Trump’s Appeasement Policy
Daily Mail wrote on April 24:
“It’s 11 years since I watched Russian troops stripped of military insignia seize Ukrainian army bases in Crimea, while their president, Vladimir Putin, publicly denied that any of his forces had crossed the border… Following the first annexation of European terrain since the Second World War, the 2.3 million Crimean citizens of Ukraine faced a terrible choice: flee their homes or submit to Russian servitude…
“By showing itself to be an unreliable ally, Washington not only leaves Nato seriously undermined but offers encouragement to China’s grotesque dictatorship in its determination to seize democratic Taiwan… Putin feels emboldened by Trump’s stance, especially given the US failure to approve fresh military aid for Ukraine.
“Britain, like the rest of Europe, can be under no illusions. The world has become more dangerous. Democracy is under threat. We can no longer rely on the US… Trump attempts to force an unjust peace on Ukraine...”
Especially Europe realizes that they cannot rely on the USA and they conclude that they must build up their own powerful and independent war machine.
“Trump’s Folly”
The Sun wrote on April 24:
“Despite his threats and ultimatums, Donald Trump surely knows that walking away from Ukraine would seriously weaken America’s global standing. It could also be as politically damaging as Joe Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan.
“The President would never allow Russia to seize Alaska. So why does he expect Ukrainians to give up huge swathes of land that they have lost tens of thousands of lives bravely defending? Including Crimea which allows Russia to maintain an iron grip on the region. And all without any promise of a US security guarantee or NATO protection?… Meanwhile, where is the pressure on Putin, the aggressor in this war…?
“Currently, it sends an unthinkable message to rogue dictators. That America allows murderous invaders to win.”
Friend of a Murderer
On April 24, Bild Online published the following commentary by Franz Josef Wagner:
“The sky over Kyiv flickers reddish under the blows of Russian bombs… They are the fingerprints of a murderer. Trump wants to make peace with a murderer. You can’t make peace with a murderer… Trump must look at the pictures from Kyiv… They are all evidence of Putin’s character. You want to make peace with him. What will become of Ukraine then? A slave state… President Trump, don’t become a friend of a murderer.”
Empty Threats to a Dictator
The New York Post wrote on April 24:
“Remember when Joe Biden was facing off against Vladimir Putin? Questioned about the Russian leader’s threats, old Joe memorably said: ‘Don’t.’… On another occasion, a year into the war, Biden got really tough: ‘I don’t have time,’ he warned Putin..
“But today, President Trump continued Biden’s approach. His reaction to one of the biggest missile attacks in the past year was to tell Vladimir Putin, ‘STOP.’ As if Putin is listening.”
Russia’s “Concession”
Deutsche Welle wrote on April 25:
“The US has proposed a deal between Russia and Ukraine, in which the front would be frozen where it is, meaning Ukraine would cede 20% of its country. US President Trump said Russia had made a major concession by not seeking to conquer all of Ukraine.”
Why No Peace in Ukraine-Russia War?
The Sun wrote on April 25:
“EVERYONE says they want peace, so why is the war still raging in Ukraine? The short answer is simple: Peace means very different things to very different people. They have different goals and different motives.
“Putin wants total conquest. And he wants to be remembered as a modern Tsar who restored Russia’s imperial greatness.
“Ukraine wants to survive, as a sovereign independent nation.
“Europe wants a chastened Russia and peace that lasts beyond six months.
“Trump just wants a deal — any deal at any price — with minerals thrown in for good measure. He wants to claim the glory and perhaps a Nobel Peace Prize for sorting out the carnage…
“The American position is clear from the terrible deal they want Kyiv to accept. Their… plan would freeze the war on the current front lines and force Ukraine to surrender almost all of its occupied territories — some 44,000 square miles — with almost nothing in return… Russia would hand back small pockets of territory… Moscow would also give up its ambitions to capture the… provinces that its troops have been unable to take by force. But crucially, for Ukraine, there are no security guarantees.
