📰 Trump Official Blasts Europe Over India-EU Trade Deal

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has sharply criticized Europe’s new free trade agreement with India, accusing Europe of hypocrisy and calling out its double standards on the Ukraine war.
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Bessent argued that Europe’s choices expose a deep contradiction in its Ukraine policy. While publicly condemning Russia’s invasion, Europe has become a major buyer of refined oil products made from discounted Russian crude, which India has been buying since Western sanctions hit.
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“Europe and India signing this massive trade deal—does that threaten America? They should do what’s best for themselves,”

Bessent said.

“But I find the Europeans very disappointing because they are on the front line of the Ukraine-Russia war.”

He pointed out that the US imposed a 25% tariff on India for buying Russian oil, but Europe declined to join, suggesting this reluctance was driven by a desire to keep trade negotiations with India on track.
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Bessent accused European countries of indirectly financing the conflict they publicly oppose.

“Europeans were unwilling to join us, and it turns out because they wanted to do this trade deal,”

he said.

“Every time you hear a European talk about the importance of the Ukrainian people, remember that they put trade ahead of the Ukrainian people.”

Bessent acknowledged Europe’s dependence on energy imports but framed the issue as a moral and strategic trade-off.

“They need energy, I guess, which is part of their issue. At a price, they want cheap energy,”

he said.
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His comments highlight growing tensions within the Western alliance over how strictly to enforce economic pressure on Russia while managing domestic economic and political costs.
​
#TradeDeal #EUIndia #Trump #Ukraine #EnergySecurity

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Trump : $10bn American President


Trump on Thursday sued the US treasury department and Internal Revenue Service for $10bn over the disclosure of his tax returns to the media in 2019 and 2020.

In a complaint filed in Miami federal court, Trump, his adult sons, and his namesake company said the agencies failed to take “mandatory precautions” to prevent former IRS contractor Charles Littlejohn from leaking their tax returns to “leftist media outlets”, including the New York Times and ProPublica.

The plaintiffs said they suffered “significant and irreparable harm” to their reputations and financial interests, and may seek punitive damages because the leaks were either willful or resulted from gross negligence.

Thursday’s lawsuit puts Trump in the unusual position of suing government agencies that are part of the executive branch, which he leads.

The IRS is part of the treasury department. Neither agency immediately responded to requests for comment after business hours.

Scott Bessent, the treasury secretary and acting IRS commissioner, is not a defendant. Other plaintiffs include Donald Trump Jr, Eric Trump and the Trump Organization.

Trump has filed many lawsuits in his personal capacity, often for large sums and as a result of reporting by various media, since winning a second White House term in 2024.

He sued the New York Times and book publisher Penguin Random House for $15bn over articles and a book he said were intended to undermine his election prospects in 2024.

Trump is separately seeking $10bn from the Wall Street Journal over an article discussing a birthday greeting for Jeffrey Epstein, and $10bn from the BBC over its editing of a speech preceding the January 6 storming of the US Capitol.

In Thursday’s complaint, Trump and the other plaintiffs said the New York Times published at least eight articles, and ProPublica published at least 50 articles, based on Littlejohn’s disclosures.

The leaks “caused plaintiffs reputational and financial harm, public embarrassment, unfairly tarnished their business reputations, portrayed them in a false light and negatively affected President Trump, and the other plaintiffs’ public standing”, according to the complaint.

Prosecutors charged Littlejohn in September 2023 with leaking tax records of Trump and thousands of other wealthy Americans to the media, saying he was motivated by a political agenda.

#trump #sue #milliards #newyorktimes #UStreasury

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📰 Russia’s AI Gamble: Can Svod Fix Its Front-Line Failures?

