Guerrero's 20th homer helps Blue Jays beat Cubs 21 The August 15, 2025 at 5:40 AM Toronto Blue Jays' Davis Schneider, left and Myles Straw, right, douse Vladimir Guerrero Jr., center, after defeating the Chicago Cubs in baseball game action in Toronto, Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025.

- - Guerrero's 20th homer helps Blue Jays beat Cubs 2-1

The August 15, 2025 at 5:40 AM

Toronto Blue Jays' Davis Schneider, left and Myles Straw, right, douse Vladimir Guerrero Jr., center, after defeating the Chicago Cubs in baseball game action in Toronto, Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025. (Jon Blacker/The Canadian Press via AP) ()

TORONTO (AP) — Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a two-run homer in the seventh inning, helping Max Scherzer and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Chicago Cubs 2-1 on Thursday.

Guerrero's big hit off Matthew Boyd lifted AL East-leading Toronto to the series victory. It was the 20th homer of the season for the All-Star slugger.

Scherzer (3-2) pitched seven-plus innings while improving to 6-2 in 12 career starts against the Cubs. He permitted one run and five hits.

Jeff Hoffman handled the ninth for his 27th save in 32 chances. Toronto improved to 40-20 at home.

Boyd (11-6) allowed two hits in seven innings. He struck out five and walked one.

Boyd walked Davis Schneider to begin the seventh. Ernie Clement followed with a sacrifice bunt before Guerrero lined an 0-2 pitch 402 feet to left-center.

The Cubs had just one hit off Scherzer before Michael Busch went deep with one out in the sixth for his 24th homer.

Promoted from Triple-A Iowa before the game, Cubs prospect Owen Caissie made his major league debut about 30 miles east of his birthplace in Burlington, Ontario. He went 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

ORIOLES 5, MARINERS 3

BALTIMORE (AP) — Rookie Tomoyuki Sugano earned his 10th victory by working 5 1/3 sharp innings before a lengthy rain delay, and Baltimore defeated Seattle.

Julio Rodríguez homered for Seattle, which has dropped consecutive games since winning eight in a row. The Mariners (67-55) fell 1 1/2 games behind AL West-leading Houston.

Catcher Cal Raleigh, who leads the majors with 45 home runs, was out of Seattle's starting lineup for only the fifth time this season. He walked as pinch-hitter in the ninth.

Sugano (10-5) won back-to-back starts for the first time. The 35-year-old from Japan threw 81 pitches and was pulled after the 2-hour, 18-minute delay.

Rodriguez hit reliever Rico Garcia's fourth pitch after play resumed into the bleachers in right-center, a two-run shot to bring the Mariners within 5-2.

Dietrich Enns allowed Randy Arozarena's one-out RBI grounder in the ninth, but retired Josh Naylor on one pitch to earn his first save since Sept. 20, 2021.

The Orioles took the lead against Logan Evans (6-5) in the fourth inning. Jordan Westburg scored on Evans' two-out wild pitch, and Ryan Mountcastle moved from first to third on the same play when Evans couldn't field catcher Mitch Garver's throw. After Daniel Johnson walked, Mountcastle scored when he and Johnson executed a double steal. Johnson came around on Jeremiah Jackson's RBI single.

NATIONALS 3, PHILLIES 2

WASHINGTON (AP) — Jose Tena hit a go-ahead, two-run single in the seventh inning, Paul DeJong homered for the third time in five games and Washington rallied past Philadelphia.

DeJong walked leading off the seventh against Jesus Luzardo (11-6). Riley Adams doubled, Daylen Lile walked and, with one out, Tena singled past the drawn-in infield against Orion Kerkering to put Washington ahead 3-2.

Shinnosuke Ogasawara (1-1) struck out Kyle Schwarber with a runner on to end the seventh and got his first major league win. Rookie Cole Henry worked the ninth and fanned Trea Turner with a runner on third to secure his first career save.

Turner had three infield hits for the National League East-leading Phillies, who have lost three straight while scoring three runs. Philadelphia left eight men on base.

Luzardo allowed three runs on four hits in six-plus innings.

GUARDIANS 9, MARLINS 4

CLEVELAND (AP) — José Ramírez had three hits and scored three runs, Gabriel Arias had a pair of RBIs and Cleveland beat Miami.