“That means there is nothing to stop Russia catching its breath, rearming and invading again a few months or years later. Does that sound unlikely? It is precisely what has happened already. Moscow seized Crimea and parts of Donbas in 2014. Peace deals known as Minsk I and Minsk II were signed in 2014 and 2015 respectively. But they both lacked guarantees… The world watched in horror — and in disbelief — as Moscow spouted brazen lies that they had no plans to invade. The rest, we could say, is history. More than a million troops have been killed and maimed since Putin ordered his full-scale invasion, as have tens of thousands of civilians. Some 20,000 Ukrainian children have been forcibly deported to Russia…
“But if the deal was not bad enough already, the crowning insult to Ukraine is that America would legally recognise Russia’s ownership of Crimea… Russia’s invasion of Crimea in 2014 was the precursor to the war they began in 2023. Legally, Crimea is unambiguously Ukrainian. It has been part of Ukraine since 1991 when the country gained its independence from the USSR.
But Russia claims it is theirs since Catherine the Great seized it from the Ottomon Empire in 1783…
“The American plan rewards Russian warmongering… Everyone says they want peace but Trump is the leader who has made it a priority… He deserves to be applauded for trying to end the war. That is a truly noble aim. But what he needs to realise is that how the war ends matters. Just like with his New York real estate, there are good deals and there are bad deals.”
Trump’s Interview: Give Up Crimea!
Time Magazine wrote on April 25:
“President Donald Trump sat down for an interview with TIME at the White House on April 22. Over the course of the interview, Trump discussed a wide range of issues.”
We are bringing you relevant experts regarding his comments on Ukraine, Greenland, Canada and Israel:
“You said you would end the war in Ukraine on Day One.
“Well, I said that figuratively, and I said that as an exaggeration, because to make a point, and you know, it gets, of course, by the fake news [unintelligible]. Obviously, people know that when I said that, it was said in jest, but it was also said that it will be ended….
“Should Ukraine give up any hope of ever joining NATO?
“I don’t think they’ll ever be able to join NATO… that’s I think what caused the war to start was when they started talking about joining NATO. If that weren’t brought up, there would have been a much better chance that it wouldn’t have started.
“Should Crimea go to the Russians? Should they get to keep Crimea?
“Well, Crimea went to the Russians. It was handed to them by Barack Hussein Obama, and not by me. With that being said, will they be able to get it back? They’ve had their Russians. They’ve had their submarines there for long before any period that we’re talking about, for many years. The people speak largely Russian in Crimea…
“Would it be acceptable to you in a deal if Crimea and the four other regions that Russia has taken from Ukraine would be folded into Russia under a final accommodation?
“…Crimea will stay with Russia. And Zelensky understands that, and everybody understands that it’s been with them for a long time…
“You’ve talked about acquiring Greenland, taking control of the Panama Canal, making Canada the 51st state. Maybe you’re trolling a little bit on that one…
“Actually, no, I’m not.
“Well, do you want to grow the American empire?
“Well, it depends as an empire, it wasn’t, these are not things that we had before, so I’d view it a little bit differently if we had the right opportunity. Yeah, I think Greenland would be very well off if they I think it’s important for us for national security and even international security… But I’m really not trolling. Canada is an interesting case. We lose $200 to $250 billion a year supporting Canada… We’re taking care of their military. We’re taking care of every aspect of their lives, and we don’t need them to make cars for us. In fact, we don’t want them to make cars for us. We want to make our own cars. We don’t need their lumber. We don’t need their energy. We don’t need anything from Canada. And I say the only way this thing really works is for Canada to become a state.
“You reportedly stopped Israel from attacking Iran’s nuclear sites.
“… I didn’t stop them. But I didn’t make it comfortable for them, because I think we can make a deal without the attack. I hope we can. It’s possible we’ll have to attack because Iran will not have a nuclear weapon… I didn’t say no. Ultimately I was going to leave that choice to them, but I said I would much prefer a deal than bombs being dropped.
“Are you worried Netanyahu will drag you into a war?
“No… By the way, he may go into a war. But we’re not getting dragged in.
The U.S. will stay out of it if Israel goes into it?
“No, I didn’t say that. You asked if he’d drag me in, like I’d go in unwillingly. No, I may go in very willingly if we can’t get a deal. If we don’t make a deal, I’ll be leading the pack.”
Realistically, as we point out below, even Putin does not want to accept Trump’s peace plan, even though he would get everything he wants—for the time being—but Ukraine and Europe would not accept it. Conversely, Europe has now proposed a peace plan which Russia and the USA will clearly not accept. Under that plan, Ukraine would continue to attempt to become part of the EU; it would be recompensed with Russian frozen assets for the damage caused by Russia; Ukraine would receive security guarantees also from the USA; and no territorial commitments would be made towards Russia until a lasting peace agreement has been entered into.
