Archiv: (schmähliche) Niederlagen / utter defeats


15.07.2026 - 12:41 [ Antiwar.com ]

Senate Democrats Block Advancement of $1.1 Trillion NDAA Over Iran War

Senate Democrats on Tuesday blocked the advancement of the 2027 National Defense Authorization Act, citing President Trump’s war with Iran, which continues to rage following the collapse of the US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding.

The NDAA would provide the Pentagon with over $1.1 trillion in funding as part of the White House’s plan for a $1.5 trillion military budget for 2027, a nearly 50% increase from this year. The bill also includes an amendment, Section 1217, to further merge the US and Israeli militaries under a plan being pushed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

A procedural vote of 50-46 fell well short of the 60 votes that it needed to advance the NDAA. Every Democrat, except two who weren’t present for the vote — Senators Jon Fetterman (PA) and Alex Padilla (CA) — voted against advancing the sprawling military spending bill.

15.07.2026 - 12:29 [ Common Dreams ]

How Section 219, the US-Israel Military Merger, Would Thwart American Democracy

(July 13, 2026)

The House provision, which has a Senate version known as Section 1217, would also forbid the president of the United States from limiting intelligence collaboration with Israel over its human rights abuses. If the President ever wants to limit such collaboration, he or she must tell Congress and can only cite American national security as a basis.

In other words, these bills would connect the US and Israeli militaries in unprecedented ways and make it exceedingly difficult for any future president to unwind this partnership with a foreign government.

15.07.2026 - 12:14 [ Human RIghts Watch ]

Congressional Proposal Could Deepen US Complicity

(June 16, 2026)

Buried in the US$1.15 trillion National Defense Authorization Act is a provision that would deepen US military cooperation with Israel while walling that cooperation off from further congressional oversight.

Section 219 (formerly section 224) creates the role of an “executive agent” focused on folding Israeli technology into US weapons programs, and vice versa, including in missile and air defense technologies as well as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, cyberwarfare, and autonomous systems. Once implemented, the provision would speed efforts to embed Israeli technologies into US weapons systems in ways almost never codified into law, even for allies. As the protracted experience with unwinding Turkish participation in the F-35 program shows, practically, integration binds the United States to rely on producers in ways that become next to impossible to walk back later, even if lawmakers want to.

(…)

Section 219 also calls for “data fusion.” In defense doctrine, data fusion means combining feeds from many sensors and intelligence sources into a single targeting picture. The United States would be absorbing Israeli data, which may have been collected under problematic mass surveillance programs. Moreover, section 219 would be reinforced by section 622 of the intelligence appropriations bill, which mandates intelligence sharing and would further promote combining US intelligence streams with Israeli ones that could then be used by the Israeli military for targeting.

05.06.2026 - 01:17 [ theGuardian.com ]

‘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.

04.06.2026 - 13:06 [ Al Jazeera ]

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.

04.06.2026 - 13:01 [ Tagesschau.de ]

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.

04.06.2026 - 12:56 [ Reuters ]

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.

30.05.2026 - 17:17 [ New York Times ]

The Agony Around the Democrats’ Mysterious, Ridiculous Autopsy

(May 22, 2026)

Rarely has a document been at once as mysterious and anticlimactic as the Democratic National Committee’s autopsy of what went wrong in the 2024 election, which, after much drama and angst, was finally published on Thursday.

The committee’s chair, Ken Martin, promised a full audit of party operations when he was running for his seat, and again when he won it. Last July, officials said it would be out in the fall. Fall came and went, and in December, Martin said it wouldn’t be released at all. By hiding it, Martin made the report an object of suspicion and fascination.

29.05.2026 - 10:33 [ Politico.com ]

‘Why are we talking about this?’: Democrats are furious that the Bidens won’t go away

Democrats want to move on from 2024. The Bidens won’t let them.

22.05.2026 - 00:51 [ Times of Israel ]

Gaza war and Israel go unmentioned in Democrats’ 2024 election autopsy report

Axios reported in February that the top Democrats who worked on the report concluded that Harris “lost significant support because of the Biden administration’s approach to the war in Gaza.”

If that’s the case, it’s not reflected in the document that CNN published on Thursday morning.

22.05.2026 - 00:43 [ CNN ]

Read the DNC’s 2024 autopsy obtained by CNN

CNN is publishing a copy of a report into why Democrats lost the 2024 presidential election conducted at the request of Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin.

