May 18, 2026
Germany's Multi-billion-euro Plan for Shelters, Hospital Beds and Emergency Vehicles | DW News
"Staggering Corruption": Rep. Raskin on Trump's $10B IRS Lawsuit, Stock Trades & Family Business
May 18, 2026 | Donald Trump on Monday dropped his $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over a leak of his personal and business tax records, a bizarre case of a sitting president suing his own government and essentially acting as both plaintiff and defendant. This comes amid reports that Trump's Department of Justice was considering settling the case in exchange for the creation of a $1.7 billion fund to compensate victims of so-called weaponization of the DOJ under the Biden and Obama administrations. Trump allies who participated in the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol could file claims and be compensated.
"They want a $1.7 billion slush fund, which comes to a million dollars a head in terms of Proud Boys, the Oath Keepers, the insurrectionists, with $100 million left over of taxpayer money to spread around in different ways," says Congressmember Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, who spoke with Democracy Now! shortly before news broke of Trump dropping the IRS lawsuit.
Raskin last week introduced the Protecting Our Democracy Act, which is geared toward curbing the president's profiteering from public office. "Corruption is the whole purpose of the Trump administration," says Raskin. "It's not like some eccentric peripheral thing; it's a vast money-making operation."
Trump and his cronies are rotten to their core. It defies belief that the American people put up with this CRAP! — © Mark Alexander
Democracy Now! can be supported here.
"They want a $1.7 billion slush fund, which comes to a million dollars a head in terms of Proud Boys, the Oath Keepers, the insurrectionists, with $100 million left over of taxpayer money to spread around in different ways," says Congressmember Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, who spoke with Democracy Now! shortly before news broke of Trump dropping the IRS lawsuit.
Raskin last week introduced the Protecting Our Democracy Act, which is geared toward curbing the president's profiteering from public office. "Corruption is the whole purpose of the Trump administration," says Raskin. "It's not like some eccentric peripheral thing; it's a vast money-making operation."
Trump and his cronies are rotten to their core. It defies belief that the American people put up with this CRAP! — © Mark Alexander
Democracy Now! can be supported here.
"Adolf Hitler war ein Linker" - Alice Weidel im Gespräch mit Nikolaus Blome | ntv
Hitler war doch kein „Linker“! Er hasste Leute, die links orientiert waren. Wo er es nur konnte, hat er sie umbringen lassen! Hitler war echter Rechtsextremist! Mit dieser Aussage versucht Alice Weidel, die Leute zu verwirren. — © Mark Alexander
In Closed-Door Talks, U.S. Demands a Major Role in Greenland
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Greenlandic officials worry about the direction of the negotiations aimed at defusing President Trump’s threats to seize their island. But they have little leverage.
Screenshot taken from this NYT article. | Ilulisaat, Greenland, a town where a Chinese state company nearly won a contract to build an airport in 2018. After U.S. officials pressured Denmark to step in, Greenland opted for a Danish company. | Ivor Prickett for The New York Times
With the conflict in Iran still smoldering, President Trump’s obsession with Greenland seems like a forgotten sideshow.
But for the past four months, negotiators from the United States, Greenland and Denmark, which controls Greenland’s foreign affairs, have been holding confidential talks in Washington about Greenland’s future.
The talks were meant to give Mr. Trump an offramp to his threats of a military takeover of Greenland and to scale back a crisis that risked breaking apart the NATO alliance. But Greenlandic leaders are worried about what is being proposed, which is a much larger U.S. role on the Arctic island. And they fear that if the conflict with Iran winds down, the president will swing his aggression back on them.
Some Greenlandic politicians say they have even circled a date on their calendars to be wary: June 14, Mr. Trump’s birthday. » | Jeffrey Gettleman, Maya Tekeli, Anton Troianovski and Eric Schmitt | Monday, May 18, 2026
With the conflict in Iran still smoldering, President Trump’s obsession with Greenland seems like a forgotten sideshow.
But for the past four months, negotiators from the United States, Greenland and Denmark, which controls Greenland’s foreign affairs, have been holding confidential talks in Washington about Greenland’s future.
