Tuesday morning news: March 11, 2025

Ukraine » Secretary of State Marco Rubio is leading a U.S. delegation in Saudi Arabia today. They’re sitting down with Ukrainian leaders for talks aimed at working toward a peace deal in Ukraine.

MARCO RUBIO: We have to understand the Ukrainian position and just have a general idea of what concessions they’d be willing to make, because you’re not going to get a ceasefire and an end to this war unless both sides make concessions.

He said if the meeting goes well, it could influence President Trump’s recent decision to pause all U.S. military aid to Ukraine.

President Trump voiced cautious optimism about these talks. He said that up to now, Ukraine’s government has not convinced him that it’s ready to negotiate peace, but …

TRUMP: I think you’re going to have eventually, and maybe not in the distant future, you’re going to have some pretty good results coming out of Saudi Arabia this week.

The Associated Press reported Monday that the Kyiv delegation was set to propose a limited ceasefire today.

Rubio: 83% of USAID projects to be cut » Secretary Rubio also said on Monday that major cuts are coming … at the embattled USAID agency. WORLD’s Kristen Flavin has more.

KRISTEN FLAVIN: Rubio said after a thorough 6-week review of the agency’s spending, the Trump administration is scrapping 83 percent of USAID programs.

And the State Department will manage the remaining programs.

Critics say the administration is callously slashing vital foreign aid. But Rubio insists that the programs being cut do not serve — and in some cases actually harm — the national interests of the United States.

Trump officials say their probe found an agency that had been largely unaccountable, wasteful, and had strayed far from its mission.

The USAID was created by executive order in 1961 … to strategically distribute foreign aid … to advance U.S. foreign policy.

For WORLD, I’m Kristen Flavin.

Musk on DOGE efforts » Rubio said he’s thankful for Elon Musk and the rest of the DOGE team for its work in identifying waste at USAID.

But of course, not everyone feels that way. One agency employee, who said she’s now out of a job, described it this way …

EMPLOYEE: Heartbreaking. I love the work that we do. I really care about it. I felt like we made a difference.

And that cuts to the core of the criticism of DOGE. Democrats say Musk and his team are destroying programs that make a difference across numerous agencies.

But Musk on Monday fired back. He said the entrenched bureaucracy in Washington has become the unelected fourth branch of government.

MUSK: The president is the elected representative of the people. And if the president cannot get things implemented as a reflection of the will of the people, then what we have is not a democracy, we have a bureaucracy. We have rule of the bureau, not rule of the people.

Musk claims the effort has thus far saved more than $4 billion dollars a day for taxpayers.

Trade war » The markets have been getting jittery about a mounting showdown with U.S. trading partners over tariffs.

The S&P 500 plunged Monday. But Republican Congressman Tom Emmer said:

EMMER:  The markets are going to have all kinds of different things going on, but yes, we are going to stay the course because this country's future depends on it. Why should Americans not have free and full access to markets around the world when we give all of those other folks access to our markets right here?

President Trump is planning reciprocal tariffs starting April 2nd. Those will vary from country to country to match whatever tariffs each individual trading partner has placed on U.S. goods.

Separately, the president has already imposed some tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico.

Government shutdown vote Tuesday » The House could vote today on a six-month stopgap funding bill that Republicans just unveiled … that would avert a government shutdown this week.

Every House Democrat is expected to oppose it, including Minority Whip Katherine Clark:

CLARK:  It's all part of the same plot to give Elon and the billionaire class a tax break at the expense of what families in this country need.

But House Republican Conference Chair, Congresswoman Lisa McClain argues:

MCCLAIN:  It continues to fund needed programs such as Medicaid, social security, pay raises for our military. I don't understand why the Democrats won't join us on that.

Democrats want language inserted that would limit the power of DOGE to audit government spending.

Congress has until Friday to agree on a funding bill to avert a shutdown.

Israel latest in process » Israel is expressing some concern over direct talks between U.S. officials and Hamas amid a push to reach a new ceasefire deal.

U.S. Presidential Envoy for Hostages Affairs Adam Boehler explained …

BOEHLER: The reason that I met with Hamas like that is because I'm a big believer in dialogue. And I think the meetings with Hamas gave me some hope.

Israeli government spokesman David Mencer said Israel has agreed to send a delegation to Qatar to join Gaza ceasefire talks. But he insisted that if there is to be a ceasefire, Hamas will have to go.

MENCER: Returning to the reality that preceded the murderous attacks of October 7th, 2023, is simply not an option for Israel.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters he doubts whether Hamas is serious about negotiating in good faith.

He called out the terror group for demanding massively lopsided exchanges of hundreds of Israeli prisoners for a handful of Hamas hostages.

I’m Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: shifting international policies signal a growing divide over how to end the war in Ukraine. Plus, how one family uses food from home to bless others in their new home.

This is The World and Everything in It.

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