Plus, an asteroid alert (for 2032). On Today’s Episode:Trump’s Pivot Toward Putin’s Russia Upends Generations of U.S. Policy, by Peter BakerTrump Issues Order to Expand His Power Over Agencies Congress Made Independent, by Charlie SavageTrump Administration Moves to Fast-Track Hundreds of Fossil Fuel Projects, by Lisa FriedmanKennedy Says ‘Nothing’ Off Limits in Scrutinizing Chronic Disease, by Sheryl Gay Stolberg and Christina JewettTrump’s Cuts Could Make Parks and Forests More Dangerous, Employees Say, by Austyn GaffneyMusk Team’s Next Target Is Probationary Pentagon Employees, by Eric Schmitt and John IsmayPope Francis, Hospitalized, Has Pneumonia, Vatican Says, by Elisabetta PovoledoWill That Asteroid Strike Earth? Risk Level Rises to Highest Ever Recorded, by Robin George AndrewsTune in every weekday morning. To get our full audio journalism and storytelling experience, download the New York Times Audio app — available to Times news subscribers on iOS — and sign up for our weekly newsletter.Tell us what you think at: [email protected].
Full Episode
From The New York Times, it's The Headlines. I'm Tracy Mumford. Today's Wednesday, February 19th. Here's what we're covering. The Trump administration is going all in on building closer ties with Russia, upending decades of American foreign policy. Yesterday, top U.S.
officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, met for four hours with Russia's foreign minister as they began peace talks around the war in Ukraine. It was the first face-to-face meeting between Russia and the U.S. since Russia's invasion in 2022. Rubio said that ending the war would open up, quote, extraordinary business and political opportunities for the U.S.
and Russia, signaling that the administration is ready to look past Russia's brazen land grab and its killing of thousands of civilians. Ukraine said it was not invited to the peace talks at all.
Yeah, please. After the meeting... Do you have any message for Ukrainians who, after three years of fighting, might feel betrayed or disappointed at not having a seat at these initial talks in Saudi Arabia?
Trump faced questions about the negotiations at a press conference at Mar-a-Lago. My colleague Jonathan Swan was there.
He was asked about Ukraine not having a seat at the table. And it was a very revealing exchange.
I hear that, you know, they're upset about not having a seat. Well, they've had a seat for three years and a long time before that. This could have been settled very easily. Just a half-baked negotiator could have settled this years ago.
President Trump attacked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
I mean, I hate to say it, but he's down at 4% approval rating. and where our country has been blown to smithereens.
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