The talks were meant to give Mr. Trump an offramp to his threats of a military takeover of Greenland and to scale back a crisis that risked breaking apart the NATO alliance. But Greenlandic leaders are worried about what is being proposed, which is a much larger U.S. role on the Arctic island. And they fear that if the conflict with Iran winds down, the president will swing his aggression back on them.
Some Greenlandic politicians say they have even circled a date on their calendars to be wary: June 14, Mr. Trump’s birthday. » | Jeffrey Gettleman, Maya Tekeli, Anton Troianovski and Eric Schmitt | Monday, May 18, 2026
Kim Jong-un: Grenze zu Südkorea soll zu „uneinnehmbarer Festung“ werden
BERLINER ZEITUNG: Nordkorea soll laut Kim Jong-un die Grenze zu Südkorea weiter verstärken. Bereits zuvor hatte er die Stationierung einer neuen selbstfahrenden Haubitze an der Grenze angeordnet.
Dieser Screenshot stammt aus diesem Artikel. | Kim Jong-un bei einem Treffen hochrangiger Militärvertreter | © KCNA via KNS/AFP
Der nordkoreanische Machthaber Kim Jong-un hat erklärt, dass Pläne zur Stärkung von Fronttruppen an der südlichen Grenze sowie anderer wichtige Einheiten für die „gründlichere Abschreckung vor Kriegen“ von zentraler Bedeutung seien. Die Grenze solle zu einer „uneinnehmbaren Festung“ werden, berichtete die staatliche Nachrichtenagentur KCNA.
Kim äußerte sich bei einem Treffen mit Befehlshabern der nordkoreanischen Armee. Er rief die Kommandeure dazu auf, wachsam gegenüber dem „Erzfeind“ zu bleiben – ein Begriff, den Pjöngjang laut Reuters für Südkorea verwendet. Er kündigte weiterhin an, das Ausbildungssystem zu reformieren und stärker auf Übungen auszurichten, die moderner Kriegführung entsprechen. Auch die militärische Organisationsstruktur solle überarbeitet werden. » | Anika Schlünz | Montag, 18. Mai 2026
Der nordkoreanische Machthaber Kim Jong-un hat erklärt, dass Pläne zur Stärkung von Fronttruppen an der südlichen Grenze sowie anderer wichtige Einheiten für die „gründlichere Abschreckung vor Kriegen“ von zentraler Bedeutung seien. Die Grenze solle zu einer „uneinnehmbaren Festung“ werden, berichtete die staatliche Nachrichtenagentur KCNA.
Kim äußerte sich bei einem Treffen mit Befehlshabern der nordkoreanischen Armee. Er rief die Kommandeure dazu auf, wachsam gegenüber dem „Erzfeind“ zu bleiben – ein Begriff, den Pjöngjang laut Reuters für Südkorea verwendet. Er kündigte weiterhin an, das Ausbildungssystem zu reformieren und stärker auf Übungen auszurichten, die moderner Kriegführung entsprechen. Auch die militärische Organisationsstruktur solle überarbeitet werden. » | Anika Schlünz | Montag, 18. Mai 2026
Grèce : Alexis Tsipras, ex-premier ministre et figure de la gauche radicale, va lancer un nouveau parti
LE FIGARO : Alexis Tsipras a publié sur Facebook « Maintenant, c’est le moment », sans révéler le nom de sa nouvelle formation politique. Il avait été désigné premier ministre lors de la crise financière grecque en 2015. Après une défaite en 2023, Alexis Tsipras avait démissionné de la direction de son parti.
L'ancien premier ministre grec Alexis Tsipras, ex-figure de la gauche radicale et anti-austérité en Europe, a annoncé lundi 18 mai son retour en politique avec le lancement d'un nouveau parti le 26 mai, en vue des élections prévues l'an prochain. Alexis Tsipras, 51 ans, a publié sur Facebook une vidéo montrant le dos de deux garçons sur les gradins d'un stade de foot portant des maillots avec les numéros 26 et 5. « Maintenant, c'est le moment », a-t-il écrit sans révéler le nom de sa nouvelle formation politique. Alexis Tsipras avait été désigné premier ministre au pic de la crise financière grecque en janvier 2015, à l'issue d'élections législatives remportées par son parti, alors de gauche radicale, Syriza. » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | lundi 18 mai 2026
Nobel Prize Recipient Dr Henry Abraham Warns of Donald Trump's Nuclear Risk to Humanity.
