Russia and Belarus will hold a joint military drill in September
The Zapad, or West, 2025 drill will involve over 13,000 troops, said Valery Revenko, a Belarusian defense official. He added that observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, a top trans-Atlantic security and rights group, will be invited to monitor the drills.
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CNBC
18 hours ago
- CNBC
Russian media goes wild about Trump-Putin talks. The mood music is very different in Kyiv
Russian media outlets were in high spirits on Friday as Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin headed to meet U.S. President Donald Trump for an Alaskan summit widely presented as a win for Moscow, its economy and global standing. Articles and commentary were splashed across Russian state news sites on Friday reveling in the global attention that Putin's historic trip to the U.S. was garnering, with positive takes on what the high-stakes talks — centered on ending the war in Ukraine — could mean for Russia, which has been isolated and economically punished by the West since invading Ukraine in 2022. "Russia-U.S. summit will be an attempt to reset relations," state news outlet TASS headlined, with accompanying stories echoing positive sentiment around the one-to-one talks: "The whole world is waiting for the meeting between Putin and Trump" and "Russia and the U.S. have potential to renew partnership in the Arctic," commentators stated, according to Google translations. The mood in Ukraine was positively dour, meanwhile, with news outlets reflecting fears that Kyiv could be sold out during the talks with Putin, a veteran statesman who is seen as likely to pursue as many concessions as he can from Trump in return for a ceasefire. State news outlet RIA Novosti reveled in the absence of Ukrainian and European officials from what it described as "historic" talks. Ria Novosti's columnist Kirill Strelnikov said recent Russian territorial gains in Ukraine showed the country's forces were already "negotiating" long before Friday's talks, noting "the main negotiator, who silently and tiredly laid out the killer arguments on the table, was the Russian army." Russia's media landscape is heavily controlled by the state, with little pushback against the Kremlin's messaging and policies. Throughout the war, state-run media have aggrandized Russian wins on the battlefield, while downplaying or ignoring news to the contrary. Commentary seen to denigrate or damage Russia's war effort can land authors in jail. In Ukraine, news outlets are decrying what they — and the Kyiv leadership — see as the rehabilitation of Putin. "From 'war criminal' to U.S. guest — Trump invites Putin out of isolation," the front page of the Kyiv Independent's online news site. The International Criminal Court in 2023 issued an arrest warrant for Putin over alleged war crimes, namely, the "unlawful deportation" of children from occupied areas of Ukraine to Russia. The Kremlin denies any wrongdoing. The U.S. The U.S. is not a signatory to the Rome Statute that established the ICC and therefore has no obligation to arrest Putin when he steps on American soil. Another Kyiv Independent story reflected low morale among Ukrainian troops, who fear Trump could capitulate to Putin by offering up Russian-occupied territory as part of a coveted ceasefire deal, after previously boasting he could end the war in Ukraine shortly into his second mandate. Securing this peace has proved far harder than Trump expected, however. He has so far refused to pull the trigger on further sanctions on Moscow, despite threatening to do so if the Kremlin did not agree to a ceasefire. The lede story on the Kyiv Post, headlined "Trump Holds 'Enormous Leverage' Over Putin – Will He Use It?" reflected concerns that, while Trump holds some cards that could persuade Russia to enter a peace deal, he, ultimately, won't be prepared to act. Similarly to Russian counterparts, Ukrainian media outlets have championed the country's armed forces and war efforts. There is nonetheless greater media freedom in Ukraine — a prerequisite for Kyiv's aspirations to EU membership. The Trump-Putin talks are expected to kick off at 3.30 p.m. ET, with the presidents set to later hold a joint press conference to summarize their discussions. That presser will be one of the most closely watched events of this year, revealing the presidents' takes on the talks and what pledges (or lack thereof) might have been made in order to reach a ceasefire. "The president wants to exhaust all options to try to bring this war to a peaceful resolution," the White House said on the eve of the Alaska summit. But Ukraine and its European allies fear those "options" might be bad for Kyiv's territorial integrity, with Trump already mooting the idea of land "swapping" as part of a ceasefire, and wider European security.
