President Donald Trump 's face-to-face high-stakes summit with President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday could determine the fate of European security as well as the trajectory of the war in Ukraine. The exclusion of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy already deals a heavy blow to the West’s policy of “nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine.”
Washington, D.C.'s police department now potentially in open conflict with federal forces over the terms of Trump’s takeover of security in the nation's capital, with the DEA administrator now named “emergency police chief,” a declaration that city leaders say has no basis in law. The attorney general's declaration came after a dispute over how much help police would provide in arresting immigrants.
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Trump says drone attacks hurt Putin’s negotiating position
Trump said Russian drone attacks on civilian areas of Ukraine are a misguided effort to improve Putin’s negotiating position.
“Maybe it’s a part of the world. Maybe it’s just his fabric, his genes, his genetics,” Trump told reporters traveling with him to the Alaska summit. “But he thinks that gives him strength in negotiating. I think it hurts him, but I’ll be talking to him about it later.”
Trump also talked on Air Force One about economic benefits for Russia, while warning of more severe sanctions if the talks aren’t fruitful.
“I noticed he’s bringing a lot of business people from Russia, and that’s good,” Trump said. “I like that because they want to do business, but they’re not doing business until we get to war settled.”
DC takeover centers on how much help DC police should give feds in arresting immigrants
Attorney General Pam Bondi’s directive putting the DEA administrator in charge of D.C. police came after Police Chief Pam Smith updated guidance on arresting immigrants.
Smith had told Metropolitan Police Department officers to share information with immigration agencies regarding people not in custody, such as someone involved in a traffic stop or checkpoint. But she said other MPD policies remain in effect, limiting inquiries into immigration status and preventing arrests based solely on federal immigration warrants.
The Justice Department said Bondi disagreed with the police chief’s directive because it allowed for continued enforcement of “sanctuary policies.” Trump is testing the limits of his legal authorities, relying on obscure statutes and a supposed state of emergency to speed the mass deportation of people in the U.S. illegally.
▶ Read more on developments related to the federal takeover of the capital’s police force
New lawsuit challenges Trump’s federal takeover of DC police as crackdown intensifies
The nation’s capital challenged Trump’s takeover of its police department in court on Friday after his administration named the DEA administrator as the new “emergency police chief.”
District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb accused Trump of going far beyond his legal authority and asked a judge to keep control of the police department in district hands.
“The administration’s unlawful actions are an affront to the dignity and autonomy of the 700,000 Americans who call D.C. home. This is the gravest threat to Home Rule that the District has ever faced, and we are fighting to stop it,” Schwalb said.
‘Possibility’ of US security guarantees for Ukraine, ‘but not in the form of NATO’
Trump says there’s “a possibility” of the United States offering Ukraine security guarantees alongside European powers, “but not in the form of NATO.”
Trump spoke to reporters aboard Air Force One on his way to the summit with Putin in Alaska.
He said it will be up to the Ukrainians to decide whether to concede land to Putin as part of a peace deal, but added: “I think they’ll make the proper decision.”
“I’m not here to negotiate for Ukraine,” Trump said. “I’m here to get them at a table.”
Macron and Zelenskyy huddled ahead of the Alaska summit
The office of President Emmanuel Macron says the French leader and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke Thursday and again Friday before the Trump-Putin summit. The two have agreed to meet each other after the U.S.-Russia summit, when “it will be most useful and effective.”
The brief readout of the exchanges didn’t detail any specifics of what Macron and Zelenskyy discussed.
Several Cabinet members will accompany Trump on Air Force One
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are among the Trump administration officials joining the president for his flight to Alaska.
Trump will also be accompanied on Air Force One by CIA Director John Ratcliffe and top White House aides, including Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.
Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Monica Crowley, a former Fox News commentator serving as Trump’s chief of protocol, also are making the trip.
The Washington police department seeks to assure its citizens
With the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department potentially in open conflict with the federal government over the terms of Trump’s departmental takeover, the police department is looking to address public concerns.
“What’s most important for our community to know is that MPD remains committed to delivering high-quality police service and ensuring the safety of everyone in our city,” a Friday morning statement from an MPD spokesperson.
The city appears poised to fight back against the federal takeover, particularly Thursday’s attempt by Attorney General Pam Bondi to install DEA chief Terry Cole as “emergency police commissioner.”
D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb issued a declaration that Bondi’s order was “unlawful” and the MPD was under no obligation to comply.
Trump: ‘HIGH STAKES!!!’
Trump made his first public comments on the day as he prepares to meet with Putin.
“HIGH STAKES!!!” he posted on Truth Social as his motorcade idled outside the White House shortly after sunrise in Washington.
He left the White House for Joint Base Andrews, the home base for Air Force One, at 7:32 a.m. ET.
It’s a cool and rainy day in Anchorage
An early morning rain storm hit Anchorage, Alaska, just before 3 a.m. on Friday, and the streets leading to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson were sopping wet. The temperature was hovering right about 53° F early Friday morning.
Media from all over the world have descended on Anchorage for the top-level summit.
There was not much activity outside the base’s main gate early Friday morning except for media setting up for the day or sending live images back to the networks.
Eyeing Texas, California will hold vote on partisan redistricting
Gov. Gavin Newsom called for a Nov. 4 special election as the state moves toward redrawing congressional maps in an attempt to pick up five more Democratic seats in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2026.
The move is in direct response to a Republican-led effort in Texas pushed by Trump, as his party seeks to maintain its slim House majority after the midterm elections.
Judge rules against Trump’s efforts to end DEI programs
U.S. District Judge Stephanie Gallagher in Maryland ruled that the Education Department violated the law when it threatened to cut federal funding from educational institutions that continued with diversity initiatives.
The case centers on two Education Department memos ordering schools and universities to end all “race-based decision-making” or face penalties up to a total loss of federal funding.
The Associated Press
