logo
Europe Playing for Time on Defense: Max Hastings

Europe Playing for Time on Defense: Max Hastings

Bloomberga day ago

"I have serious doubts whether any of these terrific projections are going to be met," says Bloomberg Opinion Columnist Max Hastings, on the latest NATO spending goals. "It's very difficult for European politicians to get voters to sign up for defense spending," he adds. (Source: Bloomberg)

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Fox News Pundit Goes Nuclear After Netherlands Queen Seems To Mock 'Daddy Trump'
Fox News Pundit Goes Nuclear After Netherlands Queen Seems To Mock 'Daddy Trump'

Yahoo

time42 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Fox News Pundit Goes Nuclear After Netherlands Queen Seems To Mock 'Daddy Trump'

Fox News contributor Raymond Arroyo joked that President Donald Trump might send a 'personalized' bomb to Queen Máxima of the Netherlands after a video showed the Dutch royal appearing to mock the president's mouth movements. Friday's episode of 'The Ingraham Angle' addressed the now-viral footage from this week's NATO summit in the Netherlands. The clip shows Trump posing for a photo with Queen Máxima and her husband, King Willem-Alexander. After Trump says, 'Thank you very much,' Máxima turns away and makes some movements with her lips and tongue. It's unclear exactly what she was doing, but many people interpreted it as her making fun of Trump. Neither Máxima nor Trump have commented publicly on the video, but Arroyo jumped in with his take on Friday. 'She's clearly making fun of his mouth... You know, doing the Trump lip thing,' the pundit said. Then he quipped that the Dutch queen should watch out — or else. 'She better be careful, you know. She could get a personalized bunker buster from Daddy Trump if she's not really careful,' he said, referencing the bombs the U.S. used to strike Iran's nuclear sites earlier this month. Arroyo: She's clearly making fun of his mouth.. But she better be careful. She could get a personalized bunker buster from Daddy Trump if she is not really careful — Acyn (@Acyn) June 27, 2025 In a slightly more serious tone, Arroyo added that the royal's reputation could take a hit. 'She's going to go from Queen Máxima from Queen Minima if she's not standing on protocol in the future,' he said. 'This is a bad look for a royal, or anybody.' Arroyo's remarks also nodded to NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte referring to Trump as 'Daddy' during the summit. Trump, sticking to a familiar theme, was comparing Russia and Ukraine to 'two kids at a schoolyard' fighting. Rutte then chimed in, 'And then Daddy has to sometimes use strong language.' NATO Chief Drops 'Daddy' Remark During Trump Chat On Iran-Israel

Trump pushes for Gaza ceasefire: what are the terms of the latest proposal?
Trump pushes for Gaza ceasefire: what are the terms of the latest proposal?

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

Trump pushes for Gaza ceasefire: what are the terms of the latest proposal?

Eager to reinforce his image as a dealmaker, Trump believes the ceasefire between Tel Aviv and Tehran has opened the door to ending the war in Gaza, now approaching its second year. Speaking during his visit to The Hague for the NATO summit, Trump said: "There is progress. I think the attack we launched on Iran is going to lead to very good news." The latest ceasefire proposal includes the release of 10 living Israeli hostages, along with the return of the bodies of 18 deceased hostages. These would be handed over in two instalments, between the first and seventh day of the agreement. In exchange, Israel would release 1,236 Palestinian prisoners and return 180 bodies currently in its custody. Both Israel and Hamas would also be required to provide updated information on the status of detainees by the tenth day. Under the terms of the proposal, Israel would suspend its military operations and aerial surveillance over the Gaza Strip for 10 hours each day, extending to 12 hours during periods when hostages and prisoners are being exchanged. Israeli forces would reposition themselves in the Netzarim corridor and northern Gaza. Humanitarian aid would resume through mutually agreed channels. During the truce period, the two sides would continue negotiations to resolve outstanding issues, with the potential to extend the ceasefire for an additional 60 days. While Israeli and US officials have accused Hamas of rejecting the proposal, the group insists it has accepted the deal but is seeking further guarantees to prevent Israel from resuming the war immediately after the truce expires. Meanwhile, pressure is mounting inside Israel to reach a deal. Over the weekend, protests were held outside the homes of both the Israeli president and the education minister, calling for action on a hostage exchange. According to Israel's Channel 12, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to push for a prisoner swap agreement during his upcoming visit to Washington, where he will also advance talks on normalising relations with Syria.

Trump Issues Blistering Response After Iran Threatens U.S.
Trump Issues Blistering Response After Iran Threatens U.S.

Yahoo

time2 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Trump Issues Blistering Response After Iran Threatens U.S.