Crimea Belongs to Ukraine
Daily Mail wrote on April 25:
“Ukraine has rejected ceding ground to Moscow, and says it will not accept Russian control of Crimea… recognizing occupied Ukrainian territory as Russian is a red line for his country.”
Deutsche Welle added on April 25:
“Zelenskyy reiterated that Crimea ‘belongs’ to Ukraine, saying his ‘position [remains] unchanged.’… ‘only the Ukrainian people have the right to decide which territories are Ukrainian. The constitution of Ukraine says that all the temporarily occupied territories… belong to Ukraine, to the Ukrainian people,’ Zelenskyy told reporters in Kyiv.”
When in Rome…
The Associated Press wrote on April 26:
“Trump said Saturday that he doubts… Putin wants to end his war in Ukraine, expressing new skepticism that a peace deal can be reached soon… ‘There was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days,’ Trump said in a social media post as he flew back to the United States after attending Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican, where he met briefly with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy… It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through “Banking” or “Secondary Sanctions?” Too many people are dying!!!’ Trump wrote.”
Trump also wrote this on “Truth Social”:
“No matter what deal I make with respect to Russia/Ukraine, no matter how good it is, even if it’s the greatest deal ever made, The Failing New York Times will speak BADLY of it. (They) wrote that Ukraine should get back territory, including, I suppose, Crimea, and other ridiculous requests, in order to stop the killing that is worse than anything since World War II… it was Obama who made it possible for Russia to steal Crimea from Ukraine without even a shot being fired…”
Since Trump admits that Putin stole Crimea from Ukraine, why should he keep it? Why is the request to return these occupied territories to Ukraine a ridiculous request? How can the deal proposed by Trump possibly be characterized as a “good deal”? It is by far not only the New York Times which rejects Trump’s peace plan.
German Defense Minister Slams Trump’s Plan For Ukraine Peace
MSN wrote on April 28:
“Boris Pistorius, the German defence minister, expressed his concern over Donald Trump’s proposals regarding Ukraine. The SPD politician stated that the suggestions of the American president concerning handing over parts of Ukrainian territory to Russia are too far-reaching. ‘Ukraine on its own could have got a year ago what was included in that (Trump) proposal. It is akin to a capitulation,’ Pistorius said on ARD television.
“Pistorius assured that Germany will continue its military support for Ukraine, even if the United States decides to halt it. ‘If Ukraine falls, if Putin wins this war by taking Ukraine or a large part of it, it will be a maximum threat to NATO territory and neighbouring countries such as Moldova and Georgia,’ the minister warned.”
Trump stated after his return from Rome that he thinks Zelensky will agree to giving Crimea to Russia. Zelensky repeated his position AFTER his talk with Trump that Crimea would not be given to Russia.
Tanks for Ukraine on Hold
abc.net.au reported on April 28:
“A fleet of retired tanks the Albanese government pledged to Ukraine last year remains stuck in Australia, with defence figures in part blaming resistance from the United States for their delayed transfer… after US President Donald Trump placed a temporary freeze on military assistance to the war-torn nation…
“… the process is facing further uncertainty because formal permission that must be given by the US before the M1A1 vehicles can be handed over to another nation has not yet been granted… There is also the concern that with a possible peace deal looming it would be embarrassing to have the tanks on board ships in the middle of the ocean.”
No Progress in Peace Negotiations – Just the Opposite!
The New York Post wrote on April 28:
“Russia shamelessly demanded that the US lift its sanctions and that Kyiv be ‘demilitarized’ and recognize that 20% of Ukraine belongs to the Vladimir Putin-led nation as it refused President Trump’s push for peace just days after his envoy returned to Moscow for yet another round of talks. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov insisted Monday that Russia will accept nothing less than total victory over Ukraine after Trump’s Special Envoy Steve Witkoff made no progress in ending the country’s three-year war when he met with Putin Friday… Lavrov rattled off a list of Ukrainian red-line items — and mentioned no willingness to make even the smallest concessions, such as the US-proposed return of a small, occupied portion of Kharkiv.
