Friday, February 13, 2026
Neue Epstein-Files: Die Verbrechen einer globalen Elite | Sandra Navidi
Ina Garten’s Top-rated Engagement Roast Chicken 💍 | Barefoot Contessa | Food Network
US ‘Not Powerful Enough to Go It Alone’, Merz Tells Munich Conference
THE GUARDIAN: German chancellor rebuts idea of American unilateralism and says ‘democracies have partners and allies’
The US acting alone has reached the limits of its power and may already have lost its role as global leader, Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor, warned Donald Trump at the opening of the Munich Security Conference.
Merz also disclosed he had held initial talks with the French president, Emmanuel Macron, over the possibility of joining France’s nuclear umbrella, underlining his call for Europe to develop a stronger self-standing security strategy.
In a speech on Friday designed to set a firm yet conciliatory tone about the future of the transatlantic partnership, Merz argued the old order had ended and in this new age of superpowers even the US was reaching the limits of going it alone.
Referring to those that warned the international rules-based order was about to be destroyed, Merz said: “I fear we must put it even more bluntly. This order, however imperfect it was even at its best, no longer exists in that form.”
Switching to English to ram home his message, Merz said: “In the era of great power rivalry, even the United States will not be powerful enough to go it alone. Dear friends, being a part of Nato is not only Europe’s competitive advantage. It is also the United States’ competitive advantage.”
“So let’s repair and revive transatlantic trust together,” he added. » | Patrick Wintour in Munich | Friday, February 13, 2026
The US acting alone has reached the limits of its power and may already have lost its role as global leader, Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor, warned Donald Trump at the opening of the Munich Security Conference.
Merz also disclosed he had held initial talks with the French president, Emmanuel Macron, over the possibility of joining France’s nuclear umbrella, underlining his call for Europe to develop a stronger self-standing security strategy.
In a speech on Friday designed to set a firm yet conciliatory tone about the future of the transatlantic partnership, Merz argued the old order had ended and in this new age of superpowers even the US was reaching the limits of going it alone.
Referring to those that warned the international rules-based order was about to be destroyed, Merz said: “I fear we must put it even more bluntly. This order, however imperfect it was even at its best, no longer exists in that form.”
Switching to English to ram home his message, Merz said: “In the era of great power rivalry, even the United States will not be powerful enough to go it alone. Dear friends, being a part of Nato is not only Europe’s competitive advantage. It is also the United States’ competitive advantage.”
“So let’s repair and revive transatlantic trust together,” he added. » | Patrick Wintour in Munich | Friday, February 13, 2026
Steve Schmidt: Trump’s Gestapo Will Answer America
One cannot help but fast come to the conclusion that America needs to be put out of its misery! The country must surely be in the throes of its demise, of its death. Maybe 250 years was its natural lifespan? — © Mark Alexander
Cuba's U.N. Ambassador Denounces U.S. Oil Blockade, Push to Topple Government
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Trump is a wicked, evil man! As is Marco Rubio.
One doesn’t have to endorse communism for one’s heart to go out to the longsuffering people of Cuba. These are human beings who are suffering needlessly. All the while, Trump and his warped acolytes are living in the lap of luxury.
There is no conceivable reason why Cuba should be considered a threat to the USA. This ‘war on Cuba’ is based solely on ideology and prejudice. Further, the endgame for Trump must surely be the dollar signs he is able to visualize when he can build Trump towers and hotels on the beautiful island. He must surely be salivating even as I write this over the billions he and his crooked family will be able to make from monetizing the island! For he will surely sequestrate any assets available in Cuba for himself, his bent family, and for his warped little helpers.
Had the US authorities had the balls to incarcerate Trump when they had the chance to do so, Cuba, Venezuela, and the rest of the world would have been spared the nightmare of Trump. Alas, the spunk was wanting! Now, we all have to suffer. Some, of course, more than others. – © Mark Alexander
‘The Road to Hell Is Paved with…’: Cory Booker Shames Congress over ‘Failure to Stop’ Trump | US News
House Passes "Worst Voter Suppression Bill Ever" in Latest Push to Help Trump Take Over Elections
Feb 13, 2026 | The Republican-controlled House of Representatives voted on Wednesday to require proof of U.S. citizenship in the November midterm elections. If it becomes law, it would be the "worst voter suppression bill ever passed by Congress," according to Ari Berman, national voting rights correspondent for Mother Jones. "The bill really combines a lot of the worst things that Republicans want to do with regards to voting, and it comes at a time when Trump appears dead set to try to interfere in the midterm elections," he adds.
Wednesday's vote sends the legislation on to the Republican-led Senate, where it is expected to receive a vote but unlikely to garner the 60-vote, filibuster-proof majority needed for passage.
Democracy Now! can be supported here.
Wednesday's vote sends the legislation on to the Republican-led Senate, where it is expected to receive a vote but unlikely to garner the 60-vote, filibuster-proof majority needed for passage.
Democracy Now! can be supported here.
Democracy Now! Top US News & World Headlines
The Trump regime must surely be one of the most, if not the most, irresponsible US administration ever! — © Mark Alexander
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Quand la Maison-Blanche utilise l’IA pour fabriquer des « fake news »
LE FIGARO : DÉCRYPTAGE - Donald Trump a récemment publié l’image d’une activiste noire en état d’arrestation, dont la peau avait été artificiellement assombrie et l’expression modifiée.
