President Donald Trump’s proposed bailout of Argentina’s troubled economy is running into unexpected opposition: American farmers who voted for Trump, and the elected Republican officials who represent them.

“Powerful agriculture groups” are “sounding alarms” about the $20 billion aid package, said Politico. That's because China has started buying soybeans from Argentina instead of American farmers in the wake of Trump’s trade wars. “Why would USA help bail out Argentina while they take American soybean producers’ biggest market???” Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said Thursday on X. 

What did the commentators say?
Trump’s support for Argentina has “heightened tensions” among farmers already affected by tariffs, said Progressive Farmer. China reportedly purchased 1.3 million metric tons of Argentinian soybeans after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced the aid proposal. “The frustration is overwhelming” for American farmers, said Caleb Ragland, the president of the American Soybean Association. 

China is “turning up its nose” at American soybeans, said The Economist. The “tit-for-tat” tariffs between the U.S. and China have made those soybeans “much more expensive than imports from Argentina and Brazil,” and that was before Argentina’s recent announcement that it’s waiving grain export taxes. At this point in 2024, China had “ordered close to 40% of America’s overseas sales.” Now, China has “not booked a single shipment.” 

The Argentina bailout is “all about propping up a Trump ally,” said Allison Morrow at CNN. President Javier Milei is a “hardline libertarian” who has inspired MAGA political figures like Elon Musk. His deep cuts to government spending have curbed inflation, but the Argentinian economy is contracting. The bailout “may buy Milei time” ahead of Argentina’s October midterm elections. 

What next?
Trump “wants to give aid to struggling farmers,” said The New York Times. The administration is “not ready to announce a payment plan yet,” Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said Thursday. A smaller trade war during Trump’s first term also “cost farmers dearly,” said the Times, “prompting the Agriculture Department to pay farmers $23 billion” to make up for lost sales. 

Argentina’s soybean sales to China are a “bitter pill for North Dakota soybean farmers to swallow,” said Rep. Julie Fedorchak (R-N.D.) to Axios. But the administration is defending the president’s record. Trump is the “most pro-farmer president of our lifetime,” said an Agriculture Department spokesperson.

Europe needs to fight an “Islamist invasion,” “climatic terrorism” and “woke ideology,” the leader of Vox, Spain’s fastest-growing political party, said at a Patriots for Europe rally this week. The “enthusiastic reception” to Santiago Abascal’s words from his supporters “reflects a national trend” in which Vox is “on the march,” said The Times. 

What is Vox?
Vox (Latin for “voice”) is Spain’s party of the populist-nationalist right. It “initially grew” out of “alarm that Catalonia’s drive for independence would break up Spain,” said The Economist. As that “threat has receded,” the focus has turned to illegal immigration and “waging a culture war against feminism, trans rights and animal rights.” 

Vox is currently the third-largest party in the nation’s parliament. In 2023, at the last general election, it won 12.4% of the national vote, taking 33 seats in the 350-seat house. Abascal wants to reclaim Spain’s history and believes the nation has “been ashamed of its past” for too long, he said to The Wall Street Journal.

Why is Vox becoming more popular? 
The party is “doggedly focused on immigration,” which puts it “outside the bounds of the political mainstream, whose parties are too squeamish to address the subject head-on,” said the Journal. Corruption scandals dogging the governing Socialist Party have been a gift to Vox. Abascal has described the government as a “pool of corruption, a stinking swamp, a mafia group, and a gang of criminals.” 

Vox has also capitalized on the “catastrophic mismanagement” of floods and mudslides in Valencia last year, said The Economist. The party sent volunteers to “stricken towns” under the “catchy slogan” of “only the people will save the people.” 

This charm offensive is working. Spain’s younger citizens, who are “disillusioned with politics as usual,” are “increasingly drawn” to Vox, said the Journal. In a recent poll, 27.9% of 18- to 24-year-olds, and 26% of those ages 25 to 34, said they would vote for the party at the next election. However, the party’s “international alignments could hurt it,” said The Economist; not least its support for Donald Trump, which “may backfire on Vox if American tariffs hurt Spanish exports.”

A civilian boat that’s part of the Global Sumud flotilla sets sail from the coast of Crete. After stopping in Greek waters for repairs following a drone attack, the flotilla has resumed its journey to Gaza to deliver aid. Greece, Italy, Spain and Turkey are helping to monitor and protect the boats.
Niccolo Celesti / Anadolu / Getty Images

Sometimes classics connote drinks and bars that have been around long enough to be timeless. Other times, classics suggest a certain vibe from another era or culture. These watering holes trumpet the classics from all angles. 

Firstborn, Los Angeles
Bar director Kenzo Han’s “Korean, Japanese and French American heritage has shaped their deep appreciation for the way traditions can intersect in the glass,” said Punch when they dubbed Han one of 2025’s Best New Bartenders. Those influences show up at the Chinese American Firstborn as Green Mandarin pu-erh tea in a Kingston Negroni and a classic bamboo cocktail with shochu as the base. 

La Licor Panamericana, Chicago
Javier Arroyo and “his friendly team” love to show off the diverse majesty of Latin American spirits at La Licor Panamericana, said Chicago magazine. That might mean Bolivian singani, Colombian aguardiente or, of course, a number of Mexican spirits made from agave. Try them unadulterated or experience them shining in an array of house cocktails, like the Escandalo with raicilla, dragon fruit, mango tea and lime juice.

Martiny’s, New York
Refinement is what you will find at Martiny’s. It’s a touch of Tokyo in the heart of Manhattan. From the “glassware to the soft jazz,” bartender Takuma Watanabe’s “meticulous skills and eye for beauty” are the gospel of this multistory bar, said World’s 50 Best Bars. There’s no wrong answer for what to drink or where to sit among the bar’s three floors.