The Coalition of the (More Or Less) Willing
Trump plays middleman while European leaders execute a diplomatic ballet. Plus: Texas Democrats return, redefine "victory." DC under guard. And some skibidi News That Doesn't Suck.
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Act Two of the Russia-Ukraine peace talks played out today, in a remarkable White House summit featuring Trump, Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy and more than a half dozen European leaders. The talks ended with Trump posting on Truth Social that he had already briefed Putin — he reportedly stepped out of the meeting to do so — and announced the next step: a one-on-one meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin. This is a surprise, since Zelenskyy has made it clear he isn’t warm to the idea of meeting alone with the man he considers a butcher, especially given Ukrainians’ belief that Putin has repeatedly attempted to assassinate him. (Nobel Prize committee, take note.) Is there a method to this madness? In a hot mic moment aired on CNN, Trump told French President Emmanuel Macron, "I think Putin wants to make a deal for me … as crazy as that sounds." On Truth Social Trump promised to join the two men for a subsequent meeting.
No one in that room has ever seen peace negotiations conducted via Truth Social posts and mid-meeting Putin briefings. But Trump wants this to move fast and in public — and if that's what it takes, European leaders seem willing to accommodate him. Whether this unorthodox approach actually produces peace remains to be seen.
Here Are Your Headlines
Far Friendlier: When Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sat with President Trump in the Oval Office today there were smiles, wardrobe compliments, and no rude outbursts from Vice President JD Vance. Unlike February’s fiasco, today’s meeting nudged diplomacy forward, but just the tiniest bit. There were two key meetings today. The first was a make-nice Oval Office photo op of Trump and Zelenskyy. After that, Trump helmed a summit of no fewer than seven senior European leaders, including the European Commission’s president, NATO’s secretary general (an expert in stroking Trump’s ego), and the leaders of the UK, Germany, France, Finland, and Italy. The “Coalition of the Willing,” as they call themselves, played bad cop, allowing Zelenskyy to play the grateful partner; in fact Zelenskyy thanked Trump and the US more than a dozen times. While Trump at times echoed Putin’s positions, the others orchestrated a careful choreography – at turns pressing hard points then jumping in to heap praise on Trump before his mood turned sour. The big takeaways:
Security Guarantee: One after another, European leaders stressed the importance of ensuring any deal includes an “Article-5” or “NATO-like” security guarantee. This simply means that if Russia makes a peace deal and then turns around and decides to attack Ukraine, NATO countries will come to its defense. After the meeting, Trump announced such “guarantees would be provided by the various European Countries, with a coordination with the United States of America.” That’s a big deal. White House special envoy Steve Witkoff said over the weekend Putin is willing to accept this — strange, considering Putin insists he started this war in part because Ukraine wanted to join NATO.
However: It's unclear whether those guarantees will be enough for Ukraine. Remember, back in the 1990s Ukraine gave its nuclear weapons to Russia in return for… security guarantees, which did not prevent Putin from invading in 2014 and 2022.
Territory: This remains the most contentious issue. Ukraine’s “Coalition of the Willing” refuses to reward Putin for his invasion — but any peace deal will require accepting some nearly unacceptable terms. Trump reportedly told Zelenskyy Ukraine must give up Crimea, which Russia invaded and occupied in 2014.
Big Picture: This matters both for the self-determination and survival of the Ukrainians, and for European leaders who are watching nervously, fearing that any concession to Putin could make them his next target.
What’s Next: Trump called Putin to brief him on the discussions, and said they “began the arrangements” for a meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin, which would then be followed by a meeting with Trump, too. One major sticking point: European leaders made clear these meetings can’t take place without a ceasefire, which Putin rejects. “We all would like to see a ceasefire,” Germany’s chancellor said. “I can’t imagine that the next meeting would [take] place without a ceasefire.” But Trump disagreed. “I don’t think you need a ceasefire,” Trump said.
Game of Thrones: Zelenskyy came prepared. He heaped praise and gratitude on the US and Trump. (Recall Vance attacking Zelenskyy in February for his supposed ingratitude, telling him to “just say thank you.”) He brought a letter from his wife for Melania Trump. And, most importantly, Zelenskyy wore a military-style “suit,” which seemed to please MAGA critics unhappy with his outfit in February. One of those critics, Brian Glenn, a reporter with Real America’s Voice — and partner of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) — told Zelenskyy he looked “fabulous in that suit.”
Let’s play a game. Does the following headline come from a liberal or conservative source?
How about this one: “Washingtonians tired of crime but skeptical of Trump takeover.” Surprise: both are from conservative news outlets. The distaste for the militarization of the nation’s capital is crossing political lines. That kind of nuance is easy to miss if you’re only seeing news from one angle. Ground News makes it simple to compare coverage from across the spectrum and spot the blind spots in your feed. Right now, the News Not Noise community gets 40% off an all-access Vantage subscription. To subscribe, go to GroundNews.com/NNN.
Watch Out For Erin: Hurricane Erin re-intensified into a category 4 hurricane last night and is expected to remain dangerous throughout this week. It is one of the most quickly intensifying hurricanes in history, and could send deadly waves and rip currents to the East Coast as it moves northward. A tropical storm warning was issued today for parts of North Carolina.
Occupying Force: West Virginia, South Carolina, and Ohio are each sending hundreds of National Guard troops to DC, where they will join the roughly 800 troops Trump deployed last week — some of them armed. DC Mayor Muriel Bowser insisted today this was not a “takeover,” saying outside law enforcement necessarily has to coordinate with local officials.