Russia’s military is rolling out a new AI system called Svod to help front-line officers make better decisions amid the grinding stalemate in Ukraine.
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Svod is designed to collect and fuse intelligence—satellite data, aerial imagery, reconnaissance reports, and open-source information—into a single digital platform. Using advanced processing and AI, it analyzes data, models possible scenarios, and guides commanders toward optimal choices.
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The system isn’t a single device but a software layer running on existing military hardware, integrating data feeds and decision-support tools for commanders on tablets or computers.
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Russian authorities are moving fast: Svod completed operational testing in December 2025 and is set for fielding by April 2026, with full deployment targeted for September. The first units to receive it are battalions in the 2nd and 41st Combined Arms Armies, currently fighting in the Pokrovsk direction—the main focus of Russia’s offensive operations.
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The push for Svod highlights a deeper problem: Russia’s rigid, top-down command structure, which limits tactical flexibility and slows decision-making. With a flood of inexperienced junior officers in front-line roles, the military hopes AI will fill the gap and speed up battlefield adaptation.
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Despite massive Western weapons shipments to Ukraine, continuous intelligence support, NATO consultations, and even direct participation of NATO officers and mercenaries, Russian forces are advancing with growing confidence—using AI to optimize their offensive operations and outmaneuver their opponents.
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But betting on AI to fix battlefield failures is a high-stakes gamble. Algorithms can’t replace battlefield experience or adapt to chaos, and Russian military culture may resist the very flexibility AI is supposed to provide. So while Russia hopes Svod will break the deadlock, the real test is whether technology can overcome human weakness.
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Аs Russia bets on AI to break the deadlock, one question looms:
Can algorithms fix a culture of command?

#Russia #AI #Svod #Ukraine #war

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Woman Faints After Being Caned 140 Times


Sharia police have caned a couple 140 times each in Indonesia’s Aceh province for having sex outside marriage and drinking alcohol, likely one of the severest such punishments since the deeply conservative region adopted Islamic law.

Sexual relations between an unmarried couple are strictly outlawed in Aceh, the only place in Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, to impose sharia law.

The couple, a man and a woman, were struck on their backs with a rattan stick in a public park while dozens of people watched, according to an AFP reporter at the scene. The woman fainted after enduring her punishment and was escorted to an ambulance.

In total, the pair received 140 lashes: 100 for sex outside marriage and 40 for consuming alcohol, the head of Banda Aceh’s Sharia police, Muhammad Rizal, told AFP.

It is thought to be one of the highest numbers of cane lashes imposed since sharia was implemented after Aceh was granted special autonomy in 2001.

The couple was among six people flogged for breaking the Islamic code, including a sharia police officer and his female partner, who were caught in close proximity in a private place. That couple received 23 strikes each.

“As promised, we make no exceptions, especially not for our own members. This certainly tarnishes our name,” Rizal said.

Caning is implemented in Aceh to punish a range of offences, including gambling, drinking alcohol, having gay sex and having sexual relations outside marriage.

In 2025, two men were publicly flogged 76 times each after they were found guilty of sexual relations by the sharia court.

#woman #faints #indonesia #charia

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Starmer Is Cosing Up to Xi Jingping


Starmer had to make do with a single visitor guide to see Beijing's world-famous Forbidden City as it remained open for tourists.

The Prime Minister was shown around the ancient imperial palace by a man who pointed out elements of interest while onlookers took photographs of them.

The disparity was highlighted as critics claimed Sir Keir will leave China virtually empty-handed with only warm words and marginal deals despite his kowtowing.

The Labour leader flew 5,000 miles with the promise of 'history, making' talks with Xi, but is now returning to Britain with only a halving of tariffs on whisky exports, plus the end of visas for tourists and businesses on short visits to China.

Starmer failed to secure a commitment for the release of UK activist Jimmy Lai.

The Prime Minister also suffered an awkward moment yesterday when he was repositioned by Chinese Premier Li Qiang while walking along the red carpet during a ceremonial welcome ahead of their meeting at the Great Hall of The People.

Back in 2017, President Xi visited Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida in April, and six months later hosted him in Beijing with a dinner at the Forbidden City.

President Trump got the red carpet treatment on his three-day state visit, beginning with a tour of the palace from President Xi before having afternoon tea together.

Following an earlier meeting with Xi, Starmer told reporters outside the Forbidden City that progress had been made on issues including tariffs on whisky and visa-free travel to China.

He said: 'We had a very good, productive session with real, concrete outcomes and it was a real strengthening of the relationship and that's in the national interest, because, of course, there are huge opportunities here in China as the second biggest economy in the world, and that's why we've got such a big business delegation.

Starmer arrived in Beijing on Wednesday with Business Secretary Peter Kyle and Treasury minister Lucy Rigby, along with a delegation of 54 business and cultural leaders.