ANTHONY DAVIS can be supported on Patreon here.
Steve Rosenberg: Russian Papers React to Massive Ukrainian Drone Attack
The Iran War Is Crippling One of the World’s Wealthiest Nations
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Iranian attacks and the stoppage of seaborne transit have paralyzed Qatar’s vital gas exports, stalling the economic pivots intended to anchor the country’s growth.
Screenshot taken from this NYT article. | Qatar has tried to transform itself into a tourist destination and a hub for international business and finance. | Mahmud Hams/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
In Qatar, a desert peninsula protruding into the Persian Gulf, natural gas turned the country from a pearl-diving backwater into one of the world’s wealthiest nations.
Qatar spent three decades building supply lines, shipping tens of billions of dollars of liquefied natural gas each year through the Strait of Hormuz to ports across Asia and Europe.
The state, which derives more than 60 percent of its revenue from gas and gas-related exports, used that money to transform the peninsula into a gleaming metropolis. Unpaved desert roads were replaced by monolithic corporate skyscrapers, at the base of which irrigation systems water perennial blankets of grass and fuchsia flowers.
Gas wealth funded a metro system linking the capital, Doha, to Lusail, a northern city that is home to a Parisian-style mall and a theme park with artificial snow. The riches were also funneled into the world’s most expensive World Cup, and a $600 billion sovereign wealth fund with stakes in everything from Heathrow Airport in London to the Empire State Building in New York.
Then, in February, Qatar’s door to the world slammed shut.
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz means virtually no gas has left Qatar’s shore for more than two months. The nation is also cut off from the sea routes through which it imports everything from vehicles to produce. Fears of regional instability have hurt tourism and eroded business sentiment. » | River Akira Davis | Reporting from Doha, Qatar | Sunday, May 17, 2026
In Qatar, a desert peninsula protruding into the Persian Gulf, natural gas turned the country from a pearl-diving backwater into one of the world’s wealthiest nations.
Qatar spent three decades building supply lines, shipping tens of billions of dollars of liquefied natural gas each year through the Strait of Hormuz to ports across Asia and Europe.
The state, which derives more than 60 percent of its revenue from gas and gas-related exports, used that money to transform the peninsula into a gleaming metropolis. Unpaved desert roads were replaced by monolithic corporate skyscrapers, at the base of which irrigation systems water perennial blankets of grass and fuchsia flowers.
Gas wealth funded a metro system linking the capital, Doha, to Lusail, a northern city that is home to a Parisian-style mall and a theme park with artificial snow. The riches were also funneled into the world’s most expensive World Cup, and a $600 billion sovereign wealth fund with stakes in everything from Heathrow Airport in London to the Empire State Building in New York.
Then, in February, Qatar’s door to the world slammed shut.
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz means virtually no gas has left Qatar’s shore for more than two months. The nation is also cut off from the sea routes through which it imports everything from vehicles to produce. Fears of regional instability have hurt tourism and eroded business sentiment. » | River Akira Davis | Reporting from Doha, Qatar | Sunday, May 17, 2026
May 17, 2026
You Can't 'Put Britain at the Heart of Europe' After Brexit
Our politicians are clueless. Hardline Brexiteers are too. — © Mark Alexander
To Critics, Trump Remarks Reveal a Billionaire Out of Touch
THE NEW YORK TIMES: The president has never pretended to be an ordinary American, but a recent “truth bomb” has opened him to criticism that he doesn’t grasp the economic strain of his war with Iran.
Screenshot taken from this NYT article. | President Trump made remarks on Tuesday at the White House, ahead of departing for his trip to China. | Doug Mills/The New York Times
With his generational wealth, his 20-acre Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla., and his lucrative family businesses around the world, President Trump has never purported to be an ordinary American.
