White House says some employees were fired by mistake

Upon returning to Palm Beach following his lap around the Daytona 500 speedway, President Donald Trump chatted with reporters as he disembarked Air Force One, primarily fielding questions about the Russia-Ukraine war.

“We're moving along. We're trying to get peace with Russia, Ukraine, and we're working very hard on it. It's a war that should have never started,” Trump said.

When asked what he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin's intentions are regarding Ukraine, Trump said he believes the leader ultimately wants the war to end.

"I think he wants to stop fighting -- I see that," Trump said while noting how Steve Witkoff, special envoy to the Middle East, met with Putin Sunday.

"We spoke long and hard. Steve Witkoff was with him for a very extended period -- like about three hours. I think he wants to stop fighting,” Trump said.

-ABC News' Kelsey Walsh

About 700 people have had their roles terminated at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), multiple sources told ABC News.

Before the sweeping terminations, approximately 13,000 personnel were employed at the agency. The 700 people do not include people that accepted deferred resignations, sources said.

None of the agency's top disease investigators are among those losing their jobs, but more than 100 recent graduates who served in fellowships at the agency had their roles eliminated, sources said.

-ABC News' Eric Strauss, Youri Benadjaoud, Mark Abdelmalek and Anne K. Flaherty

Trump on Sunday attended the Daytona 500 in Daytona Beach, Florida -- his second trip to the race as sitting president.

Trump did a fly-by of the track aboard Air Force One before taking a couple laps around the track in The Beast, the president’s armored limousine.

The president was awarded a jacket at the track, which he donned before meeting with NASCAR officials, drivers and some special guests before the race started.

The race was in a rain delay as Trump boarded Air Force One for his return to Palm Beach, Florida.

A class of 13 immigration judges in training who were about to be sworn in were fired by the Trump administration on Friday, according to the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers.

The judges fall under the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), a Department of Justice component that primarily handles removal hearings for those who are in the country illegally.

In addition, two judges were removed without cause, and five mid-level managers, some of whom hear immigration cases, were also fired.

The union says each judge would hear 500 to 700 cases per year, most resulting in deportation. The current backlog of cases stands at 3.7 million for roughly 700 judges, according to the union.

In January, there were five senior mangers also fired, according to the union.

“Look up the definition of ‘hypocrisy,’ it’s ‘when someone says one thing but does another,’” Matt Biggs the President of the IFPTE said in a statement. “The firing of immigration judges when we need more judges to enforce our immigration laws by this administration is a perfect example of hypocrisy.”

He said the firing of these judges will only make the backlog of immigration cases worse.

-ABC News' Luke Barr