The Bottom Line

US President Donald Trump and his predecessor Barack Obama want the same things in the Middle East, argues Steven Cook, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations: “disentangling the US from its foreign adventures”. Cook tells host Steve Clemons that Trump wants a deal with Iran, and may be pressuring Israel to end its war on Gaza before his proposed trip to the Gulf region next month. There is a “trust deficit” between Trump and Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu, adds Cook, and this explains why Trump told Netanyahu to “be reasonable” regarding Syria and Turkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe Follow us on X : https://twitter.com/AJEnglish Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/ Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/ Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.io/AJEMobile #aljazeera #aljazeeraenglish #aljazeeranewslive

As the US government imposed tariffs on goods from all other countries, President Donald Trump has asked Americans to “hang tough". But economists are warning of negative consequences for American households and businesses. Georgetown University professor Michael Strain, who heads economic policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, tells host Steve Clemons that “the risk of recession is very, very real.” Trump believes that the tariffs will stimulate the US economy and bring jobs back after decades of outsourcing, Strain argues, but the opposite is more likely: costs will rise, manufacturing will decrease, and Trump’s approval rating will go down. Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe Follow us on X : https://twitter.com/AJEnglish Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/ Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/ Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.io/AJEMobile #aljazeera #aljazeeraenglish #aljazeeranewslive

If the sharing of private chats of top United States intelligence officials with a reporter “were a part of an episode of Veep [a satirical US TV series], I wouldn’t have believed it”, former Pentagon official Alex Wagner says. The chats touched on Yemen, Europe, and other foreign and domestic policy concerns. Wagner and military affairs journalist Kevin Baron tell host Steve Clemons that the inadvertent inclusion of the journalist in the Signal group chats indicates a level of “carelessness” that is more insidious than the Trump administration cares to admit. Despite the gravity of the mistake, no one expects any accountability for the officials involved. Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe Follow us on X : https://twitter.com/AJEnglish Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/ Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/ Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.io/AJEMobile #aljazeera #aljazeeraenglish #aljazeeranewslive

In a span of days, Israel resumed its bombing campaign against the people of Gaza, the US launched a war with Yemen, and President Donald Trump threatened Iran to negotiate with Washington or else face war. But despite all the aggression, is the US getting its way? Not necessarily, argues Vali Nasr, professor of international affairs and Middle East studies at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, DC. He tells host Steve Clemons that “the US and Israel are not looking to establish a regional order that’s acceptable to the region itself.” Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe Follow us on X : https://twitter.com/AJEnglish Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/ Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/ Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.io/AJEMobile #aljazeera #aljazeeraenglish #aljazeeranewslive

Far from being a tragedy for Africa, the demise of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) at the hands of President Donald Trump's administration should be cause for celebration, argues Arikana Chihombori-Quao, the former ambassador of the African Union to the US. Chihombori-Quao tells host Steve Clemons that USAID doesn’t have much to show for its decades of education and healthcare projects in Africa and often destabilised countries under the guise of environmental, human rights or social justice agendas. And if the US is not interested in Africa, African leaders shouldn’t beg for better relations, she said. “It takes two to tango,” the former diplomat said. Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe Follow us on X : https://twitter.com/AJEnglish Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/ Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/ Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.io/AJEMobile #aljazeera #aljazeeraenglish #aljazeeranewslive

As long as Israel keeps moving the goalposts, former Israeli government adviser Daniel Levy argues, there's no way to reach phase two of the ceasefire in Gaza, which Israel itself signed. Levy, president of the US/Mideast Project, tells host Steve Clemons that the biggest question is whether the United States, which is the guarantor of the agreement, will allow Israel to scuttle it. Phase two requires Israel to withdraw from the Gaza Strip and commit to the end of the war, which it is loath to do. Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe Follow us on X : https://twitter.com/AJEnglish Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/ Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/ Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.io/AJEMobile #aljazeera #aljazeeraenglish #aljazeeranewslive

United States President Donald Trump sees many European countries as extensions of the Democratic Party abroad, and thus his “adversaries”, argues Ed Luce, the US national editor at the Financial Times. Luce tells host Steve Clemons that the string of European leaders “bringing fruits to the volcano” in Washington will not be able to change Trump’s views on Ukraine or Europe in general. “America now sees the world as a jungle,” he says. The power vacuum left by the US will usher in “a dangerous time ... when you have the revenge of geopolitics, the return of history,” Luce says. Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe Follow us on X : https://twitter.com/AJEnglish Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/ Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/ Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.io/AJEMobile #aljazeera #aljazeeraenglish #aljazeeranewslive

United States President Donald Trump's administration flipped the script on US-Europe relations in February. European officials were berated for being antidemocratic and were told their involvement was not needed in ending the Ukraine war. Meanwhile, US and Russian officials started meetings to end that war. Anatol Lieven, director of the Eurasia Program at the Quincy Institute, argues that European fears of Russian expansion are greatly exaggerated. But Melinda Haring, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center, tells host Steve Clemons that it’s dangerous for the US to reverse course on Ukraine and normalise relations with Russia.

Western ideals of morality and international law have been dealt a fatal blow by Israel’s war on Gaza, argues author Pankaj Mishra. Mishra, whose latest book is The World After Gaza: A History, tells host Steve Clemons that US and Israeli leaders are normalising the idea of mass expulsion of the two million Palestinians who live in the Gaza Strip and may eventually succeed in carrying it out as the world watches. The author dives into the racist logic behind some Western foreign policies and argues that India has lost “moral and diplomatic leadership” due to its support for Israel.

Joseph Gagnon, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics and former U.S. Federal Reserve official, dives into the complexities of Trump's trade policies. He highlights the unrealistic expectation that tariffs can replace taxes and critiques their impact on consumers. Gagnon discusses the bloated nature of U.S. government and the potential consequences of drastic cuts. He raises concerns about the reliance on borrowing and the risks of insular trade approaches, as well as the implications for economic growth and national debt.