Instead, he has argued that he could use his business savvy to help lift up the country’s forgotten men and women.
But in recent weeks, as Americans feel deep economic strain from the war he launched in Iran, Mr. Trump’s actions and words have opened him up to accusations that he is either out of touch with — or indifferent to — the lives of everyday Americans.
The costs are ballooning from his renovation, re-decoration and building spree in Washington, D.C., and at the White House. He goes on social media posting frenzies that often focus on his pet projects, gripes and personal triumphs, including a 22-year-old newspaper review of his television show, “The Apprentice.” But perhaps the most striking example came on Tuesday, when Mr. Trump was asked whether the economic hardship Americans are feeling would motivate him to make a deal to end the war.
“Not even a little bit,” he said.
“I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation,” Mr. Trump continued, a stunningly frank admission that came after weeks spent either downplaying the conflict’s economic toll or simply asking Americans to be patient. His only consideration, Mr. Trump said, was preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon: “That’s all.” » | Erica L. Green | Erica L. Green is a White House correspondent. She reported from Washington. | Sunday, May 17, 2026
To think that this grifting clown should have been locked up long ago! If only the then powers-that-be had had the balls to do the right thing! Think of how much better the quality of Americans’ lives would be today, and the quality of life of the rest of the world, too! And just think of how many innocent people have had to meet their Maker prematurely, long, long before their time, just to satisfy this jester’s fantasies!
Will the American electorate ever be forgiven for their wilful and selfish poor judgment. Will, indeed, America itself ever recover from this, with the ever more powerful China very clearly in the ascendancy?
Thinking about Donald Trump is puke-inducing; so is thinking about all his ill-thought-out, self-aggrandizing, self-enriching , corrupt schemes and policies which strip Americans of their individual and collective wealth, and have bereaved them of their rights and heritage.
The sooner Americans find a way to rid themselves and their country of this man, the better it will be for them and for us. — © Mark Alexander
With his generational wealth, his 20-acre Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla., and his lucrative family businesses around the world, President Trump has never purported to be an ordinary American.
Instead, he has argued that he could use his business savvy to help lift up the country’s forgotten men and women.
But in recent weeks, as Americans feel deep economic strain from the war he launched in Iran, Mr. Trump’s actions and words have opened him up to accusations that he is either out of touch with — or indifferent to — the lives of everyday Americans.
The costs are ballooning from his renovation, re-decoration and building spree in Washington, D.C., and at the White House. He goes on social media posting frenzies that often focus on his pet projects, gripes and personal triumphs, including a 22-year-old newspaper review of his television show, “The Apprentice.” But perhaps the most striking example came on Tuesday, when Mr. Trump was asked whether the economic hardship Americans are feeling would motivate him to make a deal to end the war.
“Not even a little bit,” he said.
“I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation,” Mr. Trump continued, a stunningly frank admission that came after weeks spent either downplaying the conflict’s economic toll or simply asking Americans to be patient. His only consideration, Mr. Trump said, was preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon: “That’s all.” » | Erica L. Green | Erica L. Green is a White House correspondent. She reported from Washington. | Sunday, May 17, 2026
To think that this grifting clown should have been locked up long ago! If only the then powers-that-be had had the balls to do the right thing! Think of how much better the quality of Americans’ lives would be today, and the quality of life of the rest of the world, too! And just think of how many innocent people have had to meet their Maker prematurely, long, long before their time, just to satisfy this jester’s fantasies!
Will the American electorate ever be forgiven for their wilful and selfish poor judgment. Will, indeed, America itself ever recover from this, with the ever more powerful China very clearly in the ascendancy?
Thinking about Donald Trump is puke-inducing; so is thinking about all his ill-thought-out, self-aggrandizing, self-enriching , corrupt schemes and policies which strip Americans of their individual and collective wealth, and have bereaved them of their rights and heritage.
The sooner Americans find a way to rid themselves and their country of this man, the better it will be for them and for us. — © Mark Alexander
May 16, 2026
The Pressure of Existing in Trump's Authoritarian America
ANTHONY DAVIS can be supported on Patreon here.
