Getting this glimpse into what is (or should have been) the private thinking of the Trump White House is the most remarkable gift of Providence. By some bizarre accident, a journalist unconnected to the administration received top secret information on military planning, which in itself must constitute an illegal security breach, and gave us an unforgettable view into the American government’s attitude to its role in the world. Jeffrey Goldberg, editor of the Atlantic magazine, and the surprise beneficiary, was scrupulous enough to keep the sensitive military details from public exposure – for which he received no gratitude whatever from the White House.

Indeed, he was met with the administration’s stock response when its own actions result in public humiliation: he was pilloried in the most vicious terms by the Defence Secretary, Pete Hegseth, as a “deceitful and highly discredited so-called journalist who’s made a profession of peddling hoaxes time and time again”. What on earth is this supposed to mean? That this whole incident is some sort of malicious lie invented by Mr Goldberg? When the White House has already admitted that his account is absolutely true?

There are demands now for both Mr Waltz, who has been described by a White House official as a “f—ing idiot”, and Mr Hegseth to resign, which – given the seriousness of the security breach - should be the minimum required of them.

But what must we conclude about JD Vance, who joined in the sneering at what are supposed to be his country’s chief allies with such gusto?

And what about the future of our security operations?

Do we continue to supply highly sensitive intelligence to a White House which holds us in contempt and might just accidentally broadcast critical information to random contacts?

And the biggest question of all: whose side is America on now? The “pathetic” Western countries with which it supposedly shares a democratic tradition or its new friend, Vladimir Putin, with whom it could comfortably carve up the world?

On the face of it, the strike against the Houthis had far more to do with the administration’s policies on protecting maritime trade and containing Iran than its concerns about Europe freeloading on US defense spending and military prowess. But Vance appears determined to push that angle as a reason to postpone the strike.

“I think we are making a mistake,” wrote Vance, adding that while only 3% of US trade goes through the Suez canal, 40% of European trade does. “There is a real risk that the public doesn’t understand this or why it’s necessary,” he added. “The strongest reason to do this is, as [Trump] said, to send a message.”

Waltz, a foreign policy traditionalist, said: “It will have to be the United States that reopens these shipping lanes.” But he agreed that the administration sought to “compile the costs associated and levy them on the Europeans”. “If you think we should do it let’s go. I just hate bailing Europe out again,” Vance replied. Hegseth agreed that “I fully share your loathing of European free-loading. It’s PATHETIC.” But, he added, “we are the only ones on the planet (on our side of the ledger) who can do this.”

So, he is negotiating with Scholz's SPD to accept half a million migrants a year; he flirts with the Greens that he’ll make sure that their climate lunacy is enshrined into the constitution – and maybe he will support their push to ban right-wing AfD.

And that’s not all: Merz has worked to scrap longstanding caps on government expenses – but his spending spree plans have generated a domestic political blowback. At this point, the margin between the CDU and AfD is just four points, half the gap of four weeks ago when the election took place.

Image, say analysts, counts for a lot: even as the party has moved ever further to the right on immigration and Islam, Weidel has helped somehow to detoxify it in the eyes of some voters. “She is often smiling at the same time as having very aggressive rhetoric,” said Busch, who added that she had at times maintained a “dangerous” ambiguity in order to expand the AfD’s electoral appeal.

Having emulated the electoral gains of other women on the far right in Europe, most notably Marine Le Pen in France and Giorgia Meloni in Italy, Weidel now faces the challenge of piloting the party in opposition towards its ultimate goal of victory in the next election in 2029. In the short term, Weidel has little hope of breaking through the “firewall” erected by the other mainstream parties to block the AfD’s entry into government. But if another unwieldy, quarrelsome coalition fails to get Germany back on track, her party will be waiting in the wings next time round.

Shouting over appeals from the father of the house to stick to the agenda, Baumann declared: “We from the AfD are stronger than ever before. You will not thwart our rise with your tricks.” On that point, he was indisputably right. After last month’s election the AfD is now the second largest party in the Bundestag and the dominant force in the opposition, holding nearly a quarter of the seats in the chamber and the right to plum posts on various committees.

Its strategy for the next four years is clear: all-out parliamentary warfare. The AfD is locked out of government as Friedrich Merz, the election winner and leader of the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), tries to form a ruling coalition with the Social Democratic Party (SPD). Instead it has signalled that it will use every point of order and procedural trick in the Bundestag’s rulebook to annoy, embarrass, divide or harangue the parties of the centre.

This began right at the start of the first sitting, when the AfD challenged the right of Gregor Gysi, a left-wing politician who is the longest-serving MP, to make the first speech. During Gregor Gysi’s speech some MPs began talking among themselves and one started reading a book.

