Russian Forces Make Sudden Thrust in Donetsk, Raising Alarm Bells in Kyiv
According to Ukrainian sources, Russian forces are now closing in on the town of Dobropillia in the eastern Donetsk region.
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USA Today
a minute ago
- USA Today
Is Ivanka Trump returning to the White House? Dana White says she will help plan UFC event
President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump said she was stepping back from politics after her father's first term, but now she may be back to help plan a potential UFC fight at the White House next year. UFC CEO Dana White told "CBS Mornings" he discussed the event in an Aug. 11 call with the president, who said he wanted Ivanka involved in the planning. "So Ivanka reached out to me, and her and I started talking about the possibilities, where it would be and, you know, I put together all the renderings," he said on CBS. The White House did not comment on Ivanka Trump's role in the event, and her representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Ivanka Trump was heavily involved in Donald Trump's first term as an adviser. But when the now-president announced his third campaign, she said she was stepping back from politics. Since Donald Trump has returned to office, sports has become part of his politics with appearances at several sporting events, professional athletes on a presidential council and, of course, his love for golf. More: Which Trump presidential events did Melania, Don Jr., Ivanka, Eric, Tiffany and Barron attend? Ivanka Trump was a senior adviser under 45th president Ivanka Trump was a senior adviser to the president during his first term, frequently appearing at his side. By the end of his term, she was under attack for taking on something of an unofficial diplomat role in key foreign trips. Her husband Jared Kushner was also a senior adviser to the president. Ivanka Trump is the eldest of the president's two daughters. Her mother was Donald Trump's first wife Ivana, who passed away in 2022. Her two brothers also by Ivana are Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, who are managing the Trump Organization. Before her father went to the White House for the first time, Ivanka Trump was also an executive vice president at the Trump Organization. When her father announced his re-election campaign in 2022, she posted on Instagram to say that, while she loved her father, she was prioritizing her three young children this time around. In those years when the 45th president was somewhat of a political pariah, Ivanka Trump was called to testify before the House committe investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and in the New York civil fraud case. 'Politics is – it's a pretty dark world. There's a lot of darkness, a lot of negativity, and it's just really at odds with what feels good for me as a human being,' she said on the "Lex Fridman Podcast' in July 2022, according to CNN. "And, you know, it's a really rough business. So for me and my family, it feels right to not participate." Ivanka has still made some appearances during second term While she may be out of the spotlight in Donald Trump's second term, Ivanka Trump has not been completely absent from her father's return to power. In fact, she attended a UFC fight with her father in Newark in June and one in Miami this summer, and photographs show her talking with White alongside the president at the Jersey match. Here are some other appearances Ivanka Trump has made since her father returned to the White House: Contributing: Jennifer Sangalang, Michael Collins, Saman Shafiq, Gabe Hauari, USA TODAY Network Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at kcrowley@ Follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley or Bluesky at @
Los Angeles Times
a minute ago
- Los Angeles Times
Trump's nod to Europe on a future peace force for Ukraine vastly improves its chances of success
BRUSSELS — The greenlight given by President Trump on U.S. backup for a European-led force to police any future peace agreement in Ukraine vastly improves the likelihood it might succeed. European leaders said Trump offered his backing during a call they held ahead of his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday. The effectiveness of the operation, drawn up by the so-called coalition of the willing of around 30 countries supporting Ukraine, hinges on U.S. backup with airpower or other military equipment that European armed forces do not have, or only in short supply. EU leaders regularly have underlined how the United States is 'crucial' to the success of the security operation dubbed Multinational Force Ukraine. But the Trump administration has long refused to commit, perhaps keeping its participation on hold as leverage in talks with Russia. After a meeting Wednesday between Trump and European leaders, European Council President Antonio Costa welcomed 'the readiness of the United States to share with Europe the efforts to reinforce security conditions once we obtain a durable and just peace for Ukraine.' French President Emmanuel Macron said Trump had insisted NATO must not be part of these security guarantees, but the U.S. leader agreed 'the United States and all the (other) parties involved should take part.' 