The Morning Sixpack - February 26, 2025
Zelensky makes deal with the devil, sells out Ukraine for mineral rights and no real security guarantees, House GOP barely passes draconian budget bill.
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Ukraine and U.S. Reach Minerals Deal Amid Security Concerns
Ukraine and the United States have finalized terms for a minerals deal, with an agreement potentially set for signing this week.
An official from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office confirmed that Kyiv is recommending the deal for approval, despite lingering concerns over security guarantees.
The agreement is expected to be a significant economic and geopolitical move, as Ukraine holds vast deposits of critical minerals like lithium and titanium—resources highly sought after in global markets.
U.S. President Donald Trump hinted that Zelenskyy might travel to Washington to sign the deal, telling reporters, “I hear that he’s coming on Friday. Certainly, it’s OK with me if he’d like to.”
While the agreement does not include Trump’s previous demand for $500 billion in compensation for U.S. support in Ukraine’s war effort, a leaked version of the deal suggests Kyiv would allocate 50 percent of its state-owned natural resource revenues to a fund for domestic investment.
Trump downplayed concerns over what Ukraine would receive in return, pointing to past military aid and stating, “lots of ... military equipment and the right to fight on.”
However, Zelenskyy has resisted previous drafts, calling them too punitive. “I will not sign what 10 generations of Ukrainians will have to pay back,” he said at a press conference Sunday.
The deal underscores the strategic importance of Ukraine’s mineral wealth, particularly in the race for rare earth elements vital to modern technologies.
British Defence Secretary John Healey cautiously supported the agreement, telling Times Radio, “We’re at an early stage, and if this helps shape the long-term peace that’s required in Ukraine, then that’s a good thing.”
The final terms are expected to be settled by the end of the week.
Source: Politico
Deadly Mystery Disease in Congo: 48 Hours from Symptoms to the Grave
Something nasty is brewing in northwestern Congo, and no one knows what it is—except that it’s killing people fast. More than 50 people have died since January 21 from an unknown illness that moves with terrifying speed, with most victims succumbing within 48 hours of showing symptoms.
“That’s what’s really worrying,” said Serge Ngalebato, medical director of Bikoro Hospital, as health officials scramble for answers.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is on high alert, noting that while disease outbreaks in Africa are nothing new, this one is unusually swift and severe.
The nightmare reportedly started in the town of Boloko when three children ate a bat and died within two days from hemorrhagic fever symptoms—because apparently 2025 didn’t have enough problems already.
From there, the illness spread, hitting a second town, Bomate, on February 9. So far, 419 cases have been recorded, and while 13 samples have been sent to the National Institute for Biomedical Research for testing, nothing conclusive has turned up.
Ebola? Nope. Marburg? Also no. Some cases tested positive for malaria, but that doesn’t explain the rapid deaths.
With scientists still scratching their heads, the only certainty is that this is a problem no one wants. The WHO has previously warned that animal-to-human disease transmission is surging—60% more outbreaks in the past decade alone—so maybe it’s time we rethink the whole “bushmeat” thing.
Until then, the mystery continues, and officials are racing to identify what could be Africa’s next big health crisis.
Source: AP News
Can we PLEASE stop eating bats?
Musk’s Government Chainsaw Hits a Snag: 21 Tech Experts Walk Out
Elon Musk’s mission to gut the federal government under President Donald Trump just hit resistance—21 top technologists from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) resigned en masse, refusing to help dismantle essential public services.
"We swore to serve the American people and uphold our oath to the Constitution," they wrote in a fiery resignation letter, "but it has become clear that we can no longer honor those commitments."
The exodus deals a blow to Musk’s tech-driven purge of federal employees, which has already sparked legal challenges and fears over government stability and outright fascism.
The walkout follows a wave of layoffs earlier this month when 40 staffers were fired, many of whom had been working to modernize critical government functions like Social Security, tax filing, and veterans’ services.
The remaining employees were thrown into Musk’s DOGE initiative—where, according to former staffers, they were interrogated by shadowy White House visitors who refused to give their names and seemed more interested in political loyalty than technical expertise.
"Several of these interviewers refused to identify themselves, asked questions about political loyalty, attempted to pit colleagues against each other, and demonstrated limited technical ability," the resigning staffers wrote.
Musk, never one to downplay theatrics, leaned into his new role as America’s bureaucratic wrecking ball.
At CPAC last week, he hoisted a blinged-out, Chinese-made chainsaw gifted by Argentina’s Javier Milei, declaring, "This is the chainsaw for bureaucracy!"
But as his critics point out, breaking things in government isn't the same as breaking things in Silicon Valley.
"When you break things in government, you’re breaking things that belong to people who didn’t sign up for that," said former U.S. Department of Transportation CIO Cordell Schachter.
With lawsuits mounting and key talent jumping ship, Musk’s war on bureaucracy might be running into some good old-fashioned government red tape.
Source: AP News
Trump White House Grabs the Press Pool
Because picking your own “reporters” is the first step to authoritarianism
The Trump White House is making its next big power move: seizing control of the press pool and deciding which journalists get access to the president.
