Last week (February 28), US President Trump and Vice President JD Vance met with Zelenskyy in the Oval Office to discuss Ukraine’s ongoing war with Russia among other things.

The conversation escalated, with the Republican leader claiming the country did not ‘have the cards’ to rally against Vladimir Putin’s forces, and that Zelenskyy was ‘gambling with World War III’.

“You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people”, Trump said. “You’re gambling with World War Three, and what you’re doing is very disrespectful to the country, this country that’s backed you far more than a lot of people say they should have.”

Trump also promised to pause all military aid to Ukraine—a move Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said was the ‘best contribution to the cause of peace’.

Following Zelenskyy’s early exit from the White House and the cancellation of his and Trump’s joint press conference, the politician issued a letter to the 47th President of the United States.

This note was read out to Congress in Washington yesterday (March 4) and stated: “Ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible.

“My team and I stand ready to work under President Trump’s strong leadership to get a peace that lasts.

“We do really value how much America has done to help Ukraine maintain its sovereignty and independence.”

President Donald Trump claims peace talks with Russia have previously taken place (Andrew Harnik/Getty Image)

Trump went on to read that Ukraine is also ‘ready’ to sign the agreement on rare earth minerals at ‘any’ time convenient to the US – an agreement they were supposed to sign during Zelenskyy’s visit, before getting into a heated discussion.

“It’s time to end this senseless war. If you want to end wars, you have to talk to both sides,” The Apprentice star remarked.

He also claimed there had already been ‘serious discussions’ about peace with Russia, but it is not known when these conversations took place.

Now, it appears Moscow is looking favourably on the Ukraine leader’s willingness to ‘come to the negotiating table’.

“We are positive. The question is with whom to sit at the negotiating table,” Peskov said.

He noted that it was not currently clear how these talks would take place, due to a 2022 decree declaring that Ukraine would not negotiate with Russian leader Putin.

“For now, the legal ban by the Ukrainian President holding talks with the Russian side is in force.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has issued a statement following the Ukranian’s letter (Sefa Karacan/Anadolu via Getty Images)

“Overall, the approach is positive, but the details have not changed yet.”

Sky News reports that a Russian drone attack was launched last night (4 March) on the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa, killing a 77-year-old woman and injuring three others.

Regional governor Oleh Kiper said the woman died of shrapnel wounds on the outskirts of the city, and that the drones had damaged private homes and started fires.

In retaliation, Ukraine’s air force has stated it shot down 115 of the 181 drones fired in the overnight attack.

Gypsy Rose has been out of prison since December of 2023 after serving eight years of her 10-year prison sentence for second-degree murder and has wasted no time returning to regular life, which has seen her file for divorce from her husband Ryan Anderson and rekindle her romance with ex-fiancé Ken Urker.

In December of 2024 she gave birth to her daughter Aurora, with Ken posting a picture the trio on Instagram with the caption: “Welcoming 2025 with the greatest gift of all.”

In an exclusive interview with LADbible, Blanchard has revealed whether she plans to tell her daughter that she killed her mother.

Gypsy Rose Blanchard, Ken Urker, and their daughter Aurora (Instagram/@kenurker)

Gypsy Rose has stated in the past that killing her mother, which she arranged with her then-online boyfriend Nicholas Godejohn – who is spending life behind bars – was ‘the only way out’ of abuse she suffered at Dee Dee’s hands.

Her mother was stabbed to death Godejohn with a knife supplied by Gypsy, all while she hid in a nearby bathroom.

Dee Dee suffered from Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a disorder described by the NHS as being ‘where a person fakes or induces illness in a person under their care, such as their child’. This ultimately led to Gypsy arranging the murder of her mother.

This now, however, places Gypsy in perhaps the most awkward of situations – deciding how, or even if, to tell her daughter Aurora.

The second season of Gypsy Rose’s reality show is releasing this month (© Crime+Investigation, Hearst Networks EMEA)

Speaking exclusively to LADbible ahead of the release of season two of her reality show Gypsy Rose: Life After Lock Up, the new mother opened up about what her plans were around this.

She said: “When I was asked in interviews, and that is a question that everybody asked me, my response was always, ‘we will tell her at the right time’.

Gypsy went on to admit, however: “But then a bigger conversation needs to be had of like, how do you explain to a child?

“Because things come up, whether they’re in school class, someone is going to bring it up, and I want to make sure that her family are the ones that talk to her about it before somebody else does.”

She went on to make a frank admission about her pregnancy, saying: “After the postpartum hormones, I cried and cried and cried and had that emotional release of ‘this will be something that I have to broach the conversation with’.

