Tuesday, December 23, 2025
Wise Man? King? In Naples, Trump Joins Jesus in Nativity Displays.
THE NEW YORK TIMES: For generations, Italian craftspeople have built scenes depicting Jesus’ birth, sometimes including figures of celebrities. This year, some are adding statuettes of President Trump.
President Trump has likened himself to a king, a dictator for a day and an emperor.
Now, during Christmas in Naples, he can be remade as one of the three wise men.
On Via San Gregorio Armeno, a street in the center of this ancient port city in southern Italy, shops have for generations sold meticulously crafted carvings of Nativity scenes — sometimes adorned with miniature statues of contemporary celebrities. For years, figures of Diego Maradona, the Argentine soccer star who played for the city’s leading team, have been perennial top sellers, as have statuettes of Silvio Berlusconi, the media tycoon and four-time Italian prime minister.
This Christmas, models of Mr. Trump are the new front-runners.
Mr. Trump “is very loved,” said Michele Buonincontro, who founded a studio and shop 32 years ago to make and sell the traditional Neapolitan Nativity scenes known as presepi. Three rows of Trump figures, wearing dark suits with red ties and crowned with bright yellow helmets of hair, stood on a table in a workshop at the back of Mr. Buonincontro’s shop. Some of Mr. Buonincontro’s clients insert figurines of Mr. Trump into Nativity scenes as one of the three wise kings who brought gifts for the newborn Jesus, he said. “I am not saying he is a saint, but he is connected to religion, to religiosity,” Mr. Buonincontro added.
At Naples Cathedral, where an elaborate Nativity scene is set inside a chapel near the front of the church, the Rev. Federico Battaglia, secretary to the archbishop of Naples, said he saw no reason Mr. Trump wouldn’t fit in.
Jesus was born “under the Empire of Augustus,” said Father Battaglia, referring to the Roman emperor Caesar Augustus. If Jesus were born today, he added, it might be “under the Empire of Trump.”
“Augustus was the most powerful man of his time," he said, “as Trump is of ours.” » | Motoko Rich | Reporting from Naples, Italy | Tuesday, December 23, 2025
President Trump has likened himself to a king, a dictator for a day and an emperor.
Now, during Christmas in Naples, he can be remade as one of the three wise men.
On Via San Gregorio Armeno, a street in the center of this ancient port city in southern Italy, shops have for generations sold meticulously crafted carvings of Nativity scenes — sometimes adorned with miniature statues of contemporary celebrities. For years, figures of Diego Maradona, the Argentine soccer star who played for the city’s leading team, have been perennial top sellers, as have statuettes of Silvio Berlusconi, the media tycoon and four-time Italian prime minister.
This Christmas, models of Mr. Trump are the new front-runners.
Mr. Trump “is very loved,” said Michele Buonincontro, who founded a studio and shop 32 years ago to make and sell the traditional Neapolitan Nativity scenes known as presepi. Three rows of Trump figures, wearing dark suits with red ties and crowned with bright yellow helmets of hair, stood on a table in a workshop at the back of Mr. Buonincontro’s shop. Some of Mr. Buonincontro’s clients insert figurines of Mr. Trump into Nativity scenes as one of the three wise kings who brought gifts for the newborn Jesus, he said. “I am not saying he is a saint, but he is connected to religion, to religiosity,” Mr. Buonincontro added.
At Naples Cathedral, where an elaborate Nativity scene is set inside a chapel near the front of the church, the Rev. Federico Battaglia, secretary to the archbishop of Naples, said he saw no reason Mr. Trump wouldn’t fit in.
Jesus was born “under the Empire of Augustus,” said Father Battaglia, referring to the Roman emperor Caesar Augustus. If Jesus were born today, he added, it might be “under the Empire of Trump.”
