Tuesday, May 05, 2026
Steve Rosenberg: Russian Parade Warning, Economic Worries: I Read Today's Russian Papers
Iranian Official Warns of Escalation in Strait of Hormuz Standoff
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s top negotiator, accused the United States of violating the shaky cease-fire, after Iranian forces fired at vessels that the U.S. Navy was guiding through the strait.
A top Iranian official warned on Tuesday of an escalation in the Strait of Hormuz and accused the United States of violating the fragile cease-fire, a day after the U.S. Navy began an initiative to escort commercial ships through the strait, a vital oil shipping waterway.
As the truce appeared to falter, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s top negotiator in the stumbling peace negotiations, said in a social media post that “a new equation” was emerging in the waterway. He said that American actions had endangered shipping through the strait, which Iran has effectively blockaded since the war began in late February.
“We know well that the continuation of the current situation is unbearable for the United States, while we have not even started yet,” Mr. Ghalibaf said.
The U.S. Navy began escorting commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday. Reports of attacks from Iran in and around the Persian Gulf quickly tested the American actions and the Pakistani-brokered cease-fire that paused the war last month.
The United Arab Emirates said Iran had fired missiles and drones at its territory on Monday, the first time since the cease-fire had come into effect. The U.A.E.’s foreign ministry said in a statement that the country “reserves its full and legitimate right to respond” to the attacks.
American forces shot down cruise missiles and drones and destroyed six Iranian speedboats that had threatened the vessels, according to U.S. Central Command. The U.S. military said two commercial ships operating under the U.S. flag had passed through the waterway.
Iran did not officially confirm or deny whether it had resumed attacks. IRIB, Iran’s state-run broadcaster, said that a senior Iranian military official denied the American claim that several Iranian boats had been sunk.
In an interview with the conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt that aired Monday, President Trump declined to say whether the cease-fire was over. “Well, I can’t tell you that,” Mr. Trump said. » | John Yoon | Tuesday, May 5, 2026
A top Iranian official warned on Tuesday of an escalation in the Strait of Hormuz and accused the United States of violating the fragile cease-fire, a day after the U.S. Navy began an initiative to escort commercial ships through the strait, a vital oil shipping waterway.
As the truce appeared to falter, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s top negotiator in the stumbling peace negotiations, said in a social media post that “a new equation” was emerging in the waterway. He said that American actions had endangered shipping through the strait, which Iran has effectively blockaded since the war began in late February.
“We know well that the continuation of the current situation is unbearable for the United States, while we have not even started yet,” Mr. Ghalibaf said.
The U.S. Navy began escorting commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday. Reports of attacks from Iran in and around the Persian Gulf quickly tested the American actions and the Pakistani-brokered cease-fire that paused the war last month.
The United Arab Emirates said Iran had fired missiles and drones at its territory on Monday, the first time since the cease-fire had come into effect. The U.A.E.’s foreign ministry said in a statement that the country “reserves its full and legitimate right to respond” to the attacks.
American forces shot down cruise missiles and drones and destroyed six Iranian speedboats that had threatened the vessels, according to U.S. Central Command. The U.S. military said two commercial ships operating under the U.S. flag had passed through the waterway.
Iran did not officially confirm or deny whether it had resumed attacks. IRIB, Iran’s state-run broadcaster, said that a senior Iranian military official denied the American claim that several Iranian boats had been sunk.
In an interview with the conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt that aired Monday, President Trump declined to say whether the cease-fire was over. “Well, I can’t tell you that,” Mr. Trump said. » | John Yoon | Tuesday, May 5, 2026
Democrats, Britain’s Prime Minister Is a Warning
THE NEW YORK TIMES — OPINION: In Democratic primaries across America, a familiar debate is playing out. Is it the time for a moderate or a maverick? Should the party be looking for someone to heal and stabilize a troubled country or someone to energize supporters, antagonize opponents — Republicans, big business, maybe even the Democratic establishment itself — and promise sweeping change?
Until recently, Britain seemed to offer moderate Democrats a clinching case. In 2024, after leading the Labour Party to a crushing victory over a reviled right-wing government, Keir Starmer was hailed as a centrist hero. He marginalized progressives in his own party, enticed Conservative politicians to switch sides and secured Labour’s largest majority since 1997. For the Democratic think tank Third Way, the takeaway from Mr. Starmer’s triumph was clear: “Centrism wins elections.”
That seems a long time ago now. Britain’s government is in the doldrums and Mr. Starmer has become one of its most unpopular leaders ever — with negative approval ratings on a par with the short-lived prime minister Liz Truss, a paragon of political failure. Reform U.K., a Trumpian anti-immigration party spearheaded by Nigel Farage, has led the polls since last April. And in recent months, Labour has also been overtaken on its left by a surging Green Party.
This week, it’s going to get worse. In local elections across the country, which are being treated as a referendum on Mr. Starmer’s leadership, Labour is headed for a historic wipeout. The leader once heralded as centrism’s shining future now survives on borrowed time. In many ways, his fall is a very British story. But the Democrats, casting about for an election strategy, should pay attention — for Mr. Starmer’s collapse was written into the nature of his victory. » | GUEST ESSAY by Samuel Earle | Mr. Earle is the author of “Tory Nation: The Dark Legacy of the World’s Most Successful Political Party.” He wrote from New York. | Tuesday, May 5, 2026
If joylessness is your thing, if freedoms mean little to you, if you are unconcerned about democratic freedoms, if you like your leaders colourless, if your children’s rights as they grow into adulthood mean little to you, if your are indifferent to their infantilization as adults, if you are insouciant about being imprisoned for writing the wrong thing on social media, if you like your leaders to have a tinge of authoritarianism about them, if you like them stern, then Starmer could well be your man, and he could well be a role model for Democrats in America to emulate . Good luck with that! — © Mark Alexander
Nazi Database Takes Germans on Personal Journey into Their Families’ Dark Pasts
THE GUARDIAN: Die Zeit’s online database of individuals’ Nazi membership is prompting a reckoning as people uncover ties to regime
Screenshot taken from this Guardian article. | A 1930s Nazi rally in Nuremberg, Germany Photograph: Shutterstock
Olaf Köndgen is 64 years old, a German citizen and a senior European human rights expert who has lived and worked in France for several years. Last month, Köndgen learned that he is also the son of a Nazi.
Despite a strong interest in history and its lessons, Köndgen is typical of many 21st-century Germans in having had only the roughest outlines of his own family’s complicity with Hitler’s regime.
That began to change in early April, when the newspaper Die Zeit launched an online search engine for the vast archives of the National Socialist German Workers’ party (NSDAP), making information about individuals’ Nazi membership easily accessible for the first time.
Die Zeit has described an extraordinary response from the public, reflecting intense interest in unearthing long-buried family secrets more than eight decades after the end of the second world war.
The tool has been accessed “millions of times” and shared “by the thousands”, with more than 1,000 reader comments appearing on the site, according to Christian Staas, the newspaper’s history editor. » | Deborah Cole in Berlin | Monday, May 4, 2026
Olaf Köndgen is 64 years old, a German citizen and a senior European human rights expert who has lived and worked in France for several years. Last month, Köndgen learned that he is also the son of a Nazi.
Despite a strong interest in history and its lessons, Köndgen is typical of many 21st-century Germans in having had only the roughest outlines of his own family’s complicity with Hitler’s regime.
That began to change in early April, when the newspaper Die Zeit launched an online search engine for the vast archives of the National Socialist German Workers’ party (NSDAP), making information about individuals’ Nazi membership easily accessible for the first time.
Die Zeit has described an extraordinary response from the public, reflecting intense interest in unearthing long-buried family secrets more than eight decades after the end of the second world war.
The tool has been accessed “millions of times” and shared “by the thousands”, with more than 1,000 reader comments appearing on the site, according to Christian Staas, the newspaper’s history editor. » | Deborah Cole in Berlin | Monday, May 4, 2026
Götz Aly: Wie konnte das geschehen? Deutschland 1933 bis 1945 (03.12.25)
Mar 5, 2026 | Nationalsozialismus und Holocaust: Wie konnte das geschehen? In einer schweren Krise wurde die NSDAP 1932 zur stärksten Partei gewählt. Sie versprach den Deutschen Aufstieg und Wohlstand, zugleich gab man den Menschen keine Atempause, keine Zeit zum Nachdenken. Warum beteiligten sich Hunderttausende an beispiellosen Massenmorden? Götz Aly schildert in einer fesselnden Erzählung die Herrschafts¬methoden, mit denen die NS-Machthaber Millionen Deutsche in gefügige Vollstrecker oder in vom Krieg abgestumpfte Mitmacher verwandelten. – Nicht wenige der Methoden sind beängstigend aktuell.
Prof. Dr. Götz Aly ist Historiker und Journalist, er zählt zu den bekanntesten Autoren zur Geschichte des Nationalsozialismus und des Holocaust. Seine Bücher wurden unter anderem mit dem Heinrich-Mann-Preis und dem Geschwister-Scholl-Preis ausgezeichnet.
