Month: March 2025

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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Four people have been killed and at least 200 injured in an outbreak of wildfires in Oklahoma. The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management (OEM) said that the medical examiner’s office determined the deaths were due to the fires or high winds.  Lincoln County, Garfield County, Haskell County and Pawnee County each reported one death  A state of emergency remained in effect for 12 Oklahoma counties: Cleveland, Creek, Dewey, Grady, Lincoln, Logan, Oklahoma, Pawnee, Payne, Pottawatomie, Roger Mills and Stephens.

State officials said on Tuesday that the fires were fueled by strong winds brought by a violent storm that swept across the country over the weekend. Nearly 150 fires were reported across the state, and more than 400 homes were damaged. High winds are expected to continue through Tuesday, and red flag warning (due to gusty winds, low humidity and dry vegetation) remained in effect for much of Oklahoma until 10 p.m. Tuesday.

The Oklahoma State Department of Health reported 200 injuries that can be attributed to the winds and fires.- which includes 10 burn injuries, 37 falls, 15 cut or pierce injuries and 24 people who were struck by debris. Forty-six injuries were transportation related, according to the health department.

Oklahoma House Rep. Jim Shaw identified one of the victims as Allen Ferguson, a youth wrestling coach in Chandler who died while trying to save his son, Will, who is hospitalized in critical condition: “Allen was a hero, and his dedication to his family and our community will never be forgotten.”

The Pawnee County Sheriff’s office said on social media that concerned neighbors found what appeared to be human remains in a burnt residence. An initial investigation found that the resident was attempting to leave the home when it became engulfed in flames.

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