L’Italia nel 2026 sarà un paese con una crescita poco significativa, vicina allo zero, con consumatori con una capacità di spesa compressa dalle spese obbligate» rimarca Ernesto Dalle Rive, presidente di Ancc-Coop. «Come Co(24)op stiamo facendo una riflessione che vorremmo condividere con il sistema della Grande distribuzione: la chiusura dei supermercati la domenica (24)
Keir Starmer has publicly backed the Danish prime minister over Donald Trump after she demanded that the US stop its threats to forcibly take over Greenland. (The Guardian_
And Macron, Merz, Meloni ?? ((ed)PS: Belatedly, they have fallen in line....)
s better. Two-thirds of Americans support raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour.²⁴ Seventy-three percent believe the healthcare system needs major change or a complete rebuild, including 67 percent of Republicans.²⁵ Exposed to policies without party labels, supermajorities support them. Yet the federal minimum wage has not moved since 2009. Healthcare remains broken. Housing stays unaffordable. Climate action stalls. Not because these policies are unpopular. Because the system is designed to prevent the popular will from becoming law. Gerrymandered legislatures will not pass them. If they pass, captured courts strike them down. If courts uphold them, the next minority-elected president dismantles them.
Every precondition is met. This is not a warning about where we are headed. We are already here.
The federal government will not save us. It has been captured. Any strategy for preserving democratic governance must begin by acknowledging what we are actually facing. What remains is the ground we still hold at the city and state level, and the willingness to use it.
The Introduction to Soft Secession booklet explains exactly what that looks like: public banking, interstate compacts, criminal prosecutions of federal officials under state law, and revenue strategies that reduce dependency on a captured federal government. It's free at BuyMeACoffee.com/TheER, along with the Educate Activate Recruit Repeat Method for actually getting these policies passed, Being Dangerous: How to Go from Activist to Operative, a printable trifold you can hand out, and Conservatism: America's Personality Disorder, the full book explaining how we got here. Physical copies and merch at TheExistentialistRepublic.com.
Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, 603 U.S. ___ (2024).
“What remains is the ground we still hold at the city and state level, and the willingness to use it.”
And this lines up with election attorney Marc Elias’ posts urging us in blue states to call our state representatives and urge them to pass laws NOW to support voter rights and election integrity.
The problem is the Blue states will remain democratic, while the Red States and national government will not. The failed 18th Century constitution permits rule by minority faction, and Roberts' Repubs are making that massive flaw worse, decision by decision...
Except that Blue states could turn Red due to some of the vote suppression and other tactics. Blue state voters can FIGHT that with legislation at the state level, if they choose. Do you choose to fight or not?
Perhaps it was there, just not enough to overcome the Blue Wave of disgust at Rumpublican bullcarp. And reminder, that per Greg Palast’s count, Harris would have won if not for the massive voter suppression that went on in several swing states. chicagocrusader.com/...
This is the problem in 2026 voter/vote suppression will be ramped up by the GOP every where they can and and every way they can, and all Federal agencies will be in on the game.
The recent elections have only demonstrated to the GOP they must do better at cheating and this is what Democratic leadership somehow better start fighting against and not just count on out voting them.
One reason voter suppression works is that too many people aren’t paying attention to their voter registration so when they show up at the polls they find out that they’re no longer on the voter rolls and must use a provisional ballot which may or may not get counted.
IF they show up to vote in the first place. That is not a foregone conclusion in this country.
they’ve already put the USPS into play. I can see it now — All voting ballots in democratic districts will have major delays in getting ‘postmarked’. I’ve heard rumors that ‘sorting’ problems are on the rise so Thrumps can plead it’s not their fault that UPSP is under staffed and under funded. The worse USPS looks the quicker this admin will hand it over to ‘private business’. Doesn’t matter what’’s in the Constitution. This ‘payoff your favorite Republican justice’ has already put into play that they don’t have to explain or answer to any ruling they make. Robert’s who is already as delusional as the Orange Quack in the white house and lies just as easily has already made the Orange Quack the equivalent ‘god’. As ‘president’ nothing he does is a crime. He’s already killing people for his fun like it’s a online gaming. He knowingly puts anyone he’s afraid might have support against him in serious danger of their lives and that includes spouses, kids and pets. He knows all his sadist base are just waiting for him to give them the ‘suggestion’ that that’s whom he wants gone.
That the person whom is the ‘Chief Justice of the US Supreme’ not only bows down to anything that the 34 times convicted felon & rapist wants, he likely gets paid lots of money on the side by the billionaires who have paid for their own supreme court.
I hear many of the Caribbean Islands will give you legal status just for buying a house. That looks better every day!
I heard of that new post office rule that ballots may or may not get postmarked for election day, even if they are actually there in the drop box. They will take more time to get postmarked, as soon as they arrive at the sorting and distribution center which may be several days. Furthermore, the state of Ohio has decided to reject any ballot not postmarked as of election day. Other red states will follow suit.
What is worse, they are probably going to lay off thousands of postal workers just prior to the election, in order to slow things down even further.
There should be an emergency Supreme Court brief filed NOW (I don't know of any as of yet) on the grounds that this is tantamount to massive voter suppression
This lays bare the current "conservative" strategy for returning to an anti-democratic white supremacy regime, which the techbros and plutocrats understand they must erect in order to keep fleecing the country and buying up everything.
It's a symbiotic relationship between white supremacists and plutocrats.
I was going to say more parasitical, because the billionaires are demonstrably feeding off the rest of us. But in fact the bigots are getting something too: fewer Brown people and more-oppressed Black people.
One particular decision to watch for would be a repeal of the Baker v. Carr decision (1962) which instituted the One Person, One Vote principle. I think that Clarence Thomas is arrogant enough to call for its overturning, and once its gone, Republicans won’t have to work so hard to negate the big cities in their states; they’ll just need to make many districts in rural areas and few in urban areas.
Once this illegitimate court made its unconstitutional decree that presidents are king, Biden should have immediately ordered his DOJ to detain the conservative court. But he didn't. And he never once said anything about them being bribed. Both parties are captured by the moneyed interests.
Very true. A good AG would have gotten a special prosecutor to go after Alito and Thomas for tax fraud for failing to report trips and presents. Instead, Garland focused on Hunter Biden, who had no governmental involvement.
“Can” but never will because “aggressive” and “Democratic” have not gone together since LBJ.
Not mentioned in this otherwise well documented piece is the simple fact that Democratic leadership helped get us here and those same milquetoast leaders are still in power.
The moment the Supremely Corrupt Court passed its immunity ruling on July 1 2024, Biden “should have” first recognized that they assumed he would not act, in fact he let it be known that he would not use it. Second, Biden “should have” turned the tables on them and used it to his full ability to undo Republican sabotage of our system.
If it seems like Democrats stand idly by as authoritarians force their way into absolute power, it would be because when not standing idly by they are aiding the rise of the corporate state. This is easy to show. For example, there has been no pushback against monopoly formation since 1992 when Bill Clinton proclaimed them “efficiencies of scale”. Monopoly mergers simply accelerated, peaking on Obama’s watch with not a single challenge. Look at a graph of most anything reflecting a declining middle class in the face of a rising ultra wealthy class and try to discern who is in power. It doesn’t matter, which is what a Princeton/Northwestern study concluded.
So this diary exposes the present state with the alleged goal of giving us the information we need to be well informed, yet it ignores the context in which this state arose, who the major players have been to get us to this sorry state. We can’t do anything as long as Centrists seek to maintain the status quo at all costs, even at the cost of our democracy. We desperately need a changing of the guard.
There are too many elected Democratics in the US Congress (House & Senate) who are captured by Bill Clinton’s “third way” sellout to big money.
The 107th Congress did not pass the John Lewis Voter’s Rights Bill due that that, and that was really the last hope of countering the gutting of the 1965 Voters Rights Act.
I’m wondering if my governor, Gavin Newsom, would be that aggressive. I’m thinking he would, from what I know of his behaviors toward Trump, but then again I know that pinning hopes on politicians often doesn’t wind up how I hope it will. But what other choice do we have?
IF we get a massive Blue Wave this all goes out the window. That depends on voters actually being very unhappy. They may understand what’s going on or they may not, but being unhappy is the key.
Until the next cycle when it goes back. Like Nixon quickly becoming Reagan. And voters seem especially fickle right now, ready to whipsaw back and forth
Depends what you mean by “rig.” Blatant lying, cheating, and stealing is still wrong, IMO — but utilizing questionable tactics your foes have inaugurated and proclaimed legal is 100% okay and qualifies as self-defense.
The system is gamed, but evil does sow the seeds of its own destruction.
When you look at the election of 1860 there is no way that Lincoln should have won, but the Taney Court (like our current one) had gotten ridiculous. The South was used to dominating or having milksops on the other side.
Society tends to shift and those bulwarks are not as sturdy as you think.
Both of the political parties active in the 1848 election saw massive defections due to disagreements over slavery. The Whigs collapsed and after the Conscience Whigs went off, the remainder tried to launch the American (or Know Nothing) Party hoping to use anti-immigrant hysteria to keep the party going.
After Sen. Stephen Douglas (D-IL) launched the Kansas-Nebraska Act, the Democrats had a similar breakup. So when the 1860 election came around, there were 4 parties: many Conscience Whigs and Freesoil Democrats had joined together to form the Republican Party, and they nominated Lincoln. The Northern Democrats nominated Douglas. The Southern Democrats nominated John C. Breckenridge. A group who still held onto Whig ideals formed the Constitutional Union Party, and they nominated John Bell.
