Venetian heavyweight Luca Zaia spells trouble for Salvini and the League
There’s a rift at the heart of the far-right League, and the moderate Luca Zaia is a figurehead for opposition to the right-wing populism of Salvini.
DOGE
Stuff happens in market
Clean-up in aisle doge
Reform UKโs DOGE chief takes aim at โpatheticโ questions on council savings drive
Richard Tice advised POLITICO to โgrow upโ when asked if he had given up on seeking a data-sharing agreement with Kent County Council
The shutdown layoffs at health agencies followed a familiar, DOGE pattern
The White House advised agencies to go big on downsizing, according to a document obtained by POLITICO. They haven’t.
7 policies Britainโs Tories nabbed from Donald Trump
Beleaguered Conservatives are scrambling for policies to counter Nigel Farageโs popularity. Theyโve looked across the pond for inspiration.
Moldova braces for Kremlin meddling as US support wanes
Cyber and hybrid support from Washington decreased under Donald Trump, leaving Moldovan officials looking for support.
Orbรกnโs favorite Brussels think tank received millions from Budapest, new figures reveal
MCC Brussels has received more than โฌ6 million in funding to influence debate on public policy.
Inspired by Elon Musk, a British tech millionaire eyes a remake of the state
The U.K. DOGE aims to be a testbed for a future populist government โ and the tech millionaire leading it hopes to be Britainโs next chancellor.
18 times Donald Trumpโs golf habit got political
The U.S. president loves playing golf but his hobby can get him into trouble.
Two days less holiday? France is up in arms but my sympathy is limited
This small cutback is hardly a draconian austerity purge for a country that is broke. But the howls of outrage show a rational debate is unlikelyFrance is skint, but the French are in denial. To judge by the howls of outrage from the left and the hard …
On the ground with Britainโs DOGE firebrands โ in their boring office jobs
In Kent, the so-called Garden of England, Nigel Farage’s Reform UK is mounting a populist bid to slash state โwaste.โ Two months in, the bureaucracy is getting very real.
Musk puts Trump beef back on the front-burner
The tech mogul spent the weekend blasting Trumpโs agenda on social media.
Musk announces arrival of new โAmerica Partyโ after Trump split
The billionaire donor has teased the launch of a third party ever since his megabill squabble with Trump.
Trump doesnโt rule out deporting Musk
The presidentโs comments come amid a renewed feud with the worldโs richest man.
Trump threatens Muskโs subsidies and contracts in latest social media spat
Former political allies Donald Trump and Elon Musk have been bickering late at night again.
Merz geht mit Rekordhaushalt und neuer Zoll-Strategie zu NATO- und EU-Gipfel
TOP-THEMEN โย Der Kanzler fordert eine neue Strategie fรผr die Zoll-Verhandlungen mit den USA. Es gelte: Keep it simple. โย Das Kabinett verabschiedet heute den Haushalt. Investitionen in Verteidigung und Infrastruktur werden hochgefahren. โ Bund und Lรคnder haben sich beim Investitions-Booster offenbar geeinigt. Willkommen bei Industrie und Handel โ zwischen Industrie-Gipfel, Nato-Gipfel und EU-Gipfel. Senden Sie Tipps [โฆ]
Mark Rutte DOGEs NATO with dozens of job cuts
Transatlantic military chief slashes roles and eliminates divisions as U.S. President Donald Trumpโs reluctant commitment overshadows the alliance.ย
Europeans chomp popcorn while Elon Musk and Donald Trump rage-quit their bromance
Welcome to Declassified, a weekly humor column. Once upon a time in Mar-a-Lago, Elon Musk and Donald Trump were political soulmates โ a bromance forged in tweets, Tesla stocks, and errant Truths. But alas, the relationship has frayed. And to Europeans, the slap-fight plays like a particularly chaotic Eurovision act: loud, overproduced, and somehow involving [โฆ]
Former TV star to chair Nigel Farageโs Reform UK
David Bull, the former Brexit Party MEP, has been given the high-profile job.
Trump and Musk aides have spoken amid pause in hostilities
A behind-the-scenes look at what irked Trump the most.
Inside Westminsterโs Musk-inspired DOGE wars
Presented by Equinor.
