Welcome to the online version of From the Politics Desk, an evening newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team’s latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail.
In today’s edition, we break down the start of President Donald Trump’s efforts to facilitate an end to the Russia-Ukraine war. Plus, we shift gears to the campaign trail, where Bridget Bowman notes that one of this year’s marquee governor’s races is serving as an early forum for Democrats to find their way forward on immigration.
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— Adam Wollner
Trump tries to tackle an audacious campaign pledge
President Donald Trump repeatedly pledged on the campaign trail to quickly end the Russia-Ukraine war — either on Day 1 or even before he took office.
That timeline has come and gone, but a flurry of activity over the last 24 hours — most notably Trump’s calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy — could mark the beginning of serious efforts to fulfill the broad, and audacious, promise.
Wednesday’s developments also mark the continued sharp turn Trump has taken from President Joe Biden, who was committed to securing an all-out victory for Ukraine.
Talks with Putin and Zelenskyy: Trump said that he spoke to Putin by phone Wednesday about ending the war in Ukraine and that Putin indicated he would be willing to negotiate directly with Zelenskyy, Rebecca Shabad reports. Trump said he has tasked Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, national security adviser Michael Waltz, and ambassador and special envoy Steve Witkoff with leading negotiations with Russia.
Dmitry Peskov, an adviser to Putin, said the Russian leader “expressed readiness to receive American officials in Russia regarding areas of mutual interest, including, of course, the topic of Ukrainian settlement.”
Trump said that a meeting related to the war, led by Vice President JD Vance and Rubio, would take place Friday in Munich. And he added later in the day that he plans to eventually meet with Putin.
As for Zelenskyy, Trump said his call with the Ukrainian president “went very well.”
Zelenskyy said in a post on X that he had a “meaningful conversation” with Trump. “No one wants peace more than Ukraine,” he wrote. “Together with the U.S., we are charting our next steps to stop Russian aggression and ensure a lasting, reliable peace. As President Trump said, let’s get it done.”
Hegseth in Brussels: Earlier in the day, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said at NATO headquarters in Belgium that it is “unrealistic” to aim for a return to Ukraine’s borders as they were before 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea and supported separatists who took over swaths of the country’s east.
As Alexander Smith notes, the remarks are the clearest indication yet that the U.S. will support negotiations between Ukraine and Russia in which Ukraine cedes territory that’s already been seized by the Kremlin.
Hostage swap: Meanwhile, the Trump administration agreed to send Alexander Vinnik, a convicted money launderer, back to Russia in exchange for the release of American teacher Marc Fogel, Henry Austin reports.
What else to know from the Trump presidency today
- A federal judge ruled that Trump’s sweeping plan to persuade federal workers to resign can move forward.
- Inflation rose unexpectedly in January, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics, posing an early challenge to Trump’s economic agenda.
- The inspector general at the U.S. Agency for International Development was fired one day after his office released a report detailing the negative impact of the administration’s agency cuts.
- The Trump administration is considering tapping into Department of Defense funding to hire contractors, a move that would vastly expand the scale and scope of immigrant arrests and deportations in the U.S.
- DOGE staffers have pushed the highest-ranking officials at the Department of Education out of their own offices, rearranged the furniture and set up white noise machines to muffle their voices, employees at the agency said.
- The Senate confirmed Tulsi Gabbard as Trump’s director of national intelligence, while Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s health secretary nomination cleared a key hurdle that sets up a final confirmation vote Thursday.
- Trump’s labor secretary, former Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, told the Senate committee considering her nomination that she worked part-time at a Planned Parenthood in her early 20s, but that she doesn’t personally support abortion.
- Trump is now the chair of the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees.
A 2025 election is providing an early test for Democrats on immigration
By Bridget Bowman
New Jersey, which is holding one of two marquee races for governor this year, is providing an early test for Democrats as they try to navigate the thorny issues of immigration and border security amid the new Trump administration.
The issue is already dividing a crowded field of Democrats — including members of Congress, mayors and a former state Senate leader — who are competing to replace the term-limited Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy.
During a recent debate, Rep. Josh Gottheimer faced criticism from Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop for voting for the GOP-led Laken Riley Act, a strict immigration detention measure named after a 22-year-old Georgia nursing school student who was murdered last year by an undocumented immigrant.
Gottheimer was one of 46 House Democrats — and the only one from New Jersey — who voted for the measure.
“If you’re a murderer, a criminal, a rapist, break into people’s homes in the middle of the night with a gun while the kids are sleeping, and you’re undocumented, you shouldn’t be here, right?” Gottheimer said. “And you shouldn’t be in this state. You shouldn’t be in this country.”
The other member of Congress in the race, Rep. Mikie Sherrill, voted against the bill, which became the first Trump signed into law of his second term.
On the debate stage, Sherrill said “basic humanity” is often missing from immigration debates, calling for “comprehensive immigration reform” and a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.
“And we also need better border security,” Sherrill added.
New Jersey has traditionally been a solidly blue state, but Trump lost it only by 6 points in 2024 — a 10-point swing in his direction compared to 2020, the second-largest of any state in the country.
🗞️ Today’s other top stories
- ⚖️ In the courts: The Trump administration has been dealt setbacks in high-profile court cases for a low-profile reason: an obscure law called the Administrative Procedure Act. Read more →
- ⚖️ In the courts, cont.: Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor defended the courts amid criticism from Trump and his allies. Read more →
- 💲 On the Hill: House Republicans released a budget resolution that calls for cutting taxes by up to $4.5 trillion and sets a goal of slashing federal spending by $2 trillion, as the Senate marked up a competing measure. Some hardline conservatives weren’t thrilled with it. Read more →
- 👀 Jan. 6 turnabout: A top Justice Department official behind Trump’s push to identify and potentially punish those who worked on Jan. 6-related cases helped assist in those investigations in a previous role in New York. Read more →
- 🌵 Planting her Flag(staff): Republican businesswoman Karrin Taylor Robson is running for governor and is touting Trump’s support. Read more →
That’s all From the Politics Desk for now. Today’s newsletter was compiled by Adam Wollner, Scott Bland and Ben Kamisar.
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