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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The stage — or tarmac — is set for Trump-Putin arrival
An “Alaska 2025” sign and red carpet are ready on the base tarmac for the leaders’ arrival.
The carpeting is lined on either side with fighter jets, parked at an angle,
Washington, DC’s special status gives Trump special powers over National Guard
The National Guard now assisting law enforcement in Washington, D.C. are under the direct control of President Donald Trump as delegated through Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, the National Guard says.
Trump’s authority is delegated through Hegseth and Secretary of the Army Gen. Leland Blanchard, the commanding officer of the D.C. Guard.
The direct coordination of the Guard’s operations in Washington is being handled by Col. Larry Doan, the leader of the National Guard’s D.C. task force. Doan’s responsibilities include working with the Metropolitan Police Department and other federal agencies working on law enforcement in the district.
Unlike the 50 states, Washington is governed by federal laws including Title 32, which gives the president control over the Guard in the District of Columbia without the need to fully federalize Guard units.
DC Appeals Court gives approval for mass layoffs at CFPB
The Trump administration can move ahead with firing the vast majority of the employees at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a panel of judges ruled on Friday. But the decision is being held for seven days while CFPB employees and their legal team file an appeal.
The D.C. Court of Appeals overturned a lower court’s decision, which originally ruled that the White House’s plan to fire roughly 80% of the CFPB’s employees was effectively to “shut down” the CFPB. The court ruled that the employees, who sued in this case, did not have standing to argue the continued existence of the CFPB.
Since President Donald Trump was sworn into office, the CFPB has effectively been inoperable, and its employees have been banned from doing any work with plans to cut the bureau’s employment to a skeleton crew of staff. Earlier courts had ruled that the Trump administration was effectively dismantling the agency without seeking Congress’s approval for doing so.
Voting in favor of the 2-1 decision was Judges Gregory Katsas and Neomi Rao, both Trump appointees during his first term.
The decision is expected to be appealed to the full D.C. Court of Appeals.
Trump says ‘he would walk’ if Putin meeting doesn’t go well
In a snippet from an interview aboard Air Force One with Fox News Channel’s Bret Baier posted on X, Trump predicted that his meeting with the Russian president would “work out very well — and if it doesn’t, I’m going to head back home real fast.”
“I would walk, yeah,” he added, after a follow up question from Baier.
Friday afternoon on social media, Trump posted a video clip from a gaggle also aboard the plane, in which he was asked what would make the summit a success.
“I want to see a ceasefire rapidly. I don’t know if it’s going to be today but I’m not going to be happy if it’s not today,” Trump told reporters, as he stood in an aisle of the plane. “I’m in this to stop the killing.”
NATO Supreme Allied Commander in Alaska to provide Trump with military advice
General Alexus Grynkewich, NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe is in Alaska to provide “military advice” to President Trump and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, a senior NATO military official told AP, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
Grynkewich, who is the commander of U.S and NATO forces in Europe, is a supporter of Ukraine and views Russia as a clear threat to European security. He has previously spoken of the need to get military aid into Kyiv quickly, including after President Trump said in July that NATO would be coordinating deliveries of U.S weapons.
Grynkewich’s presence in Alaska is likely to be welcomed by European leaders who have spent recent days trying to convince President Trump to be robust with President Putin and not to do a deal over Kyiv’s head.
Protesters outside DC police department pledge to ‘Resist fascism’
As the DC police department prepared to fight the Trump administration in court about a block away, more than 100 protestors gathered in front of police headquarters to rally against the federal takeover.
Protesters chanted “protect home rule” and waved signs saying “Resist!”
Organizer Nee Nee Taylor of FreeDC shouted on the microphone, “One thing Trump can’t take away from DC is our resilience and our joy.”
Global plastics pollution treaty negotiations fall apart
Delegates from around the world adjourned Friday with no immediate plans to resume efforts to reach a major treaty to end the spread of plastic pollution.
The consequence of this failure leaves no clear path for nations to collectively address the mountains of plastic filling landfills, clogging oceans and showing up in chunks on beaches and other public places.
“Consensus is dead,” said Bjorn Beeler, international coordinator for the International Pollutants Elimination Network.
More than 400 million tons of new plastic is produced each year around the planet, and that could grow by about 70% by 2040 without policy changes.
About 100 countries want to limit production, but the United States and other oil-producing countries opposed any limits on making plastics from fossil fuels.
DC police chief says Trump administration move is a ‘dangerous’ threat to law and order
Police Chief Pamela Smith’s statement came in a court filing Friday as the city seeks to block the federal takeover of its police department in court.
Smith said the Trump administration’s order installing a federal official as “emergency police chief,” if allowed to stand, would upend command structure and be ‘dangerous’ threat to law and order.
Washington’s top legal official is seeking an emergency restraining order in federal court. District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues the police takeover is illegal and threatens to “wreak operational havoc.”
Hillary Clinton has a message for Trump
“If Donald Trump negotiates an end to Putin’s war on Ukraine without Ukraine having to cede territory, I’ll nominate him for a Nobel Peace Prize myself,” the former U.S. secretary of state wrote on X.
Trump has already said he believes a peace deal would likely require the swapping of Ukrainian territories by both sides.
Clinton, Trump’s 2016 Democratic opponent, linked to her appearance on the “Raging Moderates” podcast, where she offered Trump some advice: “He is not meeting with a friend. He is meeting with an adversary.”
But Clinton said that if Trump can negotiate a ceasefire, have Russia withdraw from the territory it seized and bring an end to the war without making Ukraine concede territory, she would join the Nobel lobbying.
Trump and his allies have been lobbying for years for him to get the prize.
Putin is studying up on his flight to Alaska, spokesman says
Putin is scheduled to arrive at 11:00 a.m. local time Friday in Anchorage, where he will be met at the plane by Trump, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview with Russian state TV, an excerpt of which was published on reporter Pavel Zarubin’s Telegram channel on Friday.
According to Peskov, during the four-hour flight from Magadan, Putin will review materials on Ukraine, bilateral tensions, economic cooperation, and global affairs.
Trump speaks to Putin ally as he heads to Alaska
The president posted on his social media network that he had “a wonderful talk” with the president of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko.
He said their “good” conversation included a discussion of Putin’s visit.
Trump said they also spoke about the release of some prisoners earlier this year and the future release of prisoners. He did not offer details.
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
