At the start of the day, Marco Rubio and Steve Witkoff were on their way to a top-level meeting in London to discuss President Trump's seven-point "peace" plan. But when the details of the plan were revealed, Ukraine immediately said that it was not acceptable - that it was not a peace plan, but a surrender plan. Cue meltdown. Trump pulled Rubio and Witkoff from the meeting, JD Vance took time out in India to rail on the subject, and Trump then added his own narrative on social media. Once again the US is threatening to walk about - but just like everything else they say right now, it seems likely this is more bluff than substance. Let's discuss.

President Trump came out of the gates quickly in his second term, testing the limits of his power in all directions at once, and assaulting numerous institutions to show them that he could bully them into compliance with a radical change agenda. Initially, it looked like most of them would just cave in to his demands. But increasingly, from Harvard to numerous law firms and now even the Supreme Court, lines are being drawn in the sand. How important is this moment in terms of constraining the actions of an increasingly authoritarian regime? Let's discuss.

Reports are coming into view about complete disarray at the Pentagon under Trump's controversial pick for secretary of defence, Pete Hegseth. He has fired all his senior advisors, he is isolated, unqualified and unexperienced. And this is damaging one of the most important departments of state, even as Trump defends him against any suggestion of media witch hunts. But if the chaos is real, how long can Trump actually hold out before he bows to what seems to be the increasingly inevitable? And how much difference does it make that he has also been found to have engaged in a SECOND Signal group chat, that shared secret information with people unauthorised to receive it? Let's discuss.

Answering a question from a Patreon supporter - Should Greenland kick the US out of its one remaining Greenland base, since - if Trump were to make good on his threat to take the island by force - it could be used as an entrance point? The sentiments are understandable, but the realpolitik of the situation really comes down to how Denmark and Greenland are most likely to be able to retrieve the optimal outcome from this episode of Trump posturing. A full-frontal attack of this sort might be temporarily satisfying, but the consequences would likely be worse. But it's certainly an open question, so let's discuss.

We've been witnessing something really strange over the last three weeks. Trump has been ... silent. OK, only about one thing, but even so. He's been wholly quiet on the subject of Canada, and his previous expressed desire that it should become the 51st state of the USA. The silence can mean only one thing - he actually really does understand how much he blew it with Canada - turning an entire nation against him and making it highly unlikely he will ever achieve his goals. The Canadian federal election is in full swing - and Trump's effect is everywhere, even if his voice is absent. But the big question is - will his silence kick in before election day to undo the impact he has had so far on voting intentions? Pierre Poilièvre is certainly hoping so. Let's discuss.

The Supreme Court ruled decisively 9-0 that the man incorrectly removed from the USA to one of the most notorious prisons in El Salvador, Abrego Garcia, that he should be returned to be afforded the due process any human being should expect. The Trump Administration has, instead claimed the ruling vindicated their position, and in a set-piece in front of the media with the El Salvador President made it clear that it will be making no efforts to return him. What's more, Trump said that they would happily send American citizens also to such places. If the courts have no sway, and people can be taken off the streets and exported without consequence, what is the end point for the slide to authoritarian rule?

The Trump / China Trade War enters its third week, and the stakes are only getting higher and the measures more intense. While Trump is busy pulling various other countries into the White House to beat them down in negotiations in the face of their tariffs, Xi Jinping is conducting a charm offensive to the countries he trades the most with, and with America's former allies who are now desperately looking for options. Will he outlast Trump in the trade war? Will he win the trust and support - at least to a larger degree than before - of the countries Trump has spurned? Let's discuss.

If the Trump administration is taking the United States in the direction of autocracy, there are certain steps that you would commonly expect to see being taken, in common with other countries that have taken this journey over the last couple of decades. So what steps HAVE we been seeing that are compatible with the idea that future elections, though they are likely still to happen, may no longer be quite as free and fair as Americans have come to expect? Let's have a look.

Trump reversed course, and the stock market flowered in response, and everything's now OK, right? Well, except that a lot of damage has been done, most of the tariffs actually still remain, and there's no sign that the administration really has learnt the lessons of what just happened. As a result of that sinking in, the stock markets have been sliding again today. And the world is getting to grips with what it really means to have the two biggest trading nations locked in a fierce trade war. While we're doing that, MAGA leaders are celebrating Trump's genius and saying how this was the plan all along. As a result of the stupidity, this episode carries an 'enhanced snark' warning!

The news is just in - after all the bluster and the boasting, Trump finally noticed that not all was going swimmingly with his tariffs on the entire world, and he has hit the pause button. For everyone save China, because he can't abide the idea of backing down. But this comes just a day after the full ugliness of this extortion attempt was on show for all to see - and the damage to the idea that the United States treasuries might be the world's safe haven has already been done. So is the backtrack - even if it should become permanent - too late? Let's discuss.