NATO leaders are convening in Ankara for their latest summit, aiming to address US President Donald Trump's demands for increased defense spending from allies. The meeting follows a turbulent six months marked by tensions over US troop reductions and diplomatic disputes.
Trump's spending ultimatum
On Friday, Trump posted on Truth Social a graphic comparing NATO members' defense budgets, highlighting the US contribution of $999 million against smaller European figures, calling the situation "ridiculous" and "one-sided." The US plans to cut troops and materiel assigned to Europe in a potential war with Russia.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte urged allies to present "clear, concrete and credible plans" to meet the organization's spending targets. "President Trump fully expects that all allies will step up immediately and get on the path to 5% and do it with urgency," Rutte said.
Allies announce new arms contracts
On the sidelines of the summit, NATO members will announce tens of billions in new arms contracts at an industry forum. This move aims to demonstrate commitment to defense spending increases.
Tensions have escalated since Trump threatened to take control of Greenland from Denmark, a NATO ally. He also launched an economically disastrous attack on Iran with Israel without consulting European leaders, and complained that countries like the UK did not allow US jets to bomb Iran from their territory. Trump has accused Italy's Giorgia Meloni of being obsessed with him, and relations with Canada's Mark Carney are strained after Trump expressed interest in a takeover of the US's northern neighbor.
Calls for Platner to drop out after assault allegation
Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner faces mounting pressure to withdraw from the Maine race after a sexual assault allegation. Jenny Racicot, 41, who previously dated Platner, accused him of forcing her to have sex despite repeated objections, according to an exclusive Politico report. The report cited accounts from a confidant, therapist emails, and messages warning an acquaintance in 2023.
Maine's Democratic party leadership, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, and Democratic senatorial campaign committee chair Kirsten Gillibrand called for Platner's immediate withdrawal. "The DSCC will not invest in the Maine Senate race if Platner remains on the ballot," they said. Platner denied the claims, stating, "These allegations are troubling, serious, and false. Any accusation of non-consensual behavior is categorically untrue."
US airman avoids British trial over indecent exposure
US airman Hannes Marschalek, accused of exposing himself to a 16-year-old girl and four young women in Cambridgeshire, England, in 2022, avoided the English justice system after the US military took control of the case. Cambridgeshire police received complaints, but ceded responsibility to the US military. Marschalek faced a court martial in 2023, negotiated a plea bargain, and later won an appeal quashing his conviction on technical grounds.
The case echoes that of Captain Jacob Wulfson, a US fighter pilot who strangled a British woman in Cambridge. Wulfson's victim described the "degrading" ordeal of a US military tribunal. Cambridgeshire police have faced criticism for deferring investigations of sexual crimes to the US military, even when crimes occurred on English soil while perpetrators were off duty.
Other news highlights
The US Men's National Team crashed out of the World Cup in Seattle after a 4-1 loss to Belgium, following controversy over Trump's intervention in a key player's suspension. Utah prosecutors began presenting their case in the killing of Charlie Kirk in a preliminary hearing. An Idaho woman, Andrea Shaw, who claimed her infant twins died from vaccines, was charged with murder after appearing on a RFK Jr.-linked podcast. Staff for Mitch McConnell said the Kentucky senator is "continuing his recovery" in hospital, with details scarce.
Microsoft cuts 4,800 jobs in Xbox overhaul
Microsoft is eliminating about 4,800 jobs, roughly 2% of its global workforce, in a cost-cutting move. The cuts include the deepest overhaul in Xbox's history, with approximately 3,200 gaming jobs shed and four game studios spun off or sold.
Culture pick: 'The Pitt' offers hope
Michael Hogan describes the US hospital drama "The Pitt" as a rare dose of optimism amid wars and political divisions, interweaving life-or-death medical cases with personal crises in a real-time format.
Helen Hunt on great roles and RSC debut
Oscar winner Helen Hunt discusses finding meaty characters, tough times in the US, and co-starring with Kenneth Branagh in The Cherry Orchard in an interview with Arifa Akbar.
Celebrity impersonators cruise
Mina Tavakoli reports from the Sunburst Convention of Celebrity Impersonators onboard a cruise, featuring tribute artists who embody icons like Sinatra.
Oil companies profit amid climate crisis
Jonathan Watts reports that the world's biggest oil companies plan to increase production despite scientific consensus that fossil fuels drive climate change, increasing risks of severe wildfires across southern Europe.
Madonna's new album revitalizes her music
Madonna biographer Lucy O'Brien says Madonna's new album, a follow-up to 2005's Confessions on a Dance Floor, wrestles with nostalgia, grief, and loss, making her music deeper and more alive than in the past two decades.
