Good morning! Citigroup informed the government of a recent "near miss" after the bank mistakenly deposited too much money in a customer's account. Instead of sending $280, they sent... $81 trillion. With a "t." Apparently, the term "near miss" has a much looser definition than we all thought.

UKRAINE

☮️ Celery root puree sits uneaten as Trump tosses Zelenskyy from the White House

Well. That didn't go as planned. The big meeting on Friday between the American and Ukrainian presidents ended with Donald Trump kicking his Ukrainian counterpart out of the White House. The Oval Office meeting, which was open to the press, began peacefully. But the whole thing went off the rails about 30 minutes in.

• According to the White House, Volodymyr Zelenskyy's tone and body language were objectionable. They also didn't just love that he donned his typical wartime garb instead of a suit.

Zelenskyy made the trip to sign a deal repaying prior U.S. military aid with rights to some of Ukraine's vast rare earth mineral reserves. A table was set for the signing ceremony (and lunch was being plated) when things went south.

President Trump and Vice President Vance pushed the idea that diplomacy was the path to ending "the destruction" of Ukraine. That pretty well burned out the last of Zelenskyy's fuse. He responded with some heat, reiterating his belief that Putin wants to rebuild Russia's "empire" and cannot be trusted.

• Trump burst in here, saying Zelenskyy is "gambling with World War III" but doesn't "have the cards." The talks fell apart here.

• After a short huddle with their teams, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the Ukrainian delegation that it was time to go. Trump later said Zelenskyy "can come back when he is ready for Peace."

Zelenskyy has since been more conciliatory, calling Trump's support "crucial" and saying he's "very grateful" for three years of U.S. backing. He said Ukraine is ready to sign that minerals deal but noted that extra "security guarantees" are needed.

European leaders reacted with strong messages of support for Ukraine. The United Kingdom's Kier Starmer hosted European leaders in London on Sunday and said it's "time to act." He and France's Emmanuel Macron are working on a "coalition of the willing" to take a more forward approach to end the war and secure Ukraine afterward.

• Starmer confirmed that any deal will "need a U.S. backstop" and said he and Macron will soon present their plan to Trump.

U.S. lawmakers, meanwhile, mostly divided themselves by party. Republicans Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) called the meeting an "utter disaster" for Zelenskyy, whom he deemed "disrespectful." House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) wonders if Ukraine needs a new president.

• But Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said Trump and Vance "are doing Putin's dirty work."

GOVERNMENT

🪙 RIP Chipotle guac. President Trump is set to stick imports from Canada and Mexico with tariffs of up to 25% on Tuesday. He also threatened to double the existing 10% tariff on Chinese goods. Trump previously gave our two neighbors until March 4 to make not-super-specific changes to their trade and drug control policies. If he follows on this, Canada will likely respond with reciprocal tariffs on American goods. On the flip side, Mexico has proposed matching U.S. tariffs on China with import duties of its own. That's a move Treasury Sec. Scott Bessent wants Canada to match to create a North American "fortress" against the "flood of Chinese imports."

🌵 Defense Sec. Pete Hegseth has ordered another 2,500 to 3,000 troops to the U.S.-Mexico border. This comes as President Trump prepares to invoke a law from 1798 to boost his border enforcement powers. Signed into law by President John Adams, the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 streamlines the deportation process by avoiding the immigration court system when the U.S. is undergoing an "invasion." In related news, Mexico has extradited 29 drug cartel bosses to the U.S.

🗨️ President Trump signed an executive order making English the official language of the United States. That's already the case in 31 states, but this would be a first for the feds. The White House says the move will make government more efficient and strengthen "the fabric of our society" by promoting unity. While it wouldn't force federal agencies to offer services only in English, it would rescind a Clinton-era mandate requiring such services.

PRESIDENCY

🏛️ Trump to continue tradition, give fake state of the Union address

Who doesn't love spending their evening listening to a politician give a long speech to hundreds of other politicians who performatively clap or boo based on party? That's right. It's time for the annual state of the Union address. Except, it's not really a state of the Union address.

President Trump accepted a formal invitation from House Speaker Mike Johnson to address a joint session of Congress. He'll speak in the House chamber on Tuesday at 9 p.m. Eastern to members of the House and Senate, Supreme Court justices, Cabinet officials, military leaders, and a bipartisan crop of special guests (who are mostly there as political props). The speech will have all the pomp and circumstance of a normal state of the Union address, only without the fancy title. After all, the guy's only been in office for six weeks. What the heck does he know?

