Worldwide Condemnation of Trump Immigration Ban

Deutsche Welle reported on January 28:

“Airlines across the globe are turning back would-be passengers from countries affected by a US immigration ban that bars them from entering the United States. Leading political and business figures moved quickly to condemn the ban… keeping citizens of Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia or Yemen from entering the United States for 90 days. The executive order has also been applied to people with permanent residence permits, known as green cards.

“In Europe, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel decried the order during a press conference with his French counterpart, Jean-Marc Ayrault, in Paris. Gabriel said Trump’s refugee policy contradicted America’s Christian traditions of ‘love thy neighbor.’ During the same press conference, Ayrault said the policy ‘can only worry us,’ and that ‘welcoming refugees who flee war and oppression is part of our duty.’…

“In the United States, Democrats called the measures ‘un-American.’ Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer tweeted late on Friday, ‘Tears are running down the cheeks of the Statue of Liberty tonight as a grand tradition of America, welcoming immigrants, that has existed since America was founded has been stomped upon.’… In Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted on Saturday ‘To those fleeing persecution, terror and war, Canadians will welcome you, regardless of your faith. Diversity is our strength. Welcome To Canada.’…

“A study from the US Cato Institute found that foreigners from the seven nations affected by the immigration ban have killed zero Americans in terrorist attacks on US soil between 1975 and the end of 2015.”

Bild wrote on January 28 that a high official within the Trump Administration confirmed that the seven countries listed are probably just the beginning, and that the government was considering very aggressively which countries were to be added. See also the next articles.

More to Come

The New York Times wrote on January 27:

“Announcing his ‘extreme vetting’ plan, the president invoked the specter of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Most of the 19 hijackers on the planes that crashed into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field in Shanksville, Pa., were from Saudi Arabia. The rest were from the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Lebanon. None of those countries is on Mr. Trump’s visa ban list.”

The Los Angeles Times wrote on January 27:

“President Trump signed an executive order Friday that temporarily halts the nation’s refugee program and ushers in the most sweeping changes in more than 40 years to how the U.S. welcomes the world’s most vulnerable people… Trump’s action, seen as part of his campaign pledge to ban Muslims from entering the country, sparked an international outcry, given the historic role that the U.S. and other industrialized nations have long played in embracing victims of war and oppression. The last major change in U.S. refugee policy came during the Vietnamese resettlement programs of the mid-1970s.

“In the ABC interview, Trump said… residents of countries left out of the ban – Afghanistan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia – will nonetheless face what he calls ‘extreme vetting’…

“Critics called Trump’s order a betrayal of long-held American ideals…  Several of those who condemned Trump’s order noted that it was signed on Holocaust Remembrance Day, a reminder that thousands of Jews fleeing Nazi Germany were denied safe harbors in the United States and elsewhere, forcing them back to Nazi-controlled territory, where many were murdered. ‘Donald Trump is retracting the promise of American freedom to an extent we have not seen from a president since Franklin Roosevelt forced Japanese Americans into internment camps during World War II,’ said Steven Goldstein, executive director of the Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect in New York City.”

Will Even “Dreamers” Be Affected?

Reuters reported on January 30:

“Divisions have emerged among advisers to President Donald Trump over whether to rescind a signature policy of his predecessor, President Barack Obama, that shields young immigrants from deportation, according to congressional sources and Republicans close to the White House. Even though Trump campaigned on a promise to roll back Obama’s executive orders on immigration, the Republican has so far left intact an order safeguarding 750,000 people who were brought to the United States illegally as children, known as the ‘dreamers.’

“The issue has become a flashpoint for White House advisers divided between a more moderate faction such as chief of staff Reince Priebus and immigration hardliners Stephen Miller and Steve Bannon, said a former congressional aide who has been involved with immigration issues in Washington.

“Priebus has said publicly that Trump will work with Congress to get a ‘long-term solution’ on the issue. Meanwhile, Miller, said to have mastered the thinking of his former boss and anti-immigration advocate Jeff Sessions, Trump’s nominee for U.S. Attorney General, as well as Bannon, former head of right-wing Breitbart News, have pushed Trump to take a harder approach and rescind the protections…

“House Speaker Paul Ryan told a woman protected by DACA, at a townhall hosted by CNN Jan. 12, that there should be a solution for people like her to get ‘right with the law’ and not be separated from their families. Just two days prior, Sessions, a Senator, told a Senate panel considering his confirmation that it would ‘certainly be constitutional’ to repeal DACA…”

British, French and German Citizens Affected by Trump Ban

The Telegraph wrote on January 28:

“The US State Department said that Britons with dual nationality with the countries Syria, Iraq, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen will be stopped at the American border for the next 90 days…

“Politicians said tens of thousands of Britons could be caught up in the border chaos as Mr Trump’s new immigration rules impact on holidays and business trips.

Der Spiegel added on January 28 that Trump’s ban includes tens of thousands of Germans with dual citizenship, including a parliamentarian of the Green party, who has a German and an Iranian passport. In this context, Bild Online added on January 29: “Horror at Ban: Trump also Locks out Germans.” Subsequent developments changed this picture somewhat, but we still can’t be sure as to what extent, as some of the following articles discuss.

Merkel Slams Trump over Muslim Travel Ban

The Local wrote on January 29:

“German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday slammed the restrictions on immigration imposed by US President Donald Trump, saying it was ‘not justified’ to target people based on their background or religion… Merkel’s condemnation comes a day after she spoke by phone with the new US president, when they discussed a range of issues from relations with Russia to the situation in the Middle East and NATO.

“Statements released by both sides after the call made no mention of the immigration ban, but Seibert on Sunday said Merkel had reminded the US billionaire of his human rights responsibilities.”

The Local wrote on January 30:

“German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday reaffirmed her criticism of a US travel ban slapped on travellers from seven countries, saying it smacked of anti-Muslim bias. ‘The essential and also resolute fight against terrorism in no way justifies general suspicion against people of a specific faith, in this case people of the Muslim faith or people of a certain background,’ she told reporters in unprompted remarks about measures enacted by US President Donald Trump. ‘This approach in my view contradicts the basic tenets of international aid to refugees and international cooperation,’ she said…”

Schulz Slams Trump

Deutsche Welle wrote on January 29:

“Martin Schulz, the Social Democrat’s nominee to challenge Angela Merkel… has also slammed US President Donald Trump’s clampdown on minorities as an ‘intolerable’ taboo breach… Schulz accused US President Donald Trump of attacking minorities in the United States with ‘shameless and dangerous’ statements… Germany and Europe… had to make it clear to Trump that international human rights also apply to him, Schulz insisted…”

Trump Retaliates by Attacking Germany—“Top Trump Aide Blasts Germany for ‘Exploiting’ US on Trade”

AFP wrote on January 31:

“A top economic adviser to US President Donald Trump bashed Germany for exploiting an undervalued euro to take advantage of its trading partners, the Financial Times reported Tuesday. The public rebuke of a major trading partner is the latest example of the brash tactic that has become a feature of the new US administration, with Trump himself using public attacks and Twitter to criticize businesses and allies, including Mexico.

“Peter Navarro, who advised Trump during the campaign and heads the White House’s new National Trade Council, said in an interview with the FT that Germany ‘continues to exploit other countries in the EU as well as the US with an “implicit Deutsche mark” that is grossly undervalued.’…

“German Chancellor Angela Merkel, speaking in Stockholm, deflected the criticism, saying the currency value is the responsibility of the European Central Bank… France’s Finance Minister Michel Sapin hit back saying, ‘The decisions of the new US administration pose a serious risk to the world trade order.’ He warned that ‘history reminds us that protectionist retreats are the worst of solutions,’ and said neither France nor Europe ‘will be able to watch helplessly what might risk being a dislocation of our economic institutions.’”

“Arnold Schwarzenegger Says Trump’s Refugee Ban ‘Makes Us Look Stupid’”

Newsmax wrote on January 30:

“Arnold Schwarzenegger… said that the new president’s executive order on refugees and immigration was poorly vetted and that it ‘makes us look stupid’ when the White House ‘is ill-prepared to put this kind of’ directive out there. Schwarzenegger [was] was governor of California from 2003 to 2011…

“‘To go and ban people who have a green card, that means that the United States of America has given you permission to work here permanently and you are on the way to permanent citizenship. … I was in that position. … It’s crazy. It’s crazy and makes us look stupid when the White House is ill-prepared to put this kind of executive order out there,’ he said. Schwarzenegger is an immigrant from Austria, who came to the United States in 1968.”

These statements were run in European papers as the “quote of the day.” How “stupid” and “crazy” we look can be seen in the next article.

US Handcuffs Five-Year-Old Boy for Hours

The Mirror wrote on January 30:

“The White House says a five-year-old boy was held for five hours and reportedly handcuffed because he could have been a ‘threat’ to the United States. The boy was one of more than 100 people detained for hours at airports across the country, after Donald Trump signed an Executive Order banning travel from seven majority Muslim countries.

“In a briefing tonight, Donald Trump’s Press Secretary Sean Spicer said: ‘To assume that just because of someone’s age and gender that they don’t pose a threat would be misguided and wrong.’ The boy, who was identified by Senator Chris Van Hollen as a US citizen who lives in Maryland, was detained at Washington DC’s Dulles airport on Saturday. He was seen being showered with kisses by his mother, who is believed to be Iranian-born, after they were reunited.

“Senator Van Hollen said it was ‘outrageous’ that the boy had been held for so long – adding that he was detained despite giving the authorities advance notice of his arrival. When he called to see if he had been released, Senator Van Hollen said airport authorities refused to say.”

Major Tech Firms Oppose Trump’s Executive Order on Travel Ban for Muslims

Forbes wrote on January 29:

“Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz is adding his voice to those who are alarmed and upset by President Donald Trump’s executive order on immigration — and he’s upping the ante on corporate responses, vowing to hire 10,000 refugees over the next five years. Trump’s executive order… has sparked an outpouring of criticism, including from chief executives and founders across America.

“Airbnb founder and CEO Brian Chesky said his company will offer free housing to refugees and anyone not allowed in the U.S.; Google co-founder Sergy Brin joined a protest at San Francisco International Airport; and the CEOs of Tesla, Facebook, Apple and Microsoft have tweeted, emailed or otherwise publicly voiced disapproval.”

Wired added on January 30 that in addition, the following tech firms are opposing the order, so far: Viber, Uber, Slack, Elon Musk, Facebook, Twitter and Lyft.

Google Asks All Travelling Employees to Return to USA Immediately

Newsmax wrote on January 28:

“Alphabet Inc.’s Google delivered a sharp message to staff traveling overseas who may be impacted by a new executive order on immigration from President Donald Trump: Get back to the U.S. now. Google Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai slammed Trump’s move in a note to employees Friday, telling them that more than 100 company staff are affected by the order…

“The comments underscore a growing rift between the Trump administration and several large U.S. technology companies, which include many immigrants in their ranks and have lobbied for fewer immigration restrictions. Pichai’s note echoed similar statements from tech peers voicing concerns about the harm such policies could have on their businesses… ‘We are advising our clients from those seven countries who have green cards or any type of H-1B visa not to travel outside the U.S.’ said Ava Benach, a partner at immigration law firm Benach Collopy LLP…”

“It Took Her Long Enough”—May Disagrees

The Independent wrote on January 29:

“Theresa May ‘does not agree’ with a contentious ban on immigration implemented by Donald Trump, Downing Street has said. In a statement released late on Saturday evening, and responding to mounting anger from within her own party, the Prime Minister passed judgment on the President’s executive order on immigration…”

The Times of Israel added on January 29:

“Iraqi-born MP Nadhim Zahawi tweeted that he had had ‘confirmation that the order does apply to myself and my wife as we were both born in Iraq,’ even though the pair have British passports. ‘A sad, sad day to feel like a second class citizen! Sad day for the USA,’ he added… Olympic champion runner Mo Farah, born in Somalia, was another British citizen potentially affected by the ban…

“Tory MP Sarah Wollaston called Trump ‘a sickening piece of work’ and demanded that he not be allowed to address both of Britain’s Houses of Parliament when he makes a state visit later in the year, when he will be hosted by Queen Elizabeth II…”

“Clearly a Muslim Ban”

The Mirror wrote on January 30:

“Tonight, British MPs passed a motion calling on Donald Trump to repeal the Muslim ban. It came after former Labour leader Ed Miliband was granted an emergency debate on the Muslim ban. In a passionate speech during the debate, Mr Miliband said: ‘It clearly is a Muslim ban. Why do I say that? Because it was the president’s original intention.’”

Many Jews Strongly Oppose Trump’s Immigration Ban by Referring to the Holocaust

The Times of Israel wrote on January 29:

“… many Jews saw something akin to what their forebears endured as they attempted to flee Nazi-occupied Europe. Some noted cruel irony in the president’s order coming down on Friday, which was International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Chava Brandress, a corporate lawyer, said she belongs to a pro-bono legal listserv, and her email ‘began exploding’ Saturday afternoon with tales of foreign nationals being detained after landing at Dulles. ‘I felt, “I can’t understand how this is happening again,”’ said Brandress, 36, recalling how Jews, fleeing Nazi persecution, were turned away from US shores…”

Newsmax wrote on January 26:

“Anne Frank and her family – led by father Otto Frank’s late and futile attempts – were denied entry visas into the U.S. during World War II… Otto Frank’s efforts to get his family to the United States ran afoul of restrictive American immigration policies designed to protect national security and guard against an influx of foreigners during time of war…

“Anne Frank died at the age of 15 in a German concentration camp, but… Anne Frank could be a 77-year-old woman living in Boston today – a writer.”

