Politics

(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sounded positive as they met at the White House on Monday as Trump pushes for an end to Russia’s war on Kyiv.

Zelenskyy was joined in Washington by a remarkable delegation of European leaders who rushed to the U.S. in support of the Ukrainian leader in the wake of Friday’s talks between Trump and Russia’s Vladimir Putin in Alaska.

The last time Zelenskyy was in the Oval Office was February, when he received a verbal lashing from President Trump and Vice President JD Vance, who accused him of not being grateful enough for U.S. military assistance.

Monday’s meeting was a much more cordial affair, with Trump and Zelenskyy sharing smiles and Zelenskyy thanking the president for his personal efforts to bring this conflict to a close.

Afterward, they sat down with European leaders, who before news cameras pressed Trump publicly on the need for security guarantees for Ukraine as part of any deal — after Trump made a new commitment on that point. Some also said a ceasefire would be necessary before further negotiations or any trilateral meeting between Trump, Zelenskyy and Putin.

Here are some key takeaways from the high-stakes meetings.

Trump says US will give Ukraine ‘very good protection’

President Trump on Monday said the United States will be involved in security assistance for Ukraine but did not elaborate on what exactly that would look like or give any specifics.

“We’re going to be discussing it today, but we will give them very good protection, very good security,” Trump said.

The president later confirmed that Putin said Russia would accept security guarantees for Ukraine.

Trump didn’t go quite as far as special envoy Steve Witkoff, who told CNN that Russia agreed to “Article 5-like” protections. Article 5 is the agreement of collective defense among NATO nations stating an attack against one member is considered an attack against them all.

Trump said Europe would need to shoulder much of the burden when it comes to security guarantees, but that the U.S. will play a role.

“They are first line of defense because they’re there,” Trump said before adding, “But we’re going to help them. And also we’ll be involved.”

Trump walks back ceasefire demand

After previously pushing for a ceasefire and threatening severe consequences for Russia if Putin did not stop the war, President Trump appeared to back off that demand.

“I don’t think you need a ceasefire,” he said in the Oval Office. “I know that it might be good to have, but I can also understand strategically, like, well, you know, one country or the other wouldn’t want it.”

He continued that he likes “the concept of a ceasefire for one reason, because you’d stop killing people immediately.”

Trump pushes for a trilateral meeting, Zelenskyy says Ukraine ‘ready’

Trump continued to push for a trilateral meeting between himself, Zelenskyy and Putin — something he had hoped to set up immediately following his summit with Putin on Friday but was unsuccessful.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine is “ready” for a trilateral discussion.

“I think it’s going to be when,” Trump said, “not if.”

Later Monday, Trump posted on social media that he began planning for a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy, after which he said a trilateral meeting could take place.

“I called President Putin, and began the arrangements for a meeting, at a location to be determined, between President Putin and President Zelenskyy,” Trump wrote in the post. “After that meeting takes place, we will have a Trilat, which would be the two Presidents, plus myself. Again, this was a very good, early step for a War that has been going on for almost four years.”

European leaders back up Zelenskyy on security guarantees, ceasefire

Trump and Zelenskyy sat down with a host of European leaders in the East Room following their bilateral talks in the Oval Office.

At the table were NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italy Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Finland President Alexander Stubb.

Nearly all the leaders stressed the need for security guarantees for Ukraine, with several saying it should look similar to Article 5 obligations. Ukraine is not a part of NATO but the nation has pushed for membership, something Russia is strongly opposed to.

“The fact that you have said that I’m willing to participate in the security guarantees is a it’s a big step. It’s really a breakthrough,” NATO’s Rutte told Trump. “And, it makes all the difference. So also, thank you for that.”

France’s Macron and Germany’s Merz challenged Trump on a ceasefire, insisting it’s a necessity for moving forward.

“The next steps ahead are the more complicated ones now … To be honest, we all would like to see a ceasefire,” Germany’s Merz said. Merz said he cannot imagine a trilateral meeting would be able to occur without a ceasefire in place.

Trump spoke with with Putin after meetings

Trump said he would call Putin after his meetings Zelenskyy and European leaders at the White House.

