The Evening: A U.S.-Ukraine mineral deal

Also, Republicans eye Medicaid cuts.

View in browser|nytimes.com February 25, 2025 By Matthew Cullen Good evening. Here's the latest at the end of Tuesday. A U.S.-Ukraine mineral deal Proposed Medicaid cuts Plus, some appreciation for short books Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelensky, in Kyiv on Sunday. Tetiana Dzhafarova/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Ukraine agreed to turn over mineral revenue to the U.S. Ukraine has agreed to give the U.S. a portion of the revenue from its mineral resources, officials said. The agreement came under heavy pressure from the Trump administration. It's unclear what Ukraine will gain from the deal, the final details of which are not yet public. But draft agreements reviewed by The Times did not include explicit security guarantees to deter Russian aggression, as President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine had insisted upon. President Trump had suggested that the U.S. need not give up anything in exchange for the mineral revenue. He described it as "payback" for past U.S. aid to Ukraine during its war against Russia. My colleague Amanda Taub spoke to foreign policy experts, who said they could not recall a previous time in which the U.S., or any other country, had extracted cash or resources from its own allies during a time of war. What's at stake: Ukraine has a bounty of titanium, lithium and other minerals, as this map shows. Speaker Mike Johnson, center, at the Capitol today. Kenny Holston/The New York Times Republicans eye Medicaid cuts Trump has insisted that Congress pass "one big beautiful bill" to pay for his legislative agenda. House Republicans hope to advance such a plan tonight — if they can find the votes. Here's the latest. Congressional funding will be necessary for Trump to make good on his promises to cut taxes and pay for enhanced border security, our congressional correspondent Catie Edmonson told me. The problem for the Republican Speaker Mike Johnson is that both flanks of his fractious conference are unhappy with parts of the current plan. And he can't afford to lose many votes. Centrist Republicans fear that Johnson's plan would require deep Medicaid cuts, which could result in millions of Americans losing health coverage. On the other hand, the party's arch conservatives want to slash federal spending even more. "The math here is going to be extraordinarily difficult," Catie said. Still, lawmakers said that Trump had called holdouts today in an attempt to secure their support. For more: My colleagues broke down the specifics of Johnson's plan. In other politics news: The Trump administration plans to pick which media outlets are allowed in the presidential pool, breaking with decades of precedent. A group of civil servants resigned from Elon Musk's government-slashing DOGE team. All had previously worked for the White House technology unit that Musk inherited. DOGE quietly removed the five biggest items from its public ledger of cuts, after The Times and others reported that the list was riddled with errors. Trump plans to punish a prominent Washington law firm that aided former special counsel Jack Smith. A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to unfreeze foreign aid funding within two days. A MAGA reference on a library plaque is dividing Huntington Beach, a conservative outpost in blue California. A henhouse in Petaluma, Calif. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Is bird flu the only reason that eggs cost a fortune? The wholesale price of eggs has shot up to over $8 a dozen as avian flu spreads. The increase has squeezed restaurant profits and put a strain on families' grocery budgets. It's also been tough for many small chicken farmers, who are anxiously trying to protect their flocks from the virus. But for the nation's biggest egg producers, the rising prices have contributed to higher profits. Now, some Democrats are calling for federal regulators to investigate the industry. In related news, Americans are starting to brace for higher prices. That could soon become a challenge for both Trump and the Fed. Andrew Cuomo in 2024. Anna Rose Layden for The New York Times Cuomo is preparing a bid for mayor Andrew Cuomo, the former New York governor who resigned in disgrace in 2021, is preparing to run for mayor of New York City. His candidacy would reshape the race to unseat Eric Adams in June's Democratic primary. Wealthy donors have committed to host fund-raisers for the former governor as soon as next week, and Cuomo has begun personally asking city officials to back him. More top news Britain: Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced Britain would increase its military spending. Starmer is set to visit the White House on Thursday. Supreme Court: The justices granted a new trial to a death row inmate in Oklahoma, ruling that prosecutors had failed to correct false testimony from a witness. Vatican: Catholics are gathering in St. Peter's Square to pray and await news on Pope Francis, who has been hospitalized for more than a week. Law enforcement: The F.B.I. identified a murder suspect in Idaho after using DNA databases that were supposed to be off limits. Abortion: A major manufacturer of abortion pills joined a lawsuit to defend the F.D.A. rules that allow Americans to get the medication. Africa: An unidentified illness has killed dozens of people in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Space: Astronomers say Earth is no longer at risk of being hit by an asteroid set to pass through our region of space in 2032. Sports: The basketball star Diana Taurasi is retiring. In her 20-year career, she won three W.N.B.A. titles and six Olympic gold medals. TIME TO UNWIND Yuki Sugiura for Booker Prize Foundation Short books dominate International Booker nominees Most of the novels nominated for this year's International Booker Prize, the prestigious award for fiction translated into English, are under 200 pages long. See the full list. Only one is over 300 pages: Mircea Cartarescu's 627-page "Solenoid," which was translated by Sean Cotter. It is also the one that many critics expect to win the award, which will be announced in May. Photo Illustration by The New York Times; H. Armstrong Roberts/ClassicStock, via Getty Images A century ago, the record industry went electric One hundred years ago today, the musician Art Gillham entered a studio in New York to test a soon-to-be-transformative tool: the microphone. The technology reshaped how artists perform and how we listen. Read about how the microphone changed music. The ballerina Miriam Miller. Thea Traff for The New York Times Dinner table topics A ballerina with confidence: Miriam Miller, who is debuting in "Swan Lake," captures audiences with her aura. At an architectural gem: Marina Abramovic, the performance art pioneer, presented her latest works at a new cultural center near Mexico City as horses trotted around. Scientists explain: Why do women live longer than men? Yours for $18.75 million: The famous Waldorf Astoria in Manhattan, which has been closed since 2017, is selling lavish residences. WHAT TO DO TONIGHT Christopher Testani for The New York Times Cook: This creamy stew is a cross between an oyster gumbo and an oyster bisque. Watch: The Italian filmmaker Marco Bellocchio turns to TV with "Exterior Night." Read: In "Death Takes Me," a professor becomes both witness and suspect in a killing spree. Focus: Copying down poetry each day has helped our writer avoid the trap of her phone. Wear: Take inspiration from our fashion photographer's look of the week. Consider: Experts explain how long yogurt can sit out. Compete: Take our quiz to see how well you know books adapted for the screen. Play: Here are today's Spelling Bee, Wordle and Mini Crossword. Find all of our games here. ONE LAST THING A shirt for sale at Abe Lange's shop. Lanna Apisukh for The New York Times How much would you pay for a 'decrepit-looking' hoodie? Abe Lange's favorite zip-up sweatshirt is so torn and faded that passers-by sometimes try to hand him spare change. But at Lange's vintage shop in Brooklyn, that hoodie and other tattered garments go for $500 or more. Fans of the so-called thrashed look include celebrities like Jeremy Allen White and Channing Tatum. The stains and the rips add character, enthusiasts say, and help them stand out from the bland flatness of new clothes. Have a distinctive 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? 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