Events over the past months have exposed a very stark divide between the globalist, collectivist, “woke” authorities of Europe and the Make America Great Again (MAGA) patriot movement here in the United States. To be frank, it is almost as if the snide, effete elitists who control the nations of the European continent want to rub our noses in their horror show.
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Commentary: Foreign Censorship Threatens American Free Speech
On the eve of a highly-anticipated live X “Spaces” conversation between Elon Musk and former president Donald Trump, the powerful European Union Commissioner Thierry Breton warned in August that authorities would be “monitoring” the conversation for “content that may incite violence, hate, and racism.”
While reminding Musk that the EU was already investigating X for alleged failures “to combat disinformation,” Breton said he and his colleagues “will not hesitate to make full use of our toolbox … to protect EU citizens from serious harm.”
Read MoreCommentary: America Leaving NATO Would Be Good for Itself and Europe
Donald Trump resumed his role as the “wise fool” in recent, off-the-cuff remarks about NATO. He suggested that free-riding NATO members who do not pay their fair share might have to fight Russia on their own. National security hawks and Trump’s media enemies responded with lots of pious talk about our sacred NATO obligations. Joe Biden even said Trump was “un-American.”
Trump is not the first to suggest NATO partners should pay their fair share. But unlike his predecessors, he is willing to employ some leverage to make it happen. The real dirty secret here, as evidenced by how long this situation has gone on, is that enabling the Europeans to neglect their own defense is a feature and not a bug of America’s dominance over the NATO organization.
Read MoreProtesting Farmers Successfully Bully EU into Scrapping New Environmental Regulations
The European Union (EU) is withdrawing a pesticide proposal amid protests by farmers against environmental regulations, The Associated Press reported.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the decision Tuesday to suspend a regulation that aimed to cut pesticide and similar chemical use in half by 2030, according to The Guardian. The move is the latest concession by the EU to farmers who have staged sweeping protests across the member nations against environmental regulations they feel are hurting their livelihoods.
Read MoreCommentary: As Europe Falls into a Woke Dark Ages, One Nation Shines
You hear a lot about Hungary these days. To be fair, Prime Minister Viktor Orban does upset the delicate sensibilities of the progressive liberals. It is only natural then for Americans to wonder about this distant land that has become a prickling thorn in the side of the globalist Left.
An “age of discovery in reverse” has started, as intellectuals from Tucker Carlson through Jordan Peterson to Micheal Knowles explore for themselves the Hungarian conservative landscape in search of lessons to learn about politics and winning at the polls.
Read MoreEU Member Blocks Billions in Foreign Aid to Ukraine
Kyiv took a blow on Friday after an EU member single handedly blocked billions in aid to Ukraine.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban stonewalled all other 26 members of the EU and voted against a $50 billion aid package for Ukraine at the European Council conference in Belgium on Friday, according to Reuters. Orban also hinted he could block attempts to bring Ukraine into the EU fold as a member after the other members voted unanimously to start negotiation talks on Thursday.
Read MoreEU Moves Forward with Digital ID Despite Security Concerns and Potential for Abuse
The European Parliament and the Council of the European Union reached a final agreement this week on the establishment of “European Digital Identity Wallets,” the first central and fully digital identification system for all Europeans.
“Under the new law, the EU will offer its citizens so-called ‘digital wallets’—on a voluntary basis, at first—which will contain digital versions of their ID cards, driving licenses, diplomas, medical records, and bank account information,” the European Conservative reported.
Read MoreU.S. Gives Roughly Double What EU Provides Ukraine in Military Aid, Renewing Debate over NATO
The United States has given roughly twice as much military aid to Ukraine during the first year of Russia’s invasion as European Union countries, a disparity that has renewed debate among U.S. lawmakers.
The U.S. gave $47 billion in the first year, according Kiel Institute for the World Economy data reviewed by The New York Times.
Read MoreCommentary: What Trump’s ‘America First’ Agenda Got Right in Central Europe, Ukraine, and the Politics of Security
Russia’s invasion not only poses an existential threat to Ukrainian sovereignty, but it also represents a direct challenge to American power and credibility globally. If Vladimir Putin prevails, the promise of the United States to act as a security guarantor through NATO in Europe or on its own anywhere will be in shambles.
Moscow is clearly pursuing two goals simultaneously: territorial gains in Ukraine as part of the revanchist ambition to restore the Soviet-era sphere of influence and, more importantly, degrading American strategic prominence, with the goal of driving the United States out of Europe.