The Guardians trailed 3-0 in the first and 4-3 in the fourth, but rallied for their 23rd win in 32 games and moved within one-half game of the idle New York Yankees for the final American League wild-card spot.

Arias' sacrifice fly in a two-run fifth against Edward Cabrera (6-6) put Cleveland ahead for good at 5-4. David Fry and Brayan Rocchio both singled in runs in the seventh, when the Guardians scored four times off Valente Bellozo.

Tanner Bibee (9-9) extended his winning streak to five by working 5 2/3 innings and giving up four runs (two earned). Cade Smith entered with the bases loaded and two outs in the ninth and retired Liam Hicks for his sixth save.

Augustin Ramírez had an RBI single in the first when Miami took a 3-0 lead. The other runs came in when Guardians catcher Austin Hedges dropped a throw at the plate, allowing Kyle Stowers and Ramírez to score.

BRAVES 4, METS 3

NEW YORK (AP) — Ozzie Albies homered, drove in the go-ahead run with a double in the eighth inning, and hit an RBI single as Atlanta beat slumping New York.

Bryce Elder (5-9) allowed three runs (two earned) over seven innings for the Braves, who are 7-3 against the Mets this season. Raisel Iglesias earned his 17th save with a perfect ninth.

Albies went deep against starter Kodai Senga in the third and hit an RBI single off Tyler Rogers in the sixth. Michael Harris II tied the game with an RBI double off Ryan Helsley (3-3) in the eighth before scoring on Albies' hit to deep right.

The Mets have lost 13 of their last 15 games and their lead over the idle Cincinnati Reds in the race for the final wild-card spot shrunk to a half-game.

Francisco Lindor hit a third-inning solo homer and Brandon Nimmo (sacrifice fly) and Pete Alonso (single) had back-to-back RBIs to give the Mets a 3-2 lead in the sixth.

Senga gave up two runs in 5 2/3 innings.

TIGERS 4, TWINS 3, 11 INNINGS

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Colt Keith scored on Gleyber Torres' sacrifice fly in the 11th inning and Detroit overcame an early three-run deficit to beat Minnesota.

Riley Greene hit his team-leading 28th home run to help Detroit win for the fourth time in five games and fifth in seven.

Starting at second base in the 11th inning, Keith advanced to third on a wild pitch by Erasmo Ramírez (0-1) and scored on a Torres' sacrifice fly.

Rafael Montero (1-1) got the final four outs for the Tigers.

Detroit starter Tarik Skubal overcame a shaky third inning to get through seven innings, allowing three runs. He had only three strikeouts. When he last faced the Twins on June 29, he struck out 13 in seven innings.

Edouard Julien homered before Ryan Jeffers and Luke Keaschall had RBIs in a three-run Minnesota third, but Skubal retired 13 of the final 14 hitters he faced.

DIAMONDBACKS 8, ROCKIES 2

DENVER (AP) — Lourdes Gurriel Jr. hit a three-run homer in the first inning, Eduardo Rodriguez pitched a season-high seven innings and Arizona beat Colorado.

Arizona improved to 60-62, winning for the sixth time in seven games and the ninth in 12.

Rodriguez (5-7), who had allowed five earned runs in 5 1/3 innings against the Rockies five days earlier, matched his longest outing since October 2023. He gave up one run and struck out six.

Jose Herrera hit a two-run homer in the second inning, and Ketel Marte and also drove in two runs.

The Diamondbacks have homered in 12 consecutive games, the longest active streak in the majors. They lead the majors with 24 homers since Aug. 2.

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Guerrero's 20th homer helps Blue Jays beat Cubs 2-1

Guerrero's 20th homer helps Blue Jays beat Cubs 21 The August 15, 2025 at 5:40 AM Toronto Blue Jays' Davis Schneider, left...

Mom of ExWNBA Player Sophie Brunner Killed in Car Crash Madison E. GoldbergAugust 15, 2025 at 5:42 AM Sophie Brunner Facebook Darcy ConnollyBrunner and Sophie Brunner Darcy ConnollyBrunner, the mother of former WNBA and Arizona State University basketball player Sophie Brunner, died at 61 She was ki...

