The Scramble After a White House Showdown, and R.F.K. Jr.’s Measles Response

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Headlines Episode: The Scramble After a White House Showdown, and R.F.K. Jr.’s Measles Response
Release Date: March 3, 2025
Host: Tracy Mumford, The New York Times

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1. White House Showdown and U.S.-Ukraine Relations

Overview: The episode kicks off with an intense discussion about the recent heated exchange between former President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. This confrontation has led to a shift in the Trump administration’s approach towards Ukraine, signaling a more aggressive stance.

Key Points:

• Trump’s Call for Apology: Donald Trump expressed his hope that President Zelenskyy would "come back," apologizing for his behavior during their recent encounter. At [00:59], Trump states, “I hope and pray frankly that President Zelensky will come to his senses, come back to President Trump, apologize for his behavior there.”

• Republican Leadership's Stance: House Speaker Mike Johnson echoes the sentiment, insisting that Zelenskyy should be the one to apologize. At [01:46], Johnson emphasizes the need for a leader capable of ending the war with Russia, stating, “We need a leader that can deal with us eventually deal with the Russians and end this war.”

• Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s Criticism: Rubio criticized Zelenskyy for undermining peace negotiations, adding pressure to the already strained relationship.

• Potential Policy Shifts: An official revealed that Trump is meeting with top national security aides to explore policy options for Ukraine, which may include suspending or canceling some military aid ([02:07]).

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2. European Leaders' Response

Overview: In the wake of the Trump-Zelenskyy fallout, European leaders have swiftly moved to reaffirm their support for Ukraine, aiming to bridge any potential gaps in the transatlantic alliance.

Key Points:

• Unified Support for Zelenskyy: Mark Landler, Times bureau chief in London, highlights the solidarity shown by European leaders, including a personal meeting between Zelenskyy and King Charles ([03:14]).

• Keir Starmer’s Dual Objectives: UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer hosted a leadership meeting in London with two primary goals:

  1. Preventing Alliance Rift: Demonstrate Europe’s readiness to increase defense spending and form a "coalition of the willing" to support peace agreements ([03:14]).
  2. Preparing for Independence: In anticipation of a possible fallout with the U.S., Starmer and other European leaders are strategizing to take more control over the Ukraine effort ([03:14]).

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3. Israel and Hamas Ceasefire Negotiations

Overview: The podcast addresses the breakdown in ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas, highlighting the complexities and consequences of stalled peace efforts.

Key Points:

• Ceasefire Disruption: Israel has halted all aid shipments into Gaza, aiming to compel Hamas to accept new terms beyond the original agreement ([04:45]).

• Phase One Expiry: The initial phase of the truce expired over the weekend, with both sides expected to negotiate a long-term end to hostilities. Instead, Israel seeks only a short-term extension and the return of half of the remaining hostages.

• Hamas’s Rejection: Hamas has dismissed Israel’s new proposal, labeling the halt in humanitarian aid as "cheap blackmail" ([04:45]).

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4. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the Measles Outbreak

Overview: A significant focus is placed on the ongoing measles outbreak in West Texas and the federal response under the leadership of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., highlighting the challenges in public health communication.

Key Points:

• Outbreak Details: Over 140 people have contracted measles in West Texas, resulting in the death of an unvaccinated child—the first measles death in the U.S. in a decade ([05:37]).

• Kennedy’s Response: Robert F. Kennedy Jr., head of the Department of Health and Human Services, acknowledged the severity of the outbreak. At [05:30], he stated, “Why did we do this today? ... because this is a big deal,” and reiterated the consequences of measles presence in communities ([05:37]).

• Federal Criticism: Critics point out that the federal response has been sluggish and lacks emphasis on vaccination. The Department of Health and Human Services delayed issuing substantive notices until a month after the first cases and omitted vaccination discussions in recent cabinet meeting remarks.

• Contrast with Previous Administration: The current response starkly contrasts with the Trump administration’s proactive vaccine awareness campaigns, which successfully led to over 60,000 vaccinations ([06:01]).

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5. Honora’s Triumph at the Academy Awards

Overview: Shifting gears to the entertainment industry, the episode celebrates Honora’s remarkable success at the latest Academy Awards, despite its modest box office performance.

Key Points:

• Oscar Sweep: The independent film "Honora," which tells the story of a sex worker marrying the son of a Russian oligarch, won five Oscars, including Best Picture ([07:14]).

