Ceasefire on the line at today’s Alaska Trump-Putin summit: Unbiased Updates, Aug. 15, 2025
A high-stakes summit in Anchorage — Putin’s first meeting with a president on U.S. soil in nearly two decades. President Donald Trump says he’ll know “within minutes” if talks to end the war in Ukraine are worth continuing.
Plus, Attorney General Pam Bondi puts the DEA chief in charge of the Metropolitan Police Department, stripping the current chief’s authority. D.C.’s attorney general calls the move “unlawful.”
And the former president backs California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Texas Democrats in their push to counter Republican redistricting plans. Former President Barack Obama calls partisan map-making a “systematic assault on democracy” and urges states to take bold action.
These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Friday, Aug. 15, 2025.
Trump, Putin to meet on US soil; No ceasefire, no guarantees
A historic day in Alaska is in store on Friday, along with some pretty high stakes.
President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet face-to-face on American soil on Friday for the first time in nearly 20 years.
The mission? Find a way out of the war in Ukraine.
But a ceasefire is not on the table, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will not be seated at the meeting, and there are no guarantees.
Trump said Thursday that he believes Putin wants to make peace, and Trump will know really quickly if the talks are worth continuing.
“I think it’s going to be very interesting. We’re going to find out where everybody stands and I’ll know within the first two minutes, three minutes, four minutes, or five minutes. We tend to find out whether or not we’re gonna have a good meeting or a bad meeting,” Trump said. “And if it’s a bad meeting, it’ll end very quickly. And if it’s a good meeting, we’re going to end up getting peace in the pretty near future.”
European leaders are warning Trump not to give up Ukrainian territory after he floated a possible land swap.
Zelenskyy, who was not invited to the meeting, called his exclusion a victory for Putin.
Trump, however, said the opposite. He claimed Zelenskyy’s presence alone is keeping Moscow from pushing further.
“I think that President Putin would like to see a deal. I think if I weren’t president, he would take over all of Ukraine. It’s a war that should have never happened,” Trump said. “If I weren’t president, in my opinion, he would much rather take over, take over all of Ukraine, but I am president, and he’s not gonna mess around with me.”
The summit site, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, is a Cold War crossroads with deep symbolic ties to Russia.
Putin is able to travel there because the U.S. is not part of the International Criminal Court, which has issued an arrest warrant for him.
Talks will begin with a one-on-one meeting, followed by a working lunch.
What happens after that, Trump says, is up to him.
Bondi taps DEA chief as DC’s ’emergency police commissioner’
The Trump administration’s federal takeover of D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department just tightened, with U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi handing control to the head of the DEA.
Bondi named Terry Cole as the “emergency police commissioner,” giving him full authority over the department. The appointment means Chief Pamela Smith and other leaders now need his sign-off before issuing any directives.
D.C.’s attorney general resisted, writing to Smith, “It is my opinion that the Bondi order is unlawful, and that you are not legally obligated to follow it.”
Bondi’s move came hours after Smith ordered officers to alert immigration authorities about undocumented immigrants encountered at checkpoints or traffic stops.
Bondi says the district’s “sanctuary policies” are why she installed new leadership.
“They’re trying to protect criminal aliens, and what’s gonna happen if we keep this up — criminals are going to flee to D.C. And we’re not going to let that happen.”
Bondi’s order also reversed guidance that barred D.C. Police from searching databases to check a person’s immigration status.
Also, on Wednesday, the Trump administration said at least 100 arrests have taken place since the National Guard arrived on Monday.
Newsom launches ballot fight to counter GOP redistricting plans
A political brawl is underway with California and Texas at the center. Gov. Gavin Newsom formally kicked off his plan to rewrite California’s congressional maps during a rally on Thursday.
The move is a direct counterpunch to Republicans in Texas redrawing their maps to add GOP seats.
“We have got to recognize the cards that have been dealt. And we have got to meet fire with fire. And we’ve got to be held to a high level of accountability. So that’s what this is about,” Newsom said. “It’s not complicated. We’re doing this in reaction to a president of the United States that called a sitting governor of the state of Texas and said find me five seats. We’re doing it in reaction to that act.”
However, the rally outside a Los Angeles museum took a sharp turn when more than a dozen Border Patrol agents, many armed and in tactical gear, arrived.
DHS said they were looking for migrants accused of committing crimes. However, local leaders called it a brazen show of force.
Democrats say it’s all part of a bigger fight with President Donald Trump. Senator Adam Schiff, who Trump has repeatedly referred to as a lowlife, hammered that message home.
“He doesn’t give a rat’s a– about you, not in California, not in Texas, he only cares about himself,” Schiff said. “We are going to fight back. We’re going to make sure that here in California, your vote matters. If they’re going to play with fire, we’re going to fight fire with fire.”
Former President Barack Obama warned of a long battle ahead, but said the whole country is watching.
Global plastic treaty talks end without a deal
Global negotiators have failed to reach a deal after disagreeing on a landmark treaty to address the world’s plastic pollution crisis.
More than a thousand delegates from 184 countries spent days in Geneva debating the issue. The biggest divide was whether to cap the production new plastics or focus on better design, recycling and reuse.
The latest draft, released on Friday, ditched any cap on production, but did call current levels “unsustainable” and stated that global action is needed.
“Despite the disappointment that we all leave with, we have to accept that significant progress was made. Progress was made in that red lines were clarified. Progress was made in that countries discussed. Progress is made because people are demanding a treaty. Now there is a lot of hard work ahead,” said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the U.N. Environment Program.
The world produces over 400 million tons of plastic every year, a number that, without action, is expected to jump 70% by 2040.
Many countries also pushed to address the toxic chemicals used in plastics in the treaty. That point is still on the table.
Tropical Storm Erin eyes Caribbean, could become season’s first major hurricane
In the Atlantic, Tropical Storm Erin is gaining strength and could become this season’s first hurricane by Sunday, possibly reaching Category 4. Currently, Erin has 70-mph winds and is moving west-northwest, still hundreds of miles from land.
The storm is expected to pass just north of the Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico this weekend, bringing rough surf, rip currents, and bands of heavy rain.
Forecasters say a direct hit is unlikely for now, but a track shift could change that. Erin’s long-range path toward Bermuda or the U.S. East Coast remains uncertain.
And in the Gulf, a separate system could bring downpours and flash flooding to parts of Texas and Louisiana later tonight.
Louisiana sues Roblox, calls for shutdown
Louisiana is targeting the popular online gaming platform Roblox, accusing it of creating an environment where sexual predators can lurk, thrive and target children. The state’s attorney general said that Roblox has failed to protect kids and has become dangerous due to harmful content.
In Livingston Parish, the sheriff said his office has multiple cases involving Roblox, but no arrests have been made yet.
In Iowa, authorities said a 13-year-old girl met an adult on the site who then allegedly kidnapped and trafficked her across state lines.
The attorney general in Louisiana is now advocating to shut the platform down.
Roblox — with more than 100 million users a month — states it bans sharing personal information and blocks image exchanges in chats. But admits those rules aren’t always enough.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
