With its giant public debt, the United States is far more dependent on foreign creditors than any other country in the world.

Ex-commander says Kyiv cannot expect to retake lost ground amid efforts to reset public expectations Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK has said Kyiv should focus on fighting a “hi-tech war of survival” that minimises the loss of its military personnel and not expect to recapture Russian-occupied territory, including Crimea and in the Donbas. The comments by Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the former head of Ukraine’s armed forces, comes during an apparently widespread effort from Ukrainian officials to reset public expectations over the progress of a war that has ground on for more than three years amid fears there is no end in sight to the fighting. Continue reading...

US president Donald Trump reignites trade war with threat to impose high tariffs on European goods, and Apple iPhones made overseas * Typical energy bill in Great Britain to fall 7% to £1,720 a year from July As well as cutting UK energy costs (see earlier), Donald Trump can also take credit for growing the German economy! New GDP data this morning shows that Germany’s GDP rose by 0.4% in January-March, twice as fast as the first estimate of 0.2% growth in the quarter. “The reason for the slightly higher growth compared to the initial estimate was the surprisingly positive economic development in March.” “In particular, production in the manufacturing sector and exports performed better than initially expected. The German economy had its best quarterly performance since the third quarter of 2022, and the reason for it seems to be Donald Trump. As a result of the announced tariffs and in anticipation of ‘Liberation Day,’ German industrial production and exports surged in March. Net exports and private consumption drove economic activity in the first quarter, while government consumption and inventories dragged on growth. Continue reading...

YouTube video by The Lincoln Project

President Donald Trump said Friday he is “recommending” a tariff of 50% on goods from the European Union, citing a lack of progress in current trade negotiations.

The president's post immediately pushed down U.S. stock futures and European markets, with indexes in Germany and France plunging 2%.

It’s the new Hunger Games of world politics — the televised Oval Office take-down by President Donald Trump.

Listen to Land Of Hope & Dreams by Bruce Springsteen.

Another day, another bizarre and headline-hogging outburst from the US president... This time, he's calling for a "major investigation" into musicians who supported Kamala Harris - and has started a childish back and forth between him and Bruce Springsteen. Here's everything you need to know.

YouTube video by Bruce Springsteen