Ousted IRS official Traci DiMartini claims she was forced out due to political meddling by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), influenced by Elon Musk.

DiMartini was placed on leave for “ineffective management” and “insubordination” after resisting pressure to fast-track DOGE-selected hires.

“It’s my job to stand up and be the buffer between politicals and career employees, and I’m just trying to do my goddamn job.

They have no idea who they picked a f—king fight with.”

Source: New Republic

South Korea's impeached President Yoon has been released from custody.

Source: Yonhap

The U.S. has informed NATO allies of its intent to stop participating in planning future military exercises in Europe.

This does not yet affect NATO drills planned for 2025, where the U.S. is set to play a key role.

Source: Sweden’s Expressen

The U.S. plans to sign a deal for rare earth mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Congo proposed a deal granting the U.S. exploration rights in exchange for support for President Félix Tshisekedi, in power since 2019.

Source: FT

Trump still supports Elon Musk's DOGE mission but thinks that the secretaries should be in charge and Musk's team should only advise.

This is the first time Trump put some limits on Elon Musk's authority.

Source: NYT

Europe’s Energy Dilemma

Europe’s security isn’t just about tanks and missiles—it’s also about energy.

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41% of Danes now view the U.S. as a threat to Denmark.

92% believe Denmark should prioritize Europe over the U.S. for security.

Source: Verian poll for Berlingske

US Justice Department has opened an investigation into the cause of soaring egg prices in the country.

Prices have doubled over the past year and eggs are sometimes entirely absent from grocery store shelves in the US.

Source: WSJ

Only 16% of Germans trust the United States.

Source: Infratest dimap

Devastating Russian cluster munition attack on the city of Dobropillja in Ukraine’s Donetsk region resulted in at least 11 deaths and 30 injuries.

A second Shahed kamikaze UAV strike targeted first responders and firefighters after the initial attack.

French Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu:

French intelligence is sovereign; we are replacing halted US intel for Ukraine.

The UK faces challenges due to its 5 Eyes ties.

Switzerland has lifted the sanctions on the Syrian energy and transportation sectors.

Source: Swissinfo

Meanwhile, the percentage of Germans who trust Russia has reached 10%, 6 points behind the US.

Trump’s former national security advisor Bolton dismissed U.S. sanction threats against Russia as meaningless, calling them a mere attempt to appear “balanced” on Ukraine.

Tariffs are ineffective, as Russian imports to the U.S. totaled just $3 billion in 2024.

Russia has learned to evade sanctions, especially financial ones.

“Putin knew this threat was completely empty.”

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte:

European defense contractors need to step up.

Ukrainian media (RBC) claims that the Ukrainian forces are not being encircled in Kursk and are not planning to withdraw from the region.

Ukrainian air defence operator thanks the American people for the military aid.

A group of soldiers who committed violations against civilians during an anti-terror operation in the west coast area have been arrested and sent to a military court, Al Jazeera reported, citing a Syrian defence ministry source.

Hungarian PM Orban:

The plan to rearm Europe will lead to Germany creating the largest army on the continent since World War II.