Gypsy and her boyfriend at the time, Nicholas Godejohn, orchestrated the murder of her mum, Dee Dee Blanchard (Police Handout)

“So we are going to get a therapist, a child therapist, and ask that therapist ‘how is the best way to start having these conversations?’ Start breaking it down so a child can understand because it is beyond us as parents.”

The reality star went on to state that she may put constraints in place on Aurora’s social media usage when she grows up, saying: “I mean, I think that I’m kind of old school. We’re traditional of let kids be kids, don’t give them the iPad. Don’t let them, not at two years older or anything like that. Tonka trucks, Barbie Dolls, toys.”

She went on to add: “I think social media will come later. We’re not really sure about putting an age on it, but I definitely don’t want my daughter at 13 years old on TikTok or any of these big social media apps, because it’s like ‘she’s my daughter’, and so not only will my name kind of affect how people will interact with her, but also the world is scary.

Gypsy Rose opened up about how she plans to tell her daughter that she killed her mum (Crime+Investigation, Hearst Networks EMEA)

“There’s lots of predators, and so it’s just really smart parenting to really follow the guidelines of these apps.”

Gypsy Rose’s pregnancy, including a paternity debate between Ken and ex-husband Ryan, is the focus of season two of Gypsy Rose: Life After Lock Up.

The new series of Gypsy Rose: Life After Lock Up is on Sundays from 16th March on Crime+Investigation.

The president wasted no time in letting people know he was ‘just getting started’ with his ‘bull in a china shop’ approach to politics, promised to take Greenland ‘one way or another’ and even read aloud a letter he’d received from Volodymyr Zelenskyy reaffirming that he was ready to negotiate peace in the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war.

But as the president was busy forging a new destiny for America, viewers only had one topic they wanted to discuss – and that was Vice President JD Vance.

The vice president has had a controversial couple of weeks, being slammed for his ’embarrassing’ comment during his and Trump’s meeting with Zelenskyy, before uniting the entire UK political spectrum in outrage after claiming the US would provide Ukraine with ‘way better security guarantee than 20,000 troops from some random country that hasn’t fought a war in 30 or 40 years’.

But now people are honing in on a much more pressing matter: JD Vance and his pants (trousers for us Brits).

JD Vance has come under attack for his choice of trousers (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Since being elected as Vice President, a number of people online have noticed that Vance seems to have a preference for three quarter length trousers.

“Say hello to tiny pants vance,” one user wrote on X, alongside a photo of the 40-year-old at the recent Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), where his trousers appeared to sit just inches below his knees.

According to a quick Google search, Vance stands at 188cm tall (or 6 ft 2 in), which is several inches taller than the average US male height of 5 ft 9 in. So it shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise that standard size trousers may come up a little short on the politician.

Maybe he shrunk them in the wash? (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

However, this means little in the minds of the internet, who have since wasted no time in roasting the Vice President for his ill-fitting suits, coming up with the hashtag #TinyPantsVance as a fun way of ridiculing him.

“How can anyone take Vance seriously. His trousers are halfway up his legs,” one user joked, while others wondered who was responsible for dressing Vance in such poorly fitting clothing.

“If we are talking about fashion choices. In my youth, what Vance is wearing was called Capri shorts,” joked a second person, as a third added that he needed to get a pair of ‘big-boy-vance pants’ in order to be taken seriously.

“People might (might) listen if you got a pair of big-boy-vance pants. A pair that at least break on the foot arch and go mid-heel, not mid calf, just who the hell dresses you,” read one particularly scathing comment.

How long before a GoFundMe to get JD Vance a longer pair of pants? (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

“Our local Goodwill has a better tailor on staff than whoever throwing clothes on you!”

Vance’s fashion choices have come under the microscope in recent days after Ukrainian President Zelenskyy was ridiculed for his decision not to wear a suit while his country is at war with neighbouring Russia.

“My second question for President Zelenskyy, do you ever, why don’t you wear a suit? Why don’t you wear a suit?” pro-Trump journalist Brian Glenn asked, to which the Ukrainian leader replied: “I will wear costume [a Ukrainian translation for suit is kostyum] after this war will finish.”

Victory in Europe Day, known more commonly as VE Day, is celebrated every year on May 8, the day the Allies formally accepted Germany’s surrender during WWII in 1945.

2025 marks 80 years since the devastating war concluded, and apparently plans are in motion for a big, four-day blowout.

