Reaction to Trump’s ‘energy ceasefire’ and judge slams tree removal from DC golf course: Morning Rundown

Russia attacks Ukraine after Trump’s ‘energy ceasefire’. Conservative rumors about James Talarico are backfiring. And more than 400 trees are being cut down on the Washington DC golf course that Trump wants to renovate.

Here’s what you need to know today.

Russia hits Ukrainian infrastructure despite Trump’s ‘energy ceasefire’

Oil and gas prices rose yesterday after the “energy ceasefire” announced by President Donald Trump on Sunday failed to gain traction. Brent crude jumped 2% to nearly $108 a barrel, and U.S. crude rose more than 2% to around $94. On Tuesday morning, Brent fell to around $105 a barrel and US crude fell to around $92.

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Meanwhile, Russia continued to strike Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, including attacking a power plant in Kharkiv.

Trump indicated that he knew that neither Ukraine nor Russia had committed to a cease-fire when he made the announcement on Truth Social. “They agreed, you know why? Because I said, ‘You agree,'” Trump told reporters yesterday.

The “energy ceasefire” came two days after another surprise announcement from Trump – that Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed to supply 300,000 tonnes of diesel fuel “to the US and global market”, demanding a six-month suspension of fuel sanctions imposed on the Kremlin in 2022 for its illegal invasion of Ukraine. The suspension of sanctions angered Ukrainian officials, European allies and some U.S. lawmakers.

Trump yesterday defended the Russia deal, calling it “a good choice for the American people.” Nevertheless, experts remain very skeptical that Russian diesel exports will significantly recover in the short term due to Ukrainian strikes on refiners located in the Russian heartland.

Why the ceasefire and diesel deals surprised some leaders.

GOP attempts to trip up James Talarico continue to backfire

Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico returned to the campaign trail after saying he had the flu with a message for his Republican challenger, Ken Paxton: Let’s debate. “Ken Paxton asked me for proof of life,” Talarico said. “I’m asking him for proof of spine.”

Talarico’s challenge to Paxton came after conservatives sparked rumors on social media that his absence for more than a week was due to mental health issues. The Ohio facility at the center of the rumor denied the claim. Talarico said he has never been to the state. Even some Republicans admit the episode is bad, and this isn’t the first time the Republican Party has tried to take a big hit at Talarico, only to backfire.

How the GOP attacked Talarico.

More political news:

• For subscribers: Steve Kornacki, NBC News chief data analyst, explains why this year’s midterms are different from the 2018 election in The Data Dive, a subscriber-exclusive newsletter about the numbers, trends and data shaping the biggest stories as the midterms approach.

• For subscribers: A Republican group spent $25,000 to strengthen Susan Collins in Portland, Maine. Announcements ran in Portland, Oregon, instead.

Trump says ‘we are considering’ firing Kimberly Guilfoyle, US ambassador to Greece

Trump indicated Monday that he was considering firing Kimberly Guilfoyle, a former campaign official who has served as U.S. ambassador to Greece since 2025.

“We are looking into it,” Trump said when asked if he was considering firing Guilfoyle, as first reported by the Associated Press, amid allegations of misconduct related to her role as ambassador.

“We’re not happy,” Trump added.

Guilfoyle and the U.S. Embassy in Greece are under investigation by the State Department’s Office of Inspector General, two people familiar with the decision confirmed to NBC News last week.

The investigation follows reports in the Wall Street Journal of misconduct in her role as ambassador, including boasting about her ties to Greek tycoons who she said financed luxury trips for her. The story cited people who overheard the conversation and an audio recording. The reports have not been independently confirmed by NBC News.

Last week, a Trump donor named Eric Deters came forward, accusing Guilfoyle of asking him to pay his unpaid $100,000 American Express bill in the days before his 2025 Senate confirmation hearing in exchange for access to senior administration officials.

Read the full story.

Judge slams Trump admin for cutting down trees on Washington golf course

A federal judge has issued a restraining order prohibiting any further trees from being removed — until today at least — from a public golf course in Washington, D.C., which Donald Trump wants to turn into “one of the greatest golf courses in the world.” U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes criticized the Trump administration during a hearing yesterday after the removal of more than 400 trees over the weekend at the East Potomac Golf Course. “I am furious,” she told Justice Department lawyers, adding: “What happened cost the government all its credibility.”

Reyes previously asked the Trump administration to provide him and the plaintiffs’ attorneys with “ample notice before a major event occurs,” and the government agreed. But yesterday a Justice Department lawyer said “we did our best” when he announced plans to cut down hundreds of trees shortly before 5 p.m. Friday, at the start of a three-day holiday weekend and about 12 hours before the work was due to begin.

What else did Reyes say to Trump administration lawyers.

Staff choice: AI is shaking up the world of mathematics

When OpenAI announced that it had solved more than 370 math problems that humans needed to solve, it shook mathematicians around the world.

It’s a difficult story to understand: the math problems OpenAI claims to solve are abstract, complicated, and way beyond my level of math education. Are these issues important? Is it just hype?

I cast a wide net among mathematicians to get a sense of how this discovery – and AI in general – is shaking up their field. They were all over the map.

“We should rejoice and dance in the streets,” said one mathematician. “We got hit by a huge wave and now we’re sort of out in the open ocean,” said another.

While some viewed the new AI-generated solutions as a “treasure” or “advance” on key problems, others described them as poorly written work that would take academic mathematicians months to verify. — Evan Bushscience journalist

Read all about it

• RJ Mitte, the actor known for playing Walter White’s son in “Breaking Bad” and disability rights advocate, died at age 34.

• One person died at Six Flags Over Georgia after witnesses reported seeing a man fall from the Goliath roller coaster.

• Selma Blair was arrested on two counts of assault, accused of being physically violent during the robbery, as well as kicking an officer and a nurse. The “Cruel Intentions” star’s lawyers say she is suffering a medical emergency.

• A man who was injured when an ICE officer’s car ran over him last weekend in Houston will need additional surgeries to reconstruct his leg and other parts of his body, a lawyer said.

• Buffalo Bills win 37-34 against the Los Angeles Rams was the thriller of the NFL seasona back-and-forth affair featuring plenty of twists, turns, touchdowns, turnovers and game-changing plays.

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