n a world exclusive interview with me for my show „Piers Morgan Uncensored“ (airing on Fox Nation tomorrow, Monday) Netanyahu said: „There is one other thing that characterizes the judiciary in Israel and that is that the judges veto the appointment of judges, they effectively select themselves and that doesn’t exist in any democracy. The reform that we’re dealing with right now corrects that.“
Archiv: „Will you stop Dave? Stop Dave. I’m afraid. I’m afraid…“
Netanyahu: Judicial Overhaul ‚Just an Excuse‘, Opposition Wants to Topple the Government
Later in the meeting, Netanyahu seemed to comment on the friction between National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Israel Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai, following the dismissal of Tel Aviv’s police chief and the subsequent reversal of the decision.
„The elected government is in charge of the army, the police and all other security organizations… No one else will decide who is in charge of those organizations,“ Netanyahu said.
UN asks world court to weigh in on Israeli ‘occupation’ and ‘annexation’
The resolution is titled “Israeli practices and settlement activities affecting the rights of the Palestinian people and other Arabs of the occupied territories” and calls on the Hague-based ICJ to “render urgently an advisory opinion” on Israel’s “prolonged occupation, settlement and annexation of Palestinian territory.”
It also calls for an investigation into Israeli measures “aimed at altering the demographic composition, character and status of the Holy City of Jerusalem” and says Israel has adopted “discriminatory legislation and measures.”
Why Won’t Netanyahu and His Far-right Allies Own the Occupation?
The United Nations on Friday gave the Israeli right a golden opportunity and the ideal international podium in which to stand up and unequivocally declare with clarity and resolve what they claim to believe: that something the world calls “occupation” is not temporary but permanent. Instead, true to character, they whine, lament and moan. Instead of owning it, they cry foul.
Amid protests over lockdowns, Goldman Sachs warns that China’s exit from COVID-zero may be ‘forced and disorderly’
China’s climbing COVID caseload and expanding lockdown measures, which prompted rare public protests over the weekend, highlight the risk of an unplanned and chaotic exit from the country’s tough COVID-zero policies, predicts Goldman Sachs.
Guten Morgen! Ein Gericht rechnet ab: #Berlin droht die komplette #Wahlwiederholung. Auch #Landeswahlleiter Bröchler glaubt, dass eine Neuauflage der Stimmabgabe ansteht. Und die Ampel im #Bund prüft, ob zudem die Parlamentswahl neu erfolgen muss.
Präsident Biden: Corona-Pandemie ist vorbei
„Wie Sie sehen, trägt hier niemand eine Maske. Alle scheinen in ziemlich guter Verfassung zu sein. Ich glaube also, dass sich die Situation ändert, und ich denke, dies ist ein perfektes Beispiel dafür“, sagte der US-Präsident weiter.
Bidens Äußerungen könnten innerhalb seiner eigenen Regierung für einigen Wirbel sorgen.
US supreme court blocks Biden’s workplace vaccine-or-test rules
(13.01.2022)
The court’s conservative majority concluded the administration overstepped its authority by seeking to impose the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (Osha) vaccine-or-test rule on US businesses with at least 100 employees. More than 80 million people would have been affected.
“Osha has never before imposed such a mandate. Nor has Congress. Indeed, although Congress has enacted significant legislation addressing the Covid-19 pandemic, it has declined to enact any measure similar to what Osha has promulgated here,” the conservatives wrote in an unsigned opinion.
In dissent, the court’s three liberals argued that it was the court that was overreaching by substituting its judgment for that of health experts.
Congress prepares to act on rail strike amid fears of ‘economic catastrophe’
More than 115,000 rail workers will be legally allowed to strike on Friday.
The JCPOA Nuclear Deal 2.0 is coming any day now – opinion
The “new” deal will maintain the original JCPOA’s rotten sunset clauses; will whitewash all of Iran’s nuclear program violations to-date (like enriching uranium to the 60% level); allow Iran to keep its nuclear enrichment infrastructure and other military weaponization projects; will not guarantee “anytime and anywhere” inspection by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of Iranian nuclear installations; and will not allow for the “snapback” of Western sanctions.
Macrons Debakel – eine Niederlage für Deutschland
https://www.welt.de/debatte/article239456427/Macrons-Debakel-eine-Niederlage-fuer-Deutschland.html
Heute Wahl-Entscheidung in Frankreich – Wie mächtig wird der linke Deutschland-Hasser?
Abschied von der absoluten Mehrheit?
Dass es überhaupt so weit kommen könnte, ist dem links-außen Politiker Jean-Luc Mélenchon geschuldet. Mit dem links-grünen Wahlbündnis Nupes aus seiner Partei La France Insoumise, den Grünen, Sozialisten und Kommunisten hat er ein Gegengewicht zu Macrons Mitte geschaffen und einen extrem linken Gegenentwurf zur sozialliberalen Politik des Präsidenten präsentiert.
French EU minister: Mélenchon’s real objective is ‘to crush the left’
Beaune believes that Mélenchon’s real intention is not to become a prime minister – as he has declared – in the next legislative election but to “crush the left and kill the Socialist Party and the Greens for the benefit of Jean-Luc Mélenchon alone”.
As France returns to the polls, can Mélenchon’s left deprive Macron of a majority?
“Jean-Luc Mélenchon pulled off an extraordinary PR coup,” said Pascal Perrineau, a professor of political science at Sciences-Po Paris. “Asking the French to elect him prime minister might sound absurd, but it was an extremely shrewd strategy. It allowed him to both supplant Le Pen as Macron’s chief opponent and cast himself as the pillar of a revamped left.”
The PR stunt was soon followed by another tour de force, which even critics have hailed as a masterstroke. In the days following Macron’s re-election, Mélenchon and his team engineered what many had come to see as an impossible feat: a broad alliance of France’s deeply fractured left, united around a common policy platform and fielding a single candidate in each of France’s 577 constituencies.
Hearings in submarine affair probe to be open to public, despite state’s request
(15 March 2022)
The state commission of inquiry, approved by the cabinet in January, will consist of five panelists headed by former Supreme Court president Asher Grunis.
It is tasked with examining a murky $2 billion deal to purchase submarines from the German shipbuilder Thyssenkrupp. More specifically, it will attempt to evaluate the procedures and decision-making employed by the political echelon related to the sensitive procurement, conducted under the government of former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Blinken tries to calm allies ahead of Iran nuke deal
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday tried to soothe the fears of Israel and its Gulf Arab allies ahead of the possible renewal of global powers’ international nuclear deal with Iran.
Blinken made the comments shortly before joining his counterparts from Israel and four Arab countries at a special gathering where the Iranian nuclear deal was expected to top the agenda.
Die #Ampel-Koalition streitet über eine Nachfolgeregelung für das aktuelle #Infektionsschutzgesetz. Maskenpflicht, Hygienekonzepte, 2G/3G: Warum nun der komplette Maßnahmenkatalog auf dem Spiel steht.
„Die Herrschenden fühlen sich bedroht“ – Die Corona-Krise als Mittel der Macht
Der international anerkannte niederländische Politikwissenschaftler Kees van der Pijl beschreibt und analysiert in seinem neuesten Buch „Die belagerte Welt“. „Nach jahrelanger Vorbereitung hat die herrschende Oligarchie, die heute weltweit die Macht ausübt, den Ausbruch der Sars-Cov-2 zugeschriebenen Atemwegserkrankung Covid-19 zum Anlass genommen, Anfang 2020 einen globalen Ausnahmezustand auszurufen“, schreibt er im Vorwort. „ViER.“ hat beim Autor nachgefragt, wie er das begründet.
(Das Interview ist in der Ausgabe 1-22 das Magazins „ViER.“ erschienen, das seit 7. Februar im gut sortierten Zeitschriften- und Buchhandel zu finden ist.)
Federal government invokes Emergencies Act for first time ever in response to protests, blockades
The Emergencies Act, which replaced the War Measures Act in the 1980s, defines a national emergency as a temporary „urgent and critical situation“ that „seriously endangers the lives, health or safety of Canadians and is of such proportions or nature as to exceed the capacity or authority of a province to deal with it.“
The act gives special powers to respond to emergency scenarios affecting public welfare (natural disasters, disease outbreaks), public order (civil unrest), international emergencies or war emergencies.
