Trump, Putin agree on limited ceasefire in Ukraine

PRESIDENT TRUMP and Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared to make progress on a limited ceasefire agreement in Ukraine during a lengthy phone call on Tuesday that the White House says is the first step toward a longterm peace deal.

Trump said Putin agreed to halt attacks on Ukraine’s energy systems and infrastructure.

“We agreed to an immediate Ceasefire on all Energy and Infrastructure, with an understanding that we will be working quickly to have a Complete Ceasefire and, ultimately, an END to this very horrible War between Russia and Ukraine,” Trump posted on Truth Social.

However, Putin rejected the U.S. proposal for a full 30-day ceasefire that Ukraine has agreed to.

And Moscow said Putin demanded the U.S. end its military and intelligence sharing with Ukraine ahead of long-term peace talks.

Further negotiations between senior U.S. and Russian officials will “begin immediately in the Middle East," the White House said.

It remains to be seen what concessions Russia and Ukraine will need to make to reach a longterm peace deal.

There was no mention of how territory Russia seized would be divided up.

WAR RETURNS TO GAZA

Israel launched new attacks in Gaza on Tuesday after Hamas refused to release additional hostages, effectively ending the fragile ceasefire deal that had been teetering on the brink.

Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the White House was consulted ahead of the strikes.

The U.S. has been ramping up attacks against Iranian-backed terrorist leaders in the Middle East.

Trump and Putin on Tuesday “spoke broadly about the Middle East as a region of potential cooperation to prevent future conflicts,” including “the need to stop proliferation of strategic weapons.”

The White House said Putin agreed that “Iran should never be in a position to destroy Israel.”

MEANWHILE...

Chief Justice John Roberts injected himself into the battle between the Trump administration and the judiciary over deportations.

Roberts issued a rare public statement after Trump and some GOP lawmakers called for impeaching U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, who temporarily blocked Trump from invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to swiftly deport alleged Venezuelan gang members.

“For more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision,” Roberts said. “The normal appellate review process exists for that purpose.”

Boasberg, who was appointed by former President Obama, accused the Trump administration of ignoring an order to return Venezuelan migrants who were on a plane headed for El Salvador.

The Trump administration says it was too late to turn the planes around by the time the judge issued his written order, but there are questions about whether the administration ignored Boasberg’s verbal order.

Boasberg had implemented a two-week pause on deportations under the Alien Enemies Act after it was challenged in court by the American Civil Liberties Union and others.

Evening Report spoke with University of Richmond law professor Carl Tobias about Roberts’s rare move to release a public statement addressing a feud between the president and a federal judge.

“I think Roberts is trying to calm the waters and bring the temperature down,” Tobias said. “So far, Trump has said he’ll comply with court orders, but this recent dustup with Boasberg has people dubious.”

A move to impeach the judge would almost certainly be blocked in the Senate, where it would need two-thirds support.

“Roberts is correct — there’s no history of impeaching judges or even bringing articles of impeachment against judges for decisions that presidents disagree with," Tobias said. "Only a tiny number of federal judges ... have been impeached or convicted, usually for criminal activity like fraud or bribery, so I hope the president will take the statement in the fashion it was meant to be offered.”

💡Perspectives:

• The Guardian: Kyiv’s allies must not fall into Putin’s trap.

• The Hill op-ed: Trump plays into enemy hands with his strongman image.

• The New York Times: Putin doesn’t actually want peace.

• New York Post: Federal judges’ Trump hate is harming the courts.

• The Nation: Mahmoud Khalil is “Ready to Fight” his unlawful detention.

Read more:

• Hegseth pledges ‘unrelenting’ strikes on Houthis in Yemen: What to know.

• 4 nations bordering Russia to withdraw from land mine treaty.

• Trump ratchets up confrontation with judiciary.

• Trump clash with courts cues concerns of constitutional crisis.

CATCH UP QUICK

The Federal Reserve is unlikely to cut interest rates this week despite growing concern about the state of the U.S. economy. A record number of Americans are working more than one job.
Texas arrested two more individuals on charges they provided illegal abortions. The arrests appear to be connected to a midwife who was arrested for allegedly providing illegal abortions and unlawfully operating a network of clinics in the Houston area.
A federal judge found that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis violated open records laws.

NEWS THIS AFTERNOON

Elon Musk flashes his T-shirt that reads "DOGE" to the media as he walks on South Lawn of the White House, in Washington, March 9, 2025.