Prof. Dr. Götz Aly ist Historiker und Journalist, er zählt zu den bekanntesten Autoren zur Geschichte des Nationalsozialismus und des Holocaust. Seine Bücher wurden unter anderem mit dem Heinrich-Mann-Preis und dem Geschwister-Scholl-Preis ausgezeichnet.
Monday, May 04, 2026
Carney Pulls Canada Closer to Europe as Both Struggle With Trump
THE NEW YORK TIMES: At a summit of European leaders, the Canadian prime minister was a special guest offering deals and friendship to jittery allies.
Screenshot taken from this NYT article. | Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada arriving for a meeting of the European Political Community on Monday in Yerevan, Armenia. | Anthony Pizzoferrato/Associated Press
Canada and the European Union are turning commiseration and anxiety over their turbulent relationships with the United States under President Trump into a deepening bond.
On Monday, Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada joined a summit of European leaders in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, putting his country at the heart of some of Europe’s biggest priorities. He was the first non-European head of government to be invited to the gathering, known as the European Political Community summit.
Mr. Carney’s relentless pursuit of new, expanded alliances to lessen Canada’s dependence on the United States coming as Mr. Trump threatens to unravel decades of economic integration, has effectively led Canada to be welcomed as something of an honorary European Union member.
“Integration is being used as a weapon by some, and the rules are not constraining the hegemons,” Mr. Carney said on Monday at the Yerevan summit — hinting at, but not mentioning, the United States — in comments that echoed his landmark speech in Davos, Switzerland, in January. » | Matina Stevis-Gridneff | Matina Stevis-Gridneff reported from Yerevan, Armenia, while traveling with Prime Minister Mark Carney. | Monday, May 4, 2026
Canada and the European Union are turning commiseration and anxiety over their turbulent relationships with the United States under President Trump into a deepening bond.
On Monday, Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada joined a summit of European leaders in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, putting his country at the heart of some of Europe’s biggest priorities. He was the first non-European head of government to be invited to the gathering, known as the European Political Community summit.
Mr. Carney’s relentless pursuit of new, expanded alliances to lessen Canada’s dependence on the United States coming as Mr. Trump threatens to unravel decades of economic integration, has effectively led Canada to be welcomed as something of an honorary European Union member.
“Integration is being used as a weapon by some, and the rules are not constraining the hegemons,” Mr. Carney said on Monday at the Yerevan summit — hinting at, but not mentioning, the United States — in comments that echoed his landmark speech in Davos, Switzerland, in January. » | Matina Stevis-Gridneff | Matina Stevis-Gridneff reported from Yerevan, Armenia, while traveling with Prime Minister Mark Carney. | Monday, May 4, 2026
The U.K. Banned Tobacco Products for Anyone Born after 2008. Here’s What Could Go Wrong.
MS NOW — OPINION: From black markets to an erosion of civil liberties, history shows how prohibition tends to go sideways.
In 1604, King James I of England wrote one of history’s most fervent anti-smoking tracts in response to the rising popularity of tobacco imported from the New World. Smoking, he concluded, was a “custome lothsome to the eye, hatefull to the Nose, harmefull to the braine, dangerous to the Lungs, and in the blacke stinking fume thereof, neerest resembling the horrible Stigian smoke of the pit that is bottomelesse.” [sic]
King James would have loved the new law set to be approved by King Charles III establishing a new generation in the United Kingdom that will be forbidden from purchasing tobacco for their entire lives. Specifically, the law makes it an offense to sell cigarettes, cigars, pipe or chewing tobacco, as well as various other forms of tobacco leaf, to anyone born after Jan. 1, 2009. This, its proponents say, will eventually lead to a smoke-free society, as the legal age for buying cigarettes rises inexorably until the last living smoker in the U.K. joins the choir invisible.
It’s not hard to imagine how this neat solution may falter. While no one is against banning the sale of cigarettes to teenagers, the situation will become increasingly absurd as today’s 17-year-olds age into maturity, creating a permanent division between adults allowed to buy tobacco and those who are prohibited. Supposedly, the day will come when a 50-year-old can buy a cigar from the tobacconist, but their 49-year-old friend must be turned away. Can one really expect this prohibition to be durably respected?
The U.K.’s new law takes an ultimately infantilizing view of tobacco use.
“Children in the U.K. will be part of the first smoke-free generation, protected from a lifetime of addiction and harm,”U.K. Health Secretary Wes Streeting said. But these children will eventually become adults denied the right to make decisions for themselves. It’s grossly illiberal. » | Jacob Grier * | Sunday, April 26, 2026
* Jacob Grier is a freelance writer in Portland, Oregon. He is the author of several books, including The New Prohibition and The Rediscovery of Tobacco, and a founder of the link-sharing platform Seabird.
LISEZ ÉGALEMENT CET article.
READ ALSO:
United Kingdom’s Generational Tobacco Ban Officially Becomes Law: A drastic law prohibits anyone born after New Year’s Day, 2009 to buy tobacco »
Reform UK would scrap generational smoking ban, Farage says: Nigel Farage has pledged that a future Reform UK government would repeal the proposed “generational smoking ban”, arguing the policy would place an unworkable burden on retailers and fuel illicit trade. »
In 1604, King James I of England wrote one of history’s most fervent anti-smoking tracts in response to the rising popularity of tobacco imported from the New World. Smoking, he concluded, was a “custome lothsome to the eye, hatefull to the Nose, harmefull to the braine, dangerous to the Lungs, and in the blacke stinking fume thereof, neerest resembling the horrible Stigian smoke of the pit that is bottomelesse.” [sic]
King James would have loved the new law set to be approved by King Charles III establishing a new generation in the United Kingdom that will be forbidden from purchasing tobacco for their entire lives. Specifically, the law makes it an offense to sell cigarettes, cigars, pipe or chewing tobacco, as well as various other forms of tobacco leaf, to anyone born after Jan. 1, 2009. This, its proponents say, will eventually lead to a smoke-free society, as the legal age for buying cigarettes rises inexorably until the last living smoker in the U.K. joins the choir invisible.
It’s not hard to imagine how this neat solution may falter. While no one is against banning the sale of cigarettes to teenagers, the situation will become increasingly absurd as today’s 17-year-olds age into maturity, creating a permanent division between adults allowed to buy tobacco and those who are prohibited. Supposedly, the day will come when a 50-year-old can buy a cigar from the tobacconist, but their 49-year-old friend must be turned away. Can one really expect this prohibition to be durably respected?
The U.K.’s new law takes an ultimately infantilizing view of tobacco use.
“Children in the U.K. will be part of the first smoke-free generation, protected from a lifetime of addiction and harm,”U.K. Health Secretary Wes Streeting said. But these children will eventually become adults denied the right to make decisions for themselves. It’s grossly illiberal. » | Jacob Grier * | Sunday, April 26, 2026
* Jacob Grier is a freelance writer in Portland, Oregon. He is the author of several books, including The New Prohibition and The Rediscovery of Tobacco, and a founder of the link-sharing platform Seabird.
LISEZ ÉGALEMENT CET article.
READ ALSO:
United Kingdom’s Generational Tobacco Ban Officially Becomes Law: A drastic law prohibits anyone born after New Year’s Day, 2009 to buy tobacco »
Reform UK would scrap generational smoking ban, Farage says: Nigel Farage has pledged that a future Reform UK government would repeal the proposed “generational smoking ban”, arguing the policy would place an unworkable burden on retailers and fuel illicit trade. »
« Ils n’ont pas encore payé un prix assez lourd » : alors que Donald Trump tente de rouvrir de force le détroit d’Ormuz, le Golfe connaît un regain de tension
LE FIGARO : DÉCRYPTAGE - Alors que l’US Navy a coulé six vedettes iraniennes dans une opération destinée à « guider » les navires de commerce bloqués dans le golfe Persique, Téhéran a riposté en attaquant des cibles aux Émirats arabes unis.
Trump tente de rouvrir le détroit d’Ormuz à la navigation, sans lever son propre blocus des ports iraniens. Une nouvelle opération baptisée « Projet Liberté », visant à permettre le passage des navires commerciaux en défiance au blocage imposé par l’Iran a fait remonter les tensions dans le Golfe.
Lundi, l’US Navy a annoncé avoir aidé deux navires battant pavillon américain à franchir le détroit malgré les tentatives de l’Iran pour les en empêcher. L’amiral Brad Cooper, commandant du CentCom, en charge des opérations, a indiqué que les États-Unis avaient repoussé avec succès des attaques de l’Iran menées à la fois par des drones et des missiles. Il a ajouté que six vedettes rapides iraniennes qui tentaient d’attaquer des navires commerciaux avaient été coulées par des hélicoptères américains.