Il y a quelques semaines, Kristi Noem, la ministre de la Sécurité intérieure, a posté une photo de l’arrestation de Nekima Levy Armstrong. On y voit cette avocate activiste noire menottée, très calme, le visage de marbre, un policier derrière elle, après avoir été appréhendée pour participation à une manifestation dans un temple près de Minneapolis. Moins d’une heure plus tard, la Maison-Blanche a publié le même cliché. Cette fois, l’activiste, dont la peau apparaît nettement plus sombre, est en larmes, l’air éplorée. C’est une image retouchée, sans doute grâce à l’intelligence artificielle, ce que personne n’aurait pu deviner s’il n’y avait pas été possible de la comparer avec l’originale. « La plus haute instance du pays se sert de la technologie pour mentir au monde entier », observe Josh Richman, de la Electronic Frontier Foundation, une organisation de protection du droit numérique. Cela « pose la question de savoir si l’Administration se sent encouragée à manipuler d’autres photos à des fins de propagande, pour donner l’impression d’un président en meilleure santé ou pour créer un prétexte à des guerres… »
Depuis son retour au pouvoir, Donald Trump ne cesse de diffuser sur les réseaux sociaux des images trafiquées par l’IA et d’autres méthodes, parfois produites par la Maison-Blanche ou empruntées à des utilisateurs extérieurs, notamment des groupes d’influenceurs. Il en est très friand, car c’est un merveilleux outil de propagande : cela permet de créer du buzz, de mobiliser sa base et d’appuyer des efforts de désinformation. L’avalanche d’informations fausses finit en effet tout par rendre suspect. Il devient ainsi plus facile de discréditer auprès de l’opinion publique une nouvelle véridique en l’accusant d’être fabriquée par l’intelligence artificielle. » | Par Hélène Vissière
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Il y a quelques semaines, Kristi Noem, la ministre de la Sécurité intérieure, a posté une photo de l’arrestation de Nekima Levy Armstrong. On y voit cette avocate activiste noire menottée, très calme, le visage de marbre, un policier derrière elle, après avoir été appréhendée pour participation à une manifestation dans un temple près de Minneapolis. Moins d’une heure plus tard, la Maison-Blanche a publié le même cliché. Cette fois, l’activiste, dont la peau apparaît nettement plus sombre, est en larmes, l’air éplorée. C’est une image retouchée, sans doute grâce à l’intelligence artificielle, ce que personne n’aurait pu deviner s’il n’y avait pas été possible de la comparer avec l’originale. « La plus haute instance du pays se sert de la technologie pour mentir au monde entier », observe Josh Richman, de la Electronic Frontier Foundation, une organisation de protection du droit numérique. Cela « pose la question de savoir si l’Administration se sent encouragée à manipuler d’autres photos à des fins de propagande, pour donner l’impression d’un président en meilleure santé ou pour créer un prétexte à des guerres… »
Depuis son retour au pouvoir, Donald Trump ne cesse de diffuser sur les réseaux sociaux des images trafiquées par l’IA et d’autres méthodes, parfois produites par la Maison-Blanche ou empruntées à des utilisateurs extérieurs, notamment des groupes d’influenceurs. Il en est très friand, car c’est un merveilleux outil de propagande : cela permet de créer du buzz, de mobiliser sa base et d’appuyer des efforts de désinformation. L’avalanche d’informations fausses finit en effet tout par rendre suspect. Il devient ainsi plus facile de discréditer auprès de l’opinion publique une nouvelle véridique en l’accusant d’être fabriquée par l’intelligence artificielle. » | Par Hélène Vissière
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Une approche «non stigmatisante» : les mariages entre cousins au Royaume-Uni «ne doivent plus être découragés», soutient le NHS
LE FIGARO : Le risque d’avoir un enfant atteint d’une maladie génétique ne serait que «légèrement augmenté», selon le National Health Service (NHS), qui appelle à ne pas « stigmatiser » une pratique jugée « normale » dans certaines cultures.
Le personnel hospitalier doit cesser de décourager les mariages entre cousins germains. Tel est le mot d’ordre adressé aux soignants par le National Health Service (NHS), le système de santé britannique. En cause : le risque d’avoir un enfant atteint d’une maladie génétique ne serait, selon la base de données nationale sur la mortalité infantile (NCMD) financée par le gouvernement, que « légèrement augmenté ». Pourtant, les chiffres interrogent. L’an dernier, il a été révélé que la mort de plus de deux enfants par semaine en Angleterre était liée au fait que leurs parents étaient étroitement apparentés, indique le Times .
Par ailleurs, les bébés nés de cousins germains seraient jusqu’à trois fois plus susceptibles de présenter des troubles génétiques. Les directives évoquées reconnaissent l’existence de « risques pour la santé des enfants liés au mariage de proches parents », mais invitent à ne pas les «exagérer». Selon ces recommandations, 85 à 90 % des couples de cousins n’ont pas d’enfants affectés par une maladie génétique. À titre de comparaison, le taux moyen national d’enfants nés sans maladie congénitale s’élève à environ 98 %. » | Par Marie de Montalembert de Cers | vendredi 13 février 2026
Le personnel hospitalier doit cesser de décourager les mariages entre cousins germains. Tel est le mot d’ordre adressé aux soignants par le National Health Service (NHS), le système de santé britannique. En cause : le risque d’avoir un enfant atteint d’une maladie génétique ne serait, selon la base de données nationale sur la mortalité infantile (NCMD) financée par le gouvernement, que « légèrement augmenté ». Pourtant, les chiffres interrogent. L’an dernier, il a été révélé que la mort de plus de deux enfants par semaine en Angleterre était liée au fait que leurs parents étaient étroitement apparentés, indique le Times .
