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The Democrats who aren’t criticizing John Fetterman
Sen. John Fetterman has faced a tide of public criticism from fellow Democrats as he stakes out lonely ground as a critic of the far-left wing of his party — and another wave rolled in Wednesday after he made a surprise video appearance at the Republican midterm convention.
So far, however, his Senate colleagues haven’t joined the pile-on.
Democratic Sen. John Fetterman appears in surprise video at GOP midterm convention
In the roughly one-minute video introducing McCormick on stage, Fetterman made clear that he is still a Democrat. But took aim at the rise of “socialism” in his own party – a notable and public rebuke to the Democrats’ left flank.
“Yes, I’m a Democrat. Why am I here talking to you today? Because well, I’m a common sense Democrat. I’m always going to stand with America. I’m always going to reject the extremes and socialism and that anti-American way of life,” Fetterman said in the pre-recorded video.
WATCH: Trump promises $5,000 ‚dividend‘ for Americans if GOP wins midterms
Watch Trump‘s remarks in the video player above.
„If the Republicans win, you win with us and you get $5,000,“ Trump told the crowd at the Republican Midterm Convention in Dallas. „It will be called the Trump dividend.“
GOP launches midterm ‚Trumpapalooza‘ convention in Dallas
The Republican National Committee launched its midterm convention in Dallas on Wednesday, with President Donald Trump set to be the keynote speaker on Wednesday followed by Vice President JD Vance and the president on Thursday.
Merz zu Wahl in Sachsen-Anhalt „Aufgeben ist für mich keine Option“
Es sei „die schwerste Wahlniederlage, die die CDU seit Jahren, seit Jahrzehnten eingefahren hat“, so Merz. „Das Ganze wird natürlich Konsequenzen haben müssen.“ Es sei klar, dass die CDU nicht zur Tagesordnung übergehen könne. Das Wahlergebnis löse große Erschütterungen aus, im Land und in der CDU. Er werde versuchen, dem Ernst der Lage Rechnung zu tragen.
Das Wahlergebnis mache auch etwas mit ihm persönlich, sagte Merz. Es habe zudem Auswirkungen auch auf die internationale Lage und finde international Beachtung.
Friedrich Merz will lose Sunday’s regional election — whatever the result
An outright win for the far right in Saxony-Anhalt will hurt Merz. But things will also be messy if his party has to form coalitions with left-wingers to box out the AfD.
What’s at stake for the AfD and Merz in Germany’s three September elections
(September 1, 2026)
WASHINGTON—State elections this month in Germany will almost certainly weaken Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s federal coalition and raise new obstacles to his promised reforms. Merz’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and his coalition partner, the Social Democratic Party (SPD) are facing significant losses in the three state elections. Meanwhile, the most consequential state election comes first: in Sachsen-Anhalt, the right-wing nativist Alternative for Germany (AfD) is within reach of a parliamentary majority.
Sonntagsfrage Bundestagswahl
Wenn am nächsten Sonntag Bundestagswahl wäre …
Sonntagsfrage Bundestagswahl
Wenn am nächsten Sonntag Bundestagswahl wäre …
The Iran War Is Lose-Lose
The on-again, off-again conflict, characterized by tit-for-tat retaliatory strikes, is a lose-lose situation for both parties and for the region as a whole, yet we are unlikely to escape this tragic dynamic unless more realist strategic thinking prevails in both Washington and Tehran. Neither side can “win” this war, but they can cut their losses before they incur even higher human, financial, and military costs. The realist school of thought offers a compelling diagnosis of this conflict, and points the way to a mutually beneficial conclusion.
Folgen des Iran-Kriegs: Trump hat Amerikas Macht verspielt
Die Supermacht USA hat sich mit einer zweitklassigen Regionalgröße angelegt – und ist dabei unterlegen. Das hat geostrategische Folgen, die wir längst noch nicht alle begreifen. Am Persischen Golf sind die Amerikaner jetzt auf dem Rückzug, das Pentagon überlegt ernsthaft, die zerstörten Stützpunkte in der Region nicht wieder aufzubauen.
