Ceasefire depends on security guarantee, Zelenskyy says, amid mineral deal bargaining

Ceasefire depends on security guarantee, Zelenskyy says, amid mineral deal bargaining
Ceasefire depends on security guarantee, Zelenskyy says, amid mineral deal bargaining
This combination of pictures created on Feb. 25, 2025 shows President Donald Trump on Feb. 24, 2025, and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky on Feb 23, 2025. (Jim Watsontetiana Dzhafarova/AFP via Getty Images)

(KYIV and LONDON) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told a press conference in Kyiv on Wednesday that Ukraine has been working on a “preliminary framework” for a minerals sharing deal with the U.S., but again warned that no agreement can succeed without sufficient Western security guarantees.

“Without future security guarantees, we will not have a real ceasefire,” Zelenskyy said. “And if we don’t have it nothing will work. Nothing will work.”

The president told ABC News that Trump will face a “lot to challenges” with Russian President Vladimir Putin. “It is very difficult really. I understand President Trump wants to do it quickly.”

“But this is not dialogue with somebody,” Zelenskyy added. “He will have a lot of challenges with Putin, because he doesn’t want to end the war.”

“The most important is to end the war yesterday,” the president continued. “We need to focus to get peace without any possibility to get back to the war. That is why we are focusing on just peace and lasting. This is more important than weeks. Of course we want within days.”

Zelensky also said he is ready to be “flexible” about security guarantees, suggesting the U.S. didn’t need to be at the center of them but could contribute alongside other countries. The president added that he wants to ask Trump if the U.S. might stop American military aid in the future. For now, he said, there is no freeze in aid.

Zelenskyy stressed that any minerals deal cannot put Ukraine in debt for previous wartime American grants. That would open a “Pandora’s box,” he said, allowing other nations to demand repayments.

A Ukrainian official described to ABC News details of a potential U.S.-Ukraine mineral deal, sharing points that appear to suggest Kyiv has succeeded in significantly improving the terms, perhaps staring down some of the Trump administration’s more onerous demands.

The $500 billion demanded by Trump no longer features in the draft, a Ukrainian official told ABC News. The fund that Ukraine will pay into is also no longer going to be 100% U.S. owned, the official said.

The two countries have agreed to a deal relating to critical minerals and other resources, a senior Ukrainian official said on Tuesday.

President Donald Trump did not confirm the U.S. had agreed, instead saying he had heard that Zelenskyy will visit Washington, D.C., to finalize the deal on Friday and that “it’s OK with me if he’d like to.”

The terms of a final agreement haven’t yet been disclosed.

The Ukrainian official said the resources that the agreement will apply to are only those not currently contributing to the Ukrainian budget, which means no oil and gas, or likely the majority of the country’s mineral resources.

If the final deal remains close to those terms, the deal may actually be quite restricted in real economic terms.

Carl Bildt, the former Swedish prime minister and co-chair of the European council on foreign relations, told BBC News that the mineral seems like a “sideshow” and was mostly designed to “keep Mr Trump happy.”

“But it is not going to give a lot of money to the U.S., and I don’t see it having any materially economic effect for very many years,” Bildt told the BBC.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

ABC News’ Will Gretsky contributed to this report.

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Why Trump’s ‘very big’ Ukraine minerals deal may not be an easy win

Why Trump’s ‘very big’ Ukraine minerals deal may not be an easy win
Why Trump’s ‘very big’ Ukraine minerals deal may not be an easy win
Tetiana Dzhafarova and Alex Wroblewski via Getty Images

(LONDON) — President Donald Trump’s pursuit of a deal to access Ukrainian mineral resources has upended America’s transatlantic ties in recent weeks, with the White House unsettling European allies and Ukrainian partners with a push for future profits.

Trump on Tuesday lauded the draft agreement as a “very big deal,” one that he said will grant Kyiv “military equipment and the right to fight on.”

