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Monday, August 18th, 2025 - Red carpet for Putin summit; Israel national strike; Gaza visas paused; Dems bid to end DC takeover; Hurricane Erin



Today’s Headlines: The Trump–Putin “summit” in Alaska dominated the weekend, though there seemed to be more bad optics than progress. Putin demanded control of Donetsk plus recognition of Russia’s land grabs in Ukraine, while hinting China could offer Kyiv “security guarantees” instead of NATO. No deal came out of it, but plenty of eyebrow-raisers did: Russian FM Lavrov in a vintage USSR shirt, US troops literally rolling out a red carpet, Trump’s team leaving summit documents (including Putin’s lunch menu) at a hotel printer, and Putin even hopped into Trump’s car for a quick chat. Journalists said Trump’s staff looked “ashen,” a post-meeting lunch was mysteriously canceled, and the only follow-up so far is Trump planning a phone call with Zelensky and EU leaders. Elsewhere, Israel saw a massive general strike—organizers say about 10% of the country joined—to pressure the government into prioritizing a hostage deal over expanding the Gaza war. In the U.S., about 60 kids from Gaza arrived for medical care with the help of a nonprofit, sparking outrage from Laura Loomer and prompting the Trump administration to pause visitor visas from the territory. Back in DC, hundreds of National Guard troops from West Virginia, Ohio, and South Carolina are being deployed to the capital in Trump’s ongoing push to control city policing—though officials insist they’re not armed “at this time.” Democrats, led by Rep. Jamie Raskin, are pushing a resolution to end Trump’s authority over the DC police. And finally, Hurricane Erin—the first named storm of the season—rapidly jumped to a Category 5 before downgrading slightly. It’s still expected to slam the Southeast as a major hurricane early this week.


Resources/Articles mentioned in this episode:


Axios: Putin made maximalist claims to Ukrainian territory in Trump summit: Sources 

NBC News: Ukraine and allies left scrambling as Trump shifts toward Putin after Alaska summit

NBC News: Ukraine and allies left scrambling as Trump shifts toward Putin after Alaska summit

Times of Israel: Large protests held across Israel as national strike for hostages gets underway

NYT: U.S. Pauses Visitor Visas for Gazans After Laura Loomer Posts

WSJ: More National Guard Soldiers Head to D.C. and Prepare to Carry Weapons

Axios: Democrats introduce measure to terminate Trump's D.C. takeover

NYT: U.S. Pauses Visitor Visas for Gazans After Laura Loomer Posts


Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson


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Published on 3 months, 4 weeks ago






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