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Trump to speak with Putin after U.S. pauses some weapons shipments to Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump.
Mikhail Metzel | Evelyn Hockstein | Via Reuters
President Donald Trump said he will speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday at 10 a.m. ET.
The call, announced by Trump in a Truth Social post, comes two days after the U.S. said it would halt some missile and ammunitions shipments to Ukraine, which continues to fight off invading Russian forces.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the pause weeks after ordering a review of America’s munitions stockpile, sources told NBC News.
White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly told NBC that the “decision was made to put America’s interests first” following the Pentagon’s review of U.S. military support for other countries.
“The strength of the United States Armed Forces remains unquestioned — just ask Iran,” Kelly said.
The decision fueled further concerns from those skeptical of Trump’s commitment to providing U.S. assistance to Ukraine in the fourth year of its war with Russia.
“Ukraine has never asked America to send in the 82nd airborne; they’ve asked for the weapons to defend their homeland and people from Russia attacks,” said Mike Pompeo, who served as secretary of State during Trump’s first presidential term, in an X post Wednesday.
“Letting Russia win this war would be a unmitigated disaster for the American people and our security around the world,” Pompeo wrote.
On Wednesday, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the department “continues to provide the President with robust options regard regarding military aid to Ukraine, consistent with his goal of bringing this tragic war to an end.”
At the same time, he said, the Pentagon is “rigorously examining and adapting its approach towards achieving this objective while also preserving U.S. military readiness and defense priorities that support the president’s America first agenda,” Parnell said.
“This capability review, and that’s exactly what it is, going forward, we see this as a common sense pragmatic step towards having a framework to evaluate what munitions are sent and where,” he said.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday that Washington and Kyiv are “clarifying all the details of defense support, including air defense.”
“One way or another, we must ensure protection for our people,” Zelenskyy said.
The pause comes as Russia has ramped up its attacks all around Ukraine. Kyiv’s foreign affairs minister, Andrii Sybiha, said Russia launched more than 5,000 combat drones and hundreds of missiles, including nearly 80 ballistic missiles, in June alone.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it stressed to a U.S. official on Wednesday that “any delay or slowing down in supporting Ukraine’s defense capabilities would only encourage the aggressor to continue war and terror, rather than seek peace.”
This is breaking news. Please refresh for updates.
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Camp Mystic says it’s grieving 27 counselors and campers
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Camp Mystic confirmed Monday it is “grieving the loss of 27 campers and counselors” following the devastating floods in Texas over the weekend.
The all-girls Christian camp, which has been a summertime retreat for generations of Texas girls, has become the focus of floods’ aftermath. The camp is Kerr County along the Guadalupe River, where water reached catastrophic levels overnight Friday. About 10 inches of rain fell within a few hours, causing the river to rise 26 feet in 45 minutes.
“Our hearts are broken alongside our families that are enduring this unimaginable tragedy,” the camp wrote in a statement to their website. “We are praying for them constantly.”
The camp said it has been in communication with local and state authorities who are conducting searches for the missing girls.
Officials have confirmed at least 79 deaths as of Sunday from the floods in Central Texas, including 40 adults and 28 children in Kerr County. It was not immediately clear Monday morning how many of the girls from Camp Mystic were included in that official count. A press conference has been scheduled for 10 a.m.
Camp Mystic’s director Richard “Dick” Eastland is among those who have been confirmed dead. According to Eastland’s son, the director died trying to save campers as the floodwaters began engulfing the camp.
“We are deeply grateful for the outpouring of support from community, first responders, and officials at every level,” the camp said on its website.
Questions about a lack of sufficient warnings have continued to grow since the flash floods. The National Weather Service issued a flood watch Thursday afternoon, predicting up to seven inches of isolated rainfall early Friday morning.
At 1:14 a.m. Friday, the NWS issued the first flash flood warning. At 4:03 a.m., the NWS issued a flash flood emergency, warning of an “extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation.”