Various estimates suggest there could be hundreds of billions — perhaps even trillions — of dollars worth of rare earth minerals under Ukrainian soil. Among them are thought to be significant deposits of lithium, titanium, copper, nickel, cobalt, graphite and uranium.

Just before Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his nation’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources Svetlana Grinchuk said her nation was one to “about 5% of all the world’s ‘critical raw materials.'”

Nonetheless, there is a paucity of information on the extent and accessibility of Ukrainian mineral resources.

“Unfortunately, there is no modern assessment” of rare earth reserves in Ukraine, Roman Opimakh — the former director general of the Ukrainian Geological Survey — told S&P Global Commodity Insights this month. “And there is still restriction to make this information public.” Current estimates are based on Soviet-era mapping and exploration methods, he added.

Indeed, the section of the Ukraine’s State Service of Geology and Subsoil website detailing the country’s potential reserves is not currently accessible. “In accordance with legal requirements, open access to this section of the site is limited for the period of martial law,” a message reads.

The resources that are there will not necessarily be easy to reach, Gracelin Baskaran and Meredith Schwartz of the Center for Strategic and International Studies wrote this month.

The financial returns of Trump’s would-be deal are “unlikely to be consequential in the medium term given the barriers to investment,” they wrote.

The war has wiped out “essential” mining infrastructure, they added, as well as the power generating capabilities needed to feed intensive mining projects. “There will need to be a significant buildout of energy infrastructure” for mineral exploration or production to commence,” the authors said.

The development of a single mine can cost up to $4 million, Oleksandr Vodoviz — the head of the chief executive officer’s office at Metinvest Group — said. Developing a facility akin to the coking coal plant in Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine — which is the largest enterprise in Ukraine — would require around $10 billion.

Persistent security risks may also deter required investment. “While Trump, Putin, and Zelenskyy may reach a peace deal, the threat of further conflict and land expropriation will loom given the long-standing nature of the conflict,” Baskaran and Schwartz said.

The geographical spread of Ukraine’s minerals complicates the security picture. Many concentrations of the most valuable resources are in the east of the country, including in territory currently occupied by Russian forces and along the devastated front line, within range of Russian weapons.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, seemingly aware of the global appeal of Ukraine’s natural resources, cited them in his October 2024 “Victory Plan.”

The fourth of its five points noted Ukrainian natural resources as “our opportunity for growth,” and offered its strategic partners investment opportunities in this arena. This point also had a secret annex that was only shared with designated partners.

The U.S. is set to lead the foreign investment charge. A senior Ukrainian official told ABC News on Tuesday that the two sides had agreed the terms of the proposed deal.

Trump did not confirm the U.S. had agreed, instead telling reporters he had heard that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will visit Washington, D.C., to finalize the compact on Friday. “It’s OK with me if he’d like to,” Trump said.

The president has framed the minerals deal as a means to recoup American wartime aid to Ukraine, claiming — without offering evidence — that the U.S. has contributed $350 billion to Kyiv over three years.

The deal foresees the creation of a jointly-owned U.S.-Ukrainian reconstruction investment fund, through which resources can be owned and developed.

A Ukrainian government source told ABC News that the latest version of the agreement does not include the initial U.S. demand of access to resources worth $500 billion, nor the opening position that the U.S. would entirely own the proposed investment fund.

It also appears that the resources the agreement does not cover resources that currently contribute to the Ukrainian budget — that means no oil and gas, or likely the majority of the country’s mineral resources.

Carl Bildt, the former Swedish prime minister and co-chair of the European Council on Foreign Relations, told BBC News the mineral deal seems like a “sideshow” and mostly designed to “keep Mr. Trump happy.”

“But it is not going to give a lot of money to the U.S., and I don’t see it having any materially economic effect for very many years,” Bildt said.

Ukraine is demanding security guarantees as part of the deal, though ABC News understands that provision is not currently part of the draft agreement. Zelenskyy and Trump are expected to discuss the issue when the former travels to Washington, D.C. on Friday.

