Russian general killed in car blast just outside Moscow ahead of Witkoff-Putin meeting
According to CNN, on April 25, 2025, a car bombing in Balashikha, Russia, killed Lieutenant General Yaroslav Moskalik, deputy head of the Main Operations Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces. The attack, caused by an improvised explosive device, occurred just before a high-profile meeting between US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
Trump says, “Crimea will stay with Russia.”
On April 25, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump stated in a Time magazine interview that “Crimea will stay with Russia,” intensifying pressure on Ukraine to concede the peninsula as part of peace negotiations to end the ongoing war, according to AP News.
The statement has generated debate because of its consequences for international law and Ukrainian sovereignty. Trump’s move raises questions about the future of U.S. backing for Kyiv as his administration threatens to cut off military supplies to Ukraine if a settlement is not reached quickly.
Pope Francis’ funeral
Pope Francis, the 266th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church, died on April 21, 2025, at age 88. According to ABC News, his funeral, scheduled for Saturday, April 26, 2025, in Vatican City, is expected to draw over 200,000 mourners, including approximately 50 heads of state, 10 reigning monarchs, and representatives from 130 delegations.
The ceremony, known as the Missa poenitentialis, will take place in St. Peter’s Square or Basilica, and will be followed by a historic burial at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, marking the first papal burial outside the Vatican in over a century.
Extensive security measures, including NATO jets and anti-drone technology, underscore the event’s significance, while Francis’s choice of a simple tomb reflects his lifelong commitment to modesty.
Businesses have been canceling orders for products from China
According to NBC News, on April 25, 2025, U.S. retailers warned that President Donald Trump’s 145% tariffs on Chinese imports, enacted this month, could lead to empty store shelves and supply chain disruptions akin to the COVID-19 era.
Companies like Target have canceled shipments as a result of the tariffs, which impose a $145 duty per $100 of goods. By May 10, the number of freight vessels at the Port of Los Angeles is predicted to have dropped by 33%. This puts retailers under pressure to increase prices or stop imports to avoid shortages of toys, clothing, shoes, and perishables during the back-to-school and holiday seasons.
Fears of a holiday shortage have prompted the White House to consider lowering tariffs, but the disruptions could last for months.
FBI arrests Wisconsin judge
The FBI arrested Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan on April 25, 2025, for allegedly obstructing an ICE operation by concealing Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, an undocumented immigrant, in her jury room on April 18, 2025, to stop him from being arrested. According to Fox News, during Flores-Ruiz’s infractions hearing at the Milwaukee County Courthouse, Dugan allegedly led federal agents to the chief judge’s office, allowing him to momentarily avoid arrest.
Dugan is facing two obstruction charges and, if found guilty, could spend up to six years behind bars. With supporters arguing she protected constitutional rights and critics shaming her actions as obstruction, the arrest (the third ICE-related incident at the courthouse since March) has sparked a debate about immigration enforcement in judicial settings.
