Jul 20, 2018

Pentagon to provide $200 million in aid to Ukraine

Ukrainian Army troops in Donbas. Photo: Oleksandr Rupeta/NurPhoto via Getty Images

The Pentagon has announced it will provide $200 million in security assistance to Ukraine. The funds had already been approved, as CNN notes, pending "a series of defense reforms" from Ukraine's government.

Why it matters: The move comes just four days after President Trump's meeting with Vladimir Putin, at which Trump advocated for better ties with Russia, and the same day Trump rejected Putin's suggestion for a referendum to help settle the Ukraine conflict. Putin had raised concerns in Ukraine by reportedly saying occupied Crimea is Russian because the people there speak Russian.

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Mike Allen, Ursula Perano

Updated 15 mins ago - Politics & Policy

In photos: Protests over George Floyd's death grip Minneapolis

The Third Police Precinct burns in Minneapolis on Thursday night. Photo: Stephen Maturen/Getty Images

Demonstrators demanding justice burned a Minneapolis police station and took control of the streets around it last night, heaving wood onto the flames, kicking down poles with surveillance cameras and torching surrounding stores.

What's happening: The crowd was protesting the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man whose life was snuffed out Tuesday by a white Minneapolis police officer who kneeled on his neck for about eight minutes.

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Kendall Baker

1 hour ago - Sports

European soccer's push to return

A Bundesliga match between Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munchen in an empty stadium. Photo: Alexandre Simoes/Borussia Dortmund via Getty Images

European soccer made a splash Thursday, with two of its biggest leagues announcing official return-to-play dates in June.

Why it matters: Soccer is the world's most popular sport, so watching its return through the lens of various leagues, countries and cultures — all of which have been uniquely impacted by the coronavirus pandemic — is illuminating.

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Dion Rabouin

1 hour ago - Economy & Business

The corporate bankruptcy wave has just gotten started

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Even with trillions of dollars in loans, grants and government support — with markets having absorbed a record $1.22 trillion of corporate debt in just five months — a slew of companies are defaulting on their loans and filing for bankruptcy in what is expected to be a record wave of insolvencies and defaults.

Why it matters: While equity and debt markets have rallied thanks to massive interventions from the Federal Reserve and Congress and excitement about the removal of lockdown orders, the real economy is quietly buckling, with many companies threatened by issues that predate the coronavirus pandemic.

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