Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow on Wednesday, the Kremlin said, days before the White House’s Friday deadline for Russia to reach a peace deal with Ukraine or potentially face severe economic penalties that could also hit countries buying its oil. Earlier talks between Russia and Ukraine, and Russian and U.S. officials, made no progress on ending the three-year war following Russia’s invasion of its neighbor.
Here’s the latest:
Trump weighs in on Texas Democrats fleeing state to halt vote
The president said the FBI “may have to” have a hand in bringing back lawmakers who left Texas in order to prevent a vote on redistricting maps that aim to give Republicans five more seats in the U.S. House.
Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas called on the FBI to help locate and arrest the Democrats under civil arrest warrants. Legal experts say enforcing consequences against the Democrats would be difficult.
RFK Jr. cancels $500 million in funding for vaccines
The Department of Health and Human Services will cancel contracts and pull funding related to 22 projects that utilize mRNA technology, including projects developing vaccines that fight respiratory viruses like the flu and COVID-19.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health secretary and a longtime vaccine critic, said Tuesday that he wants the U.S. to move away from mRNA vaccines and called on the department to start “investing in better solutions.” Experts say evidence shows mRNA technology is safe and effective.
Judge rules Trump administration can’t reallocate $4 billion meant for disaster mitigation
A federal judge in Boston granted a preliminary injunction sought by 20 Democrat-led states while their lawsuit over the funding moves ahead.
FEMA said in April that the agency would end the program, which provides funds to strengthen infrastructure against potential storm damage.
Later, the agency said it was only evaluating whether to end the program or not, but the states argue that the threat of losing the funding alone has put numerous projects at risk of being canceled, delayed or downsized.
