Trump says he is committed to pursuing Russia-Ukraine peace deal

Trump says he is committed to pursuing Russia-Ukraine peace deal

President Trump told CBS News on Wednesday that he remains committed to pursuing a peace agreement betweenRussia and Ukraine, despite mounting uncertainty over the prospect of face-to-face talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Mr. Trump characterized his position as both realistic and optimistic, and said he is closely monitoring how both leaders are handling this crossroads in the negotiations. "I've been watching it, I've been seeing it, and I've been talking about it with President Putin and President Zelenskyy," Mr. Trump said in a phone interview. "Something is going to happen, but they are not ready yet. But something is going to happen. We are going to get it done." The president's comments come as Russia continues to strike Ukraine. Late last month, Russia carried out a massive drone and missile attack against Ukraine's capital, killing at least 15 people, including four children, according to a city official. Mr. Trump said he is unhappy with the carnage but will keep pushing for a peace agreement. "I think we're going to get it all straightened out," he said. "Frankly, the Russia one, I thought, would have been on the easier side of the ones I've stopped, but it seems to be something that's a little bit more difficult than some of the others," he said. Earlier Wednesday, Mr. Trump told reporters that he was watching asPutinjoined the leaders of China and North Korea for a grand military parade in Beijing. "I understand the reason they were doing it, and they were hoping I was watching, and I was watching," Mr. Trump said. "My relationship with all of them is very good. We're going to find out how good it is over the next week or two." Mr. Trump also told CBS News on Wednesday that his approach to many diplomatic negotiations, be it with Russia and Ukraine or with other warring nations, is to bring together key leaders into a room and have them broker an agreement in real time, often with his guidance on the transaction — and to not write off any possibility before that happens. That approach, he said, demands patience, even when a quick resolution is sought, but he believes it has paid off in other peace agreements this year. When asked whether he sometimes must "wait things out," Mr. Trump replied, "Well, you have to do that." "We've had some very good days, fortunately, and once I get them in a room together, or get them at least speaking together, they seem to work out. We've saved millions of lives." Last month, ahead of his closely watchedmeetingwith Putin in Alaska, Mr. Trump told reporters, "All I want to do is set the table for the next meeting, which should happen shortly." Beyond the Russia-Ukraine war, Mr. Trump has claimed in recent weeks that he should be credited forendingsix or seven wars during this term and that he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts. White House officials have pointed to a list of seven conflicts the president is referencing: Israel and Iran, Rwanda and Democratic Republic of the Congo,Armenia and Azerbaijan, Thailand and Cambodia,India and Pakistan, Egypt and Ethiopia, and Serbia and Kosovo. Some foreign policy analysts have criticized Mr. Trump's claim, saying that many of those conflicts remain unresolved or were not full-scale wars. Or they contended that Mr. Trump was not a central force in the discussions. Several Trump allies have told CBS News that Mr. Trump maintains that the work done by him and his administration has been crucial in furthering those negotiations. "A lot of times, they're fighting each other for so long," Mr. Trump told CBS News. "They're fighting each other so long, they don't even think in terms of peace. It just becomes a way of life. And when I get them together, I get the people in the room, I'm able to convince them. 'Let's go. Let's make peace. It's enough, already. You've lost enough lives.'" Mr. Trump told CBS News that he is not seeking the Nobel Peace Prize. The recipient of the 2025 prize is expected to be announced next month. "I have nothing to say about it," Mr. Trump said. "All I can do is put out wars." He added, "I don't seek attention. I just want to save lives." Trump blasts calls for Epstein files, makes claims about Chicago crime Khanna, Massie and Greene hold news conference on Jeffrey Epstein files Dream: Building AI Cyber Defense for Nations

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September 03, 2025

Trump says he is committed to pursuing Russia-Ukraine peace deal

Trump says he is committed to pursuing Russia-Ukraine peace deal President Trump told CBS News on Wednesday that he remains committed to pur...

