Will Trump fall into Putin’s trap?

In today's issue:

▪ Trump wants peace. Does Putin?

▪ The Hill interview: Newsom defends redistricting fight 

▪ Progressives take center stage in mayoral contests

▪ Israel steps up Gaza offensive

President Trump heads to Alaska on Friday for a make-or-break summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin to talk about ending the war in Ukraine, while the world holds its breath.

Trump has provided few details on his goals for the meeting, telling reporters Monday he’s using the summit as an opportunity to “feel out” Putin, who has so far rebuffed all his calls for a ceasefire and increased the pace of attacks on Ukraine. The White House on Tuesday downplayed its expectations for the meeting, referring to it as a “listening exercise” for the president.

Trump said his version of a peace agreement would include “good stuff, not bad stuff, also some bad stuff for both.”

“We’re going to change the lines, the battle lines,” he added.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who will not attend the summit, said Tuesday after a phone call with Trump, White House special envoy Steve Witkoff and European leaders that Russia is showing signs it may want to end the war. 

Zelensky, Trump, European leaders and Vice President Vance will meet virtually today in a series of calls to discuss the summit.

Zelensky told NewsNation on Tuesday that Ukraine is supportive of a trilateral track of negotiations, to establish a ceasefire, an “all-for-all exchange” of prisoners of war and the return of Ukrainian children taken by Russia. 

But foreign policy experts warn the summit itself constitutes a victory for Putin.

“Putin has already won. He is the leader of a rogue state, and he’ll get a picture on U.S. soil with the president of the United States,” former national security adviser John Bolton told The Atlantic. “Trump wants a deal. And if he can’t get one now, he may walk away from it entirely.”

▪ Politico: “Trusting Trump’s instincts”: The White House sets modest expectations ahead of the Putin summit.

▪ CNN: Trump will meet Putin at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, on the northern edge  of Anchorage, though the White House had hoped to avoid the optics of hosting the Russian leader and his entourage on a military installation.

CEDING GROUND? Trump’s sharp criticism of Zelensky is sending chills across Europe, where leaders are working to guard against the worst-case scenario: Trump aligning with Putin to force a bad deal on Kyiv. Last week, Trump blew past a deadline to impose punishing sanctions on Russia and its primary trading partners in exchange for the face-to-face meeting with Putin.

And while the president has expressed increased frustration with Putin and Russia’s attacks on Ukraine, he this week reverted to criticisms that Zelensky is to blame for starting the war.

“[Trump] is very unpredictable,” Lesia Zaburanna, a member of the Ukrainian Parliament in Zelensky’s Servant of the People party and the deputy chair of the budget committee, told The Hill’s Laura Kelly. “We highly appreciate all American support, and we highly appreciate all military, financial support. But if we talk about the situation with Trump’s negotiation, we are not sure what we will have on Friday.”

LAND SWAPS: Trump confirmed Monday that he and Putin will discuss “land swapping” when they meet on Friday in Alaska. But the president expressed frustration with Zelensky for putting conditions on such a potential agreement — including a national referendum on any peace deal that stipulates Russian control over territory that Ukraine occupied during the war.

Russia occupies about a fifth of Ukraine, from the country’s northeast to Crimea, which Moscow annexed illegally in 2014.

“I was a little bothered by the fact that Zelensky was saying I have to get constitutional approval,” Trump said on Monday. “He has approval to go to war and kill everybody but he needs approval to do a land swap. Because there will be some land swapping going on. I know that through Russia and through conversations with everybody.”

▪ The New York Times: Russia is at least in part responsible for a recent hack of the computer system that manages federal court documents.

NOBEL ASPIRATIONS: International leaders, GOP lawmakers and White House officials have publicly advertised support for Trump to receive a Nobel Peace Prize, an honor awarded each year on Dec. 10 by a committee elected by the Norwegian Parliament. Trump has been upfront about his desire to capture the award and argues that “wars” have ended and peace deals resulted on his watch.

A successful summit with Putin, followed by lasting peace in Ukraine, could mark a first step toward just that.

POINTS FOR RUSSIA: But the road ahead is tricky, and full of opportunities for Putin. Exiled Russian opposition politician Dmitry Gudkov told DW that the Alaska meeting will provide a unique opportunity for Putin to shake hands with one of the leaders of the West. 

"The mere fact that Putin has the chance to meet Trump is already a huge plus" for the Russian president, Gudkov said. "Trump is basically legitimizing a war criminal and allowing Putin to participate in negotiations with the West." 

