Trump's inner circle is pushing the idea

Trump's inner circle is pushing the idea that the former president, if re-elected, should demand NATO allies spend 3% of gross domestic product on defense, more than the 2% goal that some members are still struggling to achieve. It fits into his transactional approach to diplomacy, to float threats as a negotiating tactic to cajole allies to shift their positions. This offers a flavor of what Trump 2.0 could mean.
Trump during a NATO meeting in 2019. Photographer: Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images

Poland has a growing migration crisis on its eastern front and is taking action by choking off a key Chinese freight train route to Europe. The line goes through neighboring Belarus, an ally of Vladimir Putin that emerged as the sole railway link for Chinese goods heading to the European Union after Russia's invasion of Ukraine shuttered trade connections. The migrants are coming predominantly from Africa, the Middle East and Afghanistan.

Elon Musk is wading more and more into politics, endorsing Trump and amplifying criticism of Democrats, although how much the world's richest man has actually given the Republican nominee remains unclear. Musk denied reports that he pledged $45 million a month to a super political action committee supporting Trump's campaign. In tweets on his X social media platform, the Tesla boss said the donations are at a "much lower level."

China's promise to gradually raise the retirement age has created unease among its working population amid growing anxiety about the job market. This raises the question of whether the Communist Party will recalibrate its approach to an unpopular policy and buy itself more time to figure out how to boost birth rates with a population that shrank by more than 2 million last year.

Nicolas Maduro's biggest accomplishment might just be crushing hyperinflation, the bane of many a Latin American economy over the decades. The Venezuelan president is seeking a third term and resisted the spending and printing more money that are typical during an election year. But for many Venezuelans driven into poverty, it's too little and too late.

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will join finance ministers from Group of 20 nations in Rio de Janeiro where the talk of the town is US politics rather than a global tax deal.

The UK's new Labour government is meeting with environmental groups to try and unlock house-building projects that can't get off the ground due to anti-pollution rules.

Thailand is in an economic slump and its government is betting a $14 billion cash handout will help.

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