‘Repatriate the Gold’: German Economists Advise Withdrawal from US Vaults

THE GUARDIAN: Shift in relations and unpredictability of Donald Trump make it ‘risky to store so much gold in the US’, say experts

Germany is facing calls to withdraw its billions of euros’ worth of gold from US vaults, spurred on by the shift in transatlantic relations and the unpredictability of Donald Trump.

Germany holds the world’s second biggest national gold reserves after the US, of which approximately €164bn (£122bn) worth – 1,236 tonnes – is stored in New York.

Emanuel Mönch, a leading economist and former head of research at Germany’s federal bank, the Bundesbank, called for the gold to be brought home, saying it was too “risky” for it to be kept in the US under the current administration. » | Kate Connolly in Berlin | Saturday, January 24, 2026

HANDELSBLATT: Druckmittel für Trump? Bundesbank gerät in Zwickmühle: Wie sicher ist das Bundesbank-Gold in New York? Die Bundesbank schließt einen Abzug aus. Doch aus dem Umfeld der Notenbank und dem Bundestag kommen Forderungen, diese Haltung zu überdenken. »

Trump’s Rift With Europe Is Clear. Europe Must Decide What to Do About It.

THE NEW YORK TIMES: After President Trump aired his disdain for Europe, its leaders will gather in Brussels Thursday to take stock of what comes next.

The depth of the rift between President Trump and Europe was on full display on Wednesday as Mr. Trump delivered remarks in Davos, Switzerland, airing his disdain for Europe’s immigration policies, its regulations and its strident unwillingness to give him Greenland, which he insists America must own.

For months, Europe has been looking to find a diplomatic answer to de-escalate the crisis. Hope for such an off ramp came late Wednesday, when Mr. Trump posted on Truth Social to announce that he and Mark Rutte, the NATO secretary general, were working on a deal that could resolve the dispute over Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark. He suggested that tariffs he had previously threatened to impose on European nations starting Feb. 1 would no longer kick in.

But neither he nor NATO provided any details of what that framework might look like, and there is no guarantee that such a deal will be finished. A member of the Danish parliament from Greenland called the deal into question in a social media post, saying it had created “total confusion.”

The dust had not yet settled Wednesday night. But one thing was clear. Mr. Trump’s comments throughout the day underscored just how little the United States and Europe — long the closest of allies — now have in common. » | Steven Erlanger and Jeanna Smialek | Steven Erlanger reported from Berlin, and Jeanna Smialek from Brussels. | Wednesday, January 21, 2026

American Democracy on the Brink a Year after Trump’s Election, Experts Say

THE GUARDIAN: Scale and speed of president’s moves have stunned observers of authoritarian regimes – is the US in democratic peril?

Three hundred and sixty-five days after Donald Trump placed his hand on the Bible and completed an extraordinary return to power, many historians, scholars and experts say his presidency has pushed American democracy to the brink – or beyond it.

In the first year of Trump’s second term, the democratically elected US president has moved with startling speed to consolidate authority: dismantling federal agencies, purging the civil service, firing independent watchdogs, sidelining Congress, challenging judicial rulings, deploying federal force in blue cities, stifling dissent, persecuting political enemies, targeting immigrants, scapegoating marginalized groups, ordering the capture of a foreign leader, leveraging the presidency for profit, trampling academic freedom and escalating attacks on the news media.

The scale and velocity of what he has been able to accomplish in just a year have stunned even longtime observers of authoritarian regimes, pushing the debate among academics and Americans from whether the world’s oldest continuous democracy is backsliding to whether it can still faithfully claim that distinction.

“In 2025, the United States ceased to be a full democracy in the way that Canada, Germany or even Argentina are democracies,” Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt, the prominent Harvard political scientists and authors of How Democracies Die, and the University of Toronto professor Lucan Way, wrote in Foreign Affairs last month. They argued that the US under Trump had “descended into competitive authoritarianism”, a system in which elections are held but the ruling party abuses power to stifle dissent and tilt the playing field in its favor. » | Lauren Gambino | Wednesday, January 21, 2026

Trump Is Pushing the U.S.-Europe Alliance Onto a Precipice

THE NEW YORK TIMES: As President Trump tries to coerce European leaders over Greenland, they are pondering the unthinkable: Is an 80-year-old alliance doomed?

What happens to an 80-year-old diplomatic alliance when its leading power threatens a military invasion of one member, wages economic war on the others and vows to cultivate political and cultural resistance to their governments? Is the alliance doomed?

