Trump Looks To End Wars In Ukraine, Gaza
Plus: JD Vance takes a different tone on A.I. regulation
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Good morning,
The numbers are in… Super Bowl 59 might not have led to a historic three-peat™️ for the Kansas City Chiefs, but it did see a record number of viewers. Across streaming and cable platforms, nearly 128 million people watched — more than a third of the U.S. population.
What helped: Tubi's free livestream of the game garnered 14 million viewers.
The previous record of about 124 million viewers was set in 2024.
The halftime show, featuring Kendrick Lamar, drew in 134 million viewers — up 3% from Usher last year — making it the most watched of all time.
Speaking of the halftime show… did anyone else’s family seem to divide – generationally – on it?
Lauren
Mo News Producer
PS: Starting next Tuesday, the Mo Newsletter will be delivered to your inbox in the afternoon. Why? We want to help you stay informed all day long. Along with our podcast in the mornings, and coverage on IG all day, now you'll get an afternoon roundup as well. Here’s more from Mosheh on the change.
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🚨 ONE IMPORTANT THING
Trump Shakes Up U.S. Foreign Policy On Gaza & Ukraine — Will It Work?
President Trump on Tuesday said the U.S. has no plans to buy Gaza, but is instead going “to take” the Palestinian territory. “We’re going to hold it. We’re going to cherish it,” he said. He discussed his plan for the US to develop the war-torn area and make it a “diamond” for the people of the region.
The day before, Trump proposed a new deal with Ukraine in an interview on Fox News: get access to Ukrainian rare earth minerals in exchange for continued aid.
ON THE MIDDLE EAST
On Tuesday, Trump met with King Abdullah of Jordan in the White House to discuss plans for the future of Gaza and its nearly two million residents.
The day before, Trump suggested that the U.S. would withhold aid to Jordan and Egypt (the US sends billions to both nations annually) if they do not take in some Palestinians. Last week, Trump proposed that the U.S. take over the Gaza Strip and relocate residents.
Jordan has been among the countries condemning Trump’s plan to displace the population of Gaza.
Various estimates say more than half of Jordan's population of 11 million is already of Palestinian origin – with more than two million registered as refugees.
Jordan, which also hosts more than 600,000 Syrian refugees, fears instability if it takes in a more significant Palestinian population.
During his meeting with Trump, the Jordanian king did offer to take in 2,000 sick Palestinian children from Gaza.
During the press conference with reporters, King Abdullah did not directly comment on Trump’s Gaza proposal, while speaking in English. Instead, all he would say is that Egypt and the Arab countries are working on their own plan – which the Egyptian government confirmed in a statement later Tuesday. “I think the point is, how do we make this work in a way that is good for everybody?” Abdullah said.
But after the meeting, the king put out a statement in Arabic – intended for his population – claiming he “reaffirmed Jordan’s firm stance against the displacement of Palestinians…everyone’s priority should be the reconstruction of Gaza without displacing its people.”
Jordan relies on economic aid and military support from the states — receiving about $1.7 billion in U.S. aid in 2023. That accounts for 3% of the country’s GDP.
LATEST ON THE CEASEFIRE
On Monday, Trump said that “all hell is going to break out” if Hamas does not release all remaining hostages in Gaza by noon on Saturday. Hamas had said it is pausing hostage releases until further notice, accusing Israel of breaking the ceasefire agreement.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday said if nine additional hostages are not released in the coming days, “the ceasefire will be terminated, and the IDF will return to intense fighting until Hamas is finally defeated.”
OVER TO UKRAINE
President Trump said that Ukraine would need to give the U.S. $500 billion in rare earth minerals in exchange for continued aid. Feb. 24 will mark the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The U.S. has already sent $175 billion in aid to Ukraine since its start.
Trump said on Fox News said that ″[Ukraine] may make a deal. They may not make a deal. They may be Russian someday, or they may not be Russian someday. But we’re going to have all this money in there [Ukraine] and I say, I want it back.”
On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Reuters, “The Americans helped the most, and therefore the Americans should earn the most.”
Later on Tuesday, he welcomed home American teacher Marc Fogel, who was released from a Russian prison after 3.5 years. Fogel was arrested in August 2021 after Russian customs agents found prescribed medical marijuana in his luggage. Trump would not say what the US gave Russia in exchange, but said it could help start serious talks with Russia about ending the war.
MORE FROM AROUND THE WORLD
📌 White House announces wrongfully detained American teacher Marc Fogel released from Russia in an ‘exchange’ (CNN)
📌 Rebels attack DR Congo army ending lull in fighting (BBC)
📌 Nonstop Quakes Leave a Santorini Empty and Its Residents on Edge (NEW YORK TIMES)
🤔 ONE THING TO THINK ABOUT
VP Vance Argues Too Much AI Regulation Will Hurt Growth
Vice President JD Vance argued that too much regulation around A.I. could “kill a transformative industry just as it’s taking off.”
The tone of his speech, made at the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit in Paris, was a departure from other speakers at the event, who focused their messages on A.I. safety.
Vance, on the other hand, said, “The A.I. future is not going to be won by hand-wringing about safety.” He added that the current administration will foster an open regulatory environment that encourages experimentation and innovation, allowing growth opportunities for both big and small tech companies.
INDUSTRY MOVES
U.S. companies have surged ahead of the rest of the world in developing the fastest generative A.I. models and specialized chips to power them. Meanwhile, China has been accused of using stolen A.I. tools from the U.S.-based company OpenAI (ChatGPT).
In his speech, Vance appeared to criticize China without naming it: “Some authoritarian regimes have stolen and used AI to strengthen their military intelligence and surveillance capabilities, capture foreign data and create propaganda to undermine other nations' national security.”
🚨 Earlier this month, reports indicated that China’s generative A.I. model DeepSeek was produced at a significantly lower cost than its U.S. competitors, boosting it to #1 in app stores.
However, OpenAI has said it found evidence that the company used its model, ChatGPT, to train DeepSeek.
Furthermore, the Chinese model faced criticism when it was revealed that the program refused to answer questions about the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre in Beijing.
Users and regulators are also worried the app could collect U.S. users’ data and share it with the Chinese government – concerns Vance brought up in his speech at the international A.I. summit.
OpenAI said Tuesday that the A.I. race with China will determine whether the technology ultimately benefits democracies or autocracies.
MORE FROM THE U.S.
📌 House and Senate GOP go to war over budget (AXIOS)
📌 DOGE cuts $900 million from agency that tracks American students’ academic progress (AP)
📌 A potent winter storm is thumping 1,500 miles of the US. Two more are right behind it (CNN)
📌 27 religious groups sue Trump administration over immigration enforcement policy (NPR)
📌 FBI finds secret JFK assassination records after Trump order (AP)
⏳ A FEW MORE QUICK HEADLINES
📌 Chocolate prices are up 20% this Valentine’s Day as cocoa prices hit record (CNN)
📌 FEMA officials fired after Musk claims they paid to house migrants in 'luxury' NYC hotels (ABC)
📌 Rep. Nancy Mace accuses ex-fiancé and associates of assaulting her and raping others in House speech (AP)
📌 New Yorkers raced to get tickets to Paul McCartney’s surprise show on Tuesday (GOTHAMIST)
ICYMI FROM THE 📲
In case you missed it… the 149th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show kicked off this past weekend and yesterday a champion was crowned in New York. The Best in Show was Monty, a Giant Schnauzer.