« Les forces américaines disposent d’un avantage certain », a déclaré Cooper. Il a ajouté que les navires iraniens avaient été « vivement invités à rester à l’écart », et que les États-Unis restaient pleinement déterminés à maintenir leur blocus contre les navires iraniens. Interrogé sur la question de savoir si ces affrontements signifiaient la fin du cessez-le-feu de près d’un mois entre les États-Unis et l’Iran, Cooper a répondu que les forces américaines présentes dans la région restaient une force défensive. » | Par Adrien Jaulmes, correspondant à Washington | lundi 4 mai 2026
Réservé aux abonnés
Trump tente de rouvrir le détroit d’Ormuz à la navigation, sans lever son propre blocus des ports iraniens. Une nouvelle opération baptisée « Projet Liberté », visant à permettre le passage des navires commerciaux en défiance au blocage imposé par l’Iran a fait remonter les tensions dans le Golfe.
Lundi, l’US Navy a annoncé avoir aidé deux navires battant pavillon américain à franchir le détroit malgré les tentatives de l’Iran pour les en empêcher. L’amiral Brad Cooper, commandant du CentCom, en charge des opérations, a indiqué que les États-Unis avaient repoussé avec succès des attaques de l’Iran menées à la fois par des drones et des missiles. Il a ajouté que six vedettes rapides iraniennes qui tentaient d’attaquer des navires commerciaux avaient été coulées par des hélicoptères américains.
« Les forces américaines disposent d’un avantage certain », a déclaré Cooper. Il a ajouté que les navires iraniens avaient été « vivement invités à rester à l’écart », et que les États-Unis restaient pleinement déterminés à maintenir leur blocus contre les navires iraniens. Interrogé sur la question de savoir si ces affrontements signifiaient la fin du cessez-le-feu de près d’un mois entre les États-Unis et l’Iran, Cooper a répondu que les forces américaines présentes dans la région restaient une force défensive. » | Par Adrien Jaulmes, correspondant à Washington | lundi 4 mai 2026
Réservé aux abonnés
Steve Schmidt: Pete Hegseth Is the Most Ignominious Military Leader of All Time
The Cardinal, the Conman, and the Congresswoman
Some Iranians Fear the Regime Is Now More Entrenched - and Ready for Revenge
BBC: They are still there. There is no evading the simple fact. Everywhere the people walk. Wherever they drive. Whenever they switch on the television. The faces of assassinated leaders, and those of new rulers, dominate the public space.
Protests have come and gone. A war. Then a ceasefire. But the regime of the Islamic Republic has endured.
In fact, according to Iranians the BBC has spoken to inside the country, far from being weakened the regime is more deeply embedded. And it is in a vengeful mood. » | Fergal Keane | Special correspondent | Monday, May 4, 2026
Protests have come and gone. A war. Then a ceasefire. But the regime of the Islamic Republic has endured.
In fact, according to Iranians the BBC has spoken to inside the country, far from being weakened the regime is more deeply embedded. And it is in a vengeful mood. » | Fergal Keane | Special correspondent | Monday, May 4, 2026
Rudy Giuliani Is in ‘Critical Condition’ in Florida Hospital
THE NEW YORK TIMES: A spokesman for the former mayor of New York City said Mr. Giuliani was critical but stable.
Rudolph W. Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City, is in a Florida hospital in critical condition, his spokesman said Sunday.
The spokesman, Ted Goodman, would not specify which hospital and said that the former mayor “remains in critical but stable condition.”
“Mayor Giuliani is a fighter who has faced every challenge in his life with unwavering strength, and he’s fighting with that same level of strength as we speak,” he said, before asking “that you join us in prayer” for the former mayor.
It is unclear when Mr. Giuliani, 81, was taken to the hospital.
President Trump, in a post on Truth Social, called Mr. Giuliani a “True Warrior, and the Best Mayor in the History of New York City, BY FAR.” » | Jonah E. Bromwich | Sunday, May 3, 2026
Rudolph W. Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City, is in a Florida hospital in critical condition, his spokesman said Sunday.
The spokesman, Ted Goodman, would not specify which hospital and said that the former mayor “remains in critical but stable condition.”
“Mayor Giuliani is a fighter who has faced every challenge in his life with unwavering strength, and he’s fighting with that same level of strength as we speak,” he said, before asking “that you join us in prayer” for the former mayor.
It is unclear when Mr. Giuliani, 81, was taken to the hospital.
President Trump, in a post on Truth Social, called Mr. Giuliani a “True Warrior, and the Best Mayor in the History of New York City, BY FAR.” » | Jonah E. Bromwich | Sunday, May 3, 2026
Iran : trois hommes pendus en lien avec des manifestations de janvier
LE FIGARO : Les arrestations et exécutions, notamment liées aux manifestations qui ont secoué le pays l’hiver dernier, se multiplient en Iran depuis le début du conflit régional déclenché par une attaque américano-israélienne le 28 février.
Trois hommes ont été pendus dans le nord-est de l'Iran après avoir été reconnus coupables d'avoir contribué aux décès de membres des forces de sécurité lors des manifestations qui ont secoué le pays en décembre et janvier, a annoncé lundi la justice iranienne. Les arrestations et exécutions, notamment liées aux manifestations qui ont secoué le pays l'hiver dernier, se multiplient en Iran depuis le début du conflit régional déclenché par une attaque américano-israélienne le 28 février. » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | lundi 4 mai 2026
Trois hommes ont été pendus dans le nord-est de l'Iran après avoir été reconnus coupables d'avoir contribué aux décès de membres des forces de sécurité lors des manifestations qui ont secoué le pays en décembre et janvier, a annoncé lundi la justice iranienne. Les arrestations et exécutions, notamment liées aux manifestations qui ont secoué le pays l'hiver dernier, se multiplient en Iran depuis le début du conflit régional déclenché par une attaque américano-israélienne le 28 février. » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | lundi 4 mai 2026
Sunday, May 03, 2026
Brexit Failed. Farage Did It. Now You're Voting FOR Him?
‘This Is Just Disarray’: Alarm Inside Pentagon after Hegseth Staff Purges
THE GUARDIAN: Insiders portray defense secretary as increasingly isolated after officers with impeccable reputations forced out
Since Donald Trump’s first term, they have been viewed comfortingly as the “adults in the room,” a last line of defense against the impulsive whims of a president with access to the nuclear codes.
Now – after an unprecedented wave of firings that has been compared by some to Stalin’s purges – the Pentagon top brass no longer seem like such a reliable bulwark.
Since Trump returned to office in January last year, Pete Hegseth, the rumbustious defense secretary who has made it his mission to remake a military ethos he denounced as “woke”, has fired or forcibly retired 24 generals and senior commanders, with no performance-related reason given.
About 60% have been Black or female, an approach seemingly driven by the administration’s proclaimed onslaught against “DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) hires”. » | Robert Tait in Washington | Sunday, May 3, 2026
Since Donald Trump’s first term, they have been viewed comfortingly as the “adults in the room,” a last line of defense against the impulsive whims of a president with access to the nuclear codes.
Now – after an unprecedented wave of firings that has been compared by some to Stalin’s purges – the Pentagon top brass no longer seem like such a reliable bulwark.
Since Trump returned to office in January last year, Pete Hegseth, the rumbustious defense secretary who has made it his mission to remake a military ethos he denounced as “woke”, has fired or forcibly retired 24 generals and senior commanders, with no performance-related reason given.
About 60% have been Black or female, an approach seemingly driven by the administration’s proclaimed onslaught against “DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) hires”. » | Robert Tait in Washington | Sunday, May 3, 2026
Republicans ‘Concerned’ after Trump Threatens to Withdraw More US Troops from Germany
THE GUARDIAN: US announced withdrawal of 5,000 soldiers last week after German chancellor said US was being ‘humiliated’ by Iran
Donald Trump has threatened to withdraw more US troops from Germany after stunning European leaders and some senior members of his own party by last week announcing the withdrawal of 5,000 soldiers from Germany.
The move left 30,000 US troops still in the country, according to CNN. But Trump threatened on Saturday that more cuts were coming. “We are going to cut way down, and we’re cutting a lot further than 5,000,” he told reporters on Saturday.
Trump’s initial move to reduce US personnel in Germany came after German chancellor Friedrich Merz said the US was being “humiliated” by Iran.
The Pentagon then announced on Friday it was withdrawing 5,000 troops from Germany. The decision came after a “thorough review of the Department’s force posture in Europe and is in recognition of theater requirements and conditions on the ground”, a spokesman said. » | Sam Levine | Sunday, May 3, 2026
Donald Trump has threatened to withdraw more US troops from Germany after stunning European leaders and some senior members of his own party by last week announcing the withdrawal of 5,000 soldiers from Germany.
The move left 30,000 US troops still in the country, according to CNN. But Trump threatened on Saturday that more cuts were coming. “We are going to cut way down, and we’re cutting a lot further than 5,000,” he told reporters on Saturday.
Trump’s initial move to reduce US personnel in Germany came after German chancellor Friedrich Merz said the US was being “humiliated” by Iran.
The Pentagon then announced on Friday it was withdrawing 5,000 troops from Germany. The decision came after a “thorough review of the Department’s force posture in Europe and is in recognition of theater requirements and conditions on the ground”, a spokesman said. » | Sam Levine | Sunday, May 3, 2026
'Fundamental Liberty' Threatened If Pro-Palestine March Banned | Fraser Nelson
May 2, 2026 | “I can understand why Keir Starmer is, like everybody else, personally repelled that this march is going ahead. But do you want to stop it?”