“Augustus was the most powerful man of his time," he said, “as Trump is of ours.” » | Motoko Rich | Reporting from Naples, Italy | Tuesday, December 23, 2025
Trump Administration Plans to Promote Loyal Diplomats after Recall of 30 Ambassadors, Sources Say
THE GUARDIAN: Move comes as union representing US diplomats said it was ‘deeply concerned’ by the process, which could ‘politicise’ foreign service
The Trump administration has quietly recalled nearly 30 ambassadors and other senior overseas diplomats as the Trump administration plans to promote appointees loyal to the new administration to higher levels of the state department, according to diplomatic sources.
The recall of the ambassadors or heads of mission, which were confirmed by several current and former senior diplomats, was unusual for targeting career foreign service officers heading embassies overseas who are generally left in place after a change in administration because they strive to be apolitical.
But the Trump administration had vowed to oust a “deep state” of civil servants in a process that critics have called a purge of a professional class of government employees including senior overseas diplomats. » | Andrew Roth, global affairs correspondent | Tuesday, December 23, 2025
Trump is a pox on the planet! He poisons everything he touches. The America we used to love will never be the same again after Trump falls off his perch. — © Mark Alexander
The Trump administration has quietly recalled nearly 30 ambassadors and other senior overseas diplomats as the Trump administration plans to promote appointees loyal to the new administration to higher levels of the state department, according to diplomatic sources.
The recall of the ambassadors or heads of mission, which were confirmed by several current and former senior diplomats, was unusual for targeting career foreign service officers heading embassies overseas who are generally left in place after a change in administration because they strive to be apolitical.
But the Trump administration had vowed to oust a “deep state” of civil servants in a process that critics have called a purge of a professional class of government employees including senior overseas diplomats. » | Andrew Roth, global affairs correspondent | Tuesday, December 23, 2025
Trump is a pox on the planet! He poisons everything he touches. The America we used to love will never be the same again after Trump falls off his perch. — © Mark Alexander
Russia and China Pledge Support for Venezuela as Trump Ratchets Up Pressure on Maduro
THE GUARDIAN: Trump again called for Venezuela’s president to leave power and said the US would keep or sell the oil it had seized
China and Russia have expressed support for Venezuela as it confronts a US blockade of sanctioned oil tankers, while Donald Trump continues to ramp up his pressure campaign on the South American country’s president, Nicolás Maduro.
Amid reports of slowing activity at Venezuelan ports, the US president again called for Maduro to leave power, and reiterated that the US would keep or sell the oil it had seized off the coast of Venezuela in recent weeks.
Asked if the goal was to force Maduro from power, Trump told reporters: “I think it’d be smart for him to do that,” before adding “if he wants to do something, if he plays tough, it’ll be the last time he’s ever able to play tough.”
After Trump announced a “blockade” of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela last week, tanker loading at the country’s ports has slowed, with most ships moving oil cargoes only between domestic ports, according to the Reuters news agency. The number of loaded tankers that have not departed has increased in recent days, leaving millions of barrels of Venezuelan oil stuck on board ships, while customers demand deeper discounts and contract changes to take risky voyages beyond the country’s waters.
China’s foreign ministry said on Monday that the seizure of another country’s ships was a serious violation of international law, after the US intercepted a China-bound oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast on Saturday. » | Guardian staff and agencies | Tuesday, December 23, 2025
China and Russia have expressed support for Venezuela as it confronts a US blockade of sanctioned oil tankers, while Donald Trump continues to ramp up his pressure campaign on the South American country’s president, Nicolás Maduro.
Amid reports of slowing activity at Venezuelan ports, the US president again called for Maduro to leave power, and reiterated that the US would keep or sell the oil it had seized off the coast of Venezuela in recent weeks.
Asked if the goal was to force Maduro from power, Trump told reporters: “I think it’d be smart for him to do that,” before adding “if he wants to do something, if he plays tough, it’ll be the last time he’s ever able to play tough.”
