Veering off of local politics, though not necessarily local politicians: Before President Trump jetted off to Israel and Europe, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren joked (sort of) that she’d consider the trip a success if Trump could somehow avoid an international incident. He didn’t commit any classic public gaffe one might associate with an international incident. But did he do something far worse? German Chancellor Angela is now saying, after meeting privately with the president, that Europe can no longer rely on foreign partners (i.e. the United States) and that Europe “really must take our fate into our own hands,” the Washington Post reports. So – poof! – just like that, the post-World War II American policy of close military and diplomatic ties with Europe – one that has maintained the peace for more than 70 years -- has suddenly changed in the eyes of Europe’s most critical leader. Meanwhile, the president has apparently left in his European wake an opening for Russia to start courting Italy in the absence of strong U.S. leadership, the NYT reports.
As it is, U.S. Rep. Niki Tsongas of Massachusetts will be in Germany this week, as part of a bipartisan delegation that plans to meet with German officials on various matters. Maybe she can take a detour to Italy on her way home to assess the diplomatic damage there, too. This past weekend may have been more consequential than Warren ever imagined or feared. ... Now back to local politics and pols.
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