The Travel Ban and Green Card Holders

JTA wrote on January 31:

“Among the travelers delayed for hours by the Trump administration’s executive orders banning travel from seven predominantly Muslim countries were seven people with ties to the Syrian Jewish community… federal authorities had detained the seven people for over six hours disembarking at Port Canaveral from a Royal Caribbean cruise ship. At least three of them were U.S. born… One woman, the mother to the three U.S. natives, was Syrian but was not a citizen. She had permanent residency – a green card – and had lived in the United States for 20 years.

“… there have been multiple instances since President Donald Trump issued the order last Friday of authorities detaining green card-holding travelers who have citizenship in one of the seven banned countries, one of which is Syria…”

Israelis with Dual Citizenship Still Affected

The Times of Israel wrote on January 31:

“The US Embassy in Tel Aviv has clarified that President Donald Trump’s travel ban will largely not affect the tens of thousands of Israeli Jews born in Middle Eastern countries.  A Tuesday statement said the controversial executive order would not be enforced against Israelis from those countries unless they possess a valid passport from one of the seven Arab countries banned under the directive.  ‘If you have a currently valid US visa in your Israeli passport and were born in Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, or Yemen, and do not have a valid passport from one of these countries, your visa was not cancelled and remains valid,’ the statement said.

“Regarding those Israelis born in the seven countries who do have a valid passport from one of those countries, the embassy did not have definitive information, but seemed to indicate this would be handled on a case-by-case basis. ‘Authorization to enter the United States is always determined at the port of entry’, it said in the statement. ‘Similarly, we continue to process visa applications for applicants born in those countries, so long as they do not have a valid passport from one of those countries…’

“… Israel is home to around 140,000 people born in the seven countries covered by the Trump order, including around 45,000 Iranians and 53,000 Iraqis… The majority are over the age of 65 and many fled persecution. Their Israeli passports say where they were born, but most do not retain citizenship in their birth country. Israel has no diplomatic relations with any of the seven countries…

“Trump’s order was met with near-immediate condemnation from world leaders across the globe, with presidents, prime ministers and senior government members from the UK, France, Germany, Canada, Turkey, Iran and a host of other countries panning the initiative.”

However, this ruling regarding Israelis with two valid passports creates further confusion, as nothing was said before in this respect regarding other nationals with dual citizenship, including Brits, Germans, French, Canadians or Swiss nationals.

Foreign Airlines React

AFP wrote on January 28:

“Foreign airlines are barring Iranians from traveling to the United States following President Donald Trump’s temporary order barring visas for seven Muslim countries, travel agents in Tehran said Saturday.  Two agencies told AFP they had been instructed by Etihad Airways, Emirates and Turkish Airlines not to sell US tickets or allow Iranians holding American visas to board US-bound flights… An Iranian studying in California who was visiting home said Saturday that she could not return because her ticket had been cancelled under the new restrictions.”

Affected Countries Retaliate

Reuters reported on January 28:

“Iran said on Saturday it would stop U.S. citizens entering the country in retaliation to Washington’s visa ban against Tehran and six other majority-Muslim countries announced by new U.S. President Donald Trump. ‘While respecting the American people and distinguishing between them and the hostile policies of the U.S. government, Iran will implement the principle of reciprocity until the offensive U.S. limitations against Iranian nationals are lifted,’ a Foreign Ministry statement said.

“‘The restrictions against travel by Muslims to America… are an open affront against the Muslim world and the Iranian nation in particular and will be known as a great gift to extremists,’ said the statement, carried by state media. The U.S. ban will make it virtually impossible for relatives and friends of an estimated one million Iranian-Americans to visit the United States.”

Newsmax wrote on January 30:

“Iraqi lawmakers voted Monday to call on the government to enact a reciprocal travel ban on Americans if Washington does not withdraw its decision to bar Iraqis, officials said… The travel restrictions, which come on the heels of repeated assertions by Trump that the US should have stolen Iraq’s oil before leaving in 2011, risk alienating the citizens and government of a country fighting against militants the president has cast as a major threat to America.”

Nomination of Supreme Court Judge Receives Mixed Reactions from Jewish Community

JTA wrote on January 31:

“President Donald Trump nominated to the Supreme Court Neil Gorsuch, a federal judge known to favor protections of religious belief in the public square and for business owners. The nomination, likely to trigger a vigorous confirmation battle, is already splitting the organized Jewish community, with the Reform movement expressing concerns and an Orthodox Union official describing his record as ‘encouraging.’…

“Gorsuch, 49, is on the U.S. Court of Appeals in Denver covering six Western states. He would replace one of the high court’s most stalwart conservatives, Antonin Scalia, who died last year.

“Among his opinions most attracting Jewish interest was Burwell vs. Hobby Lobby in 2013, when the appeals court upheld the right of a private business to reject the government mandate to provide contraceptive care under employee health plans. The Obama administration had offered leeway on such coverage to faith-based nonprofits but would not extend them to private businesses.

“Gorsuch joined the majority in the appeals court ruling, which was upheld the next year by the U.S. Supreme Court… Gorsuch has also favored displays of crosses on public lands, and has tended in his rulings toward the rights of gun owners, in favor of the death penalty and against abortion rights…

“The nomination is likely to face a fight, with Democrats suggesting they may filibuster. Democrats are still stung by the refusal of Senate Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to allow a hearing for President Barack Obama’s nominee to replace Scalia, Merrick Garland, a moderate judge… Garland, had he been confirmed, would have brought to four the number of Jewish justices on the court.”

Newsmax added on January 31:

“Gorsuch has strong academic qualifications, with an Ivy League education: attending Columbia University and, like several of the other justices on the court, Harvard Law School. He also completed a doctorate in legal philosophy at Oxford University, spent several years in private practice and worked in George W. Bush’s Justice Department…

“As long as Kennedy and four liberals remain on the bench, the court is not expected to pare back abortion rights as many U.S. conservatives fervently hope. The Supreme Court legalized abortion in the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling. In June, the justices ruled 5-3 to strike down a Texas law that restricted abortion access, with Kennedy and the liberals in the majority… If any of those three is replaced by a Trump appointee, conservatives would be eager to bring cases challenging the Roe v. Wade ruling in the hope it would be overturned, long a goal for many Christian conservatives.”

Trump’s First Military Attack Since Becoming President

Deutsche Welle reported on January 29:

“In the first confirmed US raid under Donald Trump’s presidency, at least 14 militants were killed in Yemen, along with a US soldier and several civilians…

“The raid targeted the homes of three tribal chiefs linked to al Qaeda, tribal sources told AFP… But Apache helicopters also targeted a school, a mosque and a medical facility…

“It was the first military attack… attributed to the United States since President Donald Trump took office on January 20. Yemen was one of the seven Muslim-majority countries listed on Trump’s immigration ban. “

Trump’s Safe Zones—a Declaration of War?

Global Research wrote on January 28:

“A… draft EO authorizes the establishment of safe zones for Syrian civilians, saying ‘(p)ursuant to the cessation of refugee processing for Syrian nationals, the Secretary of State, in conjunction with the Secretary of Defense, is directed within 90 days of the date of this order to produce a plan to provide safe areas in Syria and in the surrounding region in which Syrian nationals displaced from their homeland can await firm settlement, such as repatriation or potential third-country resettlement.’…

“It lacks details of where they’ll be located, how they’ll be protected, how much the scheme will cost, whether a no-fly zone will be implemented, and the risk of US/Russia confrontation over this very sensitive issue. Safe zones will illegally redraw Syria’s map, violating its sovereignty and territorial integrity, what Damascus and Moscow strongly oppose.

“Last year, Joint Chiefs chairman General Joseph (‘fighting Joe’) Dunford said implementing safe and no-fly zones ‘require(s) us to go to war with Syria and Russia.’ Former Joint Chiefs Chairman General Martin Dempsey warned about greater intervention in Syria, including the perils of establishing safe and no-fly zones, saying it could involve thousands of US troops.

“Costs could run ‘in the billions.’ The plan requires ‘hundreds of ground and sea-based aircraft, intelligence and electronic warfare support, and enablers for refueling and communications.’ Dempsey estimated over $1 billion a month in cost, explaining around 70,000 US troops would be needed, warning the entire scheme could backfire. Greater regional conflict could follow, turning a bad situation into potential disaster.

“Syria needs humanitarian aid, peace, stability, reconstruction, and employment for its displaced people so they can begin rebuilding their lives. Obama’s war wrecked them. Greater US intervention for the wrong reasons risks escalated conflict instead of all-out efforts to resolve it. Trump’s safe zones scheme sounds more like a declaration of war than a good faith effort to end it.”

Donald Trump the Least Popular US President in at Least 40 Years

Yahoo News reported on January 30:

“It took former President George W. Bush 1,205 days to reach a majority disapproval rating. Former President Barack Obama crossed that threshold in 936 days. And President Donald Trump did it in just over a week.

“The Republican, who was sworn in on Jan. 20 as the least popular president in at least 40 years, hit majority disapproval in a record eight days, a new Gallup poll… finds. As of Saturday, 51 percent of Americans disapproved of Trump.

“Trump’s majority disapproval rating comes after a tumultuous first week in office… By contrast, it took at least several hundred days for the majority of Americans to disapprove of the past five presidents…”

“Stocks Fall Most This Year”

Newsmax on January 30:

“Major U.S. stock indexes posted their largest drop so far in 2017 on Monday as investors worried that a curb on immigration ordered by Donald Trump was a reminder that some of the U.S. president’s policies are not market-friendly. An executive order issued by Trump on Friday banned immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries…

“Airline stocks fell, with American Airlines down 4.4 percent and United Continental down 3.6 percent. At least one analyst cited worries over the travel ban to the United States. ‘The concern is that (Trump’s) travel ban starts to encompass more countries or that there are more stringent restrictions on travel to the U.S.,’ or other countries retaliate, said Stifel analyst Joseph DeNardi…”

Brexit Under Way

BBC News reported on February 1:

“MPs have voted by a majority of 384 to allow Prime Minister Theresa May to get Brexit negotiations under way. They backed the government’s European Union Bill, supported by the Labour leadership, by 498 votes to 114. But the SNP, Plaid Cymru and the Liberal Democrat leadership opposed the bill, while 47 Labour MPs and Tory ex-chancellor Ken Clarke rebelled.

“The bill now faces further scrutiny in the Commons and the House of Lords before it can become law. The prime minister has set a deadline of 31 March for invoking Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, getting official talks with the EU started… Talks with the EU are expected to last up to two years, with the UK predicted to leave the 28-member organisation in 2019.”

Tusk Attacks Trump, Pleads for European Unity

Deutsche Welle wrote on January 30:

“The Trump administration has joined Russia, China and radical Islam as a geopolitical challenge for the European Union, EC President Donald Tusk said in a letter. Tusk also called on EU member states to stand together. In a letter to the European Union’s (EU) national leaders, European Council (EC) President Donald Tusk said Tuesday that the bloc’s current challenges ‘are more dangerous than ever before in the time since the signature of the Treaty of Rome 60 years ago.’

“Tusk highlighted an ‘assertive China,’ ‘Russia’s aggressive policy’ in Eastern Europe, and ‘radical Islam’ as key external threats to the EU. These factors ‘as well as worrying declarations by the new American administration all make our future highly unpredictable,’ he said, referencing the Trump administration.

“Tusk’s [letter] reflects the worries of many European national leaders regarding the Trump presidency. ‘Particularly the change in Washington puts the European Union in a difficult situation; with the new administration seeming to put into question the last 70 years of American foreign policy,’ Tusk wrote.”

Der Spiegel wrote that Tusk did “right” in responding in this way to the “provocations of the White House,” and that it is hoped that the European leaders will support Tusk in this and not shy away from it.

“EU Needs Strong Military Force”

The Prague Daily Monitor wrote on January 30:

“The European Union cannot further rely on doing without a military force if it wants to keep influence on the international scene, Czech Foreign Minister Lubomir Zaoralek [said]. The EU has too long believed that it can do with ‘soft capabilities’ only, but it needs to enhance its defence capability in future, otherwise its influence will decline, Zaoralek said. A similar effect could be seen in connection with the recent peace talks on Syria in Astana, Kazakhstan, to which the EU was not invited, Zaoralek said.

“‘A ceasefire is being discussed by those who have weapons and are present in Syria, but we are unwilling to make a military intervention in the country. As a result, we have been ousted from [the negotiations] that concern us immensely. All of us know that the fate of Syria, its peace and reconstruction are crucially tied with the safety and fate of Europe,’ Zaoralek said.

“The EU has not intervened in the Syrian conflict by sending in soldiers, but mainly by providing humanitarian aid to the afflicted regions. This, however, will not be enough in [the] future, if the EU is to keep influence on the international scene, Zaoralek said… He said he would welcome it if the EU started to intensively work on forming its own military units…

“The debate on forming a European military has been promoted in Brussels by Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka… and the idea was jointly supported by the Visegrad Group (V4) comprised of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia.

“Europe’s capability of making a military intervention and acting unitedly is also crucial in relation to the USA, Zaoralek said. A number of EU countries, many of which are members of NATO, consider their NATO membership a guarantee of their safety. However, the new U.S. president, Donald Trump, previously said the USA would ponder on whether to help them as a NATO ally, if attacked, if their spending on defence failed to meet their promises…”

Trump–Nightmare for Europe?

Deutsche Welle wrote on January 30:

“The European Union’s chief Brexit negotiator said Donald Trump’s presidency is the newest threat to the European Union. Speaking to a group of scholars at a public policy institute in London, Guy Verhofstadt said the EU is facing a three-pronged attack from radical Islamists, Russia’s Vladimir Putin and now US President Trump. ‘I have just come back from US and my view is that we have a third front that is undermining the EU… and that is Donald Trump,’ Verhofstadt said in a speech at the Chatham House think-tank…  Verhofstadt was the prime minister of Belgium for nine years, and has been a member of the European Parliament since 2009…

“In addition to Verhofstadt’s recent trip to the US, Trump’s choice for ambassador to the EU – Ted Malloch, a long-time EU critic – raised eyebrows when asked by a BBC presenter on Friday why he wanted to be the US ambassador to the EU. ‘Well,’ he replied, ‘I had in a previous career a diplomatic post where I helped bring down the Soviet Union, so maybe there’s another Union that needs a little taming.’”