Cuba, un país a oscuras
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Estados Unidos cortó el suministro de combustible a Cuba, sumiendo a la ya empobrecida isla en una aguda crisis energética.
Los cubanos no son ajenos a las penurias, tras más de seis décadas de régimen comunista y hostilidad y embargo estadounidenses.
Pero la isla no había sufrido nada parecido a lo que está padeciendo ahora. Este año, el gobierno de Donald Trump cortó el principal suministro de petróleo de Cuba, procedente de Venezuela, tras decapitar al régimen de Caracas, aliado de La Habana. Cualquier medida para conservar la energía solo pospuso lo inevitable: las reservas de petróleo de Cuba se han agotado, según dijo el gobierno esta semana.
La escasez de combustible y el desmoronamiento de las infraestructuras han provocado apagones cada vez más prolongados; mucha gente solo tiene electricidad una o dos horas al día. Eso ha generado pequeñas protestas, incluidas algunas en las que la gente ha encendido hogueras en las calles.
Cuba se está deslizando hacia un estado preindustrial de ciudades y pueblos oscurecidos, donde la gente depende de las llamas y del músculo para sustituir el combustible ausente y la maquinaria que permanece inactiva.
Sin un suministro fiable de electricidad y gas, mucha gente ha vuelto a recoger leña y carbón para hacer hogueras al aire libre. » | Por The New York Times | viernes 15 de mayo de 2026
Read in English.
Los cubanos no son ajenos a las penurias, tras más de seis décadas de régimen comunista y hostilidad y embargo estadounidenses.
Pero la isla no había sufrido nada parecido a lo que está padeciendo ahora. Este año, el gobierno de Donald Trump cortó el principal suministro de petróleo de Cuba, procedente de Venezuela, tras decapitar al régimen de Caracas, aliado de La Habana. Cualquier medida para conservar la energía solo pospuso lo inevitable: las reservas de petróleo de Cuba se han agotado, según dijo el gobierno esta semana.
La escasez de combustible y el desmoronamiento de las infraestructuras han provocado apagones cada vez más prolongados; mucha gente solo tiene electricidad una o dos horas al día. Eso ha generado pequeñas protestas, incluidas algunas en las que la gente ha encendido hogueras en las calles.
Cuba se está deslizando hacia un estado preindustrial de ciudades y pueblos oscurecidos, donde la gente depende de las llamas y del músculo para sustituir el combustible ausente y la maquinaria que permanece inactiva.
Sin un suministro fiable de electricidad y gas, mucha gente ha vuelto a recoger leña y carbón para hacer hogueras al aire libre. » | Por The New York Times | viernes 15 de mayo de 2026
Read in English.
Visite de Trump en Chine : la délégation américaine a jeté tous les objets chinois avant de remonter dans l’avion
LE FIGARO : « Rien de Chine n’est autorisé à bord » d’Air Force One pour raisons de sécurité, a indiqué une journaliste américaine qui suivait la délégation.
Les cadeaux chinois n’auront pas passé les portes de l’avion. Selon une journaliste américaine envoyée par le New York Post en Chine pour y couvrir la visite de Donald Trump, la délégation américaine a jeté l’ensemble des objets offerts par la Chine « dans un panier » juste avant d’embarquer dans l’avion et de quitter le pays, ce vendredi 16 mai.
« Le personnel américain a pris tout ce que les officiels chinois ont distribué - accréditations, téléphones jetables du personnel de la Maison-Blanche, badges pour la délégation - les a collectés avant que nous montions à bord de l’AF1 et les a jetés dans un panier au bas des escaliers », a ainsi indiqué la correspondante à la Maison-Blanche Emily Goodin dans une publication postée sur X, qui a fait le tour de la toile. « Rien de Chine n’est autorisé à bord de l’avion », a poursuivi la reporter. » | Par Jeanne Durieux | samedi 16 mai 2026
Les cadeaux chinois n’auront pas passé les portes de l’avion. Selon une journaliste américaine envoyée par le New York Post en Chine pour y couvrir la visite de Donald Trump, la délégation américaine a jeté l’ensemble des objets offerts par la Chine « dans un panier » juste avant d’embarquer dans l’avion et de quitter le pays, ce vendredi 16 mai.
