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Category: Politics

Russia is erasing all traces of Ukrainian identity in occupied Ukraine

Russia is erasing all traces of Ukrainian identity in occupied Ukraine

Kateryna Odarchenko writes: In recent months, US-led efforts to initiate a Russia-Ukraine peace process have focused primarily on the issue of potential Ukrainian territorial concessions. But as negotiating teams discuss technical details and draw lines on maps, almost no attention is being paid to the desperate plight of the millions of Ukrainians currently living under Russian occupation. Throughout occupied Ukraine, the Russian authorities are seeking to consolidate their control by eradicating all traces of Ukrainian statehood and national identity while…

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Pro-Trump candidate wins Poland’s presidential election – a bad omen for the EU, Ukraine and women

Pro-Trump candidate wins Poland’s presidential election – a bad omen for the EU, Ukraine and women

By Adam Simpson, University of South Australia Poland’s presidential election runoff will be a bitter pill for pro-European Union democrats to swallow. The nationalist, Trumpian, historian Karol Nawrocki has narrowly defeated the liberal, pro-EU mayor of Warsaw, Rafał Trzaskowski, 50.89 to 49.11%. The Polish president has few executive powers, though the office holder is able to veto legislation. This means the consequences of a Nawrocki victory will be felt keenly, both in Poland and across Europe. With this power, Nawrocki,…

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America’s reputation is plummeting as China’s rises

America’s reputation is plummeting as China’s rises

Axios reports: U.S. trade policy is making China great again — at the United States’ expense, per an analysis from Morning Consult that looks at global favorability ratings, and finds China’s rising while America’s falls. Why it matters: The drop in America’s reputation is already costing the country economically — through a fall in foreign visitors turned off by White House policies, and even the decline of the dollar. The big picture: There’s potential for more damage: “As views of the United States worsen, trade and investment opportunities for American…

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EU aims to ‘attract the brightest and best talents of the world’ as they turn away from the U.S.

EU aims to ‘attract the brightest and best talents of the world’ as they turn away from the U.S.

Politico reports: Donald Trump’s war on some of America’s most iconic colleges is a major opportunity for European academia and research. Now the EU is under pressure to seize it. University professors and research center directors across the continent see silver linings in the U.S. president’s crackdown on American higher education, which includes targeting professors and students as well as heralded Ivy League institutions like Harvard and Columbia while freezing billions of dollars in federal funding. “This is the chance…

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Ukraine destroys dozens of warplanes deep inside Russia

Ukraine destroys dozens of warplanes deep inside Russia

  Kyiv Independent reports: An operation by Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) using first-person-view (FPV) drones smuggled deep inside Russian and hidden inside trucks has hit 41 Russian heavy bombers at four airfields across the country, a source in the agency told the Kyiv Independent on June 1. The operation — codenamed “Spider web” and a year-and-a-half in the planning — appears to have dealt a major blow to the aircraft Moscow uses to launch long-range missile attacks on Ukraine’s cities….

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The strongman who inspired Trump, Viktor Orbán, might be losing his grip on power

The strongman who inspired Trump, Viktor Orbán, might be losing his grip on power

“Modern Hungary is not just a model for conservative statecraft, but the model.” Kevin Roberts, the Heritage Foundation The Guardian reports: When the Guardian visited Budapest last month, sitting down with people in offices, coffee shops, and dining rooms, a note of hope threaded through many interviews. With elections slated for spring 2026, Orbán is facing an unprecedented challenge from a former member of the Fidesz party’s elite, Péter Magyar. Several recent polls suggest that, if the trend continues, Orbán…

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Will America’s national parks — ‘the best idea we ever had’ — survive Trump?

Will America’s national parks — ‘the best idea we ever had’ — survive Trump?

