The EU has been cornered into participating in Trump's #BoardofPeace as an observer thanks to the machinations of Giorgia Meloni, who is now the most powerful woman in Europe. My piece on how the EU's leadership vacuum has put her in the driver's seat:

Stephen Colbert says newly MAGAfied CBS is blocking him from interviewing Democrats. His days at CBS are probably numbered. Either Trump forces him out or he decides to leave rather than doing a censored show. But where should he go?

Following the insults and threats against Poland by the US ambassador there, the US ambassador to Belgium Bill White is getting in on the act. His appointment was controversial because in the past he promoted a Belgian holocaust denier. www.belganewsagency.eu/trumps-pick-...

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Following Meloni's announcement that she'll make Italy an 'observer' in Trump's Board of Peace (defying EU understanding on non-participation), 🇪🇺President von der Leyen has had to scramble to send one of her commissioners to observe Thursday's meeting.

On the merits of the European system (other than 🇫🇷) of having a monarch or president be the non-partisan symbolic leader of the country leaving the PM to be the actual leader. I would add to the problems: the evolution of the 'imperial presidency' in 🇺🇸

New data shows #Brexit has lowered UK GDP by 6-8% in 10 years. Investment down 18%, employment down 4%. It's even worse than economists had predicted pre-referendum, because they thought there would be a bounce-back long term. "Economists were roughly right on the magnitude of the impact, but...

Remember the German football referee who proposed to his boyfriend on the pitch last month? He's now been assaulted twice in his home by home invaders and has been put under constant police protection (which seems to be failing). These are scary times.

Marco Rubio's speech at the #MunichSecurityConference set off a storm of debate on social media this weekend, with some defending the European politicians who gave him a standing ovation and others horrified by its implications. I dove into what the standing ovation says about Europe this morning:

Marco Rubio's speech at the #MunichSecurityConference set off a storm of debate on social media this weekend, with some defending the European politicians who gave him a standing ovation and others horrified by its implications. I dove into what the standing ovation says about Europe this morning:

And it would have been done long ago if we had foresighted and bold leaders here in Europe. Unfortunately, we do not.

It’s telling what the White House highlights with regard to Rubio’s speech. „Shared heritage“, „Christian foundations“, „cultural legacy“, „cultural preservation“, and a rejection of globalism. That‘s at the heart of its understanding of „Western civilization“.

She's done it again. Giorgia Meloni will take Italy into Trump's Board of Peace, defying the European understanding against joining (and perhaps also violating the Italian constitution). Faced with a choice between 🇪🇺&🇺🇸, Meloni will choose Trump every time.

That the European establishment lept to their feet to give Marco Rubio a standing ovation at #MSC is a prime example of what I wrote about last week. He insulted them and promised to break Europe apart. But they desperately sought comfort in his words about America & Europe sharing a common culture

The story of how Britain aided 🇺🇸 by sabotaging attempts at establishing EU autonomous defence is one I recount in my new book www.TheOwnedContinent.eu Until 2004 🇬🇧 blocked. Then once Poland & Baltics joined they too stood in the way. Because 🇺🇸 said no, and they didn't trust their fellow Europeans.

Sounds a lot like the EU Defence Union that the UK spent decades blocking while it was a member of the union. Rearmament would be a lot cheaper with such a union and would actually give Europe the capacity for autonomous defence, which the current NATO spending plans do not.

Bad Bunny's performance was the 4th most watched ever Half Time show. 134m - Kendrick Lamar (2025) 133m - Michael Jackson (1993) 129m - Usher (2024) 128m - Bay Bunny (2026) But for perspective, all three Eurovision shows drew 166m in 2025, 163m in 2024, 162m in 2023, 161m in 2022 and 183m in 2021.

This is who Chancellor Merz is allying Germany with.

"🇪🇸PM Pedro Sánchez, the only true socialist left around the 🇪🇺Council table, found himself relegated to the outer circle of Europe’s decision-making on Thursday by Germany, Italy and Belgium – all led by right-wingers – whose vision for reviving growth differs wildly from his," writes Eddy Wax today.

The truth is that nothing is going to come out of today's #EUCO summit - because this 'EU overregulation' bit is a red herring to distract from national leaders' own failures. Merzoni are simply wasting time, when the EU does not have time to waste. Time that could be spent liberating 🇪🇺 from 🇺🇸.

Farage's claims here are straightforward lies (and it's about time the media/press said so) The correct figures are 160K (0.3%) and 900K (1.5%) www.gbnews.com/news/video-n...

On energy market design : "we had an intense discussion" during the informal #EUCO said @vonderleyen.ec.europa.eu 🚨She promised to come up with "different options" on whether there is a need to change the market design during March EU summit❗️

EU national leaders have just started their retreat at the former Teutonic Order castle of Alden Biesen, with 2 rival visions for how to save Europe: 🇩🇪🇮🇹#Merzoni are coming with a deregulation pact calling for less EU. 🇫🇷🇪🇸#Manchez are calling for more EU with eurobonds & "made in Europe" preference.