ABC News’ Will Gretsky, Patrick Reevell and Natalia Popova contributed to this report.

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New York City Mayor Eric Adams asks court to toss case against him due to prosecutorial misconduct

New York City Mayor Eric Adams asks court to toss case against him due to prosecutorial misconduct
New York City Mayor Eric Adams asks court to toss case against him due to prosecutorial misconduct
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

(NEW YORK) — The corruption case against New York Mayor Eric Adams should be dropped because of “an extraordinary flurry” of leaks by prosecutors, his attorney said in a new court filing Wednesday.

The attorney, Alex Spiro, accused “someone within the government” of leaking a letter written by then-acting U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon, who resigned in protest of an order to dismiss the bribery and campaign finance charges.

The letter, dated Feb. 12, said the Justice Department agreed to dismiss criminal charges as part of a quid pro quo to secure the mayor’s help with President Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration.

“The disclosure of this letter to the press was part of an extraordinary flurry of leaked internal Justice Department correspondence that included memoranda from the Acting Deputy Attorney General to the Southern District and an unhinged resignation letter by one of the former line prosecutors on this case,” Spiro said.

The line prosecutor Spiro references is Hagan Scotten, whose resignation letter said only a “fool” or “coward” would carry out the order to drop the mayor’s case.

“In addition to violating Mayor Adams’s fundamental constitutional rights and ability to receive a fair trial, the government’s leaks violated numerous statutory and court rules, including the Justice Department’s own longstanding policies aimed at curbing prosecutorial misconduct,” Spiro said. “Simply put, the government’s conduct has destroyed whatever presumption of innocence Mayor Adams had left.”

The judge, Dale Ho, declined to immediately grant the Trump administration’s motion to dismiss the case and appointed Paul Clement, a former U.S. solicitor general, to examine the government’s motives.

In the new motion filed first thing Wednesday morning, Adams asked the court to toss the case for a new reason — prosecutorial misconduct.

“The Court should act swiftly and dismiss this case with prejudice to prevent further irrevocable harm to Mayor Adams,” the motion said.

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Ukrainian official suggests US mineral deal terms improved for Kyiv

Ceasefire depends on security guarantee, Zelenskyy says, amid mineral deal bargaining
Ceasefire depends on security guarantee, Zelenskyy says, amid mineral deal bargaining
This combination of pictures created on Feb. 25, 2025 shows President Donald Trump on Feb. 24, 2025, and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky on Feb 23, 2025. (Jim Watsontetiana Dzhafarova/AFP via Getty Images)

(KYIV) — A Ukrainian official described to ABC News details of a potential U.S.-Ukraine mineral deal, sharing points that appear to suggest Kyiv has succeeded in significantly improving the terms, perhaps staring down some of the Trump administration’s more onerous demands.

The $500 billion demanded by Trump no longer features in the draft, a Ukrainian official told ABC News. The fund that Ukraine will pay into is also no longer going to be 100% U.S. owned, the official said.

The two countries have agreed to a deal relating to critical minerals and other resources, a senior Ukrainian official said on Tuesday.

President Donald Trump did not confirm the U.S. had agreed, instead saying he had heard Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will visit Washington, D.C., to finalize the deal on Friday and that “it’s OK with me if he’d like to.”

The terms of a final agreement haven’t yet been disclosed.

The Ukrainian official said the resources that the agreement will apply to are only those not currently contributing to the Ukrainian budget, which means no oil and gas, or likely the majority of the country’s mineral resources.

If the final deal remains close to those terms, the deal may actually be quite restricted in real economic terms.

Carl Bildt, the former Swedish prime minister and co-chair of the European council on foreign relations, told BBC News that the mineral seems like a “sideshow” and was mostly designed to “keep Mr Trump happy.”