Ted Kerasote writes: Like a cinnamon river overflowing its banks, thousands of elk have been making their way across Jackson Hole, Wyo., to their summer range below the high, jagged peaks of Grand Teton National Park. This is one of the world’s most spectacular migrations, protected by the creation and expansion over the last half century of what is now a 485-square-mile park. As the weather has warmed, cars and vans carrying tourists from far and wide have been lining…

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‘The Sheriffs of this country feel betrayed,’ NSA tells DHS after it posted list of ‘sanctuary’ cities

‘The Sheriffs of this country feel betrayed,’ NSA tells DHS after it posted list of ‘sanctuary’ cities

Reuters reports: The U.S. Department of Homeland Security removed a list of “sanctuary” states, cities and counties from its website following sharp criticism from a sheriffs’ association that said a list of “non-compliant” sheriffs could severely damage the relationship between the Trump administration and law enforcement. DHS on Thursday published a list of what it called “sanctuary” jurisdictions that allegedly limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. The list prompted a response from the National Sheriffs’ Association, which represents more than…

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The GOP’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ contains a provision that would kneecap judicial power

The GOP’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ contains a provision that would kneecap judicial power

Austin Sarat writes: In his farewell address to the nation more than 200 years ago, President George Washington warned the branches of government to “confine themselves within their respective Constitutional spheres.” Encroachment on other branches, he wrote, “tends to consolidate the powers of all the departments in one, and thus to create, whatever the form of government, a real despotism.” Today’s Republican Party never heard that advice. GOP majorities in the House and Senate have stood by as President Donald…

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Trump, attacking the Federalist Society, asserts autonomy on judge picks

Trump, attacking the Federalist Society, asserts autonomy on judge picks

The New York Times reports: President Trump appears to be declaring independence from outside constraints on how he nominates judges, signaling that he is looking for loyalists who will uphold his agenda and denouncing the conservative legal network that helped him remake the federal judiciary in his first term. Late Thursday, after a ruling struck down his tariffs on most imported goods, Mr. Trump attacked the Federalist Society, leaders of which heavily influenced his selection of judges during his first…

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Trump administration to prioritize sycophants for federal jobs

Trump administration to prioritize sycophants for federal jobs

Politico reports: As President Donald Trump moves to slash the size of the federal workforce, his administration unveiled a plan to ensure that any new hires are “patriotic Americans” who vow to advance the president’s policy priorities. The White House and the agency that serves as the government’s human resources arm Thursday released directives for departments to use when recruiting employees in a memo that represents a dramatic shift in federal hiring procedures. The administration’s “merit hiring plan” comes after…

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Trump defies Laura Loomer, ditches Musk’s ally as nominee for NASA administrator

Trump defies Laura Loomer, ditches Musk’s ally as nominee for NASA administrator

🚨 EXCLUSIVE: Deep State operatives are trying to derail President Trump’s NASA Administrator pick @rookisaacman Jared Isaacman before his Senate confirmation vote this week. A well-placed source tells me Jared Isaacman’s nomination to be the next Administrator of @NASA was set… https://t.co/FnJWyzFx73 — Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) May 31, 2025 The New York Times reports: President Trump plans to withdraw his nomination of Jared Isaacman, a billionaire entrepreneur and close associate of Elon Musk’s, who was on track to be the…

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Trump nominates official with ties to antisemitic extremists to lead ethics agency

Trump nominates official with ties to antisemitic extremists to lead ethics agency

NPR reports: President Trump has nominated 30-year-old conservative lawyer Paul Ingrassia, to lead the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, a government ethics office, despite Ingrassia’s ties to multiple antisemitic extremists. If confirmed by the Senate, Ingrassia would oversee the agency that enforces the Hatch Act, which limits government employees from engaging in certain partisan political activities, and provides protections to whistleblowers. (The agency is separate and distinct from special counsels appointed by the Department of Justice, such as Robert Mueller…

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Universities quietly negotiating with White House aide to try to avoid Harvard’s fate, source says

Universities quietly negotiating with White House aide to try to avoid Harvard’s fate, source says

CNN reports: College and university leaders have been privately negotiating with a deputy to top Trump aide Stephen Miller in hopes of avoiding the same aggressive targeting of Harvard University, a person familiar with the matter said, as the administration looks to escalate its attacks on the Ivy League institution and other schools. The higher education leaders, who have had granular conversations with senior White House policy strategist May Mailman in recent weeks, are asking what signals they need to…

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‘If things continue as they are, American science is ruined,’ scientist warns

‘If things continue as they are, American science is ruined,’ scientist warns

The New York Times reports: For decades, Bangalore, India, has been an incubator for scientific talent, sending newly minted Ph.D.s around the world to do groundbreaking research. In an ordinary year, many aim their sights at labs in the United States. “These are our students, and we want them to go and do something amazing,” said a professor at the National Center for Biological Sciences in Bangalore, Raj Ladher. But this is not an ordinary year. When Professor Ladher queried…

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