Russian President Vladimir Putin said he would like to meet with President Donald Trump but the meeting needs to be prepared to make it productive. Putin hailed the talks between senior Russian and U.S. officials in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday, noting that the parties agreed to restore the tattered diplomatic relations.
His comments came after Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday that Trump is living in a Russian-made “disinformation space” as a result of his administration’s discussions with Kremlin officials. Zelenskyy is expected to meet with Keith Kellogg, the U.S. special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, who arrived in Kyiv on Wednesday.
Here’s the latest:
Schumer says Trump blaming Ukraine for Russia’s invasion is ‘disgusting’
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer says Trump’s comments blaming Ukraine for having been invaded by Russia are “disgusting.”
Rather than acknowledge Putin’s attack that launched the war in 2022, Trump “amazingly blamed Ukraine for Putin’s invasion,” Schumer said.
The senator’s remarks came as the Trump administration is being widely criticized as catering to Russia and excluding Ukraine in early negotiations for an end to the war.
“It’s disgusting to see an American president turn against one of our friends and openly side with a thug like Vladimir Putin,” Schumer said.
Senators grill US labor secretary nominee on her past support of the Protecting the Right to Organize Act
Senators are grilling U.S. labor secretary nominee Lori Chavez-DeRemer on her past support of the Protecting the Right to Organize Act.
During her one term in Congress, Chavez-DeRemer was one of the few Republicans to support the legislation, which was aimed at making it easier for workers to unionize. It passed the House but didn’t gain traction in the Senate.
Chavez-DeRemer said she believes U.S. labor laws need to be updated and modernized to reflect today’s workforce and the nation’s business environment. She said the PRO Act was a way to start doing that when she represented Oregon’s 5th congressional district, but if she’s confirmed as labor secretary, it wouldn’t be up to her to write the laws.
“If confirmed, my job will be to implement President Trump’s policy vision,” Chavez-DeRemer said. “And my guiding principle will be President Trump’s guiding principle: ensuring a level playing field for businesses, unions and most importantly, the American worker.”
A comprehensive look at DOGE’s firings and layoffs so far
Thousands of federal government employees have been shown the door in the first month of Trump’s administration.
While there is no official figure available of the total firings or layoffs, the AP tracked how agencies are being affected.
Here are just some of the major infrastructure changes:
1. The White House offered a “deferred resignation” proposal in exchange for financial incentives to almost all federal employees
2. The Department of Veterans Affairs fired 1,000 employees who had served for less than two years
3. At least 39 people have been fired from the Education Department
4. Hundreds of federal employees tasked with working on the nation’s nuclear weapons programs were laid off, but that was largely rescinded hours later
5. The jobs of more than 5,000 probationary employees are on the line at HHS
6. The IRS will lay off thousands of probationary workers in the middle of tax season, according to two people familiar
? Read more about how federal agencies and employees are being affected by DOGE
Confirmation hearing for Trump’s Labor Department pick opens
The confirmation hearing for President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Labor Department has opened.
The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions is set to question former U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer on Wednesday.
Unions have described the Republican from Oregon as pro-labor because of her voting record during her one term as a congresswoman.
The committee’s chairman, Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Republican from Louisiana, said there are concerns about Chavez-DeRemer’s support of the PRO Act, legislation that would allow more workers to conduct union organizing campaigns and penalize companies that violate workers’ rights.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent, asked if she would be “a rubber stamp” for anti-worker policies promoted by billionaires such as Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos.
Rubio will skip a G20 meeting after calling host South Africa’s policies anti-American
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will skip a two-day meeting of foreign ministers from the leading rich and developing nations that starts on Thursday after criticizing host South Africa’s policies as anti-American.
Instead, Rubio was headed back to the United States on Wednesday from his first trip to the Middle East as America’s chief diplomat after leading a U.S. delegation in talks with Russia in Riyad over the war in Ukraine.
Top European diplomats, as well as Lavrov and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi are all expected at the Group of 20 meeting in Johannesburg while the U.S. will be represented by a lower-level delegation.
Putin says he would like to meet Trump but preparations are ongoing
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday he would like to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump but the meeting needs to be prepared to make it productive.
