Publicly, Germany might be offering congratulations, but behind the scenes, officials there are expressing concern that Donald Trump’s second presidency could bring “maximum disruption” to the American constitutional order.
A confidential memo from Germany’s ambassador to the US, Andreas Michaelis, addressed to German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, warns of Trump’s pursuit of concentrated presidential power at the expense of Congress and state governments. It cautions that Trump could politicize key democratic institutions, including law enforcement, the media, the legislature, and the courts. (In his inaugural address on Monday, Trump promised not to use the judicial system for political persecution.)
The memoalso flags the growing influence of Big Tech in American politics – a particular sore point in Berlin due to Elon Musk’s support for the far-right Alternative for Germany in upcoming national elections. Michaelis warns that X could gain “co-governing power,” potentially reshaping the First Amendment and that Trump could also take legal action or revoke the licenses of his media critics.Ukraine is bringing the war to Russia, challenging one of the conflict's biggest assumptions: that time is on Vladimir Putin's side. Former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba joins Ian Bremmer to discuss whether the war is entering a new phase.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a session at the Knesset, Israel's parliament, before it dissolves ahead of the 2026 Israeli elections, in Jerusalem, Israel, on July 16, 2026.
Israel’s parliament affirmed that the country will hold a national election on Oct. 27.
President Volodymyr Zelensky’s decision to remove Mykhailo Fedorov on Wednesday has not gone down well with the Ukrainian public.