“He’s expecting my call when we’re finished with this meeting,” Trump said while he sat with Zelenskyy in the Oval Office.

During a “Fox & Friends” interview on Tuesday morning, Trump said he stepped away from his meeting with Zelenskyy and European leaders to speak with Putin. Trump said it was 1 a.m. in Russia when he and Putin spoke.

“I told them that we’re going to set up a meeting with President Zelenskyy, and you and he will meet, and then after that meeting, if everything works out okay, I’ll meet and we’ll wrap it up,” he said.

“If I can get to heaven, this will be one of the reasons,” Trump said on the potential ending of the war.

ABC News’ Meredith Deliso contributed to this report.

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Graham Platner, a military veteran and oysterman from a small town near Maine’s Acadia National Park, will run for U.S. Senate as a Democrat, he announced on Tuesday, in an effort to oust Republican Susan Collins, the five-term senator who is expected to run for reelection next year.

A campaign launch video shows Platner, bearded and broad-shouldered with a gruff voice, harvesting oysters and chopping wood as he describes how Maine has become “essentially unlivable for working-class people.”

In an interview Monday with ABC News, Platner said he was driven to run by the growing wealth gap in the U.S., which he said has crippled working-class people in his home state.

“We are moving in a position where regular, working-class people can’t even afford to live in the towns that they were born in,” said Platner, who after four tours in Iraq and Afghanistan with the Army and Marine Corps, moved to the coastal community of Sullivan where he grew up.

Platner might draw comparisons to Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman or Dan Osborn, the union leader running as an independent for the Senate in Nebraska after a failed attempt last year. Both men campaigned for the Senate as champions, and representatives, of the white working class, a demographic with whom Democrats have lost ground in recent cycles.

Platner has hired Fight Agency, a Democratic consulting firm whose members have worked for Fetterman and Osborn’s campaigns, as well as that of Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic candidate for New York mayor.

“I drink coffee every morning with the guys that I work next to, who are friends of mine, who all voted for Donald Trump. And they voted for Donald Trump because they wanted something new, they wanted change,” Platner told ABC News, arguing that his understanding of these voters could help steer the Democratic Party, which he described as “quite confused,” back to a winning track.

“The Democratic Party needs to return to an age where it is the party of labor unions, it is the party of community organizers, it is the party of fighting for big structural change to benefit working class people,” he said.

Asked who he believes is the face of the Democratic Party, Platner said there isn’t one, but he indicated an affinity for some of the most progressive members of the Senate.

He said he admires the former Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and respects Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Ed Markey, D-Mass., and Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I.

Platner described “Medicare for All” as an urgent priority and called the war in Gaza a “genocide,” saying he follows the lead of “Israeli scholars on genocide.”

On the hot-button cultural issue of transgender women’s participation in sports, he said the topic is a “distraction from the things that impact Americans materially every single day.”

“I am dedicated to equality and justice for all in this country,” Platner said. “And I think that this specific topic has become such a touchstone of the media discussion because it pulls us away from the conversation that needs to be happening, which is getting every American affordable health care.”

Maine briefly became the center of the debate over transgender youth in sports in February, after a public spat between President Trump and Maine Gov. Janet Mills over the Trump’s administration’s threat to withhold funding over a Maine anti-discrimination law that lets transgender women participate in girls’ and women’s sports.

Shortly afterward, at a demonstration protesting the Trump administration, Platner, who leads a Democratic grassroots group in Hancock County, said Mills “displayed great courage when she defended Maine’s laws to Donald Trump’s face,” according to a transcript of the remarks posted online by a local Democratic group.

Mills, a Democrat, has not ruled out entering the race and has reportedly been urged to run by national Democrats who believe she would offer the best chance at flipping Collins’ seat.

Asked about a potential primary challenge from Mills, Platner told ABC News that Democrats “really need to stop running the same kind of playbook over and over and over again.

“I think we really need to start thinking outside of the box on the type of candidates that we’re sending into these races,” he said.

Asked if he has spoken with national Democrats about backing his campaign, Platner said no.

