U.S. President Donald Trump said he was not surprised that Russian President Vladimir Putin will be a no-show for anticipated peace talks with Ukraine in Turkey this week.Trump, who had pressed for Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to meet in Istanbul, brushed off Putin’s apparent decision to not take part in the expected talks.

“I didn’t think it was possible for Putin to go if I’m not there,” Trump said in an exchange with reporters as he took part in a business roundtable with executives in Doha on the third day of his visit to the Middle East.

Trump earlier this week floated potentially attending himself. The U.S. President, however, on Thursday noted Secretary of State Marco Rubio was already in the country for meetings with NATO counterparts. Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, also plans to be in Istanbul on Friday for the anticipated Russia-Ukraine talks.

The push for direct talks between Zelenskyy and Putin comes amid a flurry of negotiations aimed at producing a ceasefire agreement between Russia and Ukraine.

Putin was first to propose restarting direct peace talks Thursday with Ukraine in the Turkish city that straddles Asia and Europe. Zelenskyy challenged the Kremlin leader to meet in Turkey in person.

Trump, as he wrapped up his visit to Qatar, stopped by a U.S. installation at the center of American involvement in the Middle East to speak with U.S. troops. He has used his four-day visit to Gulf states to reject the “interventionism” of America’s past in the region.

The installation, al-Udeid Air Base, was a major staging ground during the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The base houses some 8,000 U.S. troops, down from about 10,000 at the height of those wars.

Trump told the troops that his “priority is to end conflicts, not start them.”

“But I will never hesitate to wield American power if it’s necessary to defend the United States of America or our partners,” Trump said.

The Republican president has held up Gulf nations like Saudi Arabia and Qatar as models for economic development in a region plagued by conflict. He has urged Qatari officials during his visit to use their influence to entice Iran to come to terms with his administration on a deal to curb its nuclear program.

Trump said progress has been made in the talks but warned a “violent step” could be coming if a deal is not reached.

“Iran has sort of agreed to the terms: They’re not going to make, I call it, in a friendly way, nuclear dust,” Trump said at the business roundtable. “We’re not going to be making any nuclear dust in Iran.”

Trump will travel later on Thursday to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates for the final leg of his Mideast tour. He will visit the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, the country’s largest mosque. The UAE’s founder, Sheikh Zayed, is buried in the mosque’s main courtyard.

Trump will also be hosted for a state visit in the evening by UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan at the Qasr Al Watan palace.

Trump earlier this week met with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa and announced plans to ease sanctions on the war-torn country. The U.S. has deployed more than 1,000 troops in Syria for years to suppress a return of the Islamic State group.

Trump heaped praise on al-Sharaa — who was tied to al-Qaida and joined insurgents battling U.S. forces in Iraq before entering the Syrian civil war — after the two met in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. He called al-Sharaa a “young, attractive guy. Tough guy. Strong past. Very strong past. Fighter.”

It was a stark contrast from earlier years, when al-Sharaa was imprisoned by U.S. troops in Iraq. Until December, there was a $10 million U.S. bounty for his arrest.

Trump said that the opinions of Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan were big factors in his decision to lift sanctions on Syria.

“President Erdogan called me and said, ‘Is there any way you could do that? Because if you don’t do that, they don’t have a chance,’” Trump said. “So, I did it.”

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Republished with permission of The Associated Press.

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A longtime Republican leader in Sarasota will run for Bridget Ziegler’s seat on the Sarasota County School Board.

Heidi Brandt, incoming President of the Southside Elementary School Parent-Teacher Organization, will run for the nonpartisan District 1 seat. Southside has been an “A”-rated school for 21 consecutive years.

“I take great pride in sending my daughter to public school in Sarasota County,” Brandt said. “It is imperative that we continue to empower parents, invest in high-quality teachers and enhance workforce training so students can thrive inside the classroom and beyond.”

She will be the first candidate to file for the seat. Many expect that Ziegler, who became embroiled in a nationally watched sex scandal last year, will not seek another term. But she has rebuffed calls to resign.

Brandt listed another reason prompting her to run: a recent spike in lockdowns of school campuses. With 8-year-old daughter Mia attending school, that has Brandt concerned as a parent.