Smart Take with Blake Burman

President Trump has not raised expectations for the outcome of his upcoming summit with Vladimir Putin, calling it a “feel-out” meeting. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the commander in chief needs to sit down with the Russian leader “face-to-face" to assess the situation. 

I asked former KGB undercover agent Jack Barsky where he thinks things stand at this moment. 

“The bottom line is that both Ukrainians as well as Russians — the people — still support the war. Now, what Donald Trump can do from our perspective does not change that situation,” Barsky told me.  

Rubio said the scheduled meeting is not a concession to Putin. The way this is framed over the next few days from all sides is one thing we’ll be watching.  

Burman hosts “The Hill” weeknights, 6p/5c on NewsNation.

3 Things to Know Today

1. National Guard troops appeared in parts of Washington, D.C., Tuesday night. Their orders: Protect “federal assets, provide a safe environment for law enforcement officers to make arrests and deter violent crime” — with deployment until Sept. 25. 
2. Odds of a Federal Reserve interest rate cut next month are on the rise, analysts said Tuesday following the release of the government’s tamer-than-expected inflation report for July. 
3. Smithsonian museum exhibitions must align with Trump’s interpretation of American history, and the White House plans to achieve that ahead of America’s 250th anniversary, according to a Tuesday letter.

Leading the Day

© The Associated Press | Rich Pedroncelli

“FIGHT FIRE WITH FIRE”: During an exclusive interview, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) explained what he calls a “no regrets strategy” to “fight fire with fire” while countering partisan redistricting efforts led by Trump in Texas.

The president says his party can retain the House GOP majority after next year’s midterm elections by creating five new Republican-dominated districts in the reliably red Lone Star State. 

On Monday in a discussion with The Hill’s Amie Parnes, Newsom said he feels “very confident” about his efforts to block the president and Republicans using a Democratic redistricting plan that leans on the California Legislature to checkmate Texas when it gavels into session next week.

“[The] biggest risk is not taking one,” Newsom told The Hill. “Democracy demands we at least try, eyes wide open, recognize the stakes.”

Meanwhile on Tuesday, the Texas Senate passed a GOP-friendly map that moved a step closer to final passage in the state Legislature. 

The upper chamber overwhelmingly voted to approve a new set of congressional lines that would give the GOP five pickup opportunities, basically mirroring the map the Texas House is working to pass with the president’s encouragement. 

Democrats are laboring to explain how their political support for independent redistricting comports with a sudden appetite to emulate the GOP with gerrymandered congressional districts. Newsom defended his about-face by quoting Abraham Lincoln: “The facts are new, we must think anew, we must act anew.” 

The governor is not alone. Common Cause, a nonpartisan watchdog group that previously told The Hill it opposed blue states conducting mid-decade redistricting, signaled new openness to the tactic.

“We will not sit idly by while political leaders manipulate voting maps to entrench their power and subvert our democracy,” Common Cause President and CEO Virginia Kase Solomón said in a statement. “But neither will we call for unilateral political disarmament in the face of authoritarian tactics that undermine fair representation.” 

POLITICS OF LAW AND ORDER: Trump is pressuring Democrats to outline their positions on law and order and crime, issues that proved troublesome with voters in recent elections. Trump’s decision to federalize the Washington, D.C., police and deploy the National Guard on the streets of the nation’s capital put Democrats on defense. 

Trump during his first term took aim at crime in cities run by Democrats. His latest pro-policing narrative handed conservatives in Congress who favor more federal control over the District of Columbia an opening to talk up public safety as a GOP strength.

Republicans say Trump will leverage federal funding for Washington to try to get Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) and members of the D.C. Council to bend to his will when it comes to battling crime, clearing out homeless encampments and beautifying the city. Capitol Hill conservatives want Congress to end Washington’s era of home rule, a push few observers believe will succeed.

Bowser during a “Breakfast Club” interview said Washington should be the nation’s 51st state. 

“Our partnership with the federal government is welcome on issues that we share,” she added.

Where and When

• The president will visit the Kennedy Center at 11 a.m. for an announcement about its annual honorees. “GREAT Nominees for the TRUMP/KENNEDY CENTER, whoops, I mean, KENNEDY CENTER, AWARDS. They will be announced Wednesday,” Trump wrote on Truth Social late Tuesday. At 4 p.m., Trump will sign executive orders at the White House.
• The House will hold a pro forma session on Friday at noon and will return to work in Washington on Sept. 2.
• The Senate will hold a pro forma session on Friday at 10:15 a.m.

