‘Putin demands land for peace’ and ‘War on motorists’
Melania Trump pens letter to Putin raising concerns about children
First Lady Melania Trump penned a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin in which she raised concerns about the children abducted throughout Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“Every child shares the same quiet dreams in their heart, whether born randomly into a nation’s rustic countryside or a magnificent city-center. They dream of love, possibility, and safety from danger,” Melania Trump wrote in a letter, dated Aug. 15, to the Russian leader.
“As parents, it is our duty to nurture the next generation’s hope. As leaders, the responsibility to sustain our children extends beyond the comfort of a few,” the first lady said in the one-page letter. “Undeniably, we must strive to paint a dignity-filled world for all – so that every soul may wake to peace, and so that the future itself is perfectly guarded.”
President Trump delivered the letter to Putin ahead of their high-stakes summit in Alaska, a White House official told The Hill’s sister network NewsNation on Saturday. Melania Trump was not at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson near Anchorage, where the nearly three-hour-long huddle between U.S. and Russian officials took place.
Since the start of the war in late February 2022, Russia has abducted thousands of Ukrainian children, forcibly transferring them to Russia, attempting to assign them Russian citizenship and have them attend schools in Russia.
The United Nations hammered Russia in March for the suffering the children in Ukraine have endured because of the war, which has been ongoing for about three-and-a-half years. Russia has previously argued that it has been shielding kids from the conflict areas.
“A simple yet profound concept, Mr. Putin, as I am sure you agree, is that each generation’s descendants begin their lives with a purity – an innocence which stands above geography, government, and ideology,” the first lady wrote in the letter.
“Yet in today’s world, some children are forced to carry a quiet laughter, untouched by the darkness around them – a silent defiance against the forces that can potentially claim their future,” Melania Trump said. “Mr. Putin, you can singlehandedly restore their melodic laughter.”
More than 19,000 children were deported from Ukraine to Russia, adding that the actual number could be far higher, according to a Ukrainian government tracker.
The first lady said that in “protecting the innocence of these children, you will do more than serve Russia alone-you serve humanity itself. Such a bold idea transcends all human division, and you, Mr. Putin, are fit to implement this vision with a stroke of the pen today.”
“It is time,” she added.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told reporters on Tuesday, ahead of the Trump-Putin summit, that Moscow has been stonewalling talks on the return of Ukrainian children.
Ukraine’s leader said that while occasional transfers have taken place, with the assistance of other nations, Kyiv has not been able to strike a wide-ranging agreement with Russia on the matter.
“That is why we wanted to get certain matters settled in this trilateral track: ceasefire, an all-for-all exchange, and the return of children,” Zelensky said. “This is something everyone benefits from: President Trump benefits, the Russians lose nothing, the Ukrainians lose nothing. It’s a fair compromise.”
4 Wealth-Building Mistakes Retirees Keep Making
Once you hit retirement, it can be tempting to sit back and enjoy the benefits of your years of hard work. For some, this can seem like a good time to turn the focus away from building more wealth.
Read Next: Suze Orman’s Top Tip for Building Wealth Is a ‘Very Easy One’
For You: How Much Money Is Needed To Be Considered Middle Class in Your State?
On the contrary, actions like stopping investing all together can seriously hurt your financial future. GOBankingRates talked to financial experts to learn about four of the worst mistakes they see retirees make that inhibit the ability to build additional wealth.
Chris Heerlein, CEO of REAP Financial, said one of the most common mistakes he sees is retirees going too conservative too quickly.
“It’s natural to want stability, but many people forget that retirement can last 25 to 30 years or longer,” he said. “Shifting entirely into fixed income or cash equivalents may feel safe, but over time it can shrink your purchasing power and limit your ability to respond to inflation, healthcare costs or changes in lifestyle.
Heerlein added that he always reminds clients that retirement isn’t the finish line for investing; it’s a new phase where smart growth still matters.
Consider This: 4 Secrets of the Truly Wealthy, According To Dave Ramsey
“Another issue is focusing too much on income today and not enough on opportunity tomorrow,” Heerlein noted. “Retirees often want predictable distributions, but they overlook how reinvesting a portion of their returns or keeping exposure to long-term trends can unlock greater financial flexibility.”