“Lavrov said ‘the international recognition of Crimea, Sevastopol, (Donetsk), (Luhansk), Kherson and Zapor(i)zh(ia) regions as part of Russia’ is an ‘imperative,’ insisting that not just the world — but also Kyiv itself — recognize 20% of Ukraine as sovereign Russian territory… That alone is a nonstarter. While Kyiv has shown a willingness to freeze the fighting lines where they are and acknowledge that Russia technically controls the occupied regions, its constitution outlaws the recognition of its land as belonging to any other nation.
“Since Witkoff began speaking with Russia roughly two months ago, Moscow has only upped its demands. For example, its desire to annex Ukraine’s Kherson and Zaporizhia oblasts was never part of Putin’s original goals of the war when his forces launched the full-scale invasion in 2021… George Barros of the Institute for the Study of War [said:] ‘the Kremlin is rejecting Trump’s proposals and articulating goals that require the war to go on or for Ukraine to surrender things for no reason. The only thing it is willing to negotiate are the terms of US capitulation and Ukrainian surrender.’ To that end, Lavrov also called for the West — including the US — to begin ‘lifting sanctions, withdrawing lawsuits and cancelling arrest warrants, as well as returning Russian assets subjected to the so-called freeze in the West.’
“The foreign minister also said Russia would not begin talks with Ukraine until Kyiv makes yet another change to its constitution—disavowing its citizens’ wishes to one day join NATO… Though Trump has grown increasingly frustrated with Russia for its continued bombardment of Ukraine as he tries to reach a peace deal, the president has so far taken no punitive steps to attempt to force Moscow to back down from its untenable demands.”
Russia will not make any concessions. Trump’s naïve peace deal was dead from the outset. Please view our new StandingWatch program with the title, “Trump’s Peace Plan—A Failure!”
The Worst Pope in History?
The Ron Paul Institute and Newsmax published on April 24 and April 25 an article by Judge Andrew P. Napolitano:
“Catholics believe that he is the Vicar of Christ on earth. But Francis may have been the worst pope in history. He watered down Church teachings on marriage, sexuality and confession. He declined to judge right from wrong.
“He forbade the Mass that every canonized saint… attended and participated in since 1564. He has even claimed that all religions are equal and welcomed in the eyes of God — contrary to 2,000 years of express Church teaching. This is heresy.
“… He even questioned the concept of sin…”
Please view our StandingWatch program, “The Pope Is Dead… Now What?”
Why Trump Attended Pope’s Funeral
Daily Mail wrote on April 25:
“The president… told reporters on Air Force One he was attending the service partially because he won Catholic voters in the 2024 election. Trump won Catholics by more than 120,000 votes when he faced former Vice President Kamala Harris.
“Trump himself identifies as a ‘non-denominational Christian.’ First lady Melania Trump is Catholic. The Trumps met Pope Francis during a visit to the Vatican in 2017 during the president’s first term. At the time, Melania… brought a pair of rosary beads for the pontiff to bless. She is the first Catholic first lady in the White House since Jacqueline Kennedy….
“President Trump and Pope Francis also had their differences. In 2015, Trump said Francis was too political, and the pontiff later suggested Trump wasn’t Christian over his ‘build a wall’ rhetoric.
Trump, responded that ‘for a religious leader to question a person’s faith is disgraceful.’”
Firing Powell?
The Editorial Board of the Wall Street Journal wrote on April 21, 2025:
“If the White House wanted a test of how firing Jerome Powell would go over in the markets, it succeeded on Monday. U.S. stocks and the dollar plunged while yields on long-term Treasurys climbed after President Trump renewed his attacks on the Federal Reserve Chairman…
“Mr. Trump is furious that Mr. Powell has said publicly that tariffs will likely lead to higher inflation and slower growth… Markets fear Mr. Trump really might fire Mr. Powell, not that it would do the President any good… Mr. Trump can’t fire the regional Fed bank presidents on the committee, and all 12 voting members of the FOMC seem to agree with the Fed’s recent policy moves. A Powell replacement would also have a harder time establishing credibility with markets…
“Mr. Trump thinks he can bully everyone into submission… Markets know tariffs are taxes, and taxes are anti-growth. The Trump tariffs are the biggest economic policy mistake in decades, and extending the 2017 tax reform and deregulation may not compensate for all the damage…”
Subsequently, Trump bowed to pressure and stated that he would not fire Powell, and that such a suggestion was fake news. Really?
