Thursday Briefing: Trump’s stark words on the E.U.

Plus, a hostage exchange in Israel.

View in browser|nytimes.com February 27, 2025 By Natasha Frost Good morning. We're covering President Trump's relationship with Europe and a hostage-prisoner exchange in Israel. Plus: Who gets to own Scotland? President Trump in a cabinet meeting this week. Doug Mills/The New York Times Trump's view of European allies raises alarm In a cabinet meeting this week, President Trump spoke starkly about the E.U. The bloc, he said, "was formed in order to screw the U.S." Then he said he was preparing to hit Europe with 25 percent tariffs. Trump and his loyalists increasingly appear to consider America's traditional allies in Europe as adversaries not just on trade, but on nearly everything, European officials and analysts say. But it is unclear where that falls on a spectrum from indifference to open hostility, especially as Trump moves to align himself away from NATO and toward Russia. U.S. and Russian officials will meet to discuss restoring embassy staff in each other's countries, Russia's foreign minister said. European leaders are scrambling to assess and mitigate the damage. Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain hopes to persuade Trump not to abandon Ukraine when they meet at the White House today. But President Emmanuel Macron of France made little traction on his own trip, and Friedrich Merz, likely to be Germany's next chancellor, has expressed strong doubts about the trans-Atlantic relationship. Quotable: "There is no question the intention is there to destroy Europe, starting with Ukraine," said Nathalie Tocci, director of Italy's Institute of International Affairs, said of Trump. "The empowering of the far right is instrumental to the goal of destroying the E.U." Ukraine: President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine is expected to come to Washington to sign a framework agreement enabling the U.S. to share in its mineral wealth, Trump said. The U.S. is not offering a security guarantee in return. (Ukraine's minerals have been on Trump's mind since at least 2017.) More on Trump and Ukraine The Trump administration proposed affixing levies reaching $1.5 million on Chinese-made ships arriving at American ports. Elon Musk attended the first cabinet meeting of Trump's second term, in another show of his outsize influence on the president. A review board temporarily reinstated a group of fired federal workers from six agencies. If the ruling were to be applied more broadly, thousands of government employees might get their jobs back. Prominent conservative activists have been able to find a direct pipeline to Musk on X. Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, said that more than 100 intelligence officers were fired for sexually explicit chats. Trump proposed a new visa program that could lead to permanent residency for those willing to pay about $5 million. Track Trump's actions since he took office. People in Hostage Square in Tel Aviv watching a live broadcast of the funeral of Shiri Bibas and her two children. Ariel Schalit/Associated Press Hamas and Israel resumed a hostage-prisoner exchange Hamas turned over what it said were the remains of four Israeli hostages early this morning, according to the Israeli military, and Israel began releasing Palestinian prisoners, in what may be the last such exchange of this phase of the cease-fire. Hamas's military wing has said the four Israelis were Ohad Yahalomi, Itzhak Elgarat, Shlomo Mansour and Tsachi Idan. Unlike previous handovers condemned by Israel as "humiliating ceremonies," Hamas carried out the transfer without a staged display. Here's what we know about them. Around the same time, footage broadcast by Palestinian television showed vehicles bearing the emblem of the Red Cross departing from a prison to the city of Ramallah. Dozens of prisoners stepped off the bus. More prisoners are expected to be released after forensic specialists in Israel have identified the remains of the hostages. Next steps: About 25 hostages and the remains of more than 30 others are still in Gaza, according to Israel. It is unclear whether serious negotiations on a second phase have even begun. Steve Witkoff, President Trump's Middle East envoy, was expected in the region for further talks yesterday, but his trip has been delayed, the U.S. said. Mourning: Shiri Bibas and her two young sons, hostages who died in captivity and whom Hamas returned last week, were buried yesterday amid a show of solidarity and grief. Trump: The U.S. president shared an A.I.