NATO Leaders Endorse Historic Plan to Boost Defense Spending
NATO leaders agreed to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP and renewed their commitment to mutual defense in an historic move that comes at the time of an increasingly belligerent Russia.
The decision from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's 32 members at their high-stakes summit in The Hague is a major win for Donald Trump who has repeatedly lambasted his European allies for underspending on security. Even on his way to the summit, the US president appeared to question the key tenet of the alliance known as Article 5, which requires members to defend each other from attack.
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The Hill
19 minutes ago
- The Hill
Trump slams intel report, hits Spain at NATO summit
Thank you for signing up! Subscribe to more newsletters here Happy Wednesday! It's another hot day in D.C., so stay hydrated and don't forget your sunscreen!: In today's issue: The White House has spent today disputing several news outlets' reporting that the U.S. strikes against Iran did not decimate the country's nuclear program. If you missed the reporting: CNN, The New York Times and NBC News all cited an internal preliminary classified report that determined Saturday's bombing only set Iran's nuclear program back by a few months, challenging President Trump's assessment that the strikes set the country back years or destroyed it entirely. 💡 Why this matters: Carrying out the strike against Iran was a sophisticated maneuver in foreign policy. Even if the initial report is correct in that it pushed back Iran's nuclear program by just a few months, that's still a win for the White House. But Trump has set the bar incredibly high by suggesting the U.S. strikes decimated Iran's nuclear materials, setting Tehran back by decades. Trump closed out the NATO summit this morning with a wide-ranging press conference but spent much of it pushing back on the reporting. He even equated the Iran strikes to WWII: Trump compared the U.S. strikes on Iran's nuclear sites to dropping atomic bombs in Japan near the end of World War II. 'It was so devastating. Actually, if you look at Hiroshima or if you look at Nagasaki, you know, that ended a war, too,' Trump said. 'This ended a war in a different way, but it was so devastating.' ^ Keep in mind that roughly 200,000 people were killed in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He also dismissed the report's assessment that Iran moved its nuclear materials before the strike: 'If you knew about that material, it's very hard and very dangerous to move,' Trump said. Earlier this morning, Trump bashed the news outlets as 'scum.' From Trump: 'This was an unbelievable hit by genius pilots and genius people in the military, and they're not being given credit for it because we have scum that's in this room. And not all of you are … CNN is scum. MSDNC is scum. The New York Times is scum. They're bad people. They're sick,' Trump said. 'And what they've done is they're trying to make this unbelievable victory into something less.' 📹 Watch Trump vent about the reporting His team publicly backed him up: The president's national security team strongly disagreed with the reporting on the initial internal assessment. ➤ Vice President Vance posted a scathing critique of American media, arguing it is 'full of the least curious, least insightful people in our country.' 🔎 Read Vance's criticism ➤ Secretary of State Marco Rubio argued to Politico that Iran is now 'much further away from a nuclear weapon.' ➤ Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says there is an investigation into how the report was leaked. During Trump's NATO news conference, Hegseth stepped up to the microphone and accused the media of trying 'to find a way to spin it for their own political reasons to try to hurt President Trump or our country.' ^ Oh, by the way. Trump referred to Hegseth as 'Secretary of War,' noting the position used to be called that. 'We feel like warriors,' Trump said. 📹 Watch For what it's worth: An Iran Foreign Ministry spokesperson says that Saturday's bombing 'badly damaged' its nuclear installations. Keep in mind: The report's conclusion could easily change — it is an early assessment, after all. Without any inspections on the ground, it's hard to know how successful the strikes were. Here's a helpful Brookings Institution explainer on measuring the strike's success. President Trump wrapped the NATO summit with a press conference. While that Iran report was on the top of his mind, he had plenty of other matters to discuss. 🗨️ Follow today's live blog ➤ TIDBIT — UH, NO COMMENT: NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte referred to Trump as 'Daddy' this morning after the president used harsh language to bash Israel and Iran for continuing strikes despite a fragile ceasefire agreement. 📹 Watch— it's around the one-minute mark. Cuomo bested in NYC primary: Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) conceded to 33-year old New York State Assembly member Zohran Mamdani (D) on Tuesday night in the city's mayoral primary, delivering an absolute stunner. Nearly every poll consistently showed Cuomo in the lead, despite Mamdani closing the gap in several surveys. Cuomo also had a stacked list of Democratic endorsements, including former President Clinton and former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg. Meanwhile, Mamdani landed a few high-profile progressive endorsements — like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) — but was still considered an underdog against the New York powerhouse. Votes are still being tallied, but Cuomo didn't wait to concede, telling supporters 'tonight was Assemblyman Mamdani's night.' Why this matters: Democrats have struggled to find their footing while trying to repair their damaged image after the 2024 elections. Mamdani is a democratic socialist and ran as an anti-establishment Democrat. He called for free buses, free childcare, a rent freeze and tax increase on wealthy taxpayers. What to know about Mamdani His win is notable because progressives have had some big losses over the last year, including several high-profile progressives, like former Reps. Cory Bush (D-Mo.) and Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) losing their primaries. 