U.S.-Ukraine minerals deal and GDP declines amid tariff fears: Morning Rundown

The U.S. and Ukraine sign a long-awaited minerals deal. Donald Trump blames Joe Biden for the contracting U.S. economy. And a viral question about man versus gorilla has sparked lighthearted debate. 

Here’s what to know today. 

U.S. and Ukraine sign long-awaited minerals deal

The U.S. and Ukraine have a deal. The White House said that it had signed an “economic partnership” with Kyiv that, after weeks of volatile negotiations, will give Washington access to some of the war-torn nation’s critical minerals and natural resources.

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Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the agreement, established as the United States-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund, will allow the U.S. to “invest alongside Ukraine” to unlock the country’s lucrative assets, accelerate its economic recovery and provide the repayment that President Donald Trump has demanded for U.S. military aid.

 Ukraine and the U.S. will jointly manage and maintain co-ownership of the investment fund, with neither side holding a dominant vote, Yulia Svyrydenko, Ukraine’s economy minister, said. It will be financed by new Ukrainian oil, gas and critical mineral licenses, with 50% of all revenue from the licenses going toward the fund.

Trump said yesterday that the agreement would serve as an avenue for the U.S. to recoup funds it provided to Ukraine throughout the war with Russia, a figure the State Department has placed at $66.5 billion in terms of military assistance.

After Trump and Zelenskyy’s meeting at the Vatican last weekend, Trump expressed confidence that Zelenskyy “wants to make a deal” to end the war. He also criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin carrying out widespread strikes on Kyiv despite U.S. officials’ ongoing efforts to secure a ceasefire deal.

Read the full story here.

U.S. economy is shrinking as fears grow over Trump’s tariffs

The U.S. economy contracted in the first three months of the year. The 0.3% decline in gross domestic product is the first negative reading since 2022 and was fueled by a massive surge in imports as consumer spending climbed 1.8%, the weakest pace since mid-2023. The Commerce Department’s report also showed inflation remained firm. Stocks plunged in the wake of the announcement, though they finished the day higher.

President Donald Trump was quick to place the blame on former President Joe Biden. “We came in on Jan. 20, so this is Biden,” Trump said at the end of a meeting yesterday with his Cabinet. “And you can even say the next quarter is, sort of, Biden, because it doesn’t just happen on a daily or an hourly basis, but we’re turning it around. It’s a big ship to turn around.”

Trump has predicted his global tariffs will prompt companies to produce their goods in the U.S. Instead, the economy appears to be entering into a period of instability. Shipments to West Coast ports are plunging, while price increases are expected to begin eating into sales data and incomes. Even fireworks shows are in jeopardy, as American wholesalers and distributors say they’ve been canceling shipments from China for the July Fourth holiday. Read the full story here.

More politics news:

• A bipartisan measure that sought to undo Trump’s sweeping tariffs failed in the Senate. Three Republicans joined all Democrats in supporting the resolution.
• In her first major public speech since losing the November election, former Vice President Kamala Harris said Trump has pulled the U.S. to the brink of a constitutional crisis, devastated the economy and abandoned world allies. 
• No more sleepovers and late-night ice cream: Elon Musk said he expects to work on White House projects only one or two days a week as he shifts back to running his companies. 
• Under pressure to make drastic cuts, Army leaders have struck an usual agreement with Musk and DOGE.
• Republicans are already hitting some snags as they begin crafting a bill for Trump’s domestic policy agenda.

How the Trump admin targeted international students on visas

Mohsen Mahdawi, the Columbia University student who was detained during his naturalization interview in Vermont, is free on bail after a judge ordered his release yesterday from federal custody. Mahdawi, who has a green card, was a key organizer of pro-Palestinian protests at the New York campus last year and is one of several foreign students who the Trump administration has apprehended in recent months. In addition, thousands of international students have abruptly lost their legal statuses.

 This week, the Department of Homeland Security offered some insight into how some of the terminations of student visas were decided. In a court hearing, the department said it used 10 to 20 employees to run the names of 1.3 million foreign-born students through an FBI-run database that includes criminal history information. The process populated the 6,400 “hits.” Eventually, around 3,000 students had their visas revoked. 

For immigration and policy experts, the revelations — from the size of the team combing through vast records, to the use of government databases to bolster immigration efforts — has been cause for concern.

More immigration news:

• Trump said this week that he “could” have Kilmar Abrego Garcia returned to the U.S. with one phone call, contradicting his administration’s arguments in court that the government has no ability to get him back.
• A mother and her three daughters, all of whom are U.S. citizens, are traumatized after ICE raided their Oklahoma home and seized their belongings when conducting a search warrant issued for someone else.

Christian organization faces another sexual assault lawsuit

A Florida-based Christian organization with a history of child sex abuse allegations against it has been hit with a lawsuit claiming one of its missionaries sexually assaulted a minor overseas 15 years ago.

Ethnos360, a nonprofit formerly known as New Tribes Mission, sends missionaries and their families around the world. In 2019, multiple women said they had been sexually abused decades earlier by their “dorm dads” — missionaries who were supposed to care for children at the mission’s boarding schools while their parents served in foreign countries. The group settled several suits related to those allegations and issued a public apology following an NBC News report. 

But this week’s lawsuit says the group “failed to offer any care or professional assistance” to the family of an American child who came forward to report inappropriate sexual conduct in 2012, two years after those recommendations were issued. The girl, Kayla McClain, is now 24, lives in Michigan and recently graduated from nursing school — and she’s ready to speak out. Read the full story here.

Read All About It

•  A man was in critical condition after he fell from a 21-foot wall onto the field at the Pittsburgh Pirates’ PNC Park.
• Eleven high school students in upstate New York turned themselves in after an alleged hazing stunt involving the lacrosse team. 
• The Education Department is investigating Chicago Public Schools to determine whether a program dedicated to serving Black students and educators violates federal law.
• The weight loss drug Wegovy treated a serious form of liver disease in a majority of patients in a clinical trial, new findings show, adding to the growing list of conditions that GLP-1 medications can treat.
• Bill Belichick, the NFL coaching legend who now coaches at the University of North Carolina, accused CBS of creating a “false narrative” about his 24-year-old girlfriend. 

Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex trafficking trial begins Monday. Sign up to receive a newsletter with exclusive reporting and analysis throughout the trial.

Staff Pick : Who would win in a fight: 100 men or a gorilla?

That’s the question that many are pondering after X user Michael Sherrills unintentionally sparked the discourse in a post last week. “Everybody just gotta be dedicated,” he wrote, in support of the hypothetical 100 men. Since then, the debate has jumped over to TikTok, Facebook and Reddit; discussed on podcasts; and garnered reaction from brands like supermarket chain Aldi.

I found this story and the question posed to be a fun distraction, at least for a few minutes. Personally, I’d bet on the gorilla. — Elizabeth Robinson, newsletter editor

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