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On Politics

Thu Aug 14 2025

Rebecca Morin | Newsletter Writer

@RebeccaMorin_

Hello! Rebecca Morin here. How do you feel about President Donald Trump's efforts to crackdown on crime in Washington DC? Let me know!

A 'chess game' that could fail

The location is set. The stakes are high. And President Donald Trump is laying out how his one-on-one meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska could go. In an interview with Fox News Radio on Thursday, Trump said he hopes his one-on-one meeting with Putin will lead to a second meeting between himself, Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, where the two sides can hammer out details for a peace deal. "It's like a chess game," Trump said, adding that there's a "25% chance" the meeting could fail to advance peace talks. Trump also suggested that Russia and Ukraine could "divvy things up."

Alaska's strategic importance: The two world leaders will meet at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage. Its key location – near Russia and close to Arctic resources eyed by China – has made Elmendorf-Richardson and other Alaskan military installations increasingly valuable to the Pentagon. How Alaska's strategic, remote location has exposed its vulnerabilities.

Zelenskyy on defense: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited London on Thursday – one day before Trump and Putin's one-on-one meeting – to shore up European support for efforts to prevent any agreement that would carve up Ukraine. Trump has said a deal could include what he called a land swap. How Zelenskyy is preparing for the Trump-Putin summit.

Activists dressed as President Donald Trump (L) and Russian President Vladimir Putin prepare to rip up a map of Ukraine at a demonstration in front of the Brandenburg Gate on Aug. 14 in Berlin, Germany.

Sean Gallup, Getty Images

A politics pit stop

•	What is Trump's approval rating by state? See best and worst ratings.
•	Ivanka Trump, a jiu-jitsu blue belt, to plan White House UFC fight.
•	Republicans could re-draw these seats in Texas, Ohio, and Florida.
•	Are stimulus checks coming? Trump proposed tariff rebate unlikely.
•	Failed GOP candidate jailed over gun attacks on Democrats' homes.

Clearing the camps

Blocks away from Kennedy Center in Washington DC, workers began sweeping away homeless encampments. On the same day, President Donald Trump traveled to the center to announce the latest slate of Kennedy Center honorees – using a route that would pass the encampments. Members of the city's Department of Human Services pinned notices to at least nine other tents in the area, notifying residents that the camps would be broken down and closed if not removed by the following morning. Advocates for DC's homeless population say they're still unclear where the Trump administration expects people living outside to move.

•	Photos: See homeless encampments near Kennedy Center cleared ahead of Trump visit.
•	How DC's unique status let Trump take control of police and deploy the National Guard.
•	National Guard in DC could carry weapons and detain people, Army says.
•	Man in DC charged with assaulting officer with a sandwich.

Hunter Biden's F-bomb

First lady Melania Trump has put Hunter Biden on notice − but he's not flinching. Trump on Aug. 6 threatened to sue the son of former President Joe Biden for more than $1 billion if he doesn't retract the claim that she was introduced to her husband by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Hunter Biden on Thursday hit back with an expletive-laden response, saying he had read the account in newspaper articles dating back to 2019. When asked during an interview whether Biden would like to apologize to the first lady for his comments, he said: "F--- that. That's not going to happen." What to know about the exchange between the two.

Got a burning question, or comment, for On Politics? You can submit them here or send me an email at rdmorin@usatoday.com.