JD Vance brings right-wing agenda to Munich

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Weekend Briefing

From Reuters Daily Briefing

By Robert MacMillan, Reuters.com Weekend Editor

I'll save my introductory chatter and say simply, welcome to the Weekend Briefing. Our weekend World News Podcast looks at how Germany's postwar firewalls to stop the rise of political extremism are being tested with the rise of the AfD. There is plenty more below, but first, get some tips on how to enjoy Rome in our latest City Memo.

JD Vance brings his own script to the Munich security conference

REUTERS/Leah Millis

Attacking the host: Everyone expected Russia-Ukraine peace talks to dominate the agenda, but Vance barely mentioned them in his speech to the gathering. The vice president instead accused European leaders of censoring free speech and failing to control immigration, and met the leader of Germany's AfD. Berlin was having none of it. Talks between Vance and Volodymyr Zelenskiy ended without an announcement of a minerals deal that Kyiv needs for Trump's backing. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth bombed before his European audiences this week, which earned him a good review from Trump. Speaking of the far right, French politician Sarah Knafo is gaining traction in the Trump and tech worlds.
Middle East: Hamas freed three Israeli hostages and Israel began releasing some 369 Palestinian prisoners and detainees after mediators helped avert a ceasefire collapse. Gazans returning to their ruined homes face a water shortage. The strip's only aquifer is contaminated with seawater and sewage.

Trump and Musk fire thousands more agency workers

The latest: Cuts came down on the Centers for Disease Control, the Energy Department, the Interior Department and the Agriculture Department. The IRS plans to make thousands of workers walk the plank next week, with less than two months to go until tax returns are due. And federal employees tell us why they took Trump's buyout offer.
Unprepared: A U.S. program for international disaster and crisis assistance can no longer deploy in the event of a major emergency due to the Trump administration's dismantling of USAID, sources say. "DARTS" are highly trained staff who mobilize within 24 to 48 hours of major disasters, such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake and the 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami.

Integrity, the law and Eric Adams

Decision time: A federal prosecutor agreed to file a motion to dismiss criminal corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams to spare other career staff from potentially being fired for refusing to do so, sources briefed on the matter told Reuters. Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove told the department's career public-integrity prosecutors that they had one hour to pick someone to do the deed. Six senior Justice Department officials including the deeply conservative Danielle Sassoon, resigned rather than complying.
Legal moves: A federal judge extended a block on Elon Musk's cost-cutting team from accessing payment systems at the Treasury Department, while another judge allowed DOGE staffers to access records at health, labor and consumer financial-protection agencies. Musk's influence in federal agencies is irritating Donald Trump's top aides. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called the story "complete bullshit."

How to make annoying airline passengers go away

Government and business: Major U.S. airlines asked the Trump administration to abandon a Biden-era review of whether carriers should have to pay compensation to passengers over flight disruptions. And do read this corker of a story about Trump's elimination of the de minimis rule and the chaos it caused for U.S. ports, parcel carriers, e-commerce sites, the postal service and customs. Here's the latest on Trump's threatened tariffs – autos are next in his sights.
DEI: Institutional Shareholder Services said it will stop considering the gender, racial and ethnic diversity of U.S. company boards when making its voting recommendations for shareholders. The FCC said it will investigate Comcast on suspicion of "still engaging in the promotion of DEI." Disney will remove the objective of increasing diversity of executives from compensation criteria.

Before I forget…

- Rwandan-backed M23 rebels say they entered eastern DR Congo's second-largest city. The Sudanese Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group attacked a famine-stricken displacement camp.
- Pope Francis is continuing his treatment for a respiratory infection in hospital, where he will remain for as long as necessary, a Vatican spokesman said.
- The head of Russia's Orthodox Church said "weirdos" were trying to spread paganism in the combat zone in Ukraine.
- Judges in the Miss Pacific Islands Pageant were briefly stopped from leaving the Solomon Islands amid claims of fraudulent activities after Miss Samoa won the contest for a second time in a row.
- Power went out across Sri Lanka after a monkey came into contact with a transformer at a grid station in a Colombo suburb. No word on the monkey's condition…
- Marriages in China plummeted by a fifth last year, thwarting the government's push for people to make more babies. I know, you can have one without the other, but that's not Beijing's plan.

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