How France’s hard-right National Rally is secretly courting the Paris elite—and how French bosses are quietly getting to know its leaders, one in particular economist.com/europe/2025/... from @economist.com

🚨Vous êtes étudiant(e) en journalisme ? 🚨Vous aimez la politique ? 🚨Vous avez besoin d'une aide financière ? l'APP lance sa bourse 2025 ! 2500 euros/an + un tutorat. Candidature à déposer avant le 2 octobre. Toutes les infos sur www.pressepresidentielle.fr/comment-post...

On today's show: - @zackbeauchamp.bsky.social on nat'l politics - NYS State Sen. James Skoufis on live events ticketing reforms - @sophiepedder.bsky.social on France news - How restaurant culture is changing w/tariffs, GLP-1s, etc. Tune in at 10AM, 93.9FM, AM820 & wnyc.org

France’s politics are messy and its luxury firms are struggling. But less visile to the public eye 🇫🇷 utilities, energy, materials, telecoms and other stodgy firms are doing surprisingly well In French business, boring beats sexy economist.com/business/202... from @economist.com

Why France’s new prime minister, Sébastien Lecornu, may have no choice but to compromise with the left if the country is to return to some form of political stability economist.com/europe/2025/... from @economist.com

‼️🇫🇷 Emmanuel Macron has picked his next PM, the fifth since 2022: Sébastien Lecornu, the 39-year-old current defence minister (and ex-Republican) and Macron loyalist

New: Crushing defeat for Bayrou’s government. He has lost his vote of confidence in the National Assembly by 194 votes to 364 against. France has now lost four prime ministers in under two years, a sorry reflection of the polarised state of French politics

After more than a century, Parisians can once again swim in the Seine, under the timeless gaze of the Eiffel Tower. Where once there was a highway along the riverbank, there is now life, joy, and water. A celebration of proximity, quality of life, and the Parisian joie de vivre 💫🌊🏊🏼‍♂️🏊🏼‍♀️

Bond vigilantes take aim at France economist.com/finance-and-...

The last time France went through five different prime ministers within two years was in the 1950s—nearly three-quarters of a century ago. Why the country is now on the brink of matching that unhappy record economist.com/europe/2025/...

Confirmed: Macron and Starmer will co-chair in Paris on Thursday morning September 4th a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing for Ukraine, with Président Zelensky present

Also goes vice-versa for Merz: the tight situation in France makes it even more urgent to empower a key European ally.

What political instability in France says about the weakness of the centre ground’s fact-based tools against the angry certitudes of populism, on the left and the right France’s government is on the brink of collapse, again economist.com/leaders/2025... from @economist.com

Time for some Merz-Macron magic on the Med Why political instability at home makes the need to tighten the link between Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz harder, but also more urgent economist.com/europe/2025/... from @Economist

Bayrou is right about the dismal state of French public finances. But being right may not be enough for his government’s survival. Why France’s PM called an unexpected confidence vote about the country’s debt France is in big trouble, again economist.com/europe/2025/... from @economist.com

🇫🇷 PM Bayrou has unexpectedly, and bravely, put his government’s survival on the line by calling a confidence vote in parliament on Sep 8. Unbelievably, it may fall because opposition parties can’t even agree that debt and deficit levels are putting France in grave danger

On August 25 1944, after General Leclerc led the 🇫🇷 2nd armoured division into Paris, the French capital was liberated. There was no negotiation. Choltitz, the commander of the German garrison, surrendered

Europe gets so much grief for division and weakness. But its recent handling of Trump, its unity (w/Starmer), smart coordination (w/Zelensky) and inclusivity (w/Meloni) show it at its best. Nobody in 🇫🇷 will credit Macron, but he has played no small part

This was a tough assignment. Provence is not just a destination. It’s a lifestyle brand economist.com/culture/2025... from @Economist

Le général français affirme que la Russie pourrait attaquer dans cinq ans Thierry Burkhard, le chef sortant des Forces armées, estime que l’Europe a du pain sur la planche @sophiepedder.bsky.social @theeconomistevents.bsky.social 31 juil. 2025 Paris www.economist.com/europe/2025/...

By 2030 “Russia will possess the means once again to pose a military threat to Western countries, and European countries in particular” The head of 🇫🇷 armed forces General Thierry Burkhard talks to me and @shashj.bsky.social in @economist.com this week economist.com/europe/2025/...