Lincoln won mainly because the Republicans had a clarity that the other parties did not.
Yes, and a lot of that fracturing was due to the major parties being unwilling to take on several seminal issues more and more Americans wanted action on. Slavery is the most remembered, but it wasn’t alone.
This has been happening more and more over the past decades, but much more obvious since 2016 when the felon gained the WH for his first term. I am convinced this has been more prevalent ever since Reagan won the WH.
Same legal question. Same Court. Different answer depending on who asked.
Cannot trust the GOP under any circumstances. They couch their reasons in twisted logic that too many people take at face value instead of reading the nuances woven into their twisted logic.
This has been the Republican project for DECADES. That is why Mitch McConnell invented the “Biden Rule” out of thin air in order to justify holding a Supreme Court seat open for a year in order to prevent Obama from filling it.
I cannot wait for the book about Mitch McConnell! The world needs know how pathetically he wanted to ‘run the country’ through his Senate position. Every single rule and law he subverted. He’s been trying make himself out as a ‘good guy’ now that’s he’s on his way out of the senate and likely his life (as he continues to deteriorate in public) — soon.
And we should call attention to his filibustering Obama’s stimulus bill in 2009. He wanted to make Obama a one term president, even if it meant weakening the recovery from the Great Recession. I think we would have been substantially better if Al Franken (D-MN) hadn’t had to wait for a long recount but could have taken his seat along with the rest of his class and given Obama a filibuster-proof majority.
…..believe his ex-wife and three daughters are all Dems -— wish ‘they’ would have spoken out more forcefully and publicly against their husband/father’s sneaky and manipulative and corrupt leadership in the senate….
Hobby Lobby thinks that “religious freedom” means that because their employees must buy health insurance from the company store, they should have the “religious freedom” to tell these employees how to live their life.
The Senate is worse. California's 39 million residents have the same representation as Wyoming's 579,000, a ratio of 68 to 1.
I don’t understand why this claim is included in a story about the Supreme Court “rewriting the constitution”. Because while this claim is certainly true, it is an inequity that is present in the constitution itself, as opposed to being a perverted interpretation of the constitution.
This inequity almost guarantees eventual control of the SC via conservative voters from low population states. Yes the danger from this flaw has always been there but not taken advantage of all that successfully until Citizens United tipped the balance and made what was meant to prevent more populous states totally dominating less populated states into a tyranny not of the majority but of the minority… and crucially the key to controlling the SC.
“Core constitutional authority” should always be in quotation marks. It has no legal definition. It’s another of the novel legal concepts created out of whole cloth by the six radical extremist Justices, right along with [royal] “immunity”, “money is speech”, “major questions”, and on and on. They have fertile imaginations.
The best part of being an Originalist is you do get to use your imagination and just make stuff up. It’s sooo much more fun than all that research and reasoning BS.
Being original in the Arts does mean being very good with your imagination, creative… “Original”... inventive even. And so too, being an Originalist is like a form of political “Art”... very creative with made-up Original stuff.
The sad thing about that election is that FL would have easily gone to Gore without the massive voter purges enacted under Jeb Bush's governorship and a recount would not have even likely come up as an option to be stopped by a corrupt court.
I wonder how aware of his central part in warping the future direction of US democracy and how much he is ultimately responsible for making Trump possible. Does he ever reflect on how warping politics in FL to help his brother caused ripples that turned into democracy wrecking tsunamis? Does he turn away from this truth? Does he not want to face it or even ruminate on his part in bending the tree of democracy into darkness?
It’s one of the flaws of the opening post to not point out the way Congress ceded powers to the Supreme Court and Presidency mostly in the 1950s to 1970s, largely justified by the Cold War. Republicans remain fine with this- more and more power going to appointed judges and into the Presidency, which can significantly duck laws and personal responsibility. Democrats did little or nothing to reduce these two Branches back to pre-WW2 powers at the occasional opportunity to do so. Notably the first two years of the Obama Presidency.
No! Our leaders have failed to exercise the powers the voters and the constitution give them. I just posted below my thoughts so I won’t reiterate here. But basically, the system works if we do.
A reboot would be hijacked by the Billionaire boys club which as had a “model” replacement Constitution on ice as a back up plan for years. they salivate over a constitutional convention totally packed with right wing yes people. Tread VERY carefully with anything like this.
Don’t be surprised if the current administration does it first: possibly between the midterms and the start of the next session, assuming the Dems clean house in the fall
I think they might try, but the Republicans have narrow margins in the House and in the Senate, and enough of them are starting to wake up to what a menace Trump really is. Lately, I’ve been watching two Republican reps from Pennsylvania who won by narrow margins over Democratic incumbents and who seem to be joining the resistance. Mackenzie represents Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and Bresnahan reps Allentown/Bethlehem. We need more Republicans to come out and resist, but we’ve seen enough signs that we will be able to block the most extreme measures that need Congressional authorization.
In July 2024, the Court ruled 6-3 that presidents enjoy absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for official acts within their core constitutional authority, and presumptive immunity for all other official acts.¹⁷ The Court held that Trump's discussions with the Acting Attorney General about overturning the 2020 election fell within his exclusive constitutional authority and were therefore absolutely immune.¹⁷
Can you clarify what you mean when stating that that case concluded, held, that Trump’s actions about the election do fall within a President’s, “official acts”?
Given what the ruling states, offered via link and quoted sections below, state that there has not been a case that has determined what “official acts” are, and are not.
What is an “official act” and what is not, is still up for the courts to determine.
Taking into account these competing considerations, the Court concludes that the separation of powers principles explicated in the Court’s precedent necessitate at least a presumptive immunity from criminal prosecution for a President’s acts within the outer perimeter of his official responsibility. Such an immunity is required to safeguard the independence and effective functioning of the Executive Branch, and to enable the President to carry out his constitutional duties without undue caution. At a minimum, the President must be immune from prosecution for an official act unless the Government can show that applying a criminal prohibition to that act would pose no “dangers of intrusion on the authority and functions of the Executive Branch.” Fitzgerald, 457 U. S., at 754. Pp. 12–15.
(3) As for a President’s unofficial acts, there is no immunity. Although Presidential immunity is required for official actions to ensure that the President’s decision making is not distorted by the threat of future litigation stemming from those actions, that concern does not support immunity for unofficial conduct. Clinton, 520 U. S., at 694, and n. 19. The separation of powers does not bar a prosecution predicated on the President’s unofficial acts. P. 15.
(b) The first step in deciding whether a former President is entitled to immunity from a particular prosecution is to distinguish his official from unofficial actions.
In this case, no court thus far has drawn that distinction, in general or with respect to the conduct alleged in particular.
It is therefore incumbent upon the Court to be mindful that it is “a court of final review and not first view.” Zivotofsky v. Clinton, 566 U. S. 189, 201. Critical threshold issues in this case are how to differentiate between a President’s official and unofficial actions, and how to do so with respect to the indictment’s extensive and detailed allegations covering a broad range of conduct. The Court offers guidance on those issues. Pp. 16–32.
Now, more than ever, I want to move to another country. I hear Canada isn’t as welcoming as it once was, but there are others. I’ve always been interested in visiting the UK, maybe I’ll just never leave.
If I stay, I’ll have to fight. I don’t have the physical strength like I had in the early 70s to march in the streets and run from tear gas. Maybe that sounds overly dramatic, but if we can’t vote our way out of this, civil disobedience to the point of an actual uprising may be the only chance we have when the law is unenforceable.
“What is an “official act” and what is not, is still up for the courts to determine.”
It has probably already been determined, in secret, by the Alito, Thomas, Roberts gang. They just haven’t had the need to declare it outside of shadow docket decisions.
John Roberts, the smug face that acquisceses power to evil while wagging his finger at saints for failing to understand the fundamentals of politics. The vile, destructive, overconfident soullessness of that man and everything he stands for infuriates me.
If (when?) Democrats get bare majorities in both houses and the White House, they need to pullout all the stops, call the bi-partisan traditions the bullshite they are and use all the power the constitution gives them to enlarge the court. All these “constitutional changes” are not constitutional but simply judicial decrees that can be reversed by sane justices.
The obscene overreach by Trump and the GOP is brining a massive change in the political winds. Democrats must strike while the iron is hot. It’s time Democrats take some lessons from Republicans on using the power they have, when they have it. Waiting for the moment to slip past and moaning “shoulda, woulda, coulda” has left us in this horrid time. When the voters give Democrats the power they damn well better use it or those voters will turn away again. And who can blame them?
I agree with you on enlarging the high court, but bear in mind that there are a lot of Democrats that strongly oppose this. We might have better luck impeaching and removing the two most corrupt bribees, Thomas and Alito. And then with a Democratic congress and president, these two corporate tools can be replaced with sensible and honest liberal justices. I am praying.
In summary, we are watching history in the making. We are witnessing the one-free America devolve into fascism. Future students will read of this in their history book, what we are seeing live. That is to say if those history books are not sanitized and rewritten to favor the New Masters
When your local news is owned by a conservative media conglomerate pushing partisan content through trusted local faces, voters cannot punish leaders for policy failures they never learn about.