“But it is not going to give a lot of money to the U.S., and I don’t see it having any materially economic effect for very many years,” Bildt told the BBC.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

ABC News’ Will Gretsky contributed to this report.

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Trump to hold 1st Cabinet meeting; Elon Musk will be there, too

Trump to hold 1st Cabinet meeting; Elon Musk will be there, too
Trump to hold 1st Cabinet meeting; Elon Musk will be there, too
Preisdent Donald Trump attends a meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House, June 12, 2017. (Olivier Douliery/Pool/Getty Images)

(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump is holding the first Cabinet meeting of his second term on Wednesday.

Joining the group will be Elon Musk, the lead adviser of the Department of Government Efficiency whose high status inside the administration has caused some confusion and court challenges.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed Musk would be present during Tuesday’s briefing.

“Considering he is working alongside the president and our Cabinet secretaries, this entire administration will be in attendance tomorrow just to talk about DOGE’s efforts and how all of the Cabinet secretaries are identifying waste, fraud and abuse at their respective agencies,” Leavitt told reporters.

The meeting will take place amid DOGE’s effort to implement mass federal workforce cuts. Mixed signals have come from Musk and the administration after a Musk-directed ultimatum to federal workers to essentially prove their worth through email or face termination.

Leavitt said on Tuesday that Trump was deferring to Cabinet secretaries to enact the Office of Personnel and Management guidance, but claimed the administration was unified on the issue and that agency heads were not caught off guard.

“Let me be very clear, the president and Elon, and his entire Cabinet, are working as one unified team and they are implementing these very common-sense solutions,” Leavitt said.

When Musk posted on X last weekend that all federal employees would soon receive an email demanding details of their work from the past week, senior White House officials — who had not been fully briefed on the plan — were initially caught off guard, multiple sources told ABC News.

Musk’s email then set off widespread confusion across the federal government. It created tension among members of Trump’s Cabinet, as multiple agency heads told their employees to hold off on replying until they themselves were briefed on the situation.

The Senate has confirmed Trump’s nominees at a fast pace, approving 18 individuals to date. By comparison, at this point in 2021, the Democrat-led Senate had only confirmed 10 of former President Joe Biden’s Cabinet nominees.

The quick pace comes despite some of Trump’s picks being considered controversial choices to lead their respective agencies.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a veteran and Fox News host, overcame several misconduct allegations to be confirmed after Vice President JD Vance cast the tie-breaking vote. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., under criticism for his past anti-vaccine views, was narrowly confirmed in a 52-48 vote as was Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.

When Trump first publicly held court with his Cabinet in 2017, during his first presidency, members heaped praise on him.

One by one, members thanked Trump and complimented his leadership for several minutes in front of reporters before the meeting shifted to behind closed doors. “Thank you, Mr. President. This is the greatest privilege of my life,” then-Vice President Mike Pence said as he kicked things off.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, then the majority leader, mocked the administration with a spoof video recreating the scene with his own staff.

Trump on Tuesday said his Cabinet had some “great people” but that he believes this bench is “deeper.” Trump has said the biggest mistake of his first term was installing “disloyal people.”

“I think it’s better,” he said of this Cabinet. “I had some people I didn’t really like so much in my Cabinet. But I didn’t know Washington then, I was a New York person.”

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Lockdown lifted at US naval base in Italy after ‘security incident’

Lockdown lifted at US naval base in Italy after ‘security incident’
Lockdown lifted at US naval base in Italy after ‘security incident’
Fabrizio Villa/Getty Images

(LONDON) — A U.S. naval base in Italy was briefly placed on lockdown on Wednesday due to an “security incident,” officials said.

Naval Air Station Sigonella in Sicily said its shelter-in-place order was cleared at about 11:25 a.m., more than 3 hours after it first posted about an “ongoing situation” at an entry control point.

“We are grateful to our Navy Security Force personnel for their quick response,” the base said, without offering details on the nature of the incident.

