July 18, 2025: VDL's City Budget Squeeze, Trump's Trade War Heats, Fico's Sanction Standoff, & UK's Teen Vote Shift.

Today's July 18, 2025, and we're unpacking Ursula von der Leyen's contentious budget proposal, which local leaders say will "nationalize" EU funds and severely cut cohesion funding for cities. Meanwhile, the EU prepares for a potential trade war with the U.S. as negotiations falter, with Brussels readying 30% retaliatory tariffs. In the East, Slovak PM Robert Fico lifts his blockade on Russia sanctions but immediately signals a "second stage of battle" over gas. Across the Channel, the UK makes a landmark move, lowering the voting age to 16, marking the largest expansion of voting rights in decades.