WEEKLY POINTS

This week’s guide to government and politics in under 10 minutes

I ZELENSKYY GOES TO WASHINGTON

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be in Washington D.C. today as he and a group of other European leaders seek to understand the U.S. approach to ending Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The meeting comes after President Donald Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday. After his meeting with Putin, President Trump signaled that he was reversing his previous stance that Russia and Ukraine should first pursue a ceasefire, instead arguing that the two sides should attempt a permanent peace deal, matching the stance taken by the Kremlin. Zelenskyy will be joined on his U.S. trip by EU Commission President Ursula von de Leyen, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and Finnish President Alexander Stubb.

>> Find out more about how the war in Ukraine shapes U.S. relations with Russia here.

I TRUMP TAKES CONTROL OF D.C. POLICE, DEPLOYS NATIONAL GUARD

The Department of Justice agreed to rewrite an order from U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi installing Drug Enforcement Administrator Terry Cole as head of the D.C. police. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has described Bondi’s order as unlawful, telling Police Chief Pamela Smith that she is “not legally obligated to follow it.” The Home Rule Act, a 52-year-old law that established limited local government for D.C., allows the president to take control of D.C. police forces for 30 days, after which Congress must vote to extend the president’s control. Previously the order installed Cole as emergency police commissioner, cutting the city’s mayor and existing police chief out of the chain of command. Under the agreement, Cole will serve as Bondi’s “designee,” and will direct the mayor and police department to provide services as needed.

>> Discover more about the Home Rule Act and federalizing D.C. police here.

I CALIFORNIA ANNOUNCES SPECIAL REDISTRICTING SESSION

The California state legislature is formally launching an effort to allow the state to redraw its Congressional district lines. California’s Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom announced the plan last week in response to efforts by Texas to redraw its district lines to produce more Republican-held seats in the House. Democrats currently hold 43 of California’s 52 House seats. The California legislature will need to pass a series of bills and a November ballot measure to bypass the state’s independent redistricting commission. If the ballot measure is successful, it would allow the state to enact new maps in time for the 2026 midterm election.

>> Dig deeper into state’s efforts to redraw Congressional districts ahead of the 2026 midterms here.

I PRESIDENT TRUMP’S TARIFFS TAKE EFFECT

The Producer Price Index (PPI), an inflation measure of prices paid to wholesalers, rose 0.9% in July, the biggest gain on the index in three years. Economists had expected the PPI to rise 0.2% in July. Profit margins for wholesalers and retailers rose 2%, accounting for the bulk of the increase in the index. Prices rose faster for producers than consumers, with the Consumers Price Index rising 0.2% in July, producing an annual inflation rate of 2.7% according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

>> Understand what the Bureau of Labor Statistics is and what it does here.

I FLORIDA ANNOUNCES NEW IMMIGRATION JAIL

Florida is preparing to open a second immigration detention facility in the state that Republican Governor Ron DeSantis is calling “Deportation Depot.” The state will house the new facility at the Baker Correctional Institution, a state prison about 43 miles west of Jacksonville. Authorities say the facility will have beds for 1,300 detained immigrants, with the possibility of expanding capacity to 2,000. State experts expect the build-out cost to be about $6 million and say it will take two to three weeks to get the facility operational.

>> Explore a perspective on Florida’s Alligator Alcatraz detention facility here.

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