- - Mom of Ex-WNBA Player Sophie Brunner Killed in Car Crash

Madison E. GoldbergAugust 15, 2025 at 5:42 AM

Sophie Brunner Facebook

Darcy Connolly-Brunner and Sophie Brunner -

Darcy Connolly-Brunner, the mother of former WNBA and Arizona State University basketball player Sophie Brunner, died at 61

She was killed in a head-on collision in Orangeville, Ill.

Police are still investigating the cause of the crash

The mother of former Phoenix Mercury and Arizona State University basketball player Sophie Brunner died in a head-on collision in Illinois on Saturday, Aug. 9.

Darcy Connolly-Brunner was 61 at the time of her death. TMZ was first to report the news.

In a statement shared on social media, the Stephenson County Sheriff's Office confirmed that they responded to the crash at approximately 12:38 p.m. The fatal crash occurred in Orangeville, Ill. PEOPLE has reached out to the SCSO for comment.

The head-on collision took place on Illinois Route 26 North near Oneco Road. Police confirmed that a Nissan Altima, driven by Rolando Ico-Choc, was traveling southbound on Illinois Route 26 North when it allegedly entered the northbound lane, colliding with Connolly-Brunner. Ico-Choc, 30, survived the crash.

"As part of the investigation, deputies are examining whether alcohol impairment by Mr. Ico-Choc may have been a contributing factor in the crash," SCSO said in the press release. "There is no indication that Ms. Connolly-Brunner was impaired."

Darcy Brunner Facebook

Darcy Connolly-Brunner

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The SCSO revealed, "Toxicology testing will be conducted as part of the autopsy process, and results may take several weeks to be returned."

The Orangeville Fire Department, Winslow Fire Department, Cedarville Fire Protection District, Leamon's Ambulance Service, the Stephenson County Coroner's Office, and the Illinois State Police Traffic Crash Reconstruction Unit all contributed to the emergency response efforts.

— sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Brunner is a former basketball star from Freeport, Ill., who led the Aquin High School women's basketball team to several state titles in her junior and senior years, per TMZ. She played forward for ASU and was named First Team All-PAC-12 three times (2015-2017) and led the Sun Devils to the NCAA Tournament each season. In 2017, the Mercury signed her as a free agent and traded her to the San Antonio Stars before the end of the season.

She went on to play pro ball in Italy and coach students at Rockford Christian Schools.

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Mom of Ex-WNBA Player Sophie Brunner Killed in Car Crash

Mom of ExWNBA Player Sophie Brunner Killed in Car Crash Madison E. GoldbergAugust 15, 2025 at 5:42 AM Sophie Brunner Facebook Darc...

TE position preview: How to master the hardest position in fantasy + DEEP sleepers to target Matt HarmonAugust 15, 2025 at 6:00 AM Subscribe to Yahoo Fantasy ForecastApple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube Position preview week on the pod concludes with Nate Tice joining Matt Harmon to preview the Tight ...

- - TE position preview: How to master the hardest position in fantasy + DEEP sleepers to target

Matt HarmonAugust 15, 2025 at 6:00 AM

Subscribe to Yahoo Fantasy ForecastApple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube

Position preview week on the pod concludes with Nate Tice joining Matt Harmon to preview the Tight Ends. The two discuss what makes the TE position so hard to get right in fantasy and what to make of this year's options. Harmon and Tice identify the elite TEs and guys you need to target before the TE cliff in your drafts. They discuss if it's a make or break year for Buffalo Bills TE Dalton Kincaid, share their deep sleepers at the position and yes, they talk a little Kyle Pitts too.

(3:15) - Big picture TE conversation: Why is TE so hard to figure out in fantasy

(10:30) - The Elite 3: Brock Bowers, Trey McBride and George Kittle

(20:05) - The 'boring' TE1s and why you might want to skip them in your drafts

(39:30) - Fringe TE1s you need to grab before the last TE run in your draft

(1:00:45) - Sleeper TEs and Kyle Pitts

(1:18:20) - Sicko deep Sleeper TEs to know

Position preview week on the pod concludes with Nate Tice joining Matt Harmon to preview the Tight Ends. The two discuss what makes the TE position so hard to get right in fantasy and what to make of this year's options. Harmon and Tice identify the elite TEs and guys you need to target before the TE cliff in your drafts. They discuss if it's a make or break year for Buffalo Bills TE Dalton Kincaid, share their deep sleepers at the position and yes, they talk a little Kyle Pitts too. (Jason Jung)

🖥️ Watch this full episode on YouTube

Check out the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family at https://apple.co/3zEuTQj or at Yahoo Sports Podcasts

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TE position preview: How to master the hardest position in fantasy + DEEP sleepers to target

TE position preview: How to master the hardest position in fantasy + DEEP sleepers to target Matt HarmonAugust 15, 2025 at 6:00 AM...

