Deportation Flights Defy Court Order

Good Monday morning. Happy St. Patrick's Day! Here's why some people may opt to wear orange today. Have a great start to your week!

In Today’s Brief

• Extreme weather: Fatal storms

• North Macedonia: Nightclub fire

• Schumer: Under fire

• Starbucks: $50M penalty

• Ted Lasso: Season 4

... and more

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Top Tips

1) No U-turns

The Trump Administration deported hundreds of alleged gang members despite a federal judge's verbal order to cease the removals.

• What happened: President Donald Trump quietly invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to send Venezuelan nationals, accused of being members of Tren de Aragua, out of the country. The act gives a president the power to detain and deport foreigners during a time of war while bypassing typical legal rights. It was last used to justify Japanese-American internment during World War II.

• The news: U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg temporarily blocked Trump's invocation until he could review its constitutionality. He was then informed two flights of deportees had taken off for El Salvador and Honduras. He verbally ordered the government to turn the flights around and return to the U.S., but the Trump Administration did not comply.

• The technicalities: Boasberg's written order did not instruct the flights to turn around, although a judge's verbal rulings are often considered no different than written ones. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called the order "unlawful" because the flights had exited U.S. airspace at the time of Boasberg's decision.

• Big picture: Boasberg said there are serious legal questions about Trump's move, including whether a foreign criminal gang can be considered equivalent to a foreign government. He said he would be able to rule on the matter within two weeks; the Trump Administration is also appealing. Many critics of the president raised alarms about his White House openly defying a court order.

2) Bombs away

The U.S. carried out significant military action against the Houthi rebels -- and more is reportedly coming.

• The news: President Trump signed off on "decisive and powerful" air strikes on Saturday against the Iranian-backed terrorist group. The Houthis control most of Yemen and have menaced commerce in the Red Sea since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Houthi officials said at least 53 people were killed; U.S. officials said some of the group's top leaders were eliminated. 

• More details: A retaliatory Houthi strike against a U.S. aircraft carrier was rebuffed without any damage or danger to the ship. The U.S. said operations will continue indefinitely until the Houthis stop targeting American and Israeli vessels. Trump vowed that "hell will rain down" if the rebels do not relent.

• Also happening: A top Islamic State leader was killed in Iraq by U.S. and Iraqi forces.

• Big picture: The air strikes in Yemen were also conveyed as a message to Iran. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz said "all options were on the table" regarding the Iranians. Tehran denied it supports the Houthis and vowed its own "devastating" response to any attack. 

3) Dance cards

March Madness is here.

• The news: Yesterday was Selection Sunday. The 68-team fields for the NCAA Division-1 men's and women's basketball tournaments were announced.

• The men's side: Auburn is the tournament's No. 1-overall seed; Duke, Florida and Houston earned the other top seeds. The SEC placed a record 14 schools into the tournament. Duke is the betting favorite to win the national title; star player Cooper Flagg, the likely No. 1 pick in this year's NBA Draft, is expected to return from an ankle sprain. North Carolina controversially made the field as the last team in.

• The women's side: UCLA earned the top overall seed. South Carolina, Texas and UCLA are the other No. 1 seeds. The Gamecocks are seeking their second straight national title and third in four years. The Ivy League got three teams into the field -- Columbia, Harvard and Princeton.

• The schedules: The men's First Four games are Tuesday and Wednesday in Dayton before regional play begins Thursday and runs through Sunday. The women's tournament begins Wednesday with First Four games and regional play starts Thursday and runs through Monday.

Quick Tips

U.S. News

• At least 39 people were killed as extreme weather conditions swept across the country, impacting 100M people. Five people died in a 17-car pile-up in Texas; the incident in Austin was allegedly caused by a drunk driver (More | More)

• A man was set on fire in New York City's Times Square. The victim was hospitalized in stable condition with seriousburns; police said they were searching for a suspect months after a woman was burned to death on a city subway (More)

• A SpaceX mission successfully docked at the International Space Station. The spacecraft will bring two NASA astronauts back to Earth this week after an unexpected nine-month stint in space (More)

World News

• At least 59 people died in a fire at a concert in North Macedonia. At least 155 people were injured in the incident; officials said the show was held at an illegal nightclub and 10 people were detained in connection to the incident (More | More)

• A Peruvian fisher was rescued after three months missing at sea. The 61-year-old man lost course in December amid a storm and had no radio beacon; he is already out of the hospital (More)

• South Africa's ambassador to the U.S. was declared persona non grata by the State Department. Ebrahim Rasool was given 72 hours to leave the country after accusing President Trump of leaving a "supremacist" movement (More)

Political News

• A prominent Democratic group called for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to step down after helping Republicans pass a government funding bill in the upper chamber. Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy said he still supports Schumer, but Democrats must alter their political strategy (More | More)

• President Trump said he would block plans for a new FBI headquarters in Maryland. The agency is currently set to move to Greenbelt from Washington; the president said it must remain close to the Justice Department (More)

• Former New York Rep. Nita Lowey died at 87 after a battle with breast cancer. The Democrat was the first woman to chair the House Appropriations Committee; former Wyoming GOP Sen. Alan Simpson died at 93 after suffering a broken hip last year (More | More)

Business & Markets

• Major indexes closed higher on Friday. The Dow Jones was up over 650 points but still had its worst week since 2023; Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said there are "no guarantees" the U.S. would avoid an economic recession (Dow +1.66%, Nasdaq +2.61%, S&P 500 +2.13% | More)

• A California jury ordered Starbucks to pay $50M after a customer was severely burned by one of its hot tea drinks. The plaintiff alleged an employee's negligence led to serious injuries; the coffee chain plans to appeal (More)

• SpaceX will launch its first mission to Mars next year, according to CEO Elon Musk. The billionaire claimed the firm could have a manned mission as soon as 2029, but said 2031 was a more likely target (More)

Entertainment & Sports

• Ted Lasso was renewed for a fourth season. Jason Sudeikis will return to star in the popular AppleTV+ series; production may begin as soon as this summer (More)

• The 2025 Emmy Awards will be held Sept. 14 in Los Angeles. CBS will broadcast the program, which honors the television industry; a host has not yet been named (More)

• France rolled over Scotland to clinch the Six Nations title, its first since 2022. England took second place in the annual European rugby round-robin tournament; Ireland was third (More)

Quick Hitters

• Fun Stuff: A newlywed couple has scored a coveted and extended honeymoon. They beat out 80K other applicants to become the caretakers of an uninhabited Irish island starting next month.

• Be Safe: Some popular coffee creamers have been recalled in over two dozen states due to spoilage complaints. Trader Joe's has recalled over 61K botles of sparkling water due to potential broken glass hazards.

• Go Deep: We are five years past the coronavirus pandemic, but the restaurant labor market has yet to recover. Here is a look at the ongoing struggles impacting the industry.

• Take Note: Retail chains like Joann and Party City have folded in recent months, leaving some consumers with gift cards to businesses that no longer exist. Here is a rundown of what shoppers can do in these situations.

• Life Hack: Having strong social skills can provide many benefits. One of the easiest ways to improve yours does not require any words.

Watch This

This mesmerizing NASA footage of the world's oceans looks like a Vincent Van Gogh work.

Links

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• Common words you may not know are Irish ☘️

Looking Ahead …

It is almost time for cicadas to re-emerge. Here are the states expected to see the noisy once-every-17-years bugs this summer.

Question of the Day

Yesterday’s results:

Trivia: New York City has the nation's largest St. Patrick's Day parade. Which city is No. 2?

The answer to our question was Savannah, as found here. But Chicago also stakes a claim to No. 2 in some corners.