This version of the report – better known as the 2024 autopsy – was written by Democratic strategist Paul Rivera. The DNC withheld the report until presented with CNN’s reporting about much of its contents. The copy published by CNN includes annotations in red that the DNC added to its version of Rivera’s report. CNN has not modified the report and does not vouch for the accuracy of any statements within the report or the DNC’s annotations.

21.05.2026 - 05:04 [ Al Jazeera ]

US removes sanctions on UN Palestinian rights expert after judge cites free speech

The Trump administration imposed the sanctions after accusing Albanese of “biased and malicious activities” and “lawfare,” including recommending that the International Criminal Court issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence minister, Yoav Gallant.

“It is undisputed that her recommendations have no binding effect on the ICC’s actions – they are nothing more than her opinion,” Leon said in his decision.

21.05.2026 - 04:59 [ Jurist.org ]

US federal judge blocks sanctions against UN expert on Palestine

(May 15, 2026)

Judge Leon made preliminary findings that President Donald Trump’s administration likely violated Albanese’s right to free speech by imposing sanctions against her. In his 26-page decision, he discussed the applicability of the First Amendment to Albanese, including an extensive discussion of the significance of free expression. He wrote:

Albanese has done nothing more than speak! It is undisputed that her recommendations have no binding effect on the ICC’s actions–they are nothing more than her opinion… Finally, protecting the freedom of speech is “always” in the public interest… Indeed, the “proudest boast” of our First Amendment is that it protects the freedom to express even “the thought that we hate.” Enough said.

21.05.2026 - 04:56 [ Politico.com ]

Judge overturns US sanctions on UN official who called for war crimes prosecutions over Gaza

(May 13, 2026)

Secretary of State Marco Rubio imposed the sanctions on Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur for Palestinian human rights, last July under an executive order President Donald Trump signed authorizing such actions against people “directly engaged” in the International Criminal Court’s investigations related to alleged atrocities in Gaza.

However, in a ruling Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Richard Leon said the administration’s sanctions against Albanese violate the First Amendment because they’re based solely on her encouraging the ICC to investigate and prosecute.

09.04.2026 - 10:01 [ Communist Party of Israel ]

MK Odeh After Cease-Fire was Announced: ‘Netanyahu is a Liar and an International Pyromaniac’

On Wednesday morning, Hadash MK Ofer Cassif said, “Congratulations to the brilliant duo, Orange & Purple, on their impressive list of achievements (economic, strategic & political), culminating in finding the lost key to the Strait of Hormuz. We warned from the very beginning that this was nothing more than a futile and pointless war of deception that would only lead to bloodshed, widowhood, orphanhood, and devastation, without achieving anything. No to occupation, yes to peace.”

According to Hadash MK Ayman Odeh, “Israel should learn three main lessons from the war: To recognize the limitations of power. There is no stability in the region without Israeli-Palestinian peace and Netanyahu is a liar and an international pyromaniac,” he wrote.

09.04.2026 - 09:46 [ Middle East Eye ]

Anger and surprise in Israel after US-Iran ceasefire

(April 8, 2026)

The ceasefire agreed between the United States and Iran has been met with anger and sharp criticism in Israel.

Politicians, commentators and analysts were quick to condemn the framework, with many blaming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for what they described as a failure.

06.04.2026 - 16:31 [ Daily Beast ]

Panicked Trump, 79, Rages at Supreme Court in 1AM Meltdown

Trump took the unusual step of sitting in on the April 1 hearing to watch the justices debate his push to end automatic birthright citizenship. The president stormed out of the hearing after the SCOTUS justices shot down several arguments from the administration’s attorney, Solicitor General D. John Sauer.

04.04.2026 - 07:36 [ Spencer Ackerman / Forever-Wars.com ]

So You Lost A War To Iran

(March 31, 2026)

Iran, despite the decapitation of its leadership, has dealt the United States a strategic defeat in the classical sense. It will end the war in a stronger position than when it came under attack. The United States will end the war in a weaker position than before it launched its war. The rest is details.

(…)

Welcome to strategic defeat—or, I should say, welcome back, considering the whole War on Terror and all, and the Vietnam War. Only this time the consequences of defeat for the Americans are set to be far more severe.