After Trump announced a “blockade” of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela last week, tanker loading at the country’s ports has slowed, with most ships moving oil cargoes only between domestic ports, according to the Reuters news agency. The number of loaded tankers that have not departed has increased in recent days, leaving millions of barrels of Venezuelan oil stuck on board ships, while customers demand deeper discounts and contract changes to take risky voyages beyond the country’s waters.
China’s foreign ministry said on Monday that the seizure of another country’s ships was a serious violation of international law, after the US intercepted a China-bound oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast on Saturday. » | Guardian staff and agencies | Tuesday, December 23, 2025
You Cannot Annex Other Countries, Danish and Greenlandic Leaders Tell Trump
THE GUARDIAN: Mette Frederiksen and Jens-Frederik Nielsen demand respect for borders after US appoints Greenland envoy
The prime ministers of Denmark and Greenland have demanded respect for their borders after Donald Trump appointed a special envoy to the largely self-governing Danish territory, which he has said repeatedly should be under US control.
“We have said it very clearly before. Now we say it again. National borders and the sovereignty of states are rooted in international law … You cannot annex other countries,” Mette Frederiksen and Jens-Frederik Nielsen said in a joint statement.
The two leaders added that “fundamental principles” were at stake. “Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders, and the US should not take over Greenland,” they said. “We expect respect for our common territorial integrity.”
Trump on Sunday appointed the governor of Louisiana, Jeff Landry, as US special envoy to the vast, mineral-rich Arctic island. The US president has on several occasions said the US needs to acquire Greenland for security reasons, while refusing to rule out the use of force. » | Jon Henley, Europe correspondent | Monday, December 22, 2025
The prime ministers of Denmark and Greenland have demanded respect for their borders after Donald Trump appointed a special envoy to the largely self-governing Danish territory, which he has said repeatedly should be under US control.
“We have said it very clearly before. Now we say it again. National borders and the sovereignty of states are rooted in international law … You cannot annex other countries,” Mette Frederiksen and Jens-Frederik Nielsen said in a joint statement.
The two leaders added that “fundamental principles” were at stake. “Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders, and the US should not take over Greenland,” they said. “We expect respect for our common territorial integrity.”
Trump on Sunday appointed the governor of Louisiana, Jeff Landry, as US special envoy to the vast, mineral-rich Arctic island. The US president has on several occasions said the US needs to acquire Greenland for security reasons, while refusing to rule out the use of force. » | Jon Henley, Europe correspondent | Monday, December 22, 2025
Bari Weiss Is Hiding the Truth of Donald Trump’s America
It is incredible that Trump has been able to turn what was once a forward-thinking, progressive country into the SH!THOLE it has now become and in so short a time. This is what happens when you elect, or in this case re-elect, a know-nothing S** to the highest office in the land! — © Mark Alexander
Trump's New Greenland Envoy: "We Have to Have it" | DW News
I DESPISE Trump. I also DESPISE Americans for re-electing this IDIOT back into the White House. Donald Trump is a LOATHESOME CHUMP.
I cannot write here what I hope. But I hope it nonetheless. The man is a SCOURGE on the civilised world. — © Mark Alexander
Reagan ‘The Man Who Sold the World’
Sep 17, 2025 | Ronald Reagan is remembered as the "Great Communicator," the man who brought optimism back to America. But behind the smile was a ruthless counter-revolution.
This episode, the (tentatively) final in the series A History of Economic Tyranny, exposes how Reagan dismantled the New Deal, busted unions, exploded the deficit, and built the foundations of mass incarceration and extreme inequality that still haunts us today.
From the PATCO strike to the War on Drugs, from deregulation to the Savings & Loan crisis, Reagan's neoliberal project wasn't just policy: it was a political realignment. Both parties absorbed his philosophy, and for forty years America has lived in the house Reagan built.
Today's homelessness crisis, stagnant wages, racialized mass incarceration, climate inaction, and billionaire dominance are not accidents. They are Reagan's legacy. He didn't just win two elections. He won the next forty years and cursed us for several generations.
This is the story of the man who sold the world.