America’s Inhumane Immigration Policy
The Guardian published the following article on April 24 about America’s detention camps, eerily reminiscent of Germany’s Nazi concentration camps in their early stages:
“The Texas-based legal non-profit Raices said it was aware of at least 100 families held at Karnes since early March, after the Trump administration restarted the practice known as ‘family detention’ – locking up children along with their parents. Those detained include families who had recently crossed into the US, as well as those swept up in cities across the country. Among the youngest detainees was a one-year-old child…
“Jade (13) and her family had fled a surge of violence in Colombia in 2022, and had managed to make a good life for themselves in Mississippi. But things changed this year as the Trump administration ramped up its immigration crackdown. Jade was afraid to go to school, worried that immigration agents could come find her there, or take her parents while she was away. Jason and Gabriela had trouble finding work – employers had become squeamish about hiring workers without a legal status… So they decided to leave (to go to Canada)…
“At first, they encountered Canadian border agents and tried to explain they were seeking asylum. But those agents told them they’d be ineligible, and turned them over to US border officials… Agents handcuffed [Jason] and Gabriela, and drove them to Plattsburgh, New York and then Buffalo… [and then] sent [them] via commercial flight to Texas…
“Jade was too young to remember the violence her family had left behind in Colombia, but Jason and Gabriela’s minds constantly flashed back to the threats and extortion they had faced…
“[American] Officials had confiscated all their things, and the family was given second-hand clothes and towels to use. They were able to buy minutes to make phone calls, but it was expensive…
“Relief finally came when they were able to connect with lawyers from Raices, who have been working with several families held at the detention center. Jade, Jason and Gabriela were finally released on 25 March – after about three weeks in detention – and their lawyers are now helping them seek legal status to remain in the US… ‘The bottom line is that these individuals have final deportation orders from federal judges,’ said McLaughlin of the DHS. ‘This administration is not going to ignore the rule of law.’ Raices said that assertion is ‘objectively untrue’. Immigration judges are not the same as federal judges. And as a result of Donald Trump’s asylum ban at the southern border, ‘many families have not even appeared in front of immigration judges’, said Faisal Al-Juburi of Raices…
“The facility, which is run by the private prison company CoreCivic, is not a licensed childcare facility and thus a violation of the protections afforded children under the Flores Settlement Agreement, a decades-old consent decree that requires the government to hold children in the least restrictive setting and release them as quickly as possible… The Trump administration isn’t the first to detain families. For decades, Democratic and Republican administrations have held immigrant families in specialized facilities – and the practice has elicited widespread criticism from pediatricians and mental health experts, and lawsuits from human rights groups…
“The Bush administration had wanted to ramp up immigrant detention, and promoted family detention as an alternative to separating families and sending children to shelters while their parents were detained… In 2014, as families and unaccompanied children began increasingly arriving at the US southern border, the Obama administration contracted with private prison companies to open the Karnes and Dilley facilities, and the US family detention program grew to its largest since the internment of Japanese Americans in the 1940s…
“Though the Biden administration stopped detaining families in 2021 – opting instead to track immigrant families via electronic monitoring and regular check-in appointments – it left in place most of the infrastructure to restart the practice. And earlier this year, the Trump administration did just that… Karnes, operated by the private contractor Geo Group, is more like a traditional adult prison… Families are allowed to be together during the day, but at night, mothers and children sleep together while fathers sleep in separate dorms. The South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, meanwhile, is more akin to an ‘internment camp’… Before it was a detention center, it was a migrant labor camp. But in the end, both centers are, ‘essentially, jails.’
“… Many of the families in detention now have been apprehended by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (Ice) officials in cities and towns across the US. Some were picked up at traffic stops, and others were arrested despite complying with orders to check in regularly with Ice…
“Now that she is back in Mississippi, Jade said… ‘I just told one friend, a good friend, and he said he wouldn’t tell anyone else.’ She doesn’t know how to explain to them what happened to her family, or how uncertain their lives still are. It’s not like she knows how much longer they’ll get to stay in Mississippi. It could take months or longer for lawyers to work out their immigration case. In the meantime, they remain afraid of being swept up in the administration’s immigration crackdown once again….”
Trump’s administration has been assuring us that they would only go after illegal hardcore criminals. This is clearly not true. When you read about personal experiences like this, you get a better picture of how inhumane America’s immigration system is.
