What Actually Mattered This Week: Trump Takes on Putin, Alone

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WHAT ACTUALLY MATTERED THIS WEEK

Trump speaks to Putin, Zelenskyy as U.S. defense secretary dismisses prospect of Ukraine NATO membership

Most NATO members understand that Ukraine does not have a path to membership…and all recognize Ukraine will not get back all the territory illegally occupied by Russia.

But these are concessions to be negotiated by NATO and the Ukrainians together, not to be unilaterally conceded by Trump in advance of negotiations with Putin.

The NATO alliance stands weaker today as a consequence.

An unpopular American perspective from me: as most powerful country in the global system, the United States is better served in promoting common norms and values not breaking them.

UK and US snub France by refusing to sign AI summit declaration

Global cooperation on artificial intelligence: now survival of the fittest.

Egypt's President Sisi to stay away from White House if Gaza displacement on agenda

Egypt denouncing any Washington visits is the most aggressive any foreign leader has been with Trump since the inauguration. And by a long margin.

Jordan’s King Abdullah II visited this week, but reiterated Jordan’s position against the forced displacement of Gazans.

Trump needs the support of neighbor countries to execute his plan.

How will he try to gain it? Watch this space…

Google Maps blocks Gulf of America reviews after rename criticism

We’re living in the dumbest timeline.

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TRUTHS, DAMNED TRUTHS, AND STATISTICS

THE GZERO WORLD WE’RE JUST LIVING IN

THE GRAPHIC TRUTH

YOUR GZERO WORLD

From RFK Jr.’s nomination to lead the health department to an executive order withdrawing the US from the World Health Organization, President?Trump?has already made sweeping changes to public health policy, and this may be just the beginning. On GZERO World, New York Times Science and Global Health Reporter?Apoorva Mandavilli?joins?me?for an in-depth look at health and medicine in the second Trump administration—and what it could mean, not just for the US, but for the rest of the world.

With bird flu numbers rising in the US and a noted vaccine skeptic poised to become the country's most powerful public health official, should we be worried about potential new pandemics or cuts at the CDC and NIH? Will the FDA endorse?RFK’s ideas about raw milk and unfluoridated water? RFK gets a lot right about the need to focus on disease prevention and remove toxins from our food and environment, but many of his ideas are at odds with mainstream medical science, posing a risk to public health. Mandavilli and I break down the big stories in healthcare right now, and what the future of the US medical establishment could look like.

"We have a huge problem with trust in this country, and that predates RFK Jr.," Mandavilli says, "Now when you have somebody who has made those comments very openly about the CDC not being trustworthy or the FDA not being trustworthy, and that's who's leading the health department, I think we are in real danger of people [not trusting] anything."

For a longer, wider-ranging version of my interview check out the GZERO World podcast.

MY QUICK TAKE

President Trump’s plan to resettle Palestinians and develop Gaza isn’t new. Let me break it down for you.

DIG DEEPER: GZERO DAILY BY IAN BREMMER

Germany’s Friedrich Merz and a bold political gamble

Nativist, far-right political parties are expanding their vote shares in Europe.

My column this week unpacks how Friedrich Merz, the likely next chancellor of Germany, is rewriting the script on how Europe’s center-right handles the testy topic of immigration.

Do you like what you’ve seen??Sign up for GZERO Daily by Ian Bremmer

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BECAUSE THE INTERNET

A Canadian marketing team moving at the speed of light:

WHAT TO READ THIS WEEK

The Sirens' Call: How Attention Became the World’s Most Endangered Resource by Chris Hayes

This is your reminder to put your phone down and go touch some grass. The human brain wasn’t built to withstand a nonstop stream of (often negative) information that comes along with constant scrolling.. Filled with insightful analysis and heart, Chris Hayes’ “The Siren’s Call” is an essential read for our time.

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DEEP THOUGHTS

“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.” ― Leon C. Megginson

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Thanks for reading!?Please subscribe to GZERO Daily for coverage of global politics. And make sure to read my latest book?The Power of Crisis?for a roadmap of this decade's great crises and how they might help us build a better world.

I am president of Eurasia Group and GZERO Media and foreign affairs columnist at TIME. I currently teach at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs and previously was a professor at New York University. You can follow me on?X, Bluesky, Threads, TikTok,? Instagram, and Facebook.