Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

What We're Watching

What We’re Watching: Kenya’s president cracks down further, UK and France open an atomic umbrella, Trump meddles in Brazil

Riot police officers fire tear gas canisters to disperse demonstrators in the Rift Valley town of Nakuru, Kenya, on July 7, 2025.

Riot police officers fire tear gas canisters to disperse demonstrators during anti-government protests dubbed “Saba Saba People’s March,” in the Rift Valley town of Nakuru, Kenya, on July 7, 2025.

REUTERS/Suleiman Mbatiah

Ruto orders police to shoot looters as Kenya protest escalate

Amid ongoing anti-government protests, Kenyan President William Ruto has ordered police to shoot looters in the legs. The order is meant to stop attacks on businesses, but could lead to more casualties after 31 people were killed on Monday alone. The youth-led protesters want Ruto to resign over high taxes, corruption allegations, and police brutality. According to Mercy Kaburu, a professor of international relations at United States International University in Nairobi, Ruto’s government “is not at risk of collapse before the next general election” which is set for 2027. But, she cautions, he “could be threatened if nothing changes.”


United Kingdom and France to open their nuclear umbrella

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron signed a landmark deal aimed Thursday at restricting the flow of migrants across the English Channel. But the cross-channel agreement that may draw more attention globally is a pledge from Europe’s only two nuclear-armed nations to extend their nuclear umbrellas to allies on the continent who face an “extreme threat.” This is a big step toward “common European defense” at a time when Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine and uncertainty about the US long-term commitment to NATO have prompted more urgent action in Europe.

Trump uses tariffs to meddle in Brazil

US President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that the US will slap 50% on Brazil starting on August 1. The reason? Trump blasted Brazil for its “unfair” treatment of former President Jair Bolsonaro, a rightwing firebrand and close Trump ally who is currently on trial for allegedly plotting to overturn the 2022 Brazilian election. Trump also cited an “unsustainable” US trade deficit with Brazil, though official data show the US actually runs a small trade surplus with Latin America’s largest economy. Brazil’s leftwing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, reportedly blindsided by the announcement, has vowed to respond with reciprocal measures.

See below for Ian Bremmer’s Quick Take on what Trump’s move really means.

More For You

US President Donald Trump and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell at the Federal Reserve Board building in Washington, D.C., USA, on July 24, 2025.

US President Donald Trump and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell speak during a tour of the Federal Reserve Board building as it undergoes renovations, in Washington, D.C., USA, on July 24, 2025.

REUTERS/Kent Nishimura
Trump-Fed feud escalatesThe feud between US President Donald Trump and the Federal Reserve escalated significantly this weekend, with federal prosecutors opening a criminal investigation into Fed Chair Jerome Powell over whether he lied to Congress about the scale of the central bank’s renovations. Powell responded with uncharacteristic fervor, [...]
What We’re Watching: The kings of soccer make a trade deal, Venezuela’s Machado to meet Trump, Moscow sends message to Europe

Protesting farmers hold anti - Mercosur banners while chanting slogans during the protest. Thousands of farmers protested against the signing of the agreement between the European Union and the Mercosur.

Attila Husejnow / SOPA Images via Reuters Connect
Europe and South America finally agree to long-sought trade dealIt took more than 25 years, but the European Union and Mercosur, the South American common market, provisionally agreed to a free trade deal, eliminating tariffs on over 90% of each other’s exports. If it passes, it would create the largest free trade zone in the world and mark the [...]
Aidarous al-Zubaidi, the leader of Yemen's Southern Transitional Council (STC), in Aden, Yemen, on February 26, 2025.

Aidarous al-Zubaidi, the leader of Yemen's Southern Transitional Council (STC), heads a meeting in Aden, Yemen, on February 26, 2025.

Southern Transitional Council/Handout via REUTERS
Yemeni separatist leader flees, exacerbating UAE-Saudi Arabia tensionsYesterday, we reported that Yemen’s civil war is exposing tensions between the UAE and Saudi Arabia. The bad blood looks set to get worse, after the UAE – according to the Saudis – helped the separatist Southern Transitional Council leader Aidarous al-Zubaidi flee to Somaliland, [...]
Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro speaks with China's President Xi Jinping.

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro speaks with China's President Xi Jinping.

REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins
What happens to China’s claim to Venezuelan oil?US President Donald Trump said Tuesday Venezuela would ship up to 50 million barrels of crude oil, worth about $3 billion, to the US. Hours later, the US energy secretary said Washington would “indefinitely” control Venezuela’s oil industry, which is currently run by the Venezuelan government. [...]