Musk goes scorched earth: Trump will cause recession, implies he should be impeached
โThe Trump tariffs will cause a recession in the second half of this year,โ Musk wrote on X.
โDisgusting abominationโ: Musk goes nuclear on Trumpโs โbig beautiful billโ
โShame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong,โ he wrote.
MAGA hits limits in its global ambitions
Votes in Canada, Australia and Albania laid bare the limits to the appeal of Trump-ism as the presidentโs policies sow uncertainty across the globe.
Rachel Reeves has been prudent. Now she needs a purpose
With a government-wide spending review looming, Britain’s top finance minister is being urged to give voters a compelling reason for her ‘tough decisions.’
After four months of disruption, Elon Musk signals heโs leaving government
The DOGE leader said his โscheduled timeโ as a special employee is up.
Musk says heโs โdisappointedโ with Trump-backed megabill
The billionaireโs criticism could influence the megabillโs prospects in the Senate.
Muskโs decision to limit political spending leaves some Republicans cold
Whether or not he actually stops contributing is still an open question.
Trump administration asks Supreme Court to allow mass layoffs of federal workers
Itโs the second time the administration has sought emergency intervention from the high court in its bid to downsize the federal bureaucracy.
Trump costs conservatives the Australian election, and 4 other takeaways
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is on track to form a majority government, powered by a backlash to U.S.-style MAGA politics.
UK local elections 2025: How to watch like a pro
Swot up on the local votes that could have massive ramifications in Westminster โ and deal a boost to right-wing populist Nigel Farage.
Nigel Farageโs Reform UK is about to face the hard part: Being in charge
The populist party could hold its first reins of power after Thursday’s local elections. So what will it actually do? POLITICO went on a mission to find out.
DOGE loses its biggest advocate as Musk exits Washington
The tech mogulโs public pullback will come as relief to some Cabinet officials.
Musk stepping back from government work amid plummeting Tesla sales
Elon Musk said in an earnings call Tuesday that he will turn more of his attention to Tesla starting next month.
Musk goes where no other Trump adviser can: Publicly disagreeing with the president
The Trump adviser appears uninhibited in sharing his opinions โ and that seems to be just fine with the president.
The Trump administrationโs conflicting messages to the public and the courts
Government lawyers paint a very different picture in court filings from the one Trump and his allies do on TV and social media.
Musk calls Trumpโs looming NASA cuts โtroublingโ
Elon Muskโs SpaceX is one of the agencyโs largest contractors.
Inside the DOGE immigration task force
The taskforce, led by Musk confidante Antonio Gracias, is providing the technical infrastructure for a sweeping set of actions aimed at revoking parole and terminating visas.
Musk hopes US, EU get to โzero-tariff situationโ
“At the end of the day, I hope it is agreed that both Europe and the United States should move ideally in my view to a zero-tariff situation, effectively creating a free-trade zone,” Musk said.
Trump tells inner circle that Musk will leave soon
The president is pleased with Musk but the decision comes as the tech mogul increasingly looks like a political liability.
Appeals Court clears the way for Musk, DOGE to resume cuts to USAID
The ruling came as the Trump administration notified Congress that it will dissolve the agency.
Federal employee to foreign asset? DOGE layoffs raise alarm over espionage threat to the US
US President Donald Trump and tech mogul Elon Musk’s government cuts could provide an opportunity for China and Russia, security experts warn.
Leakers to Musk: Weโre โnot Elonโs servantsโ
The pervasive fear and anger that have been rippling through federal agencies over Elon Muskโs slashing approach to shrinking government deepened even further on Friday over the billionaire tech mogulโs threat to root out and punish anyone who is leaking to the media. Theyโve already taken every precaution they can for fear of retaliation: setting [โฆ]
Jeremy Clarkson taunts โidiotโ Elon Musk over Tesla vandalism
โWhat makes it so juicy is that heโs being pecked to death by the very people who put him on the pedestal in the first place. The eco hippies.”
Leakers to Musk: Weโre โnot Elonโs servantsโ
Even before Muskโs comments, federal workers felt vulnerable and increasingly incensed.
โPeople will dieโ: UN food aid agency warns Trump cuts will see millions starve
With an $8.1 billion shortfall and the U.S. leading other Western countries in pulling support, the World Food Programme is making drastic aid cuts and scrambling to find donors.
