Friday 02.28.25

A parade of seven planets will be on display in the night sky as February comes to a close, but some will be harder to spot than others. Learn why there are suddenly so many planets visible and how long you can catch a glimpse. Here's what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and on With Your Day.
 

By Alexandra Banner

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and President Donald Trump. (Getty Images)

Minerals deal

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to meet with President Donald Trump at the White House today to sign a potentially historic minerals deal. The agreement would offer the US easy access to Kyiv's untapped mineral riches in exchange for investment and what Ukraine hopes would be concrete security guarantees. The deal's details remain murky but analysts say it could lead to broader peace negotiations. Just days after calling Ukraine's president a dictator, Trump softened his tone ahead of the meeting, telling reporters Thursday, "I have a lot of respect for him." British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also met with Trump in Washington on Thursday and urged against accepting any peace deal that would "reward" Russia or its allies.

Mass firings

The Trump administration on Thursday fired hundreds of employees at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and sources say more layoffs are possible today. The cuts are a blow to the understaffed weather and environmental agency as climate change crises and severe natural disasters become more frequent. Meanwhile, a federal judge on Thursday found that the mass firings of probationary employees were likely unlawful, granting temporary relief to a coalition of labor unions and organizations that sued to stop the Trump administration's massive overhaul of the federal workforce. It remains to be seen whether the order will put a hold on the mass firings of federal probationary workers.

Tropical cyclone

A severe storm slammed the northern coast of the French Indian Ocean island of Réunion, packing wind gusts of over 100 miles per hour. Tropical cyclone Garance — the equivalent of a Category 2 Atlantic hurricane — is the strongest storm to hit the French territory, located about 400 miles off the coast of Madagascar, since 1989. It is bringing heavy rainfall, powerful waves and strong winds. In the coming hours, winds could gust over 124 miles per hour and rainfall totals could exceed 7 inches. Conditions are expected to remain dangerous throughout the day, but will begin to improve Saturday.

Meta

Meta, the parent company of Instagram, apologized Thursday for a glitch that caused violent video recommendations on Reels. Numerous Instagram users this week reported seeing a stream of recommended videos in their Reels feed showing people being beaten or killed, including many that the platform had labeled as "sensitive content." Meta said the issue is fixed but did not comment further on what caused the glitch. The company has been pushing to boost short-form video engagement on its platforms, with rival TikTok's future in the US in question. TikTok has just over a month remaining to find a new, non-Chinese owner for its US operations or face a ban in the country.

Oscars

The Academy Awards, also known as the Oscars, are scheduled to take place on Sunday. The ceremony arrives five weeks after the start of President Trump's second term, but the event in Los Angeles is poised to be less political than in recent years. With the backdrop of devastating fires that ravaged the city, award season this year has been centered around coming together. Among the frontrunner acting nominees — Zoe Saldaña, Kieran Culkin, Demi Moore, Timothée Chalamet and Adrien Brody — none of their acceptance speeches this award cycle have been overtly political. This year's Oscars host, Conan O'Brien, was also partly selected because his comedy typically does not delve into politics, the Academy's CEO told CNN.

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The world's smallest park is the size of four pieces of paper
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A kiss controversy
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Oldest known Holocaust survivor dies at age 113
Rose Girone, the oldest known Holocaust survivor who endured both German and Japanese oppression but lived for eight decades beyond the end of World War II, has died at age 113.

$160,000

That's the average salary of a certified air traffic controller in the US. While the FAA has increased salaries for the job and reduced its hiring process, the US is still currently short nearly 3,000 controllers amid record travel demand.

On February 28, we are going to remind them who really holds the power. 

— John Schwarz, the man who proposed a 24-hour nationwide "economic blackout" of major retailers today. The boycott has gained traction on social media, with some celebrities encouraging their fans to spend money only at small businesses for a day.

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