Trump's Hardball Play Won Over NATO

Everyone criticized him for being right

Jul 10, 2026

Rebeccah Heinrichs in the Daily Wire:

Some NATO nations have spent far too long refusing to invest sufficiently in defense, preferring to break the bank on entitlements. The Baltic countries and Poland are exceptions. They saw the threat from Russia much sooner than Germany, for example. But the tide has turned. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, in stark contrast to former Chancellor Angela Merkel, readily admitted that Trump was right about Europe’s failures. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has repeatedly said, and continues to emphasize, that Europe and Canada have increased their defense spending, with investments averaging nearly 4% of GDP. This progress has been made within a year of their initiative to reach Trump’s 5% GDP demand. This commitment has materialized in a range of defense weapons deals. And despite the president’s indefensible warnings about wanting to own Greenland, Denmark stands out as a strong ally, reaching nearly 4% of GDP and signing new weapons procurement agreements.
European NATO nations have also stepped up and strengthened support for Ukraine’s war effort against Russia, easing the U.S.’s burden. Trump agreed yesterday to authorize a license for Ukraine to manufacture Patriot interceptors, giving Ukraine the ability to restore its critical air defense in light of increased Russian attacks on Kyiv — a huge boost for the country. The authorization not only strengthens Ukraine’s war effort but also expands Patriot production for the United States following a period of rapid depletion in the war against Iran. Outside of the U.S. authorization, Ukraine managed to reach nine drone deals total with various European allies as well as Gulf partners as efforts to increase assistance and cooperation continue to develop. Allies further reaffirmed their united support with a pledge to provide at least 70 billion euros in military equipment, aid, and training for Ukraine this year and again next year.
Despite Trump’s claim that Europeans haven’t been loyal to the United States during Operation Epic Fury, they were vital to the U.S. operation. True, the U.K. initially denied U.S. use of the joint base at Diego Garcia, but this was brief. Throughout Epic Fury, the U.S. operated consistently from bases across the U.K., and the Brits helped with intelligence, logistics, and air defense for the Gulf States. As did the French. The U.S. had a tanker bridge, deploying nearly 100 tankers across eight allied nations. European politicians did not advertise the extent of aid because of how unpopular the United States is with their domestic audiences, especially after Trump’s threats to Greenland. Europe’s most conservative politicians — who are most amenable to American conservatives — even condemned Trump’s threats.
Still, Europe benefits from the U.S.-Israeli military operations to significantly weaken the Iranian regime, so leaders quietly authorized support. At the NATO summit, Trump and other NATO leaders have strengthened ties to openly facilitate cooperation on missions, including the safe movement of oil in the Strait of Hormuz. They agreed to facilitate a joint operation of minesweepers to de-mine the Strait in anticipation of Iranian efforts to deploy more mines (as the MOU continues to be tested and is on the brink of collapse). In response to Iranian violations in the Strait, NATO allies have expressed support for the United States’ action against Iran. Rutte defended U.S. strikes against Iran last night with the following statement: “I think it was absolutely necessary because when you have a ceasefire and Iran is basically violating the ceasefire. . . I think it is totally crucial that the U.S. forcefully react.”
This good news does not mean there are no challenges ahead. The president should let Secretary of State Marco Rubio work with the Kingdom of Denmark privately to ensure U.S. security concerns are addressed in Greenland. The Danes have been entirely cooperative and continue to stand out as reliable allies willing to do their part to enforce sanctions and keep the Chinese Communists from embedding in the High North. Ridiculing Denmark and threatening to take its territory only hurts Trump’s success in injecting energy and real, no-kidding defenses in Europe. Still, the summit was a success, and Trump does deserve credit for getting Europeans to take their defense seriously, which goes a long way for the president who wishes to be hailed for making peace.

Platner Fallout Continues

Politico:

Nirav Shah’s first event back on the campaign trail was coming together quickly. Staffers shepherded supporters into a nearly-empty office space, and an intrepid group of volunteers, armed with masking tape and markers, put the finishing touches on familiar campaign signs that suddenly needed an update.
Forming in a makeshift assembly line, they methodically taped over the word “governor” and wrote “Senate” in its place. Erin Evans, 56, of Portland, arrived with her own handmade poster: she had used colored duct tape to mask what once was her “Graham Platner for Senate” yard sign, covering the oysterman’s name with an all-caps “NIRAV.”
The DIY-campaigning is a symptom of the moment in which Maine Democrats now find themselves. Platner, who ended his campaign Wednesday night, had energized voters who were hungry for a fighter to unseat GOP Sen. Susan Collins. But support for Platner’s campaign crumbled after POLITICO reported a woman he used to date accused him of sexual assault — an allegation which he denies.
His old supporters are now trying to find a new political home in the two-and-a-half short weeks during which Maine Democrats must name a replacement for their former Senate hopeful. And voters’ options, for the most part, are a flurry of familiar faces who unsuccessfully mounted campaigns for office already this year and are now scrambling for a second chance.“Campaigns are always like building the plane while you’re flying it, but this is like building it while falling out of a helicopter,” said a staffer working on one of the campaigns who was granted anonymity to candidly discuss the situation.
The homemade signs at Shah’s event were just one example of how fast things are moving in Maine: the WiFi network available at his kickoff event was still labeled “ShahForGovernor.”
Several of the Democrats vying to replace Platner have already run against each other in a nearly-identical field in this year’s June primaries. Whoever emerges will face Collins, a battle-tested five-term incumbent with more than $10 million cash in the bank who won her last race by eight points even as President Donald Trump lost the state by nine. The race’s result will play a pivotal role in Senate control.
Three of the unsuccessful candidates for governor are vying for the open spot on the ballot, including former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson, Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, and Shah, who was the former top Pine Tree State public health official. All three won at least 20 percent of the primary vote just one month ago. Two other candidates, Jordan Wood and Paige Loud, fell short in the Democratic primary to succeed retiring Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) in his battleground seat. And then there’s Maine Beer Company founder Dan Kleban — who initially ran for the Senate but bowed out of the race to back Gov. Janet Mills before she, too, dropped out as Platner asserted a massive polling and fundraising lead.
These hopefuls have already aired their political differences with each other over the course of the last year, but the pseudo-primary for the Senate will come with a far harsher — and nationalized — spotlight in a majorly truncated period of time.
The race to replace Platner on the ballot began in earnest on Thursday, with several candidates actively jumping into the race and their advisers scrambling to figure out how to pay for staff, run ads, and identify who they are even competing against — with scant details from a state party that is also piecing things together on the fly.
Said an adviser on another campaign: “No one planned for this. Even anyone that thought, ‘okay, Graham might be in trouble’ … the idea that anyone actually put a ton of planning into this scenario seems unlikely.”

Benjamin Domenech@bdomenech

'Scared of their base': Inside the battle within the Democratic Party - @larry_kudlow @FoxBusiness foxbusiness.com/video/64007456… #FoxBusiness

foxbusiness.com

'Scared of their base': Inside the battle within the Democratic Party | Fox Business Video

12:09 AM · Jul 10, 2026 · 9.03K Views

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The Blue Cities Hiding Their Homeless Problems

Daily Wire:

The final FIFA World Cup game hosted in Seattle ended in the disappointing loss of the United States to Belgium. But for Seattle, a city so overcome by drug addiction, mental illness, and street-level homelessness, the weeks-long event was a smashing success.
Downtown sparkled as it welcomed visitors from around the world for the six games it hosted at Lumen Field, rebranded Seattle Stadium for the tournament. In addition to exciting games, soccer fans enjoyed a city with noticeably cleaner streets and few visible signs of homelessness, drug addiction, and mental illness that are familiar to residents.
But this is not what long-term success looks like.
Mayor Katie Wilson and her team did not clean up the city. They simply moved the problem elsewhere, like a child shoving his toys under the bed when told to clean his room.
Under Wilson’s direction, the homeless were swept out of downtown and pushed into surrounding neighborhoods and minority communities already struggling with crime and disorder.
Journalist Jonathan Choe regularly reports on the plight of Seattle’s Chinatown-International District, an Asian American community overwhelmed by open-air drug use and stolen-goods markets. Here, many businesses are boarded up, and those that have survived are quickly losing money. Merchants report ongoing theft and crime. Parks meant for children and families are instead filled with drug users and paraphernalia. Residents have pleaded with city officials for help, but there has been little response. Choe calls it “the city’s human dumping ground.”
Seattle is not the first to engage in these deceptive city-cleaning tactics. Hiding the homeless is a common occurrence in cities across the nation when they host large events or important national and international figures. The Associated Press noted such instances in New Orleans ahead of the 2025 Super Bowl, Chicago ahead of the 2024 Democratic National Convention, and Atlanta ahead of the 1996 Olympics. The most notorious might be the cleanup of San Francisco in preparation for Chinese dictator Xi Jinping.
These cities appear more concerned with making a good impression on visiting tourists, dignitaries, and soccer fans than with the experiences of residents who live with these conditions year-round.

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