The Official Portrait has been released of Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, as the 24th Chief of the General Staff of the Israel Defense Force.

Israeli MOFA says that Hamas rejected proposed ceasefire extension:
The spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel has announced that that they accepted U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff’s proposed extension of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal through both Ramadan and Passover but Hamas rejected it. This means that the ceasefire could’ve been extended to at least April 20, 2025.
The current situation continues to remain in limbo as a number of competing blocs have all proposed their own outlook for the future of the Gaza Strip:
- France, Germany, and the UK. (Known as the E3)
- Collection of Arab states
- U.S.-Israel

This comes amidst the news that the U.S. is now directly negotiating with Hamas to secure some sort of deal to free the U.S. hostages still held by the terrorist group.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office responded with a statement saying that they were aware of the move, but stopped short of criticizing the move by U.S. decision-makers (Barak Ravid).

The Wall Street Journal reports that the Trump Administration has ordered the Department of Defense to halt the use of the U.S. Military and Military Aircraft for the deportation of Illegal Migrants to the Guantanamo Migrant Operations Center (GMOC) in Cuba, and to other Countries, after they were determined to be “Expensive and Inefficient” by Officials. The Final Deportation Flight utilizing a U.S. Military Aircraft was carried out on March 1st, with roughly 30 Flights having been conducted using C-17s and 12 using C-130s since January, to several Destinations including but not limited to India, Guatemala, Ecuador, Peru, Honduras, Panama and Guantanamo Bay. The Flights to India were determined to have cost roughly $3 Million each, for the deportation of less than 100 Migrants, while each of the Flights to South America cost roughly $20,000 per Migrant.

Several of U.S. President Trump’s longtime allies in Europe have begun to criticize recent decisions and statements made by his administration; with Marine Le Pen, the leader of France’s far-right National Rally political party, calling the United States’ decision to halt the transfer of military aid to Ukraine “brutal, cruel and reprehensible” while speaking yesterday to the French newspaper, Le Figaro. While the leader of the Reform U.K. party in the British Parliament, Nigel Farage condemned a recent statement by U.S. Vice-President JD Vance, in which he appeared to insult the U.K. and France, calling them “random countries that haven't fought a war in 30 or 40 years” after both countries publicly suggested that they would be willing to deploy a peacekeeping force to Ukraine, with Farage stating, “JD Vance is wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong. For 20 years in Afghanistan, pro-rata, our size against America's, we spent the same amount of money, we put the same number of men and women in, and we suffered the same losses.” Vance has since stated that he wasn’t talking about the U.K. and France in this statement, despite both countries being among the only ones to publicly announce their support for a peacekeeping force in Ukraine only days before.

Earlier today, the U.S. Supreme Court voted 5-4 to reject an emergency request by President Trump to reinstate a ban on $2 billion in frozen foreign aid for work that had already been completed by non-profits and aid groups, which was ordered to be reinstated by U.S. District Judge Amir Ali, who the Supreme Court states needs to clarify his order requiring the “quick release” of the funds by the government.

According to Barak Ravid of Axios, U.S. President Donald J. Trump is set to make an announcement soon on the hostages deal with Hamas. It’s yet unclear if the coming announcement only pertains to the U.S.-Hamas talks or the wider hostage deal. More to come.

A Delegation of Hostages released by Hamas during the recent Ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, met today with U.S. President Donald J. Trump in the Oval Office, stating that they believe he has been sent by God to release the Hostages, “You have the power to do it.” To which President Trump responded, “I've heard shocking stories, we'll get them out.”

While meeting today in the Oval Office, a Delegation of Hostages released from the Gaza Strip by Hamas presented U.S. President Donald J. Trump with a Plaque, which read in both Hebrew and English, “To President Trump. Whoever saves one life saves the world entire.”

In a post on the Truth Social app, U.S. President Donald J. Trump has urged Hamas to “release all the hostages now, not later, and immediately return all of the dead bodies.” President Trump reiterated past promises that “there will be hell to pay” if the hostages are not released. This comes against the backdrop of the ongoing U.S.-Hamas negotiations.

Hayden Haynes, the Chief of Staff for Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, was arrested this morning in Washington D.C. and charged with driving under the influence (DUI), after running into a parked car following last night’s address before Congress by U.S. President Donald J. Trump.

According to Bloomberg, the Italian Government has begun to consider a number of alternatives to Elon Musk’s Starlink, who they were expected to close a €1.5B deal with soon for use by the Italian Armed Forces and Government Officials, due to recent pullback by the United States of previous commitments made towards European security, likely to include issues related to Ukraine. Both Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and President Sergio Mattarella have expressed support for searching for an alternative to Starlink, claiming the search to be a result of “changing geopolitics.”

U.S. President Donald J. Trump has said that it has been communicated to the mayor of Washington D.C., Muriel Bowser, that the homeless problem in the nation’s capital must be dealt with. Especially outside a number of federal buildings, including the U.S. State Department and near the White House. If the problem is not dealt with, the president has promised direct action to deal with the problem.

French President Emmanuel Macron addressed the nation earlier today, as countries in Europe prepare to shift towards a “wartime economy” amidst uncertainty over security guarantees and continued support from the United States. During his speech, Macron called for European counties to increase their defense spending and posture, stating that Europe must be prepared to go alone in the defense of Ukraine and the rest of the continent against Russia, “I want to believe that the U.S. will stand by our side, but we have to be ready for that not to be the case.” Macron also announced the start of discussions on France extending the protection of its nuclear arsenal to other countries, stating, “Our nuclear deterrent protects us: it's complete, sovereign, French through and through — I have decided to open the strategic debate on the protection of our allies on the European continent through our deterrence,” with this following calls from soon-to-be German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, for both France and Britain to begin expanding their nuclear arsenals for the defense of Europe. President Macron has called for a meeting of European Defense Ministers and Chiefs next week in Paris, where the topics of nuclear deterrence and European rearmament can be discussed, as well as the possibility of deploying a peacekeeping force to Ukraine to enforce a ceasefire with Russia. Finally, Macron ended the speech by calling for unity amongst the French people, stating, “The French nation needs you. Political decisions, military equipment, that is just one part of the puzzle. But it will never come without solidarity. Our generation will not be able to just live off the dividends of peace. It is up to us to sow the seeds for the future.”

Citing U.S. President Donald J. Trump’s overhaul of the Kennedy Center’s board of trustees and its mission, “Hamilton” producer Jeffrey Seller has announced that the musical will no longer take place at the center as part of its 2026 lineup. The musical’s producers will seek out another venue in the Washington D.C. area.