The prime minister’s suggestion of banning a planned Pro-Palestine march in the wake of the Golders Green antisemitic attack would threaten the “principle that anybody can march in protest for any reason,” says The Times columnist Fraser Nelson.
Keir Starmer is rather fond of banning things! This is unBritish. Keir Starmer needs to be removed from Downing Street at the earliest convenience. The right to protest is fundamental to the British way of life as is the right to smoke. — © Mark Alexander
The prime minister’s suggestion of banning a planned Pro-Palestine march in the wake of the Golders Green antisemitic attack would threaten the “principle that anybody can march in protest for any reason,” says The Times columnist Fraser Nelson.
Keir Starmer is rather fond of banning things! This is unBritish. Keir Starmer needs to be removed from Downing Street at the earliest convenience. The right to protest is fundamental to the British way of life as is the right to smoke. — © Mark Alexander
Kim Jong-un erklärt Nordkoreas Jugend zur „Vorhut“ – auch im Krieg gegen die Ukraine
BERLINER ZEITUNG: Nordkoreas Machthaber Kim Jong-un verschärft den ideologischen Kurs gegen junge Menschen. Zugleich verknüpft die Führung die Jugendorganisation offen mit Russlands Krieg gegen die Ukraine.
Der Screenshot wurde von diesem Artikel genommen. | Kim Jong-un bei einer Militärzeremonie: Die Führung stellt junge Menschen zunehmend in den Dienst von Ideologie und Kriegspolitik. | © KCNA/dpa
Nordkoreas Machthaber Kim Jong-un hat die Jugend des Landes als „Vorhut“ staatlicher Ziele bezeichnet und ihre Rolle im Krieg Russlands gegen die Ukraine hervorgehoben. Das berichtete die staatliche Nachrichtenagentur KCNA am Sonntag.
Kim traf demnach in Pjöngjang Delegierte des elften Kongresses der Sozialistisch-Patriotischen Jugendliga. Das Treffen findet nur alle fünf Jahre statt und dient der politischen Mobilisierung junger Nordkoreaner im Alter zwischen etwa 14 und 30 Jahren. Begleitet wurde der Kongress von Massenkundgebungen, Fackelzügen und einer Gala in der Hauptstadt. » | Alexander Schmalz | Sonntag, 03. Mai 2026
Nordkoreas Machthaber Kim Jong-un hat die Jugend des Landes als „Vorhut“ staatlicher Ziele bezeichnet und ihre Rolle im Krieg Russlands gegen die Ukraine hervorgehoben. Das berichtete die staatliche Nachrichtenagentur KCNA am Sonntag.
Kim traf demnach in Pjöngjang Delegierte des elften Kongresses der Sozialistisch-Patriotischen Jugendliga. Das Treffen findet nur alle fünf Jahre statt und dient der politischen Mobilisierung junger Nordkoreaner im Alter zwischen etwa 14 und 30 Jahren. Begleitet wurde der Kongress von Massenkundgebungen, Fackelzügen und einer Gala in der Hauptstadt. » | Alexander Schmalz | Sonntag, 03. Mai 2026
She's Had It. And After This Episode, So Will You. | Jen Welch
May 2, 2026 | Jennifer Welch, host of the massively popular I've Had It podcast, joins Jim Acosta for an unfiltered breakdown of the week that broke everyone's brain — King Charles lecturing Congress about democracy while Trump called Putin, billionaires lining up to kiss the ring at a Fox News state dinner, and the Supreme Court quietly delivering wins for corporate America while everyone watches the chaos.
Plus: actor-turned-crypto fraud investigator Ben McKenzie, who testified before the U.S. Senate on the FTX collapse, weighs in on Trump's embrace of the very crypto industry he's been sounding the alarm on for years.
Plus: actor-turned-crypto fraud investigator Ben McKenzie, who testified before the U.S. Senate on the FTX collapse, weighs in on Trump's embrace of the very crypto industry he's been sounding the alarm on for years.
Alexandre Devecchio : « Génération sans tabac en Angleterre, l’État nounou nuit gravement à la liberté »
LE FIGARO : LA BATAILLE DES IDÉES - Le Royaume-Uni a adopté une loi interdisant la vente de cigarettes aux personnes nées après 2008. Derrière l’objectif louable en matière de santé, un recul du principe de responsabilité individuelle.
Capture d'écran extraite de cet article. | Le premier ministre britannique Winston Churchill, cigare à la bouche. | English Photographer, (20th century) / Bridgeman Images
« Cigars, whisky and no sport », telle était la devise du grand Winston Churchill, décédé à l’âge de… 90 ans ! Il doit se retourner dans sa tombe aujourd’hui en voyant les parlementaires britanniques œuvrer pour faire du Royaume-Uni un royaume sans tabac. Et pourquoi pas une Grande-Bretagne sans Beatles ni chips au vinaigre ? Le Parlement britannique a adopté la semaine dernière une loi interdisant à vie la vente de cigarettes à toutes les personnes nées après 2008. Les personnes nées après le 1er janvier 2009, actuellement âgées de 17 ans ou moins, n’auront jamais le droit d’acheter au Royaume-Uni des produits à base de tabac, comme les cigarettes, même une fois adultes. Le Royaume-Uni est le premier pays en Europe à prendre une telle mesure, et le deuxième au monde après les Maldives, pays où l’islam radical ne cesse de gagner du terrain et où la charia est appliquée pour les ressortissants.
L’objectif d’« éliminer presque complètement le tabagisme chez les jeunes dès 2040 » peut apparaître louable en Angleterre, où la cigarette reste la première cause de décès évitables. Mais, outre que la prohibition n’a jamais été une solution et ne contribue qu’à faire exploser le marché noir, cela rappelle les mauvais souvenirs de la pandémie lorsque les chefs d’État nous expliquaient comment nous laver les mains. Impossible de ne pas penser au Meilleur des mondes d’Aldous Huxley. Dans ce roman dystopique paru en 1932, l’écrivain britannique imaginait un État mondial où la technologie et la science avaient remplacé la liberté et Dieu, où les maladies et la vieillesse avaient été éradiquées. » | Par Alexandre Devecchio, pour Le Figaro Magazine | dimanche 3 mai 2026
Réservé aux abonnés
Cet article important est excellent et très intéressant. Il va droit au but.
Starmer est austère et morose. Il faut espérer que la loi inapplicable de Starmer finira par échouer. De plus, il faut espérer qu'un futur gouvernement aura la sagesse d'abroger cette loi absurde, antidémocratique et illibérale.
Libérons le peuple, ne l'enchaînons pas ! — © Mark Alexander
« Cigars, whisky and no sport », telle était la devise du grand Winston Churchill, décédé à l’âge de… 90 ans ! Il doit se retourner dans sa tombe aujourd’hui en voyant les parlementaires britanniques œuvrer pour faire du Royaume-Uni un royaume sans tabac. Et pourquoi pas une Grande-Bretagne sans Beatles ni chips au vinaigre ? Le Parlement britannique a adopté la semaine dernière une loi interdisant à vie la vente de cigarettes à toutes les personnes nées après 2008. Les personnes nées après le 1er janvier 2009, actuellement âgées de 17 ans ou moins, n’auront jamais le droit d’acheter au Royaume-Uni des produits à base de tabac, comme les cigarettes, même une fois adultes. Le Royaume-Uni est le premier pays en Europe à prendre une telle mesure, et le deuxième au monde après les Maldives, pays où l’islam radical ne cesse de gagner du terrain et où la charia est appliquée pour les ressortissants.
L’objectif d’« éliminer presque complètement le tabagisme chez les jeunes dès 2040 » peut apparaître louable en Angleterre, où la cigarette reste la première cause de décès évitables. Mais, outre que la prohibition n’a jamais été une solution et ne contribue qu’à faire exploser le marché noir, cela rappelle les mauvais souvenirs de la pandémie lorsque les chefs d’État nous expliquaient comment nous laver les mains. Impossible de ne pas penser au Meilleur des mondes d’Aldous Huxley. Dans ce roman dystopique paru en 1932, l’écrivain britannique imaginait un État mondial où la technologie et la science avaient remplacé la liberté et Dieu, où les maladies et la vieillesse avaient été éradiquées. » | Par Alexandre Devecchio, pour Le Figaro Magazine | dimanche 3 mai 2026
Réservé aux abonnés
Cet article important est excellent et très intéressant. Il va droit au but.
Starmer est austère et morose. Il faut espérer que la loi inapplicable de Starmer finira par échouer. De plus, il faut espérer qu'un futur gouvernement aura la sagesse d'abroger cette loi absurde, antidémocratique et illibérale.
Libérons le peuple, ne l'enchaînons pas ! — © Mark Alexander
Saturday, May 02, 2026
The Interview: What Does Tucker Carlson Really Believe? I Went to Maine to Find Out.
