U.S.-Ukraine tensions escalate and Ralph Yarl shooter Andrew Lester dies: Morning Rundown

In today’s newsletter: A rift between the presidents of the U.S. and Ukraine spills into public view. Republicans are divided on “school choice” programs that allot public money to private schools. And a look back into Elon Musk’s first foray into high-level politics. 

Here’s what to know today.

The week that upended U.S.-Ukraine relations

President Donald Trump falsely called his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “dictator” yesterday as a rift between the two nations’ leaders spilled into public view and further complicated efforts to end the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. In a post on Truth Social, Trump also called for a presidential election in Kyiv after Zelenskyy accused him of living in a Russian “disinformation bubble.”

“There is frustration,” a White House official said, accusing Zelenskyy and some other European leaders of trying to “denigrate” Trump’s peace efforts.

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Privately, Ukrainian officials were alarmed after Zelenskyy was told his meetings with top Trump administration officials could be canceled if he didn’t swiftly agree to certain demands, including one asking that Ukraine give the U.S. ownership of half of its rare earth minerals. The officials were also worried about whether Ukraine joining NATO would be on the table in negotiations. And they were concerned when Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the U.S. may withdraw a significant number of its troops from Europe.

From Trump’s perspective, Zelenskyy was showing resistance to what Trump viewed as reasonable asks. Trump also grew incensed over Ukraine’s public complaints about being excluded from talks between the U.S. and Russia about ending the war.

So how did Trump go from delivering harsh rhetoric about Russia after the 2024 election to announcing that his team would negotiate with Putin’s government to end the war? NBC News’ reporters interviewed more than two dozen U.S. and European officials and other people with knowledge of private meetings and discussions between and within the Trump administration and the Ukrainian government.

Read the full story here.

More Trump administration and politics news:

• The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals declined the Justice Department’s request to immediately reinstate Trump’s executive order limiting birthright citizenship, setting up a potential fight in the Supreme Court.
• Elon Musk and Trump are touting DOGE’s cost-cutting and fraud-finding efforts, but two of their most notable claims have crumbled under scrutiny.
• Trump moved to end federal approval of “congestion pricing” in New York City. 
• A federal judge said he will decide soon whether to dismiss New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ corruption case. Here’s what happened in Tuesday’s court hearing.
• The State Department designated Mexican drug cartels, as well as MS-13 and Venezuelan gang Trend de Aragua as foreign terrorist organizations.
• The Trump administration told the office overseeing the resettlement of Afghans to the U.S. to draw up plans to shut down by April, which could leave more than 250,000 people and their families stranded. 
• The Trump administration also told organizations that provide federal funded legal representation to unaccompanied migrant children to halt the service.

Some Republicans split on Trump’s call for ‘school choice’

Idaho is set to join more than two dozen states that have some form of public funding for private schools after the state Senate voted yesterday in favor of a bill to provide up to $5,000 in tax credits for students attending them. A similar bill in Texas appears likely to succeed, as well. But Republicans in some states, including Mississippi and South Dakota, have chosen not to advance bills this year that would expand financial support for private schools. It’s one of the few visible chasms in a party that has widely supported President Donald Trump’s agenda.

“School choice,” as proponents call it, has drawn support from many conservative governors who see it as an issue of parents’ rights. Trump has framed it as a way to give parents more control over their children’s education. However, in small communities, there are concerns about losing much-needed public school funding. For example, a superintendent in rural Mississippi wrote recently on Facebook that he fears the loss of transportation and special education programs.

The debate shows a looming battle within the GOP and a “litmus test” for lawmakers, one education policy expert said. And the stakes for those who don’t comply with the national GOP’s view are rising.

Bodies of youngest Hamas hostages returned to Israel after propaganda-filled ceremony

Hamas released the bodies of four deceased Israeli hostages on Thursday, parading four black caskets on a stage against a backdrop of propaganda slogans and behind white, red-paint-spattered missiles that bore the phrase “they were killed by USA bombs.”