And here is yet another example of the headwinds we face. “I don’t understand why our messaging doesn’t get through?!” Let’s face it. No one who is watching Fox all the time is voting for the Democrat. “It’s the propaganda, stupid.”
Rigged maps only work if the right “wrong” people don’t show up to vote.
Yes it’s getting harder to vote for some demographics. However enough people could vote but don’t, or vote for unserious candidates (Jill Stein, RFK Jr.) because reasons (Gaza, buttery mails, masking, “antifa”, etc. & so forth). Yes, media capture, voting inconvenience and other excuses. But really, if you can vote and don’t, or throw away your vote in some symbolic protest you own the consequences. Which also fall on everyone who did vote.
GOTV takes effort and organization. It also requires a laser-like focus on pragmatic priorities and competent leadership. The fact a convicted felon got reëlected speaks volumes about these deficits in the Democratic Party. But ultimately it’s up to the electorate to show up.
“Every nation gets the government it deserves.” Joseph de Maistre
nothing ever gets better. Two-thirds of Americans support raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour.²⁴ Seventy-three percent believe the healthcare system needs major change or a complete rebuild, including 67 percent of Republicans.²⁵ Exposed to policies without party labels, supermajorities support them. Yet the federal minimum wage has not moved since 2009. Healthcare remains broken. Housing stays unaffordable. Climate action stalls. Not because these policies are unpopular. Because the system is designed to prevent the popular will from becoming law. Gerrymandered legislatures will not pass them. If they pass, captured courts strike them down. If courts uphold them, the next minority-elected president dismantles them. (Daily Kos)
Italiani poveri
Negli ultimi tredici anni la ricchezza delle famiglie italiane è cresciuta molto meno rispetto a quella degli altri grandi Paesi dell’area euro e, al netto dell’inflazione, si è di fatto ridotta. Dal dicembre 2012 al giugno 2025 l’incremento complessivo è stato del 20,6%, contro il 45,1% registrato in Francia e addirittura il 108,2% in Germania, mentre la media dell’area euro si è attestata al 66,2%. Considerando che nello stesso periodo l’indice di rivalutazione monetaria è salito a 1,22, per le famiglie italiane il bilancio è negativo: in termini reali la ricchezza si è contratta di circa il 2%. È quanto emerge da un’analisi della Fondazione Fiba di First Cisl, sindacato dei lavoratori delle banche, delle assicurazioni, della finanza, della riscossione e delle authority, basata sui dati della Bce sulla distribuzione della ricchezza. (Il Fatto Quotidiano)
"Les autorités russes disent tout et son contraire" : cinq questions après l'attaque présumée de drones ukrainiens sur une résidence de Vladimir Poutine (Franceinfo:)
"Glory to God that we didn't transfer Tomahawk missiles to Zelenskyy," – Putin's advisor Ushakov says that Trump allegedly said this to Putin. (Daily Kos)
Faule Deutsche
So wundert es dann auch nicht, dass wir Deutschen im Schnitt nur noch 1349 Stunden pro Jahr arbeiten. Weit hinter vergleichbaren Nationen wie Frankreich (1490) oder Großbritannien (1500). Es ist also nicht so, dass nur Entwicklungsländer jobtechnischen Ehrgeiz entwickeln. Die Schweizer zum Beispiel ackern über einen Monat länger pro Jahr (1533) als wir, von den USA (1791) oder gar China (2397) gar nicht zu reden (Focus).
Russia’s Biggest Mistake: Transforming Germany Into a Military Powerhouse (19fortyfive.com)
And Germany??
Poland plans to complete the creation of a system of fortifications to counter drones along its eastern border within two years.
Source: Cezary Tomczyk, Poland's Deputy Minister of National Defence, in an interview with The Guardian, as reported by European Pravda
"We expect to have the first capabilities of the system in roughly six months, perhaps even sooner. And the full system will take 24 months to complete," Tomczyk noted.
etails: The decision was taken in response to violations of the country's airspace by Russian drones in September this year.
He said that the new air defence systems will be integrated into an older defensive line built ten years ago.
The defence official said the system will include various layers of protection, including machine guns, cannons, missiles and drone-jamming systems
For decades, members of Opus Dei, a powerful Catholic organization with a global presence, allegedly trafficked dozens of girls in Argentina into domestic servitude. Survivors were recruited with promises of education and training, then forced into unpaid 12-hour workdays under strict control.
Survivors describe lives of control and unpaid labor
Claudia Carrero was just 13 years old in 1979 when Opus Dei took her to one of its schools, promising training in hotel management. Instead, the organization put her to work. She said:
“They did not take me there to study, but to work, … I had no control over anything in my life. I had to ask for permission to call my parents, all our mail was read, we were not allowed to go out alone.”
Carrero’s experience reflects those of 42 other women in Argentina. Opus Dei recruited them as minors from poor, rural families and forced them to work long days of domestic labor for elite male members. (Daily Kos)
Women who say they were tricked into servitude for Opus Dei to meet in Argentina
Pope said to have urged organisers to hold conference after 43 women alleged they were exploited as minors by Catholic group (The Guardian)
Remigration
The Trump administration is seeking contractors to help it overhaul the United States’ immigrant detention system in a plan that includes renovating industrial warehouses to hold more than 80,000 immigrant detainees at a time, according to a draft solicitation reviewed by The Washington Post.
Rather than shuttling detainees around the country to wherever detention space is available, as happens now, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement aims to speed up deportations by establishing a deliberate feeder system, the document says. Newly arrested detainees would be booked into processing sites for a few weeks before being funneled into one of seven large-scale warehouses holding 5,000 to 10,000 people each, where they would be staged for deportation.
The large warehouses would be located close to major logistics hubs in Virginia, Texas, Louisiana, Arizona, Georgia and Missouri. Sixteen smaller warehouses would hold up to 1,500 people each.
The draft solicitation is not final and is subject to changes
For decades, European governments treated American protection as entitlement, not partnership. While U.S. taxpayers financed deterrence, many European capitals prioritized expansive social programs, early retirements and permissive immigration policies over defense spending. Political comfort was chosen over strategic responsibility on the assumption that America would always make up the difference.
Wie die Spannungen zwischen Merz und Macron Europa schaden. Der französische Präsident sucht Kontakt zu Putin, der deutsche Kanzler verrennt sich beim EU-Gipfel
:Herr Merz sollte M. Macron den Vortritt lassen Im Zweifel ist die franzoesische Diplomatie der deutschen vorzuziehen.
editor
Thierry Breton und vier weitere europaeische Politiker duerfen nicht in die USA einreisen, ebenso zwei deutsche Damen, Chefinnen einer Organisation namens Hate Aid, hat Washington verkuendet. Erstaunlicherweise regen sich Praesident Macron und zwei deutsche Minister darueber auf Warum? Es gibt ueber hundert Staaten, in die die Herrschaften einreisen koennen, es muessen nicht die USA sein. Man kann bestens ohne USA_Reisen leben
editor
C’est une mauvaise blague pour la Belgique. Le pays se rêvait en puissance aérienne européenne, grâce à une commande de 34 avions de chasse F-35 aux États-Unis, datant de 2018, pour 5,6 milliards d’euros. Des avions de cinquième génération, fabriqués aux États-Unis également. Les avions ont commencé à être livrés, et jusqu’ici tout va bien. Malheureusement, la Belgique s’est rendu compte, selon des informations du Parisien, que ces avions, une fois livrés, ne pourront pas voler, faute de place dans l’espace aérien
US-Geheimdienstchefin bezeichnet Reuters-Bericht zu Putins Kriegszielen als "Lüge"
Die Direktorin der Nachrichtendienste der USA, Tulsi Gabbard, hat einen Reuters-Bericht zurückgewiesen, demzufolge US-Geheimdienste davon ausgegangen seien, dass Russlands Präsident Wladimir Putin die gesamte Ukraine erobern wolle. Gabbard schrieb auf X, dies sei "eine Lüge und Propaganda". Reuters setze sich "bereitwillig für Kriegstreiber" ein, die Friedensbemühungen von US-Präsident Donald Trump zur Beendigung des Ukraine-Kriegs untergraben. Die Wahrheit sei, "dass die US-Geheimdienste einschätzen, dass Russland einen größeren Krieg mit der Nato vermeiden will". Zudem würden Russlands Leistungen auf dem Gefechtsfeld darauf hindeuten, "dass es derzeit nicht in der Lage ist, die ganze Ukraine zu erobern und zu besetzen, geschweige denn Europa". (Quellen: X, Reuters)
editor'sComment: all evidence indicatesReuters is right, Gabbard wrong
Ukraine does pose a threat, but it’s not to Russia, and it’s not military. The threat is to Putin’s regime. It is economic, political, and cultural. Modern economies thrive on innovation, which can only happen through free interaction and competition. Russia’s population is declining. 25% of Russian households have no indoor plumbing.
In contrast, Ukraine was progressing to become a democratic state ruled by law. Living next door to that kind of neighbor scares the daylights out of Putin and his oily garchs.
The situation inside Russia today has not improved. Mikhail Doliyev, an expat now living in Germany, says that the war will continue because Putin dares not stop it. Russians believe “they are ‘liberating the whole world from Nazism.’ But “take away the war from them, and they will notice the devastation they now live in.”
was no way that Ukrainians would willingly join his authoritarian regime.