• Sean Baker’s Achievement: Director Sean Baker secured four Oscars for directing, editing, writing, and producing, tying Walt Disney’s 1954 record for most Oscars won by a single person in one year ([07:36]).

• Mikey Madison’s Victory: At [07:53], Tracy Mumford highlights that 25-year-old Mikey Madison won Best Actress for her role in Honora, making her one of the youngest recipients of the award. Madison’s dedication included learning Russian and undergoing intensive training to authentically portray her character.

• Box Office Contrast: Despite its critical acclaim, Honora garnered less than $16 million since its October release, making it one of the lowest-grossing Best Picture winners, especially when compared to last year’s "Oppenheimer," which earned over $300 million ([07:50]).

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Conclusion

Tracy Mumford wraps up the episode by reiterating the key headlines: the escalating tension between the U.S. and Ukraine, the European response aiming to maintain unity, the stalled ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, the critical handling of the measles outbreak under Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and the surprising triumph of an indie film at the Oscars. She also teases the next segment featuring Peter Baker’s report on the Trump-Zelenskyy rift ([07:53]).

For a deeper dive into these stories, listeners can access the full episode via the New York Times Audio app or their preferred podcast platform.

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Notable Quotes:

• Donald Trump ([00:59]): “I hope and pray frankly that President Zelensky will come to his senses, come back to President Trump, apologize for his behavior there.”

• Mike Johnson ([01:46]): “We need a leader that can deal with us eventually deal with the Russians and end this war.”

• Mark Landler ([03:14]): “We hope that you'll stay part of this effort.”

• Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ([05:37]): “We are now seeing a very serious consequence of what happens when we have measles in our community.”

• Sean Baker ([07:24]): “This film was made on the blood, sweat and tears of incredible indie artists and long-lived independent film.”

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Stay informed with The New York Times Audio app by downloading it at nytimes.com/audioapp.

Transcript

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[Tracy Mumford]

From the new York Times, it's the headlines. I'm Tracy Mumford. Today's Monday, March 3rd. Here's what we're covering.

[Donald Trump]

We are re Exerting peace through strength. President Trump has brought back strength to.

[Tracy Mumford]

The White House after Friday's fiery showdown in the Oval Office. The Trump administration and other top Republicans are doubling down on their aggressive stance toward Volodymyr Zelensky.

[Donald Trump]

I hope and pray frankly that President Zelensky will come to his senses, come back to President Trump, apologize for his behavior there.

[Tracy Mumford]

House Speaker Mike Johnson said Zelensky should be the one to apologize. After Donald Trump and J.D. vance publicly berated the Ukrainian leader for not being grateful enough for US Aid.

[Donald Trump]

Said, I hope he comes to the realization that we're actually trying to help his country here.

[Tracy Mumford]

Secretary of State Marco Rubio also criticized Zelenskyy, saying he was undermining peace negotiations.

[Donald Trump]

And that's what Zelenskyy did, unfortunately, is he found every opportunity to try to Ukraine on every issue, then he confronts the vice president.

[Tracy Mumford]

When the vice national security adviser, Mike Waltz, went further in an interview on cnn. Are you suggesting that President Trump wants Zelensky to resign?

[Mike Johnson]

We need a leader that can deal with us eventually deal with the Russians and end this war. And if it becomes apparent that President Zelensky's either personal motivations or political motivations are divergent from ending the fighting in his country, then I think we have a real issue on our hands.

[Tracy Mumford]

Today, Trump is set to meet with his top national security aides to consider a range of policy options for Ukraine, an official tells the Times. That could include suspending or canceling some military aid.

[Mike Johnson]

Meanwhile, we are at a crossroads in history today. This is not a moment for more talk. It's time to act.

[Tracy Mumford]

European leaders scrambled to show their support for Ukraine after Zelenskyy's heated exchange with Trump. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer hosted a meeting of the leaders in London.

[Mark Landler]

Zelenskyy included, European leaders wrapped their arms around Zelenskyy. You know, it was his first chance after the very bad meeting with Donald Trump to see them in person. And so there were a lot of expressions of support.

[Tracy Mumford]

Mark Landler is the Times bureau chief in London. He says Zelensky even had a personal meeting with King Charles. A significant show of solidarity overall. The European leaders, with Starmer at the helm, were trying to negotiate their quickly shifting relationship with the U.S. keir Starmer.

