U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that there will be “very severe consequences” if Russian President Vladimir Putin doesn’t agree to stop his war in Ukraine after their Friday summit in Alaska, though he did not say what those consequences might be.
Trump’s comment came after attending a virtual meeting with European leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who told the group that Putin “is bluffing” about seeking peace. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the European leaders had a “constructive and good” discussion with Trump.
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Trump-Putin meeting at Alaska military base offers security — and more
President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin meeting at an American military base this week allows them to avoid any protests and provides an important level of security.
That’s according to Benjamin Jensen, senior fellow for defense and security at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based think tank.
“For President Trump, it’s a great way for him to show American military strength while also isolating the ability of the public or others to intervene with what he probably hopes is a productive dialogue,” Jensen said.
He said the location means Trump can cultivate ties with Putin while “signaling military power to try to gain that bargaining advantage to make a second meeting possible.”
Treasury Secretary Bessent calls for a ban on members of Congress trading individual stocks
“It is the credibility of the House and the Senate,” Bessent said during an interview. “It brings down trust in the system because, I can tell you, if any private citizen traded this way, the SEC would be knocking on their door.”
Bessent’s call makes him the latest federal official to call for some limits on congressional stock trading. Members of Congress have received mounting criticism in recent years for operating investment portfolios while serving in Congress.
Insider trading by members of Congress is already illegal under the STOCK Act of 2012, though concerns over enforcement and the perception of bias persist among the public.
Members of Congress have shown interest in imposing limits on their own stock trading. Senators on both sides of the aisle have introduced legislation that would limit federal officials and their families from managing the buying and selling of assets ranging from publicly traded stocks and bonds. Other lawmakers and government watchdogs have proposed bans on trading other financial assets, such as cryptocurrency and real estate.
Former President Joe Biden in December called for a ban on congressional stock trading.
US issues sanctions waiver to allow Russia to spend money in support of Putin-Trump meeting
The Treasury Department has issued a license that temporarily waives sanctions to allow Russia to spend money inside the United States to support Russian President Vladimir Putin’s summit with President Donald Trump later this week.
The license, which will expire on Aug. 20, five days after the summit, authorizes the Russian government to spend and American companies and others to accept summit-related payments that might otherwise be prohibited by U.S. sanctions.
Payments that “are ordinarily incident and necessary to the attendance at or support of meetings in the State of Alaska between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the Russian Federation” are allowed by the license.
Wednesday’s Treasury notice did not specify what specific transactions would be allowed.
Trump pledged to move homeless people from Washington. What we know and don’t know about his plans
Trump says homeless people in the nation’s capital will be moved far from the city as part of his federal takeover of policing in the District of Columbia and crackdown on crime.
With his exact plans unclear, there is concern among advocates and others who say there are better ways to address the issue of homelessness than clearing encampments, as the Republican administration has pledged to do.
Washington’s status as a congressionally established federal district gives Trump the opportunity to push his tough-on-crime agenda, though he has not proposed solutions to the root causes of homelessness or crime.
▶ Read more about Washington’s homeless population
Texas Democrats rebuff Republican calls to stop their walkout by Friday
Texas Democrats will not return to the state capitol on Friday, the deadline given by Republican leaders to compel them back to Austin to pass new U.S. House maps that would give the GOP an advantage in the 2026 midterm elections.
Democratic members have been camped out in Illinois, Massachusetts and New York for more than a week to block the new congressional maps sought by President Donald Trump. House Speaker Dustin Burrows said if lawmakers are not present the next time they reconvene Friday, he will end the current session and the governor will immediately call another one.
“Texas House Democrats will issue our demands for a second special session on Friday. Abbott can choose to govern for Texas families, or he can keep serving Trump and face the consequences we’ve unleashed nationwide,” party leader Gene Wu said in a statement on Wednesday.
Expect more National Guard presence, federal patrols in Washington
The White House says the National Guard presence in Washington will ramp up Wednesday night and federal patrols will be around the clock rather than focused on the evening.
The steps come days after Trump’s unprecedented moves to take over the D.C. police department and send in National Guard troops to deal with crime. Statistics show it’s been on the decline after a sharp rise in 2023.
About 1,450 federal and local officers fanned out Tuesday night and made 43 arrests.
They included driving under the influence, unlawful entry and resisting arrests, as well as a warrant for assault with a deadly weapon, according to the White House. Seven illegal guns were also seized.