Lakers honoring legendary coach Pat Riley with statue to be unveiled on Feb. 22 Ian CasselberryAugust 15, 2025 at 2:25 AM With the NBA revealing its full 202526 regularseason schedule on Thursday, the Los Angeles Lakers announced the date when former head coach Pat Riley will be honored with a statu...

- - Lakers honoring legendary coach Pat Riley with statue to be unveiled on Feb. 22

Ian CasselberryAugust 15, 2025 at 2:25 AM

With the NBA revealing its full 2025-26 regular-season schedule on Thursday, the Los Angeles Lakers announced the date when former head coach Pat Riley will be honored with a statue unveiled outside Crypto.com Arena.

The statue will be presented to the public on Sunday, Feb. 22, on Star Plaza outside the Lakers' home arena before the team's game against the Boston Celtics, the team announced on Thursday.

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The Lakers originally announced that a statue honoring Riley would be unveiled at some point in 2026, but didn't have an exact date at the time. Riley will be the eighth figure to be so honored by the team, joining Jerry West, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal, Chick Hearn and Elgin Baylor on the plaza.

During his tenure as Lakers head coach from 1981 to 1990, Riley's teams won four NBA championships. The Lakers won 50 or more games in each of his nine seasons on the sideline, winning 60-plus games in five of those seasons. He was awarded NBA Coach of the Year honors in 1989-90 when the Lakers finished 63-19.

Forever a part of Lakers history.We are honored to share that Pat Riley's statue will be unveiled on Star Plaza on February 22. pic.twitter.com/p6ozuVn1Rw

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) August 14, 2025

"Pat is a Lakers icon," Lakers team owner Jeanie Buss said in a statement released in November. "His professionalism, commitment to his craft and game preparation paved the way for the coaching we see across the league today.

"My dad recognized Pat's obsession and ability to take talented players and coalesce them into a championship team. The style of basketball Pat and the Lakers created in the 80s is still the blueprint for the organization today: an entertaining and winning team."

Riley also became an iconic face of the "Showtime" era that was arguably the most successful in Lakers history. The origins of that era were chronicled in 2022-23 for a new generation of NBA fans in the HBO dramatic series, "Winning Time," based on Jeff Pearlman's 2014 book "Showtime."

The Lakers had a bitter rivalry for NBA supremacy with the Celtics during the 1980s, which is surely why the ceremony will take place before hosting Boston on their home court.

Riley's 533 regular-season wins are the second-most among the franchise's head coaches, behind Phil Jackson's 610 victories. Altogether, including playoff wins, Riley won 635 games with the Lakers.

As "Winning Time" also reminded fans, Riley's history with the Lakers goes back further than his tenure as head coach. He played for the team from 1970-75, averaging 7.8 points per game as a shooting guard, and was a member of the 1971-72 Lakers squad that won 33 consecutive games and an NBA title.

Riley was also an assistant coach for three seasons under head coach Paul Westhead, a span during which the Lakers won two NBA championships.

Currently, Riley is the team president and a minority owner of the Miami Heat. After leaving the Lakers following the 1989-90 season, he coached the New York Knicks for four seasons and another 11 seasons with the Heat. He won an NBA title with Miami in 2006. With 1,210 wins as an NBA head coach, Riley ranks fifth all time in league history.

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Lakers honoring legendary coach Pat Riley with statue to be unveiled on Feb. 22

Lakers honoring legendary coach Pat Riley with statue to be unveiled on Feb. 22 Ian CasselberryAugust 15, 2025 at 2:25 AM With the...

Bondi scraps limits on cooperation between D.C. police and immigration agents Camilo MontoyaGalvezAugust 15, 2025 at 6:09 AM Will Oliver/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images Attorney General Pam Bondi on Thursday scrapped local directives that severely limited cooperation between police officers in Washin...

