Increasing defence budget will require tough trade-offs

Senate G.O.P. Passes Budget Resolution, and Punts on Tough Questions

Approval of the Republican budget plan left major questions about tax cuts and spending reduction for another day.

The New York Times - 4d

Starmer announces big cut to UK aid budget to boost defence spending

PM confirms rise in military spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 – three years earlier than planned. Keir Starmer has announced drastic cuts to Britain’s international aid budget to help pay for a ...

The Guardian - 20h

The papers: UK ramps up defence budget and Europe's 'fight for peace'

The government's increase in defence spending and developments between Ukraine and the US dominate Wednesday's papers.

BBC News - 14h

House Republicans representing large shares of Medicaid, SNAP beneficiaries face tough budget test

Some Republicans have raised concerns about potential cuts to anti-poverty programs that their constituents rely on as they search for ways to pay for Trump’s legislative agenda.

NBC News - 5d

Starmer defends slashing aid budget to raise defence spending to 2.5% of GDP - UK politics live

Keir Starmer says now is the time to deepen European security, as he announces new defence budget by 2027. The rightwing historian Niall Ferguson is in the audience for Badenoch’s speech, ...

The Guardian - 20h

Trump Administration Plans to Require Undocumented Immigrants to Register

The move, which could expose unregistered migrants to criminal prosecution, represents a drastic escalation of the administration’s efforts to push millions of immigrants to leave on their own.

The New York Times - 11h

Republicans consider cuts and work requirements for Medicaid, jeopardizing care for millions

Republicans are weighing billions of dollars in cuts to Medicaid, jeopardizing health care coverage for some of the 80 million U.S. adults and children enrolled in the safety net program

ABC News - Feb. 18

Texas AG asks court to require NCAA to begin gender testing

The Republican attorney general in Texas wants the NCAA to take its transgender policy a step further and require gender testing for athletes who compete in women’s sports

ABC News - 5d

Risers and fallers: Brook Lopez to see increased usage down the stretch

Steve Alexander highlights five names trending upwards and five downwards, with key takeaways for each.

ESPN - 4d

Buffett says Berkshire will continue to increase investment in Japan trading houses

Buffett said Berkshire will moderately increase its ownership in the five Japanese trading houses over time.

CNBC - 3d

Cardiac arrest in athletes did not increase during pandemic, study finds

A six-year study found no increase in cardiac arrests or cardiac deaths among athletes during the Covid pandemic, contradicting anti-vaccine misinformation that has circulated.

NBC News - 1d

U.S. Pressing Tough Demands in Revised Deal for Ukraine’s Minerals

The Trump administration wants revenues from Ukraine’s natural resources, according to a draft obtained by The New York Times, with no security guarantee in exchange.

The New York Times - 3d

Josh Hart explains what makes Celtics such a tough matchup for Knicks

Josh Hart gives a great answer to why it's been so hard for the Celtics to beat the Knicks this season.

Yahoo Sports - 2d

Labour cannot ignore Trump’s impact on defence

The tough choices the government needs to make will inevitably mean talking about defence spending in the open

Financial Times - 1d

UK to raise defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027

Starmer’s announcement of ‘biggest sustained rise’ since cold war comes ahead of Trump meeting on Thursday

Financial Times - 22h

Together AI’s $305M bet: Reasoning models like DeepSeek-R1 are increasing, not decreasing, GPU demand

The demands of DeepSeek's advanced reasoning capabilities are pushing enterprises toward Together AI's optimized infrastructure platform.

VentureBeat - 5d

Pope Francis is in critical condition after a long respiratory crisis, requiring oxygen at high flow

The Vatican says Pope Francis is in critical condition after he suffered a long asthmatic respiratory crisis that required high flows of oxygen

ABC News - 3d

Metal Gear Solid Delta PC Requirements Revealed, And You'll Need A Lot Of Free Storage Space

Ahead of its release on August 28, the PC requirements for Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater have gone live on Steam. It's not the most exhaustive list of minimum and recommended PC ...

GameSpot - 20h

Once high-flying Bluebird Bio sells itself to private equity after tough times for the gene therapy maker

Bluebird Bio will sell itself to private equity firms Carlyle and SK Capital for about $30 million, the company said Friday.