Ukraine does pose a threat, but it’s not to Russia, and it’s not military. The threat is to Putin’s regime. It is economic, political, and cultural. Modern economies thrive on innovation, which can only happen through free interaction and competition. Russia’s population is declining. 25% of Russian households have no indoor plumbing.
In contrast, Ukraine was progressing to become a democratic state ruled by law. Living next door to that kind of neighbor scares the daylights out of Putin and his oily garchs.
The situation inside Russia today has not improved. Mikhail Doliyev, an expat now living in Germany, says that the war will continue because Putin dares not stop it. Russians believe “they are ‘liberating the whole world from Nazism.’ But “take away the war from them, and they will notice the devastation they now live in.”
Putin will never willingly allow free elections anywhere near Russia.
Ukrainians will never quit.
Ukraine will not, indeed CANNOT, allow Russia to conquer Ukraine. Ukrainians remember the Holodomor, where five to eight million Ukrainians were starved to death by Stalin so that he could export grain. 17k Ukrainian children are being held captive in Russia. They have seen in Bucha what a Russian conquest looks like.
Europe cannot allow Ukraine to lose.
If Ukraine loses, Europe’s refugee problem will turn into a crisis, nuclear proliferation will go exponential, plus countless other problems. Unfortunately, the 90B euro loan that they just approved only provides a lifeboat for Ukraine by covering 2/3 of their budget shortfall. It does not allow the war to end with security for Ukraine.
In summary:
Putin cannot stop the war and maintain his regime without conquering all of Ukraine. There is no way he will accept this proposal.
Ukraine cannot allow Russia to win.
Europe cannot allow Russia to win, but it will ante up neither the will nor the resources to allow Ukraine to win.
Despite claims of readiness for negotiations, Moscow has not abandoned its plans for the complete destruction of Ukrainian statehood. The Kremlin views any 'ceasefire' merely as a lull before a new attack.
This information is outlined in a report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
Trap of 'Temporary Compromise'
Experts do not rule out the possibility that Putin may agree to certain concessions that he views as temporary. Analysts warn that the dictator may sign a peace agreement, but his relentless attachment to initial goals suggests that he will not be satisfied with such an outcome.
Most likely, Moscow will use the 'ceasefire' to regroup its forces, later violating the agreements and continuing aggression with the aim of full occupation of Ukraine.
Dänischer Geheimdienst schlägt Alarm: Russland intensiviert Vorbereitungen für möglichen NATO-Angriff. Ein neuer Bericht dokumentiert die wachsende Bedrohung.
Kopenhagen – Der dänische Auslandsnachrichtendienst Forsvarets Efterretningstjeneste (FE)
Laut dem am Mittwoch veröffentlichten FE-Bericht könnte Russland bereits 2027 für einen lokalen Krieg bereit sein, gefolgt von der Fähigkeit zu einem regionalen Krieg im Jahr 2028 und einem großangelegten Krieg bis 2031. Der dänische Geheimdienst betont: https://www.merkur.de/politik/gegen-die-nato-polnischer-general-russland-im-vorbereitungsmodus-fuer-krieg-zr-94044409.html","storyElementPosition":11,"storyElementCount":25}}" data-id-em="1">„Russland bereitet sich auf einen Krieg gegen die NATO vor. Das bedeutet nicht, dass eine Entscheidung getroffen wurde, einen solchen Krieg zu beginnen, aber Russland rüstet auf und baut die Kapazitäten auf, um diese Entscheidung treffen zu können.“
Als Europaeer bin ich beindruckt, wie es den USA mit ein paar Schriftsaetzen und Reden gelungen ist, was schon Monnet und Adenauer 1993 anvisierten: die Einigung Europas. Die Gruendervaeter sschufen zwar die EU, aber von einer wirklichen Einigung des Erdteils konnte seither keine Rede sein. EfTA und Brexit sind Denkmaeler des Partikularismus, der Europa jahrzehntelang heimsuchte.
Nun nicht mehr. Wir muessen es JD Vance's und Donald Trump's rabiatem Nationalismus danken, dass erstmals in den Geschichte die obersten Fuehrer der wichtigsten Staaten Europas zusammen sitzen und sich gemeinsam erschreckt und verschuechtert bemuehen, den Kontinent durch seine von Moskau und Washington erzeugte Existenzkrise zu steuern. Noch ist Europa nicht verloren, moechte moechte man Starmer, Merz und Macron zurufen. Wir vertrauen Euch!
Two people familiar with the situation said on Friday that the American side had “signalled” to Kyiv that vital US intelligence and weapons deliveries could be halted if Zelenskyy did not sign up to the proposal. (Fin.Times)
All available reporting continues to indicate that the stipulations of the reported 28-point Russia-US peace plan amount to Ukraine’s full capitulation to Russia’s original war demands. (ISW)
The plan calls on Ukraine to make enormous concessions, including handing over territory to Russia that Ukraine currently controls. But rather than reject it outright, Zelensky agreed to negotiate — and his office said he expects to discuss it with President Trump in the coming days. (Axios)
The Trump administration has been secretly coordinating with Moscow on a new plan to end the war in Ukraine, an initiative that has expanded into a series of discreet meetings and draft proposals as Washington probes the conditions under which a political settlement could be considered.
Axios, a US-based digital news outlet known for its political and national security scoops, reported that the 28-point proposal is structured around four themes: achieving peace in Ukraine, providing security guarantees, broader European security, and the future of US relations with both Russia and Ukraine. The blueprint is said to take inspiration from US President Donald Trump’s recent efforts to secure a deal in Gaza.
According to the source, a senior Russian official said he was “optimistic” about the plan’s chances and claimed it reflects Moscow’s positions more accurately than previous diplomatic initiatives. It remains unclear how Kyiv or its European partners will respond.
Contentious issues such as territorial control in eastern Ukraine are still unresolved, Axios noted, even as Russian forces continue slow advances that fall short of the Kremlin’s maximalist territorial demands.
Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, has been leading the drafting effort and has held extensive talks with Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev, the head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, who is also deeply involved in Kremlin diplomacy over Ukraine.
President Trump dispatched a high-level Pentagon delegation to Kyiv for talks Wednesday in the administration’s latest attempt to revive negotiations on halting Russia’s war with Ukraine, according to senior U.S. officials.
Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, along with two four-star Army generals, was scheduled to hold discussions with President Volodymyr Zelensky and other Ukrainian officials, as well as top military and industry representatives, two of the officials said. Driscoll is planning to meet with Russian officials at a later date.
Wall Street Journal.Kaja Kallas, The European Union's top diplomat has warned President Donald Trump that Europe and Ukraine need to support a peace deal with Russia for it to work. (Newsweek)
Now is the moment for Europe to do everything it can to support Ukraine (Telegraph)
Editor's commentIt's a silly repeat of an old game. Ukraine and Europe will reject a deal drafted to please Russia. Trump will be upset that his deal is rejected and will punish Ukraine (and Europe?) for not accepting his marvellous "deal". Russia will be happy to again see Ukraine (and Europe) in the doghouse. Krasnov has delivered. Again.
“Europe is experiencing its last year of peace”:
the warning from Andrei Kozovoi, Russia specialist. His grandmother inspired the character of Lara in “Doctor Zhivago,” and his parents met in the gulag. Today, the professor at the University of Lille is pessimistic and insists that“as long as Putin is alive, Russia will refuse to give in”... Now a professor at the University of Lille, this specialist in Russian and Soviet history is very pessimistic about the war in Ukraine, while insisting that Vladimir Putin suffers from an inferiority complex.
In 1945, the evil Germans were defeated, captured, or dead. This was followed by decades of good Germans who were grateful that they had been spared the Morgenthau Plan, that they had been accepted back into the community of civilized nations, and that they had been integrated into Western Europe. The new West Germany, called the Federal Republic, proved to be a useful member of a Western European community from which the EU emerged. This harmonious order broke down when, under Helmut Kohl, East Germany – the GDR – was integrated into West Germany in a process called reunification. It is pointless to speculate how Europe's architecture would have developed if, by replacing the GDR a state similar to Austria had been created – rebuilt with West German money, but independent. The fact is that this new, reunified Germany, by its sheer size, has disrupted the Western European order. As long as German governments continue to act in a European manner and pursue Western policies, relative calm will prevail. Of course, the growing economic power of German companies -- which sometimes act clumsily in other European countries -- is noticeable. But the most important change that took place occurred in the German national psyche.
The mere fact that you can drive from Munich to Berlin without having to cross a border is more than just an achievement. It is a reminder of Germany's former greatness, even if the old East beyond the Oder and Neisse rivers is missing. This new Germany is steeped in self-confidence. Not only does it have victorious soccer teams, it is also the largest country in Western Europe. No one except Russia can tell us Germans what to do. Its neighbors are taking note of this change with growing unease. This was clearly evident in the reactions to Germany's intention to make the Bundeswehr the strongest military power in Europe (after Russia). Okay, you need a German military, but its existence brings back bad memories. Only Poland, which is heavily rearming, seems to have no problem with German rearmament. Our neighbors are patient. They are giving Germany a chance. Whatever happens in Europe, they look to Berlin: what is the German position? After casting a critical eye on Washington (and Beijing), they turn to Berlin.
