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Putin's mini-ceasefire, Musk's USAID setback and a space odyssey ends

 
Today's INTERNATIONAL story

Putin tells Trump he will halt Ukraine energy strikes

What happened
Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed yesterday to pause Moscow's "attacks on energy infrastructure facilities" in Ukraine during a lengthy phone call with President Donald Trump, the Kremlin said. The 30-day limited detente fell short of the full monthlong ceasefire Trump was seeking and Ukraine agreed to under U.S. pressure, but the White House said the "energy and infrastructure ceasefire" was the start of a "movement to peace" in the Ukraine war.

Who said what
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv would abide by the limited ceasefire if Moscow did, and "if strikes on energy infrastructure by both sides indeed stop, it would mark the first mutually agreed suspension of attacks" since Russia invaded its smaller neighbor three years ago, The New York Times said. But "privately," some administration officials acknowledged that Putin "appeared to be stalling," giving "just enough to appear to be engaged in peace talks," a top priority for Trump.

The Kremlin said Putin had laid out conditions for a broader peace deal and "emphasized" to Trump that the "key condition" was a "complete cessation of foreign military aid and the provision of intelligence information to Kyiv." Trump told Fox News last night that he and Putin "didn't talk about aid at all" in their "great call."

Shortly after the call ended, "air raid alerts sounded in Kyiv, followed by explosions," The Associated Press said. Moscow overnight "struck the energy grid of Slovyansk in Ukraine's east," The Wall Street Journal said, "calling into question just how closely Putin intends to stick to the ceasefire he agreed to with Trump." Russian officials claimed a "Ukrainian drone attack sparked a small fire at an oil depot" early this morning, Reuters said.

What next?
The White House and Kremlin said they would work next toward a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea. Those negotiations will start in Saudi Arabia on Sunday, Trump envoy Steve Witkoff told Fox News, "and I think it's a relatively short distance" from the "energy and infrastructure ceasefire and the Black Sea moratorium" to a "full ceasefire."

 
 
Today's NATIONAL story

Judge says Musk, DOGE can't dismantle USAID

What happened
A federal judge in Maryland ruled yesterday that Elon Musk and his DOGE team had likely violated the Constitution in "multiple ways" by "effectively" eliminating USAID. U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang ordered Musk and DOGE to indefinitely halt all involvement in dismantling the foreign aid agency and restore access to computer systems for USAID employees and contractors.

Who said what
Chuang said DOGE's USAID assault appeared to violate the Constitution's "appointments clause" because Musk and his operatives were wielding significant governmental power without being appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. He also said DOGE deprived elected lawmakers of their "constitutional authority to decide whether, when and how to close down an agency created by Congress." He dismissed the government's argument that Musk wasn't officially in charge of DOGE, pointing to statements from Musk and President Donald Trump.

Chuang's decision was "another blow" to Trump's efforts to "dramatically reduce the size of the government," The Washington Post said. Still, the ruling "appears to permit the Trump administration to ratify and maintain the draconian cuts — as long as they are ordered by USAID's official leadership, rather than by Musk or his allies at DOGE," Politico said. The official dismantling of USAID "likely violates" the Constitution as well, Chuang wrote, but agency officials were not party to the lawsuit before him.

What next?
Chuang's ruling was "one of several setbacks for the Trump administration" in court yesterday, The Wall Street Journal said. Federal judges in Washington, D.C., also temporarily barred the EPA from terminating Biden administration clean-energy climate grants and blocked Trump's executive order banning transgender people from military service.

 
 
Today's SPACE Story

Stranded NASA astronauts finally return to Earth

What happened
U.S. astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore splashed down off the coast of Florida yesterday evening, 286 days after they arrived at the International Space Station for a scheduled eight-day mission, and about 17 hours after their SpaceX capsule undocked from the ISS. They had arrived on Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, but NASA sent the capsule home empty amid problems with the propulsion system.

Who said what
"On behalf of SpaceX, welcome home," mission control in California told the astronauts when they touched down. "What a ride," replied Nick Hague, the capsule's commander. "I see a capsule full of grins ear to ear." Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov had arrived at the ISS last fall with two empty seats, part of NASA's plan to get Williams and Wilmore home. The replacement crew docked at the ISS on Sunday.

The unexpectedly long stay at the orbiting lab "captured the world's attention, giving new meaning to the phrase 'stuck at work' and turning 'Butch and Suni' into household names," The Associated Press said. But the seasoned astronauts "quickly transitioned from guests to full-fledged station crew members, conducting experiments, fixing equipment and even spacewalking together." Williams now holds the women's record for spacewalking, at 62 hours.