Par ailleurs, les bébés nés de cousins germains seraient jusqu’à trois fois plus susceptibles de présenter des troubles génétiques. Les directives évoquées reconnaissent l’existence de « risques pour la santé des enfants liés au mariage de proches parents », mais invitent à ne pas les «exagérer». Selon ces recommandations, 85 à 90 % des couples de cousins n’ont pas d’enfants affectés par une maladie génétique. À titre de comparaison, le taux moyen national d’enfants nés sans maladie congénitale s’élève à environ 98 %. » | Par Marie de Montalembert de Cers | vendredi 13 février 2026
Clara Mattei: Capitalism Is Not Natural - It’s Enforced
Clara Mattei »
Epstein Files Cover Up And Whose Lies Are Fuelling It
Feb 10, 2026 | There is still a lot we need to know about the remaining Epstein Files.
But one thing we know for sure: this administration has been lying, consistently, about the Epstein Files and their attempts to cover up his connections to them and Trump himself.
But one thing we know for sure: this administration has been lying, consistently, about the Epstein Files and their attempts to cover up his connections to them and Trump himself.
New Epstein File Emails Raise Fresh Questions over Andrew Claims in Newsnight Interview | BBC News
Feb 13, 2026 | Following the latest release of the Epstein files, claims made by the then Prince Andrew in the 2019 BBC Newsnight interview have been put into question.
The BBC’s Sean Coughlan and Sarah Campbell have gone through the interview to compare Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s replies with emails which were apparently sent by and to the former prince.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is facing growing pressure from US officials and the family of his prominent accuser Virginia Giuffre to testify in the US about his links to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
We have contacted Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor for comment. He has previously denied any wrongdoing.
The BBC’s Sean Coughlan and Sarah Campbell have gone through the interview to compare Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s replies with emails which were apparently sent by and to the former prince.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is facing growing pressure from US officials and the family of his prominent accuser Virginia Giuffre to testify in the US about his links to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
We have contacted Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor for comment. He has previously denied any wrongdoing.
Thom Hartmann: Do We Have a Russian Agent in the White House?
Trump Will Not ‘Get Away With Defying Court Orders’
Trump: Ein unbequemer Verbündeter für Europas Rechtsextreme?
Will the Epstein Files Tarnish the Reputation of Jamie Dimon, America’s Banker?
THE GUARDIAN: The final stretch of the JP Morgan Chase chief’s career is a bumpy one, as Trump himself demands prosecutors investigate Epstein’s ties to Dimon’s bank
Jamie Dimon, the longtime chief of JP Morgan Chase, America’s biggest bank, was under oath. The occasion was a May 2023 deposition related to several lawsuits filed against his bank over its history of involvement with the sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
The question put to Dimon was straightforward: “When did you first learn that Jeffrey Epstein was a customer of JPMorgan?”
His answer seemed clear: “I don’t recall knowing anything about Jeffrey Epstein until the stories broke sometime in 2019” – meaning the stories about Epstein’s arrest by federal authorities in the summer of 2019 and his death a month later in a Manhattan jail cell.
Clear, but believable? This exchange can be found in the US justice department’s Epstein files, with the digital “Epstein library”, as it’s called, tabulating 204 “results” (separate documents, though some duplicative) for Dimon, at current count, and 9,404 for his bank.
Epstein was a client of JP Morgan Chase for 15 years, from 1998 to 2013, for the last eight of which Dimon was the bank’s CEO, the position he still holds. And Epstein was not just any client, but a prized one of JPMorgan’s private bank for ultra-wealthy customers. A JP Morgan report, belatedly filed with the treasury department, flagged about 4,700 Epstein-related “suspicious activity” transactions totaling $1.1bn, including payments to women from post-Soviet countries. Through Dimon’s bank, Epstein wired hundreds of millions of dollars to Russian banks.
Not only that, a top former JP Morgan executive, Jes Staley, undermined Dimon’s sworn testimony – claiming to have communicated with Dimon on Epstein years before the 2019 arrest. And a current senior bank executive, Mary Erdoes, often said to be on Dimon’s shortlist of candidates to succeed him as CEO, was also actively involved with the Epstein account and was aware, as documents show, of Epstein’s court-affirmed status as a high-risk sex offender. » | Paul Starobin | Friday, February 13, 2026
Jamie Dimon, the longtime chief of JP Morgan Chase, America’s biggest bank, was under oath. The occasion was a May 2023 deposition related to several lawsuits filed against his bank over its history of involvement with the sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
The question put to Dimon was straightforward: “When did you first learn that Jeffrey Epstein was a customer of JPMorgan?”
His answer seemed clear: “I don’t recall knowing anything about Jeffrey Epstein until the stories broke sometime in 2019” – meaning the stories about Epstein’s arrest by federal authorities in the summer of 2019 and his death a month later in a Manhattan jail cell.
Clear, but believable? This exchange can be found in the US justice department’s Epstein files, with the digital “Epstein library”, as it’s called, tabulating 204 “results” (separate documents, though some duplicative) for Dimon, at current count, and 9,404 for his bank.
Epstein was a client of JP Morgan Chase for 15 years, from 1998 to 2013, for the last eight of which Dimon was the bank’s CEO, the position he still holds. And Epstein was not just any client, but a prized one of JPMorgan’s private bank for ultra-wealthy customers. A JP Morgan report, belatedly filed with the treasury department, flagged about 4,700 Epstein-related “suspicious activity” transactions totaling $1.1bn, including payments to women from post-Soviet countries. Through Dimon’s bank, Epstein wired hundreds of millions of dollars to Russian banks.