That question is being asked in capitals across Europe as leaders rush to respond to President Trump’s rapidly escalating campaign to acquire Greenland over the objections of the people who live there. At issue most urgently is whether resisting Mr. Trump’s territorial ambitions risks damaging Europe’s relationship with the United States beyond repair.

Some leaders — like President Emmanuel Macron of France and Lars Klingbeil, Germany’s finance minister — appear willing to take that risk, urging Europe’s nations to consider deploying an economic “bazooka” in response to Mr. Trump’s latest tariff threats.

Leaders from across Europe are expected to gather in Brussels this week to present a united response to Mr. Trump’s provocations. Veteran observers of European politics said the alliance between Europe and the United States that formed in the aftermath of World War II had already been fundamentally altered.

It is no longer an alliance designed primarily to advance the interests of like-minded democracies, they said. Instead, it is a relationship on Mr. Trump’s terms alone — one in which he wields the leverage that comes from American power to force Europeans to cater to his whims. » | Michael D. Shear | Reporting from Oxford, England | Monday, January 19, 2026

Der gefährlichste Mann in Trumps Regierung | Sandra Navidi

Nov 17, 2025 | Von allen einflussreichen Männern in Donald Trumps Regierung ist er vielleicht der mächtigste: Russell Vought. Als Direktor des "Office of Management and Budget" dirigiert und verwaltet er den Umsturz demokratischer Institutionen genauso wie die Angriffe auf soziale Einrichtungen und das Bildungswesen.

Wer ist der Mann, den Medien Trumps Schattenpräsident nennen? Und wie gefährlich kann er Amerika noch werden? Darüber sprechen wir mit US-Expertin und Autorin Sandra Navidi. In ihrem Buch "Die DNA der USA" beschreibt sie, wie es zu den aktuellen Umbrüchen in Amerika kommen konnte.

Put European and Canadian Troops in Greenland to Deter US | Richard Shirreff

Jan 19, 2026 | "It's absolutely the future of NATO.”

Former NATO Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe General Sir Richard Shirreff tells Times Radio Europe and Canada should "call the bluff" and put troops into Greenland to deter "any aggression, whether Russian, Chinese, or indeed, American".

Trump’s Greenland Threats Aren't Real, But They're Offensive: John Bolton | NewsNation Prime

Jan 19, 2026 | Former U.S. ambassador John Bolton criticizes President Trump’s escalating rhetoric on acquiring Greenland, possibly by military force, because of security concerns. “This is a tragedy that just unfolds day by day, causing us more and more harm,” Bolton tells “NewsNation Prime.”

Trust in the United States at an All-time Low | Michael Carpenter

Jan 16, 2026 | “President Trump is rewriting the global order and changing the rules that are familiar to both our allies and adversaries alike,” said Michael Carpenter, Senior Fellow for Transatlantic Affairs at the International Institute for Strategic Studies who joined us on TVP World’s World News Tonight.

The U.S. has said it wants to acquire Greenland and Donald Trump won’t take the use of military force off the table. This has many EU and NATO countries alarmed and wondering what’s next for the future of trans-Atlantic relations.

Trump’s Gulf Allies Do Not Want Him to Bomb Iran

THE NEW YORK TIMES: While several of the Gulf Arab countries harbor little love for Iran, they worry that the consequences of rising tensions could blow back on them.

President Trump’s powerful Gulf Arab allies fear the repercussions of a potential American strike on Iran, and some of them are publicly and privately lobbying his administration to choose diplomacy instead.

As protests convulse Iran and the government wages a violent crackdown on demonstrators, Mr. Trump is exploring whether to attack the country, in what he has described as an effort to deter its leaders from killing more of its own people. He has also weighed diplomatic options. On Wednesday, Mr. Trump said he had been “told that killing in Iran is stopping, has stopped.”

Even Gulf governments that have engaged in indirect conflict with Iran — such as Iran’s regional rival, Saudi Arabia — do not support American military action there, according to analysts who study the region.

That is partly because the monarchies of the Gulf worry that the ripple effects of escalating U.S.-Iran tensions, or possible state failure in Iran, would harm their own security, undermining their reputation as regional safe havens for business and tourism. » | Vivian Nereim | Reporting from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | Wednesday, January 14, 2026

Denmark Has ‘Fundamental’ Differences With U.S. Over Greenland, Diplomat Says

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Denmark’s foreign minister said that the three governments had a “frank” but “constructive” discussion about President Trump’s wish to get Greenland. It was their first meeting on the subject.