“Nobody has called me, and I’m not really in a position to call anybody because I’m the harbormaster of Sullivan, Maine,” he said.

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Many of the nation’s school districts are returning to the classroom with immigrant families fearful of the Trump administration’s targeting of undocumented migrants, according to educators, experts and parents who spoke to ABC News.

Los Angeles and Chicago’s school districts — the nation’s second- and third-largest public school systems, respectively — have returned with new guidance and protections for immigrant families wary of the federal government’s measures to curb illegal immigration.

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) said it will prohibit Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents or federal law enforcement from accessing its facilities unless the agents produce a criminal warrant signed by a federal judge.

More than half a million Los Angeles Unified students are back in school with the district’s police force partnering with local law enforcement in an effort to protect its immigrant students. LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho stressed the district will provide students with a safe space “regardless of immigration status.”

This comes as immigrants nationwide are afraid of deportation from school campuses as the administration continues to tout its signature campaign promise.

During the first several months of the president’s second term, Esmeralda Alday, former executive director of dual language and English as a second language migrant education for the San Antonio Independent School District, said fear permeated through the immigrant families in her district unlike anything she had seen before.

Some mixed-status families — where one or both parents are undocumented but the kids are U.S. citizens — unenrolled from the district after Trump took office, according to Alday. She said it was not only due to the perceived threats from ICE but some families also received detention orders in the mail.

“It’s coming at our families from every angle,” Alday told ABC News. “It’s affecting our families from all angles, almost leaving them with no choice but to self deport.”

ImmSchools co-founder Viridiana Carrizales told ABC News that these families now dread dropping their kids off at school — some won’t even leave their homes — because they risk being detained. She claimed that the administration is not only targeting undocumented immigrants with criminal records but immigrants at large.

“They don’t want our kids,” Carrizales said. “They don’t want immigrant kids in schools, they don’t want them to get educated and that’s what’s happening. We have parents who are not taking their kids to school, we have parents who are withdrawing their kids from programs that are critical for their children,” she added.

Carrizales, whose organization partners with school districts to create more welcoming and safe schools for K-12 immigrant students, said, “Not having these kids receive the support that they need is going to end up hurting us all.”

But as families and school officials brace for potential crackdowns this school year, Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told ABC News that no arrests have been made on K-12 school grounds during Trump’s second term and ICE has yet to raid any K-12 campuses. According to McLaughlin, the majority of DHS’ arrests so far either have prior criminal convictions or pending criminal charges against them.

McLaughlin also warned that no K-12 students who are U.S. citizens should fear deportation or ICE raids, even if their parents are undocumented.

“If you are here in the United States legally, there’s no immigration enforcement, because you’re here in the country legally,” she said.

In Trump’s first full day back in office, DHS lifted its longstanding restrictions that kept ICE from conducting raids on schools and other sensitive areas, including churches and hospitals. McLaughlin said the decision was made to ensure immigration agents weren’t hamstrung from doing their jobs.

“This actually should be a good thing for all communities,” she said. “Why would you want a criminal to take safe harbor in a hospital or house of worship or a school? I mean, why would you want someone to go ‘Oh, they won’t get me here, so I’m going to go and take safe harbor there.'”

During the last school year and more recently during summer learning, Carrizales and Alday said student absenteeism spiked in Texas school districts because of fear of federal law enforcement. As the fears continue, many schools are concerned that projected enrollment for this school year could drop, according to Carrizales.

Attendance has also plagued LAUSD, board member Tanya Ortiz Franklin said. Families are now navigating the virtual learning options the district offers.

Franklin said undocumented families have heightened anxiety about visiting schools during back-to-school night and other parent-teacher obligations.

“They’re struggling with the question of do I come to this one event that could be helpful for my child or do I ensure that I am here for them when they get home at the end of the day and it’s a no brainer for those who are genuinely fearful,” Franklin told ABC News.

“It’s permeating brown communities, in particular, [and] our Black immigrant communities, our Asian immigrant communities, of which there are many in Los Angeles,” she added.

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(WASHINGTON) — Andrew Bailey, who serves as the Missouri attorney general, has been appointed as co-deputy director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, according to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche.