Ronald Reagan, who was “affectionately” known as ‘The Old Gipper’ was, given the perspective of time, a man who was full of BS. Just like his sister across the Pond, Margaret Thatcher. We were all taken in by their bullshit. If ‘The Old Gipper’ was the man who sold the world, then Margaret Thatcher was the woman who sold the United Kingdom TO the world! She sold off ALL our ASSETS. (And we are still, to this day, paying a very high price for her MISTAKES and her FOLLY.) — © Mark Alexander
This episode, the (tentatively) final in the series A History of Economic Tyranny, exposes how Reagan dismantled the New Deal, busted unions, exploded the deficit, and built the foundations of mass incarceration and extreme inequality that still haunts us today.
From the PATCO strike to the War on Drugs, from deregulation to the Savings & Loan crisis, Reagan's neoliberal project wasn't just policy: it was a political realignment. Both parties absorbed his philosophy, and for forty years America has lived in the house Reagan built.
Today's homelessness crisis, stagnant wages, racialized mass incarceration, climate inaction, and billionaire dominance are not accidents. They are Reagan's legacy. He didn't just win two elections. He won the next forty years and cursed us for several generations.
This is the story of the man who sold the world.
Ronald Reagan, who was “affectionately” known as ‘The Old Gipper’ was, given the perspective of time, a man who was full of BS. Just like his sister across the Pond, Margaret Thatcher. We were all taken in by their bullshit. If ‘The Old Gipper’ was the man who sold the world, then Margaret Thatcher was the woman who sold the United Kingdom TO the world! She sold off ALL our ASSETS. (And we are still, to this day, paying a very high price for her MISTAKES and her FOLLY.) — © Mark Alexander
Monday, December 22, 2025
For Fallen Syrian Dictator Assad and Family, an Exile of Luxury and Impunity
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Bashar al-Assad’s long, brutal reign ended swiftly, but he and his close circle have had a soft landing in Russia.
Just a few weeks after a whirlwind rebel offensive seized control of his homeland last year, a Syrian expatriate in Moscow treated himself to a meal in the city’s tallest skyscraper.
With views from the 62nd floor, stylish hostesses and elaborate cocktails, the restaurant “Sixty” regularly welcomes members of Russia’s political elite and foreign celebrities.
So the Syrian diner, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said he had not been surprised when waiters asked him to refrain from taking photos.
But he was surprised to discover who one of the V.I.P.s dining in his midst was: his country’s ousted dictator, Bashar al-Assad.
For more than five decades, the Assad family name has been synonymous with brutal autocracy. Now, the Assads are fugitives living in Moscow.
Both the deposed president and his brother Maher, one of the regime’s most powerful military leaders, have betrayed little about how they spend their days in the country that propped them up when they were in power and took them in when they fell.
But from witnesses and family friends, and digital clues left on hard-to-track social media accounts, reporters for The New York Times have uncovered glimpses into a life of luxury and impunity. » | Erika Solomon, Christiaan Triebert, Haley Willis and Ahmad Mhidi | Monday, December 22, 2025
Just a few weeks after a whirlwind rebel offensive seized control of his homeland last year, a Syrian expatriate in Moscow treated himself to a meal in the city’s tallest skyscraper.
With views from the 62nd floor, stylish hostesses and elaborate cocktails, the restaurant “Sixty” regularly welcomes members of Russia’s political elite and foreign celebrities.
So the Syrian diner, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said he had not been surprised when waiters asked him to refrain from taking photos.
But he was surprised to discover who one of the V.I.P.s dining in his midst was: his country’s ousted dictator, Bashar al-Assad.
For more than five decades, the Assad family name has been synonymous with brutal autocracy. Now, the Assads are fugitives living in Moscow.
Both the deposed president and his brother Maher, one of the regime’s most powerful military leaders, have betrayed little about how they spend their days in the country that propped them up when they were in power and took them in when they fell.