The Germans like that. They may be a small superpower, but still... So far, it's worked out well. The Germans are playing along in Europe (for the most part); there's no real conflict anywhere. All of that is now in question. The question mark is called AfD. The rise of this largely right-wing extremist party so far gives rise to fears of evil. Will the new German self-confidence bring this party to power? In close friendship with Putin? Putinia from the Urals to the Oder-Neisse border and Hoeckenia from the Oder-Neisse to the Atlantic?
Heinrich von Loesch
No, Russia does not need AfD. It can do the job by itself, alone.....
« Tout brûler jusqu’à la Manche » : face à l’Occident, la diplomatie russe appelle au sang
Poutine ne veut pas négocier avec l’Ukraine — il veut avancer en Europe.
Alors que la semaine qui s’ouvre pourrait marquer un tournant dans la guerre d’Ukraine, la dernière livraison de la revue officielle de la diplomatie russe est explicite : « les pays occidentaux sont toujours mieux disposés à écouter lorsque les troupes russes mettent le pied à Paris ou à Berlin. »...Nous la traduisons.
Initialement paru dans La Vie internationale, organe central de la diplomatie lavrovienne, « Brûler jusqu’à la Manche ? Quelles garanties de sécurité efficaces à l’heure d’un affrontement historique entre la Russie et l’Occident » postule en effet que « les pays occidentaux sont toujours mieux disposés à écouter lorsque les troupes russes mettent le pied à Paris ou à Berlin ».
Loin de restreindre le conflit à l’Ukraine, ses trois auteurs évoquent plutôt une Russie en ordre de bataille, parfaitement disposée à réaffirmer ses prétentions en Europe fut-ce au prix d’une guerre totale.
Strukturreformen gefordert BDI-Chef sieht Standort Deutschland "im freien Fall"
Die Industrieproduktion in Deutschland sinkt vermutlich das vierte Jahr in Folge. BDI-Präsident Peter Leibinger sieht den Standort in der "tiefsten Krise seit Bestehen der Bundesrepublik".
Der Beginn der deutschen Industrie wird meist mit dem Jahr 1835 und dem Bau der ersten Eisenbahn verbunden, die als Katalysator für die beginnende Industrialisierung wirkte,
Seit fast zwei Jahrhunderten gilt Deutschland als eine der führenden Industrienationen. Bald wird dies nicht mehr der Fall sein, da die Deindustrialisierung Deutschlands in vollem Gange ist.
Im Jahr 1850 gab es in Deutschland (im damaligen Gebiet) schätzungsweise rund 2,772 Millionen Beschäftigte im Bereich Industrie und Handwerk
1895:Rund 7,5 Millionen Beschäftigte waren in Industrie und Handwerk tätig.
1900:Diese Zahl stieg auf etwa 8,95 Millionen an.
1905:Die Zahl erhöhte sich auf rund 9,57 Millionen.
1910:Es gab etwa 10,18 Millionen Beschäftigte in der Industrie und im Handwerk bei einer Bevölkerung von 65 Millionen (15.4%)
1959 waren mit rund 11,3 Millionen die meisten der insgesamt gut 25 Millionen Beschäftigten im Sektor "Industrie und Handwerk" aktiv.
Laut der Deutschland.de-Webseite gab es 2020 nur noch rund 8 Millionen Menschen im verarbeitenden Gewerbe.
Die deutsche Industrie, genauer gesagt das Verarbeitende Gewerbe, zählt aktuell rund 5,4 Millionen Beschäftigte (Stand August 2025).Die Beschäftigtenzahl sinkt seit 17 Monaten in Folge bei einer Bevölkerung Deutschlands 2025 von 83,5 Millionen (6.4 %).
Der Anteil der Deutschen, die in der Industrie und im verarbeitenden Gewerbe arbeiten, ist somit von 15,4 % im Jahr 1910 auf heute 6,4 % gesunken. Obwohl dieser Trend in vielen Industrieländern zu beobachten ist, kann Deutschland in den letzten Jahren als Sonderfall betrachtet werden.
Beispiel China: Rund 29,9% der chinesischen Beschäftigten arbeiten in der Industrie.
Von 2013 bis heute sind unverändert rund 30 Prozent der Arbeitenden in der Industrie tätig.
Beispiel Japan
In Japan sind etwa 24,2 % der Erwerbstätigen in der Industrie beschäftigt, wobei allein auf das verarbeitende Gewerbe im Jahr 2023 etwa 15 % der Gesamtbeschäftigung entfallen. Der Anteil der Beschäftigung in der Industrie an der Gesamtbeschäftigung in Japan: 33,2 %
im Jahr 1991 25,6 %,
im Jahr 2017 ein Allzeithoch von 34,8 %,
im Jahr 1992 ein Rekordtief von 25,2 %
Da Japan führend in der Robotisierung von Fabriken ist und China aufgrund seiner eigenen schrumpfenden Bevölkerung dem Beispiel Japans folgt,
Laut der International Federation of Robotics entfiel in den letzten Jahren etwa die Hälfte aller weltweit installierten Industrieroboter auf China, das damit in der Rangliste der Roboterdichte (Roboter pro 10.000 Beschäftigte in der Fertigung) einen rasanten Aufstieg erlebt hat. Humanoide müssen sich nicht mit dem Bruttogehalt begnügen, wenn sie nachts und am Wochenende arbeiten und keine Krankheitstage haben (Wartungsarbeiten und Ausfallzeiten bleiben dabei ungewiss). (Newsweek)
muss man sich fragen, ob ein Land wie Deutschland mit seiner geringen Zahl an Arbeitskräften in Industrie und Fertigung und seiner begrenzten Robotisierung überhaupt noch als Industrienation betrachtet werden kann.
In Deutschland gehen Investitionen und Exporte zurück. Besonders in der Industrie ist die Zurückhaltung groß: Nur 22 Prozent der Betriebe planen mehr Investitionen, während fast 40 Prozent sie zurückfahren. "Statt in Innovation und Wachstum zu investieren, konzentrieren sich viele Unternehmen lediglich auf Ersatzinvestitionen – ein klares Alarmsignal für die Wettbewerbsfähigkeit unseres Standorts", mahnt DIHK-Hauptgeschäftsführerin Helena Melnikov . "Wenn sich dieser Trend fortsetzt, droht Deutschland eine weitere Deindustrialisierung." "Nach 2023 und 2024 steuern wir mit 2025 auf das dritte Rezessionsjahr in Folge zu – die längste Schwächephase in der deutschen Nachkriegsgeschichte"
"Gesunkene Wettbewerbsfähigkeit und zunehmender Protektionismus bedrohen die exportorientierte deutsche Industrie, die bisher immer ein Motor des Wirtschaftswachstums war", sagt DIHK-Außenwirtschaftschef und Chefanalyst Volker Treier."
Besonders düster bleibt die Lage der Industrie. Wie in der Vorumfrage bewerten dort nur 19 Prozent der Betriebe ihre aktuelle Geschäftssituation als gut, während ein Drittel sie als schlecht einschätzt.
"Der Trend zeigt mittlerweile seit sieben Jahren nach unten. Das haben wir so noch nie erlebt. Die Wirtschaft ist in einem Teufelskreis aus überbordender Bürokratie, schlechten Rahmenbedingungen, schwacher Nachfrage und hohen Kosten gefangen."
Besonders in der Industrie sind die Beschäftigungspläne schwach: Dort streicht fast jedes dritte Unternehmen Personal, nur 11 Prozent beabsichtigen, einzustellen. "Damit zeigt sich der drohende Beschäftigungsabbau im Verarbeitenden Bereich unter allen Wirtschaftszweigen am deutlichsten", so Treier. "Die Zeiten, in denen wenigstens der Arbeitsmarkt noch stabil war, sind vorbei."
Laut Helena Melnikov unterstreichen die aktuellen Konjunkturdaten den enormen Reformdruck: "So wie bisher kann es nicht weitergehen. Die Politik muss den Unternehmen endlich das Signal geben, dass ihre Sorgen ernst genommen und die drängenden Probleme entschlossen angepackt werden."
Dazu gehörten weniger Bürokratie, bezahlbare Energie, eine funktionierende Infrastruktur und eine wettbewerbsfähige Steuerlast.
DIHKKommentar
Die Deutsche Industrie- und Handelskammer jammert auftragsgemaess.
Dennoch weist die Darstellung der Lage der deutschen Industrie eine Reihe von Schwächen auf. Deutschland ist mit 0,83 Milliarden $ 2024 (wikipedia) nur das viertstärkste Industrieland nach China (4,6 Milliarden $), den USA (2,9 Milliarden $) und Japan (0,87 Milliarden $) und liegt damit vor Russland und Weißrussland (0,52 Milliarden $) sowie Indien (0,49 Milliarden $). Die Ziffer für Russland und Weißrussland wurde unter Verwendung des Multiplikators (1,52) berechnet, der in der Bewertung der Verteidigungsausgaben enthalten war.
Die deutsche Industrie hat mit zahlreichen Problemen zu kämpfen – ebenso wie die Industrie in anderen Ländern auch. Zwei Themen scheinen dabei besonders wichtig: hohe Energiekosten und hohe Arbeitskosten. Es wäre übertrieben zu sagen, dass der Verlust von billigem russischem Öl und Gas der deutschen Industrie den Todesstoß versetzen wird, aber diese Annahme ist nicht völlig falsch.