Newsweek
a day ago
- Newsweek
Number of LGBTQ+ Wanting Children Goes Up: Survey
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. A recent survey from the Pew Research Center polled LGBTQ+ and non-LGBTQ+ individuals about their marriage and family aspirations. Newsweek compared this data from 2025 to data from a 2013 Pew Research Center study to reveal how marriage and family aspirations have changed for the LGBTQ community. Why It Matters There are currently widespread concerns over Obergefell v. Hodges, the landmark case which guaranteed the right to same-sex marriage nationwide, potentially being overturned in the U.S. Crowds watch outside of Stonewall National Monument as people take part in the 2025 NYC Pride March on June 29, 2025 in New York City. Crowds watch outside of Stonewall National Monument as people take part in the 2025 NYC Pride March on June 29, 2025 in New York like Clarence Thomas have signaled an openness to revisit the case as the court has shifted to the right. This shift on cultural issues was defined by the Supreme Court's 2022 ruling, which overturned Roe v. Wade, which for decades guaranteed abortion rights. If the courts were to overturn same-sex marriage nationwide, the issue would likely return to the states. The data from the Pew Research Center comes as countries all over the world face declining birth rates. In the U.S., the fertility rate (the average number of children a woman has in her lifetime) is now projected to average 1.6 births per woman over the next three decades, according to the Congressional Budget Office's latest forecast. This is below the replacement rate of 2.1 births per woman required to maintain a stable population without immigration. What To Know The recent Pew Research Center poll, published in August of this year, polled both LGBTQ and non-LGBTQ adults. The poll found that 59 percent of adults under 50 who had never been married say that they want to get married someday. A third of LGBTQ adults under 50 who do not have children said they wanted children someday. This figure was higher among non-LGBTQ people, 47 percent of whom wanted children. The number of LGBTQ adults wanting children has risen, though, compared to the Pew Research Center's 2013 study. That study found that about three-in-ten (28 percent) of these LGBT respondents say they would like to have children someday. 2025's data represents a 5 percent increase. The 2013 study also polled individuals on marriage desires, but used different criteria. It found that a total of 60 percent of LGBT respondents were either married or intended to marry one day. Newsweek spoke to experts about this data and what it represents. Dr. Garry J. Gates, an expert on geography and demography of the LGBT population who co-authored The Gay and Lesbian Atlas, told Newsweek over email, "Unlike marriage more generally, child-rearing for LGBTQ people can often be more complex and expensive than child-rearing among their non-LGBTQ counterparts. Same-gender couples who want to parent likely face expenses associated with adoption, surrogacy, and reproductive technologies that many different-gender couples don't encounter. "Surveys suggest that increases in the age of first marriage in the US are often associated with a desire for greater economic certainty before committing to marriage. So it's clear that economic factors affect the timing & possibly the desire for marriage among many. It's not surprising then to find that economic constraints associated with child-rearing for LGBTQ people could result in a lower desire to have children," Gates said. Newsweek also spoke with Abbie Goldberg, a professor in the Department of Psychology at Clark University. "I'm actually not that surprised," she said of the findings. "Is the expectation that marriage would become more attractive over time? If so, I don't know that this is true, or why it would be true; LGBTQ+ Americans who were critical of marriage as an institution in 2015 might remain so." "The key feature—consistent in the Pew data—that seems to drive marriage is the desire to be a parent. If we don't see steeply rising rates of LGBTQ+ folks who want to be parents, then perhaps we also won't see similar rises in marriage aspirations," Goldberg said. Pointing to the factors influencing attitudes among LGBTQ+ people toward marriage and childbearing, Goldberg said "Compared with older generations, LGBTQI+ Gen Z report more mental health issues, including feelings of hopelessness and anxiety, which arise from a variety of sources including rising anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment and attacks on their rights, financial and housing instability, employment uncertainties, climate change, and lack of access to affirming health/mental health services." What People Are Saying Dr. Garry J. Gates, an expert on geography and demography of the LGBT population who co-authored The Gay and Lesbian Atlas, told Newsweek over email: "These findings suggest that views on marriage are becoming less associated with sexual orientation or gender identity. In short, marriage equality worked. In the case of child-rearing, very specific economic constraints that are more prevalent in LGBTQ populations likely play a large part in observed differences in the desire to have children. Abbie Goldberg, a professor in the Department of Psychology at Clark University told Newsweek over email: "Much of my research suggests that marriage is attractive to LGBTQ+ people in part because they wish to protect current or future children. Beyond that, we see the typical reasons: desire for legal protections, love and companionship, and societal acceptance/symbolic value. Perhaps, as some of my recent data suggest, LGBTQ+ Americans right now are more fearful than ever that the right to marry could be taken away—and, if they are leaning toward marriage mainly for the legal protections, the fear that they could lose those protections could be a partial disincentive to hold back." What's Next There are ongoing concerns over the Supreme Court moving to overturn gay marriage. It currently faces a choice about whether to take a case, filed by the former Kentucky clerk Kim Davis, urging the overturn its decision in Obergefell v. Hodges. The Supreme Court may decide whether to accept Davis' case in the coming months, but it has not indicated which way it is leaning.
