Wednesday 02.26.25

President Donald Trump is now offering a path to citizenship — but only to those who can afford to pay a hefty price. In about two weeks, the US will start selling "gold cards" to wealthy foreigners, giving them the right to live and work in the US in exchange for a $5 million fee. Here's what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and on With Your Day.
 

By Alexandra Banner

(StreamTime Live)

Air travel safety

There was a close call at Chicago's Midway International Airport on Tuesday as a private jet entered a runway without authorization and forced a Southwest Airlines plane to abort its landing. About 90 minutes earlier above Washington, DC, an American Airlines flight was forced to cancel its landing at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to avoid a departing plane, according to The New York Times. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the incidents, as well as a string of other recent aviation disasters that have put many travelers on edge. Still, experts say flying on a US commercial airline is one of the safest things you can do, and it's become incredibly safe in the last 40 years. Data also shows that there were fewer airline accidents last month than any other January on record.

Budget blueprint

The House adopted a sweeping budget blueprint Tuesday after Speaker Mike Johnson convinced GOP holdouts to advance President Trump's agenda in a key vote. Republican leaders must now agree on exactly what will make it into Trump's first legislative package. The newly passed House GOP plan calls for sweeping tax cuts, steep spending cuts, a two-year debt limit hike, and new money for border security and energy production. The Senate's plan, however, contains only national security and energy money, while punting on the more contentious items for later. The dayslong saga over the budget blueprint laid bare bitter divisions among Republicans that will make it difficult to pass that package in both chambers.

Ukraine's minerals

Ukraine and the US have agreed to terms on a natural resources deal that would grant the US access to Ukraine's rare earth minerals. The agreement is part of wider negotiations to end Russia's invasion, as well as US involvement in a reconstruction fund for Ukraine. Details of the agreement are not yet known, but a major sticking point had been a demand from the Trump administration for a $500 billion share of Ukraine's minerals in exchange for the aid the US had already provided to Kyiv, which was previously rejected by President Volodymyr Zelensky. The Ukrainian leader is expected to travel to Washington, DC, in the coming days to continue discussions about the deal with Trump.

Immigration

The Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday that certain undocumented migrants will face criminal penalties if they do not register themselves in a new federal database. The registry appears to target people who are not already on the government's radar. Meanwhile, Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced that 118 people were arrested Tuesday in a mainly Latino area near Houston during a multi-agency enforcement operation. This occurred on the heels of another well-publicized enforcement action that happened in Los Angeles this past weekend.

Gaza ceasefire

Israel's government has agreed to release Palestinian detainees in a new exchange, indicating the fragile ceasefire remains intact for now. The agreement between Hamas and Israel will see the exchange of the final four bodies of hostages due to be released in the first phase of the ceasefire deal for more than 600 Palestinian prisoners and detainees that should have been freed last Saturday, according to an Israeli source. Hamas accused Israel of violating the truce with the delay, casting some uncertainty over the precarious ceasefire deal, and said talks on a second phase would not be possible until they are freed.

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620 million

That's how many people attended the world's largest religious gathering, which wrapped up today in India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh. The Maha Kumbh Mela, or the festival of the Sacred Pitcher, lasts for 45 days and sees millions of Hindu devotees take a dip in the Triveni Sangam, the confluence of three holy rivers.

(Ritesh Shukla/Getty Images)

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