[Mark Landler]

Had sort of two goals with this meeting. One was to prevent a irreparable rift in the transatlantic alliance. And in order to do that, he really wanted to demonstrate that Europe was ready to step up, both to spend more money on defense on its own, but also to put together what he's calling a coalition of the willing, which is a number of European countries that will take steps from deploying aircraft and troops to a peacekeeping force to, in a sense, secure any peace agreement that Russia and Ukraine agree to. And then he hopes that by doing that, he can go back to Donald Trump and say, we've stepped up, we're willing to pay a higher price, shoulder more of a burden. And so for that reason, we hope that you'll stay part of this effort. But the second purpose here was to get Europe ready should that transatlantic alliance really be finished. If this breach cannot be filled, if Donald Trump is really walking away, I think Starmer and Emmanuel Macron of France and other leaders recognize that Europe's gonna have to be far more in charge of this effort, gonna have to take charge of it. And so sort of two here, one to keep the alliance together, but two to start planning for a world in which that may not happen.

[Tracy Mumford]

This weekend, Israel disrupted the ceasefire negotiations with Hamas and announced it will stop all aid shipments into Gaza. It wants to try and force the militant group to accept new terms outside of the original agreement. Phase one of the existing deal expired over the weekend. The two sides were supposed to move into negotiations about a longer term end to fighting. But now Israel is calling for just a short term extension of the truce and the return of half of the hostages remaining in Gaza. Hamas immediately rejected the new proposal and called Israel's halt in humanitarian aid cheap blackmail.

[Robert F. Kennedy Jr.]

Why did we do this today? Why did we choose to have a press conference? The way that I say this is because this is a big deal.

[Tracy Mumford]

In West Texas, doctors and health officials have been racing to try and contain a measles outbreak that has sickened more than 140 people and killed one unvaccinated child. The Measles death was the first in the US In a decade and we.

[Robert F. Kennedy Jr.]

Have known that we've had measles in our community. We are now seeing a very serious consequence of what happens when we have measles in our community.

[Tracy Mumford]

The flare up of cases which has now spread to New Mexico is shining a harsh spotlight on the federal response to the outbreak. Experts say that the Department of Health and Human Services, run by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Has been underplaying the best way to control the disease, vaccines. Kennedy used to run an anti vaccine nonprofit and has claimed in the past that, quote, measles outbreaks have been fabricated to create fear. The federal government didn't send out a substantive notice about the outbreak until a month after the first cases were reported. And in televised remarks at a cabinet meeting last week, Kennedy didn't mention vaccination at all. In an opinion piece published yesterday, though he did urge parents to talk to their doctors about vaccinating their kids. The relatively muted response is a sharp contrast to how Emizel's outbreak during President Trump's first term was handled. At that time, officials led an intense public campaign to raise awareness about vaccines that led to more than 60,000 people getting vaccinated. And finally, and the Oscar goes to.

[Financial Advisor]

Oh Honora.

[Tracy Mumford]

The big winner at last night's Academy Awards was Honora. The film about a sex worker who marries the son of a Russian oligarch won five Oscars including best picture.

[Mike Johnson]

I want to thank the Academy for recognizing a truly independent film. This film was made on the blood, sweat and tears of incredible indie artists and long lived independent film.

[Mark Landler]

Yeah, okay, thanks.

[Tracy Mumford]

Sean Baker took home four of those awards for directing, editing, writing and producing the film. He tied Walt Disney's record from 1954 for most Oscars won by a single person in one year.

[Financial Advisor]

Here are the nominees for best actress in a leading role.

[Tracy Mumford]

The 25 year old star of Honora, Mikey Madison, won best actress. She's one of the youngest people ever to win that award. This is a dream come true. I'm probably going to wake up tomorrow. Madison learned Russian for the role. She also took pole dancing classes and spent time with dancers and in strip clubs to study how they work. I also just want to again recognize and honor the sex worker community. I will. It was a remarkable sweep for a movie that made almost no money at the box office. Last year's best picture winner, Oppenheimer, made more than $300 million. Honora took in less than 16 million since it was released in October. That makes it one of the lowest grossing films ever to win best picture. Those are the headlines today. On the Daily Times, reporter Peter Baker on the growing rift between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. That's next in the New York Times audio app. Or you can listen wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Tracy Mumford. We'll be back tomorrow.