The Excerpt: Ukraine Ceasefire, NTSB Report, and Justice Department Concerns

Ukraine Agrees to Temporary Ceasefire with Russia

On Wednesday, March 12th, 2025, "The Excerpt" podcast delved into several significant developments across the globe and within the United States. One of the most pressing topics was the agreement by Ukraine to a temporary ceasefire with Russia after negotiations held in Saudi Arabia. This development comes after a period of intense conflict and diplomatic maneuvering, raising questions about the future trajectory of the war.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a key member of the U.S. delegation at the meetings, emphasized the necessity of halting hostilities as a precursor to meaningful negotiations. Rubio stated, "The solution to this war and the way to end it and to achieve the president’s objective of peace is to negotiate. But before you can negotiate, you have to stop shooting at each other."

To provide deeper insight into this development, USA TODAY White House correspondent Francesca Chambers joined the podcast to discuss the specifics of the agreement and its potential implications. Chambers explained that Ukraine initially intended to propose a partial ceasefire encompassing land, sea, and infrastructure, particularly energy infrastructure. However, the United States presented a full ceasefire proposal, which Ukraine ultimately agreed to. This proposal aims to freeze the conflict along the current battle lines, contingent on Russia’s agreement.

The ceasefire agreement comes after a reportedly tense exchange between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky the previous month. While Zelensky was present in Saudi Arabia on Monday, he was notably absent from the direct talks between U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators. Similarly, President Trump remained in Washington, D.C., leaving the negotiations to top aides such as Secretary Rubio and National Security Advisor Michael Waltz.

Chambers noted that Secretary Rubio downplayed the significance of the relationship between Presidents Zelensky and Trump in the context of the talks. He emphasized the seriousness of the situation, stating, "This isn’t ‘Mean Girls.’ This isn’t some episode of a television show. This is serious stuff."

A major sticking point for Russia in any potential peace deal has been Ukraine’s aspirations to join NATO. The U.S. has effectively taken NATO membership off the table for Ukraine, at least in the short term, with President Trump and other officials publicly stating that it is unlikely to occur. Russia also seeks to retain control of the territory it has seized from Ukraine during the war. President Trump has expressed his intention to try and recover as much of that territory as possible, but his administration has also acknowledged that Ukraine will need to make concessions, as the war is unlikely to end militarily and will require a diplomatic resolution.

Chambers also addressed the potential impact of the ceasefire on the minerals deal between the U.S. and Ukraine, which had seemingly lost momentum. Both the U.S. and Ukraine indicated that the deal remains in play, although it was not the primary focus of the discussions in Saudi Arabia. The ceasefire agreement is expected to facilitate the resumption of U.S. military assistance and intelligence sharing with Ukraine. The podcast noted ongoing discussions regarding security guarantees for Ukraine as part of either the minerals deal or a longer-term peace agreement with Russia.

Initial reactions from Russian sources to the ceasefire proposal were cautious, with emphasis placed on the need for any deal to acknowledge Russian advances and address Moscow’s concerns. A senior Russian source told Reuters that President Vladimir Putin would find it difficult to agree to the ceasefire without securing terms and guarantees.

House Passes GOP Funding Bill, NTSB Releases Report

Beyond the international arena, the House of Representatives passed a continuing resolution in an attempt to avert a government shutdown. The vote was largely along party lines, with nearly all Republicans supporting the bill and nearly all Democrats opposing it. The bill now faces a challenging path in the Senate, requiring bipartisan support to overcome a potential filibuster.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released its preliminary report on the mid-air collision between an American Airlines regional jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River in January. The tragedy resulted in the deaths of 67 people. The NTSB issued urgent recommendations to the FAA, highlighting insufficient separation distances between Helicopter Route 4 and aircraft landing at Reagan Airport.

NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy emphasized the severity of the safety issue and commended Secretary Duffy for taking immediate action. Investigators discovered inconsistent altitude readings from the helicopter, which may have contributed to altitude deviation. Furthermore, the helicopter crew may not have received a critical air traffic control instruction to pass behind the airline flight, possibly due to radio interference. The airliner received a traffic alert and collision avoidance system (TCAS) warning seconds before impact, but it was too late to prevent the crash.

The podcast highlighted the notoriously congested airspace in the Washington, D.C. area and noted frequent collision avoidance system alerts involving helicopters and commercial jets at Reagan Airport.

Attorney General Bondi and the Justice Department

The podcast shifted its focus to domestic issues, examining the actions of Attorney General Pam Bondi and her efforts to depoliticize the Justice Department. USA TODAY domestic security correspondent Josh Meyer joined the podcast to discuss concerns that Bondi may be aligning the Justice Department with President Trump’s agenda.

Meyer addressed the controversy surrounding Bondi’s decision to release documents related to convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and his alleged ties to prominent Democrats, including former President Bill Clinton. While the released documents contained no new information, the move raised questions about Bondi’s motives.

Meyer explained that Bondi’s actions were viewed by some as an attempt to appease Trump supporters who believed that the Epstein documents would damage Democrats and benefit the president. He also pointed out that Bondi herself stated she was releasing the documents at the direction of President Trump.

Several former Justice Department officials expressed concern that Bondi’s actions were a form of weaponizing the Justice Department, contrary to her promise to depoliticize it. Meyer elaborated on other measures taken by Bondi, including the establishment of a weaponization working group to investigate federal and state prosecutions of Trump that he claims were overly politicized. Another directive required Justice Department lawyers to "zealously advance, protect, and defend" the interests and policies of Trump himself, rather than those of the United States.

According to Meyer, Bondi’s Justice Department and the FBI have reportedly fired, transferred, or launched investigations into numerous senior officials deemed problematic.

The Justice Department declined to comment on accusations that Bondi has politicized the agency but provided a list of her accomplishments. Bondi continues to assert that she is working to depoliticize the Justice Department, which she believes is biased against Trump and political conservatives in general.

The Justice Department also dismissed four diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) lawsuits brought against police and fire departments. It warned officials in California, Maine, and Minnesota that failing to comply with federal laws regarding men in women’s sports could result in federal lawsuits. Furthermore, the department launched a multi-agency federal task force to combat anti-Semitism, which recently announced the withdrawal of $400 million in federal funds from Columbia University due to the university’s alleged inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students.

Meyer reported on several resignations within the Justice Department, particularly in the federal prosecutors office in New York City, following the Justice Department’s demand to drop the criminal investigation and prosecution of New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Prosecutors on the case refused to comply, leading to the resignation of Acting Manhattan US Attorney Danielle Sassoon and six other prosecutors.

Other News

The podcast also covered a federal appeals court decision to block President Trump’s order to end automatic citizenship to children born in the United States to parents who are not legally authorized to be in the country.

The Trump administration is reportedly cutting roughly half of the Department of Education’s workforce through a combination of mass layoffs and voluntary buyouts. More than 1,300 education department employees received termination notices.

Finally, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals blocked the execution of convicted El Paso Desert Killer David Leonard Wood.