Houthi Escalation and Border Security Surge – 3/17/25

United States

  • Betsy Hackman reportedly succumbed to hantavirus on Feb. 11, a rare rodent-spread illness, followed by Gene Hackman’s death from heart failure and Alzheimer’s a week later, per KATU
  • Texas Gov. backs H.B. No. 4814, the F.U.R.R.I.E.S. Act, introduced by Rep. Stan Gerdez to curb alleged “non-human” behavior in schools, per KATU
  • U.S. airstrikes in northern Yemen killed at least 53, escalating clashes with Houthi rebels in Trump’s first major military move since taking office, per KATU
  • Forever 21, based in LA, will cease all U.S. operations, per NBC Los Angeles
  • Trump invokes the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to tackle transnational gang threats, a rare wartime measure, per KATU
  • Trump’s cuts to federal research funding threaten young scientists’ careers, limiting access to key projects and graduate studies, per NBC Los Angeles
  • Washington state ranks second only to Oregon in U.S. timber production, with most growth west of the Cascades, per KING 5
  • St. Patrick’s Day sparks lively parades and festivities in New York and beyond, per KTVB
  • Washington’s Jennifer Lonn and Joseph Warner snag multiple medals in skiing and snowboarding at the Special Olympics in Italy, per KING 5
  • Reporter notes a law’s 200-year age; Tom Homan counters, “Well, the Constitution is a lot older than that and we still follow it”
  • Elon Musk claims the U.S. government runs “magic money computers” that “send money out of nothing”
  • Trump warns Iran of consequences should the Houthis launch another attack
  • U.S. Border Czar Tom Homan asserts, “Walls work. Every place President Trump put a border barrier, illegal immigration declined, illegal drug flow declined. What people don’t talk about though is walls save lives… A secure border saves lives”

International

  • Canada’s Carney to confer with European allies amid ongoing friction with the Trump administration, per KTVB
  • Putin permits select foreign funds, including U.S.-based ones, to offload Russian securities ahead of his Ukraine ceasefire discussions with Trump tomorrow
  • An illegal migrant laments being barred from Poland’s border, saying, “We want to enter Poland, but they won’t let us… I want to go to Poland or Germany to have a good life”
  • EU leader Von der Leyen pledges €2.5 billion in support for Syria
  • New Syrian Army troops push into Lebanon, sparking battles along the border and inside Lebanese territory against Hezbollah and the Lebanese military
  • Houthi leader proclaims a total ban on American ships entering the Red Sea moving forward
  • The UK allocates £160 million in assistance for Syria