According to Brendan Cox, co-founder of the Together Coalition, which is organising the VEDay80 community campaign, this year’s Bank Holiday events will offer UK dwellers a ‘great opportunity to celebrate what we have in common, and to use the celebrations to reach out to neighbours, friends and our wider communities’.

The Cenotaph memorial will be draped in a Union Jack for the first time since it was unveiled by King George IV in 1920 (Getty Stock Image)

Gov.uk stipulates that the proposed celebrations are expected to start on Monday 5 May and will include the Cenotaph memorial in Whitehall, London, dressed in Union Jack Flags.

This is a silent tribute to the nearly 70,000 British civilians and 384,000 soldiers who died during the Second World War.

On the same day, a military procession will move from Whitehall to Buckingham Palace.

The Mirror reports King Charles III, other senior members of the Royal Family, and UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer are set to be involved.

This procession will be followed by a flypast of current and historic military aircraft, including the Red Arrows.

It’s also said that street parties, like those that took place eight decades ago when British troops first returned from the front, are also expected to be held throughout the country.

The first day of events will include a party onboard the surviving warship, HMS Belfast, which is moored between Tower Bridge and London Bridge.

The ship fired some of the opening shots on D-Day in 1944 and is considered the ‘most significant’ surviving WWII warship.

On May 6, The Tower of London will host the Ceramic Poppies display, loaned from the Imperial War Museum’s collection.

Unlike 2014’s installation, this time the Ceramic Poppies will be within the walls of the Tower of London, the Londonist scribes.

However, a small section of the display, which will resemble a ‘wound’, will be visible to the public for free.

“We hope that this new display will provide an opportunity to reflect on the impact of war not just on military personnel, but Londoners and people across the country,” said Tom Piper, who is overseeing the installation.

The Tower of London will host the Ceramic Poppies again (Getty Stock Image)

“Once again, it will be installed in a place which is an enduring symbol of strength and survival, which has stood, wounded but resilient throughout London’s turbulent history.”

On May 7, the Parliament Choir is expected to host an anniversary concert in Westminster Hall at the Palace of Westminster.

This is to commemorate the newsflash announcement on the evening of May 7, 1945, marking the following day as the first-ever VE Day.

On the milestone itself (May 8), it’s thought that around 10,000 people will be able to attend a concert at Horseguards Parade.

The concert will feature ‘stars of stage and screen and military musicians and tell the story of victory and the legacy of the Second World War in Europe’, writes the UK government.

A memorial service is also expected to take place at Westminster Abbey on VE Day.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said this year’s anniversary offers ‘important opportunities for communities to come together’.

“By taking part in these significant commemorations, people across society will be able to hear our veterans’ stories first hand, to reflect and remember, and ensure that their stories of sacrifice and service are remembered for generations to come,” she added.

If you want to know more, then a dedicated interactive website has been launched with latest information at ve-vjday80.gov.uk

On February 28, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, 47, met with Trump, 78, and US Vice President JD Vance, 40, at the White House for a joint press conference. They were also meant to sign a rare earth minerals deal.

However, angry scenes ensued, with the US leader claiming Zelenkyy was ‘gambling with World War III’ and the ‘lives of millions of people’ amid Russia’s continued invasion of Ukraine.

“You either make a deal or we are out,” Trump claimed. “Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel.”

At one point, Vance also remarked that Zelenskyy had not ‘said thank you’ for the ongoing support of the US during the meeting.

Following the heated exchange, the joint press conference was cancelled and the politician was asked to leave the White House.

In the days following, Zelenskyy issued a thank you to US citizens and Trump for their ‘support’ and now, it appears he has sent a letter, stating his country is ready to work with the US.

“Earlier today I received I received an important letter from President Zelenskyy of Ukraine,” Trump began as he addressed a joint session of Congress in Washington on Tuesday (March 4).

“Ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible. To bring lasting peace closer. Nobody wants peace more than the Ukrainians, he said.”

Clapping could be heard as the 47th President of the United States continued to read.

“My team and I stand ready to work under President Trump’s strong leadership to get a peace that lasts.

“We do really value how much America has done to help Ukraine maintain its sovereignty and independence.”

President Zelenskyy’s letter was read out in Congress (Peter Nicholls – WPA Pool/Getty Images)

The notice continued to say that regarding the agreement on earth minerals – which was also abandoned after the pair’s fiery meeting in the Oval Office – the country is ‘ready’ to sign at ‘any’ convenient time.

Following the reading, Trump praised Zelenskyy for sending him the letter, telling the audience that he ‘appreciated’ the gesture.

