1. 🇩🇪 GERMAN DISAPPROVAL FUELS CONSERVATIVE SURGE

A new INSA poll reported by Die Welt reveals the scale of Germany’s political crisis, and the establishment has no answers.

84 percent of Germans say they feel “great or very great” concern about the state of affairs in their country. A further 64% say they cannot see any combination of parties capable of turning things around.

That anxiety is sending Germans to the one party the establishment refuses to work with. The AfD now sits at 29%, making it the most popular party in Germany. The “centre-right” CDU trails at 22%, following a horrendous first year from Chancellor Merz.

This follows polling showing 78% of Germans believe Chancellor Merz has failed to solve the migration crisis. The establishment keeps making the same moves over and over, continuing to make matters worse in Germany. Germans have lost their confidence in their leadership, and it is pushing more and more people to the AfD.

2. ❌ BRUSSELS WHITEWASHES THE DMA’S FAILURES

The European Commission recently released its review of its Digital Markets Act (DMA), claiming the regulation has had a “positive impact” and has helped establish fairer markets and greater choice for users and businesses. But as one recent analysis from AEI points out, this flattering self-assessment is far from impartial.

As part of this review, American firms subject to the DMA’s stringent regulations were provided the opportunity to provide candid input on the framework; however, despite working through the proper legal and regulatory channels to flag the tangible consequences of the DMA’s obligations, Brussels elected not to include any of it. The Commission instead built out the report with testimony exclusively taken from stakeholders and organizations already predisposed to support the regulation.

The review also ignored a growing body of independent, peer-reviewed studies documenting how the DMA has stalled innovation and degraded services, along with others that undermine the core justifications for some of its most sweeping prohibitions. As the DMA faces criticism both abroad and domestically, Brussels appears to have artificially engineered the report to make it appear successful even as evidence of its failures continues to pile up.

As US companies struggle to remain compliant with the burdensome regulation, the ramifications of Brussels’ decision to conceal the DMA’s deficiencies have begun to spread beyond just the US companies designated as gatekeepers. European consumers, for one, have increasingly had to absorb price hikes resulting from EU taxes being passed onto them. Unfortunately for them, the Commission’s doctored self-review does nothing to address that reality since an acknowledgement of these deficiencies would threaten the regulatory framework itself and the vast financial and bureaucratic resources Brussels has put into it.

The Commission may be hoping that a favorable self-review buys it time before the next round of transatlantic negotiations, but the Trump Administration has already shown its willingness to fight on behalf of American innovators abroad, especially those being taken advantage of. The Commission should not expect this support to waiver and, given that, must consider recalibrating their approach. If Brussels continues to shut gatekeeper voices out of its own review process while simultaneously demanding their compliance, it can expect a more formidable response – be it through tariffs, diplomatic leverage, or other means.

🇺🇸 THE ART OF HONORING THE DEAL

The US and EU have finally reached a trade deal.

Following President Trump’s May 1st announcement of a 25% tariff on EU passenger cars and light trucks, the EU finally reached a trade agreement with the US. The deal includes a 15% on most European exports, while duties are being lowered on U.S. industrial products, and expands preferential access on some American agricultural and seafood products.

After months of negotiations, the EU found itself at a standstill. The European Parliament decided to attempt to rewrite the deal by adding four new amendments, including sunset clauses and suspension mechanisms that were never part of the original agreement, but at long last, a deal has been reached.

U.S. Ambassador to the EU Andrew Puzder pointed out in his latest op-ed that when President Trump took office, the U.S. faced a $235 billion trade-in-goods deficit with the EU, the result of years of other presidents allowing Europe to play by its own rules. President Trump imposed tariffs, forced negotiations, and in July 2025, struck the Turnberry Agreement, a framework on reciprocal, fair, and balanced trade. The U.S. delivered immediately, while Brussels tried “to move the goalposts while the game is underway.”

Brussels wanted to force the hand of America, but President Trump set the terms. Brussels, eventually, had no choice but to accept them.