The Evening: Trump refuses to guarantee Ukraine’s safety

Also, Timothée Chalamet is waging an unusual awards campaign.

View in browser|nytimes.com February 26, 2025 By Matthew Cullen Good evening. Here's the latest at the end of Wednesday. Trump's first cabinet meeting A push to repeal climate policies Plus, the man behind the red carpet President Trump at a cabinet meeting at the White House today. Doug Mills/The New York Times At freewheeling meeting, Trump described his Ukraine plans President Trump began his first cabinet meeting of his second term this morning by announcing that Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian leader, would visit Washington later this week to finalize a deal to give the U.S. a share of his country's mineral revenues. However, Trump insisted that he would not provide security guarantees in return — rebuffing Zelensky's central demand. A draft of the minerals agreement obtained by The Times included new language that stated that the U.S. "supports Ukraine's effort to obtain security guarantees needed to establish lasting peace." But, Trump said: "I'm not going to provide security guarantees beyond very much," adding that "we're going to have Europe do that." Trump's comments were just one portion of a wide-ranging meeting in which he sought to frame his first month of his term as a sweeping success. He also praised Elon Musk, who declared at the meeting that "America will go bankrupt" without his team's aggressive efforts to reduce the size of the federal government. Trump also touted his plans to balance the federal budget (he said "we'll be very close," despite plans to add to the deficit), promoted his idea for a "gold card" visa (which, for a $5 million fee, could lead to permanent residency) and suggested that he had picked Dan Caine as his next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in part, because of his nickname ("Razin"). For more: Our diplomatic correspondent Edward Wong explained how both Trump and Joe Biden made minerals a core aspect of U.S. foreign policy. Mark Abramson for The New York Times Republicans look to reverse the push for electric cars The Trump administration and Republicans in Congress are trying to repeal California's ban on the sale of new gasoline-powered cars by 2035. The state's plan is considered among the country's most ambitious climate policies. However, environmental groups and California officials argue that the Republican plan is unlawful because it seeks to withdraw a commonly used waiver that the Government Accountability Office determined in 2023 was not under Congress's authority. In other politics news: Nominees for top Justice Department roles suggested that the Trump administration could simply ignore some court orders. Speaker Mike Johnson won his budget fight after "big help" from Trump. Here's what's next, and why the House's current plan basically requires Medicaid cuts. A lobbyist for a carcinogen is now at the E.P.A., approving new chemicals. On X, conservative activists have a direct pipeline to Musk's team. Republicans have a financial edge in an important Wisconsin race. A review board temporarily reinstated six fired federal workers, in a decision that could eventually affect thousands. More than 100 intelligence officers were fired for having sexually explicit discussions on a government chat tool. We asked Gulf Coast residents what they thought about "Gulf of America." A group of academics met to hash out a first scholarly assessment of Biden's presidency. Tim Walz, the former V.P. candidate, will not run for Minnesota's Senate seat. Marlean Ames, a straight woman who twice lost positions to gay workers. Megan Jelinger/Reuters Justices appeared poised to overturn a discrimination ruling Supreme Court justices across the ideological spectrum agreed today that a lower court had gone badly astray in requiring a higher burden of proof for members of majority groups in discrimination cases. The justices were hearing arguments over an employment discrimination suit filed by a straight woman who twice lost positions to gay workers. Some conservative groups had hoped the case would yield a major statement on efforts to diversify the workplace. Justice Brett Kavanaugh suggested that the resulting opinion could be more modest: "Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, whether it's because you're gay or because you're straight, is prohibited," he said. A dispensary in New York City. José A. Alvarado Jr. for The New York Times A New York reparations experiment has fallen short Three years ago, Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York unveiled what she described as a bold plan to "right historical wrongs" by helping people once prosecuted for drug offenses become flagship sellers of legal marijuana. But just 22 stores opened. Now, the inspector