PEACE AND WARDROBE

Can Ukraine’s president save his country by showering Donald Trump with flattery? Does it help to wear the right suit?

• The last time Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rolled up to the White House, he stepped into a diplomatic thunderdome. He had arrived dressed, as usual, in a military-style polo with a Ukrainian emblem — an outfit he has worn constantly to symbolize his country’s resistance to Russia’s invasion. But he was soon accused by a right-wing journalist of failing to show respect by not wearing a suit — and berated by Vice President JD Vance for “not saying thank you.” A heated dispute broke out that left Ukrainian and European observers gawking in horror.

• This time, Zelenskyy learned his lesson. He arrived to meet Trump at the White House on Monday in a spiffy black suit. And he heaped thanks on Trump, repeatedly, as soon as he got a chance to speak. “Thank you so much, Mr. President,” Zelenskyy said.

• “I think [the White House] would have said, ‘If you try and turn up here again without a suit, don’t come,’” a person close to Ukrainian leadership told What A Day.

• Zelenskyy’s elevated haberdashery hardly went unnoticed. “You look fabulous in that suit!” right-wing reporter Brian Glenn gushed. Trump immediately agreed. “See? That’s the one that attacked you last time,” Trump gleefully replied, pointing to Glenn (who also happens to be the boyfriend of MAGA flamethrower Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene). Zelenskyy then gave a tongue-in-cheek response to Glenn: “You are in the same suit. I changed, you did not.” Everybody laughed. The vibes were better.

• Behind the goofiness, there’s a deadly serious issue here. The question of war and peace now seems to hang, at least in part, on whether Zelenskyy can display that kind of flattery and gratitude Trump needs to feed his ego. Failure could mean that Trump withdraws support for Ukraine’s war — as he briefly did after their last meeting turned into a famous disaster. And the stakes here are mile-high.

Trump is on the verge of accepting Vladimir Putin’s plan to partition Ukraine — unless Zelenskyy and his fancy new suit can persuade Trump otherwise.

• Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and Trump appeared to hammer out some kind of plan to end the war when they met in Alaska, although the details remain vague. In short: Russia wants an eastern Ukrainian region known as the Donbas, which it hasn’t fully captured on the battlefield. In exchange, Putin seems prepared to let Ukraine have security guarantees from the U.S. and Europe. (A bunch of European leaders also scrambled to the White House today to chat about these guarantees.)

• After meeting Putin, Trump called on Zelenskyy to take the deal. “Russia is a very big power, and they’re not,” Trump told Fox News. But Zelenskyy has rejected handing over the Donbas.

• Trump ended today’s Oval Office press conference with some news: He would call Putin right after meeting with Zelenskyy and the European leaders. Moments before that, Trump remarked that he loves the Russian people and doesn’t believe a ceasefire is needed — a position that Putin has also taken.

• “It’s terrible. Come on,” a Ukrainian lawmaker told What A Day, noting that Trump’s team rolled out a literal red carpet for Putin in Alaska. “He just said that he loves the Russian people. Look how they met Zelenskyy versus Putin. No red carpet.”

When a reporter asked whether Ukraine or Russia has better cards, Trump demurred. “I don’t wanna say that. This is Joe Biden’s war.”

WHAT ELSE?

Trump’s Department of Justice will begin sharing files related to deceased child sex predator Jeffrey Epstein with the House Oversight Committee on Friday, according to Rep. James Comer (R-KY), the committee chair. Don’t get your expectations too high — Attorney General Pam Bondi released a binder full of old news last time she promised to release dirt on Epstein.

Donald Trump pledged to “lead a movement” to end mail-in voting, in what looks a lot like his latest attempt to rig elections in MAGA’s favor. He has long railed against mail-in voting, baselessly claiming voter fraud factored into the 2020 election. Trump said he’d sign an executive order banning the practice, even though only Congress and the states have that authority.

The Trump administration stopped issuing visas to people from Gaza — after right-wing nutjob Laura Loomer questioned how some Gazan children, who came to the U.S. for medical treatment, obtained visas. “This is a medical treatment program, not a refugee resettlement program,” according to the nonprofit that organizes the medical trips.

South Carolina, Ohio, West Virginia and Mississippi pledged to send hundreds of National Guard troops to Washington, D.C. to assist with Trump’s takeover of the city. It’s objectively a waste of time and money: Agents have been deployed to low-crime areas. So… what are they doing? Welp, more than a dozen of them called an ambulance for a drunk girl over the weekend. Great job, everyone! You’re basically college resident assistants with guns!

Related: The only thing federal authorities are really doing in D.C. is scaring the locals. Reservations for local restaurants dropped more than 25 percent following Trump’s takeover. One scary scene caught on video: Agents arrested a delivery driver after he left a coffee shop, pinning him to the ground, apparently using a stun gun on him, and driving him away in an unmarked black vehicle. This is some authoritarian shit!

The Democratic National Committee ain’t makin’ it rain these days. At the end of June, the DNC had only $15 million on hand — compared to the RNC’s $80 million. “Donors see the DNC as rudderless, off message and leaderless. Those are the buzzwords I keep hearing over and over again,” one Democratic donor adviser said. Meanwhile, Republicans’ message boils down to: Obey the MAGA overlord and he’ll let us keep our jobs. Somehow that rakes in cash???

Florida Republicans’ stopped making “Deport Depot” merch after Home Depot raised concerns about the group using its branding without approval. The slogan was a reference to ICE agents targeting Home Depots at the command of Stephen Miller, Trump’s mayo-loving lackey.

MSNBC is changing its name to MS NOW, which stands for “My Source News Opinion World.” I’m sorry, but this is giving TRONC vibes.

Light at the End of the Email…

Newsmax, the right-wing media outlet, struck a deal to pay $67 million to settle Dominion Voting Systems’ defamation lawsuit centering on false election claims about the 2020 election.

Brazilian Judge Alexandre de Moraes, who’s prosecuting former President Jair Bolsonaro, isn’t backing down in the face of Donald Trump’s threats and bullying. “There isn’t the smallest of possibilities of retreating even one millimeter,” Moraes said. “We’ll do what’s right.” Can this guy please become a judge here???

California approved a sweeping conservation plan to protect Joshua trees from hot temperatures caused by climate change. The plan includes limiting development, lowering wildfire risks, and creating genetic variations that help the trees survive.

Banksy-style paintings of a man throwing a Subway sandwich are popping up around Washington, D.C., making the hoagie the unofficial symbol of resistance for the city amid Trump’s takeover. A slogan idea for this bread-themed movement: Rise up!

The internet found a new way to make fun of Vice President JD Vance: Comparing his super awkward high school pictures to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D-CA). Obviously, Newsom’s are waaaay cooler, featuring him intensely reading a newspaper with a scarf draped around his neck, and posing for a photo in his baseball uniform. Vance, on the other hand, had no rizz. Shocker!