Local and state officials have since said the NWS forecasts did not accurately predict the intensity of the rainfall.
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Jurassic World Rebirth smashes predictions at box office | Film
Jurassic World Rebirth has outperformed expectations at the box office in its opening week, with the latest instalment of the dinosaur franchise recording over $318m in revenue worldwide after initial projections suggested it might make $260m.
The film opened over the Fourth of July holiday weekend in North America, releasing into US cinemas on Wednesday 2 July – a standard tactic to help boost opening-weekend figures. The film grossed more than $147m (£108m) over five days (Wednesday to Sunday) in the US and Canada, and recorded $171m (£126m) in the rest of the world.
The results are significantly better that what had been predicted: studio Universal had estimated it would score around $100m-$120m in North America, and just over twice that overseas. With an entirely new cast, led by Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali and Jonathan Bailey, producers were not overly optimistic of its chances, given that Independence Day is not a traditional moviegoing holiday. Critical reaction has been mixed, with the Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw being particularly enthusiastic with a four star rating, saying: “It feels relaxed and sure-footed in its Spielberg pastiche, its big dino-jeopardy moments and its deployment of thrills and laughs”.
The film’s chances of profitability are also helped by the (relatively) restricted production budget, reported at $180m compared to the $845m spent on its two predecessors, Fallen Kingdom and Dominion.
However, analysis shows that the film’s figures fall somewhat short of previous Jurassic World films. Rebirth earned $91.5m over the actual weekend (Friday to Sunday), considerably less than Fallen Kingdom ($148m) and Dominion ($145m) over their equivalent periods, while the first franchise reboot Jurassic World took $208m in 2015.
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Prime Day Anker Deals: Over 25 Discounts on the Best Mobile Accessories, Home and Security Tech Devices
Amazon’s Prime Day sale brings around the next opportunity to score deals if you missed out on Independence Day shopping. Prime Day arrives tomorrow; however, brands like Anker are already offering discounts on their appliances, gadgets and devices. We’ve listed some early Prime Day deals below.
Note that some Anker power banks were part of a recent recall. So be sure to claim your free replacement or gift card if you own one of the affected devices sold between 2016 and 2022.
Also, don’t forget, Prime Day offers the chance to score some of the biggest discounts of the year. You can shop for price cuts on everything from vacuums to headphones and projectors. We will regular update this page and others, leading up to and throughout the entire sale, so be sure to check back often for all of the latest and greatest deals.
Best Prime Day Anker deals
Best Anker audio and video deals
This compact Nebula projector allows you to enjoy shows and movies on a massive screen practically anywhere. It’s roughly the size of a 16-ounce can so it can be easily carried in your backpack. However, it still projects a maximum screen size of up to 120 inches. The device also has 1080p HD resolution and 200 lumens of brightness and a built-in battery for up to 2.5 hours of playback on a single charge.
The Anker Soundcore Boom 2 is an excellent value according to our experts. It’s compact, IPX7 waterproof and has an impressive sound. It also has cool LED lighting and a solid battery life. The speaker even won an Editors’ Choice Award and is our favorite Bluetooth speaker overall this year.
These headphones feature 40mm drivers that deliver high-resolution sound, and thanks to their active noise cancellation technology, you can hear every little detail. It supports up to 50 hours of listening time on a single charge with noise cancellation active. This makes it perfect for daily use on your commute, in the gym or wherever you feel you need headphones. Also, remember, if you choose the black color, you’ll save more than 20%.
More audio and video deals:
Best Anker mobile deals
These tiny Bluetooth tiles make it easy to track down your keys, backpack or other everyday essentials. They’re compatible with Apple’s FindMy app so you can easily see the location on your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch or MacBook and even have a built-in siren so you can locate them when you’re nearby. They also have a replaceable battery with a one-year lifespan. Just note that these are not compatible with Android devices.