The EU's national leaders have just started arriving at the former Teutonic Order castle of Alden Biesen, with 2 rival visions for how to save Europe: 🇩🇪🇪🇸#Merzoni are coming with a deregulation pact calling for less EU 🇫🇷🇪🇸#Manchez are calling for more EU with eurobonds & "made in Europe" preference

Europe does indeed have a competitiveness problem, but Dr #Merzoni's prescription to dismantle EU law will make the patient even worse, argue three leading think tanks. Simplification will not restart growth, and FTAs alone save Europe from the collapse of the Western world order.

The leaders of the new German-Italian 'axis of surrender' are coming to today's #EUCO summit with a bilateral pact. It calls for national capitals to seize control of EU lawmaking to start a bonfire of 🇪🇺laws - as 🇺🇸 & big business have demanded. Can anything stop the Atlanticist #Merzoni bulldozer?

ICE has now spent over half a BILLION dollars just on purchasing warehouses around the country to convert into detention camps. If these mega-camps are utilized to the full capacity ICE intends, they'll be the largest prisons in the country, with little real oversight. www.ajc.com/politics/202...

#Merzoni, with the willing participation of 🇪🇺President von der Leyen, have formed a pact to dilute the power of the European Union and return it to national capitals in order to carry out corporate wishes. It is the opposite of Draghi's vision. Yet they are citing him as their inspiration.

The United States is at this moment closer to civil war than it has been in 150 years. In this thought-provoking piece, Charli Carpenter outlines what developments could push America over the edge or pull it back from the brink.

In tonight's Substack Live with @markleongoldberg.bsky.social on #GlobalDispatches, we discussed how the other EU leaders have ostracised Spain's Pedro Sanchez because he's refused to toe the line on Trump appeasement Has Greenland changed that? Full video: davekeating.substack.com/p/spains-pri...

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's government rejected French President Emmanuel Macron's call for a joint borrowing scheme ahead of an EU leaders summit on Thursday.

The 🇬🇧 political class & media elite should be asking themselves wider questions about what the Mandelson-Epstein scandals says about the UK's complicity in and even embrace of the Trump era. They all knew what Mandelson was yet they celebrated him as 🇺🇸ambassador not in spite of but because of it.

If you're wondering why Canadians are nervous, it's never good to become the focus of the mentally unwell ruler of a larger nuclear armed neighbour

Those poor traumatised anglophone Americans who had to witness a halftime show in a language other than their own last night! Other cultures exist! 😱 Welcome to the world of Europeans, who constantly have to sit through American singers at their sports and award shows.

Pot, kettle. National governments have blocked all progress of the EU internal market for 20 years. Deregulation is not the answer, breaking down national barriers is.

Why did the American audience apparently hear different audio of JD Vance's appearance at the Olympics than the audio heard by the rest of the world? NBC denies muting. But it's part of overall disturbing developments in the US corporate media world.

New review of The Owned Continent out – this one by veteran Brussels journalist Dafydd ab Iago, president of the foreign correspondents' association API and VP of the Brussels Press Club. "Keating traces how this dependence took root after the world wars — and how Trump learned to exploit it."

It isn't just "abolish the EU". The 🇺🇸regime is also trying to dissolve the Canadian federation by supporting #Albexit. The reasons are the same: It is much easier for America to vassalise a small or medium country, whether it be Alberta, Hungary or the UK, than it is to control a large federation.

A good outline from the former Obama team of the very real possibility that MAGA is going to interfere with the election in November, in 4 ways: 1️⃣Trump's proposal to nationalise the elections or have Republicans take them over. (🧵1/2)

President von der Leyen's 🇪🇺Commission took more meetings with American companies last year than companies from any other country. table.media/europe/analy...

The Sánchez 🇪🇸 government has - built Europe's boom economy - hiked minimum wage from €736 to €1221 - cut insecure work from c.30% to c.13% - regularised, not demonised, migrants - stood up for human rights - refused to humiliate itself before Trump No wonder Musk hates it.

BREAKING: Peter Mandelson just sent this secret notice to all UK media, demanding they leave him alone. He uses IPSO clauses designed to support grieving families in a bid to stop scrutiny of his relationship with Epstein We have published it in full. www.thenational.scot/news/2583451...

Is there any end to this regime's hypocrisy?

At last night's The Owned Continent book reading at the Brussels Press Club I was asked if I think European leaders are factoring in possible dementia in their dealings with Trump. This was my response:p

In next week's foreign policy debate in the European Parliament, the list of trouble spots includes Sudan, northeastern Syria, and….Minnesota.

Some really striking numbers in this new survey showing the flip in European public opinion about America. But bear in mind this is only Western Europe. In Eastern Europe, it has been harder to take the blinders off peoples' eyes. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/f...

Missed my interview with Spain Secretary of State Diego Martínez Belío and Brussels Institute for Geopolitics Director Luuk van Middelaar last week? Here's a recap:

This was not only a monumental misjudgment of Mandelson, but also of Trump's DC. The idea was that as a slick dealmaker, Mandelson would be able to navigate Trump's "transactional" approach. But Trump doesn't have insider brain. He has Mafia brain: Do I need 'em or bleed 'em?

At last night's Brussels Press Club book reading, I was asked if The Hague NATO summit pushed me to write The Owned Continent. In fact it was watching 🇪🇺President von der Leyen's golf course surrender deal that did it. I started writing the next day. davekeating.substack.com/p/the-owned-...

My piece on how Republicans have been successfully blue-pilling Europeans, and whether developments over the past month are changing that: