President Donald Trump announced on Monday that his administration would sell the &#8220;best equipment&#8221; and &#8220;best missiles&#8221; to NATO for Ukraine&#8217;s defense and threatened to impose 100% &#8220;secondary tariffs&#8221; on Russia as it continues to wage war on Ukraine.
During a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the White House, Trump said, &#8220;We&#8217;ve made a deal today where we&#8217;re going to be sending them weapons and they&#8217;re going to be paying for them.&#8221;
&#8220;The United States will not be having any payment made,&#8221; he added. &#8220;We&#8217;re not buying it, but we will manufacture it, and they&#8217;re going to be paying for it.&#8221;
&#8220;We have an ocean separating us,&#8221; the president <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/1944783154327204286">continued</a>. &#8220;We make the best stuff, but we can&#8217;t keep doing this — and Biden should&#8217;ve done this years ago.&#8221;
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.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;We make the best equipment, the best missiles&#8230; the European nations know that&#8230; We&#39;ve made a deal today where we&#39;re going to be sending them weapons and they&#39;re going to be paying for them. The United States will NOT be having any payment made.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/TG2URSC3Ya">pic.twitter.com/TG2URSC3Ya</a>
&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1944780326531698861?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 14, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Rutte agreed that &#8220;it&#8217;s totally logical&#8221; for Trump to want European countries to pay for Ukraine&#8217;s defense.
&#8220;This is again Europeans stepping up,&#8221; Rutte said. &#8220;I&#8217;ve been in contact with many countries. I can tell you at this moment Germany, massively, but also Finland and Denmark and Sweden and Norway, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands, Canada — they all want to be part of this, and this is only the first wave. There will be more,&#8221; Rutte added.
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.<a href="https://twitter.com/SecGenNATO?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecGenNATO</a>: &quot;You want Ukraine [to have] what it needs &#8230; but you want the Europeans to pay for it — which is totally logical.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/k2tSUfCGJ4">pic.twitter.com/k2tSUfCGJ4</a>
&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1944779973316792809?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 14, 2025</a></blockquote>
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The 100% tariffs on Russia would go into effect if Russian President Vladimir Putin does not reach a peace agreement with Ukraine within 50 days, according to Trump. The &#8220;secondary tariffs&#8221; would penalize countries that do business with Russia, such as those purchasing Russian oil and gas. Trump&#8217;s 100% tariff rate on Russia is lower than what some GOP lawmakers are pushing for. A bill introduced by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) proposes 500% tariffs on nations that deal with Russia.
&#8220;We are very, very unhappy with [Russia], and we&#8217;re going to be doing very severe tariffs if we don&#8217;t have a deal in 50 days,&#8221; Trump said. He added that his talks with Putin have become meaningless.
&#8220;I speak to him a lot about getting this thing done, and I always hang up and say, &#8216;Well, that was a nice phone call,'&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;And then missiles launched into Kyiv or some other city, and I said, &#8216;strange.'&#8221;
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;We are very, very unhappy with [Russia], and we&#39;re going to be doing very severe tariffs if we don&#39;t have a deal in 50 days.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/hQSTIng1zj">pic.twitter.com/hQSTIng1zj</a>
&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1944778508669943868?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 14, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Last week, Russia launched two major drone and missile attacks on Ukraine after Trump publicly expressed disappointment with Putin. The strikes included a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/clear-escalation-of-terror-russia-hits-kyiv-with-another-major-missile-and-drone-attack">barrage</a> on Kyiv that killed at least two people and wounded 16 more.
Trump praised Ukraine and other European nations for their &#8220;spirit&#8221; during the war, a major change in tune from just a few months ago, when the president blasted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for requesting more U.S. assistance in the fight against Russia.
&#8220;I think this is a chance at getting peace,&#8221; Trump said of the new deal with NATO and Ukraine. &#8220;Europe has a lot of spirit for this war. When I first got involved, I really didn&#8217;t think they did, but they do &#8230; they really think it&#8217;s a very, very important thing to do or they wouldn&#8217;t be doing it.&#8221;

