Anders Åslund

Trump says he's going to tariff Canada over smoke from a wild fire. Does he not understand that geography and wind patterns cause the smoke to come into America? Canada doesn't control the wind.

Leave it to a woman to speak truth to power. Go Kaitlan!

Elbridge Colby wants the benefits of an empire without any of the responsibilities. Elbridge Colby's latest lecturing of US allies shows just how out of touch Washington is with the reality of its own decline. He wants to have it both ways, but his logic is falling apart. The current Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, Elbridge Colby, has a track record defined by failing to deliver his promised pivot to Asia and advocating for policies that cost countless Ukrainian lives. Despite this, he is currently trying to tell middle powers how to manage their defense. During both of Trump's terms, the US urged Europe and other allies to spend more and stop relying on American taxpayers. It was a reasonable point, and allies are finally taking steps to increase their defense capabilities. But the moment these countries try to build a collective middle power strategy, Colby starts warning them against it. In a recent X thread, he argued that allies should not build up their own defense industrial bases because they cannot compete with the US. He wants them to spend more, but only to buy American weapons, ensuring they stay entirely dependent on US goodwill. You simply cannot have it both ways. In the past, relying on US weapons made sense because the US guaranteed security. But Colby is asking allies to maintain their dependence while the US actively disengages, reduces European troop levels, cuts aid to Ukraine, starts trade wars, and appeases shared adversaries. If the US is going to behave like an unreliable partner, why would Denmark, Canada, or any European country spend billions on US weapons instead of investing in their own domestic industries and cutting their dependence? You cannot destroy your own geopolitical leverage and still expect allies to blindly follow your demands. Trust is a currency, and the US has spent the last 18 months destroying it. Had Washington stood by Ukraine and maintained its commitments, it would have the leverage to negotiate. Instead, they destroyed their own influence, and no one is going to sacrifice their own industrial sovereignty for a partner that is already walking out the door

NYT: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently blocked the promotions of seven senior Navy officers, most of whom are women or people of color. For the first time in more than a decade, no active-duty female Navy officers are expected to be promoted to admiral this year.

🇺🇸Trump has stated 106 times that he defeated Iran. 🇺🇸Trump has stated 95 times that Iran is destroyed. 🇺🇸Trump has stated 88 times that a deal is imminent. 🇺🇸Trump has stated 75 times that the Strait of Hormuz is open. Fact: This serial liar has achieved nothing yet. He is just playing with the stock market. Elect a clown, expect a circus.

🚨MAJOR TACO: Trump has backed off his proposed 20% Strait of Hormuz fee, saying it will be replaced with “Trade and Investment Deals” with Gulf states. Beyond parody

BREAKING: Stunning new reporting just revealed that defense contracting firms connected to Donald Trump's sons, Eric and Don Jr., have netted $3.2 billion in Pentagon contracts. This is brazen corruption. The American people deserve answers.

🇺🇸Reporter: "Iran says Hormuz is closed. True?" 🇺🇸Trump: "It’s open to us. Never closed under me." 🇺🇸Journalist: "It has been closed for the past 138 days..." 🇺🇸Trump: "Don’t talk about it. Today I don’t want to talk about it." American Journalists are cooking Trump 🔥👏