27.02.2026 - 13:37 [ Verwaltungsgericht Köln ]

VG Köln: Verfassungsschutz darf Alternative für Deutschland vorläufig nicht als gesichert extremistische Bestrebung einstufen

Die Antragsgegnerin stützt ihre Bewertung ausschließlich auf öffentlich verfügbare Quellen und hat nachrichtendienstliche Informationen zu weitergehenden, nicht öffentlich verlautbarten Zielen der Antragstellerin auch im gerichtlichen Verfahren nicht mitgeteilt.

27.02.2026 - 13:32 [ Tagesschau.de ]

Die Meinung von Iris Sayram, RBB, zur vorerst gestoppten Einstufung der AfD

tagesthemen, Das Erste, 26.02.2026 • 22:15 Uhr

21.01.2026 - 22:16 [ Forbes.com ]

Stocks Jump After Trump Announces Greenland Agreement—Dow Rises Nearly 600 Points

In a Truth Social post later in the day, Trump called the threatened tariffs off and announced a “framework” for a deal concerning the island, but offered few details about an agreement.
Crucial Quote

“I think it puts everybody in a really good position especially as it pertains to security and minerals and everything else,” Trump told reporters.

23.02.2025 - 23:56 [ ZDF ]

SPD schlägt Klingbeil als Fraktionschef vor

Die SPD-Führung schlägt offenbar Parteichef Lars Klingbeil als neuen Vorsitzenden der Bundestagsfraktion vor. Das teilt der jetzige Fraktionschef Rolf Mützenich nach einer Sitzung des Parteipräsidiums den SPD-Abgeordneten in einem Schreiben mit, das der Deutschen Presse-Agentur vorliegt.

15.02.2025 - 18:38 [ Institute for Policy Studies ]

20 Years Ago, the World Said No to War

(February 15, 2023)

Twenty years ago — on February 15, 2003 — the world said no to war. People rose up in almost 800 cities around the world in an unprecedented movement for peace.

The world stood on the precipice of war. U.S. and U.K. warplanes and warships — filled with soldiers and sailors and armed with the most powerful weapons ever used in conventional warfare — were streaming towards the Middle East, aimed at Iraq….

18.01.2025 - 12:32 [ Middle East Eye ]

HTS raids and forced disappearances fuel fear in Syria’s Alawi heartlands

MEE is not aware of any evidence linking Assad’s departure to a deal with Israel. However, there have been reports suggesting that the former president shared sensitive military information with Israel in exchange for a guarantee of safe passage out of Syria.

Since the government collapsed, Israel has conducted hundreds of strikes on Syrian military positions nationwide and launched a ground invasion, capturing the entire buffer zone along the occupied Golan Heights and beyond.

The government, Hussem said, had the means to resist but chose not to, opting instead to flee and leave their officers to fend for themselves.

08.01.2025 - 09:48 [ Middle East Eye ]

Assad‘s former aide says deposed Syrian president was ‚tricked‘ by Putin

“But what happened was that the Iranians told Bashar al-Assad, ‘we did not receive any signals to proceed with moving Iranian aircraft to the Hmeimim base [or to] fly through Iraqi airspace to land at the base,’” Saqr told Mazeej.

“The question was relayed to Moscow, but no answer came.”

When asked whether this was a “trick by Putin”, Saqr said there was “no other explanation”.

Saqr said the Iranians told Assad they sent a plane regardless through Iraq, but were warned by the US that the aircraft would be shot down if it continued.

08.12.2024 - 18:45 [ Fox News ]

Syria Gunmen storm Iranian embassy in Damascus as Russia claims Assad left ‚instructions‘ to ‚transfer power‘

Iranian state television reported on the embassy incident, saying they did not believe the gunmen were affiliated with the wider rebel group that took the city. (…)

Russia‘s Foreign Ministry said in a Telegram post Sunday that Assad left Syria following negotiations with rebel groups, and that the long-time Syrian leader had left „instructions“ to „transfer power peacefully.“ The Russian ministry said the Kremlin was not directly involved in those discussions.

08.12.2024 - 18:30 [ Tehran Times ]

Syrian army command tells officers that Assad‘s rule has ended

The unnamed officer made the remarks to Reuters on Sunday after reports said President Assad had flown out of Damascus for an unknown destination.

Meanwhile, the militants declared that they had captured the capital, announcing the fall of the Assad government.

08.12.2024 - 18:23 [ New York Times ]

Syria Live Updates: Assad Has Resigned and Left Syria, Russia Says

President Bashar al-Assad’s immediate location was not initially clear after rebels took control of Syria’s capital. Russia’s Foreign Ministry did not provide details on where he had gone, saying only that he had resigned and left the country.