Trump tours Kennedy Center
After announcing the Kennedy Center Honors recipients, Trump went on a tour of the performing arts venue that sits along the Potomac River.
He’s walking around to discuss upcoming renovations, the White House said.
Trump says he was “about 98%” involved in the selection of the new Kennedy Center honorees
“They all went through me,” he said of his five choices, including Sylvester Stallone, Gloria Gaynor and George Strait.
In previous years, presidents have received recommendations through a bipartisan advisory committee.
Trump referred only to conferring with such hand-picked Kennedy Center officials as Board Chair Ric Grennell and Vice Chair Sergio Gor. Still, he added, he turned down “plenty” of suggestions because they were “too woke. I had a couple of wokesters.”
Trump says there will be ‘severe consequences’ if Putin doesn’t agree to stop the war after summit
U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday there will be “very severe consequences” if Russian President Vladimir Putin doesn’t agree to stop the Ukraine war after Friday’s summit.
Trump was “very clear” in a virtual meeting Wednesday with European leaders that the U.S. wants to achieve a ceasefire at the upcoming U.S.-Russia summit in Alaska, French President Emmanuel Macron said.
In the same meeting, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, he told the group that Putin “is bluffing” ahead of the planned meeting with Trump.
Putin, Zelenskyy said, “is trying to apply pressure ... on all sectors of the Ukrainian front” in an attempt to show that Russia is “capable of occupying all of Ukraine.”
▶ Read more about Russia-Ukraine War
Trump says his call with European leaders went well
The president said that his call with Ukraine’s president and European leaders was “very friendly” and rated it a 10 out of 10.
Trump is meeting with Putin in Alaska on Friday and says the one-on-one will happen before any discussions involving Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
European leaders organized a call on Wednesday so that Trump could speak with Zelenskyy. But Trump didn’t answer questions subsequently on whether he insisted the Putin meeting be done without Zelenskyy.
Trump also said there would be “very severe consequences” if Putin doesn’t agree to take steps to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Trump says his DC crackdown could be a model for actions in other cities
The president says his using federal crackdown on Washington can be extended beyond 30 days if he declares a state of emergency, which he said he’d do if he had to.
But he also called on Congress to act, saying, “We’re going to need a crime bill that we’re going to be putting in, and it’s going to pertain initially to D.C.”
He suggested that a crackdown on crime in the nation’s capital could be a model for similar actions around the country.
Asked about the possibility of the District of Columbia getting statehood, Trump called the concept “ridiculous.”
“We want to straighten the place out,” he said. Trump added that the city would benefits Democrats and added, “They want to pick up two senators, and that’s not going to happen. It’s not going to happen. And that’s the least of the reasons why, by the way.”
Trump is dismissive of report of Russian hacking of U.S. court files
Asked about reports that Russian hackers breached the federal court filing system, the president said, “Hacking is what they do.”
Press on if he’d bring it up during his meeting on Friday with Putin in Alaska, Trump said, “I guess I could.”
Trump says his call with European leaders went well
The president said that his call with Ukraine’s president and European leaders was “very friendly” and rated it a 10 out of 10.
Trump is meeting with Putin in Alaska on Friday and says the one-on-one will happen before any discussions involving Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
European leaders organized a call on Wednesday so that Trump could speak with Zelenskyy. But Trump didn’t answer questions subsequently on whether he insisted the Putin meeting be done without Zelenskyy.
Trump also said there would be “very severe consequences” if Putin doesn’t agree to take steps to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Trump says his DC crackdown could be a model for actions in other cities
The president says his using federal crackdown on Washington can be extended beyond 30 days if he declares a state of emergency, which he said he’d do if he had to.
But he also called on Congress to act, saying, “We’re going to need a crime bill that we’re going to be putting in, and it’s going to pertain initially to D.C.” He suggested that a crackdown on crime in the nation’s capital could be a model for similar actions around the country.
Asked about the possibility of the District of Columbia getting statehood, Trump called the concept “ridiculous.”
“We want to straighten the place out,” he said. Trump added that the city would benefits Democrats and added, “They want to pick up two senators, and that’s not going to happen. It’s not going to happen. And that’s the least of the reasons why, by the way.”
Trump is dismissive of reports of Russian hacking of US court files
Asked about reports that Russian hackers breached the federal court filing system, the president said, “Hacking is what they do.”
Press on if he’d bring it up during his meeting on Friday with Putin in Alaska, Trump said, “I guess I could.”