Not only that, a top former JP Morgan executive, Jes Staley, undermined Dimon’s sworn testimony – claiming to have communicated with Dimon on Epstein years before the 2019 arrest. And a current senior bank executive, Mary Erdoes, often said to be on Dimon’s shortlist of candidates to succeed him as CEO, was also actively involved with the Epstein account and was aware, as documents show, of Epstein’s court-affirmed status as a high-risk sex offender. » | Paul Starobin | Friday, February 13, 2026
JD Vance's Silence Is Deafening When It Comes to the Epstein Files
@ Save America Mvmt
Will Russia Defy Trump's Warning and Send Fuel to Its Old Ally Cuba? | DW News
Feb 12, 2026 | The Russian newspaper Izvestia is reporting that Moscow is planning to send crude oil and fuel to Cuba.
The country is suffering its worst energy crisis for years, after the US choked off its oil supplies. Cuba had long relied on its ally Venezuela for fuel, but those supplies dried up after the US abducted the country's president, Nicolás Maduro.
Like many countries, Russia is evacuating its tourists from the island and suspending all flights there, because of a lack of aviation fuel. Canadian airlines also suspended flights this week - and Cuba has warned international carriers that jet fuel is no longer available.
Ricardo Torres Pérez an economist and Research Fellow at American University’s Center for Latin American & Latino Studies talks to DW.
The country is suffering its worst energy crisis for years, after the US choked off its oil supplies. Cuba had long relied on its ally Venezuela for fuel, but those supplies dried up after the US abducted the country's president, Nicolás Maduro.
Like many countries, Russia is evacuating its tourists from the island and suspending all flights there, because of a lack of aviation fuel. Canadian airlines also suspended flights this week - and Cuba has warned international carriers that jet fuel is no longer available.
Ricardo Torres Pérez an economist and Research Fellow at American University’s Center for Latin American & Latino Studies talks to DW.
Thursday, February 12, 2026
Cuba Receives Humanitarian Aid from Mexico as Trump’s Blockade Bites
Trump Administration Erases the Government’s Power to Fight Climate Change
THE NEW YORK TIMES: The Environmental Protection Agency repealed the bedrock scientific finding that greenhouse gases threaten human life and well being. It means the agency can no longer regulate them.
President Trump on Thursday announced he was erasing the scientific finding that climate change endangers human health and the environment, ending the federal government’s legal authority to control the pollution that is dangerously heating the planet.
The action is a key step in removing limits on carbon dioxide, methane and four other greenhouse gases that scientists say are supercharging heat waves, droughts, wildfires and other extreme weather.
Led by a president who refers to climate change as a “hoax,” the administration is essentially saying that the vast majority of scientists around the world are wrong and that a hotter planet is not the menace that decades of research shows it to be.
It’s a rejection of fact that had been accepted for decades by presidents of both parties, including Richard Nixon, whose top adviser warned of the dangers of climate change and the first President George Bush, who signed an international climate treaty.
And it is a knockout punch in the yearslong fight by a small group of conservative activists as well as oil, gas and coal interests to stop the country from transitioning away from fossil fuels and toward solar, wind and other nonpolluting energy. » | Lisa Friedman | Reporting from Washington | Thursday, February 12, 2026
President Trump on Thursday announced he was erasing the scientific finding that climate change endangers human health and the environment, ending the federal government’s legal authority to control the pollution that is dangerously heating the planet.
The action is a key step in removing limits on carbon dioxide, methane and four other greenhouse gases that scientists say are supercharging heat waves, droughts, wildfires and other extreme weather.
Led by a president who refers to climate change as a “hoax,” the administration is essentially saying that the vast majority of scientists around the world are wrong and that a hotter planet is not the menace that decades of research shows it to be.
It’s a rejection of fact that had been accepted for decades by presidents of both parties, including Richard Nixon, whose top adviser warned of the dangers of climate change and the first President George Bush, who signed an international climate treaty.
And it is a knockout punch in the yearslong fight by a small group of conservative activists as well as oil, gas and coal interests to stop the country from transitioning away from fossil fuels and toward solar, wind and other nonpolluting energy. » | Lisa Friedman | Reporting from Washington | Thursday, February 12, 2026
I Gave Up My Priesthood Because I Wanted to Have Sex | Alberto Ravagnani
Feb 12, 2026 | "Being a celibate man is not the only way I could live my faith and my vocation."
The Catholic religion "has to change" to keep up with changing ideas, says former Catholic priest, Alberto Ravagnani.
The Catholic religion "has to change" to keep up with changing ideas, says former Catholic priest, Alberto Ravagnani.
Derrière le livre de la Grande mosquée de Paris sur l’islam en Occident, l’influence insidieuse des Frères musulmans
LE FIGARO : DÉCRYPTAGE - Le guide de 900 pages, censé « affirmer une présence musulmane citoyenne », cache certaines zones d’ombre, tant dans son contenu que chez ceux qui y ont contribué.
« Déconstruire les discours haineux » et « affirmer une présence musulmane citoyenne ». C’est le vœu pieux de la Grande mosquée de Paris, qui entend faire face aux « manipulations et aux amalgames qui, en Occident nourrissent l’idée d’une incompatibilité entre l’islam et les valeurs des sociétés occidentales ». Avec ce guide de pas moins de 900 pages sur les Musulmans en Occident, publié en digital le 10 février, la GMP, qui ne représente qu’une centaine des 2600 lieux de culte musulmans et est loin de faire l’unanimité en termes d’autorité religieuse car toujours aligné sur les intérêts du gouvernement algérien, espère faire « œuvre de clarification », a ainsi déclaré son recteur, Chems-eddine Hafiz.