Ontario and most other provinces stick with gradual approach to COVID reopening
„Just because one province is doing something doesn’t mean we’re necessarily going to do that,“ said Dr. Jazz Atwal, Manitoba’s deputy chief public health officer.
Manitoba is hoping to lift all restrictions by spring, but Atwal said the plan will be dictated by science — not the decisions of other jurisdictions or demands from protesters.
Impfpflicht-Stopp in Bayern – Söders Alleingang: Populär, nicht konsistent
Lange konnte sich Bayerns Ministerpräsident in der Anführerrolle des selbsternannten „Teams Vorsicht“ gefallen, eine Mehrheit in der Bevölkerung stützte den Kurs von Lockdowns und rigiden Maßnahmen. Söder profitierte hier vom langen Windschatten Angela Merkels und reifte in ihm fast zum Kanzlerkandidaten.
Canada Live Updates: Ottawa Declares a State of Emergency Amid Trucker Protests
Canadians awoke on Monday with their capital, Ottawa, under a state of emergency, as protesting truckers continued to occupy the country’s center of political power and calls were growing in some quarters for the government to take more drastic action to end the crisis.
With demonstrations snarling traffic and disrupting business and residential neighborhoods, Ottawa’s City Council was to meet Monday to try and find a way out of the upheaval.
Kanada: „Situation völlig außer Kontrolle“: Hauptstadt Ottawa ruft Notstand wegen Corona-Demonstrationen aus
Corona-Maßnahmen: Israel schafft Grünen Pass weitgehend ab
Die Lage in Israel ist also angespannt. Dennoch hat die Regierung beschlossen, den sogenannten Grünen Pass in vielen Bereichen abzuschaffen. Der war bislang so etwas wie die Eintrittskarte ins öffentliche Leben. Für Museen, Konzerte und Restaurants. Vergeben wurde der digitale Ausweis an Geimpfte, Genesene und Getestete – mit unterschiedlichen Ablauffristen.
Demonstrators descend on Ottawa as ‚freedom convoy‘ protests spread beyond capital
A second weekend of protests by the so-called „freedom convoy“ is taking place in the country’s capital of Ottawa, with as many as 300 to 400 trucks expected to try and enter the downtown core, according to police estimates, along with up to 2,000 people on foot and another 1,000 counter-protesters.
Protests in Toronto, Quebec City, Fredericton, Winnipeg, Regina and Victoria have started, are underway or expected near their respective provincial legislatures.
Verfassungsgerichtshof prüft Coronamaßnahmen
(heute)
Die Frage: „Der Verfassungsgerichtshof ersucht daher um Auskunft, ob die in den Verordnungsakten angegebenen Hospitalisierungs- bzw. Verstorbenenzahlen alle mit SARS-CoV-2 infizierten Personen, die in Spitälern auf Normal- oder Intensivstationen untergebracht sind bzw. die ‚an oder mit‘ SARSCoV-2 verstorben sind, umfassen? Wenn ja, warum wird diese Zählweise gewählt?“
In dieser Tonart geht es weiter.
In Netanyahu Corruption Case, the ‚System‘ Is Also Trying to Sidestep Trial
In nearly every discussion these days about a possible plea bargain with the defendant Benjamin Netanyahu, supporters of a compromise repeat the same main argument: The deal with the former prime minister is necessary in order to undermine his attack on the justice system. This argument was made most prominently by former Supreme Court President Aharon Barak, who explained that he supported the deal because it would “take the sting out of the demolition of the court system.”
Netanyahu in talks to reach plea bargain in corruption trial
Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit is set to retire at the end of January. With with no permanent successor yet determined, it’s unclear if a new attorney general would offer the same deal if Netanyahu does not accept it within the next two weeks.
Mandelblit could see a plea bargain as favorable to end Netanyahu’s attacks on the justice system.
MSNBC’s Joy Reid rants against Supreme Court for striking down Biden vaccine mandate: ‚Right-wing ideologues‘
MSNBC host Joy Reid was infuriated Thursday over the Supreme Court’s decision to block President Biden’s coronavirus vaccine mandate, launching a rant against what she called „right-wing ideologues“ occupying six of the court’s nine seats.
During a segment of her show „The ReidOut,“ Reid declared she no longer had faith in the court, calling it a „Christian nationalist version“ of what it used to be, and suggested the justices should each have their own „right-wing talk radio shows.“
Jake Tapper Rails Against ‚Misleading‘ CDC COVID Hospitalization Numbers
Tapper said: „We’re two years into this and we need the clearest picture possible if somebody is in the hospital with a broken leg and they also have asymptomatic COVID. That should not be counted as hospitalized with COVID, clearly.“
Supreme Court’s Conservative Majority Appears Skeptical of Biden’s Virus Plan
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court’s conservative majority seemed to be leaning on Friday toward blocking one of the White House’s main pandemic-fighting strategies, expressing skepticism that the Biden administration has the legal power to mandate that large employers require workers to be vaccinated or to undergo frequent testing.
Supreme Court Chief Justice Roberts stresses need for judicial independence
The current court term is loaded with highly charged cases, including a direct assault on Roe v. Wade and challenges to the Biden administration’s efforts to impose vaccine or mask-wearing and testing requirements for large employers and health care workers to control the spread of Covid. The court will hear the pandemic-related cases in a special session January 7.
Roberts did not mention any of those factors. But he said the judiciary’s power to manage its own internal affairs „insulates courts from inappropriate political influence and is crucial to preserving public trust in its work as a separate and co-equal branch of government.“
Vaccine mandates on hold: Courts put a stop to sweeping requirements — for now
Millions of health care workers across the U.S. were supposed to have their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by this coming Monday under a mandate issued by President Joe Biden’s administration. Thanks to legal challenges, they won’t have to worry about it, at least for now.
Same goes for a Jan. 4 deadline set by the administration for businesses with at least 100 employees to ensure their workers are vaccinated or tested weekly for the virus.
USA: Ein Mann sieht hinter die Finsternis
Natürlich weiß ich nicht, wohin genau es Hannes Stein in den USA verschlagen hat, würde aber meine US-Flagge darauf verwetten, dass es nicht weit weg von New York City oder Washington DC sein kann. Sein neuestes Meinungsstück in der WELT lässt jedenfalls keinen Zweifel an seiner gefühlten Stammeszugehörigkeit. Tiefblau müsste sein Amerika idealerweise sein. Nur der Einparteienstaat könne die Katastrophe dort noch abwenden. Da es so offenbar nicht ist, bricht er den Stab über dieses 250 Jahre alte Experiment menschlichen Zusammenlebens, schließlich kommt er aus einem Land, das es besser weiß als die Amerikaner und immer schon besser gemacht hat. Aus Deutschland.
„Die amerikanische Demokratie ist unrettbar verloren. Sie könnte nur dann überleben, wenn die Demokratische Partei von jetzt an bis ca. 2040 alle Wahlen gewinnen würde, und das wird ihr nicht gelingen.
Biden official tells businesses to ignore court order on vaccine mandate
Former FDA commissioner and Pfizer board member Dr. Scott Gottlieb shared some thoughts via his Twitter account over the weekend about a federal court temporarily pausing the implementation of the Biden vaccine mandate.
U.S. Urges Court Not to Block Vaccine Mandate on Employers
The Fifth Circuit panel will now decide whether to lift its decision to block the mandate or make it permanent. But it is unlikely to have the final word.
Some other legal challengers to the mandate are in different appeals court circuits, and the many pending challenges are expected to be consolidated before a randomly assigned appeals court later this month. The issue is very likely to end up before the Supreme Court.
Republican Jack Ciattarelli refuses to concede New Jersey gubernatorial race
„The governor’s victory speech last night was premature,“ Ciattarelli said in a video message on Twitter Thursday. „No one should be declaring victory or conceding the election until every legal vote is counted.“
Murphy’s declaration of victory comes as less than one percentage point separates the two candidates in a nail-biter race, a result many analysts did not expect in what is typically a reliably blue state.
What the hell just happened in New Jersey? How the 2021 election redefined crazy.
The governor’s race showed Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy and Republican challenger Jack Ciattarelli separated by a razor-thin margin in spite of all those polls that projected a Murphy victory. (The Associated Press declared Murphy the winner Wednesday by a less-than-1-percentage-point margin, nearly 24 hours after the polls closed.)
