Trump Is ‘Incredibly Naïve’ about Putin | Edwina Currie

Dec 12, 2025 | “Trump is incredibly naive and he buys into whatever version of global politics Putin is peddling.”

Trump’s approach reflects an ‘incredibly naive’ acceptance of Putin’s worldview and fails to see how Moscow has actively worked to destabilise Europe, says Edwina Currie.


We should NEVER have been so stupid as to leave the EU in the first place. A blind man could have seen this CRAP coming at the time! — © Mark Alexander

From Stalin to Putin…

… This strong and resilient elderly Ukrainian lady speaks of her extraordinary life’s experiences and hardships.

Sabotages, vandalisme, espionnage, désinformation : ces opérations russes secrètes pour déstabiliser l'Europe

LE FIGARO : CARTE - Au-delà des incursions répétées dans l'espace aérien de plusieurs États européens ces dernières semaines, Moscou mène une véritable «guerre hybride» visant les infrastructures critiques et les sociétés des pays soutiens de l'Ukraine. » | Par Arthur Bijotat et Dario Ingiusto pour Fig Data | Publié le 12 décembre 2025

Weihnachtsmenü 2025 – Kochen im Tal

Dec 11, 2025 | Wie gewünscht gibt es in diesem Jahr ein simples, aber geschmacklich und optisch beeindruckendes Weihnachtsmenü. Unser Juniorchef Stephan Schnieder zeigt euch Rezepte für eine klassische Zwiebelsuppe als Vorspeise, eine Art Café de Paris-Geschnetzeltes mit Semmelknödeln und einer leckeren Spekulatiuscreme als Dessert. Viel Spaß und guten Appetit! Die jeweiligen Zutaten und Anleitungen findet ihr im ersten, angepinnten Kommentar [auf YouTube].

Is Germany's Far-right Populist AfD Party Spying for Russia?

DEUTSCHE WELLE (DW): Lawmakers accuse the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party of using its parliamentary powers to gather intelligence on Germany's critical infrastructure to share it with Russia.

Allegations of espionage against the Alternative for Germany (AfD) have been raised by the interior minister of the state of Thuringia. In an interview with Handelsblatt, Social Democrat (SPD) Georg Maier expressed concern that the AfD is abusing its parliamentary powers to gather information about Germany's transport infrastructure, water supply, digital infrastructure and energy supply.

"With its requests, one gets the impression that the AfD is working through a list of tasks assigned by the Kremlin," Maier told the newspaper this week.

He pointed out that the Thuringian branch of the AfD had submitted 47 such inquiries to the state parliament in the past 12 months alone — and with "increasing intensity and depth of detail."

"The AfD is particularly interested in IT and equipment used by the police, for example in the area of drone detection and defense," Maier said. Equipment used in civil protection, health care and Bundeswehr activities are also the subject of inquiries. » | Hans Pfeifer | Sunday, October 26, 2025

Trump's Security Strategy Makes Clear He Is Trying to 'Break' the European Union

Dec 12, 2025 | "People are quite shocked about the brazen way that that goal has been made clear in the security strategy."

A still classified version of the US national security strategy makes clear that a "cental part of Trump's plan" is about getting involved in European politics and breaking up the EU, says founder and Director of European Council on foreign relations, Mark Leonard.


Trump wants to break up the EU to weaken each country. In so doing, he will strengthen America. This is a perfect example of one of the oldest tricks in the playbook: divide and rule. In addition, he is doing his buddy Putin a great favour. The weaker Europe will become, the easier it will be to invade. Donald Trump is truly a treacherous man. He is a man full to the brim with bitterness, rancour, and stupidity. — © Mark Alexander

Donald Trump Wants a Europe In Chaos – a Sure Sign for Britain to Shore Up Its Democracy

THE GUARDIAN — OPINION: With the US threatening to support ‘patriotic’ parties here, we need better defences, starting with tough new rules about political donations

The new threat is so dizzyingly bizarre that Europe, and especially Britain, is slow to believe it. The US declares itself our enemy. Europe emerges as its main adversary in the US national security strategy. Russia is its friend, not us. Everything that looked solid since the second world war is turned upside down; the land of the free becomes the destroyer of democratic values. Appeasement fails.

He may ramble, but Donald Trump speaks plainly. He means what he says, and he hates everything European. Except its emerging “patriotic” parties, which he wants to support. His strategy warns of “civilizational erasure”, claiming Europe will soon “become majority non-European” and parroting the racist conspiracy known as the great replacement theory. Describing Europeans as “weak”, “decaying” and “destroying their countries”, with “real stupid” leaders, Trump responded to the question of whether they would still be allies, in a Politico interview, with a hint of threat: “It depends.”