The base said in an earlier social media post that a “lockdown/shelter-in-place remains in effect.” Traffic into and out of the base had been “secured” at that time, but was later reopened, the base said.

Signolla supports dozens of U.S. military commands from several branches, including the Navy, Army, Marine Corp and Air Force. NATO commands are also supported by the base.

The air base has been in operation since 1957 and covers some 1,300 acres over four main sites.

ABC News’ Joe Simonetti and Zoe Magee contributed to this report.

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Woman takes ‘reverse’ discrimination case to Supreme Court over hiring of gay co-workers

Woman takes ‘reverse’ discrimination case to Supreme Court over hiring of gay co-workers
Woman takes ‘reverse’ discrimination case to Supreme Court over hiring of gay co-workers
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

(WASHINGTON) — Marlean Ames had earned positive performance reviews for nearly 15 years in her job at the Ohio Department of Youth Services. But in 2019 when she applied for a promotion, she got passed over for the position and was subsequently demoted.

A gay woman got the job she’d applied for, while a gay man was assigned the job she once had. Her supervisor at the time was also gay. Ames is a straight woman.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday will take up Ames’ case of alleged “reverse discrimination” and her bid to revive a lawsuit against her employer under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex and sexual orientation.

Lower courts dismissed Ames’ claim, ruling that she had failed to meet the standard of proof for discriminatory intent against a “member of a majority group.”

The Sixth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals said Ames did not demonstrate “background circumstances to support the suspicion that the defendant is that unusual employer who discriminates against the majority.”

Ames argues that the “background circumstances” requirement — applied only to plaintiffs from majority groups, such as white and straight people — is an onerous burden that creates an unlevel playing field. She alleges circumstantial evidence alone in her case is enough to warrant a trial.

“If Ames were gay and the employees hired in preference of her were not, she would have established the elements necessary for her prima-facie case,” her attorneys argued in briefs before the high court. “But because Ames falls on the majority group side of the majority/minority fault line, she has no legal recourse.”

Prima facie, Latin for “on the face of it,” is a legal term to indicate that there are sufficient facts to support a claim.

Ohio argues that the “background circumstances” requirement is not an extra burden but rather a clarification of existing standards set by the US Supreme Court in 1973, equally applied to all.

“That the specific facts that give rise to a suspicion of discrimination differ from plaintiff to plaintiff does not mean that some parties carry a heavier prima facie burden than others,” the state argues in its brief. “It just reflects that the precise requirements of a prima facie case can vary depending on the context.”

In the case McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Green, the Court established a three-part test for determining employment discrimination under Title VII. First, a plaintiff must show a “prima facie case of discrimination;” if that’s met, an employer must provide some legitimate, nondiscriminatory explanation for the dispute; and then, the burden falls back on the plaintiff to prove that the reason is a “pretext” for discrimination.

The Supreme Court will decide whether the “background circumstances” requirement for plaintiffs like Ames is unfair. A decision, which is expected by the end of June, could, if it’s in her favor, make it easier for nonminorities to bring claims of “reverse” employment discrimination.”

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As New Orleans’ Mardi Gras goes into full swing, security boosted to historic levels

As New Orleans’ Mardi Gras goes into full swing, security boosted to historic levels
As New Orleans’ Mardi Gras goes into full swing, security boosted to historic levels
Michael DeMocker/Getty Images

(NEW ORLEANS) — More cops than confetti are expected to be prevalent on parade routes when Mardi Gras goes into full swing in New Orleans this weekend.

City officials said security has been ramped up to historic levels in the wake of a New Year’s Day terror attack on Bourbon Street that killed 14 people and injured dozens of others.

The annual Big Easy carnival has been designated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as a Special Event Assessment Rating 1, signifying the festivities require extensive federal interagency support, according to New Orleans Mayor Latoya Cantrell.

“This is one of the first moments in our history where Mardi Gras is a SEAR 1-rated event,” Cantrell said.