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These states are dumping RFK's CDC with a new vaccine alliance

These states are dumping RFK's CDC with a new vaccine alliance

Responding to thefederal government's shifting guidanceonvaccinesand turmoilat the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, health officials in California, Oregon and Washington state have formed a new West Coast Health Alliance. The alliance's goal is to "ensure residents remain protected by science, not politics," according toa joint announcementon Sept. 3 from CaliforniaGov. Gavin Newsom, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek and Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson. The three Democratic governors said the alliance will provide recommendations to residents on immunizations and ensure the public gets credible information on vaccine safety and efficacy. The governors calledthe alliance a unified response to what they called the Trump administration's "destruction" of the CDC, the federal agency responsible forvaccine guidance. "President Trump's mass firing of CDC doctors and scientists – and his blatant politicization of the agency – is a direct assault on the health and safety of the American people," the governors said in a statement. "The CDC has become a political tool that increasingly peddles ideology instead of science, ideology that will lead to severe health consequences. California, Oregon, and Washington will not allow the people of our states to be put at risk." The announcement came the same day that a group of more than 1,000 current and former Department of Health and Human Services employeesreleased a letterdemanding that SecretaryRobert F. Kennedy Jr.resign. The Sept. 3 letter, addressed to Kennedy and Congress, said Kennedy "continues to endanger the nation's health." Kennedy's HHS has been the subject of several controversies, including thecuts to funding of mRNA vaccine developmentand an apparent conflict that led to the White House's firing ofCDC Director Susan Monarez. Kennedy is a longtime vaccine skeptic and has spreadconspiracy theories and misinformationabout vaccines, childhood diseases and COVID-19. Meanwhile, PresidentDonald Trump, in a Sept. 1Truth Social post, demanded drug companies"justify their success" in combating the COVID-19 virus, requesting theimmediate release of internal company data. "Many people think they are a miracle that saved Millions of lives. Others disagree!" said Trump about COVID-19 vaccines created by Pfizer, Moderna and other drug companies. "With CDC being ripped apart over this question, I want the answer, and I want it NOW." Letter urges RFK Jr. leave post:More than 1,000 HHS workers demand RFK Jr. resigns Health officials from Massachusetts, Maine, Vermont, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania reportedly met in August to discuss coordinating their own vaccine recommendations separate from the federal government. However, it's not the first time California, Oregon, and Washington have teamed up on health-related issues. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the three states formed the"Western States Pact"to review federal vaccine recommendations and coordinate pandemic restrictions. Two more states, Colorado and Nevada, later joined the pact. California, Oregon, and Washington became the final three states in America to lift their mask mandates. As part of the West Coast Health Alliance, the three states said they will coordinate health guidelines by aligning immunization recommendations informed by respected national medical organizations. "This will allow residents to receive consistent, science-based recommendations they can rely on – regardless of shifting federal actions," they said. Accessing a COVID-19 vaccine:RFK Jr., the CDC and confusing vaccine recommendations. What to know right now. In June, Kennedyfired all 17 membersof the CDC advisory panel that makes recommendations about who should receive vaccinations, replacing many of them with so-called vaccine skeptics. Newsom, Kotek and Fergusoncondemnedthat move. On Aug. 27, the Food and Drug Administrationset stricter guidelinesabout who can receive the latest COVID-19 vaccines, recommending the shots to only people over the age of 65 or those with existing health problems. Previously, nearly everyone 6 months and older could get vaccinated. These changescould hinder access to vaccines, as health insurers typically only cover vaccines that are recommended by the CDC. "When federal agencies abandon evidence-based recommendations in favor of ideology, we cannot continue down that same path," Washington State Secretary of HealthDennis Worshamsaid in a statement. "Our commitment is to the health and safety of our communities, protecting lives through prevention, and not yielding to unsubstantiated theories that dismiss decades of proven public health practice." Public health agency in turmoil:There's a major CDC shakeup underway. What's going on? The alliance added they will "finalize shared principles to strengthen public confidence in vaccines and in public health" in the coming weeks, they said. "Together, our states depend on the best science and knowledge available to protect public health, including scientific information about immunizations," Newsom said in a statement. "We have grave concerns about the integrity and transparency of upcoming federal vaccine recommendations and will continue to collaborate to ensure that science and sound medicine prevail to prevent any loss of life." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Three states ditch RFK's CDC with new vaccine alliance

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September 03, 2025

These states are dumping RFK's CDC with a new vaccine alliance

These states are dumping RFK's CDC with a new vaccine alliance Responding to thefederal government's shifting guidanceonvaccinesand ...

