2025, and they include nearly four months under former President Joe Biden’s administration.
The deficit also includes a shortfall of more than $300 billion for February alone, which is a 4 percent jump from the same month a year ago and was driven by increased spending on debt interest, Social Security, and health care.
For the fiscal year to date, the record shortfall was caused by a sharp rise in total government spending, which is up 13 percent from the same period last year.
One non-partisan group that studies our federal budget estimates that so far this fiscal year, our government borrowing is averaging about $8 billion per day. They also point out that nearly half the fiscal year has already passed without any progress being made in addressing our country’s growing debt.
They also say that debt is approaching a record share of our economy, and that interest payments are on track to eventually exceed our nation’s defense spending.
They went on to say that lawmakers should use these numbers as a “wakeup call” regarding the reality of our unsustainable fiscal situation, and that for the sake of our economy and national security, the time to act is now.
And now, it looks like our time is just about up for today, so we’re going to call it a wrap for the Friday 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 actor James Cromwell, who said: “Pets are humanizing. They remind us we have an obligation and responsibility to preserve and nurture and care for all life.”
Cromwell is a brilliant film and TV character actor. He’s been nominated for an Oscar, three Emmy Awards, and four Screen Actors Guild Awards during his career.
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.
Thank you for making us your one-stop source for a concise, accurate, and unbiased daily synopsis of many of the news stories you need to know about.
Enjoy the remainder of your day, and we’ll see you right back here next time for another edition of The Epoch Times News Brief.
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.