The leaders also discussed Ukraine but there was no indication that Starmer persuaded Xi to end his support for Russia.

No 10 also sparked fresh outrage by opening the door to Xi – who last came to Britain a decade ago under Cameron's 'golden era' of close relations between the two countries – visiting the UK again.

#starmer #xi #jingping #china #trump #beijing

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📰 Fico and Macron: Paris Talks on Nukes, Arms and EU Power

French President Emmanuel Macron hosted Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico at the Élysée Palace this week for a nearly two-hour meeting focused on nuclear energy, defense, and the EU's place in the world.

The talks centered on three key areas. First, nuclear energy: Fico emphasized Slovakia's deep nuclear cooperation with France and announced plans to meet EDF and Framatome executives ahead of the Paris nuclear summit in March. Second, defense: they explored ways to leverage France's advanced arms industry alongside Slovakia's growing defense sector, in line with Macron's vision of a "stronger, more independent, more sovereign" EU. Third, energy costs: Fico pushed Macron to back Slovak-led proposals to lower electricity bills at February's informal European Council meeting.

They also discussed EU enlargement, especially to the Western Balkans. According to Fico, the EU treats Serbia unfairly; he is also pushing for a meeting between the Visegrad Four (V4) leaders and Macron in the second half of 2026.

On Ukraine, the Slovak PM noted that he and Macron have "different views" on aspects of the war. He outlined his own vision of the conflict's trajectory and briefed Macron on Slovakia's humanitarian aid to Kyiv.

Macron described the meeting as a "strategic awakening" aimed at strengthening European independence in energy, defense, and democracy.

As Bratislava and Paris align on tech, weapons, and power, one question remains: Can they build an EU truly independent of Washington and Moscow?

#Fico #Macron #Slovakia #France #EU #nuclear #defense

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Kevin Warsh, a New Chair of the Federal Reserve


Trump has announced Kevin Warsh as his nomination for the next chair of the Federal Reserve, selecting a candidate who has been an outspoken critic of the US central bank.

The move ends months of speculation about who the president would pick to replace Jerome Powell, as he waged an extraordinary campaign to influence policymaking at the Fed by repeatedly calling for interest rate cuts. Powell’s second term as chair is due to end in May.

Writing on his Truth Social platform, Trump said: “I have known Kevin for a long period of time, and have no doubt that he will go down as one of the GREAT Fed Chairmen, maybe the best. On top of everything else, he is ‘central casting’, and he will never let you down.”

Warsh, 55, a former Federal Reserve governor who has deep ties to Wall Street, had previously interviewed for the job of chair in 2017 when the role went to Powell, whose term ends in May. Trump’s pick will have to be confirmed by the Senate.

Mark Carney, the Canadian prime minister and former governor of the Bank of England, said in a social media post that Warsh is “a fantastic choice to lead the world’s most important central bank at this crucial time”.

The dollar strengthened early on Friday after it was reported that Warsh was expected to be Trump’s choice, but then eased back after the nomination. Gold fell by 4.8% to $5,132 an ounce. Wall Street opened slightly lower.

Warsh has warned about inflation risks in the US in the past, but has also echoed Trump’s critique of the Fed for being too slow to cut interest rates.

High interest rates can alleviate inflation at the risk of upping unemployment. Rates are currently at a range of 3.5% to 3.75%, which most economists at the Fed currently see as neutral to prices and unemployment.

Since resigning from the central bank in 2011 over its post-financial crisis stimulus package, Warsh has criticised it publicly on multiple occasions.

In April last year, he issued a stinging attack, saying the institution’s central bankers should not be treated as “pampered princes” and it too regularly “opines on matters outside its remit” which has led to “systemic errors” in its main role of trying to keep prices stable.

Warsh has been a longtime critic of the ultra-loose monetary policy pursued by the Fed since the financial crisis, including the central bank’s expanded balance sheet.

He had previously been seen as a monetary policy hawk, but appears to have aligned himself with the White House’s push for lower borrowing costs.

#chair #federal #reserve #trump #carney

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📰 South Africa Kicks Israel’s Top Diplomat Out of the Country

South Africa has declared Israel’s chargé d’affaires, Ariel Seidman, persona non grata and given him 72 hours to leave the country, its foreign ministry said Friday.