Alaska summit site is military base long used to counter Russia
In an ironic twist, Trump will meet Putin at a base that was crucial to countering the Soviet Union during the Cold War and still plays a role today.
Throughout its history, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage has hosted large numbers of aircraft and overseen early warning radar sites that were aimed at detecting Soviet military activity and any possible nuclear launches.
Much of that military hardware has been deactivated, but the base still hosts key aircraft squadrons, including the F-22 Raptor stealth fighter jet, and still intercepts Russian aircraft that regularly fly into U.S. airspace.
JD Vance visits US airmen stationed in the UK
The U.S. vice president took a break from his European vacation to thank U.S. servicemembers during a brief stop at a Royal Air Force base outside London.
Vance told members of the U.S. Air Force that their skill provides muscle to back up threats and open space for the Trump administration to negotiate with foreign leaders.
“As you all know, it is impossible to bring peace anywhere unless the bad guys are also worried that we’ve got a hell of a fine Air Force and a hell of a fine military to back up the peace to begin with,” Vance said.
Though he has often been critical of European leaders, Vance on Wednesday spoke highly of the “special relationship” and “beautiful alliance” between the United States and the United Kingdom.
Trump promises major Kennedy Center overhaul
The president said major work would begin soon to revamp the Kennedy Center and promised that construction would be inexpensive and efficient.
“We’re gonna bring it to a higher level than it ever hit,” Trump said of the building.
Republicans are looking for ways to remake the Kennedy Center to Trump’s liking. They voted for $257 million to renovate the performing arts venue as part of their massive tax cut and spending package, but under the condition that its opera house is named after First Lady Melania Trump.
A separate bill, introduced by Republican Rep. Bob Onder of Missouri, seeks to rename the entire center after Trump.
Trump says he’ll host the Kennedy Center Honors ceremony
Trump said organizers approached him about hosting the awards ceremony in December and he balked saying they were “fools” to suggest he’d have time with his duties as president.
But Trump said White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles told him to do it and therefore, “I’ve agreed to host.”
“I think it will be quite successful,” Trump said, recalling the days he hosted the finales of “The Apprentice.”
Trump honoring Kiss, George Strait, Sylvester Stallone, Gloria Gaynor
In his new role as chairman of the center, Trump also named the English actor Michael Crawford, best known as the “Phantom of the Opera,” for Kennedy Center Honors.
The president praised the honorees, calling Stallone a “silver screen legend” whose star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was almost as famous as Trump’s own star there. And he mentioned Gaynor’s 1978 smash hit, “I will survive.”
Trump adds personal touches to Kennedy Center honorees unveiling
Trump has arrived at the Kennedy Center to announce recipients of the annual Kennedy Center Honors.
Presidents don’t usually make the announcement, but Trump recently named himself the center’s chair.
He also added personal touches to the ceremony, with American flags placed on stage and a podium featuring the presidential seal.
Who is being honored is secret, but the stage featured five drapings -- suggesting that there would be the usual five choices for this year’s honorees.
There was also a decidedly political flare to the proceedings. A sign near the stage read” $257 million appropriated for the Kennedy Center in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act”
Trump’s border czar says president’s authority never expires
White House border czar Tom Homan speaks with reporters at the White House, Aug. 6, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
Tom Homan was asked about Trump’s takeover of the District of Columbia’s police department and any concern that criminals who go into hiding could return after the end of the 30-day period for federal control.
Congress would have to approve any extension. But Homan said at the White House that “the president’s authority is never over.”
Homan often says this when talking about Trump’s immigration crackdown at the U.S.-Mexico border.
“The president is going to do what he has to do to make this country safe again in every city in this nation,” Homan said.
DC mayor, police chief say surge could make up for officer shortfall
Washington’s mayor and police chief say an influx of federal agents linked to Trump’s takeover of the department will help public safety, though it’s not yet clear exactly what success would look like.
Mayor Muriel Bowser said that federal officials tapped by Trump to oversee the department temporarily haven’t yet set specific goals, though having more officers on patrol and taking more guns off the street seem high on the list.
In an interview with Fox 5, police chief Pamela Smith said that the department is short almost 800 officers, so the extra presence “is clearly going to impact us in a positive way.”
Bowser, who previously called Trump’s moves “unsettling,” said Wednesday that she’s focused on “making sure the federal surge is useful to us.”
Trump campaign gets in on Sydney Sweeney genes/jeans controversy
In an email Wednesday morning, they advertised a new “ GREAT JEANS MAGA HAT! ” as a prize for 100 donors who contribute to the Trump National Committee joint fundraising committee.