- - Bondi scraps limits on cooperation between D.C. police and immigration agents

Camilo Montoya-GalvezAugust 15, 2025 at 6:09 AM

Will Oliver/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Attorney General Pam Bondi on Thursday scrapped local directives that severely limited cooperation between police officers in Washington, D.C., and federal agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other immigration agencies.

The move amounts to a sweeping reversal of "sanctuary" policies in the nation's capital, allowing the Metropolitan Police Department, for the time being, to fully cooperate with federal immigration enforcement as President Trump asserts more control over the District of Columbia, citing concerns about crime and disorder.

Mr. Trump has cited those concerns to launch a high-profile anti-crime crackdown in Washington, deploying National Guard troops and hundreds of agents from federal agencies like the Drug Enforcement Administration, Customs and Border Protection, ICE and the FBI to patrol parts of the city.

Underpinning Mr. Trump's crackdown is an executive order earlier this week that effectively brought the Metropolitan Police Department under federal control by invoking emergency powers that last for 30 days.

Bondi, who was assigned to oversee federal requests for the police department, wrote in a directive on Thursday that she was making Terry Cole, the current head of the DEA, the emergency police chief in Washington. She also cited Mr. Trump's emergency declaration to reverse several local police policies.

"D.C. will not remain a sanctuary city, actively shielding criminal aliens," Bondi said on Fox News Thursday.

Bondi rescinded guidance issued by Washington police chief Pamela Smith earlier Thursday that allowed police officers to transport ICE agents and their detainees and to share immigration information during traffic stops, but that still barred most local involvement in federal immigration enforcement.

She also scrapped guidance that prohibited D.C. police officers from searching databases for the purposes of determining someone's immigration status, even when there's no underlying criminal warrant.

Bondi eliminated rules that barred D.C. police from arresting individuals based on administrative immigration warrants signed by ICE officials — not judges — and from assisting federal agents during such arrests. The rescinded policy required officers to have a criminal nexus before carrying out an arrest, prohibiting arrests solely based on suspected civil immigration law violations.

Bondi's order rescinded a local policy that previously blocked D.C. police from transferring noncitizen detainees to ICE, based on so-called "detainer" requests issued by the federal agency, unless there was a criminal warrant signed by a judge.

Late Thursday, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser posted a letter authored by District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb, who argued Bondi's directives were not authorized by federal law.

"It is my opinion that the Bondi Order is unlawful, and that you are not legally obligated to follow it," Schwalb said in the letter, which was addressed to Smith, the Washington, D.C. police chief.

Schwalb said police officers in the capital "must" continue to follow Smith's orders "and not the order of any official not appointed by the Mayor."

As part of its far-reaching crackdown on illegal immigration, the Trump administration has sought to penalize so-called "sanctuary" cities and states that refuse to fully cooperate with federal immigration officers, threatening them with lawsuits and federal funding cuts.

Passenger arrested after allegedly causing disturbance midair and forcing flight to divert

Tropical Storm Erin expected to become a major hurricane

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Bondi scraps limits on cooperation between D.C. police and immigration agents Camilo MontoyaGalvezAugust 15, 2025 at 6:09 AM Will ...

Trump and Putin to meet in Alaska for highstakes summit on RussiaUkraine war MICHELLE L. PRICE and WILL WEISSERT August 15, 2025 at 6:10 AM FILE U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20 Summit on July 7, 2017, in Hamburg, Germany.

- - Trump and Putin to meet in Alaska for high-stakes summit on Russia-Ukraine war

MICHELLE L. PRICE and WILL WEISSERT August 15, 2025 at 6:10 AM

FILE - U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G-20 Summit on July 7, 2017, in Hamburg, Germany. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump is meeting face-to-face with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday for a high-stakes summit that could determine not only the trajectory of the war in Ukraine but also the fate of European security.

The sit-down offers Donald Trump a chance to prove to the world that he is both a master dealmaker and a global peacemaker. He and his allies have cast him as a heavyweight negotiator who can find a way to bring the slaughter to a close — something he used to boast he could do quickly.

For Putin, a summit with Trump offers a long-sought opportunity to try to negotiate a deal that would cement Russia's gains, block Kyiv's bid to join the NATO military alliance and eventually pull Ukraine back into Moscow's orbit.