“Thrilled to welcome Andrew Bailey as our new FBI Co-Deputy Director,” according to Blanche’s post. “As Missouri’s Attorney General, he took on the swamp, fought weaponized government, and defended the Constitution. Now he is bringing that fight to DOJ.”

This marks the first time in FBI history that the agency has had two deputy directors. Last month, current Deputy Director Dan Bongino faced growing fallout over the Justice Department’s decision not to disclose any more records from its investigations into deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Bongino was upset at the administration’s handling of the issue, according to sources.

“I am proud to announce I have accepted the role of Co-Deputy Director of the FBI,” Bailey posted on X. “I extend my thanks to @POTUS and @AGPamBondi for the opportunity to serve in the mission to Make America Safe Again. I will protect America and uphold the Constitution.”

“The FBI, as the leading investigative body of the federal government under the Department of Justice, will always bring the greatest talent this country has to offer in order to accomplish the goals set forth when an overwhelming majority of American people elected President Donald J. Trump again. Andrew Bailey will be an integral part of this important mission and I look forward continued fight to save America together,” FBI Director Kash Patel said Monday evening.

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(AUSTIN, Texas) — Texas House Democrats confirmed on Monday morning that they are returning to Austin after a two-week standoff with Republicans over proposed congressional maps, potentially clearing the way for Republicans to approve changes that could net Republicans as many as five new House seats next year.

The Democrats did not confirm any specific action they plan to take on or off the House floor, but they say that they are going to build a “legal case against the discriminatory map”. The new maps are widely expected to be hit by lawsuits if they pass the legislature.

“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,” Democratic Caucus chair state Rep. Gene Wu said in a statement. “We’re returning to Texas more dangerous to Republicans’ plans than when we left.”

After the Texas state legislature began a second special legislative session on Friday and failed still to meet quorum, Republican legislators are expected to try for a quorum Monday and then to work to advance proposed new congressional maps, which will have to once again pass through the House’s redistricting committee and procedural votes.

Separately, in California, days after Gov. Gavin Newsom formally announced plans to get new congressional maps to go before voters in November in a counter to Texas, the state legislature will convene on Monday from recess and is set to rapidly work on passing legislation to get the maps on the ballot. Republicans and anti-gerrymandering advocates plan to protest and to call out what they say is an unfair process.

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(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump on Monday wrote in a post to his social media platform that he will lead a “movement” to get rid of mail-in ballots and voting machines, falsely claiming that they lead to voter fraud.

“I am going to lead a movement to get rid of MAIL-IN BALLOTS, and also, while we’re at it, Highly ‘Inaccurate,’ Very Expensive, and Seriously Controversial VOTING MACHINES, which cost Ten Times more than accurate and sophisticated Watermark Paper, which is faster, and leaves NO DOUBT, at the end of the evening, as to who WON, and who LOST, the Election,” Trump wrote in his social media post.

Trump said he will begin his efforts by signing an executive order ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Any such order would likely face legal challenges.

“Remember, the States are merely an ‘agent’ for the Federal Government in counting and tabulating the votes. They must do what the Federal Government, as represented by the President of the United States, tells them, FOR THE GOOD OF OUR COUNTRY, to do,” Trump wrote.

The Constitution gives power state legislatures to determine the “times, places and manner” of holding elections, subject to acts of Congress that regulate the process.

Trump has long sown doubts about mail-in voting, often over the objections of many Republicans. He’s claimed mail-in voting contributed to his 2020 election loss, though no widespread fraud has been found.

The president’s post comes after Trump told Fox News that he spoke about mail-in voting in the United States with Russia’s Vladimir Putin. When the two met in Anchorage, Alaska, last week, Putin claimed Russia’s war on Ukraine wouldn’t have happened if Trump had been president.

“Vladimir Putin, smart guy, said you can’t have an honest election with mail-in voting,” Trump told Fox News’ Sean Hannity in an interview after Friday’s summit.

Trump added that Putin “said there’s not a country in the world that uses it now” — though Russia itself also has mail-in voting.

