Ron DeSanti's new tactic: Point out all of Trump's mistakes
Donald Trump repeatedly attacks the 80-year-old President Joe Biden's old age.But the fact is that even Trump, at 77, could become the oldest president in US history, notes Axios.
Trump challenger Ron DeSantis is now trying to exploit that.A week ago, his team launched a "Trump accident tracker", a list that is constantly updated with Trump's misstatements and mistakes.
"0 days without mistakes," DeSanti's staff wrote in an X post on Monday, claiming, among other things, that Trump forgot which state he was in and that he said Hungary borders Russia.
- It is a different Donald Trump now than in 2015 and 2016, said Desantis during a campaign meeting last week.
***************************
Pence's (few) voters are expected to spread across the field
The fact that former US Vice President Mike Pence is giving up the fight for the presidency may at first glance look like good news for the other Trump critics in the starting field.But the defection probably does not mean any "significant" lift in the polls for any individual candidate, reports Fivethirtyeight.
The statistics site refers to a "unique" survey from the end of September, when Republican voters would not only choose their favorite, but also rank the other presidential candidates.
Among the voters who chose Pence first, there was no clear second.20 percent chose Tim Scott, 19 percent Nikki Haley, 18 percent Vivek Ramaswamy, 15 percent Ron DeSantis, 14 percent Chris Christie and 9 percent took Donald Trump.
The voters are thus expected to spread out over the entire starting field.In addition, Pence had only four percent of the support, the site reminds.
Zelenskyi's associate: He is angry and deceiving himself
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's insistence on war until Russia is defeated limits the possibilities of finding a new strategy.That's what people around Zelenskyi tell Time Magazine, which was allowed to accompany the president back to Kyiv after his visit to the United States.
All forms of negotiations with Russia remain taboo, which angers a person described as one of Zelensky's closest associates.
- He is deceiving himself.We've run out of options.We don't win.But try telling him that.
Other people close to the president say he feels betrayed by the outside world and has changed.During the first year of the war, he could light up a room with his optimism or with a joke, but now he is "angry", says the person.
- Now he goes in, gets the updates, gives orders, and goes out.
Zelenskyy himself says that war weariness is "moving forward like a wave" in the US and Europe, but that Ukraine cannot afford to get tired.He says that no one believes in victory as much as he does, but that it takes all his energy to convince his allies of the matter.
**************************
Kadyrov to the police: Shoot rioters dead
Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has called on police to shoot dead rioters after an anti-Israel mob stormed an airport in Dagestan on Sunday.This is reported by the Moscow Times with reference to the Russian state news agency Ria.
Kadyrov has ordered the Chechen National Guard to arrest anyone protesting the war between Israel and Hamas on the streets of the Russian republic.
"Shoot three warning shots in the air and if the person still does not obey the law, shoot the fourth shot in the forehead," writes Kadyrov on the Telegram app.
***************************
Carlsberg CEO: Moscow stole our Russian business
This summer, Carlsberg's Russian subsidiary was seized by the Russian state.A move that the brewery giant's new CEO now describes as a theft, writes the Financial Times.
- There is no other way to describe it than that they stole our business in Russia and we will not help to make it look legitimate, says Jacob Aarup-Andersen.
Earlier in October, Carlsberg announced that they had written off the entire Russian subsidiary Baltika Breweries because they saw no possibility of negotiation.
Inflation in the euro zone slows down to 2.9 percent
Inflation in the euro zone slowed to 2.9 percent in October - the lowest level since July 2021. Expected was 3.1 percent, according to Trading Economics.
Core inflation, which strips out food and energy prices, increased during the month by an annualized 4.2 percent, which was in line with expectations.
Food, alcohol and tobacco increased the most, with 7.5 percent at an annual rate, compared to 8.8 percent in September.Next come services, which increased by 4.6 percent.
The figures are preliminary.
************************
The eurozone economy is growing more slowly than expected
Eurozone GDP rose 0.1 percent in the third quarter, compared to the same period last year.This is shown by Eurostat's rapidly calculated indicator.
It was somewhat lower than expectations, which according to Trading Economics' consensus forecast was 0.2 percent.
If you compare instead with the second quarter of 2023, GDP fell by 0.1 percent during the period.
The figures are preliminary and may be revised.
*************************
The US economy is pulling away - the eurozone behind since 2008
The gap between the US and European economies is widening.Growth
is going in different directions and Russia's invasion of Ukraine
weighs on the eurozone's future prospects, writes the Wall Street
Journal.
Eurostat's
preliminary figures show that GDP growth for the eurozone fell by 0.1
percent in the third quarter compared to the previous quarter.It
is quite different from the USA, whose GDP instead increased by 4.9
percent, a growth rate more than twice as high compared to the previous
quarter.