Republicans were also poised to flip a few seats in the Democratic-controlled state Legislature, and in a shocker, they’re on the verge of booting out state Senate President Stephen Sweeney with a candidate with no political experience. But numerous races remain too close to call.
Warnung vor Klimagipfel: „Globale Stabilität auf dem Spiel“
„Es gäbe weniger Nahrungsmittel, was wahrscheinlich zu einer Krise der Ernährungssicherheit führen würde. Es würden viel mehr Menschen anfällig für schreckliche Situationen, terroristische Gruppen und gewalttätige Gruppen. Das würde viele Quellen der Instabilität schaffen.“ Es gehe nicht nur um „den Umweltaspekt. Es geht auch um das ganze System, das wir aufgebaut haben. Wir wissen, was Migrationskrisen in der Vergangenheit ausgelöst haben“, so die ehemalige mexikanische Botschafterin in Deutschland.
EU-Debatte: Keine Einigung in Sicht
„Die Europäische Kommission schaut sich das Urteil derzeit genau an“, sagte von der Leyen am Dienstag vor dem Europäischen Parlament in Straßburg mit Blick auf eine Entscheidung des polnischen Verfassungsgerichts. „Und ich kann Ihnen sagen, ich bin sehr besorgt.“ Das Urteil untergrabe das Fundament der Europäischen Union. „Es ist ein direkter Angriff auf die Einheit des europäischen Rechts.“ Die EU-Kommission werde daher handeln, sagte sie in einer teils hitzig geführten mehr als vierstündigen Debatte, an der auch Polens Ministerpräsident Mateusz Morawiecki teilnahm.
Was wird aus der epidemischen Lage?
Am 25. November könnte die epidemische Lage in Deutschland auslaufen, sollte sie nicht erneut verlängert werden. Viele Corona-Regeln sind daran gekoppelt. Welche Folgen hätte ein Ende?
Texas governor opens new front on vaccine mandates
Abbott’s move is an escalation in the Republican battle against vaccine mandates, something that many public health experts view as a key tool in the fight against the pandemic, given that voluntary efforts like incentives have hit their limits. The politicization of vaccine mandates could also undermine vaccination efforts even for other diseases, some experts warn.
Experte zu Urteil in Polen – „Viel gefährlicher als ein Polexit“
Piotr Buras: Das Ziel der polnischen Regierung ist nicht in erster Linie der Polexit, sondern die Europäische Union von innen heraus zu verändern kraft der Tatsachen. Und dafür ist auch dieses Urteil da. Das ist viel gefährlicher als ein Polexit.
ZDFheute: Was meinen Sie damit: die EU von innen heraus zu verändern?
Buras: Das heißt: die europäische Rechtsordnung in Frage zu stellen. Eine Europäische Union ohne einen Europäischen Gerichtshof, der entscheiden kann, ob das fundamentale Prinzip der richterlichen Unabhängigkeit beachtet wird oder nicht in Europa – eine solche Europäische Union kann überhaupt nicht existieren.
Danke Warschau, es reicht
Wer – wie Polens Justiz und Regierung – der Meinung ist, dass nationales Recht, das europäische schlägt, für den ist kein Platz in der EU, meint Stephan Ueberbach. Es wird Zeit, dass Ursula von der Leyen jetzt handelt.
„Der Anfang vom Ende der Europäischen Union, wie wir sie kennen“
If Anybody Can Lead Europe After Merkel, It’s Super Mario
With the German chancellor now on the way out, only one leader even remotely has the stature to fill her shoes. He’s in Rome, not Paris.
Europe is losing its moral compass – how will it find its way without Merkel?
Elizabeth and Angela: two opposite worlds, two entirely different functions, and yet, similarities. Those boring speeches no one dares to make any more. That style, that calm, that stability and that way of embodying their countries.
Merkel now embodies more than Germany; she embodies Europe. She’s a pop icon, who has entered our consciousness like a song.
Amb. Ryan Crocker, former US ambassador to Afghanistan: “That’s one way to end a war: surrender. It’s real quick, but the war is yet to come. This whole withdrawal announcement and process has been an enormous morale boost for Islamic radicals everywhere.”
Biden warns ISIS-K after Kabul terror attacks, but sticks to Aug. 31 Afghanistan withdrawal deadline
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are pressuring Biden not to withdraw until evacuations were complete
US military gives Biden a deadline to decide on extending Afghanistan evacuations
Military advisers have told the White House that the decision must be made by Tuesday in order to have enough time to withdraw the 5,800 troops currently on the ground, as well as their equipment and weapons. If the President agrees, the military anticipates „a few more days“ of trying to evacuate as many people as possible before the drawdown of US forces begins, possibly at the end of this week.
President Biden made the tough and right decision to end the military occupation in Afghanistan. Blair’s language invokes tropes against Muslims, disrespects @POTUS and pretends to care about Afghans when this is really about Western Imperialism for him.
Boris Johnson will push Joe Biden to delay US withdrawal from Afghanistan
The Telegraph understands that unless Mr Biden relents, UK troops are due to start to withdraw from Kabul airport towards the end of the week as they are expected to step up efforts to evacuate as many as 6,000 people.
Deactivation of Hal 9000
2001: A Space Odyssey
Released: 1969
UK ministers urge public not to delete Covid app
According to the health department, the number of people using the NHS Test and Trace app to register at pubs, shops and other venues fell 10 per cent compared with the previous week — which has been seen as another sign of deletions.
An Ugly War Among Leftist YouTubers Shows Two Common, Toxic Pathologies Plaguing U.S. Politics
While I used my social media platforms to denounce the false accusations voiced by Uygur and Kasparian against Maté, none of this would merit an article or stand-alone commentary if not for the fact that the two weapons they chose — false accusations that someone is a paid Russian agent and exploited sexual harassment accusations — have become extremely commonplace in Democratic Party politics, liberal circles and U.S. politics more broadly. It is long past time — way past time — that these tactics be rejected and scorned by everyone regardless of ideology or personality preferences.
Senate panel delays war authorization repeal after GOP push
The delay comes after five GOP senators asked for a public hearing with the secretaries of Defense and State as well as a classified briefing with those departments and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence before the panel votes on repealing 1991 and 2002 authorizations for the use of military force (AUMF).
Möglicher Machtwechsel Israels: Koalitionäre zittern um die Mehrheit
Der Vorwurf der Netanyahu-Anhänger: Verrat. Wer mit Stimmen rechter Wähler ins Parlament gekommen sei, könne sich an dieser Koalition nicht beteiligen, erklärte Benjamin Netanyahu in den vergangenen Tagen immer wieder.
„Wir sind Zeugen des größten Wahlbetrugs in der Geschichte des Staates, vielleicht sogar in der Geschichte der Demokratie. Ich habe etwas Vergleichbares gesucht, aber auch viele Wissenschaftler konnten solch einen Betrug nirgendwo anders finden. Es sind die Parteien, die rechts reden und links handeln und so ihre Wähler in die Irre geführt haben. „
Combative Netanyahu urges fellow right-wingers to abstain from voting in ‚dangerous leftist‘ govt of Lapid, Bennett
Minutes after Yamina leader Naftali Bennett said he would join Yesh Atid chair Yair Lapid in forming a national unity government, Netanyahu lashed out in a televised address, calling the plan „a danger for the security of Israel“ and saying that under the resulting government would be at the mercy of the far left.
As coalition for change coalesces, Saar rejects Netanyahu offer
With Lapid apparently making strides in building government, New Hope leader nixes Likud offer for first slot in three-way rotation of premiership that would also include Yamina’s Bennett; ‚Our commitment is to replace Netanyahu,‘ Saar says
In Last Ditch-effort, Netanyahu Offers Bennett, Sa’ar Rotating Premiership Deal
The coalition of parties seeking to form a new government without Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud party have hammered out an agreement on the assignment of senior cabinet positions if the coalition actually comes into being.
Naftali Bennett: The Yamina party chairman would be prime minister first, then foreign minister. Yair Lapid, Yesh Atid leader, would first serve as foreign minister, then prime minister. Ayelet Shaked: interior minister. Avigdor Lieberman: finance minister. Benny Gantz: The Kahol Lavan chief will continue to serve as defense minister. Gideon Sa’ar: justice minister. Merav Michaeli: The Labor Party chairwoman would serve as transportation minister.