President Trump Meets NATO Secretary General

Trump Strikes Deal With NATO To Send Weapons To Ukraine On Europe’s Dime

Donald Trump

Europe

Global Politics

NATO

Politics

Russia

Trump Administration

Ukraine

Ukraine-Russia War

WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump was in a great mood as he took the podium at a surprise White House press briefing on Friday.
His team called the briefing just after the Supreme Court upheld his executive order on birthright citizenship, ruling that lower courts do not have the authority to unilaterally block Trump’s agenda.
Not only that — the court also ruled Friday that schools violate religious liberty when they bar parents from opting their children out of classroom instruction involving LGBT-themed books, a major win for religious conservatives and for the Trump White House, which has championed parents and their right to decide what their children are taught.
Each ruling in and of itself would have been celebrated by the White House. But together, on the heels of Trump&#8217;s success negotiating a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, achieving a 5% defense pledge from NATO members, gas prices dropping to their lowest <a href="https://x.com/PressSec/status/1938232771509354514">since 2021</a>, and the stock market nearing <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/wall-street-rallies-sp-500-nears-record-high-as-middle-east-tensions-cool">record highs</a>, the news made Friday &#8220;a really big day&#8221; for Trump.
&#8220;We&#8217;ve had a big week,&#8221; Trump told the clamoring reporters in the James Brady Briefing Room.&#8221;We&#8217;ve had a big week, we&#8217;ve had a lot of victories this week.&#8221;
The past week has indeed been full of wins for the president, both at home and abroad. After the United States bombed key Iranian nuclear sites with Tomahawk missiles and 30,000-pound “bunker buster” bombs on Saturday, the president announced a ceasefire on Monday, strong-arming the two countries into a cessation of attacks on one another with a rare, emphatic f-bomb.
&#8220;They don&#8217;t know what the f**k they are doing,&#8221; an angry Trump told reporters shortly before getting on the phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Trump administration <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/cnn-misconstruing-intelligence-to-undermine-successful-u-s-strike-in-iran-trump-officials-say?author=Mary+Margaret+Olohan&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=CNN+Misconstruing+Intelligence+To+Undermine+Successful+U.S.+Strike+In+Iran%2C+Trump+Officials+Say">maintains</a> that the Iranian nuclear sites were completely obliterated, and the White House has celebrated this as a massive win marred only by suggestions from legacy media outlets, led by CNN and the New York Times, that the United States failed to destroy Iran’s nuclear program and only set it back by months.
These outlets cited an &#8220;inconclusive, low confidence intelligence assessment &#8230; leaked from deep state intel analysis to deep state news,” an administration official told The Daily Wire earlier this week.
Since then, CIA Director John Ratcliffe <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/cia-reveals-intelligence-showing-u-s-destroyed-key-iranian-nuclear-facilities?author=Mary+Margaret+Olohan&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=CIA+Reveals+Intelligence+Showing+U.S.+%E2%80%98Destroyed%E2%80%99+Key+Iranian+Nuclear+Facilities">said</a> that the agency has new intelligence indicating “several key Iranian nuclear facilities were destroyed” by the recent American strikes; Director of National Intelligence&#8217;s Tulsi Gabbard cited “new intelligence” showing that “Iran’s nuclear facilities have been destroyed&#8221;; and the president himself excoriated CNN&#8217;s reporter who broke the story, Natasha Betrand, pointing to her reporting denouncing the Hunter Biden laptop story — which was completely true — as “Russian disinformation.”
Trump then headed to the Netherlands for the NATO summit, where he convinced the leaders of member states to raise defense spending to 5% of their country’s gross domestic product by 2035. That&#8217;s a major victory for the White House and the president, who called it a &#8220;tremendous victory,&#8221; and who has long demanded that “freeloading” NATO allies pay their fair share for their own security.
&#8220;Winning is easy when the most consequential president in history is back at the helm,&#8221; White House Assistant Press Secretary Taylor Rogers told The Daily Wire. &#8220;President Trump has restored America’s dominance on the world stage and kept the promises he made to over 77 million Americans across the country. America is hot again, and we aren’t tired of winning yet!”
As he spoke to reporters on Friday, Trump pointed to the next big White House goal: getting the &#8220;Big, Beautiful Bill&#8221; signed.
Trump has called for lawmakers to get the bill on his desk by July 4. At an event for the bill at the White House on Thursday, flanked by the parents of children killed by illegal aliens, Border Czar Tom Homan argued that holding up the bill is putting American lives at risk.
&#8220;Every day we arrest a public safety threat, it makes this country much safer,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Who the hell would be against that? I get pissed off because I&#8217;m sick of meeting Angel Moms and Dads. You want to talk about family separation? They buried their children.&#8221;
Trump called on the Senate to get the job done as he headed to the NATO summit earlier this week, even suggesting they lock themselves in a room if they must as they work with the House of Representatives to reach a deal.
His direction was clear: “Don’t go home.”
“It will be a Historic Present for THE GREAT PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, as we begin the Celebration of our Country’s 250th Birthday,” the president wrote in a Truth Social <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114738729363742349" target="_blank" rel="noopener">post</a> on Tuesday. “We are finally entering our Golden Age, which will bring unprecedented Safety, Security, and Prosperity for ALL of our Citizens.”
“NO ONE GOES ON VACATION UNTIL IT’S DONE,” the president warned. And during the briefing on Friday, he suggested that Democrats who vote against the bill are &#8220;voting in favor&#8221; of the largest tax hike in the &#8220;history of our country.&#8221;

US President Donald Trump held a press conference at the White House

‘America Is Hot Again’: A Week Of Wins For The Trump White House

Benjamin Netanyahu

Karoline Leavitt

President Donald Trump’s official website is now selling a &#8220;Trump Daddy&#8221; t-shirt, just a day after NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte referred to the president by the affectionate title.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨 “DADDY” MERCH OUT NOW!<a href="https://t.co/YAxVOAdj8y" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://t.co/YAxVOAdj8y</a> <a href="https://t.co/08PnAHhtFX" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pic.twitter.com/08PnAHhtFX</a>
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) <a href="https://twitter.com/TrumpWarRoom/status/1938241270255915189?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">June 26, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Rutte, a Dutch politician, discussed with Trump the president’s actions during the Israel-Iran war. Rutte brought up the fact that, after a ceasefire agreement had been reached, Iran struck Israel one last time, leading Trump to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-holds-ceasefire-after-israel-refrains-from-major-retaliation-for-irans-strike-on-civilians" target="_blank" rel="noopener">express</a> his annoyance by saying that, &#8220;They don’t know what the f*** they’re doing.&#8221;
In reference to that, Rutte <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nato-chief-hails-trumps-leadership-calls-him-daddy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">commented</a>, &#8220;Daddy has to sometimes use strong language.&#8221; Agreeing, Trump added that, &#8220;Every once in a while you have to use a certain word.&#8221; Later, <a href="https://x.com/townhallcom/status/1937884957956886621" target="_blank" rel="noopener">responding</a> to a reporter from Sky News inquiring about Rutte’s comment, Trump said &#8220;I think he likes me. If he doesn’t, I’ll let you know. I’ll come back and I’ll hit him hard, okay? He did it very affectionately. &#8216;Daddy — you’re my daddy.'&#8221;
Following that humorous interaction, which left Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth chuckling behind the president, the White House <a href="https://x.com/WhiteHouse/status/1938053287535616085" target="_blank" rel="noopener">released</a> a video of Trump’s visit to the NATO summit captioned &#8220;Daddy’s home… Hey, hey, hey, Daddy&#8221; with Usher’s song &#8220;Hey Daddy&#8221; playing over it.
Then, Thursday morning, Trump’s official shop <a href="https://x.com/bennyjohnson/status/1938256071686296040" target="_blank" rel="noopener">released</a> a memo showcasing the new merchandise: a red T-shirt with Trump’s official portrait and the word &#8220;DADDY&#8221; underneath.
Rutte has since <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/international/5369816-nato-rutte-daddy-comment/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">clarified</a> his comment. &#8220;What I said is that sometimes, in Europe, I hear sometimes countries saying, ‘Hey, Mark, will the U.S. stay with us?’ And I said that sounds a little bit like a small child asking his daddy, ‘Hey, are you still staying with the family?’ So in that sense, I used ‘daddy’– not that I was calling President Trump daddy.&#8221;