Mardi Gras is the third big test for New Orleans since the horrific Jan. 1 truck-ramming and shooting rampage on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter was allegedly carried out by a 42-year-old U.S. Army veteran investigators say was inspired by the ISIS terrorist group.

A day after the attack, the city hosted the Sugar Bowl college football playoff game and on Feb. 11 it hosted the Super Bowl, both held at the Caesars Superdome under tight security that included hundreds of federal, state and local law enforcement officers.

“First of all, we know that we’re battle-tested and we’re just looking forward to a healthy and safe, and fun Mardi Gras season,” Cantrell said at a news conference on Thursday. “We’ve come off the heels of a successful Sugar Bowl, a successful Super Bowl and we’re now ready and prepared for the greatest freak show on Earth.”

Mardi Gras officially kicked off in the city on Jan. 6 and runs through Fat Tuesday, or Mardi Gras Day, on March 4. Between now and Fat Tuesday, about 40 parades are planned.

Banned from parade routes

Collin Arnold, New Orleans’ director of Homeland Security, said this year’s Mardi Gras will be noticeably different from previous years, as a number of items revelers usually bring to the multiple parades have been banned.

The New Orleans City Council recently approved a list of banned items, including confetti of any kind as well as confetti launchers; charcoal and gas barbecue grills; mylar balloons; portable generators; upholstered furniture; ladders over six feet high; and private drones.

The traditional throwing of beads will not be affected by the new security measures, officials said.

Revelers have also been warned not to leave coolers or ice chests unattended on the parade routes — a measure directly related to the terrorist attack. Investigators said the suspect allegedly packed improvised explosive devices in coolers he planted along Bourbon Street in advance of the rampage.

“Bring them if you have them. Keep them near you, but if you do see an unattended cooler and you’re getting that sense that there’s nobody there, please report that immediately to the NOPD’s non-emergency line,” Arnold said.

No coolers will be allowed in the French Quarter, officials said.

Mayor Cantrell said a makeshift memorial to the victims of the terrorist attack has been relocated for Mardi Gras from a Bourbon Street sidewalk to the Presbytere State Museum near the French Quarter’s Jackson Square.

“But I need you to know it is in coordination and with real reverence with the families and victims of Jan. 1,” Cantrell said.

‘100% all hands on deck’

New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said another security measure being taken as a result of the attack is erecting hundreds of barricades on a nearly 3-mile stretch of St. Charles Avenue in the French Quarter, a major parade route.

The suspect in the New Year’s Day attack is alleged to have driven a rented pickup truck up on a sidewalk to get around a police car blocking Bourbon Street, according to investigators. The perpetrator proceeded to drive at high speed down the French Quarter thoroughfare, mowing down victims before he was killed in a gunfight with police officers, according to investigators.

Kirkpatrick said the barricades set up on the non-parade side of St. Charles Avenue will force vehicle traffic to take what she described as a “serpentine course” to get through the area.

“That will slow anybody down who thinks they’re going to use a vehicle as a weapon,” Kirkpatrick said.

Kirkpatrick said that 600 of the police department’s 900 officers working 12-hour shifts have been assigned to patrol the Mardi Gras parades. She said the remaining 300 officers will be on duty during Mardi Gras to service the rest of the city.

“We’re 100% all hands on deck,” Kirkpatrick said.

Kirkpatrick said that besides uniformed officers, 100 plainclothes officers will be embedded in the crowds.

She said K-9 units and bomb-sniffing dogs will also be deployed along parade routes. State National Guard troops are also being sent to New Orleans to help boost security.

“You’re going to see SWAT teams, you’re going to see Bearcats,” she said referring to armored vehicles.

The Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office said it is sending 200 deputies to help patrol Mardi Gras in New Orleans, and the Louisiana State Police said it will deploy another 150 troopers to New Orleans to enhance security in the Central Business District, on local highways and in the French Quarter.