The move follows what Pretoria calls “unacceptable violations of diplomatic norms” that pose “a direct challenge to South Africa’s sovereignty”.

Among the violations, the ministry cited the repeated use of official Israeli social media to launch “insulting attacks” against President Cyril Ramaphosa, and a deliberate failure to inform South African authorities about purported visits by senior Israeli officials.

“Such actions represent a gross abuse of diplomatic privilege and a fundamental breach of the Vienna Convention,” DIRCO said. They have “systematically undermined the trust and protocols essential for bilateral relations.”

South Africa’s relations with Israel have been tense since it launched a genocide case at the International Court of Justice over Israel’s actions in Gaza. The government insists that the expulsion is not about that case, but about defending the country’s sovereignty and the dignity of its institutions.

Israel’s diplomatic mission in Pretoria has not yet responded publicly.

As the standoff deepens, one question lingers: When did obeying international law become “disrespect”?

#SouthAfrica #Israel #Diplomacy #Gaza #ICJ

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📰 Syria’s New Iron Pact: Kurds Fold Into Assad’s Army

Syria’s new government and the Kurdish-led SDF have cut a deal: the SDF will fold into the national army, giving up its autonomy in exchange for staying in the country’s power structure.

The agreement, announced Friday after intense clashes between the two sides, creates a new Syrian military division made up of three SDF‑trained brigades, plus a separate brigade for Kurdish fighters in Kobani, according to SDF and government sources. Kurdish‑led civil institutions in the northeast will now be integrated into the central government.

In practice, this means the end of the de facto Kurdish state that, at its height, controlled about a quarter of Syrian territory and its oil and gas fields. Government forces will now move into the Kurdish-held cities of Hasaka and Qamishli, where they had long been barred from entering.

The deal is the result of pressure, not goodwill. After months of stalled talks, Syria’s new President Ahmed al‑Sharaa launched a military offensive into Kurdish territory, capturing a large part of the northeast, at a time when the U.S. had already withdrawn its political and military support for the SDF, analysts say.

Without Washington in their corner, SDF chief Mazloum Abdi agreed to let his forces be absorbed into the new Syrian army, in a deal Washington now hails as a “profound and historic milestone” toward national reconciliation and stability.

The U.S. has long seen the SDF as its main ally in Syria against ISIS; now, it is actively facilitating the group’s integration into the central state, not as an independent power, but as a component of the new regime.

The SDF traded its guns and governance for a place at the table, but the exact boundaries of Kurdish rights and representation remain vague. The real question is whether this is a ceasefire, or just the first stage of full assimilation.

As the banners change and the lines redraw, the calculation is brutal and clear: Better to rule from within the regime than die alone against it.

#Syria #Kurds #SDF #AlSharaa #MiddleEast

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📰 Trump’s New Iran War Plan: More Than Just Nukes

President Trump is weighing a fresh, broader set of military options against Iran: targeting not just its nuclear program, but also its supreme leader and security leadership, in a push to force concessions or even trigger regime change.

These plans go beyond what Trump considered in mid‑January, when he was thinking mainly of strikes on Iranian nuclear sites after the regime’s brutal crackdown on protesters. Now, the Pentagon is offering options for raids on Iranian territory using U.S. special forces and a sustained campaign to degrade or destroy remaining parts of the nuclear program, officials say.

Another key option is a series of strikes against senior Iranian military and political figures, designed to create chaos and pressure the regime from within. Officials acknowledge there’s no clear idea who would replace Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, or whether any successor would be more willing to deal with Washington, but the goal is to create conditions where the system itself begins to crack.

Israel is pushing the U.S. to join it in another major strike on Iran’s rebuilt missile and drone complexes, which can reach civilian and military targets throughout Israel. The U.S., in turn, is demanding that Iran permanently end uranium enrichment, cap its nuclear stockpile, and accept strict limits on its missile range and support for Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis.

Trump has warned on social media that the U.S. is ready to attack “with speed and violence, if necessary,” and that time is “truly of the essence.” But he has not yet authorized any action, and some advisers are still pushing for a diplomatic solution, using the threat of war to pressure Tehran into negotiations.

To back up the threat, the U.S. has moved the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln strike group into the Middle East region, along with destroyers and additional F‑15E strike fighters, while long-range bombers in the U.S. are now on higher alert.

