Deutschland: Harter Lockdown: (Fast) nichts geht mehr

Seit Mittwoch gilt deutschlandweit der sogenannte „harte Lockdown“, die meisten Geschäfte müssen geschlossen bleiben. © REUTERS, EPA

Lacher im Bundestag: Merkel weist AfD-Impfskeptiker zurecht

Während der aktuellen Stunde im Bundestag ist Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel von einem AfD-Abgeordneten zu den kommenden Corona-Impfungen befragt worden. © AFP, EPA

The Guardian View on US Democracy: Safe – for Now

THE GUARDIAN: Republicans are finally acknowledging Joe Biden’s victory, but the damage caused by their acquiescence in Donald Trump’s lies goes deep

That the worst did not happen is a cause for relief – but not too much of it. The electoral college officially approved Joe Biden’s victory on Monday. On the same day, the attorney general, William Barr, resigned, having earned Donald Trump’s wrath by denying that there had been widespread fraud. Hours later, Mitch McConnell, the senate majority leader, finally recognised Joe Biden as president-elect. Days earlier, the supreme court unanimously rejected a preposterous lawsuit aiming to invalidate results in swing states. » | Editorial | Tuesday, December 15, 2020

Claude Debussy - Arabesque No. 1 (Première arabesque)

Trump Is Spending the Last Days of His Presidency on a Literal Killing Spree

THE GUARDIAN: In disregard for political precedent or basic humanity, Trump has fast-tracked federal executions before Biden takes office

Donald Trump is on a killing spree. He is turning the anger and resentment which burnishes his brand into a virtually unprecedented string of federal executions. From 14 July 2020, when the attorney general, William Barr, restarted the federal death penalty by executing Daniel Lewis Lee, through last week, the administration has put ten people to death. Three more executions are on the docket in the days leading up to the inauguration of Joe Biden.

Last week, Trump and Barr executed Brandon Bernard even though his crime was committed when he was just 18 years old, and they killed Alfred Bourgeois even though his IQ put him in the intellectually disabled category.

Trump and Barr have turned the solemn process of punishment into an assembly line of death. In doing so they have shown themselves to be indifferent to history, inattentive to the troubling problems plaguing the federal death penalty, and out of step with the country they lead. » | Austin Sarat | Tuesday, December 15, 2020

Joe Biden's Full Address to the Nation after Electoral College Reaffirms His Victory

After the Electoral College affirmed his win, President-elect Joe Biden addressed the American people and slammed attempts by President Trump and Republicans to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.

Biden Tops 270 Votes in the Electoral College, Affirming His Presidential Victory

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Joseph R. Biden Jr. was affirmed as the president-elect on Monday as members of the Electoral College pushed him past the 270 threshold to win the White House, all but ending a disruptive chapter in American history in which President Trump sought to use legal challenges and political pressure to overturn the results of a free and fair election.

The president-elect passed the threshold after California cast its 55 votes for Mr. Biden on Monday evening, capping a day marked by heightened security in battleground states and an unusual level of scrutiny for what is normally a formal, procedural affair. » | Nick Corasaniti and Jim Rutenberg | Monday, December 14, 2020

Trump in Trouble as His Bankers Forced to Cooperate with Investigators

If Donald Trump seems a little more panicky than usual right now it might be because his bankers and insurance brokers have been having talks with investigators at the Manhattan District Attorney's office. The President is facing massive investigations when he leaves office and will likely be subpoenaed for testimony or depositions very soon after he loses his presidential power. Farron Cousins explains what's happening.

Speculation Swirls over Ivanka Trump’s Potential Run for US Senate in Florida

THE GUARDIAN: Trump and Kushner reportedly buying property as a potential base for soon to be ex-first daughter to launch political career

Speculation about the post-White House career of Ivanka Trump is now centered on Florida, where the soon to be ex-first daughter and senior aide to her president father has reportedly bought an expensive plot of land for a house and may be considering a run for Senate.

Ivanka Trump is frequently mentioned as desiring a political career of her own and during her time working for Donald Trump has sought to position herself as a more media-friendly version of her father. » | Guardian staff | Sunday, December 13, 2020

German Chancellor Merkel Announces Hard Holiday Lockdown | DW News

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has set the table for a bleak holiday season, announcing a raft of tough coronavirus lockdown measures, which she said were necessary to bring down the spiraling numbers of new COVID-19 cases.

