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We Trump critics cannot be blind to his successes
šØ Ā£150 DaliĢ | šµāš« Typing challenge | š Top stocks
In the headlines
Donald Trump has announced a fresh wave of tariffs, set to go into effect in seven days, after his initial deadline for striking trade deals passed last night. Dozens of countries were hit with steep new levies, including a 35% rate for Canada effective immediately, while recent deals with others were formalised, including a lowest rate of 10% for the UK. Heathrow airport has submitted its proposals for a £49bn expansion, which includes building a third runway, modernising existing terminals and rerouting a section of the M25 (supposedly without disrupting traffic). The expansion has the backing of Chancellor Rachel Reeves, but is expected to face legal action from London Mayor Sadiq Khan. Steven Knight, creator of The Peaky Blinders, will write the script for the next James Bond film. The British screenwriter, also known for co-creating the gameshow Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, was chosen after a meeting with director Denis Villeneuve.
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We Trump critics cannot be blind to his successes
It pains me to say it, as one of Donald Trumpās many āfoam-at-the-mouth criticsā, says Bret Stephens in The New York Times, but his presidency is becoming more and more successful. He has strong-armed other Nato members into upping their defence spending, something his predecessors always wanted but were too polite to do anything about. He defied parts of his political base to help Israel neuter Iranās nuclear programme, without getting drawn into another Middle East war. After his initial pressure campaign on Ukraine only emboldened Vladimir Putin, he changed course and accelerated the delivery of arms to Kyiv ā a welcome demonstration that he can change his mind when the facts change.
Back home, Trump has ended Americaās migration crisis (albeit going too far by targeting law-abiding illegal immigrants). The economy has ā so far ā shrugged off concerns about his tariff regime. The Democrats are polling at a 35-year low. Yes, there is still plenty to āfear, dislike and even despiseā about what this administration does: threatening to seize alliesā territory; shaking down universities and law firms; promoting āmedical quackeryā. But if we Trump critics want to be effective ā āand letās face it, we havenāt beenā ā we have to acknowledge reality. Namely, that not everything he does is bad; that his ābad mannersā and over-the-top approach sometimes achieve useful diplomatic results. Iāve repeatedly lambasted this president and this administration, and Iām sure Iāll do so again. But you have to give credit where itās due. āFor criticism to be credible, it cannot be blind.ā
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Photography
Bulgarian astrophotographer Mihail Minkov recently went on a 20-day journey across South America to capture some of the worldās āmost spectacular locations with the darkest skiesā, says PetaPixel. Working through the nights, and accompanied by eight other snappers, he captured the stars over the Atacama Desert in Chile, the Uyuni Salt Flat in Bolivia, and Easter Island. To see more of his work, click on the image.
āBreathe, breathe, breatheā
Someone found a private notebook at a fancy London hotel filled with handwriting that seems to match Kemi Badenochās own, says Will Lloyd in The New Statesman. Under the heading āPersonal Improvementā, it contains what appears to be a list of affirmations for public speaking: āBreathe, breathe, breatheā; āDonāt let people think you are easily wound upā; āYou are a serious person who does big thingsā.
Willās deeply sourced piece about the beleaguered Conservative leader is in the rest of todayās newsletter, along with the usual selection of smaller bits, including:
š§³ How airport check-in staff get their revenge on unpleasant customers
āØļø A fun game to test your typing skills under pressure
š¤ The worldās best-performing major stock market (itās not what you think)
šØ The original DalĆ picked up at a house clearance sale for Ā£150
š The data which shows that Britainās millionaire exodus is real
š» Will Ferrellās invaluable marriage advice
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