The
newspaper writes that the eurozone's growth has fallen behind since the
2008 financial crisis, that the gap has widened since the covid
pandemic, and is now widening further after Russia's invasion of
Ukraine.
Leaked document on Gaza: Move Palestinians to Sinai
Israeli authorities are sketching proposals for what should happen to Gaza when the war against Hamas is over, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz learns.
According to a leaked plan, Israel would like to move the Palestinian population to tent cities in northern Sinai in Egypt, and then to permanent communities in the same area, the documentation shows.
Israel would also like to introduce a buffer zone of several kilometers, to prevent Palestinians from approaching the border.
According to the information provided to Haaretz, there are also two other options, which would not involve any displacement of the population.One is that Palestine is allowed self-government in Gaza.Another is that Israel appoints a local Arab government in Gaza.
But, according to the newspaper, the proposals have no support, neither politically in Israel nor from partner countries such as Egypt and the United States.
- Palestinians in Gaza should not be transferred to Egypt or any other nation, US President Joe Biden promised his counterpart in Egypt, Abd al-Fattah al-Sisi, this weekend.
*****************************
UN: Seven out of ten killed in Gaza are women and children
Nearly 70 percent of the Palestinians who have died in Israeli bombings in recent weeks are women and children, according to the UN aid organization for Palestine refugees UNRWA.
According to Save the Children, almost 3,200 children have been killed in just three weeks.That is more than the number of children who die annually in all the world's conflict zones combined.
Of Gaza's population of over two million inhabitants, half are said to be children.
- Today, Gazans feel that they are not treated like other citizens.Many of them feel trapped in a war they have nothing to do with.They feel that the world equates all of them with Hamas, says Commissioner Philippe Lazzarini on video conference from Jordan.
New York Times review: Israel stopped wiretapping Hamas a year before the attack
Israel's signals intelligence service Unit 8200 stopped listening to Hamas' handheld radio transmitters a year before the attack on Israel.The reason was that it was seen as a "waste of resources", reports the New York Times.
On the same night that the attack took place, the assessment was made that Hamas was preparing a smaller attack.The anti-terrorist group "Tequila" was sent to the border, but it took almost until the start of the attack before it was considered worth waking up Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, three Israeli defense sources said.
The soldiers in the "Tequila" group had no chance against the great onslaught.Over 1,400 people were killed.If you had listened to the radio, the assessment could have been completely different that night, notes the newspaper, which thinks the decision indicates "hubris" and "underestimation".
The newspaper's review shows that years of misjudgment and bad decisions contributed to the attack.
***************************
The Russian InvasionThe Battles
Russia begins recruiting women into the fighting
A Moscow-funded private military company has taken on the task of recruiting female snipers and drone operators for the war in Ukraine, the British Ministry of Defense writes in an update on X.
In March 2023, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu stated that 1,100 women were deployed in Ukraine, representing only 0.3 percent of the total force.These women have rarely participated in the fighting on the front line, but instead worked to provide care and food, according to the British analysis.
"It is still unclear whether official Russian defense forces will try to follow suit and offer more combat roles for women," the ministry writes.
In the ad from the military company Redut, women are offered a six-month contract and military training in Donetsk, writes the Ukrainian daily Kyiv Post.
*********************
The future of free trade
Negotiations at a standstill – Australia disses the EU's proposal
The EU's proposal for a free trade agreement may be rejected by Australia, reports Reuters.Thus, a potential agreement is likely several years away.
The two sides have been negotiating since 2018. Australia is eager to expand its agricultural exports to Europe while the EU has its sights set on Australia's critical minerals industry.But now Australia says no to the EU's offer.
- We simply cannot see that the EU has increased its bid for beef, lamb, dairy products and sugar enough for us to see that this deal is in Australia's national interest, says Agriculture Minister Murray Watt.
Australia's farming organizations stand behind their government.They argue that the EU's offer will only benefit competitors in New Zealand, Canada and South America, which have greater access to EU markets.
*******************************
The change of leadership in NATO
Mark Rutte: Was very interesting to become NATO chief
Outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte is interested in taking over the job of NATO Secretary General.
In an interview with the Dutch radio channel Den Haag FM this weekend, Rutte says that the job would be "very interesting" and that he could add something.In the interview, he says that there are only a few roles he would be interested in, but he is also modest about his own chances.He notes that there is a "very big chance" that the job goes to a European woman, considering that many countries have expressed support for it.
- But if the opportunity arises, even in a few years, I am open to it.
Jens Stoltenberg has been NATO chief since 2014 and has been mandated to continue until October next year.Rutte leaves the job as prime minister after the election in November.
****************************
Climate threat Climate meeting COP28
Man behind the Paris Agreement: Everyone must compromise
The shaky global situation will likely make already divided climate talks even more difficult, writes AFP.