Wenn man heutzutage Güterzüge mit den vier Buchstaben GA TX (Georgia – Texas) auf ihren Kesselwagen durch Deutschland rollen sieht, weiß man, dass Ölimporte aus den USA keine Lösung für das Problem sein können.
Seien wir ehrlich: Das Energieproblem lässt sich nicht durch industriefreundliche Gesetze oder Robotisierung lösen. Auch Roboter verbrauchen Energie.
Union und SPD haben sich in ihrem Koalitionsausschuss auf die Einführung eines Industriestrompreises für energieintensive Unternehmen geeinigt. Bundeskanzler Friedrich Merz sagte, dass ein vergünstigter Preis von etwa fünf Cent pro Kilowattstunde für die Jahre 2026 bis 2028 gelten solle. (Die Zeit)
Selbst die Dekarbonisierung der Wirtschaft durch erneuerbare Energien kann nur langsam und in begrenztem Umfang helfen. Grundsätzlich gibt es zwei Auswege: Kapazitäten stilllegen oder Personal abbauen. Oder beides gleichzeitig.
Japan löst das Problem trotz niedriger Arbeitskosten (im Vergleich zu Deutschland) mit zunehmender Robotisierung. Das hohe Lohnniveau, das die deutsche Industrie in Zeiten billiger Energie erreicht hat, ist nun nicht mehr tragbar – was die DIHK in ihrer Analyse nicht erwähnt.
Burkhart Fürst
Das moralisch hochgerüstete Jahrhundertprojekt der Energiewende entpuppt sich als Technikfalle und Wohlstandsvernichter. Nicht nur aus der klimaschädlichen Kohleförderung, sondern auch aus der CO2-passiven Kernkraft auszusteigen, bevor Wind und Sonne genügend Strom liefern können, mag andernorts wie ein Schildbürgerstreich anmuten. In Deutschland ist es seit Jahren das Programm aller bestimmenden Parteien. Die schädlichen Folgen werden immer offensichtlicher. In einer BDI-Umfrage geben fast 70 Prozent der Betriebe an, ihre Produktion in den nächsten drei Jahren ins Ausland zu verlagern – wegen Donald Trumps Zollpolitik, aber auch wegen der hohen Energiepreise. Die Wohlstandsnation ist drauf und dran, eine Industriewende ohne Industrie durchzuziehen
Wie soll Deutschland auf die fortschreitende Deindustrialisierung reagieren?
Die erste, naheliegendste Reaktion lieferte Bundeskanzler Merz: Die Bundesregierung will sich in Europa für einen besseren Schutz der deutschen Stahlindustrie einsetzen. Es gehe für die Branche um die Existenz, sagte Bundeskanzler Merz nach Beratungen mit Vertretern der Industrie in Berlin. Zugleich betonte der CDU-Vorsitzende die Notwendigkeit eines Industriestrompreises. Ohne eine deutliche Absenkung der Energiekosten sei die Stahlindustrie in Deutschland nicht überlebensfähig, erklärte Merz. Die Produktion sei hierzulande eine Schlüsselindustrie. An ihr hingen die Schicksale zahlreicher Unternehmen mit ihren Mitarbeitern. Merz fügte hinzu, die Politik müsse sich mit allen Kräften für den Erhalt der Branche einsetzen.
Ein Industriestrompreis? Das klingt nach einer Subvention, um eine sterbende Industrie auf Kosten der Steuerzahler am Leben zu erhalten. Die Alternative wäre es, die Stahlindustrie und ihr Umfeld ihrem Schicksal zu überlassen und zu überlegen, wie die leeren Hütten und Fabriken sinnvoll genutzt werden können. Industrielle Ruinen abreißen, an Unternehmer und Kreative vermieten?
Blauer Himmel über dem Ruhrgebiet? Was wird aus denjenigen, die jetzt arbeitslos werden? Die deutsche Industrie wird zwar nicht verschwinden, aber sie wird schrumpfen. Massenware wird ihren Markt an China, Japan, Korea und andere verlieren. Premiumprodukte – im Falle von Autos Porsche, Mercedes, Maybach – werden überleben, ebenso wie ähnliche Marken in Großbritannien, denn der Ruf der Marke rechtfertigt hohe Preise.
Deutschland wird zu einem Nischenhersteller, klein, aber fein. Aber was wird aus den Millionen von Industriearbeitern, die aufgrund von Fabrikschließungen und Robotern entlassen werden? Wird ein wohlwollender Merz (oder sein Nachfolger) sie auffangen, umschulen, ihnen die Frühverrentung ermöglichen? Hat er einen Plan dafür?
Heinrich von Loesch„Wir arbeiten zu wenig“Die Relation zum Ausland ist entscheidend für die Betrachtung der Produktivität. Die Schweizer arbeiten 200 Stunden mehr im Jahr, die Amerikaner 400, die Polen 600 und die Chinesen 800. Wir haben die allermeisten Ferien und Feiertage, wir haben trotzdem die meisten Krankheitstage. Wir müssen einfach mehr arbeiten. Wir hatten sehr komfortable Zeiten. Und es ist nicht verwerflich, wenn man mal in die Ferien geht, das tue ich auch. Wir hatten in der Vergangenheit aber auch glänzende Rahmenbedingungen: niedrige Zinsen, günstige Rohstoffe, den teuren Euro, keine Kriege und China war technologisch nicht so stark. Das war komfortabel. In diesem Umfeld haben alle Tarifpartner, nicht nur die Gewerkschaften, gesagt: Dann legen wir halt noch was drauf, wir können uns das ja leisten. Das ist jetzt vorbei. Wir müssen Bürokratie abbauen. All diese unsinnigen Dokumentationspflichten, die nie gelesen werden: weg damit. Die Ämter müssen dringen digitaler und professioneller werden. Die Wartezeiten für Genehmigungen sind der helle Wahnsinn. Wenn man neue Hallen bauen will und dann jahrelang auf Genehmigungen warten muss, verlieren Sie die Lust und gehen möglicherweise nach Polen oder in die Schweiz. Wir sind innovativ und haben allen Grund, an unser Land zu glauben. Aber wir müssen jetzt den nötigen Schwung kriegen.
Deutsche Konzerne bauen mit aller Macht Personal ab
Dax-Unternehmen wenden Milliarden auf, um Mitarbeiter loszuwerden. Interne Zahlen zeigen, wie sie das anstellen. Experten rechnen mit einem anhaltenden Abbau – vor allem in drei Branchen.
Deutsche Unternehmen forcieren wegen der anhaltenden Rezession und wachsender globaler Handelsrisiken ihre Neuausrichtung und Sparprogramme. Die Kosten für diese Restrukturierung schlagen sich nun deutlich in den Bilanzen nieder und drücken die Nettogewinne der Konzerne.
Berechnungen des Handelsblatts zeigen: Allein in den ersten neun Monaten dieses Jahres haben Dax-Unternehmen rund sechs Milliarden Euro für Restrukturierungen aufgewendet. Das Geld fließt vorwiegend in den Personalabbau, etwa in Vorruhestandsregelungen und Abfindungen in teils sechsstelliger Höhe.
Der Trend hat sich seit Anfang 2024 verstärkt. Seither summieren sich die Restrukturierungskosten von Dax-Firmen auf mehr als 16 Milliarden Euro. Die Dimensionen zeigen sich bei einzelnen Konzernen besonders deutlich.
Ist das erst der Anfang? Experten erwarten weitere Einschnitte in der gesamten deutschen Wirtschaft.
Zollpolitik beschleunigt Abwanderung der Industrie
Firmen zieht es vor allem in andere europäische Länder, in die USA und nach Asien - Jedes fünfte Unternehmen hat seine Produktion bereits verlagert. - Auch Forschung, Entwicklung und Verwaltungsfunktionen werden zunehmend verlegt. - Lieferketten lassen sich nur noch mit deutlich höheren Kosten absichern. Die Zollpolitik der vergangenen Monate hat die Abwanderung der Industrie aus Deutschland beschleunigt: Deutlich mehr Firmen als vor zwei Jahren haben wesentliche Teile ihrer Wertschöpfung verlagert, wie die aktuelle Ausgabe des Supply Chain Pulse Check von Deloitte und vom Bundesverband der deutschen Industrie (BDI) zeigt. So gibt fast jedes fünfte Unternehmen an, nicht mehr in Deutschland zu produzieren (19%). Das sind acht Prozentpunkte mehr als vor zwei Jahren. Die Abwanderung findet zunehmend auch in anderen Bereichen statt: Ihre Entwicklung haben 17 Prozent der Unternehmen verlagert (2023: 12%), auf die Forschung trifft das bei 13 Prozent zu (2023: 10%). Die Endmontage ist bei 18 Prozent abgewandert (2023: 11%). Dieser Trend wird sich voraussichtlich noch verstärken, da künftig deutlich mehr Unternehmen eine Verlagerung planen. In den kommenden zwei bis drei Jahren wollen 43 Prozent ihre Produktion neu verorten; bei einer vergleichbaren Befragung vor zwei Jahren lag dieser Anteil bei 33 Prozent. Ihre Entwicklung planen 30 Prozent der befragten Firmen zu verlagern (2023: 24%), die Forschung sehen 35 Prozent außerhalb Deutschlands (2023: 23%). Für die aktuelle Ausgabe des Supply Chain Pulse Check wurden im September und Oktober 148 Lieferketten-Verantwortliche des produzierenden Gewerbes befragt, insbesondere in den Branchen Automobil, Technologie, Maschinenbau, Energie und Chemie. Die Firmen zieht es vor allem in andere europäische Länder (30%), in die USA (26%) und nach Asien (19%, ohne China). 16 Prozent geben an, nach China zu verlagern, 14 Prozent nach Indien (Mehrfachnennungen möglich).