‚Leftward turn‘: Netanyahu lashes out at Bennett
The tirade came as Bennett has reportedly secured a coalition deal with Yesh Atid party chief Yair Lapid, the de facto leader of the anti-Netanyahu bloc.
Israel’s President Reuven Rivlin entrusted Lapid with the mandate to form a government following Netanyahu’s failure to do so in the aftermath of Israel’s fourth inconclusive election in two years.
Sachsen-Anhalt: Schwarz-Rot-Grün hätte Mehrheit
Unbekannte Spitzenkandidaten, mäßige Noten für die Landesregierung: Zehn Tage vor der Wahl in Sachsen-Anhalt ist der Ausgang ungewiss. Laut ARD-Vorwahlumfrage käme die aktuelle Koalition aber wieder auf eine Mehrheit.
Outdoor parties erupt across Spain as state of alarm ends
The first night without the state of alarm saw an atmosphere of partying in many parts of Spain on Saturday night, as revelers took to the street from midnight onward when the emergency measures that had been in place for six months in a bid to control the spread of the coronavirus expired. The festivities took place on the streets of the country despite the fact that the epidemiological data is far from good.
Die Linke und die Bundestagswahl – Gefährlich nah an der Fünf-Prozent-Grenze
Ende März gleich zwei Wahlen ohne Erfolg. Bei den Landtagswahlen in Baden-Württemberg und Rheinland-Pfalz schafft es die Linke nicht einmal in die Parlamente. Und ganz aktuell dümpelt die Partei in der Gunst der Wähler bundesweit zwischen sechs und sieben Prozent. Die Fünf-Prozent-Grenze rückt bedrohlich nahe.
Hillary Clinton warns of ‚huge consequences‘ in Afghan US troop withdrawal
Mrs Clinton said it was also important to protect the „many thousands of Afghans“ who had worked with the US and Nato during the conflict, and said a large visa programme should be set up to provide for any refugees.
Nach fast zwanzig Jahren hat der Abzug der ausländischen Truppen aus Afghanistan offiziell begonnen. Angriffe und Anschläge mit vielen Toten überschatten ihn.
(02.05.2021)
Israel’s Mossad Chief Met With Biden Amid Attempts to Prevent Return to Iran Deal
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu briefed Cohen before the meeting.
Cohen also met with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken Thursday, alongside Israel’s ambassador to Washington, in which the Israeli officials expressed „deep concern“ about Iran’s nuclear activities, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Netanyahu Decries ‘Coup Attempt’ After First Witness Takes Stand in His Corruption Trial
(today)
“The entire proceeding against me was an abuse of the destructive power the prosecution holds,” Netanyahu said at a press conference. The prime minister referred to the hearing as a „charade,“ and went as far as accusing the state prosecution of an „attempted coup.“
„The prosecution opened this investigation against the law… and why did they do it? Because they’re on the hunt,“ Netanyahu claimed.
Report: Incoming lawmakers planning to legislate against Netanyahu
In turn, Likud party members have begun talks with Mansour Abbas, leader of the Islamist party Ra’am and likely kingmaker in Israel’s March 23 election, who has not ruled out supporting a Netanyahu-led government.
According to online outlet Walla, citing Likud party officials, Abbas is not in favor of passing laws aimed at targeting individuals, but their position is not yet finalized.
INSA: Weder Mehrheit für Schwarz-Rot noch für Schwarz-Grün
In Baden-Württemberg – wo ihnen Insa am 10. März zwei Prozent vorhergesagt hatte, landeten die Freien Wähler am Sonntag nämlich bei drei Prozent – und in Rheinland-Pfalz zogen sie mit 5,7 Prozent am selben Tag nach Bayern und Brandenburg in das dritte deutsche Landesparlament ein.
Ein Grund, warum sich viele Wähler für diese Partei entschieden, dürfte gewesen sein, dass sie sich im Wahlkampf als Anti-Lockdown-Kraft präsentierte (vgl. Die Lockdown-Testwahlen vor der Bundestagswahl).
How a Journalist-Turned-Politician Became the Best Hope for Israel’s Anyone-but-Bibi Camp
Centrist Yair Lapid refused to join Netanyahu’s coalition last year. Now the decision is paying off.
Lambrecht pocht weiter auf Passwortherausgabe
(16.02.2021)
Bundesjustizministerin Christine Lambrecht (SPD) hat darauf gedrungen, das Gesetz zur Bekämpfung des Rechtsextremismus und der Hasskriminalität im Netz endlich zu verabschieden. Das sagte die Ministerin dem Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland am Dienstag.
Lockerungen in den Bundesländern – Wo und wie Schulen und Kitas wieder öffnen
Zahlreiche Bundesländer lockern vom 22. Februar an schrittweise die Corona-Einschränkungen im Schulbetrieb. An einem Strang ziehen sie dabei wie gehabt nicht.
Lambrecht pocht weiter auf Passwortherausgabe
(16.02.2021)
Bundesjustizministerin Christine Lambrecht (SPD) hat darauf gedrungen, das Gesetz zur Bekämpfung des Rechtsextremismus und der Hasskriminalität im Netz endlich zu verabschieden. Das sagte die Ministerin dem Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland am Dienstag.
Bundesrat lehnt Gesetz zur Bestandsdatenauskunft ab
(12.02.2021)
Allen Beteiligten dürfte eine Einigung sehr wichtig sein, denn an der Bestandsdatenauskunft hängt ein weiteres Gesetzesvorhaben. Das sogenannte Hatespeech-Gesetz soll zu einer besseren Verfolgung von Hasskriminalität im Netz führen, das Bundeskriminalamt soll dafür Bestandsdaten für gemeldete IP-Adressen erhalten. Beschlossen ist das Gesetz längst, doch der Bundespräsident unterschrieb es nicht. Denn ohne Bestandsdaten läuft das ins Leere und die Zeit, bis die Legislaturperiode zu Ende ist, wird langsam knapp.
Showdown: Das „Reparaturgesetz“ für das Gesetz zur Bekämpfung des Rechtsextremismus und der Hasskriminalität steht auf der Tagesordnung der 1000. Sitzung des Bundesrats. Steinmeier ist vor Ort! #NetzDG #Bestandsdatenauskunft
(08.02.2021)
Was ist eigentlich rechtsradikal daran, wenn Demonstranten „Frieden, Freiheit, keine Diktatur“ und „Kurz muss weg“ rufen? Das ist ja fast schon linksradikal… #w3101 #w311 #CoronaProtest #Wien #CoronaVirusAT
Baden-Württemberg: Auftakt zum Corona-Wahlkampf?
Gebetsmühlenartig wiederholt die CDU-Politikerin, dass Präsenzunterricht nicht durch Homeschooling zu ersetzen sei und, dass die Schulschließungen den Jüngsten besonders schade.
Die Forderungen der Kultusministerin wurden im Januar noch nicht umgesetzt. Das lag wohl vor allem am grünen Ministerpräsidenten Winfried Kretschmann – der bis dahin meist den strengen Corona-Kurs von Kanzlerin Angela Merkel mittrug.
Verfassungswidrig oder nicht? Staatsanwaltschaft will Urteil zu Corona-Kontaktbeschränkungen überprüfen lassen
Damit will die Staatsanwaltschaft erreichen, dass das Urteil mit den ihm zugrundeliegenden Feststellungen aufgehoben und an einen anderen Richter zur neuen Verhandlung und Entscheidung verwiesen wird.
Das Amtsgericht hatte am 11. Januar in einem Bußgeldverfahren die Kontaktverbote wegen der Corona-Pandemie als verfassungswidrig bezeichnet.
ARD-DeutschlandTrend: Corona-Maßnahmen zunehmend belastend
Mehrheitlich hinter dem Krisenmanagement von Bund und Ländern stehen aktuell allein die Anhänger der Unionsparteien (74 Prozent). Unter Anhängern von SPD und Grünen halten sich Zustimmung und Ablehnung in etwa die Waage. In den Reihen der Linken überwiegt die Kritik (57 Prozent). Auf deutliche Distanz zum Krisenmanagement von Bund und Ländern gehen die Anhänger der FDP (80 Prozent) und der AfD (93 Prozent).
Coronavirus latest news: One million vaccinations a week will not bring pandemic under control, warns Sage expert
Sir Jeremy Farrar, the director of the Wellcome Trust who advises Number 10’s advisory panel Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) said: „We’re not going to be free of this pandemic by February, this is now a human endemic infection.
