Just One Thing: Trump met with Putin. Now it's Zelensky's turm
Please read and subscribe (for free!) to my Substack: Trump meets Putin - by Ross Kaminsky - The Ross Report
Regarding Friday's Trump-Putin meeting in Alaska, there’s far more that we don’t know than that we do know.
I don’t think we can call it either a success or a failure…and that no-man's land was always the most likely outcome.
The best thing: The B-2/F-22 flyover, reminding Putin of our capabilities and that under Trump we also have will to use those capabilities when necessary; that was the kind of airplane that took out Iran's nuclear facilities.
The worst thing: Trump agreeing with Putin that he wants to aim for a full peace deal rather than a ceasefire. That's just a way for Russia to extend the war.
Also, all the talk by Trump of land swaps.is bad. I'm sure he's in "deal-maker" mode but Europe and Ukraine cannot go along with a negotiation in which Russia thinks there's any chance to negotiate for control of Ukrainian land they don't already control.
Perhaps the most interesting news since the meeting was when Trump's "Special Envoy" Steve Witkoff said that Russia is OK with the US providing security guarantees to Ukraine as part of a peace deal. I'm very skeptical of that. Also, Witkoff said that the Russian legislature will pass laws respecting the sovereignty of European nations. Sure, they might do that but those laws are "not worth the paper they're written on" because Putin does not care about prior agreements, ever.
(UPDATE: looks like 1 PM ET/11AM MT for Zelenskyy to arrive at the White House and have a meeting of the two of them, with European leaders to join soon thereafter)
Today, probably in the early afternoon ET, President Trump will meet not just with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy but with a whole gaggle of European leaders who are coming along. They want to make sure the meeting doesn't go off the rails like the last time Z met with Trump at the White House. And they believe, as so many people do, that Trump is easily influenced by "the last person to speak with him" so they hope to overcome some of what seems to have been effective manipulation of Trump by Putin.
Zelensky and allies head to White House for Ukraine talks with Trump
Sec of State Marco Rubio was on the Sunday shows yesterday. He's quite good...I think among the most talented people working for Trump, certainly in foreign policy. This is worth watching if you're interested in what's going on with the Russia-Ukraine-US-Europe negotiations:
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Today's Guest
Isahar Mendez-Flores is Executive Director of Colorado Youth Mariachi Program
We'll talk about an apparent revival of interest in Mariachi music, which extends as far as Metro State University now offering a major in it.
MSU Denver Offers Colorado's First Mariachi Degree | Westword
Mariachi is making a comeback in Colorado schools
Colorado’s first Mariachi degree is shaped by student experiences - MSU Denver RED
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Other Stuff
Colorado sued over social media warnings for minors | Colorado | thecentersquare.com
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This is a fascinating story. I find it partly uplifting and partly annoying, but then I can be cynical sometimes: He Announced His Intention to Die. The Dinner Invitations Rolled In. - The New York Times
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If you have a flight on Air Canada today, check for cancelations. (And tomorrow too...) Air Canada: Return to service delayed after union defies order
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The housing market is a mess even though (or maybe because) prices are not declining, or at least not enough to make a difference. And high mortgage rates continue to cause a lot of folks to feel stuck in their current homes on which they have low-interest mortgages. I continue to believe that if interest rates drop, it will unleash as many new sellers as buyers and not cause prices to go up as much as it might cause activity to go up.
Why Fewer Americans Are Moving for Jobs and Homes - WSJ
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Following up on our conversation with Jordan Levi last Friday in which he noted very small herds of beef cattle and steady demand:
Are you eating less beef?
Why Fried Chicken Is Taking Over Fast-Food Menus This Summer - WSJ
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Let’s hope they follow Argentina toward economic rationality: Bolivians Vote Out Socialists After Two Decades in Power - WSJ
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Death from a distance: Ukrainian sniper claims longest ever kill shot at 2.5 miles
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This is rather amazing: Axios investigates: North Korea's IT invasion
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Interesting case...I think NetChoice is the slight favorite here but I'm not as certain as they claim to be about victory: Social media companies sue Colorado over child e pop-up warning law
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Less than she hoped for but still a nice payday for catching a ball: Rockies fan who caught Shohei Ohtani's 300th home run ball earns $44,322 in auction
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OK, that's a lot: OHSU Knight Cancer Institute receives record $2 billion commitment from Phil and Penny Knight | OHSU News
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AI has a long way to go to be what it can be, and really it will never stop evolving. But as far as it seems sometimes from being truly "ready for primetime", it's getting there faster than most people understand. (Or at least faster than most of us previously thought, but we're clearly taking notice now.)
Axios Future of Cybersecurity - Tricking ChatGPT 5 into violating its own rules
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Cool story: FBI Returns Long-Lost Manuscript Signed by Hernán Cortés in 1527 to Mexico's National Archives
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Thanks to listener Paul for sending this: DVDs, CD players, cassettes: Old-school tech is helping parents entertain their kids with no algorithms, no autoplay
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Today's Videos
This is nuts. How long did it take to build that? How is it even possible to build? (Could this be AI?!?)
I don't think we've had another president during my lifetime who could deliver a joke like Reagan. (I mean, he was an actor after all...)