« Le personnel américain a pris tout ce que les officiels chinois ont distribué - accréditations, téléphones jetables du personnel de la Maison-Blanche, badges pour la délégation - les a collectés avant que nous montions à bord de l’AF1 et les a jetés dans un panier au bas des escaliers », a ainsi indiqué la correspondante à la Maison-Blanche Emily Goodin dans une publication postée sur X, qui a fait le tour de la toile. « Rien de Chine n’est autorisé à bord de l’avion », a poursuivi la reporter. » | Par Jeanne Durieux | samedi 16 mai 2026
Rob Groves: The Crypto Billions behind Farage & Reform UK
Michael Lambert: Starmer Going? - Will Andy Burnham Start to Reverse Brexit
May 16, 2026 | Since Brexit, Britain has had six prime ministers and is about to have a seventh — and not one of them has fixed the economy. Not one.
The ‘SS British Economy’ continues to sink, and changing the captain won't save the ship.
In this video I explain why: The UK economy is falling behind the economy of every major European nation.
The ‘SS British Economy’ continues to sink, and changing the captain won't save the ship.
In this video I explain why: The UK economy is falling behind the economy of every major European nation.
May 15, 2026
Trump Looked ‘Nothing Like the Man We Know’ in Beijing
Großbritannien: Starmer unter Druck – Britisches Pfund fällt
BERLINER ZEITUNG: Hohe Energiepreise und innenpolitische Unsicherheiten belasten die britische Wirtschaft. Die Währung Pfund Sterling fällt.
Britische Staatsanleihen, Aktien und das Pfund Sterling sind am Freitag gefallen, wie die Nachrichtenagentur Reuters berichtet. Innenpolitische Unsicherheit und Sorgen um einen Inflationsschock infolge des Iran-Kriegs trugen dem Bericht zufolge dazu bei.
Das Pfund fiel laut Reuters auf ein Fünf-Wochen-Tief und verlor in dieser Woche fast zwei Prozent gegenüber dem US-Dollar. Damit steuert die britische Währung dem Bericht zufolge auf den größten Wochenverlust seit November 2024 zu. Zuletzt fiel der Kurs demnach um 0,3 Prozent auf 1,3364 US-Dollar, nachdem er zuvor mit 1,3335 US-Dollar den niedrigsten Stand seit über fünf Wochen erreicht hatte. » | Anika Schlünz | Freitag, 15. Mai 2026
Britische Staatsanleihen, Aktien und das Pfund Sterling sind am Freitag gefallen, wie die Nachrichtenagentur Reuters berichtet. Innenpolitische Unsicherheit und Sorgen um einen Inflationsschock infolge des Iran-Kriegs trugen dem Bericht zufolge dazu bei.
Das Pfund fiel laut Reuters auf ein Fünf-Wochen-Tief und verlor in dieser Woche fast zwei Prozent gegenüber dem US-Dollar. Damit steuert die britische Währung dem Bericht zufolge auf den größten Wochenverlust seit November 2024 zu. Zuletzt fiel der Kurs demnach um 0,3 Prozent auf 1,3364 US-Dollar, nachdem er zuvor mit 1,3335 US-Dollar den niedrigsten Stand seit über fünf Wochen erreicht hatte. » | Anika Schlünz | Freitag, 15. Mai 2026
Trump Worships Xi Jinping in Embarrassing China State Visit.
ANTHONY DAVIS can be supported on Patreon here.
Great News!
MARK ALEXANDER: When I checked the visitor counter on Google last evening, I was delighted to find that we have already well exceeded 2,000,000 visits. In fact, it is already nearly 13,000 more than that as I write this short report This, of course, delights me. And it couldn’t have been achieved without YOU. For your loyalty and support, I thank you ALL kindly. Your loyalty and support are deeply appreciated. Naturally, I am already looking forward to clocking up the next million! With your help and support, we shall be able to achieve 3m very soon.
Kind regards to all,
Mark
Kind regards to all,
Mark
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