Keyboard navigation:
“What remains is the ground we still hold at the city and state level, and the willingness to use it.”
And this lines up with election attorney Marc Elias’ posts urging us in blue states to call our state representatives and urge them to pass laws NOW to support voter rights and election integrity.
www.democracydocket.com/...
The problem is the Blue states will remain democratic, while the Red States and national government will not. The failed 18th Century constitution permits rule by minority faction, and Roberts' Repubs are making that massive flaw worse, decision by decision...
Except that Blue states could turn Red due to some of the vote suppression and other tactics. Blue state voters can FIGHT that with legislation at the state level, if they choose. Do you choose to fight or not?
Sadly, this pessimistic assessment is compelling and all too well-substantiated.
George Carlin was right!
Where was this electoral autocracy last November, or last year where republicans were trashed up and down the ballot?
Perhaps it was there, just not enough to overcome the Blue Wave of disgust at Rumpublican bullcarp. And reminder, that per Greg Palast’s count, Harris would have won if not for the massive voter suppression that went on in several swing states. chicagocrusader.com/...
This is the problem in 2026 voter/vote suppression will be ramped up by the GOP every where they can and and every way they can, and all Federal agencies will be in on the game.
The recent elections have only demonstrated to the GOP they must do better at cheating and this is what Democratic leadership somehow better start fighting against and not just count on out voting them.
One reason voter suppression works is that too many people aren’t paying attention to their voter registration so when they show up at the polls they find out that they’re no longer on the voter rolls and must use a provisional ballot which may or may not get counted.
IF they show up to vote in the first place. That is not a foregone conclusion in this country.
they’ve already put the USPS into play. I can see it now — All voting ballots in democratic districts will have major delays in getting ‘postmarked’. I’ve heard rumors that ‘sorting’ problems are on the rise so Thrumps can plead it’s not their fault that UPSP is under staffed and under funded. The worse USPS looks the quicker this admin will hand it over to ‘private business’. Doesn’t matter what’’s in the Constitution. This ‘payoff your favorite Republican justice’ has already put into play that they don’t have to explain or answer to any ruling they make. Robert’s who is already as delusional as the Orange Quack in the white house and lies just as easily has already made the Orange Quack the equivalent ‘god’. As ‘president’ nothing he does is a crime. He’s already killing people for his fun like it’s a online gaming. He knowingly puts anyone he’s afraid might have support against him in serious danger of their lives and that includes spouses, kids and pets. He knows all his sadist base are just waiting for him to give them the ‘suggestion’ that that’s whom he wants gone.
That the person whom is the ‘Chief Justice of the US Supreme’ not only bows down to anything that the 34 times convicted felon & rapist wants, he likely gets paid lots of money on the side by the billionaires who have paid for their own supreme court.
I hear many of the Caribbean Islands will give you legal status just for buying a house. That looks better every day!
I heard of that new post office rule that ballots may or may not get postmarked for election day, even if they are actually there in the drop box. They will take more time to get postmarked, as soon as they arrive at the sorting and distribution center which may be several days. Furthermore, the state of Ohio has decided to reject any ballot not postmarked as of election day. Other red states will follow suit.
What is worse, they are probably going to lay off thousands of postal workers just prior to the election, in order to slow things down even further.
There should be an emergency Supreme Court brief filed NOW (I don't know of any as of yet) on the grounds that this is tantamount to massive voter suppression
Thank you so much! a Keeper.
This lays bare the current "conservative" strategy for returning to an anti-democratic white supremacy regime, which the techbros and plutocrats understand they must erect in order to keep fleecing the country and buying up everything.
It's a symbiotic relationship between white supremacists and plutocrats.
I was going to say more parasitical, because the billionaires are demonstrably feeding off the rest of us. But in fact the bigots are getting something too: fewer Brown people and more-oppressed Black people.
One particular decision to watch for would be a repeal of the Baker v. Carr decision (1962) which instituted the One Person, One Vote principle. I think that Clarence Thomas is arrogant enough to call for its overturning, and once its gone, Republicans won’t have to work so hard to negate the big cities in their states; they’ll just need to make many districts in rural areas and few in urban areas.
This is an excellent diary and very clearly explains what is actually going on. Thank you, CA, for posting this.
Took the words out of my mind. Excellent diary.
An aggressive Democratic president can ignore any Supreme Court rulings under the immunity ruling giving the finger to the Supreme Court.
Once this illegitimate court made its unconstitutional decree that presidents are king, Biden should have immediately ordered his DOJ to detain the conservative court. But he didn't. And he never once said anything about them being bribed. Both parties are captured by the moneyed interests.
Very true. A good AG would have gotten a special prosecutor to go after Alito and Thomas for tax fraud for failing to report trips and presents. Instead, Garland focused on Hunter Biden, who had no governmental involvement.
“Can” but never will because “aggressive” and “Democratic” have not gone together since LBJ.
Not mentioned in this otherwise well documented piece is the simple fact that Democratic leadership helped get us here and those same milquetoast leaders are still in power.
The moment the Supremely Corrupt Court passed its immunity ruling on July 1 2024, Biden “should have” first recognized that they assumed he would not act, in fact he let it be known that he would not use it. Second, Biden “should have” turned the tables on them and used it to his full ability to undo Republican sabotage of our system.
If it seems like Democrats stand idly by as authoritarians force their way into absolute power, it would be because when not standing idly by they are aiding the rise of the corporate state. This is easy to show. For example, there has been no pushback against monopoly formation since 1992 when Bill Clinton proclaimed them “efficiencies of scale”. Monopoly mergers simply accelerated, peaking on Obama’s watch with not a single challenge. Look at a graph of most anything reflecting a declining middle class in the face of a rising ultra wealthy class and try to discern who is in power. It doesn’t matter, which is what a Princeton/Northwestern study concluded.
So this diary exposes the present state with the alleged goal of giving us the information we need to be well informed, yet it ignores the context in which this state arose, who the major players have been to get us to this sorry state. We can’t do anything as long as Centrists seek to maintain the status quo at all costs, even at the cost of our democracy. We desperately need a changing of the guard.
There are too many elected Democratics in the US Congress (House & Senate) who are captured by Bill Clinton’s “third way” sellout to big money.
The 107th Congress did not pass the John Lewis Voter’s Rights Bill due that that, and that was really the last hope of countering the gutting of the 1965 Voters Rights Act.
I’m wondering if my governor, Gavin Newsom, would be that aggressive. I’m thinking he would, from what I know of his behaviors toward Trump, but then again I know that pinning hopes on politicians often doesn’t wind up how I hope it will. But what other choice do we have?
IF we get a massive Blue Wave this all goes out the window. That depends on voters actually being very unhappy. They may understand what’s going on or they may not, but being unhappy is the key.
Seems unhappiness and personal suffering is the only reliable way to get people out to the polls in this country.
Until the next cycle when it goes back. Like Nixon quickly becoming Reagan. And voters seem especially fickle right now, ready to whipsaw back and forth
To really fix the underlying issues will take a veto proof majority in Congress which is unlikely.
If they rig in favor of Democrats, thats wrong too.
One must fight fire with fire, as Lincoln said.
And Repubs cannot complain that it's wrong, it's their tactic. What's good for the goose, etc...
This isn't a baseball game.
Exactly!!!!
Ahem...some suggest that it is and is also time for a few brush-back 99 MPH pitches.
Depends what you mean by “rig.” Blatant lying, cheating, and stealing is still wrong, IMO — but utilizing questionable tactics your foes have inaugurated and proclaimed legal is 100% okay and qualifies as self-defense.
The system is gamed, but evil does sow the seeds of its own destruction.
When you look at the election of 1860 there is no way that Lincoln should have won, but the Taney Court (like our current one) had gotten ridiculous. The South was used to dominating or having milksops on the other side.
Society tends to shift and those bulwarks are not as sturdy as you think.
Both of the political parties active in the 1848 election saw massive defections due to disagreements over slavery. The Whigs collapsed and after the Conscience Whigs went off, the remainder tried to launch the American (or Know Nothing) Party hoping to use anti-immigrant hysteria to keep the party going.
After Sen. Stephen Douglas (D-IL) launched the Kansas-Nebraska Act, the Democrats had a similar breakup. So when the 1860 election came around, there were 4 parties: many Conscience Whigs and Freesoil Democrats had joined together to form the Republican Party, and they nominated Lincoln. The Northern Democrats nominated Douglas. The Southern Democrats nominated John C. Breckenridge. A group who still held onto Whig ideals formed the Constitutional Union Party, and they nominated John Bell.
Lincoln won mainly because the Republicans had a clarity that the other parties did not.
Yes, and a lot of that fracturing was due to the major parties being unwilling to take on several seminal issues more and more Americans wanted action on. Slavery is the most remembered, but it wasn’t alone.
Look at what is happening in Iran that same thing could happen here if they push it too far and let hope they do and it does.
Iran has been a dictatorship for 72 years. If that's the example maybe our great grandchildren will live to see it.
