Tuesday morning news: April 15, 2025

El Salvador president at White House » At the White House on Monday, President Trump welcomed a key U.S. ally in his mass deportation of illegal immigrants.

TRUMP-BUKELE:  Mr. President, it's an honor to have you. Thank you, Mr. President.

El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele met with Trump in The Oval Office.

His country has struck a limited deal with the United States to accept and detain certain illegal immigrants from the United States, who are classified by the Trump administration as dangerous and violent.

BUKELE:  We know that, uh, you have, uh, a crime problem, a terrorism problem that you need help with, and we're a small country, but if we can help, we can do it.

Among those deported was a Salvadoran man named Kilmar Abrego Garcia. The Justice Department says is an MS-13 gang member, though he has never been charged with a crime.

And though he entered the country illegally, a judge had shielded him from deportation. The Trump administration says a paperwork error led to him being delivered to El Salvador on a plane loaded with illegal immigrant gang members.

A US Supreme Court ruling says the Trump administration must facilitate his return to the United States. But Attorney General Pam Bondi says:

BONDI:  We could give him a plane flight, but we cannot effectuate it, meaning making it happen. It was. It was a win.

Garcia is a Salvadoran citizen, so Bondi says El Salvador would have to want to send him back to the United States. But President Bukele on Monday said he has no desire to do that.

Tariffs latest / China rare earth minerals » Beijing announced it is suspending the sale of critical rare earth minerals to the United States. In response to President Trump's tariffs.

Kevin Hassett is director of the White House National Economic Council.

HASSETT:  The rare earth, uh, limits are being studied very carefully, uh, and they're concerning and we're thinking about all the options.

Rare earth minerals are needed for high-tech manufacturing in both the commercial and military sectors.

China produces 90% of those minerals.

SOUND: [Cleanup]

Ukraine latest » Cleanup continues in the Ukrainian city of Sumy...after officials say a Russian attack killed more than 30 people over the weekend, including two children.

Russia insists it was targeting military sites and personnel. But Ukraine says the attack targeted civilians who were celebrating Palm Sunday.

WOMAN: [Speaking Ukrainian]

This woman says she just purchased toys to place at a makeshift memorial for the children. She says toys belong in children's hands, not at gravesites...and adds, "It shouldn't be like this."

Meanwhile, President Trump said he believed that the Russian attack against civilians in Sumy was unintentional.

He also seemingly blamed Ukraine for starting the war.

TRUMP: Listen, when you start a war, you gotta know that you can win the war, right? You don't start a war against somebody that's 20 times your size, and then hope that people give you some missiles.

That was in response to Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy’s plea for more missiles for its battle against Russian invaders.

Hamas hostages latest » In the Middle East, negotiations aimed at restoring a ceasefire in Gaza have reportedly ended without any significant progress.

That according to Reuters, citing Palestinian and Egyptian sources, after the latest round of talks in Cairo, Egypt.

According to Egypt's latest ceasefire plan, Hamas should release eight living detained Israelis in exchange for a 40 to 50-day ceasefire. Israel should release hundreds of Palestinian detainees, resume the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza. The proposal says the Israeli army should withdraw to positions it held before March 17th.

Meta antitrust trial » A massive antitrust trial got underway in Wasington on Monday. The case could force Meta —formerly known as Facebook to split off two popular apps it owns. WORLD’s Christina Grube has more:

CHRISTINA GRUBE: Those two apps are Instagram and the popular text messaging app WhatsApp. The company purchased those apps as startups more than a decade ago and built them into social media powerhouses.

The Federal Trade Commission approved those acquisitions at the time. But now the FTC says Facebook—now Meta acquired those apps to protect an illegal monopoly, viewing them as growing threats.

Meta contends that consumers have benefited from the acquisitions, and that it faces plenty of competition.

CEO Mark Zuckerberg is among those testifying in the trial.

For WORLD, I’m Christina Grube

Tennessee pastor kidnapped » Authorities in South Africa say a search is underway for Tennessee pastor Josh Sullivan, who was kidnapped at gunpoint in South Africa.

This terrifying armed abduction happening right in front of the congregation, including Sullivan's wife and young children.

Several masked gunmen barged into Fellowship Baptist Church in the Eastern Cape Province, stealing multiple phones from churchgoers and then kidnapping the pastor, and driving away with him in his own truck.

The stolen truck was found abandoned a short time later. It’s unclear if a ransom has been demanded.

I'm Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: nuclear talks and the standoff between Iran and the U.S. Plus, states rethink food assistance programs and junk food.

This is The World and Everything in It.

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