Dans cet ouvrage, que Le Figaro a consulté, on trouve notamment un glossaire abordant, dans l’ordre alphabétique, la plupart des sujets autour de l’islam. Si la majorité des thématiques sensibles sont développées - la laïcité présentée comme une « chance », le mariage civil « préalable au mariage religieux », le non-port du voile doit être « respecté » -, d’autres manquent à l’appel, a-t-on pu constater. « Dans une société laïque, le croyant vit sa foi de la façon dont il l’entend, dans la sphère privée. Dans une société charia-compatible, le musulman est sommé de vivre selon un guide des “musulmans en Occident” médiatisé par l’ensemble de la presse », a critiqué sur X l’anthropologue Florence Bergeaud-Blackler. » | Par Etienne Jacob | jeudi 12 février 2026
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« Déconstruire les discours haineux » et « affirmer une présence musulmane citoyenne ». C’est le vœu pieux de la Grande mosquée de Paris, qui entend faire face aux « manipulations et aux amalgames qui, en Occident nourrissent l’idée d’une incompatibilité entre l’islam et les valeurs des sociétés occidentales ». Avec ce guide de pas moins de 900 pages sur les Musulmans en Occident, publié en digital le 10 février, la GMP, qui ne représente qu’une centaine des 2600 lieux de culte musulmans et est loin de faire l’unanimité en termes d’autorité religieuse car toujours aligné sur les intérêts du gouvernement algérien, espère faire « œuvre de clarification », a ainsi déclaré son recteur, Chems-eddine Hafiz.
Dans cet ouvrage, que Le Figaro a consulté, on trouve notamment un glossaire abordant, dans l’ordre alphabétique, la plupart des sujets autour de l’islam. Si la majorité des thématiques sensibles sont développées - la laïcité présentée comme une « chance », le mariage civil « préalable au mariage religieux », le non-port du voile doit être « respecté » -, d’autres manquent à l’appel, a-t-on pu constater. « Dans une société laïque, le croyant vit sa foi de la façon dont il l’entend, dans la sphère privée. Dans une société charia-compatible, le musulman est sommé de vivre selon un guide des “musulmans en Occident” médiatisé par l’ensemble de la presse », a critiqué sur X l’anthropologue Florence Bergeaud-Blackler. » | Par Etienne Jacob | jeudi 12 février 2026
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Steve Schmidt: Pam Bondi’s Career Is Over
Warum wir küssen | Doku HD | ARTE
Feb 12, 2026 | Er steht für Emotion, Reiz, ist heiß diskutiertes Kunstobjekt und medizinisch gesehen eine Wunderwaffe – der Kuss. Laut einer Studie verteilen wir 100.000 Küsse im Laufe unseres Lebens. Küssen ist so alt wie die Menschheit selbst – umso erstaunlicher das Ergebnis neuster anthropologischer Studien: Nicht mal die Hälfte der Weltbevölkerung küsst.
Ein 11.000 Jahre altes Artefakt beweist: Küssen ist so alt wie die Menschheit selbst und einer der ältesten Gefühlsausdrücke, die es gibt. Umso erstaunlicher ist das Ergebnis neuester anthropologischer Studien: Nicht einmal die Hälfte der Weltbevölkerung küsst. Zumindest nicht auf die Art und Weise wie im westeuropäischen Kulturkreis.
In der Eltern-Kind-Beziehung ist Küssen ein wichtiger Baustein für unsere Bindungsfähigkeit. Später hilft Küssen bei der Partnersuche und dient als eine Art Statusmeldung, wie es um unsere Beziehung steht. Bleibt das Küssen nämlich irgendwann aus, ist das oft der Anfang vom Ende. Doch warum ist das so – und was kann man dagegen tun? Experten aus verschiedenen Fachbereichen geben auf diese und andere Fragen antworten und verraten, wie man in nur sechs Sekunden mit Hilfe von Küssen die Schmetterlinge im Bauch zurückholt.
Ein Blick ins Tierreich zeigt, wie es unsere Vorfahren mit dem Knutschen halten. Oft wird behauptet, dass Menschenaffen sich auf ähnliche Art und Weise küssen wie wir Menschen. Doch stimmt das wirklich? Warum ist Küssen nicht überall auf der Welt zu finden? Warum gibt es Menschen, die regelrecht Angst vor dem Küssen haben? Was spielt sich beim Küssen in unserem Körper ab? Ein Kuss übt eine besondere Faszination aus – umso spannender ist die Frage: „Warum küssen wir?“
Dokumentation von Florian Fiedler (D 2025, 52 Min)
Video verfügbar bis zum 13/05/2026
Ein 11.000 Jahre altes Artefakt beweist: Küssen ist so alt wie die Menschheit selbst und einer der ältesten Gefühlsausdrücke, die es gibt. Umso erstaunlicher ist das Ergebnis neuester anthropologischer Studien: Nicht einmal die Hälfte der Weltbevölkerung küsst. Zumindest nicht auf die Art und Weise wie im westeuropäischen Kulturkreis.
In der Eltern-Kind-Beziehung ist Küssen ein wichtiger Baustein für unsere Bindungsfähigkeit. Später hilft Küssen bei der Partnersuche und dient als eine Art Statusmeldung, wie es um unsere Beziehung steht. Bleibt das Küssen nämlich irgendwann aus, ist das oft der Anfang vom Ende. Doch warum ist das so – und was kann man dagegen tun? Experten aus verschiedenen Fachbereichen geben auf diese und andere Fragen antworten und verraten, wie man in nur sechs Sekunden mit Hilfe von Küssen die Schmetterlinge im Bauch zurückholt.
