U.S. attacks on Iran’s nuclear capabilities should compel a sensible analysis of where America’s focus, military assets, and limited fiscal investments should be directed. Even armed forces as vast as America’s cannot be everywhere, nor can our debt-laden nation afford multiple massive global commitments at once.
So, are Americans ready to effectively walk away from the standoff between Putin and Zelensky? Now that so much of America focuses on the Middle East, will some strategic indifference from the United States actually force both Moscow and Kyiv to get serious about reaching a peaceful resolution to the brutal three-year conflict that has brought such misery to both nations and gargantuan financial costs to the people of America?
Even before the recent Middle East events, the frenetic pace of the Trump-era news flow started to move noticeably away from the regional war in the Black Sea. Plus, new conclusive polling evidence reveals that sentiment grows materially across the United States toward a disengagement from that war, if both parties do not get serious about a peaceful, diplomatic compromise solution to end the killing.
Specifically, the latest national poll for my advocacy group, the League of American Workers, finds that a 62% supermajority want America to disengage if peace talks stall between the countries. Those very discussions between Russia and Ukraine resulted only from the leadership of President Trump. Until he took office, there were no serious efforts at peace, and certainly not any kind of U.S. leadership via diplomacy under the war-loving, profligate Biden White House.
But talks represent only the first step toward peace, of course. Since those U.S.-brokered negotiations began, both the Russian invaders and the Ukrainians have massively ratcheted up the lethality and scope of military strikes, including Ukraine’s highly effective drone attacks deep into Russia. To be clear, the U.S. still affirms Ukraine’s full rights of self-defense. Simultaneously, the U.S. does not presently exert material leverage upon Russia to cease fighting, since current direct U.S.-Russia sanctions have already nearly totally separated the economies of the two great nuclear powers.
So, if Putin and Zelensky choose on their own to keep fighting, then it will be no fault of President Trump. But even more significantly, the American people, who were formerly staunchly pro-intervention to assist Ukraine, now move markedly the other direction.
Why?
Three reasons seem most pertinent. First, war fatigue is real as the battle becomes mostly a stalemate. Second, Zelensky loses popularity rapidly in the United States, and is increasingly legitimately suspected of systemic corruption, even as U.S. taxpayers have lavished his government with hundreds of billions of dollars in aid. Third, Americans realize that our deficit spending crisis simply cannot bear endless foreign burdens, fiscally.
So, this 62% and growing consensus of citizens reports they are ready to move along from this struggle, if necessary. Among Republicans, the numbers are far more remarkable, with a massive 81% of GOP voters favoring disengagement if peace talks stall. Among independents that number is 59%, and a sizeable 45% minority of Democrats now agree as well.
Clearly, a new consensus emerges, and the patience of generous Americans wears thin. In addition, with other pressing national security matters, Americans clearly clamor to move on to an America First vision of foreign policy that rejects the bygone days of simultaneous interventions all over the globe.
That consensus finds particular resonance among younger Americans, and especially for parents with children living at home. For 25–44-year-old Americans, the “disengage” from Ukraine tally is 69-19% in favor, if the two countries do not get real about pursuing peace. Parents, many of whom rationally fear that their teens and young adult children could someday fight in an overseas war, report an astounding 72-17% spread in favor of possible disengagement.
Americans endured decades of constant wars, mounting debt, and far too many young American lives lost to the grandiose and arrogant interventions of the Bush-Cheney-Obama-Biden crowd of so-called foreign policy “experts.” Voters opted instead for a patriotic populist national approach of realism and restraint.
Given dangers that now arise in the world, plus a general lack of interest for the public in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, both Putin and Zelensky need to wake up and realize that Americans have limits on their patience. Once it is time to turn away, this Black Sea war becomes the responsibility of the combatant countries and Europe, and not America.
Steve Cortes is president of the League of American Workers, a populist right pro-laborer advocacy group, and senior political advisor to Catholic Vote. He is a former senior advisor to President Trump and JD Vance, and a former commentator for Fox News and CNN.
