Trump warns of 'severe consequences' if Putin does not agree to stop war after summit

BERLIN (AP) — President Donald Trump says there will be “very severe consequences” if Russian President Vladimir Putin does not agree to stop the war against Ukraine after the two leaders meet for a summit later this week in Alaska. Trump made the comment Wednesday in response to a question from a reporter after announcing this year’s Kennedy Center Honors recipients in Washington. He did not say what the consequences might be. The remark came soon after Trump consulted with European leaders, who said the president assured them he would make a priority of trying to achieve a ceasefire in Ukraine when he speaks with Putin on Friday in Anchorage.

Trump's friendly-to-frustrated relationship with Putin takes the spotlight at the Alaska summit

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s meeting in Alaska with Vladimir Putin could be a decisive moment in the war in Ukraine and in the U.S. leader’s anomalous relationship with his Russian counterpart. Trump has long boasted that he’s always gotten along well with Putin and spoken admiringly of him, even praising him as “pretty smart” for invading Ukraine. But in recent months, he’s expressed open frustrations with Putin and called him “CRAZY” while threatening to impose sanctions on Russia. Still, Trump’s self-imposed deadline for sanctions came and went without any announced penalties or explanation from the White House and the Republican president, tempering expectations for their Friday summit.

The US-Russia summit marks Putin's first trip to the West since the war in Ukraine began

For most of his quarter-century rule, President Vladimir Putin visited places like Paris, London, Vienna and New York. Since Moscow invaded Ukraine, however, his destinations have been Beijing, Pyongyang, Hanoi and Minsk as the West sought to turn Russia into a pariah. The trip to Alaska will be Putin’s first to the U.S. since 2015, when he attended the U.N. General Assembly in New York. Russia has countered Western attempts to isolate it by bolstering its ties with ex-Soviet allies and other developing countries. Putin’s travel also has been limited by an International Criminal Court arrest warrant from 2023 that prompted him to avoid visits to places that recognize the court’s authority.

DC residents protest as White House says federal agents will be on patrol 24/7

WASHINGTON (AP) — Residents in one Washington, D.C., neighborhood lined up to protest the increased police presence after the White House said the number of National Guard troops in the nation’s capital would ramp up and federal officers would be on the streets around the clock. After law enforcement set up a vehicle checkpoint Wednesday along the busy 14th Street Northwest corridor, hecklers shouted, “Go home, fascists” and “Get off our streets.” Some protesters stood at the intersection before the checkpoint and urged drivers to turn away from it. The action intensified a few days after President Donald Trump’s unprecedented announcement that his administration would take over the city’s police department for at least a month.

Trump pledged to move homeless people from Washington. What we know and don't know about his plans

President Donald Trump has announced plans to move homeless people away from the nation's capital as part of a crime crackdown in Washington. But some details such as where homeless people might be taken are unclear. And there are questions about the legality of the plans. White House officials say authorities are focusing on enforcing existing laws. District of Columbia officials are making additional space available at shelters, as well as conducting outreach at homeless encampments. City residents worry that Trump's approach doesn't try to help address the root causes of homelessness.

CDC shooting marks latest in a string of hostility directed at health workers. Many aren't surprised

ATLANTA (AP) — Gunfire aimed at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention by a man authorities say was angry over COVID-19 vaccines is the latest in a string of violence and harassment directed at health care workers amid hostility lingering from the pandemic. Some public health care workers say the shooting that killed a police officer and rattled the CDC campus last week shouldn’t be surprising. That’s because they say distrust and anger are being amplified by misinformation about the safety of immunizations. Authorities say the Atlanta-area man who opened fire on the CDC had written about wanting to make the public aware of his discontent with the vaccine.

Trump names Stallone and Kiss for Kennedy Center Honors and says he'll host the awards show

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has put a personal touch on this year's Kennedy Center Honors. Trump announced the honorees himself, naming George Strait, Sylvester Stallone, Gloria Gaynor, Kiss and Michael Crawford. Trump is now chair of the Kennedy Center and revealed the names during a Wednesday press conference at the Washington cultural institution. Unlike in Trump's first term, when he didn't attend an honors ceremony, this year he plans to host the awards himself. Trump says he was “98% involved” in choosing the nominees. At least some of this year’s winners have a history of backing Trump, though one member of Kiss, Paul Stanley, has often criticized the president. The ceremony is Dec. 7.

New river barriers prevented severe flood damage from a glacial outburst in Alaska, officials say

Officials say new sandbag-style barriers installed along a river in Juneau, Alaska’s capital, have held back record levels of flooding and prevented widespread damage after an ice dam at the nearby Mendenhall Glacier released a massive amount of rainwater and snowmelt downstream. Water pooled on several streets and in some yards and homes as the Mendenhall River crested Wednesday. But there were no damage reports similar to the last two years, when flooding was rampant and some homes washed away. Juneau City Manager Katie Koester says that without the barriers, hundreds of homes would have flooded. Many residents in the flood zone evacuated ahead of peak water levels.

Israeli gunfire kills at least 25 in Gaza as Netanyahu says he will allow Palestinians to leave

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Health officials and witnesses say Israeli gunfire killed at least 25 people while seeking aid. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel will “allow” Palestinians to leave during an upcoming military offensive in some of the territory’s most populated areas. Netanyahu wants to realize U.S. President Donald Trump’s vision of relocating much of Gaza’s population of over 2 million people through what he refers to as “voluntary migration” — and what critics have warned could be ethnic cleansing. Efforts to revive ceasefire talks have resumed after apparently breaking down last month. Hamas and Egyptian officials met Wednesday in Cairo.

Mother, father and child killed by fallen tree in Tennessee heavy rains and flooding

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — An official says a mother, father and child were killed when a tree fell on their car as heavy rain and flooding hit Tennessee. A spokesperson with the Hamilton County Office of Emergency Management says the three were killed early Wednesday when saturated ground caused the large tree to fall in the Chattanooga suburb of East Ridge. Additionally, a body was found when authorities were searching for a man who ran past firefighters and a barricade that blocked a flooded road Tuesday. Heavy rain and flash flooding prompted rescues of people stuck in homes and swamped vehicles.