There are significant risks for Trump. By bringing Putin onto U.S. soil, the president is giving Russia's leader the validation he desires after his ostracization following his invasion of Ukraine 3 1/2 years ago. The exclusion of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy from the summit also deals a heavy blow to the West's policy of "nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine" and invites the possibility that Trump could agree to a deal that Ukraine does not want.

Any success is far from assured, especially as Russia and Ukraine remain far apart in their demands for peace. Putin has long resisted any temporary ceasefire, linking it to a halt in Western arms supplies and a freeze on Ukraine's mobilization efforts — conditions rejected by Kyiv and its Western allies.

Trump said that even more important than his summit with Putin would be a subsequent meeting that also includes Zelenskyy, something he suggested could even happen before he departs Alaska — a possibility that Russia hasn't agreed to.

Trump said in a Fox News radio interview Thursday that he didn't know if they would get "an immediate ceasefire" but he wanted a broad peace deal done quickly. That seemingly echoes Putin's longtime argument that Russia favors a comprehensive deal to end the fighting, reflecting its demands, not a temporary halt to hostilities.

The Kremlin said Trump and Putin will first sit down for a one-on-one discussion, followed by the two delegations meeting and talks continuing over "a working breakfast." They are then expected to hold a joint press conference.

Trump has offered shifting explanations for his meeting goals

In the days leading up to the summit, set for a military base near Anchorage, Trump described it as " really a feel-out meeting." But he's also warned of "very severe consequences" for Russia if Putin doesn't agree to end the war and said that though Putin might bully other leaders, "He's not going to mess around with me."

Trump's repeated suggestions that a deal would likely involve "some swapping of territories" — which disappointed Ukraine and European allies — along with his controversial history with Putin have some skeptical about what kind of agreement can be reached.

Ian Kelly, a retired career foreign service officer who served as the U.S. ambassador to Georgia during the Obama and first Trump administrations, said he sees "no upside for the U.S., only an upside for Putin."

"The best that can happen is nothing, and the worst that can happen is that Putin entices Trump into putting more pressure on Zelenskyy," Kelly said.

George Beebe, the former director of the CIA's Russia analysis team who is now affiliated with the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, said there's a serious risk of blown expectations or misunderstandings for a high-level summit pulled together so quickly.

"That said, I doubt President Trump would be going into a meeting like this unless there had been enough work done behind the scenes for him to feel that there is a decent chance that something concrete will come out of it," Beebe said.

Zelenskyy has time and again cast doubts on Putin's willingness to negotiate in good faith. His European allies, who've held increasingly urgent meetings with U.S. leaders over the past week, have stressed the need for Ukraine to be involved in any peace talks.

Political commentators in Moscow, meanwhile, have relished that the summit leaves Ukraine and its European allies on the sidelines.

Dmitry Suslov, a pro-Kremlin voice, expressed hope that the summit will "deepen a trans-Atlantic rift and weaken Europe's position as the toughest enemy of Russia."

European leaders who consulted with Trump this week said the president assured them he would prioritize trying to achieve a ceasefire.

The summit could have far-reaching implications

Foreign governments will be watching closely to see how Trump reacts to Putin, likely gauging what the interaction might mean for their own dealings with the U.S. president, who has eschewed traditional diplomacy for his own transactional approach to relationships.

The meeting comes as the war has caused heavy losses on both sides and drained resources.

Ukraine has held on far longer than some initially expected since the February 2022 invasion, but it is straining to hold off Russia's much larger army, grappling with bombardments of its cities and fighting for every inch on the over 600-mile (1,000-kilometer) front line.

Andrea Kendall-Taylor, a senior fellow and director of the Transatlantic Security Program at the Center for a New American Security, said U.S. antagonists like China, Iran and North Korea will be paying attention to Trump's posture to see "whether or not the threats that he continues to make against Putin are indeed credible."

"Or, if has been the past track record, he continues to back down and look for ways to wiggle out of the kind of threats and pressure he has promised to apply," said Kendall-Taylor, who is also a former senior intelligence officer.

While some have objected to the location of the summit, Trump has said he thought it was "very respectful" of Putin to come to the U.S. instead of a meeting in Russia.

Sergei Markov, a pro-Kremlin Moscow-based analyst, observed that the choice of Alaska as the summit's venue "underlined the distancing from Europe and Ukraine."

Being on a military base allows the leaders to avoid protests and meet more securely, but the location carries its own significance because of its history and location.

