On today’s show: Zelenskyy and Trump will meet in Washington today to discuss a mineral-sharing agreement. The Wall Street Journal’s Ian Lovett explains the stakes, and the Journal also reports on why it will be difficult to extract those minerals from Ukraine. 

Mary Steurer with the North Dakota Monitor told us about a trial that started this week involving Greenpeace. Environmentalists have warned that the trial could bankrupt the group and threaten the future of advocacy work. 

The Oscars are on Sunday, capping off an awards season full of controversies. The L.A. Times’ Glenn Whipp details how that has left a lot of the major races wide open, and gives us his predictions for the biggest prizes.

Plus, actor Gene Hackman and his wife were found dead in their New Mexico home, a rare “planet parade” will be visible in the sky, and Katy Perry will be part of an all-woman space crew. Also, how the UFC’s Dana White and Trump became friends.

Today’s episode was hosted by Shumita Basu.

On today’s show: Aviation-safety reporter Darryl Campbell from The Verge explains why air travel remains safe, despite a recent string of crashes and near misses.

NBC News’s Lawrence Hurley talks about how a “reverse discrimination” case made its way to the Supreme Court and why the justices might rule unanimously on it.

Three men who were recently detained by the Trump administration at a high-security military prison in Guantánamo Bay told Washington Post reporter Silvia Foster-Frau that they were denied calls to loved ones, subjected to humiliating searches, and left in isolation for prolonged periods. Foster-Frau gives us the details.

Plus, the Supreme Court halts a midnight deadline for the Trump administration to release certain foreign-aid funds, a child in Texas is the first confirmed death amid the state’s measles outbreak, and the U.S. wants to import more eggs to fight high prices and bird flu.

Today’s episode was hosted by Shumita Basu.

On today’s show: Republicans narrowly passed a budget framework in the House, USA Today reports. The Washington Post’s Jacob Bogage explains what happens next. 

Greg Ip with the Wall Street Journal unpacks what Trump’s attempting to do about inflation, and how voters are perceiving the issue in the early days of his presidency.

Families with trans children are asking where they go from here, following the Trump administration’s actions targeting trans people. The New Yorker’s Emily Witt has the story.

Plus, mass resignations at Musk’s DOGE, a judge sets a deadline for the Trump administration to make certain foreign-aid payments, and the White House takes over the presidential press pool.

Today’s episode was hosted by Shumita Basu.

On today’s show: NBC reports on how Republicans in districts across the country faced furious voters at recent town halls, signaling that the Trump administration’s honeymoon period is waning. 

Pentagon staffers are concerned that personnel cuts will hurt critical work. The Washington Post’s Alex Horton has the story. 

ProPublica’s Lizzie Presser explains how pregnancy in Texas has become more dangerous as a result of the state’s abortion ban. 

Plus, the U.S. voted against a U.N resolution condemning Russia’s actions in Ukraine, several of the men convicted of raping Gisèle Pelicot are now free, and, after controversy over old tweets derailed her awards-season campaign, Karla Sofía Gascón says she will attend the Oscar ceremony. 

Today’s episode was hosted by Shumita Basu.

On today’s show: The Hill reports on how Elon Musk’s weekend email asking federal employees to describe their accomplishments led a number of agencies to push back.

Soldiers are arriving at the border — but hardly any migrants are crossing. The Washington Post’s Arelis Hernández reports from the town of Del Rio.

The conservative Christian Democratic Union won elections in Germany on Sunday, likely making its leader, Friedrich Merz, the next chancellor. Reuters reports on how the far-right Alternative for Germany party also saw big gains.

Plus, Israel says it will delay the release of more than 600 Palestinian prisoners, how one man found out his partner was on the American Airlines flight that collided with an army helicopter, and American skier Mikaela Shiffrin wins her 100th World Cup title with a women-led team guiding her.

On today’s show: Aboard a U.S. deportation flight of mostly Asian migrants to Costa Rica, half were minors, NBC News reports. Meanwhile, hundreds of people deported from the U.S. are being held in a Panama hotel, according to BBC News.

Ankush Khardori, a senior writer at Politico Magazine, joins this week’s Apple News In Conversation to examine how Trump is testing the boundaries of executive authority.

A Trump Cabinet selection received a rare Republican grilling. The Atlantic has more on the hearing for the president’s labor-secretary nominee.

Plus, Israel said the body of Shiri Bibas was not included in an exchange on Thursday, Gov. Kathy Hochul will not remove Eric Adams as mayor of New York, former Spanish soccer head Luis Rubiales was convicted of sexual assault, and an asteroid thought to have a chance of hitting Earth likely will not.

Today’s episode was hosted by Shumita Basu.

On today’s show: President Donald Trump denounced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as “a dictator without elections” on Wednesday. Reuters reports that major risks loom as Trump upends U.S.-Russia policy.

Who can force out New York City’s mayor? Katie Honan from The City joins to discuss this and more questions.

Health insurers deny 850 million claims a year. The Wall Street Journal’s Julie Wernau reports that the few who appeal often win. The Journal also has five steps to take if your health-insurance claim is denied.

Plus, Hamas has returned return the bodies belonging to four Israeli hostages that are said to include the Bibas family, the Trump administration has halted a program that provided lawyers to nearly 26,000 immigrant children, and the U.S. and Canada square off in the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Today’s episode was hosted by Shumita Basu.

On today’s show: The top Social Security official exited after a clash with Elon Musk’s DOGE over data. The Washington Post’s Jacob Bogage explains what is happening.

Are 150-year-old Americans receiving Social Security checks, as Elon Musk said? Poynter examines the claim.

Trump proposed eliminating FEMA and putting states in charge of disaster response. Politico reports red states don’t like that idea.

Counter-narcotics programs in Mexico are suffering because of the Trump administration’s freeze on foreign aid. Reuters’s Laura Gottesdiener explains the reporting. 

Plus, Trump signs an executive order aimed at making IVF treatment more affordable. Israel and Hamas agreed to expedite a hostage and prisoner release by one week. And how did everyone survive the Delta plane crash in Toronto?

Today’s episode was hosted by Shumita Basu.

On today’s show: A Delta plane crashed at Toronto’s Pearson airport Monday afternoon. All passengers on board were accounted for. NBC News has the latest.

Trump voters splinter over his rapid shake-up of Washington. Eliza Collins from the Wall Street Journal examines how some are thinking.

European leaders gathered for an emergency meeting after Trump shut them out of Ukraine talks. Reuters explains what happened at that meeting.

Plus, a team from Elon Musk’s SpaceX is being brought in to overhaul systems at the FAA, Pope Francis’s hospitalization is extended, and the polar vortex is back, bringing more brutal weather to millions.

Today’s episode was hosted by Shumita Basu.

On today’s show: NBC has what to know about a growing measles outbreak in Texas. Meanwhile, changes to a CDC vaccine panel under Robert F. Kennedy Jr. could reshape policy. NPR explains how.

The Justice Department is in turmoil after prosecutors who were ordered to drop charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams quit in protest. Reuters reporter Sarah Lynch discusses the resignations. 

Immigrants drive Nebraska’s economy. NPR reporter Jasmine Garsd describes how Trump’s mass-deportations pledge has many of them living in fear.

Plus, Trump’s administration asked the Supreme Court to weigh in on his firing of a top official in a whistleblower-protection office. Police said a slain transgender man faced “prolonged” violence and torture in a case investigators described as “beyond depraved.” And at least eight people are dead after “historic” flooding in Kentucky.

Today’s episode was hosted by Shumita Basu.