International News Briefs for Friday, April 4, 2025
HAVANA TIMES – Here are some of the top international news stories compiled by Democracy Now on, Friday, April 4, 2025.
Many Children Among the 112+ Palestinians Killed over Past Day in Israel’s Escalating Gaza Attacks
Apr 04, 2025
Israel has killed at least 112 Palestinians over the past day, including dozens of children and elders in three separate attacks on schools where hundreds of displaced families took shelter. In the deadliest of the day’s massacres, 29 people were killed when four Israeli missiles struck the Dar al-Arqam School in Gaza City. Eighteen children were among the dead; over 100 others were wounded, with dozens believed to be trapped under the rubble. Separately, Israel bombed a water desalination plant east of Gaza City, its latest attack on civilian infrastructure.
Meanwhile, Israel has ordered the forced expulsion of even more areas, this time from southern neighborhoods of Gaza City. Many of those affected have been displaced repeatedly over the past 18 months.
Taghreed Al-Fayoumi: “We haven’t slept all of last night. It was a bloody night. We’ve placed roofs over us, but they flew away. We put up walls, but they fell on us. Where should we go? Where should we go, people? … How long will we remain like this? How long will we keep evacuating and coming back every other day, evacuating, then coming back? Until when?”
The United Nations says some 280,000 Palestinians have been newly displaced since Israel unilaterally ended the Gaza ceasefire in March. The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights warns Israel’s total blockade of Gaza — now in its second month — has once again created famine conditions for some 2 million Palestinians relying on food aid.
15 Senators Vote Against $8.8 Billion Arms Sale to Israel
Apr 04, 2025
The U.S. Senate has voted down a pair of resolutions introduced by Bernie Sanders to block $8.8 billion in new arms sales to Israel. On Thursday, zero Republicans and just 14 Democrats voted alongside Senator Sanders to restrict the sale of massive bombs and other military equipment.
Sen. Bernie Sanders: “In the last two weeks, they have intensified their assault against the Palestinian people. According to UNICEF, since Netanyahu broke the ceasefire, more than a thousand people have been killed, including over 300 children, and more than 600 children have been wounded.”
Among Democrats voting against limiting arms sales to Israel was New Jersey Democrat Cory Booker. His vote came just two days after Booker delivered a 25-hour speech on the Senate floor promising to resist President Trump’s agenda.
Global Markets, Future of International Trade in Turmoil After Trump Tariffs
Apr 04, 2025
Stock markets continue to plummet as President Trump’s sweeping global tariffs drew widespread condemnation and plans for countermeasures. China, which is now subject to a 54% tariff, announced a retaliatory 34% tariff on U.S. goods starting April 10 and accused the U.S. of “bullying” tactics. French President Emmanuel Macron called for unity among European leaders and for the suspension of investments in the U.S.
President Emmanuel Macron: “I think what’s important — and that’s all the work that must be done by the sector — that future investments or investments announced in recent weeks should be suspended until things are clarified with the United States, because what message will it send to have big European players investing billions of euros in the American economy at a time when we’re being hit? So we must show collective solidarity.”
France is also urging Europe to tax U.S. tech companies as part of a retaliatory strategy. Canada introduced a 25% tariff on U.S. cars and trucks.
Here in the U.S., the automaker Stellantis said it’s laying off 900 workers at five manufacturing plants after Trump’s tariff plan was announced, and temporarily pausing production at assembly plants in Mexico and in Canada.
In Washington, D.C., a newly introduced Senate bill with bipartisan support would limit Trump’s authority to impose tariffs without going through Congress. In a separate challenge to Trump’s trade war, the New Civil Liberties Alliance sued to block tariffs on China, arguing Trump unlawfully invoked emergency powers to impose them. Several analysts have pointed out that Trump’s tariff plan appears to have been based on math calculated by AI chatbots.
South Korean Court Removes Disgraced President Yoon Suk Yeol over Martial Law Decree
Apr 04, 2025
South Korea’s highest court has unanimously voted to remove impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol, four months after he tried — and quickly failed — to impose martial law.
Justice Moon Hyung-Bae: “By mobilizing the military and police to undermine the authority of constitutional institutions such as the National Assembly and violate the basic human rights of the people, he made a grave betrayal of the people’s trust, who are the sovereign members of the democratic republic.”
On the streets of Seoul, crowds broke out in cheers as the judgment was announced. Yoon’s declaration of martial law on December 3 triggered swift lawmaker action and massive public protests. South Korea’s Election Commission will soon announce a date for a new election as Yoon’s removal takes immediate effect.
At Least 16 Asylum Seekers Drown in Pair of Shipwrecks Near Turkey and Greece
Apr 04, 2025
At least seven people were killed Thursday after a boat carrying refugees capsized off the Greek island of Lesbos. Three of those confirmed dead were children. Twenty-three survivors have been rescued.