Trump administration reinstates thousands of federal workers

The Trump administration is moving to reinstate tens of thousands of federal workers who were fired as part of the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) efforts to scale back the government workforce.

The terminations of thousands of probationary federal workers were deemed unlawful by two federal judges, who ordered the Trump administration to reinstate workers at 18 agencies.

The government had argued the employees were dismissed due to performance issues, but the courts found that not to be the case.

The government filed more than a dozen declarations this week detailing how it will reintegrate more than 24,000 employees who were swept up in the mass layoffs. Some of the reinstated workers have returned to full time work, while others have been placed on paid administrative leave.

The government warned in a filing that the mass reinstatement would provoke chaos at the agencies.

“Reinstatement of removed employees to full duty status could impose burdens on DOE and cause significant confusion and turmoil for the terminated employees,” wrote Reesha Trznadel, acting chief human capital officer at the Department of Energy.

💡Perspectives:

• The Hill: Trump’s third-term tease is a lame-duck hedge.

• City Journal: Colleges should blame themselves for Trump’s crackdown.

• The Free Press: What happened to Silicon Valley’s infamous thought criminal?

• The Hill: Trump’s claim to revoke Biden’s pardons is bunk.

Read more:

• Appeals panel skeptical of Trump’s independent agency firings.

• Trump administration guts board of US Institute of Peace.

• Fired workers return to federal agencies — but are put on paid leave.

• Top House Dems seek DOGE details under Freedom of Information Act.

ON TAP: Trump will appear for an interview on Fox News Channel's "The Ingraham Angle" tonight at 7 p.m. EST.

IN OTHER NEWS

Schumer defends his leadership amid blowback

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) insisted Tuesday he’s the best person to lead the opposition against President Trump, as he faces protests and outrage from Democrats over his vote to support the GOP’s funding bill to avoid a government shutdown.

“I am the best leader for the Senate,” Schumer said on “CBS Mornings."

Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) were on different pages last week over the funding showdown.

Every House Democrat except one voted to oppose the Republican continuing resolution (CR), with some members in Trump-carried districts taking tough votes to oppose the president’s funding plan.

Schumer and nine other Democrats in the Senate voted to advance the GOP’s stopgap bill, giving Republicans a big win.

Jeffries initially stayed mum when asked if he had confidence in Schumer as Democratic leader in the Senate, but he responded without hesitation when presented with the same question on Tuesday.

“Yes,” Jeffries said. “Yes, I do.”

Schumer said he and Jeffries will be coordinating events to highlight how Trump’s policies negatively impact the working class.

“It’s beginning to work, [Trump’s] numbers have come down,” Schumer said. “If we keep at it everyday relentless and fighting … Trump’s numbers will get much lower and his popularity and effectiveness will decline.”

Schumer is on a media tour promoting his book on anti-semitism, although he’s cancelled several public appearances due to “security concerns” posed by left-wing protesters.

The Democratic leader defended his vote, saying a shutdown would have been orders of magnitude worse because Trump and Elon Musk would have used it as justification to further gut federal agencies.

“I did a thing a leader should do," Schumer said. "Even when people don’t see the danger around the curve, my job was to alert people to it and I knew I’d get some bullets."

The Hill’s Alexander Bolton reports that Schumer is in the toughest battle of his leadership career:

“Multiple senators complained about the lack of a clear strategy from their leadership heading into last week’s standoff with Senate and House Republicans over the House-passed funding bill, according to sources familiar with the sometimes heated discussions within the Senate Democratic Caucus.”

Primary challenges could be around the corner for Democratic leaders and incumbents, as anger and unrest builds among the liberal base.

The Hill’s Amie Parnes writes: “Progressives are increasingly frustrated with the current leadership of the party and with the messaging coming from Democrats in general. And the spending bill has spurred furious talk that a new crop of leaders should emerge.”

💡Perspectives:

• Vox: Why Harris really lost.

• The Washington Examiner: The Democratic Party’s Chris Murphy problem.

• Washington Monthly: The Filibuster is Working. You Just Can’t See It.

• The Liberal Patriot: Democrats want to fight. But how?

Stay Engaged

Someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up to get your own copy: TheHill.com/Evening. Did I miss a story? Drop me a line: jeasley@thehill.com. See you next time!

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