“I would like to have a meeting, but it needs to be prepared so that it brings results,” Putin said in televised remarks. He added that he would be “pleased” to meet Trump.
He hailed the talks between senior Russian and U.S. officials in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday, noting that the parties agreed to restore the tattered diplomatic relations.
Putin also said that Trump has acknowledged that the Ukrainian settlement could take longer than he had initially hoped.
Rubio visits with UAE leaders after landmark talks with Russia over Ukraine war
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Wednesday with the leader of the United Arab Emirates, wrapping up an overseas trip that saw the highest-level outreach between the United States and Russia since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Rubio’s talk with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, also the ruler of Abu Dhabi, comes as the U.S. also tries to continue a shaky ceasefire in the Gaza Strip between Israel and the militant Hamas group.
The UAE also has been key in mediating prisoner swaps between Russia and Ukraine.
Rubio offered his thanks in the meeting to the UAE “for the strength and enduring nature of the relationship,” State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement.
The state-run WAM news agency reported Sheikh Mohammed had told Rubio “that the UAE strongly opposes any attempt to displace the Palestinian people from Gaza.”
? Read more about Rubio’s discussions with the UAE
Ukraine’s Zelenskyy says Trump is living in a Russian-made ‘disinformation space’
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday that U.S. President Donald Trump is living in a Russian-made “disinformation space” as a result of his administration’s discussions with Kremlin officials.
Zelenskyy said he “would like Trump’s team to be more truthful.”
He made the comments shortly before he was expected to meet with Keith Kellogg, the U.S. special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, who arrived in Kyiv on Wednesday. Kellogg will meet Zelenskyy and military commanders as the U.S. shifts its policy away from years of efforts to isolate Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Trump suggested Tuesday that Kyiv was to blame for the war, which enters its fourth year next week, as talks between top American and Russian diplomats in Saudi Arabia sidelined Ukraine and its European supporters.
DOGE is getting lists of the military’s probationary workers from the Pentagon
Department of Government Efficiency staffers were at the Pentagon on Tuesday and receiving lists of the military’s probationary employees, U.S. officials said.
However, it was not clear that all probationary personnel would be let go — instead, some might be exempted due to the critical nature of their work. The military services each had until end of business Tuesday to identify their probationary employees.
The affected personnel would include defense civilians who are still new to their jobs, not uniformed military personnel, who are exempt, according to the four officials who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.
The potential cuts at the Pentagon, first reported by The Washington Post, follow reductions at other federal agencies, where probationary employees who were conducting critical functions and had high-level clearances, including staff at the National Nuclear Security Administration, were fired despite their role.
? Read more about the federal worker firings
Judge questions motives for Trump’s order banning transgender troops
A federal judge questioned Trump’s motives for issuing an executive order that calls for banning transgender troops from serving in the U.S. military, describing a portion of the directive as “frankly ridiculous.”
U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes indicated that she won’t rule before early March on whether to temporarily block the Trump administration from enforcing the order, which plaintiffs’ attorneys have said illegally discriminates against transgender troops.
But her questions and remarks during Tuesday’s hearing suggest that she is deeply skeptical of the administration’s reasoning for ordering a policy change. Reyes also lauded the service of several active-duty troops who sued to block the order.
Trump’s Jan. 27 order claims the sexual identity of transgender service members “conflicts with a soldier’s commitment to an honorable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle, even in one’s personal life” and is harmful to military readiness. It requires Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to issue a revised policy.
? Read more about Trump’s order banning transgender troops
Trump imposes his vision on America in departure from first-term stumbles
Instead of repeating his laissez-faire attitude toward his own administration, the Republican president is asserting control at every opportunity, backed up by loyalists at all levels of government. Despite occasional disorganization and confusion, there’s a headstrong determination to push through any obstacles.
Trump doesn’t just want to change course from Joe Biden’s presidency, his team is holding back congressionally authorized funding championed by his predecessor.
This time, Trump seems to be saying, his orders will not be ignored. This time, there will be follow through.
? Read more about how Trump’s second term is different from his first