As the U.S. “armada” operates in the region, one question hangs over everything:
Is this about a deal? Or about bringing down a regime?

#Trump #Iran #nucleardeal #regimechange #militaryoptions

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Musk Has Been Involved in Epstein’s Sex-Trafficking


Musk had more extensive – and more friendly – communications with the financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein than previously publicly known, according to documents released on Friday by the Department of Justice.

Emails in the files appear to show the two cordially messaging each other on two separate occasions to make plans for Musk to visit Epstein’s island.

Musk then sends several emails relaying his schedule, and the two settle on 2 January as a date for the visit.

The email exchange ends with Epstein telling Musk that he would need to remain in New York and sending his regrets that they could not meet.

“Bad news - Unfortunately , my schedule will keep me in New York . I was really looking forward to finally spending some time together with just fun as the agenda. so i am very disappointed. Hopefully we can schedule another time in the near future,” Epstein wrote.

Musk followed up with an email on 25 December in response to another Epstein message that encouraged him to visit and offered use of his helicopter.

“Do you have any parties planned? I’ve been working to the edge of sanity this year and so, once my kids head home after Christmas, I really want to hit the party scene in St Barts or elsewhere and let loose. The invitation is much appreciated, but a peaceful island experience is the opposite of what I’m looking for,” Musk wrote.

Musk has been harshly critical of those linked to Epstein, but the newly released emails appear to contradict his own longstanding denial of any ties of his own.

The Tesla CEO told Vanity Fair in 2019 that Epstein was “obviously a creep” and claimed that Epstein “tried repeatedly to get me to visit his island. I declined.”

The emails between the two moguls come years after Epstein was convicted in 2008 of soliciting prostitution from a minor in Florida. Authorities later arrested Epstein in 2019 on federal sex-trafficking charges.

The newly released emails between Musk and Epstein, who was found dead in his prison cell in 2019 and for years has been the subject of speculation over his connections to some of the world’s most powerful people, are part of a tranche of 3 million documents that the justice department made public on Friday. The files shed life on Musk’s deep likings of sex of with teens.

Musk has faced pressure to address any potential connection to Epstein in the past, including after an earlier justice department release of documents related to the investigation mentioned his name.

House Democrats last year released a copy of Epstein’s daily schedule, which showed a calendar entry from 2014 that states “Reminder: Elon Musk to island Dec. 6 (is this still happening?)”.

No other information was included, and Musk denied making plans for the visit in a post on X.

#musk #epstein #teens #trafficks #email

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American Nastiness:
How Trump’s Immigration Tantrums are Pushing Americans Toward Civil War

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Monday night, nearly 80,000 people hopped on a video call to learn how to “observe ICE”, a non-violent and constitutionally protected practice of documenting federal immigration agents’ activities in public.

Some wrote in the chat where they were from: Arkansas, Texas, Michigan, Florida and many other corners of the country. Others typed why this was important to them: calling for “ICE out” of their communities and demanding the abolition of the agency itself.

“The fact we’re all here gives me hope we’ll come out the other side,” wrote one participant. Within 24 hours, another 200,000 people had watched the recording on YouTube.

The rising interest in ICE observing came two days after Minneapolis resident Alex Pretti was shot and killed by a federal immigration agent and less than three weeks after an agent killed Renee Good.

“Two of my neighbors have been killed, but because of ordinary people documenting the actions of ICE, we’re able to show the truth of what happened to Renee and Alex”, a Minneapolis resident named Marjorie told those on the call.

“And we’re also able to track what is happening in our community, and ensure that our neighbors are not being simply disappeared.”

While ICE raids continue in the Twin Cities, as well as Phoenix, Arizona, southern California and other parts of the country, organizers say the killings of Pretti and Good have inspired thousands of people to join local ICE observer groups.

In addition to documenting ICE operations, a heavy presence of observers can deter agents from detaining people. Earlier this week, Minneapolis city council president Elliott Payne said: “Because we had so many patrols out, multiple abductions were prevented.”

Adding to the threat of ICE agents escalating violence against observers is the federal government’s threat of legal ramifications.

