Mentioned in this edition: Giorgia Meloni, Emmanuel Macron, Javier Milei, Claudia Sheinbaum, Benjamin Netanyahu, Ali Khamenei, JD Vance, Pete Hegseth, and more.
Good morning. President Trump has few friends among European leaders, but Italy’s Giorgia Meloni is an exception to the rule. Can they both make the West great again? Plus, Washington is seeking a nuclear deal with Iran. Though success is far from guaranteed, Trump is threatening to unleash hell if the Iranians refuse to cooperate.
🔎 WHAT WE'RE WATCHING
1. 🇺🇦 Trump’s peace plan for the Russo-Ukrainian War leaked. The draft plan would see the United States recognize Russian control of Crimea, unofficially recognize Russian control over the other occupied territories, and end US sanctions on Russia. In exchange, Ukraine would regain control of a contested nuclear power plant, some of its territory, and European-provided security guarantees. The deal would also allow Ukraine to join the European Union, but not NATO.
2. 🇮🇳 India and Pakistan are edging closer to war. After a terror attack by Pakistani insurgents killed dozens in the Indian portion of Kashmir, India responded by ordering all Pakistanis to leave the country and by canceling a water sharing treaty. Pakistan responded by banning Indians from getting visas and by blocking key rivers that flow into the country. These could be considered an escalation to the point of being acts of war.
3. 🇲🇽 A cartel is essentially running a Mexican border town. The Gulf Cartel has instituted a mandatory fee collection scheme in Matamoros, requiring all businesses to pay a weekly fee. The cartel has even used city officials to collect the funds. The unhindered operations highlight the cartels’ grip on the border and across Mexico — and the federal government’s inability to stop them.
4. 🇫🇷 France might hold early elections — again. President Emmanuel Macron ordered snap elections last year in the hope that it would give his centrist party a clear majority. Instead, no one won, and French politics have been deadlocked since. Now, the president might call elections yet again in the hopes of securing a governing centrist majority. However, elections held now could help the populist right, which has improved in the polls since last year.
EUROPE
Mentioned behind the paywall: Punishing gay pride marchers, a massive naval expansion, and aggressively turning away migrants.
ASIA-PACIFIC
Mentioned behind the paywall: A shrinking economy, trade talks with Trump, and a new trade deal with the US.
MIDDLE EAST
Mentioned behind the paywall: A cancelled ammunitions deal, a massive new weapons deal, and the Muslim Brotherhood.
Trump warns Iran: negotiate or armageddon
The Trump administration has now held two rounds of negotiations with Iran over the latter’s nuclear program.
America is interested in getting Iran to denuclearize to the point where it could not quickly procure enough material for a nuke, but past failures are casting a long shadow over President Trump’s ambitions…
Meloni’s fight to reclaim the West
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has only been leading her country for two and a half years. During that time, she has become one of the most prominent and influential voices on the European right, emerging as a key figure in conservative efforts to push back against progressive orthodoxy…
THE DAILY DEBATE
📊 Would you support US strikes against Iranian nuclear sites?Results will be in tomorrow's newsletter |
POLL RESULTS FROM YESTERDAY
📊 What do you think is the most important bill the House GOP is taking up?
🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️ ✂️ $9.3B Recissions Cutting NPR, PBS (339)
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 📜 The "Big, Beautiful" Reconciliation Bill (685)
⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🇺🇸 Gulf of America (3)
⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🤔 Unsure (46)
⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 💬 Other (Comment) (21)
✂️ $9.3B Recissions: “If the House GOP can't cut a measly $9.3B out of the current budget, especially NPR and PBS, then they won't ever cut anything significant. That's the signal.” — P.K.
📜 The "Big, Beautiful" Reconciliation Bill: “It needs to get done and kickstart mending the economy.” — Anonymous
🤔 Unsure: “Really I’m unsure. I don’t like the one big beautiful bill because I want each bill singled out so the American people can see and understand them.” — Donald
POP QUIZ
What was one key offer in Trump’s leaked Ukraine peace plan? |
Today’s newsletter was written by Anthony Constantini, Brandon Goldman, and Ari David. We scoured 100s of sources to bring you stories and insights you won’t find in the mainstream media.