Will Trump Make Europe Great Again?

ETF Daily News reported on January 30:

“Donald Trump’s promise to put America first might actually help make Europe great again.

“First, while the new U.S. administration aims to discourage imports into the U.S. and boost domestic production, European exporters should still be able to increase their market share in the U.S. for some time…

“Switching demand away from foreign to domestic goods could work eventually, but in the near term, there simply isn’t enough quality and capacity in U.S. manufacturing to fill the gap. Most of the ‘Make America Great Again’ hats that Trump supporters were sporting at the inauguration were manufactured in China or Vietnam, and it will take a while, and a major relative price change, before we see the more affluent Americans favor Chevrolet, Lincoln, Chrysler and Jeep over BMW, Mercedes, Lexus and Range Rover.

“Second, the prospect of a more protectionist U.S. administration, together with existing local pressures from populist movements, will likely provoke policy responses in Europe aimed at stimulating domestic demand and potential growth…

“Third, a more isolationist U.S. foreign and defense policy could catalyze a new joint European defense initiative. Committing to a common defense budget, financed by joint issuance, to counter actual or perceived external threats is a much easier sell than other forms of fiscal union…”

Is Ivanka Trump Really Jewish?

The Times of Israel wrote on January 26:

“Last summer, Israel’s religious authorities issued a ruling that raised doubts about her conversion to Judaism… President Donald Trump’s daughter converted to Judaism under a prominent Orthodox rabbi in Manhattan before her 2009 marriage to Jared Kushner, an observant Jew.  In its ruling last July, an Israeli state religious court rejected the legitimacy of another conversion by the same rabbi. Although it didn’t directly affect Ivanka Trump, it raised questions as to whether Israel’s powerful religious establishment would recognize her as being Jewish.

“But in early December, just weeks after Trump’s election victory, Israel’s chief rabbis said they would work to change the rules for recognizing conversions performed abroad – and they singled out Ivanka Trump… Israeli activists say the sudden policy change appears to be an attempt to curry favor with the new US president. Ivanka Trump’s husband has been appointed a senior adviser to Trump and is expected to focus on Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts… ‘The timing is certainly suspicious,’ said Rabbi Seth Farber, director of ITIM, an organization that represents converts seeking recognition from the rabbinate. ‘My biggest fear is that the rabbinate will find some way to find Ms. Trump kosher, to recognize her conversion, but leave thousands of other converts behind, simply saying they’re not Jewish enough for us.’

“… Israel’s Orthodox establishment does not recognize conversions performed by the more liberal Reform and Conservative streams of Judaism, to which most American Jews belong… Secular Israelis often wed in civil ceremonies abroad to avoid the rabbinate, while many ultra-Orthodox Jews dismiss the rabbinate’s certification of kosher food as too lax…”

Is Jared Kushner’s Influence Diminishing?

JTA wrote on January 31:

“Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump have been called the two most influential Jews in America, owing to their proximity to Ivanka’s dad. But is Shabbat preventing them from having the president’s ear? That’s the contention of an article in Vanity Fair, which claims that Jared and Ivanka were unaware of the growing protests over President Trump’s ban on refugees and other travelers from predominantly Muslim countries because Trump signed the executive order close to sundown on Friday. Shabbat observance includes abstaining from electronics from Friday at sundown until Saturday night, and usually renders observant Jews incommunicado for that 25-hour period.

“The article says Shabbat may also have been to blame for Ivanka’s tweet, posted just after midnight Sunday morning, showing her and Jared in the formal wear they wore during that night’s exclusive Alfalfa Club dinner, at the same time that protesters were massing in airports nationwide against what critics were calling a ‘Muslim ban.’ Because Shabbat had just ended, the article says, Ivanka was only ‘obliquely’ aware of the unrest…

“Trump signed the order at 4:42 p.m. Friday. Candle-lighting, the moment when many observant Jews begin Shabbat observance, came in at 5:06. Sundown, the latest possible time by which Shabbat must begin, was 18 minutes later, at 5:24. Shabbat ended Saturday at 6:08 p.m…

“Shabbat hasn’t been an obstacle to other observant Jews in senior government roles. Jack Lew, a Shabbat observer who served as President Obama’s chief of staff and treasury secretary, would get on the phone during moments of crisis…

“Perhaps the most famous Orthodox Jew in government, former Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman, also made Shabbat observance work with his obligations to the country. During the debate over universal health care in 2010, Lieberman once walked five miles across Washington, D.C. so he could attend synagogue and then participate in a vote, according to The Hill. The article also said Lieberman answered his phone during ‘times of national emergency.’

“Even Jared and Ivanka themselves have reportedly bent the rules of Shabbat in deference to their new advisory roles. The couple allegedly received a rabbi’s permission to travel in a car after sundown on January 20 so they could safely attend post-inaugural events… Jewish law prohibits the observant from discussing their business matters on Shabbat, although wide latitude is giving for those involved in public safety or life-saving professions.

“Others have speculated in the past that Shabbat has undermined the moderating role Jared and Ivanka are expected to play within Trump’s inner circle. A September Huffington Post profile of Ivanka posited that some of Trump’s most inflammatory tweets came on Shabbat and Jewish holidays, when similar restrictions apply…

“The Vanity Fair’s most significant contention, at least from the perspective of Jared and Ivanka watchers, is that the couple’s influence in the nascent administration is ‘flagging.’ ‘Less than a fortnight into his new post, Kushner appears unable to control both his father-in-law and those around him. (On the same day as Trump’s visit to the Pentagon, the White House acknowledged International Holocaust Remembrance Day in a statement that omitted mention of the Jews.),’ according to the article.”

The Vanity Fair’s article of January 30 also stated this:

“Kushner appears unable to control his father-in-law—and is ‘furious’ that his efforts are being undermined… As the work week came to a close, Trump quietly announced from a wooden desk what would surely be the most controversial measure of them all: a ban on refugees from around the globe. Trump would temporarily halt migration, in particular, from seven predominantly Muslim countries, such as Libya, Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Sudan. Saudi Arabia, where the plotters behind the 9/11 attacks had hailed, was notably absent, among other nations. As others have noted, Trump has business interests in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates…

“Last week, the president personally called the Park Service on the morning after his inauguration to inquire about the size of the crowds who came to watch him take the oath of office. He subsequently delivered a widely derided speech at C.I.A. headquarters that afternoon, during which he blathered on about the media’s treatment of him and his inaugural crowd size. He then sent his press secretary, Sean Spicer, into the briefing room to falsely claim that it was the largest audience for an inauguration in history. During the tumult, some noticed the conspicuous absence of Kushner’s allegedly calming presence. ‘He wasn’t rolling calls on Saturday when this happened,’ one person close to Kushner told me last week. ‘To me, that’s not a coincidence.’…

“… his most pivotal role within Trumplandia may have been his ability to manage the more severe messages being pushed out by the likes of Stephen Bannon and Stephen Miller. As one source put it to me last week, Kushner has been the ‘secure line’ into the White House… Kushner’s influence on his boss may be flagging. Last week, Kushner spent 24 hours trying to broker a meeting between Trump and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto… Ultimately, Peña Nieto agreed…  Less than 12 hours later, though, it all fell apart… the meeting was canceled. ‘Kushner was… furious,’ the source told me…”

The Vanity Fair article has received great attention in Germany as well. Bild Online published a lengthy article about the perceived fall-out between Mr. Trump and Mr. Kushner, while providing a link to the article of Vanity Fair.

The Pig-Human Embryo

National Geographic write on January 26:

“In a remarkable—if likely controversial—feat, scientists announced today that they have created the first successful human-animal hybrids. The project proves that human cells can be introduced into a non-human organism, survive, and even grow inside a host animal, in this case, pigs… The team created what’s known scientifically as a chimera: an organism that contains cells from two different species…

“In the past, human-animal chimeras have been beyond reach. Such experiments are currently ineligible for public funding in the United States… Public opinion, too, has hampered the creation of organisms that are part human, part animal.

“But for lead study author Jun Wu of the Salk Institute, we need only look to mythical chimeras—like the human-bird hybrids we know as angels—for a different perspective. ‘In ancient civilizations, chimeras were associated with God,’ he says, and our ancestors thought ‘the chimeric form can guard humans.’ In a sense, that’s what the team hopes human-animal hybrids will one day do…”

“Weird” is the right word… and an understatement.

Key Statements from President Trump’s Inauguration Speech

“What truly matters is not which party controls our government, but whether our government is controlled by the people. January 20th 2017, will be remembered as the day the people became the rulers of this nation again…

“For many decades, we’ve enriched foreign industry at the expense of American industry; Subsidized the armies of other countries while allowing for the very sad depletion of our military; We’ve defended other nation’s borders while refusing to defend our own; And spent trillions of dollars overseas while America’s infrastructure has fallen into disrepair and decay. We’ve made other countries rich while the wealth, strength, and confidence of our country has disappeared over the horizon…

“But that is the past… From this moment on, it’s going to be America First… We will follow two simple rules: Buy American and Hire American…

“We do not seek to impose our way of life on anyone, but rather to let it shine as an example for everyone to follow…

“The Bible tells us, ‘how good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity’… When America is united, America is totally unstoppable. There should be no fear – we are protected, and we will always be protected. We will be protected by the great men and women of our military and law enforcement and, most importantly, we are protected by God…

“No challenge can match the heart and fight and spirit of America. We will not fail. Our country will thrive and prosper again… A new national pride will stir our souls, lift our sights, and heal our divisions.

“It is time to remember that old wisdom our soldiers will never forget: that whether we are black or brown or white, we all bleed the same red blood of patriots, we all enjoy the same glorious freedoms, and we all salute the same great American Flag. And whether a child is born in the urban sprawl of Detroit or the windswept plains of Nebraska, they look up at the same night sky, they fill their heart with the same dreams, and they are infused with the breath of life by the same almighty Creator…”

These statements speak for themselves. We will leave it to the reader to evaluate them; but this should be done in the light of biblical values, teachings, and prophecy.

The Trump Administration and Obamacare

Reuters reported on January 22:

“The Trump administration may no longer enforce a rule requiring individual Americans to carry health insurance or pay a penalty if they do not, a senior White House official said on Sunday. Speaking on ABC’s ‘This Week’ program, Kellyanne Conway, counselor to the president, said President Donald Trump ‘may stop enforcing the individual mandate.’ Separately, on CBS’ ‘Face the Nation’ show, she reiterated Republican promises that no one would lose their health insurance under Obamacare while a replacement is being developed. ‘For the 20 million who rely upon the Affordable Care Act in some form, they will not be without coverage during this transition time,’ she said.

“On Friday Trump signed an executive order concerning the 2010 healthcare law, urging U.S. agencies to ‘waive, defer, grant exemptions from, or delay the implementation’ of provisions deemed to impose fiscal burdens on states, companies or individuals… Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, speaking on ‘Fox News Sunday,’ reiterated Republican promises to replace Obamacare and allow patients to buy health insurance across state lines using health savings accounts. ‘We’re going to move carefully in conjunction with the administration to repeal and replace it with things like health savings accounts and interstate health insurance sales and high-risk pools at the state level to take care of people who have pre-existing conditions,’ he said.”

The Huffington Post wrote on January 22:

“Just last week, a report from the Congressional Budget Office predicted that removing the individual mandate but keeping other Obamacare provisions, such as the pre-existing condition guarantee, would lead to premiums jumping by 20 to 25 percent within a year, above and beyond current projections.”

Mr. Trump Won’t Release His Tax Returns

Newsmax wrote on January 22:

“President Donald Trump will not release his tax returns after winning the election and being sworn in, senior adviser Kellyanne Conway said Sunday… The position of not releasing the returns counters a campaign statement the returns [would] be released after an audit was completed.”

In a related article, Newsmax wrote on January 22:

“WikiLeaks is calling for someone to send it President Donald Trump’s tax returns so it can release them to the world… WikiLeaks had been derided for being partisan and supporting President Trump’s campaign against Democrat Hillary Clinton,  but Sunday’s tweet seemed to combat its political lean… WikiLeaks even tweeted another shot Sunday at President Trump’s seemingly broken campaign promise of releasing his tax returns after an audit was completed: ‘Trump’s breach of promise over the release of his tax returns is even more gratuitous than Clinton concealing her Goldman Sachs transcripts.’

“Speaking of broken promises, Julian Assange said he would agree to U.S. extradition if Chelsea Manning was granted clemency by President Barack Obama. But once Manning’s sentence was commuted by President Obama on Tuesday, Assange reneged on his promise. [Assange’s lawyer told The Hill that the extradition offer was only on the table if Manning were to be released immediately. Manning, who stole 750,000 pages of documents and videos and released them to WikiLeaks in 2010, is set to be discharged on May 17.]

Our word should be as good as gold, without ignoring to fulfill a given promise or trying to find loopholes in what one has clearly promised.

Confusing Stance on NATO in Trump Administration

Deutsche Welle wrote on January 23:

“US Defense Secretary James Mattis has reassured his British counterpart of the ‘unshakeable commitment’ the US has toward the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), a Pentagon spokesman said Monday… Less than a week on the job, Mattis also spoke with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to affirm the importance of the alliance…

“Mattis’ calls to European defense officials comes less than two weeks after US President Donald Trump told the German daily ‘Bild’ and British newspaper ‘The Times’ that the alliance was ‘obsolete.’”

