POLITICS: Niall Ferguson: Trump’s Foreign Policy? Reality TV Politik. Plus. . . – USSA News

Over the past two decades, Qatar has developed a sophisticated apparatus to embed itself into American society in a way that would shock most Americans. The tiny Persian Gulf nation has invested in our politicians, universities, newsrooms, think tanks, lobbying firms, and corporations—all on an unprecedented scale.

There are a number of petrostates in the region with wealth that far exceeds Qatar’s. But what Qatar has chosen to do with its money—morality aside—is farsighted. It has chosen to invest in influence in America, to the tune of almost $100 billion.

So what’s the problem? For one, Qatar’s push to buy influence has made the country’s ties to Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood, and other Islamist groups ever more alarming and apparent.

Frannie Block and Jay Solomon published a massive investigative report on Qatar’s seismic influence strategy for The Free Press. It’s called “How Qatar Bought America.”

Today on Honestly, Bari sits down with Frannie and Jay to discuss how Qatar built this ecosystem, what it wants in return, and what it has already received.

• The FBI reported that Mohamed Sabry Soliman, the Egyptian national accused of attacking a gathering for Israeli hostages, had planned the attack for a year. Soliman, who told law enforcement that he wanted to “kill all Zionist people and wished they were all dead,” was charged with a hate crime. Soliman stayed in the U.S. after his visa expired and yelled “Free Palestine” as he threw incendiary devices at observers.

• Prices of U.S. steel spiked after Trump announced that he would double tariffs on steel and aluminum imports to 50 percent. Share prices of U.S. steelmakers climbed dramatically as foreign makers saw their numbers slump. Trump said the increased tariffs “will even further secure the steel industry in the United States.”

• Trump announced that he planned to eliminate federal protections on millions of acres of land in Alaska, which would allow mining and drilling in large swaths of the state. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Energy Secretary Chris Wright, and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin traveled to Alaska, where they are expected to endorse expanded drilling and the construction of a liquefied natural gas pipeline through the state.

• Karol Nawrocki, the Trump-endorsed conservative candidate, won Poland’s presidential election. “We want to live in a safe country with a strong economy,” Nawrocki wrote on social media.

• Ukrainian intelligence confirmed that China has supplied at least 20 Russian military production facilities with supplies and equipment. The findings reveal how China has circumvented international sanctions to support Russia’s war effort.

• Of 2,066 counties in 33 states that researchers analyzed, 78 percent reported a decline in measles vaccination rates stark enough to fall below the rate required for herd immunity, according to a new study. “If measles gets introduced into these regions, there’s more likely to be an outbreak,” said the senior author of the study. “And that’s what we’re seeing.”

• Scottsdale, Arizona, surpassed Austin as the fastest-growing hub of millionaire residents. Scottsdale’s millionaire population rose 125 percent from 2014 to 2024.