Because if history has taught us anything, it’s that the first item on every authoritarian’s to-do list—along with rigging the judiciary and gutting independent institutions—is controlling the media.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced Tuesday that the administration will now determine which outlets are allowed into the coveted press pool, stripping this responsibility from the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA), which has managed it for generations. The decision comes as the White House continues to block The Associated Press from accessing Air Force One and the Oval Office, all because AP refused to play along with Trump’s ridiculous renaming of the “Gulf of Mexico” to the “Gulf of America.”
"It’s beyond time the White House press pool reflects the media habits of the American people in 2025," Leavitt claimed, a convenient excuse for what is obviously an effort to stack the deck with Trump-friendly outlets while sidelining independent journalism.
Sure, The New York Times and a few "legacy" outlets will still be allowed in, but the administration is prioritizing “new and alternative media,” which is code for “anyone who won’t fact-check the president in real-time.”
The WHCA fired back, calling the move an attack on press independence: “This move tears at the independence of a free press in the United States. It suggests the government will choose the journalists who cover the president. In a free country, leaders must not be able to choose their own press corps.”
The timing of this maneuver is no accident. Just days ago, a federal judge declined to immediately reinstate AP’s White House access, meaning the administration has a free hand—at least for now—to reshape the press corps in its own image.
Trump, of course, has never hidden his contempt for real journalism, but this latest move makes it official: If you don’t toe the line, you don’t get in.
And if you’re still not concerned, just crack open a history book and look at how every authoritarian regime starts its media takeover—spoiler alert: it looks a lot like this.
Source: The Hill
House GOP Barely Passes Budget Plan, Because Governing Is Harder Than Yelling on Cable News
The Republican-controlled House finally squeezed out a budget framework late Tuesday, handing Speaker Mike Johnson a fragile victory after dragging lawmakers back to the floor over an hour past schedule.
The measure, which calls for steep spending cuts, passed by a razor-thin 217-215 vote—after Johnson and House GOP budget chief Jodey Arrington managed to strong-arm rebellious conservatives back in line. Only Rep. Thomas Massie refused to cave, standing as the lone Republican “no” vote.
Meanwhile, Democrats had a field day mocking the chaos, pointing out that even with full control, the GOP struggled to rally behind its own priorities.
But remember this: A 40-0 win is as good as a 2-1 win.
The budget framework, while non-binding, signals where Republicans plan to take the knife—most notably, Medicaid.
The proposal outlines hundreds of billions in cuts, with GOP leaders eyeing healthcare programs as a major target for reductions. Expect a brutal fight ahead, as Democrats have already vowed to use these proposed cuts as political ammunition heading into 2026.
"Republicans want to gut healthcare while handing out tax cuts to billionaires," one Democrat scoffed, a talking point you’ll hear on repeat for the next two years.
The vote wasn’t just a test of party discipline—it was a referendum on Speaker Johnson’s ability to wrangle his increasingly unruly caucus. His hold on leadership has been shaky at best, and Tuesday’s messy floor battle did little to strengthen his position. But for now, Johnson survives. Whether this budget plan does remains another question entirely.
Source: The Independent
"Swasticar" Ad Trolls Elon Musk After His Suspect Salute—Musk Calls Criticism "Sooo Tired"
Elon Musk is once again in the middle of a PR nightmare—this time, thanks to a massive, highly unflattering bus stop ad rebranding Tesla as the "Swasticar."
The viral campaign, which features an edited image of Musk appearing to perform a Nazi salute alongside the tagline "Goes From 0 to 1939 In 3 Seconds," has sparked a heated debate online.
Some viewers are laughing at the not-so-subtle dig, while others say the stunt goes too far.
Meanwhile, Musk—never one to let a controversy pass him by—shrugged off the criticism, posting on X (formerly Twitter): “Frankly, they need better dirty tricks. The ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is sooo tired.”
Nah, let’s see how this plays out.
The ad isn’t the only Musk-themed Nazi reference making the rounds.
A British political group, Led By Donkeys, projected an image of Musk making the same gesture onto Tesla’s Berlin Gigafactory, captioned “Heil Tesla.”
The display also included a montage of Musk’s tweets and videos, with a voiceover accusing him of using his wealth to support far-right causes and “degrade democracy.”
A spokesperson for Led By Donkeys doubled down, stating, “Musk is using his wealth from Tesla to back far-right parties and degrade democracy. He shouldn’t be surprised if people don’t fancy driving around in his cars for much longer. Increasingly it’s not a great look.”
Musk's controversial gesture, made at a rally while thanking Trump supporters, has now reached the highest levels of political discourse. Even UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer was forced to weigh in when reporters asked if he believed Musk had actually thrown up a Nazi salute. Starmer’s spokesperson sidestepped the landmine, simply stating that ministers in his government would never do such a thing.
But with Musk’s critics going full throttle and his defenders crying foul, the world’s most polarizing billionaire is once again proving that when it comes to outrage marketing, he's still king. But kings generally die hard and this will be no different.
Source: Mirror