This Anker MagSafe power bank is one of our favorites of 2025, thanks to its support for Qi2 wireless charging and its slim design. It has a 10,000 mAh capacity and delivers 715W of power wirelessly or 30W of power via USB-C. It’s guaranteed to be a great add-on to your daily carry if you’re in the market for a power bank.
More mobile deals:
Best Anker home deals
With a 3-liter base station, this Eufy robot vacuum can run for up to 60 days maintenance-free. It also boasts 4,000 Pa of powerful suction and with a slim 2.8-inch design it can easily fit underneath beds, couches and other furniture. It can also map multiple floors of your home, which makes it easy to set custom cleaning schedules and no-go zones.
There’s more to your health than just body weight, and this advanced Eufy smart scale can help you see the big picture. It also tracks loads of other biometrics, including body fat, muscle mass, and water weight. Plus, it even gives recommendations to help you stay on track to meet your fitness goals.
This unique floor lamp makes adding some atmosphere to your living room easy. It boasts 1,700 lumens of brightness and more than 16 million possible colors so you can find the perfect hue for your mood. There are more than 80 preset lighting modes, and you can set custom schedules and patterns. It’s also compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant for hands-free control.
More Anker home deals:
Best Anker security deals
Keep your front door secure with this easy-to-install smart lock. With this lock, you have a variety of methods to choose from to securely unlock your door, including keypad entry, a physical key, in-app controls or voice commands with Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. It is also compatible with the Apple Home app. The smart lock offers eight months of battery life with two AA batteries.
See clearly day or night with this two-in-one wall light and camera. It features a 2K camera with HD resolution and color night vision, as well as a 300-lumen light with motion activation. The light is also solar-powered so you won’t have to worry about a complicated installation or remembering to change the batteries.
With a built-in solar panel that fully recharges the battery in just three hours, you can easily install this Eufy security camera practically anywhere on your property. It boasts 2K video resolution as well as an f/1.6 aperture for excellent low-light performance and AI detection to distinguish humans, vehicles and animals. The camera is also durable with an IP67 weather-resistance rating.
More security deals:
When is Amazon’s Prime Day event?
The online retailer’s massive sale officially kicks off on July 8 this year and will run through July 11. However, the Fourth of July just passed and several retailers have been offering a massive slate of Independence Day deals as well. Amazon didn’t have an official Fourth of July sale but Prime Day deals have started already.
Are Amazon Prime Day deals worth buying?
Depending on what you are after, the short answer is yes. You can expect thousands of items to go on sale, including some deals that match or exceed the previous all-time low prices. Just note that Amazon stock can fluctuate wildly, which means there’s no telling how long the item will remain on sale or available. If you see a deal you don’t want to miss, we’d recommend taking advantage of those savings sooner rather than later.
Will other retailers be offering Prime Day deals?
While the official Prime Day sale is exclusive to Amazon, other retailers will absolutely be getting in on the action. Walmart has already announced that it will be having its own summer sale event that runs from July 8 to July 13 and it’s likely that at least a few other competitors will follow suit. For example, last year at this time we saw Best Buy launch a “Black Friday in July” sales event.
How we choose the best Amazon Prime Day deals
Many of us here at CNET have covered shopping events for several years, including Black Friday, Prime Day, Memorial Day and countless other sales. In that time, we’ve learned how to spot the best deals among a sea of thousands of superficial offers and scams and we only surface the best offers from trusted retailers. We look for real discounts, quality reviews and remaining sale time when choosing the best deals to show you.
- Real discounts mean genuine savings. We check pricing history for products listed as on sale so we know when it’s a case of an inflated list price rather than an actual discount.
- Quality reviews and testing are super important for any product. A discount isn’t worthwhile if it results in a subpar product experience, no matter how much you saved.
- Remaining sale time is important, too. Some deals are only around for a short time or may be limited in supply. If that’s the case, we’ll let you know upfront so you don’t come back to the deal later only to be disappointed.
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