A British journalist whose BBC documentaries tackled the Nazi dictatorship's chaos has released a new book exploring the minds of those who carried out the Holocaust and how they defended their horrible actions decades later.
Why it matters: "The Nazi Mind: Twelve Warnings from History" released in the U.S. last week comes as antisemitism and new authoritarian regimes are rising around the world.
President Trump said on Saturday that he is going to speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders on Monday to try and reach an agreement on a ceasefire.
Why it matters: Trump believes his personal involvement could break the logjam in the diplomatic efforts and has even said that no breakthrough can be achieved without a meeting between him and Putin.
In most policy areas, the Trump administration is seeking sharp 180-degree turns from Biden-era policy.
But there is one quiet way Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is picking up where his predecessor left off: urging China to reset its economy.
Why it matters: Behind the Trump administration's volatile tariff policy is the same frustration that simmered among Biden-era economic officials — and a continued push to get the nation to change.
For too long, American officials believe, China has been exporting its way to growth, swamping the world with its goods in ways that have harmed domestic industries.
Russian and Ukrainian officials met in Istanbul on Friday to discuss a possible ceasefire in the war, the first such discussions since the early days of Moscow's invasion.
Why it matters: The meeting comes after months of diplomatic pressure by the Trump administration to open talks on ending the war. No ceasefire was agreed in the initial round of talks, but the sides did agree to swap 1,000 prisoners from each side.
President Trump on Friday confirmed that the U.S. gave Iran a proposal for a nuclear deal and called on Iran to accept it fast.
Why it matters: Trump has said he wants to resolve the Iranian nuclear crisis either by diplomacy or by military force, but stressed he prefers a deal that makes sure Iran never gets a nuclear weapon.
President Trump announced multibillion-dollar AI deals between U.S. companies and Gulf countries this week even as many in Washington continue to fear that China could gain backdoor access to advanced AI chips and worry that critical AI infrastructure could end up based outside the U.S.
The big picture: The president loves big deals with big numbers. Tech interests close to Trump want to see U.S. AI firms win global business. But China hawks in both parties distrust the Gulf states, which have close trade ties with China.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday that all NATO nations "will have agreed on a goal" of reaching 5% in defense spending over the next decade by time the military alliance has held its summit next month.
Why it matters: President Trump has long complained other members have ripped off the U.S. and failed to meet the military spending target of 2% of their GDP. During the 2024 election campaign he made threats that he'd "encourage" Russia "to do whatever the hell they want" to countries that didn't meet the NATO spending goal.