Wednesday morning news: March 19, 2025

Ukraine ceasefire talks »  In a phone call with President Trump, Vladimir Putin agreed to seek a limited ceasefire with Ukraine, which would halt attacks against energy and infrastructure targets.

TRUMP:  We had a great call. It lasted almost two hours. Talked about a lot of things and, uh, toward getting it to peace. And we talked about other things also.

Trump said they discussed many elements of a contract for peace. And he said that the process of working toward an end to the war is now well underway.

ZELENSKYY: [Speaking Ukrainian]

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reacted to the news Tuesday:

ZELENSKYY: [Speaking Ukrainian]

He said, “We support all steps towards ending the war.” And he added that he would like to speak with President Trump again by phone very soon to better understand the details, and “to discuss next steps.”

A statement from the Kremlin says Putin called on an end to military and intelligence assistance for Ukraine as part of a peace plan at the White House.

Israel latest » Israel says renewed strikes against Hamas targets in Gaza this week are “only the beginning.” Israeli Foreign Minister official Oren Marmorstein:

MARMOSTEIN: Israel will act against Hamas with increasing military intensity.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel had shown restraint since a ceasefire expired more than two weeks ago as negotiators tried to renew it.

NETANYAHU:  Hamas refused offer after offer to release our hostages. In the past two weeks, Israel did not initiate any military action in the hope that Hamas would change course. Well, that didn't happen.

The Hamas-controlled health ministry claims that hundreds of people died in the latest Israeli strike, including women and children.

Israeli government spokesman David Mencer says any and all civilian deaths are tragic, and serve as a further indictment of Hamas.

MENCER:  They continue to use their own people as human shields, which is an international war crime … and Hamas continues to openly incite terrorism against Israelis.

A senior Hamas official has threatened to execute the remaining Israeli hostages.

Department of Justice task force » Meantime, the U.S. Department of Justice is revving up efforts to bring Hamas terrorists to justice. WORLD’s Kristen Flavin has more.

KRISTEN FLAVIN: Attorney General Pam Bondi says the Department of Justice has established a joint task force on the Oct. 7th massacre in Israel. It will have multiple objectives, including:

- To investigate and prosecute Hamas members responsible for the attack.

- To take the lead on existing investigations.

- And to target civil rights violations and antisemitic acts by Hamas supporters in the United States.

Hamas killed nearly 50 Americans in the Oct. 7th, 2023 massacre … and kidnapped eight others.

For WORLD, I’m Kristen Flavin.

Astronauts return » After nine long months stranded in space, astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are back home:

AUDIO (SpaceX): And splashdown, Crew-9 back on Earth [cheers]

Their SpaceX capsule parachuted into Gulf waters near the Florida Panhandle last night.

President Trump welcomed the news. He noted that it will take quite a while for them to reacclimate to Earth’s gravity.

TRUMP: They’ve got to get better. It's not easy. You know, they're up a long time … and when they do, they'll come to the Oval Office.

The astronauts departed on a Boeing test flight last year on Boeing’s new Starliner capsule. They expected to be gone for only a week or so. But the Starliner had so many technical issues that NASA deemed it unsafe, and later reassigned Williams and Wilmore to SpaceX for the ride home.

FBI on Tesla fires » Law enforcement is investigating a string of attacks against Tesla vehicles and dealerships.

Police in Las Vegas are searching for someone who lit five cars on fire at a Tesla Collision and Sales Center.

Assistant Sheriff Dori Koren:

KOREN: We're still in the process of collecting evidence, but it appears the suspect fired at least three rounds into different tesla vehicles. So we do believe a firearm was used.

The apparent acts of political violence started after Tesla CEO Elon Musk began his work with President Trump. Last week, vandals targeted numerous dealerships in the Pacific Northwest.

FBI special agent Spencer Evans issued this warning:

EVANS:  And specifically to those who might think that something like this is justifiable or potentially even admirable, we want to let you know it's a federal crime. We will come after you, we will find you and prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law.

Musk reacted, calling the attacks acts of domestic terrorism. He said, “Tesla just makes electric cars and has done nothing to deserve these evil attacks.”

I'm Kent Covington.

This is The World and Everything in It.

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