And the US and UK made Iran into that dictatorship, circa 1953
This has been happening more and more over the past decades, but much more obvious since 2016 when the felon gained the WH for his first term. I am convinced this has been more prevalent ever since Reagan won the WH.
Cannot trust the GOP under any circumstances. They couch their reasons in twisted logic that too many people take at face value instead of reading the nuances woven into their twisted logic.
This has been the Republican project for DECADES. That is why Mitch McConnell invented the “Biden Rule” out of thin air in order to justify holding a Supreme Court seat open for a year in order to prevent Obama from filling it.
I cannot wait for the book about Mitch McConnell! The world needs know how pathetically he wanted to ‘run the country’ through his Senate position. Every single rule and law he subverted. He’s been trying make himself out as a ‘good guy’ now that’s he’s on his way out of the senate and likely his life (as he continues to deteriorate in public) — soon.
That book should be a quick write and publish.
And we should call attention to his filibustering Obama’s stimulus bill in 2009. He wanted to make Obama a one term president, even if it meant weakening the recovery from the Great Recession. I think we would have been substantially better if Al Franken (D-MN) hadn’t had to wait for a long recount but could have taken his seat along with the rest of his class and given Obama a filibuster-proof majority.
…..believe his ex-wife and three daughters are all Dems -— wish ‘they’ would have spoken out more forcefully and publicly against their husband/father’s sneaky and manipulative and corrupt leadership in the senate….
And when that rule no longer served the Republican Party’s needs, he simply ignored it.
Dark days ahead. Will there be enough pitchforks and torches?
Hobby Lobby is pro-plutocrat. They will probably take both items off their shelves.
I was thinking Home Depot… But there are several.
Hobby Lobby thinks that “religious freedom” means that because their employees must buy health insurance from the company store, they should have the “religious freedom” to tell these employees how to live their life.
I don’t understand why this claim is included in a story about the Supreme Court “rewriting the constitution”. Because while this claim is certainly true, it is an inequity that is present in the constitution itself, as opposed to being a perverted interpretation of the constitution.
This inequity almost guarantees eventual control of the SC via conservative voters from low population states. Yes the danger from this flaw has always been there but not taken advantage of all that successfully until Citizens United tipped the balance and made what was meant to prevent more populous states totally dominating less populated states into a tyranny not of the majority but of the minority… and crucially the key to controlling the SC.
“Core constitutional authority” should always be in quotation marks. It has no legal definition. It’s another of the novel legal concepts created out of whole cloth by the six radical extremist Justices, right along with [royal] “immunity”, “money is speech”, “major questions”, and on and on. They have fertile imaginations.
The best part of being an Originalist is you do get to use your imagination and just make stuff up. It’s sooo much more fun than all that research and reasoning BS.
Yes. Of course, you meant “Originalist” (in quotation marks).
Being original in the Arts does mean being very good with your imagination, creative… “Original”... inventive even. And so too, being an Originalist is like a form of political “Art”... very creative with made-up Original stuff.
What do you think of these guys’ data and conclusions?
electiontruthalliance.org
Gotta love Leo Leo and his SCROTUS Six. They make great music for the zillionaires.
IMHO — the Gore-Bush decision was a watershed moment in US history. Still makes me furious.
The sad thing about that election is that FL would have easily gone to Gore without the massive voter purges enacted under Jeb Bush's governorship and a recount would not have even likely come up as an option to be stopped by a corrupt court.
I wonder how aware of his central part in warping the future direction of US democracy and how much he is ultimately responsible for making Trump possible. Does he ever reflect on how warping politics in FL to help his brother caused ripples that turned into democracy wrecking tsunamis? Does he turn away from this truth? Does he not want to face it or even ruminate on his part in bending the tree of democracy into darkness?
After all the votes had been counted, Gore DID win Florida.
But, by then, it was too late, Gore had foolishly, stupidly conceded.
How did the judicial branch wind up with so much power? What happened to the “three co-equal branches” and the "checks and balances”?
It’s one of the flaws of the opening post to not point out the way Congress ceded powers to the Supreme Court and Presidency mostly in the 1950s to 1970s, largely justified by the Cold War. Republicans remain fine with this- more and more power going to appointed judges and into the Presidency, which can significantly duck laws and personal responsibility. Democrats did little or nothing to reduce these two Branches back to pre-WW2 powers at the occasional opportunity to do so. Notably the first two years of the Obama Presidency.
Our experiment has failed. Time for a reboot.
No! Our leaders have failed to exercise the powers the voters and the constitution give them.
I just posted below my thoughts so I won’t reiterate here. But basically, the system works if we do.
A reboot would be hijacked by the Billionaire boys club which as had a “model” replacement Constitution on ice as a back up plan for years. they salivate over a constitutional convention totally packed with right wing yes people. Tread VERY carefully with anything like this.
The supreme six are bought and paid for by the Heritage Foundation and the Federalist Society, and all are enemies of Democracy…...
The next Dem president, i.e., the next president, packs the court. Problem solved.
Don’t be surprised if the current administration does it first: possibly between the midterms and the start of the next session, assuming the Dems clean house in the fall
I think they might try, but the Republicans have narrow margins in the House and in the Senate, and enough of them are starting to wake up to what a menace Trump really is. Lately, I’ve been watching two Republican reps from Pennsylvania who won by narrow margins over Democratic incumbents and who seem to be joining the resistance. Mackenzie represents Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and Bresnahan reps Allentown/Bethlehem. We need more Republicans to come out and resist, but we’ve seen enough signs that we will be able to block the most extreme measures that need Congressional authorization.
You have great subject matter in your several articles, and good writing, with references.
To make things even more credible, it would be good if you participated in the commentary, act as a member of the community.
(If you do participate in comments for your other articles, my apologies)
Can you clarify what you mean when stating that that case concluded, held, that Trump’s actions about the election do fall within a President’s, “official acts”?
Given what the ruling states, offered via link and quoted sections below, state that there has not been a case that has determined what “official acts” are, and are not.
What is an “official act” and what is not, is still up for the courts to determine.
www.law.cornell.edu/...
From the link offered:
Now, more than ever, I want to move to another country. I hear Canada isn’t as welcoming as it once was, but there are others. I’ve always been interested in visiting the UK, maybe I’ll just never leave.
If I stay, I’ll have to fight. I don’t have the physical strength like I had in the early 70s to march in the streets and run from tear gas. Maybe that sounds overly dramatic, but if we can’t vote our way out of this, civil disobedience to the point of an actual uprising may be the only chance we have when the law is unenforceable.
“What is an “official act” and what is not, is still up for the courts to determine.”
It has probably already been determined, in secret, by the Alito, Thomas, Roberts gang. They just haven’t had the need to declare it outside of shadow docket decisions.
Give up it is then.
John Roberts, the smug face that acquisceses power to evil while wagging his finger at saints for failing to understand the fundamentals of politics. The vile, destructive, overconfident soullessness of that man and everything he stands for infuriates me.
If (when?) Democrats get bare majorities in both houses and the White House, they need to pullout all the stops, call the bi-partisan traditions the bullshite they are and use all the power the constitution gives them to enlarge the court. All these “constitutional changes” are not constitutional but simply judicial decrees that can be reversed by sane justices.
The obscene overreach by Trump and the GOP is brining a massive change in the political winds. Democrats must strike while the iron is hot. It’s time Democrats take some lessons from Republicans on using the power they have, when they have it. Waiting for the moment to slip past and moaning “shoulda, woulda, coulda” has left us in this horrid time. When the voters give Democrats the power they damn well better use it or those voters will turn away again. And who can blame them?
I agree with you on enlarging the high court, but bear in mind that there are a lot of Democrats that strongly oppose this. We might have better luck impeaching and removing the two most corrupt bribees, Thomas and Alito. And then with a Democratic congress and president, these two corporate tools can be replaced with sensible and honest liberal justices. I am praying.
In summary, we are watching history in the making.
We are witnessing the one-free America devolve into fascism.
Future students will read of this in their history book, what we are seeing live.
That is to say if those history books are not sanitized and rewritten to favor the New Masters
Democrat: "Everyone of the age of 18 and up has a right to vote"
Republican: "Only white men have a right to vote (says so in the Constitution, besides, God himself says so"
And here is yet another example of the headwinds we face. “I don’t understand why our messaging doesn’t get through?!” Let’s face it. No one who is watching Fox all the time is voting for the Democrat. “It’s the propaganda, stupid.”
Fixed it 4 U:
Yes it’s getting harder to vote for some demographics. However enough people could vote but don’t, or vote for unserious candidates (Jill Stein, RFK Jr.) because reasons (Gaza, buttery mails, masking, “antifa”, etc. & so forth). Yes, media capture, voting inconvenience and other excuses. But really, if you can vote and don’t, or throw away your vote in some symbolic protest you own the consequences. Which also fall on everyone who did vote.
GOTV takes effort and organization. It also requires a laser-like focus on pragmatic priorities and competent leadership. The fact a convicted felon got reëlected speaks volumes about these deficits in the Democratic Party. But ultimately it’s up to the electorate to show up.
“Every nation gets the government it deserves.” Joseph de Maistre
We own this. Act like it.
They will try to sop us. They will steal votes. If everyone voted, they would not be able to steal enough of them.
ENGAGE W PEACE AND VOTE.