The Friday Brief by Girl Friday
The Friday Brief is a news podcast by Girl Friday, a boutique global affairs firm in Washington, D.C. We believe awareness impels action for a world of good.
The Friday Brief by Girl Friday
Is the U.S. Supreme Court "rewarding lawlessness?"
Did you know this week is World Female Ranger Week? Less than 22% of global wildlife rangers are women, and there's an organization determined to increase those numbers. We fully support this! We'll also cover the latest on the Israel-Iran ceasefire deal, the European Union's new comments about Israel and human rights, and what the U.S. Supreme Court decided about deporting immigrants to third-party nations. All in under 15 minutes!
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Welcome to The Friday Brief, a news podcast by Girl Friday. I’m Phoenix Ricks, the CEO of Girl Friday and your host. This is your brief for June 23, 2025.
It has been a tense day for U.S. foreign relations, and likely an alarming day for the government of Qatar. NPR reported that Qatar’s defenses intercepted Iranian missiles targeting a United States air base. There was panic in the aftermath of that event, as people wondered what might happen next. We may soon know what unfolded behind the scenes. Publicly, we know that not long after, Donald Trump posted a message, with his hallmark capitalizations, to social media, saying that there is now a ceasefire agreement in place between Israel and Iran.
Confirmation of that agreement has been trickling in through sources to the media, but this certainly was not like a typical agreement with joint statements and press conferences. For example, CNN reported tonight that Iran’s Foreign Minister did not confirm a ceasefire agreement but said they would halt their military response if Israel stopped attacking them by 4 am local time. Just moments later, CNN updated that coverage, noting that Iran’s Foreign Minister posted a message to social media which seemed to strongly imply there is a ceasefire in place. The message said, “The military operations of our powerful Armed Forces to punish Israel for its aggression continued until the very last minute, at 4 a.m.” Will this social media-announced ceasefire hold? We’ll keep tracking this story.
Israel has other negotiations to attend to this week, as the European Union has questions about Israel’s involvement in Gaza. The Times of Israel reported that the European External Action Service said “there are indications that Israel would be in breach of its human rights obligations under Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement.” This would certainly be in line with what the United Nations has been saying for many months. The UN continues to beg for aid to be let into Gaza. At the end of May, the UN even said Gaza is “the hungriest place on earth,” and not much seems to have changed over the past month.
Meanwhile, The New York Times reported yesterday that Israel has retrieved the bodies of three people held hostage by Hamas. CNN says all three were killed during Hamas’ terrorist attack on October 7, 2023, and their bodies were taken to Gaza. One was a soldier, and two were civilians. Their families and friends waited for 625 days for their loved ones’ remains to be returned. CNN reported that the Palestinian Ministry of Health says the death toll is now 55,959. More than 131,000 people are reportedly wounded. Buried under the news of the war and ceasefire deal, in the U.S., the Supreme Court is allowing the Trump administration to restart deporting immigrants to places other than their homelands. They might even be sent to places in the midst of civil conflict and unrest, like South Sudan, which is a fragile new nation with serious humanitarian issues. The AP says the liberal members of the Supreme Court “issued a scathing dissent,” which said the other members of the court were “rewarding lawlessness.” In a statement, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said, “Fire up the deportation planes.”
A lot of today’s news was heavy, so I’d like to end on an exceptionally positive note. Did you know today is the start of World Female Rangers Week 2025? It's a week dedicated to celebrating female park rangers around the world. Holly Budge is the founder. She’s a UN Women UK Delegate who has received numerous awards and accolades, including from the royal family, for her work in conservation and sustainability. I learned more about park rangers in Africa a few years ago and started tracking stories for Girl Friday about what rangers need, in terms of safety, to do their jobs. Being a park ranger can be incredibly rewarding, but also dangerous in areas where poachers and militias are thriving. On World Female Ranger Week dot org, I learned that less than 22% of the global wildlife ranger workforce is female. Holly’s organization wants that number to increase, and she wants to make sure women in this line of work “have access to the facilities, tools and support they need to do their jobs effectively and continue to stand strong on the front lines of conservation, alongside men.” If you know rangers, you should check out this organization’s grant programs. They are open to female and mixed wildlife ranger teams. Learn more by visiting world female ranger week dot org and following them on Instagram at world female ranger week.
Thank you for listening to The Friday Brief. We are now on daily, so make sure you and your friends don’t miss an episode! Check out thefridaybrief.com, and follow The Friday Brief on Instagram and TikTok. Until next time, I’m Phoenix Ricks signing off from Washington, DC. Let’s work together for a world of good.
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