Today’s edition of quick hits.
* In the Middle East: “Israel’s military sent ground troops back into the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, the spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces announced, just over a day after it broke a two-month ceasefire with a sprawling bombing campaign that killed hundreds across the enclave. The ‘targeted ground operation’ has focused on the central and southern Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours, the IDF said in a statement.”
* Interest rates: “The Federal Reserve said Wednesday it was leaving interest rates unchanged — but warned of rising uncertainty about the direction of the economy, in part due to President Donald Trump’s tariff agenda. The Fed said its key federal funds rate, which serves as a benchmark for interest rates throughout the economy, would remain at approximately 4.5%.”
* Ongoing diplomatic efforts: “The Trump administration and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday that Ukraine has agreed to move forward with a partial ceasefire with Russia, which President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin had discussed a day earlier.”
* All is not well in Ankara: “Turkey arrested the top political rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on accusations of corruption and terrorism on Wednesday, days before he was set to be named the opposition’s candidate in the next presidential election. The opposition blasted the arrest of the rival, Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu of Istanbul, as politically motivated and said that the government was trying to remove a potential political threat to Mr. Erdogan.”
* A striking ruling: “A federal judge Tuesday blocked President Donald Trump’s executive order banning transgender people from enlisting or serving in the military. U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes of Washington, D.C., ruled that the ban violates the equal protection clause because it discriminates based on transgender status and sex.”