Reuters World News - Russia's Ukraine advances, DC homeless, inflation and India-US boycott calls

Episode Date: August 13, 2025

Russia intensifies efforts to capture more territory in eastern Ukraine ahead of Trump-Putin summit on Friday. Homeless people in Washington, D.C. face jail threat if they do not comply with President Donald Trump's crack down. Markets digest the latest inflation news holding on to hopes of Fed rate cut. And there are growing calls in India to boycott U.S. goods over huge tariffs. Sign up for the Reuters Econ World newsletter here. Listen to the Reuters Econ World podcast here. Find the Recommended Read here. Visit the Thomson Reuters Privacy Statement for information on our privacy and data protection practices. You may also visit megaphone.fm/adchoices to opt out of targeted advertising. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, Russia takes more territory as Putin prepares to meet with Trump. Homeless voice their fears as national guard troops arrive in Washington, D.C. Markets digest inflation news, holding on to hopes of Fed rate cuts, and calls to boycott American goods grow in India over tariffs. It's Wednesday, August 13th. This is Reuters World News, bringing you everything you need to know from the front lines. 10 minutes, seven days a week. I'm Kim Vinal in Wanganui, New Zealand. Russian troops are pushing deeper into eastern Ukraine. Just days before, U.S. President

Donald Trump sits down with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska. It's one of the most extensive incursions so far this year and is part of Putin's effort to take full control of the Dynetsk region. Trump has said any peace deal would involve some swapping of territories. But that's not something Ukraine's President Volodymez Zelensky is willing to accept. European leaders are mounting pressure, saying Kyiv's interests must not be sacrificed. Donald Trump is due to hold a virtual meeting later today with Europe and Ukraine's leaders. Russia chief political correspondent Andrew Osborne is keeping an eye on these advances in Ukraine and what impact they might have on Friday's talks. So I think this is significant in a sense that it's kind of

was a surprise to a lot of people and it could develop into something serious and clearly it presents a challenge for Ukraine. But I think it's too early to say how serious this will become because what has happened is that we've had small groups of Russian forces on motorbikes, we think, who have managed to penetrate Ukrainian defence line to a depth of about 10 to 15 kilometers over a period of about a week. But what hasn't happened yet is that the Russians have not been able to bring in larger numbers of troops, tanks and armored vehicles and all that to capitalize on this.

What does it mean for Russia going into these talks was Trump? So what Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky is saying, and indeed what pro-Russian voices are saying, is that this could help Moscow shape the narrative. Namely, obviously, Moscow wants to create the impression that really, it's winning this conflict, that it has momentum. It already controls 75% of this region, the eastern Ukrainian region of Dernetsk. It wants the other 25%, but of course it would much rather get that without having to fight for it. The reality though is much more complicated because the bit which it doesn't control yet is very heavily fortified and contains at least four of

these so-called Ukrainian fortress cities. In other words, if it were to try and take this on the battlefield, it's not something that it could do easily or quickly. A convoy of National Guard troops rolls into Washington, D.C., ordered in by President Trump, to take back the capital. Trump's painting the city as beset by constant danger from criminals, although violent crime dropped to historic lows in the past two years. Regardless, the extraordinary deployment has Democrats asking, Which city is next? We have other cities that are very bad.

New York has a problem. Trump blames bail reform for crime in New York. Mayor Eric Adams says New York City has crime under control. We are realizing our crime is at the lowest this year. I'm outside of two years of the pandemic. Adam says he's happy for New York to work alongside the federal government if it comes to that, but has a clear message for President Trump. We don't need anyone to come in.

in and take over. We got this under control. The White House says as part of this crackdown, those on the streets will be given the option to go to a shelter and will be offered addiction or mental health services. White House spokesperson Caroline Levitt says if they refuse, they can face fines or jail time. Again, these are pre-existing laws that are already on the books. They have not been enforced. It's rattling nerves among the homeless, like 56-year-old Fligette Rippey. Give us a home. How about that? How about just giving people that need a home inside?

Then we'd be inside. You just want to just throw us to the rats. At Miriam's Kitchen, that's a non-profit helping the unhoused, Director Andy Wosanick is also worried. There is a problem in homelessness. This is not the way to solve it. The White House is also launching a sweeping review of some Smithsonian museums and exhibitions

to assess their tone and historical frames. It follows President Trump's accusation that the institution promotes anti-American ideology. The Smithsonian says it will engage constructively with the White House and Congress. The institution is independent in its decision-making, but gets most of its funding from Congress. Civil rights advocates warn the move could politicize history and rollback decades of social progress. Global stock markets are surging, with record highs from Wall Street to Tokyo. as inflation data lands in a sweet spot, not too hot, not too cold. To unpack what this means for monetary policy and the Federal Reserve's next move, here's U.S. economics editor Dan Burns.

Well, if you're at the Fed, you're thinking, I'm still a little anxious that inflation seems to be drifting away from our 2% target. It's not running away from it. And there's still an argument to be made as some Fed officials have, that this is a process of a bit of a one-time price reset that we're seeing rather than the start of a real trend inflation move. And if that's the case, you could turn your focus toward rate cuts beginning as soon as next month. Staying with the Fed, a White House spokesperson says President Trump is considering a lawsuit against Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell over the renovation of the central bank. headquarters. Trump suggested poor oversight and potential fraud have driven up the cost of the

renovations, which are half a billion dollars over budget. The Fed says the expenses are mostly due to labour and material costs. Reuters has uncovered new details about the Trump administration's flagship Golden Dome Missile Defense System. According to a government presentation, the system will include four layers. One, a satellite system, which will train. track missiles and intercept them from space. Three others will be on land and will include missile interceptors, radars and potentially lasers. A lot of uncertainties remain, including how many launches, interceptors and missile sites will actually be needed.

Traders in India's northern Kunpur City calling for a boycott of American goods. The demonstration is part of growing anger over huge US tariffs. As Aditya Kalra in New Delhi explains, the market for US goods there is big. Take WhatsApp for example, right? 500 million users, biggest market by users for WhatsApp. Domino's is the biggest restaurant chain in our country, more restaurants around 2000 than any other restaurant. So it's the 1.4 billion people, which most companies target.

And the other advantage which companies are trying to cash in on is, of course, the rising affluent population, right? People are getting richer. they want to spend. And for many Indians, the foreign goods are considered kind of an aspirational upgrade. Has it had an impact on sales? Not right now. We don't see if you go to a McDonald's. You will still see McDonald's is pretty crowded and KFC and eating burgers and their pizza McPuffs. But of course, there's this growing call and angst both online and offline to kind of boycott American goods and look at Indian options.

South Korea's former First Lady has been arrested. Kim Kiyonhi is a lot of. the wife of ex-president Yun Suk Yul, who is himself in jail facing trial over a botched bid to impose martial law in December. She is accused of stock fraud, bribery and illegal influence peddling. Kim denies the accusations. For today's recommended read, Cooked Alive is how a mayor of a town in Portugal describes the heatwave and wildfires that are sweeping across Europe. Tourism spots have been hit with temperatures pushing above 104 degrees Fahrenheit. There's a link to that in the pod description. For more on any of the stories from today,

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