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Tucker Carlson has been at the center of our political conversation and conservative media for a decade now. Few media figures are more closely identified with the Trump era. His hugely popular Fox News show started just after the 2016 election, and despite being fired by that network in 2023, Carlson has remained a Trumpworld fixture, launching his own network, boosting Donald Trump on his podcast and at campaign rallies, sitting in Trump’s box during the Republican National Convention and attending his inauguration.
Then, in February, President Trump made the call to attack Iran alongside Israel, a decision that Carlson is completely opposed to. He now says he regrets supporting Trump and has become a vocal and influential critic of the administration on his show. He also blames Israel for making Trump a “slave” by, as he characterizes it, pushing the president into war. Because of this focus on Israel, and his high-profile interview of the white nationalist influencer Nick Fuentes, critics have accused him of antisemitism.
To understand this break with the president and more, I traveled to Maine to sit down with Carlson, and then we spoke again remotely a few days later. We had a wide-ranging conversation about his views on the war, his Fuentes episode, his friendship with Vice President JD Vance and, more surreally, whether he thinks Trump is the Antichrist — something he’s been musing about on his show. » | Lulu Garcia-Navarro | Saturday, May 2, 2026
Then, in February, President Trump made the call to attack Iran alongside Israel, a decision that Carlson is completely opposed to. He now says he regrets supporting Trump and has become a vocal and influential critic of the administration on his show. He also blames Israel for making Trump a “slave” by, as he characterizes it, pushing the president into war. Because of this focus on Israel, and his high-profile interview of the white nationalist influencer Nick Fuentes, critics have accused him of antisemitism.
To understand this break with the president and more, I traveled to Maine to sit down with Carlson, and then we spoke again remotely a few days later. We had a wide-ranging conversation about his views on the war, his Fuentes episode, his friendship with Vice President JD Vance and, more surreally, whether he thinks Trump is the Antichrist — something he’s been musing about on his show. » | Lulu Garcia-Navarro | Saturday, May 2, 2026
« Un jeu de poker menteur » : que cherche Donald Trump avec sa menace de taxe à 25% sur les voitures européennes ?
LE FIGARO : ENTRETIEN CROISÉ - Le président américain a menacé les voitures européennes importées aux États Unis de droits de douane de 25%, qui s’appliqueraient dès la semaine prochaine.
Antoine Bouët est économiste. Depuis le 1er octobre 2022, il est directeur du Centre d’études prospectives et d’informations internationales (CEPII) et est également professeur d’économie à l’université de Bordeaux. Olivier Dorgans est avocat associé au sein du cabinet Stephenson Harwood.
L’année 2025 a été marquée par la guerre commerciale opposant les États Unis au reste du monde. Après avoir menacé l’Europe de droits de douane record en avril, les accords de Turnberry – ainsi nommés en référence au golf écossais où Donald Trump a reçu les dirigeants européens – conclus en juillet 2025 devaient constituer un nouveau point d’équilibre commercial entre les deux blocs. Un équilibre fragile que Donald Trump vient de remettre en cause, en promettant de taxer à 25% (au lieu des 15% prévus) les voitures et camions européens importés aux États Unis. Et ce, dès la semaine prochaine. » | Par Enguerrand Armanet | samedi 2 mai 2026
Réservé aux abonnés
Antoine Bouët est économiste. Depuis le 1er octobre 2022, il est directeur du Centre d’études prospectives et d’informations internationales (CEPII) et est également professeur d’économie à l’université de Bordeaux. Olivier Dorgans est avocat associé au sein du cabinet Stephenson Harwood.
L’année 2025 a été marquée par la guerre commerciale opposant les États Unis au reste du monde. Après avoir menacé l’Europe de droits de douane record en avril, les accords de Turnberry – ainsi nommés en référence au golf écossais où Donald Trump a reçu les dirigeants européens – conclus en juillet 2025 devaient constituer un nouveau point d’équilibre commercial entre les deux blocs. Un équilibre fragile que Donald Trump vient de remettre en cause, en promettant de taxer à 25% (au lieu des 15% prévus) les voitures et camions européens importés aux États Unis. Et ce, dès la semaine prochaine. » | Par Enguerrand Armanet | samedi 2 mai 2026
Réservé aux abonnés
Why Milei’s Approval Ratings Are Tanking
Apr 29, 2026 | Compare news coverage. Spot media bias. Avoid algorithms.
Milei's popularity is coming under strain in Argentina as his economic recovery has stalled and corruption allegations have hurt his reputation. So in this video, we'll explore what's going wrong and whether he can pull his approval back from the brink.
Milei's popularity is coming under strain in Argentina as his economic recovery has stalled and corruption allegations have hurt his reputation. So in this video, we'll explore what's going wrong and whether he can pull his approval back from the brink.
El Pastificio de Nicola: "Argentine Shepherd’s Pie" | Traditional Pastel de Papa Recipe
Click here for the full recipe. Then click on ‘more’.
Nb: FYI, even though this recipe is referred to in Argentina as "shepherd's pie", in the UK, we would call this cottage pie. In the UK, we distinguish between shepherd's pie which is made with lamb, and cottage pie which is made with minced (US: ground) beef. — Mark
« Ce voile qui couvre mon visage est une mort lente » : six femmes racontent au Figaro Magazine leur vie sous la théocratie misogyne des talibans
LE FIGARO : TÉMOIGNAGES - Après de longues années passées en Afghanistan, à partager le quotidien de femmes et d’hommes parfois devenus des proches, la photographe et journaliste Sandra Calligaro livre ces lettres qui sonnent toutes comme un acte de résistance.
Capture d'écran extraite de cet article. | Bahar*, 14 ans, enfile son tchâdri avant de sortir de chez elle, à Kaboul, en Afghanistan, le 22 janvier 2025. (*le prénom a été modifié) | Sandra Calligaro
Dans la galaxie des étrangers qui parlent d’Afghanistan, Sandra Calligaro est une voix particulièrement précieuse. Grâce aux longues années qu’elle a passées sur place, partageant le quotidien de femmes et d’hommes parfois devenus des proches, documentant patiemment des vies ballottées par les guerres, les attentats, les changements de régime, les catastrophes naturelles, émaillées pour autant de rires, de beautés et de rêves. Mais aussi et surtout par l’humanité et la pudeur avec lesquelles elle restitue ces chemins de vie, cherchant la justesse plutôt que le scoop, s’effaçant volontiers, toujours discrète, observatrice, au service de son art et des gens qui lui ont ouvert leur porte et leur cœur. Car plus qu’une journaliste qui a tourné les images de grands films sur l’Afghanistan et illustré tant d’articles de presse, Sandra Calligaro est une artiste dont le travail témoigne d’une passion sincère, au long cours.
Ces lettres d’Afghanes qu’elle a récoltées sont autant de documents nécessaires qui lèvent le voile sur la vie des femmes sous la théocratie misogyne des talibans. Dans ce pays trop oublié en Occident, le seul au monde où les jeunes filles sont privées d’éducation et pour lequel l’ONU a forgé le concept d’« apartheid de genre », chaque lettre sonne comme une résistance. Fidèle à son approche depuis deux décennies, Sandra Calligaro a laissé défiler ces mots sans les tronquer, sans les expliquer, sans se les approprier. À nouveau, la photographe se tient aux côtés des Afghanes, les laissant – c’est aujourd’hui un luxe – s’exprimer pleinement.
Tess Afzali » | Par Tess Afzali (texte) et Sandra Calligaro (photos), pour Le Figaro Magazine | samedi 2 mai 2026
Dans la galaxie des étrangers qui parlent d’Afghanistan, Sandra Calligaro est une voix particulièrement précieuse. Grâce aux longues années qu’elle a passées sur place, partageant le quotidien de femmes et d’hommes parfois devenus des proches, documentant patiemment des vies ballottées par les guerres, les attentats, les changements de régime, les catastrophes naturelles, émaillées pour autant de rires, de beautés et de rêves. Mais aussi et surtout par l’humanité et la pudeur avec lesquelles elle restitue ces chemins de vie, cherchant la justesse plutôt que le scoop, s’effaçant volontiers, toujours discrète, observatrice, au service de son art et des gens qui lui ont ouvert leur porte et leur cœur. Car plus qu’une journaliste qui a tourné les images de grands films sur l’Afghanistan et illustré tant d’articles de presse, Sandra Calligaro est une artiste dont le travail témoigne d’une passion sincère, au long cours.
Ces lettres d’Afghanes qu’elle a récoltées sont autant de documents nécessaires qui lèvent le voile sur la vie des femmes sous la théocratie misogyne des talibans. Dans ce pays trop oublié en Occident, le seul au monde où les jeunes filles sont privées d’éducation et pour lequel l’ONU a forgé le concept d’« apartheid de genre », chaque lettre sonne comme une résistance. Fidèle à son approche depuis deux décennies, Sandra Calligaro a laissé défiler ces mots sans les tronquer, sans les expliquer, sans se les approprier. À nouveau, la photographe se tient aux côtés des Afghanes, les laissant – c’est aujourd’hui un luxe – s’exprimer pleinement.
