President Trump’s Oval Office meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ended in acrimony, stoking uncertainty about America’s stance toward Kyiv. Trump, along with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, held subsequent meetings regarding a freeze on military aid and intelligence sharing. Examining Trump’s overall approach towards Ukraine, Randall Holcombe’s timely new article argues that Trump’s hesitation to offer continued military assistance is in line with his established foreign policy inclinations.

Globally, Francis Crescia questions Canada’s long-standing record of DEI initiatives; Nikolai Wenzel points out how the recent tariffs are a step backward; and Scott Beyer writes about the dangers of economic stagnation.

Domestically, Craig Eyermann writes about the continuously growing scale of pandemic relief fraud, though there may be a reason to be cautiously optimistic, with a fresh budget showdown taking shape in Congress that may rein in spending.

Read more about these new topics in the latest edition of Independent Weekly!

Jonathan Hofer
Managing Editor