Trump News at a Glance: State Department Plans Mass Layoffs In Line with President’s ‘America First’ Policy

THE GUARDIAN: Nearly 15% of domestic workforce to be let go in major restructuring of diplomatic corps – key US politics stories from Thursday 10 July

The state department has announced that it plans to move forward with mass layoffs as part of the most significant restructuring of America’s diplomatic corps in decades. Officials say the cuts will align their mission with Donald Trump’s “America First” vision.

The layoffs, which are commonly called reductions in force (or RIFs), along with voluntary redundancies, will affect nearly 15% of the state department’s domestic staff. A senior department official said that was close to 1,800 people. The restructuring will also see several hundred bureaus merged or eliminated entirely. » | Guardian staff | Friday, July 11, 2025

With Friends Like Trump... What's Europe's Answer to 'America First'?

It's Donald versus Donald. The president of the European Council let loose on trade tariffs and the Iran nuclear deal ahead of an EU leaders' dinner in the Bulgarian capital on Wednesday. A fighting speech, but how does it help those trying to salvage the Iran deal? Already French giant Total has warned its new mega gas project with the Iranians is in jeopardy. How can the EU respond when the US owns the currency used to trade oil? What will Europe do?

Latin America Leaders Condemn Trump's Mexico Wall

Latin American leaders have condemned US President Donald Trump's executive order to start building the US-Mexico wall.

They are meeting with Caribbean leaders in the Dominican Republic for an annual summit and the Trump administration's ‘America first’ policies are high on the agenda.

Al Jazeera’s Lucia Newman reports from Punta Cana.

Trump's Gamble: 'America First' Policy Blurs Party Lines (Parts 1 & 2)