March 18, 2025

Good morning. We’re covering President Trump’s upcoming phone call with Vladimir Putin and a legal battle over migrant deportations in the U.S.

Plus, a “retirement home” for penguins.

“We want to see if we can bring that war to an end,” President Trump said on Sunday.  Tierney L. Cross for The New York Times

Questions swirl as Putin and Trump prepare to speak

Preparations are underway for a highly anticipated phone call today between President Trump and President Vladimir Putin. The call would be the first known conversation between the two leaders since Ukraine agreed to support a U.S.-backed monthlong cease-fire.

On Sunday, Trump suggested that a cease-fire and the fate of Ukrainian power plants would be on the agenda, and he noted that “dividing up certain assets” had been discussed. The Kremlin would not confirm any specific agenda.

While Trump has stated his desire to broker some sort of truce between Russia and Ukraine as quickly as possible, Putin seems to be seeking to exploit the moment to win more concessions. Putin has not yet agreed to the cease-fire and has laid out conditions that could delay or derail a truce.

Crimes against Ukraine: The U.S. is withdrawing from a multinational group created to investigate leaders responsible for the invasion of Ukraine, including Putin, a letter shows. It is the latest indication that the White House is moving away from a commitment to hold Putin accountable.

Comfort food: Sushi has long been popular in Ukraine, and for people in the frontline town of Sloviansk, the treat provides a sense of normalcy.

Judge James Boasberg is pressing the Trump administration over the deportation of migrants to El Salvador.  Erin Schaff/The New York Times

A legal battle erupted over U.S. deportations

President Trump’s so-called border czar, Tom Homan, said yesterday that the administration planned to continue deportations of migrants despite a court order — an action that could thrust the U.S. into a constitutional crisis.

“We’re not stopping,” Homan said in an interview. “I don’t care what the judges think.”

The judge who issued the order blocking deportations scheduled a hearing to press officials for details, and denied a last-minute request by the Trump administration that it be canceled. The Justice Department also wrote a letter to the court that sits over the judge, asking it to remove him from the case entirely. Here’s the latest.

Background: Over the weekend, the U.S. flew more than 200 immigrants, including people the Trump administration has accused of being gang members, to El Salvador — a move the judge had ordered to stop. The judge wants to know where the planes were at the time of his order, issued on Saturday.

More on Trump American automakers thought Trump’s tariffs were a negotiating tactic. As it turns out, he sees them as an end in themselves. The growing trade war and rapid policy shifts are expected to drag down economic growth in the U.S. and around the world, according to projections. With the arrival of Dan Bongino as deputy director of the F.B.I., staunch Trump loyalists have now taken full command of the nation’s premier law enforcement agency. Do Americans approve of Trump? We’re tracking recent polls. Trump falsely claimed that former President Biden’s pardons were “void” because he used an autopen, a commonly used device that reproduces signatures. Track Trump’s actions since he took office.