(Avery Lotz, Brittany Gibson – Axios) ICE is on a multi-billion-dollar quest for new immigration detention facilities, but they’re increasingly facing pushback from an unlikely foe: Republicans. Why it matters: The Trump administration has prioritized investing tens of billions of dollars to increase how many people it can hold in immigration detention, and ICE has a limited amount of time to spend it. – ICE detention facilities face Republican revolt
(Zachary Basu – Axios) Supremacy can be fleeting in the highly competitive AI race. But two months into 2026, Anthropic’s Claude is upending U.S. national security, roiling financial markets and redefining how startups are built. Why it matters: The company is in the middle of the most important fight of the era — how much power to give AI in the face of threats, real and virtual. – How Claude conquered Washington, Wall Street and Silicon Valley
(April Rubin, Avery Lotz – Axios) World Economic Forum leader Børge Brende announced his resignation Thursday, the latest casualty of the Epstein files fallout rocking business, politics and academia. The big picture: The files’ release has captured some of the world’s most powerful people in a far-reaching shadow of shame, effectively ending the careers of captains of industry, academic big shots and prominent politicians. And the dominoes keep falling. – Epstein files: WEF CEO Brende resigns amid growing global fallout
(Amy Harder, Ben Geman – Axios) Big Tech’s coming vow to pay for its own power amid the data center boom may be light on policy specifics. But it could still pack a political punch. Why it matters: Electricity markets are largely regulated at the state and regional levels, limiting Washington’s direct sway. – Tech ratepayer pledge may be more bark than bite — but still matters
(Johanna Treeck – Politico) European Central Bank staffers believe they must keep their opinions to themselves — or face the consequences. That is the message from a staff survey conducted by the ECB in November and December, revealing that the majority have “no confidence” that they can voice their views without inviting retaliation from above. The findings threaten to blemish President Christine Lagarde’s legacy, raising questions about the quality of debate culture within the central bank under her leadership amid ongoing rumors that the Frenchwoman will end her eight-year term early. The results also land at an awkward moment, as the ECB faces legal action from its staff union over alleged efforts to curb free speech. – ECB staffers fear backlash when speaking out, survey says – POLITICO
(Aitor Hernández-Morales – Politico) Denmark will hold a snap election next month, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced Thursday. “I have recommended to King Frederik that elections be held on March 24,” Frederiksen told lawmakers during a plenary session of the Danish parliament in Copenhagen. With less than a year left in the current parliamentary term, the country was due to go to the polls no later than Oct. 31. But the decision to move up the date of the vote is likely based on the surge of support Frederiksen’s ruling Social Democrats have experienced as a result of U.S. President Donald Trump’s aggressive threats to annex Greenland. – Mette Frederiksen announces Denmark will hold snap election on March 24 – POLITICO
(Gabriel Gavin – Politico) When the EU faces a crisis, the lights go on in an ultra-secure room deep in a building in Brussels that hosts the European Council. Over the past year, they’ve been switched on more frequently than ever as the bloc’s 27 government envoys take the rudder. The suite of rooms, including a “bunker” in the basement designed to prevent surveillance, is the meeting place for EU ambassadors who are playing a greater role than they’ve done before in deciding the bloc’s response to the biggest challenges of our time. From Donald Trump’s threats to take over Greenland and his imposition of import tariffs to the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine, the possibility of strikes on Iran and broader concerns about Europe’s economy, this formation of the most powerful national representatives permanently in Brussels is coming into its own. Known in Brussels jargon as Coreper II (short for the Committee of Permanent Representatives), the group has existed for as long as the EU. It is gradually giving itself greater authority to take decisions — not just so the bloc can operate more efficiently, but also as a counterweight to an increasingly powerful European Commission, the EU’s executive branch. – The crisis corps running the EU – POLITICO
(Tim Ross – Politico) She’s not Donald Trump’s biggest foe in Europe — yet. But European Parliament President Roberta Metsola wants the White House to know its attempts to influence politics in Europe are not welcome. In an interview with POLITICO, Metsola said the European Union won’t express a preference on who should win the U.S. midterm elections in November. But U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio weighed in to endorse Viktor Orbán in Budapest this month, ahead of Hungary’s general election coming up in April. – Don’t meddle in our elections, EU’s Metsola tells Trump’s MAGA warriors – POLITICO
