Axios

President Trump said he and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a constructive summit on Friday but "we didn't get there" on a ceasefire or peace deal for Ukraine.

Why it matters: Trump set a ceasefire as the target for this summit, but said that while he and Putin agreed on most of the relevant issues they did not come to an agreement on "the biggest one." He added: "There's no deal until there's a deal."

President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have been meeting behind closed doors for more than two hours following a dramatic arrival ceremony at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska.

Why it matters: Trump has set a ceasefire in Ukraine as his goal for the summit and said ahead of his arrival that he's "not going to be happy" if no truce is agreed. He's also promised "severe consequences" if Putin doesn't demonstrate he's serious about peace.

President Trump's first face-to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in years was punctuated by an overt display of military muscle.

The big picture: The Alaskan rendezvous, closely choreographed, included a B-2 stealth bomber flyover and a red carpet crowded by F-22 fighter jets.

House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) referred to Israel's war in Gaza as a "genocide" during an event in her district on Thursday, according to a video clip obtained by Axios.

Why it matters: Clark's comment makes her one of just over a dozen House members to have used that word to describe the situation in Gaza, and easily the highest ranking member of Congress to have done so.

This week is the 60th anniversary of a shocking uprising in the Watts area of Los Angeles, which foretold similar unrest in cities throughout the 1960s and 1970s over poverty, police abuse and discrimination.

• Six days of unrest in August 1965 resulted in 34 deaths, over 1,000 injuries, nearly 4,000 arrests and the destruction of property valued at $40 million in the predominantly Black neighborhood.

Through the lens: Here are some images from that tense week that captivated the nation and prompted Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to call for more focus on economic inequality.

Friday's summit between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to take place at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska.

Why it matters: The military base played a crucial role in the U.S. monitoring of the Soviet Union during the Cold War. But it's rarely been visited by non-military leaders in recent years, let alone two presidents.

President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin aren't heading to Alaska alone.

The big picture: Trump's entourage for the bilateral meeting features some of his closest allies as he looks to broker a potential ceasefire with Putin, who is bringing a small retinue of his own.

To hear President Trump tell it, the nation's murder problem is particularly bad in New York City, Chicago, Baltimore, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. — Democratic-run cities in Democratic-led states (or district, in D.C.'s case).

• New FBI crime figures from 2024 tell a different story.

The big picture: 13 of the 20 U.S. cities with the highest murder rates were in Republican-run states. Many of those cities were run by Democrats who often are at odds with state officials, an Axios analysis of FBI data finds.

For President Trump, today's summit in Alaska is all about "the first couple of minutes" — that's how long it'll take to know whether Vladimir Putin is serious about peace.

• Putin, by contrast, seems to be taking a longer view.

Why it matters: For the Russian leader, this summit is about more than a ceasefire — more even than Ukraine. He'll visit the U.S. as a peer, not a pariah, with an opportunity to nudge superpower relations onto a more favorable course.

National Grid has agreed to sell its Grain LNG terminal near London to Centrica and private equity firm Energy Capital Partners for around $2.04 billion.

Why it matters: Grain LNG is Europe's largest liquefied natural gas import terminal, at a time when demand is soaring due to Russia's war in Ukraine.

President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet in Alaska on Friday to discuss the possibility of peace in Ukraine.

The big picture: Trump and Putin have met before, but arguably never with so much on the line geopolitically. Trump said Wednesday that Putin must agree to a ceasefire or face "serious consequences."

The director of Israel's Mossad spy agency David Barnea visited Qatar on Thursday and met Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman al-Thani for talks on the Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal, according to two sources familiar with the visit.

Why it matters: These are the most high-level talks between Israel and the mediators since negotiations broke down three weeks ago. They come amid a renewed push for a comprehensive deal to end the war, release of all remaining hostages held by Hamas, and avert a looming Israeli offensive.

The Israeli government is courting popular MAGA influencers in an effort to address Republican divisions over the war in Gaza, where scenes of violence and starvation have fueled global outrage.

Why it matters: U.S. support for Israel's military actions has fallen to record lows. Even within the traditionally pro-Israel GOP, younger Republicans are increasingly skeptical — questioning both the alliance and the billions in U.S. aid that sustain it.

President Trump just upped the ante for Friday's summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin — both for the war in Ukraine and his own credibility. Three advisers who've been in the room as Trump discussed the summit are adamant he's not bluffing.

Why it matters: This is no longer just a "feel-out meeting," as Trump originally labeled it. Not after he privately told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and NATO leaders that his goal was a ceasefire, and then publicly threatened Putin with "very severe consequences" if he doesn't agree to stop the fighting.

Several U.S. border communities saw violent crime drop below the national average in 2024, as nationwide rates fell to 20-year lows, according to new FBI data analyzed by Axios.

Why it matters: The findings from last year run counter to claims by President Trump and GOP leaders, who painted border towns as crime hotspots because of newly arrived immigrants.