Ende der Sozialdemokratie: Klingbeil warnt SPD vor Personal- und Kursdebatten
Angesichts schlechter Umfragewerte und befürchteter Niederlagen bei den anstehenden Wahlen in Sachsen-Anhalt, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern und Berlin gibt es vermehrt innerparteiliche Kritik an Klingbeil und Koparteichefin Bärbel Bas. Mit der Forderung nach einem Sonderparteitag steht die Frage ihrer Ablösung im Raum. Als mögliche Nachfolgerin gilt in Teilen der Partei Mecklenburg-Vorpommerns Ministerpräsidentin Manuela Schwesig, die bei der Landtagswahl Ende September ihr Regierungsamt verteidigen will.
ARD-DeutschlandTrend: AfD legt zu, Union verliert weiter
Die Unzufriedenheit mit der Regierung speist sich auch aus einem größer werdenden Veränderungswunsch. Mehr als die Hälfte der Bevölkerung (55 Prozent, +7 im Vergleich zu Dezember 2024) wünscht sich mittlerweile einen grundlegenden Wandel in Deutschland.
Sonntagsfrage Bundestagswahl
Wenn am nächsten Sonntag Bundestagswahl wäre …
Söder, ein „Stabilisator der Demokratie“?
Die CSU sei „der größte Stabilitätsanker in diesen wirren Zeiten“, sagte der Ministerpräsident trotz des mauen Abschneidens – auch mit Blick auf die Beliebtheitswerte für Söder selbst. Im Vergleich zu Pandemie-Zeiten sanken seine Zustimmungswerte von 58 Prozent auf zuletzt 27 Prozent im ARD-DeutschlandTrend von April. Sich selbst sieht der Ministerpräsident als eine Mischung aus Manager und „Stabilisator der Demokratie“.
Deutschlands diplomatischer Niedergang
Nicht nur die Wirtschaft Deutschlands ist selbstverschuldet durch die Politik der staatstragenden Parteien im Rückwärtsgang begriffen, sondern, noch schlimmer, der Ruf, das Image, das diplomatische Ansehen befindet sich praktisch im freien Fall. Nur weil die meisten Länder diplomatische Zurückhaltung üben, andere noch finanzielle Vorteile genießen, und weil die Medien es nicht zum Thema machen, bleibt es in Deutschland unbemerkt.
National gas price average drops below $4 a gallon for first time since April says GasBuddy
“Average gasoline prices fell in 47 states over the last week, with the national average dropping below $4 per gallon late Sunday for the first time since mid-April,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. “The decline came as oil prices moved sharply lower in reaction to news of a potential deal between the United States and Iran, though it remains to be seen whether the agreement will hold.
EU fails to agree on sanctions on Israel’s far-right minister Ben-Gvir
EU foreign ministers have failed to agree on sanctions against Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, the bloc’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas says.
“Many member states have also proposed to sanction Minister Ben-Gvir, but no consensus on that was reached,” Kallas said.
‘Embarrassing’: pressure on Merz after Germany’s failure to win UN security council seat
In an awkward rivalry among EU partners, Portugal took 134 votes and Austria 131 while Germany garnered just 104, significantly below the required 127 votes despite Berlin’s expressed confidence just hours before that it would prevail.
Both winners were seen to represent the interests of smaller countries, while Austria could benefit from its perceived neutrality as a non-Nato member and Portugal touted its strong ties in Africa and Latin America.
Did Germany lose its UNSC seat because of support for Israel?
Wadephul’s bid won 104 votes in the UN General Assembly, falling 23 short of the two-thirds majority required for election.
This is the first time Germany has failed to win a rotating seat on the Security Council after decades of successfully securing one of the Western European seats every eight years.
