CBS News
Ukrainians warily eyeing the U.S. election have a simple message: Thank you, and please don’t abandon us.
Eastern Ukraine, near the Russian border — Former President Donald Trump has said repeatedly that he would “very quickly” end Russia’s war on Ukraine. He even promised that, if he wins the U.S. election in November, he’ll “get it settled before I even become president.”
Many leaders in Ukraine and Europe fear that would mean cutting off the supply of U.S. weapons and trying to force Ukraine’s leaders to give up Russian-occupied parts of the country in return for a truce.
From F-16 fighter jets to Patriot missile defense systems and artillery, the U.S. has been the chief supplier of weapons to Ukraine, providing more than $60 billion in military assistance since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in late February 2022.
CBS News met the troops of Ukraine’s 80th Air Assault Brigade in October, close to the Russian border. They were using a birch forest to help cover their positions, and their American-supplied Stryker fighting vehicles armed with .50-caliber American-made machine guns.
Ukrainian forces used the Strykers — each one an 18-ton hulking beast of armor-plated steel — to launch their incursion into Russia’s Kursk region in August. The brazen offensive was aimed at weakening Moscow’s relentless missile and drone attacks on Ukraine. But just two months later, by some estimates, Russian troops are gaining ground in eastern Ukraine faster than at any other time since the early months of the war.
President Vladimir Putin’s forces now control an estimated 20% of territory across eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region.
Viktor Zakarov was a truck driver before the war. Now he’s a soldier, driving a Stryker. He told CBS News that he was deeply grateful to the U.S. for the Strykers and the other aid.
CBS News
Asked if he had seen the armored vehicles save Ukrainian lives, he didn’t hesitate.
“Seen it, heard it and felt it,” he said.
“We never had anything like this before,” he said of the vehicles. “It’s much more protected.”
American weapons have helped hold the Russians back, but any Ukrainian will quickly say they need more weapons, with more reach, to actually push them in the other direction.
“First of all, I want to say a big thank you to all Americans for what we already have,” added Zakarov. “Of course, if you ask me what we need? More vehicles, more armored vehicles, to stop Russians slightly further away — hit deeper inside Russia.”
The U.S. was supporting Ukraine long before the full-scale war erupted. In 2014, when Ukrainians rose up to topple their pro-Russian government, Sen. John McCain was in Kyiv, telling the country’s people: “This is your moment!”
John McCain Street in Ukraine’s capital was named in the late senator’s honor.
But Putin responded to the toppling of his close ally in Kyiv a decade ago by sending troops into eastern Ukraine. It was then that Russian-backed forces seized control of the Crimean Peninsula and parts of the Donbas, despite protestations from Washington and its European allies. Russia has held those areas ever since — and taken significant new ground around them.
With the results of the U.S. presidential election too close to call and the future of vital American support equally uncertain, the mood in Ukraine has turned gloomy, and anxious.
CBS News
Halina, who sells fruit and vegetables in Kyiv and worries about her husband off serving on the front lines, told CBS News that Ukraine’s forces would hang on, but she hopes they won’t have to do it without American backing.
She said she was worried that Trump, if he wins another term in the White House, will cut off the vital American support.
“For us, it’s a matter of survival,” she said, wiping away tears. “My personal family story — my husband’s family is living under [Russian] occupation in the Kherson region… To my family, it matters a lot, this war.”
“We are really strong. We will hold on,” she said. “We hope America will keep helping us, and not abandon us.”
Watch CBS News
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
Getty Images
If you’re looking for an inexpensive way to access a large sum of money right now, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better alternative than a home equity line of credit (HELOC).
Compared to personal loans and credit cards, HELOC interest rates are many points lower (the average credit card rate now is nearly triple what a HELOC rate is). Unlike some other borrowing options, home equity loans and HELOCs also provide access to a substantial amount of funding. Right now, the average homeowner has around $330,000 worth of equity to tap into. And HELOC interest rates are variable, meaning that they’re well-positioned to decline as additional interest rate cuts are issued.