President Trump Signs Executive Orders At Mar-a-Lago In Palm Beach, Florida

Daddy’s Home: Team Trump Embraces NATO Leader’s Remarks With New Merch

White House

President Donald Trump secures increased funding from NATO members, Senate Republicans consider the &#8220;Big Beautiful Bill,&#8221; and a therapy student blows the whistle with explosive allegations on mandatory training in smut.
It’s Thursday, June 26, and this is the news you need to know to start your day.
Morning Wire is available on video! You can watch today’s episode here:
 
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If you’d rather listen to your news, today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below:
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<h2>The North Atlantic Trump Organization</h2>
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Topline: In a significant foreign policy victory for President Trump, NATO allies agreed Wednesday to his demands that they increase defense spending.
President Trump took a victory lap following his successful strikes on Iran and subsequent ceasefire on Wednesday, scoring another feather in his foreign policy cap. For years, Trump has been a vocal critic of NATO, arguing that the United States was being taken advantage of by its allies, who spend far less on defense for the NATO alliance. He arrived at The Hague this week demanding that member states increase their defense spending from 2% of GDP to 5% by 2035, and almost all members quickly agreed.
For context, one country — the United States — currently accounts for more than two-thirds of NATO’s entire defense budget.
&#8220;For too long, one ally, the United States, carried too much of the burden of that commitment — and that changes today,” NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/1937806555186962864">said</a>. “President Trump — dear Donald — you made this change possible&#8230; we will produce trillions more for our common defense to make us stronger and fairer by equalizing spending between America and America&#8217;s allies.&#8221;
In exchange for that increased spending, President Trump reiterated his commitment to adhering to Article 5, the NATO clause that states an attack on one member is considered an attack on all. 
Ahead of the summit, Trump said he wasn’t sure where he stood on Article 5, and that it “depends on your definition.” However, once the other members agreed to increase defense spending, the president offered his full support. 
The only holdout among the alliance was Spain. The country’s prime minister said 5% was “unacceptable” and would force him to cut social services. Instead, they plan to increase their spending from just 1.2% to 2%. That clearly angered Trump, who said he’d make them pay more in a future trade deal.
In a press conference at the summit, the president also refuted reports that Iran’s nuclear facilities only sustained minor damage in U.S. strikes last weekend, reiterating that Iran&#8217;s nuclear program was “completely and fully obliterated.” Trump announced that the United States would meet with Iranian officials next week to ensure the country does not continue to pursue a nuclear weapon.
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<h2>The &#8216;Big Beautiful Bill&#8217; Nears Senate Vote</h2>
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Topline: The Senate is set to vote on Trump&#8217;s &#8220;Big Beautiful Bill&#8221; – will the GOP majority hand the president a win on his signature legislation?
The Republican-led Senate is set to vote on Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill this week despite some continued divisions within the GOP. The bill contains many of President Trump’s key policy planks, including increased immigration enforcement and defense spending, a $5 trillion increase to the debt ceiling, his promised ‘no tax on tips,’ and permanent extensions for the 2017 tax cuts passed during Trump’s first term.
“It is so important that we get this one big bill, this one big beautiful bill over the line,” Stephen Miran, chairman of the nonpartisan Council of Economic Advisors, told The Daily Wire. “If we don&#8217;t, it&#8217;s going to be the biggest tax hike in history. It&#8217;s going to be a $4 trillion tax hike on American families and American workers.&#8221;
A key sticking point has been the bill&#8217;s pricetag – the Congressional Budget Office has estimated that it would add $3 trillion to the deficit. Supporters dispute that characterization, arguing that the CBO isn’t factoring in the economic growth they believe the bill would create, which they say could result in a net decrease of deficit spending on the order of trillions of dollars over the next 10 years. 
“More tax revenues reduce the deficit,” Miran said. “So the best way to reduce the deficit in debt is to grow the economy. …[The] CBO just ignores growth altogether… [and] tariff revenue. Tariffs are bringing in total deficit reduction – hundreds of billions of dollars of revenue every year going forward.”
However, some Republican senators remain skeptical and continue to argue that passing the bill would be fiscally irresponsible.
“I&#8217;m not for raising the debt ceiling by 5 trillion dollars,” Sen. Rand Paul(R-KY) said. “I think that is a mistake to have such a large extension of the credit line to a Congress that has shown disregard for fiscal responsibility.
The Republicans have a three-seat majority in the Senate – Vice President JD Vance will presumably break any ties in the president’s favor, but unless Democrats decide to cross the aisle (which appears highly unlikely), the &#8220;Big Beautiful Bill&#8221; will need the support of at least 50 of the 53 Senate Republicans.
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<h2>A Course You&#8217;ll Remember In Therapy</h2>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-939605" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/SEGMENT-HEADERS.00_02_18_10.Still002.jpeg" alt="" width="640" height="360" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/SEGMENT-HEADERS.00_02_18_10.Still002.jpeg 640w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/SEGMENT-HEADERS.00_02_18_10.Still002-300x169.jpeg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" /></div>
Topline: A California psychology student training to be a therapist is blowing the whistle on alleged ideological bias and required sexual disclosure in therapy training. The following story is not appropriate for younger readers.
Naomi Epps Best, a 26-year-old graduate student at Santa Clara University, decided to go public with allegations against her university’s psychology counseling program. Best says she was required to write a sexual autobiography and was subjected to gratuitous smut in one of her required classes, “Human Sexuality.” 
“I immediately discovered in the syllabus sadomasochistic erotica, a crassly written pornographic illustration guide, and the final exam was an eight to 10 page comprehensive sexual autobiography: ‘When did I start masturbating? Chronicle my sexual past and present.’ I requested an accommodation not to complete this sexual autobiography and I was denied. I went up the chain to the professor, the chair, the dean, the provost, the president, the Title IX office, the campus ministry office and the ombudsman and I was met with institutional indifference to my ethical concerns.”
Best later asked for an accommodation she heard had been offered to Muslim students – the ability to take the course remotely. Instead, she said the professor asked to meet with her and promised that there would be no required sexual disclosure and everything would be professional.
“In this new class, I was required to write something down anonymously about something I disliked about my breasts or my genitals. We watched bondage videos, tutorial videos… there&#8217;s an argument to be made that therapists should be aware of the breadth of human sexual practices, including BDSM. I am not contesting that. But the manner in which this material was presented was promotional. It was actually a promotional video for a sex dungeon. And when the video ended, the professor said, ‘So what do you think? Who wants to try it?’ There was no clinical framing.”
The Daily Wire reached out to Santa Clara University for comment. A spokesperson stated that the Human Sexuality class has been taught with a similar approach and assignments since the mid-1990s. They added that “we do not agree with many of the student’s public assertions about the class” and that “people who were present” dispute Best’s characterization of classroom discussions and course content.

