Showing posts with label USA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label USA. Show all posts

Thursday, February 15, 2024

Trump’s NATO Threat Reflects a Wider Shift on America’s Place in the World

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Alliances that were once seen as the bulwark of the Cold War are now viewed as an outdated albatross by a significant segment of the American public.

When former President Donald J. Trump told a campaign rally in South Carolina last weekend that he would encourage Russia to attack NATO allies who “didn’t pay,” there were gasps of shock in Washington, London, Paris, Tokyo and elsewhere around the world.

But not in South Carolina. At least not in the room that day. The crowd of Trump supporters decked out in “Make America Great Again” T-shirts and baseball caps reacted to the notion of siding with Moscow over longtime friends of the United States with boisterous cheers and whistles. “Delinquent” allies? Forget them. Not America’s problem.

The visceral rejection of the American-led security architecture constructed in the years after World War II serves as a reminder of how much the notion of U.S. leadership in the world has shifted in recent years. Alliances that were once seen as the bulwark of the Cold War are now viewed as an outdated albatross by a significant segment of the American public that Mr. Trump appeals to.

The old consensus that endured even in the initial years after the end of the Cold War has frayed under the weight of globalization, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Great Recession of 2008-09 and Mr. Trump’s relentless assault on international institutions and agreements. While polls show most Americans still support NATO and other alliances, the increasingly vocal objections in some quarters hark back to a century ago when much of America just wanted to be left alone. » | Peter Baker, Reporting from Washington | Thursday, February 15, 2024

Tuesday, February 13, 2024

Selenskyj dankt US-Senat für Ja zu neuem Hilfspaket

Wolodymyr Selenskyj auf einer Pressekonferenz mit dem Präsidenten des Europäischen Rates Charles Michel (Archivbild)

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG – AUSZUG: US-Senat stimmt für Ukraine-Hilfen...

UKRAINE-LIVEBLOG

Der ukrainische Präsident Wolodymyr Selenskyj hat sich beim US-Senat für die Bewilligung eines neuen milliardenschweren Hilfspakets bedankt. „Uns in der Ukraine hilft die fortgesetzte US-Unterstützung dabei, Menschenleben vor dem russischen Terror zu retten“, schrieb Selenskyj am Dienstag auf der Plattform X (früher Twitter). „Die amerikanische Hilfe bringt den gerechten Frieden in der Ukraine näher und stellt die globale Stabilität wieder her“, fügte er hinzu. » |Anna-Lena Ripperger | Dienstag, 13. Februar 2024

Thursday, February 08, 2024

'Shame on You': Polish Prime Minister Hits Out at US Republicans

THE GUARDIAN: Poland’s prime minister, Donald Tusk, has issued a sharp public rebuke to American Republicans.

In a post on social media this morning, the centre-right politician said:

“Dear Republican Senators of America. Ronald Reagan, who helped millions of us to win back our freedom and independence, must be turning in his grave today. Shame on you.” » | Lili Bayer in Brussels | Thursday, February 8, 2024

Monday, February 05, 2024

Elizabeth Warren Warns of National Abortion Ban If GOP Wins in 2024

Feb 5, 2024 | Senator Elizabeth Warren is sounding the alarm about the potential of a national abortion ban if Republicans win in 2024.


Keep the Republicans OUT of the White House until they come back to their senses! Abortions must be kept legal. Whether a woman has, or needs, an abortion has nix to do with politicians and everything to do with the doctors’ judgment. The need for an abortion is a medical not a political decision. – © Mark Alexander

‘Yes but I Hate You!’ Trump and Turnbull’s Explosive Phone Call | Nemesis

Feb 5, 2024 | Malcolm Turnbull describes his infamous call with Donald Trump over Australia's refugee swap deal as 'tough'

Wednesday, January 31, 2024

Iran Not Seeking War with US but ‘Not Afraid of It’, Says Military Chief

GUARDIAN EUROPE: Head of Islamic Revolutionary Guards defiant as US prepares ‘very consequential response’ to drone attack on Jordan base

The head of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) has vowed the country is not afraid of war with the US, as the Pentagon weighs how directly to respond to the killing of three US servicemen in a drone attack in Jordan.

