
Americano Live: Donald Trump's first 100 days
What is Donald Trump up to now? From trade wars and stock market yo-yos to shouting matches in the White House, it can be hard to keep track. The US president's first 100 days have been predictably riotous. To make sense of it all, The Spectator's deputy editor Freddy Gray and Spectator columnist and bestselling author Lionel Shriver hosted a special edition of Americano Live this week in front of hundreds of Spectator readers and subscribers at Westminster's Emmanuel Centre.
What was the most absurd moment of Trump's second term in the White House so far? Both Shriver and Gray think 'Signalgate' – when a journalist was mistakenly added to a group chat with high-ranking US administration officials – is hard to top.
'Can you imagine including in your private chat one of the most antagonistic journalists in the country to your project and your leader?' Shriver asked the audience, 'I just thought that was astonishing.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Herald Scotland
an hour ago
- The Herald Scotland
Hegseth says the Pentagon has contingency plans to invade Greenland if necessary
Pete Hegseth fields questions from the House Armed Services Committee (J Scott Applewhite/AP) In one back-and-forth, Mr Hegseth did provide an eyebrow-raising answer when Representative Adam Smith asked whether the Pentagon has plans to take Greenland or Panama by force if necessary. 'Our job at the Defence Department is to have plans for any contingency,' Mr Hegseth said several times. It is not unusual for the Pentagon to draw up contingency plans for conflicts that have not arisen, but his handling of the questions prompted a Republican lawmaker to step in a few minutes later. Representative Mike Turner asked: 'It is not your testimony today that there are plans at the Pentagon for taking by force or invading Greenland, correct?' As Mr Hegseth started to repeat his answer about contingency plans, Mr Turner added emphatically, 'I sure as hell hope that is not your testimony.' 'We look forward to working with Greenland to ensure that it is secured from any potential threats,' Mr Hegseth responded. Time and again, officials pressed Mr Hegseth to answer questions he has avoided for months, including during the two previous days of hearings on Capitol Hill. And frustration boiled over. 'You're an embarrassment to this country. You're unfit to lead,' Salud Carbajal snapped, the California Democrat's voice rising. 'You should just get the hell out.' President Donald Trump has said multiple times that he wants to take control of the strategic, mineral-rich island nation of Greenland, long a US ally. Those remarks have been met with flat rejections from Greenland's leaders. Donald Trump has repeatedly said he wants to take control of the strategic, mineral-rich island nation of Greenland (Alex Brandon/AP) 'Greenland is not for sale,' Jacob Isbosethsen, Greenland's representative to the US, said on Thursday at a forum in Washington sponsored by the Arctic Institute. In an effort not to show the Pentagon's hand on its routine effort to have plans for everything, Mr Hegseth danced around the direct question from Mr Smith, leading to the confusion. 'Speaking on behalf of the American people, I don't think the American people voted for President Trump because they were hoping we would invade Greenland,' Mr Smith said. Mr Hegseth's use of two Signal chats to discuss plans for US strikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen with other US leaders as well as members of his family prompted dizzying exchanges with representatives. He was pressed multiple times over whether or not he shared classified information and if he should face accountability if he did. Mr Hegseth argued that the classification markings of any information about those military operations could not be discussed. That became a quick trap, as Mr Hegseth has asserted that nothing he posted — on strike times and munitions dropped in March — was classified. His questioner, Seth Moulton, a Massachusetts Democrat and Marine veteran, jumped on the disparity. 'You can very well disclose whether or not it was classified,' Mr Moulton said. 'What's not classified is that it was an incredible, successful mission,' Mr Hegseth responded. A Pentagon watchdog report on his Signal use is expected soon. Mr Moulton then asked Mr Hegseth whether he would hold himself accountable if the inspector general finds that he placed classified information on Signal, a commercially available app. Mr Hegseth would not directly say, only noting that he serves 'at the pleasure of the president'.


Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
US House passes Trump cuts of $9.4 billion for foreign aid, broadcasting
WASHINGTON, June 12 (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday narrowly passed President Donald Trump's request to slash $9.4 billion in spending on foreign and public broadcasting, sending the package for consideration by the Senate. The measure passed the House, where Trump's Republicans hold a slim majority and have shown little appetite for opposing his initiatives, by 214 to 212.


Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Explainer: How Iran's network of Middle East power faded
June 12 (Reuters) - At previous moments of tension over decades of rivalry with Western foes, Iran was able to project power across the Middle East using a network of close allies that meant any strikes against it threatened to trigger a formidable response. Now, with talks deadlocked over its nuclear programme and U.S. President Donald Trump saying an Israeli strike on Iran "could very well happen," Tehran must face a fresh crisis with those capabilities greatly diminished. The United States killed the mastermind of Iran's regional network in 2020 and since the war in Gaza began 20 months ago, Israel has hammered Tehran's closest ally Hezbollah while rebels ousted its main regional partner, Syria's President Bashar al-Assad. Here is how Iran built up its "Axis of Resistance", how that network has come undone, and the regional resources Tehran can still count on. Iran spent decades after its 1979 Islamic Revolution developing a network of allies across the Middle East that accepted Tehran's leadership and shared its regional vision of fighting what they described as Western imperialism. This "Axis of Resistance", as it was dubbed, drew on the appeal of Iran's revolutionary theocratic ideas to traditionally marginalised fellow Shi'ite Muslims across the region, and on its staunch support for Palestinian nationalism. It grew to include Hezbollah in Lebanon, President Bashar al-Assad's government in Syria, Shi'ite Muslim armed groups in Iraq, the Houthis in Yemen and the Palestinian militant group Hamas - extending Iran's influence to both the Mediterranean and Red Sea. The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and its elite Quds Force lay at the heart of the axis. The IRGC answers to the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and was set up soon after the revolution as an ideologically committed counterweight to the regular armed forces. The Quds Force operates as the IRGC's overseas wing, working closely with allies in the Axis of Resistance to train and arm them, and to provide direction and guidance in their military operations. Its tough, shrewd commander Major-General Qassem Soleimani was killed by a U.S. drone attack in Iraq in 2020 after decades spent knitting together groups across the region and Iran has struggled to replace him. When Hamas attacked Israeli communities on October 7, 2023, it triggered massive military retaliation that has killed much of the group's top leadership including political chief Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated in Tehran last summer. Hamas is still fighting in Gaza and retains a significant presence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, but it does not presently boast a military force capable of posing a realistic threat to Israel. The war quickly spread as Iran's most important regional ally Hezbollah fired on Israel from Lebanon in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, leading to months of cross-border fire between the group and Israel. That conflict suddenly escalated in September 2024 when Israel detonated thousands of booby-trapped pagers used by Hezbollah operatives, killing and maiming hundreds of them. Over the following weeks a string of Israeli airstrikes killed Hezbollah's top leadership including overall chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, dealing the group a stunning blow and revealing how far it had been infiltrated. Hezbollah accepted a ceasefire with Israel in November and remains far from the powerful organisation that once threatened Israeli security. Syria's Assad was ousted soon afterwards. Israel had targeted top Iranian commanders in Syria with airstrikes over the summer, causing a partial IRGC pullout. Without Iranian and Hezbollah support, and ally Russia bogged down with war in Ukraine, Assad's army crumbled when rebels mounted an offensive in late November and he fled in December. With Hamas and Hezbollah greatly weakened, Iran can still turn to the Shi'ite militias it supports in Iraq and to the Houthis in Yemen. Iraq has a constellation of Iran-aligned armed groups but just a handful count among the most loyal and powerful to Tehran, including Kataib Hezbollah and the Nujaba group. These groups receive arms and directives from Iran and have pledged allegiance to Iran's supreme leader but retain a degree of autonomy on their operations inside Iraq. They have all but ceased attacks targeting U.S. forces and Israel since last year. Analysts question how far they would go to protect Iran if an attack was aimed at its nuclear sites rather than as part of an effort to topple the Islamic Republic given that would pose an existential threat to their main source of support. The Houthis have continued to fire missiles at Israel, but their ability to pose a significant threat from their distant base in Yemen is in doubt. Their attacks on Red Sea shipping have cooled since striking a deal with the U.S. after weeks of bombings in the spring.