Trump’s Fight With the Judges
The left-wing New Republic (TNR) wrote on April 28:
“The Trump administration is open to arresting Supreme Court judges, as White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told it on Monday morning. ‘You guys arrested a Milwaukee County Circuit judge for allegedly helping illegal immigrants get away,’ Fox News’s Peter Doocy asked Leavitt. ‘As you guys look at other judges, would you ever arrest somebody higher up on the judicial food chain, like a federal judge or even a Supreme Court justice?’
“‘…let’s be clear about what this judge did: She obstructed federal law enforcement who were looking for an illegal alien in her courthouse. She showed that illegal alien the door to evade law enforcement officials. That is a clear-cut case of obstruction,’ Leavitt replied. ‘And so anyone who is breaking the law or obstructing federal law enforcement officials from doing their jobs is putting theirselvses [sic] at risk of being prosecuted, absolutely.’
“The Department of Justice on Friday arrested Milwaukee Judge Hannah Dugan, on charges of obstruction after she allegedly ‘intentionally misdirected federal agents away’ from Eduardo Flores Ruiz, an undocumented immigrant. He was later arrested outside the courthouse.
“The Trump administration is showing open and direct hostility toward the judicial branch, identifying any judge who dares to defy them as an ‘activist judge.’ The arrest of Judge Dugan, the numerous court orders ignored by the administration, the eight immigration judges who have now been fired or put on leave, and now, Leavitt’s alarming answer are all clear indications that Trump has no plans to reel back his abuse of executive power.”
This fight between the Trump Administration and the court system will continue and become worse.
Trump’s (Dis-)Approval Rate
Express wrote on April 25:
“By the end of April, it will have been 100 days since Trump took office for his second term. During that time the world has witnessed unprecedented political and economic decisions over the past 100 days have sent stock markets plunging and governments everywhere rushing to react.
“Pew Research Center conducted the poll between April 7 – 13 and the only 40 per cent of young US adults approve of Trump’s latest plans while an overwhelming 59 per cent disapprove. Fox News also conducted a poll which showed Trump’s approval ratings with 44 per cent and disapproval of 55 per cent. That’s the lowest Fox has registered since the last six presidents at this point in their term…
“It is also lower than the approval of Joe Biden (54 percent), Barack Obama (62 percent), and George W. Bush (63 percent) at the 100-day mark in their presidencies, and is down 5 points from Trump’s 49 percent approval in March.”
Chaotic and Scary
The New York Post wrote on April 25:
“More than half of voters described President Trump’s second term in office as ‘chaotic’ and ‘scary’ in a new poll released Friday… 66% of registered US voters felt the term ‘chaotic’ described Trump’s second stint in the White House well, while 59% thought ‘scary’ was apt.
“Nearly half of Republican voters (47%) agreed that the president’s first three months back in power have been ‘chaotic,’ as did 75% of Independents… Only 35% approve of Trump’s handling of the Ukraine-Russia war, while 31% approve of the case involving Abrego Garcia. The president’s net approval rating was -21 points on both issues… Overall, 42% approved of Trump’s job in the Oval Office so far, while 54% disapproved.”
Trump Blasts Sinking Poll Numbers
The New York Post wrote on April 28:
“President Trump on Monday blasted ‘unheard of’ polls showing low approval ratings on the eve of his 100th day in office — calling on the ‘fake news’ outlets behind them to be investigated for election fraud. The commander-in-chief took aim at the recent New York Times and ABC/Washington Post surveys that indicate sinking support, declaring that ‘they suffer from Trump Derangement Syndrome… These people should be investigated for ELECTION FRAUD, and add in the FoxNews Pollster while you’re at it… They are Negative Criminals who apologize to their subscribers and readers after I WIN ELECTIONS BIG, much bigger than their polls showed I would win, loose [sic] a lot of credibility, and then go on cheating and lying for the next cycle, only worse,’ he seethed in the post… ‘THEY ARE SICK,’ he added…”
Mediaite wrote on April 28:
“Legendary GOP operative and Fox News contributor Karl Rove declared that President Donald Trump is in ‘very bad shape’ during a scathing segment over the weekend. Rove’s comments came after host Paul Gigot, editor of The Wall Street Journal‘s editorial page, observed that a new Fox News poll demonstrated that only 38% of Americans approve of Trump’s job performance on the economy and even fewer approve of his handling of inflation and tariffs and asked Rove to weigh in.”