Alaska, which the U.S. purchased from Russia in 1867, is separated from Russia at its closest point by just 3 miles (less than 5 kilometers) and the international date line.

Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson was crucial to countering the Soviet Union during the Cold War. It continues to play a role today, as planes from the base still intercept Russian aircraft that regularly fly into U.S. airspace.

___

Weissert reported from Washington. writers Matthew Lee in Washington and Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow contributed to this report.

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Trump and Putin to meet in Alaska for high-stakes summit on Russia-Ukraine war

Trump and Putin to meet in Alaska for highstakes summit on RussiaUkraine war MICHELLE L. PRICE and WILL WEISSERT August 15, 2025 ...

Teen missing for 1 week after going on vacation in Florida found dead: Sheriff MEGAN FORRESTERAugust 15, 2025 at 12:01 AM An 18yearold from North Carolina who had been missing for one week after vacationing with relatives in Florida has been found dead, according to officials.

- - Teen missing for 1 week after going on vacation in Florida found dead: Sheriff

MEGAN FORRESTERAugust 15, 2025 at 12:01 AM

An 18-year-old from North Carolina who had been missing for one week after vacationing with relatives in Florida has been found dead, according to officials.

Giovanni Pelletier, an 18-year-old who was described as "smart, kind and full of life," disappeared early on Aug. 1 "under deeply troubling and suspicious circumstances," according to the family's GoFundMe page.

Pelletier was visiting Englewood, Florida, with his mother and her fiancé and wanted to reconnect with relatives from his biological father's family, Desiree Pelletier, who is Giovanni's aunt and sister of his mother, told ABC News. While he was unable to see his father, who is incarcerated, he made plans to see three of his cousins on that side of the family, his aunt said.

Charlotte County Sheriff's Office - PHOTO: A photo released by the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office of Giovanni Pelletier.

With only a few days left in his vacation, Pelletier's cousins picked him up at approximately 1:30 a.m. on Aug. 1 to take him on the three-hour drive to their house in Mims, Florida, his aunt said. His mother was planning on picking him up the next day, according to Desiree Pelletier.

But within 25 minutes of leaving, he sent his mom a text: "Help me," his aunt said.

That was the last time his mother heard from him, according to his aunt.

A family member found Pelletier's body on Aug. 8 in a retention pond across the street from where his backpack and phone were located in Bradenton, Florida, his aunt confirmed to ABC News on Sunday. The teen's body was found exactly one week after he disappeared, his aunt said.

After extensive forensic testing, the Manatee County Sheriff's Office confirmed to ABC News on Thursday that the body found in the pond was identified to be Pelletier.

Identification of the body was confirmed through dental records, and "additional forensic testing was required due to the condition of his body," the sheriff's office said.

The cause of death remains undetermined "pending toxicology results, which are expected to take several weeks," the sheriff's office said.

"Detectives are actively pursuing multiple leads to learn more about the circumstances surrounding Pelletier's death. There are still no signs of foul play," the sheriff's office said.

Desiree Pelletier said her sister, the teen's mother, "is broken" by the news of her son's death.

MORE: Body identified as California teen reported missing days ago

During a press conference with the family on Tuesday, they said they are "devastated" and had been "hoping for a better outcome." The family also said they are hiring an attorney to help with the case.

The day the teenager disappeared, his mother could not get a hold of him and immediately contacted authorities, Desiree Pelletier said. The teen's mother also reached out to the cousins who were with Pelletier, who said the group had been smoking marijuana, which is when the 18-year-old began to panic and pull out a knife, Pelletier's aunt noted.

But his aunt said that alleged behavior "is not Gio" and that it does "not align" with who he is.

Courtesy Desiree Pelletier - PHOTO: The search continues for 18-year-old Giovanni Pelletier from North Carolina, who disappeared last week after vacationing with relatives in Florida, according to his family and the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office.

The cousins also told police that Pelletier "began to act erratically before exiting the vehicle," according to a statement from the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office last week. The cousins claimed they were driving on I-75 when Pelletier got out near SR-70, authorities said.

On Friday, the Brevard County Sheriff's Office said the cousins had been interviewed by officials and "continue to be fully cooperative in all aspects of the investigation." Officials also said they "took in the vehicle that the three young men were driving at the time they traveled to the West Coast of Florida."

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