Former French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, who played a crucial role in bringing the Paris Agreement to port in 2015, underlines the importance of all countries feeling inclusive and able to compromise.According to him, there is no point in arguing over details because lengthy negotiations are a waste of precious time.
China is one of the countries that sat in the middle of the negotiations, among other things regarding the contribution to a climate fund for poorer countries.China's climate envoy Xia Yingxian believes that the summit must "respect different starting points and conditions in different countries".
- Empty and unrealistic slogans may seem ambitious, but they damage the multilat
Netanyahu blames himself - fighting for his political life
Wolfgang Hansson
This is a commenting text.Analysis and positions are the writer's.
Published 14.09
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ruled Israel for 14 of the past 16 years.
Yet he refuses to accept any responsibility for the gigantic intelligence lapse that led to the Hamas terror attack.On the contrary.
In a tweet that he deleted yesterday after ten hours, Netanyahu blamed everything on the military and the intelligence services.
It is clear that in addition to trying to crush Hamas, Netanyahu is also fighting for his political life at home.His contract with the Israeli people is to protect them from evil enemies.Any Hamas attack is a clear sign that he has failed.
In a poll published last week, 80 percent of Israelis say they hold Netanyahu responsible for the intelligence fiasco that led to Hamas being able to infiltrate Israel and kill 1,400 Israelis.
The prime minister himself refuses to accept any responsibility.
On Saturday, for first time since the terrorist attack on October 7, he answered questions from journalists at a press conference.The Prime Minister was so hard on him that he sent out a tweet at 01.10 on Sunday night in which he once again blamed himself.
"Under no circumstances and at no time was Prime Minister Netanyahu warned of Hamas' war plans.On the contrary, the assessment of the collective security apparatus, including the head of military intelligence and the head of Shin Bet, was that Hamas was discouraged and seeking a settlement”.
This thus signals the supreme leader while his own country is at war.Unsurprisingly, his tweet sparked such an outcry that Netanyahu saw fit to delete it and apologize.But only after ten hours.
Worth noting that although Netanyahu apologized for what he posted on X, formerly Twitter, he did not admit that he was wrong in substance.Just that he "said things that shouldn't have been said".
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ruled the country for a total of 14 years out of the last 16 that have passed.Photo: Abir Sultan / TT
News Agency The cracks in the Israeli leadership are obvious to all and the personal animosity well known.
Netanyahu has been at constant feud with opposition leader Benny Ganz, who is now part of the war cabinet.
Earlier this year, Netanyahu fired Commander-in-Chief Yoav Gallant for opposing the prime minister's reform that would reduce the power of the Supreme Court and instead give it to a sitting government.An upsetting battle for the entire Israeli society and probably an important reason why Israel missed the threat from Hamas.
Netanyahu was forced to reinstate Gallant after a few weeks but there is no love between the two men.
Disagreement over what should be done on the battlefield is behind the delayed Israeli ground offensive that began this weekend but more as a practice than a full-scale attack.
Israel's dilemma is how to crush the terror-labeled Hamas without at the same time taking the lives of the more than 200 Israelis that Hamas is holding hostage.In addition, Netanyahu is under intense pressure from US President Joe Biden and other Western leaders to protect the Palestinian civilian population in Gaza while hunting down Hamas.
Israel also wants to avoid the outrage becoming so great in the Middle East that Iran and their proxy groups, above all Hizbollah in Lebanon, feel compelled to direct massive attacks against Israel and thus open a second front in the war.
Photo: Maya Aleruzzo/AP
Netanyahu also wants to hold down Israeli losses.Big ones are something that will hit him after the war.
- Netanyahu is in survival mode, Gadi Wolfsfeld, an expert in political communication at Reichman University, told the New York Times.The only thing that drives him is the will to keep power.
That could explain why the War Cabinet has such a hard time agreeing.The others take a military perspective on the task they set out to carry out, the eradication of Hamas.While Netanyahu is constantly looking at how his decisions affect his chances of staying in power the day the war is over.He still has several corruption trials pending over him.
It is also Netanyahu's strategy to weaken the Palestinian Authority in order to be able to point out that there is no reliable Palestinian partner to negotiate with, which has gone completely wrong.
The war shows that it is not possible to ignore two million Palestinians in Gaza and three million in the West Bank and make them second-class citizens.Netanyahu has spent most of his 14 years in power undermining the prospects for a Palestinian state in the occupied West Bank.The only political solution to the more than 75-year-long land conflict between Jews and Palestinians that a unanimous outside world judges is possible.
Netanyahu believes that he will be able to survive even this crisis as he has done many before.
Not many others do.Not even if he succeeds in his goal of crushing Hamas.
Smoke rises over Gaza after Israeli airstrikes on Monday 23 October.Photo: Ariel Schalit / TT News Agency
