5 things to know for Feb. 28: Minerals deal, Mass firings, Tropical cyclone, Meta, Oscars
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A parade of seven planets will be on display in the night sky as February comes to a close, but some will be harder to spot than others. Learn why there are suddenly so many planets visible and how long you can catch a glimpse. Here’s what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to meet with President Donald Trump at the White House today to sign a potentially historic minerals deal. The agreement would offer the US easy access to Kyiv’s untapped mineral riches in exchange for investment and what Ukraine hopes would be concrete security guarantees. The deal’s details remain murky but analysts say it could lead to broader peace negotiations. Just days after calling Ukraine’s president a dictator, Trump softened his tone ahead of the meeting, telling reporters Thursday, “I have a lot of respect for him.” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also met with Trump in Washington on Thursday and urged against accepting any peace deal that would “reward” Russia or its allies. The Trump administration on Thursday fired hundreds of employees at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and sources say more layoffs are possible today. The cuts are a blow to the understaffed weather and environmental agency as climate change crises and severe natural disasters become more frequent. Meanwhile, a federal judge on Thursday found that the mass firings of probationary employees were likely unlawful, granting temporary relief to a coalition of labor unions and organizations that sued to stop the Trump administration’s massive overhaul of the federal workforce. It remains to be seen whether the order will put a hold on the mass firings of federal probationary workers. A severe storm slammed the northern coast of the French Indian Ocean island of Réunion, packing wind gusts of over 100 miles per hour. Tropical cyclone Garance — the equivalent of a Category 2 Atlantic hurricane — is the strongest storm to hit the French territory, located about 400 miles off the coast of Madagascar, since 1989. It is bringing heavy rainfall, powerful waves and strong winds. In the coming hours, winds could gust over 124 miles per hour and rainfall totals could exceed 7 inches. Conditions are expected to remain dangerous throughout the day but will begin to improve Saturday. Meta, the parent company of Instagram, apologized Thursday for a glitch that caused violent video recommendations on Reels. Numerous Instagram users this week reported seeing a stream of recommended videos in their Reels feed showing people being beaten or killed, including many that the platform had labeled as “sensitive content.” Meta said the issue is fixed but did not comment further on what caused the glitch. The company has been pushing to boost short-form video engagement on its platforms, with rival TikTok’s future in the US in question. TikTok has just over a month remaining to find a new, non-Chinese owner for its US operations or face a ban in the country.
A Peruvian fisherman has been found alive in the Pacific Ocean after spending 95 days lost at sea, Peru’s state news agency Andina reported Saturday.
A federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s ability to use a sweeping wartime authority to quickly deport some migrants whom the US has accused of being affiliated with the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.
President Trump says he has ordered a “decisive” military action against Houthi rebels in Yemen, opening a new salvo against the Iran-backed group that has targeted shipping lanes in the Red Sea.
Trump’s return was widely seen as a harbinger of a second populist wave that would oust establishment figures all over the west. But a backlash against “America First” mayhem has lifted leaders seeking to operate in the political middle, like Canada’s Mark Carney.
Democrats have long found the flip phone Chuck Schumer still insists on using as an endearing quirk that illustrates how committed he is to his way of talking to all sorts of allies, all the time.
A powerful storm system roared across the Midwest and South Friday night, unleashing a series of tornadoes that carved paths of destruction and left at least three dead in Missouri.
An executive order from Trump denying federal funding for providers of gender-affirming health care for minors threatens to upend care for many people. A Trump voter says he agrees with the president on everything but trans issues.
The chaos at the Internal Revenue Service began almost immediately after the first envoy from the Department of Government Efficiency arrived last month at the agency’s Washington, DC, headquarters.
Cuba is suffering a nationwide blackout after its national power grid collapsed, leaving more than 10 million people in the dark.
Cuba’s power grid collapsed Friday night, triggering a nationwide power outage and plunging more than 10 million people into darkness.
A federal appeals court will allow the Trump administration to implement directives from the president cracking down on diversity, equity and inclusion programs, as an appeal of a ruling pausing those orders plays out.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday said that South Africa’s ambassador to the United States “is no longer welcome in our great country.”
The Trump administration is tightening its grip on efforts to quash pro-Palestinian demonstrations on college campuses, even as a protest over the detention of activist Mahmoud Khalil flared at the president’s New York City residence and resistance efforts continue in the courts and beyond.