GERMANY - In a new twist, Berlin has suggested that a country’s commitment to NATO be measured by the proportion of its armed forces allocated for the alliance’s needs, not by the well-worn rule of spending two percent of GDP on defense. The customary rule, fiercely adhered to by the Trump administration, is no longer an accurate way to assess each country’s individual contribution to NATO, German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer argued on Friday. She dismissed the two-percent benchmark as “a cipher” that is losing relevance, given the damage the Covid-19 crisis has inflicted on NATO members’ gross domestic product (GDP) and proposed using other measurement methods instead.

USA - Perhaps to the relief of his transatlantic allies, Donald Trump has said he doesn't want to lead the US out of NATO but he does want them to pay their "fair share" – a price that could be more than two percent of members' GDP. Trump dispelled speculation that he might consider quitting NATO while talking to the Washington Post's Marc Thiessen. He boasted about piling pressure on bloc members, telling the journalist that he raised "$140 billion from NATO countries going up to $400 billion" throughout the course of three years. Making an impression that the US might quit was actually a bargaining chip used to persuade allies into spending more on defense, the president revealed. “I had some that were paying almost nothing, and now they're paying. And they asked me the big question: Would you leave if – and I said, 'Yeah, I would leave.' And if you don't give that answer, they're not going to pay.”

ISRAEL - Israel’s potential annexation of parts of the West Bank may not be a top election issue for American Jews, or even a top issue right now for most Israelis. But some evangelical Christians in America are hoping to make it an animating issue for evangelical voters in this fall’s presidential election. That’s especially true for Mike Evans, the evangelical writer who founded a museum celebrating Christian supporters of Israel, the Friends of Zion Heritage Center in Jerusalem. His “Jerusalem Prayer Team” Facebook page has more than 73 million followers.

USA - Amid the surge in gun sales that began in March and continues even now, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) estimates 40 percent of sales are going to first-time gun buyers. A report by the Wall Street Journal cites the NSSF estimate, noting that the FBI “processed 7.8 million background checks for gun purchases from March to June.” The report pointed out that handguns make up the predominant portion of firearms being purchased, and that “nearly two handguns, commonly used for self-protection, are being sold for every rifle or shotgun.” The handgun sales, together with the estimate that 40 percent of purchasers are first-time buyers, are indicative of Americans seeking out tools for self-defense.

USA - This 4th of July, Americans witnessed flyovers of our airpower. It was a far cry from the airpower displays over Washington, DC, that I viewed as a boy on national holidays in the late 1950s. Then, dozens of B-47 bombers literally cast a shadow over the viewers. On this Fourth, only three bombers were on display - a B-52 built in the Kennedy years; a B-1B built during the Reagan administration; and our “newest” bomber, the B-2, over 30 years of age. To put the current bomber deficit situation in historical context, in 1957 the Air Force had 2,334 bombers in its inventory; in 1990 it had 411; the 2021 budget plans for 140. Yes, times have changed, but arguably the security challenges for the foreseeable future are much more complex and challenging than ever before. The current situation is the result of a disconnect between supply and demand. Today the Air Force operates the smallest bomber force — 157 total aircraft — and oldest — average age of 45 years — since its formation as a separate service in 1947.

EUROPE - Top eurocrat Ursula von der Leyen warned failure to strike a deal on her coronavirus recovery fund would put jobs at risk across the European Union. The European Commission President said an agreement over her proposed €750 bailout for pandemic-stricken economies would help the bloc emerge from the crisis. Arriving at the European Council summit, Mrs von der Leyen said: “The risk couldn’t be greater today, but so are the opportunities. A lot is at stake, if Europe does it right then we can emerge from this crisis more strongly.” The summit threatens being scuppered by the Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte. The Netherlands has called for countries receiving EU aid to agree to reforms in their labour markets and pensions systems before being allowed access to the cash being made available from pandemic-stricken industries and regions. Mr Rutte is leading the opposition alongside other fiscally conservative northern member states.

GERMANY - The European Union should prepare for the possibility of a gradual disengagement by the United States from the continent, even if Democratic challenger Joe Biden beats President Donald Trump in the November election, according to Germany’s defense minister. Speaking before the European parliament on Tuesday, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said she believes only the “tone” in trans-Atlantic relations would change following a Biden win. The reorientation of America’s foreign policy toward China as a global rival would remain a key driving force in Washington, possibly at the expense of Europe, she said. “If that is the case, it means we Europeans must become able to act more so than is the case today,” she said in testimony meant to lay out Germany’s defense agenda during a six-month turn at the helm of the European Council of the EU that began July 1.

EUROPE - The European Union has been warned to brace for yet another round of internal clashes after eight days of intense protests on the streets of Bulgaria. The European Union could be left facing more internal clashes over its fundamental values after thousands of Bulgarians took to the streets to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Boyko Borissov. Brussels over the past decade has been juggling with several parallel crises, including an ongoing split with Poland and Hungary over rule of law. Bulgarian MEP Radan Kanev warned the EU should fear the prospect of Bulgaria becoming "another Poland or Hungary" because of the corruption claims moved against Mr Borissov. Fellow MEP Elena Yoncheva accused the whole political system in her country of being corrupt, claiming Sofia loses up to €11 billion a year because of corruption.

