The Brief: Feb. 19, 2025 – Trump Reshapes NATO, Kash Patel’s Confirmation Battle, and the Bureaucrats’ Last Grift

Patrick Gunnels and Ashe in America break down the high-stakes negotiations happening in Riyadh, where Trump is cutting NATO out of the Ukraine peace process. European leaders are furious as they realize Trump is forcing them to take responsibility for their own defense, signaling a new era of regional alliances and a potential death blow to NATO as we know it.

Back in Washington, Kash Patel’s confirmation is dragging on, with Democrats using every stall tactic in the book to delay Trump’s FBI pick. Meanwhile, Howard Lutnick is already shaping trade policy before even being confirmed, proving once again that Democrats aren’t scared of tariffs, they’re terrified of who’s exposing their corruption.

Meanwhile, Elon Musk’s DOGE operation has expanded, launching agency-specific accounts so the public can report waste, fraud, and abuse directly—and the bureaucrats are panicking. With gold quietly being moved, Ukraine’s leverage evaporating, and Washington’s power structure shifting, the swamp is running out of lifelines.