Read More‘Shortfall’: Trump Energy Secretary Casts Doubt on Biden Gas Deal with the European Union
Former Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette suggested that President Joe Biden’s recent gas deal with the European Union (EU) wouldn’t be enough to help the continent wean itself off Russian energy.
Brouillette — who served as deputy energy secretary between 2017-2019 and energy secretary between 2019-2021 — noted that the U.S. wouldn’t be able to fill the gap left by Russian energy during an interview with CNBC on Monday. He added that the EU cannot expect to consume less total energy as part of its plan to ditch Russian gas.
“Frankly, I’m not quite sure that everyone can make up that shortfall,” said Brouillette, according to CNBC. “That’s an enormous amount of gas.”
Read MoreUK, EU Leaders Reach Historic Brexit Deal After Months of Negotiations
The U.K. and the European Union agreed to a historic Brexit trade deal Thursday after months of tense negotiations and with just days left before the deadline, leaders from both sides announced.
The thousand-page trade agreement means that the U.K. can finally depart from the EU and sets up the framework for British-EU relations post-Brexit, according to The New York Times. The deal concluded more than four years of bitter Brexit negotiations after British citizens voted in favor of leaving the EU in June 2016.
Read MoreEU Files Antitrust Charges Against Amazon Over Use of Data
European Union regulators filed antitrust charges Tuesday against Amazon, accusing the e-commerce giant of using its access to data from companies that sell products on its platform to gain an unfair advantage over them.
The charges, filed two years after the bloc’s antitrust enforcer began looking into the company, are the latest effort by European regulators to curb the power of big technology companies. Margrethe Vestager, the EU commissioner in charge of competition issues, has slapped Google with antitrust fines totaling nearly $10 billion and opened twin antitrust investigations this summer into Apple. The EU’s executive Commission also opened a second investigation Tuesday into whether Amazon favors product offers and merchants that use its own logistics and delivery system.
Read MorePoland’s Populist President Duda Edges Euro-Centric Challenger Trzaskowski, Earns Second Term
Polish President Andrzej Duda declared victory Monday in a runoff election in which he narrowly won a second five-year term, acknowledging the campaign he ran was often too harsh as he appealed for unity and forgiveness.
The close race followed a bitter campaign between Duda and Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski that was dominated by cultural issues. The government, state media and the influential Roman Catholic Church all mobilized in support of Duda and sought to stoke anti-Semitism, homophobia and xenophobia in order to shore up conservative support.
Read MoreThe European Union Let China Censor Ambassador’s Op-Ed by Removing Reference to Coronavirus Originating in China
The European Union allowed the Chinese government to censor part of an op-ed by the EU ambassador to China that was published in a state newspaper, China Daily.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) insisted on censoring an op-ed by the EU ambassador to China to remove a reference to COVID-19 originating in China, an EU spokesman said Wednesday, adding that the EU acquiesced to the censorship rather than withdrawing the op-ed.
Read MoreChinese Government Pressured EU to Alter Report on Coronavirus Disinformation
The Chinese government successfully pressured European Union officials to water down language in a report that cited the communist regime’s disinformation campaign regarding the coronavirus pandemic, according to news reports.
Read MorePresident Donald Trump Temporarily Suspends Travel to EU
In a special addresss from the Oval Office Wednesday night, President Donald Trump announced America is suspending travel to European Union nations for 30 days in an attempt to contain the coronavirus.
Read MoreCommentary: A Very British Goodbye
Perhaps the penny has dropped. All 50 of them. Great Britain has left the European Union. Plagues of locusts, pestilence, and lepers waited patiently in the wings.
Read MoreEU Parliament Votes Overwhelmingly in Favor of Brexit
PARIS – The European Parliament gave the green light for Britain’s departure from the European Union Wednesday evening, hours before Brexit becomes reality. The vote was overwhelming, 621 to 49, but it was an emotional departure.
Read MoreUK’s Johnson Sends Unsigned Brexit Delay Request to EU, Source Says
LONDON – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson sent an unsigned letter to the European Union on Saturday requesting a Brexit delay and a separate note saying that he did not want an extension, a British government source said.
Read MoreBrexit Breakthrough, but British MPs Could Torpedo EU Deal
BRUSSELS – Britain and the European Union sealed a new withdrawal agreement Thursday, on the first day of an EU summit in Brussels, paving the way for Britain’s possible exit from the bloc at the end of the month.
Read MoreDetails of EU Ambassador Gordon Sondland’s Planned Testimony About Quid Pro Quo Have Leaked
Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union, will reportedly testify that President Donald Trump told him in a phone call in September that he did not want a quid pro quo from Ukraine involving military aid, but that he is not certain that the president was telling the truth.
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