MRN 6.26.25 Thumbnail V1

Morning Brief: Trump Scores NATO Win & A California College Sparks Smut Uproar

California

Media

Morning Wire

Senate Republicans

U.S. Senate

President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened that Spain would have to &#8220;pay twice as much&#8221; in a future trade deal after the NATO member refused to commit to the alliance&#8217;s new target of spending 5% of its gross domestic product on defense and security.
&#8220;You&#8217;re the only country that is not paying. I don&#8217;t know what the problem is,&#8221; Trump said at the NATO summit in The Hague when questioned about Spain&#8217;s refusal to go along.
&#8220;You know what we’re gonna do? We&#8217;re negotiating with Spain on a trade deal. We&#8217;re going to make them pay twice as much. And I&#8217;m actually serious about that,&#8221; the president added.
NATO members <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-triumphs-nato-bows-to-u-s-pressure-with-5-defense-pledge?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Nathan+Gay&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=Trump+Triumphs%3A+NATO+Bows+To+U.S.+Pressure+With+5%25+Defense+Pledge">agreed</a> to increase defense spending from the current 2% level to 5% of their country’s gross domestic product by 2035. Spain was the only member that rejected this target, arguing that it would strain the country’s extensive welfare state.
“We fully respect the legitimate desire of other countries to increase their defense investment, but we are not going to do it,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-heads-to-nato-summit-demanding-freeloading-allies-pay-their-fair-share?author=Nathan+Gay&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+Heads+To+NATO+Summit+Demanding+%E2%80%98Freeloading%E2%80%99+Allies+Pay+Their+Fair+Share">said</a> before the summit.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
President Trump rips into Spain for refusing to increase NATO spending.
&quot;I think Spain&#39;s terrible what they&#39;ve done, they are the only Country that won&#39;t pay 5%&quot; <a href="https://t.co/WD5JGnc2WU">pic.twitter.com/WD5JGnc2WU</a>
&mdash; Media Research Center (@theMRC) <a href="https://twitter.com/theMRC/status/1937881474520223900?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 25, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;They want a little bit of a free ride, but they&#8217;ll have to pay it back to us on trade, because I’m not going to let that happen. It’s unfair,” Trump said.
As a part of the European Union, Spain <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-06-25/trump-threatens-to-double-tariffs-on-spain-over-nato-spending">negotiates</a> trade as part of the 27-member bloc, not individually, per Bloomberg. Still, Trump emphasized his intention to bypass the European Union&#8217;s regular trade negotiation protocols.
&#8220;I&#8217;m going to negotiate directly with Spain. I&#8217;m going to do it myself,&#8221; Trump insisted. &#8220;They&#8217;re going to pay, they&#8217;ll pay more money this way.&#8221;
The threat comes ahead of the Trump administration&#8217;s July 9 deadline for the European Union to agree to a trade deal. If no agreement is reached, tariffs on EU products imported into the United States are set to increase to 50%.
NATO members condemned Spain for rejecting the 5% target.
Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, Deputy Prime Minister of Poland, whose country allocates a higher percentage of its GDP for defense than any NATO member, blasted Spain’s lack of commitment.
“We believe that any deviation from this principle by any member country is a bad example,” he said.
“It’s incredibly unfair to the alliance,” another NATO official <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/spain-nato-canada-defense-target-spending-gdp/">said</a> to POLITICO.
At the press conference on Wednesday, Trump said his outlook on NATO had changed. Previously critical of &#8220;freeloading&#8221; nations not paying their fair share in defense, he now believes the alliance is no longer a &#8220;rip-off&#8221; given the new 5% commitment. The increase is expected to significantly boost the alliance&#8217;s collective defense capabilities at a time of heightened global tensions, as the United States has historically shouldered more than two-thirds of NATO&#8217;s collective defense spending.

