Europe says ‘no’ to Trump

Donald Trump complained about traditional US allies and NATO refusing to help the US and Israel in their war efforts.

Europe is learning how to say “no” to Donald Trump over the US-Israel war with Iran.

Nearly three weeks into the expanding conflict, leaders from Germany, Greece and Norway have stopped equivocating and started outright telling the US president they won’t help in his campaign with Israel against the Islamic Republic.

“The simple answer is no,” Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said at a Bloomberg event in Athens on Tuesday. It’s a notable change since the start of the war, when European leaders evaded questions about international law and heaped scorn on the Iranian government.

Canada also made clear on Tuesday that it has no intention of joining offensive military actions against Iran. Foreign Minister Anita Anand said Canada’s priority is to find a path toward de-escalation and to protect civilian lives, but did not rule out the possibility of contributing to efforts aimed at freeing up traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, should allies ultimately agree on a response.

Donald Trump complained about traditional US allies and NATO refusing to help the US and Israel in their war efforts.

Trump, 79, lashed out against longtime US allies who’ve rejected his appeals for help, specifically denouncing NATO for making what the Republican called a “foolish mistake.” European and alliance officials have noted the US and Israel began the war, and that even if they chose to help, additional military assets might not have any effect.

“I wonder what is Trump expecting from a handful of European frigates which the mighty US Navy cannot achieve there on its own,” German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius told reporters in Berlin.

Trump’s open frustration illustrates the costs of his go-it-alone approach as the conflict wears on. Oil has continued to hover around $100 a barrel as the Strait of Hormuz remains all but impassable. —Jordan Parker Erb

What You Need to Know Today

Iran WarHormuz Reopening Looks Unlikely Without a CeasefireTrump is desperate to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to ease a growing global energy crisis sparked by the US-Israeli attack on Iran. He won’t achieve that easily without a ceasefire.Read more

Joe Kent, a top counterterrorism official and a hard-right Republican, resigned over the war with Iran, claiming that Israel had misled Trump into believing the government in Tehran posed an imminent threat to America.

Kent, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, said he could not support “sending the next generation off to fight and die in a war that serves no benefit to the American people.” His resignation highlights the deepening divisions among Trump’s followers over the Iran war.

Arizona said it filed criminal charges against Kalshi for operating an illegal gambling business, a significant escalation in legal battles between the prediction market exchange and a dozen states. While state regulators have taken steps to crack down on what they say is unlicensed betting on Kalshi’s site, Arizona appears to be the first state to escalate to criminal charges.

Prediction market exchanges like Kalshi have said they should continue to be regulated by the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission despite opposition from some state officials, who argue it amounts to gambling under their jurisdiction.

Bloomberg OpinionFlying Is Abysmal and It’s Only Getting WorseNo matter how punishing passengers might have thought flying was in recent history, there always seems to be a new low.Read more

A growing number of traders are leaving or eschewing giant hedge funds. This despite vigorous efforts to lure or retain talent, with pay packages in the millions of dollars being mere table stakes.

Some traders say they’re finding more fulfillment by cultivating their own clients, gaining wider latitude and more time to see bets through, even if that means leaving behind easy access to billions of dollars of investing firepower.

The Pentagon is working to develop alternatives to Anthropic’s artificial intelligence tools following a Trump administration decision to declare the company a supply-chain risk in a feud over safeguards governing military use of the technology.

After Anthropic refused to drop its demand for assurances that its AI wouldn’t be used for unconstitutional mass surveillance of Americans or autonomous weapons deployment, the Pentagon moved to label the firm a threat to the supply chain. That designation threatens a $200 million pact for Anthropic to provide the Pentagon with classified AI tools and could bar it from partnering with other companies on defense work.

The Epstein FilesEpstein Steered Wexner Funds to Arts School Where He Allegedly Groomed a ChildA $185,000 donation from Wexner’s Foundation was used to build a log cabin at Michigan’s Interlochen Center for the Arts. The property was known as the Epstein Lodge.Read more