A recent survey in the Czech Republic found that a significant majority (57%) believe US President Trump's leadership weakens global democratic systems, with many viewing his foreign policy as self-serving and prioritizing American power over global consensus. Only 34% of respondents agree that US policy defends freedom, democracy, and human rights, while 58% describe current US foreign policy as a threat to the modern world.
https://www.expats.cz/czech-news/article/survey-majority-of-czechs-wary-of-trump-view-u-s-policy-as-a-threatUS Rep. Paul Moolenaar has expressed concerns about American innovation being used by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to fuel its ambitions. A report found that DeepSeek, a chatbot platform, is heavily filtered and manipulated to align with CCP positions, suppressing content on democracy, human rights, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. The platform is allegedly operated by a company linked to Xi Jinping Thought and collaborates with firms like ByteDance, Tencent, Baidu, and China Mobile, which have records of state-aligned data harvesting. Nvidia chips were also used in the development of DeepSeek, with over 60,000 chips reportedly utilized.
https://www.firstpost.com/world/us-committee-alleges-nvidia-chips-likely-used-in-ccps-uyghur-surveillance-deepseek-13881127.htmlZuraidah Ibrahim argues that as trust in Western-dominated institutions wanes, countries in the Global South are rallying for a new order that reflects their diverse voices, citing the recent Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey where speakers emphasized the need for international cooperation and solidarity among nations beyond the advanced industrial West.
https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3307108/will-trumps-chaos-galvanise-global-south?module=top_story&pgtype=sectionChancellor Rachel Reeves has urged Britain not to disengage with China, instead seeking a deeper partnership. She wants to explore opportunities for trade and investment, even after the US imposed tariffs on Chinese goods. Reeves has visited China multiple times, including meeting Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng, and has expressed her willingness to ride in electric vehicles made by Chinese companies. However, she has also stated that Chinese investment would be blocked from critical national infrastructure. The move puts her at odds with the US, particularly President Trump, who has threatened tariffs on China's imports.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14627033/Rachel-Reeves-calls-Britain-forge-closer-ties-Beijing.htmlThe US is willing to accept Russian control of Crimea as part of a peace deal with Ukraine. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed a proposal for an immediate ceasefire with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in a phone conversation, which was shared with Ukrainian and European officials in Paris. The plan's details still need to be finalized, with further talks scheduled in London next week.
https://www.firstpost.com/world/us-may-recognise-crimea-putin-annexed-in-2014-as-part-of-russia-under-ukraine-peace-plan-report-13881151.htmlBritish Prime Minister Keir Starmer had his first phone call with US President Donald Trump since Trump imposed 10% tariffs on UK imports. The two leaders discussed trade issues and reaffirmed their commitment to free and open trade, while also touching on the situations in Ukraine, Iran, and Yemen.
https://www.fakti.bg/en/world/965255-keir-starmer-s-first-phone-call-with-donald-trump-after-us-tariffs-videoUS President Trump has expressed a preference for diplomatic talks with Iran over military action, despite Israel's opposition to any negotiations. Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer and Mossad chief David Barnea met with US Special Representative for Iran Brian Witkoff in Paris to influence the talks. The meeting came as tensions between the US and Iran remain high, with some Trump officials pushing for military strikes against Iranian nuclear sites. However, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other key administration members have expressed opposition to such actions. Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with Witkoff in Oman's capital for the first round of talks, which both sides described as "constructive".
https://en.tempo.co/read/1998403/israel-us-envoy-convene-in-paris-ahead-of-iran-nuclear-talksMSNBC's Rachel Maddow criticized President Donald Trump's hardline immigration crackdown, citing a Washington Post report on a 17th-century wartime law invoked by Trump to justify deporting migrants to El Salvador. The administration's justification appears to be "a very tissue-thin fiction," according to Maddow. The ACLU is fighting in an emergency court hearing and has applied to the US Supreme Court to stop Trump from preparing more planes full of men for deportation, amid a legal drama that has unfolded into a national crisis.
https://www.rawstory.com/trump-deportations-2671803421/Economists disagree with President Trump's estimate of $2 billion per day from tariffs, citing a flawed calculation that ignores behavioral changes and the impact on supply and demand. The US imported $3.3 trillion worth of goods in fiscal year 2024, but applying a 20% tariff rate would yield only $660 trillion, or $1.8 billion per day. Experts like Robert Johnson at Notre Dame and Felix Tintelnot at Duke University argue that this calculation assumes unchanged purchases, which is unlikely. Instead, tariffs may lead to reduced imports, higher prices for consumers, and lower profits for US companies, ultimately affecting foreign countries as well.
https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-revenue-billions-fact-focus-a74e9640e4f0976121a2f43cf3f9ca05