In what is likely to be one of the defining images of the war in Gaza, the four caskets sat on a raised platform in front of smiling illustrations of three members of the Bibas family, who became a symbol of the cruelty of the Palestinian militant group’s Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack on Israel, and 84-year-old Oded Lifshitz.

Among the bodies handed over by the Palestinian militant group were those of Kfir and Ariel Bibas, who at nine months and four years old were the two youngest captives seized in the attack that started the Israel-Hamas war.

Ralph Yarl shooter dies days after pleading guilty

Andrew Lester, the 86-year-old white man who pleaded guilty and faced up to seven years in jail in the wrong-house shooting of Black teen Ralph Yarl, has died, prosecutors in Clay County, Missouri said yesterday. The prosecutors did not say how or when Lester died. He had been scheduled for sentencing on March 7.

In the April 2023 incident, Yarl, then 16 years old, rang Lester’s doorbell, mistaking it for the house where he was supposed to pick up his siblings. Lester fired multiple shots, grazing Yarl in the head and striking him in the arm.

In a statement yesterday, Yarl’s family said Lester never apologized for his actions, and “now, another black child harmed by prejudice will never see the man who shot him face the full weight of the justice system.” Yarl’s family have also expressed frustration with Lester and prosecutors in the case

Read All About It 

• Delta Air Lines is offering $30,000 to each passenger who was on the Toronto flight that crash-landed and flipped upside-down. 
• A clinical trial found that personalized mRNA vaccines have shown promise as a pancreatic cancer treatment. 
• At least two people died after two small single-engine planes collided midair at a regional airport in Arizona. 
• Blake Lively’s attorneys filed an amended complaint against “It Ends With Us” director and actor Justin Baldoni alleging he made other women on set feel uncomfortable. 

Staff Pick: A look back at Musk’s first foray into high-level politics

Elon Musk’s rapid and disorienting makeover of the federal government is one of the early signature stories of President Donald Trump’s second administration. And it’s one that none of Musk’s early fans in the professional political class could have predicted less than a decade ago.

Over the last month, my mind has drifted back to the 2017 bipartisan National Governors Association Conference in Rhode Island, which I covered. Governors there were absolutely jazzed to hear from Musk, then a prominent but still somewhat mysterious tech mogul with a more flexible political worldview, particularly when it came to AI and government regulations. I recently checked in with some of the leaders in the audience that day. It was an interesting exercise — and rather revealing, in that most didn’t wish to reminisce about the time they welcomed Musk with open arms. — Henry Gomez, senior political reporter

NBCU Academy: Lester Holt on what it takes to lead in a newsroom

Anchoring a network news program requires more than just sharp reporting and presenting skills. Nightly News’ anchor Lester Holt sat down with NBCU Academy to discuss what it takes to lead in a newsroom.

How do you lead in the newsroom? I know that people watch me very carefully sometimes. Sometimes it’s just encouraging words at the right time. The pandemic was suddenly on us and people were being sent home. I remember saying to the younger folks: “This could be the biggest story of your career. The country is shutting down, and none of us have ever been through anything quite like it.”

When you started your career, how did leaders help you? I started in local news in New York at age 23, so I was swimming in the deep end, no question. I had people who influenced me, mentors. Sometimes you don’t appreciate it until you look back — “Wow, I made a lot of dumb mistakes, and they didn’t fire me.” They stuck with me, and I applaud them for that.

NBCU Academy is a free, award-winning education program for developing new skills and advancing careers in journalism, media and tech.

NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified

Believe it or not, your hairbrush needs a deep clean every other week to remove residue and product buildup. The NBC Select team spoke with experts about tips to maintain your brushes and combs. Plus, the team found the best deals at Nordstrom’s sneaker sale, which has discounts up to 65% off on brands including Hoka, Nike, Asics and more. 

Sign up to The Selection newsletter for hands-on product reviews, expert shopping tips and a look at the best deals and sales each week.

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