But from witnesses and family friends, and digital clues left on hard-to-track social media accounts, reporters for The New York Times have uncovered glimpses into a life of luxury and impunity. » | Erika Solomon, Christiaan Triebert, Haley Willis and Ahmad Mhidi | Monday, December 22, 2025
Guerre en Ukraine : la région d'Odessa de nouveau la cible des frappes russes
LE FIGARO : «L’ennemi ne cesse de frapper la région d’Odessa. La Russie tente de détruire la logistique maritime en lançant des attaques systématiques contre les infrastructures portuaires et énergétiques», a affirmé sur Telegram le ministre de la Reconstruction, Oleksiï Kouleba.
La région portuaire d'Odessa, dans le sud de l'Ukraine, a de nouveau été visée lundi par des frappes russes qui ont endommagé des infrastructures énergétiques et maritimes, après des attaques ukrainiennes sur des pétroliers liés à la Russie en mer Noire et Méditerranée. Ces dernières semaines, l'armée russe a frappé des ports, ponts et installations électriques dans cette région méridionale bordant la mer Noire. Le président russe Vladimir Poutine avait menacé d'intensifier les attaques sur les ports ukrainiens, en réponse aux opérations de Kiev. » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | lundi 22 décembre 2025
La région portuaire d'Odessa, dans le sud de l'Ukraine, a de nouveau été visée lundi par des frappes russes qui ont endommagé des infrastructures énergétiques et maritimes, après des attaques ukrainiennes sur des pétroliers liés à la Russie en mer Noire et Méditerranée. Ces dernières semaines, l'armée russe a frappé des ports, ponts et installations électriques dans cette région méridionale bordant la mer Noire. Le président russe Vladimir Poutine avait menacé d'intensifier les attaques sur les ports ukrainiens, en réponse aux opérations de Kiev. » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | lundi 22 décembre 2025
Revealed: How Big Businesses Are Rolling Back Public Support for Pride
THE GUARDIAN: Guardian analysis of 20 major companies in UK and US shows mentions of Pride on social media have fallen substantially in past two years
The UK’s biggest businesses are rolling back their public support for Pride celebrations, Guardian analysis suggests, prompting warnings that “clear signals” are needed in the face of growing global LGBTQ+ hostility.
Analysis of social media posts by the country’s biggest companies found mentions of Pride had plummeted by 92% since 2023, mirroring a trend seen in large American firms.
The findings come after the US president, Donald Trump, signed a series of executive orders in 2025 that overturned federal government diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programmes, leading companies on both sides of the Atlantic to rebrand, scale back and even scrap fairness policies.
The Guardian analysed the main customer-facing social media accounts of the 10 biggest UK-listed or headquartered companies, and the 10 biggest US companies by market capitalisation.
Among the British brands were the technology company Arm Holdings, the pharmaceutical firms AstraZeneca and GSK, the nicotine products company British American Tobacco, HSBC bank, the chemicals company Linde, the defence and engineering company Rolls-Royce, the oil company Shell and the food conglomerate Unilever. » | Chris Osuh, Raphael Boyd and Geneva Abdul | Monday, December 22, 2025
The slide backwards for LGBT rights is all because of the corrupt dude in the White House. You know, the convicted sex offender, the one who likes pussy. It’s okay for him to “grab women by the pussy”, but it’s not okay for gays to fall in love with people of the same sex, for them to fall in love with, and be attracted to, people of the same sex, the way God created them. Strange that! In Trump’s America, there are different standards for different kinds of people. There are different standards for the rich and for the poor, and different standards for heterosexuals and different standards for homosexuals. There are even different standards for homosexuals, depending on whether they are haves or have-nots. We know this, because there are plenty of people near the top of Trump’s regime who are queer. What a disgusting man Trump is! He’s turning the clocks back to yesteryear. What poor judgment Americans have in choosing their presidents! That companies are following Trump’s lead into darkness shows us all only just how weak and fawning these so-called titans of the business world really are. Perhaps the best thing is to boycott their products wherever and whenever possible. The pink pound and pink dollar are mighty. — © Mark Alexander
The UK’s biggest businesses are rolling back their public support for Pride celebrations, Guardian analysis suggests, prompting warnings that “clear signals” are needed in the face of growing global LGBTQ+ hostility.
