Today in one sentence: Trump paused a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders to call Putin and “began the arrangements for a meeting, at a location to be determined” between the two leaders; Trump pledged to sign an executive order to “get rid of mail-in ballots" and voting machines before the 2026 midterm elections; Texas Democrats ended a two-week walkout, returning to the Capitol and giving Republicans the quorum needed to advance a rare mid-decade redistricting plan backed by Trump to add five House seats before the 2026 midterms; Republican governors pledged to send up to 750 National Guard troops to Washington, joining the 800 already deployed under Trump’s emergency order and takeover of the city’s police; the Justice Department said it would begin providing Jeffrey Epstein investigation records to the House Oversight Committee on Friday – three days after the panel’s Aug. 19 subpoena deadline; Newsmax agreed to pay Dominion Voting Systems $67 million to settle a defamation lawsuit over false claims that Dominion rigged the 2020 election; the State Department stopped issuing all visitor visas for people from Gaza after far-right activist Laura Loomer posted misleading videos of wounded Palestinian children arriving in the U.S. for treatment and called them “Islamic invaders from an Islamic terror hot zone”; and Trump’s approval rating fell to 38% – down from 41% in June.

1/ Trump paused a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders to call Putin and “began the arrangements for a meeting, at a location to be determined” between the two leaders. The meeting would be followed by a trilateral with Trump. The Kremlin confirmed the roughly 40-minute call, describing it as “frank” and “very constructive,” but didn’t say whether Putin agreed to meet Zelenskyy. Earlier, Trump met Zelenskyy and top European leaders – including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Finnish President Alexander Stubb – and said the U.S. would support European-led security guarantees: “We will give them very good protection, very good security,” without ruling out American troops. Rutte called the U.S. pledge “a big step, a breakthrough,” while Merz said, “I would like to see a ceasefire from the next meeting.” Trump, however, countered: “I don’t think you need a ceasefire.” Russia’s Foreign Ministry, meanwhile, warned that NATO forces in Ukraine would be “categorically unacceptable” and could trigger “unpredictable consequences.” The White House talks came after Trump’s Alaska summit with Putin, which ended without a ceasefire and left Trump backing Moscow’s demand for a “full settlement” – a deal that would require Ukraine to surrender territory Russia occupies and abandon its NATO bid. While Zelenskyy signaled openness to a three-way meeting, he rejected ceding territory, as Russian strikes killed 10 civilians in Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia during the talks. (Associated Press / Axios / NBC News / NPR / New York Times / Washington Post / Politico / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal / NBC News / Axios / Politico / Wall Street Journal)

2/ Trump pledged to sign an executive order to “get rid of mail-in ballots” and voting machines before the 2026 midterm elections. “I am going to lead a movement to get rid of MAIL-IN BALLOTS,” Trump said, adding that states “must do what the Federal Government, as represented by the President of the United States, tells them.” Trump repeated his claim that mail-in voting is fraudulent, though no evidence supports it, and said even Putin told him U.S. elections were “rigged because you have mail-in voting.” Constitutional scholars, meanwhile, flatly rejected Trump’s idea, calling it legally impossible since states control elections. Judges has also already struck down parts of a March order on voting rules, making any new directive almost certain to be blocked in court. (Reuters / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal / Washington Post / ABC News / New York Times / Politico / Salon / Axios)

3/ Texas Democrats ended a two-week walkout, returning to the Capitol and giving Republicans the quorum needed to advance a rare mid-decade redistricting plan backed by Trump to add five House seats before the 2026 midterms. House Speaker Dustin Burrows said Democrats who had been under arrest warrants would only be allowed to leave the chamber if placed in the custody of state police escorts, adding: “We are done waiting. We have a quorum. Now is the time for action.” Democratic caucus chair Gene Wu defended the walkout, saying, “We killed the corrupt special session and rallied Democrats nationwide,” and vowed to challenge the map in court. Meanwhile, California Democrats introduced legislation to create up to five new Democratic-leaning seats if Texas proceeds. The plan would go before voters in a November statewide referendum and temporarily override the state’s independent redistricting process, as other Republican-led states including Florida, Indiana, Missouri, and Ohio and Democratic-led states such as New York, Illinois, Maryland, and Oregon consider similar moves. (NBC News / ABC News / Washington Post / Associated Press / CNN / Wall Street Journal / New York Times)