Heerlein noted that some of his most successful retiree clients maintain a 20% to 30% allocation in assets tied to innovation or equity-based growth, giving them the ability to adjust, gift or reinvest later without draining principal. The goal isn’t to chase risk, he noted, but to stay in the game with the right mix.
According to Christopher Stroup, founder and president of Silicon Beach Financial, another big mistake retirees make that stops them from building more wealth is sitting on too much cash.
“Retirees often keep large sums in savings accounts ‘just in case,’ while inflation quietly erodes that value,” Stroup said. “A smarter approach balances liquidity with growth through diversified investments.”
Stroup said another mistake retirees make is underestimating taxes in retirement. He said too many retirees ignore how required minimum distributions, Social Security and investment income interact.
Moses Itauma vs Dillian Whyte: Rising star blows away British rival in one round
Itauma has shown maturity beyond his years since winning in just 23 seconds on his professional debut in 2023 – and has continued to excel with every step up.
Heavyweight rivals Joseph Parker, Derek Chisora and Lawrence Okolie were among those watching at ringside as the rising star put on another statement performance.
The Slovakia-born fighter walked first to the ring, despite being the A-side, but was made to wait for more than three minutes – longer than the fight lasted – by Whyte, who delayed his entrance.
After throwing a few early feints to get a read on his opponent, Itauma started to unload and quickly found the range for his heavy hands.
Whyte was clearly feeling the power and back on the ropes as Itauma picked his shots carefully.
A right hook to the temple proved the telling blow and, despite bravely getting back to his feet, Whyte was deemed not fit to continue.
“How he did it, his temperament, control and composure – he fights better than guys at their peak and he is 20 years of age,” Queensberry’s Frank Warren, who promotes Itauma, told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“He did a job on somebody who has been at the best levels.”
Despite getting into the shape of his career – weighing the lightest for 10 years – Whyte could not cut it with Itauma and questions linger over his future.
Itauma’s dreams of becoming the youngest heavyweight champion in history ended in May, but this victory puts him firmly on track for a title shot in boxing’s glamour division in the next 12 months.
With Tyson Fury in retirement, Anthony Joshua in the twilight of his career and Daniel Dubois losing his IBF title to Usyk last month, Itauma once again demonstrated he is the great British heavyweight hope in waiting.
Judge blocks FTC probe into progressive media watchdog
A federal judge temporarily blocked the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) investigation into Media Matters for America on Friday, arguing the agency is likely in violation of the progressive media watchdog’s free speech rights.
U.S. District Judge Sparkle L. Sooknanan, an appointee of former President Biden, ordered a preliminary injunction against the investigation, which was opened in May.
“It should alarm all Americans when the Government retaliates against individuals or organizations for engaging in constitutionally protected public debate. And that alarm should ring even louder when the Government retaliates against those engaged in newsgathering and reporting,” Sooknanan said in the 48-page ruling. “This case presents a straightforward First Amendment violation.”
The FTC opened the probe into Media Matters in late May over whether the progressive media group improperly coordinated with advertisers. The anti-trust agency demanded correspondence between Media Matters and advertisers, along with its communications with watchdog groups.
In response, Media Matters sued the FTC in June to block the agency’s probe, contending the investigation is an example of unlawful retaliation.
Media Matters president Angelo Carusone said in a statement Friday that the court’s ruling shows the “importance of fighting over folding, which far too many are doing when confronted with intimidation from the Trump administration.”
Carusone said the case is not “just about the campaign to punish and silence Media Matters, however. It is a critical test for whether the courts will allow any administration – from any political party – to bully media and non-profit organizations through illegal abuses of power. We will continue to stand up and fight for the First Amendment rights that protect every American.”
Media Matters was sued by tech billionaire Elon Musk and social media platform X in 2023, arguing that the progressive media watchdog colluded with advertisers as part of an effort to pull advertising dollars from X.
Where Will Apple Stock Be in 5 Years?
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Apple is losing market confidence this year as it experiences changes in tariffs and works on AI.
