“We must systematically and massively raise the costs of Russia’s aggression” - Friedrich Merz on.ft.com/42GQDve

Is the White House preparing to hit France with 50% tariffs? www.nytimes.com/2025/09/25/w...

Pam Bondi at her Senate confirmation hearings in January "Every case will be prosecuted based on the facts and the law that is applied in good faith — period. Politics have got to be taken out of the system" www.nytimes.com/2025/09/25/u...

If there was a Nobel War Prize, Trump would be a shoo-in for his bungling of the Ukraine & Gaza conflicts on.ft.com/4gFHpVK

In the post-Kirk world, two plus two equals five @edwardluce.bsky.social on.ft.com/3VwfMF1

This would be something: tariffs that make Russian oil prohibitively expensive for Hungary and Slovakia www.euronews.com/my-europe/20...

Trump, Xi and Putin are giving rise to interesting new groupings of countries www.auswaertiges-amt.de/en/newsroom/...

Amusing how the Disney leadership is now trying to paint its decision to suspend Kimmel as a temporary move to “cool things down” instead of the craven cave-in to MAGA that it was. Iger & Co were forced to reverse course because of the backlash. They don’t deserve praise for that. on.ft.com/4mxYS3Q

My head is spinning on.ft.com/46ksqNN

Over 77 million Americans voted for this guy - knowing who he was. on.ft.com/46m1RI4

Dehumanizing people with different viewpoints as “nothing” has been used throughout history to justify horrific crackdowns on political opponents. That a speech like this is being given by a top adviser to the US president in 2025 should shock us all.

Yet another “should I cancel my NY Times subscription?” moment www.nytimes.com/2025/09/22/w...

Reason number 5728 to build up the European military industrial base www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...

A bit warm for a record but still damn fast #SebastianSawe #BerlinMarathon

“We need to be clear with ourselves that we have entered a phase where we are probably in a real systemic conflict with the United States” - @dschwarzer.bsky.social podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast/d...

Important to note that the Commission did not decide to do the dirty trade deal with Trump on its own. Member states (with a few exceptions) were reluctant to retaliate so long as a deal was on the table. The Commission can’t go it alone on something like this. on.ft.com/4mpZqbW

Majorities of Americans disapprove of Trump's handling of crime, immigration, tariffs, the economy, Russia and Gaza, per @washingtonpost.com @ipsosus.bsky.social poll. Overall, Trump's approval rating is 43%. @emgusk.bsky.social @sfcpoll.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

Pentagon demands that journalists stop practicing journalism www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

Agree with much of Hillary Clinton’s analysis. But the idea that Trump “can’t win a fair fight” (repeated several times) is wrong. It was a fair fight in 2024 and I would argue in 2016. Will he try to rig 2026/28? No doubt. But let’s be clear-eyed about the past podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast/t...

My main takeaway from this petty, tone deaf memoir is that Biden not only made the mistake of running himself but also chose someone totally unsuited for the office as his successor. An across-the-board failure for which the country and rest of the world is paying a dear price. on.ft.com/4mqNCpU

Trump nixes military aid to Taiwan in push for trade deal and summit with Xi www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

"We are now going after those who fuel Russia's war by purchasing oil in breach of the sanctions. We target refineries, oil traders, petrochemical companies in third countries, including China" - Von der Leyen on 19th Russia sanctions package (no mention of India) ec.europa.eu/commission/p...

The EU is bribing Orban to ditch Russian energy imports www.ft.com/content/0965...

NEW: Could the EU dust off its trade bazooka to take on China? Europe weighs its options A serious discussion is underway in the commission about using the anti-coercion instrument against China - my report.

Good one from @fbermingham.bsky.social: “Throughout 2025, the bloc has found itself caught in the crossfire, flanked by hostile powers who are firing at will while the EU fumbles for its pistol.” www.scmp.com/news/china/d...

Interesting from Kallas: "India's participation in Russia's military exercises and its purchase of Russian oil stand in the way of closer ties. Because, ultimately, our partnership is not only about trade, but also about defending rules-based international order" www.eeas.europa.eu/eeas/college...

Trump says he settled dispute between "Aberbaijan" and "Albania"

If the Taiwanese people rose up and demanded unification with the mainland, perhaps this parallel would be apt. Otherwise it should be ditched. www.scmp.com/news/china/p...

The New York Times shows servile ABC/Disney how it should be done on.ft.com/4gyfAii

The emergence of Trump’s America and Xi’s China as bullies on the international stage is supercharging EU-India ties. www.eeas.europa.eu/eeas/joint-c...

Super-dumb on.ft.com/3VpxEBv

The craven pandering seems to have no limits. Time to make ABC/Disney feel the consequences of this cowardly act by tuning out completely. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/17/b...

Party time

Oops www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

For Downing Street, Thursday is the day of maximum peril. Starmer and Trump will hold a press conference where questions about the president’s relationship to Jeffrey Epstein and Mandelson’s sacking are inevitable. on.ft.com/4gw8evI

A justification for Trump’s crackdown on “the left” couched in faux-balanced prose. The worst of the New York Times www.nytimes.com/2025/09/16/o...

Not a good week for Keir Starmer. He had to go back on his decision to appoint one of paedophile Jeffrey Epstein’s best friends to a top diplomatic post. Now he is hosting another best friend of Epstein for a state visit. on.ft.com/4pprWx1

Trump’s aides are crafting an executive order to combat political violence and hate speech that could come as soon as this week www.nytimes.com/2025/09/16/u...

How one reconciles this stance from Attorney General Pam Bondi and the attacks from Trump/Vance/Rubio on the EU’s DSA I will never understand: “Hate speech that crosses the line into threats of violence is NOT protected by the First Amendment. It’s a crime” www.nytimes.com/2025/09/16/u...

Another Trump cave-in to China. The list of US concessions to Beijing is getting very long. on.ft.com/3Irmrxl

🎙️ New podcast out now! 👉 open.spotify.com/episode/6CFC... 🇨🇳 @staskaleta.bsky.social is joined by @noahbarkin.bsky.social (@rhg.com @gmfus.bsky.social) to discuss the EU's strategy for China – after Trump's NATO ultimatum demanding China tariffs, and Wang Yi's visit to Poland.

Fringe AfD politicians getting face time in the White House www.politico.eu/article/top-...

I wonder if Bessent vetted this statement with the boss: "We are not willing to sacrifice national security for a social media app” www.reuters.com/world/china/...

Germany’s domestic intelligence agency will be led for the first time by somebone with a migration background: Turkish-born terrorism expert and current vice president Sinan Selen www.handelsblatt.com/politik/deut...

Not sure we needed a NY Times analysis to tell us this

My colleague @thejohnsimpson.bsky.social has done a terrific deep dive into the financial links between US tech billionaires and Tommy Robinson Well worth a read observer.co.uk/news/nationa...

If this conversation had taken place behind closed doors between the Trump administration and Europe/NATO six months ago, the outcome would have been interesting. My guess is that it is now too late. Trump is not seen as a reliable partner and China can flex its CRM muscles at any time. One to watch

No better podcast for understanding this deeply disturbing time in US politics @sbg1.bsky.social @eosnos.bsky.social @janemayer.bsky.social podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast/t...

Two rather damning numbers: 2.6% - France’s budget deficit as a share of GDP when Macron took power in 2017 5.8% - France’s deficit in 2024 on.ft.com/4gpzjAE

Not the “leftist lunatic” that Trump, Musk, Loomer and the MAGA faithful had assumed. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/12/u...