-generated video depicting the devastated Gaza Strip as an opulent resort emblazoned with his name, less than a week after he appeared to back off his proposal to assert U.S. control over the territory. Khartoum, Sudan, in December. Osman Bakir/Anadolu, via Getty Images Dozens die in a plane crash in Sudan At least 46 people were killed in Sudan when a military aircraft crashed into a residential area in Khartoum, the capital, officials said yesterday. The wreck was one of the deadliest plane crashes in the country's recent history, and it has added to the devastation of nearly three years of civil war. The cause of the crash was not identified. The Sudanese military said that the plane was carrying civilians and military personnel, and that it had crashed Tuesday evening while taking off from an air base. The base is crucial to the military's plans to retake the city. MORE TOP NEWS James Hill for The New York Times Vatican: A secret meeting has heightened talk that Pope Francis, who is currently hospitalized, could resign. Chile: The government imposed a curfew and sent the army and national police officers to patrol the streets in response to a widespread blackout. Syria: Leaders concluded an anticipated "national dialogue" on Tuesday, but some who attended said the talks fell short of promises of a representative government. 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." U.S.: An unvaccinated child died of measles in Texas, officials said, the first known death from an outbreak that began in January. Religion: Christianity's decline in the U.S. appears to have halted, with young people contributing to the shift, according to a major Pew Research survey. Canada: Trump's threats of annexation has led to a surge in flag sales. South Africa: Firefighters in Cape Town battled a wildfire that broke out in Table Mountain National Park and spread toward the city, local authorities said. Style: See the coolest looks on and off the runways at London Fashion Week. Climate & Energy Climate: The European Commission proposed to greatly loosen requirements on companies to report on the impacts of their operations. U.S.: The administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency intends to fire 65 percent of its employees, according to President Trump. Fossil fuels: The energy giant BP said it would increase spending on oil and gas while sharply paring back clean energy investments. Electric vehicles: Republicans are trying to repeal California's ban on the sale of new gasoline-powered cars by 2035. SPORTS NEWS Tennis: Andrey Rublev returns to Dubai, the scene of a low moment in which he was disqualified for losing his cool. Soccer: The 17-year-old Jesus Fortea has yet to make a senior appearance for Real Madrid, after the team hired him away from Atletico. Formula 1: The sport's governing body is cracking down on swearing, after a saga escalated during the offseason. MORNING READ Robert Ormerad for The New York Times In Scotland, half of all privately held rural land is owned by about 420 owners. But how much land is too much for one person to control? An American developer's plan to turn a Scottish estate into a luxury community has given this question new weight in a country that abolished feudal land ownership in 2000. A new bill could unwind this long history of inequality. Lives lived: Michelle Trachtenberg, who rose to fame in the supernatural series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," has died at 39. Read about her star turn on "Gossip Girl." CONVERSATION STARTERS A girl can dream: For just $18.75 million, you can live lavishly in the Waldorf Astoria. Tangled up: The color blue has an unshakable hold on musicians, artists and writers. Why? Humanity: Facing a terminal cancer diagnosis, a professor decided to teach a class about it. Whoopsie-daisy: Users of Apple's automatic dictation feature have noticed an unusual bug, where the word "racist" temporarily autocorrects to "Trump." ARTS AND IDEAS Chantal Jahchan Women watching women Movies contain a multitude of women's bodies in different sizes, colors and muscle tones — trim, bulky, parched, surgically altered. But talking about those bodies can be understandably fraught, writes Manohla Dargis, our chief film critic. Having more women holding the cameras has helped expand the kinds of women we see onscreen. In the 2024 movie "The Last Showgirl," a dancer embodies a fantasy onstage. But off it, she faces the everyday anxieties of a world where commodified bodies come with expiration dates. The film's director, Gia Coppola, sees the film's setting as a metaphor for the American dream. Dargis writes that it is also an emblem for women in Hollywood. Read more about the female gaze behind the camera. We hope you've enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times. RECOMMENDATIONS Armando Rafael for The New York Times Cook: This one-skillet shrimp dish is inspired by eggs in purgatory. Watch: Stream these three great documentaries. Sparkle: When it comes to diamond engagement rings, quirky is in. Read: "Crush," by Ada Calhoun, tells the story of an unnamed woman who opens up her marriage. Treat: Can you get rid of cold sores for good? Play the Spelling Bee. And here are today's Mini Crossword and Wordle. You can find all our puzzles here. That's it for today's briefing. See you tomorrow. — Natasha P.S. Our "Modern Love" podcast explains what it means to be worthy of love. Reach Natasha and the team at briefing@nytimes.com. Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for Morning Briefing: Europe Edition from The New York Times. 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