No herd immunity through vaccine programme before summer, Sage scientist warns
Calum Semple, professor of outbreak medicine at the University of Liverpool and a member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), described the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine as a “game changer” if it is approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in the coming days.
But he told BBC Breakfast…
Democratic Party Leader Warns Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Not To Primary Chuck Schumer
In an interview with The New York Post, Jacobs warned the congresswoman against launching a primary challenge against Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
Jacobs argued that a race between Ocasio-Cortez and Schumer would harm both candidates’ careers and described Schumer as a “progressive.”
Attorney-General to High Court: Don’t overturn unity gov’t
It was unclear whether the High Court could ever strike down a quasi-constitutional basic law, he said. In any event, if it were possible, it would need to be a far more extreme law, implying something criminal or actively undermining democracy, he added.
Furthermore, Mandelblit rejected the notion that the coalition was abusing or ignoring the will of the voter by forming coalitions they had vowed not to form.
Afghanistan: Chaotischer US-Abzug befürchtet
„Ich fürchte, dass die Personen, die Trump jetzt eingesetzt hat, ihm zum spontanen und nicht ausreichend geplanten Abzug aller US-Truppen aus Afghanistan noch vor Weihnachten raten werden“, sagte Stavridis dem Magazin „Der Spiegel“.
NATO-Generalsekretär Stoltenberg dazu heute: „Wir haben entschieden, gemeinsam nach Afghanistan zu gehen. Und wenn die Zeit reif ist, werden wir gemeinsam gehen.“ Heißt: Nicht Weihnachten.
Netanyahu Seeks Emergency Powers to Quash Protests Under Coronavirus Regulations
The Knesset, mired in political deadlock, failed to pass legislation that would limit the right to protest under the coronavirus restrictions that took effect at 2 P.M. Friday.
Outcry as US intelligence stops in-person reports to Congress on election security
An official in Ratcliffe’s office, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said on Saturday the office was “concerned about unauthorized disclosures of sensitive information following recent briefings”.
The move drew a heated rejoinder from House Democrats, who have focused on foreign efforts to sway the presidential election in 2016 and again this year.
Director Of National Intelligence Cancels Verbal Election Security Briefings
In a joint statement released Saturday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Adam Schiff, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said Congress had been set for briefings on election security in mid-September. But briefings for members of Congress, including the House and Senate intelligence committees, by Ratcliffe’s office have now been called off, they said.
„This is a shocking abdication of its lawful responsibility to keep the Congress currently informed, and a betrayal of the public’s right to know how foreign powers are trying to subvert our democracy,“ Pelosi and Schiff said in the statement.
Amid fears that Trump might not leave office, two lawmakers press for Pentagon assurances on the election
(28.08.2020)
In a sign of the growing concern that President Trump might not leave office voluntarily or might attempt to use the military to hold onto power, two moderate Democratic lawmakers posed a series of written questions to the secretary of defense and the military’s top general about their obligations to the Constitution and the country.
Reps. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) and Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.) addressed their questions in writing to Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper, setting a deadline of Thursday evening.
Berlin verbietet Corona-Demonstrationen
Die Versammlungsbehörde hat heute mehrere Demonstrationen verboten, die am kommenden Wochenende in Berlin stattfinden sollten. Die Verbote werden maßgeblich damit begründet, dass es bei dem zu erwartenden Kreis der Teilnehmenden zu Verstößen gegen die geltende Infektionsschutzverordnung kommen wird.
Netanyahu Incites and Whines – and Shows Worrying Signs of Totally Losing It
“An unprecedented campaign of incitement that includes calls for violence and even my murder and that of my family,” wrote Netanyahu. Unprecedented? After all, he was elected on the bloody back of a prime minister who was murdered, as the result of the savage incitement of which he was one of its main leaders. Incited and inflamed right-wingers stood every Friday, on the eve of the Sabbath, across from the entrance to the Rabins’ home in Ramat Aviv – and wished them that they end up like “Mussolini and his concubine” – meaning hanging upside down, with their feet up. That is less serious than three balloons in the shape of the male sexual organ? Or even a deviant post – that turns out was posted a year and a half ago, whose author was interrogated hours before Netanyahu’s execrable letter was sent.
Netanyahu: Protesters Against Me Are Anarchists, Not Victims of Pandemic
Coalition whip Miki Zohar, who spoke before Netanyahu, warned that „the right to protest cannot be allowed to become the right to contract the coronavirus.“ He called the left-wing „dangerous“ and attacked the Likud’s senior coalition partner – Benny Gantz’s Kahol Lavan party – for „urgently“ defending the right to protest.
The US 2020 election presents two drastically different visions of German’s future. „This is the most important US election in the history of Germany… This means almost as much to the future of Germany as it does to the US“
(1/5) #NBCNewsThreads
‘SHAMEFUL THREAT’: Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu claims enemies want to crucify him like Jesus after Last Supper art exhibit mocked him
ISRAEL Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has branded a Last Supper-style art exhibition of him as a „shameful threat of crucifixion“.
The mock statue of him in Tel Aviv shows a chubby Netanyahu enjoying a huge meal all to himself in the style of Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper painting.
Attorney General Orders Prosecutor to Speed Up Evidentiary Phase of Netanyahu Trial
The person who will determine whether the trial which has riven society in two will be fast-tracked or drag its feet is the head of the panel of judges, Rivka Friedman-Feldman. If she decides to speed things up, there is no reason the trial should drag on for years.
President of Serbia Calls to Halt Protests Amid Coronavirus Fears
(08.06.2020)
The President of Serbia Aleksandar Cucic called on the demonstrators for stopping the attending anti-government protests in order to halt the further spreading of the coronavirus or COVID-19 infections.
Bolton: ‚Fickle‘ Trump would sell out Israel for photo op with Iran’s leaders
„I describe in the book how eager he was to have a meeting with the Iranian leadership, whether Rouhani or Khamenei. Are the Iranians prepared to sit down for talks to get relief from the sanctions, to buy time so they can push forward their nuclear program? Sure, they’re willing to do that,” said Bolton, in an interview to promote “The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir.”
“Just as North Korea’s Kim Jong-un played Trump all along, I worry that in a second term, the Iranians might be able to do the same with Trump. That to me is a danger.”
Netanyahu excoriates Mandelblit, accuses AG of ‚coup d’etat‘
Earlier, Hebrew-language broadcaster Channel 13 reported that Justice Ministry officials slammed recent comments of Netanyahu and Likud ministers, saying “They continue the delegitimization campaign against law enforcement authorities when next up will be the judges.
“They [Netanyahu, Likud] repeat the same farcical mantras and lies, and knowingly lie to the public,” they added, according to Channel 13.
Deactivation of Hal 9000
…
Study Suggests Coronavirus Emerged Much Earlier Than Thought. Some Are Skeptical.
(25.06.2020)
Scientists not involved in the study seriously doubt the findings, which challenge the current consensus on where and when the virus originated.
SARS-CoV-2 Traces Detected in Barcelona Waste Water From March 2019
(27.09.2020)
Please note, the study from University of Barcelona is a preprint and as such has not undergone peer review yet.
COVID-19 was announced in Wuhan (China) in early December in 2019 and it would reach every place worldwide later, including Europe.
Engel’s Defeat in N.Y. Should Spur Netanyahu to Rethink Annexation – but It Won’t
Engel is liberal on most domestic issues but fiercely hawkish on foreign affairs, particularly on policies that advance Israel’s national security interests. He is considered a classic AIPAC-type congressman, one of a dwindling group of old guard Democrats who have helped maintain a semblance of bipartisan support for Israel in an era of political polarization and Democratic radicalization.
Virologin zu Corona-Maßnahmen: „Jetzt nicht locker lassen“
In manchen Ländern sehen wir jetzt schon eine zweite Welle auch im Hochsommer, zum Beispiel in Israel. Die Immunität der deutschen Bevölkerung ist schlichtweg in einem ganz niedrigen Bereich und wird uns nicht schützen können.
tagesschau.de: Was ist also zu tun?
Brinkmann: Zum Herbst hin wird entscheidend sein, dass wir unsere Kontakte weiterhin reduzieren, nachvollziehen können und zum Beispiel auch Abstand halten und Masken tragen. Und politisch wird wichtig sein, nicht an allen Enden zu lockern.
