Morning Brief: Trump Blasts Putin, Cartel Crackdowns & Box Office Bonanza

President Donald Trump fires back at Vladimir Putin following Russia’s aerial attacks on Ukraine, the Treasury Department reveals a new approach to combating drug cartels, and Hollywood enjoys a record-breaking box office over Memorial Day weekend. 

It’s Tuesday, May 27, and this is the news you need to know to start your day.

Morning Wire is available on video! You can watch today’s episode here:

If you’d rather listen to your news, today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below:

Russia Strikes Ukraine

Topline: President Trump rails against Russian President Vladimir Putin after he launches another aerial attack on Ukraine.

Over the weekend, Russia launched a series of air assaults on Ukrainian cities, deploying hundreds of attack drones and dozens of missiles. Those strikes killed at least 12 people and injured dozens more — many civilians — in what Ukraine called the most extensive aerial bombardment of the three-year war. 

In recent months, there had been hopes that a peace deal was within reach, but Putin appears to be making clear that he’s pushing ahead, despite increased threats of sanctions from the West. Ukrainian intelligence reportedly shows that Moscow is gathering forces near the front line in preparation for a summer offensive. 

In response to those attacks, President Trump offered his strongest condemnation of Putin to date. “I don’t know what the hell happened to Putin. I’ve known him a long time, always gotten along with him, but he’s sending rockets into cities and killing people, and I don’t like it at all. Okay, we’re in the middle of talking and he’s shooting rockets into Kiev and other cities.“ Later, on social media, the president appeared to make a veiled threat against Putin, writing, “I’ve always said that he wants ALL of Ukraine, not just a piece of it, and maybe that’s proving to be right. But if he does, it will lead to the downfall of Russia!” 

However, this new anti-Putin rhetoric hasn’t exactly led to friendlier relations with Ukraine. Trump also said over the weekend that “Zelensky is doing his country no favors by talking the way he does. Everything out of his mouth causes problems.” 

Meanwhile, on Friday, Trump accused the Europeans of being “difficult to deal with” during trade negotiations, saying “discussions are going nowhere.”  The president threatened a 50% tariff that would kick in on June 1. That seemingly got their attention, as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called the White House over the weekend to say “Europe is ready to advance talks swiftly and decisively.” As a result of that new willingness to make a deal, Trump agreed to pause his tariff hike until July 9 so an agreement could be reached. 

Freezing Cartel Funds

Topline:  Trump enlists the Treasury Department in his sweeping crackdown on drug cartels.

President Trump promised a “whole of government” approach to combating drug cartels. While the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Border Patrol have obvious roles to play, the Treasury Department is taking steps to crack down on money laundering.

“One of the most important things that the president did upon coming into office was to declare a number of the narco groups terrorist organizations,” Deputy Treasury Secretary Michael Faulkender told The Daily Wire. “[That] unleashes additional authorities at Treasury for us to better target some of the financial activities that these cartels are engaging in. It’s one thing to have our partners at DHS work on stopping the flow of people and drugs, but we can also use our financial tools to go after the money – because if the money is not flowing back south, then there’s less of an incentive to bring the drugs and the guns and some of the illicit activity up to the north.”

Among other things, Faulkender explained why Brinks Global was fined $37 million. “There is a statute called the Bank Secrecy Act that requires that if you’re going to facilitate transfers of monetary sums, that you need to know who the party is that is receiving this money, that is engaging in this transaction. And so what we did is our Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, which is called FinCEN, they launched an investigation into how this money was flowing south of the border – and found that Brinks had facilitated some of these money transfers without knowing who the parties were that were participating in this transaction.”

For the full interview, check out the Morning Wire podcast.

Box Office Bonanza

Topline: The box office for the holiday weekend blew away expectations. Disney’s live-action “Lilo & Stitch” and Paramount’s “Mission: Impossible 8” set records to kick off the summer blockbuster season.

“Lilo & Stitch” and “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” provide a much-needed shot in the arm for theaters nationwide. According to studio estimates, “Lilo & Stitch” grossed a staggering $183 million domestically. That’s an all-time Disney record for this time frame. Its global haul was $342 million. Meanwhile, “Mission: Impossible” brought in a franchise-best $77 million domestically and $190 million worldwide. Taken together, Hollywood hopes this is a game-changer for an industry that’s been fighting to regain that pre-pandemic momentum.

Social media buzz for “Lilo & Stitch,” especially from younger women and parents, has been off the charts with an “A” CinemaScore signaling strong word-of-mouth. Posts on X captured the excitement, with fans showing up in Stitch merch and plushies, turning screenings into events. This kind of cultural resonance is exactly what Disney banks on with its IP-driven strategy – sometimes successfully, sometimes not.

While it didn’t reach the heights of “Lilo & Stitch,” “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” is unquestionably a triumph for Tom Cruise. The film’s opening beat the previous franchise record set by “Mission: Impossible – Fallout” in 2018 by $14 million, not adjusted for inflation.