📝Five takeaways Related, via The New York Times: 'Why Ranked-Choice Voting Could Have a Pivotal Effect on the Mayor's Race' ➤ TIDBITS: 📹 Wow: Watch Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) react to Cuomo's loss. He railed on Cuomo. 📹 Watch the clip There was an ~outlier~ poll predicting this outcome: The Economist's Mike Bird posted a screenshot of 'the single best poll for Zohran in the run-up to the election, discounted as a wild outlier at the time, undershot his actual first-round percentage of the vote by about eight percentage points.' The House and Senate are in. President Trump has left the Netherlands. (All times EST) This afternoon: Trump leaves the Netherlands and returns to Washington. 4:15 p.m.: Two Senate votes. 📆Today's agenda 4:15 p.m.: First and last House votes. 📆Today's agenda 🍓 Celebrate: Today is National Strawberry Parfait Day. 🥤 Tbh, the Dubai chocolate craze is not overhyped: Shake Shack is leaning into the craze over the combination of pistachio, toasted kataifi shredded phyllo and chocolate. It has created a shake with those flavors. 🎸 I would simply faint: Taylor Swift made a surprise appearance at a charity concert in Nashville. 📹 Watch Because you made it this far: If you aren't craving a mozzarella stick already, this record-breaking cheese pull will surely change that.
Newsweek
19 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Donald Trump's Chances of Winning Nobel Peace Prize Skyrocket
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The odds on President Trump winning the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize have improved dramatically since his administration negotiated a ceasefire in the Israel-Iran conflict that went into effect on Tuesday, according to a leading betting website. Betting website Oddspedia gave Trump a 13.3 percent chance of securing the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize on May 19, but this had more than doubled to 27.8 percent as of 9:30 a.m. ET on Wednesday. Why It Matters On Friday, via his Truth Social website, President Trump complained that: "No, I won't get a Nobel Peace Prize no matter what I do, including Russia/Ukraine, and Israel/Iran, whatever those outcomes may be, but the people know, and that's all that matters to me." In 2009, just eight months into his presidency, Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize in a move that the current president's son, Donald Trump Jr., described as "affirmative action" earlier this week. What To Know On Wednesday morning, Oddspedia gave Trump odds of a 27.8 percent chance of securing the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, making him the favorite ahead of Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg on 20 percent. This was a dramatic improvement in his performance with Oddspedia since May 19, when the website only gave Trump a 13.3 percent chance of winning the prestigious award. In its most recent update, Thunberg was followed by Wikileaks founder Julian Assange with a 12.5 percent chance of winning the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, then documentary maker David Attenborough on 10 percent, and the International Court of Justice with 7.7 percent. President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference following the 2025 NATO Summit on June 25, 2025 in The Hague, Netherlands. President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference following the 2025 NATO Summit on June 25, 2025 in The Hague, Netherlands. Omar Havana/GETTY On June 13, Israeli aircraft launched a series of strikes on nuclear facilities and military bases across Iran. Israeli authorities said the attacks were to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, though Tehran has long insisted its nuclear program is peaceful. U.S. aircraft joined in on June 22 with precision strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan using bunker-busting bombs. The following day, President Trump said a ceasefire had been agreed between Israel and Iran, which he initially said both countries had broken, describing them as "two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don't know what the f*** they're doing." However, later on Tuesday, both Israel and Iran ceased their attacks, and Wednesday has been largely calm. House Republican Buddy Carter said he was nominating Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize in response to the ceasefire agreement. Earlier this week, Pakistan announced it had nominated Trump for the prize, crediting him with averting a major conflict with India in May. Ukrainian lawmaker Oleksandr Merezhko, head of Ukraine's parliamentary foreign committee, had also nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize but has since withdrawn this, telling Newsweek he had "lost any sort of faith and belief" in the president's ability to end the Ukraine war. What People Are Saying Speaking to Newsweek, Oddspedia said: "Donald Trump's odds to win the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize have dramatically surged from +650 (13.3%) to +260 (27.8%), more than doubling his implied chances – despite recent controversies including a rescinded nomination, US airstrikes, and a televised F-bomb. "Adding another layer of intrigue, he's now facing a familiar rival: climate icon Greta Thunberg enters the race as a strong runner-up, priced at +400 (20%)." What Happens Next The 2025 Nobel Prize announcement is due to take place on October 10 at the Norwegian Nobel Institute.
Bloomberg
20 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
Italy's Serie A Considers Stake Sale in Overseas Media Rights
Italy's top football league is exploring selling a stake in its international media rights business, according to people familiar with the matter. Serie A has reached out to private equity firms to assess their interest, said the people, who asked not to be identified. The discussions are at an early stage and there's no guarantee of a transaction, the people said.