Denmark, Greenland and the United States have a “fundamental disagreement” over the future of the territory in the North Atlantic, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, the Danish foreign minister, said on Wednesday after a meeting with top Trump administration officials.

The meeting in Washington — hours after President Trump said the United States “needs Greenland” — was the first among the three governments to discuss Mr. Trump’s desire to buy or take the semiautonomous Danish territory.

Mr. Rasmussen and Vivian Motzfeldt, the Greenland foreign minister, met with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Afterward, Mr. Rasmussen called the discussion “frank” and “constructive” even as he underscored that Denmark has no interest in changing the status quo.

“Our perspectives continue to differ,” he said. “The president has made his view clear. And we have a different position.” » | Amelia Nierenberg | Reporting from London | Wednesday, January 14, 2026

America Is ‘at Its Most Dangerous Point Since the Civil War’ | Rick Wilson

January 14, 2026

US Concludes Talks with Denmark and Greenland on Trump’s Takeover Demands

THE GUARDIAN: Danish embassy due to brief journalists on results of negotiations involving JD Vance and Marco Rubio

Closely watched talks on Donald Trump’s demands to take over Greenland have ended in Washington after nearly an hour.

The vice-president, JD Vance, and secretary of state, Marco Rubio, hosted the foreign ministers of Denmark and Greenland on Wednesday in what observers worried could be an ambush meant to pressure the Danes into ceding the territory under US economic and military pressure.

The Danish embassy in Washington was due to brief journalists on the results of the talks within the hour.

Earlier, Trump said it would be “unacceptable” for Greenland – a semi-autonomous territory of the Nato member Denmark – to be “in the hands” of any country other than the US, reiterating his demand to take over the Arctic island hours before the high-stakes talks on its future.

“The US needs Greenland for the purpose of national security. Nato should be leading the way for us to get it,” the US president said on social media. The alliance would become “far more formidable and effective” with the territory under US control, he claimed.

“It is vital for the Golden Dome that we are building,” he said, referring to a proposed missile defence system. » | Jon Henley and Andrew Roth | Wednesday, January 14, 2026

More Americans Are Saying the Quiet Part Out Loud: They Want a Revolution

14 Jan 2026 | Things have gotten so bad in America that they no longer view voting and protesting as a viable way to achieve change in the system. As a result, more and more of them are calling for a revolution—and not all of them think peace is an option. In this video, we’ll discuss how declining material conditions, the collapse of the state, and rise of fascist authoritarianism has led to a conversation about the need to rise up and overthrow the system.

WARNING! Very, very strong language alert!

It looks as if Trump’s presidency could well end in tears. Who’d have ‘thunk’? Fact is: America is run by the rich, for the rich. End of story. It’s a DISGUSTING system. — © Mark Alexander

The US Is "an Empire in Decline”

Alfred McCoy, an eminent historian, explains.

Poland Worried about Tensions in NATO over Greenland

Donald Tusk tells us what he thinks.

IHIP News: Trump Administration Goes Mask Off Using Nazi Slogan to Defend ICE Murder. This Is Gross

13 Jan 2026 | Kristi Noem went on TV standing behind a podium draped in a Nazi slogan to whitewash the murder of an innocent American.

Strong language alert!

Anyone who supports MAGA, be he American or non-American, needs to see a psychiatrist! — © Mark Alexander

Iran ‘Prepared’ for US War as Trump Mulls Intervention after Deadly Protests

Donald Trump says he is considering ‘strong options’ to intervene in Iran as rights groups say at least 500 protesters have been killed during anti-government demonstrations and thousands more detained.

In response, Iran’s foreign minister says the country ‘is not seeking war but is fully prepared for war.’

The uprising began a fortnight ago after shopkeepers in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar staged a strike over rocketing inflation and regime repression, according to rights groups.

