Welcome to the online edition of From The Politics Desk, an evening newsletter that provides the latest reports and analysis from the NBC News Politics team’s White House, Capitol Hill and Campaign Trail.
Today’s edition analyses the beginning of President Donald Trump’s efforts to promote the end of the Russian-Ukraine war. Plus, we shift gears to the campaign trail. There, Bridget Bowman states that one of the marquee governor races of the year serves as an early forum for Democrats to find immigration progress.
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– Adam Walner
Trump tries to tackle a bold campaign pledge
President Donald Trump repeatedly pledged the campaign path to bring the Russian-Ukraine war to an immediate end to the first day or before taking office.
That timeline has arrived, but activity has skyrocketed over the last 24 hours – Trump’s call with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Voldy Mil Zelensky is a serious matter to fulfill his broad and bold promises It can show the beginning of an effort.
Wednesday’s development also shows Trump’s continued turn from President Joe Biden, who has pledged to secure Ukraine’s full victory.
Vladimir and Zelensky talk: Trump spoke on the phone with Putin on Wednesday about ending the war in Ukraine, saying Rebecca Shabad reported that Putin wanted to negotiate directly with Zelensky. Trump said he was in key negotiations with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA John Ratcliffe, national security adviser Michael Waltz and Russia, and was entrusted with Ambassador Steve Witkov and special envoy.
Putin’s advisor Dmitry Peskov said the Russian leader “has expressed that, of course, it is ready to receive Russian American officials in terms of fields of mutual interest, including the topic of Ukraine’s settlement.” Ta.
Trump said a war-related meeting led by Vice President JD Vance and Rubio will be held in Munich on Friday. He then added that later that day he plans to meet with Putin in the end.
Regarding Zelenskyy, Trump said his call with the Ukrainian president “has been very successful.”
Zelenskyy said in an X post that he had a “meaningful conversation” with Trump. “No one wants more peace than Ukraine,” he wrote. “Together with the United States, we are celebrating the next step to stop the attacks on Russia and ensuring lasting, reliable peace. Let’s do that, as President Trump said.”
Hegses in Brussels: Earlier in the day, Defense Secretary Pete Hegses said that at Belgium’s NATO headquarters, Ukraine’s borders were held in the Ukrainian border as before 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea and supported separatists who had taken pledges. He said aiming to return to the film is “unrealistic.” In the east of the country.
As Alexander Smith points out, the statement supports negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, the Ukrainian territory already seized by the Kremlin, but the US negotiates between Ukraine and Russia It is the most clear sign that it supports the
Hostage swap: Meanwhile, the Trump administration has agreed to return convicted moneylander Alexander Vinnik to Russia in exchange for the release of American teacher Mark Vogel, Henry Austin reports It’s.
Other things you need to know from today’s President Trump
A federal judge determined that Trump’s radical plan to persuade federal workers to step down could move forward. Inflation rose unexpectedly in January, posing an early challenge to Trump’s economic agenda, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. He was fired a day after his office released a report detailing the negative effects of the administration’s institutional cuts. The Trump administration is considering using Pentagon funds to hire contractors. This considers that a move to significantly expand the scale and scope of immigrant arrests and deportation of USDOGE staff has pushed the top officials of the Ministry of Education from their own. An agency employee said the office has relocated furniture and installed white noise machines to fill the voices. This will set the final confirmation slip on Thursday. Trump’s Labor Secretary, former Rep. Lori Chavez Deremar, has given her nomination to the Senate committee that she worked part-time with planned custody in her early 20s but has not personally supported abortion. He said he had considered it. Trump is currently chairman of the Kennedy Center Council.
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The 2025 election offers an early democrat test on immigration
By Bridget Bowman
New Jersey, which is holding one of two marquee races for the governor this year, offers early testing for Democrats as they try to navigate the troubling issues of immigration and border security amid the new Trump administration. I’m doing it.
The issue already divides the crowded Democrat field, including Congress, mayors and former Senate leaders, who are competing on behalf of term-limited Democrat Phil Murphy.
In recent debates, Senator Josh Gottheimer voted for the GOP-led Laken Riley Act, a strict immigration detention measure named after a 22-year-old Georgia School of Nursing student. faced criticism from Newark Mayor Las Baraka and Jersey Mayor Steve Flop. He was murdered last year by an undocumented immigrant.
Gottheimer was one of 46 House Democrats and one of New Jersey’s only House Democrats.
“If you’re a murderer, criminal, or rapist, if you’re breaking into people’s houses with guns in the middle of the night while your kids are sleeping, you’re not documented, you’re here You shouldn’t be in it, right?” Gottheimer said. “And you should not be in this state. You should not be in this country.”
Rep. Mikie Sheryl, another member of the race’s council, voted against the bill.
At the stage of discussion, Cheryl sought a path to citizenship for “basic humanity” that is often lacking from the discussion of immigration, and “comprehensive immigration reform” and undocumented immigration. He said there was.
“And we need better border security,” Sheryl added.
New Jersey was traditionally blue and blue, but Trump lost only six points in 2024. This was a 10-point swing in his direction compared to 2020, the second largest in the country.
Read more from Bridget→
today’s other top stories
In the Court: The Trump administration was set up in a court case that is famous for its inconspicuous reasons: an ambiguous law called the Administrative Procedure Act. Read more →⚖→In court, Continue: Supreme Court Judge Sonia Sotomayor defended the court amid criticism from Trump and his allies. Read more Some hard-pressed conservatives weren’t excited about it. Read More → “Her Flag Planting (Staff): Republican businessman Karrin Taylor Robson is running for governor and promoting Trump’s support. Read More →
For now, it’s all from the political desk. Today’s newsletter was compiled by Adam Walner, Scott Brando and Ben Kamizar.
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