The businessman also claimed there had been ‘serious discussions’ with Russia and that he’d received ‘strong signals that they are ready for peace’.

Trump, however, did not stipulate when these alleged talks had taken place, and whether he was involved in them.

“It’s time to end this senseless war. If you want to end wars, you have to talk to both sides,” he added.

Trump also thanked Elon Musk during the speech (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Ukraine has not publicly commented on the letter, which was reportedly received early on Tuesday.

Elsewhere in the address, Trump claimed his current administration was the ‘most successful in the history of our nation’ before thanking Elon Musk for heading up the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

“Thank you Elon, you’re working really hard,” The Daily Mail reports. “He didn’t need this.”

DOGE, which is considered an initiative rather than a legal government office, is tasked with reducing federal spending.

53-year-old Musk has also vowed to give taxpayers money back while cutting the US’ national debt, which currently stands at an eye-watering $36.22 trillion, as per US Treasury Fiscal Data.

Everybody knows that buying a brand new car outright can be a pretty pricey idea, especially when you factor in that you lose money on your investment the very second you drive it out of the dealership.

Securing a pair of wheels on finance, also known as personal contract purchase (PCP), is a way of getting around this, but also comes with drawbacks of its own.

Perhaps that’s why you’ve decided to get a secondhand motor as your next ride, as surely it’ll mean that you’re saving on costs, right?

Secondhand cars are a good way of saving money (Getty Stock Images)

Sure, buying an older car isn’t without risks – with higher maintenance costs and higher chances of a breakdown – but get it right and you’ll definitely be saving on money.

Which is why one TikToker has put together a list of the three things motorists should be asking before shaking hands on their new whip.

Shared by ‘Jackson the Mekanic’, the viral clip highlighted three simple checks to make and why it could potentially save you thousands.

Oil level

Jackson begins by highlighting how important it is to check oil levels in the car, pointing his camera at where you should look under the bonnet.

“First, you pull out the dipstick,” he explained.

“Now it’s very important to wipe it with a rag first, then re-insert the dipstick back in.”

Then check to make sure the engine oil level is between the minimum and maximum lines.

Just make sure the engine is turned off first, although you should remember this from your driving theory test.

But make sure to give the motor a good once over before buying (Getty Stock Images)

Coolant level

Remaining under the bonnet, Jackson’s next stop was to check the engine coolant level.

Responsible for reducing or regulating the temperature of your car’s engine, coolant maintaining the health of your engine.

To check this, our expert explains: “There’s two ways you can do this, you can check it directly from the radiator, or you can check it from the overflow.”

Explaining how to check it from the radiator, Jackson says all you have to do is lift the cap – but warns that you’ll never want to carry this check out if the car and engine are still hot.

Should you find the car is low on coolant, then make sure to top it up.

Brake fluid level

Last on the list is checking the brake fluid level, as it would be pretty disastrous to have these fail while driving.

“What your looking [for] here is for colour and for the level,” he explained, going on to add that the car he was using as an example was ‘nice and new, and is also topped up to the max.’

So don’t feel shy about asking to pop the bonnet up next time you’re shopping for a new car.

A murderer unknowingly set himself up to receive the ‘maximum sentence’ after a judge let him dictate his own punishment.

Christopher McNabb, from Covington, Georgia, was found guilty of killing his 15-day-old daughter Caliyah in 2019.

The jury heard how the dad and his girlfriend Courtney Marie Bell were under the influence of crystal meth when he beat the the tragic tot to death in October 2017.

The parents initially told police that their little girl had been abducted from their trailer park home while they were sleeping, and pretended that they had been frantically searching for Caliyah.

The following day, her body was discovered inside of a Nike backpack in a wooded area close to the property.

The court was told that the family’s home was filthy and that the relationship between McNabb and Bell was filled with violence and drug use.

McNabb admitted that he had been physically abusive towards Caliyah’s mother, but told police he was not responsible for the two-week-old baby’s murder.

According to Fox 5 Atlanta, Bell said in her interrogation: “I am guilty because I did drugs, but I ain’t never seen this comin’, that’s my baby. I went to put her to sleep and I woke up and she was gone.”

The parents maintained their innocence throughout the trial, but both were found guilty.

Christopher McNabb insisted he was innocent but was ultimately found guilty of murdering the baby girl (YouTube/11 Alive)

McNabb was convicted of malice murder, felony murder, murder in the second degree, aggravated battery, cruelty to children in the first degree, cruelty to children in the second degree, and concealing the death of another.

Bell was found guilty of second-degree murder, second-degree child cruelty, and contributing to the dependency of a minor.