Tess Afzali » | Par Tess Afzali (texte) et Sandra Calligaro (photos), pour Le Figaro Magazine | samedi 2 mai 2026
John Major: "The First Role of Any Government… Is to Leave Something Better for the Next Generation”
Nur noch 13 Prozent der jüdischen Gemeinden sehen eine gute Zukunft in Deutschland
BERLINER ZEITUNG: Jüdische Gemeinden sehen sich zunehmend im Stich gelassen - und ein proiranisches Terror-Netzwerk bedroht jüdische Einrichtungen in ganz Europa.
Da es in den vergangenen Monaten in Deutschland vermehrt zu antisemitischen Bedrohungen und Anschlägen gekommen ist, sehen nur noch 13 Prozent der jüdischen Gemeinden die Zukunft für jüdisches Leben im Land positiv. Das ist dem Lagebild der Jüdischen Gemeinden 2026 zu entnehmen, das der Zentralrat der Juden am Freitag veröffentlichte.
Demnach haben zwei Drittel der Befragten auch durch die Waffenruhe in Gaza keine Erleichterung der Sicherheitslage gespürt. 68 Prozent der jüdischen Gemeinschaft nehmen das Leben in Deutschland als unsicherer wahr als vor dem 7. Oktober 2023. Die Solidarität mit Jüdinnen und Juden in Deutschland ist laut der Erhebung deutlich zurückgegangen – von 62 Prozent im Jahr 2023 auf heute nur noch 35 Prozent. „Diese Zustände sind unhaltbar“, erklärte Zentralratspräsident Josef Schuster. Er mahnte zudem, der Antisemitismus habe sich als Teil des öffentlichen Raums normalisiert. » | Luise Evers | Samstag, 2. Mai 2026
Da es in den vergangenen Monaten in Deutschland vermehrt zu antisemitischen Bedrohungen und Anschlägen gekommen ist, sehen nur noch 13 Prozent der jüdischen Gemeinden die Zukunft für jüdisches Leben im Land positiv. Das ist dem Lagebild der Jüdischen Gemeinden 2026 zu entnehmen, das der Zentralrat der Juden am Freitag veröffentlichte.
Demnach haben zwei Drittel der Befragten auch durch die Waffenruhe in Gaza keine Erleichterung der Sicherheitslage gespürt. 68 Prozent der jüdischen Gemeinschaft nehmen das Leben in Deutschland als unsicherer wahr als vor dem 7. Oktober 2023. Die Solidarität mit Jüdinnen und Juden in Deutschland ist laut der Erhebung deutlich zurückgegangen – von 62 Prozent im Jahr 2023 auf heute nur noch 35 Prozent. „Diese Zustände sind unhaltbar“, erklärte Zentralratspräsident Josef Schuster. Er mahnte zudem, der Antisemitismus habe sich als Teil des öffentlichen Raums normalisiert. » | Luise Evers | Samstag, 2. Mai 2026
Le Pérou soupçonne la Russie d’avoir enrôlé de force des Péruviens sur le front ukrainien, après les avoir attirés par la ruse
LE FIGARO : D’anciens militaires et policiers péruviens auraient été recrutés sur les réseaux sociaux par le biais d’offres d’emploi trompeuses proposant de travailler en Russie comme agents de sécurité ou d’autres postes, avant d’être envoyés sur le front ukrainien.
Le parquet péruvien a annoncé vendredi avoir ouvert une enquête pour trafic présumé d'êtres humains à la suite de plaintes concernant un réseau transnational qui recruterait des Péruviens pour les envoyer sur le front ukrainien. Selon le ministère public, d'anciens militaires et policiers ont ainsi été recrutés sur les réseaux sociaux par le biais d'offres d'emploi trompeuses proposant de travailler en Russie comme agents de sécurité ou d'autres postes.
« Les victimes auraient été transférées en Russie et, une fois sur le territoire étranger, contraintes de participer à des actions de combat dans le cadre du conflit armé entre la Russie et l'Ukraine », indique un communiqué. « Les parquets spécialisés ont immédiatement ordonné l'ouverture d'une enquête préliminaire pour le délit présumé d'atteinte à la dignité humaine, sous la forme de traite d'êtres humains et de traite d'êtres humains aggravée », est-il précisé. » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | Samedi 2 mai 2026
Le parquet péruvien a annoncé vendredi avoir ouvert une enquête pour trafic présumé d'êtres humains à la suite de plaintes concernant un réseau transnational qui recruterait des Péruviens pour les envoyer sur le front ukrainien. Selon le ministère public, d'anciens militaires et policiers ont ainsi été recrutés sur les réseaux sociaux par le biais d'offres d'emploi trompeuses proposant de travailler en Russie comme agents de sécurité ou d'autres postes.
« Les victimes auraient été transférées en Russie et, une fois sur le territoire étranger, contraintes de participer à des actions de combat dans le cadre du conflit armé entre la Russie et l'Ukraine », indique un communiqué. « Les parquets spécialisés ont immédiatement ordonné l'ouverture d'une enquête préliminaire pour le délit présumé d'atteinte à la dignité humaine, sous la forme de traite d'êtres humains et de traite d'êtres humains aggravée », est-il précisé. » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | Samedi 2 mai 2026
Rob Groves: Deliberate Destruction of USA Is Trump's Revenge
May 2, 2026 | "As King Prince Charles touched down in Washington for a state visit, Britain's own ambassador to the United States had a recording leaked to the Financial Times in which he said the only country that truly has a special relationship with America is probably Israel.
This week's Truth To Power looks at the collapse of American soft power under Trump, the growing European consensus that the United States under this administration is not an ally but a threat, and Rebecca Solnit's compelling thesis that Trump isn't governing badly, he's deliberately destroying governance itself. As an act of revenge on the country that rejected him in 2020.
And what does all of this mean for Britain? Trapped, according to the LSE, between a Europe we've partly left and an America we can no longer trust."
It is such a pity that Starmer sent our king to pay homage to King Don in his kingdumb! — © Mark Alexander
This week's Truth To Power looks at the collapse of American soft power under Trump, the growing European consensus that the United States under this administration is not an ally but a threat, and Rebecca Solnit's compelling thesis that Trump isn't governing badly, he's deliberately destroying governance itself. As an act of revenge on the country that rejected him in 2020.
And what does all of this mean for Britain? Trapped, according to the LSE, between a Europe we've partly left and an America we can no longer trust."
It is such a pity that Starmer sent our king to pay homage to King Don in his kingdumb! — © Mark Alexander
Farage: The MAGA Grifter Who Will Win Thursday's Elections
May 2, 2026 | On Thursday 7th May, Britain votes — and I'm giving you my full prediction, party by party, from worst to best.
The Liberal Democrats, despite their integrity and 72 MPs, will come last — because being decent isn't enough when you're invisible.
The Conservatives aren't far ahead, still paying the price for 14 years of economic mismanagement.
Labour's Keir Starmer faces a reckoning that could force him out of Downing Street sooner than anyone expects.
The Greens are surging — popular, photogenic leadership [really???] — but try naming a single Green policy.
And then there's Reform UK. I devote the majority of this video to Reform UK — because what's happening isn't just another British political story. It's the MAGA franchise arriving in Britain. Farage's movement, Trump's playbook, same energy — and it's working.
This is my honest, unfiltered prediction of how Thursday plays out — and what it means for the future of British politics.
Sadly, a pretty accurate assessment. The thought of Farage preening his feathers like a peacock, which he will, is vomit-inducing! — © Mark Alexander
The Liberal Democrats, despite their integrity and 72 MPs, will come last — because being decent isn't enough when you're invisible.
The Conservatives aren't far ahead, still paying the price for 14 years of economic mismanagement.
Labour's Keir Starmer faces a reckoning that could force him out of Downing Street sooner than anyone expects.
The Greens are surging — popular, photogenic leadership [really???] — but try naming a single Green policy.
And then there's Reform UK. I devote the majority of this video to Reform UK — because what's happening isn't just another British political story. It's the MAGA franchise arriving in Britain. Farage's movement, Trump's playbook, same energy — and it's working.
This is my honest, unfiltered prediction of how Thursday plays out — and what it means for the future of British politics.
Sadly, a pretty accurate assessment. The thought of Farage preening his feathers like a peacock, which he will, is vomit-inducing! — © Mark Alexander
Jailed Iranian Nobel Peace Prize Winner Hospitalized in Critical Condition
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Narges Mohammadi, a prominent human rights activist, was taken to a hospital after collapsing following a heart problem in prison.
Screenshot taken from this NYT article. | Narges Mohammadi poses in an undated photo provided by her family. The Nobel laureate has suffered from heart ailments for years, according to her family. | Credit: Mohammadi family
Narges Mohammadi, an Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate and prominent human rights activist, was transferred to a hospital in the city of Zanjan, where she was in prison, after collapsing and losing consciousness on Friday, according to a statement by her family.
Ms. Mohammadi is currently in the hospital’s intensive care unit. But the judicial authorities have refused requests from her family and her lawyer to transfer her to a better-equipped hospital in the country’s capital, Tehran, where she could be cared for by her longtime cardiologist, according to a statement by her foundation, the Narges Foundation, and her husband, Taghi Rahmani.
