Live updates: Gabbard sworn in as intel chief; Trump opens door to Putin, Ukraine talks

President Trump confirmed midday Wednesday that he's spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin, setting the stage for a negotiated end to the war in Ukraine.

In the Senate, Trump's most controversial Cabinet nominees sailed through their floor votes Wednesday.

Tulsi Gabbard won confirmation as the director of national intelligence in a 52-48 vote, despite early Republican skepticism. The nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services passed a procedural hurdle.

Elsewhere on Capitol Hill, the Senate Budget Committee started work on a resolution that will unlock the process by which Republicans hope to pass large swaths of Trump's agenda. The House and Senate have been racing to lead the process, and while House GOP leaders hope to start their effort Thursday, some are skeptical the razor-thin majority can find a way to move forward.

And the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee's Delivering on Government Efficiency (DOGE) panel, led by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), convened its first hearing.

The January consumer price index release did not bring good news for the administration: Inflation increased 3 percent.

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Statement from countries including France, Germany and UK comes after US president says he and Putin are ready to begin talks. European powers, including Britain, France and Germany, have said they ...
The Guardian - 30m
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The US and Russia leaders speak over the phone after Trump says Nato membership for Ukraine is unlikely.
BBC News - 40m
Trump and Putin Discussed the War in Ukraine

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The New York Times - 4h
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BBC News - 8h
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The Guardian - 1h
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Tulsi Gabbard was sworn in as director of national intelligence on Wednesday in the Oval Office, hours after the Senate confirmed her. Attorney General Pam Bondi administered the oath of office to ...
The Hill - 6h
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President Trump said he spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin and directed his national security team to lead negotiations aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.
CBS News - 7h
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The Hill - 2d
Trump talking to Putin to end Ukraine war: 'I'd better not say' how much

President Trump says he has had talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin about ending the war in Ukraine, telling The New York Post that the two leaders have spoken and "I better not say" just ...
The Hill - 3d