Hard Numbers: Baltimore Bridge collapse, Trump’s bond reduced and trial set, Ireland’s new Prime minister, Iran’s currency plummets, Ecuador mayor assassinated

March 25, 2024

and

A view of the Francis Scott Key Bridge after it collapsed, in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S., in this picture released on March 26, 2024.

Harford County MD Fire & EMS/Handout

20: The Francis Scott Key Bridge, a major interstate highway bridge in Baltimore, Maryland collapsed after being struck by a Singapore-flagged cargo ship early Tuesday morning. The ship hit one of the central pylons around 1:30 AM, causing the bridge to collapse in about 20 seconds. Search and rescue crews are currently in the Patapsco River looking for at least 20 people.

175 million: A New York appeals court threw former President Donald Trump a major financial bone on Monday, reducing the amount he must post as bond in his civil fraud case from roughly half a billion dollars to $175 million. This means the state will not be seizing Trump's assets — for now, at least, as the ex-president appeals. But Trump also got some bad news in a separate case on Monday. A judge rejected Trump's push for his Stormy Daniels hush money trial to be delayed. The trial is set to begin on April 15. It will make Trump, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, the first ever former US president to face a criminal trial.

37: Simon Harris is set to become Ireland's youngest-ever prime minister after being elected unopposed as the leader of the Fine Gael party, succeeding Leo Varadkar, who stepped down unexpectedly last week. Harris, 37, is expected to be formally elected in April.

613,500: Iran's currency, the rial, plummeted to a historic low of 613,500 to the dollar amid the Persian New Year celebrations. The drop is the result of ongoing economic decline from sanctions and political unrest, which was exacerbated by the closure of most exchange shops due to the holidays — leading to a high demand for dollars and Euros with few shops open.

27: Brigitte García, Ecuador's youngest mayor at 27, and her press officer were found shot dead in San Vicente — where she was elected last year. García, a nurse and member of the Citizens' Revolution party, governed a region troubled by drug-related violence. No arrests have been made and the motive remains unclear. But her death adds to a growing list of political killings in Ecuador, including the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio last year.

Tensions between China and the West heat up amid military exercises

China's President Xi Jinping attends a meeting in Brazil in November 2024.

REUTERS/Adriano Machado/File Photo

Just days after a Chinese naval helicopter nearly collided with a Philippine patrol plane over a contested reef, China’s military started live-fire drills in waterways near Vietnam on Monday and between Australia and New Zealand over the weekend in an “unprecedented” display of firepower.

Defending Ukraine and Europe without the US

- YouTube

youtu.be

Three years into the war in Ukraine, what does the future of European security look like without the United States? That’s the question European leaders and NATO officials at this year's Munich Security Conference asked themselves after announcing a 90-minute phone call between President Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin and a blistering speech from Vice President JD Vance criticizing European allies. On GZERO World, Ian Bremmer spoke with US Senator Elissa Slotkin, a former CIA analyst and Pentagon official, in Munich about Europe’s security, the war in Ukraine, and America’s role in an increasingly multipolar world.

Conservatives come first, far right second in German election

Christian Democratic Union party leader Friedrich Merz speaks at the party headquarters after the exit poll results are announced for the 2025 general election, in Berlin, Germany, on Feb. 23, 2025.

REUTERS/Angelika Warmuth

As expected, the conservative Christian Democratic Union and its sister party, the Christian Social Union, came out on top in Germany’s election on Sunday with 28.6% of the vote. But the biggest celebrations were held by those supporting the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD, which scored a second-place finish with 20.8%, doubling its share of the vote since the last election. It beat the centrist SPD’s 16.4% and the Greens’ 11.6%.

Musk seeks productivity lists amid federal crackdown as discontent emerges

Elon Musk holds a chainsaw onstage as he attends the Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Maryland, on Feb. 20, 2025. The idea is that he's taking a chainsaw to the federal bureaucracy.