President Trump Signs Executive Order to Proceed with Keystone Pipeline

Deutsche Welle wrote on January 24:

“In a move that will enrage climate change and environment activists, Trump has signed an executive order to proceed with the construction of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines… President Donald Trump has resurrected the controversial construction of [the] two oil pipelines that his predecessor Barack Obama had blocked on environmental grounds in 2015.

“On Tuesday, the new Republican president authorized both projects on the condition that American steel is used… The Obama administration stopped Keystone, which will carry crude oil from Canada to Texas along a 1,897km (1,178 miles) route, just over a year ago due to concerns over the damage such quantities of fossil fuels would do to the environment.

“Meanwhile Dakota Access, an almost identical length pipeline which is planned to transport 470,000 barrels of crude oil a day across four states from North Dakota to Illinois, has attracted controversy not only because of the potential environmental impact but because it disturbs the land of the Sioux Native American people and will potentially contaminate their drinking water…”

President Trump Signs Executive Order to Withdraw from TPP

Deutsche Welle wrote on January 23:

“The new US president has signed an executive order to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership with 12 Asian countries… The TPP was negotiated under former President Barack Obama, but never ratified by Congress…  Donald Trump also reiterated threats to impose a significant ‘border tax’ on companies that move production of products outside of the US to other countries.

“During a meeting in Washington, he told the chief executives of Ford, Dow Chemical, Dell Technologies, and Tesla that companies were welcome to negotiate with governors to move production between US states. But those businesses that choose to move factories abroad would pay a price. ‘We are going to be imposing a very major border tax on the product when it comes in,’ the US president warned, adding: ‘A company that wants to fire all of its people in the United States, and build some factory someplace else, and then thinks that that product is going to just flow across the border into the United States – that’s not going to happen.’

“At the same meeting… Trump said he would seek to cut corporate taxes to the 15 to 20 percent range – down from current statutory levels of 35 percent. In addition, the new US president promised to cut regulations, saying business leaders had told him that reducing those was ‘even more important’… He also said he planned to hold meetings with American CEOs on a quarterly basis or whenever they wanted to in order to address their concerns.”

President Trump Signs Executive Order to Build the US-Mexican Border Wall

Deutsche Welle wrote on January 25:

“President Trump has signed an executive order to start building his promised US-Mexican border wall. It could be one of the most costly US state projects ever. The executive order sets out to fulfill one of Trump’s key campaign promises, to build a wall along the 3,110-kilometer (1,933-mile) border between the US and its southern neighbor, Mexico… Ahead of the signing on Wednesday, Trump said in a television interview: ‘There will be a payment; it will be in a form, perhaps a complicated form.’

“In February last year, Trump told MSNBC he could finish the wall for $8 billion (7.4 billion euros) as a barrier already existed along parts of the border… However, others have put the cost far higher [saying that building] the rest of it would cost between $15 billion and $25 billion, with an annual maintenance cost of $700 million.”

Deutsche Welle wrote on December 26:

“After Donald Trump told President Pena Nieto not to visit the US unless Mexico intended to pay for Trump’s border wall, the Mexican president has taken the advice, calling off next Tuesday’swork meeting… Pena Nieto’s tweet followed about three hours after Trump threw down the gauntlet, challenging his Mexican counterpart to cancel their meeting if Mexico isn’t prepared to pay for the wall…

“Late Thursday afternoon Trump called for a 20 percent tax on Mexican imports as a means for Mexico to effectively pay for the wall. His spokesman Sean Spicer said the tax would be more than enough to pay for the wall. ‘By doing that, we can do $10 billion a year and easily pay for the wall just through that mechanism alone,’ he said.

“Trump initially dismissed the canceled meeting, saying it would have been ‘fruitless.’ But then he claimed that the cancellation was a decision he made jointly with his Mexican counterpart…

“In canceling the trip the Mexican president [declared]: ‘I’ve said it time and time again: Mexico will not pay for the wall’…”

Newsmax added on January 26:

“President Donald Trump wants to pay for his proposed southern border wall by slapping a 20 percent tax on imports from Mexico. White House spokesman Sean Spicer says Trump has discussed the idea with congressional leaders and wants to include the measure in a comprehensive tax reform package.

“But then later, at the White House, Spicer tried to take back his earlier comments by saying the 20 percent tax is one of several options under consideration and Trump hasn’t settled on it as the way to recoup construction costs for building the wall.”

President Trump to Sign Executive Order to Reduce Funding of UN

The Independent wrote on January 26:

“Donald Trump [is] to sign [an] executive order to dramatically reduce funding of United Nations. The upcoming order would dramatically reduce the US’ role in the UN and other international organisations…

“He also signed an executive order on Monday, re-instating the Ronald Reagan-era law which prohibits federal funding for any international organisation that carries out abortions or even mentions abortions, or tells its patients or clients where to go to get an abortion.”

Religious Leaders and Churches Opposed to Trump’s Immigration Orders

The Huffington Post wrote on January 25:

“President Donald Trump’s first week in office has signaled major changes are on the way for immigrants and refugees seeking new lives in the United States. On Wednesday, Trump signed executive orders to move forward on the construction of a wall on the southwest border and crackdown on so-called sanctuary cities, a broad term that refers to jurisdictions that do not fully cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement efforts.

“Congressional sources also confirmed to The Huffington Post that the president is expected to issue an executive order later this week that will dramatically restrict refugee admissions to the U.S. and deny visas to individuals from countries his administration deems high-risk.

“Many religious organizations that support refugee and immigrant populations responded to Wednesday’s news with dismay. ‘Catholic teaching is very clear: we are called to welcome the stranger,’ Sister Simone Campbell, executive director of NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice said in a statement. ‘President Trump’s actions today are antithetical to our faith.’

“A draft of the order on refugee resettlement obtained by HuffPost indicates that the Trump administration is planning [to] block refugee admissions from the war-torn country of Syria indefinitely. It also plans to suspend refugee admissions from all countries for 120 days and ban all ‘immigrant and nonimmigrant’ entry of individuals from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen for 30 days. ‘This decision will mean that many of those who are the most vulnerable, the most at risk of further violence, the least likely to be able to fend for themselves, are now to be left without hope. Such a position does not reflect who we are as a nation, or as a people of faith,’… Canon E. Mark Stevenson, director of Episcopal Migration Ministries said.

“Refugees undergo a stringent, two-year long vetting process once they are recommended by the U.N. refugee agency for resettlement in the U.S. It includes various security and medical clearances as well as cultural orientation. If the U.S. government stops processing or admitting people even for a week, ‘their exit visa expires or their medical expires, they have to go back and start all over,’ Nina Zelic, director for refugee services for Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services, told HuffPost.

“Robert Bank, president and CEO of American Jewish World Service, noted that there was a time when the U.S. ‘acted with indifference to Jewish and other refugees from Europe during World War II.’ He urged the Trump administration not to let history repeat itself. ‘We object in the strongest terms to the demonization of Muslims by the new American administration,’ Bank said in a statement. ‘We understand what it means for a community to be demonized by authoritarian powers, and we regret that President Trump does not understand this lesson from the darkest chapters in world history.’

“Leaders from the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, Unitarian Universalist Association, Church World Service, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, the United Church of Christ and a host of other faith-based organizations also criticized Trump’s actions. ‘If the president does go through with an executive order to suspend refugee resettlement and to close access to asylum seekers, we know that many lives will be put at risk and hopes for a future will be destroyed,’ said Susan Krehbiel, of the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance. Faith organizations and local congregations may need to pick up the slack, she added, ‘to mitigate the abandonment of the federal government to this cause’…

“John C. Dorhauer, who serves as the general minister and president of the United Church of Christ, said: ‘As a religious leader, I am gravely concerned. I ask myself: when do we stop being America?…’

“Despite the outcry from many faith leaders, some of Trump’s own religious advisors argued that although the Christian faith commands believers to welcome the stranger, this imperative does not apply to the government. ‘It’s not a biblical command for the country to let everyone in who wants to come, that’s not a Bible issue,’… Franklin Graham, a prominent evangelical pastor and the president of the international Christian relief organization Samaritan’s Purse, told HuffPost.

“But Sister Campbell urged senators and representatives to ‘remember what Pope Francis said when he addressed Congress, “We, the people of this continent, are not fearful of foreigners, because most of us were once foreigners.”’”

The Huffington Post also stated that according to Section 9 of the draft executive order, it is planned to “suspend the visa interview waiver program indefinitely” and to instead require everyone seeking entry into the USA, including visitors, to undergo “an in-person interview” at the American consulate or embassy. If enacted, this short-sighted and ill-conceived procedure would be extremely burdensome for tourists or business personnel from any country, including all European nations, and it would have serious consequences and repercussions for the USA, as foreign countries would surely enact similar burdensome laws for Americans wishing to enter their countries. This could result in a serious decline of the American economy and would certainly contribute to further anti-Americanism around the world. In addition, it would definitely hurt the Church of God tremendously, which gives us an indication as to who is truly behind these contemplated measures.

Jewish Organizations Oppose Trump’s Proposed Executive Order on Immigration

JTA wrote on January 25:

“Several liberal Jewish groups have decried a leaked draft of an executive order from President Donald Trump that would temporarily bar refugees and immigrants from some Muslim countries from entering the United States. The draft, which was leaked to the media Wednesday, bars the entrance of noncitizens from certain Muslim-majority countries, including Iraq, Iran, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Libya and Somalia, for 30 days. It also suspends the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program for 120 days, and bans refugees from Syria from entering the U.S. until further notice. When the refugee program resumes, the government may prioritize asylum claims from members of persecuted religious minorities.

“The executive order would begin to make good on Trump’s pledge during the campaign to bar Muslims, later amended to citizens of countries compromised by terrorism, from entering the United States. A chorus of Jewish groups criticized the proposal when Trump first announced it in 2015, and several liberal Jewish groups slammed it again Wednesday. ‘History will look back on this order as a sad moment in American History – the time when the president turned his back on people fleeing for their lives,’ read a statement from Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League. ‘This will effectively shut America’s doors to the most vulnerable people in the world who seek refuge from unspeakable pain and suffering.’

“Other groups also recalled past Jewish suffering in opposing the executive order. Ahead of the Holocaust, the United States denied entry to Jewish refugees, most notably turning back the M.S. St. Louis, a ship carrying nearly 1,000 German Jews. ‘As Jews, we recognize the danger in any action that singles out people based on their religious beliefs,’ read a statement by Rabbi Jonah Pesner, director of the Religious Action Center, the Reform movement’s legislative advocacy arm. ‘If the order is issued as anticipated, it is deeply troubling, rooted in exclusion and discrimination, and echoes the most shameful parts of our history. ’

“Bend The Arc Jewish Action, a liberal advocacy group, endorsed a rally opposing the executive order to be held Wednesday in front of the White House. Other groups that oppose the draft order include the American Jewish World Service, which provides aid to poor countries, and Jewish Voice for Peace, which endorses the movement to boycott Israel. ‘Making decisions on who is welcome in our country based solely on their religion or national origin is fundamentally un-American,’ said a statement by Stosh Cotler, CEO of Bend the Arc. ‘As Jews, we know what it’s like to be scapegoated and we will not be silent now.'” 

Donald Trump Rebuked for Condoning Torture

Reuters reported on January 26:

“The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) have joined global human rights groups in their rebuke of U.S. President Donald Trump for condoning torture.

“Trump told ABC television in an interview on Wednesday that he thought waterboarding ‘worked’ as an intelligence-gathering tool but would defer to his cabinet on whether to use it in interrogations.

“‘These practices of torturing detainees and “disappearing” them in black sites are serious crimes which must never be repeated,’ Ian Seiderman, Legal and Policy Director of the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) said in a statement.”

The State Department’s Entire Senior Administrative Team Resigned

The Washington Post wrote on January 26:

“Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s job running the State Department just got considerably more difficult. The entire senior level of management officials resigned Wednesday, part of an ongoing mass exodus of senior Foreign Service officers who don’t want to stick around for the Trump era… [It] amounts to a near-complete housecleaning of all the senior officials that deal with managing the State Department, its overseas posts and its people…

“Several senior Foreign Service officers in the State Department’s regional bureaus have also left their posts or resigned since the election. But the emptying of leadership in the management bureaus is more disruptive because those offices need to be led by people who know the department and have experience running its complicated bureaucracies…

“By itself, the sudden departure of the State Department’s entire senior management team is disruptive enough. But in the context of a president who railed against the U.S. foreign policy establishment during his campaign and secretary of state with no government experience, the vacancies are much more concerning…”

UK and USA to Be Global Leaders?

The Guardian wrote on January 26:

“In a foreign policy speech that marks a clear break with the liberal interventionism of the Tony Blair and David Cameron eras, the UK’s prime minister said there must be ‘no return to the failed policies of the past’ that saw Britain bogged down in conflicts in the Middle East.

“As she prepared to meet Donald Trump in Washington, amid profound anxiety in Europe about how he will choose to exercise American power, May insisted that the ‘days of Britain and America intervening in sovereign countries in an attempt to remake the world in our own image are over’.

“But she stressed that the two countries should still meet their ‘obligations of leadership’ to tackle ‘new global challenges’, including the conflict in Syria and the fight against Islamic State.