That bought Baumann a prime-time platform from which to lambast Merz, the incoming chancellor. “If you vote for the CDU, at the end of the day you will get the green left,” he said. “You will get open borders, mass immigration, 72 genders and the rainbow flag flying from the top of the Bundestag.” If anyone had expected the German parliament to settle down after a series of uncharacteristically bilious debates during the election campaign, their hopes were misplaced.

Stephan Brandner, the AfD’s deputy leader, accused the CDU of capitulating before the “stunted Germans” of the centre-left and issued an ominous warning to his fellow MPs. “You can do what you want; you have the majority. We accept that,” Brandner told the centrist parties. “But you should also know: you are the past of an old, ruined Germany. We are the future of a blossoming [AfD] blue Germany.”

Five years on from the imposition of the Coronavirus Act, which arrived on 25 March 2020, we can’t talk about a “return to normal” when a great chunk of employees have never returned to the office in any meaningful sense. A new survey of 12,000 workers across 44 countries found those from the UK spend just two days a week in the office on average – fewer than any other country surveyed, bar the Philippines.

This has had a catastrophic effect on our social and urban structures. It’s not just the fact that workplaces are no longer close-knit communities that helped to cement our sense of identity, but the wider blow to the infrastructure that served workers and enabled money and, crucially, purpose to flow through our economy. Just think of the impact on the commercial rental sector, public transport, sandwich bars, shops and the pubs where workers socialised after hours.

The social contract feels broken in many ways, but this is surely one of the worst. We’ve sanctioned reduced opportunities and isolation for workers (just a PC for company) and then we wonder why there is an epidemic of poor mental health.

While a deal with Ukraine and Russia for rare earth minerals may serve us well, we have the ability to mine these same rare earths right here on US soil. President Trump knows the importance of this, because right now China dominates the global supply of these rare earth minerals.

America’s reluctance to mine its own resources, driven by environmental activists, poses a serious threat to US military readiness. But thanks to President Trump, this is about to change. The goal now is to extract these vital resources here in America to ensure national security and reduce dependence on China.

See, most Americans burn the “health” candle at both ends. You’re not supposed to be suffering from preventable diseases and disorders your whole life, but as they say, garbage in, garbage out. When you eat and drink food toxins all day, for every meal, snack and beverage, it’s inevitable. We’re not even talking about toxic personal care products and home cleaning products here, just food and drinks.

Bread in America is made to last for weeks. It’s not normal. They use synthetic conditioners, emulsifiers, and foaming agents. Nearly all fast-food bread has these ingredients. That’s why millions of people have “gluten intolerance,” and Celiac’s, diverticulitis, IBS, and Crohn’s. Think about that for a second. The gluten sticks to the insides of your intestines, rotting, backing up all the other food for days, causing polyps, ulcers and cancer.

If you don’t eat organic food regularly, or at least locally-grown food from trusted farmers who don’t douse chemicals all over their crops and produce, then you are engaged in the deadly American “diet.” It’s like the food pyramid, which was “built” to bury people under.

Germany has just passed a major reform to its constitutional debt brake, unlocking billions of euros in funding. One model shared with CNN suggested that over a 10-year period, with Germany spending 3.5% of GDP, it could amount to €600 billion ($652 billion).

CNN spent the day with the Bundeswehr at an undisclosed location in central Germany as five NATO allies took part in training exercises. The simulation was an attack by a “foreign adversary” on another member of the alliance. Speaking at the makeshift headquarters for the simulation, Hammerstein told CNN: “Germany is a capable nation in Europe, and has to be a partner for other nations. We are a responsible partner in Europe and a big nation. We (have) got to step up, and we will do that.”

As Merz embarks on turning around the German juggernaut, he is confident that he is setting Germany on the right track towards a more secure and prosperous future. “Germany is back,” he declared a week ago in Berlin. “Germany is making a significant contribution to the defense of freedom and peace in Europe.”

In a statement on Friday, UN Human Rights spokesperson Liz Throssell blasted the new law, stating that the agency is “deeply concerned” about the move, which she said “results in arbitrary and discriminatory restrictions on the rights of LGBTIQ+ individuals to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and privacy.”

Orban, who has long been an ardent critic of “woke policies,” has defended the new law, insisting that “the international gender network must take its hands off our children.” He accused the EU authorities and the previous US administration of “pushing their harmful agendas,” but said that after the election of US President Donald Trump, “the winds have shifted in our favor.” “We finally have the space to act and protect our children. No more re-education, no more compromises. Our children come first, and we will fight to defend their future,” he wrote on X.