Plus: 300 years later, an opera finally premieres
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Lead story That the Iran war has strained the U.S.-Europe alliance has been obvious since bombs first started to rain down on Tehran. Spain has denied American forces use of its naval and air force bases. Italy has refused to allow U.S. bombers to refuel in Sicily. The United Kingdom and Portugal have put similar restrictions on Washington. And President Trump recently announced the U.S. will pull 5,000 of its troops from Germany after it refused to support the war. The resulting transatlantic tension goes beyond tactical disagreements and diplomatic friction, writes international affairs scholar Farah Jan, who adds that the biggest casualty of the war may not be Iran but the U.S.-EU alliance itself. Despite Trump’s hazy vision of victory in Iran, his administration has made it explicitly clear it does not want European input. It views allies as freeloaders, writes Jan, and has threatened them with economic consequences. Europe is quickly learning that Washington will act against their interests and at their economic expense. And although the EU remains reliant on the U.S. for intelligence and air defense, Jan adds, the Iran war, more than any other previous crisis, has made it crystal clear that Europe can no longer trust Washington to share strategic decision-making. [ Understand what’s going on in Washington and around the world. Get our Politics Weekly newsletter. ] |
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Alfonso Serrano Senior Politics + Society Editor |
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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni arrive for a press conference at the Elysee Palace in Paris on April 17, 2026. Jeanne Accorsini/Pool/AFP via Getty Images
Farah N. Jan, University of Pennsylvania European leaders are learning they cannot rely on Washington, and that the US will act against their interests and at their economic expense. |
Economy + Business |
Suvrat Dhanorkar, Georgia Institute of Technology Many companies today overpromise what they can do with AI. They should learn from efforts to combat greenwashing and tighten standards. |
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Politics + Society |
Kevin Maloney, Leiden University The president’s barrage of pronouncements on foreign policy mean his Cabinet members’ statements on foreign policy have become more reliable indicators of administration positions. |
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Environment + Energy |
Ryan St Laurent, University of Colorado Boulder A newly discovered, rare species of moth appears to live only in the Florida scrub. Scientists hope that naming it will allow it to be protected.
💬 Comments open |
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Health + Medicine |
Claire L. Ma, University of Michigan; Holly Jarman, University of Michigan; Jamie Hartmann-Boyce, UMass Amherst Flavored vapes draw new users – especially young people. On the flipside, they can also help some people quit smoking. Makary’s resignation makes it clear that the controversy isn’t going away. |
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Ethics + Religion |
Wendy Melillo, American University School of Communication; Jeff Gill, American University; Nathalie Japkowicz, American University Tracking hate speech online is challenging even when terms are explicit. Coded speech is harder to detect – but pairing AI tools with human research teams can help. |
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Science + Technology |
Gregory M. Dickinson, University of Nebraska-Lincoln; Institute for Humane Studies Encountering a website that seems like it was designed to frustrate might leave you saying ‘there oughta be a law,’ but to have a case you need to show that the site tried to swindle you. Rui Bo, Missouri University of Science and Technology Aviation marker balls don’t help with electricity flow or improve the efficiency of the power lines. But they do have a very important job.
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International |
Xianda Huang, University of California, Los Angeles A cultural historian of modern China explains the meaning behind some of the venue choices during President Donald Trump’s visit to Beijing. |
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Arts + Culture |
Claire Fontijn, Wellesley College Due to the vagaries of her music manuscripts and the historical neglect of women composers, Bembo and her opera were overlooked for centuries.
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