Mr. Rahmani said the family fears for her life and has pleaded for mercy from the Iranian authorities. Iran’s mission to the United Nations said it had no comment on Ms. Mohammadi’s health situation.
“We are extremely worried about her; she has collapsed and lost consciousness several times, and her life is in danger,” Mr. Rahmani said in an interview from Paris, where he lives in exile with the couple’s children. “Our request is basic and urgent: send her to a hospital in Tehran immediately.” » | Farnaz Fassihi | Farnaz Fassihi has covered Iran for more than three decades living and traveling through the country. She was a war correspondent based in the Middle East for 15 years. | Friday, May 1, 2026
Narges Mohammadi, an Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate and prominent human rights activist, was transferred to a hospital in the city of Zanjan, where she was in prison, after collapsing and losing consciousness on Friday, according to a statement by her family.
Ms. Mohammadi is currently in the hospital’s intensive care unit. But the judicial authorities have refused requests from her family and her lawyer to transfer her to a better-equipped hospital in the country’s capital, Tehran, where she could be cared for by her longtime cardiologist, according to a statement by her foundation, the Narges Foundation, and her husband, Taghi Rahmani.
Mr. Rahmani said the family fears for her life and has pleaded for mercy from the Iranian authorities. Iran’s mission to the United Nations said it had no comment on Ms. Mohammadi’s health situation.
“We are extremely worried about her; she has collapsed and lost consciousness several times, and her life is in danger,” Mr. Rahmani said in an interview from Paris, where he lives in exile with the couple’s children. “Our request is basic and urgent: send her to a hospital in Tehran immediately.” » | Farnaz Fassihi | Farnaz Fassihi has covered Iran for more than three decades living and traveling through the country. She was a war correspondent based in the Middle East for 15 years. | Friday, May 1, 2026
Trump Tells Congress Why He Doesn’t Need Its Authorization for the Iran War
THE NEW YORK TIMES: In letters to the House and Senate, the president asserted that the hostilities had “terminated,” in an apparent attempt to avoid having to seek congressional approval.
President Trump sent letters to Congress on Friday making the case that a Vietnam-era law requiring him to seek congressional authorization to continue military operations in Iran did not apply because the conflict was in a cease-fire.
In the letters — sent to House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana and Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, the president pro tempore of the Senate — Mr. Trump said that he was writing to inform them “of changes in the posture of United States Forces” and reiterated his administration’s position that a cease-fire he declared on April 7 had stopped the clock on the war.
Under the 1973 War Powers Resolution, if presidents deploy American forces into hostilities without congressional authorization, they must end the operation after 60 days if the legislative branch does not grant permission for the continued use of forces on the mission. The law also allows the president a single 30-day extension, but only to safely bring troops home, not to extend combat.
But Mr. Trump’s letters made the case that there had “been no exchange of fire between United States Forces and Iran since April 7,” and that hostilities the United States and Israel began on Feb. 28 “have terminated,” in an apparent attempt to avoid having to seek congressional approval. He did not mention that U.S. forces fired on an Iranian-flagged cargo ship on April 19. » | Erica L. Green and Megan Mineiro | Friday, May 1, 2026
President Trump sent letters to Congress on Friday making the case that a Vietnam-era law requiring him to seek congressional authorization to continue military operations in Iran did not apply because the conflict was in a cease-fire.
In the letters — sent to House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana and Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, the president pro tempore of the Senate — Mr. Trump said that he was writing to inform them “of changes in the posture of United States Forces” and reiterated his administration’s position that a cease-fire he declared on April 7 had stopped the clock on the war.
Under the 1973 War Powers Resolution, if presidents deploy American forces into hostilities without congressional authorization, they must end the operation after 60 days if the legislative branch does not grant permission for the continued use of forces on the mission. The law also allows the president a single 30-day extension, but only to safely bring troops home, not to extend combat.
But Mr. Trump’s letters made the case that there had “been no exchange of fire between United States Forces and Iran since April 7,” and that hostilities the United States and Israel began on Feb. 28 “have terminated,” in an apparent attempt to avoid having to seek congressional approval. He did not mention that U.S. forces fired on an Iranian-flagged cargo ship on April 19. » | Erica L. Green and Megan Mineiro | Friday, May 1, 2026
U.S. to Withdraw 5,000 Troops From Germany, Pentagon Says
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Officials announced the decision after President Trump expressed annoyance with the German chancellor’s remarks about the Iran war.
Pentagon officials said on Friday that they were pulling 5,000 troops from Germany and would redeploy them to the United States and other posts overseas.
The Defense Department is also canceling a plan developed under the Biden administration to place a missile-equipped artillery unit in Europe.
The moves will return U.S. forces in Europe to the level they were in 2022, before Russia began its war in Ukraine, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the planning process. Last year, the Pentagon redeployed a brigade in Romania and did not send replacement forces.
Sean Parnell, a Pentagon spokesman, said in a statement that the withdrawal would be completed over the next six to 12 months. » | Julian E. Barnes and Helene Cooper | Reporting from Washington | Friday, May 1, 2026
Trump has had yet another temper tantrum! So, what’s new? Friedrich Merz spoke the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Obviously, Trump doesn’t like to hear the truth. — © Mark Alexander
READ ALSO:
How Germany Misjudged Trump’s Anger on Iran: After Chancellor Friedrich Merz upset President Trump with criticism of the war, he offered no public sign he believed Mr. Trump’s threats to pull troops were serious. »
À LIRE AUSSI :
Le Pentagone annonce le retrait de 5000 soldats américains stationnés en Allemagne : Cette décision, ordonnée par le secrétaire à la Défense, doit être mise en œuvre dans un délai d’un an. »
LESEN SIE AUCH:
Streit mit Merz eskaliert: Trump zieht 5000 Soldaten aus Deutschland ab – Pistorius reagiert: Nach dem angekündigten Abzug von 5000 US-Soldaten aus Deutschland gibt sich die Bundesregierung gelassen. Verteidigungsminister Boris Pistorius nennt den Schritt „absehbar“. »
Pentagon officials said on Friday that they were pulling 5,000 troops from Germany and would redeploy them to the United States and other posts overseas.
The Defense Department is also canceling a plan developed under the Biden administration to place a missile-equipped artillery unit in Europe.
The moves will return U.S. forces in Europe to the level they were in 2022, before Russia began its war in Ukraine, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the planning process. Last year, the Pentagon redeployed a brigade in Romania and did not send replacement forces.
Sean Parnell, a Pentagon spokesman, said in a statement that the withdrawal would be completed over the next six to 12 months. » | Julian E. Barnes and Helene Cooper | Reporting from Washington | Friday, May 1, 2026
Trump has had yet another temper tantrum! So, what’s new? Friedrich Merz spoke the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Obviously, Trump doesn’t like to hear the truth. — © Mark Alexander
READ ALSO:
How Germany Misjudged Trump’s Anger on Iran: After Chancellor Friedrich Merz upset President Trump with criticism of the war, he offered no public sign he believed Mr. Trump’s threats to pull troops were serious. »
À LIRE AUSSI :
Le Pentagone annonce le retrait de 5000 soldats américains stationnés en Allemagne : Cette décision, ordonnée par le secrétaire à la Défense, doit être mise en œuvre dans un délai d’un an. »
LESEN SIE AUCH:
Streit mit Merz eskaliert: Trump zieht 5000 Soldaten aus Deutschland ab – Pistorius reagiert: Nach dem angekündigten Abzug von 5000 US-Soldaten aus Deutschland gibt sich die Bundesregierung gelassen. Verteidigungsminister Boris Pistorius nennt den Schritt „absehbar“. »
Friday, May 01, 2026
Steve Schmidt: MAGA Is Rotting from the Inside Out
Mr Schmidt: It hasn’t been a very good year for the rest of the world, either! Trump and his chumps have dumped on the whole wide world! We are all licking our wounds. All because Americans have poor judgment when it comes to picking their presidents. Their penchant for geriatrics comes with a very high price tag! — © Mark Alexander
L’éditorial de Philippe Gélie : « Donald Trump et la quête de l’immortalité »
LE FIGARO : Le 47e président américain a gravé son nom dans le marbre du Kennedy Center et déroulé son portrait géant sur les façades des ministères. Simple aperçu : Trump imperator veut maintenant laisser une empreinte éternelle sur sa Nouvelle Rome.
