Following the Trump Administrations pulling of $400 million in federal grants and contracts from Columbia University in New York City last week, after over a year of antisemitic attacks and demonstrations in support of terrorists organizations like Hamas on its campus. Columbia sent out a campus-wide email earlier today, announcing that its Judicial Board had completed all student hearings related to last year occupation of Hamilton Hall during the Gaza Solidarity Encampment, which eventually required intervention by the New York City Police Department (NYPD), who stormed the building and campus making hundreds of arrests. The Judicial Board levied punishments against both current and former students of Columbia, ranging from multiyear suspensions and expulsions to temporary degree revocations; though the list of students who received punishments was not released alongside the statement.

Portugal appears to have now ruled out replacing its Air Force’s fleet of roughly 28 aging F-16AM/BM Multirole Fighters, with U.S-produced F-35s, following recent statements and actions by U.S. President Donald J. Trump directed towards NATO and other allies in Europe. Portuguese Defense Minister Nuno Melo was asked recently about the whether the Government would follow the recommendation given by the Air Force to purchase F-35s, to which Melo stated, “We cannot ignore the geopolitical environment in our choices. The recent position of the United States, in the context of NATO - must make us think about the best options, because the predictability of our allies is a greater asset to take into account.” Melo added that there were concerns that if Portugal did purchase F-35s, the U.S. Government in the future could block access to software updates and spare parts needed to keep the aircraft operational; stating that they were now considering European-produced aircraft, such as the Eurofighter Typhoon.

According to NBC News, U.S. President Trump’s Special Envoy for Russia and Ukraine, Keith Kellogg was excluded from recent high-level peace talks in Saudi Arabia, with both the Russians and the Ukrainians, after the Kremlin told the Trump Administration that they did not want him there, despite it being under his area of responsibility. A Senior Russian Official later said, “Kellogg is a former American general, too close to Ukraine. Not our kind of person, not of the caliber we are looking for,” stating that Russian President Vladimir Putin believed he was too “Pro-Ukraine.”

U.S. President Donald J. Trump states in a post on Truth Social that his Envoy, Steve Witkoff, had a “very good and productive discussion” yesterday in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin, while saying there is a very good chance the war can finally come to an end. President Trump then proceeds to spout propaganda being spread recently by Russian state media and channels, claiming that the Ukrainians are “COMPLETELY SURROUNDED BY THE RUSSIAN MILITARY, AND IN A VERY BAD AND VULNERABLE POSITION” likely in the Kursk Oblast, despite that not being true in the slightest; before claiming that he is requesting Russian President Putin to spare their lives, while confusingly stating that it would be a “horrible massacre, one not seen since World War ll.”

The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces state that claims made about the “encirclement” of Ukrainian units the Kursk Oblast of Western Russia are untrue, and “created by the Russians for political purposes and pressure on Ukraine and its partners.” Adding that the situation has remained largely unchanged over the last day, with Units of the Defense Forces of Ukraine having successfully regrouped, withdrawn to more advantageous defensive positions, or are executing their assigned tasks within the Kursk Oblast.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has ordered the closure of the Office of Net Assessment (ONA), which was created in 1973 by President Richard Nixon to serve as an “internal think-tank” within the Pentagon tasked with assisting senior defense and military officials with planning for future conflicts with peer-adversaries, most recently China. The ONA, which only accounts for roughly $10-20 million in defense spending per year, was shuttered by the Pentagon on Thursday, suggesting that the office would be restructured and then possibly reopened in the future with a new focus on the country’s “most pressing national security challenges.” Most recently, the ONA was focused on planning U.S. strategy for a full-scale war in China, which some officials have suggested could be coming by 2027, with the office having established a concept called Air-Sea Battle, which envisioned an initial “blinding campaign” by U.S. Air Force stealth bombers and submarines that would knock out China’s long-range surveillance radars followed by a larger naval assault by the Army, Navy and Marine Corps.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has stated that South Africa’s Ambassador to the United States, Ebrahim Rasool is “no longer welcome in our great country.” Appearing to have declared him Persona Non Grata (PNG), which requires him to immediately leave the United States, following several statements Rasool made recently critical of U.S. President Trump and his Administration, for which Rubio stated in a post on X, “Ebrahim Rasool is a race-baiting politician who hates America and hates President Donald Trump.”

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has announced its forces, in coordination with Iraqi Intelligence and Security Forces, carried out a precision-airstrike on the Al Anbar Governorate of Western Iraq on March 13th, which resulted in the elimination of ISIS’ Chief of Global Operations and the Delegated Committee Emir, Abdallah Makki Muslih al-Rifai, also known as Abu Khadijah, alongside another ISIS terrorist.

Khadijah, as Emir of ISIS operated as second-in-command of the terrorist organization, maintaining responsibility for operations, logistics, and planning conducted by ISIS globally, while directing a significant portion of finance for the group’s global organization.

Following the airstrike, CENTCOM and Iraqi forces arrived at the strike site, where both terrorists were found dead equipped with “explosive vests” and armed with several weapons. Abu Khadijah was confirmed eliminated with DNA found at the site, matched with DNA recovered during a previous operation in which he escaped.

The Commander of U.S. Central Command, General Michael E. Kurilla stated regarding the strike and its results, “Abu Khadijah was one of the most important ISIS members in the entire global ISIS organization. We will continue to kill terrorists and dismantle their organizations that threaten our homeland and U.S., allied and partner personnel in the region and beyond.”

U.S. President Donald J. Trump’s statement following Thursday’s airstrike in Western Iraq, which resulted in the elimination of ISIS’ Chief of Global Operations and the Delegated Committee Emir, Abdallah Makki Muslih al-Rifai, also known as Abu Khadijah.

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced that European defense and military leaders will meet in London on Thursday, as planning for a peacekeeping mission in Ukraine enter an “operational phase” with over a dozen countries having agreed to participate in such a mission.