The Evening: Trump and Vance berate Zelensky

Also, measles cases are surging in West Texas.

View in browser|nytimes.com February 28, 2025 By Matthew Cullen Good evening. Here's the latest at the end of Friday. An Oval Office shouting match Argentina's crypto scandal Plus, what to expect at the Oscars President Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine's leader, in the Oval Office today. Doug Mills/The New York Times Trump and Vance scolded Ukraine's leader In an explosive public confrontation unlike any in recent history, President Trump and Vice President JD Vance berated Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelensky, in the Oval Office today. The leaders accused Zelensky of not being grateful enough for U.S. support in its war with Russia — "just say thank you," Vance said — and sought to strong-arm him into a peace deal on whatever terms the Americans dictated. "You're either going to make a deal or we're out," Trump told Zelensky. "And if we're out, you'll fight it out, and I don't think it's going to be pretty." The shouting match, which was televised, ultimately eroded plans for a rare minerals deal between the two countries and cut short a visit meant to coordinate a plan for peace. (Watch the fiery exchange.) "Never has an American president lectured the leader of an ally in public like this, much less the leader of a country that is fighting off invaders," said Peter Baker, our chief White House correspondent. The confrontation left the U.S.-Ukraine relationship in turmoil and provided a boost to Vladimir Putin, who has long sought to drive a wedge between Ukraine and its most important patron. "I have determined that President Zelenskyy is not ready for Peace if America is involved, because he feels our involvement gives him a big advantage in negotiations," Trump wrote afterward on social media. "He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office. He can come back when he is ready for Peace." Elon Musk at the White House this week. Doug Mills/The New York Times Musk's federal takeover began before Trump took office The billionaire Elon Musk knew little about the inner workings of the government when Trump tapped him overhaul the bureaucracy. Without giving up control of his companies, he swiftly embedded his team of engineers inside critical digital infrastructure to reshape the federal government. My colleagues interviewed more than 60 people familiar with Musk's effort to piece together new details about the operation. They traced its origins to a series of closely held meetings in Palm Beach, Fla., and found that his allies had already begun their takeover of the U.S. Digital Service while Joe Biden was still president. In other politics news: Federal workers are expected to soon receive another email asking them to describe what they achieved this past week. Trump's spending freeze could disrupt systems that warn when volcano eruptions appear imminent. Trump's tariffs are raising costs for one of his favorite industries: oil. Several top prosecutors in the U.S. attorney's office in Washington were demoted to low-level positions. Five former defense secretaries described Trump's firing last week of senior military leaders as "reckless." Education Department employees received buyout offers ahead of what were described as "very significant" layoffs. Trump is planning to sign an executive order designating English as the country's official language. In West Texas, Yazlynn Gutierrez, 2, was believed to have possibly contracted measles this week. Desiree Rios for The New York Times Measles cases are surging in West Texas A rural county on the western edge of Texas is the center of the largest measles outbreak in the U.S. since 2019, with almost 150 cases. This week, health officials announced that a child died of the disease — the country's first measles death in a decade. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health secretary, said the situation was "not unusual." Measles outbreaks do happen every year, but some public health experts argued that rising vaccine hesitancy was making such events more common and more dangerous. Police near a protest last week in Buenos Aires. Rodrigo Abd/Associated Press Argentina's crypto scandal swindled thousands Two weeks ago, Argentina's president, Javier Milei, promoted a new cryptocurrency called $Libra: "The world wants to invest in Argentina," he said. Thousands invested, and the value skyrocketed. Then it all collapsed. The largest stakeholders made a lot of money, and everyone else lost a collective $250 million. Milei said that he had little to do with the fiasco, and that he had not made a cent. But evidence has emerged contradicting the president's claims. Critics in Argentina have accused his inner circle of taking bribes, and an American consultant, whom Milei last month referred to as an adviser, has admitted to amassing $100 million