Good evening. Here's the latest at the end of Wednesday.
At freewheeling meeting, Trump described his Ukraine plansPresident 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.
Republicans look to reverse the push for electric carsThe 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.
Justices appeared poised to overturn a discrimination rulingSupreme 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 New York reparations experiment has fallen shortThree 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
Timothée Chalamet is waging an unusual awards campaignActors 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.
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."
Dinner table topics
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.
Meet the man behind the red carpetYou 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.
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