Forbes
2 days ago
- Forbes
Simple Mistake Costs Estate Big Tax Break
The portability of the lifetime estate and gift tax exemption amount between spouses was introduced in the 2010 tax law. But details of portability aren't well-known, and misunderstandings can cost an estate a lot of money. Each individual has a lifetime exemption from the estate and gift tax, which is $13.99 million in 2025 and will rise to $15 million in 2026. After that, it will be indexed for inflation. When one spouse dies and his or her estate doesn't use the entire lifetime exemption, the unused exemption amount can be passed to the surviving spouse. The surviving spouse then has an estate and gift tax exemption equal to his or her own exemption amount plus the unused amount of the deceased spouse. The surviving spouse's exemption amount is increased for inflation each year. But the unused amount from the deceased spouse isn't increased for inflation. The transfer of the unused amount is known as portability, though that term isn't used in the tax code or regulations. Because of portability, it's frequently said that a married couple has an estate and gift tax exemption amount of twice the individual exemption amount. But that's not the full story. It's often overlooked that passing the unused exemption amount to the surviving spouse isn't automatic. The regulations require the estate executor of the first spouse to die to elect to pass on the unused exemption. If the election isn't made, the unused exemption amount doesn't pass to the surviving spouse. The election is made when the executor makes a timely filing of an estate tax return for the deceased spouse. No special document or language is needed to make the election. The IRS considers the portability option to be elected if an estate tax return is filed, unless there's a statement saying that the unused exemption amount isn't being transferred to the surviving spouse. To transfer the unused exemption amount, the estate tax return must be filed even if one isn't otherwise required and the estate's value is far less than the deceased spouse's exemption amount. That's the trap estates fall into. The executor sees that the estate's value is far less than the deceased's exemption amount and doesn't file an estate tax return because one isn't required. But not filing the return means the unused exemption amount doesn't pass to the surviving spouse. Also, if an estate tax return is filed to ensure the unused exemption passes to the surviving spouse, the return must be timely, complete and accurate. Otherwise, the transfer of the exemption amount is void. An estate recently learned these lessons the hard way. The wife passed away with an estate valued at less than the exemption amount. The executor obtained an extension of the deadline for filing the estate tax return. But the executor didn't file the return until well after the new deadline. The husband died two years after the wife. His executor filed an estate tax return claiming his exemption amount plus the unused portion of the late wife's exemption. The IRS denied the use of the late wife's exemption amount, and the Tax Court agreed. The wife's estate tax return wasn't properly filed, because it was late. In addition, required information was missing, such as an itemization of the estate's assets and the fair market values of the assets on the date of her death. If there's any possibility a surviving spouse's estate might exceed that spouse's lifetime exemption amount at some point in the future, the executor of the estate of the first spouse to pass away should file an accurate, timely estate tax return to preserve any unused exemption amount for the surviving spouse. When deciding whether to exercise the portability election, keep in mind that the estate tax exemption amount is indexed to the Consumer Price Index. It's possible that the rate of return on investments will exceed the CPI. That could cause an estate that's comfortably below the estate exemption amount to exceed the amount after a decade or more of compounding. (Estate of Rowland v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo 2025-76)