When something negative is reported about Trump, he blames that on fake news. After a while, that won’t be credible anymore for most people. His threat to investigate these “negative criminals” is not being received well.
Axios wrote on April 29:
“A majority of Americans say President Trump is a ‘dangerous dictator’ who poses a threat to democracy and believe he’s overstepped his authority… The wide-ranging poll released Tuesday, on Trump’s 100th day in office, is the latest sign of him losing support for his immigration and economic policies — the two issues that largely fueled his election…
“Only four in 10 Americans expressed favorable views of Trump after his first 100 days in office, according to the survey by the nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI). And 52% agreed with the provocative statement that Trump ‘is a dangerous dictator whose power should be limited before he destroys American democracy,’ the survey said. That question provided a big warning sign for Trump: Most independents (56%) agreed that Trump is a ‘dangerous dictator,’ suggesting that middle-of-the-road voters who helped put him back in office are abandoning him… Two-thirds of Americans oppose new tariffs, or taxes, on imported goods from other countries.”
Prosecutors Charge Vancouver Man For Attack on Filipino Festival
Reuters wrote on April 28:
“Canadian prosecutors have charged a 30-year-old Vancouver resident with murder for killing at least 11 people aged between 5 and 65 and injuring dozens after he rammed an SUV through a crowd at a Filipino community festival in the western Canadian city, police said on Sunday… More than 12 hours after the incident, police still did not have a motive for the attack at the festival, which took place without a dedicated police presence or heavy vehicle barriers…
“The festival, celebrated especially in the central Philippines, honors Datu Lapu-Lapu, a Filipino chieftain who defeated Spanish forces led by Ferdinand Magellan in the Battle of Mactan in 1521… The government of British Columbia officially recognized April 27 as Lapu-Lapu Day in 2023, acknowledging the cultural contributions of the Filipino-Canadian community, one of the largest immigrant groups in the province. The centerpiece of the festival is a multi-block street party featuring Filipino food and traditions, live performances and cultural displays.”
Why were the police not better prepared for these kinds of events? This seems to be a colossal failure in many Western countries, including Germany where a similar event had taken place around Christmas time. It has been stated that the man had previous mental health issues. The demonic influence should be clear.
Canadians Humiliate Trump
The Mirror wrote on April 29:
“Donald Trump, the self-proclaimed titan of global deal-making and nationalist bravado, just got humiliated by the very country he loves to insult – Canada. With the election of Mark Carney as Prime Minister, the Canucks delivered a roaring rebuke not only to the US leader but to the hideous version of America he represents – arrogant, unstable, and dangerously delusional. Let’s be honest, this wasn’t just a Canadian election. It was a referendum on Trumpism and, by extension, the States.
“Canadians, America’s closest and most loyal ally, have had enough. Enough of the trade wars. Enough of being branded the ‘51st state.’ Enough of being treated like a doormat for Trump’s latest tantrum. What happened at the ballot box was less a Liberal Party recovery and more an international gut punch to a discredited figurehead.
“Trump triggered this backlash himself. He kicked off a pointless trade war against Canada, wanting tariffs on steel, aluminum, and dairy… He smeared a peaceful, democratic neighbour as weak and subordinate, then expected diplomatic loyalty in return. He misread Canada completely…
“Canadians responded the only way a proud, sovereign nation could by using their votes to send a message so loud it echoed across the border. Former Bank of England governor Carney… inherited a Liberal Party floundering after Justin Trudeau’s missteps, down by more than 25 points and transformed it into a platform for national defiance.
“He stood up to Trump’s bullying and drew a line in the snow – Canada will not be anyone’s puppet. This rejection is far bigger than one man or one election. It marks a sobering turning point in the world’s relationship with the States. For decades, America was admired as the leader of the free world – a beacon of democracy, stability, and reason. Under Trump, it has become a punchline. An unstable, angry, nation-baiting circus that shouts about freedom while eroding it at home and abusing it abroad.
“The world is watching, and it is moving on. Nations like Canada are no longer looking to Washington for leadership. They’re building new alliances, strengthening regional partnerships, and investing in self-reliance to insulate themselves from the chaos of modern America. This is Trumpism’s true legacy – a smaller, meaner, more isolated States. The message from Canada couldn’t be clearer; if America wants to act like a belligerent, fading empire, it will be treated like one. Trump may still swagger at his rallies and scream about greatness, but his lies stop cold at the border.