Amerikas Rechte im Wandel: Die Geschichte einer Radikalisierung | Terra X

11 Jan 2026 | Die USA sind jahrzehntelang das Sinnbild für Freiheit und Stabilität. Als eine der ältesten Demokratien der Welt, die in ihrer Geschichte zahlreiche Krisen überstanden hat, gilt Amerika lange als Demokratie-Vorbild – auch für Deutschland. Heute jedoch wirken die Vereinigten Staaten zerrissen: politisch und gesellschaftlich. Zwischen einem weltoffenen, liberalen Amerika und einer konservativen „America First“-Bewegung, die nationale Interessen über alles stellt. Für viele steht Donald Trump für diese Spaltung. Doch ist Trump die Ursache? Tatsächlich hat diese Spaltung eine lange Geschichte und ist eng verknüpft mit der Entwicklung der amerikanischen Rechten. Und die hat viel mit der Bürgerrechtsbewegung der 50er und 60er Jahre zu tun. Viele Konservative lehnen die Gleichstellung schwarzer Bevölkerungsgruppen ab. In den 70ern kommt es zur weiteren Liberalisierungen in der Gesellschaft Frauen, die Gleichberechtigung oder Abtreibungsrechte fordern und Homosexuelle, die für Anerkennung kämpfen sind für viele konservative, vor allem evangelikale Christen ein Schock. Man sieht Familie und Glauben bedroht und organisiert sich politisch. Ronald Reagan verbündet sich in den 80ern mit diesen religiösen Gruppen und will Amerika nach dem verlorenen Vietnamkrieg wieder „great again“ machen. In den 90ern kommt es zu einem zunehmenden Vertrauensverlust in Bundesbehörden. Es entstehen viele bis an die Zähne bewaffnete Milizen. Der Angriff von Bundesagenten auf die Sektierer von Waco befeuert die staatskritische Bewegung. Die Finanzkrise von 2007 und Obama als Präsident bringt das Fass zum Überlaufen. Es gründet sich die Tea Party. Dank des Internets und vor allem Social Media verbreitet sich die Bewegung. Diese Dynamik nutzt Trump. Dabei stützt er sich auf die Alt-Right, die alternative Rechte, die Politik als Kulturkampf inszeniert, vor allem online. Sie wollen die weiße Vorherrschaft bewahren, lehnen soziale Gerechtigkeit und Migration ab, eine Ausrichtung, die Trump 2017 ins Weiße Haus bringt.

Dieses Video ist eine Produktion des ZDF, in Zusammenarbeit mit

Why Is the US Quitting International Organisations? | Inside Story

9 Jan 2026 | There are yet more signs that the US is disengaging from the global order established after World War Two. President Donald Trump has ordered his administration to pull out of more than 60 agencies, half of them part of the United Nations. Trump argues that being a member of these organisations is contrary to his country's interests. The Secretary of State went as far as saying they're useless or wasteful. This move has prompted global outrage, with the UN saying its 'responsibility to deliver’ will not waver. So, where does this all leave the multilateral global order?

Presenter: James Bays

Guests:
Adolfo Franco -- Republican strategist and former adviser to US Senator John McCain
Andrew Gilmour -- Former UN Assistant Secretary General for Human Rights
Matthew Duss -- Executive VP of the Center for International Policy and a former foreign policy adviser to Senator Bernie Sanders

Stephen Miller Offers a Strongman’s View of the World

THE NEW YORK TIMES: President Trump’s trusted adviser is casting his hard-right gaze abroad, saying the world must be governed by “force.”

Stephen Miller has spent the bulk of his White House career furthering hard-right domestic policies that have resulted in mass deportations, family separations and the testing of the constitutional tenets that grant American citizenship.

Now, Mr. Miller, President Trump’s 40-year-old deputy chief of staff for policy and homeland security adviser, is casting his hard-right gaze further abroad: toward Venezuela and the Danish territory of Greenland, specifically.

Mr. Miller is doing so, the president’s advisers say, in service of advancing Mr. Trump’s foreign policy ambitions, which so far resemble imperialistic designs to exploit less powerful, resource-rich countries and territories the world over and use those resources for America’s gain. According to Mr. Miller, using brute force is not only on the table but also the Trump administration’s preferred way to conduct itself on the world stage.

“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,” Mr. Miller told Jake Tapper of CNN on Monday, during a combative appearance in which he was pressed on Mr. Trump’s long-held desire to control Greenland.

“These are the iron laws of the world since the beginning of time,” he said.

This aggressive posture toward Greenland — and in turn, the rest of the world — is a perfect encapsulation of the raw power that Mr. Trump wants to project, even against Denmark, the NATO ally that controls Greenland. The moment also illustrates how people like Mr. Miller have ascended to the inner circle of a leader who has no interest in having his impulses checked, and how they exert their influence once they arrive there.

The moment also shows just how differently Mr. Trump has operated in his second term from how he did in his first. » | Katie Rogers | Katie Rogers is a White House correspondent who has covered both Trump administrations. She reported from Washington. | Tuesday, January 6, 2026