Month: March 2025

Police in New Mexico have arrested two suspects in Friday’s mass shooting during an unsanctioned car show at a park in the city of Las Cruces, which left three teenagers dead and at least 15 others injured. Las Cruces sits on the edge of the Chihuahuan Desert along the Rio Grande River in southern New Mexico (about 41 miles north of the U.S.-Mexican border.) The shooting occurred at about 10 p.m. local time on Friday in the desert city’s Young Park, a music and recreation venue. , Police Chief Jeremy Story said there were approximately 200 people in attendance when the altercation between two groups at the car show escalated. Many were injured including bystanders who may have been struck by crossfire; it remains unclear what started the altercation.

The Las Cruces Police Department announced Sunday morning that the suspects – 20-year-old Tomas Rivas and an unidentified 17-year-old male – were each charged with three open counts of murder (“open murder” means prosecutors can pursue charges of manslaughter or murder in the first or second degree, and the specific level of culpability will be decided later). Additional charges were pending against Rivas and the 17-year-old, with Las Cruces Police sharing in a post on Facebook that they arrested the duo Saturday evening: “Rivas will be booked into the Dona Ana County Detention Center where he will initially be held without bond. The juvenile will be remanded to the juvenile detention facility.”

Police also identified the three people killed in the shooting: 16-year-old Andrew Madrid, 18-year-old Jason Gomez and 19-year-old Dominick Estrada. Madrid and Gomez died on the scene, and Estrada died after he was taken to a medical center.  The 15 people injured were comprised of nine males and six females, ranging in age from 16 to 36, with Las Cruces Fire Chief Michael Daniels stating that four have since been treated and released.

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Pope Francis was released from Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on Sunday, where he has been battling double pneumonia for the past five weeks.

The pontiff, 88, made a brief public appearance for the first time since his hospitalization and was seen smiling and waving to the cheering crowds as he appeared on the balcony of the hospital in a wheelchair.  Francis said: “Thank you all,” into a microphone, and appeared to make the sign of the cross. The pope looked frail and struggled to speak, but acknowledged one woman in the crowd who was holding flowers, saying: “I see a woman with yellow flowers. Brava!” before being wheeled back into his room.

The Vatican said Francis left the hospital in his white Fiat 500L and headed to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore to pray, where he offered flowers to be placed before the icon of the Virgin Mary Salus Populi Romani. He is expected to return home to Casa Santa Marta in Vatican City, with the head of his medical team saying that he will need at least two months of rest once he returns to the Vatican, while receiving additional medical treatment.

Pope Francis was admitted to Gemelli Hospital on February 14, initially with a case of bronchitis. He was later diagnosed with a severe respiratory infection, and also diagnosed with a “polymicrobial infection” of his respiratory tract as well as bilateral pneumonia. The pope was in critical condition for part of his hospitalization, and doctors said he also suffered two “critical episodes” during which his life was in danger. Francis was given oxygen therapy and at one point he was placed on a non-invasive ventilator, according to medical staff.

While Pope Francis did not offer his usual weekly prayer, the Vatican released a text prepared by the Pontiff Sunday which read in part:  “In this long period of hospitalization, I have had the opportunity to experience the patience of the Lord, which I also see reflected in the tireless care of doctors and healthcare workers, as well as in the devotion and hopes of the families of the sick.”

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George Glezmann, a U.S. citizen who was detained by the Taliban in Afghanistan for over two years, has been released.  Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed Thursday that Glezmann, 65, was on his way back to the U.S.; the Atlanta native had been in custody after being detained by Taliban authorities while on a tourist visit to Afghanistan in December 2022.

Glezmann was an airline mechanic for Delta Air Lines; according to his family, he intended to spend five days in the country exploring its history and culture, but was detained by the Taliban’s intelligence service on Dec. 5 – he was never charged with any crime or offense. Afghanistan is classified by the State Department as a Level 4 country, meaning Americans should not travel there under any circumstances.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement: “Today, after two and a half years of captivity in Afghanistan, Delta Airlines mechanic George Glezmann is on his way to be reunited with his wife, Aleksandra. George’s release is a positive and constructive step. It is also a reminder that other Americans are still detained in Afghanistan. President Trump will continue his tireless work to free ALL Americans unjustly detained around the world.” Rubio also thanked Qatar, who facilitated the release of Glezmann, for its “steadfast commitment and diplomatic efforts,” calling Qatari officials “instrumental in securing George’s release.”

The New York Post reported that Glezmann was released following negotiations brokered by Trump special hostage envoy Adam Boehler, Taliban officials and Qatari officials. Boehler and former US envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad met with Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesman and senior adviser to the prime minister Majed Al Ansari as well as Afghanistan foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi to finalize Glezmann’s release.

Khalilzad posted a statement on X announcing Glezmann’s release, writing: “Today is a good day. We succeeded in obtaining the release of an American citizen, Georg Glezmann, after two years in detention in Kabul. The Taliban government agreed to free him as a goodwill gesture to @POTUS and the American people. George is on his way home to his family. @realDonaldTrump has made the freedom and homecoming of Americans held abroad a high priority. It is an honor to assist in this important effort.”