“Just last month, three public schools in South Sarasota County locked down due to threats received,” she said. “We are fortunate to have a Sheriff’s Department that is so well-trained and prepared, but we can always do more to ensure the safety and security of our students, teachers and staff.”

While School Board members hold nonpartisan office, local parties have become increasingly involved in races for seats. On that point, it may be important that Brandt is the Vice President of the Republican Women’s Club of Sarasota.

Additionally, Brandt assists with Sunday School lessons at Covenant Life Church, which she attends along with fiancé Jerry Wells.

The seat is up in 2026, with a first election scheduled for next August and a potential runoff expected in November.

The last time the seat was up, a conservative majority won election in the Sarasota County School Board. But two Democrats won election to the Board last year.

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He has served in the Legislature and as Lieutenant Governor. Now, Jeff Kottkamp will shape influence as the incoming president and CEO of Florida TaxWatch.

On Wednesday, the Board for the independent government watchdog formally elected the former politico to succeed Dominic Calabro at the organization’s helm.

Kottkamp expects his background, whether holding office or lobbying lawmakers, will inform his work.

“It helps to know from the inside how the process works — helps a lot, actually,” Kottkamp said. “But it also helps with relationships, because really, everything is a people business, but what we do really is too. I’m fortunate enough to have these great relationships where we can call on people to get input.”

The election occurred hours after three former state Senate Appropriations Committee Chairs — Lisa Carlton, Denise Grimsley and Kelli Stargel — offered insight on a panel about the budget process. The organization also hired Brandi Gunder, a former acting Director of Policy and Budget at the Executive Office. So the organization at many levels boasts expert experience and veterans of The Process.

Kottkamp will succeed an outgoing president who worked in TaxWatch for 45 years. Calabro will soon found the Florida TaxWatch Foundation to financially support the organization’s work.

Kottkamp said stepping into those shoes carries a burden, and there is a need to ensure the institution becomes more than one man.

“If you say Florida TaxWatch, the first thing out of people’s mouths is going to be Dominic Calabro, right?” Kottkamp said. “You’ve had a very dynamic personality, iconic really, leading the organization. This can’t be just about a person. It’s got to be about the mission.”

Calabro said as much when opening the Spring meeting of Florida TaxWatch, telling the press that Kottkamp would be institutional leadership, not just charismatic. Kottkamp said that’s an important evolution.

“What he’s really talking about is being more systemic in the way we do things,” Kottkamp said of Calabro’s remarks. “I’m really excited about the staff and who we brought on and just kind of some new energy to the effort. But make it all about the mission. Make sure more people in Florida know about our mission and what we do.”

Kottkamp said the group will become more involved in local government as part of that mission, opening chapters in South Florida and then likely throughout the state.

Throughout the Spring meeting, individuals said a political focus on government efficiently positions Florida TaxWatch as an authoritative voice, very much DOGE before DOGE was cool.

Florida TaxWatch Secretary David Casey, senior vice president of Government Relations and Business Development at Maximus, said as much in a speech at the Chairman’s Dinner on Wednesday.

“I’m looking forward to talking to those small businesses in Southern Florida and to be able to say, here’s why you should be a member of TaxWatch, to break through bureaucracy so that when the next hurricane hits, we don’t have those barriers in order to be able to serve your small businesses,” Casey said.

Kottkamp, a Republican politician, said the group will always remain independent, an essential piece of its integrity. He acknowledged that the mission of safeguarding public revenue is a bit “center-right” by definition. However, the group will always be able to stand up and call out irresponsible spending or actions by members of any party, something most famously conducted in Florida TaxWatch’s annual Budget Turkey List, branding local projects as pork barreling.

Kottkamp will introduce himself as a personality in his own right on the state stage anew. He shares that he started working at 13 and once had the chance to serve as bodyguard to Andre the Giant, thanks to his background in martial arts. “But he’s eight feet tall,” Kottkamp recalls. He doesn’t really need security. He just growled at people.”

Public money is another story. It requires defenders and watchdogs, and Kottkamp is ready to serve in these roles with similar diligence.

“You’re really starting to see how you can expand our footprint and really put a flag in the ground in these local communities,” Kottkamp said. “It’s not just the state capital, but it’s all over Florida.”

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