The Kings of Mexico.

Is France the new Greece?

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News Items is “the most valuable newsletter out there.” — Peggy Noonan.

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1. Jordan Bardella, the party chief of France’s Rassemblement National, warned on Monday that it would not hesitate to bring down the government over a budget that Prime Minister Michel Barnier has said is crucial to tackle the country’s widening deficit. Negotiations between Barnier and the RN to find a compromise on the draft budget stalled ahead of a key vote in the National Assembly expected later on Monday, raising the risk that the minority government could fall as early as this week. The budget’s fate and that of Barnier’s administration remain largely in the hands of Marine Le Pen’s far-right RN, the biggest single party and a key voting bloc in the National Assembly. “The RN will trigger the mechanism to vote the censure unless there is a last-minute miracle and Barnier changes his draft law between now and 3pm,” Bardella told RTL radio on Monday. (Source: ft.com)