From Wednesday, non-essential shops are going to close. Supermarkets, pharmacies and banks are allowed to remain open. Schools are going to be shut in principle until the 10th of January and employers are being encouraged to allow their staff to work from home as far as possible.

Chancellor Angela Merkel also made an appeal for people to limit their social contacts during the holidays. The number of people allowed to meet indoors will remain restricted to five, not including children under 14. And, in anticipation of New Year's celebrations, sales of fireworks are going to be banned.

Brexit Is the Worst Decision of Modern Times. Why Are Its Critics in Cabinet So Silent?

THE GUARDIAN: The UK will soon be on its own – sovereign, in charge and control regained. Yet none of that creates jobs or ensures a glorious future

After a lifetime close to the workings of government, I approach drafting an article about Brexit for a Sunday publication with trepidation. Both sides have said a decision will be taken today, but not what that may be; and anyway, can you believe that any decision will really be the last?

What I do know is that both sides will be presenting the story that best serves their negotiating positions and pleases their most important audiences. Facts are in short supply; there is a plethora of spin.

“Taking back control” will summon up the blood of British patriotism. The union jack prominently displayed before the negotiating table reinforces the demand for sovereignty, while a few asides about cheating foreigners reinforce national prejudices. The leadership necessary to listen to the other side, and understand where compromises may lead, all too soon becomes a cult of nationalism led by the most extreme of partisan groupings.

“I will have my cake and eat it” is rather a good joke on this side of the Channel. It has a quite different implication for the rest of Europe where sovereignty matters as well – theirs, not ours. » | Michael Heseltine | Sunday, December 13, 2020

4 Stabbed and One Shot as Trump Supporters and Opponents Clash

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Supporters of the president in several cities said they were still convinced that the election was stolen, no matter what the courts say. Some confrontations with counterprotesters turned violent.

WASHINGTON — Incensed by a Supreme Court ruling that further dashed President Trump’s hopes of invalidating his November electoral defeat, thousands of his supporters marched in Washington and several state capitals on Saturday to protest what they contended, against all evidence, was a stolen election.

In some places, angry confrontations between protesters and counterprotesters escalated into violence. There were a number of scuffles in the national capital, where four people were stabbed, and the police declared a riot in Olympia, Wash., where one person was shot. » | Hailey Fuchs, Pranshu Verma and Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs | Published: Saturday, December 12, 2020; Updated: Sunday, December 13, 2020

Opinion: The Republicans Who Embraced Nihilism

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The Supreme Court thwarts the latest Trumpist attack on American democracy.

What is left to say about a political party that would throw out millions of votes?

The substance of a lawsuit filed by the State of Texas, and backed by more than 17 other states, would be laughable were it not so dangerous. Texas’ attorney general, Ken Paxton — who is under indictment for securities fraud — asked the Supreme Court to overturn the results of the presidential election in four other states. As a legal matter, this is the rough equivalent of objecting on the grounds that the other side is winning. As political rhetoric, however, it is incendiary.

The Supreme Court was right to toss out the lawsuit. But that the Republican Party tried and failed doesn’t make the attempt any less odious. There are a lot of Republican leaders who, the history books will record, wanted it to succeed.

What makes this entire episode so sad is that the nation needs a vibrant, honest, patriotic opposition party. A party that argues in good faith to win more votes the next time around. Many Republicans, particularly at the state and local level, stood tall and proud against the worst instincts of the national party.

The health of a democracy rests on public confidence that elections are free and fair. Questioning the integrity of an election is a matter of the utmost seriousness. By doing so without offering any evidence, Mr. Paxton and his collaborators have disgraced themselves. Attorneys general are sworn to uphold the rule of law. » | Adam Liptak | Published: Friday, December 11, 2020; Updated: Saturday, December 12, 2020

German Politician Helge Lindh Slams Anti-Muslim Hatred

German politician Helge Lindh has been praised for his speeches slamming racism and anti-Muslim hatred. TRT World spoke with Lindh about European leaders advancing anti-Muslim sentiments and the mainstreaming of far-right attitudes. #HelgeLindh #GermanIslamophobia #TurkishGerman

Alle 52 Minuten nimmt sich in Deutschland ein Mensch das Leben. | Gott und die Welt | Reportage

Alle 52 Minuten nimmt sich in Deutschland ein Mensch das Leben. Trotz dieser erschreckend hohen Zahl spricht kaum einer darüber: Suizid ist ein Tabuthema. Der Film begleitet Angehörige bei dem Versuch, Antworten auf die Fragen nach dem Warum des Suizids zu finden und mit ihren Gefühlen von Schuld, Trauer, Wut und Verzweiflung umgehen zu lernen - und sich dabei nicht aufzugeben.