Col. Robert Hodges, the state police superintendent, said the French Quarter has been designated as an “Enhanced Security Zone” requiring the most security. He said ice chests or coolers will not be allowed in the French Quarter and that any container larger than 4.5 inches by 6.5 inches will be subject to searches.

‘Strong hotel occupancy’

The popularity of Mardi Gras does not seem to have been diminished by the terrorist attack, according to New Orleans hospitality officials.

“We’re expecting very strong hotel occupancy,” said Kelly Shultz, senior vice president of New Orleans & Company, formerly known as the New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Shultz said Saturday night hotel occupancy for the second weekend of Mardi Gras was 95% compared to 83% during the same night last year.

Shultz said a Tulane University survey found that Mardi Gras alone generates about $900 million in economic revenue annually.

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Russia reports massive Ukraine drone attack on strategic port and logistics hub

Russia reports massive Ukraine drone attack on strategic port and logistics hub
Russia reports massive Ukraine drone attack on strategic port and logistics hub
In this handout photograph taken on Feb. 24, 2025 and released by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Service on Feb. 25, 2025, allied leaders visit an exhibition of the latest drones in Kyiv, Ukraine. Handout/UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SER

(LONDON) — Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed to have shot down 130 Ukrainian drones on Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, in what appears to be among Kyiv’s largest ever long-range strike into Russian territory.

Moscow said that 85 Ukrainian drones were shot down over the southern Russian region of Krasnodar Krai, with 30 more over Crimea. Another eight drones were downed over the Sea of ​​Azov, five over the Black Sea and one each over Bryansk and Kursk regions, the ministry said.

The drones over Krasnodar appeared to mass around the Black Sea port of Tuapse, which sits between the resort city of Sochi and the Russian naval base at Novorossiysk.

Gov. Veniamin Kondratyev said several houses in the Krasnodar Krai region were damaged by drone strikes or falling debris.

Andriy Kovalenko, the head of the Counter-Disinformation Center operating as part of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, said on Telegram that Russian authorities “reported an attack on the seaport in Tuapse,” which he described as “one of the key cargo ports of the Russian Federation on the Black Sea.”

“There is an oil terminal there — one of the largest in Russia,” Kovalenko added. “Oil and oil products are transported through the port, which makes it important for the Russian energy industry.”

Kovalenko said the port processes significant volumes of coal, mineral fertilizers, metal products and grain, plus serves as a rail and logistics hub for Russia’s central and southern regions.

“The port plays an important role in supporting military logistics,” Kovalenko wrote. “It is used to transport equipment, ammunition and fuel for military needs. It provides logistical support to the ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, in particular those involved in the war against Ukraine.”

Ukraine’s air force, meanwhile, reported another night of Russian cross-border attacks on Tuesday night. The air force said Russia fired 177 drones into Ukraine, of which 110 were shot down and 66 were lost in flight.

The air force reported engagements in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Kirovohrad and Sumy regions.

 

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Pope spends another ‘quiet night’ resting after Vatican gives medical updates

Pope spends another ‘quiet night’ resting after Vatican gives medical updates
Pope spends another ‘quiet night’ resting after Vatican gives medical updates
Alberto Pizzoli via Getty Images

(ROME) — The pope spent another ‘quiet night’ in Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, where he has been recovering from a bout with bronchitis since Feb. 14, the Vatican said early Wednesday.

Pope Francis’ condition remains “critical but stable,” Vatican officials said in a brief update on Tuesday.

“There have been no acute respiratory episodes and hemodynamic parameters continue to be stable. In the evening, he underwent a scheduled CT scan for radiological monitoring of the bilateral pneumonia. The prognosis remains uncertain,” the Vatican said Tuesday.

Vatican officials said Sunday he remained in critical condition but officials said that he had shown a “slight improvement” on Monday.

Further updates on the pontiff’s condition are expected on Wednesday.

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