World Briefing Plus: Trump’s 'Peace Tour,' Royal Reckonings, and Southeast Asia’s Scam Economy

My exclusive dispatch from Asia separates optics from reality and signals where the story heads next

Today, I’m coming to you from Asia, where the ASEAN and APEC summits have just wrapped up. Where Donald Trump’s grandstanding and shakedown diplomacy left leaders and diplomats scrambling to make sense of his latest brand of “peacemaking.” Has the U.S. push diluted China’s influence over the region?

In this exclusive World Briefing Plus video, I cut through the White House briefing room fog to explain what really happened behind the scenes - and what it says about Trump’s evolving foreign-policy instincts as he tests the limits of U.S. diplomacy.

We’ll also turn to Britain, where King Charles has drawn widespread praise for finally acting decisively against his brother Prince Andrew - stripping him of all remaining royal titles and evicting him from his mansion. It’s a rare moment of moral clarity from the Palace - and, perhaps, a warning that the Crown is moving to quarantine scandal before it metastasizes.

Then, a glimpse ahead: while here in Southeast Asia, I plan to dig deeper into one of the region’s most disturbing phenomena - the scam centers that have lured thousands of victims from around the world, many trapped in virtual slavery and generating billions for criminal networks. This is no longer a local or regional issue, but a sprawling, global story that touches innocent lives far beyond Asia’s borders. Expect more on that soon.

Finally, a programming note: World Briefing heads to Southern Africa later this month, reporting from the sidelines of the G20 Leaders Summit in Johannesburg, where the stakes couldn’t be higher - and where I, along with my team, will be bringing you the stories and voices that don’t make the official communiqué.

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🎥 Watch the exclusive video below