The Latest: Trump says he and Putin have agreed to begin negotiations on ending war in Ukraine

President Donald Trump upended three years of U.S. policy toward Ukraine on Wednesday, saying that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed to begin negotiations on ending the war following a dramatic prisoner swap.

Trump said in a social media post that he and Putin had a lengthy phone call during which they committed to “work together, very closely” to bring the conflict to an end. Trump then called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who said they discussed “opportunities to achieve peace.”

While speaking at NATO headquarters in Brussels, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that NATO membership was not realistic for Ukraine.

Here's the latest:

Kennedy Center terminates president’s contract after Trump becomes board chair

A Kennedy Center statement said President Deborah F. Rutter’s contract had been terminated. She’d previously announced plans to step down at the end of the year.

Trump named Ric Grenell, his former acting director of national intelligence, to be the center’s interim president.

Trump was voted in unanimously after firing board members appointed by former President Joe Biden and replacing them with his own.

White House says it has the right to punish AP reporters over Gulf naming dispute

The White House said Wednesday that news organizations that refuse to use President Donald Trump’s new name for the Gulf of Mexico were telling “lies” and insisted it would continue to bar Associated Press journalists from presidential events.

Trump has decreed that the international body of water — which borders Mexico, the United States and other nations — be called the Gulf of America. In its influential Stylebook, the AP said it would continue to use Gulf of Mexico, while also noting Trump’s decision, to ensure that names of geographical features are recognizable around the world.

The White House’s outright attempt at regulating language used by independent media — and the punitive measures attached to it — mark a sharp escalation in Trump’s often fraught dealings with news organizations.

At a regular briefing Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that “it is a fact that the body of water off the coast of Louisiana is called the Gulf of America, and I’m not sure why news outlets don’t want to call it that.”

In reality, the body lies partially in waters that don’t belong to the United States and has been called the Gulf of Mexico for hundreds of years.

▶ Read more about Trump and the Gulf of Mexico

Artistic adviser to National Symphony Orchestra resigns after Trump becomes Kennedy Center board chair

The artistic adviser to the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center has resigned in the wake of Trump’s election as the center’s board chair.

Ben Folds, a million-selling musician first known as the leader of the Ben Folds Five, had served for eight years.

“Given the developments at the Kennedy Center, effective today I am resigning as artistic advisor to the NSO. Not for me,” he wrote in a statement posted Wednesday on Instagram.

“It’s been a wonderful 8 years working with Kennedy Center President Deb Rutter, fellow artistic advisor Renee Fleming, and the entire NSO staff, encouraging thousands of fresh new audiences to appreciate symphonic music,” he said.

Judge clears way for Trump’s plan to downsize federal workforce

A federal judge has cleared the way for Trump’s plan to downsize the federal workforce with a deferred resignation program.

U.S. District Judge George O’Toole Jr. in Boston found a group of labor unions didn’t have legal standing to challenge the program, commonly described as a buyout.

Trump wants to use financial incentives to encourage government employees to quit. According to the White House, tens of thousands of workers have taken the government up on its offer.

The deferred resignation program has been spearheaded by Elon Musk, who is serving as Trump’s top adviser for reducing federal spending. Under the plan, employees can stop working and get paid until Sept. 30.

▶ Read more about the latest developments on the deferred resignation program

New York governor expected to meet with Trump this week, person familiar with matter says

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is expected to travel to Washington to meet with Trump on Thursday, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The expected meeting comes as the Democratic governor of Trump’s former home state is clashing with the new administration over immigration and congestion pricing in New York City.

On Wednesday, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced a lawsuit against the state over policies limiting cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

The person familiar with the matter spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the meeting before it was officially announced.