Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to the United Kingdom, the European Union’s plans to impose tariffs on Israel, and an interest rate cut in the United States.
Trump’s Royal Welcome
U.S. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump landed in London on Tuesday night local time, kicking off a two-day state visit hosted by King Charles III and his wife Camilla, the queen consort.
Trump last visited the United Kingdom in 2019, when he was hosted by Queen Elizabeth II, making this an unprecedented second state visit to the country for a U.S. president. Though the royals host world leaders during such visits to the U.K., the invitations often come at the prompting of the British government and serve political aims.
Indeed, the rare diplomatic gesture from the U.K. is intended to improve the two countries’ special relationship, which has been tense in recent months due to Trump’s tariffs and disinterest in maintaining the postwar international order.
State visits to the U.K. are known for pageantry, as reflected in Trump’s itinerary on Wednesday. It included a horse-drawn gilded carriage procession through the grounds of Windsor Castle; lunch with the royal family; a flyby from the Red Arrows, a Royal Air Force aerobatic team; and a military music and drill event known as the “Beating Retreat.” The day was capped off by a white-tie state banquet.
In contrast with this red-carpet welcome, protesters projected a picture of Trump with Jeffrey Epstein onto the walls of Windsor Castle. Last week, British Ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson was dismissed after it was revealed that he had written a note in a book for Epstein’s 50th birthday. The book also appears to contain Trump’s signature; White House officials have denied its authenticity.
On Wednesday, thousands of people flooded central London to protest Trump’s visit, holding signs saying “Dump Trump,” “Trump for Prison,” and “No to racism, No to Trump.” Zack Polanski, the new British Green Party leader, spoke to protesters, saying, “This is the moment to challenge everything that Donald Trump stands for; this is the moment to reject the politics of hate and division.”
On Thursday, Trump will meet British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the Chequers country estate. The two leaders are expected to tour the Winston Churchill archives housed there and potentially sign new investment deals, followed by a joint press conference.
Today’s Most Read
- The Ghost of Finlandization Is Haunting the Ukraine Debate by Kristi Raik
- The Delusions Driving U.S. Policy in the Middle East by Steven A. Cook
- Zelensky Is Losing Touch With Reality by Paul Hockenos
What We’re Following
EU puts pressure on Israel. On Wednesday, top European Union diplomat Kaja Kallas unveiled plans to strip Israel of preferential access to European markets, impose tariffs on nearly $6.9 billion worth of goods, and suspend part of the EU-Israel free trade deal, citing human rights abuses in Gaza. She also announced the intention to sanction Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
Kallas said the measures are intended to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to address humanitarian concerns in Gaza and “change course.” Though the plans are more limited than those championed by some EU members, they reflect a shift for European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who has faced pressure to take greater action in response to Israel’s war in Gaza.
The proposal does not yet have majority support, and some EU countries, such as Germany and Hungary, could still block the tariffs and sanctions from formal council approval. Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister Gideon Sa’ar wrote on X that the proposals are “morally and politically distorted, and it is to be hoped that they will not be adopted as has been the case so far.”
U.S. interest rate cut. On Wednesday, the U.S. Federal Reserve cut interest rates for the first time this year, amid an uncertain labor market and increasing inflation. The rates dropped by a quarter of a percentage point, putting them at their lowest level since late 2022. The lead-up to the announcement was plagued by drama as Trump attacks the independence of the central bank.
Senate Democrats introduced a bill Tuesday prohibiting members of the Fed from holding multiple presidentially appointed positions after Trump’s pick to join the Federal Reserve Board, top economic advisor Stephen Miran, was confirmed the day before. Trump has lobbed attacks at Fed chair Jerome Powell and is in an ongoing legal battle over his attempt to fire Lisa Cook, who remains a governor on the board.
Environmental defenders in danger. According to a new report by the watchdog Global Witness, more than 80 percent of environmental defenders killed or disappeared worldwide in 2024 were in Latin America: 120 of the 146 total cases. Colombia ranked as the most dangerous country, with 48 recorded killings. Its location between the Andes and the Amazon and its abundant natural resources make defenders there particularly vulnerable.
Thirty-five percent of the killings targeted small-scale farmers who were connected to land disputes, often involving industries such as mining, logging, and commercial agriculture. Organized crime groups were implicated in many cases, along with private security forces and hired hitmen.
Though this year’s report found fewer cases of violence than 2023, down from 196, that doesn’t mean that conditions are improving. Underreporting and increased barriers to verifying killings and disappearances continue to be an issue. “Standing up to injustice should never be a death sentence,” the report’s lead author said in a press release.
Odds and Ends
The World Stone Skimming Championships held this month on the tiny Scottish island of Easdale have been rocked by a cheating scandal. It recently came to light that several of the 400 competitors had tampered with their skipping stones.
According to competition rules, competitors must pick stones made of naturally occurring island slate no larger than three inches in diameter. (The size is verified using a metal “ring of truth.”) They get three attempts to skip the stones across a quarry. However, this year, some of the stones were “suspiciously circular,” organizer Kyle Mathews told BBC News.
When Mathews confronted the contestants suspected of cheating, they immediately confessed and were retroactively disqualified. Despite the setback, the enthusiasm for the competition has grown, and Mathews hopes for “an even greater event next year.”
The post Trump’s U.K. Trip Draws Pageantry and Protest appeared first on Foreign Policy.
