Crooked Media - What A Day: Vodka shots fired

BY MATT BERG
& CROOKED MEDIA

FRIDAY
FEBRUARY 28, 2025

We’re not playing cards!”

— Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, rebuking Donald Trump’s claim that his country “doesn’t have the cards right now” in its war against Russia.

DUMPSTER CEASEFIRE

Did American support for Ukraine’s war with Russia just melt down on live TV in an angry Oval Office brawl? Well... it sure looks that way.

President Donald Trump’s explosive White House meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy this afternoon was a scene for the history books, unspooling in real-time before rolling cameras. Not only was it messy, vitriolic and bizarre even by Trump standards — it may one day be remembered as the moment when years of support for a besieged American ally at war cracked in a heated argument, while European leaders gawked in slack-jawed horror.

The meeting between Trump, Zelenskyy and Vice President JD Vance started out friendly enough. Zelenskyy had come to Washington to urge Trump to continue supporting his country’s fight against Russia’s invasion — and negotiate a response to Trump’s demand for $500 billion in rare earth minerals. But as the three men answered questions from the press, tempers began to rise… until they boiled over in angry recriminations, accusations and downright insults. Trump is the only American president who’s ever appeared on WWE, and today, it showed.

“I’ve empowered you to be a tough guy, and I don’t think he'd be a tough guy without the United States,” Trump railed at a visibly disturbed Zelenskyy. “You’re either going to make a deal or we're out — and if we’re out, you'll fight it out. I don’t think it's going to be pretty.”

Trump thundered: “You don’t have the cards right now … You’re gambling with World War III!” Zelenskyy’s shot back: “We’re not playing cards!”

“Fuck,” a Ukrainian lawmaker texted What A Day, after seeing the news. Trump then kicked Zelenskyy out of the White House — and hinted at a withdrawal of U.S. military support. “I have determined that President Zelenskyy is not ready for Peace if America is involved,” he wrote. “He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office. He can come back when he is ready for Peace.” The White House canceled a joint news conference with the leaders.

The episode shook Ukraine supporters to their core. “I am just stunned. This might have been the worst possible thing that could have happened today,” Doug Klain, a policy analyst for the pro-Ukrainian Razom advocacy group, told What A Day. Putin and his allies are likely celebrating, he added. “I’m sure they’re already on their seventh vodka toast.”

Others believe Zelenskyy should’ve been more careful to not argue publicly with Trump in front of the cameras: “I think it was a really stupid move from our side,” Volodymyr Omelyan, Ukraine’s former infrastructure minister, texted me. “Much better to sign the means-nothing-agreement and keep on fighting.” Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev rejoiced and called Zelenskyy an “insolent pig.”

It’s hard to overstate the significance of what just went down. Ukraine’s relationship with the United States has been on shaky footing since Trump took office, but today marks a low point. A careful viewing of the tape shows that JD Vance started the fight by accusing Zelenskyy of coming to “litigate this in front of the American media.” Trump’s team appears to have been looking for a barfight. “This is going to be big,” a reporter overheard White House staff whisper.

Meanwhile, a Russian state news reporter seemingly waltzed into the Oval Office for the meeting, and no one’s even talking about that anymore. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s posture sums up how we all felt watching that meeting.

UNNATURAL DISASTER

While Donald Trump spent the day yelling at Ukraine’s president, his administration picked a fight with a more unlikely opponent …the weather. Climate correspondent Anya Zoledziowski joins me to explain why this is bad news.

Trump and the DOGE bros just fired hundreds of people who help keep Americans safe from storms and hurricanes. So far, probationary employees at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have been let go, but the administration is threatening even more imminent cuts.

“My first thought is, ‘wow, that’s really stupid,’” Andrew Rosenberg, former deputy director of NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service, told What A Day.

It’s stupid, he said, because NOAA does a heck of a lot. It monitors the atmosphere and oceans, protects marine life, forecasts weather, and so much more. Those forecasts provide early warnings of natural disasters, which are growing more frequent and destructive thanks to climate change. And they don’t just help humans. They also help protect and conserve marine life. “If you think turtles and whales don’t matter, just ask a schoolkid,” Rosenberg said. 😭

Over two-thousand scientists have urged Congress and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to protect the agency and its vital work. “Without a strong NOAA, a cornerstone of the U.S. scientific research enterprise, the world will be flying blind into the growing perils of global climate change,” states a letter signed by 2,500 experts earlier this week. Lutnick previously promised he wouldn’t dismantle the agency…wtf, man!

Those who remain at the agency are shaken up. “The vibe is bad. People are angry, sad, crying in meetings, feeling defeated, but trying to find some way to fight it and stop this bullshit,” a NOAA staffer who is still employed told What A Day, adding that the suicide prevention hotline number has been shared. Let that sink in. Remember, Russell Vought said: “We want the bureaucrats to be traumatically affected.”

“The people I worked with in government are the hardest working, most dedicated people I’ve ever worked with,” Rosenberg said. “They’ve been threatened, insulted, and intimidated to a level I've never seen by this administration.”

Others expressed determination to fight — including in court. “Overall our vibes are just solidarity, we love all our coworkers and respect the world we do and we all know this isn’t justified, legal, or in any way related to us,” a second person still with NOAA told us.

This story is supported by our nonprofit partner, Crooked Ideas.

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WHAT ELSE?

Donald Trump is planning to sign an executive order making English the U.S.’s official language. It’s the first time in America’s nearly 250-year history that there will be an official language at the federal level, a largely symbolic part of Trump’s anti-immigration agenda.

The Education Department offered employees $25,000 to retire ahead of expected DOGE cuts this morning, according to an email obtained by What A Day. The email immediately disappeared from inboxes — without explanation. They didn’t want us to get this hot scoop, but you can’t stop us!!!

More than 75,000 people have canceled their Washington Post subscriptions after shiny-headed space cowboy Jeff Bezos’s takeover of the paper’s editorial board. If you want to hit Jeff where it hurts, cancel your Amazon Prime subscription, don’t punish the good journalists at the Post!

Trump’s top advisers had to teach Elon Musk the basics about civics and how Congress works — only a few months ago, the New York Times reports. Those lessons were necessary before DOGE began its tear through the federal government. This makes sense considering Musk is a native of South Africa who has never taken an interest in anything that doesn’t directly relate to his bottom line. Comforting to know that high schoolers probably know more about how the federal government works than the guy literally running it.

Trump’s choice to be his top military adviser, Dan “Razin’” Caine, might have trouble being confirmed because he was pictured wearing a politically affiliated (MAGA) hat a few years ago, seemingly violating military rules. Caine also said that he would “kill” for the president, Trump said. Which, I guess, is what the military literally does? Kind of? Still, putting it like that seems… creepy.

FBI Director Kash Patel reportedly told officials that he plans to spend a lot of time in Las Vegas while he’s in the job, where he lived last year. He also requested that his personal trainer be allowed into his office building for workouts. I expect nothing less from a MAGA children’s book author.

Trump’s FBI is investigating a Biden administration grant program for climate and clean energy projects, despite pushback from career prosecutors who refused to look into the case, the Washington Post reports, citing two people familiar with the details. Huh! This seems to keep happening… it’s almost like Trump is politicizing the DOJ to attack things he doesn’t like!

Citigroup accidentally credited a client with $81 trillion in his account, when it meant to send only $280. I would love to invite any financial institution to make the same mistake with me.

WE'RE ALL FRIENDS HERE

Trump used his first term to blow up the Presidential Comms playbook through press conferences that looked more like circus sideshows and unhinged all-caps tweets. Now, in this even-scarier White House sequel, he and his gaggle of bumbling nativist billionaire henchmen are redefining the Executive Branch entirely. The results after one month? Not great! What does that mean for Americans today, let alone the aspiring authoritarians who may be in our future?

In the newest episode of Inside 2025, Dan Pfeiffer and Jon Favreau chat with their former White House colleague Jen Psaki to break down how modern presidents have used the press to their advantage, what it takes to control the narrative, and whether Democrats are up to the task of leading us through this uncharted territory. To listen to this exclusive ad-free episode, subscribe to Friends of the Pod atcrooked.com/friends or directly from the Pod Save America feed on Apple Podcasts—you can get started with a free 7 day trial.

A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to rescind its mass firings of probationary federal workers at agencies, including the Department of Defense, saying that the actions were probably illegal. “Questionably legal” is a good rule of thumb for many things related to this administration.

Volunteers in some major cities are using bullhorns and sirens to warn residents when ICE agents show up to raid the area and detain immigrants. “The less people know about these operations, the better,” Trump border czar Tom Homan recently said. How’s that going???

A rare seven-planet “parade” will be mostly visible to the naked eye tonight across the entire United States, but it would be helpful if you had a telescope. You can catch me star-gazing tonight, dreaming of being on one of those planets instead of this one!

Meet Betty (top) and Sunny Bear (bottom)!

“Betty is the world’s most perfect girl. She loves her people, turkey burgers and resting on her pillow. Betty is sweet, soft, squishy and a world champion sleeping buddy. She does not especially like exercising or precipitation. Betty Spaghetti is known all around town for her cute little puggy face and lovable personality. Pictured here in her purple Christmas outfit."

“Sunny Bear is as smart as she is fluffy. She has lots of tricks up her puppy sleeves - jumping through hoops, shaking paw, etc. Sunny Bear loves to eat snacks, play with friends and cuddle. When she was a puppy, she looked like a little skunk. Full Name: Sunshine Bear.”

-Emily