Wednesday, April 8th

Providence's Union Station (e. 1898). The station served 14 tracks at its peak and connected regional and interstate rail service in the current Rhode Island Foundation building.

Rapidly developing news provides some relief following Tuesday's chaos.

Headlines

Trump’s threats averted, U.S. and Iran to negotiate during a tentative ceasefire.

Condemnation of Trump’s threat to annihilate the Iranian population was met with a swift but relatively muted response from leaders in the U.S. and around the globe. Pope Leo called Trump's rhetoric 'truly unacceptable'. Meanwhile, the E.U. had no comment on the rhetoric or the threat it engendered. (Politico) Similarly, despite some 70 Democratic members of the House like Ro Khanna of California’s calling for Trump’s removal, the vast majority remained mostly silent on Tuesday as both chambers remain in recess. (NBC)

The ceasefire announced Tuesday night will last two weeks. The terms of negotiation have yet to be finalized. However, in the Pakistani-brokered talks, it is expected that several points of disagreement will be the Strait of Hormuz, travel through which Iran intends to continue imposing a toll, the ability of Iran to maintain its “Axis of Resistance”, and the Iranian nuclear program's continuation. (AP)

Israel refuses to put down arms against Hezbollah, continuing its offensive in Lebanon.

Following the announcement of an "immediate ceasefire everywhere, including Lebanon and elsewhere” by the Pakistani P.M. Shehbaz Sharif, Israeli P.M. Netanyahu said on Tuesday that the ceasefire does not include Lebanon. The Israeli offensive, which is razing cities and pushing north in Southern Lebanon, has continued in the hours since the ceasefire was announced. Over 1,500 people have been killed in Lebanon, and over 1.2 million displaced by the Israeli bombardment. (Al Jazeera)

I.C.E. deportations to third-states continues to stir controversy in those countries and cause suffering for deportees. Pheap Rom, a Cambodian refugee who came to the U.S. at age 3 and later served 15 for attempted murder says he knows he was going to be deported. Rom was deported to Eswatini where he was jailed for over six months until he was deported to Cambodia in March. (Guardian)

These deportations happen under agreements between foreign governments and the U.S. government. Eswatini's agreement, for instance, traded the acceptance of 160 deportees for $5.1 million. People in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are reacting negatively to an agreement by that country to start accepting third-country deportees, saying that the nation has its own struggles and does not need to get involved in the deportation business. (Al Jazeera)

Quick Hits

Israeli forces shot and killed an emergency evacuation driver working with the World Health Organization, prompting the W.H.O. to cease all emergency evacuations of Gaza until further notice. (Al Jazeera)
Vice President J.D. Vance put Donald Trump on speakerphone while stumping for Hungary’s Viktor Orban on Tuesday while global tensions remained high. Orban has been criticized for operating on behalf of Russian President Vladimir Putin. (AP)
Responding to questions, acting A.G. Todd Blanche says it's Trump's 'duty' to investigate his adversaries. (AP)
Newly released footage of an I.C.E. shooting in Minnesota in January has undermined the position taken by the agents in federal court. The agents initially claimed that a physical altercation preceded the shooting, video evidence disproves this claim. Federal prosecution against the targeted men has been dropped. (Guardian)
The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said on Tuesday that Iranian hackers were or could exploit cyber vulnerabilities in key domestic infrastructure software, including with water and energy providers (Politico)
Australian Federal Police announced the arrest and intent to prosecute the country’s most decorated living combat soldier on counts of war crimes and the killing of innocent civilians while serving in Afghanistan from 2009-12. (AP)
The Artemis II crew named a newly discovered bright crater on the moon “Carroll” after the crew commander’s late wife, Carroll Wiseman. (NPR)
Trump administration says they will move forward with trying to deport Kilmar Abrego-Garcia, who was famously deported to and returned from El Salvador last year, to Liberia. (Al Jazeera)
India’s fast-breeding reactor is a leap forward for that country’s nuclear program. The new reactor allows for more abundant materials to be used in the reaction process, lowering costs and making scale more feasible. (Al Jazeera)
Billionaire and right-wing megadonor Bill Ackman intends to buy Universal Music Group, bidding $64 billion for the company. (Al Jazeera)

R.I. Stories

The lack of enforcement on tax payment by states cost state governments across the U.S. up to $700 billion in 2022. Due to people not filing, underreporting or paying late, states are losing out on revenue at a time when budgets are constrained due to federal cuts. (Current)

People under the age of 35 are placing the majority of sports bets in Rhode Island, where over $473 million was wagered in FY2025. (WPRI)

Providence Mayor Brett Smiley proposed a Green Revolving Fund to help modernize city buildings with improved weatherization and solar panels. The program will be seeded at $3 million, if approved. (WPRI)

Very late W-2 corrections for about 2,000 state employees will be issued by the end of the week, raising calls for oversight hearings of the State’s Dept. of Administration. (WRPI)

The R.I. House of Representatives on Tuesday approved a two-year window of exemptions to the statute of limitations that would otherwise prevent victims of abuse in the church from suing. The bills, proposed by the Attorney General’s Office, will open a revival window for survivors to come forward. (Current)

Hasbro Children’s Hospital’s Heroes Ball raised $1.3 million to support pediatric care. (PBN)