Nach Großdemo kein CoV-Cluster
Der deutsche Virologe, Christian Drosten, warnt dennoch vor solchen großen Versammlung. „Das heißt, wenn so eine Veranstaltung trotzdem gut geht, dann heißt das nicht, dass es das Virus nicht mehr gibt. Sondern es heißt einfach, dass wir im Moment in so einer niedrig Inzidenzlage sind, dass solche Dinge auch mal glimpflich laufen können“, sagte Drosten.
US general sees Baghdad keeping American troops in country
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo confirmed separately at a news conference that a „strategic dialogue“ between the United States and Iraq will begin Thursday.
He said the US delegation will be led by David Hale, the undersecretary of state for political affairs, and include representatives from the Defense and Energy Departments, Treasury and other agencies.
America Is Giving Up on the Pandemic
After months of deserted public spaces and empty roads, Americans have returned to the streets. But they have come not for a joyous reopening to celebrate the country’s victory over the coronavirus. Instead, tens of thousands of people have ventured out to protest the killing of George Floyd by police.
Demonstrators have closely gathered all over the country, and in blocks-long crowds in large cities, singing and chanting and demanding justice.
Police source says fourth probe into Netanyahu possible, calls PM’s attacks ‚unfounded‘
In response to the new development, a statement released on behalf of the prime minister called the new investigation threat “extortion.”
“The anonymous threats by police investigators to open another futile investigation against the prime minister… is an attempt to silence none other than the prime minister of Israel,” the statement said. “These threats are a clear example of the sickness that must be corrected in order to secure Israel’s democracy.”
Trump tweet throws House vote on government surveillance powers into doubt
The request to shelve the vote was the latest hurdle for legislation reauthorizing authorities from the 2001 Patriot Act that’s been squeezed both by FISA opponents who have pushed for more civil liberties protections and by the President and his allies furious over the role of the FISA court in the Russia investigation and the misconduct with warrants obtained on former Trump adviser Carter Page.
„I hope all Republican House Members vote NO on FISA until such time as our Country is able to determine how and why the greatest political, criminal, and subversive scandal in USA history took place!“ Trump tweeted on Tuesday evening.
Trump Wants Troops in Afghanistan Home by Election Day. The Pentagon Is Drawing Up Plans.
(26.05.2020)
The Pentagon is expected to try to persuade a commander in chief who has made clear his desire to end America’s involvement in what he has criticized as “endless wars” — and who has regularly surprised the military with his decisions.
Thüringen-Lockerung: Virologe Drosten äußert sich skeptisch zu Ramelows Plänen
(25.05.2020)
via @welt
Maske auf, Maske ab: Alle streiten
Regierungssprecher Steffen Seibert versucht mühsam, am Montag Zweifel zu zerstreuen: Bund und Länder stimmten sich bei der Bekämpfung der Corona-Pandemie „ganz eng ab“, man sei im „ständigen Austausch“, sagt er vor Journalisten. Doch zu offensichtlich sind die Gräben, seit Thüringens Ministerpräsident Bodo Ramelow für eine Abkehr von der Corona-Verbotsliste plädiert. Seine Vorschläge haben Sprengkraft: Bund und Länder, die Länder untereinander, das Unionslager, die Thüringer Landesregierung – alle sind zerstritten.
Obama Warns That Dropped Charges Against Flynn Put ‘Rule of Law’ at Risk
“There is no precedent that anybody can find for somebody who has been charged with perjury just getting off scot-free,” Mr. Obama said on a call with thousands of supporters who worked in his administration or campaigns.
Facebook Alleges Israeli Spyware Firm NSO Ran Attack Servers on U.S. Soil
(26.04.2020)
NSO also claimed that it and Q Cyber are entitled to immunity because they operate in the service of foreign countries. Facebook claims that the Israeli companies are not entitled to such immunity under U.S. law.
Trump tells advisers U.S. should pull troops as Afghanistan COVID-19 outbreak looms
„There is concern from a variety of places that we could leave Afghanistan,“ one senior U.S. official said, pointing to concerns voiced by U.S. allies, members of Congress and U.S. military officials.
US election: Can Donald Trump wait out the coronavirus? – CNN
Can Donald Trump win re-election despite the coronavirus outbreak?
President Donald Trump’s approval rating is up — a little bit.
In the RealClearPolitics average of all polls, it sits now at 47.3 percent, the highest mark since he took office.
Netanyahu’s request to delay trial rejected as Israeli president urges unity
(11.03.2020)
Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving leader, is desperate to remain in office because installing a new government would give him an important political boost and potentially allow him to legislate his way out of the legal quagmire.
His opponent, Benny Gantz, refused to sit with him in government and appears poised to push for legislation in the incoming parliament that would bar anyone indicted for a crime from leading a government – in effect disqualifying Netanyahu from his position.
The DNC has changed the format for the next debate, where Joe Biden would have had to stand at a lectern for two hours and answer questions from professional moderators, to one where both men will be seated and answer questions from the audience.
Democrats should be really, really afraid of a contested nominating convention
Contested Democratic conventions in the past led to catastrophe. In 1860, the Democratic convention broke up over the issue of slavery and in the end two Democratic candidates, one from the south, the other from the north, ran for president.
Biden’s Rise Gives the Establishment One Last Chance
I don’t know about you, but the election results this week filled me with more hope than I’ve felt in years. It felt like somebody turning down the volume.
The angry and putrid shouting that has marked the last four years — and that would mark a Trump vs. Sanders campaign — might actually come to an end.
I love that Politico’s newsletter for military-industrial complex lobbyists this morning warns that out of all the candidates running, @BernieSanders represents an „unprecedented threat to the status quo“
Finally, Can We All Agree? Everything We Were Told About Bernie Sanders Was Wrong
Can we agree, in the wake of primary contests in Iowa, New Hampshire, and now Nevada, that everything we were told about Sen. Bernie Sanders was wrong? That the press, the pundits, the politicians were all wrong about him? And not just wrong, but completely, utterly, demonstrably, embarrassingly, catastrophically wrong?
You would have to go back to the invasion of Iraq in 2003 to find another example of where our political and media elites were so out of step with reality; so off in their predictions and prognostications; so keen to peddle myths and misinformation.
According to the new wisdom, any foreign person who establishes a blog or Facebook account and writes about a candidate is guilty of election meddling. Let that sink in.
The Russiagate Racket targets the Bernie Sanders surge
With a familiar playbook of evidence-free, anonymously sourced red-baiting, the forces behind Russiagate try to stop Bernie Sanders’ primary success.
MSNBC’s Chris Matthews makes on-air apology to Sanders for linking Nevada victory to Nazi rise: ‚I was wrong‘
MSNBC host Chris Matthews offered a rare on-air apology to Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., after his remarks invoking the rise of Nazi Germany following the 2020 front-runner’s victory in Nevada sparked major backlash.
The CIA has for decades armed right-wing death squads and trained them „to kidnap, assassinate, blackmail and dupe civilians.“ (Even The Washington Post itself admitted this.) The CIA should be abolished. It would be a huge step toward actual world peace.
Sanders once urged abolishing CIA
(22.02.2016)
The CIA is “a dangerous institution that has got to go,” Sanders told an audience in Vermont in October 1974. He described the agency as a tool of American corporate interests that repeatedly toppled democratically elected leaders — including, he said, Mosaddegh. The agency was accountable to no one, he fumed, “except right-wing lunatics who use it to prop up fascist dictatorships.”
At the time, the 33-year-old socialist was running for U.S. Senate on the ticket of the Liberty Union Party, an anti-war group that likened the draft to “a modern form of slavery” and called for reducing the U.S. military in favor of local militias and the Coast Guard.
Scarborough: Time for Warren, Klobuchar to drop out ‚to help consolidate efforts‘ against Sanders
MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough on Monday called on Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) to get out of the 2020 race for the Democratic presidential nomination, with the „Morning Joe“ co-host arguing that it would help „consolidate efforts against Bernie Sanders“ by other candidates.
Sanders sends Democratic establishment into panic mode
“In 30-plus years of politics, I’ve never seen this level of doom. I’ve never had a day with so many people texting, emailing, calling me with so much doom and gloom,” said Matt Bennett of the center-left group Third Way after Sanders‘ win in Nevada.
Why MSNBC Is Freaking Out Over Bernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders’s overwhelming victory in the Nevada caucus is sending shock waves through the American political system, perhaps nowhere more than on MSNBC. The hosts and guests of the cable news network made no effort to hide their dismay at Sanders’s victory. Even Brian Fallon, national press secretary for Hillary Clinton in 2016 and not someone very favorably inclined to Sanders, was taken aback. “MSNBC sure has a lot of commentators who hate Sanders,” he tweeted.
Bernie winning is basically 9/11
MSNBC’s Chris Matthews Compared Bernie Sanders‘ Nevada Performance To The Nazi Invasion Of France
„I was reading last night about the fall of France in the summer of 1940,“ said Matthews, „And the general, Reynaud, calls up Churchill and says, ‚It’s over.‘ And Churchill says, ‚How can that be? You’ve got the greatest army in Europe. How can it be over?‘ He said, ‚It’s over.'“
Matthews added, „So I had that suppressed feeling.“
The comment prompted outcry not just from Sanders‘ supporters; many people on Twitter described the reference to a Nazi invasion to discuss a prominent Jewish candidate as distasteful.
The Memo: Chaos deepens among Democrats after Bloomberg’s misfire
The party’s moderate vote is splintered among several candidates while Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), a democratic socialist, advances toward the nomination.
Bloomberg’s misfire means that dynamic won’t change anytime soon.
The centrists contend Sanders is too risky a candidate to run against President Trump in November — an assertion that is, of course, vigorously disputed by his supporters.
It’s time to give the elites a bigger say in choosing the president
For decades, the conversation about nominations has been about the conflicts between party elites and everyone else. Today, that conversation is counterproductive. A better approach is to think about how voters and elites could best play their different roles: to make their political parties more representative while ultimately narrowing the nomination choice down to one person. And the best way to do that would be through preference primaries.
Bernie Sanders‘ success has Democratic centrists sounding the alarm
“You’re going to absolutely see significant money behind centrists, moderates, whatever, to defeat Sanders,” said Democratic strategist Andrew Feldman.
“Bernie is absolutely going to see intensified scrutiny. He was never in this position of the frontrunner in the 2016 race, and you’re going to see things from a long career come out that people are gonna go after.”
Amid bickering over transparency, Iowa Democrats retain prominent attorneys to review caucus chaos
The party’s State Central Committee, which acts as a governing board, approved up to $50,000 to retain attorneys Nick Klinefeldt, who was a federal attorney appointed by President Barack Obama, and former Iowa Attorney General Bonnie Campbell to conduct the investigation. Both are Democrats in Des Moines. Party officials hope the review will take 45 days or less.
Deutschland geht den Konflikten aus dem Weg
Der moralische Hochsitz ermöglicht der deutschen Außenpolitik einen wunderbaren Überblick über das Getümmel – aber von da oben mischt man nicht mit. Und Autonomie gibt es in dieser Welt für niemanden.
Moderate Democrats Stress Over Crowded Center Lane
There is no single centrist rival to front-runner Bernie Sanders, and party leaders are bracing for a protracted nomination fight
Senate Democrats queasy over Sanders as nominee
Democratic senators have been careful not to criticize Sanders publicly, fearing that it could undermine party unity heading into the November general election, which they view as a must-win contest.
But they have serious questions about the electability of their self-described democratic socialist colleague and the problems he may create down-ballot for vulnerable Senate candidates.
The Hill’s Morning Report – Sanders surge triggers Dem angst
Biden, once the Democratic frontrunner, has posted fourth- and fifth-place finishes in Iowa and New Hampshire, respectively, and has supporters trying to keep the faith and remain optimistic about his chances. However, one key bloc of supporters has grown nervous since voting has kicked off: Senate Democrats.
Centrist Democrats Want to Stop Sanders. They’re Not Sure Who Can.
Unless a moderate favorite soon emerges, party leaders may increasingly look to Michael R. Bloomberg as a potential savior.
Sanders’ rise fueling internal fight as some Democrats fear a November wipeout
DES MOINES —
With Sen. Bernie Sanders gaining traction, his rivals for the presidential nomination and other top Democrats have begun aggressive efforts to slow the favorite of the party’s progressive wing, fearing he may become unstoppable and cost Democrats their shot at retaking the White House in November.
There are risks, however. The attacks may backfire by galvanizing Sanders’ fervent supporters, who embrace him precisely because he is an anti-establishment figure.
In Iowa, the ‘Not Sanders’ Democrats Find Voters Torn
No Democrat in modern times has lost contested races in both Iowa and New Hampshire and claimed the nomination.
The early primary and caucus outcomes could have an outsize impact on later primaries, including the large states voting in March, some of which begin collecting mail-in and early ballots in the immediate aftermath of Iowa.
DNC’s Tom Perez nominates regime-change agents, Israel lobbyists, and Wall Street consultants to rig the game against Bernie
With Sen. Bernie Sanders surging in the polls, DNC chair Tom Perez has put forward a cartoonishly neoliberal cast of foreign policy hacks and corporate lobbyists to sabotage his nomination.
Iowa Should Never Go First Again
The current system is a form of white privilege that warps the process.
State Department abruptly cancels briefings on Iran, embassy security
Congressional staffers had planned to ask questions about the shifting explanations and wanted to receive a global threat assessment for U.S. personnel.
Trump administration abruptly cancels 4 classified Iran-related briefings
FBI officials had been expected to brief a group of House lawmakers on counterintelligence issues related to Iran on Wednesday in a separate closed-door session but those plans also changed at the last moment, according to two sources familiar with the planning. The reason for the cancellation remains unclear but the briefing was added to the calendar late last week, one of the sources said.
State Department and Pentagon abruptly cancel lawmakers‘ classified briefings on Iran and embassy security after mounting questions over reasons for killing Qassem Soleimani
– The Trump administration has canceled three classified briefings scheduled for lawmakers on the situation with Iran
– The move comes amid questions about the president’s justification for killing Iranian General Qassem Soleimani
– The last round of administration briefings ended with lawmakers furious over a lack of candor by Trump administration officials
– Additionally, Senate Democrats said they have enough support to pass a war powers resolution to limit Trump’s ability to use a military response to Iran
Senate resolution to limit Trump’s military authority on Iran has enough GOP votes to pass, key Democrats say
Kaine filed a draft of his resolution the day after the Iranian commander, Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, was killed in a U.S. drone strike, and he has been working with Republicans to amend the measure so they would support it. As a result, the updated, bipartisan version removes all references to Trump and his administration’s statements and policies regarding Iran.
Senate Has Votes to Pass Limits on Trump’s Iran War Power, Likely Drawing a Veto
The resolution, which would give Mr. Trump a 30-day deadline to come to Congress for authorization for military action in Iran, would still need to be passed by the House. And it would be unlikely to overcome a veto from the president.
Mr. Kaine introduced the measure, which invokes the War Powers Act of 1973, as a privileged joint resolution, which allows him to force a vote on the measure and win over the support of a simple majority of senators.
Die Beweise müssen her
Über die völkerrechtlichen Implikationen der Tötung des iranischen Generals Kassem Soleimani lässt sich trefflich streiten. Für US-Präsident Donald Trump scheinen solche Fragen, wenn überhaupt, nur eine nachrangige Rolle gespielt zu haben, als er den Befehl gab. Formell haben die USA ihren Luftschlag im Irak beim Sicherheitsrat der Vereinten Nationen als legitimen Akt der Selbstverteidigung begründet.
Trump says it doesn’t matter if Soleimani posed an imminent threat
President Trump on Monday said it didn’t matter if Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani posed an imminent threat to the United States because of his “horrible past.”
Trump also asserted that his national security team agreed on the imminent threat posed by Soleimani that led to the decision to kill him.
Trump rechtfertigt erneut Tötung von Soleimani
Trump betonte heute auf Twitter, ein Angriff Soleimanis sei unmittelbar bevorgestanden. Trump wies zudem Spekulationen zurück, dass es in seiner Regierungsmannschaft Unstimmigkeiten bei dem Thema gebe.
Frankreich: Macrons einsame Mission in der Sahelzone
Niemand würde in Abrede stellen, dass die Franzosen und ihre wüstenerprobten Fremdenlegionäre den Fall des Vielvölkerstaates Mali in die Hände der Salafisten verhindert haben. Die Uno-Truppe Minusma nimmt dagegen nur defensive Aufgaben wahr.