The IRGC commander-in-chief, Maj Gen Hossein Salami, said: “We hear some threats from American officials about targeting Iran. We tell them that you tested us and we know each other. We do not leave any threat unanswered, and we do not look for war, but we are not afraid of it. This is the well-known truth.” » | Patrick Wintour, Diplomatic editor | Wednesday, January 31, 2024

Friday, January 26, 2024

US to Station Nuclear Weapons in UK to Counter Threat from Russia

THE TELEGRAPH: Warheads to be housed at RAF Lakenheath for first time in 15 years, Pentagon documents reveal, as Moscow warns of 'escalation'

The United States is planning to station nuclear weapons in the UK for the first time in 15 years as the threat from Russia increases, Pentagon documents seen by The Telegraph reveal.

Procurement contracts for a new facility at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk confirm that the US intends to place nuclear warheads three times the strength of the Hiroshima bomb at the air base.

The US removed nuclear missiles from the UK in 2008, judging that the Cold War threat from Moscow had diminished.

The disclosure comes in the wake of warnings that Nato countries need to ready their citizens for war with Russia.

Last week, Adml Rob Bauer, a senior Nato military official, said that private citizens should prepare for all-out war with Russia in the next 20 years that would require wholesale change in their lives. » | Tony Diver, US Editor | Friday, January 26, 2024

The Far Right in the US and Europe | The Politics of Hate (2017) | Full Film

Jan 26, 2024 | At 16 he became the leader of the Chicago Area Skinheads, later a white supremacist punk band. But when Christian Picciolini started a family, he began questioning his far right views. This timely doc explores a changing Western political climate, chronicling the rise of the far right in the US and Europe, and giving alarming insights into the ways the alt-right movement operates.

Tuesday, January 23, 2024

US State Dept Responds to Russian President Putin’s Claim over Alaska | Dawn News English

Jan 23, 2024 | Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed the 1867 sale of Alaska to the US is 'illegal,' asserting Russia's ownership. The US State Department swiftly responded, stating that Putin won't be getting it back. In 1867, Alaska's purchase marked a historic moment, symbolizing the end of Russian efforts to expand trade to North America. The formal transfer to the US occurred on October 18, 1867, for 7.2 million dollars, a pivotal milestone in the US becoming a major power in the Asia-Pacific region.


Russia lays claim to Alaska and huge swathes of Asia as Vladimir Putin issues new decree: New edict affects all of Moscow's historic holdings across three continents, including former imperial colonies in the US. »

Monday, January 22, 2024

"Willkommen" to Washington State's Own Bavarian Village

Dec 24, 2023 | Nestled amidst the Cascade Mountains in Washington State, Leavenworth historically didn't have a strong connection to the Old World. But after the railroad re-routed and the lumber mill closed, the tiny town began a process of "Bavarianization" to lure tourists to its alpine scenery. Today the place regularly shows up on lists of top Christmas destinations in America, even drawing millions of tourists all year long. Correspondent Luke Burbank examines how a former boom town gone bust remade itself as a German mountain village. | @VisitLeavenworthwa

NAZI TOWN, USA | Chapter 1 | American Experience | PBS

Jan 16, 2024 | In the 1930s, Summer camps opened up across the country. But these weren't normal summer camps: they were the creation of the German American Bund, a pro-Nazi organization with a vision of America ruled by white Christians.

NAZI TOWN, USA tells the largely unknown story of the Bund, which had scores of chapters in suburbs and big cities across the country and represented what many believe was a real threat of fascist subversion in the United States.


Monday, January 15, 2024

Dangerous Subzero Wind Chills Blanket Much of the U.S.

THE NEW YORK TIMES: More than 100 million people were under a wind chill warning or advisory on Sunday as an “Arctic blast” blanketed the country. Two people were killed in Oregon after trees fell on their homes.

Attendees headed to a rally for former President Donald J. Trump in Indianola, Iowa, on Sunday, the eve of the Iowa caucuses. Wind chill readings in the state have been well below zero. | Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times

More than 100 million people in the United States were under a wind chill warning or advisory on Sunday as an “Arctic blast” enveloped huge parts of the country, while the South was expected to get snow and the Northeast braced for blinding wind-driven squalls, forecasters said.

The National Weather Service reported wind chill readings on Sunday of 19 degrees below zero in Arkansas, 9 degrees below zero in Dallas and 60 degrees below zero in Montana. Rapid City, S.D., reached its previous record low of 23 degrees below zero, forecasters said. Low temperatures are expected to grip most of the country through the middle of the week.

“These wind chills will pose a risk of frostbite on exposed skin and hypothermia,” the Weather Service said. “Have a cold survival kit if you must travel.”