“… Downing Street is keen to demonstrate that Britain intends to play a key role in world affairs after leaving the European Union…

“May suggested global leadership by the US and the UK had become all the more necessary, because of the rise of ‘new enemies of the west and our values’ and fears that fast-growing economies such as China and India could ‘eclipse’ the west…”

 “UK Government Covered Up ‘Disastrous Failure’ in Nuclear Missile Test”

Deutsche Welle wrote on January 22:

“A British newspaper [the Sunday Times] has alleged that an unarmed nuclear missile veered off course and headed toward the US in a 2016 test…

“The newspaper cited an anonymous senior naval source who claimed that the unarmed Trident II D5 missile failed after being launched from a British submarine off the coast of the US state of Florida in June. The cause of the failure was top secret, but the source said the missile may have accidentally veered towards the mainland. ‘There was a major panic at the highest level of government and the military after the first test of our nuclear deterrent in four years ended in disastrous failure,’ the source told the paper. ‘Ultimately, Downing Street decided to cover up the failed test. If the information was made public, they knew how damaging it would be to the credibility of our nuclear deterrent.’…

“According to ‘The Times,’ Britain has conducted only five tests of Trident missiles from submarines since 2000, partly due to the 17 million pound cost of each launch. Opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, a strident critic of nuclear weapons, said it was a ‘pretty catastrophic error’ for a missile to go in the wrong direction…”

If these allegations are true, then we can easily see how nuclear war could occur due to inadvertent mistakes.

Doomsday Clock Moving Closer to Midnight

The Telegraph wrote on January 25:

“The Doomsday Clock, which symbolises the current threat of global annihilation, is expected to be moved closer to midnight by scientists. The countdown was established in 1947 by a group of experts who were working on the Manhattan Project to design and build the first atomic bomb. They wanted a simple way of demonstrating the danger to Earth and humanity posed by nuclear war. The clock is currently running at three minutes to midnight, where 00.00 represents the end of humanity. But the Bulletin of the Atomic Science is expected to move it forward by one minute on Thursday, the closest it has ever been to the apocalypse since 1953 when the US took the decision to upgrade its nuclear arsenal with the hydrogen bomb…

“In a statement the scientists said: ‘Tensions between the United States and Russia that remain at levels reminiscent of the Cold War, the danger posed by climate change, and nuclear proliferation concerns – including the recent North Korean nuclear test – are the main factors influencing the decision about any adjustment that may be made to the Doomsday Clock.’ On Sunday it posted an article on its website warning that ‘terrorism involving nuclear or radiological materials remains one of the gravest threats to humanity and to global stability’. The scientists also warned of ‘accidental, unauthorised, or inadvertent nuclear exchange between the United States and Russia’, saying that the two countries had 800 warheads on high alert, ready to launch.

“… The clock was last moved in 2015, when the scientists took it two minutes forward, so that it currently reads three minutes to midnight. That sent a message that the Earth was closer to oblivion than any time since the early days of hydrogen bomb testing and 1984…”

Deutsche Welle reported on January 26:

“The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists unveiled its updated Doomsday Clock on Thursday – and it doesn’t look good. The symbolic countdown to man-made global destruction now stands at two and a half minutes to midnight – the closest it has been since 1953.

“The clock – which serves as a visual metaphor for how close humans are to destroying the world with technology – has moved up for the first time by 30 seconds due, in large part, to the comments by the new US President Donald Trump…  about expanding the US nuclear arsenal…”

Russia Warns of World War III

The Russian government-sponsored Pravda wrote on January 20:

“… a war between Russia and the Western bloc would drag the whole world into it. Only 100 years ago the world was dragged into a serious war that went on for four years. The ambitions of European politicians thrust the world into an irreversible conflict in three weeks. This conflict was the First World War and led to deaths of 20 million people. Twenty years later, even before the ink on the peace treaties dried, another much deadlier world war broke out. By the time the warring parties sat round the peace table, 50 million people had lost their lives. A century after all these events, there is no doubt that the conditions have changed dramatically. A potential world war in the 21^st century would likely claim several hundred millions of lives…

“In various places of the world, hundreds of thousands of people are arming themselves with weapons to fight every morning. At any moment, some kind of provocation can ignite the fuse of a great war as the Sarajevo assassination did in 1914… In the civil wars of Iraq, Libya, Syria and Yemen, there are tens of thousands of mercenaries. As for [the] Mediterranean, five aircraft carriers, over a hundred warships, warplanes, helicopters, amphibious transport docks and tens of thousands of soldiers are advancing. An environment where deadly weaponry is stocked with such intensity is no doubt a very risky one…

“War with Russia is a disastrous scenario that shouldn’t even be considered. Tensions with Russia mean putting the entire world into danger…”

The article is filled with ridiculous Russian propaganda, trying to show Russia’s peacefulness vs. European warmongers. We have chosen not to quote those sections. But the sections quoted above are worthy of contemplation.

Will the Trump Administration Attempt to Stop an EU Army?  

Express wrote on January 22:

“The controversial 1000-strong Euro Corps was formed in 1993 and is spearheaded by a German-Franco brigade of troops. It provided HQ staff for operations in Afghanistan in 2004 and currently supports an EU maritime operation against pirates off Somalia. Directed by Brussels it is manned by 10 EU member states and Turkey. While in the EU, Britain used its influence to block its expansion.

“Brexit was met with the immediate publication of plans to build a military new headquarters, as the EU scrambled to reinforce the project’s identity. Separately, Germany’s defence white paper revealed its own ambitions to lead a pan-European force. The moves have caused concern in the Trump camp. ‘… there is big concern about the EU moving towards an EU army, a military of Western Europe,’ said Ted Malloch, President Trump’s new ambassador to the EU, recently.”

It has been our experience that one must be careful with articles published by the Express, dealing with continental European developments. But if it is indeed President Trump’s goal to prevent a powerful European army from developing, he is predestined to fail in this endeavor.

Unprecedented Deterioration between USA and Europe under President Trump

Global Research published the following article on January 19, which was originally published by the World Socialist Web Site:

“Donald Trump’s inauguration as president of the United States heralds an unprecedented deterioration in post-war relations between the US and Europe, above all between the US and Germany… Trump praised Britain’s exit from the European Union, describing the EU as a vehicle for German domination… Trump threatened Germany’s auto industry with sanctions and attacked Chancellor Angela Merkel, blaming her refugee policy for destabilising Europe…

“Never before has a US president set as his explicit goal the breakup of the EU. Trump made clear in his interview [with Bild and Times of London] that he was seeking to pit the UK against Germany…

“The response from Europe’s political elite was uniformly hostile. In Germany, Merkel replied, ‘I think we Europeans hold our fate in our own hands.’ Sigmar Gabriel of Merkel’s coalition partner, the Social Democratic Party, insisted, ‘We must not adopt a servile attitude now… In dealing with Trump, we need German self-confidence and a clear stance.’ French President Francois Hollande said that ‘transatlantic cooperation’ will from now on be based on Europe’s own ‘interests and values.’

“Europe’s think tanks and media predicted escalating militarism and an eruption of nationalist tensions. ‘EU member states will have to consider increasing strategic autonomy by reinforcing collective defence inside the EU,’ said Felix Arteaga of the Elcano Royal Institute in Madrid…

“The last time tensions emerged sharply between the US and Europe was in 2003, during the run-up to the Iraq War, when US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld denounced France and Germany for failing to support the US in Iraq. Rumsfeld called the two countries ‘old Europe’ and counterposed to them the states of Eastern Europe…”

The article was written from a socialist viewpoint, and we have chosen not to cite most of it. However, the excerpts quoted above are noteworthy.

Donald Trump’s New World Order… Biggest Enemies: Germany and Japan

Der Spiegel wrote on January 20:

“For more than 60 years, the U.S. has promoted European unity. The country introduced the Marshall Plan, it supported the single European market and backed Europe’s eastward expansion following the collapse of the Iron Curtain. But now, a man is entering the White House who is counting on the disintegration of the EU. He would rather negotiate with each country individually, believing that will be more beneficial for America… His only goal is America’s profitability, particularly in global trade, which he sees as a brutal fight for survival…

“The situation could hardly be worse for German Chancellor Angela Merkel… Can Merkel’s Europe now hold together? Can she become a worthy adversary to Trump in the approaching conflicts…?

“That which had seemed inconceivable just a short time ago now appears to be a foregone conclusion: A new era is beginning… For the most part, that is because the 45th president of the United States of America is simply not interested in the world order that has developed since 1945. He is just as disinterested in the trans-Atlantic partnership and the long-cultivated alliances with Western allies…

“Europe finds itself on the eve of an epochal shift of the kind it hasn’t seen since the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Eastern Bloc. Is this the end of the West as we know it, as former German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer warned a month ago?…

“Russia’s annexation of Crimea was the first indication that the global order that we had enjoyed for 25 years was under threat — and the world simply stood by and watched. Apart from a couple of sanctions, U.S. President Barack Obama left the problem to the Europeans… The new president will likely continue the process that began under his predecessor: America’s withdrawal from global politics. Just that the incoming president is expected to formulate that withdrawal more clearly than Obama did…

“For the last 70 years, Europe could depend on having America at its side. Now, this is no longer a certainty…

“Merkel’s staff has become certain that conflicts with the new U.S. administration will primarily be focused on two policy areas: foreign trade and relations with Russia. The decisive question is: Can Merkel rely on European backing? After the in-coming president made clear this week that he believes the EU has outlived its usefulness, it wasn’t long before European leaders closed ranks…

“The incoming U.S. president has always viewed the EU as an alliance aimed at weakening America’s economy… If Trump sticks with his positions, it is the chancellor’s view that Europe could be facing a great threat…

“America’s Greatest Adversaries [are] Japan and West Germany. That is particularly true when it comes to trade policy, which Trump has for decades seen as a conspiracy against America. For the past several weeks, a March 1990 issue of Playboy magazine has been making the rounds in Merkel’s Chancellery… Inside is a long interview with Trump, in which he talks about what he sees as America’s most dangerous adversaries. He doesn’t mention Russia or Red China, but Japan and West Germany, countries that he said had robbed the U.S. of its self-esteem. ‘Their products are better because they have so much subsidy,’ he said, while America is ensuring that those countries aren’t ‘wiped off the face of the earth in about 15 minutes.’ He concludes his point by saying: ‘Our “allies” are making billions screwing us.’…

“Trump is the end of the world as we know it — that much is clear. Or, as the Economist recently wrote: ‘Things could get much worse.’”

Another Financial Crisis Coming Soon?

The Telegraph wrote on January 21:

“‘If the Trump administration does just half of what it says it’s going to do in economic policy and financial regulation, another financial crash is almost certain and sooner rather than later,’ is the informed verdict of Dennis Kelleher, the head of the Better Markets think tank…

“During the last crash central banks cut interest rates from around 5 per cent to zero and bought up trillions of dollars of bonds and loans to stabilise the system. Governments spent vast amounts of public money to stop banks going bust and devastating the wider economy.

“But today interest rates across the developed world are still close to zero and government debt is much higher than it was in 2008, giving policymakers considerably less room for manoeuvre if the system fails again. The bottom line is that we can’t afford another financial crisis. Yet, thanks to Trump, one may well be coming.”

Wall Street Boom Despite or Because of Trump?

Deutsche Welle wrote on January 26:

“What a historic moment on Wall Street! The Dow Jones industrial index cleared the 20,000-point threshold for the first time ever…

“For most observers, it’s pretty obvious what the current bullish mood on Wall Street is based on. They claim the latest boom is all about hopes the new US president may provide fresh momentum to the domestic economy. There’s a feeling that Donald Trump’s first moves in office have met investors’ expectations…

“One should assume that investors have enough economic wisdom to know where to put their money. They should know tax reductions, investment programs and measures to reduce the debt burden do not really go hand in hand. In principle, financial market players have an inkling that Trump’s plans may not be realistic at all.

“What if the bubble bursts?… After withdrawing from TPP and numerous warnings to carmakers to produce their vehicles in the US, the president is now also getting serious about erecting a Mexican border wall.

“Donald Trump doesn’t seem to realize that the US economy stands to suffer long-term from such measures, which will disrupt well-attuned cross-border supply chains. Some investors are beginning to nurture doubts already. The ‘Global Fund Manager Survey’ says almost 30 percent of big US investors polled fear trade wars might break out as soon as this year.

“Right now, stocks on Wall Street keep rising because of Trump, but soon people will realize they’ve been rising despite Trump… investors are well-advised to be cautious despite the current euphoria around them… shares are a crucial part of people’s old-age pension schemes in the US. Their provisions could be severely hit, should the Trump bubble burst one fine day. And it would be the middle class that would be affected the most – the very people the president has promised to support…”

How Europe Views Donald Trump

The Guardian wrote on January 20:

“Most newspapers across Europe predict that Donald Trump will be a reckless world leader, viewing him as a buffoon and fearing that he will undermine transatlantic relations and weaken the European Union. They are also worried that he might make deals with Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, at the expense of smaller countries in central and eastern Europe.

“Newspaper articles published over a seven-day period prior to Trump’s inauguration are said to reveal a level of trepidation about the incoming American president that is probably unparalleled in recent history…

“These findings emerge from an analysis by the European Journalism Observatory of the content of three daily newspapers in each of 10 European countries from 12 to 18 January. The countries studied were Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Ukraine and the UK…

“Among the reactions: ‘Europe’s nightmare’ (Germany’s Süddeutsche Zeitung); ‘Trump ruins the European Union’ (Poland’s Gazeta Wyborcza); and ‘Europe could be the first victim of Trump’ (commentator in Italy’s Corriere della Sera)…”

Reaction to Donald Trump’s Inauguration Speech

Most world leaders congratulated Mr. Trump on his inauguration. But reaction from Germany, the United States’ biggest trading partner, and China took a different tone.

