The Debate

• King Donald? Britain rolls out royal treatment for Trump

  King Charles to the rescue? The president of the United States was wined and dined with all the pomp and circumstance of a state visit to Windsor Castle. We asked: honour guards, fighter jet flyovers, and celebrity royals – was it all part of a charm offensive aimed at wooing Donald Trump, whose worldview appears more aligned with far-right figure Nigel Farage than with Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer? For over a century, the so-called "special relationship" between the UK and US has often felt like a mismatch. But as Starmer prepares to sign major deals on technology, defence, and nuclear cooperation, just how mismatched is it today? Trump’s stance on global affairs – appeasement of Russia over Ukraine, unwavering support for Israel’s destruction of Gaza, and his aggressive approach to tariffs and trade – has pushed the UK to quietly edge closer to Europe. Yet in practice, is Britain becoming more – not less –dependent on the United States? Produced by Antonia Cimini, Aurore Laborie and Charles Wente.

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• The demolition of Gaza City: Can Israel ignore growing outrage?

  First came October 7, 2023 and the bloodiest day of terror in Israel's history. Then came retribution. Since then, it has never stopped. Gaza is entering a new circle of hell with Israeli tanks entering the centre of its capital city and the apparent launch of a ground offensive. We ask why the spectacle is allowed to unfold. The consequences for Palestinians are all too obvious, but what about for Israelis? Does the flattening of Gaza kill off sympathy for a state founded in large part by survivors of the Holocaust? Here in Europe, the dark legacy of World War II and collaboration with the Nazis is a fading memory for the younger generation; the one that's the most vocal in calling out what it sees in Gaza. And after Sunday's disruption of the finale of the Tour of Spain cycling race, we ask what's next, starting with the annual opening of the United Nations General Assembly in New York in a week's time.  Produced by Antonia Cimini, Aurore Laborie and Charles Wente.

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• While Washington waivers: Can Europeans deter Russia and its drones?

  It seems that summoning ambassadors for a scolding somehow won't be enough. After last week's unprecedented wave of Russian drones that landed in Poland, it's now Romania's turn to scramble fighter jets and call in the Kremlin's envoy. As Russia fills Ukraine's skies with ever-increasing unmanned devices, we asked why and whether Vladimir Putin is indeed testing frontline NATO states, who until now thought that the US had their backs. The US president can't bring himself to categorically condemn Russian aggression, even after a phone call with a new Polish counterpart who's a conservative fellow traveller. Speaking of fellow travellers, there’s the support of Vice President JD Vance for a German far right that again made historic inroads in Sunday's regional elections and the likeminded Elon Musk who spoke by video link to London’s largest far-right rally in decades. Caught between Russia's offensive and the illiberal winds blowing from across the Atlantic, what can cash-strapped Europeans do on their own to defend their own continent? Produced by Aurore Laborie, Henri Pierre Mafulu and Charles Wente.

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• The assassination of Charlie Kirk: What response to pro-Trump icon's killing?

  If Charlie Kirk wasn't previously a household name internationally, he is now. Across the United States, flags are at half mast on government buildings after an assassination that bears the markings of a professional hit job. It was US President Donald Trump himself who broke news of the death of the 31-year-old MAGA influencer, on Truth Social. We ask about the circumstances of the shooting at a university campus talk in Utah, measure the impact – Kirk's powerful messaging could made his masculinist, anti-woke, nationalist views seem hip and cool to young people – and the backlash in a nation where social media-fuelled vitriol has led to these real-life shootings, like the one targeting Trump himself. Read moreTrump urges peace after Charlie Kirk killing as manhunt continues The US president has evoked wartime powers to militarise his response to immigration and crime. What kind of response to expect to the killing of a figure from the front lines of America's culture wars?

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• Macron protégé Lecornu named to handle French budget crisis: Something old or something new?

  It's the first day on the job for the new French prime minister, and the long-announced date for a Yellow Vests-style day of protest against austerity. Sébastien Lecornu is taking over from predecessor François Bayrou, who also passed on the bigger political hot potato – a budget that still needs passing. Bayrou was undone by an opposition-led parliament.   The 39-year old Sébastien Lecornu is unknown to many, yet he's been in every government since Emmanuel Macron's second month in office back in 2017. Wednesday's Yellow Vests-inspired "Block everything" movement started on social media, adopted by the hard left, and is part of the pushback against further cuts to the welfare state in a nation still brooding over pension reform, the scrapping of the wealth tax and –more broadly – the disconnect between elites and the disenfranchised. Read moreCan Macron’s quiet power broker Sébastien Lecornu navigate France’s fractured politics as PM? Will naming a loyalist further stoke resentment against the term-limited Macron? Or can his quiet man succeed where previous heads of government have failed in striking deals with a hostile parliament? Lecornu may promise a new approach, but can Macron himself change, and resist the temptation to override eventual compromises? Produced by Alessandro Xenos, Rachael Griffiths and Juliette Brown.

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