February 15, 2025 | Read Online

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Good morning. Germany has elections next week, and — stop us if you've heard this one before — the populist right is giving the centrist parties a run for their money. And speaking of money, South Africa just lost a lot of it after President Donald Trump blocked over $400 million in aid to the country over its passage of a law the administration considers anti-white.

Mentioned in this edition: Donald Trump, JD Vance, Tom Homan, Pope Francis, Bashar al-Assad, Emmanuel Macron, Volodymyr Zelensky, Petro Poroshenko, Rodrigo Duterte, Olaf Scholz, Friedrich Merz, Elon Musk, Nelson Mandela, the Rwandan president, Chinese fighter jets, an Arab "emergency" summit, and more.

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🔎 WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

1. 🇮🇱 Israel is considering striking Iran's nuclear facilities. In its final days, the Biden administration determined Israel is strongly considering launching strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, especially with potential backing from the Trump administration. With the weakening of proxies like Hamas and Hezbollah and the fall of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, Iran's influence is at an all-time low, creating an optimal opening for Israel.

2. 🇻🇦 Pope Francis condemned Trump and Vance on their immigration stance. In a letter to US bishops, Pope Francis strongly criticized the Trump administration's mass deportation plans, emphasizing that such actions undermine human dignity and "will end badly." He also disagreed with Vice President JD Vance's "ordo amoris" defense of these policies, while border czar Tom Homan, another Catholic, also defended the deportation operation.

3. 🇪🇺 The EU has been left out of Ukraine peace talks in Saudi Arabia. The Trump administration is sending negotiators to meet with Russian and Ukrainian teams in Saudi Arabia, but European Union nations have been left out entirely. EU leaders are demanding to be included, but it is not clear that the Trump administration will oblige them — nor is it clear that they have any leverage to demand inclusion.

4. 🇩🇪 An Afghan asylum seeker attacked a workers' rally in Munich. The Afghan national plowed a car into a crowd of trade union strikers, injuring over 30 and leaving some in life-threatening condition. The man had been known to police and had an asylum application rejected, but had not been forced to return to Afghanistan due to the potential dangers he could face there.

🇪🇺 EUROPE

French President Emmanuel Macron called President Trump's return to power an "electroshock."
Poland signed an artificial intelligence partnership with Google; the country already boasts Google's largest engineering contingent outside America.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky imposed sanctions on his rival, former President Petro Poroshenko, for alleged "high treason."
Greece is attempting to stop France from selling missiles to Turkey.

🌏 ASIA-PACIFIC

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Mentioned behind the paywall: A trilateral leadership summit, an "unsafe" fighter jet move, and former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.

🐪 MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA

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Mentioned behind the paywall: An "emergency" Arab summit, the Rwandan president, and a Somali defense agreement.

🚢 THE AMERICAS

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Mentioned behind the paywall: A "Gulf of America" lawsuit, a new El Salvadoran campaign law, and US deportees.

In Germany, the populist right is surging fast

What's happening: Germany is holding national elections next week, in which they will choose a new parliament. The campaign period has been marked by terror attacks, political infighting, and a rising populist tide…

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Trump punishes South Africa over its anti-white policies

What's happening: South Africa was targeted by the Trump administration for adopting the Expropriation Act 13 of 2024, which allows the seizure of privately owned Afrikaner land without compensation. In an executive order, President Donald Trump paused all aid to South Africa and also allows for the resettlement of Afrikaners in the United States as refugees…

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Today's newsletter was written by Anthony Constantini, Brandon Goldman, and Ari David. We scoured 100s of sources to bring you stories and insights you won't find in the mainstream media.