4/ Republican governors pledged to send up to 750 National Guard troops to Washington, joining the 800 already deployed under Trump’s emergency order and takeover of the city’s police. Trump declared the “emergency” and said “The place is going to hell and we’ve got to stop it” even though Justice Department data show violent crime has fallen since 2023. More than 300 arrests have followed, many targeting undocumented immigrants and homeless residents, while Guard troops have patrolled federal sites, but not made arrests. A White House official said they “may be armed.” D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb sued, calling the takeover “brazenly unlawful,” and a federal judge forced the Justice Department to back off an attempt to replace the city’s police chief. Sen. Chris Van Hollen called it “a manufactured emergency” and “a total abuse of power.” (Washington Post / NPR / Axios / Politico / New York Times / NBC News / Washington Post / Politico / Democracy Docket / Axios)

5/ The Justice Department said it would begin providing Jeffrey Epstein investigation records to the House Oversight Committee on Friday – three days after the panel’s Aug. 19 subpoena deadline. Chair James Comer said “There are many records in DOJ’s custody, and it will take the Department time to produce all the records and ensure the identification of victims and any child sexual abuse material are redacted.” Democrats, meanwhile, demanded the “full, complete, and unredacted Epstein files” and any “client list,” warning that “if the committee does not receive the files, it will be clear the Trump Epstein Coverup continues.” The committee also began depositions with former Attorney General Bill Barr, who, according to Comer, testified that he “never had conversations with President Trump pertaining to a client list” and “had never seen anything that would implicate President Trump.” (Washington Post / Politico / Bloomberg / The Hill / Axios / Associated Press / New York Times)

6/ Newsmax agreed to pay Dominion Voting Systems $67 million to settle a defamation lawsuit over false claims that Dominion rigged the 2020 election. An SEC filing said Newsmax paid $27 million on Aug. 15 and would pay the rest in two installments by Jan. 15, 2027. Nevertheless, Newsmax said its coverage was “fair, balanced, and conducted within professional standards of journalism.” In April, Delaware Judge Eric Davis ruled the challenged statements were “false and defamatory.” (NPR / CNN / Associated Press / New York Times)

7/ The State Department stopped issuing all visitor visas for people from Gaza after far-right activist Laura Loomer posted misleading videos of wounded Palestinian children arriving in the U.S. for treatment and called them “Islamic invaders from an Islamic terror hot zone.” Loomer celebrated the visa pause as “fantastic news” and urged Trump to expand his travel ban. Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the move, saying “numerous” congressional offices had raised concerns that groups helping secure visas had “strong links to terrorist groups like Hamas,” though he provided no evidence or names. Hamas, meanwhile, announced it had accepted a ceasefire proposal from Egyptian and Qatari mediators. Israeli officials, however, said their positions “have not changed,” insisting the war will continue until all hostages are freed, Hamas is disarmed, and Israel retains security control over Gaza. (The Guardian / NPR / Bloomberg / Axios / Associated Press / The Hill / Associated Press)

poll/ Trump’s approval rating fell to 38% – down from 41% in June. Among his 2024 voters, approval fell from 95% at the start of his presidency to 85% today. Support among voters under 35 dropped to 69%, compared with nearly 90% earlier in his presidency. 37% said he “cares about the needs of ordinary people,” 36% called him “honest,” and 29% said he is “a good role model.” (Pew Research Center)

The midterm elections are in 442 days.

Three years ago today: Day 576: "Brain fog."
Four years ago today: Day 211: "A flood of bloodshed."
Eight years ago today: Day 211: Smell ya later.