Why Emmanuel Macron has decided to recognise a Palestinian state French diplomats hope it will make peace more likely. America and Israel say it emboldens Hamas economist.com/europe/2025/... from @economist.com

Big news. Macron says France will recognise a Palestinian state. He will do this formally at the United Nations GA in New York in September

France faces an awkward truth. Macron was right about European strategic autonomy in defence. But his government does not have the budget to spend enough on it economist.com/europe/2025/... from @economist.com

The 🇫🇷 defence minister announces a new chief of the 🇫🇷 armed forces, air force General Fabien Mandon (left) to replace General Thierry Burkhard (right). Burkhard has served in this role since 2021 and Macron, who has always worked well with him, already extended his term by a year

Sad, delusional and dangerous from Johnson. What a contrast with George Osborne’s words to Starmer and Macron last week: “Congratulations for bringing some sanity and fraternity back to the relationship between 🇬🇧 and 🇫🇷. That’s exactly what we both and the world needs more of right now"

An excellent update and deepening of prior statements and undertakings (Chequers déclarations, Lancaster House treaties)

Big strategic moment for 🇫🇷 and 🇬🇧 (and Europe) at the summit in London today. The two countries are to state for the first time that their respective nuclear deterrents “can be co-ordinated”, and that “there is no extreme threat to Europe that would not prompt a response by both nations”

Macron is speaking shortly in the Royal Gallery at Westminster, a hall lined by two murals: one of the Death of Nelson, the other of the Battle of Waterloo 🇫🇷🇬🇧

London getting ready to celebrate 🇫🇷 and 🇬🇧 ! Macron arrives today for the state visit for a French president since 2008. So good to see after the dismal “friend or foe” years

Emmanuel Macron will beat Donald Trump to a state visit to the U.K. next week. The relationship between France and the U.K. hasn’t been this close and constructive for nearly a decade 🇫🇷🇬🇧 @mijrahman.bsky.social @lordrickettsp.bsky.social economist.com/britain/2025...

Ce matin, Emmanuel Macron était au Salon Japan Expo 🇯🇵 L'avez-vous su ? ❌ La presse était-elle prévenue ? ❌ Était-ce une visite privée ? ❌ Est-ce que l'Elysée craint que les journalistes entendent ce que les Français ont à dire au Président ? 🤷🏻‍♂️ L’APP dénonce-t-elle? ✅

👀 Macron and Putin have just held a two-hour phone call. As far as I know this is their first exchange since September 2022

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I seem to have provoked 🔥between @alastaircampbell2.bsky.social and Rory Stewart by asking why Rory never has a positive word to say about 🇫🇷 politicians, starting with Macron and Attal (PS: For the record, I never defended Macron’s decision to dissolve Parliament!) open.spotify.com/episode/5aBC...

Dominique de Villepin, of the famous 2003 UN speech against military intervention in Iraq, has launched a political party with a view to running for the French presidency in 2027 leparisien.fr/politique/do...

Impressive to hear 🇫🇷 presidential hopeful Gabriel Attal hold his own in English on Leading with @alastaircampbell2.bsky.social + Rory Stewart. “My dream is that my generation will be the one that sees the U.K. rejoining the EU” says Attal “I think it’s possible” alastaircampbell.org/2025/06/140-...

Macron’s opening comments at this evening’s emergency National Defence and Security meeting at the Elysée in Paris: “No purely military response can have the desired effects” Diplomatic talks are needed to ensure Iran does not acquire nuclear weapons and to avoid escalation

No reaction yet from Macron. This from Barrot, 🇫🇷 foreign minister, expressing “preoccupation”. France participated “neither in the strikes nor their planning”. Urges restraint and a return to talks

“The French government will more than double its stake in debt-laden satellite operator Eutelsat, in a state-led €1.35bn capital raising that will see Paris strengthen its hold on OneWeb, Europe’s answer to Elon Musk’s Starlink.” on.ft.com/45yreq4

Dassault salesman at Le Bourget today

The only accessory motorists in France really need 🥖⬇️ The remodelled electric Renault 5 classic. So stylish a French luxury group poached the car firm’s boss economist.com/europe/2025/... from @economist.com

Macron’s trip to Greenland yesterday wasn’t only a defiant message to Trump. It was also a message to Europeans, about strategic autonomy economist.com/europe/2025/... from @Economist

Why are girls still falling behind in maths? A new French study shows how fast the gender gap emerges (first signs after four months), and at how young an age (first year of primary school) economist.com/graphic-deta... from @economist.com

Bombshell boomtowns: Europe’s forgotten cities now facing a boom due to increased defence spending A report from France, Germany and Poland, with @vendeline.bsky.social and Maria Wilczek economist.com/europe/2025/... from @economist.com

Macron will go to Greenland, on his way to see Trump at the G7 in Canada www.lemonde.fr/internationa...

Why Trumpworld loathes Europe. In part, Europe is caught in US culture wars. Trumpism is also bad history. The EU wasn’t set up to “screw America” as Pres Trump claims. European unity was pushed by America as a way to avoid WW3. My column, The Telegram economist.com/internationa...

This is of course the right thing to do, for France and for Europe. But French public finances are under real strain. What Macron hasn’t said is what the French government should spend less on to get to 3.5%, let alone higher still

Listening to Macron at IISS Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. Criticises “double standards” & “equidistance between Russia & Ukraine” in LatAm, Africa, Asia. If Russia allowed to take territory what happens in Taiwan, Philippines? Also cites risk of “free pass” to Israel

Trust in European Union at highest since 2007, poll shows reut.rs/4k9VQ5z