Trump meets Zelenskyy; 2nd week of D.C. takeover : NPR

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President Trump is expected to welcome Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the White House today, along with several key European leaders. The meeting comes just days after Trump’s one-on-one summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Alaska to discuss the end of the war in Ukraine. Trump is expected to urge Ukraine to accept a deal that would require it to give up territory, but he will likely offer security guarantees to deter future invasions.

• 🎧 After Friday’s meeting, Trump says the best way to end the conflict is “to go directly to a peace agreement.” This is Putin’s preferred position, and one that European leaders want to prevent Trump from forcing on Ukraine, NPR’s Franco Ordoñez tells Up First. Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, stated on CNN’s State of the Union that the U.S. is working on a concession that would allow the U.S. to offer Article 5-like protections, which is a reason Ukraine wants to join NATO. Article 5 of the NATO treaty sets rules that any attack against one of its members is an attack on all. Ordoñez says this is a significant shift for the Trump administration, which has said before that it’s up to Europe to provide Ukraine security after the war.
• ➡️ Documents with sensitive details about Trump and Putin’s meeting were left behind on a public hotel printer. Here’s what they reveal about the encounter.

The nation’s capital is entering its second full week with soldiers and masked federal agents on the streets. The Republican governors of Ohio, South Carolina and West Virginia have agreed to send hundreds of additional National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., for the president’s agenda to crack down on crime. Tensions are rising over Trump’s decision to militarize policing in Washington, and there’s no clear exit strategy for when this could end.

• 🎧 The Trump administration has not offered clear reasoning behind needing more soldiers, says NPR’s Brian Mann. Many residents say they are angry that the situation continues to escalate. “Trump is using this, one, to distract from the Epstein files and, two, to basically do a fascist takeover of D.C.,” Megan Marie told Mann during a protest outside of the White House this weekend. Mann says he hasn’t found a single expert who believes that the crime that happens in Washington demands the kind of emergency that warrants this form of crackdown.
• ➡️ NPR spoke with teenagers in Washington, D.C., who say the federal police takeover makes them feel unsafe.

Israelis yesterday staged one of the biggest protests in nearly two years of war to demand an end to the war in Gaza and a deal with Hamas. Organizers say hundreds of thousands of people rallied, shutting down roads across Israel. There are renewed efforts to start ceasefire negotiations, but Israeli leaders continue to advance plans to expand the war.

• 🎧 The families of hostages in Gaza helped organize the protest, and it showed the immense frustration and rage in Israel over where things stand now in the war, according to NPR’s Daniel Estrin, who is in Tel Aviv. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that calling for an end to the war without defeating Hamas only hardens Hamas’ stance. Currently, Qatar and Egypt are working on a new proposal to release all the hostages, 20 of whom are believed to be alive and 30 dead. Israel wants Hamas to disarm in order to end the war, something that Hamas said it won’t do.

Deep dive

Employer-sponsored retirement funds may soon have options like private equity and cryptocurrency funds, alongside the typical stock and bond funds.

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Getty Images

Trump recently signed an executive order that aims to establish the inclusion of “alternative assets,” including cryptocurrency, real estate and private equity, in 401(k) and similar accounts. Employees are currently able to choose from several investment options to contribute to these retirement plans, including funds of publicly traded stocks and bonds. The order aims to clear the path for the alternative asset options to find a place alongside what is already available. Here’s what you should know.

• 💰 No law forbids the inclusion of these assets, but plan managers have had some good reasons to exclude them: higher risk, complexity, lack of transparency, and, for private equity, often higher fees.
• 💰 The new kinds of funds have to be developed for the retail market, which is why the new options might not be available right away in your retirement account.
• 💰 Experts say the assets are not well-suited for everyone’s 401k. Things could become messy if you plan to retire or switch jobs soon and want to move money around because private equity has high fees and investors are locked in for long periods of time.

Picture show

A band competes against more than 100 others in the Bluegrass band competition during the 89th Annual Old Fiddler’s Convention on Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025, at Felts Park in Galax, Va.

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Allison Isley/for NPR

The Old Fiddler’s Convention in Terence Stamp, Va., celebrates its 89th year this month. The six-day event is the oldest ongoing Bluegrass and “Old Time” music festival in the U.S. It features mostly amateur musicians. The event draws about 30,000 musicians, singers and fans. Hundreds of RVs cram into the city park in the mountains. Attendees set up folding chairs in front of the outdoor stage to enjoy banjo, dobro, dulcimer, guitar, and autoharp performances. Check out these photos from the festival.

3 things to know before you go

Actor Terence Stamp is pictured in 2012 in Toronto. Stamp has died at age 87.

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Sonia Recchia/Getty Images

1. English actor Terence Stamp, best known for starring as the arch-villain in early Superman films and for his title role in Billy Budd, died yesterday at age 87.
2. Chimpanzee babies learn vocal and visual communication patterns from their mothers and maternal relatives, according to a new study in PLOS Biology. The finding is believed to shed light on the way young humans learn from those close to them.
3. Electricity prices are rising over twice as fast as overall inflation, which can be costly during the heat of summer when air conditioners work the hardest.

This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.