Wednesday Briefing: Trump says he’s ‘just getting started’

Plus, an offer from Volodymyr Zelensky.

View in browser|nytimes.com March 5, 2025 By Natasha Frost Good morning. We're covering President Trump's address to Congress and an offer from Volodymyr Zelensky. Plus: Meet Dr. Pimple Popper. President Trump blamed his predecessor for high prices and declared victory over "wokeness."  Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times Trump says he's 'just getting started' In an address to Congress last night, President Trump pitched his flurry of early actions, including deportations of migrants and the use of tariffs against major trading partners, as necessary to restore the strength of the U.S. His administration, he said, is "just getting started." Recap the speech. Trump railed against the Biden administration, seeking to blame his predecessor for high prices and other ills, and he hit culture war points, including an attack on schools that he said were "indoctrinating" children with "transgender ideology." Read our fact-check of his claims. Earlier that day, Trump's sweeping new tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico and China took effect, setting off a trade war that could undermine the U.S. economy. His actions have upended diplomatic relations with America's largest trading partners and provoked retaliation against U.S. products — puzzling businesses, investors and economists. The tariffs prompted a sell-off in global markets. Retaliation: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada would put 25 percent tariffs on $20.5 billion worth of unspecified U.S. goods, and President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico said she, too, would announce countermeasures if Trump's tariffs were still in place on Sunday. "You're a very smart guy," Trudeau said, addressing Trump. "But this is a very dumb thing to do." Quotable: "Wokeness is trouble. Wokeness is bad," Trump said in his speech. "It's gone. It's gone." More on Trump The Supreme Court dealt a blow to the Environmental Protection Agency: a ruling that could limit its ability to cut down on offshore pollution. The C.D.C. sent its "disease detectives" to West Texas to help with a measles outbreak, which the Trump administration has been accused of downplaying. Tesla owners in the U.S. and around the world are selling their vehicles to protest Elon Musk's assault on the federal government. "Trump's America is different": Many ethnic Serbs in a Russia-friendly region of Bosnia and Herzegovina are cheering his reordering of the world. Track Trump's actions since he took office. Ukrainian troops in November. It's not clear how long the army's stockpiles can last before critical gaps appear. Tyler Hicks/The New York Times Zelensky offered terms for a pathway to peace President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine said yesterday that he was ready to release Russian prisoners of war, stop long-range drone and missile strikes and declare a truce at sea immediately — but only if Russia did the same. His comments on social media came a day after the U.S. paused military aid to Ukraine. Zelensky also doled out effusive praise for U.S. support of his country and for President Trump, in a clear attempt to patch up a tattered relationship. A former Biden administration official said Ukraine had enough key munitions to last into the summer because of deliveries the U.S. made before Trump took office. Here's what to know about the U.S. pause in military aid. Reactions: Ukrainians are feeling confused and betrayed — even at a pizza and coffee joint in Kyiv named after Trump — after the U.S. abruptly turned on them. Funding: Trump's threat to abandon Ukraine is stoking support for a proposal in Europe to use billions of dollars in frozen Russian assets to buy weapons and finance reconstruction. Europe: The European Commission's president unveiled a sweeping plan to help Ukraine and increase defense spending, but it won't be easy. Destruction from the war in Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip on Tuesday. Bashar Taleb/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images An Arab plan for Gaza's future Arab leaders yesterday endorsed an Egyptian plan for Gaza's postwar future at an emergency summit in Cairo, which was held in response to President Trump's proposal to "clear out" the enclave and turn it into the "Riviera of the Middle East." The Egyptian plan calls for spending $53 billion to rebuild Gaza, leaving residents in place, under the temporary leadership of technocrats and others unaffiliated with Hamas. The leaders of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates did not show up for the summit in Cairo, raising questions about whether there would be unified Arab support for the plan. West