Ein Blick ins Tierreich zeigt, wie es unsere Vorfahren mit dem Knutschen halten. Oft wird behauptet, dass Menschenaffen sich auf ähnliche Art und Weise küssen wie wir Menschen. Doch stimmt das wirklich? Warum ist Küssen nicht überall auf der Welt zu finden? Warum gibt es Menschen, die regelrecht Angst vor dem Küssen haben? Was spielt sich beim Küssen in unserem Körper ab? Ein Kuss übt eine besondere Faszination aus – umso spannender ist die Frage: „Warum küssen wir?“
Dokumentation von Florian Fiedler (D 2025, 52 Min)
Video verfügbar bis zum 13/05/2026
Lutnick Was So “Disgusted” by Jeffrey Epstein in His First Encounter with Him in Epstein’s Apartment…
Elon Musk Posted about Race Almost Every Day in January
THE GUARDIAN: Many social media posts by Tesla CEO on his platform are indiscernible from those of white supremacists, say experts
Elon Musk’s longtime fixation on a white racial majority is intensifying. The richest man in the world posted about how the white race was under threat, made allusions to race science or promoted anti-immigrant conspiracy content on 26 out of 31 days in January, according to the Guardian’s analysis of his social media output. The posts, made on his platform X, reflect a renewed embrace of what extremism experts describe as white supremacist material.
“Whites are a rapidly dying minority,” Musk said on 22 January, a short time before taking the stage at the World Economic Forum in Davos, while reposting an Irish anti-immigrant influencer’s video about demographic change.
Musk’s posts included him repeatedly claiming white people face systemic discrimination, endorsing the conspiracy that there is an ongoing genocide against white people in countries around the world and promoting a claim that white people would be “slaughtered” by non-whites if they become a demographic minority.
“If you stripped Elon Musk’s name off of these things and showed them to me, I would think that this was a white supremacist,” said Heidi Beirich, co-founder of the Global Project Against Extremism, who reviewed a selection of the posts. » | Nick Robins-Early | Thursday, February 12, 2026
Elon Musk’s longtime fixation on a white racial majority is intensifying. The richest man in the world posted about how the white race was under threat, made allusions to race science or promoted anti-immigrant conspiracy content on 26 out of 31 days in January, according to the Guardian’s analysis of his social media output. The posts, made on his platform X, reflect a renewed embrace of what extremism experts describe as white supremacist material.
“Whites are a rapidly dying minority,” Musk said on 22 January, a short time before taking the stage at the World Economic Forum in Davos, while reposting an Irish anti-immigrant influencer’s video about demographic change.
Musk’s posts included him repeatedly claiming white people face systemic discrimination, endorsing the conspiracy that there is an ongoing genocide against white people in countries around the world and promoting a claim that white people would be “slaughtered” by non-whites if they become a demographic minority.
“If you stripped Elon Musk’s name off of these things and showed them to me, I would think that this was a white supremacist,” said Heidi Beirich, co-founder of the Global Project Against Extremism, who reviewed a selection of the posts. » | Nick Robins-Early | Thursday, February 12, 2026
Dollar Collapse & Trump’s Lasting Legacy: Top Economist Warns
Feb 11, 2026 | Is the U.S. dollar on the brink of collapse? Renowned economist Professor Steve Keen issues a dire warning about a coming financial storm that most economists are blind to. While the world focuses on the AI boom and tech sector promises, a far more dangerous sovereign debt crisis is brewing in global bond markets.
Decades of debt-fueled growth, reckless Trump-era fiscal policies, and Wall Street dominance have left the U.S. dollar and the global financial system dangerously vulnerable. As foreign investors pull back from U.S. Treasury bonds, inflation pressures rise, and credit cycles hit their limit, ordinary Americans face the reality of working past 65 and navigating a collapsing financial safety net.
In this critical analysis, Professor Keen explains why the current neoliberal economic model built on unsustainable debt, deregulation, and financial illusions cannot withstand the next shock. The AI boom, often hailed as a solution, is no safeguard; technology cannot fix a broken credit system.
Decades of debt-fueled growth, reckless Trump-era fiscal policies, and Wall Street dominance have left the U.S. dollar and the global financial system dangerously vulnerable. As foreign investors pull back from U.S. Treasury bonds, inflation pressures rise, and credit cycles hit their limit, ordinary Americans face the reality of working past 65 and navigating a collapsing financial safety net.
In this critical analysis, Professor Keen explains why the current neoliberal economic model built on unsustainable debt, deregulation, and financial illusions cannot withstand the next shock. The AI boom, often hailed as a solution, is no safeguard; technology cannot fix a broken credit system.
Chris Hedges: The Last Election
The Truth about the Jobs Report, Wages, Layoffs and Trump's AI Economy in 2026
ANTHONY DAVIS can be supported on Patreon here.
Autocracy, Inc: The Dictators Who Want to Run the World | Anne Applebaum with Edward Luce
Switzerland to Vote on Capping Population at 10 Million
THE NEW YORK TIMES: After a campaign by a right-wing opposition party, the government will hold a referendum in June that would require measures to limit immigration.
Switzerland will hold a referendum in June on whether to cap its population at 10 million until 2050 by limiting immigration, sharply illustrating how anti-foreigner sentiment in Europe has hardened since the continent’s migration crisis a decade ago.
If successful, the vote on June 14 would oblige the government to take measures over the next quarter-century to limit immigration to Switzerland, where the population currently stands at roughly 9 million.
Supporters of the initiative say those measures should include making it harder for foreigners to gain permanent residency, once the population passes 9.5 million, and revising the country’s agreement with the European Union that allows for free movement between Switzerland and the rest of the continent. (Switzerland is not part of the E.U.)