Belgian public transport companies quit Elon Muskโs X
Get your service delay info somewhere else!
Trump has long hated this media outlet. Now heโs ordering it dismantled.
President Donald Trump is gutting U.S.-backed global media, including Voice of America, that broadcasts news to millions worldwide โ and that he has long held a grudge against. The move comes after Trump signedย an executive order to hollow out a string of small government agencies and officesย late Friday. The order calls for the U.S. Agency [โฆ]
Whoโs in Elonโs ear โ and DMs
Muskโs most trusted advisers remain a tight-knit group of executives who have followed him from his companies but lack political experience.
USAID official tells remaining staffers: Shred and burn all your documents
A senior official at USAID instructed the agencyโs remaining staff to convene at the agencyโs now-former headquarters in Washington on Tuesday for an โall dayโ group effort to destroy documents stored there, many of which contain sensitive information. The materials earmarked for destruction include contents of the agencyโs โclassified safes and personnel documentsโ at the [โฆ]
Elon Musk claims X falls to cyberattack
The purported cyberattack comes amid a groundswell of unrest over his crusade to slash the federal government.
Trump puts new limits on Elon Musk
The president convened his secretaries, with Musk, to clarify power.
Trump celebrates disruption and defies backlash in Congress speech
โThe people elected me to do the job, and Iโm doing it.โ
Musk is โhere to stayโ in the Trump admin, adviser says
Questions have swirled around how long Musk can and will serve in DOGE, but those close to Trump say thereโs no end in sight.
Trumpโs defense deputy secretary pick avoids saying Russia invaded Ukraine
Stephen Feinberg, at his confirmation hearing, signaled heโs unlikely to challenge the Pentagonโs striking shift.
Musk says all federal employees need to explain their work immediately โ or be let go
Federal employees received an email Saturday afternoon, and gave them a deadline of Monday night.
Joe Roganโs Elon Musk love affair
The most prominent podcaster in the world used to forgo politics. Muskโs entry into government has him singing a different tune.
Whoโs in charge of DOGE? Not Elon Musk, White House says
A Trump administration personnel official says Musk has โno actual or formal authority to make government decisions.โ
JD Vance meets with leader of far-right German political party backed by Musk
The vice president met with the leaders of all four major German political parties โ including Alice Weidel, leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany.
What Elon can learn from the original Doge
Governance matters and other lessons from 13th century
RFK Jr. now runs Americaโs health agencies
The United States Senate confirmed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in a 52-48 vote Thursday to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. He will be sworn in later today.
Macron says โitโs normalโ Musk skipped AI summit in Paris
The French president said the tech mogul’s absence was due to his new role assisting the Trump administration.
Britain ditches AI declaration, pitches for cash
SNEAK PEEK โ As the AI Action Summit kicks off, the U.K. is tempted against signing its main declaration. โ Peter Kyle takes his investment pitch to Paris. โ Back at home, thereโs a backlash against the Home Office over encryption. Good Monday morning, This is Tom in Paris. You can get in touch with [โฆ]
As Trump steamrolls Washington, courts flex their power to slow him down
Numerous federal district judges around the country have blocked major portions of Trumpโs early agenda โ but Supreme Court showdowns loom.
US judge orders sweeping restriction on DOGE access to sensitive Treasury data
The judge limited access to โcivil servants with a need for accessโ who have โpassed all background checks and security clearances.โ
Inside USAIDโs undoing
Aides to the president and Elon Musk suspected USAID officials were trying to go around a funding freeze.
Trumpโs aid freeze leaves UN food agency scrambling, with millions at risk
Despite a U.S. waiver, food shipments are stalled, funding is uncertain and Europe may have to fill the gap.
Trump closes first day with an avalanche of executive orders
President Donald Trump bolted into his first day in office with an unprecedented show of executive force โ signing orders intended to end the right to citizenship by birth, force federal workers back to the office and grant Tik Tok a reprieve from a forced shutdown โ as he showcased his desire to circumvent Congress [โฆ]
Top10. How Muskโs White House appointment could test the EU
Host Giada Santana and Euractiv’s Eliza Gritski explore the EUโs probe into X, the implications of Muskโs new role, and what this means for the future of EU digital policy and transatlantic relations.
The post Top10. How Muskโs White House appointment …