• This oddity dates to a switch in 1981 from the old guy giving the speech on his way out the door to the new guy giving it after taking office.

• Presidents Carter and Reagan both gave a speech that year, so the second one didn't use the fancy title. Because of reasons, that little detail stuck.

While the Constitution mandates that the president update Congress on how things are going "from time to time," it doesn't require an in-person address. But, come on. Politicians love a captive audience.

Expect the president to focus on his vision for his second term. He'll cover his policy priorities on everything from taxes and the budget to immigration and defense... and perhaps the lil situation in Ukraine. Trump will also likely try to grab some headlines with a few Big Ideas™ while he has the nation's attention (or at least our parents').

Everyone who's anyone will be crammed into one room together. In the event of a disaster, that means the entire government goes *poof*. To maintain continuity of government, a random Cabinet secretary will serve as the "designated survivor" at a far-off, secure location.

• The lucky winner hasn’t been revealed yet. But the secretaries of Education and Labor are out of the running. They haven't been sworn in yet, so they aren't legally in the presidential line of succession.

POLITICS

📧 Judge halts mass layoffs as new ‘explain yourself’ email blast goes out

The Trump administration continues taking a weed whacker to the federal workforce as it tries to shave $2 trillion off the $6.75 trillion federal budget. In a bid to "reduce the size of its bloated workforce," the Social Security Administration (SSA) plans to cut 7,000 employees (of 57,000). Over at the National Weather Service (NWS), more than 800 jobs are on the chopping block.

Not all of these cuts are going through, however. In a case that's certain to get bumped up the legal chain soon, a federal district judge in California ordered Trump's Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to stop axing probationary workers en masse.

• Judge William Alsup ruled that Congress gave that firing power to the agencies themselves — not the OPM.

• The Department of Justice (DOJ) argued that the Constitution gives the president the power to manage the executive branch however he sees fit.

As for that recent mass email demanding federal employees explain what they’d accomplished that week? The OPM just sent another one that Elon Musk says is, per the president, "mandatory for the executive branch."

On the political front, Trump's numbers are slipping. A recent Reuters poll shows voter approval of his economic moves falling by 4% since January, though his overall approval rating fell by just 1%. With that in mind, Republican politicians are starting to worry about 2026 as Democrats see an opening. But Republican voters? They're happier with the direction of the country than they have been in years.

It's not all fun and games for Democrats, though, especially in New York. Empire State Democrats are currently panicking over disgraced ex-governor Andrew Cuomo's run for mayor of New York City. If you believe the polls, scandal-plagued Mayor Eric Adams could soon be replaced by... the guy who resigned as governor in 2021 amid a flurry of sexual harassment allegations.

• As for his replacement as governor? Well, she just stripped her own lieutenant governor of his office space and much of his staff. Drama!

TRIVIA

Borders schmorders. White House trade advisor Peter Navarro apparently wants to redraw parts of the U.S.-Canada border. Who knew that was even an option? The border is currently the world’s longest and, barring 2025 somehow making 2020 look normal, will remain so. Exactly how many miles is the border between the U.S. and Canada?

Hint: If you can do the math in your head, it’s 8,891 kilometers.

BRIEFS

● Israel will stop "all entry of goods and supplies" into Gaza, including humanitarian aid, until Hamas agrees to extend the ceasefire. Hamas instead wants Israel out of Gaza completely. But Israel won't budge until all Israeli hostages are returned.

● Pope Francis is in "stable" condition, though his health challenges are "complex," the Vatican said on Saturday. He's been in the hospital since Valentine's Day with pneumonia in all 1.75 of his lungs and is breathing with medical assistance.

● The CDC sent 2,000 doses of the MMR vaccine to help fight the West Texas measles outbreak that’s infected 146 people so far and taken one life. Meanwhile, in some sort of weird Oregon Trail/Portlandia crossover, dysentery is on the rise in Oregon.

● New FBI Director Kash Patel is getting started with his promised top-to-bottom overhaul of the bureau. His first order of business? Establishing a formal relationship with the UFC to whip agents' fitness routines into shape.

QUOTE

ANSWER

The border between the United States and Canada measures 5,525 miles (more than 1,500 of that is Alaska). Having long borders is just one more thing America's #1 at. The border between Kazakhstan and Russia is #2 at 4,722. Argentina and Chile round out the top three with their 3,298-mile border.

On a related note, Canadian coffee shops mad about Trump's trade policies are now referring to Americanos as Canadianos.