Analysis of social media posts by the country’s biggest companies found mentions of Pride had plummeted by 92% since 2023, mirroring a trend seen in large American firms.
The findings come after the US president, Donald Trump, signed a series of executive orders in 2025 that overturned federal government diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programmes, leading companies on both sides of the Atlantic to rebrand, scale back and even scrap fairness policies.
The Guardian analysed the main customer-facing social media accounts of the 10 biggest UK-listed or headquartered companies, and the 10 biggest US companies by market capitalisation.
Among the British brands were the technology company Arm Holdings, the pharmaceutical firms AstraZeneca and GSK, the nicotine products company British American Tobacco, HSBC bank, the chemicals company Linde, the defence and engineering company Rolls-Royce, the oil company Shell and the food conglomerate Unilever. » | Chris Osuh, Raphael Boyd and Geneva Abdul | Monday, December 22, 2025
The slide backwards for LGBT rights is all because of the corrupt dude in the White House. You know, the convicted sex offender, the one who likes pussy. It’s okay for him to “grab women by the pussy”, but it’s not okay for gays to fall in love with people of the same sex, for them to fall in love with, and be attracted to, people of the same sex, the way God created them. Strange that! In Trump’s America, there are different standards for different kinds of people. There are different standards for the rich and for the poor, and different standards for heterosexuals and different standards for homosexuals. There are even different standards for homosexuals, depending on whether they are haves or have-nots. We know this, because there are plenty of people near the top of Trump’s regime who are queer. What a disgusting man Trump is! He’s turning the clocks back to yesteryear. What poor judgment Americans have in choosing their presidents! That companies are following Trump’s lead into darkness shows us all only just how weak and fawning these so-called titans of the business world really are. Perhaps the best thing is to boycott their products wherever and whenever possible. The pink pound and pink dollar are mighty. — © Mark Alexander
Hannah Arendt: Eine Jüdin im Pariser Exil | Doku HD | ARTE
Dec 21, 2025 | Hannah Arendts Positionen zum Jüdisch-Sein, zum Verhältnis Israel-Palästina und zu autoritär-totalitären Systemen scheinen aktueller denn je. Mit dem Biografen Thomas Meyer begibt sich die Dokumentation in die Zeit ihres Pariser Exils. An der Seine legte sie die Grundlagen für ihre späteren Werke, durch die sie Weltgeltung erlangen sollte.
Am 4. Dezember 2025 jährt sich zum 50. Mal der Todestag von Hannah Arendt. Die 1930er Jahre verbrachte die jüdische Publizistin auf der Flucht vor den Nationalsozialisten im Pariser Exil. Dort rettete sie Kindern und Jugendlichen das Leben, indem sie ihnen die Flucht nach Palästina ermöglichte. Arendts Analysen des Antisemitismus, ihre Forderung nach dem Recht, Rechte zu haben, wie auch ihre Auseinandersetzung mit der Assimilation von Juden an die Mehrheitsgesellschaft gründen in diesem Lebensabschnitt. Ebenso bildete sich ihre pro-zionistische Sicht auf die Gründung Israels heraus, die quer zu den Ansichten der rechten Strömung der Bewegung stand.