general's office is investigating the program. In interviews, nine owners who participated in the program said they had effectively been pressured into a debt trap. More top news Economy: As the price of eggs reaches record highs, the U.S. is in talks with several countries to secure immediate egg imports. Middle East: Breaking an impasse, Israel and Hamas agreed to exchange the remains of four Israelis tonight for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. Media: The Washington Post's opinion editor is leaving as the paper's owner, Jeff Bezos, focuses the section on "personal liberties and free markets." Health: An unvaccinated child died of measles in Texas, the first known death from an outbreak of the disease that is spreading in the state and in New Mexico. Online: A new study looked at nearly 1,000 TikTok and Instagram posts from top influencers promoting medical tests. An overwhelming majority of the posts were misleading. Utah: The state could become the first to ban the addition of fluoride to drinking water. Syria: A two-day "national dialogue," billed as the first step toward a representative government, added to concerns about the openness of the country's new Islamist rulers. Religion: The decline of Christianity in America appears to have halted, a shift in part fueled by young people, a major study found. Sports: The N.F.L. received a complaint about the Eagles' "Tush Push," in which the quarterback is pushed from behind to gain short yardage. It could be banned. Crime: Police officers outside Denver accused a man of faking a seizure in order to steal bulldogs from a pet store. Lives Lived: The actress Michelle Trachtenberg, best known for roles in "Gossip Girl" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," died at 39. TIME TO UNWIND Timothée Chalamet at the SAG Awards in Los Angeles, last weekend. Daniel Cole/Reuters Timothée Chalamet is waging an unusual awards campaign Actors and filmmakers have lobbied for Oscars since the award was invented. Probably no one has done it like Timothée Chalamet, a best actor nominee for his portrayal of Bob Dylan in "A Complete Unknown." Rather than appealing mostly to academy voters, Chalamet has used the power of online vitality to reach the general public. Have his appearances often been strange? Yes. Entertaining? Also, yes. We took a look back at some of his greatest hits on the campaign trail. Jack Whitten's painting "Mirsinaki Blue" (1974). Image courtesy of the Johnson Museum Why are we so obsessed with blue? According to surveys, blue is by far the world's most popular hue, regardless of geography or gender. For generations, the color has had an unshakable hold on artists and literary types — including Pablo Picasso, Elvis Presley and Joan Didion. The writer Amanda Fortini had long taken note of blue's unmatched influence. So she set out to understand the reason for its pull. "It is the most metaphorical of colors," one novelist told her. "And like complex metaphor, it demands deeper consideration than other colors require or can sustain." Barrels of Bolivian wine. Nick Ballón for The New York Times Dinner table topics Travel dispatch: Bolivia's little-known vineyards produce top-notch wines amid untouched wilderness. A change in Hollywood: Having more women holding the cameras has helped expand the kinds of women we see onscreen, our critic writes. Centuries of history: Who gets to own Scotland? Engagement rings: When it comes to diamonds, quirky is in. WHAT TO DO TONIGHT Linda Xiao for The New York Times Cook: This porcini ragù attains a velvety intensity in practically no time. Watch: "A Thousand Blows" is both an evocative boxing drama and a festive crime drama. Listen: Check out these podcasts about beauty, self-care and skin care. Laugh: Our comedy critic picked out five smart specials to consider. Garden: Soil blocking lets seeds grow freely and cuts down on waste. Solve: Does your nonstick pan still stick? Wirecutter has some tips. Play: Here are today's Spelling Bee, Wordle and Mini Crossword. Find all of our games here. ONE LAST THING Steve Olive and his red carpets. Jennelle Fong for The New York Times Meet the man behind the red carpet You probably haven't heard of Steve Olive, but you've almost certainly seen his work. For decades, celebrities have strolled the plush craftsmanship of Olive's red carpets — at all the biggest award shows, as well as movie premieres and the Super Bowl. This weekend, the Oscars is turning to him for the 16th consecutive year, with a 50,000 square-foot rug in Olive's custom shade of Academy Red. We talked to him about how he came to dominate his niche. Have a reliable evening. Thanks for reading. I'll be back tomorrow. — Matthew Sean Kawasaki-Culligan 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? 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