Both the government and Parliament voted to oppose the initiative but the referendum has been triggered automatically because more than 100,000 citizens have signed a petition in support of a vote. » | Tatiana Firsova | Reporting from Berlin | Wednesday, February 11, 2026
Switzerland will hold a referendum in June on whether to cap its population at 10 million until 2050 by limiting immigration, sharply illustrating how anti-foreigner sentiment in Europe has hardened since the continent’s migration crisis a decade ago.
If successful, the vote on June 14 would oblige the government to take measures over the next quarter-century to limit immigration to Switzerland, where the population currently stands at roughly 9 million.
Supporters of the initiative say those measures should include making it harder for foreigners to gain permanent residency, once the population passes 9.5 million, and revising the country’s agreement with the European Union that allows for free movement between Switzerland and the rest of the continent. (Switzerland is not part of the E.U.)
Both the government and Parliament voted to oppose the initiative but the referendum has been triggered automatically because more than 100,000 citizens have signed a petition in support of a vote. » | Tatiana Firsova | Reporting from Berlin | Wednesday, February 11, 2026
UK Economy Grows by Only 0.1% amid Falling Business Investment
THE GUARDIAN: GDP in last three months of 2025 also hit by weak consumer spending, with little momentum going into this year
The UK economy expanded by only 0.1% in the final three months of last year, according to official data, as falling business investment and weak consumer spending led to little momentum going into 2026.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that the economy grew at the same rate of 0.1% as the previous three months. This was less than a 0.2% rise that economists had been expecting.
The economy grew by 1.3% in 2025, an improvement on growth of 1.1% in 2024, although worse than official forecasts of 1.5%. The ONS said the economy also expanded by 0.1% on a monthly basis in December, slowing from 0.2% in November – a figure that was revised down from 0.3%.
The rise came despite there being no growth at all in the dominant services sector, which makes up about 80% of the economy. The small boost was instead driven by the production sector, up by 1.2%, while the construction industry shrank 2.1%, its worst performance in four years, the ONS said. » | Tom Knowles | Thursday, February 11, 2026
We can thank that tw*t—use the vowel of your own choosing to replace the asterisk!—Nigel Farage for the UK’s sluggish growth in the last ten years. No economist worth his salt would recommend a nation to cut itself off from the Single Market — the biggest single market in the world! And a single market on the nation’s doorstep, to boot!
Boarding the nation’s dinghy and sailing around the world on the high seas looking for little trade deals here and perhaps bigger ones there is NOT going to fix the problem! The sooner that Starmer grows a pair and levels with the nation about this ongoing problem, the better. The process of rejoining the European Union needs to be started. Fact is, we should never have left the European Union in the first place. Brexit was always going to fail. It was Farage’s folly. The sooner this country turns its back on Brexit, the sooner it will start to achieve economically again. In this world of huge economic blocks, a shrunken empire like the United Kingdom’s otherwise doesn’t stand a chance. — © Mark Alexander
The UK economy expanded by only 0.1% in the final three months of last year, according to official data, as falling business investment and weak consumer spending led to little momentum going into 2026.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that the economy grew at the same rate of 0.1% as the previous three months. This was less than a 0.2% rise that economists had been expecting.
The economy grew by 1.3% in 2025, an improvement on growth of 1.1% in 2024, although worse than official forecasts of 1.5%. The ONS said the economy also expanded by 0.1% on a monthly basis in December, slowing from 0.2% in November – a figure that was revised down from 0.3%.
The rise came despite there being no growth at all in the dominant services sector, which makes up about 80% of the economy. The small boost was instead driven by the production sector, up by 1.2%, while the construction industry shrank 2.1%, its worst performance in four years, the ONS said. » | Tom Knowles | Thursday, February 11, 2026
We can thank that tw*t—use the vowel of your own choosing to replace the asterisk!—Nigel Farage for the UK’s sluggish growth in the last ten years. No economist worth his salt would recommend a nation to cut itself off from the Single Market — the biggest single market in the world! And a single market on the nation’s doorstep, to boot!
Boarding the nation’s dinghy and sailing around the world on the high seas looking for little trade deals here and perhaps bigger ones there is NOT going to fix the problem! The sooner that Starmer grows a pair and levels with the nation about this ongoing problem, the better. The process of rejoining the European Union needs to be started. Fact is, we should never have left the European Union in the first place. Brexit was always going to fail. It was Farage’s folly. The sooner this country turns its back on Brexit, the sooner it will start to achieve economically again. In this world of huge economic blocks, a shrunken empire like the United Kingdom’s otherwise doesn’t stand a chance. — © Mark Alexander
Bernie: Trump Is ‘Crazy’ or a ‘Liar’ If He Thinks This Is a Great Economy
Full interview: Polish Deputy Prime Minister Radosław Sikorski
Attaque meurtrière au Canada: le pays est «en deuil», affirme Mark Carney
That’s Life! The Magazine That Shaped America – In Pictures
THE GUARDIAN: From grown men eating ice cream – gasp! – to Noël Coward sweating in the desert and a baseball team without pants – a new exhibition celebrates images from the era-defining magazine
Photograph: Alfred Eisenstaedt
View the gallery HERE » | Mee-Lai Stone | Wednesday, February 11, 2026
1. September 1939: Hitlers Angriff auf die Welt | SPIEGEL TV | Reupload
Aug 31, 2024 | Am frühen Morgen des 1. September 1939 eröffnet die SMS Schleswig-Holstein das Feuer auf die Halbinsel Westerplatte bei Danzig. Fast zeitgleich greift die deutsche Luftwaffe die Kleinstadt Wieluń südwestlich von Łódź an. Mit dem deutschen Überfall auf Polen beginnt der Zweite Weltkrieg. Von Anfang an wird dieser Konflikt mit großer Brutalität geführt und fordert tausende zivile Opfer. Obwohl die Wehrmacht das Nachbarland binnen weniger Wochen besiegt, verläuft der Feldzug nicht so reibungslos wie erwartet: Die Polen leisten erbitterten Widerstand.
