--:-- Tracy Mumford: From the New York Times, it's the headlines. Today's Friday, March 14th.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: Russian President Vladimir Putin has spoken publicly for the first time about a ceasefire proposal to stop the fighting in Ukraine.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: Earlier this week, the U.S. said the ball was in Russia's court after the U.S. and Ukraine worked out a proposal for a 30-day pause.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: Yesterday, Putin said, quote, the idea itself is the right one, and we definitely support it. But he added, there are questions that we need to discuss.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: He then set down numerous conditions that seem likely to delay a truce or make it impossible altogether.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: In one demand, he insisted that Ukraine not mobilize more troops or import more weapons during any ceasefire.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: That would put Ukraine at a major disadvantage, and Ukraine's President Vladimir Zelensky quickly responded, calling Putin's demands very manipulative.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: Last night in Congress.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer broke with the Democratic Party and announced he will vote for the Republican-crafted funding bill to keep the government open.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: Just a day before Schumer had proclaimed publicly that his party was unified against the bill.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: Now he indicated he gathered enough support from other Democrats to join with Republicans and pass it.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: It doesn't address far too many of this country's needs, but I believe allowing Donald Trump to take even more power via a government shutdown is a far worse option.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: Schumer said he changed his mind because if the government were to shut down, he said Trump and the Republicans would have no incentive to ever reopen it, since they could just selectively fund departments and agencies they designated as essential and leave others to languish permanently.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: And one other thing on a shutdown.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: On a shutdown, the courts could close or at least be totally, totally disabled.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: And the courts are one of the best ways we've had to go after these guys.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: Schumer went on to defend his reversal in an interview after his speech.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: Though he said he respected his colleagues who still plan to vote against the bill.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: The vote's set to take place this afternoon, and if it goes through as expected, it will keep the government funded until September 30th.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: Now, a few quick updates on the Trump administration.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: The Times has learned that President Trump is planning to invoke an obscure wartime authority to ramp up deportations.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: The law, called the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, gives presidents the power to deport or detain people without a court hearing if they're from countries the U.S. is at war with.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: Trump appeared to lay the groundwork for his plan by declaring border crossings from Mexico an invasion.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: The act was last used during World War II.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: It was the legal basis for setting up Japanese internment camps.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: In the courts, two judges have ordered the federal government to rehire tens of thousands of people who lost their jobs last month when the administration targeted probationary employees.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: The workers were all told they'd been fired for poor performance, even if there was no evidence of that.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: In two separate cases, the judges ruled that those mass firings were unlawful.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: One even called the government's performance claims, quote, a sham.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: The rulings only address one tactic the government has used to justify its cuts.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: More cuts are in the works.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: And the stock market tumbled again on Thursday as Trump's on-again, off-again tariffs continue to rattle investors.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: The S&P 500 is now down more than 10 percent from just a month ago.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: Despite the drop-off in the markets, President Trump isn't backing down from his trade fights.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: Yesterday, he found a new target.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: He threatened the European Union with 200% levies on wine and champagne.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: And finally, for two NASA astronauts who've been on an unexpectedly long mission to space.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: Their ride home is almost ready to pick them up.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: Sonny Williams and Butch Wilmore were launched up to the International Space Station last June on what was supposed to be about an eight-day trip.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: But due to technical issues with the spacecraft that was supposed to bring them back the trip has now lasted more than eight months.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: Stranded, no stuck, no abandoned, no.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: We came prepared for an extended stay because that's what we do in human spaceflight.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: Because there are no guarantees.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: You never know what might happen.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: In an interview from the space station with my colleague Michael Barbaro, Wilmore said it's actually been fun up there, but also work.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: They've been helping keep the station running, and performing experiments.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: They're waiting for the launch of a return vehicle to come get them.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: That could happen as soon as tonight.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: You know, between you and me and everybody listening in in Houston, are you nervous about the return trip?
--:-- Tracy Mumford: I don't think nervous is the term that I would use.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: I mean, you're cautious about anything.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: I mean, this is human spaceflight, and we're going to be inside of a plasma ball at 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit as we reenter the atmosphere.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: But certainly something we're prepared for, the ground teams are prepared for, and it's quite an exciting ride to be honest with you as well.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: So we're looking forward to it in that respect.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: Those are the headlines.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: Today on The Daily, how the U.S.-Europe alliance is fracturing and how that could usher in a new world order.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: That's next in the New York Times audio app or you can listen wherever you get your podcasts.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: The show is made by Will Jarvis, Jessica Metzger, Jan Stewart, and me, Tracy Mumford.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: Original theme by Dan Powell.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: Special thanks to Isabella Anderson, Larissa Anderson, Sarah Diamond, Jake Lucas, Zoe Murphy, and Paula Schumann.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: The headlines will be back on Monday.
