Music: Yussef Kamaal — ‘Lowrider’
Orbán obstructionism pushes EU towards ‘coalitions of the willing’ on Ukraine
Jennifer Rankin writes: A fortnight after Vladimir Putin sent his troops to attack Ukraine, the 27 leaders of the EU gathered at the palace of Versailles and condemned Russia’s invasion, pledged support to the people of Ukraine – “we will not leave them alone” – and vowed to “take more responsibility for our security”. Three years later, EU leaders are under pressure as never before to live up to those promises. After a summit hosted by Keir Starmer on Sunday,…
Democracy is being deleted and replaced with technology
Mike Brock writes: As I write this in early 2025, a quiet revolution is unfolding within the U.S. government. Inside the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), teams of young tech operatives are systematically dismantling democratic institutions and replacing them with proprietary artificial intelligence systems. Civil servants who raise legal objections are being removed. Government databases are being migrated to private servers. Decision-making power is being transferred from elected officials and career bureaucrats to algorithms controlled by a small…
Skilled technologists are being forced out of government by Musk
Don Moynihan writes: For those who don’t know much about government, the idea of Elon Musk as a serious tech guy who could shake up how the public sector work was appealing. Even people who do know a lot about government were hopeful. Such hopes now look naive. Musk is not just ignorant about what government does, he chooses to celebrate and make decisions based on that ignorance, defaulting to accusations of fraud to explain things he does not want…
How DOGE triggered a crisis at a highly sensitive nuclear weapons agency
The Washington Post reports: Amid the tumult of mass firings, the Trump administration’s dismissal of workers who maintain America’s nuclear weapons delivered perhaps the greatest shock. These are people with highly sensitive jobs, the Energy Department would later acknowledge, who should have never been fired. Almost all the workers were rehired in an embarrassing about-face, a prominent example of how the administration has had to reverse dismissals in multiple instances where its scattershot approach caused deeper damage to agencies than…
Israel cuts off humanitarian supplies to Gaza as it tries to upend ceasefire deal
The Guardian reports: Israel has cut off humanitarian supplies to Gaza in an effort to pressure Hamas into accepting a change in the ceasefire agreement to allow for the release of hostages without an Israeli troop withdrawal. The office of the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said on Sunday it was imposing a blockade on Gaza because Hamas would not accept a plan which it claimed had been put forward by the US special envoy, Steve Witkoff, to extend phase one…
‘America is going down’: China can capitalise on damage caused by Trump, retired PLA colonel says
The Guardian reports: The damage caused by Donald Trump to the United States’ reputation is creating opportunities for China, particularly with regards to Taiwan, according to a retired senior colonel from China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Speaking to the Guardian in Beijing, Zhou Bo said that Trump was damaging the US’s reputation “more than all of his predecessors combined”. “By the end of his second term, I believe America’s global image will simply become more tarnished, its international standing will…
Music: Yussef Kamaal — ‘Yo Chavez’
Trump administration backs away from fight against Russian cyber threats
The Record reports: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last week ordered U.S. Cyber Command to stand down from all planning against Russia, including offensive digital actions, according to three people familiar with the matter. Hegseth gave the instruction to Cyber Command chief Gen. Timothy Haugh, who then informed the organization’s outgoing director of operations, Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Ryan Heritage, of the new guidance, according to these people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the matter’s sensitivity. The…
As its spies look for new recruits, Moscow wants direct flights to resume from Russia to the U.S.
CNN reports: Foreign adversaries including Russia and China have recently directed their intelligence services to ramp up recruiting of US federal employees working in national security, targeting those who have been fired or feel they could be soon, according to four people familiar with recent US intelligence on the issue and a document reviewed by CNN. The intelligence indicates that foreign adversaries are eager to exploit the Trump administration’s efforts to conduct mass layoffs across the federal workforce – a…
Russian lawmaker predicted Trump and Vance would ambush Zelensky
Julia Davis reports: The disgraceful spectacle of President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance taking turns insulting the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky during a White House meeting on Friday was a welcome sight for pro-Kremlin propagandists in Moscow. They’ve described it as an ambush, designed as a way for America to part ways with Ukraine—and they couldn’t be happier with the way this setup played out. Appearing on Friday’s breaking news broadcast on channel Solovyov Live, political scientist…
UK gives royal welcome to Zelenskyy after White House ambush
The Observer reports: King Charles will hold an official audience at Sandringham with the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday as the UK and EU demonstrate their “unwavering” support after his humiliation at the hands of Donald Trump and JD Vance in the White House. Keir Starmer will also host European heads of government and the leaders of Canada and Turkey at a special defence summit aimed at presenting a united front on the Ukraine crisis. On arrival in Downing…
‘After this, you’d really have to be a fool to trust the word of the United States’
Eric Edelman and Eliot Cohen bemoan the shameful meltdown in the Oval Office between VP Vance, President Trump and President Zelensky. They discuss Vance’s ambush and whether he executed it alone or in concert with Trump and note that those who are blaming Zelensky for rising to the bait are objectively pro-Putin. They discuss Vance’s dark political views and they consider what Europeans can and should do. They also discuss Trump’s delegation of responsibility to others and his “Trump…
The Trump administration said these aid programs saved lives. It canceled them anyway
By Anna Maria Barry-Jester and Brett Murphy This story was originally published by ProPublica After the Trump administration moved to freeze nearly $60 billion in foreign aid in January, officials like Secretary of State Marco Rubio repeatedly assured Americans that lifesaving operations would continue. “We don’t want to see anybody die,” he told reporters in early February. Aid organizations the world over scrambled to prove their work saved lives, seeking permission from the State Department and the U.S. Agency for…
Musk and Republican lawmakers threaten judges with impeachment
The New York Times reports: Congressional Republicans, egged on by Elon Musk and other top allies of President Trump, are escalating calls to remove federal judges who stand in the way of administration efforts to overhaul the government. The outcry is threatening yet another assault on the constitutional guardrails that constrain the executive branch. Judicial impeachments are rare and notoriously time-consuming. The mounting calls for removing federal judges, who already face increasing security threats, have so far not gained much…
Trump is the greatest threat to free markets and personal liberties
Dana Milbank writes: Over the past 48 hours, I’ve been receiving from readers and friends the sort of notes one gets upon losing a loved one or perhaps receiving a terminal diagnosis. “So very sorry.” “Hang in there.” “Sending you love and strength.” “With appreciation and sorrow.” The cause of death? The belief that Post owner Jeff Bezos has just ended the tradition of open debate that has guided this paper’s editorial page for generations. “We are going to be…