Original article link: RealClearPolitics
TIPP Takes
Geopolitics, Geoeconomics, And More
1. Ukraine Calls For Special Court To Try Russian War Leaders - D.W.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed an agreement with the Council of Europe (CoE) to establish a special tribunal to prosecute those accused of orchestrating Russia's war in Ukraine.
Ukraine argues that the tribunal is urgently needed to hold Russia's leadership accountable for launching the full-scale invasion in February 2022. The CoE hopes the tribunal could begin its work as early as next year. The creation of the tribunal comes as ceasefire talks between the two countries remain stalled, with Russian President Vladimir Putin appearing to believe that time is on his side.
2. European Prosecutors Raid Networks Importing Illegal Chinese Goods - UPI
The European Public Prosecutor's Office stated that the 101 raids conducted in Bulgaria, Greece, France, and Spain on Wednesday, as part of an investigation codenamed "Calypso," resulted in the arrests of 10 suspects and the seizure of $6 million in various currencies.
The EPPO said the scheme started with goods from China into the EU through the port of Piraeus, Greece in order to evade invoices using false documents to conceal the value of the merchandise. The EPPO alleged the scheme caused an estimated $800 million in damages.
3. China Set To Deploy Drone 'Mothership' That Can Carry 100 Small Drones - Nikkei Asia
China will soon begin flights of a new unmanned drone carrier capable of transporting up to 100 small drones that can attack in formation, posing a threat to Japan and other defense forces in the region.
The Jiutian has a wingspan of 25 meters and a maximum payload of six metric tons, according to Chinese state media. Jiutian unmanned craft is capable of swarm attacks, posing a challenge to air defenses. China and Taiwan are developing related technology with an eye toward the potential for drone warfare.
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Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a new visa restriction policy targeting relatives and associates of individuals sanctioned under Executive Order 14059, as part of the U.S. effort to curb the flow of fentanyl and other deadly drugs.
In a tweet on Tuesday, Rubio said the policy will apply to “family members and close personal and business associates” of those already sanctioned for involvement in the drug trade. The announcement expands the Biden-era executive order, which Rubio now enforces under the Trump administration, aimed at cutting off drug trafficking networks’ financial and logistical support.
5. Pete Hegseth Follows Suit, Insists Iran Didn’t Move Uranium Ahead Of U.S. Strike - TIPP Insights
President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pushed back Tuesday against reports suggesting Iran may have relocated nuclear material ahead of U.S. airstrikes over the weekend.
Trump, posting on Truth Social, claimed that “nothing was taken out of [the] facility” before the bombing, arguing the uranium was too “heavy and hard to move.” He said vehicles seen at the site were operated by workers attempting to cover the facility’s shafts with concrete.
6. U.S. Gained Nothing From Strikes, Iran's Supreme Leader Says - BBC
Iran's supreme leader has insisted the US "gained no achievements" from strikes on its nuclear facilities, in his first public address since a ceasefire with Israel was agreed on Tuesday.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the strikes did not "accomplish anything significant" to disrupt Iran's nuclear program, and described the retaliation against an American air base in Qatar as dealing a "heavy blow". It came as Washington doubled down on its assessment that the strikes had severely undermined Iran's nuclear ambitions.
7. ‘Cancel Bibi’s Trial, He’s A Hero,’ Says Trump - TIPP Insights
President Donald Trump on Tuesday called for the immediate cancellation of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s corruption trial, praising him as a “warrior” who helped defeat Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
In a Truth Social post, Trump said Netanyahu’s prosecution over bribery and fraud allegations was “unthinkable,” especially after what he described as Israel’s “Greatest Moment” — the U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites.
8. White House Wants Major Cut In U.S. War Crimes, Accountability Funding, Sources Say - Reuters
The White House recommended terminating U.S. funding for nearly two dozen programs that conduct war crimes and accountability work globally, including in Myanmar, Syria, and on alleged Russian atrocities in Ukraine, according to two U.S. sources familiar with the matter.
The recommendation from the Office of Management and Budget, which has not been previously reported, is not the final decision to end the programs since it gives the State Department the option to appeal.