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NYC Mayor Eric Adams insists he isn't ending his reelection campaign

NYC Mayor Eric Adams insists he isn't ending his reelection campaign

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City Mayor Eric Adams insisted Wednesday that he isn't droppinghis reelection campaignafter reports he had been approached about potentially taking a job with the federal government. Trump administration intermediaries recently reached out to people close to Adams, a Democrat, to discuss whether he would be open to abandoning his reelection campaign to take a federal job, according to a person familiar with those conversations. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of the private nature of those conversations. It was unclear how far those talks progressed, but as media reports about them multiplied, Adams insisted in interviews and through a spokesperson that he had no intention of dropping out of the contest againstDemocratic nominee Zohran Mamdani, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa. "Mayor Adams has not met withDonald Trump— don't believe the noise. He is not dropping out of the race," said his campaign spokesperson, Todd Shapiro. After Mamdani romped in the Democratic primary, which Adams had skipped, some pundits suggested that the 33-year-old democratic socialist might be unbeatable in the general election unless either Cuomo or Adams dropped out. During a series of television interviews where he had intended to talk about his efforts to fight crime in the city, Adams battled back against the idea that he might leave the race. "If there's any changes in this race, I will announce that," Adams told Fox 5. "Right now, we're moving straight ahead to do — No. 1, serve this city as we're currently doing, doing a darn good job. And we're looking forward to reelection." After spending Tuesday in Florida after his 65th birthday, Adams was asked whether he met with anyone from the Trump administration while there. The mayor would only say that he "met with several political figures," including Miami's Republican mayor. "I met with several political figures in Florida," he told PIX11, saying the trip was to "deal with some personal issues." Adams, in that interview, pushed back against questions about whether he would exit the contest but added: "I've never had a problem finding jobs as I transition." Later Wednesday, Adams reiterated at an unrelated news conference that he's still running for reelection and didn't go to Florida to "seek a job," adding that he often receives job offers from boards, educational institutions and others who have been impressed with what he's done with the city. The White House did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment Wednesday night. Mamdani held a news conference in Manhattan on Wednesday, calling the reports "an affront to democracy." "We know that this city will decide its own future. And we know that it is New Yorkers that we will turn to to make that decision in November, not the White House in Washington, D.C.," he said. Adams had previously quit the Democratic primary after he was charged in a federal corruption case. The Trump administrationsuccessfully movedto drop the case so the mayor could better assist with the president'simmigrationagenda, which freed Adams up to run as an independent in the general election, but has not helped his image in the overwhelmingly Democratic city. A spokesperson for Cuomo, who is now running as an independent candidate, did not immediately return a request for comment. ___ Associated Press writer Michelle L. Price in Washington contributed.

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September 03, 2025

NYC Mayor Eric Adams insists he isn't ending his reelection campaign

NYC Mayor Eric Adams insists he isn't ending his reelection campaign NEW YORK (AP) — New York City Mayor Eric Adams insisted Wednesday t...

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Left and right are joining forces to ban lawmakers from trading stock

Left and right are joining forces to ban lawmakers from trading stock

WASHINGTON (AP) — An unusual alliance emerged in theHouseon Wednesday as lawmakers who agree on little else rallied support for a bill that would prohibit members of Congress and their families from owning and trading individual stocks. The group included darlings of the far right, the left, moderates and many in between. They gathered to promote a ban that polls well with voters and appears to be finding new momentum after stalling out in previous sessions of Congress. "It's not every day you see this cast of characters up here," saidRep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a moderate Republican who represents a perennial swing district in Pennsylvania. "You're all smirking out there. That's a good thing. It speaks to the power of this cause." Congress has discussed proposals for years to keep lawmakers from engaging in trading individual stocks, nodding to the idea that there's a potential conflict of interest when they are often privy to information and decisions that can dramatically move markets. A Senate committee has approved legislation fromGOP Sen. Josh Hawley of Missourithat would also extend the prohibition on stock trading to future presidents and vice presidents — while notably exempting Republican PresidentDonald Trump. The House bill unveiled this week is limited to Congress, but the sponsors said they were open to extending it to the executive branch if enough support emerged. Under current law, federal lawmakers are required to disclose their stock sales and purchases. The bill requiring disclosure, The Stock Act, was signed into law in 2012. At the time, lawmakers and government watchdogs predicted that public disclosure would shame lawmakers out of actively buying and selling stock. That hasn't happened. The sponsors said they merged their own, individual bills on banning stocks and came together with a single bipartisan effort. Rep.Chip Royof Texas, the bill's lead sponsor, said the group had been meeting for the last several months, and some sponsors had actually been working on this for years. About a dozen lawmakers from both parties joined Roy onstage. It was an unusually festive moment as the partisan lines in Congress have rarely been sharper. "I don't agree with some of these people on anything," said Rep.Tim Burchett, a Tennessee Republican often aligned with the the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus. Progressive Rep.Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., followed Burchett to the podium and fist-bumped him when doing so. She said she felt like the coalition showed how Congress should actually work. "It feels foreign and it feels alien and it's like, what's going on here?" she said. While the legislation would not allow lawmakers to own individual stocks and bonds, they would be allowed to own diversified mutual funds and ETFs and certain commodities. Lawmakers who currently own individual stocks and bonds would have 180 days to divest. New members would have 90 days to divest upon taking office. The mood was celebratory at Wednesday's unveiling, but even if the bill were to pass the House, it would face a more difficult climb in the Senate. At least 60 votes would be needed to advance the legislation in that chamber and some senators have expressed concerns about the concept. Rep. Seth Magaziner, D-R.I., acknowledged that members opposed to banning stocks are "persistent." "Those of us who support banning stock trading in Congress are very vocal in our position, but that doesn't mean that there aren't opponents," Magaziner said. Some members expressed urgency in moving the bill through the House. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., said they have "asked nicely for leadership to put this on the floor" and set a deadline for the end of the month before she would seek to force a vote. A version of the trading ban that advanced out of one Senate panel was described by Republican Sen.Ron Johnsonof Wisconsin as "legislative demagoguery." "We do have insider trading laws. We have financial disclosure. Trust me, we have financial disclosure," Johnson said. "So I don't see the necessity of this."