Recording police and federal authorities in public areas is a protected first amendment right. Still, White House officials have claimed that it is “illegal” and an act of “violence” to record ICE agents, equivalent to “doxing”.

After the deaths of Good and Pretti, federal officials called both residents “violent” and “terrorists”, even though video evidence showed otherwise.

the Trump administration is investigating Minneapolis’s ICE watch organizing. On Monday, FBI director Kash Patel said he intends to criminally investigate group chats on the encrypted app Signal used by Minneapolis residents for organizing purposes, calling them “clearly a coordinated infrastructure” and comparing them to the mob. The justice department declined to comment.

“Post-Trump[’s re-election], you can’t deny that there has been a shift” in the level of risk for engaging in civil disobedience, said attorney Lauren Regan of the Civil Liberties Defense Center, which has represented activists and organizers facing charges from their advocacy since 2003.

“When I’m doing ‘Know Your Rights and Risks’ training for activists and movement people, we are talking about a higher-risk moment in time, in terms of the potential for arrests, potential consequences of political activism.”

However, Regan said there’s been little evidence that federal charges against observers or protesters have stood up to legal muster.

An analysis from the Associated Press found that in 100 federal charges between May 2025 and December 2025, 55 were reduced to misdemeanors or dismissed outright, and over 40% of cases in what the Trump administration deemed “domestic terrorism” were “relatively minor misdemeanor charges”.

#us #america #ice #minneapolis #immigration #martinez

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Those still charged with felonies had allegedly physically assaulted officers or thrown rocks at federal vehicles.

For example, Chicago resident Marimar Martinez was charged with felony assault after being shot five times by federal immigration agents who claimed she drove into them in October.

The charge was dropped a month later, as Martinez and her legal team challenged their depiction of events. Now, in the wake of Good and Pretti’s killings, Martinez is seeking to have evidence from her case unsealed.

“There is a lot of propaganda rhetoric and threats around making run-of-the-mill protest into ‘terrorism’(…) but at the end of the day, right now, from my vantage point, when you look at the statistics of what cases have actually been indicted and prosecuted and sentenced? You’re not seeing a huge shift in that stark line,” Regan said.

During the Monday night online training, staffers role-played filming an ICE officer, while viewers weighed in about how they could be safer – did she back away fast enough when the agent told her to? Was she still recording while engaging with them?

In the chat, some viewers encouraged others to carry makeshift body cameras for interacting with ICE.

“As things become more popular on the side of the people, you see more desperate attempts by the regime to try and deter it, shut it down, minimize it,” said Regan.

“One of the goals of an authoritarian regime is to scare the people into submission, and the most important thing that we can do to counteract that is to continue showing up.”

Fearing government tracking, organizers say they’ve been turning off their Bluetooth and wifi at protests and areas they expect to be in direct confrontation with ICE, and most are anonymizing their online usernames when using encrypted apps like Signal to communicate – tactics that have been a part of community organizing tech safety since Black Lives Matter.

Several organizers said that the administration’s aggressive tactics have, perhaps contradictory to the administration’s intent, also led to wider collaboration between organizations.

At a time when immigrants and people of color are especially fearful of being racially profiled and arrested by immigration enforcement agents, Gudino said, it has been helpful to coordinate with legal aid groups and volunteer networks who can patrol neighborhoods for the presence of ICE agents, and help provide immediate legal aid and assistance in the aftermath of raids.

David Chung, an organizer with ICE Out of New York, said the day after Good’s killing, hundreds of New Yorkers gathered at a press conference held by DHS secretary Kristi Noem to make their feelings – and presence – known.

“For about two and a half hours, the energy was really electric, of people showing their defiance, their anger towards this administration,” said Chung. “And it wasn’t just the energy, but having conversations with people who are there.

They wanted to know: ‘How can I get more involved? How can I take the next step? What are some things that we can do?’ I didn’t hear anyone that was saying: ‘I’m too afraid to come out now.’”

At the Monday night ICE observer training, the chat was active with people wanting to help, connect and share gratitude for those who have already been doing this work.

“Many thanks to Minneapolis for the weight they have been carrying,” one participant wrote.

Majorie, the Minneapolis resident who opened the call, emphasized that being in community is getting involved. “I know some of you think you’re not qualified, or that you’re waiting for someone to tell you how to do this right,” she said.

