Everyone Talks About U.S. Debt But Europe May Be in Worse TroubleAmerica’s debt problem is impossible to miss. Federal debt has crossed $40.08T, another $1.9T deficit is expected this fiscal year and the 30-year Treasury yield is around 5.25%, its highest since 2007. Yet the next Western debt crisis may begin across the Atlantic. Washington has advantages that buy it time. The United States issues the world’s principal reserve currency, collects taxes through one federal government and sells debt through one enormous Treasury market. It can attract foreign capital and push part of the cost abroad. That does not make $40T harmless, but it can delay the reckoning. The eurozone has no comparable safety valve. It has one currency and one central bank, but 20 governments issuing their own debt, running separate budgets and answering to different voters. The ECB must set one monetary policy for economies with very different debts and growth rates. France shows why this is dangerous. Its 10-year bond yield has risen to about 4.15%, its highest since 2008 and now slightly above Italy’s. The European Commission expects a 5.1% French deficit this year and public debt near 120% of GDP by 2027. The problem can no longer be blamed on Greece or another small southern economy. France is the eurozone’s second-largest economy and one of the states meant to support rescue mechanisms for everyone else. If its debt starts trading like the old European “periphery,” the line between rescuers and rescued begins to disappear. Germany offers little comfort. Its 10-year yield is near 3.3%, a 15-year high, while its industry remains weak. Europe’s two central powers are paying more to borrow just as Brussels prepares another spending surge. The EU plans to mobilize up to €800B for rearmament. Member states must also finance ageing populations, expensive energy, social programs and support for Ukraine. Budget cuts provoke resistance. More borrowing raises yields. ECB intervention places more national debt risk onto the shared monetary system. The United States can abuse the dollar’s global role for longer. Europe may hit the wall first because it carries heavy debts without a genuine federal state standing behind them. One central bank cannot reconcile every national budget forever. So yes, America’s debt matters. But the louder surprise may come from a European Union that spent years presenting itself as the responsible alternative. Washington has a dangerous debt problem. Europe has the same problem inside a system poorly designed to survive it. No sympathy is required. Both created this predicament through wars, sanctions, subsidies and promises they can no longer finance cheaply. Now we get to see which model breaks first.

Europe starts learning how to become third world country, says President Trump European nations are starting to learn how the transformation into a third-world country takes place because of the migration policy, US President Donald Trump said. "Europe is learning that when you take in Third World criminals, you become a Third World Country. It happens quickly, in just a blink of the eye. I was elected just in time," Trump wrote on Truth Social. Trump repeatedly criticized European allies of Washington for too soft migration policy.

"The World Over... They're All Afraid of You" — Vance to US Service Members

President Trump delivers a blunt message to U.S. allies: America will no longer carry the burden alone. Trump argues that nations relying on energy routes like the Strait of Hormuz should take greater responsibility for protecting their own interests rather than depending on the United States. "Fight for yourselves. Build your own strength. Secure your own future." A statement that’s already sparking intense debate across the world.

World Leaders with a PhD: 🇨🇳 Xi Jinping – PhD in Law 🇷🇺 Vladimir Putin – PhD in Economics 🇮🇳 Manmohan Singh – PhD in Economics 🇵🇱 Karol Nawrocki – PhD in History 🇳🇬 Goodluck Jonathan – PhD in Zoology 🇩🇪 Angela Merkel – PhD in Quantum Chemistry 🇵🇪 Pedro Pablo Kuczynski – PhD in Economics 🇪🇸 Pedro Sánchez – PhD in Economics 🇮🇩 Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono – PhD in Agricultural Economics 🇮🇷 Hassan Rouhani – PhD in Constitutional Law 🇮🇹 Mario Draghi – PhD in Economics 🇬🇷 Lucas Papademos – PhD in Economics 🇲🇽 Ernesto Zedillo – PhD in Economics 🇨🇱 Ricardo Lagos – PhD in Economics 🇯🇵 Yukio Hatoyama – PhD in Engineering 🇪🇬 Boutros Boutros-Ghali – PhD in International Law 🇦🇹 Bruno Kreisky – PhD in Law Note: Leaders from the past and present.