Bank: The Israeli military said yesterday that it had killed a Hamas military commander in the city of Jenin. MORE TOP NEWS Elisabetta Povoledo/The New York Times Vatican: Millions have been offering prayers for Pope Francis since he was hospitalized. But Argentines said they felt particularly close to him. Syria: Israel conducted airstrikes on a weapon storage site and ground raids in two towns in the south, fueling tensions with the new government in Damascus. Politics: Britons were angered by Vice President JD Vance's reference to "some random country that hasn't fought a war in 30 or 40 years." Germany: Friedrich Merz, the likely next German chancellor, agreed to borrow more to increase military and infrastructure spending, a swift response to President Trump. Panama Canal: An investment group agreed to buy two ports at the center of tensions between Panama and the Trump administration. Uganda: Cuts to U.S. aid programs are putting L.G.B.T.Q. people facing the country's harsh anti-gay laws at greater risk. China: As the government worries about the falling birthrate, some private employers have ordered workers to do their part and have children. Economics: China's top leaders said they would aim to expand the economy by about 5 percent, projecting confidence despite sluggish growth and the trade war with the U.S. U.S.: The Supreme Court appeared skeptical about the legality of the Mexican government's $10 billion lawsuit against U.S. gun makers. Climate: The world's largest iceberg has come to a halt near the island of South Georgia in the South Atlantic Ocean. Poetry: Researchers uncovered a rare, handwritten variation of William Shakespeare's Sonnet 116. Publishing: Short stories by Harper Lee will be published for the first time this fall. SPORTS NEWS Formula 1: Go behind the scenes of Season 7 of Netflix's "Drive to Survive," which captures the drama of the sport. Basketball: How Luka Doncic's "inner demon" helped the Lakers ascend to No. 2 in the N.B.A.'s West. Soccer: Why the Europa League is now vital to Manchester United's finances. MORNING READ Maggie Shannon for The New York Times Dr. Sandra Lee — also known as Dr. Pimple Popper — has built an empire sharing cyst removals with the world. The work itself is not for the squeamish, but a sizable subsection of the viewing public delights in the pleasures of the pop. Lives lived: Carl Dean, Dolly Parton's husband of nearly 60 years, died on Monday at 82. "God has been good to me," the singer said. "He gave me Carl Dean. And that was the perfect man that I needed." (Read how he inspired her hit 1973 song, "Jolene.") CONVERSATION STARTERS Butter yellow: The color of the moment is warm, positive and blissful. Animal rescue: Three piglets an artist had left in a cage to die were abducted from his exhibition, the Copenhagen police said. Breaking through: An American carpenter talked about finding a foothold in the insular world of Japanese woodworking. A moment of contemplation: We challenge you to spend the next 10 minutes with a "decisive moment" in street photography from 1932. ARTS AND IDEAS Chin Hyosook via The Pritzker Architecture Prize Subtlety wins architecture's top prize At 17, Liu Jiakun was sent to work in the countryside as part of China's "re-education" efforts during the Cultural Revolution. Now 68, he has won architecture's highest honor: the Pritzker Prize. Liu has built more than 30 projects in China, often understated works that incorporate their surroundings and use local materials. His West Village project, in Chengdu, is open yet enclosed, with pathways for cyclists and pedestrians and views of the environment. Grass is allowed to poke through the brick, and naturally occurring bamboo groves provide shade. Read more about his work. We hope you've enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times. RECOMMENDATIONS Christopher Testani for The New York Times Cook: This chana masala is "easy, simple and delicious," a reader writes. Read: Agustina Bazterrica's "The Unworthy" presents a dystopian future ravaged by climate change. Compete: Take our latest Flashback history quiz. Consider: Your shirt has a label telling you to dry-clean it. That doesn't necessary mean you need to. 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. And a correction: Because of an editing error, a photo caption in yesterday's newsletter misstated the day of the Oval Office confrontation between President Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine. It was on Friday, not Monday. See you tomorrow. — Natasha P.S. The Times is expanding its coverage of California. 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. To stop receiving Morning Briefing: Europe Edition, 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. 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