The Trump campaign’s promise to withdraw American support for nato and Europe in general is becoming a reality which European Union nations now have to face. German Chancellor Angela Merkel led Europe toward more independence from the U.S. by her comments on May 28. Just three days earlier, nato announced that it will join the international coalition against Islamic State terrorism.

Here are the five most important news stories this week, as well as relevant links to the full articles and videos here on theTrumpet.com.

Merkel after Trump’s visit: ‘Europe has to fight for its own future’

On May 28, German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged Europe to free itself from United States dominance and “fight for its own future.”

“The times where we could fully rely on others are partially over. That’s what I experienced in the recent days,” Merkel said, referring to the G-7 meeting with President Trump. “We Europeans really have to take our destiny into our own hands.”

This was Merkel’s strongest criticism of the U.S. and the strongest call for deeper European integration from the Continent’s leading nation.

Iran and Hamas are back together

Iran has reportedly agreed to resume funding the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, following a six-year divorce and several weeks of negotiations between Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (irgc).

irgc Quds Force Gen. Qassem Suleimani wrote to Hamas’s new leader, Ismail Haniyeh: “We await to strengthen our bond with Hamas, the ally of the resistance axis, who can raise the issue of Palestine once again. … We emphasize that we continue to insist on the victory of the resistance … until the ground, the sky, the sea for the Zionists turns into hell.”

Iran ‘forcefully’ developing missile capabilities

The head of the aerospace division of Iran’s irgc announced on May 25 that it has completed construction on Iran’s third underground ballistic missile factory.

Gen. Amir-Ali Hadjizadeh was quoted by Fars News Agency as saying, “[I]n recent years we have built a third underground factory for the manufacture of missiles. … We will continue to further develop our missile capabilities forcefully.”

How long will Iran continue spurning peace concessions and threats alike, and continue its belligerence?

NATO joins anti-Islamic State coalition

Following the recent terrorist attack in Manchester, England, nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg confirmed on May 25 that the military alliance will join the international coalition fighting against the Islamic State. He said, “This will send a strong political message of nato’s commitment to the fight against terrorism.”

With nato increasingly becoming more European than American, this development will likely help bring Europe, especially Germany, much closer to the Middle East.

Massive landslide buries California’s Highway 1

About a million tons of rocks and dirt tumbled down the Mud Creek area of Big Sur, blocking a third of a mile of a scenic coastal highway with debris as high as 65 feet. The landslide added a 13-acre bulge of debris to the Pacific Coast, and geologists say more could be added with each passing day.

It was the largest landslide in the state’s history, according to Susana Cruz, a spokesperson for the California Department of Transportation. Residents are calling it “the mother of all landslides.”

“This Week” appears every Sunday. To get these same top stories in your inbox ahead of time every Friday afternoon (plus a letter from one of the Trumpet’s editors), subscribe to the Trumpet Brief daily e-mail. Sign up by clicking here or by visiting theTrumpet.com home page.