REUTERS/Nathan Howard

Mimicking a tactic he used to slash the size of Twitter’s workforce, White House senior adviser Elon Musk has instructed all 2.3 million federal employees to list five things they “accomplished last week" by midnight Monday. Some departments are instructing their employees to ignore the request.

Sudan’s RSF declares ‘Government of Peace,’ but war continues

Representatives of political and military groups in Sudan take part in a meeting to form a counter-government in the areas occupied by the Rapid Support Forces militia.

Reuters

After nearly two years of armed conflict, Sudan’s rebel Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, signed a charter with allied groups on Saturday to establish a “government of peace and unity” in territories now under their control.

Hard Numbers: Baltimore Bridge collapse, Trump’s bond reduced and trial set, Ireland’s new Prime minister, Iran’s currency plummets, Ecuador mayor assassinated

GZEROMEDIA

More from GZERO Media

Germany's close election limits its ability to lead Europe

Ian Bremmer's Quick Take: Germany’s election results are in, with the far-right AfD party expanding their vote share to second place. Ian Bremmer looks at what the outcome means for the future of Europe and the transatlantic alliance.

Hard Numbers: California calls for help, Kenyan killed in Haiti, Apple to invest big, DRC casualties, An exit from Brexit

Tensions between China and the West heat up amid military exercises

Just days after a Chinese naval helicopter nearly collided with a Philippine patrol plane over a contested reef, China’s military started live-fire drills in waterways near Vietnam on Monday and between Australia and New Zealand over the weekend in an “unprecedented” display of firepower.

Defending Ukraine and Europe without the US

Hard Numbers: Nasrallah’s funeral crowds, Deadly French attack, Sudan’s cholera outbreak, Bulgarians protest to say “no to euro”

GZEROMEDIA

Conservatives come first, far right second in German election

Gaza ceasefire hits a snag

The Israeli government says it won’t return 600 Palestinian prisoners until Hamas commits to halting the hostage “ceremonies.” Moving beyond phase one of the ceasefire is dependent upon their return.

Musk seeks productivity lists amid federal crackdown as discontent emerges

Mimicking a tactic he used to slash the size of Twitter’s workforce, White House senior adviser Elon Musk has instructed all 2.3 million federal employees to list five things they “accomplished last week" by midnight Monday. Some departments are instructing their employees to ignore the request.

Pope Francis is in critical condition

Struck by “initial, mild kidney failure” and pneumonia in both lungs, the pontiff sought to soothe his faithful on Sunday morning with a message of gratitude for letters he had received.

Sudan’s RSF declares ‘Government of Peace,’ but war continues

After nearly two years of armed conflict, Sudan’s rebel Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, signed a charter with allied groups on Saturday to establish a “government of peace and unity” in territories now under their control.

Hard Numbers: Baltimore Bridge collapse, Trump’s bond reduced and trial set, Ireland’s new Prime minister, Iran’s currency plummets, Ecuador mayor assassinated

GZEROMEDIA

Subscribe to GZERO Media's newsletter: Signal

More from GZERO Media

Ian Bremmer's Quick Take: Germany’s election results are in, with the far-right AfD party expanding their vote share to second place. Ian Bremmer looks at what the outcome means for the future of Europe and the transatlantic alliance.

Just days after a Chinese naval helicopter nearly collided with a Philippine patrol plane over a contested reef, China’s military started live-fire drills in waterways near Vietnam on Monday and between Australia and New Zealand over the weekend in an “unprecedented” display of firepower.

GZEROMEDIA

Subscribe to GZERO Media's newsletter: Signal

The Israeli government says it won’t return 600 Palestinian prisoners until Hamas commits to halting the hostage “ceremonies.” Moving beyond phase one of the ceasefire is dependent upon their return.

Struck by “initial, mild kidney failure” and pneumonia in both lungs, the pontiff sought to soothe his faithful on Sunday morning with a message of gratitude for letters he had received.

After nearly two years of armed conflict, Sudan’s rebel Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, signed a charter with allied groups on Saturday to establish a “government of peace and unity” in territories now under their control.