Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Dave Mattingly.

Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelensky, is due at the White House today for talks with

President Trump about ending Russia's war with Kiev.

Trump told reporters at the White House yesterday, he believes Russia and Ukraine will reach a peace

agreement, and he hopes it gets done quickly.

Trump added, if it doesn't happen quickly, it may not happen at all.

Trump's comments followed a meeting with British Prime Minister Kirstarmer.

While in Washington, Zelensky is expected to sign an economic agreement giving the U.S.

access to Ukraine's rare earth minerals.

A federal judge in California says the Trump administration's mass firings of probationary federal

government employees is illegal and should be halted.

As NPR's Andrea Shue reports, the judge is also ordering the Office of Personnel Management to rescind some of its

directives on employee dismissals. Several labor unions and civic organizations sued the Trump administration,

saying its Office of Personnel Management had violated the law by ordering agencies to fire

probationary employees en masse. In court, the government argued that it was merely

an ask, not an order. U.S. District Judge William Alsup rejected that argument, noting that the

firings happened suddenly and across so much of the government. Because of standing issues,

he issued only partial relief to those agencies whose firings affect the civic groups that join the lawsuit.

They include the VA, the Small Business Administration, the National Park Service, the National Science Foundation, and others.

He scheduled another hearing in two weeks.

Andrea Shue and PR News.

The Justice Department has released more documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, the late financier and convicted sex offender.

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