U.S. President Donald Trump addresses a press conference during a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in The Hague on June 25, 2025. Credit - Nicolas Tucat—Getty Images President Donald Trump issued blistering remarks in response to Iran's Supreme Leader claiming victory over Israel and, by extension, the U.S. In a loaded public message, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had also threatened to attack more U.S. Military bases, further splintering the Middle Eastern country's relationship with the U.S. 'Look, you're a man of great faith. A man who's highly respected in his country. You have to tell the truth. You got beat to hell,' Trump said as he addressed the Iranian Supreme Leader during a White House press conference on Friday. Trump issued an even stronger response on his social media platform, Truth Social, later in the day, and doubled down on his stance once more when he reposted his message early Saturday morning. In the lengthy post, Trump accused Khamenei of publicly sharing a 'lie' by claiming Iran achieved a victory over Israel. He reaffirmed his much debated viewpoint that the U.S. strikes 'obliterated' the three key nuclear facilities it targeted on Saturday, June 21. Trump also seemingly made reference to previous reports that stated the White House turned down a plan by Israel to try and kill Khamenei. 'His country was decimated, his three evil nuclear sites were obliterated, and I knew exactly where he was sheltered, and would not let Israel, or the U.S. Armed Forces... terminate his life. I saved him from a very ugly and ignominious death,' Trump said, lamenting that Khamenei would not 'thank' him for this. 'During the last few days, I was working on the possible removal of sanctions, and other things, which would have given a much better chance to Iran at a full, fast, and complete recovery. The sanctions are biting! But no, instead I get hit with a statement of anger, hatred, and disgust, and immediately dropped all work on sanction relief.' According to Congress, the U.S. sanctions on Iran 'are arguably the most extensive and comprehensive set of sanctions that the United States maintains on any country.' They block Iranian government assets in the U.S., ban nearly all U.S. trade with Iran, and prohibit foreign assistance and arms sales. Read More: How U.S. Strikes May Have Inadvertently Helped the Iranian Regime Trump concluded his charged social media message by saying 'Iran has to get back into the world order flow' or else things 'will only get worse for them.' 'They are always so angry, hostile, and unhappy, and look at what it has gotten them. A burned out, blown up country with no future, a decimated military, a horrible economy, and death all around them. They have no hope, and it will only get worse! I wish the leadership of Iran would realize that you often get more with honey than you do with vinegar. Peace!" Khamenei broke his silence on Thursday, publicly speaking out—via a pre-recorded televised address and various social media comments— for the first time since Trump announced the (admittedly fragile) cease-fire between Israel and Iran. In his televised message, Khamenei threatened to attack more U.S. military bases should any more aggression from the U.S. side occur. 'The Islamic Republic slapped America in the face. It attacked one of the important American bases in the region,' Khamenei said, referring to his country's air assault on Al Udeid Air Base, a U.S. airbase in Qatar. The strikes were intercepted by the U.S. (except for one that was allowed to proceed as there was no risk of contact), and no casualties were reported. The military action was retaliatory, a direct response to the U.S. strikes on nuclear facilities. Khamenei claimed 'total victory' over Israel. But Israel, the U.S., and Iran have all claimed to have won the war that started on June 13, when Israel launched strikes on Iranian nuclear and military targets, amid growing concern over Iran's nuclear capabilities. When the U.S. actively joined the conflict on June 21, striking three key Iranian nuclear facilities, world leaders urged de-escalation and a return to negotiations, amid fears of a far-reaching war erupting. Read More: 'Gravely Alarmed' World Leaders React After U.S. Strikes Iran Though Trump continues to say that Iran's nuclear sites were 'totally obliterated,' others have cast doubts on how effective the U.S. strikes were in setting back Iran's nuclear program. Leaked U.S. intelligence suggested that the damage to Iran's nuclear program may not be as severe as Trump has stated. CIA director John Ratcliffe said on Wednesday that the sites had been 'severely damaged' by the U.S. strikes, and that it would take years to be rebuilt. Amid the debate, the White House has put out statements arguing Trump's stance that the facilities were "obliterated," labelling reports to the contrary as "fake news." But some Democrats left a classified meeting with lingering questions over the effectiveness of the strikes. 'There's no doubt there was damage done to the program, but the allegations that we have obliterated their program just don't seem to stand up to reason,' said Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut on Thursday. 'To me, it still appears that we have only set back the Iranian nuclear program by a handful of months.' When asked about concerns of Iran having 'secret nuclear sites' at Friday's press conference, Trump said he was 'not worried about it at all.' 'They're exhausted. The last thing they're thinking about right now is nuclear,' he told reporters. 'You know what they're thinking of? They're thinking about tomorrow, trying to live in such a mess. The place was bombed to hell.' Meanwhile, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Friday that Trump needs to retire his "disrespectful" tone towards Khamenei if he wants a deal to be struck between the U.S. and Iran.'If President Trump is genuine about wanting a deal, he should put aside the disrespectful and unacceptable tone towards Iran's Supreme Leader, Grand Ayatollah Khamenei, and stop hurting his millions of heartfelt followers,' he said. "The great and powerful Iranian people, who showed the world that the Israeli regime had no choice but to run to 'Daddy' to avoid being flattened by our missiles, do not take kindly to threats and insults." Araghchi was referencing remarks made by NATO chief Mark Rutte who, during the NATO Summit on Wednesday, referred to Trump as the "daddy" who had to intervene in the conflict between Israel and Iran. Contact us at letters@

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store