Note this: the official US strategy says that “the growing influence of patriotic European parties indeed gives cause for great optimism”. He is what he is, in plain sight. No more pretending his fickle ways can be reversed. He appears to back the EU’s nativists, which his strategy suggests are “political allies”. Why wouldn’t he? British politics is already under threat from Russian and Chinese hacking and interference, as in the case of Reform’s former Welsh leader – who has been jailed for taking Russian bribes. Expect electoral threats from the US from now on. Trump regards Europe’s vain struggle to protect itself – via its Digital Services Act – from the worst excesses of US tech giants as an act of treachery. » | Polly Toynbee | Friday, December 12, 2025

Steve Rosenberg: Russian Paper: "We See a Split in the Western Camp. This Is Objectively Good for Russia."

Dec 12, 2025 | RUSSIAN PRESS REVIEW (12.12.25) One Russian paper today: “What we see is a split in the Western camp…this is objectively good for Russia.” Other papers report a “crisis” in the Russian metals industry & “more than 40% of working Russians surveyed have barely enough/not enough money before payday for food & essential goods.”

Planning to Visit the US? Take It from This American Citizen – Don’t

THE GUARDIAN — OPINION: I love many things about the land of my birth but Donald Trump’s America has become an unwelcoming country of deep divisions and waning trust

I’m in the US right now, but if I didn’t have family here (and a US passport), I wouldn’t be. My teenagers and I flew over the week of Thanksgiving from Australia, preparing ourselves for long lines and extra questions at customs. It took less than five minutes in the US citizens’ line.

With the news this week of the Trump administration planning to implement new invasive requirements for travellers from 42 countries, including Australia, that would require five years of social media history for visas, I would simply not travel here on another passport. There are plenty of places which welcome visitors without trawling their political opinions and family history.

The proposed regulations would require ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorisation) applicants to share their social media for the past five years, email addresses they have used for the past 10 years and phone numbers and addresses of immediate family members. US Citizenship and Immigration Services now consider whether benefit applicants have ‘endorsed, promoted, supported, or otherwise espoused’ anti-American, terrorist or antisemitic views.

…

I love my country of birth for its diversity, innovation and opportunity, but in the time I’ve lived in Australia I’ve seen the US change. It has become a country of vast wealth and privilege in the hands of very few; of deeper divisions and waning trust. The Trump administration sows hatred and fear of the ‘other’, so it should come as no surprise that tourism numbers are dropping sharply. According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, the US was predicted to lose $12.5bn in international visitor spending in 2025. » | Eleanor Limprecht* | Friday, December 12, 2025

* Eleanor Limprecht is the author of What Was Left, Long Bay, The Passengers and The Coast. Her next novel, Cul de Sac, will be published in 2026 by Ultimo Press

Trump Expands Venezuela Sanctions as Maduro Decries New ‘Era of Piracy’

THE GUARDIAN: Six more oil supertankers added to sanctions list, as well as members of Maduro’s extended family, amid rising tensions following tanker seizure

Donald Trump has exerted more pressure on Venezuela’s president Nicolás Maduro, expanding sanctions and issuing fresh threats to strike land targets in Venezuela, as the South American dictator accused the US president of ushering in a new “era of criminal naval piracy” in the Caribbean.

Late on Thursday, the US imposed curbs on three nephews of Maduro’s wife, Cilia Flores, as well as six crude oil supertankers and the shipping companies linked to them. The treasury department alleged the vessels “engaged in deceptive and unsafe shipping practices and continue to provide financial resources that fuel Maduro’s corrupt narco-terrorist regime”.

The targeted vessels recently loaded crude oil in Venezuela, according to state oil company PDVSA’s internal shipping documents. Four of the tankers are Panama-flagged, with the other two flagged by the Cook Islands and Hong Kong.

In comments on Thursday night, Trump also repeated his threat to soon begin strikes on suspected narcotics shipments making their way via land from Venezuela to the US.

The comments come after the US seized a “dark fleet” tanker named the Skipper off the coast of Venezuela, sparking concerns among some US lawmakers that Trump is “sleepwalking us into a war with Venezuela”. » | Andrew Roth in Washington and Tom Phillips in Rio de Janeiro | Friday, December 12, 2025

Thom Hartmann: Is Trump’s Alliance with Putin the Greatest Betrayal in American History?

Dec 11, 2025 | Donald Trump is realigning American power away from our democratic allies and toward Russia and other authoritarian regimes. From abandoning Ukraine to pushing a Kremlin friendly National Security Strategy and undercutting NATO, the pattern is unmistakable. This is a five alarm warning for democracy in America and Europe. Do you see this as the greatest betrayal in modern US history?

US Wants Ukraine to Withdraw from Donbas and Create ‘Free Economic Zone’, Says Zelenskyy

THE GUARDIAN: Ukrainian president says plan would not be fair without guarantees that Russia would not simply take over zone

The US wants Ukraine to withdraw its troops from the Donbas region, and Washington would then create a “free economic zone” in the parts Kyiv currently controls, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said.

Previously, the US had suggested Kyiv should hand over the parts of Donbas it still controlled to Russia, but the Ukrainian president said on Thursday that Washington had now suggested a compromise version in which Ukrainian troops would withdraw, but Russian troops would not advance into the territory.

