Trump meets Zelenskyy; 2nd week of D.C. takeover : NPR
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President Trump is expected to welcome Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White Houseas well as several key European leaders. Reunion comes just a few days after Trump’s individual summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Alaska to discuss the end of the war in Ukraine. Trump should urge Ukraine to accept an agreement that would force him to abandon the territory, but he will probably offer security guarantees to dissuade future invasions.
DOSSIER – President Donald Trump welcomes the president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House in Washington, Friday, February 28, 2025.
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Ben Curtis / AP
- 🎧 After Friday meeting Trump says that the best way to end the conflict is “to go directly to a peace agreement”. This is Putin’s favorite position, and the one that European leaders want to prevent Trump from forcing in Ukraine, says Franco Ordoñez of NPR First. Trump’s special envoy in the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, said on CNN Union state That the United States is working on a concession that would allow the United States to offer type 5 protections, which is a reason why Ukraine wishes to join NATO. Article 5 of the NATO Treaty establishes rules that any attack on one of its members is an attack on all. Ordoñez says it is an important change for the Trump administration, which has already declared that it was up to Europe to provide Ukrainian security after the war.
- ➡️ Documents with sensitive details on the meeting of Trump and Putin were left on a public hotel printer. Here is what they reveal on the meeting.
The national capital enters its second full week with soldiers and federal agents masked in the street. Republican governors of Ohio, South Carolina and Virginia-Western Virginia have agreed to send hundreds of additional national guard troops to Washington, DC, for the president’s agenda to repress the crime. Tensions are increasing on Trump’s decision to militarize the police in Washington, and there is no clear outing strategy for the end.
- 🎧 The Trump administration did not offer clear reasoning behind needing more soldierssaid Brian Mann of NPR. Many residents say they are angry that the situation continues to degenerate. “Trump uses this, one, to distract Epstein files and, two, to take a Fascist DC control,” said Megan Marie in Mann during a demonstration outside the White House this weekend. Mann says that he has found only one expert who believes that the crime that occurs in Washington requires the type of emergency that justifies this form of repression.
- ➡️ NPR spoke with adolescents in Washington, DCWho say that the takeover of the federal police makes them dangerous.
Israelis organized one of the largest demonstrations in almost two years of war yesterday to demand the end of the war in Gaza and an agreement with Hamas. The organizers say that hundreds of thousands of people have rallied, closing the roads through Israel. There are renewed efforts to start cease-fire negotiations, but Israeli leaders continue to advance the plans to extend the war.
- 🎧 The families of the hostages in Gaza helped organize the demonstration, and this showed immense frustration and rage in Israel On the place where things are now in the war, according to Daniel Estrin of NPR, which is in Tel Aviv. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that the call at the end of the war without defeating Hamas only harden the position of Hamas. Currently, Qatar and Egypt are working on a new proposal aimed at freeing all hostages, 20 of which are considered to be alive and 30 dead. Israel wants Hamas to disarm in order to put an end to war, which Hamas said it won’t do.
Deep
The retirement funds sponsored by the employer could soon have options such as investment capital and cryptocurrency funds, alongside typical stocks and bond funds.
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Trump recently signed an executive decree which aims to establish the inclusion of “alternative assets”, in particular cryptocurrency, real estate and investment capital, in 401 (K) and similar accounts. Employees are currently able to choose from several investment options to contribute to these retirement plans, including share funds and bonds listed on the stock market. The command aims to erase the path of alternative asset options to find a place next to what is already available. Here’s what you need to know.
- 💰 No law prohibits the inclusion of these assets, but the plan directors had good reasons to exclude them: higher risk, complexity, lack of transparency and, for investment capital, often higher costs.
- 💰 New types of funds must be developed for the retail market, which is why new options may not be available immediately in your retirement account.
- 💰 Experts say that assets are not well suited to everyone’s 401K. Things could become messy if you plan to retire or change your job soon and want to move money because the investment capital has high costs and investors are locked up for long periods.
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A group competes against more than 100 others in the Bluegrass Band competition during the 89th annual agreement of the former violinist on Saturday August 9, 2025 in Felts Park in Galax, Virginia.
Allison Isley / For NPR
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Allison Isley / For NPR
Old Fiddler’s Convention at Terence Stamp, Virginia, celebrates its 89th year this month. The six-day event is the oldest Bluegrass and “old” music festival in the United States, it mainly presents amateur musicians. The event attracts around 30,000 musicians, singers and fans. Hundreds of motorhome vehicles enter the city’s park in the mountains. The participants installed folding chairs in front of the outdoor stage to enjoy the performance of Banjo, Dobro, Dulcimer, Guitar and Autoharp. Discover these photos of the festival.
3 things to know before leaving
The actor Terence Stamp was represented in 2012 in Toronto. The stamp died at 87 years old.
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Sonia Recchia / Getty Images
- The English actor Terence Stamp, better known for having played under the name of Vilain Arch Superman films and for his role as a title in Billy Budddied yesterday at 87 years old.
- Chimpanzee babies learn the vocal and visual communication models from their mother and maternal parents, according to a new study in Biology PLOS. It is believed that the discovery has highlighted the way young humans learn from those who are close to them.
- Electricity prices are increasing more than twice faster than overall inflation, which can be expensive during summer heat when the air conditioners work the hardest.
This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.
