A whirlwind of political and economic developments. It begins with media outrage over the cancellation of a flu strain selection meeting for next year’s vaccine and the White House barring major outlets like HuffPost, Reuters, and AP from a cabinet meeting. It then exposes alleged corruption by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), accused of funneling $7M in taxpayer funds to his wife’s environmental nonprofit, Ocean Conservancy, raising questions about Democratic Party sacrifices. Internationally, it touches on U.S.-Russia talks in Istanbul and UK Prime Minister Starmer’s visit to Trump after Macron’s misstep, hinting at restored diplomatic and economic ties.

The focus shifts to Trump’s efforts to reassert U.S. decision-making power, pulling it back from Brussels and challenging Europe’s influence. Topics include Trump’s stance on Russia as  ...