Garvan Walshe: Orban’s fertility drive is an attack on Hungarian women

The man his critics call the ‘Viktator’ has two new policies – one a gimmick, one deeply sinister.

James Frayne: Amid all the turbulence, one politician is surging among UK voters – Donald Trump

Few actually agree with him, but a surprising number say they admire his decisiveness and strength.

Garvan Walshe: Can civil war be avoided in Venezuela?

A wise US president with a clever plan would be able to reduce the risks. But this one may well squander the opportunity for a peaceful return to democracy.

Ben Roback: Can a true progressive win the presidency in 2020?

Hopefuls should remember that what plays well in the primaries may be un-deliverable from the White House.

Sanders is a refreshing change from the careerists who infest American as well as British politics.

So though he presents himself as anti-Trump, he has something in common with him. And there could, astonishingly, be a future for socialism in America.

Lord Ashcroft: Trump, his opponents, and the voters – halfway through his (first?) term

As a woman in Iowa told us: “It’s like the CEO of the company I work for. I don’t care if you’re the nicest guy in the world. I care that I’m going to have a job from day to day.”

Ben Roback: Three weeks into a record shutdown – and no sign of a compromise

The President’s strategy of making a resumption of normal government depend on funding for his wall doesn’t appear to be working.

Grayling, Patten, the Far Right, the IRA, Brexit, the Speaker – and the difference between a threat and a warning

If two men are in a car, and the passenger says to the driver: “Look out! You’re going to crash,” he is shouting out the second, not the first.

How Trump appeals to unspeakable emotions

A new book about Holocaust and climate change denial also casts light on the American President.

Nadine Dorries: Thuggery. Abuse. Threats. Unacceptable everywhere. But no-one came to Brexiteers’ defence when we were victims.

The abuse became so bad that I felt the need to stop giving media interviews, writing articles and to remove myself from the public arena.

Daniel Hannan: That Brexit film works as drama. But it doesn’t as history. I should know. I was there.

The real flaw in Graham’s film was the implication that Vote Leave won by turning the European question into something else.

Lord Ashcroft: America – the mid-terms and beyond

The 2020 race, then, looks wide open and depends on two things outside the President’s direct control.

WATCH: “I don’t know how many more insults he could take.” – William Cohen, former US Defence Secretary, on Mattis’ resignation

“It was a false declaration to say that we won, ISIS had been defeated…we are tired of fighting, someone else’s burden. “

“My views on treating allies with respect…are strongly held.” Mattis’ resignation letter: full text

“Because you have the right to have a Defense Secretary whose views are better aligned with yours…I believe it is right for me to step down from my position.”

Ben Roback: The year ahead in Washington – volatility is coming

From Democratic control of the House to the Mueller investigation, Trump faces a challenging 2019.