'It's a very important clarification,' Macron said. Trump did not publicly confirm he would allow U.S. backup, and no details of possible U.S. support were made public, but U.S. Vice President JD Vance sat in on the coalition meeting for the first time. More than 200 military planners have worked for months on ways to ensure a future peace should the war, now in its fourth year, finally halt. Ukraine's armed forces also have been involved, and British personnel have led reconnaissance work inside Ukraine. The exact size of the force has not been made public, although Britain has said it could number 10,000 to 30,000 troops. It must be enough to deter Russian forces, but also of a realistic size for nations that shrank their militaries after the Cold War and are now rearming. The 'reassurance' force's mission 'will be to strengthen Ukraine's defenses on the land, at sea, and in the air because the Ukrainian Armed Forces are the best deterrent against future Russian aggression,' U.K. Defence Secretary John Healey told lawmakers last month. 'It will secure Ukraine's skies by using aircraft,' Healey said, 'and it will support safer seas by bolstering the Black Sea Task Force with additional specialist teams.' Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey launched that naval force a year ago to deal with mines in Black Sea waters. The force initially will have its headquarters in Paris before moving to London next year. A coordination headquarters in Kyiv will be involved once hostilities cease and it deploys. European efforts to set up the force have been seen as a first test of the continent's willingness to defend itself and its interests, given Trump administration warnings that Europe must take care of its own security and that of Ukraine in future. Still, U.S. forces clearly provide a deterrent that the Europeans cannot muster. Details of what the U.S. might contribute were unknown, and Trump has changed his mind in the past, so it remains to be seen whether this signal will be enough to persuade more countries within the coalition to provide troops. Greece has publicly rejected doing so. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said last month that those discussions were 'somewhat divisive' and distracted from the goal of ending the war as soon as possible. Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has said Rome won't contribute troops, but she previously has underlined the importance of working with the U.S. on ending the conflict and called for the participation of an American delegation in force coordination meetings. Cook writes for the Associated Press. AP writer Emma Burrows in London contributed to this report.
Newsweek
2 minutes ago
- Newsweek
VA Announces Milestone in Veteran Claims
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) on Wednesday announced it had processed more disability benefits claims in a single year than ever before. The VA said it reached the milestone by August 8, having processed 2,524,115 benefits compensation and pension ratings claims in the current fiscal year, which still has nearly two months to run, surpassing the previous year's total of 2,517,519. The backlog of veterans awaiting benefits has dropped by more than 37 percent since Donald Trump's second inauguration on January 20, after rising by 24 percent under the Biden Administration, the department said. Newsweek contacted the VA via email on Thursday about the proportion of claims to have been approved and declined. A plaque is displayed outside of the Department of Veterans Affairs' headquarters on June 22, 2025 in Washington, DC. A plaque is displayed outside of the Department of Veterans Affairs' headquarters on June 22, 2025 in Washington, It Matters About 6.2 million veterans in the United States receive disability benefits from the VA. The program offers tax-free monthly compensation for those with disabilities resulting from diseases, events, or injuries sustained or worsened during active military service. The program also provides monthly payments to surviving spouses, dependent children, and parents to recognize the financial loss caused by a service member's death during military service or due to a service-connected disability after being discharged. In June, the VA said it had already awarded more than $120 billion in compensation and pension benefits to veterans and survivors in the 2025 fiscal year. Thousands of veterans held a demostration in the capital on June 6—on the 81st anniversary of D-Day—to protest cuts at the department. In July, the VA announced it was on pace to reduce total VA staff by nearly 30,000 employees by the end of fiscal year 2025. What To Know Announcing the news, the VA said, in July, it had completed more than 300,000 ratings claims in a single month for the first time. It also said VA is processing claims 17.8 percent faster than in 2024 despite receipts being 10 percent higher than this time last year. In a previous release, the VA said the average time to complete a disability claim had fallen from 141.5 days on January 20, 2025, to 131.8 days on June 21. A claim is considered backlogged if it has been pending for more than 125 days. The VA has not provided an update on the current size of the backlog but in May said the number had fallen below 200,000 for the first time since March 2023. What People Are Saying VA Secretary Doug Collins said: "Under President Trump, VA is making major improvements to better serve veterans, and this announcement underscores that fact. We look forward to implementing more reforms to increase customer service and convenience for those we are charged with serving." In a press release, the White House called the news a "resounding victory for America's heroes," adding: "This extraordinary progress, highlighted by a 37% reduction in pending claims since President Donald J. Trump's inauguration, demonstrates the Trump Administration's unwavering commitment to deliver swift, efficient benefits to our nation's heroes." What Happens Next The VA encouraged all Veterans to visit to learn more and apply for care and benefits.
