Fridays with Nicole Sandler

/19 Comments/in /by

Listen on Spotify (transcripts available)

Listen on Apple (transcripts available)

Share this entry
19 replies
  3. harpie says:

    Marcy, on Bluesky just now:

    https://bsky.app/profile/emptywheel.bsky.social/post/3li7xbrekdc2j
    February 15, 2025 at 9:43 AM

    I’m seeing some context missing from Vance’s speech, falsely accusing Europe of abandoning free speech. He was making very specific references to Elon’s (and right wingers like Alex Jones) role in inciting violence in the UK, and prosecution of right winger for violence that they say is speech.

    It is a concrete plan of fascists to use online incitement to drive politics rightward, usually by mobilizing hate against migrants. To do that EU-wide, the US has to push back on European limits on privacy and hate speech.

    JD has said he wants to tie NATO membership to abandoning these protections

    Maybe NATO should excommunicate US instead.

    • Matt___B says:

      Not to mention Vance deliberately met with AfD leader Alice Weidel while in Munich while simultaneously snubbing Chancellor Olaf Scholz. There, that’s sending a message huh?

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_Weidel

      I watched a PBS Frontline show from last year the other night about the AfD that was filmed before the September 2024 elections, where AfD made a very strong showing. No mention of Elon Musk at all in this show, who has been a very active booster of AfD lately. The “uber alles” vibe is being actively resurrected, now with U.S. as a cheerleader. (insert frown emoji here)

    • harpie says:

      https://bsky.app/profile/donnachadcu.bsky.social/post/3lia6fkyy6c2z
      February 15, 2025 at 11:50 AM

      Reports coming in that President Macron has invited EU leaders to an emergency summit in Paris on Monday.

      Ukraine, European security and responding to Trump administration all likely to dominate the agenda [Politico EU; NO link]

      Here it is:
      Macron calls emergency European summit on Trump, Polish minister says It was not immediately clear which European leaders would be invited to the emergency meeting. https://www.politico.eu/article/macron-convenes-european-emergency-summit-in-paris-on-sunday-polish-minister-says/
      Hans von der Burchard February 15, 2025 4:54 pm CET

      • harpie says:

        […] “I’m very glad that President Macron has called our leaders to Paris,” [Polish Foreign Minister] Sikorski said, adding that he expects the European leaders to discuss “in a very serious fashion” the challenges posed by U.S. President Donald Trump.

        “President Trump has a method of operating which the Russians call razvedka boyem —reconnaissance through battle: You push and you see what happens, and then you change your position. … And we need to respond,” the Polish minister said. […]

    • harpie says:

      Here’s the Lithuanian Foreign Minister:

      https://bsky.app/profile/glandsbergis.bsky.social/post/3liajmbsrzk24
      February 15, 2025 at 3:11 PM
      Once again I am leaving the Munich Security Conference in a low mood. Amongst all the noise, the US signalled their plans for Europe, so things are becoming clearer. But things are clearly not good.
      This is what we now know, and what we have to do about it. 1/17 [THREAD]
      […]
      The current US administration does not see the EU as it once did—culturally it sees itself aligned with the movements within Europe that are interested in destruction. And this raises the very concerning question—what now are the US interests in Europe? 4/17 […]

    • harpie says:

      Via Marcy:

      https://bsky.app/profile/andyscollick.bsky.social/post/3licbps2z2n2t
      February 16, 2025 at 7:55 AM

      France’s foreign minister, Jean-Noel Barrot, has confirmed reports to France Inter radio that European leaders will meet tomorrow (in Paris) for an emergency summit on the war in Ukraine (see post at 09.35 for more details about what the summit will cover [link]). [Guardian link]

      At that link:

      5h ago 04.35 EST What can we expect from the European crisis summit on Trump’s Ukraine plan next week?
      Just as a reminder, European leaders, including British prime minister Keir Starmer, are set to gather next week in Paris for an emergency summit on the war in Ukraine. Here is some of what we can expect from the meeting of European leaders, as reported by my colleagues Patrick Wintour and Toby Helm in this story:

      The meeting, likely to be held on Monday, is expected to discuss US efforts to exclude European leaders from the peace talks, the position Europe should adopt on Ukraine’s future membership of Nato and how Ukraine can be offered security guarantees, either through Nato or some European force.

      Downing Street confirmed on Saturday it had heard about the proposed meeting and officials made clear that Starmer would attend and take messages from the meeting to Washington this week, when he will meet President Trump.

      UK sources said they believed those invited to Paris by Emmanuel Macron would be the Nato secretary general, Mark Rutte, and the leaders of Germany, Italy, the UK and Poland.

    • harpie says:

      Comprehensive [for now] run-down on this topic:

      Letters from an American, February 16, 2025
      https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/february-16-2025
      Heather Cox Richardson, February 16, 2025

      […] Political scientist Stathis Kalyvas posted: “There is now total clarity, no matter how unimaginable things might seem. And they amount to this: The U.S. government has been taken over by a clique of extremists who have embarked on a process of regime change in the world’s oldest democracy…. The arrogance on display is staggering. They think their actions will increase U.S. power, but they are in fact wrecking their own country and, in the process everyone else.”

      He continued: “The only hope lies in the sheer enormity of the threat: it might awake us out of our slumber before it is too late.” […]

  4. Matt Foley says:

    I don’t know how Dr. Wheeler stays so calm talking about this stuff. I’m more like Nicole Sanders, I get really angry and disgusted. Thank you both for digging deep to keep us informed. Much respect and appreciation!

  6. blavag_15OCT2015_1906h says:

    So heres a question, why do the various federal employees fired by Musk and his flying monkeys leave? Seems logical they should just say “Begone! You have no power here!”

    Then stay at their desks in a reverse strike.

    [Welcome to emptywheel. Please choose and use a unique username with a minimum of 8 letters. We have adopted this minimum standard to support community security. Because the username you used on this comment “bongo” is too short, it will be temporarily changed to match the date/time of your first known comment until you have a new compliant username. /~Rayne]

Comments are closed.