U.S. And Ukraine Patch Things Up

Good Wednesday morning. A four-year-old Wisconsin boy called 911 to report a serious crime: His mom finished the ice cream. Have a great day.

In Today’s Brief

• Indiana: Miraculous rescue

• Portugal: Snap elections

• House: Spending bill

• Wendy’s: Expansion plans

• Tiger Woods: New injury

... and more

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Top Tips

1) Bury the hatchet

The U.S. and Ukraine made up in Saudi Arabia.

• The news: Ukraine agreed to a ceasefire proposal during a summit between the nations in Jeddah. The U.S. immediately reinstated intelligence sharing and said it would resume military aid to assist the Ukrainians in their war against Russia. The nations also agreed to finalized a rare earth minerals pact and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expectedto visit the White House again and get a do-over of his contentious recent meeting with President Donald Trump.

• The details: Ukraine signed on to a 30-day total ceasefire after initially proposing a partial halt to air and sea fighting while the ground war continued. Zelenskyy said the ceasefire would begin immediately if Russia also agreed. The U.S. was set to propose it to the Kremlin next with the hopes a pause in fighting would allow serious negotiations to begin.

• Big picture: Trump has accused Zelenskyy of obstructing efforts to end the war and insisted he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin is serious about peace. But few analysts expect Putin to sign off on a ceasefire. That could throw Trump's approach -- which many allege is sympathetic to the Kremlin -- into question. Deal or not, major issues -- like post-war peacekeeping troops and territory claims -- still loom.

2) A friendly gesture

The First Buddy got a pick-me-up.

• The news: President Trump said he bought a Tesla yesterday, bringing several of the company's electric vehicles outside the White House for a press event. CEO and adviser Elon Musk was with him. "I think he has been treated unfairly," the president said while announcing his purchase was made to show confidence in the embattled billionaire.

• Rough stretch: Tesla's share price is down over 50% since last December and had its worst day ever earlier this week.Musk has become arguably even more divisive than Trump both domestically and internationally as his Department of Government Efficiency has controversially sparked mass government firings and budget cuts, some of which have been paused or overturned by the courts. Tesla's stock was up 4% yesterday.

• By the way: Musk reportedly wants to donate another $100M to vehicles involved in Trump's political operation. He donated $300M to the president's re-election campaign.

• Of note: Trump said violence against Tesla dealerships will be considered "domestic terrorism" and perpetrators "will go through hell." There has been a wave of protests and vandalism at the company's locations in recent weeks, including at least one incident of gunfire and another involving Molotov cocktails. But no injuries have been reported and analysts were skeptical terrorism charges would be prosecutable in those situations.

3) Hand him over

The Phillippines' former leader was arrested for crimes against humanity.

• The news: Rodrigo Duterte was detained in Manila on an International Criminal Court warrant related to his anti-drug policies while in office. The Phillippines is no longer an ICC member, but it was at the time of the allegations against Duterte; the ICC argues that gives it jurisdiction.

• Catch up: The foul-mouthed Duterte waged war on drugs and was a vocal supporter of extrajudicial killings of drug users and other criminals. Duterte pulled the country out of the ICC in 2018 due to its investigation into his policies.

• Messy situation: Sara Duterte, the ex-president's daughter, is currently vice president. Her family struck a political alliance of convenience with current President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his family (his father was the country's longtime dictator). But the relationship has deteriorated as Marcos has mended ties with the U.S. and abandoned Duterte's efforts to pull closer to China and Russia.

• Big picture: Sara Duterte faces an impeachment effort that could make her ineligible from seeking high office, ending her presidential aspirations. And her dad is now reportedly being held at The Hague. But while Marcos has seemingly consolidated power, the Dutertes remain very popular in the country ahead of mid-term elections this year.

