US Sanctions Iran’s Oil Minister

The United States announced on March 13 that it has sanctioned Iranian Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad. Under Paknejad, who has been in his role since August 2024, Iran has “allocated billions of dollars’ worth of Iranian oil to the Iranian armed forces, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Iranian Law Enforcement Forces, both

21 Attorneys General Sue Over Education Department Layoffs

Officials from blue states allege that enacted and planned cuts to the agency are unlawful and unconstitutional. New York Attorney General Letitia James and 20 of her peers from other blue states on March 13 announced a federal lawsuit seeking to protect the Department of Education from elimination. Her announcement was made two days after

Putin Backs US Cease-Fire in Principle, Stops Short of Agreeing to Terms

The Russian president said that a cease-fire would have to deal with the root causes of the conflict before Moscow would agree to halt its invasion. Russian President Vladimir Putin on March 13 expressed appreciation for a U.S.-backed cease-fire in Ukraine but stopped short of agreeing to the framework. Putin said that any cease-fire would

Judge Declines to Block Firing of US Agency for African Development Head

Brehm alleged that DOGE employees had approached USADF in late February with plans to reduce the agency’s scope. A federal judge on March 11 declined to temporarily block Pete Marocco, acting head of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), from firing the president of the U.S. African Development Foundation (USADF) and being named its

US Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Ban Chinese Researchers From National Labs

‘Make no mistake, Beijing is actively exploiting weak security protocols,’ Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) said. Republican lawmakers have proposed legislation that would block national laboratories from admitting citizens of foreign adversaries, particularly those from communist China. The bill was introduced by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) on March 11 amid growing concerns in Washington over intellectual

Judge Says EPA Must Show Evidence of Wrongdoing in $20 Billion Climate Program

The EPA notified grant recipients that they will no longer receive funding under the program. A federal judge asked the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on March 12 to submit evidence justifying its decision to terminate a $20 billion climate funding program. Judge Tanya Chutkan of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia said