Mentioned in this edition: Mark Carney, Giorgia Meloni, Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, JD Vance, Xi Jinping, Marine Le Pen, Javier Milei, Gustavo Petro, Kristi Noem, Steve Witkoff, Jason Greenblatt, and more.

Good morning. The Trump administration's leaked Signal chats revealed, even behind closed doors, that America's top decision-makers are completely fed up with Europe — so, we'll dig into the long history of European free-loading. Plus, President Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, started off strong but has recently made a series of missteps.

🔎 WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

1. 🇨🇦 Mark Carney said the old American-Canadian relationship "is over." In a blistering speech, Canada's new prime minister declared that America was no longer a trustworthy partner for the United States. However, he left open the door to negotiations and coming to some sort of meaningful relationship. Part of Carney's current approach is likely pre-election posturing; after all, Canada cannot afford to have a permanently hostile relationship with the United States.

2. 🇮🇹 Giorgia Meloni defended Donald Trump in her first foreign interview as prime minister. Speaking to the Financial Times, Meloni said it was "childish" for European leaders to act as if they could not work with Trump. She also portrayed herself as a bridge between America and Europe, saying, "I'm conservative. Trump is a Republican leader. Surely, I'm nearer to him than to many others, but I understand a leader that defends his national interests." As Europe's most powerful right-wing leader, Meloni has balanced ties with Brussels and Washington — a task Trump's tariffs may soon test.

3. 🇷🇺 Russia is planning to boost its presence in the Arctic. The Russian government has long claimed to control much of the Arctic, including the North Pole, and is beefing up its military presence in the region. But while President Vladimir Putin called President Trump's Greenland plans "serious," he also added that it was an issue between the US and Greenland and that it had nothing to do with Russia. As the ice continues to melt, the resulting shipping lanes and fertile land will be highly sought after, making the Arctic a potential conflict zone in the coming decades.

4. 🇨🇳 China is trying to strengthen foreign investment. Chinese President Xi Jinping met with over 40 top CEOs from companies like FedEx and Qualcomm earlier this week, urging them to invest in China. His pleas came shortly before Trump announced increased tariffs on Chinese goods upward of 25 percent. Although President Trump's tariffs will be a problem for China, the country's economy was already slowing down, forcing the Chinese government to seek new sources of revenue.

🇪🇺 EUROPE

The United Kingdom, in an attempt to crack down on knife crimes, is banning ninja swords.
France's populist right leader Marine Le Pen will find out on Monday if she will be found guilty of embezzlement; if she is, she can be banned from holding office, ending her presidential ambitions.
Poland's government believes it would last for two weeks against a hypothetical Russian invasion before it would need NATO's help.
An Austrian judge refused to jail a migrant who, as part of a gang, repeatedly raped a 12-year-old girl, instead sentencing him to 15 years of probation; migrant gang violence is a rapidly growing issue in Vienna.

🌏 ASIA-PACIFIC

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Mentioned behind the paywall: A national election, an earthquake, a trilateral meeting, and protests against a new law.

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🐪 MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA

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Mentioned behind the paywall: An Israeli strike, a new Israeli law, Chinese-run mines in Africa, and a new border agreement.

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🚢 THE AMERICAS

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Mentioned behind the paywall: Declassified Nazi files, the USMC agreement, and Kristi Noem's dealings with El Salvador and Colombia.

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Is Steve Witkoff a master negotiator?

WHAT'S HAPPENING

Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff started making moves before President Donald Trump was even sworn in the second time, negotiating between Israel and Hamas over a week before the inauguration. The ceasefire that these efforts produced won him plaudits and gave Witkoff a higher level of exposure than a special envoy would normally have…

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Hegseth, Vance call out Europe's "pathetic" free-loading

WHAT'S HAPPENING

This week's leaked Signal chats revealed that top Trump administration figures say the same things about Europe privately that they are saying publicly: they've had enough of Europe taking advantage of the USA. Vice President JD Vance said he loathed the idea of "bailing out Europe again," a phrase with which Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth agreed, writing, "I fully share your loathing of European free-loading. It's pathetic."

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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.