The email arrived with the subject line “Donald Trump has great jeans” -- a play on the American Eagle denim ad.
The “limited edition” denim hat, which features white writing bearing Trump’s “MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN” slogan, is not yet available through Trump’s merchandise store, which is often quick to jump on memes and trends.
Zelenskyy says he told Trump: ‘Putin is bluffing’
“I told the President of the United States and all our European colleagues, ‘Putin is bluffing,’” the Ukrainian president said.
“Russia is trying to portray itself as capable of occupying the whole of Ukraine. This is undoubtedly their desire. Putin is also bluffing, pretending that sanctions are not important to him and that they are not working. In reality, the sanctions are very helpful and are hitting the Russian military economy hard,” Zelensky said.
“Yes, it is true that Russia has several times more weapons, including three times more artillery. But Russia also has three times more losses. And that is a fact.”
“I told my colleagues and the President of the United States of America, our European friends, that Putin definitely does not want peace. He wants to occupy our country, and we all understand that very well. Putin cannot fool anyone,” Zelenskyy said.
Putin talked with North Korean leader ahead of Trump summit
They talked by phone, with Putin and Kim Jong Un discussing their deepening ties and war efforts against Ukraine ahead of Putin’s meeting with Trump in Alaska, according to their state news agencies.
Putin also shared with Kim information about his talks with Trump scheduled for Friday in Alaska, TASS reported, citing the Kremlin.
According to South Korean assessments, North Korea has sent around 15,000 troops to Russia since last fall and also supplied large quantities of military equipment, including artillery and ballistic missiles, in support of Putin’s war efforts against Ukraine.
Kim has also agreed to send thousands of military construction workers and deminers to Russia’s Kursk region, a deployment South Korean intelligence believes could happen soon.
German leader: ‘There is hope for peace in Ukraine’
Merz said that “we wished President Trump the very best” ahead of his summit with Putin.
“There is hope of movement” toward peace in Ukraine, Merz said, but “if there is no movement on the Russian side in Alaska, then the United States and the Europeans should and must increase the pressure” on Moscow.
He added: “President Trump knows this position and he shares it to a very large extent.”
Merz also said that Ukraine “is prepared for negotiations on territorial questions,” but that a legal recognition of Russian occupation “is not up for debate,” and that negotiations must also include “robust security guarantees for Kyiv.” The Ukrainian military must be in a position to defend the country’s sovereignty effectively, he said.
French and German leaders say they pressed Trump to include Zelenskyy
Macron said Trump is going to “seek a future trilateral meeting” involving Zelenskyy as well as Trump and Putin.
“I think that’s a very important point in this regard. And we hope that it can be held in Europe, in a neutral country that is acceptable to all parties,” Macron said.
Merz stressed that the issue of a ceasefire must come at the beginning of the negotiations, adding: “President Trump also wants to make this one of his priorities in the meeting on Friday with President Putin, and I very much hope that there is a corresponding agreement.”
“So far, all talks that have been conducted with Putin in the past 3 1/2 years have been accompanied by an even harder military answer,” Merz said. “It must be different this time, otherwise talks that are held are not credible and not successful.”
Trump, Europeans and Zelenskyy discuss ceasefire aim ahead of Putin summit
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz says European leaders and the Ukrainian president had a “constructive and good” discussion with Trump on Wednesday.
Merz, speaking alongside Zelenskyy, said after the videoconference that “important decisions” could be made in Anchorage on Friday, and stressed that “fundamental European and Ukrainian security interests must be protected.”
French President Emmanuel Macron says Trump was very clear that the U.S. wants to achieve a ceasefire at the meeting in Alaska. Merz said a ceasefire must be the priority. He said Trump said he wants to make a ceasefire one of his priorities.
Miami’s Freedom Tower, the ‘Ellis Island of the South,’ is reopening
The building where 400,000 Cubans fleeing Fidel Castro’s revolution relied on federal services provided at a cost of $6 billion in today’s dollars is reopening next month as a museum that explores the meaning of migration, freedom and homeland.
It comes at a sensitive moment — Cuban Americans voted overwhelmingly for Trump, but the president’s crackdown on migrants — including Cubans — is increasingly viewed as a betrayal. Protests against Trump have gathered outside the tower.
Museum organizers tiptoe around present-day politics. In Miami, 70% speak Spanish as their first language, and compassion for migrants runs deep.