from the scheme. More top news Iowa: The state's Republican governor signed into law a measure that ends civil rights protections for transgender people. The Vatican: Pope Francis suffered another respiratory crisis, renewing concerns about his health. Economy: Inflation eased slightly but consumer spending unexpectedly slowed, complicating the central bank's plans for interest rates. Illinois: A jury convicted a man on murder and hate crime charges in the stabbing of a 6-year-old Palestinian American boy. Middle East: What's next for the cease-fire between Hamas and Israel? A key strip of the border between Egypt and Gaza may provide clues. Gene Hackman: Several days appeared to have passed before the actor and his wife were discovered dead, an official said. Here's what we know. Banks: Citigroup was supposed to credit a client's account with $280. They accidentally sent $81 trillion. Tech: Apple couldn't make an electric car. But the smartphone and gadget company Xiaomi did — because it could tap into China's robust EV supply chain. Museums: The Guggenheim is laying off 20 employees, 7 percent of its staff, amid snowballing financial challenges. Science: A study found that tea leaves can steep away lead. TIME TO UNWIND Searchlight Pictures; Mubi; Netflix There's something strange about this year's Oscars The Academy Awards on Sunday should be interesting: Unlike in recent years, there's no clear leader for best picture. "Emilia Pérez" began awards season as the front-runner, but now "Anora" or "Conclave" appear more likely to win. Our awards columnist predicted the winners for each category. Something else is different about these best-picture contenders, my colleague Wesley Morris pointed out. Every last one of them is weird. "Maybe," he writes, "more than any other year since the Oscars came into my life, this group declares that the old American film industry is broken, possibly forever." For more: Here's a quick guide to the nominated documentaries. Behind the scenes: It was a big year for movie makeup. Test yourself: Play our game to see if you can match an Oscar-nominated film to a headline. Cassandra Orakpo pledged this year to slow down her perfume buying habit. Michael Stravato for The New York Times A push to quit shopping Marketing has become difficult to avoid in our digital age. It arrives via email, text and social media, and consumers say it entices them to keep buying things even when they don't need to, or can't afford to. To push back, a wave of TikTok creators are committing to participate in "Low Buy 2025" or "No Buy 2025." Here's what they're doing instead. In the living room of a 1977 home in Atami, Japan. Josh Robenstone Dinner table topics On Japan's coast: The revival of a midcentury home places the work of the unsung architect Junzo Yoshimura in a new context. Milan Fashion Week: Prada's show was aggressively, kind of thrillingly unflattering, our critic writes. But it was purposeful. Chardonnay surprise: Climate change means Germany is getting warmer, and its wine is getting better. Wedding trend: Some couples are using video projections to transport guests to another place. WHAT TO DO THIS WEEKEND Linda Xiao for The New York Times Cook: These cheesy breadsticks are guaranteed to please your guests. Watch: "Running Point" is a fun basketball comedy with a stacked cast. Read: A new "Hunger Games" novel is one of the 21 books we're looking forward to in March. Game: You may have missed these interesting new video game releases. Plan: Here's how to make the most of 36 hours in Banff, Alberta. Compete: Take this week's news quiz. Play: Here are today's Spelling Bee, Wordle and Mini Crossword. Find all of our games here. ONE LAST THING A demonstration of a device used to release tastes onto the tongue. Chen et al., Sci. Adv. 11, eadr4797 (2025) Would you want to taste food from 1,000 miles away? Imagine you are video chatting with a distant friend who is raving about a delicious sandwich. What if you could have a taste? In a research paper published today, scientists said they had come up with a device that could allow you to do just that. The device is an early version of a larger push to make remote snacking a real possibility. Eventually, one researcher said, you could taste something like a soup recipe before making it, or try hot sauce before you buy it online. Have an imaginative weekend. Thanks for reading. I'll be back on Monday. — Matthew Brent Lewis was our photo editor today. We welcome your feedback. Write to us at evening@nytimes.com. Writer: Matthew Cullen Editors: Carole Landry, Whet Moser, Justin Porter, Jonathan Wolfe Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for The Evening from The New York Times. To stop receiving The Evening, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request. Subscribe to The TimesGet The New York Times app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018