She was handed a sentence of 30 years, the first 15 of which would be in confinement – although the Georgia Court of Appeals later reversed the murder and cruelty convictions, according to The Covington News.

At McNabb’s sentencing, the killer continued to protest his innocence, and he told the judge: “I’m innocent, I didn’t do it. I’ve maintained that the whole time.

“I just don’t understand how you find somebody guilty of doing something to a 15-day-old baby, because there was no evidence whatsoever that proved anything about me putting my hands on those kids.

“I’ve never done it, I never would. I don’t believe in it. I was beat as a child and I don’t agree with it at all. I would never do it. I would never do this. That’s all I got to say. I’m innocent.”

The judge wasn’t swayed by McNabb’s last ditch attempt at proclaiming his innocence and told the dad that he had ‘one simple question’ to ask him.

He unknowingly set himself up to get the ‘maximum’ sentence (YouTube/11 Alive)

“You claim you’re innocent,” the judge said. “So, you tell me what sentence the man or woman that you claim did this should receive?”

McNabb replied: “If you ever find out who did it, they deserve to be under the jail,” to which the judge then responded: “Okay…so they ought to get the maximum sentence?”

After McNabb said ‘most definitely’, the judge then said: “On the crime of malice murder, I sentence you to life in confinement without parole.”

The prosecutor accused the dad of producing ‘fake tears’ in the courtroom and said the comments he made about how much he loved his children were ‘a joke’.

“That child didn’t do anything but need love, and her daddy killed her,” District Attorney Layla Zon said of Caliyah. “She was a gift to Cortney Bell and Christopher McNabb.

“That child was doomed the moment they left that hospital. They took pure innocence and brought that child into a life of hell.”

Sherri had been shot three times and beaten in a struggle, with police initially believing that the woman might have been killed in a burglary gone wrong.

The LAPD quickly ruled out Ruetten as a suspect, and Sherri’s father, Nels, told officers that his daughter had been harassed by Stephanie Lazarus, a police officer and former partner of John Ruetten.

Lazarus had visited the couple in their home on the pretext of asking Ruetten to wax her skis, and Nels Rasmussen later said that the police officer visited his daughter to tell her: “If I can’t have John, no one else will.”

Ruetten had sex with Lazarus while he was engaged to Sherri ‘to give her closure’, which he later told a court was a ‘mistake’.

Shortly before she was killed, Sherri told her dad she was worried that Lazarus was stalking her, but the investigation into her death stuck with the idea that it had been a burglary gone wrong, and the case went cold as no suspects could be found.

Stephanie Lazarus murdered her ex-partner’s wife and got away with it for over 20 years (Ted Soqui/Corbis via Getty Images)

As the years went by, Lazarus ended up being promoted to the rank of detective in the LAPD, while forensic evidence and the way it could shed light on a case developed too.

A 2004 investigation into a saliva sample from a bite mark on Sherri Rasmussen’s body did not produce a DNA match but did indicate that the 29-year-old had been bitten by a woman, which threw doubt on the burglary theory as most burglars are men.

That investigation flagged up that there had been a ‘third-party female’ who faced allegations of stalking and harassment against Sherri, which of course was Lazarus, but a detective said she was ‘not a part of this’ and with no other detectives picking up the case, it went cold again until 2009.

With the bite and likelihood that the suspect was a woman, the investigation started from the beginning on the assumption that a murder had been committed, finding that the signs pointing towards Rasmussen being killed during a burglary appeared to be staged.

Sherri’s father Nels (left) told police about Lazarus, but for years they thought it was a burglary gone wrong (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Detectives drew up a list of five suspects, with Lazarus among them, and the investigation into the other women found they could be discounted as suspects.

The new investigation was then able to covertly collect a DNA sample from a cup Lazarus had been drinking from and found that it was a match for the sample taken from the bite mark on Sherri Rasmussen’s body.

In July 2009, Lazarus was called in on the pretext that someone was in custody and wanted to talk about a theft since she’d have to give up her gun to get in, and when she arrived, she was told it was actually about Rasmussen’s death.

She was then arrested, and in 2012, a jury convicted her of first-degree murder. She was then sentenced to 27 years in prison.

Lazarus later confessed to murdering Rasmussen at a parole hearing in 2023, with her parole initially being granted before California’s governor Gavin Newson raised concerns that she had ‘evaded justice for more than two decades and did not appear to begin taking full accountability for the murder until she was finally caught’.

Her parole was rescinded last year and she will next be eligible in 2028.