U.S. and Ukraine partner on drones and Trump announces Hamas deal: Morning Rundown

The U.S. is turning to Ukraine for help with drone technology. Trump threatens to pull his AG nomination until two GOP holdouts leave office. And why the job market is especially difficult for new college graduates.

U.S. turns to war-weary Ukraine for help with drone technology

The U.S., which has the world’s most expensive and powerful military, is leaning on Ukraine, the world’s scrappiest fighting force, for combat drone technology.

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Last week, the two countries signed an agreement allowing Ukrainian-made weaponry to be sent to the U.S. for military testing and evaluation, Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.S. Olga Stefanishyna and a senior administration official confirmed to NBC News.

It’s a remarkable turnaround after a contentious Oval Office meeting in February 2025 between President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy, when Trump cut off military assistance for Ukraine and said it had to pay for all previous U.S. aid.

Now, Ukraine has emerged as a global leader in drones, an agile and inexpensive weapon it has used to push back Russia during its yearslong war.

The partnership also reflects the growing munitions shortage facing the U.S. as the war in Iran enters its sixth month and fighting continues.

A closer look at the behind-the-scenes negotiations.

Israel’s support in Trump’s Hamas peace plan is uncertain

In a Truth Social post yesterday afternoon, President Trump announced an agreement with Hamas leaders that he said would lead to a “COMPLETE DISARMAMENT” of the Palestinian militant group under a structured process. But whether the agreement will hold remains uncertain, as an Israeli official said the proposed terms were not acceptable.

The agreement, reached after talks in Cairo between Hamas leaders and mediators from Egypt, Qatar and Turkey, would call for Gaza to be “governed by a new Palestinian government” that would work with Trump’s Board of Peace, Trump said.

A Hamas official and a diplomat familiar with the Cairo talks said the progress would depend on Israel’s response and whether it allowed a broader agreement to be reached.

The key sticking point in talks that could hinder progress.

Trump threatens to withdraw Blanche AG nomination

The two Republican senators who raised concerns about Todd Blanche, Trump’s pick for attorney general, pushed back against the president’s threat to withdraw the nomination and restart the process once they leave office. Trump made the threat a day after the Senate Judiciary Committee postponed a vote to advance Blanche’s nomination over objections from Sens. John Cornyn and Thom Tillis.

Cornyn said in a post on X that Trump would be “mistaken” if he believed he and Tillis were the only lawmakers with concerns. Tillis called the president’s threat “politically tone deaf.”

The senators remain hesitant to support Blanche over concerns about Trump’s settlement with the IRS related to the leak of his tax returns. They want the Justice Department to put in writing that it will not move forward with plans for an “anti-weaponization” fund.

Cornyn and Tillis detail their meetings with administration officials.

More politics news:

Insurance denies a surgery to treat a mom’s pregnancy-related condition

Stephanie Garneaux, of Portland, Oregon, wants to get on the floor and play with her kids. But any movement that engages her core muscles — bending, turning, stretching — is painful and debilitating.

The mother of two has a severe form of diastasis recti, a common pregnancy-related condition that occurs when the rectus abdominis muscles (commonly known as six-pack abs) thin and separate.

When physical therapy failed to help, Garneaux’s doctor recommended surgery. But her Medicaid plan denied the request — twice. This month, Garneaux received the call she had been waiting for.

Why it’s can be difficult to get treatment for diastasis recti.

Staff Pick: Odds of finding a job after graduating from college getting worse

It’s no secret that the job market stinks right now. But for soon-to-be college graduates, like myself, breaking into the workforce is harder now than it used to be.

I analyzed data and spoke with experts from job platforms LinkedIn, Indeed and Handshake and found that fewer entry-level jobs are available to this year’s graduates than to their peers in previous years. And when they enter the job market, students are receiving fewer offers despite submitting more applications.

Most people hold the belief that earning a college degree is a guaranteed way to advance your career, and that’s still true for some folks. But for the class of 2026, that guarantee may take more time.

Explore more of the data and some of the factors putting a damper on entry-level hiring. — Ashley Mowreader , data graphics intern

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