Congress is closing in on endorsing a sanctions bill against Russia, which pummeled Ukraine overnight Thursday. Amid that, Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Malaysia on the sidelines of an Asian nation summit.
Rubio indicated the Washington and Moscow are looking at a “new and a different approach” to peace negotiations. “I wouldn’t characterize it as something that guarantees a peace, but it’s a concept that, you know, that I’ll take back to the president,” according to the Associated Press.
On Wednesday, both Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) indicated their chambers soon would take up a sanctions bill that punishes not only Russia but buyers of its oil.
The case of mistakenly deported Maryland resident Kilmar Abrego Garcia returns to court on Thursday. A government witness will testify on the administration’s plans for Abrego Garcia, should he be released from criminal custody in next week. The Trump administration has suggested it would attempt to deport him to a country other than El Salvador.
President Trump on Thursday has no publicly scheduled events. He’ll receive an intelligence briefing in the morning.
The president and first lady are expected to travel Friday to Texas, to witness devastation brought in Fourth of July flooding that killed at least 118 people. Over 150 others remain missing.
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