• Top court on wartime deportations: The Supreme Court on Monday allowed the Trump administration to continue controversial deportations under an 18th century wartime authority. A federal judge in Washington had previously barred the operation. In a 5-4 decision, the justices allowed the president, under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, to deport men whom it calls members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. But detainees must first be allowed to challenge their removal. – Staff 
• U.N. plea on Gaza: The heads of six United Nations agencies called for a renewal of the ceasefire in Gaza. Israel resumed its assault March 18, bringing the deadliest week for Gaza’s children of the past year, said a U.N. statement. Humanitarian supplies have been blocked from entry since March 2. – Reuters
  • Related Monitor story: A ceasefire brought a glimmer of hope to the Gaza Strip. As airstrikes resumed, its population was left wondering, Has the world turned its back? Our March 20 report.
• More aid cuts: The U.S. administration notified the World Food Programme and other partners that it terminated some of the last remaining humanitarian programs across the Middle East on Monday. A U.S. Agency for International Development official said that about 60 letters canceling contracts were sent over the past week. The official said funding for key programs in Yemen, Somalia, Afghanistan, and Zimbabwe is also affected. – The Associated Press
• Opioid lawsuit settled: Viatris said it would pay up to $335 million over nine years as part of a nationwide settlement to resolve claims by U.S. state and local governments that the pharmaceutical company fueled an epidemic of opioid addiction. It did not admit wrongdoing but said it would pay between $27.5 million and $40 million annually toward state and local opioid initiatives. – Reuters
• Ending state income tax: Mississippi and Kentucky are moving to eliminate income taxes, something no state has done since Alaska in 1980. Both are phasing in cuts in the hope that more money in residents’ pockets will boost spending and sales tax revenue. Kansas tried phased cuts more than a decade ago. It reversed them when growth targets were missed. The postpandemic economic surge, which did boost state revenues, has made some eager to try tax cuts again. Current concerns about a tariff-led recession and less federal funding may temper that enthusiasm. – Staff
• Volunteers rescue data: Scores of activists are working to safeguard data after President Donald Trump altered or deleted thousands of pages of it, including on environmental policies, from U.S. government websites. Volunteers such as coders, internet archivists, and data consultants are now laboring to make the purged information public. – Reuters
• A roots-seeker finds his roots: For 11 seasons, Henry Louis Gates Jr. has sat across from his guests on the popular PBS series “Finding Your Roots” and led them through secrets in their family tree. On Tuesday, it’s his turn. The Harvard scholar learns a long-buried puzzle about his great-great-grandmother Jane Gates, information that scrambles his ancestry and opens up a new branch that goes back to Ireland. – AP

Syria’s new leadership faces the daunting task of rebuilding an army from the ruins of sectarianism and foreign intervention. Across the country, commanders are trying to unify a patchwork of former rebels into a cohesive, modern force – without the institutional foundations or resources of a traditional military. But for some, the most important need is a shift in mindset. “The difficulty is that we toppled a sectarian regime that ruled arbitrarily for 50 years and did everything to serve its own interests rather than those of Syria,” says Akram, a commander from Eastern Ghouta.

Hyundai is charging ahead with a new $7 billion plant for building electric vehicles near Savannah, Georgia, despite tariffs that have caused other foreign automakers to scale back. The factory is the largest economic development deal in Georgia’s history, but is likely to be tested by President Donald Trump’s recent severe and wide-ranging tariffs – like a jerk of the national steering wheel. The tariffs are also testing residents in this largely conservative area who could face rising costs. But local officials are pragmatic. “If you don’t adapt, you’ll be left behind,” says Chris Benson, the city administrator of nearby Pembroke.

U.S. presidents traditionally have pledged to keep their financial interests separate from political ones. Like most of his predecessors since the 1960s, President Donald Trump issued ethics guidelines shortly after taking office in 2017. But during his transition into this term, he did not sign an ethics pledge. While Trump supporters call the concerns overblown, watchdogs say other signals also raise ethical concerns, and that ultimately new laws may be needed to safeguard the public against presidential conflicts of interest.

Malawi is one of the poorest nations on Earth, despite receiving billions of dollars in aid. So a nonprofit is testing an idea: What happens when you give every adult $550, and let them do with it what they see fit? Magret Zoliyela remembers exactly what she did. She prayed: Give us wisdom to use this money prudently. She and her husband paid back a loan for maize, and bought a cow for themselves and a calf for their daughter. Then they watched their own village take on a new life.

After 18 months of war, the Israeli economy shows signs of recovery, but citizens feel a malaise. Taxes have risen to pay for the war; the Red Sea blockade by Yemen’s Houthi rebels has made imports costlier; airfares have surged; and tourism has plunged. Meanwhile, salaries are stagnant. In addition, the government has not provided a clear vision for the economy, which could raise hopes and lead to a quicker recovery. “The biggest problem … is that we don’t know where we’re going,” says Nadine Trajtenberg, a former deputy governor of the Bank of Israel.

Our progress roundup includes a look at equity in three ways: the fairness of grading job performance, the worthiness of women as landowners, and the focus on the needs of Brazil’s Indigenous people to improve their quality of life. In another development worth noting, Tanzania reduced maternal mortality by 80% in seven years. 

It took Alexander Ovechkin 40 seconds to change the National Hockey League.

As the rookie stepped onto the ice for his first-ever shift in 2005, he was stepping into an unflattering stereotype about Russian players. They were talented – but bloodless and austere, lacking the passion to lead a team to the Stanley Cup.

Then Mr. Ovechkin hit a defender so hard, he knocked out the stanchion holding the plexiglass.

By the end of the night, he had scored two goals on his way to 52 that season, the third-most-ever for a rookie.

On Sunday, the Washington Capitals’ Mr. Ovechkin added the 895th of his career, breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record for the most regular season goals in NHL history. The achievement is astonishing. The path to 900 goals means scoring an average of 45 goals a year for 20 years. Not once did Mr. Gretzky do that after age 30. Mr. Ovechkin has done it five times.

Ask acquaintances how he has done it, and they point to undiminished joy. “When he was younger, the joy, you know, carried him,” former teammate Mike Knuble told The Hockey News. “And eventually, you get older, and maybe that settles out a little bit, but still, he plays [with joy]. It’s amazing.”

Former coach Barry Trotz said Mr. Ovechkin’s guileless love for the game meant he could take hard coaching and not be offended. “That’s very, very unique,” he told The Athletic. “You could challenge him, and he’d go, ‘Yeah, you’re right, and I’ll get it done.’”

“He’s very humble and very generous,” linemate Dylan Strome told The Hockey News.

He also likes to have fun. He has raced equipment carts through the stadium, swum in fountains after winning the Stanley Cup, and routinely ordered sundaes to his hotel room after games. It’s a spirit that lifts his teammates. Last offseason, the Washington Capitals signed several players seen as washed-up or underachieving. The Capitals are now in first place. “You see a lot of guys come here and their careers get revamped,” teammate Tom Wilson told The Athletic. “They find their groove again, they’re comfortable, they like it. And that starts with Ovi.”

From the moment Mr. Ovechkin arrived in the league, so many goals – by him and by his teammates – have been celebrated with childlike glee. He celebrated No. 895 with a belly flop on the ice. One person on the social media platform X commented, “Pure joy.”