Bild wrote on January 21:

“Trump’s Speech was a Declaration of War on the World… Trump will become a big radical experiment of perhaps historical proportions…”

The Guardian wrote on January 21:

“‘What we heard today were high nationalistic tones,’ [Germany’s vice chancellor Sigmar] Gabriel said… ‘I think we have to prepare for a rough ride.’… Europe and Germany must stand together ‘to defend our interests.’…”

“China’s Global Times, a Communist party tabloid, said the ‘impressive’ address signalled that the start of the Trump era would herald ‘dramatic changes’… ‘Frictions between the US and its allies, and trade tensions between the US and China seem inevitable within the four years ahead,’ the state-run newspaper said in an editorial. ‘Undoubtedly the Trump administration will be igniting many “fires” on its front door and around the world. Let’s wait and see when it will be China’s turn’…”

The Pope’s Reaction

AFP wrote on January 21:

“Pope Francis on Saturday warned against populism, saying it could lead to the election of ‘saviours’ like Hitler. In an hour-long interview with Spanish newspaper El Pais conducted as Donald Trump was being sworn in as US president, the pontiff also condemned the idea of using walls and barbed wire to keep out foreigners. ‘Of course crises provoke fears and worries,’ he said but added that for him ‘the example of populism in the European sense of the word is Germany in 1933. Germany… was looking for a leader, someone who would give her back her identity and there was a little man named Adolf Hitler who said ‘I can do it’. Hitler did not steal power,’ the pope said. ‘He was elected by his people and then he destroyed his people.’

“The Germans at that time also wanted to protect themselves with ‘walls and barbed wire so that others cannot take away their identity,’ he said. ‘The case of Germany is classic,’ he said, adding that Hitler gave them a ‘deformed identity and we know what it produced.’

“Pope Francis however underscored that it was too early to pass judgement on Trump. ‘Let’s see. Let’s see what he does and then we will evaluate,’ he said.”

The Pope’s comments about Hitler’s Germany are only partially true. There is no evidence that Germany, under Hitler, was trying to “protect” itself with walls and barbed wires. Rather, this was the official “justification” of Russian-controlled East Germany for building the Berlin Wall. 

Vatican Takes Over Knights of Malta Catholic Order

Newsmax wrote on January 25:

“The Vatican said Wednesday it was taking over the embattled Knights of Malta lay Catholic order in an extraordinary display of papal power after the Knights’ grand master publicly defied Pope Francis in a bitter dispute over condoms. The move marks the intervention of one sovereign state – the Holy See – into the governance of another, the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, an ancient aristocratic order that runs a vast charity operation around the globe… The Knights of Malta is a sovereign entity under international law, making the Vatican intervention all the more remarkable.

“… The Order of Malta has many trappings of a sovereign state, issuing its own stamps, passports and license plates and holding diplomatic relations with 106 states, the Holy See included. The Holy See, however, has a unique relationship with the order since it is a Catholic entity…  The knights trace their history to the 11th-century Crusades with the establishment of an infirmary in Jerusalem that cared for people of all faiths.”

Leading European Right-Wing Populists Attend Meeting in Germany

Deutsche Welle reported on January 21:

“The political group Europe of Nations and Freedom (ENF), which consists of representatives of several populist and anti-immigration parties including Germany’s Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the French National Front, is holding a convention in the western German city of Koblenz on Saturday. The ENF is the smallest group in the European Parliament… Prominent European populist politicians, including AfD co-leader Frauke Petry, the National Front’s leader and French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen and the Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders, are attending, along with Matteo Salvini, who head Italy’s Northern League (LN).

“Wilders… hailed the advent of Donald Trump onto the world stage as newly inaugurated US president, saying: ‘Yesterday a free America, today Koblenz, tomorrow a new Europe.’ Trump, who took office on Friday, has advocated a vehement ‘America first’ nationalist stance.”

These parties will not prevail in trying to destroy European unification; rather, their existence will lead to the opposite result: To counter anti-European “nationalism,” European leaders will make an extra effort to facilitate stronger European unity.

Schulz, not Gabriel, Will Run Against Merkel

The Local wrote on January 24:

“Vice Chancellor and the leader of Germany’s Social Democrats, Sigmar Gabriel, made the surprise announcement on Tuesday that he would not run against Chancellor Angela Merkel in September’s general election. Gabriel told Die Zeit newspaper that he would recommend that former European Parliament president Martin Schulz take his place as SPD party chairman and candidate for chancellor.

“… Gabriel told Stern and Die Zeit that he now aimed to become foreign minister, replacing Frank-Walter Steinmeier who is expected to be elected German president next month… The news… came as a shock to political observers in Berlin…”

Deutsche Welle wrote on January 24:

“Until now, Schulz has been a European politician: He was a European parliamentarian… and served as the president of the European Parliament from 2012 to 2017. But now, Schulz has come into the fold as a national politician in Germany…

“His… character… makes him a popular guest on talk shows. Schulz rarely avoids a confrontation, but that may also be what makes the 62-year-old seem so surprisingly fresh when it comes to debating political issues at home in Germany…

“Schulz has proven time and again, in Brussels and Strasbourg, that he can pack a punch on the issues that will confront him in German domestic politics… Schulz’s clear words are perhaps also why he is so surprisingly popular.

“According to the latest opinion polls, he is as popular among Germans as Chancellor Angela Merkel of the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU). He is also far more popular than SPD leader and current Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel…”

Deutsche Welle wrote on January 25:

“By naming former EU Parliament President Martin Schulz to run against Angela Merkel for chancellorship, the Social Democrats are back in the game… [They] have started the election year with a bang…

“Martin Schulz, the new chancellor candidate, is someone who is able to match Merkel in terms of popularity, and comes closer to her as a rival for the chancellorship than any other Social Democrat in the last decade. He is a proven supporter of Europe and a great communicator who is able to attack fiercely as well as defend himself with confidence…

“For the voters, the Social Democrats have suddenly become visible again… It is all about showing the Germans that it truly makes a difference who they vote for, that the main parties are not all the same. But one thing is unchanged: a firm commitment to Europe. Amongst the parties represented in the federal parliament in Berlin, there is no room for the nationalism that is growing in parts of Europe and the world – not even in an election year… After years of weakness, the Social Democrats now have a chance to show themselves as a real alternative for Germany.”

Incredulity and Outrage in Germany over Donald Trump

The Financial Times wrote on January 16:

“Donald Trump’s latest verbal assault on Germany, Nato and the EU is forcing the continent’s politicians to consider a challenge they hoped never to confront: dealing with the first US president since the war to champion European disintegration.

“Weeks of wait-and-see thinking in Europe’s diplomatic capitals were blown away on Monday with a gust of plain-speaking rhetoric disparaging the pillars of the transatlantic relationship, and one of Washington’s closest traditional allies. While Angela Merkel’s government tried to turn down the political temperature after Mr Trump’s interviews with The Times and Bild, it was impossible to contain the anger in Berlin at their chancellor being mentioned in the same breath as Vladimir Putin of Russia, let alone being blamed for co-opting the EU and accelerating its destruction with her refugee policy.

“Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Germany’s foreign minister, said Mr Trump’s comments were met with ‘astonishment’, adding that he heard first-hand the ‘concern’ of Jens Stoltenberg, the Nato secretary-general. Norbert Röttgen, chairman of the Bundestag’s foreign affairs committee, told the Financial Times that Mr Trump’s remarks showed ‘the west’s political unity doesn’t play any role for him’.

“The full ramifications of a real volte-face in Washington’s European outlook are difficult to imagine. The US has been integral to Europe’s postwar security and trade arrangements that have made the Atlantic one of the world’s most lucrative trade corridors.

“The question in Brussels is whether Mr Trump’s agitation for more ‘great’ Brexit moments will amplify the EU’s divisions and challenges, or galvanise the union against a perceived common threat. ‘Donald Trump is calling for Europe’s dislocation: that is not acceptable!’ said Manuel Valls, France’s former prime minister and a centre-left candidate in its presidential elections. ‘We Europeans must be united and say who we are.’

“Should member states rally round, it could have far-reaching implications, not just in rekindling a willingness to integrate in areas such as defence, but also in reinforcing the EU’s resolve to ensure Brexit is a warning to those who may consider leaving. ‘The more they will see the UK looking to the US the more they will want to stick together,’ said one senior EU diplomat closely involved in Brexit talks. ‘The premium on EU unity for the German chancellor is now greater than ever. She is aware of Germany’s special responsibility.’

“Like many in Berlin, Mr Röttgen said he had hoped Mr Trump would soften his approach as his inauguration neared. ‘But he hasn’t changed at all. He says what he said on the campaign trail . . . The fact that he regards Nato as obsolete and that it doesn’t bother him if the EU is split shows he doesn’t care about the west’s unity.’

“For the few European politicians who have been in contact with Mr Trump since the elections… the worrying signs were evident. In a post-election telephone call with Donald Tusk, the European Council president, Mr Trump’s first question was apparently which EU country was ‘leaving next’, according to diplomats familiar with the conversation. Should this view be reflected in Trump policy, it would mark a revolution in US relations with Europe’s main powers, overturning what had been a historically crucial role in bringing together a war-torn continent.

“… With his cheerleading for Brexit, Mr Trump is threatening to act as an agent of division.

“Anti-establishment parties in Italy seized on Mr Trump’s iconoclastic remarks. ‘Trump and Putin say “Nato is obsolete and ill-equipped to fight Islamist terrorism”. I completely agree,’ tweeted Matteo Salvini, the leader of the Northern League.

“Manlio di Stefano, a senior lawmaker from the Five Star Movement on foreign affairs, tweeted an image of Mr Trump’s Bild interview and wrote: ‘The world is changing from east to west, the status quo is being shaken in every way and we are part of that change.’…

“Jean-Marc Ayrault, the French foreign minister, said the EU must stand united in the face of Mr Trump’s comments. ‘The best response is European unity,’ he said. ‘As is the case with Brexit, the best way of defending Europe, which is rather what Mr Trump has invited us to do, is to remain united, to remain as a bloc, not to forget that the strength of the Europeans lies in their unity.’”

Mr. Trump’s stance on many political issues will force Europe to unite against the USA… which has long been prophesied in the Bible to occur.

German Leaders Dismayed and Bewildered by Trump Interview

Deutsche Welle reported on January 16:

“Across the board German politicians, including Angela Merkel, and policy experts have sharply criticized a pair of controversial Donald Trump interviews… There was an immediate political outcry against Trump’s characterization of NATO as ‘obsolete’ and ineffective against terrorism as well as his contention that most members failed to pay their fair share of the costs…

“Trump threatened to impose a 35 percent punitive import tax on BMW for any cars made outside the US but intended for the American market… German trade and industry representatives reacted strongly against the suggested tax…

“SPD defense spokesman Rainer Arnold says that there was no reason to hope for a more centrist President Trump. ‘Anyone who thought Trump would be more moderate after he was elected will find himself disappointed,’ Arnold told DW. ‘He is what he is: an irresponsible egomaniac. I see no cause to believe that he’ll become reasonable. I think it will be a terrible presidency.’”

German President Gauck Warns

The Local wrote on January 18:

“Outgoing President Joachim Gauck warned in a talk on Wednesday that his country’s democracy is at risk amid major international shifts, including Donald Trump becoming US President on Friday… Gauck will leave his office on March 18th, and his successor will be chosen on February 12^th… Gauck argued that Germany and Europe must strengthen their defence efforts so that they wouldn’t become a kind of toy to be tossed around according to others’ interests.”

EU Nations Show Defiance for Trump

The Associated Press wrote on January 16:

“European Union nations bracing for the looming Donald Trump presidency showed defiance Monday in the face of the president-elect’s stinging comments on everything from NATO and German cars to the crumbling of the EU itself… German Chancellor Angela Merkel insisted: ‘We Europeans have our fate in our own hands’…

“Although Trump had made similar statements about NATO during his election campaign, his recent comments still came as a bit of a surprise since his choice for defense secretary, retired Marine Gen. James Mattis, stressed his support for the NATO military alliance in his U.S. congressional confirmation hearing last week. Trump’s views, in an interview published Monday with German daily Bild and The Times of London, contradict Mattis…

“There have even been fears the U.S. military commitment to Europe would wane under Trump… Whatever his goal, Trump’s comments were strong enough to make him the talk of the town in European capitals…”

Reaction with Fury, Dismay and Concern

The Daily Mail wrote on January 17:

“German politicians have reacted with fury after Donald Trump lashed out at Angela Merkel’s ‘catastrophic’ open-door migration policy and threatened to slap tariffs on imported cars… Mr Trump added that he thought the entire EU had become a ‘vehicle’ for Germany… BMW said it would press ahead with plans for a factory in Mexico despite the Trump threat…”

BBC added on January 16:

“Donald Trump’s comments have caused dismay, concern – but perhaps not surprise – in Berlin. Few expected the new transatlantic relationship to echo the warm and trusting alliance nurtured by Angela Merkel and Barack Obama, who was a vocal supporter of Mrs Merkel’s refugee policy.

“There is anger, too. Germany’s outspoken Vice-Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel retorted that the migrant crisis was the result of ‘faulty, interventionist American policies in the Mediterranean and Middle East’. ‘That Mr Trump should take aim at Germany’s car manufacturers has also raised eyebrows… Germans were largely unimpressed by Mr Trump during his election campaign and now, despite his own German heritage, the president-elect is doing little to endear himself.”

“France Hits Back at Trump’s ‘Declaration of War’ on Europe”

The Local wrote on January 17:

“The president of France and his former prime minister have let their feelings be known about US President Elect Donald Trump’s criticism of the EU. Former French prime minister Manuel Valls said Trump’s remarks amounted to a ‘declaration of war on Europe’… French President Francois Hollande replied bluntly on Monday to Donald Trump’s criticism of the European Union, saying the EU ‘has no need for outside advice’ on its affairs.”

Europe Must Act Now

The EUObserver wrote on January 18:

“In a recent Atlantic interview, Henry Kissinger argued that above all, states and politicians around the world need to take the time to understand the implications of a Trump administration. He predicted that a ‘frenzy of studying’ will now take place in an effort to formulate a response to this year’s election. The European Union (EU), however, cannot afford the luxury of a period of reflection. Trump’s election has serious implications for European states and far too much is at stake for Europe to simply wish him well and hope for the best.