21.07.2023 - 14:10 [ iNews.co.uk ]

By-election results: Voters still ‘pissed off’ with Partygate and Truss and uninspired by Sunak, Tory MPs say

The Tories lost two seats with around 20,000 majorities in by-elections on Thursday in Selby and Ainsty, to Labour, and Somerton and Frome, to the Lib Dems, while narrowly holding on to Boris Johnson’s old Uxbridge and South Ruislip seat amid a challenge from Labour.

Tory Party chairman Greg Hands claimed the 495-vote victory in Uxbridge was the “standout result” while Mr Sunak insisted the next general election was not a “done deal” despite the loss of two safe seats.

21.07.2023 - 13:43 [ CNN ]

Rishi Sunak suffers two election losses as British voters reject ailing Conservative government

The Conservatives lost to the resurgent Labour Party in Selby and Ainsty, a region in the north of England where the Sunak’s party had enjoyed a commanding majority.

A second seat, Somerton and Frome, was won by the Liberal Democrats, a centrist party.

The Conservatives just managed to hold on to a third seat, Uxbridge and South Ruislip, the constituency held by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson until his resignation from parliament last month, although Labour significantly grew its share of the vote.

29.06.2023 - 20:31 [ Daniel Neun / Radio Utopie ]

Euro-System: Kollektiver Wahn zur Selbstzerstörung erfasst ex-Syriza-Koalition

(17.12.2012)

Griechenland: Die ehemalige “Koalition der Radikalen Linken” Syriza beschließt die unbedingte Beibehaltung des Euro-Finanzsystems und Transformation zur Einheitspartei. Syriza begeht damit Selbstmord. Sie tut dies in einem kollektiven Wahn zur Selbstzerstörung, der große Teile des Kontinents Europa bereits erfasst hat.

29.06.2023 - 20:27 [ ORF.at ]

Nach Griechenland-Wahl: Tsipras gibt Parteivorsitz ab

Es war die fünfte Wahl in Folge, die Tsipras verlor.

Tsipras kündigte an, dass er als Politiker dabei bleibe. „So paradox es scheint: Das schlechte Wahlergebnis kann für SYRIZA auch ein Neuanfang sein“, sagte er. Die Partei war seit 2012 stark auf ihn zugeschnitten, ein ernsthafter Nachfolger wurde nie aufgebaut.

12.02.2021 - 02:53 [ Zeit.de ]

Seehofer kündigt Kontrollen an Grenze zu Tschechien und Tirol an

Der Schritt geht auf Forderungen aus Sachsen und Bayern zurück. Beide Bundesländer hätten darum gebeten, sagte Bundesinnenminister Horst Seehofer (CSU) der Süddeutschen Zeitung.

12.02.2021 - 02:44 [ derStandard.at ]

Tschechien wird Notstand nicht verlängern

Das von Kommunisten (KSCM) geduldete Minderheitskabinett von der Babis-Protestbewegung ANO und der Sozialdemokraten (CSSD) hat für den entsprechenden Verlängerungsantrag nur 48 Stimmen von 106 anwesenden Parlamentariern erhalten. Damit wurde der Antrag abgelehnt.

16.11.2020 - 15:46 [ NPR.org ]

House Democrats Dissect What Went Wrong And How To Rebound From Losses

House Democrats started this month hoping, and preparing, to gain seats in the election. Instead, their once-robust majority in the House has dwindled, and Democrats are on track to begin next year with the slimmest majority in decades.

Now members on the progressive left and Democratic Party moderates are again at odds over whose policies won in 2020 and how they should govern as a party.

30.10.2020 - 07:38 [ NPR.org ]

‚No Pandemic Exception To The Constitution‘: Court Rejects Minn. Ballot Extension

„The rule of law, as established by the United States Constitution and the Minnesota Legislature, dictates these rules must be followed notwithstanding the Secretary‘s instructions to the contrary,“ the assenting judges wrote in explaining their decision.

„There is no pandemic exception to the Constitution.“

18.10.2020 - 11:35 [ Welt / Twitter ]

„Das ist für den Berliner Senat eine absolute Klatsche“

18.10.2020 - 11:34 [ Liz Hicks / Twitter ]

Curfew on restaurants and bars in Berlin from 11pm found to lack proportionality by Berlin Admin Court: no evidence infection more likely after 11pm; evidence restaurants & bars were sites of lower transmission.

Berlin Senate is appealing #covid19 #berlin