Douglas Adams, author of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, wrote “The President [of the Galaxy] in particular is very much a figurehead—he wields no real power whatsoever. […] His job is not to wield power but to draw attention away from it.”  This week, Rep. Daniel Goldman (D-NY) seemed to be taking the Hitchhiker’s Guide as a guide for government.

    by Jonathan Turley 

Berlin must not back any call for a truce that would see Kiev admit defeat, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said.

As Scholz took questions from members of the Bundestag on Wednesday, Left lawmaker Gesine Loetzsch asked about Germany’s involvement in the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the possibility of a ceasefire.

“In my view, a ceasefire that involves Ukraine’s capitulation is one that we as Germany must never support,” Scholz replied, according to the state broadcaster Deutsche Welle.

The German chancellor argued that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s truce terms amounted to Ukraine’s surrender, calling Moscow “cynical” and not interested in ending the conflict.

“Putin only talks about peace negotiations in order to continue the war. We will not allow this,”Scholz said.

US President Joe Biden has admitted he needs to get more sleep and work less, the New York Times reported on Thursday, citing two sources with direct knowledge of the remarks.

Biden reportedly made the statements during a gathering of Democratic governors on Wednesday. The event was organized to try and reassure key players within the party that the 81-year-old president is still fit for his job and vigorous enough to run a strong reelection campaign.

During the meeting, the president repeatedly told more than 20 Democratic governors that he would not be pushed out of the race and was “in it to win it,” according to reports by multiple media outlets.

In the 19th century, romantics talked a lot about nature, but ultimately did nothing for it. This is not the case of Pierre de Ronsard (1524-1585), the great literary figure of the La Pléiade group.

This author wrote the following powerful poem, and if it is so little known it is a pity: it is useful today for the liberation of the Earth. Ronsard in fact took up the defense of a forest located in what is today the Loir et Cher.

TRANSLATION BY JULES LETAMBOUR.

Ronsard speaks of the blood of the forest flowing, and describes the murder of the forest as a terrible crime. He does it in an elegiac but strong way, in a rebellious way and that's fascinating.

In this poem, which is called “Against the lumberjacks [LOGGERS] of the Gastine forest”, we can see his indignation…: 

There’s only one George Galloway. Six-term Parliamentarian, freedom fighter, man of the world. Writer, broadcaster, film-maker. Football and boxing enthusiast, movie-goer, box-set binger. Husband, father of five children, Scottish of Irish background, honorary Palestinian, Iraqi, Syrian, Egyptian… Friend of Fidel Castro, Hugo Chavez, Benazir Bhutto, Yasser Arafat, Tariq Aziz. Trembling with indignation at any injustice, anywhere.

https://www.georgegalloway.com/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpwFW_HDW5A

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_wsFWmS7yE

A week ahead of the NATO Summit in Washington, DC, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken turned spear again toward China, hyping that its "support" for Russia is fueling "the biggest security threat" in Europe, which experts said is an attempt to rope its European allies into playing along with Washington's geopolitical scheme, and incite chaos by inciting "another Ukraine crisis" in Asia.

One can be at a loss trying to explain why P&I published the rubbish by a former Australian “diplomat”, except to create ugly controversy when the facts are clearly in favour of John Pilger, Jeffrey Sachs, Paul Heywood-Smith and Keri McKern...

For Jon Richardson, former Australian diplomat who covered Eastern Europe from Moscow (in the USSR and later Russia), Belgrade, London and Canberra, Putin’s Russia is a Nazi/Fascist country because blah blah blah… 

It may be time to think the unthinkable: all the signs are pointing to the West preparing to launch a proper war in Europe. Once started it could bring, for the first time in living memory, millions of Western civilians into uniform and see the cities of the West attacked. Preposterous? Jumping the Shark? Listen to what the leaders in the West are saying. The time to stop the madness is now, not once the elites drive us into the abyss and civilians are stripped of all rights to oppose.

Marine Le Pen’s right-wing National Rally (RN) has topped the 1st round of France's parliamentary elections, winning 33.4% of the votes on Sunday. The New Popular Front leftist coalition came in second, securing 27.99%, while President Emmanuel Macron's center-right alliance Ensemble took third place with 20.04%.

Keir Starmer is not afraid of a U-turn. After running for the Labour leadership on a platform promising nationalised public services, restricted foreign arms sales, and tax hikes for the richest, Starmer’s policies now look a little different.

It’s been called a “Ming vase” strategy – slimming down what he’s offering to the public, hoping to avoid dropping the metaphorical vase as he makes the slippery journey to power. Starmer and his top team say a struggling economy has forced them to change tack.

Experts are divided on whether a U-turn itself damages a politician. While a reputation for “flip-flopping” is to be avoided, they say, there is also more room for manoeuvre in opposition when fewer voters are paying real attention. 

A weary world needs heroes, and now we have a new one. Julian Assange has long been a hero to his natural supporters: the usual crowd of rich actors, preachy human rights lawyers and professional activists. Celebrities look after their own, and there is no doubt that Assange is in the club.

GEORGE BRANDIS — SMH-01-07-2024

Biden’s decline has been known to friends and insiders for months.

Readers of this column know that President Joe Biden’s drift into blankness has been ongoing for months, as he and his foreign policy aides have been urging a ceasefire that will not happen in Gaza while continuing to supply the weapons that make a ceasefire less likely. There’s a similar paradox in Ukraine, where Biden has been financing a war that cannot be won and refusing to participate in negotiations that could end the slaughter.

‘She eats Russians for breakfast’: Who is Kaja Kallas, the EU’s next foreign policy chief?
The hawkish Estonian prime minister is leaving a political crisis at home to take the top diplomatic post in Brussels

Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas has been nominated by the leaders of EU member states to become the next high representative for security and foreign policy.

The politician – selected to speak for Brussels internationally and balance conflicting interests in the EU – has a reputation as an uncompromising hawk on Russia.

Before beginning a five-year term, Kallas will need approval from the European Parliament, whose members are expected to vote on her appointment in July, a step widely seen as a formality. 

In a landmark decision, the Argentine Chamber of Deputies approved the Law of Foundations and Starting Points for the Freedom of Argentines, known as Ley de Bases. This approval marks a victory for President Javier Milei's administration, aiming to steer the nation towards economic stability and prosperity.