NATO Summit In The Hague Final Day

Trump Says Spain Will ‘Pay Twice As Much’ On Trade After NATO Defiance

Economy

European Union

Executive

Spain

Tariffs

trade

Trade War

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte called President Donald Trump &#8220;daddy&#8221; on Wednesday as the pair discussed efforts by the U.S. commander in chief to broker peace between Israel and Iran.
The light-hearted moment happened while Rutte and Trump spoke with reporters during a <a href="https://x.com/CollinRugg/status/1937864879257669826" target="_blank" rel="noopener">press conference</a> at The Hague in the Netherlands, where NATO convened for a summit.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
NEW: Secretary General of NATO Mark Rutte refers to President Trump as ‘Daddy’ while Trump was talking about Israel &amp; Iran’s peace deal.
Trump: They had a big fight. Like two kids in a schoolyard. Let them fight for about two minutes. Then it&#8217;s easier to stop them.
Rutte: And… <a href="https://t.co/dpG7C7bakY">pic.twitter.com/dpG7C7bakY</a>
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) <a href="https://twitter.com/CollinRugg/status/1937864879257669826?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 25, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;They had a big fight,&#8221; Trump told reporters. &#8220;Like two kids in a schoolyard. You know? You can&#8217;t stop them. Let them fight for about two-three minutes, then it&#8217;s easier to stop them.&#8221;
Rutte, a Dutch politician, then referred to Trump dropping an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-holds-ceasefire-after-israel-refrains-from-major-retaliation-for-irans-strike-on-civilians" target="_blank" rel="noopener">f-bomb</a> on Tuesday as he accused both Israel and Iran of violating a ceasefire between the two countries that he had announced the night before.
&#8220;And then daddy has to sometimes use strong language,&#8221; the NATO leader said with a laugh. Trump riffed off the comment, replying, &#8220;Every once in a while you have to use a certain word.&#8221;
Trump later got Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to crack up as he responded to a reporter who had mentioned the &#8220;daddy&#8221; moment.
&#8220;He likes me. I think he likes me. If he doesn&#8217;t, I&#8217;ll let you know. I&#8217;ll come back and I&#8217;ll hit him hard, okay? He did it very affectionately. &#8216;Daddy — you&#8217;re my daddy,'&#8221; Trump <a href="https://x.com/townhallcom/status/1937884957956886621" target="_blank" rel="noopener">quipped</a>.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
🚨President Trump reacts to the NATO Chief calling him &#8220;daddy.&#8221;
&#8220;He likes me&#8230;He did it very affectionately&#8230;You&#8217;re my daddy!&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/2rW2Sa5jZ7">pic.twitter.com/2rW2Sa5jZ7</a>
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) <a href="https://twitter.com/townhallcom/status/1937884957956886621?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 25, 2025</a></blockquote>
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In their <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNwLhYJSu1U" target="_blank" rel="noopener">joint presser</a>, Rutte also praised Trump for the ceasefire, which came shortly after the United States launched strikes on Iranian facilities to stop Tehran from achieving a nuclear weapon.
&#8220;You are a man of strength, but you are also a man of peace. And the fact that you are now also successful in getting this ceasefire done &#8230; I really want to commend you for it,&#8221; Rutte <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/1937796269470097652" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
Under pressure from Trump, NATO allies — except for Spain — have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-triumphs-nato-bows-to-u-s-pressure-with-5-defense-pledge" target="_blank" rel="noopener">agreed</a> to increase defense spending to 5% of their gross domestic product by 2035, a bump from the previous 2% target.
&#8220;A lot of people didn&#8217;t even pay the 2%. So I think it&#8217;s going to be very big news. NATO is going to become very strong with us,&#8221; Trump noted in his appearance with Rutte.

President Donald Trump (R) and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte

NATO Chief Hails Trump’s Leadership, Calls Him ‘Daddy’

Iran

Israel

President Donald Trump on Wednesday dismissed the idea of resuming nuclear talks with Iran, saying bluntly, “I’m not&#8230;They’ve had it.”
While addressing reporters at the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Trump was asked if he was &#8220;interested in restarting negotiations.&#8221;
“I’m not,” Trump said succinctly. “The way I look at it: they fought; the war is done. I could get a statement that they’re not going to go nuclear, we’re probably going to ask for that. But, they’re not gonna be doing it, but they’re not gonna be doing it anyway. They’ve had it. They’ve had it. Now, maybe someday in the future we’ll want that. I’ve asked Marco (Rubio), I just asked him the question while we were walking on the stage, do you want to draw up a little agreement for them to sign? Because I think we can get them to sign it. I don&#8217;t think it&#8217;s necessary.”
“President Trump has shown a willingness to meet and talk with anybody in the world who’s interested in peace,” Secretary of State Rubio declared. “I don’t know of any president who has been as willing as he has to meet with anyone and talk about peace. We’d love to have peaceful relations with any country in the world. And so obviously that will depend on Iran’s willingness to not just engage in peace, but to negotiate directly with the United States, not through some third country or fourth country process, but I know of no president probably in our modern history that’s sought peace more than President Trump has.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Is President Donald Trump interested in restarting negotiations with Iran?
Trump and Sec. of State Marco Rubio respond 👇 <a href="https://t.co/9X0L3tmJ16">pic.twitter.com/9X0L3tmJ16</a>
&mdash; The Daily Signal (@DailySignal) <a href="https://twitter.com/DailySignal/status/1937880090467012876?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 25, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
On Tuesday night, U.S. special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5368382-steve-witkoff-us-iran-talks-nuclear-program/">told</a> Laura Ingraham on Fox News, “The president has said unequivocally that he wants to see — and he’s hopeful for — a comprehensive peace agreement that goes beyond even the ceasefire. &#8230; We’re already talking to each other, not just directly, but also through interlocutors, I think that the conversations are promising.”
“We’re hopeful that we can have a long-term peace agreement that resurrects Iran, that brings it into the League of Nations, that creates long-term prosperity for Iran and, most importantly, allows for the GCC to grow economically,” he added.

Trump Shuts Door On Iran Talks: ‘They’ve Had It’

Iran Nuclear

Iran Nuclear Deal

President Donald Trump on Wednesday reiterated that, contrary to the legacy media’s reporting, last weekend&#8217;s strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities resulted in “total obliteration” of the targets, hinting at an Israeli intelligence report that confirmed his position as he noted, Israel had “guys that go in there after the hit.”
Speaking at the NATO summit in The Hague, Trump stated, “It was obliteration. And you’ll see that. And it’s going to come out. Israel is going to report on it now. I understand. And I was told that they said it was total obliteration. You know, they have guys that go in there after the hit. And they said it was total obliteration.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
TRUMP REVEALS: Mossad Agents visited Iran buke sites after strikes: “Israel is going to report on it now. I understand. And it was total obliteration. You know they have guys that go in there after the hit. And they said it was total obliteration.” <a href="https://t.co/wx9E8TJwpU">pic.twitter.com/wx9E8TJwpU</a>
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) <a href="https://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/1937859583411638764?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 25, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Meanwhile, a <a href="https://israel.com/breaking-only/statement-by-the-prime-ministers-office-on-behalf-of-the-israel-atomic-energy-commission/">statement</a> from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, on behalf of the Israel Atomic Energy Commission (IAEC), assessed that the strikes &#8220;set back Iran&#8217;s ability to develop nuclear weapons by many years.&#8221;
At the NATO summit, Trump was asked about an Iranian official who said the country would continue to enrich uranium and pursue nuclear weapons. He said he was unaware of the comments, adding that &#8220;the last thing they want to do is enrich anything right now; they want to recover.&#8221;
&#8220;We won’t let that happen, number one, militarily we won’t,&#8221; Trump vowed. &#8220;I think we’ll end up having somewhat of a relationship with Iran; look, I’ve had a relationship over the last four days; they agreed to the ceasefire. And it was a very equal agreement; they both said, &#8216;That’s enough.&#8217; But they won’t do that. The last thing they want to do, Katie, is enrich. &#8230; can you imagine after all of that, they’re gonna say, &#8216;Oh, let’s go do a bomb.&#8217;”
“We believe all of the stuff is down there; we don’t think they had nearly the time because to get that out is a very difficult thing,” he continued, saying of Israel, “They’ve been great. Bibi Netanyahu should be very proud of himself.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
TRUMP ON ISRAEL: &quot;And they’ve been great. Bibi Netanyahu should be very proud of himself.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/hg025vGbcr">pic.twitter.com/hg025vGbcr</a>
&mdash; Breaking911 (@Breaking911) <a href="https://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/1937858852206305511?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 25, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