A statement issued Thursday by Afghanistan’s Taliban-run Ministry of Foreign Affairs called Glezmann’s release “a goodwill gesture, reflecting Afghanistan’s readiness to genuinely engage all sides, particularly the United States of America, on the basis of mutual respect and interests. The end of conflict in Afghanistan, suppression of corrupt groups such as Daesh [ISIS], and no threat emanating from Afghanistan towards others, demonstrates that Afghanistan can play a positive role in regional and world stability, and is able to resolve its issues with the world on amicable terms.”

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Tesla is recalling more than 46,000 of its Cybertrucks in the U.S. due to a cosmetic exterior trim panel that it said can “delaminate and detach from the vehicle,” potentially becoming a road hazard and “increasing the risk of a crash.”

Tesla wrote in its filing to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Thursday that the voluntary recall affects all Cybertrucks manufactured from November 2023 to February 27, 2025. On February 21, the NHTSA notified Tesla of a vehicle owner who alleged a rail panel detachment. Tesla said it is aware of 151 warranty claims that may be related to the recall issue, but no collisions or injuries.

Tesla said a detached rail panel may create a detectable noise inside the cabin or customers may observe the panel coming loose or separating from the vehicle. The recall addresses the risk that a stainless-steel exterior trim panel can detach from the vehicle, making it a road hazard and boosting the risk of a crash.

Tesla’s service will replace the rail panel assembly with a new one that meets durability testing requirements, with the automaker saying that owners of affected vehicles can take their Cybertrucks to Tesla’s service department for free replacement of the cant rail.

The NHTSA said Tesla implemented the recall after “discussions” with the automotive safety agency. Vehicle owners with a safety complaint or concern can fill out a Vehicle Owner’s Questionnaire online, or call the agency’s hotline at 888-327-4236.

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President Donald Trump spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday, with their conversation coming one day after Trump’s call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin said after the call he rejected the 30-day total ceasefire proposed by the U.S. (and backed by Ukraine) though he agreed to a 30-day ceasefire against Ukraine’s energy and infrastructure.  However, just hours after that call, Russia launched a series of drone strikes.

Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social: “Just completed a very good telephone call with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine. It lasted approximately one hour. Much of the discussion was based on the call made yesterday with President Putin in order to align both Russia and Ukraine in terms of their requests and needs. We are very much on track, and I will ask Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and national security adviser Michael Waltz, to give an accurate description of the points discussed. That statement will be put out shortly.”

Wednesday’s call was the first discussion between Trump and Zelenskyy since their Oval Office meeting last month, in which Trump accused the Ukrainian leader of not being ready for peace and not holding any cards in negotiations.

At a news conference earlier Wednesday, Zelenskyy said, “Putin’s words are very, very different from reality,” adding that around 120 strike drones and six missiles struck Ukraine, including its energy facilities, overnight.   Zelenskyy said: “It is precisely such night attacks by Russia that destroy our energy, our infrastructure, the normal life of Ukrainians. And the fact that this night was no exception shows that we must continue to put pressure on Russia for the sake of peace.”

Later in a statement, Zelenskyy described the conversation with Trump as a “positive, very substantive, and frank conversation. We believe that together with America, with President Trump, and under American leadership, lasting peace can be achieved this year,” adding that Ukraine is ready to engage in the next round of talks with U.S. officials in Saudi Arabia.

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The Federal Reserve said Wednesday it was leaving interest rates unchanged at its March meeting, citing rising uncertainties over whether President Donald Trump’s policies could push up both inflation and unemployment.

The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), which guides the central bank’s monetary policy moves, noted in its announcement that, “uncertainty around the economic outlook has increased” and added it’s focused on risks to both sides of its dual mandate to promote maximum employment and keep inflation at 2% over the long-run.  It’s decision means that its key borrowing benchmark rate will stay in a target range of 4.25-4.5 percent, an elevated level that consumers hadn’t experienced for over a decade.

In addition to announcing its decision on interest rates, the FOMC released a summary of economic projections that showed central bank policymakers are forecasting two 25-basis-point interest rate cuts this year, followed by two cuts of that size in 2026 and one in 2027.

The Federal Reserve’s statement said that “uncertainty around the economic outlook has increased,” with Fed Chair Jerome Powell saying at a press conference that the exact relationship between Trump’s tariffs strategy and stronger near-term price growth was not totally clear given other trends in the economy, but the tariffs are certainly a factor in rising expectations that price growth will accelerate: “we do not need to be in a hurry to adjust our policy stance, and we are well-positioned to wait for greater clarity … Inflation has started to move up now, we think, partly in response to tariffs and there may be a delay in further progress in the course of this year … We think the right thing to do is to wait here. To wait for greater clarity about what the economy’s doing.”

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