Strange Definition of Safe: Armed soldiers patrolling the National Mall and armored vehicles parked outside Union Station — supposedly deployed to reduce crime — aren’t exactly leaving residents of DC feeling safer. “They weren’t here for Jan 6,” one protestor noted today. “So why now?” “They’re just standing around,” a resident said. “It’s not like they’re protecting anything.” So what is this massive force doing? Certainly not making teenagers, the scapegoats of the White House’s mostly fictitious “crime wave,” feel any safer. “We’re afraid to go out,” one college freshman told NPR, “because we’re afraid, one wrong step … and I’m getting flagged down.” “I understand public safety is important,” a 16-year-old resident said, “but [the troops] look more like they’re bullying us than being our community guardians. It’s hard not to feel intimidated.” “I don’t want our city to become a police state,” an adult resident worried. “It’s wrong.”
Legality: The Constitution doesn’t let states send troops into other, nonconsenting states. The president can ask states to contribute troops to certain actions, as Trump did during the 2020 BLM protests in DC — and as he’s doing now. States can refuse, as four did in 2020 and as Vermont’s Republican governor, Phil Scott, did last week. He similarly declined the administration’s request to use state troops at immigration detention facilities.
Homeward Bound: Texas Democrats returned to the state today, re-entering the state house to applause. Their return ends a two-week-long standoff over the GOP’s proposed gerrymander. The Democrats’ absence prevented Republicans from confirming the new voting map during the state’s special legislative session. The Democrats are claiming victory, with Texas House Democratic Caucus Chair Gene arguing they “rallied Democrats nationwide to join this existential fight for fair representation.” But Gov. Greg Abbott called a second session, and with enough lawmakers back home, Republicans will now be able to confirm the map and flip five districts to Republican control. Do you think this was the right strategy: leave to raise awareness, return before it escalates? Or should they have stayed away indefinitely to try and defy the state? Their fight did convince California Democrats to release a proposal on Friday to reshape the Golden State’s voting map to secure five additional seats, effectively offsetting the seats Republicans will theoretically gain under Texas’ new map.
When They Go Low, We Go Lower: California Gov. Gavin Newsom recently adopted an, erm, presidential social media strategy, imitating Trump’s confrontational all-caps style with viral results. “I’m just following his example,” Newsom said Thursday. “If you have issues with what I’m putting out, you sure as hell should have concerns with what he’s putting out as president.”
Man v. Machine: Trump today announced he will “lead a movement to get rid of MAIL-IN BALLOTS” and what he claims are “Highly ‘Inaccurate,’ Very Expensive, and Seriously Controversial VOTING MACHINES” before the 2026 midterm elections. The ACLU slammed Trump’s move as “part of his strategy to sow distrust in our elections and prevent voters from holding him accountable.”
Reality: The Constitution gives states, not the president, the power to regulate elections. Trump’s attempt earlier this year to force voters to prove citizenship was blocked by multiple judges for this exact reason.
Reality Check: About 98% of votes in the 2024 election were cast on paper. Almost all counties use systems with a traceable paper trail (the last places to implement this were red states Louisiana and Texas). Voter fraud is practically nonexistent. Trump claimed the US is “the only Country in the World that uses Mail-In Voting.” Nope. The dozens of countries that use mail-in voting include Canada, the UK, Germany, Australia, and Switzerland. There, too, voter fraud is vanishingly rare. In the UK’s 2019 general election, for example, over 32 million votes were cast, of which just 34 — or 0.000057% — were alleged to have been fraudulent.
Ironic Timing: Right-wing news channel Newsmax agreed today to pay $67 million to voting machine company Dominion to settle a lawsuit over its defamatory and baseless claims the 2020 election was rigged.
Stop the Fighting: Hamas today announced it has agreed to a ceasefire proposal that would suspend fighting for 60 days and involve the return of half the remaining living hostages in return for Palestinian prisoners held in Israel. About 50 hostages remain in captivity, of which about 20 are thought to be still alive. Egypt and Qatar presented the deal to Hamas; we don’t know if Israel will accept it. This comes as Netanyahu plans a military campaign to seize control of Gaza City.
Getting Louder: Hundreds of thousands of Israelis marched in Tel Aviv yesterday, demanding the government prioritize the return of the hostages and an end to the war. Hostage families warn that Netanyahu’s plans to escalate the war will not help win the safe return of the hostages. Of the 148 hostages rescued since their capture by Hamas on October 7, 2023, 140 were released as part of two ceasefire agreements.
The Revolution Will Be Tweeted: The White House is reportedly sending social media teams with FBI agents arresting people in DC. Imagine the videos MAGA influencers will post… One expert said the policy “does cross the line in terms of constitutional and ethical conduct by police.” Another warned it “erodes the FBI’s integrity and the perception of impartiality, which are required for the bureau to maintain any credibility.” Anything for viral content, I guess?
Directly Targeted: In Los Angeles, a Colombian woman who regularly posted videos of ICE activity was violently arrested by masked immigration agents on Friday. Video footage of the arrest shows agents pinning Tatiana Martinez down and covering her head; she reportedly lost consciousness and required medical attention. The ICE officials were waiting at her residence to take her, suggesting she was targeted perhaps for her videos spotlighting ICE’s tactics. Her fans are asking whether this is another step to using Trump’s beefed up security force to silence critics.
Here We Go: The DOJ will begin sharing its files on Epstein with the House Oversight Committee on Friday. Trump’s former Attorney General Bill Barr, who was in office when Epstein died, was questioned today by members of Congress over his involvement in the investigation into Epstein’s death. That involvement was considerable: Barr personally reviewed hours of jail surveillance footage, and his senior staff were among the first to arrive at the scene of Epstein’s death — a visit sources called highly unusual. Oh, and Barr’s father hired Epstein as a teacher at the Dalton School in the early ‘70s.
News That Doesn’t Suck
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