News chronological

The announcement of the deal shocked the Ukrainian government and many European governments, creating a new crisis between the U.S. and its Western allies.

President Trump announced a deal with Putin to unilaterally lift sanctions on Russia and allow it to export diesel. This announcement followed a call with Putin and occurred while his envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, were meeting in Miami with the Ukrainian negotiating team and senior diplomats from Germany, France, the UK, the EU, and NATO to discuss U.S. ideas for ending the war.

President Zelensky told Axios in a phone interview on Friday that the decision was "not fair and not honest." He expressed frustration, stating that the move "looks like a happy birthday present for Putin" and "looks absolutely terrible," referring to the Russian president's birthday earlier that week.

Former President Obama stated at a fundraiser on a Wednesday that being the head of the Democratic Party is a "pain in the butt" because the leader has to deal with people from every walk of life.

Schumer must first secure at least 51 seats in the November election, navigate a high-stakes lame-duck session, and then win a secret-ballot election to reclaim his title as majority leader. He also faces internal friction, as some potential new members, such as Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan and James Talarico in Texas, have not committed to voting for him.

During the 2020 cycle, Chuck Schumer faced a similar challenge while serving as minority leader. The biggest headache was attendance, as candidates crisscrossed the country, which complicated Senate scheduling. However, the Democratic party did not lose any major votes during that cycle despite the presidential hopefuls being on the campaign trail.

Schumer faces the challenge of managing up to eight senators who may prioritize their own presidential ambitions over following his leadership. This can complicate governing, as seen in previous ICE funding fights where potential contenders took extreme stances at the risk of a government shutdown to stand out. Additionally, these candidates have incentives to spend time outside of Washington to differentiate themselves from rivals and may pick high-profile fights with the party establishment to prove their progressive bona fides, which can undermine the unity needed for majority power.

Several Democratic senators are identified as potential 2028 contenders making early visits to primary states. These include Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) who visited South Carolina, New Hampshire, and Nevada; Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) who visited South Carolina, Nevada, New Hampshire, and Iowa; Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) who visited South Carolina (twice), Nevada, and Michigan; Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) who visited South Carolina; Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) who visited Iowa and Nevada; Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) who visited Iowa and New Hampshire (twice); and Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) who visited Nevada (twice) and New Hampshire.