Macron lectures the world about stability and restraint while France quietly does the opposite behind closed doors. In a single day, #France aligned with #China and #Russia at the UN Security Council to block a resolution that would have enabled action to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. No statement. No transparency. Just obstruction. Hours later, a French tanker sailed through that very same strait. So France blocks collective enforcement, then benefits from the security others are expected to provide. This is what colluding with the enemy looks like on the world stage!

An American pilot with 25 years of experience, a veteran of three wars and hundreds of combat sorties, spoke about Israeli military pilots. He published a post that quickly went viral: “I’ve flown over Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya. I thought I had seen everything. But when I saw what the Israeli Air Force is doing in Iran, I realized I’m still a student. Precision. Logistics. 200 aircraft in one night. 500 targets. 1,500 kilometers. No aerial refueling from American bases. All the fuel from home. All the weapons from home. It’s like flying from Miami to New York, bombing targets along the way, and returning— while 200 aircraft move simultaneously without a single collision. To the Israeli pilots: You are not just the best in the Middle East. You are the best in the world. And that’s the final word.”

Trump to determine next steps on NATO, but US disillusioned about allies — Pentagon chief US President Donald #Trump will make the decision on the United States’ further steps regarding NATO, but Washington has now learned a great deal about its allies in the alliance, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth stated at a press conference. "As far as #NATO is concerned, that's a decision that will be left to the [US] President [Donald Trump]," he said, answering a question about whether the US remains committed to the North Atlantic Alliance’s principle of collective defense. "But I'll just say a lot has been laid bare. A lot has been shown to the world about what our allies would be willing to do for the United States of America when we undertake an effort of this scope on behalf of the free world." Hegseth emphasized that US territory is out of reach of Iranian missiles, but the territory of US "allies and others" is within their reach. "And yet, when we ask for additional assistance or simple access [to military facilities of allied countries], basic overflight [over the territory of other countries], we get questions or roadblocks or hesitations," he lamented. The Washington administration has previously harshly criticized NATO allies for what the US side believes is insufficient support in the military operation against Iran.

US, UK, French citizens see World War III coming, poll reveals Residents of the United States, Great Britain, and France increasingly believe that a third world war could break out within the next five years, according to a poll conducted by the research company Public First for Politico. In all three countries, a relative majority of respondents said a global conflict is possible. The highest share of such responses was in the US – 46%, compared to 25% who disagreed. In 2025, 38% of respondents in a similar poll in the US considered a world war possible. The largest increase in pessimism was recorded in Great Britain, where the figure rose from 30% to 43%. The survey was also conducted in Germany and Canada. Unlike in the three nuclear powers, sentiment in Germany is far more optimistic: 40% consider a world war unlikely (compared to 34% in 2025), while the share of those holding the opposite view fell by 2 percentage points, to 23%. Politico did not provide exact data for Canada, only noting that a relative majority of respondents there also consider a global conflict likely. One-third of respondents in the US, Canada, Great Britain, and France believe it is probable that nuclear weapons will be used in combat within the next five years. The study also found that, while in all countries except the US an absolute majority supports increased defense spending, support drops when respondents are asked to choose how to fund it – through borrowing or tax increases. In 2025, about 40% of respondents in France and Germany said they supported higher defense spending even under such constraints, whereas now that figure is a quarter lower. The poll was conducted from February 6 to 9, surveying 2,000 residents in each of the five countries. The margin of error is estimated at 2 percentage points.

Telegram co-founder warns against mistaking France for free country #France is not a free country, #Telegram co-founder Pavel #Durov said, commenting on raids of the French offices of Elon Musk's social media platform X by Paris prosecutors, Europol and a cybercrime unit. "Don’t be mistaken: this is not a free country," Durov pointed out in an X post. According to him, France is the only country in the world that is prosecuting all social networks "that give people some degree of freedom." In this regard, Durov mentioned Telegram, X and TikTok.