Russia’s 2024 presidential election outcome, which showed a landslide win for Putin, was decried by many Western nations as not free or fair. The U.S. State Department said it had “occurred in an environment of intense political repression that has marginalized or completely silenced all independent voices.”

Trump’s former top adviser, Fiona Hill, who was present when Trump suggested in 2018 that he believed Putin’s denial that Russia interfered in the 2016 election over the findings of U.S. intelligence, weighed in on the issue during an appearance on CBS News’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday.

“Well, look, this is Vladimir Putin, as usual, trying to manipulate U.S. domestic politics,” Hill said. She added that Putin “wants to sow chaos in the American electoral system ahead of the midterms.”

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump shared on social media the “peace letter” from first lady Melania Trump that was hand delivered to Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska on Friday.

The first lady writes “it is time” to protect children and future generations worldwide.

“Every child shares the same quiet dreams in their heart, whether born randomly into a nation’s rustic countryside or a magnificent city-center. They dream of love, possibility, and safety from danger,” Melania Trump’s letter begins.

The first lady states that all children are born innocent, regardless of their nationality, political views or beliefs.

“A simple yet profound concept, Mr. Putin, as I am sure you agree, is that each generation’s descendants begin their lives with a purity — an innocence which stands above geography, government, and ideology,” she said.

“In today’s world, some children are forced to carry a quiet laughter, untouched by the darkness around them — a silent defiance against the forces that can potentially claim their future,” she continued.

The first lady tells the Russian president that protecting children “will do more than serve Russia alone” and “will serve humanity itself.”

“Such a bold idea transcends all human division, and you, Mr. Putin, are fit to implement this vision with a stroke of the pen today,” she concludes.

“It is time,” she signs off.

The physical letter was first obtained by Fox News Digital.

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(NEW YORK) — Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday that both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy must make concessions to achieve a peace deal.

“You can’t have a peace agreement unless both sides give and get. You can’t have a peace agreement unless both sides make concessions,” Rubio told ABC News’ “This Week” co-anchor Martha Raddatz. “If not, it’s just called surrender, and neither side is going to surrender, so both sides are going to have to make concessions.”

On those concessions, Rubio said the United States did ask Putin to make them; however, when it comes to sanctions, the Trump administration believes that as soon as it levies additional sanctions to those already in place, the negotiations will halt.

“Of course, concessions were asked, but what utility would there be of me going on a program and tell you, ‘We’ve wagged our finger at Putin and told him, “You must do this,” and “you must do that.”‘ It’s going to make — it’s only going to make it harder.”

“The problem is this: The minute you levy additional sanctions, strong additional sanctions, the talking stops. Talking stops. And at that point, the war just continues,” he said.

“Now, we may end up being at a point where we have to do that, where there is no other recourse, and that’s the end. By the way, there already are sanctions on Russia. The President hasn’t lifted any sanctions on Russia. They’re already facing sanctions, severe sanctions, and they’re facing ones from the Europeans as well. So we may very well reach a point where everyone concludes, ‘no peace is going to happen here, we’re going to have to do more sanctions.'” Rubio said. But if it comes to that, the secretary added, “You are basically walking away from any prospect of a negotiated settlement here, which is what everyone is asking us to do.”

While Russia has publicly taken issue with Ukraine’s demand for security guarantees as part of a peace deal, Rubio suggested that the United States believes that Ukraine is justified in its request, calling it “very reasonable.”

On the other hand, Rubio suggested that the United States believes that Ukraine is justified in their request for security guarantees, calling it a “very reasonable” request.

“We do know that Ukraine has said repeatedly and publicly talked about is security guarantees. They need to be able to enter into security guarantees that ensure that this is never going to happen again, that they’re not going to get re-invaded in two and a half or three years or four years or whenever it may be,” Rubio said. “That’s something we’re working on. And that’s something the Russian side has to understand, obviously, is that as a sovereign country, Ukraine has a right, like every sovereign country, to enter into security alliances and agreements with other countries.”

Rubio also indicated that Trump’s position on the war in Ukraine hasn’t changed after Friday’s summit and that Ukraine’s involvement is essential for a peace deal.

