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Chapter 1: What are the latest developments in the Russia-Ukraine peace talks?
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Herbst. Talks aimed at ending the war between Russia and Ukraine are set to get underway this week in Saudi Arabia. President Trump says Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelensky, will be involved without elaborating. And he says all parties want peace in Ukraine, including Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Chapter 2: What did President Trump say about the peace negotiations?
I think he wants to end it, and they want to end it fast, both of them. And Zelensky wants to end it, too.
Chapter 3: What is Secretary of State Marco Rubio's role in the Middle East?
Trump, speaking to reporters at an airport in Palm Beach today, says he's talked to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who's on his first trip to the Middle East as the nation's top diplomat, and will head to Saudi Arabia this week.
Chapter 4: What impact do government layoffs have on federal agencies?
The nation's governors are gathering in Washington this week, this amid lawsuits launched by several states over the Trump administration's efforts to reshape the federal government and its workforce. Empire's Deepa Shivaram has more.
Chapter 5: How is Elon Musk involved in government spending cuts?
Thousands of government employees, including probationary workers or recent hires, are getting laid off as billionaire Elon Musk tries to cut government spending with his unit, the Department of Government Efficiency. Speaking alongside Musk, President Trump says Doge has found billions of dollars in waste and fraud, but didn't provide evidence for where those numbers are coming from.
The website for Doge says receipts for, quote, savings are coming over the weekend, but haven't been posted. 14 states sued Trump and Musk for Musk's, quote, unchecked power over the government and its workforce. The White House, for its part, says that Musk is complying with federal laws. Deepa Shivaram, NPR News.
Chapter 6: What are the implications of IRS layoffs during tax season?
And those layoffs include the IRS, which says it will lay off thousands of probationary workers in the middle of tax season. That's according to the Associated Press. Earlier, IRS employees involved in the 2025 tax season were told they will not be allowed to accept a retirement offer until after the taxpayer filing deadline.
Chapter 7: What are the effects of recent severe weather in the Southeast?
Heavy rain in the southeast overnight led to flooding and high water rescues, and at least nine deaths in two states are blamed on the storm. Meanwhile, Southern California is cleaning up after its own heavy rain last week. And here's Amy Held has more.
Chapter 8: How is Southern California recovering from mudslides?
Rain over burn scars led to mudslides trapping cars in the Los Angeles area. The fire department responded, and a member had his vehicle swept off the road and into the ocean by debris flow, according to a spokesman. Mud has even seeped into homes, including Jill Forders near Pasadena.
Oh my God, this is so much worse than I ever could have imagined.
That same system moved eastward, says forecaster Bob Orovac.
It redeveloped and was responsible for all the heavy rain that occurred across parts of Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky.
Kentucky's governor says historic flooding closed hundreds of roads. By Sunday, winds were picking up all along the East Coast, bringing the risk of outages. And in the Northern Plains, Arctic air is bringing life-threatening cold into the negative 30s. Amy Held, NPR News.
Wall Street will be closed tomorrow in observance of the President's Day holiday. You're listening to NPR News. Opposition lawmakers in Argentina are threatening to impeach the country's president over his endorsements of what appears to have been a cryptocurrency scam.
The far-right libertarian leader promoted, then pulled his endorsement of a crypto coin, which took a stunning crash just hours after being launched. NPR's Carrie Conn has more.
Friday night, President Javier Millet posted on X an endorsement of a new crypto coin called Libra. The currency launched just hours before the president's post promised to strengthen the Argentine economy. Under an hour of Millet's promotion, the coin rose to nearly $5 in value. However, soon it plunged to under a dollar.
Saturday, Millay deleted the tweet, denied relation to the coin, and blamed critics for attacking him. Observers say the coin launch is a so-called rug pull, where developers attract investors, then bolt. Millay's crypto move echoes similar steps by President Trump, a close ally. Days before his inauguration, Trump released a namesake coin, which has since plummeted in value. Carrie Conn, NPR News.
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