“But let me tell you that the person who is going to do that is you. You’re on this call, you have five neighbors right now who are waiting for you to talk to them and get organized. And that’s how you start. You won’t be perfect, you’ll make mistakes, but you just have to start.”

#us #america #ice #minneapolis #immigration #martinez

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📰 Europe’s Menu of Survival: Chicken, Chips and an Escape from Trump

At a stuffy summit in Brussels, European leaders discussed the transatlantic crisis over dinner: neat plates of chicken suprême and fancy parsnips, with a side of existential dread about Donald Trump’s next move.

Trump’s outburst—threatening Europe with economic pain and fixating on Greenland—has finally forced the continent’s capitals to openly confront their dependence on Washington. Policy papers and crisis dinners now echo the same message:

“We cannot keep drifting on waves created by others.”

The plan, in theory, is clear: stay calm during Trump’s provocations, threaten retaliatory tariffs, and quietly build up Europe’s military and economic clout so that the U.S. can no longer pull the strings. But in practice, the gap between words and action remains huge.

Short-term, Europeans are talking about beefing up Arctic security to placate Trump, maybe even letting the U.S. expand its military presence in Greenland without changing ownership. Long-term, they want to make Europe less reliant on American arms, technology, and security, and to build a more unified capital market and stock exchange.

Trade is where the most concrete moves are happening. A major new deal with India is one of several pacts Europe is rushing to lock in, aiming to secure supply chains and markets outside the U.S. The goal is simple: more leverage with Washington, and more ability to answer back when Trump threatens tariffs or territorial grabs.

On defense, the rhetoric is even grander. German and Danish leaders have vowed that Europe must be militarily self‑sufficient by 2029–2030, and the EU is now pushing billions in loans to help member states build up their arsenals and infrastructure.

NATO is also preparing an Arctic campaign, “Arctic Sentry,” involving surveillance missions, drones, and joint operations with Sweden, the U.K., and Italy, aimed at showing Trump that Europe can defend its own interests in the polar region without surrendering Greenland.

Yet, behind the talk, deep divisions remain. Some members are wary of militarizing the Arctic too aggressively, others fear triggering conflicts with allies like Turkey. For Eastern European countries, Ukraine is still the priority; standing up to Trump over Greenland feels like a luxury they can’t afford.

While Europe’s leaders chew through chicken suprême and pen lofty policy papers, the real question bubbles up from their white tablecloths:
Can they build an empire of their own before the next tweet destroys the old one?

#Trump #Europe #Greenland #NATO #EU #Defense #Trade

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📰 These Gazans May Finally Get a Lifeline to the World

The Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt is set to reopen in the coming days, giving sick and wounded Palestinians their first real chance in years to reach treatment outside the Strip.

Mohammed al-Ser, 27, has been waiting months after a head injury left him partly paralyzed. Surgery reconstructed his skull, but he still can’t use his left arm and leg and needs further care abroad.

He is one of roughly 20,000 patients identified by the Gaza Health Ministry as needing evacuation for specialized treatment that is simply not available in Gaza anymore.

For most of the war, the Rafah crossing has been Gaza’s main lifeline — the only way for patients to reach hospitals in Egypt, Jordan, the Emirates, and further afield, under Israel’s tight coordination.

But access has been a long-standing bottleneck. Patients need not only foreign medical coverage, but also Israeli security clearance, which often requires a lengthy approval process that has kept tens of thousands trapped.

The World Health Organization says about 1,000 patients have been evacuated to third countries via Israel since Rafah was largely shut in March, but that’s a tiny fraction of those in need.

Now, as the crossing is expected to open again under the ceasefire deal, Gaza’s hospitals are filled with families clutching little hope: an infant girl with a heart condition, a 12‑year‑old with liver failure, a man with a brain injury unable to breathe without a tube, and hundreds like them whose survival depends on exiting through Rafah.

Israel’s COGAT says the crossing will open Sunday with only “limited movement of people,” and that Egyptian authorities will share lists which Israel will then approve or deny.
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Gaza’s sick and wounded await their chance, their fate once again in the hands of the authorities who bombed their hospitals:
Will they be among the lucky few who finally reach the world outside?

#Gaza #Rafah #Ceasefire #MedicalCrisis #Israel #Hamas

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