Day: February 22, 2025

The U.S. and Ukraine are nearing a deal to exchange the rights to rare Ukrainian minerals to the U.S. in exchange for security guarantees to protect Ukraine from Russian aggression. It comes after a week of tensions between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. NBC News’ Yamiche Alcindor has the details.

People across Latin America prayed for Pope Francis, the first leader of the Catholic Church to come from the region, as the Vatican reported on Saturday the Argentina-born pontiff was in critical condition in a Rome hospital. Catholics from Mexico to Argentina and the Pacific to the Atlantic coasts attended masses, lighted candles and said prayers individually for the pope’s recovery. “We … pray for him with trust in God and pray for his health with joy,” said Argentine priest Adrian Bennardins.

In a tweet, Elon Musk said “Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation.” An email sent to federal workers gives them until Monday to outline their accomplishments.

Federal workers received an email stating they must reply with a list of their work accomplishments from the last week. Elon Musk says failure to reply will be “taken as a resignation.”

Musk, who serves as President Donald Trump’s cost-cutting chief, teased the extraordinary request on his social media network on Saturday.

Billionaire steps up efforts to cull government employees with emailed deadline

He’s taking a page straight out of the playbook he used three years ago at Twitter.

Hundreds of thousands of federal workers have little more than 48 hours to explain what they accomplished over the last week.

The order is part of billionaire Elon Musk’s crusade to slash what he describes as “waste everywhere” in the federal government.