Monday, August 18 | By Cate Martel |
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It's Monday. D.C. residents, have you noticed the increased law enforcement presence? How have you felt about it? Have any photos of it? Send them my way! |
- Trump set for Ukraine negotiations
- Is Trump moving toward Russia's corner?
- President seeks to ban mail-in voting
- Texas Democrats return to state
- MSNBC changing its name
- Hurricane Erin's latest path
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Now, it's time for Zelensky's side of things: | The White House is buzzing today. European leaders have arrived — and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will return to the White House shortly to meet with President Trump after their last Oval Office meeting devolved into a shouting match. 💻 Watch the 1 p.m. meeting live It's notable that European leaders are here: It's a clear effort by Ukrainian allies to keep the meeting on track to avoid another blowup like the one in February. European leaders are not scheduled to publicly meet with Trump until after his one-on-one with Zelensky. Where things stand: Since Trump's Friday meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, he appears to be moving toward Putin's corner. |
- Trump before the meeting: Trump said he would be angry if Putin didn't agree to a ceasefire during their Alaska meeting. And European leaders said Trump told him he wouldn't negotiate territorial concessions with Putin.
- Trump after the meeting: But it seems like he changed his mind about both things. He posted Saturday that a "mere Ceasefire Agreement" may not end the war.
The Hill's Colin Meyn wrote a helpful primer on the dynamics in today's meeting. It's worth reading: 'Trump signals move to Putin's corner as Zelensky heads to White House' What is off the table, negotiation-wise?: Trump said Crimea and NATO membership are both off the table. However, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff said yesterday that Trump and Putin both agreed to "robust" security guarantees for Ukraine, including "effectively" offering Ukraine NATO-like Article 5 protection based on the idea of mutual defense. The run of show: Trump will greet Zelensky at 1 p.m., immediately followed by their bilateral meeting. Trump will then greet European leaders around 2:15 p.m. and take a family photo. Afterward, Trump, Zelensky and the other leaders from Europe will hold a group meeting at 3 p.m. 📝 The schedule 🗨️ Follow today's live blog Coming later: The Hill's Jonathan Easley will have a recap of Trump and Zelensky's meeting in today's Evening Report. Click here to sign up & get it in your inbox. 👔 Tidbit: Axios reports that the White House asked Ukrainian officials if Zelensky will wear a suit. Remember during that first meeting when Zelensky wore an all-black outfit to meet with Trump and a reporter asked why he wasn't in a suit? |
CNN: Body language expert breaks down Trump-Putin meeting The Atlantic: Trump Has No Cards: Why would Putin need to make a deal with him? The New York Times: Putin's Proposal for Land Deal, Made to Trump, Shifts Pressure to Zelensky Axios: Trump's three-step strategy for Russia-Ukraine peace talks |
In this week's edition of The Movement, The Hill's Emily Brooks will explore how "small signs of support for Israel wavering on the right are growing more apparent as the Israel-Hamas war drags on, with shifts in younger Republican voters and GOP contrarians piping up in Congress challenging the broad consensus in the party in support of Israel." Includes interviews with Reps. Randy Fine (R-Ariz.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.). Click here to sign up & get it in your inbox. |
Trump wants to ban mail-in voting: | President Trump announced this morning that he plans to eliminate mail-in ballots and "seriously controversial" voting machines. How?: Through executive orders Trump posted on Truth Social: "All others gave it up because of the MASSIVE VOTER FRAUD ENCOUNTERED. WE WILL BEGIN THIS EFFORT, WHICH WILL BE STRONGLY OPPOSED BY THE DEMOCRATS BECAUSE THEY CHEAT AT LEVELS NEVER SEEN BEFORE…" 🔎 Read his full (and lengthy) post ^ Keep in mind: Trump made a series of false claims in that post, according to a CNN fact check. Dozens of other countries use mail-in voting, including Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia and Switzerland. Read the full CNN fact check For context: Roughly a third of ballots cast in the 2024 election were by mail. For years, Trump has pushed unproven claims about widespread voter fraud involving mail-in ballots. He has repeatedly claimed the 2020 election was "rigged" over the expanded use of mail-in voting during the COVID-19 pandemic. |
Texas Democrats ended their standoff: |
Texas state House Democrats who fled the state amid their standoff over the Republican redistricting plan announced today they have returned to Austin. Why did they leave?: To prevent the Texas Legislature from reaching a quorum When are they meeting next?: At 1 p.m. EDT today during their second special session. From Texas Democratic House Caucus Chair Gene Wu: "We killed the corrupt special session, withstood unprecedented surveillance and intimidation, and rallied Democrats nationwide to join this existential fight for fair representation — reshaping the entire 2026 landscape," Wu said in a statement. Back story: "Efforts to pass a GOP-proposed House map, which aims to give the party five pickup opportunities ahead of 2026, stalled in the first special session when House Democrats fled the state to block Republicans from advancing it. … The new House map needs to pass in both chambers before it can be signed into law ... With Democrats now back in Texas, the House will now have a quorum — the minimum number of lawmakers needed in order to conduct business — and Republicans will be able to proceed on passing their maps." The Hill's Caroline Vakil has been covering this saga for The Hill. Read her reporting today: 'Texas Democrats return to Austin, ending redistricting standoff' |
MSNBC is getting a new name: |
MSNBC is changing its name later this year, dropping "NBC" from its branding as part of its split with NBC News. The cable news channel will rebrand as My Source News Opinion World (MS NOW) later this year. More media news: Conservative cable news channel Newsmax reached a settlement today, agreeing to pay Dominion Voting Systems $67 million over the lawsuit against the station's 2020 election coverage. |
The photos from D.C. are striking to say the least: | ➤ SIGHTS AND SOUNDS ACROSS THE DISTRICT: |
Hurricane Erin is moving through the Caribbean as a Category 4 storm and is expected to move north through midweek. Erin rapidly reached Category 5 status but weakened slightly today. The latest forecast: Erin is not expected to make direct landfall, but North Carolina's coast could face strong winds and flooding. Forecasters are warning of potentially "life-threatening surf and rip currents." 🗒️ Read the latest National Hurricane Center (NHC) advisory |
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The House and Senate are out. President Trump is in Washington. (All times EST) |
Noon: European leaders arrive at the White House.
1 p.m.: Trump greets Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. 💻 Livestream
1:15 p.m.: Trump and Zelensky participate in a bilateral meeting.
2:15 p.m.: Trump greets European leaders.
2:30 p.m.: Trump participates in a family photo with European leaders.
3 p.m.: Trump participates in a multilateral meeting with European leaders. 💻 Livestream |
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| 🌮 Celebrate: Today is National Fajita Day. 📕 A casual 6,000 new words: Cambridge Dictionary has added "skibidi," "tradwife," "delulu" and more than 6,000 new words to its dictionary. 👗 I can't look away from Bama Rush: The Wall Street Journal's Helena Getahun-Hawkins writes "How Sorority Rush Videos Became the Ultimate Reality TV Show." The gist: "On TikTok, Southern university students are documenting their recruitment process to some of the most competitive sororities, creating entertainment for the masses." |
Who else wants to play poker with this dog? |
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