NATO Leaders Attend 2025 Summit In The Hague

Trump Says Israeli Intel Confirms ‘Total Obliteration’ Of Iranian Nuclear Sites

NATO leaders on Wednesday backed increasing defense spending to 5% of their country&#8217;s gross domestic product by 2035, a major diplomatic victory for President Donald Trump, who has for years demanded “freeloading” allies pay their fair share for their own security.
According to Reuters, almost all NATO members <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/nato-leaders-set-back-trump-defence-spending-goal-hague-summit-2025-06-24/">backed</a> a statement committing to the target, excluding Spain and possibly Slovakia. An official signing is expected on Wednesday before the end of the conference.
The new defense spending goal more than doubles NATO&#8217;s current 2% target.
The spending commitment is <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-heads-to-nato-summit-demanding-freeloading-allies-pay-their-fair-share?author=Nathan+Gay&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+Heads+To+NATO+Summit+Demanding+%E2%80%98Freeloading%E2%80%99+Allies+Pay+Their+Fair+Share">divided</a> into two parts: 3.5% for traditional military spending, such as air defense and recruitment, while the remaining 1.5% can include infrastructure, like roads and bridges that troops could use.
&#8220;There is absolute conviction with my colleagues at the table that, given this threat from the Russians, given the international security situation, there is no alternative,&#8221; NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told reporters.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb, whose country borders Russia, described the shift as &#8220;the birth of a new NATO, which means a more balanced NATO and a NATO which has more European responsibility.&#8221;
Spain broke ranks by declaring it doesn&#8217;t need to meet the goal, claiming it can fulfill its commitments by spending much less, a sentiment that angered many at the conference, including Rutte.
“We fully respect the legitimate desire of other countries to increase their defense investment, but we are not going to do it,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said. In 2024, Spain’s defense expenditure as a share of GDP stood at 1.28%, the lowest of any NATO member.
Slovakia appears poised to follow Spain in shunning the spending increase. Slovakia&#8217;s Prime Minister Robert Fico said Tuesday that his country “has other priorities in the coming years than armament.” 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
S T A T E M E N T of the Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic Robert Fico 23 June 2025
The Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic points out that all international political, security, and legal mechanisms intended for decision-making and mandates on the use of military force in… <a href="https://t.co/GFvnGaiuXs">pic.twitter.com/GFvnGaiuXs</a>
&mdash; Robert Fico 🇸🇰 (@RobertFicoSVK) <a href="https://twitter.com/RobertFicoSVK/status/1937149180482326655?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 23, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, Deputy Prime Minister of Poland, whose country allocates a higher percentage of its GDP for defense than any NATO member, blasted Spain’s lack of commitment.
“We believe that any deviation from this principle by any member country is a bad example,” Kosiniak-Kamysz <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/spain-nato-canada-defense-target-spending-gdp/">said</a> before flying to the summit.
“It’s incredibly unfair to the alliance,” another NATO official said to POLITICO.
Trump, who has criticized NATO members for inadequate defense spending since his first administration, is scheduled to meet separately with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky following the summit. Zelensky attended a pre-summit dinner Tuesday evening but was not invited to Wednesday&#8217;s main session.