ISRAEL - There are dozens of Muslim states and Christian states around the globe and nobody seems to mind; why can't there be a single, tiny Jewish state? Why has the two-state solution failed? Because the Palestinian leadership has refused offer after offer, because it pays terrorists to kill Israelis, because it incites hatred against Jews, and because it is deeply unpopular, corrupt and cruel to its own people. The two-state solution is not dead. President Trump's Vision for Peace proposes an achievable means for the Palestinians to self-govern within the bulk of Judea and Samaria without jeopardizing Israel's security. The Palestinian people have the opportunity today for real independence. The world stands by with an offer of massive financial assistance in the form of investment, not handouts, so that legitimate Palestinian aspirations may be realized. Sadly, the Palestinian leadership appears poised to miss this opportunity just as it has missed every other opportunity since 1947.

VATICAN - Vatican officials are anxious to get their hands on an advance copy of The Next Pope, a survey of 19 leading contenders to succeed Pope Francis scheduled for publication next month. The full list is still under wraps, but inevitably we talk about Cardinal Robert Sarah, the African-born apocalyptic visionary whom liberals most fear. Equally inevitably, we talk about the charismatic and ambitious Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, formerly Archbishop of Manila and now one of Francis's main allies in the Vatican. But the candidate I was most anxious to ask Edward about is Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who as Secretary of State negotiated the secret and sinister pact with China, staged a coup d'état against the Order of Malta and now faces urgent questions about corrupt property deals. How could such a man possibly be acceptable to the college of cardinals? He's even spoken of as the front-runner. Has the Catholic Church – now on the brink of financial catastrophe – simply thrown away its moral compass?

USA - Millions of Americans who have missed rent payments due to the coronavirus pandemic could be at risk of being evicted in the coming months unless government measures to protect them are extended, economists and housing experts say. Nearly 12 million adults live in households that missed their last rent payment, and 23 million have little or no confidence in their ability to make the next one, according to weekly Census Bureau data.

USA - Coronavirus cases and deaths in the US have begun to rise dramatically again, with experts saying a deadly second wave of the virus has now started. The US leads the world in total coronavirus deaths, with 136,938 dead according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. President Donald Trump previously ordered the country to begin easing lockdown measures. Recently, Mr Trump has also pushed ahead with plans to reopen schools this autumn.

The Atlantic’s Alexis Madrigal suggests that US data shows a second wave of the virus has already started. He references data showing that since July 6, the seven-day average for daily deaths has jumped by over 200. He also points to data showing that cases began to rise on June 16, and two weeks later deaths rose along with cases. Mr Madrigal added: “With the national death numbers rising once again, there’s simply no argument that America can sustain coronavirus outbreaks while somehow escaping fatalities. America’s deadly summer coronavirus surge is undeniable.”

USA - If Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu unilaterally annexes parts of the West Bank, he will do so knowing that virtually the entire United States Democratic Party opposes the move. The entire leadership has spoken out against it, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and at least 210 of the 233 Democrats in Congress have sent or signed on to letters urging Jerusalem to drop the proposal. But now, some Democrats are no longer just stating their disapproval of annexation; they are now calling for a policy response should Netanyahu go through with it. At the same time, all sides know that with a Republican majority in the Senate and US President Donald Trump in the White House, the amendment has no chance of being passed and signed into law.

JORDAN - Jordan’s King Abdullah warned on Monday that any unilateral Israeli moves to annex territory in the occupied West Bank would fuel instability and dim hopes of a final settlement of the decades-old Arab-Israeli conflict. The monarch told British lawmakers the only path to a comprehensive and lasting Middle East peace was the establishment of an independent Palestinian state based on land captured by Israel in the 1967 war, and with East Jerusalem as its capital. “Any unilateral Israeli measure to annex lands in the West Bank is unacceptable, as it would undermine the prospects of achieving peace and stability in the Middle East,” the monarch was quoted in a palace statement as telling British foreign and defence parliamentary committee members in a virtual meeting.

USA - Bubonic Plague has been confirmed in the US amid growing fears of an outbreak of the disease known as the Black Death. The bubonic plague, which became known as the “Black Death'' after killing more than 100 million people in the Middle Ages, has been confirmed in a squirrel in Colorado. Jefferson County Public Health (JCPH) said the animal tested positive for the disease in the town of Morrison, near Denver, on July 11. It is the first known case of the disease in the US this year. Symptoms usually last for up to seven days and is effectively treated with antibiotics, however if left untreated it can turn into a more severe form and trigger pneumonia. The JCPH said: “Symptoms of plague may include sudden onset of high fever, chills, headache, nausea and extreme pain and swelling of lymph nodes, occurring within two to seven days after exposure. Plague can be effectively treated with antibiotics when diagnosed early. Anyone experiencing these symptoms should consult a physician.”