“European states must pay attention to what Donald Trump has been saying about European affairs and be prepared to take the necessary precautions. On the issue of European security, Trump is correct. Europe has developed a habit of relying on the US to make its tough foreign policy decisions… Now, European leaders must prepare for its worst-case scenario: a Russia-friendly, isolationist US willing to accept that Europe, to some extent, falls under the Kremlin’s sphere of influence…

“Overall, EU states have seen a trend of decreasing defence spending. Even with the rise of the Islamic State (IS) militant group and escalating Russian aggression, only the Baltic states, Poland, the Netherlands and Romania have increased their defence spending.  Five other states – the UK, Italy, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Germany – have decreased their defence budget…

“As Europeans, we should have long been ashamed for letting a valued and loyal partner, which the US has been for over half a century, pick up the cheque for our security. Now we simply have no other choice but to act.

“Secondly, EU defence cooperation must step up… We have already seen successful examples of multinational cooperation in defence in Europe, such as the Benesam programme, a naval cooperation agreement between the Netherlands and Belgium. Multinational EU battlegroups have existed since 2006, even though they have never been tested in combat. The EU also possesses its own military headquarters, the Eurocorps, although it is in effect a command post with no soldiers.  In short, the infrastructure is, to a large extent, already in place. It is time to connect these disjointed dots.

“… the mere election of Donald Trump, an anti-internationalist who has questioned the US commitment to Nato, undermines this basis of NATO’s credibility and our security. For this reason, we must come to terms with the fact that Nato, or at least Nato as an American-backed project, may not in the future form the cornerstone of European security…”

“The World at the Eve of Trump”

The New York Times wrote on January 16:

“The Germans are angry. The Chinese are downright furious. Leaders of NATO are nervous, while their counterparts at the European Union are alarmed.

“Just days before he is sworn into office, President-elect Donald J. Trump has again focused his penchant for unpredictable disruption on the rest of the world. His remarks in a string of discursive and sometimes contradictory interviews have escalated tensions with China while also infuriating allies and institutions critical to America’s traditional leadership of the West.

“No one knows where exactly he is headed — except that the one country he is not criticizing is Russia and its president, Vladimir V. Putin. For now. And that he is an enthusiastic cheerleader of Brexit and an unaffiliated Britain. For now.

“Mr. Trump’s unpredictability is perhaps his most predictable characteristic. The world is accustomed to his provocative Twitter messages, but is less clear about whether his remarks represent meaningful new policy guidelines, personal judgments or passing whims…

“The barrage of inflammatory comments in joint interviews published Sunday and Monday in Britain and Germany elicited alarm and outrage in Europe… nearly everyone agreed that Mr. Trump had made trouble…

“For good measure, Mr. Trump had also infuriated China by using an interview on Friday with The Wall Street Journal to again question China’s longstanding One China policy. It holds that Taiwan is an inalienable part of the mainland. On Monday, China’s foreign ministry spokeswoman, Hua Chunying, said that anyone trying to use the status of Taiwan for negotiations would be ‘smashing their feet by lifting a rock’ and would face broad and strong opposition from the Chinese government and people, as well as the international community. She added that ‘not everything in the world can be bargained or traded off’…

“Mr. Trump’s interviews in Europe have placed him right in the middle of the Continent’s most contentious issues. His critique of German dominance over the European Union is hardly a novel thought; many Europeans share the same complaints. But what is startling is how an incoming American president would make such a statement about a key ally and, in doing so, give succor to populist parties seeking to shatter the European political establishment…”

“Don’t You Dare! EU Warns Britain There Can Be No Trade Talks With US Until After Brexit”

Express wrote on January 16:

“In a series of blunt remarks, Brussels’ foreign minister Federica Mogherini said it was ‘absolutely clear’ that the UK cannot negotiate with Donald Trump’s administration on even an informal basis until it has fully left the bloc. And she got in a sly dig at Theresa May over how long it has taken the Government to trigger Article 50, questioning why Britain was ‘still here’ seven months after voters chose to quit the troubled bloc.

“The Italian eurocrat made the remarks as she gave a press conference on the outcomes of today’s meeting of foreign ministers in Brussels, where discussions were dominated by the ongoing conflicts in Syria and Gaza. She was quizzed about US President-elect Mr Trump’s remarks in a bombshell interview that he did not care if the entire EU collapsed and that he will prioritise relations with Britain over those with Brussels in stark contrast to the outgoing Obama administration.

“Ms Mogherini said she was sure that the European Union will ‘stick together’ even with a eurosceptic president in the White House…

“Unprompted, she then responded to Mr Tump’s promise to strike a trade deal with a newly independent Britain as soon as possible, insisting that Brussels would block any talks on an agreement for as long as the UK continues to be an EU member… And asked about the future of EU-US relations Ms Mogherini was notably lukewarm, suggesting that Brussels has come to terms with the fact that it is going to enjoy a much less fruitful transatlantic partnership as that it has enjoyed under Mr Obama… she added: ‘The EU has its own solid, autonomous, strong polices which are not determined elsewhere than in the places where the EU member states and institutions meet.  ‘We always like to be in good company but we determine our policies by ourselves…’”

Theresa May’s Brexit Plan Not Possible?

Express wrote on January 17:

“The Prime Minister has outlined her European divorce strategy, where she declared Britain will leave the single market as she looks to prioritise regaining control of national borders and slowing immigration. She promised to end the UK’s ‘vast contributions’ to the bloc, but said that she will push for the ‘greatest possible’ access to the single market after Brexit.

“But Michael Fuchs, Mrs Merkel’s senior economic adviser, has warned it will not be possible to strike such as arrangement, as he said Brussels will block Britain from cherry picking its desired access…

“Mr Fuchs insisted Brussels had to be ‘pretty tough’ on the UK, because if they made it too easy for a country to leave the Union it would allow other countries to do the same. ‘This we don’t want, we want to stay together, we want to be a very strong European Union together so it is necessary that we follow our common rules,’ Mr Fuch said.”

The Local wrote on January 18:

“After talks with Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni in Berlin, the leader of Europe’s top economy said that the remaining EU member states would enter into the negotiations with London with a united front… Looking to Gentiloni, Merkel said that Germany and Italy would ‘closely coordinate’ with each other and with ‘our respective industrial sectors’ as the Brexit talks progressed. ‘I am not worried that we won’t stand together – the most important thing is that Europe won’t let itself be divided and we will ensure this with very close contact,’ she said.”

Italian Tajani Wins Run-Off Vote for Presidency of European Parliament

Deutsche Welle wrote on January 17:

“Long-time Italian commissioner to the EU Antonio Tajani has won the run-off vote to become the new president of the European Parliament. He beat Gianni Pittella in a final run-off vote… His victory followed a pact which was made between his center-right European People’s Party (EPP) group and the liberals, led by Brexit negotiator and former Belgian premier Guy Verhofstadt…

“Tajani’s EPP group is made up of Christian democratic and liberal-conservative politicians including European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, European Council President Donald Tusk and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Tajani’s victory gives the EPP control of all three presidencies of the major EU political institutions…

“The 63-year-old Tajani is a former spokesman for ‘Forza Italia’ political leader and ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi who went on to serve as Italy’s European commissioner for two successive mandates, first for transport and then for industry. His candidacy became stronger following an agreement between Manfred Weber, the German MEP who leads the EPP group and Verhofstadt, the ALDE leader, who withdrew his own candidacy for president in favor of the new alliance…

“The liberal support for Tajani was based on a commitment to set up a group to reflect on the future of the EU, as well as a new committee on EU police cooperation.”

It is rather amusing and at the same time embarrassing to reflect on the ill-informed and ignorant pro-Brexit media, especially in the UK and in the USA, predicting that Italy would leave the EU—considering that the next President of the European Parliament “happens” to be an Italian… and not only that, but also a former spokesman of controversial right-wing Italian ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi.

“‘Lunacy’: US Ambassador Warns of Trump Backing EU Breakup”

Deutsche Welle wrote on January 13:

“The outgoing US ambassador to the European Union on Friday warned President-elect Donald Trump’s administration of supporting the [European] bloc’s breakup, saying it would be ‘sheer folly.’ ‘To think that by supporting the fragmentation of Europe we would be advancing our interests would be sheer folly. It is lunacy,’ said US Ambassador Anthony Gardner at a final press conference.

“… Gardner called on German Chancellor Angela Merkel, along with other European leaders who have influence, to ensure Trump’s administration understands the EU stands together for the bloc’s cohesion and integrity.

“… German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday… called on EU member states to remain unified…”

The paradox is that a unified European bloc is not in the best interest of the United States, but neither the Obama nor the Trump administration understand the reason. Regardless, the European bloc will become unified in a much stronger way than ever before.

EU Opposed to US Move of Embassy to Jerusalem

The Associated Press reported on January 16:

“European Union foreign ministers on Monday opposed any plan by President-elect Donald Trump to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and warned that it could ratchet up tensions with the Arab world.

“‘It is very important for us all to refrain from unilateral actions, especially those that can have serious consequences in large sectors of public opinion in large parts of the world,’ EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini told reporters after chairing their talks in Brussels… ‘We will for sure not move our delegation. That is in Tel Aviv,’ Mogherini said… Mogherini said that the EU would continue to respect the international consensus that embassies shouldn’t be based in Jerusalem…”

Nikki Haley, Nominated US Ambassador to the UN, Supports Move of US Embassy to Jerusalem

The Associated Press reported on January 18:

“South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley pledged her support for moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a shift firmly endorsed by Donald Trump but one that could trigger more violence in the Middle East. Haley, Trump’s pick to be the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday that she ‘absolutely’ backs the embassy move because that’s what Israel and congressional Republicans want…

“During the hearing, Haley assailed the Obama administration for failing to block a U.N. Security Council resolution that condemned Israel’s settlements in east Jerusalem and the West Bank. She pledged to reject future measures that she said unfairly targeted the Jewish state, if the Senate confirms her nomination. Haley said she won’t go to U.N. headquarters in New York and ‘abstain when the U.N. seeks to create an international environment that encourages boycotts of Israel.’ She told the committee the U.N. resolution was ‘a terrible mistake’ that makes a peace agreement between the Israelis and the Palestinians harder to achieve.

“Haley also said the U.N. has a ‘long history of anti-Israel bias,’ and that during the most recent U.N. General Assembly session, the international body adopted 20 resolutions against Israel ‘and only six targeting the rest of the world’s countries combined.’”

Great Britain Breaks Ranks with Europe over Israel

JTA wrote on January 17:

“Two days after delegates from more than 70 nations attended the Paris summit on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, it is clear that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was wrong to label the meeting ‘useless’… it was neither insignificant nor useless from Israel’s point of view. The summit saw Great Britain break ranks with the countries that did attend in a move that pleased Israel and perhaps the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump.

“Instead of demonstrating international consensus as intended by France under President Francois Hollande, the summit turned into a showdown between France and the United Kingdom over Israel. In an unprecedented manner, the rift exposed disagreements within a brittle European Union that is bracing for potentially turbulent relations with the United States under Trump.

“The first sign of dissent happened before the summit even began, when the United Kingdom dispatched only junior diplomats. By contrast, Hollande attended, as did 36 foreign ministers, including the U.S. secretary of state, John Kerry. Then, the United Kingdom, along with Australia, declined to join 70 other nations in co-signing a relatively mild statement about preserving the two-state solution, even though it matched positions long supported by the British government – including in its rejection of ‘continued acts of violence and ongoing settlement activity’ and the call for ‘meaningful direct negotiations.’

“It was a stunning about-face that even caught longtime observers of Anglo-Israeli relations by surprise… The British ‘snub’ — as The Guardian termed it — of the Paris peace summit pleased Israeli diplomats…

“The British position was highly unexpected — especially in light of Britain’s leading role, as Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson described it, in drafting and passing on Dec. 23 a U.N. Security Council resolution critical of Israeli settlements. Using far harsher language than that of the summit declaration, the U.N. resolution condemned Israeli settlements as a ‘flagrant violation of international law.’

“Trump has called for the United Kingdom to veto any further action on Israel at the United Nations… Whereas Kerry avidly supported the summit, members of Trump’s transition team signaled their disapproval to French officials, according to The Guardian. The newspaper suggested that May ordered the Paris snub to align her policy with that of Trump…”

Neither Obama nor Trump Honorary Jewish Presidents

The Times of Israel wrote on January 17:

“Beginning with Barack Obama, and now Donald Trump, American presidents seem to so totally identify with aspects of Jewishness that their Jewish supporters regard them, only half ironically, as honorary Jews. That is precisely how Obama described himself in a 2015 speech to the Washington DC congregation, Adas Israel – ‘an honorary member of the tribe, not to mention somebody who’s hosted seven White House seders and been advised by two Jewish chiefs of staff.’ Obama reminded his appreciative audience that a member of their congregation, Jeffrey Goldberg, had once called him ‘the first Jewish president’ – an epithet, he said, that ‘flattered’ him.

“And now we have a new contender for the title. A recent op-ed on the Fox News website predicted that Donald Trump would so vigorously defend Jewish interests that he may well become ‘the first Jewish president.’ And while Obama can boast of two Jewish chiefs of staff, two of Trump’s closest political advisors are observant Jews who also happen to be his daughter and son-in-law.

“Trump’s Jewish opponents would of course be appalled by the notion that a man who for them embodies the antithesis of Jewish values could be regarded as an honorary member of the tribe. No less, Obama’s Jewish opponents have been galled by the honorary Jewishness bestowed on a man they regard as the greatest threat to Israel’s well-being to ever sit in the White House…

“Both Obama and Trump deeply identify with only one part of the Jewish community. And it is precisely that profound identification with ‘his’ Jews that leads each man to resent those Jews in the opposing camp for betraying authentic Jewish values and interests…

“Obama was in effect claiming the right to define Jewish values. Being pro-Palestinian, along with being pro-Israel, he insisted, was the most authentic expression of Judaism. For right-wing Jews, of course, other Jewish values – the historic Jewish claim to the land of Israel, the security needs of the Jewish state – supersede Palestinian claims…

“The intense identification of Obama and Trump with opposing Jewish camps is a dangerous blessing. Affection for the ‘good Jews’ can readily turn into contempt for the ‘bad Jews,’ who betray the particular aspect of Jewishness each man has embraced.

