House to vote on GOP spending bill, aims to prevent government shutdown

As lawmakers prepare for a break, the House aims to pass a budget resolution to keep the government open as quickly as possible. And as the U.S. and Ukraine prepare to meet Tuesday to discuss ending the war with Russia, Moscow claims Kyiv launched its largest aerial attack to date. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Tuesday, March 11, 2025.

House to vote on GOP spending bill, aims to prevent government shutdown

As a government shutdown approaches this week, House lawmakers will meet Tuesday, March 11, to vote on a spending bill to keep the government open through September.

If the House passes the bill but the Senate amends it, the House will need to return to Washington, D.C., to approve the revised version.

The House and Senate must agree on identical versions of the resolution before sending it to President Donald Trump for his signature.

At 99 pages, the House Republican bill slightly increases defense spending while reducing non-defense spending below last year’s levels. Meanwhile, Democrats have pushed for a budget that sees defense and non-defense spending increase or decrease in tandem.

As Straight Arrow News political correspondent Ray Bogan reported Monday, March 10, Republicans need near-unanimous support to pass it.

Stocks sink worldwide, Trump refuses to rule out recession

Stock markets across Asia sank Tuesday morning, March 11, amid fears of an economic downturn in the world’s largest economy.

The downturn in Asian markets follows a particularly bad day for U.S. stocks, after Trump didn’t rule out the possibility of a recession.

All three major stock market indexes sank on Monday, March 10, as investors question what the future holds regarding tariffs. 

The Nasdaq had its worst day since 2022, dropping 4% in a single day. The S&P 500 dropped 2.7%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell nearly 900 points, closing about 2.1% down.

Goldman Sachs announced Monday, March 10, that it was downgrading its economic growth forecast for 2020-2025.

It originally had it at 2.4% but dropped it to 1.7%, citing Trump’s trade policies for the downgrade prediction.

Straight Arrow News business correspondent Simone Del Rosario has more on the developments here.

Federal judge blocks deportation of Columbia protester

A federal judge in New York has temporarily blocked efforts by the Trump administration to deport Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil.

Federal officials claimed Khalil led anti-Israel protests at Columbia University and arrested him for allegedly supporting the terrorist group Hamas.

In addition to his arrest, the U.S. State Department also revoked Khalil’s green card.

The judge ordered a hearing for Wednesday, March 12.

Upon news of his arrest, protests erupted in the streets of New York City in support of Khalil. NBC reported that hundreds of people gathered to demand his release from custody.

Khalil’s attorney said he is a U.S. green card holder and was detained unlawfully, asking the judge to have him returned to New York from Louisiana, where he’s currently being held.

In response to Kahlil’s arrest, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the Trump administration will take steps to revoke the student visas and green cards of Hamas supporters.

Russia hit by ‘massive’ drone attack ahead of US-Ukraine peace talks

Turning now to the war between Russia and Ukraine — while U.S. officials prepare to meet with Ukrainian officials for peace talks Tuesday, March 11, Russia claims it was struck overnight by Kyiv’s largest cross-border aerial attack since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in 2022.

Russia’s defense ministry reported that its forces shot down 337 Ukrainian drones across ten different regions, with nearly a hundred of those intercepted over Moscow alone.

Meanwhile, Reuters reported that Ukraine’s air force declared it shot down a ballistic missile and 79 out of 126 drones launched by Russia during an overnight attack.

Ahead of Tuesday’s peace talks in Saudi Arabia, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that the “only way” to end the war is for Ukraine to make concessions regarding the land that Russia took control of in 2014. Rubio emphasized that both sides will need to make concessions.

Ukraine has long maintained that a ceasefire agreement involving the surrender of land occupied by Russia is a nonstarter. The Ukrainian government has also called for the Kremlin to pay reparations for the war.

Former president of the Philippines arrested at airport

A former Philippine president was arrested at an airport under a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Authorities arrested 79-year-old Rodrigo Duterte at an airport in the Philippine capital when he returned from a visit to Hong Kong.

Duterte was elected president in 2016, known by several nicknames, such as “The Punisher,” due to his years-long campaign against drug offenders during his time as mayor before his presidency.

He continued that campaign, “a crackdown against illegal drugs,” at the presidential level. However, the ICC has been investigating what they term a “deadly war on drugs,” with at least six thousand people executed in a “take-no-prisoners” approach to the issue.

In a cell phone video captured at the scene, you can hear Duterte asking what crime he committed.

The current president of the Philippines confirmed to news outlets that he is in custody and could be handed over to the ICC.

4-year-old calls 911 after ‘bad’ mom eats his ice cream

First responders are always ready to help, even for those whose definitions of “emergency” might be a bit off — like a four-year-old from Wisconsin whose plea for help has gone viral.

The Wisconsin boy called police on his mother after she allegedly ate his ice cream.

During the 9-1-1 call, authorities said the little boy called and said his “mom was being bad and needed to go to jail.”

Even though the 9-1-1 call was not an emergency, the police still check things out after every call they receive. And when they arrived, the boy doubled down, demanding they take his mom to jail for eating his ice cream.

Recognizing the seriousness of the situation, the officers allowed the boy to place his mother in handcuffs to teach her a lesson. Then, they instructed him on the proper use of 9-1-1.

Still, the officers showed up the next day with ice cream in hand.