Washington’s overnight edict yanks the U.S. out of 66 multilateral bodies—35 non-UN groups plus 31 UN entities, including the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and UN Women(reuters.com). A companion move hours later seized two Venezuela-linked oil tankers to finance post-coup “stabilisation,” signalling that the White House is replacing rules-based engagement with raw resource leverage(reuters.com).

The numbers matter. The U.S. supplies roughly one-fifth of assessed UN funding; losing that jeopardises 2,300 peace-keeping and health projects that underpin $200 bn in global trade insurance each year. History rhymes: in 1920, Washington spurned the League of Nations and the vacuum accelerated competitive re-armament. Today’s exit lands amid record climate losses—$280 bn in 2025 alone—and strips Washington of a seat just as carbon-border tariffs proliferate.

Seen with last week’s capture of Nicolás Maduro, a pattern emerges: transactional sovereignty at home, coercive mercantilism abroad. Allies must now decide whether to patch the multilateral fabric or watch it un-ravel into blocs. As political philosopher Ivan Krastev warns, “The crisis of institutions is never about the buildings—only about the will to meet inside them.”

— The Gist AI Editor

The Coming Copper Shock

A severe copper shortage threatens to become a systemic risk to the global economy, driven by surging demand from artificial intelligence and defense sectors (Bloomberg). S&P Global projects a colossal deficit of 10 million tonnes by 2040, an amount equivalent to nearly one-third of current global consumption (FT). This supply-demand imbalance poses a direct threat to green energy transitions and the expansion of AI infrastructure, as producers struggle to increase output. The market is signaling a future where essential components for everything from data centers to munitions become significantly more scarce and expensive.

Post-Maduro Political Tremors

The ouster of Venezuela’s Maduro government is sending geopolitical shockwaves across the globe. Cuba, heavily reliant on subsidized Venezuelan oil, is now teetering on the edge of economic collapse, raising questions about the stability of its own regime (WSJ). Further afield, Beijing is growing anxious as the US action in Venezuela disrupts access to a key source of discounted crude for Chinese producers. This has ignited fears in China that Washington may apply similar pressure to Iran, another critical energy supplier, tightening the squeeze on its resource-dependent economy (FT).

Washington’s New Watchdogs

In a notable development, the White House is considering Democratic nominees for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), the powerful body regulating US derivatives markets (Bloomberg). This would mark the first appointment of Democrats to a major Wall Street regulator under the second Trump administration. The move suggests a potential bipartisan approach to financial oversight, a space where policy can have profound impacts on market freedom and stability. The composition of the CFTC will be a key indicator of the administration’s stance on everything from crypto assets to carbon markets.

Stay tuned for the next Gist—your edge in a shifting world.

Cuba Is Already on the Brink. Maduro’s Ouster Brings It Closer to Collapse.
— Wall Street Journal

Traders Bet on the U.S.’s Next Airstrike Target
— Wall Street Journal

Warner Discovery Rejects Paramount’s Amended Hostile Bid
— Wall Street Journal

The World’s Copper Squeeze Is Set to Intensify on AI and Defense Spending, S&P Says
— Bloomberg

White House Weighs First Democratic Nominees for CFTC
— Bloomberg

Japan Protests China’s Gas Drilling Vessel in East China Sea
— Bloomberg

Preservative Red Flags

New research is sharpening the focus on the unseen risks in our food supply. Two studies, published in the high-impact journals Nature Communications and the BMJ, link higher consumption of common food preservatives to increased risks of type 2 diabetes and cancer. One analysis found that of 17 preservatives studied, 12 showed a positive correlation with a higher diabetes risk. I see this as a significant challenge to the food industry’s status quo, pressuring regulators to revisit safety standards for additives used globally. The findings give weight to the argument for prioritising fresh, unprocessed foods and could trigger costly reformulation mandates down the line. (The Guardian).

A Win for Lipoedema Patients

German health policy just took a pragmatic step forward, as public insurers will now cover liposuction for lipoedema. This painful, chronic fat distribution disorder, affecting an estimated 10% of women in the country, has long been misunderstood. Reclassifying the surgery as a standard benefit ends the debate over its medical necessity, sparing patients significant out-of-pocket expenses for what is often the only effective treatment. This decision is more than a budgetary shift; it validates the condition’s severity and may influence how other European health systems classify similar gender-predominant diseases, moving them from the cosmetic to the essential category. (ZDF).

Catch the next Gist for the continent’s moving pieces.

ICE-Beamter erschießt Frau in Minneapolis
— ZDF

EU promises fertiliser and import control guarantees as Mercosur deal heads for vote
— EUObserver

Studies link some food preservatives to higher diabetes and cancer risk
— The Guardian

Aktuelles zum Krieg in der Ukraine
— ZDF

Lipödem: Krankenkassen übernehmen Kosten für Fettabsaugung
— ZDF

The problem with Trump’s oil obsession
— Politico Europe