Die Dokumentation wirft einen ausführlichen Blick auf verschiedene Aspekte des Überfalls und verdeutlicht die Auswirkungen des Feldzugs auf den weiteren Kriegsverlauf.
Die Dokumentation wirft einen ausführlichen Blick auf verschiedene Aspekte des Überfalls und verdeutlicht die Auswirkungen des Feldzugs auf den weiteren Kriegsverlauf.
Europa ersetzt die USA: Deutschland wird zum größten Zahler für die Ukraine
BERLINER ZEITUNG: Deutschland übernimmt die Hauptlast der Ukraine-Hilfen in Europa. Sahra Wagenknecht wirft der Bundesregierung vor, deutsche Steuerzahler zum „Kriegsfinanzier Nummer eins“ zu machen.
Die USA haben sich im vergangenen Jahr nahezu vollständig aus der finanziellen und militärischen Unterstützung der Ukraine zurückgezogen. Europa ist eingesprungen. Besonders stark fällt dabei das Engagement Deutschlands ins Gewicht. Nach aktuellen Haushaltsplanungen soll die deutsche Ukraine-Hilfe im kommenden Jahr auf rund 11,5 Milliarden Euro steigen.
Trotz des Rückzugs der Vereinigten Staaten blieb das Gesamtvolumen der internationalen Hilfen 2025 relativ stabil. Das zeigt der aktuelle „Ukraine Support“ des Institut für Weltwirtschaft Kiel (IfW). Demnach gleichen europäische Staaten die ausbleibenden US-Mittel weitgehend aus. Die Finanzierung konzentriert sich jedoch zunehmend auf wenige große Zahler – allen voran Deutschland. » | Alexander Schmalz | Mittwoch, 11. Februar 2026
Die USA haben sich im vergangenen Jahr nahezu vollständig aus der finanziellen und militärischen Unterstützung der Ukraine zurückgezogen. Europa ist eingesprungen. Besonders stark fällt dabei das Engagement Deutschlands ins Gewicht. Nach aktuellen Haushaltsplanungen soll die deutsche Ukraine-Hilfe im kommenden Jahr auf rund 11,5 Milliarden Euro steigen.
Trotz des Rückzugs der Vereinigten Staaten blieb das Gesamtvolumen der internationalen Hilfen 2025 relativ stabil. Das zeigt der aktuelle „Ukraine Support“ des Institut für Weltwirtschaft Kiel (IfW). Demnach gleichen europäische Staaten die ausbleibenden US-Mittel weitgehend aus. Die Finanzierung konzentriert sich jedoch zunehmend auf wenige große Zahler – allen voran Deutschland. » | Alexander Schmalz | Mittwoch, 11. Februar 2026
Donald Trump, Pagan King
THE NEW YORK TIMES — OPINION: Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada recently described the world that President Trump is dragging us into with this aphorism: “The strong do what they can, and the weak suffer what they must.”
The quote comes from Thucydides’ fictionalized account of a negotiation between Athens and the rulers of the island of Melos, in the Peloponnesian War. The Melians, who were no match for the Athenians, wished to remain neutral. They complained that Athens’s demand that they submit to its rule was unjust. The Athenians responded that matters of justice exist only between equals. Between those who are strong and those who are weak there is only force.
The dialogue is famous for its stark portrayal of the dictates of political realism. The world is not guided by ideals and values, it demonstrates. It is brokered only by power.
The Trump administration has adopted this philosophy as its own. In a recent interview with Jake Tapper, Stephen Miller said, “We live in a world in which you can talk all you want about international niceties and everything else, but we live in a world, in the real world, Jake, that is governed by strength, that is governed by force, that is governed by power.”
To sympathetic ears, Mr. Miller sounded refreshingly unsentimental and cleareyed. But the “niceties” he disparaged aren’t just some naïve fantasy. They are the values of Christianity, the faith the Trump administration purports to defend and uphold. » | Leighton Woodhouse | Mr. Woodhouse is a documentary filmmaker and the author of the newsletter Social Studies. | Wednesday, February 11, 2026
The quote comes from Thucydides’ fictionalized account of a negotiation between Athens and the rulers of the island of Melos, in the Peloponnesian War. The Melians, who were no match for the Athenians, wished to remain neutral. They complained that Athens’s demand that they submit to its rule was unjust. The Athenians responded that matters of justice exist only between equals. Between those who are strong and those who are weak there is only force.
The dialogue is famous for its stark portrayal of the dictates of political realism. The world is not guided by ideals and values, it demonstrates. It is brokered only by power.
The Trump administration has adopted this philosophy as its own. In a recent interview with Jake Tapper, Stephen Miller said, “We live in a world in which you can talk all you want about international niceties and everything else, but we live in a world, in the real world, Jake, that is governed by strength, that is governed by force, that is governed by power.”
To sympathetic ears, Mr. Miller sounded refreshingly unsentimental and cleareyed. But the “niceties” he disparaged aren’t just some naïve fantasy. They are the values of Christianity, the faith the Trump administration purports to defend and uphold. » | Leighton Woodhouse | Mr. Woodhouse is a documentary filmmaker and the author of the newsletter Social Studies. | Wednesday, February 11, 2026
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