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It has a strong ecosystem with loyal users and a differentiated platform, and that should help push it forward.
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Unless there’s a major change in Apple Intelligence, Apple stock may not have so much room to run over the next five years.
Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) stock has been one of the best-ever investments on the market, crushing the market over several decades. Consider how much money you’d have today if you’d invested $10,000 in Apple stock 20 years ago vs. in the S&P 500; the difference gets wider as you go back in time.
It has outperformed the market over the past five years, too, but only by a hair’s breadth. That’s largely due to its performance this year, which has been dismal.
However, there have been many times in the past when Apple stock plunged, and there were times it remained low even for several years before rebounding in a big way. For example, it hit a high in 2007 before the mortgage crisis and didn’t reach it again until 2009. Let’s see what’s happening at Apple and where it might be in five years.
There are several factors working together against Apple stock these days, as there usually are when there’s a drastic change from the norm. They are mostly concentrated in tariff uncertainty, iPhone sales, and artificial intelligence (AI).
The market has been worried about how Apple will be impacted by tariffs, considering its reliance on getting its products made in China. It has already diversified its supply chain to include India to a large degree, but tariffs went there, too, and seem to have chased it into a corner where it recently announced that it would invest $600 billion in manufacturing in the U.S.
The tariff issue is stabilizing, and should be a blip five years from now. However, there could be large-scale aftereffects as it changes its supply chain. Having more operations domestically could lead it in many different directions that are unforeseeable today, such as having a more expensive workforce but a lower tariff rate.
There’s also been concern that it has too few products, which means that any change in one of them could impact the business in a big way. iPhones account for nearly half of total sales, and as artificial intelligence changes how people engage with technology, the iPhone business is vulnerable to innovation in new areas from competitors.
Cheryl Burke Slams Plastic Surgery Speculation
“Let’s just address the elephant in the comments section,” she said in a video shared to TikTok at the time. “I’m not on Ozempic, I’m not sick, I didn’t get a face transplant and no I did not get a brow lift.”
“The level of projection that is happening and that I am witnessing is wild,” she continued. “The way some of you guys talk about me, it’s like you think I’m a headline or a filter. Not a person.”
Detailing how she’s seen “we miss the old Cheryl” comments, she emphasized that she has evolved over her decades in the public eye.
“I hate to break it to you,” she expressed. “That Cheryl doesn’t exist anymore. The assumptions are just exhausting as hell. The accusations are completely cruel. And the fact that so many of them are actually coming from women, that’s what is so shocking and hurtful to be honest.”
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Match of the Day
Highlights of six matches from the first weekend of the 2025/26 Premier League season.
Trump-Putin summit receives mixed reactions from European leaders, US lawmakers
The high-stakes summit between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin garnered mixed reactions from U.S. lawmakers and European leaders.
Trump, along with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff, huddled with Putin, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and top foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov, for nearly three hours at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson near Anchorage, Alaska on Friday.
Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský welcomed the president’s effort to end the Russia-Ukraine war, which has been raging for well over three years, but slammed the Russian leader’s remarks following the closed-door meeting in Alaska.
“From Putin, we heard the same propagandistic nonsense about the ‘roots of the conflict’ that his state television promotes. The problem is Russian imperialism, not Ukraine’s desire to live freely,” Lipavský said in a Friday post on social media platform X.
European Union’s (EU) foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said Saturday morning that Trump’s effort to stop the conflict in Eastern Europe is “vital,” but argued that Russia has no intention of ending the war “anytime soon.”
“The U.S. holds the power to force Russia to negotiate seriously. The EU will work with Ukraine and the U.S. so that Russia’s aggression does not succeed and that any peace is sustainable,” Kallas wrote on X. “Moscow won’t end the war until it realizes it can’t continue. So Europe will continue to back Ukraine, including by working on a 19th Russia sanctions package.”
Trump said Friday evening that both sides made progress, but a ceasefire agreement was not struck. Neither the president nor Putin relayed any details about the agreements when addressing reporters after the huddle.
Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a Trump ally who has a warm relationship with the Kremlin leader, argued the world is a safer place as a result of the summit.