North Atlantic Treaty Organization Summit Day Two

Trump Triumphs: NATO Bows To U.S. Pressure With 5% Defense Pledge

News

Trump pressures NATO to increase military spending after mediating the Iran-Israel truce. New Yorkers head to the polls &#8212; will they elect a socialist mayor? And, the United States&#8217; largest medical group doubles down on transgender treatments despite the data.
It’s Wednesday, June 25, and this is the news you need to know to start your day.
Morning Wire is available on video! You can watch today’s episode here:
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<h2>War &amp; Peace</h2>
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Topline: President Donald Trump headed to Europe on Tuesday for high-stakes NATO meetings after he brokered the tenuous ceasefire between Iran and Israel.
Leaders from all 32 members of the NATO alliance and some partner states are attending a two-day <a href="https://www.act.nato.int/activities/nato-summit/">summit</a> in the Netherlands to discuss defense policy and the broader strategy. President Trump’s main goal is to push NATO members to increase their defense budgets. Trump has long lamented that America is being taken advantage of by allies who benefit from our military without paying their fair share. At the moment, NATO members are expected to spend at least 2% of their GDP on defense — Trump wants to raise that to 5%. According to Reuters, &#8220;All NATO members have backed a statement enshrining the target, although Spain declared it does not need to meet the goal and can meet its commitments by spending much less.&#8221;
This is also the first large gathering of world leaders since the president’s strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities on Saturday, and the subsequent ceasefire announced on Monday. On Tuesday morning, hours after the deal went into effect, Iran reportedly launched a series of missiles at Israel, prompting the Israelis to respond with strikes on a radar facility outside of Tehran. For a moment, it looked like the war was back on, but then Trump intervened. With Israeli planes reportedly en route to Iran, the president called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directly with what the White House called an “exceptionally firm and direct” warning to abide by the ceasefire. 
Trump also made a <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/trump-i-need-israel-to-calm-down-do-not-drop-those-bombs-bring-your-pilots-home-now/">public appeal</a> on social media, writing, “ISRAEL. DO NOT DROP THOSE BOMBS. IF YOU DO IT IS A MAJOR VIOLATION. BRING YOUR PILOTS HOME, NOW!”
Shortly afterward, Netanyahu said he would refrain from further strikes.
While further escalation was avoided, Trump made it clear that he was unhappy with both Israel and Iran.
“We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don’t know what the f*** they’re doing,” Trump <a href="https://x.com/cspan/status/1937468807536169315">told</a> reporters bluntly. “[Iran is] not going to have enrichment and they&#8217;re not going to have a nuclear weapon. They&#8217;re going to get on to being a great trading nation.&#8221;
At the summit, Trump also <a href="https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2025-06-24/trump-nato-summit-iran-israel-putin">quipped</a> about ongoing tensions with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who launched an invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and has been accused of slow-walking the peace negotiations with the United States. “Vladimir called me up – he said ‘do you need help with Iran?’ And I told him ‘I don’t need help with Iran, I need help with you.”
<h2>Cuomo Concedes NYC Primary To Socialist</h2>
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Topline: New Yorkers went to the polls on Tuesday to decide the Democratic candidate for mayor.
The New York City Mayoral Democratic Primary took place on Tuesday, and the former frontrunner has already conceded. With 92% of the vote in, Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani had a 7-point lead over former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, although neither candidate secured a majority, and the official results won’t be tallied until next week. This kind of wait isn’t unusual — it took two weeks for this primary to be decided in 2021, in a large part because New York City uses <a href="https://vote.nyc/page/ranked-choice-voting">ranked-choice voting</a>.
In a ranked choice election, instead of picking one candidate, voters rank candidates in order of preference – if no candidate receives a majority in the first round, then the candidate who received the fewest votes is eliminated and their supporters&#8217; ballots are added to the tally of the candidate who was ranked as their next most preferred choice – the process continuing until one of the candidates has majority support.
There were 11 candidates on the ballot, but in the end, it came down to three: Andrew Cuomo, the former governor who resigned amid allegations of sexual misconduct; New York City comptroller Brad Lander, who received the New York Times’ endorsement; and the apparent rising star of the race, Zohran Mamdani, an state assemblyman from Queens and vocal member of the Democratic Socialists of America. Lander and Mamdani made waves a few weeks ago when they endorsed each other, urging their supporters to put both of them in their top two and not to rank Cuomo.
“We both love New York City, and that’s why it’s so important to not send scandal-ridden, corrupt, Andrew Cuomo to City Hall,” Lander and Mamdani <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYH_zerPE3M">said</a> in a joint statement. “New Yorkers deserve so much better than a disgraced creep. … Brad and I are officially telling our supporters: rank me number one, rank him number two. Let’s send Andrew Cuomo back to the suburbs.”
Cuomo led the pack in almost every <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/polls/nyc-mayoral-primary-election-polls-2025.html">first-round poll</a>, but the most recent Emerson College survey suggested that Mamdani was only a few points behind and would actually beat Cuomo by 4 points in the final count. Despite conceding the Democratic primary, Cuomo is still free to run as a third-party candidate against Mamdani in the general election.
<h2>Trans Medicine &#8212; The Establishment Vs The Evidence</h2>
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Topline: The nation’s largest medical association is standing by its controversial guidance to promote transgender medical procedures for minors – despite mounting evidence against it and a landmark Supreme Court ruling.
The American Medical Association (AMA) released a statement signaling against the recent ruling in United States v. Skrmetti, which permits states to ban puberty blockers and other so-called gender-affirming procedures on minors – those procedures have been shown to be damaging and often irreversible. The new president of the AMA, <a href="https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/providers/bobby-mukkamala-sworn-ama-president-william-underwood-iii-chosen-president-elect">Dr. Bobby Mukkamala</a>, condemned the decision and said that “all patients deserve access to high-quality, evidence-based medical care.” He added that decisions about medical treatment “must be made through a shared decision-making process between the patient and their physician.”
The AMA has a significant influence in shaping policy and common medical practices – it has long supported trans procedures for minors. In 2023, it passed a resolution to commit to working with legislators to oppose policies that curb access to these treatments or prioritize parental rights. The resolution also promised collaboration with other organizations to “educate the Federation of State Medical Boards about the importance of gender-affirming care.” The AMA also enthusiastically supported Dr. Rachel Levine’s nomination as Assistant Secretary for Health and Human Services during the Biden era. Notably, Levine – a man who identifies as a woman – is a proponent of many types of trans procedures for minors.
Other major players in the American medical establishment, including the <a href="https://publications.aap.org/aapnews/news/25340/AAP-reaffirms-gender-affirming-care-policy">American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)</a>, the <a href="https://www.endocrine.org/clinical-practice-guidelines/gender-dysphoria-gender-incongruence">Endocrine Society</a>, the American Psychiatric Association, the <a href="https://wpath.org/publications/soc8/">World Professional Association for Transgender Health</a>, the American Academy of Family Physicians, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the American College of Physicians are standing behind their position to support trans procedures for minors.
However, individual medical professionals speak out about this – and now organizations are forming that call for evidence-based medicine. One group called <a href="https://donoharmmedicine.org/gender-ideology/?gad_source=1&amp;gad_campaignid=20707841002&amp;gbraid=0AAAAAo-mml2sQ9TwnUgwBn1NT5HLq5klM&amp;gclid=CjwKCAjwmenCBhA4EiwAtVjzmuvg61iE0bzkY3AdFxTDzjFXzrKJNEneUCsvx5AOfI8JSZ7LRQu5yxoCM_4QAvD_BwE">Do No Harm</a> has 16,000 members, and one of its stated goals is to “curtail the unscientific and individually harmful practice of so-called ‘gender affirming care.’” Another group, called the “Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine,” researches and questions trans procedures for minors. It promotes non-invasive approaches for gender confusion, like psychotherapy.
Since Trump took office, a number of hospitals have announced that they are curtailing or entirely stopping trans procedures for minors. During his second week in office, Trump signed an order saying that the United States would not fund, sponsor, promote, assist, or support gender transitions for children. Under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., HHS <a href="https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/ocr-rescission-february-20-2025-notice-guidance.pdf">rescinded</a> trans guidance from the Biden administration that promoted these procedures. An April memo from Attorney General Pam Bondi said the DOJ would look at prosecuting doctors for mutilating children under the guise of “trans care.”

