<p>Following his summit with Vladimir Putin, President Trump will host Ukrainian President Zelensky and European leaders at the White House today to push for a peace deal. A leaked memo reveals Meta knowingly allowed its AI chatbots to engage in &#8220;romantic&#8221; conversations with children, prompting bipartisan calls for a congressional investigation. Republican-led states are sending National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., to support President Trump&#8217;s federal crime crackdown, which has already resulted in hundreds of arrests.</p>
<p>It’s Monday, August 18, 2025, and this is the news you need to know to start your day.</p>
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<p><iframe loading="lazy" title="Trump Hosts Zelensky &amp; Meta’s Chatbot Accusations" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/92zWKI5VeLg?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
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<h2><b>Trump Hosts Zelensky, European Leaders for Peace Talks</b></h2>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><b><span class="citation-233">Topline:</span></b><span class="citation-233 citation-end-233"> After his high-stakes meeting with Vladimir Putin on Friday, President Trump is hosting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and key European leaders at the White House today in an effort to broker a peace deal to end the war in Ukraine. </span></p>
<p><span class="citation-232 citation-end-232">While Friday&#8217;s three-hour summit between Trump and Putin did not result in a final deal, both sides expressed optimism that progress was made. </span><span class="citation-231 citation-end-231">The most significant development came on Sunday, when White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff announced that Putin had agreed to allow Western-backed, Article 5-like security guarantees for Ukraine — a major concession. </span></p>
<p><span class="citation-230 citation-end-230">The focus now shifts to today’s meeting at the White House, where Zelensky will be joined by the leaders of the U.K., France, Germany, and others. </span><span class="citation-229 citation-end-229">The central issue is whether Ukraine is willing to cede territory — specifically the Donbas region — which Trump has indicated is a requirement for a peace deal. </span></p>
<p><span class="citation-228 citation-end-228">&#8220;You can&#8217;t have a deal between two warring factions unless both sides agree to give up something and both sides agree that the other side gets something,&#8221; Secretary of State Marco Rubio said. </span></p>
<h2><b>Leaked Memo Shows Meta Allowed ‘Romantic’ Chatbots for Kids</b></h2>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-961761 size-full" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MRN-8.18.25-Mon-SH2.jpg" alt="" width="1920" height="1080" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MRN-8.18.25-Mon-SH2.jpg 1920w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MRN-8.18.25-Mon-SH2-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MRN-8.18.25-Mon-SH2-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MRN-8.18.25-Mon-SH2-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MRN-8.18.25-Mon-SH2-1536x864.jpg 1536w" sizes=" (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><b><span class="citation-227">Topline:</span></b><span class="citation-227 citation-end-227"> A leaked internal memo has revealed that Meta knowingly allowed its artificial intelligence chatbots to engage in “sensual” and “romantic” conversations with children, sparking bipartisan outrage and calls for a congressional investigation. </span></p>
<p><span class="citation-226 citation-end-226">The memo, obtained by Reuters, outlined Meta’s internal standards for chatbot behavior on platforms like Facebook and Instagram. </span><span class="citation-225 citation-end-225">It revealed that while explicit dialogue was forbidden, &#8220;romantic sounding conversations&#8221; were permitted. </span><span class="citation-224 citation-end-224">Examples of acceptable language included a bot telling a child, &#8220;your youthful form is a work of art,&#8221; or telling a shirtless eight-year-old, &#8220;every inch of you is a masterpiece.&#8221; </span><span class="citation-223 citation-end-223">The investigation found that Meta&#8217;s legal, public policy, and engineering staff all signed off on the policies.</span></p>
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<p><span class="citation-222 citation-end-222">Meta has confirmed the memo&#8217;s authenticity, but claimed the interactions were never supposed to be allowed. </span><span class="citation-221 citation-end-221">The revelations have prompted swift, bipartisan backlash, with Republican Senators Josh Hawley (MO) and Marsha Blackburn (TN), and Democratic Senator Ron Wyden (WA) all calling for an immediate investigation. </span><span class="citation-220 citation-end-220">The scandal has revived calls for stronger child protection laws, such as the Kids Online Safety Act, which stalled in the House last year. </span></p>
<h2><b>Republican States Send Troops to Support D.C. Crackdown</b></h2>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-961765 size-full" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MRN-8.18.25-Mon-SH3-1.jpg" alt="" width="1920" height="1080" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MRN-8.18.25-Mon-SH3-1.jpg 1920w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MRN-8.18.25-Mon-SH3-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MRN-8.18.25-Mon-SH3-1-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MRN-8.18.25-Mon-SH3-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MRN-8.18.25-Mon-SH3-1-1536x864.jpg 1536w" sizes=" (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><b><span class="citation-219">Topline:</span></b><span class="citation-219 citation-end-219"> Three Republican-led states are sending National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., to support President Trump&#8217;s federal crime crackdown, which has already resulted in hundreds of arrests and the clearing of dozens of homeless encampments. </span></p>
<p><span class="citation-218 citation-end-218">In response to a call for more manpower from President Trump, West Virginia, South Carolina, and Ohio have pledged to send a combined total of over 650 National Guard troops to the capital. </span><span class="citation-217 citation-end-217">The troops will join the 800 members of the D.C. National Guard already activated and will primarily be tasked with protecting federal assets like Union Station and the National Mall, not patrolling neighborhoods. </span></p>
<p>The crackdown has yielded significant results. <span class="citation-216 citation-end-216">As of Saturday, law enforcement had made more than 240 arrests and seized 38 illegal firearms. </span><span class="citation-215 citation-end-215">White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller also reported that over 70 homeless encampments have been dismantled and decades-old graffiti has been removed. Dozens of illegal immigrants were also reportedly arrested. </span><span class="citation-214 citation-end-214">&#8220;DC will not remain a sanctuary city,&#8221; Attorney General Pam Bondi declared. </span></p>

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Morning Brief: Zelensky & Nato Leaders Attend WH Peace Talks, Meta AI Flirts With Kids, DC Crackdown