“I don’t think his mind has changed at all. I think ultimately, if this whole effort doesn’t work out, then there is going to have to be additional consequences to Russia. But we’re trying to avoid that by reaching a peace agreement,” Rubio said.

“We’re not at the precipice of a peace agreement. We’re not at the edge of one. But I do think progress was made,” he continued.

Trump had said before the summit that he wanted a ceasefire and for the killing to stop and there would be consequences if it didn’t.

In a subsequent interview on “This Week,” President Joe Biden’s former national security adviser Jake Sullivan pointed to the president’s goal before the summit to argue that since it wasn’t achieved, the summit was unsuccessful.

“President Trump’s stated goals were very simple, get an immediate ceasefire, and in the absence of a ceasefire, impose what he called severe consequences,” Sullivan said. “Well, the summit has come and gone. There is no ceasefire. There are no consequences. Meanwhile, President Putin has a simple goal. Keep the war going without facing further economic pressure from the United States. And he has achieved both of those goals on an open-ended basis.”

Sullivan also disagreed with Rubio’s position on sanctions, saying increasing them now would actually give the U.S. leverage.

“One thing that I think Secretary Rubio has backwards is the idea that additional pressure would hurt diplomacy. From my perspective, part of the reason that Putin came to Alaska is because he’s worried about the possibility of pressure. And if President Trump were prepared to escalate sanctions, squeeze Putin harder, I believe it would give him leverage to bring this war to an end more rapidly,” he said, adding that he hopes Zelenskyy and other European leaders traveling to Washington Monday will press Trump on this issue.

But Rubio did stress that a peace agreement can’t be achieved if only one side is involved in the talks — something Ukraine has stressed as well — and he said it’s the U.S.’s objective to bring both nations together.

“You’re not going to reach a ceasefire or a peace agreement in a meeting in which only one side is represented. That’s why it’s important to bring both leaders together, and that’s the goal here,” Rubio said.

Rubio said that details of Trump’s meeting with Putin will not be disclosed.

“These peace agreements and negotiations — they don’t work when they’re conducted in the media, either through leaks or through lies,” Rubio said.

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(WASHINGTON) — Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., on Sunday underlined his stance that President Donald Trump deploying the National Guard to Washington, D.C., over concerns of high crime and the level of homelessness amounts to an “abuse of power.”

“All of this is a total abuse of power. It’s a manufactured emergency,” Van Hollen said in an interview with “This Week” co-anchor Martha Raddatz. “Obviously D.C. can do more to reduce violent crime, as we can across the country. But as you pointed out, crime in D.C. is at a 30-year low and a downward trajectory. So, this is all an opportunity for Donald Trump to play dictator in Washington, D.C.”

“The way the law is written, it appears he has the legal authority. And Mayor [Muriel] Bowser conceded that. So, what is the abuse of power here?” Raddatz pressed.

“The abuse of power is claiming that this is an emergency. And everybody who is watching what happens knows that this is not an emergency in Washington, D.C.,” Van Hollen argued.

Violent crime levels have decreased compared to years prior, down 26% since 2024, a 30-year low, leaving outstanding questions over why Trump deployed roughly 800 troops around the city.

Over the weekend, several Republican-led states announced additional Guard troops would also deploy to Washington to support the president’s mission.

As some outlets report the National Guard could be armed soon, Van Hollen said, “Well, that’s very troubling, because, as you know, the National Guard, first of all, is not supposed to engage in any local law enforcement activity. We have the Posse Comitatus Act that prohibits them from engaging in local law enforcement. And so I’m not sure what it is that they need to do where they need to be armed.”

Despite fierce criticism from Democrats like Van Hollen and protests from some Washington residents, the White House has defended its decision to surge federal law enforcement to the city and bring in the National Guard as necessary and legal.

Here are more highlights from Van Hollen’s interview

On D.C. police chief saying additional law enforcement ‘positive’
Raddatz: The mayor suggested this week that the surge of — of federal police could be useful in fighting crime. And there is a crime problem in D.C. We all live here. I want you to — I want to play you something that D.C.’s police chief, Pamela Smith, said this week.

