Putin demands surrender of Ukraine troops in Kursk

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Weekend Briefing

From Reuters Daily Briefing

By Robert MacMillan, Reuters.com Weekend Editor

Welcome to the Weekend Briefing. Two U.S. astronauts stranded at the International Space Station are scheduled to return to earth. The Trump administration is considering travel bans on dozens of countries. The U.S. expelled South Africa's ambassador, calling him a race-baiting politician who hates America and the president. And Democratic Party disarray tumbled into full public view after the Senate approved a bill to avoid a government shutdown.

Donald Trump has royally irked the Canadians, and their elbows are up, as they say in the world of ice hockey. Listen to our weekend edition of the World News podcast for more on that. And our latest City Memo takes us to Toronto. Just keep your elbows down.

Putin demands surrender of Ukraine troops in Kursk

Kremlin.ru/Handout via REUTERS

The latest: Vladimir Putin said he will spare the lives of Ukrainian soldiers in the Russian region if they surrender, a response to Trump's appeal to avoid a "horrible massacre." Trump called discussions between Putin and his U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff productive. Putin said the U.S. proposal for a ceasefire needs serious reworking, while Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he thinks the chances of ending the war are good. What does Russia have against Keith Kellogg?
Into Africa? Somalia and its breakaway region of Somaliland said they received no proposal from the U.S. or Israel to resettle Palestinians from Gaza. The Associated Press earlier reported U.S. and Israeli officials had discussed the plan with officials there and in Sudan. Israel dismissed Hamas' proposal to free an American-Israeli hostage in exchange for beginning the next round of ceasefire talks, calling it psychological warfare.

Federal workers face fresh layoffs

Moving parts: The Trump administration is expected to start a second wave of mass firings and budget cuts across the government, a day after two federal judges ordered the reinstatement of thousands of workers. The FDA said it can't guarantee work spaces or parking spots for employees required to return to the office on Monday. Trump took his fight to restrict birthright citizenship to the Supreme Court. And a new Customs and Border Protection app allows people in the U.S. illegally to "self-deport."
Higher learning: The Justice Department is investigating whether student protests at Columbia University violated federal terrorism laws. The administration told Columbia it must make policy changes to restore more than $400 million in federal funding, including placing its Middle Eastern, South Asian and African Studies departments in programs that would take their control out of the hands of their faculties. The administration's policy of deporting some foreign nationals who participate in pro-Palestinian protests is unconstitutional, lawyers for a detained Columbia student said.

U.S. consumer morale plunges, inflation worries soar

Confusion: Sentiment hit a nearly 36-month low as people worry that Trump's tariffs will boost prices and hurt the economy. Here's how the Fed might respond on rate cuts. Gold hit a record high above $3,000 an ounce as investors sought a safe haven. Check out our graphic that correlates the stock market to major Trump moves since his inauguration.
Coal in our stockings: The new U.S. energy secretary said climate change is a side effect of building the modern world and we're going to have to get used to it. The military is canceling studies on climate change and security threats, including some that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called crap. Strong recommend: This story about a Peruvian man who is suing a German energy company over a melting Andean glacier is utterly remarkable.

Before I forget…

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was abducted before being taken to the Hague to face charges of crimes against humanity and is too ill to give evidence, his lawyer said.
Donald Trump threatened Denmark with sanctions unless it gives Greenland to the United States. Now the U.S. is asking the same country and others for eggs as bird flu cuts supplies. What would you do if you were running Denmark? Let me know.
Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed on the terms of a peace agreement that would end nearly four decades of conflict. The Democratic Republic of Congo might parley with the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels.
The U.S. National Coffee Association asked the Trump administration to exempt imports from tariffs. Even without them, a bean shortage thanks to bad weather will lead to higher prices at grocery stores by next year. It's already leading to theft.
An American woman left Australia after she uploaded a video showing her grabbing a wombat and walking away with it while the animal's distressed mother ran after it. Australia's prime minister suggested she try the same thing with a baby crocodile.
Looks like it'll be Disney World for me this summer after all. Rio de Janeiro police demolished a facility they called a "drug trafficking resort" in a favela. It featured an artificial lake, swimming pool, gym, barbecue area and leisure space.

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