▶ Read more about the museum that shows Miami’s embrace of Cuban migrants
BLS emails show calls for integrity after Trump fired commissioner
Internal Bureau of Labor Statistics emails obtained by The Associated Press under the Freedom of Information Act after Trump fired Commissioner Erika McEntarfer suggest an agency with little of the corrupting partisanship Trump had claimed when he called the report “phony” and “rigged.”
After the commissioner’s firing, BLS employees talked about the importance of accurate numbers and professional integrity in producing data foundational for measuring the economy and holding elected officials accountable.
“Our data moves markets because it is some of the most timely and accurate information on economic conditions that businesses and policymakers have,” McEntarfer wrote to the staff. “BLS data impacts the decisions of the Fed, the President, Congress, and millions of businesses and households. The work of this agency is vital to the US economy.”
▶ Read more on how BLS staff reacted to Trump’s firing of the director
Zelenskyy and other European leaders to speak with Trump ahead of his Friday summit with Putin
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday arrived in Berlin for talks with the German chancellor and virtual meetings with President Trump and other European leaders ahead of Friday’s planned summit between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has convened the virtual meetings in an attempt to make sure European and Ukraine’s leaders are heard ahead of the summit in Alaska, where Trump and Putin are expected to discuss a path toward ending Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
Zelenskyy and the Europeans have been sidelined from that summit. German government spokesperson Steffen Meyer said the intention of Wednesday’s meetings was to “make clear the position of the Europeans.”
▶ Read more about Russia’s war in Ukraine
Protests being organized for Trump-Putin summit
The group Stand Up Alaska is organizing rallies on Thursday and Friday in the state, where sentiment toward Russia has cooled since Putin invaded Ukraine in 2022.
The Anchorage Assembly voted unanimously to suspend its three-decade-long sister city relationship with Magadan, Russia, and the Juneau Assembly sent its sister city of Vladivostock a letter expressing concern.
Dimitry Shein, who ran unsuccessfully for Alaska’s lone seat in the U.S. House in 2018, fled from the Soviet Union to Anchorage with his mother in the early 1990s. He expressed dismay that Trump has grown increasingly authoritarian. Russia and the U.S. “are just starting to look more and more alike,” he said.
▶ Read more about Alaska’s history with Russia
Trump’s evolving rhetoric about Zelenskyy and Putin
Candidate Trump repeatedly said he could end the war in Ukraine “in 24 hours.” But since President Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration, the road to a peace deal has been fraught with changing dynamics among Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The summit between Trump and Putin set for Friday in Alaska could now be a pivotal moment in the 3 1/2-year-old war.
“At the end of that meeting, probably the first two minutes, I’ll know exactly whether or not a deal can be made,” Trump said Monday.
▶ Read more about what Trump has said about Zelenskyy and Putin.
National Guard awaits assignments in DC
The troops reported for duty on Tuesday, ramping up after the White House ordered federal forces to take over the city’s police department and reduce crime in what the president called — without substantiation — a lawless city.
The law lets Trump control the police department for a month. How aggressive the federal presence will be remains unclear.
An Army spokesperson who spoke on condition of anonymity to freely describe ongoing operations said Tuesday that, so far, what troops have been told “clearly and distinctly” is that they will be in a support role to law enforcement. What form that support will take remains to be determined.
The Army spokesperson also said that since mobilizing up to 800 National Guard troops could take until week's end, their assignments may not be known until week.
White House orders review of Smithsonian exhibits
Ahead of the country’s 250th birthday, the White House is seeking to ensure that the content in the nation's preeminent museums aligns with Trump’s interpretation of American history.
The examination will look at all public-facing content, such as social media, exhibition text and educational materials, to “assess tone, historical framing, and alignment with American ideals.”
US national debt reaches record $37 trillion
The national debt eclipsed this new milestone years sooner than pre-pandemic projections.
The Congressional Budget Office’s January 2020 projections predicted the U.S. reaching the milestone after fiscal year 2030. But the debt grew faster than expected as the COVID-19 pandemic shut down much of the U.S. economy and the Trump and Biden administrations borrowed heavily to stabilize the national economy.
Trump visiting Kennedy Center for the announcement of this year’s honorees
And according to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Trump might make an announcement of his own, too.
The center said in a statement that “our beautiful building will undergo renovations to restore its prestige and grandeur” and credited Trump’s advocacy. Trump complained during a March visit that the building is in a state of “tremendous disrepair.”
The Associated Press