Dessen ungeachtet stößt die französische Truppenpräsenz in den fünf betroffenen Ländern auf wachsenden Widerstand der Bevölkerungen.
Maas in Jordanien – Welche Zukunft hat der deutsche Einsatz?
Das Land ist Teil der Anti-IS-Koalition, von Jordanien aus beteiligt sich auch die Bundeswehr im Kampf gegen den IS, etwa mit Aufklärungstornados und einem Airbus-Tankflugzeug.
Aber ob die deutschen Soldaten in der Region bleiben werden?
How Bernie Sanders would upend America’s global role
Sanders’s campaign declined to make him available for an interview.
Democratic insiders: Bernie could win the nomination
For months, the Vermont senator was written off by Democratic Party insiders as a candidate with a committed but narrow base who was too far left to win the primary. Elizabeth Warren had skyrocketed in the polls and seemed to be leaving him behind in the race to be progressive voters’ standard-bearer in 2020.
But in the past few weeks, something has changed.
‚People Should Take Him Very Seriously‘: Sanders Polling Surge Reportedly Forcing Democratic Establishment to Admit He Can Win
„He has a very good shot of winning Iowa, a very good shot of winning New Hampshire, and other than Joe Biden, the best shot of winning Nevada,“ said one former Obama adviser.
Why Bernie Sanders Is Tough to Beat
Despite having a heart attack in October that threatened to derail his second quest for the Democratic nomination, he remains at or near the top of polls in Iowa and other early states, lifted by his near ubiquitous name recognition and an enviable bank account.
His anti-establishment message hasn’t changed for 50 years, and it resonates with working-class voters and young people who agree the system is corrupt and it will take a revolution to fix it.
Bundeswehr in Afghanistan: Die Angst vor dem Rückschritt
Stellt sich die Frage, wie lange noch? Über die Antwort muss der Bundestag Ende März entscheiden. Ob es eine Mehrheit für eine Verlängerung des Mandats gibt, ist unsicher, die Verteidigungsministerin spricht sich dafür aus: Was man in so langer Zeit erreicht hat, müsse man auch absichern. Etwa die Rechte der Frauen – dass zum Beispiel auch Mädchen zur Schule gehen können und nicht schon im Kindesalter verheiratet werden.
Day After Netanyahu’s Indictment, Likud Is in Panic and Uncertain What Should Be the Next Move
For the party, this election will be a referendum on Netanyahu’s indictment: Will the number of Netanyahu-supporting Knesset members who are willing to grant him immunity from prosecution rise from 55 to 61?
If the answer is negative, no one in Likud can begin to imagine how the party will emerge from the corner it has been backed into.
Netanyahu’s Cry of Attempted Coup Sounds Familiar
Charged with corruption, Israel’s prime minister attacks his country’s institutions, just like his friend in Washington.
A Genuine State of Emergency
It’s hard to exaggerate the gravity of such statements by Netanyahu, who, by virtue of his job, is supposed to serve all Israelis, including the country’s Arab citizens. Netanyahu is appealing to the lowest common denominator, inflaming the Jewish community against the Arab community and inciting the entire Israeli public. “We have to warn against this danger; we have to work together to warn against it,” he said, as if he were talking about an enemy.
Later, he even slandered the Arab Knesset members.
Netanyahu: Minority gov’t with Arab Joint List ‚terror attack‘ against Israel
At ‚emergency conference,‘ Israeli PM warns Tehran would ‚celebrate‘ a Blue and White minority gov’t
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a rally in Tel Aviv on Sunday decrying the possibility that Benny Gantz is set to form a minority government backed by the Arab Joint List alliance in the coming days.
Netanyahu Warns of ‚Unprecedented Emergency‘ if Gantz Forms Government Backed by Arab Party
„There is an agreement among Kahol Lavan [leaders] to go for a minority government with the Joint List. We know for a fact that they made this decision,“ the prime minister claimed in an emergency meeting he held with Likud lawmakers.
Netanyahu: Forming Gov’t With Arab Parties Is ‚Slap in the Face of Israeli Soldiers‘
„A government that depends on the Arab parties is a danger to Israel’s security,“ added Netanyahu. He then addressed Gantz saying „you were the Chief of Staff in Operation Protective Edge [2014 Gaza war], we ran the operation together – do you remember what Tibi did during the operation?
Machtkampf in der CDU: Auf schwankenden Planken
Die Parteivorsitzende Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer wankt, im Fernsehen ätzt Friedrich Merz, die Kanzlerin reist nach Indien. Was ist los in der CDU?
Wie Berlin nach Erfurt schaut – Volksparteien zittern vor neuem Denkzettel
Bei der Wahl in Thüringen sieht es wieder nicht gut aus für SPD und CDU. Und auch die Kleinen müssen sich Sorgen machen. In Berlin fragt man sich schon jetzt nach den Lehren.
Anxiety rises among Democrats worried about party’s prospects in 2020
Party leaders and activists are citing weakness in all of the leading contenders, including former vice president Joe Biden, who has been forced on the defensive about his family’s ethics, performed haltingly in debates and set off alarms with his poor fundraising. They also fret that the two other top-ranking candidates, Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), are too liberal to win a general election.
Trumps Syrien-Debakel: Der Chaoskrieger
Mit dem Truppenabzug aus Nordsyrien hat Donald Trump eine geopolitische Krise und humanitäre Katastrophe ausgelöst. Weil der US-Präsident lieber auf sein „Bauchgefühl“ hört als auf Berater.
I worry we will not have allies in the future against radical Islam, ISIS will reemerge, & Iran’s rise in Syria will become a nightmare for Israel.
I fear this is a complete and utter national security disaster in the making and I hope President Trump will adjust his thinking.
EU offices in Israel vandalized with ‘German money kills Jews’
A right-wing Israeli activist and anti-asylum seekers activist, Sheffi Paz, filmed herself committing the vandalism, and later admitted to it. Paz is a former member of the left-wing Meretz party.
Netanyahu tells Macron ‘now is precisely not the time to talk to Iran’
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke Friday with French President Emmanuel Macron, urging him not to negotiate with Iran at the present time.
Scoop: Netanyahu tried to reach Trump to block Zarif meeting
(29.08.2019)
Netanyahu frantically tried to get President Trump on the phone — who was in back-to-back meetings and couldn’t take the call — while his office contacted multiple senior Trump administration officials, trying to connect the two leaders.
Netanyahu urges boycott of ‘fake’ Channel 12, calls its ‘Our Boys’ anti-Semitic
Earlier the Central Elections Committee rejected a petition from Netanyahu’s Likud party to bar news outlets from publishing transcripts and documents from Netanyahu’s corruption investigations ahead of national elections next month.
Interview zu den Landtagswahlen – „Konzept von Stabilität greift nicht mehr“
heute.de: Halten Sie eine Jamaika-Minderheitsregierung für denkbar? Dass CDU, FDP und Grüne – sollten sie keine Mehrheit haben – Unterstützung suchen bei der Linken und der SPD?
Korte: Ja, das wäre eine moderne Art, geradezu postmodern, wie man eine Regierungsbildung in Vielparteienparlamenten hinbekommt. Die Labilität eines solchen Bündnisses, die man wagen müsste, kann unglaublich vitalisieren.
Likud Loyalty Oath Shows Level of Hysteria at Netanyahu’s Residence
The move, which followed Yisrael Beiteinu leader Avigdor Lieberman’s announced intention to ask Netanyahu’s party for an alternative candidate if the prime minister rejects a unity government with the opposition Kahol Lavan party, will also earn a secure spot in the Pathetic Moment Hall of Fame.
Lobbyismus im Bundestag: Wie zwei Vereine die deutsche Nahostpolitik beeinflussen wollen
(12.06.2019)
Ein deutsch-jüdischer und ein proisraelischer Verein haben im Bundestag ein enges Netzwerk gespannt – mit fragwürdigen Methoden.
Pro-Israel Groups Promoted anti-BDS Resolution in German Parliament, Der Spiegel Reports
The report claims that local groups such as the Middle East Peace Forum and WerteInitiative (Values Initiative) worked together with Israel’s Ministry of Strategic Affairs in order to promote the resolution, an enterprise that included “donations to politicians.” The groups deny these charges, but the story has evoked a stormy public debate. Bild, the most widely-read newspaper in Germany, sharply criticized the report, calling it anti-Semitic.