The White House continues to rely on the Alien Enemies Act as the issue of transporting migrants to El Salvador moves to a different court. Also, Americans react to reports that the Trump administration shared attack plans against Houthi rebels in an unclassified group chat with a journalist. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Tuesday, March 25, 2025.
Trump administration invokes state secrets privilege in deportations case
The Trump administration invoked “state secrets privilege,” refusing to give a federal judge more information on deporting Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador under the Alien Enemies Act.
The action comes as U.S. District Judge James Boasberg seeks to determine whether the government disregarded his order to ground planes carrying migrants earlier this month. The move followed his ruling blocking deportations of suspected illegal immigrant gang members without due process.
Boasberg seeks details about when the planes landed and who was on board. It’s information the Trump administration claimed would raise “diplomatic and national security concerns.”
The planes ultimately landed in El Salvador.
Meanwhile, government attorneys requested a federal appeals court on Monday, March 24, to overturn Boasberg’s order and permit deportations to resume.
U.S. Circuit Judge Patricia Millett questioned a Justice Department lawyer about alleged Tren de Aragua gang members flown to El Salvador under the Alien Enemies Act, stating, “Nazis got better treatment” during World War II.
Monday’s hearing saw no ruling on the administration’s request to lift Boasberg’s order.
US targets Yemen’s Houthi rebels with deadly airstrikes
U.S. airstrikes targeting Yemen’s Houthi rebels struck sites across the country overnight and into Tuesday morning, March 25.
The Iran-backed militant group reports that one attack in the capital resulted in at least two fatalities and left over a dozen others injured.
This marks the 10th day of American strikes on the rebels.
The strikes are part of President Donald Trump’s campaign to target the rebel group while putting pressure on Iran.
Iranian officials maintained that they did not support the Houthis. The organization has attacked U.S. and Israeli ships in the Red Sea to support Hamas after the group assaulted Israel in October 2023.
Reports indicated that the Houthis have more than 100 commercial and military ships in the region, including the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
Bipartisan calls for investigation after security breach
The fallout continues over U.S. attack plans against Iran-backed Houthis, originating from a group chat allegedly sent by a Trump official to the Atlantic magazine editor-in-chief.
“Nobody was texting war plans,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters Monday.
However, the White House confirmed the authenticity of a group chat Monday in which Hegseth revealed sensitive military plans regarding air strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Trump also addressed the controversy Monday night.
“I don’t know anything about it,” Trump said. “I’m not a big fan of The Atlantic. It’s to me, it’s a magazine that’s going out of business. I think it’s not much of a magazine, but I know nothing about it.”
The security breach led to bipartisan calls for an investigation.
The top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee said the story represents one of the most egregious failures of operational security and common sense he had ever seen.
“The carelessness shown by President Trump’s cabinet is stunning and dangerous,” Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., said in a statement.
“Classified information should not be transmitted on unsecured channels — and certainly not to those without security clearances, including reporters,” Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., stated. “Safeguards must be put in place to ensure this never happens again.”
Straight Arrow News Washington correspondent Ray Bogan breaks down the full sequence of events here.
US, Russia to issue joint statement after Ukraine talks
The U.S. and Russia will release a joint statement on Tuesday concerning Monday’s discussions about a ceasefire in Ukraine and a potential end to the war there, according to Russian state media and CBS News.
It follows 12 hours of closed-door talks in Saudi Arabia.
While the details of the statement were not immediately clear, reports from the American negotiators after the meeting seemed optimistic.
They also briefed Ukrainian officials on the U.S. and Russia’s discussions.
A Kremlin spokesman informed reporters ahead of the talks that they would include discussions on a potential ceasefire in the Black Sea, a proposal from Trump that was agreed to by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
23andMe’s bankruptcy raises security fears about genetic data
The genetic testing company 23andMe filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, raising questions about the fate of data belonging to approximately 15 million customers.
The bankruptcy filing follows 23andMe’s struggle to establish a sustainable business model, centered around its core product: an at-home DNA testing kit that provides personalized genetic insights.
Before the company announced its bankruptcy, the California attorney general warned 23andMe customers to remove their genetic data from the company’s databases due to uncertainty about where it might end up.
He also provided guidance on deleting genetic data from 23andMe, instructions on how to have the company remove test samples, and ways to revoke access to their data used in third-party research studies.
A 23andMe spokesperson said the company’s storage of customer data will not change, and it plans to adhere to all relevant American laws.
However, legal experts stated that genetic data, obtained lawfully and held by a tech company, faces minimal federal regulation from the outset.
March Madness Women’s Sweet 16 lineup confirmed
As March Madness continues, the Sweet 16 lineup is now established for the women’s side of the NCAA tournament.
The games tip off on Thursday, March 27, with Duke facing North Carolina after the Blue Devils eliminated the Oregon Fighting Ducks on Monday night.
Then it’s top-seeded South Carolina tipping off against fourth-seeded Maryland on Friday, March 28.
Also playing on Friday, North Carolina State and LSU are fairly evenly matched as the second and third seeds, respectively. Top seed UCLA will face Ole Miss.
On Saturday, March 29, TCU battles Notre Dame, Texas takes on Tennessee, UConn faces off against Oklahoma and South Carolina will put up a fight against Kansas State.
The Trojans move forward without star player JuJu Watkins, who suffered a season-ending knee injury during Monday’s victory over Mississippi State.