“For years we have watched the two biggest nuclear powers dismantle the framework of their cooperation and shoot unfriendly messages back and forth. That has now come to an end. Today the world is a safer place than it was yesterday,” Orban wrote Saturday morning on X. “May every weekend be at least this good!”
Trump briefed EU leaders — dubbed the “Coalition of the Willing — and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte during a Saturday call after the meeting. The European politicians hailed the president’s push to end the war, but emphasized that Ukraine needs “ironclad” security guarantees in order to “effectively defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
The coalition is made up of French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will meet with Trump on Monday at the White House. The president said Saturday on Truth Social that the “best way” to end the war is to “go directly to a Peace Agreement, which would end the war, and not a mere Ceasefire Agreement, which often times do not hold up.”
Ukraine’s leader indicated his support for a trilateral meeting between himself, Trump and Putin.
“President Trump informed about his meeting with the Russian leader and the main points of their discussion,” Zelensky said Saturday on X. “It is important that America’s strength has an impact on the development of the situation.”
During the Saturday joint call, Trump told European leaders and Zelensky that he wants to broker a trilateral meeting as soon as next Friday, Axios reported, citing two sources familiar with the matter.
Reaction to the summit was also mixed among some U.S. lawmakers.
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), one of the staunchest Ukraine supporters in the House, said Friday that “time will tell what ultimately manifests” from Friday’s meeting between U.S. and Russian delegations.
“I commend and credit President Trump’s peace through strength policies which forced Putin to come to America to discuss a possible cease-fire, which Ukraine has already and repeatedly agreed to,” Fitzpatrick said Friday on X.
“Ukraine’s sovereignty and freedom are not bargaining chips; they are principles that must be defended. No path to peace is credible without their voice,” the Pennsylvania Republican added.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a supporter of Ukraine and Trump ally, predicted Friday night that if the trilateral meeting between the president, Putin and Zelensky takes place, the conflict could end before Christmas.
“Make no mistake, this war is a war of aggression by Putin against Ukraine. However, I have always said Ukraine will not evict every Russian soldier and Putin is not going to take Kyiv,” Graham said. “The key to ending this war honorably and justly is to create an infrastructure of deterrence that Biden and Obama failed to do — which will prevent a third invasion.”
Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he supports “active” diplomacy and argued that peacemaking has to be done “responsibly” or it “risks” the security of Europeans, Ukrainians and Americans.
“I didn’t care for the red-carpet treatment Putin was afforded or the signal Trump sent by welcoming him with applause. And I think everyone was a bit surprised by the lack of detail and unorthodox post-meeting press conference,” Reed said in a statement on Saturday,” adding that the U.S. should team up with allies to impose new sanctions on Russia to “intensify the economic pressure.”
Trump said during the call with European and NATO officials that he is open to offering U.S. security guarantees to Ukraine, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing European officials familiar with the matter.
The president told European leaders that the Russian president will not halt the military offensive while peace discussions are underway, according to the report. But Putin is open to, as part of a potential peace settlement, having Western security forces in Ukraine to ensure the truce would last, the Journal reported, citing four officials briefed on the matter.
Macron signaled the U.S.’s openness to contributing to Ukraine’s security guarantees on X.
The French leader said Saturday that “any lasting peace must be accompanied by unwavering security guarantees. I welcome, in this regard, the readiness of the United States to contribute. We will work on this with them and with all our partners in the Coalition of the Willing, with whom we will meet again soon, to make concrete progress.”
Still, Putin is reportedly demanding that Ukraine pull back from Luhansk and Donetsk regions as a condition to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The Financial Times (FT) reported, citing four sources with direct knowledge of the Friday meeting, that Putin would halt the rest of the front lines if this request is fulfilled.
The Russian leader would freeze the front lines in the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions and would refrain from new offensives to conquer more Ukrainian land in exchange for Luhansk and Donetsk, the FT reported.
Russia controls about 70 percent of Donetsk. Zelensky has previously said he is not willing to give up Donetsk, but he is open to negotiating the territorial divides, one of the main sticking points, with the president at the White House, the FT reported.