🗞️U.S. and Ukraine strike a deal

February 25th, 2025

What happened today 🇺🇸,

• Ukraine and the U.S. have agreed to terms on a minerals deal designed to allow the U.S. to take an unclear amount of Ukraine's mineral wealth, Ukrainian negotiators emphasize that while the text lacks explicit security guarantees, the deal is part of a broader vision to enhance American support for Ukraine’s post-war prospects and development…Zelenskyy will travel to Washington on Friday to see Trump and sign the deal

• The White House is stripping the White House Correspondents’ Association of its role in managing the White House Press Pool, the administration will be taking control of deciding who will be a part of the small rotating group of journalists and photographers who accompany the president… the Trump administration says this is a move to include new media outlets that have never been given the opportunity in the past

• A federal judge ruled the Trump administration must unfreeze foreign aid funding within two days after signs that the administration was failing to comply with a previous court order to keep supplying money to aid groups around the world

• Apple shareholders voted and have rejected an outside request to abolish its DEI programs and initiatives

• Apple will likely launch its first foldable iPhone in 2026, they are aiming to finalize its supply chain by April and have reportedly already chosen the suppliers that would manufacture the new foldable iPhone components

• Joann Fabrics and Crafts is officially closing all of its U.S. stores after failing to find a buyer willing to keep the stores open, the retail chain has over 800 stores across the country

• 82.8% of home owners have rates below 6%, fueling the "lock-in effect" where homeowners avoid selling due to higher current rates, per Redfin

• DOW up .37% / S&P down .47%

• Britain will increase its defense spending, PM Keir Starmer announced today…the military spending will increase to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 up from 2.3%

• The Pope has shown “slight improvement” but remains in critical condition, he has been resting well and able to perform some work and hold a few meetings from his hospital bed

Bonus: A look at coffee production by country

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Quote of the day: “One of the great mistakes is to judge policies and programs by their intentions rather than their results.” — Milton Friedman

Have a great night!

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