MRN 6.25.25 Thumbnail V1

Morning Brief: NATO Commits To Defense Spike, NYC Picks A Socialist & ‘Experts’ Push Transing Kids

American Medical Association

Andrew Cuomo

New York City

Rachel Levine

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Transgender

Zohran Mamdani

President Donald Trump departed for the annual NATO summit at The Hague on Tuesday, hoping to claim another major foreign policy victory as most NATO allies have already agreed to his demand to boost defense spending after the president called out the European nations for &#8220;freeloading&#8221; and taking advantage of American military protection.
NATO countries, except Spain, agreed in preliminary talks to increase defense spending to 5% of their gross domestic product, a significant increase from the previous 2% target that many allies struggled to meet.
The spending commitment is <a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-iran-israel-nato-e34385f9b6e2ff5d0cf60f8aaea57a40">divided</a> into two parts: 3.5% for traditional military spending, such as air defense and recruitment, while the remaining 1.5% can include infrastructure like roads and bridges that troops could use.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has resisted the spending increase, arguing that it would strain the country&#8217;s extensive welfare state.
&#8220;We fully respect the legitimate desire of other countries to increase their defence investment, but we are not going to do it,&#8221; Sanchez said. In 2024, Spain’s defense expenditure as a share of GDP stood at a measly 1.28%, the <a href="https://www.nato.int/nato_static_fl2014/assets/pdf/2024/6/pdf/240617-def-exp-2024-en.pdf">lowest</a> of any NATO country.
However, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte struck an optimistic tone early Tuesday morning when President Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114738606142462442">shared</a> a private message from him that read: &#8220;You are flying into another big success in The Hague this evening. It was not easy, but we&#8217;ve got them all signed onto 5 percent!&#8221;
&#8220;You will achieve something NO American president in decades could get done,&#8221; Rutte said. &#8220;Europe is going to pay in a BIG way, as they should, and it will be your win.&#8221;
Trump <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/24/us/politics/nato-trump-preview.html">told</a> reporters he doesn&#8217;t believe the United States needs to reach the 5% target itself, given that the United States is far separated from many threats NATO faces and does not have a need to invest in wartime infrastructure to the same degree.
Rutte, a Dutch politician who has served as secretary general of NATO since October 2024, has expressed strong support from NATO for recent U.S. military actions against Iran, rejecting suggestions that American strikes violated international law.
&#8220;This is a consistent position of NATO: Iran should not have its hands on a nuclear weapon,&#8221; Rutte told reporters ahead of the summit. &#8220;I would not agree that this is against international law — what the U.S. did.&#8221;
Trump is expected to meet with various world leaders at the summit. He said he would &#8220;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-iran-israel-nato-e34385f9b6e2ff5d0cf60f8aaea57a40">probably</a>&#8221; see Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whose country continues pushing for admission into the alliance.
Trump&#8217;s meetings &#8220;will focus on issues of shared concern and reaffirm the United States&#8217; strong ties with our allies and partners,&#8221; an administration official <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-heads-nato-summit-europe-agrees-heed-his-defense-spending-demands">told</a> Fox News.
The summit was initially set to focus on the alliance&#8217;s position in the Russia-Ukraine war, but the Trump-brokered Israel-Iran ceasefire is expected to be the main topic of discussion.

Trump Departs

Trump Heads To NATO Summit Demanding ‘Freeloading’ Allies Pay Their Fair Share

Trump Heads To NATO Summit Demanding 'Freeloading' Allies Pay Their Fair Share

Former President Joe Biden said in an interview released Wednesday that he stayed in the 2024 presidential race for so long because he had been &#8220;so successful&#8221; in implementing his agenda.
In his first <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0m9mvemxrwo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interview</a> since leaving the White House, Biden defended his decision to seek re-election, boasted about his record in office, and criticized President Donald Trump&#8217;s foreign policy. During the discussion with the BBC, Biden doubled down on his decision to stay in the presidential race as long as he did and insisted that the race&#8217;s outcome would not have changed had he dropped out earlier.
“I don’t think it would have mattered. We left at a time when we had a good candidate, she was fully funded,&#8221; he said. &#8220;And what happened was&#8230; I had become, what we had set out to do, no one thought we could do, I had become so successful in our agenda, it was hard to say, ‘Now I’m going to stop now.’&#8221;
At the time of his decision, Biden&#8217;s popularity was underwater. He was trailing in the polls, and there were increasing questions about his health after he appeared disjointed during his first debate with Trump.
&#8220;I meant what I said&#8230;I’m preparing to hand this to the next generation. The transition government. But things moved so quickly that it made it difficult to walk away. It was a hard decision,&#8221; he added. 
Biden also attacked the Trump administration&#8217;s foreign policy, saying that Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth&#8217;s criticism of European countries freeloading off the United States was unfounded. He said that he was concerned about the future of NATO.
“It’s a grave concern. I think it would change the modern history of the world,&#8221; Biden said. “Look, we are not the essential nation. We’re the only nation in a position to have the capacity to bring people together, lead the world. Otherwise you’re going to have China and the former Soviet Union, Russia stepping up.&#8221;
Biden also criticized Trump&#8217;s statements about making Canada the 51st state and potentially acquiring Greenland.
“What the hell is going on here? What president ever talks like that? That’s not who we are. We are about freedom, democracy, opportunity, not about confiscation,&#8221; Biden said. 
Last month, Biden gave his first speech since leaving office, criticizing the Trump administration&#8217;s Department of Government Efficiency project.

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