Die zum Bestseller avancierte Biografie von Thomas Meyer hat Arendts Zeit in Paris erstmals gründlich erforscht. Mit Meyer begibt sich die Dokumentation zu den Wirkungsstätten der politischen Denkerin - so nach Gurs, einem Internierungslager im Süden Frankreichs. Nach Kriegsbeginn wurden hier auch deutsche Juden interniert, die sich in Frankreich aufhielten. In einem kleinen Zeitfenster wurden manche Häftlinge entlassen, nur knapp entging Arendt so der Deportation nach Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Erst in ihrer neuen Heimat New York erfuhr Hannah Arendt vom Holocaust und verfasste ihre eindrucksvollen Thesen zu totaler Herrschaft als Praxis vollständiger Entmenschlichung. Neben Biograf Thomas Meyer kommen in der filmischen Annährung an diese Jahre ihres Lebens der Philosoph Omri Boehm, die Trägerin des Adorno-Preises und des Hannah-Arendt-Preises für politisches Denken 2025, Seyla Benhabib sowie die französische Arendt-Expertin Martine Leibovici und Marina Touillez zu Wort, deren Darstellung von Arendts Pariser Exil-Umfeld in Frankreich intensiv diskutiert wurde.
Dokumentation von Christian Bettges (D 2025, 52 Min)
Video auf YouTube verfügbar bis zum 10/03/2026
Am 4. Dezember 2025 jährt sich zum 50. Mal der Todestag von Hannah Arendt. Die 1930er Jahre verbrachte die jüdische Publizistin auf der Flucht vor den Nationalsozialisten im Pariser Exil. Dort rettete sie Kindern und Jugendlichen das Leben, indem sie ihnen die Flucht nach Palästina ermöglichte. Arendts Analysen des Antisemitismus, ihre Forderung nach dem Recht, Rechte zu haben, wie auch ihre Auseinandersetzung mit der Assimilation von Juden an die Mehrheitsgesellschaft gründen in diesem Lebensabschnitt. Ebenso bildete sich ihre pro-zionistische Sicht auf die Gründung Israels heraus, die quer zu den Ansichten der rechten Strömung der Bewegung stand.
Die zum Bestseller avancierte Biografie von Thomas Meyer hat Arendts Zeit in Paris erstmals gründlich erforscht. Mit Meyer begibt sich die Dokumentation zu den Wirkungsstätten der politischen Denkerin - so nach Gurs, einem Internierungslager im Süden Frankreichs. Nach Kriegsbeginn wurden hier auch deutsche Juden interniert, die sich in Frankreich aufhielten. In einem kleinen Zeitfenster wurden manche Häftlinge entlassen, nur knapp entging Arendt so der Deportation nach Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Erst in ihrer neuen Heimat New York erfuhr Hannah Arendt vom Holocaust und verfasste ihre eindrucksvollen Thesen zu totaler Herrschaft als Praxis vollständiger Entmenschlichung. Neben Biograf Thomas Meyer kommen in der filmischen Annährung an diese Jahre ihres Lebens der Philosoph Omri Boehm, die Trägerin des Adorno-Preises und des Hannah-Arendt-Preises für politisches Denken 2025, Seyla Benhabib sowie die französische Arendt-Expertin Martine Leibovici und Marina Touillez zu Wort, deren Darstellung von Arendts Pariser Exil-Umfeld in Frankreich intensiv diskutiert wurde.
Dokumentation von Christian Bettges (D 2025, 52 Min)
Video auf YouTube verfügbar bis zum 10/03/2026
Louis-Claude Daquin - Noël X - Orgue de la Chapelle Royale de Versailles
Dec 24, 2020 | Jean-Baptiste Robin organiste titulaire de la Chapelle Royale de Versailles interprète Louis Claude Daquin.
Louis-Claude Daquin fut organiste de la Chapelle royale de Versailles de 1739 à 1770 et il signe ici l'un des noëls pour orgue les plus populaires. L'œuvre est fondée sur la mélodie de « Quand Dieu naquit à Noël » ou « Bon Joseph, écoutez-moi » et comporte quatre doubles (variations) entrecoupés du thème sur le grand jeu de l'orgue.
Louis-Claude Daquin fut organiste de la Chapelle royale de Versailles de 1739 à 1770 et il signe ici l'un des noëls pour orgue les plus populaires. L'œuvre est fondée sur la mélodie de « Quand Dieu naquit à Noël » ou « Bon Joseph, écoutez-moi » et comporte quatre doubles (variations) entrecoupés du thème sur le grand jeu de l'orgue.
