Greetings! Happy National Pasta Day to those celebrating.

Let’s get into today’s top stories.

🇷🇺 Russians and Ukrainians forecast a summit of optics, not outcomes. Public opinion soundings and elite chatter on both sides frame the planned meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin as theater with limited policy yield. Diplomats say meaningful shifts require verifiable timelines on prisoner exchanges, energy infrastructure security, and ceasefire monitoring, none of which appear ripe. Military analysts note front lines have hardened into kilometer-scale trades, which blunts dramatic announcements. Markets tend to discount vague promises when artillery still sets the day’s rhythm. Civil society groups warn that a photo-op without safeguards can sap momentum for accountability. The working expectation is a communiqué heavy on adjectives and light on enforcement.

🇭🇺 Orbán pitches Budapest as only neutral salon for Trump-Putin sit-down. Hungary’s prime minister cast his capital as the last venue where both leaders could meet without diplomatic melodrama, a boast calibrated for domestic politics and continental relevance. The claim underscores Budapest’s distance from mainstream European Union positions on Russia and rule-of-law standards. Foreign-policy scholars say venue narratives rarely change substance but do shape symbolism for home audiences. Regional partners will watch whether Hungary parlayed the moment into concessions on frozen EU funds or energy deals. Opposition figures called the victory lap premature until a date, agenda, and deliverables exist. For now, the branding works like a billboard: big letters, few footnotes.

🚰 Montana State Prison’s failing pipes trigger an emergency overhaul. Officials detailed cascading breaks in decades-old water lines that forced rationing, bottled supplies, and temporary closures of showers and kitchens. Engineers mapped a system-wide rehab that swaps corroded mains for modern materials and adds sensors to spot leaks early. The state projected a multi-million-dollar bill and months of rolling construction, with work staged to keep basic sanitation intact. Health inspectors prioritized potable-water testing, Legionella risk assessments, and backup disinfection protocols. Families and public defenders pressed for contingency plans that protect medical care and visitation during outages. The fix is not glamorous, but reliability often is just stainless steel and a spreadsheet away.

🗽 NY Republicans suspend state Young Republicans after offensive group chat. Screenshots circulated of racist and misogynistic posts, prompting party leaders to freeze the chapter and launch a review. Organizers of the broader youth network disputed the suspension’s scope while pledging internal discipline. Campaign pros worry the episode bleeds into suburban races where margins are narrow and turnout fragile. Civil-rights groups called for transparent remedies rather than press releases and probation. Donors quietly asked for codes of conduct and training that mirror corporate standards. The headline lesson is simple: private chats become public reputations at light speed.

🪧 “No Kings” rallies return as organizers say authoritarian habits are hardening. Demonstrations in multiple cities blended teach-ins, marches, and courthouse vigils, framing immigration raids, protest restrictions, and sweeping executive orders as a pattern rather than one-off steps. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and local coalitions tracked arrests, permit denials, and surveillance reports to anchor claims in documented cases. Police departments emphasized crowd-control rules, de-escalation training, and independent monitors where available. Small donors powered signage, buses, and legal hotlines, a reminder that civic infrastructure grows like coral, not coral reefs. Political scientists note that rights coalitions win by repetition and recordkeeping, not just rhetoric. The next test will be weekday courthouse turnouts when cameras move on.

🛂 Federal judge lets Mahmoud Khalil travel while contesting deportation. The order recognizes that multi-year immigration cases cannot freeze a life in amber, especially when medical care and family obligations span state lines. Advocates say travel permission reduces pressure to accept coerced “voluntary” departures. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) retains custody tools and check-in requirements, a balance the court called reasonable. Legal aid groups will cite the ruling as a template for similarly situated clients. For Khalil, the practical relief is scheduling, work, and normalcy during an abnormal legal slog. The merits still await a full hearing, where evidence, not headlines, will decide the outcome.

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That’s all for today!

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See you tomorrow!