Donald Trump est revenu à la Maison-Blanche pour entrer dans l’Histoire. L’insurgent du premier mandat étend son pouvoir sur l’Amérique et imprime sa marque sur le monde. Cela commence à Washington, écrin de la démocratie américaine depuis 250 ans. Le 47e président s’est approprié en conquérant cette ville qui a voté trois fois contre lui à plus de 90 % : il a gravé son nom dans le marbre du Kennedy Center et déroulé son portrait géant sur les façades des ministères. Simple aperçu : Trump imperator veut maintenant laisser une empreinte éternelle sur sa Nouvelle Rome. » | Par Philippe Gélie | vendredi 1 mai 2026
Réservé aux abonnés
Donald Trump est revenu à la Maison-Blanche pour entrer dans l’Histoire. L’insurgent du premier mandat étend son pouvoir sur l’Amérique et imprime sa marque sur le monde. Cela commence à Washington, écrin de la démocratie américaine depuis 250 ans. Le 47e président s’est approprié en conquérant cette ville qui a voté trois fois contre lui à plus de 90 % : il a gravé son nom dans le marbre du Kennedy Center et déroulé son portrait géant sur les façades des ministères. Simple aperçu : Trump imperator veut maintenant laisser une empreinte éternelle sur sa Nouvelle Rome. » | Par Philippe Gélie | vendredi 1 mai 2026
Réservé aux abonnés
Plus haut arc de triomphe du monde, salle de bal géante, 250 statues de héros américains... À Washington, la folie des grandeurs de Trump
LE FIGARO : DÉCRYPTAGE - L’ancien promoteur immobilier impose sa marque sur l’architecture fédérale de la capitale.
La pelouse circulaire sert jusqu’à présent surtout aux oies et autres oiseaux migrateurs. Sur l’île Columbia, au bord du Potomac, un rond-point entouré par la voie rapide George Washington Memorial Parkway a été choisi par Donald Trump pour y construire un gigantesque arc de triomphe. « L’endroit attendait un monument », a déclaré le président américain en présentant les maquettes du projet.
L’idée a germé dans l’esprit du président américain lors de sa visite à Paris pour le centenaire de l’Armistice en 2018, où les cérémonies se déroulaient sous l’Arc de triomphe. Les premiers plans ont d’abord été ceux d’un arc de taille relativement modeste, avec une hauteur de 18 mètres. Celle-ci a été portée à 23 mètres (76 pieds), pour symboliser l’année 1776, date de la fondation des États-Unis. Mais Trump a insisté pour que son arc soit plus haut que celui de Paris, qui mesure environ 50 mètres. Il a suggéré de rajouter une statue de la Liberté dorée et ailée pour porter la taille du monument à 75 mètres, soit 250 pieds pour célébrer les 250 ans des États-Unis. Ce qui en ferait le plus haut arc de triomphe du monde. » | Par Adrien Jaulmes, correspondant à Washington | vendredi 1 mai. 2026
Réservé aux abonnés
La pelouse circulaire sert jusqu’à présent surtout aux oies et autres oiseaux migrateurs. Sur l’île Columbia, au bord du Potomac, un rond-point entouré par la voie rapide George Washington Memorial Parkway a été choisi par Donald Trump pour y construire un gigantesque arc de triomphe. « L’endroit attendait un monument », a déclaré le président américain en présentant les maquettes du projet.
L’idée a germé dans l’esprit du président américain lors de sa visite à Paris pour le centenaire de l’Armistice en 2018, où les cérémonies se déroulaient sous l’Arc de triomphe. Les premiers plans ont d’abord été ceux d’un arc de taille relativement modeste, avec une hauteur de 18 mètres. Celle-ci a été portée à 23 mètres (76 pieds), pour symboliser l’année 1776, date de la fondation des États-Unis. Mais Trump a insisté pour que son arc soit plus haut que celui de Paris, qui mesure environ 50 mètres. Il a suggéré de rajouter une statue de la Liberté dorée et ailée pour porter la taille du monument à 75 mètres, soit 250 pieds pour célébrer les 250 ans des États-Unis. Ce qui en ferait le plus haut arc de triomphe du monde. » | Par Adrien Jaulmes, correspondant à Washington | vendredi 1 mai. 2026
Réservé aux abonnés
Trump Tears Up EU Tariff Deal and Raises Some Import Duties
THE GUARDIAN: US president says tariff on cars and lorries will rise to 25% and accuses European Union of non-compliance
Donald Trump has said he is tearing up part of the tariff deal he struck with EU leaders at his golf course in Scotland last summer, criticising Brussels for taking so long to ratify the deal.
Blindsiding Brussels late on May Day bank holiday on Friday, he announced that he would be increasing tariffs on cars and lorries imported into the US from the EU from 15% to 25% from next week.
Vehicles made in the US by EU companies would be exempt from the increase, he wrote on Truth Social.
“I am pleased to announce that, based on the fact the European Union is not complying with our full agreed to Trade Deal, next week I will be increasing Tariffs charged to the European Union for Cars and Trucks coming into the United States,” Trump said. » | Lisa O’Carroll | Senior correspondent | Friday, May 1, 2026
This poor man should be put out of his misery and locked up! I strongly suggest he be sectioned! 😊 — © Mark Alexander
Donald Trump has said he is tearing up part of the tariff deal he struck with EU leaders at his golf course in Scotland last summer, criticising Brussels for taking so long to ratify the deal.
Blindsiding Brussels late on May Day bank holiday on Friday, he announced that he would be increasing tariffs on cars and lorries imported into the US from the EU from 15% to 25% from next week.
Vehicles made in the US by EU companies would be exempt from the increase, he wrote on Truth Social.
“I am pleased to announce that, based on the fact the European Union is not complying with our full agreed to Trade Deal, next week I will be increasing Tariffs charged to the European Union for Cars and Trucks coming into the United States,” Trump said. » | Lisa O’Carroll | Senior correspondent | Friday, May 1, 2026
This poor man should be put out of his misery and locked up! I strongly suggest he be sectioned! 😊 — © Mark Alexander
Why Did Antisemitism Persist after 1945? History Documentary - AT
Trump 'Clearly Has Some Health Affliction' that the Whitehouse Won't Talk About | Aaron Rupar
Apr 30, 2026 | “If the story wasn’t anything major, there would be no reason for the White House not to just come clean.”
Trump’s rambling is “probably a result of age”, but the reasons the White House has given for the bruising on his hands “don’t pass the smell test”, says journalist Aaron Rupar.
Trump’s rambling is “probably a result of age”, but the reasons the White House has given for the bruising on his hands “don’t pass the smell test”, says journalist Aaron Rupar.
Will the Iran War Cause a Global Depression? (w/ Prof. Richard Wolff) | The Chris Hedges Report
Nach Tod eines indigenen Mädchens: „Absolute Anarchie“ in Australien
BERLINER ZEITUNG: Nach dem Tod eines indigenen Mädchens ist es im australischen Alice Springs zu Gewalt gekommen. Demonstranten forderten „Payback“ – eine traditionelle Form der Vergeltung.
In der abgelegenen australischen Stadt Alice Springs sind Hunderte Demonstranten mit Polizei und Rettungskräften aneinandergeraten. Auslöser war die Festnahme eines 47-Jährigen, der verdächtigt wird, ein fünfjähriges indigenes Mädchen entführt und getötet zu haben.
Die Polizei erklärte, der Mann habe sich am Donnerstagabend in einem sogenannten Town Camp gestellt – informellen indigenen Siedlungen am Rand der Stadt. Bewohner hätten daraufhin begonnen, Selbstjustiz gegen ihn auszuüben und den Verdächtigen bewusstlos geschlagen.
Als der Mann anschließend ins Krankenhaus gebracht wurde, versammelten sich laut Behörden rund 400 Menschen vor dem Gebäude. Auf Videos des australischen Senders ABC war zu hören, wie Demonstranten „Payback“ forderten – eine traditionelle Form körperlicher Vergeltung in einigen indigenen Gemeinschaften Australiens. » | Alexander Schmalz | Freitag, 1. Mai 2026
THE GUARDIAN:
Police say they will charge people with unrest in Alice Springs after arrest over death of Kumanjayi Little Baby: Five-year-old’s grandfather and senior Warlpiri elder appeals for calm, saying: ‘It is time now for sorry business’ »
Warning: This article contains references to and images of Indigenous Australians who have died.
In der abgelegenen australischen Stadt Alice Springs sind Hunderte Demonstranten mit Polizei und Rettungskräften aneinandergeraten. Auslöser war die Festnahme eines 47-Jährigen, der verdächtigt wird, ein fünfjähriges indigenes Mädchen entführt und getötet zu haben.
Die Polizei erklärte, der Mann habe sich am Donnerstagabend in einem sogenannten Town Camp gestellt – informellen indigenen Siedlungen am Rand der Stadt. Bewohner hätten daraufhin begonnen, Selbstjustiz gegen ihn auszuüben und den Verdächtigen bewusstlos geschlagen.
Als der Mann anschließend ins Krankenhaus gebracht wurde, versammelten sich laut Behörden rund 400 Menschen vor dem Gebäude. Auf Videos des australischen Senders ABC war zu hören, wie Demonstranten „Payback“ forderten – eine traditionelle Form körperlicher Vergeltung in einigen indigenen Gemeinschaften Australiens. » | Alexander Schmalz | Freitag, 1. Mai 2026
THE GUARDIAN:
Police say they will charge people with unrest in Alice Springs after arrest over death of Kumanjayi Little Baby: Five-year-old’s grandfather and senior Warlpiri elder appeals for calm, saying: ‘It is time now for sorry business’ »
Warning: This article contains references to and images of Indigenous Australians who have died.
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