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September 03, 2025

Left and right are joining forces to ban lawmakers from trading stock

Left and right are joining forces to ban lawmakers from trading stock WASHINGTON (AP) — An unusual alliance emerged in theHouseon Wednesday ...

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Trump plans to ask Supreme Court to toss E. Jean Carroll’s $5 million abuse and defamation verdict

Trump plans to ask Supreme Court to toss E. Jean Carroll's $5 million abuse and defamation verdict

NEW YORK (AP) — PresidentDonald Trumpwill soon ask the Supreme Court to throw out a jury's finding in a civil lawsuit that hesexually abused writer E. Jean Carrollat a Manhattan department store in the mid-1990s and later defamed her, his lawyers said in a recent court filing. Trump's lawyerspreviewed the moveas they asked the high court to extend its deadline for challenging the $5 million verdict from Sept. 10 to Nov. 11. The president "intends to seek review" of "significant issues" arising from the trial and the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals' subsequent decisions upholding the verdict, his lawyers said. Carroll's lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, said Wednesday: "We do not believe thatDonald Trumpwill be able to present any legal issues in the Carroll cases that merit review by the United States Supreme Court." Carroll testified at a 2023 trial that Trump turned a friendly encounter in spring 1996 into a violent attack in the dressing room at Bergdorf Goodman, a luxury retailer across the street from Trump Tower. The jury also found Trump liable for defaming Carroll when he made comments in October 2022 denying her allegation. A three-judge appellate panel upheld the verdict last December, rejecting Trump's claims that trial Judge Lewis A. Kaplan's decisions spoiled the trial, including by allowing two other Trump sexual abuse accusers to testify. The women said Trump committed similar acts against them in the 1970s and in 2005. Trump denied all three women's allegations. In June, 2nd Circuit judges denied Trump's petition for the full appellate court totake up the case. That left Trump with two options: accept the result and allow Carroll to collect the judgment, which he'd previously paid into escrow, or fight on in Supreme Court, whose conservative majority — including three of his own appointees — could be more open to considering his challenge. Trump skipped the 2023 trial but testified briefly at a follow-up defamation trial last year that ended with a jury ordering him to pay Carroll an additional $83.3 million. The second trial resulted from comments then-President Trump made in 2019 after Carroll first made the accusations publicly in a memoir. Judge Kaplan presided over both trials and instructed the second jury to accept the first jury's finding that Trump had sexually abused Carroll. Judge Kaplan and Carroll's lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, are not related. In their deadline-related filing, Trump's lawyers said Kaplan compounded his "significant errors" at first trial by "improperly preventing" Trump from contesting the first jury's finding that he had sexually abused Carroll, leading to an "unjust judgment of $83.3 million." The 2nd Circuit heard arguments in June in Trump's appeal of that verdict but has not ruled. Trump has had recent success fending off costly civil judgments. Last month, a New York appeals court threw out Trump's staggering penalty in astate civil fraud lawsuit. The Associated Press does not identify people who say they have been sexually assaulted unless they come forward publicly, as Carroll has done.

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September 03, 2025

Trump plans to ask Supreme Court to toss E. Jean Carroll’s $5 million abuse and defamation verdict

Trump plans to ask Supreme Court to toss E. Jean Carroll's $5 million abuse and defamation verdict NEW YORK (AP) — PresidentDonald Trump...

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