🗞️Trump meets with Putin in Alaska

August 15th, 2025

What happened today 🇺🇸,

• President Trump and Russian President Putin met in Alaska for a summit focused primarily on negotiating a ceasefire in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, the meeting lasted about 3 hours…Putin said in the post-meeting press conference that he and Trump reached an “agreement” but provided no further details and Trump said some headway was made and called the meeting productive…for live updates and more info click above

• The Trump Administration is considering using funds from the U.S. Chips Act to acquire an equity stake in Intel

• Washington, D.C. Attorney General, Brian Schwalb, has filed a federal lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s takeover of the city’s police department…the lawsuit argues that President Trump’s move to federalize the Metropolitan Police Department by appointing a federal emergency commissioner and deploying National Guard troops exceeds his legal authority and undermines D.C.’s self-governance

• A federal appeals court has allowed the Trump administration to proceed with firing most employees at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, lifting a previous ruling that blocked the layoffs…this ruling allows the workforce reduction to continue while the legal case moves forward in lower courts

• New Orleans Mayor, LaToya Cantrell, has been indicted on federal charges including conspiracy, fraud, and obstruction of justice

• Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has said that he is not running for president in 2028

• The World Economic Forum (WEF) has named BlackRock CEO Larry Fink and Roche Vice-chairman André Hoffmann as interim co-chairs of its board

• U.S. retail sales rose 0.5% in July, following a 0.9% increase in June, and year-over-year retail sales are up 3.9% with gains driven by strong demand for automobiles and sales promotions from major retailers like Amazon and Walmart

• U.S. consumer sentiment (how citizens are feeling about the economy) dropped to 58.6 in August from 61.7 in July, marking its first decline in four months…read more here 

• DOW up .08% / S&P down .29%

Plus: A look at U.S. pharmaceutical drugs that get imported from China

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