John Kasich on Americans' Hardships: It Makes You Want to Cry

Former Ohio Gov. John Kasich joins CNN's Kate Bolduan to talk about the stimulus bill in Congress and why lawmakers are having such a difficult time getting it worked out.

Chris Hayes: I'm Enraged over America's 'Depraved' Covid Indifference | All In | MSNBC

“As the coronavirus continues to devastate this country, I'm finding it hard to hold my rage and anguish together. We are watching a lack of action by the federal leadership that feels almost criminal. It is depraved indifference at a level I cannot quite articulate,” says Chris Hayes. Aired on 12/9/2020.

Boris Johnson Would Only Have Himself to Blame for a No-deal Brexit

THE GUARDIAN: The prime minister is in this mess because he has always considered his own interests before Britain’s

What Boris Johnson once described as a failure of statecraft now looms over Downing Street. As Britain prepares to end normal commercial contact with the rest of Europe, we must try to understand the endgame that is passing through the prime minister’s mind.

Johnson has egotistically ensured that the final resolution rests with him. Only a major last-minute concession by him personally can avert the economic calamity of a no-deal Brexit. In the Commons this week, he seemed to be pumping up the anti-EU rhetoric, revelling in the cheers from what must be a tiny band of no-deal enthusiasts. Can he now find the guts to back down?

Throughout the negotiations, Britain’s team has misjudged the weakness of its position. All that was required was a continuation treaty for the UK to trade freely with its 27 neighbours, as it had done for 40 years. At stake was 43% of the UK’s total export trade; by contrast, according to 2016 figures, the UK accounts for only 16% of the EU’s exports market. It was never conceivable that the UK could dictate the terms of a treaty. The issue had nothing to do with democracy or sovereignty, only with the terms on which each side wished to do business. » | Simon Jenkins | Thursday, December 10, 2020

The Guardian View on Boris Johnson in Brussels: Not to Be Trusted

THE GUARDIAN: The EU is wise not to believe the prime minister. The result is a tragedy in the making for Britain

Boris Johnson got where he is today by telling lies about Europe. He made stories up as a journalist. He told fibs on an industrial scale in the referendum campaign. Now he is telling whoppers as prime minister too. There was an “oven-ready” EU trade deal. Not true. The chances of no deal were “absolutely zero”. Same again. Britain was prepared for any outcome after 31 December. Utterly false. The prospect of EU tariffs on British goods was “totally and utterly absurd”. Another porkie.

Mr Johnson was again having us on when he gave the impression that he was going to Brussels on Wednesday to get an EU withdrawal trade deal over the line. A good deal is there to be done, he told the Commons. But in the evening it was the very opposite. Mr Johnson arrived in Brussels to tell the EU that Britain was not ready to make a fisheries agreement, would never accept the European court of justice as the arbiter on future disputes, and could not agree to any form of agreement on trading standards that tied Britain’s hands to EU rules. The two sides now remain far apart, the Commons was told on Thursday. » | Editorial | Thursday, December 10, 2020

In Trump’s Final Days, a Rush of Federal Executions

BBC: As President Donald Trump's days in the White House wane, his administration is racing through a string of federal executions.

Five executions are scheduled before President-elect Joe Biden's 20 January inauguration - breaking with an 130-year-old precedent of pausing executions amid a presidential transition.

And if all five take place, Mr Trump will be the country's most prolific execution president in more than a century, overseeing the executions of 13 death row inmates since July of this year.

The five executions are to begin this week, starting with convicted killers 40-year-old Brandon Bernard and 56-year-old Alfred Bourgeois. They are both scheduled to be put to death at a penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana. » | Holly Honderich | BBC News, Washington | Wednesday, December 9, 2020