The extreme weather has proved to be dangerous in other ways. Strong winds knocked a tree onto a home in northwest Lake Oswego, Ore., on Saturday morning, killing a man inside, said Sgt. Tom Harper, of the Lake Oswego Police Department. More than 100 trees fell in the area over the weekend, he said. » | Anastasia Marks, Aimee Ortiz and Rebecca Carballo | Sunday, January 14, 2024

Saturday, January 13, 2024

Michael Saul: "My Growing Up Gay Story" - Coming Out | LGBTQ

Apr 6, 2023 | Michael Saul, a professional film maker reflects on 'growing up gay' and 'coming out' experiences.

Federal Scientists Recommend Easing Restrictions on Marijuana

THE NEW YORK TIMES: In newly disclosed documents, federal researchers find that cannabis may have medical uses and is less likely to cause harm than drugs like heroin.

Marijuana is neither as risky nor as prone to abuse as other tightly controlled substances and has potential medical benefits, and therefore should be removed from the nation’s most restrictive category of drugs, federal scientists have concluded.

The recommendations are contained in a 250-page scientific review provided to Matthew Zorn, a Texas lawyer who sued Health and Human Services officials for its release and published it online on Friday night. An H.H.S. official confirmed the authenticity of the document.

The records shed light for the first time on the thinking of federal health officials who are pondering a momentous change. The agencies involved have not publicly commented on their debates over what amounts to a reconsideration of marijuana at the federal level.

Since 1970, marijuana has been considered a so-called Schedule I drug, a category that also includes heroin. Schedule I drugs have no medical use and a high potential for abuse, and they carry severe criminal penalties under federal trafficking laws.

The documents show that scientists at the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institute on Drug Abuse have recommended that the Drug Enforcement Administration make marijuana a Schedule III drug, alongside the likes of ketamine and testosterone, which are available by prescription. » | Christina Jewett and Noah Weiland | Friday, January 12, 2024

We are certainly living in a topsy-turvy world! Despite the war on cigarette-smoking and tobacco, the West seems to be determined to ease all restrictions on soft drugs like marijuana. I have never ever tried marijuana or any other similar substance in my not-so-short life. I have never been tempted to do so. Such substances have never appealed to me. What I used to enjoy was smoking cigarettes. But the government has increased the prices of cigarettes so much now that their price are totally out of proportion with the pleasure gained from smoking them. A packet of quality cigarettes in the UK now is extortionately expensive. Moreover, there are so many laws governing where one can enjoy a puff that it is virtually impossible to enjoy a smoke outside of one's own home at all! These are the reasons why I quit smoking in 2022. I would never have quit otherwise, because smoking was a source of great pleasure for me.

It is therefore rather annoying that I have been deprived of one of my great pleasures when governments around the West are busy making it far easier to enjoy a substance that has traditionally been frowned upon. I am damn sure that the recreational use of marijuana is NOT healthier than smoking a conventional cigarette. Actually, there are health benefits to smoking cigarettes in moderation; and that is a fact! If you don't believe me, google it! You'll be surprised. – © Mark Alexander

Friday, January 12, 2024

NZZ Erklärt: Eskalation am Roten Meer: Darum greifen die USA die Huthi-Miliz in Jemen an

Jan12, 2024 | Die USA und Grossbritannien haben in der Nacht auf den 12. Januar mehrere Orte in Jemen angegriffen. Davor hatten die Huthi-Miliz wochenlang Handelsschiffe attackiert. Um was geht es in diesem Konflikt?

Tuesday, January 09, 2024

US Lawmakers Push for Tougher Policies after Migration Surge along the US-Mexico Border | DW News

Jan 9, 2024 | Record breaking numbers of migrants have been detained trying to cross the US-Mexico border illegally since President Biden took office. Many Republicans, and even some within Biden's own Democratic party, have been pushing for tougher policies.

Saturday, December 30, 2023

The Lincoln Project: Near Miss | Reupload

Nov 17, 2023 | Antisemitism is not foreign to America. We must remain vigilant in our fight to resist it. If you don’t believe it, just see it for yourself.


WIKIPEDIA: Fritz Julius Kuhn »

Tuesday, December 12, 2023

IMF Approves $900m Loan Payment for Ukraine – BBC News

Dec 12, 2023 | Ukraine's President Zelensky is due to meet with US President Joe Biden on Tuesday as part of a critical visit to help secure US military aid. Zelensky has called on Congress to overcome its delays which he said were a "dream come true" for Russian President Vladimir Putin. He's also been meeting with the head of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva, after the IMF approved a $900m payment for Ukraine as part of its more than $15bn loan programme. The IMF also upgraded its growth forecasts for Ukraine predicting the economy would grow by 4.5% this year.