"It's work. It's fun. It's been trying at times, no doubt," Wilmore (pictured above) told The New York Times last week. "But 'stranded'? No. 'Stuck'? No. 'Abandoned'? No."

What next?
Williams and Wilmore now "have a new mission: recovery," Axios said. Extended space missions can cause "muscle atrophy, bone density loss and even vision changes." NASA said all four astronauts will undergo several days of evaluation by flight surgeons at Houston's Johnson Space Center before being allowed to go home.

 
 

It's not all bad

Scientists are exploring whether animal dung could help preserve endangered species by capturing genetic diversity. An Oxford University project dubbed the "poo zoo" is extracting from feces living cells that could be used to study populations, grow reproductive cells or even clone animals. By creating sperm and eggs from the cells found in animal excrement, scientists could potentially breed animals without needing live donors. Researchers have already isolated live cells from elephant and mouse dung.

 
 
Under the radar

Almost 17 years ago, after "widespread protests" against his authoritarian rule, Nepal's King Gyanendra Shah "bowed to the inevitable" and stepped down from the throne, handing over a crown made of "yak's hair and emeralds" and fleeing the royal palace to "live the life of a commoner," said The Times of London. But now the king has returned to the Himalayan nation to a hero's welcome.

He arrived in Kathmandu on March 9 and was greeted by crowds of thousands — some of whom had taken part in the protests against him — demanding the "immediate restoration" of the monarchy amid growing frustration over poverty and corruption, said The Times. "Vacate the royal palace for the king," chanted the crowds. "Come back king, save the country."

Many Nepalis are increasingly "frustrated" with their current governance, said The Associated Press. The republic that followed the expulsion of the king has "failed to bring about political stability." Nepal has had 13 governments since the monarchy was abolished, and Nepalis blame this inconstancy for the struggling economy and "widespread corruption." 

There has been a "surge of pro-monarchy posts and videos" on social media said the Nepali Times. Monarchists are using these to "fan nostalgia of the golden age of royalty," with former kings "glorified" as nationalists who "upheld Nepal's sovereignty" and "commanded respect worldwide." 

Monarchists believe "public disillusionment" with the country's leaders is at a "breaking point," the Nepali Times said. And young Nepalis are "attracted to the idea of reinstating the monarchy as a form of anti-incumbent protest" — but also because they have "little to no memory of living under an authoritarian absolute monarchy."

 
 
On this day

March 19, 1932

Australia's Sydney Harbour Bridge opened. The 3,770-foot-long pedestrian and car bridge connects downtown Sydney with the city's north shore. It is also the world's tallest steel arch bridge at 440 feet. The structure, along with the nearby Sydney Opera House, is considered an iconic landmark of Australia.

 
 
TODAY'S newspaperS

"Chief justice rebukes Trump's targeting of judges" with impeachment threats, The Washington Post says on Wednesday's front page. The "rebuke" from John Roberts poses "another test of Trump's power," The Boston Globe says. The "onslaught by GOP" targets the "judge who issued deportation order" on Venezuelans sent to an El Salvador prison, The New York Times says. "Deported migrants are already returning," the Arizona Republic says. Meanwhile, "automated anti-DEI website purge at DOD erases Code Talker history." The Arlington National Cemetery website is also "erasing DEI," USA Today says. 

► See the newspaper front pages

 
 
Tall tale

Cold-blooded

Police in Denmark, Tennessee, are on the hunt for the gang behind a "holdup" involving unusual weapons: two pythons. Four men allegedly walked into a gas station and stole $400 worth of CBD oil after brandishing the snakes. "They were just waving them around and putting them on the counter," cashier Mayur Raval told local news station WREG. Last year, a different Tennessee gas station was robbed by a man with a 5-foot snake around his neck.

 
 

Morning Report was written and edited by Theara Coleman, Nadia Croes, Catherine Garcia, Scott Hocker, Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, Justin Klawans, Harriet Marsden, Devika Rao, Rafi Schwartz and Peter Weber, with illustrations by Stephen Kelly and Julia Wytrazek.

Image credits, from top: Kremlin Press Office / Anadolu via Getty Images; Saul Loeb / AFP via Getty Images; Keegan Barber / NASA via Getty Images; Illustration by Julia Wytrazek / Getty Images