Trump eyes Putin-Zelenskyy summit, Hurricane Erin's coastal threat: Unbiased Updates, Aug. 19, 2025

A pivotal meeting in Washington, Trump sits down with Zelensky, then dials Putin

Is a three-way summit next? Plus, Hurricane Aaron barrels north, dozens of swimmers pulled from rip currents

and now a state of emergency on the outer banks. And back in Austin, but not backing down

one Democrat stands her ground against a Capitol flooded with police. The stories that matter, clear and credible

from across the country to around the world. These are your unbiased updates from Straight Arrow News

Good morning, I'm Craig DeGrelli. A key meeting at the White House with Ukraine's future and

Russia's war on the line. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky sitting down with President

Trump and top European leaders for hours of talks, all aimed at ending the fighting. Zelensky

arrived in Washington in a black suit, you see it right there, greeted at the door of the West

wing by the president. Inside the Oval Office, both leaders struck a different tone from their

combative visit earlier this year. Zelensky said the United States and Trump personally

could help push the conflict toward a diplomatic solution, adding he's open to trilateral talks

with Vladimir Putin even before the meeting began. I think we show that we are strong people

and we supported the idea of the United States personally of President Trump to stop this war

to make a diplomatic way of finishing this war. And we are ready for trilateral, as President said

This is a good signal about trilateral. I think this is very good. Thank you

The meeting expanded to include European heads of state in the East Room

a show of unity from Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Finland. Donald Trump told them he believes Putin is ready to move toward peace

I think you'll see that President Putin really would like to do something else

I think when we set that up, when we do, I think it's going to be when, not if

I think you're going to see some very, really positive moves. But we will we going to set that up today after this meeting And shortly after Trump revealed he phoned Putin directly posting on Truth Social that arrangements are underway for a meeting between Putin and Zelensky

that would be followed by a trilateral summit, including Trump himself. Still, the day was not

all heavy diplomacy. In the Oval Office, a reporter complimented Zelensky on his black suit

a lighter moment that stood in contrast to the tense visit back in February

You look fabulous in that suit. I said the same thing. You look good

I said the same thing. Yeah, looks good on you. I said someone that attacked you last time

I remember that. I apologize to you. You look wonderful. No, my first question for you, President Zelensky

You look in the same suit. You see, I changed you. Maybe yours is much better

All laughter aside, the real test now is whether Monday's warmth and momentum

can translate into real progress. As they say, time will tell. To Hurricane Aaron, still a

dangerous Category 3 and now giving us a dramatic new look at its power. Fresh video from the U.S

Air Force showing Aaron's massive eyes spinning across the Atlantic. A storm that's already

flooded Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Turks and Caicos. Along North Carolina's outer

banks, new video captures the massive waves pounding the shore. Lifeguards say they rescued

at least 60 swimmers Monday alone. Some evacuations are already underway on Hatteras Island

with parts of Highway 12 expected to stay underwater for days to see all the cars

Forecast models show Aaron will bend north, then northeast by Thursday, but forecasters warn of

swells or waves of 20 feet and winds as high as 120 miles an hour. Beach managers from Delaware to

Long Island are urging people to stay out of the water. The storm's hurricane-force winds

stretched nearly 80 miles from its center. But as of now, Aaron is not expected to make U.S

landfall. A Texas Democrat is making a dramatic stand at the state capitol this morning

Representative Nicole Collier refusing to sign a Republican order, putting her under police escort

and instead camping out on the House floor overnight in protest Collier says she won quote sign her dignity by agreeing to around the clock monitoring from the state Department of Public Safety She spent the night inside the chamber joined by fellow Democrats Gene Wu and Vince Perez in a show of defiance against what they call intimidation tactics

Her stand came just hours after House Democrats returned from their two week walkout, a move that denied Republicans a quorum and stalled redistricting

Their charter flight landed in Austin Monday, and by the afternoon, they walked into the Capitol to cheers from supporters

But Republicans were ready, ordering lawmakers to remain under DPS supervision until tomorrow morning, even requiring permission slips to leave the floor

Most Democrats complied, showing off their escorts to reporters. Collier, however, refused

With Democrats back inside, the House finally reached a quorum for the first time this month

clearing the way for Republicans to move forward on new congressional maps

changes that could add up to five more GOP seats in Washington

In the Middle East, Hamas says it has agreed to a new ceasefire proposal this morning

in its nearly two-year war with Israel. The deal, brokered by Egypt and Qatar, would include the release of Israeli hostages

and Palestinian prisoners, according to The New York Times. It comes as Israel announces a plan to reoccupy Gaza City and other populated areas

a move that could deepen what aid groups say is already a humanitarian disaster

with Gaza on the brink of famine. Gaza's health ministry now says more than 62,000 Palestinians have been killed in the 22 months of war

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not yet said whether he will accept the terms of the ceasefire

A partial win for the Trump administration in a high-profile case over Florida's controversial alligator Alcatraz

On Monday, a federal judge in Miami threw out part of a lawsuit from civil rights attorneys

who claimed the government was violating detainees' Fifth Amendment rights by failing to clarify which immigration court had jurisdiction

The judge said that issue is now moot, since the government has since announced those cases will be heard in South Florida's Chrome Immigration Court

But the case is far from over. the judge kept alive claims that the government is violating the First Amendment by making it harder for detainees to speak with their lawyers He called that a live controversy Instead of dismissing it he moved

the remaining case to another federal court, the Middle District of Florida, which has jurisdiction

over the so-called Alligator Alcatraz. Finally this morning, a word that means absolutely nothing

is now officially something. Follow me here. The Cambridge Dictionary is adding skibbity

The dictionary defines it as a humorous slang that can mean cool or bad

or just be used as a joke with no meaning at all, which, if you've been on TikTok lately, that makes sense

Skibity is not the only viral addition. Cambridge has been busy stuffing its pages with trendy terms

because, well, language is constantly evolving these days. You'd be Delulu to think they wouldn't keep up

That's another word they just added, Delulu. It's a play off the word delusional

It means believing something that is not true, usually because you want it to be true

Here's an example. My alarm went off at 2 this morning, and I was getting ready for work, and I thought it was Friday

But it was only Tuesday, so I was Delulu. Get it? Well, a manager told CNN they only add terms they believe had real staying power

Now, before we skibbity out of here, or skedaddle, see what I did there

Here's what we're tracking today. At 1 o'clock Eastern, White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt holds a briefing

Also at 1, a federal court in Maine is set to decide if the Trump administration must restore Medicaid funding

to a network of clinics swept up in its push to defund abortion providers

Out West, Meta heads to court in California. The company wants a lawsuit dismissed from families of Uvalde school shooting victims

who say Instagram and video game company Activision promote guns to minors

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Those are your Unbiased Updates for this Tuesday. We'll see you back here tomorrow. For all of us here at Straight Arrow News, I'm Craig DeGrelly

Have a great day