Quick Tips

U.S. News

• A missing Indiana woman was found after being trapped in her car for nearly a week. Officials said she veered into a deep ditch and her vehicle was partially submerged in a creek; passing cars could not see her and she was only detected by the driver of a 10-foot-tall tractor (More)

• A bill mandating Texas public schools display the Ten Commandments in all classrooms is expected to pass the state's Senate. Louisiana has already passed similar legislation despite opposition on constitutional grounds; bill proponents believe the matter will eventually reach the Supreme Court (More)

• The NTSB called for permanent helicopter restrictions around Reagan Washington National Airport after January's fatal crash between an Army Blackhawk and an American Airlines commuter jet. The agency said there is a high risk of another disaster without clearing the busy skies above the Potomac River (More)

World News

• Portugal's minority government collapsed, triggering a snap election. Prime Minister Luis Montenegro called for and lost a non-confidence vote amid a scandal involving his family's business; it will be the nation's third election in as many years (More)

• A Pakistani separatist group attacked a commuter train in Balochistan province. At least 450 people were reportedly taken hostage, but about 100 were said to have been released; there were conflicting reports on the number of military and rebel forces killed in the incident (More)

• British police arrested a cargo ship captain on suspicion of manslaughter after his vessel hit a fuel tanker in the North Sea. Both ships were set ablaze with a sailor presumed dead; no charges have been filed yet (More)

Political News

• House Republicans passed a spending bill to fund the government into September by a 217-213 margin. The legislation's fate in the Senate is unclear ahead of Friday's shutdown deadline (More)

• Florida Rep. Anna Paulina Luna is set to force a House vote on proxy voting for new parents. The Republican secured enough member signatures to file a discharge petition and circumvent party leadership; Colorado Rep. Brittany Pettersen, a Democrat, also helped lead the charge (More)

• Former California Rep. Katie Porter announced a 2026 gubernatorial bid. The Democrat lost the state's open Senate primary to Sen. Adam Schiff last year; Gov. Gavin Newsom is term-limited (More)

Business & Markets

• Major indexes closed lower again yesterday. February's consumer price index is due today, bringing new inflation numbers (Dow -1.14%, Nasdaq-0.18%, S&P 500 -0.75% | More).

• Wendy's plans to open about 1K new restaurants worldwide by 2028. The fast-food chain expects to open 200 locations in Australia and further expand in other regions, including Asia and Europe (More)

• President Trump relented on threats to hit Canada with 50% aluminum and steel tariffs. The scheduled 25% duty was still expected to take effect last night; the move came after Ontario reversed a 25% surcharge on electricity imported to the U.S. (More)

Entertainment & Sports

• Tiger Woods ruptured his Achilles tendon while training at home. The 15-time major golf tournament winner had surgery yesterday; the 49-year-old's availability for The Masters next month is in doubt (More)

• Billy Joel rescheduled several U.S. and United Kingdom concerts through June due to an undisclosed medical condition. The 75-year-old crooner said he had surgery and will require physical therapy before returning to work (More)

• Junior Bridgeman died at 71 after a medical emergency at a charity event. He was an All-American basketball player at Louisville and had a 12-year NBA career before becoming a billionaire businessman and minority owner of the Milwaukee Bucks (More)

Quick Hitters

• Fun Stuff: Many celebrities have bad photos on their Wikipedia pages. A group of volunteers is working to change that, one snap at a time.

• Take Note: Many everyday things have instructions to be kept at room temperature for safety reasons. But what exactly does that mean?

• Go Deep: Artificial intelligence is becoming more prevalent in the workplace. American workers are more concerned than hopeful about its future impacts and uses.

• History Lesson: The color most associated with St. Patrick's Day is undisputedly green. But people would have been drinking blue beer back in the day.

• Life Hack: It's not just one today; it's 17 helpful tips. They run the gamut from the best way to buy socks to preparing perfect bacon.

Watch This

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Looking Ahead …

The Premier League's Manchester United announced plans for a new $2.5B stadium despite recent financial woes and on-field struggles. The proposed venue would hold 100K people, making it the biggest in the United Kingdom.

Question of the Day

Yesterday’s results:

Trivia: Which president signed a law legalizing private ownership of gold in large quantities?

It was President Gerald Ford in 1974.