I met a man in Coventry yesterday who knows all about them if nobody else replies

April 9, 2026 The ceasefire President Donald J.

In case you missed it: 'it is hard to miss that hours after his wife gave an unexpected press conference about Jeffrey Epstein, Trump posted a video of a woman’s murder.' thank you
@edwardluce.bsky.social for alerting me to @hcrichardson.bsky.social heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/april-9-2026

@sylviekauffmann.bsky.social nails it on #Hungary #EU #Orban

‘One answer could be to abandon the unanimity rule on foreign policy decisions. But, adds Beaune, “France and Germany always opposed the idea, because they thought it protected them. In fact, it protected Orban.”’

How the EU made Viktor Orbán Hungary’s illiberal champion has benefited from the misjudgments and complacency of other leaders

‘Building an illiberal democracy in the heart of Europe started with taking advantage of the generous EU budget while relentlessly attacking what were viewed as Brussels’ infringements on Hungary’s sovereignty. EU cohesion funds financed over half of public investments’ www.ft.com/content/e04b...

Trump’s Ballroom Design Has Barely Been Scrutinized A stairway to nowhere: Three months that could change the White House for generations.

'No project belonging to the public should be the vision of just one man'. Hail this fine visual report from @nytimes.com on that #ballroom, and why the Operation Warp Speed approach that worked well for Trump on #vaccines, is not advisable for national architecture
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Invoking faith in wartime, Pete Hegseth breaks norms and worries critics The defense secretary is upending decades-old norms, and current and former leaders say his proselytizing violates the Constitution and undermines troop cohesion.

‘His understanding of Christianity is one that would cast those who disagree with him as God’s enemies. He has brought clergy from his small Christian denomination to preach at the Pentagon, including a … pastor who says women shouldn’t have the right to vote.’ www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2026/...

What causes RFK Jr.’s strained and shaky voice? A neurologist explains this little-known disorder Kennedy is one of about 50,000 Americans who have spasmodic dysphonia.

Finding out why RFK jr has this croaky voice may help to explain his anti-vaxxing views theconversation.com/what-causes-...

Documents Reveal a Web of Financial Ties Between Trump Officials and the Industries They Help Regulate ProPublica is releasing a trove of disclosure records that detail the finances of more than 1,500 Trump appointees, including former lobbyists, industry executives and at least a dozen officials who d...

Thank you @propublica.org for this really important journalism pinpointing vested interests of Trump administration appointees that could both threaten the public's health and waste its money www.propublica.org/article/trum...

image lists name of the panel and pictures of the panelists

A war of whim? Join our webinar for @financialtimes.com subscribers on 11 March 1300 UK/GMT and put your questions to my super-smart colleagues @gideonrachman.bsky.social, @katie0martin.ft.com, @edwardluce.bsky.social, Kim Ghattas, and foreign editor Alec Russell. Register now ➡️ ft.com/mideast-war

Tony Blair addresses Iraqis after the US-UK war topples Saddam Hussein

Watching The Tony Blair story makes timely viewing on the same day as a US president and Israel launch war on Iran with the same rhetoric as Bush and Blair’s promises of better
times for Iraqis back in 2003 www.channel4.com/programmes/t...

It’s Gavin Newsom’s show for now [FREE TO READ] But America’s Democratic voters will be a much tougher sell for the California governor than foreigners

'The “Newsom knee pads” — his accessory for US chief executives and allied leaders who kneel in obeisance to Trump — are selling well' via @edwardluce.bsky.social
as.ft.com/r/266465b0-0...

Time to come clean @theboysmithy.ft.com: what map competition are you plotting for the @financialtimes.com in 2026?

Yes, we should preserve western culture but not like this . . . The idea that we must rely on the likes of Elon Musk, Donald Trump and Kid Rock as custodians is laughable

@jemima.bsky.social spot on as ever: ‘The idea that we must rely on the likes of Yaxley-Lennon, Trump and Kid Rock to do this for us is at best laughable; at worst dangerous.’ www.ft.com/content/9fbc...

Join FT journalists and @kschake.bsky.social
at a @financialtimes.com subscriber webinar on Thurs 12 Feb at 1300-1400 UK (0800-0900 EST): The transatlantic relationship: can Europe go it alone? Register now and send us your questions! Visit transatlantic-relationship.live.ft.com

My impression is that the political class are much more definitive on all this than the rest of the country

Shell chief pushes for more cost cuts as it keeps rewarding investors Oil major to buy back $3.5bn of shares and boost dividend despite lower crude prices

Meanwhile www.ft.com/content/c289...

Hate-filled fake videos about London are everywhere. We've obtained a recording of a TikToker confessing to secretly filming Londoners in their homes for clicks.

He says it's not political. He just wants to make money from far-right anger.

Read what he says: www.londoncentric.media/p/london-tik...

BP faces new investor tactics in climate pressure campaign Shareholders will challenge oil major over ‘undisciplined capital allocation’

‘The resolution signals a change in tactics as shareholder groups that pushed for oil and gas companies to set out net zero targets now focus instead on longer-term profitability, as businesses such as BP roll back on climate pledges.’
www.ft.com/content/ffe4...

My Father’s Shadow film review — hallucinatory child’s-eye view of Lagos, politics and paternal love Sopé Dìrísù is strong and tender in Akinola Davies Jr’s autobiographically inspired debut about two brothers taken to the big city

My Father’s Shadow: a haunting and beautiful film from Nigeria - which I am now replaying in my head and heart hours after seeing it! www.ft.com/content/9302...

We could have said can Europe and allies go it alone but that’s implicit!

Join FT journalists and special guest @kschake.bsky.social for a @financialtimes.com subscriber webinar on Thurs 12 Feb at 1300 UK: The transatlantic relationship: can Europe go it alone? Register, send us your questions, and take part in our poll
transatlantic-relationship.live.ft.com/home

Why Britain doesn’t have enough dentists Plenty of trained foreigners want to work, but slots for the qualification exam seem as hard to get as Glastonbury tickets

Bureaucratic teething problems? ‘After the GDC persuaded the government to change the law…the council has gone through a procurement exercise that should lead to more capacity and a fairer booking system’ @financialtimes.com
www.ft.com/content/f4e5...

Perfectly put on the greek statue avatar brigade

www.ft.com/content/ccbe...

FT award-winning author Stephen Witt on the future of reading: ‘Books could respond’ [FREE TO READ] Writer of ‘The Thinking Machine’ about Nvidia’s rise believes in vast potential of AI

What if “the book could respond to the reader, and, using AI, generate a unique bespoke text that speaks directly to their concerns”? - my interview with FT/Schroders award-winner Stephen Witt on Jensen Huang, Nvidia and the future of books as.ft.com/r/7aa36214-e...
#BBYA25

Who is Nikki da Costa? Advised Boris Johnson that prorogation of parliament was okay; now on BBC radio 4 leading charge against assisted dying bill en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikki_d...

Thank you Martin!

Pictures and titles of panelists for FT and FT Live’s 2025 Budget webinar

Feeling dizzy after all that #Budget kite-flying? Join Claer Barrett, Stuart Kirk,Tej Parikh and special guest Dan Neidle, the tax expert, to unpick what Rachel Reeves’ final draft means for your finances, 1pm UK Nov 28. Register for free now at ft.com/budgetwebinar
@financialtimes.com

US drew $900mn from IMF account as Argentina debt payment loomed Buenos Aires’s reserves rose by the same margin as Washington seeks to bolster Javier Milei’s government

The nub of the story: ‘Analysts said it was possible that Washington had moved the SDRs to Argentina as part of the arrangement.´
on.ft.com/47YSY6R