JD Vance, wife travel to Greenland despite island pushback

Vice President JD Vance heads to Greenland to visit the American base on the biggest island in the world. Also, the Trump administration revokes hundreds of foreign student visas. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Friday, March 28, 2025.

Vice President JD Vance visits Greenland on a scaled-back trip

Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Usha Vance, are traveling to Greenland on Friday, March 28. The administration has scaled back the trip following an uproar among Greenlanders and Danes, who asserted that the original itinerary was planned without consultation.

The couple’s one-day trip to the self-governing Danish territory comes as relations between the US and Denmark have deteriorated. President Donald Trump has repeatedly suggested that the U.S. should assert control over the territory for national security reasons.

Looking forward to visiting Greenland on Friday!🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/p3HslD3hhP

— JD Vance (@JDVance) March 25, 2025

The Vances will visit the U.S. Space Force outpost at Pituffik on Friday, March 28, following a change in the trip’s itinerary earlier this week due to concerns about violating diplomatic customs by sending a delegation to another country without an official invitation.

National Security Adviser Mike Waltz was initially supposed to go on the trip with Usha Vance. However, the fallout from what is now termed “Signalgate” continued, with an increasing number of Trump allies calling for Waltz’s dismissal. This likely prompted the transition from Waltz to JD Vance.

Earlier this month, four of the five parties elected to Greenland’s parliament agreed to form a new coalition government, banding together to oppose Trump’s plans to take over the territory.

Canadian prime minister vows to retaliate against new auto tariffs

Canada’s prime minister vowed to protect his country’s workforce, businesses and economy after Trump announced he would impose 25% tariffs on all imported vehicles.

In a speech on Thursday, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney stated that Canada will move quickly to increase trade with other countries, as it is clear that the U.S. is no longer a reliable partner.

He also said the new tariffs are “unjustified” and violate existing trade agreements.

Our response is to fight, to protect, and to build. pic.twitter.com/xKDe9b1Gjx

— Mark Carney (@MarkJCarney) March 27, 2025

“I reject any attempts to weaken Canada, to wear us down, to break us so that America can own us. That will never happen,” Carney said. “And our response to these latest tariffs is to fight, is to protect and to build. We will fight U.S. tariffs with retaliatory trade actions of our own that will have maximum impact in the United States and minimum impacts here in Canada.”

Earlier, Carney announced a $1.4 billion “strategic response fund” to protect Canadian auto jobs affected by the American tariffs. He also said he has a call scheduled with Trump but did not say when.

Federal judge orders Trump administration to preserve Signal app messages

A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to preserve records from the text message chat where senior administration officials discussed attacking Houthi rebels in Yemen, inadvertently including a journalist from The Atlantic in the group messages.

Judge James Boasberg — the same federal judge who has tried to stop deportation flights — barred the administration from destroying messages sent over the encrypted messaging app Signal.

In the chat, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth specified the exact timing of the warplane launchings and when the bombs would drop, including a strike window for doing so and where a terrorist target was located.

The Atlantic published the entire Signal chat on Wednesday, March 26.

Some lawmakers have called on Hegseth and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz to resign.

However, Hegseth and the White House have insisted that no classified information was leaked.

ICE detains University of Alabama doctoral student from Iran

Federal immigration agents detained a doctoral student from the University of Alabama, according to university and ICE records.

Alireza Doroudi is an Iranian citizen studying mechanical engineering.

The Department of Homeland Security says the U.S. revoked Doroudi’s student visa and authorities arrested him because he “posed significant national security concerns.”

However, court records showed that no criminal charges have been filed against him so far.

This comes as Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the Trump administration has revoked hundreds of visas from foreign students who are pro-Palestinian. He warned anyone intent on coming to the U.S. to cause, in his words, “a ruckus.”

Straight Arrow News reporter Lauren Taylor takes a deeper look here.

On Wednesday, labor unions representing university professors filed a lawsuit claiming that the detention of noncitizen students and faculty violates the First Amendment.

7.7 magnitude earthquake rocks parts of Southeast Asia

In Southeast Asia, a 7.7-magnitude earthquake rocked Thailand and neighboring Myanmar on Friday. The quake led to the collapse of a high-rise building under construction in Bangkok and forced hundreds of thousands of people to evacuate their homes and workplaces.

Authorities say a high-rise building under construction collapsed after a 7.7 magnitude earthquake rocked Thailand and neighboring Myanmar and possible casualties are not yet known. pic.twitter.com/5UE6HIKcBV

— The Associated Press (@AP) March 28, 2025

A strong 6.4 magnitude aftershock followed the midday tremor, causing additional damage.

Preliminary reports from the U.S. Geological Survey indicate the quake was a shallow 6.3 miles, with an epicenter in Myanmar.

The Greater Bangkok area is home to over 17 million people, many of whom reside in high-rise apartments.

So far, there have been no reports of casualties.

March Madness: Alabama, Florida, Duke, Texas Tech advance to the Elite Eight

The first four March Madness teams secured their spots in the Elite Eight after winning the Sweet 16 on Thursday night, March 27. Alabama, Florida, Duke, and Texas Tech will advance to the Elite Eight.

WELCOME BACK TO THE ELITE 8 @TexasTechMBB 👏#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/CSecIVhaHn

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 28, 2025

The NCAA’s Sweet 16 got off to a roaring start courtesy of Alabama. The Crimson Tide set a record by scoring 25 three-point shots to defeat BYU 113-88.

Straight Arrow News sports reporter Chris Francis has the highlights from the hardwood, including a dramatic overtime game, here.

Two number-one seeds anchor Friday’s action. Auburn and Houston have been strong in the South and Midwest brackets. They’re the headliners of a group that features a total of four SEC teams and three Big Ten teams.

As part of the Friday schedule, Kentucky and Tennessee will face off. They have already played twice this year, and the Big Blue Wildcats won both games.

Thursday was also a big day in baseball.

The 2025 season is just getting started 🫡#OpeningDay pic.twitter.com/uaUJBq27sc

— MLB (@MLB) March 28, 2025

Major League Baseball’s 125th Opening Day featured many impressive home runs and late-inning rallies, with the Orioles and Yankees highlighting some of the significant victories.

Baltimore’s Tyler O’Neill extended his Opening Day record with his sixth consecutive home run. Meanwhile, New York’s Austin Wells hit a leadoff homer on Opening Day- a Yankees first in their 122-year history.

After finishing a record-setting 121-loss season, the Chicago White Sox started this 2025 season following a significant 8-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels.

The Houston Astros triumphed over the New York Mets with a score of 3 to 1. The San Francisco Giants staged a comeback, scoring four runs in the ninth inning to beat the Cincinnati Reds. Meanwhile, the Padres made a strong push in the seventh inning, overtaking the Atlanta Braves.

Meanwhile, the defending champions, the L.A. Dodgers, are the favorites to win the next World Series on opening day.

They were already 2-0 after sweeping the Cubs in the Tokyo Series. On Thursday night, they secured a win against the Detroit Tigers.