Zoom In

© The Associated Press | Yuki Iwamura

MAYORAL RACES PUT DEMOCRATS CENTER STAGE: Progressives are making inroads in mayoral contests in large cities, giving the left flank a new shot in the arm as the Democratic Party struggles to determine its future. 

Seattle community activist Katie Wilson (D) surprised some political observers last week by finishing ahead of moderate incumbent Mayor Bruce Harrell (D) in a nonpartisan blanket primary. Wilson is almost 10 points ahead of Harrell in primary results as of the latest vote count. Coming in the aftermath of Zohran Mamdani’s upset win in the New York City Democratic primary and as a left-wing challenger seeks to oust the current Minneapolis mayor, progressives are hoping it’s a sign of the tide turning in their favor.

OHIO SENATE: Former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D), 72, is expected to launch a comeback Senate bid in Ohio next year, multiple outlets reported. 

Brown’s decision, described by labor leaders to whom he’s spoken, gives Ohio Democrats perhaps their best hope of unseating incumbent Sen. Jon Husted, a Columbus-area Republican appointed earlier this year to the Senate. Brown has not officially announced a campaign. 

Brown is viewed by Democrats as one of the few members of their party who could put the seat in play in the red-trending state next year when the party in power in Washington may face headwinds.

After serving three terms in the Senate, Brown lost reelection by 3.5 points last year as Trump carried Ohio by 11 points. Roll Call adjusted its Inside Elections rating for the Ohio race to “Lean Republican” from “Solid Republican” on Tuesday based on the reported Brown decision.

▪The Hill: Six people have zipped through the IRS commissioner turnstile this year. What’s up with that? 

▪Bloomberg Businessweek: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent spoke about tariffs, deficits, Trump’s economic plan and his own role on the president’s economic team during an interview.

▪The Hill: The Department of Government Efficiency can access sensitive government data about millions of Americans, a federal appeals court ruled on Tuesday.

???? FRESH OR FROZEN: The Trump administration supports freshly cooked school lunch meals that would require more employees and ingredients to serve to students. That’s unrealistic without additional federal K-12 resources, advocates say.

Elsewhere

© The Associated Press | Jehad Alshrafi

GAZA: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted Tuesday that ceasefire efforts in Gaza have focused on a comprehensive deal that would release the remaining hostages all at once, instead of in phases. Mediators in Egypt and Qatar are preparing a new framework for a deal that would include the withdrawal of Israeli forces. 

Hamas leader Khalil Al-Hayya traveled to Cairo to try to salvage the talks. Meanwhile, Gaza City has come under intense air attack as Israeli forces prepare to occupy the city in what Netanyahu has called the next steps for a “complete takeover” of the enclave. 

On Tuesday, the Israeli military said it was "at the beginning of a new state of combat.”

▪Der Spiegel: Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is sharply critical of his successor Netanyahu and the war in Gaza.

▪The Times of Israel: Israel is said to be in talks with war-torn South Sudan about taking in Palestinians from Gaza.

The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has reached "unimaginable levels," the foreign ministers of Britain, Canada, Australia and several of their European allies said on Tuesday. They called on Israel to allow unrestricted aid into the war-torn enclave.

“Famine is unfolding before our eyes. Urgent action is needed now to halt and reverse starvation,” the foreign ministers of 24 countries said in a joint statement. “We call on the government of Israel to provide authorization for all international NGO aid shipments and to unblock essential humanitarian actors from operating.”

▪The Washington Post: Israel must give the United Nations full access to Gaza to halt starvation, allies say.

▪CNN: Al Jazeera journalist Anas Al-Sharif became the face of the war in Gaza for millions. Then Israel killed him.

▪The New York Times: These were the Al Jazeera journalists killed by Israeli attacks in Gaza.

Opinion

• All E.J. Antoni’s labor statistics, by The Wall Street Journal editorial board.
• Trump wants to make the census count, by Merrill Matthews, opinion contributor, The Hill.

The Closer

© The Associated Press | Andrew Selsky

And lending new meaning to “finally” … More states are clearing the way for a burial process that turns dead bodies into soil that can be used to nurture plants and gardens. Human composting is among new trends that tackle death and what comes after.

“I knew immediately this was the path for me,” said Nina Schoen, 54, of Washington state, who quickly added she wasn’t planning on going anywhere anytime soon. She's a prepaid member of Recompose, a Seattle funeral home that offers the slow-acting composting service.

Laws regulating after-death care vary from state to state, according to the National Funeral Home Alliance. A wave of legislation in recent years has made human composting burials legal for millions of Americans.