Pamela Smith (video clip): You’re talking about 500 additional personnel in the District of Columbia. And as you know, we’ve talked about the fact that we’re down in numbers with our police officers. And so, this enhanced presence clearly is going to impact us in a positive way.

Raddatz: So, do you see anything positive about this?

Van Hollen: Well, I understand the position the police chief is in. The best way to help the police chief in Washington, D.C., is for President Trump and Republicans in Congress to give them the $1 billion in money that belongs to them so that they can hire those police, rather than bringing in these federal agents.

I would also say, Martha, I would think that taxpayers all over the country, federal taxpayers, have to ask themselves how it is that we are using resources, national resources, the FBI, the DEA, folks who are supposed to be out and about protecting the country from violent criminals, and now they’re spending their time taking down tents of homeless people in the District of Columbia. I would think people all over the country would worry about that diversion of resources.

On what Congress does if Trump goes past the 30-day limit
Raddatz: The — the president says he’s going to maintain control of D.C. police past this 30-day limit, no matter what Congress does. So, then what do you do?

Van Hollen: Well, that clearly is a violation of the statute. And so, we’ll end up right back in court. Of course, the president also thought he had the ability to essentially take out the police chief and have his people come in and run the police department. A federal judge already said that that was not authorized. And in the same way, his ability to extend it beyond 30 days is not authorized. And so, they’re going to have to pass this statute in the — this extension in the Congress. And I don’t think that that’s going to pass.

On his reaction to the Trump-Putin summit
Van Hollen: Well, Martha, there’s no sugarcoating this. Donald Trump, once again, got played by Vladimir Putin. Vladimir Putin got the red carpet treatment on American soil. But we got no ceasefire, no imminent meeting between Putin and [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelenskyy. All the threats and sanctions that, you know, Donald Trump talked about, apparently, have been set aside. Donald Trump got flattered by Vladimir Putin. But when it comes to Ukraine under European allies, this was a setback. I do believe that Congress now, the Senate in particular, should move forward on bipartisan legislation that has over 60 senators as co-sponsors that would impose sanctions on Russia and Vladimir Putin.

Personal relations are important. And I have no objection to people talking. But you want to have a clear objective in mind. Clearly, Vladimir Putin had a clear objective in mind. And he came to Alaska and gave up nothing, whereas, you know, Donald Trump said he had hoped to do, you know, a ceasefire, he had hoped to fly in Zelenskyy maybe even while Vladimir Putin was there. None of that happened. And meanwhile, they’ve taken the pressure off the sanctions. I mean, again, Donald Trump was supposed to impose sanctions on Russia weeks ago now, and nothing. So, this was a victory for Vladimir Putin.

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(WASHINGTON) — Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Friday ruled out running for president in 2028, apparently defending himself against accusations by conservative influencer Laura Loomer that he and top aides are quietly preparing for another White House bid as Kennedy runs America’s health apparatus.

“The swamp is in full panic mode,” Kennedy wrote in a lengthy post on X. “DC lobby shops are laboring fiercely to drive a wedge between President Trump and me, hoping to thwart our team from dismantling the status quo and advancing [Trump’s] Make America Healthy Again agenda.”

“They’re pushing the flat-out lie that I’m running for president in 2028. Let me be clear: I am not running for president in 2028.”

In the post, Kennedy also defended his longtime aide and deputy chief of staff at HHS, Stefanie Spear, whom Loomer accused in a Politico interview this week of trying “to lay the groundwork for a 2028 RFK presidential run.”

In his X post, Kennedy defended Spear, calling her “a fierce, loyal warrior for MAHA who proudly serves in the Trump Administration and works every day to advance President Trump’s vision for a healthier, stronger America.”

Spear served as press secretary for Kennedy’s failed presidential campaign, which ended last August with an endorsement of Trump.

Loomer, a staunch pro-Trump figure, has previously boasted of initiating the firings of government officials she deemed insufficiently loyal to the president. She did not immediately respond publicly to Kennedy’s post.

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