'Abusing Muslims Is Not Going to Fix This Country': Rising Hate in the UK
Dec 22, 2025 | Hate crimes are rising around the UK, after a summer of flags going up on lamp-posts across the country and racist riots in 2024.
Taj Ali is a Muslim journalist who has been collating evidence of these attacks. Even in big diverse areas there is a sense of fear, but what is life like for smaller ethnic minority communities in smaller towns?
On his journey with video producers Christopher Cherry and Maeve Shearlaw he finds a sense of anger about the loss of community but people everywhere determined to roll up their sleeves and make things better.
Taj Ali is a Muslim journalist who has been collating evidence of these attacks. Even in big diverse areas there is a sense of fear, but what is life like for smaller ethnic minority communities in smaller towns?
On his journey with video producers Christopher Cherry and Maeve Shearlaw he finds a sense of anger about the loss of community but people everywhere determined to roll up their sleeves and make things better.
The Economy Survived 2025, but Many Americans Are Reeling
THE NEW YORK TIMES: A feared recession didn’t materialize, but unemployment rose, wage growth slowed and affordability challenges are mounting.
After a chaotic year filled with trade wars, market gyrations and the longest government shutdown in history, the U.S. economy has, once again, proved more resilient than many forecasters feared.
But “resilient” isn’t quite the same thing as “good.”
Many Americans are entering 2026 worried about their jobs, stressed about their finances and unconvinced that things will improve in the new year.
The flow of official economic data resumed last week after a prolonged delay caused by the government shutdown. The reports were muddled by technical quirks related to the shutdown, but on balance they suggested the economy remained stuck in the same uneasy limbo it was in before the data blackout began.
Job growth was decent in November, but unemployment rose. Retail sales were solid, but wage growth slowed. Inflation cooled, but remains elevated. » | Ben Casselman and Colby Smith | Monday, December 22, 2025
When it comes to economics, Donald Trump is incompetent. There is one very important fact that Trump never learned. It is this: a well-run economy should work for ALL, not just for the SELECT FEW, for the WORKER as well as for the BOSS, for the POOR as well as for the SUPERRICH. — © Mark Alexander
After a chaotic year filled with trade wars, market gyrations and the longest government shutdown in history, the U.S. economy has, once again, proved more resilient than many forecasters feared.
But “resilient” isn’t quite the same thing as “good.”
Many Americans are entering 2026 worried about their jobs, stressed about their finances and unconvinced that things will improve in the new year.
The flow of official economic data resumed last week after a prolonged delay caused by the government shutdown. The reports were muddled by technical quirks related to the shutdown, but on balance they suggested the economy remained stuck in the same uneasy limbo it was in before the data blackout began.
Job growth was decent in November, but unemployment rose. Retail sales were solid, but wage growth slowed. Inflation cooled, but remains elevated. » | Ben Casselman and Colby Smith | Monday, December 22, 2025
When it comes to economics, Donald Trump is incompetent. There is one very important fact that Trump never learned. It is this: a well-run economy should work for ALL, not just for the SELECT FEW, for the WORKER as well as for the BOSS, for the POOR as well as for the SUPERRICH. — © Mark Alexander
Republicans: Wake Up!
Russian General Fanil Sarvarov Killed in Car Bomb Explosion in Moscow | DW News
Dec 22, 2025 | Investigators in Moscow say that Russian Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov has been killed by a bomb detonated beneath his car.
According to local media, the explosion occurred around 7am Moscow time on Monday morning. Russia’s Investigative Committee said they are looking for a link to Ukrainian intelligence services. Ukraine claimed responsibility for the killing of a separate Russian general with a planted bomb just over a year ago.
According to local media, the explosion occurred around 7am Moscow time on Monday morning. Russia’s Investigative Committee said they are looking for a link to Ukrainian intelligence services. Ukraine claimed responsibility for the killing of a separate Russian general with a planted bomb just over a year ago.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)