Kein Sitz im UN-Sicherheitsrat: Katerstimmung und Fehlersuche
„Für uns alle ist das eine wirkliche Enttäuschung. Das muss man sagen. Daran will ich nicht vorbeireden“, sagt Wadephul später im Interview mit den ARD-Tagesthemen. In der deutschen Delegation herrscht Katerstimmung. Bis zuletzt war man zuversichtlich, dass die vielen Last-Minute-Gespräche, die Wadephul seit Freitag in New York geführt hatte, ausreichen würden. Die Liste der vermeintlichen Unterstützer-Staaten schien lang genug zu sein.
Five countries elected to UN Security Council; Germany misses out
The United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday elected Austria, Kyrgyzstan, Portugal, Trinidad and Tobago and Zimbabwe to the 15-member U.N. Security Council for two-year terms starting on January 1, 2027.
Germany, which had lobbied hard for a seat, came third for the two places contested by the Western European and Others Group, with 104 votes, against 134 for Portugal and 131 for Austria.
Strack-Zimmermann schließt Einsatz von Bodentruppen nicht aus
(August 20, 2025)
Die FDP-Europaabgeordnete Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann hat den Einsatz von deutschen Bodentruppen zur Friedenssicherung in der Ukraine nicht kategorisch ausgeschlossen. „Die Frage wird sein, wenn es erforderlich ist, die Ukraine zu sichern: Reicht es, das mit Aufrüstung zu machen? Bedarf es anderer Schutztruppen?“, sagte sie im gemeinsamen Morgenmagazin von ARD und ZDF.
Oil futures fall amid talks of potential US-Iran deal
Oil futures have seen their biggest weekly drop in nearly two months as news swirled of a potential US-Iran deal that could see the Strait of Hormuz reopened and a ceasefire extended between Washington and Tehran.
Brent oil crude futures fell to $92.69 a barrel, a weekly drop of more than 10 percent.
Trump’s Approval Sinks Amid Unpopular War, Darkening G.O.P. Prospects
Just 26 percent of voters said they were satisfied with the Democratic Party.
The discontent includes a significant number of Democrats who expressed reservations about their own party. Forty-four percent of Democrats described themselves as unsatisfied, while just 23 percent of Republicans said the same about their party.
“They’re just not fighting back hard enough in my eyes,” said Matthew Berryhill, 35, a recruiter from Marietta, Ga., a pivotal battleground area in the state’s key Senate race this year, who described himself as a progressive Democrat. “They come out with strong statements and strong words, and no action to back it up.”
Trump Says Gas Prices Might Not Drop by Midterms, Underscoring G.O.P. Peril
(April 12, 2026)
Mr. Trump had long downplayed a sharp spike in gas prices driven by the war in Iran by casting it as a “short-term increase” that would subside within weeks. But on Sunday, Mr. Trump told Fox News that while he hoped gas and oil costs would drop before the midterms, prices “should be around the same” in November — and might be “a little bit higher.”
Pressure on Starmer Mounts as Dozens of Labour Lawmakers Call on Him to Quit
Dozens of Labour Party lawmakers called on Prime Minister Keir Starmer to resign on Monday, effectively rejecting their leader’s efforts to quell a mutiny in the party ranks and raising the likelihood of a bruising leadership battle.
Mr. Starmer began the day with a speech he hoped would quiet the brewing rebellion, acknowledging the anger expressed by voters last week when they overwhelmingly rejected Labour Party candidates in elections across England, Scotland and Wales.
Starmer under pressure, as Labour suffers heavy elections losses
The results in England, Scotland and Wales have piled pressure on Sir Keir, with some Labour MPs calling for him to set a timetable for his departure, although his cabinet allies have backed him for now.
Labour has lost power in Wales, ending its 27 year-long rule, while the SNP appears likely to remain the largest party in Scotland.
Reform UK has been the big winner in England, picking up more than 1,400 seats and taking control of councils in areas where Labour and the Conservatives have been historically dominant.