“Who will govern this territory, which they are calling a ‘free economic zone’ or a ‘demilitarised zone’ – they don’t know,” said the Ukrainian president, speaking with journalists in Kyiv on Thursday.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine did not believe the plan was fair without guarantees that Russian troops would not simply take over the zone after a Ukrainian withdrawal. Zelenskyy said: “If one side’s troops have to retreat and the other side stays where they are, then what will hold back these other troops, the Russians? Or what will stop them disguising themselves as civilians and taking over this free economic zone? This is all very serious. It’s not a fact that Ukraine would agree to it, but if you are talking about a compromise then it has to be a fair compromise.” » | Shaun Walker in Kyiv | Thursday, December 11, 2025

Voici pourquoi la gourou américaine de l’art de vivre n’apporte jamais de fleurs ni de vin à un dîner

MADAME FIGARO : Ina Garten, à l’origine de l’émission de cuisine «The Barefoot Contessa», a confié pourquoi elle n’apporte jamais de bouquet de fleurs ni de bouteille de vin à ses hôtes.

En cette saison festive, s’il faut prêter une oreille attentive aux conseils d’étiquette d’une gourou du lifestyle, c’est bien à ceux d’Ina Garten. À l’âge de 76 ans, cette Américaine, auteure d’une myriade de livres de cuisine et animatrice de l’émission The Barefoot Contessa sur la chaîne Food Network, s’illustre pour son approche de l’art de vivre à la croisée du raffinement et du décontracté. Dans une récente interview accordée au magazine américain People, la reine des fourneaux a confié pourquoi elle n’offre jamais de fleurs ou de vins à ses hôtes lorsqu’elle est invitée. » | Par Alexandra Marchand | mardi 2 décembre 2025

Sergio Mendes : Never Gonna Let You Go

ul 29, 2018 | Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group

Trump Sells AI Chips to China Betraying US Soldiers

Dec 11, 2025 | Trump approved the sale of Nvidia H200 chips to China, strengthening their military while putting American service members at risk. Steve Schmidt analyzes how this decision undermines US security and empowers a hostile superpower.

Under Trump and his regime, America is a f*****g chaotic mess! — © Mark Alexander

Kenny Rogers : Crazy | Reupload

Oct 6, 2015 | Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group

Schiff Calls Out Venezuela Tanker Seizure as Latest Escalation towards War

Dec 11, 2025

Republicans lack the spunk to stop this war. Trump is a warmonger. — © Mark Alexander

Democracy Now! US Seizes Venezuelan Oil Tanker as Anti-Maduro Campaign Escalates

Dec 11, 2025 | U.S. troops seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela on Wednesday, a major escalation that the Venezuelan government called "international piracy." We speak with New York University professor Alejandro Velasco about the Trump administration's intentions in the country, which has the world's largest known oil reserves. Though the Pentagon has claimed the conflict is aimed at combating narcoterrorism, Velasco says the violence is actually an effort "to get rid of leftist governments in the region.

Democracy Now! can be supported here.

Democracy Now! Top US News & World Headline

December 11, 2025

Venezuelan Nobel Laureate Backs US Seizure of Oil Tanker

THE GUARDIAN: María Corina Machado says action was ‘very necessary step’ to confront Nicolás Maduro’s ‘criminal’ regime

Venezuela’s best-known opposition leader, the Nobel peace prize winner María Corina Machado, has said she supports the US seizure of an oil tanker off Venezuela’s coast, calling it a “very necessary step” to confront Nicolás Maduro’s “criminal” regime.

Speaking in Oslo on Thursday, a day after she was honoured for her “tireless” struggle for democratic change, Machado praised the US navy and coastguard helicopter raid on the vessel.
Machado said the huge oil wealth of Venezuela – which has the world’s largest proven reserves – had not been used by Maduro’s dictatorship to fund hospitals or feed impoverished teachers or improve security. Rather, his regime had used it to buy weapons that were used to repress its opponents. “So yes, these criminals have to be stopped and cutting the resources of illegal activities is a very necessary step,” Machado told reporters.

Earlier in the day, Machado said her arrival in Oslo marked a “historic turning point” that showed Venezuelans “the world is with them”. » | Tom Phillips in Rio de Janeiro, Miranda Bryant , and Camille Rodríguez Montilla in Oslo | Thursday, December 11, 2025

Yes, the world is with the Venezuelans. But that doesn’t mean that the world wants to see Venezuela’s rich oil assets being transferred to the Trumps! Toppling one dictator by another, one authoritarian by another is also no solution! Further, it is puzzling to me why the Norwegians have decided to bestow the peace prize on a person who is hell-bent on overthrowing a régime! Is this a prize for fostering peace or a prize for fostering democracy?

I should like to add that whilst I fully understand María Corina Machado’s strong desire for liberty and democracy, she should be careful that she and her country don’t jump from the frying pan into the fire! — © Mark Alexander