“That dynamic helps explain the depth of Obama’s antipathy toward Prime Minister Netanyahu… Obama, honorary member of the tribe, detests Netanyahu with the resentment of a liberal Jew…

“For many Jews, the primary threat comes from the far left, which seeks to isolate and demonize Israel. For other Jews, though, the threat comes from the far right, revitalized and legitimized by Trump’s rise. There is ample hypocrisy on both left and right… Like Obama, Trump will pursue his own agenda – sometimes overlapping with a Jewish agenda, and sometimes fatefully clashing.

“Obama’s legacy is a decimated Middle East, along with the unleashing of an imperial Iran that remains on the nuclear threshold. As for Trump, he has already created a legacy – a vulgarized politics, a society poisoned against itself. Candidate Trump declared war against precisely those pluralistic values that have allowed American Jewry to become the most successful Diaspora in Jewish history.

“Neither man is worthy of Jewish adulation…”

Even under the Trump presidency, the relationship between the USA and Israel WILL deteriorate.

Did the American CIA and the British MI6 Plan to Destroy Donald Trump?

The Daily Mail wrote on January 14:

“Over the years, many American presidents have found themselves at odds with their spy chiefs. John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton are three notorious examples. But there’s never been anything like the current open warfare between President-elect Donald Trump and the Central Intelligence Agency. Weeks of simmering hostility exploded into the open on Wednesday when he accused intelligence chiefs of licensing the publication of false claims about his allegedly depraved sexual practices. Trump is now engaged in a fight to the death with the CIA, the independent agency responsible for providing national security intelligence to the White House and senior U.S. policy-makers…

“Crucially, this isn’t just an issue that affects the United States — it is one of global importance whose outcome will affect all of us. Also, it is a high-stakes drama which directly involves Britain, and in particular our foreign intelligence service, MI6. We have learnt that Christopher Steele, a former MI6 officer who reportedly once headed the agency’s Russian desk at MI6 headquarters in Vauxhall Cross, South London, was the mastermind behind the dossier of lurid accusations about Trump’s activities in a Moscow hotel suite.

“Whether true or not, the material suggests that the Kremlin has other documentation which it could use to blackmail Trump. Meanwhile, the American tycoon-turned-politician is accused of being too friendly with Russian businessmen and Kremlin power-brokers. Either way, this is an unprecedented position for an American president to be in…

“British spy chiefs gave the green light to a scheme intended to destroy the man who would be President of the United States of America…

“MI6 is licensed by the British government to break the law and carry out illicit acts on the assumption that it always acts in the British national interest. This is allowed under the Intelligence Services Act 1994.  But why meddle mischievously with Washington? As always, it is overwhelmingly in Britain’s interest to develop and maintain excellent relations with the American government…

“MI6 has an exceptionally close and strong relationship with the CIA (an organisation which British intelligence officers helped to create in the immediate aftermath of World War II)… there is little question that the CIA has two massive concerns about Trump as president. First, it fears he is mentally unbalanced and therefore could pose a threat to American national security. Second, the CIA is appalled at his determination to seek a rapprochement with Vladimir Putin. For these two reasons, there are people inside the CIA who would love to see the unpredictable tycoon replaced by vice-president-elect Mike Pence, a man who they feel they can work with.

“Of course, it is well-known that the CIA has an infamous record of plotting coups d’etats against democratically elected governments in other countries — for example, in the early-Fifties when it helped the Iranian military overthrow premier Mohammad Mosaddeq and reinstate the Shah, and the ousting of Chile’s president Salvador Allende in 1973. The atmosphere is currently so feverish in Washington that there are well-informed people who now believe that the CIA is contemplating a version of the same thing in America itself. This would be a truly appalling — and stupid — course of action. It would be incredibly foolish for MI6 even to be seen to be part of it.

“… what if Donald Trump faces down the CIA? Then, he will never forgive or forget the fact that Britain played such a squalid role in trying to stop him getting to the White House. The damage to Britain’s standing in the world would be permanent, and Christopher Steele’s dossier of sexual depravity will go down as an MI6 catastrophe on the same scale as the agency’s fabricated dossier on Iraq’s supposed weapons of mass destruction…

“2016 was certainly a remarkable year. But the first days of 2017 have been yet more extraordinary… There is good reason today to feel more afraid than at any time since the Thirties.”

More Earthquakes in Italy

The Telegraph reported on January 18:

“Italy was hit by four earthquakes in four hours on Wednesday, bringing fear and foreboding to the same mountainous region that was struck by deadly tremors last year. The four quakes, which came in quick succession, caused buildings to collapse… They affected already badly-damaged towns and villages in the regions of Abruzzo, Lazio and Marche, where around 300 people lost their lives last August. The area is blanketed in heavy snow after unusually severe winter weather over the last week. Snowstorms made the job of emergency services even harder than usual, with vehicles struggling to reach remote areas to check on mountain villages and outlying farms.

“The quakes were so strong that they caused buildings in distant Rome to shake, with office workers rushing out onto the streets, schools ordered to close and the metro temporarily suspended. The first tremor happened at 10.25am local time, with the last felt shortly after 2.30pm. The magnitudes of the quakes varied between 5.3 and 5.7… The earthquakes compounded an already difficult situation.  The bad weather has left around 100,000 people without power, and there were warnings of possible avalanches.”

Deadly Avalanche Follows Four Earthquakes, Heavy Snowfall and Flooding in Italy

Deutsche Welle wrote on January 19:

“Italian rescue services fear many people have died after an avalanche plowed into a ski hotel in central Italy on Wednesday evening… The affected hotel Rigopiano is located in the mountain town of Farindola on the lower sections of the Gran Sasso mountain in Abruzzo, a region hit by several powerful earthquakes on Wednesday… on top of the avalanche, heavy snow and power outages across the region stretched human resources, making it difficult to respond to requests for assistance and isolating numerous towns and villages…

“This week, Abruzzo, which straddles the Apennine mountain range, witnessed snowfall of up to 4 meters (13.1 feet), four strong earthquakes and rains that have led to flooding in some areas. Local residents of impacted areas reported fuel and food shortages… The heavy snowfall in Abruzzo has blocked road access to the Rigopiano hotel, forcing ambulances to remain parked some 9 kilometers (5.5 miles) away… mountain rescue crews only reached the hotel around 4:30 a.m. local time on Wednesday morning after a 10-kilometer (6-mile) cross-country ski trek.

“The force of the avalanche moved the hotel some 10 meters (33 feet). Images from the Central Emergency and Rescue Department’s Twitter account showed the three-story hotel nearly entirely covered by snow. In police helicopter video footage, the hotel is also nearly impossible to distinguish from the snow-covered mountainside it sits on…

“It is not yet clear whether Wednesday’s earthquakes triggered the avalanche…”

Deutsche Welle wrote in a follow-up article:

“Hopes are dwindling over 24 hours after an avalanche struck a luxury mountain hotel in Italy, burying at least 30 people under tons of snow and debris. So far, rescue authorities say they have recovered just two bodies. Rescuers report no signs of life at [the hotel].”

Outrage in Germany About Speech by a Leading AfD Representative

AFP wrote on January 18:

“A leading member of German right-wing populist party AfD sparked an outcry Wednesday by criticising the Holocaust memorial in Berlin and calling for the country to stop atoning for its Nazi past. Bjoern Hoecke’s comments also exposed a damaging split in the anti-immigration party, just months before Germany heads to the polls.  ‘Up to now, our state of mind is still one of a totally defeated people… We Germans, our people, are the only people in the world who have planted a monument of shame in the heart of the capital,’ Hoecke told party faithful including youth members… ‘We need nothing less than a 180-degree shift in the politics of remembrance,’ he said in the remarks on Tuesday to chants of ‘Germany, Germany’.

“‘Instead of introducing younger generations to home-grown ‘internationally-acclaimed philosophers, musicians and ingenious inventors… German history has been made lousy and ridiculous,’ he complained, winning a standing ovation from the crowd. ‘There is no moral responsibility to make yourself disappear,’ said Hoecke, who was a high school sports and history teacher, adding that Germany should instead ‘build up a positive relationship with our history’.

“The comments were met with an instant uproar, with Social Democrat vice chief Ralf Stegner accusing Hoecke of making a ‘hate incitement speech’ — which is illegal in Germany — that called for history to be rewritten. Chairwoman of the Greens party Simone Peter said the comments were ‘unspeakable’ and demanded an apology from the AfD to Jews. Germany’s Central Council of Jews also lashed out, accusing the politician of trampling on six million Jewish Holocaust victims murdered by the Nazis. ‘The AfD has shown its real face with these anti-Semitic and extremely hostile words,’ said the council’s chairman Josef Schuster, adding that he ‘never thought that 70 years after the Holocaust, a politician in Germany could say such things’.

“… The case also exposed a rift within the party. AfD co-leader Frauke Petry told Young Freedom weekly that the episode showed that ‘Hoecke has become a burden on the party with his go-it-alone attitude and constant sniping’. But deputy chief Alexander Gauland defended the politician, telling national news agency DPA that Hoecke had ‘in no manner criticised the remembrance of the Holocaust’.

“In a post on Facebook on Wednesday, Hoecke also insisted that he had been misinterpreted and that he ‘described the Holocaust… as a shame for our people’.

“The AfD had started out as an anti-euro party, but has since morphed into an anti-immigration outfit railing against Chancellor Angela Merkel’s liberal refugee policy that brought some 890,000 refugees to Germany in 2015 alone. The party, which disputes the place of Islam in Germany, is polling nationwide at around 12 to 15 percent ahead of general elections. Hoecke, who is a regional deputy in the eastern state of Thuringia, is viewed as one of the most right-leaning leaders of the populist party. In December 2015, he sparked outrage when he said that the ‘reproductive behaviour of Africans’ could be a threat for Germany…”

Outrageous Anti-Semitic Decisions by German Courts in Wuppertal

The Washington Times wrote on January 13:

“A German regional court has ruled that three men who used Molotov cocktails in July 2014 to torch a synagogue were not influenced by anti-Semitism.

“A Wuppertal judge last Friday upheld a lower court’s 2015 ruling that German-Palestinians convicted of arson against the city’s synagogue did so merely to ‘criticize Israel’ and ‘bring attention to the Gaza conflict’… ‘What do Jews in Germany have to do with the Middle East conflict? Every bit as much as Christians, non-religious people or Muslims in Germany, namely, absolutely nothing,’ said Volker Beck, a leading Green Party MP, after the lower court’s initial ruling, JP reported. ‘The ignorance of the judiciary toward anti-Semitism is for many Jews in Germany especially alarming.’

“This [is] not the first time Wuppertal’s court system has made national news in a story linked to Islam. Its district court judges ruled last November that gangs of men who harangued citizens in 2014 while wearing ‘shariah police’ vests did not break any laws. A judge ruled that there was no ‘intimidating effect’ from the group’s behavior, which was headed by extremist preacher Sven Lau, Deutsche Welle reported Nov. 21, 2016.”

“Why Germany Just Legalized Medical Marijuana”

The Local wrote on January 19:

“The German parliament (Bundestag) passed a law on Thursday that officially makes marijuana legal for medicinal purposes. Patients suffering from serious illness, such as multiple sclerosis, chronic pain, serious appetite loss or nausea from chemotherapy, will now be able to receive prescriptions from their doctors for medical marijuana. ‘Seriously ill people must be treated in the best ways possible,’ said Health Minister Hermann Gröhe, who proposed the law.

“Up until now, only certain people with serious medical conditions could be granted permission to use the drug for self therapy, and the bar was set fairly high. Only around 1,000 people in the whole country currently have been given permission to use the drug. The new law will expand this and eventually allow cannabis products to be grown under state supervision. Private producers could also apply, but the requirements for approval would be very strict.

“When the law will be implemented in March, health insurance providers will have to cover the costs of cannabis used to treat, for example, pain or lack of appetite.

“But proponents of the law don’t all see it as opening up the way for recreational use. Federal Drug Commissioner Marlene Mortler of the conservative Christian Social Union (CSU) said on Monday that in her view, increasing access by allowing for recreational use would also increase consumption of the drug – which she would not want. ‘Cannabis as a medicine is certainly not a miracle drug,’ Mortler said. ‘But everyone should have the right to have it paid for when it helps.’”

Female Shark Reproduces Without Males After Years Alone

New Scientist wrote on January 16:

“Leonie the zebra shark (Stegostoma fasciatum) met her male partner at an aquarium in Townsville, Australia, in 1999. They had more than two dozen offspring together before he was moved to another tank in 2012. From then on, Leonie did not have any male contact. But in early 2016, she had three baby sharks.

“Intrigued, Christine Dudgeon at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, and her colleagues began fishing for answers. One possibility was that Leonie had been storing sperm from her ex and using it to fertilise her eggs. But genetic testing showed that the babies only carried DNA from their mum, indicating they had been conceived via asexual reproduction.

“Some vertebrate species have the ability to reproduce asexually even though they normally reproduce sexually. These include certain sharks, turkeys, Komodo dragons, snakes and rays… There are very few reports of asexual reproduction occurring in females with previous sexual histories… An eagle ray and a boa constrictor, both in captivity, are the only other female animals that have been documented switching from sexual to asexual reproduction…

“In sharks, asexual reproduction can occur when a female’s egg is fertilised by an adjacent cell known as a polar body… This also contains the female’s genetic material, leading to ‘extreme inbreeding’…”

We won’t even dare trying to explain this.