69% of Americans are concerned about corruption and conflicts of interest in the Trump administration, according to a Financial Times analysis About half of those surveyed believe corruption has become a more serious problem during Trump’s second presidency. Meanwhile, 56% said their financial situation had worsened since Trump returned to the White House. More than a quarter have had to cut back even on essentials such as food and medical care. 54% blame the Trump administration or Republicans in Congress for high prices. More than 40% say rising costs have made them more likely to vote for Democrats in the midterm elections.

🚨 Putin plans to use Ukraine peace talks to push NATO back to its 1997 military posture According to The Telegraph, the Kremlin wants to force NATO to scale back its military presence in Europe to levels seen before Eastern European countries joined the Alliance. This could mean demanding the withdrawal of NATO forces from Poland, the Baltic states, and Finland. That is why Moscow is pushing for European countries to participate in negotiations over Ukraine. Diplomatic sources cited by The Telegraph say Putin wants to turn talks about ending the war into negotiations over the entire European security architecture. The issue may also have been discussed during Putin's three-hour meeting with Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, in St. Petersburg. However, European countries have previously rejected the Kremlin's demands to reduce NATO's military presence on its eastern flank.