(John Johnston – Politico) Global Counsel started the year riding high. The public affairs agency had just posted its best-ever financial results, could boast of staff in multiple countries, and was in the process of expanding its international operations. In a matter of weeks, the lobby shop’s 16-year legacy had been all-but wiped out, and it had collapsed into administration under the weight of the Epstein scandal. Co-founder Peter Mandelson, the former U.K. ambassador to Washington and one of the commanding figures of British politics over the past four decades, is facing fresh revelations over his links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Despite frantic efforts to distance itself from Mandelson, the influence business he masterminded was forced to fold. – How the Epstein files brought down lobbying powerhouse Global Counsel – POLITICO
(Karl Mathiesen, Hanne Cokelaere, Nahal Toosi – Politico) America’s ambassadors in Europe are targeting just one person with their charm offensive: President Donald Trump. Everyone else — including key U.S. allies — can expect little charm and plenty of offense. The American president’s friends, fellow real estate developers and political donors who have been awarded EU ambassadorships during Trump’s second term are ruffling feathers in their host capitals. – ‘Frankly, it’s rude’: How Trump’s European envoys play to an audience of one – POLITICO
(Zia Weise – Politico) Global warming intensified a series of torrential rainstorms that battered Spain and Portugal in recent weeks, new research has found. Nine destructive winter storms hit the Iberian Peninsula with extensive flooding between mid-January and mid-February, killing six people in Portugal, forcing the evacuation of more than 12,000 people in Spain and leaving a trail of devastation across both countries. The economic damage was significant: The Spanish government has already allocated €7 billion in relief payments to help people affected, while in Portugal the damage is estimated to reach €6 billion, equivalent to more than 1.5 percent of the country’s GDP. The Portuguese government has said the reconstruction cost will constrain the nation’s finances. – Climate change supercharged Iberian Peninsula’s destructive storms – POLITICO
(Noah Keate – Politico) British politicians laid into the Trump administration Thursday over far-right activist Tommy Robinson’s visit to the United States, which included a tour of the State Department. Emily Thornberry, chair of the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, told POLITICO that U.S. officials should not be taken in by Robinson’s claim to be a “free speech warrior,” while fellow MPs in the governing Labour Party branded the move by a supposed ally “incredibly alarming.”. Joe Rittenhouse, a senior adviser at the State Department’s Consular Affairs bureau, posted photos of himself on X alongside Robinson Wednesday. He said he was “honored to have [the] free speech warrior,” who has a history of criminal convictions in the U.K., “at Department of State today.” – Far-right activist Tommy Robinson’s US welcome sparks British backlash – POLITICO
(Milena Wälde – Politico) Belgium’s Prime Minister Bart De Wever said the Port of Antwerp-Bruges will get its own anti-aircraft defenses by next year, as the Belgian government moves to fortify one of Europe’s most critical trade gateways. De Wever also confirmed that Belgium has ordered a separate anti-drone system after multiple drone sightings last year forced the temporary closure of Belgian airports and a military airbase, the Gazet van Antwerpen reported. “An air-defense system is coming to the port of Antwerp. It’s a NASAMS type and has already been ordered,” De Wever said at the port, according to the Gazet report. – Belgium to arm Antwerp port with anti-aircraft guns – POLITICO
(Gabriel Gavin – Politico) Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán suggested he could drop his veto on the EU sending €90 billion to Kyiv if the EU assesses damage to an oil pipeline in Ukraine. In a letter to European Council President António Costa dated Thursday, obtained by POLITICO, Orbán said he is “fully aware of the political difficulties” created by Budapest blocking the loan, which was agreed upon by all EU leaders at a summit in December. Capitals have railed against Orbán for changing his mind after a Russian drone damaged the Druzhba pipeline, through which Hungary and Slovakia have continued to import discounted Russian crude oil throughout the four years of the war. – Investigate oil pipeline damage to unblock Ukraine funds, Orbán tells EU – POLITICO
(Aitor Hernández-Morales – Politico) Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez wants you to know that rumors of his imminent demise have been greatly exaggerated. For several weeks, right-wing social media accounts have spread a rumor that the socialist leader is being treated for a terminal heart condition. The prime minister — a frequent target of fake news posts — initially ignored the allegations, but finally hit back Thursday with an unusual post on social media. – Sánchez hits back at trolls: I’m not dying – POLITICO