CNBC - 4d

Steve Witkoff: from property developer to global spotlight as Trump’s tough-talking troubleshooter

His friendship with the president dates back to a late-night encounter in a deli. Now he is a loyal envoy brokering the Gaza ceasefire and peace talks on Ukraine. With the first phase of the ...

The Guardian - 3d

Keir Starmer urged to ramp up defence spending – UK politics live

This is ‘probably one of the most alarming times for Britain’s defence since the second world war’, says Lib Dem leader Ed Davey as he calls for more spending. The Democratic Unionist Party has ...

The Guardian - 4d

German Defence Minister Pistorius laments 'catastrophic' SPD result

Yahoo News - 2d

Debt and defence headache for Merz after AfD and far left make gains

Election winner could struggle to reform strict borrowing rules due to opposition in next parliament

Financial Times - 2d

Why Germany’s debt rules are a bellwether for EU defence spending

Also in this newsletter: can European lawmakers convince the US to change its tone on digital taxes?

Financial Times - 1d

German parliament in race against time to sign off on new defence fund

Friedrich Merz, expected to be next chancellor, has spoken of urgent need for ramped-up defence, but ‘blocking minority’ could form in future Bundestag. Germany’s outgoing parliament could be asked ...

The Guardian - 19h

James Landale: Will Starmer's defence hike win over Trump?

The prime minister has set out plans to increase defence spending to 2.5% of national income by 2027.

BBC News - 17h

Can Europe still count on the US coming to its defence?

Trump has engaged Putin and hinted the US may not defend European allies, causing alarm about Nato's future.

BBC News - 14h

Starmer prepares to meet Trump after raising defence spending

The PM will head to Washington a day after announcing military budgets would rise to 2.5% of national income by 2027.

BBC News - 11h

Neuroscience Says 2 Minutes a Day Can Make You Less Stressed, More Focused, and Even Increase the Size of Your Brain

Too busy for self care? This type of (in)activity provides clear cognitive benefits.

Inc. - 6d

Will Republicans in Congress agree on a budget plan?

The Senate adopted a narrower budget proposal although Republicans in the House of Representatives are pushing ahead with different plan endorsed by President Trump. CBS News' Taurean Small reports.

CBS News - 4d

What's in the House GOP budget plan?

The House is expected to vote on a budget plan this week. It will be a key test to see if Republicans can unify around President Trump's agenda. CBS News congressional correspondent Nikole Killion ...

CBS News - 1d

House budget resolution vote expected

The House of Representatives is expected to vote on a budget plan that would extend cuts to several parts of government spending. CBS News' Taurean Small reports.

CBS News - 22h

Will Johnson's budget plan pass in the House?

House Speaker Mike Johnson says the lower chamber is very close to having enough votes to pass the budget plan that President Trump endorsed. CBS News' Taurean Small has more.

CBS News - 20h

Don’t mention the war: in Germany, politicians are hiding the truth about defence spending | Paul Taylor

By centring the discourse on immigration, MPs have handed support to the far right – and hidden a ticking economic timebomb from voters. The candidates to lead Germany’s next government are ...

The Guardian - 6d

‘No more excuses’: Europe under pressure on defence spending three years after Russian invasion

Continent is being told to take more responsibility for its own defence in light of US president’s overtures to Putin. A few days after Vladimir Putin sent Russia’s invading forces into Ukraine in ...

The Guardian - 2d

EU and UK in talks about Europe-wide defence funding amid fear of US pullback

Donald Trump’s re-engagement with Russia has given new urgency to European discussions

Financial Times - 1d

US companies left out of defence stock rally amid Trump’s Pentagon cuts

Fears over spending come as European groups’ shares soar on White House’s threat to cut support for region’s security

Financial Times - 1d

Tusk says European leaders heading to London to discuss joint plans on defence – Europe live

Polish prime minister says EU leaders will meet on Sunday and calls for greater defence mobilisation across Europe. The London summit is understood to be still in planning and would serve as a ...

The Guardian - 1d

Trump stuns Senate GOP with House budget endorsement

“Did not see that one coming,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune said.

Politico - 6d

Increasing defence budget will require tough trade-offs

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