9. Pound Hits Near 4-Year High As Trump Rattles Dollar - BBC
The pound briefly hit its highest level against the dollar for almost four years after markets were unnerved by a report that President Donald Trump could bring forward the naming of the new head of the U.S. central bank.
Sterling rose above $1.37, its strongest level since October 2021. The dollar weakened after the Wall Street Journal reported Trump had considered naming Jerome Powell's replacement as head of the Federal Reserve by September or October.
10. North Korea Set To Open 'World-Class' Beach Resort - UPI
North Korea has completed construction of a massive "world-class" beach resort on its east coast and will open it to the public next week, state-run media reported.
The complex, described by KCNA as a "world-class cultural resort," stretches along 2.5 miles of coastline and features houses, hotels and hostels for nearly 20,000 people. In remarks at the opening ceremony, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called the completion of the resort one of the country's "greatest successes this year."
11. Cambodia Allows Slavery In Over 50 Scam Compounds: Amnesty - Nikkei Asia
At least 50 scam compounds scattered across Cambodia employ prisonlike structures and methods to confine people, who are then forced to commit online crimes, reports Amnesty International.
Their methods include enslavement and torture, according to the human rights group. Amnesty conducted an 18-month study of online scam operations in Cambodia, interviewing 58 trafficked people from eight countries, including nine children. The group also reviewed the records of over 300 victims. Government insists it is dealing with problems outlined in 18-month study.
12. Tuvalu Citizens Try To Escape Rising Sea Levels - TIPP Insights
A third of Tuvalu citizens have applied for groundbreaking Australian “climate visas” – two of the island nation’s nine coral atolls are already submerged and the archipelago could be uninhabitable within 80 years.
The “climate visa” has been hailed as an important response to migration driven by climate-change but has also raised fears that nations at risk could suffer a brain drain, where skilled professionals and talented young people abandon their homelands and seek opportunities elsewhere.
13. Argentina Launches FBI-Style Federal Investigations Agency - UPI
President Javier Milei has approved the creation of the Federal Investigations Department (DFI), a strategic step aimed at transforming the Argentine Federal Police (PFA) into a specialized federal criminal investigation agency.
The department's primary mission is to lead investigations into drug trafficking, organized crime, human trafficking, financial crimes and terrorism, replacing routine patrols with specialized investigative units.
14. Majority Of Fed Officials Leaning Against July Interest-Rate Cut - Bloomberg
A flurry of Federal Reserve officials this week made clear they’ll need a few more months to gain confidence that tariff-driven price hikes won’t raise inflation in a persistent way.
Fed Governors Christopher Waller and Michelle Bowman, in the past week, signaled that they’d be open to lowering rates as soon as the Fed’s July 29-30 meeting if inflation remains contained. Since then, however, nearly a dozen policymakers — including Chair Jerome Powell, New York Fed President John Williams and San Francisco Fed chief Mary Daly — have dumped cold water on that idea.
15. U.S. Economy Fares Worse Than Estimated In First Quarter - D.W.
According to the Commerce Department, real gross domestic product fell by 0.5% in the first quarter of 2025, compared to the previously reported dip of 0.2%.
The decline primarily reflects downward revisions to consumer spending and exports, which were partly affected by a downward revision to imports, the Department added. The data came after an import surge triggered by President Donald Trump's tariffs.
16. Venice Hosts “Wedding Of The Century" - TIPP Insights
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, 61, and journalist Lauren Sanchez, 55, are expected to marry in a lavish, multimillion-dollar wedding in Venice, part of a three-day celebration–despite protests from locals.
17. New CDC Vaccine Committee OKs Merck RSV Shot For Infants - UPI Health
Merck's Enflonsia vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus won approval from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.
The advisory committee on Thursday voted 5-2 to approve the monoclonal antibody-based vaccine for infants younger than 8 months old to protect them during their first seasonal exposure to RSV. The recommended dosage is one shot of Enflonsia for infants who have not already obtained RSV protection via a vaccine their respective mothers might have received during their pregnancies.