Separately, authorities in Turkey say at least nine people died Thursday in a shipwreck off its northern coast. According to U.N. data, 125 people were killed or went missing last year as they undertook the perilous maritime journey between Turkey and nearby Greek islands in the Aegean Sea.
Trump Fires National Security Council Officials Deemed “Disloyal” by Far-Right Activist
Apr 04, 2025
Image Credit: U.S. Air Force photo by Sharon Singleton
In Washington, D.C., President Trump fired at least six National Security Council staffers after an Oval Office meeting Wednesday with far-right activist Laura Loomer. The firings came over the objections of national security adviser Michael Waltz, who was present at the meeting, and after Loomer reportedly handed Trump a list of people she considered “disloyal.” Among those ousted was General Timothy Haugh, who led both the National Security Agency and the U.S. Cyber Command. Loomer is a far-right conspiracy theorist, a self-described “proud Islamophobe” and a longtime Trump supporter who was previously banned from Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for hateful social media posts.
Pentagon IG to Probe Pete Hegseth’s Use of Signal App to Discuss War Plans
Apr 04, 2025
The acting inspector general of the Pentagon is launching an investigation into Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s use of a Signal group chat to discuss U.S. war plans in Yemen, which accidentally included the editor of The Atlantic.
Education Department Warns Public Schools to End DEI Programs or Lose Funding
Apr 04, 2025
The Trump administration warned school and state officials across the country Thursday that federal education funding will be withdrawn unless public schools eliminate all DEI — or diversity, equity and inclusion — programs. The Education Department gave states 10 days to sign and return letters certifying compliance with the order. Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, said in a statement, “In the middle of a school year, the president is trying to bully the very same school districts that he insisted, just a few weeks ago, should be in charge of education. He’s wielding a cudgel of billions in federal aid to tens of millions of children to force educators to kowtow to his politics and ideology.”
DOGE Gains Access to Personal Records of Unaccompanied Immigrant Children
Apr 04, 2025
Members of Elon Musk’s DOGE operation have gained access to a sensitive data system that contains the personal information of unaccompanied immigrant children, including their mental health records and reports of abuse. The data portal is run by the Department of Health and Human Services, which takes custody of unaccompanied children. Many agencies contracted by HHS to provide housing and other care have been accused of neglect and abuse, including sexual assault. The data breach comes after DOGE made massive cuts to a watchdog agency within HHS that oversees the facilities where immigrant children are held.
DOGE staffers were also granted access to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services data systems. Illinois Congressmember Delia Ramirez, who is the daughter of Guatemalan immigrants, said in a statement, “They have ordered the abduction of immigrant activists, the erratic cancellation of visas, the use of infamous off-shore mega prisons, and the violation of due process. It is deplorable that the sensitive information of Temporary Protected Status, DACA applicants and recipients, visa holders, and naturalized individuals would be used to violate their rights.”
ICE Arrests 37 Workers at Washington State Roofing Company
Apr 04, 2025
Image Credit: ICE.gov
In Washington state, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents raided a roofing company in Bellingham County early Wednesday, arresting at least 37 immigrant workers. Witnesses say the agents showed up in unmarked vehicles. Workers were rounded up and processed in a warehouse on site, before being loaded onto buses. The group is now being held at the troubled Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, where farmworker labor organizer Alfredo “Lelo” Juarez has also been jailed since last week. We’ll have more on these stories later in the broadcast.
Senate Confirms Dr. Mehmet Oz to Lead Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Apr 04, 2025
The Senate has confirmed Dr. Mehmet Oz to head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The former TV host and doctor has long supported the privatization of Medicare. The confirmation comes one day after Senate Republicans unveiled a budget blueprint which includes $4.5 trillion in tax breaks for the wealthy that Republicans would pay for by slashing Medicaid.
Judge Blocks Trump Administration’s Freeze on $11 Billion in Health Funding
Apr 04, 2025
A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked the Department of Health and Human Services from terminating $11 billion in federal health funding that was allocated to states during the COVID-19 pandemic. Judge Mary McElroy sided with the 23 Democratic states and the District of Columbia, which argued the withdrawal of funding would create chaos and threaten the delivery of lifesaving care.
Central U.S. Faces Flooding After Storms Spawn Nearly 100 Tornadoes
Apr 04, 2025
Parts of the central United States are bracing for potentially historic flooding after roughly 100 tornadoes hit the region Wednesday. At least seven people were killed in Tennessee, Missouri and Indiana as homes and, in some cases, entire neighborhoods were flattened. Severe weather alerts were also issued in the states of Arkansas, Illinois, Mississippi and Kentucky, where Governor Andy Beshear warned residents Wednesday of more life-threatening conditions.
Gov. Andy Beshear: “When we have this much rain, it’s the decisions about when to get out, about what to drive through, when to go stay with someone else that can be the difference between life and death.”