So, if you’re thinking a HELOC is your best way to access extra financing currently, you’re likely not wrong. To confirm this speculation, however, it’s critical to carefully calculate your potential monthly costs. No matter whether you’re looking to borrow $100,000 with a HELOC or just $30,000, you must understand your payments. But, how much does a $30,000 HELOC cost monthly now that rates are falling? That’s what we’ll calculate below.
See how low of a HELOC interest rate you could secure here.
How much does a $30,000 HELOC cost monthly now that rates are falling?
When calculating HELOC monthly payments it’s important to remember that these are just estimates. After all, variable interest rates are exactly that – variable. For HELOCs, borrowers can expect them to change monthly. But while that may have been an issue in recent years as rate hikes were continuous, it’s a timely benefit now in the face of what may be an extended rate-cutting campaign. Here, then, is what a $30,000 HELOC could cost monthly now, tied to two common repayment periods and the assumption that the rate will remain static:
- 10-year HELOC at 8.69%: $375.01 per month
- 15-year HELOC at 8.69%: $298.77 per month
So while you’ll save more each month by going with the longer option, you’ll pay more in interest to do so. But remember that these payments are only approximated. Here, then, is what they could become if rates fall by 25 basis points in November:
- 10-year HELOC at 8.44%: $371.00 per month
- 15-year HELOC at 8.44%: $294.37 per month
That noted, HELOC interest rates are unlikely to fall by the same precise amount that the federal funds rate does. So calculate on the assumption that it does, but understand that they don’t move by the same amount each month.
Get started with a low-rate HELOC online now.
Don’t forget about your credit score
Remember that the interest rates you see listed on lender websites are as low as they are on the assumption that borrowers are qualified – meaning that they have a high credit score and clean credit background. If you don’t have both, you won’t be eligible for the above rates and may have to pay significantly more, depending on your financial circumstances. If you have a low score – and can afford to delay the needs you were planning to cover with a HELOC – it may be worth improving your credit before applying. So, don’t apply for other credit in the interim, pay down (or off) all of your current debts and make sure to pay your current monthly payments on time (or, preferably, early).
The bottom line
A $30,000 HELOC comes with monthly payments between $299 and $375, approximately, right now. But those rates will change over the life of the line of credit. And you won’t be eligible for the best rates and terms if you don’t have a good credit score, so make sure to check that before applying. Finally, remember that your home is collateral in any home equity borrowing exchange, therefore it’s critical that you withdraw only an amount that you can afford to pay back or you’ll risk losing your home in the process.
CBS News
Parents of Utah woman accused of killing husband arrested for allegedly cleaning up crime scene
The parents of a Utah woman accused of killing her husband were arrested for allegedly cleaning up the crime scene, according to Salt Lake City jail records.
Thomas Ray Gledhill, 71, and Rosalie Christianson Gledhill, 67, were taken into custody Thursday. Both were booked into Salt Lake County jail, according to inmate records, on obstruction of justice charges.
Their daughter Jennifer Gledhill, 41, of Cottonwood Heights, was arrested earlier this month after she told a police informant she shot her husband on the bed, buried his body and removed items from the house and destroyed them to cover up the crime. She is being held in jail on murder and other various charges.
Investigators found a bloodstain on the carpet under the bed and blood on the bed frame. CBS affiliate KUTV reported investigators said, “significant clean up had taken place after this crime had occurred, including bleaching walls, and using carpet cleaning supplies.”
Investigators said in a probable cause statement that the mother bought the mattress to replace the one where they believed the husband was killed, KUTV reported.
They also said that Gledhill called her father while on her way to bury the body. The father told police he was at the home for less than an hour, but neighbors reported seeing him there for more than five hours.
Gledhill and her husband former National Guardsman Matthew Johnson, 51, were going through a contentious divorce and a custody dispute involving their three children, according to court records, the Associated Press reported.