“Carney’s victory wasn’t just a political win. It was a polite, precise, and utterly devastating rejection of everything Trump – and, increasingly, America – stands for. And that rejection is only the beginning...”
Sobering words, and prophetic indeed. Trump does not see that way, of course. In an interview with The Atlantic, which was published on April 28, he said: “The first time, I had two things to do ‒ run the country and survive; I had all these crooked guys… And the second time, I run the country and the world.”
But he is not running the world. And if he is not careful, he might not be running the USA for much longer, either, as his latest poll numbers may suggest.
Germany’s Militarization
News.az quoted “prominent German political scientist and former advisor to the German government Alexander Rahr” on April 24:
“Germany’s government currently has three key objectives in the area of militarization. First, it seeks to preserve the European security architecture established after the Cold War and, under no circumstances, allow Ukraine to return to Russia’s sphere of influence or be absorbed by it. Second, Germany aims to build its own European army and military-industrial complex—largely to reduce dependence on the United States, which may eventually withdraw from NATO. This also serves as preparation for a potential military confrontation with ‘imperial’ Russia. Third, militarization of the economy is viewed as a tool to reignite economic growth across the European Union…
“Although only about 60% of the population supports militarization, Berlin is prepared to invest in it as a way to strengthen its leadership role in Europe. Most other EU countries lack such capacity—either because they are burdened by debt or do not see themselves as military leaders… There are certainly risks to democracy. Militarization of the economy, industry, and education can affect civil liberties. However, the German government is using the image of ‘aggressive Russia’ to tighten control over society and instill discipline in the population. This strategy may work: the generation that remembers the horrors of World War II is gone, and young Germans today are less afraid of war. In fact, many increasingly believe that Europe’s liberal values are worth defending by force…
“European bureaucrats in Brussels are working to consolidate all EU governments around the goal of confronting ‘imperial Russia.’ Russia should prepare for the reality that most European countries will support a policy of military containment… Russia will never accept being surrounded by Western military bases and infrastructure. The West, in turn, will never recognize Russia’s right to a sphere of influence. This is a fundamental dividing line—one that, unfortunately, cannot be overcome through diplomacy.”
Jens Spahn Wants to Become Chancellor
Capital and Der Stern wrote on April 24:
“Jens Spahn is to become the new leader of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag. Friedrich Merz is making a risky decision – and ignoring warnings… The former health minister just has to be elected.
“Merz thus places Spahn at the central hub of the coalition. The parliamentary group leader organizes cooperation with the coalition partner, defends the chancellor in parliament, and organizes majorities and funding for government policy. In other words: Friedrich Merz is now dependent on Jens Spahn – more than anyone else. He needs his unconditional loyalty. ‘Of all people!’ groan some in the party.
“There were and are doubts within the CDU about Jens Spahn’s loyalty. Influential CDU figures warned Friedrich Merz about Spahn until recently. He said he played too often on his own account, changing his political form depending on the mood… Spahn’s relationship with the SPD is also considered strained… Spahn is not trusted…
“But perhaps Merz couldn’t get past him at all… In the coalition negotiations, the 44-year-old appeared in almost all important negotiating groups. He drew red lines, sometimes even towards the boss. ‘That’s not possible, Friedrich!’ Spahn is said to have retorted to Merz in a large gathering. It demonstrates his utmost self-confidence – and gives a foreshadowing of the future…
“Some in the party fear that with the election of the parliamentary group leader, the question of Friedrich Merz’s successor could arise sooner than the chancellor-designate would like. And not in four years… his own people and long-time associates believe he’s capable of it. This also explicitly includes those who long for a quick end to the CDU/CSU coalition and have long been eyeing the AfD… If the coalition fails, then I’m out. That’s what Merz recently said. Jens Spahn made clear… what he wants: to become chancellor. He will soon come a long way toward achieving this goal.”
Der Tagesspiegel wrote on April 25:
“Spahn wants to become Chancellor… with whomever.”
Der Freitag wrote on April 25:
“Germany’s most dangerous politician? Jens Spahn is making the AfD capable of forming alliances… Jens Spahn… has long been speaking the language of the far-right. The firewall to the AfD is shaky.”
Chaos in Spain
The Sun wrote on April 29:
“Panic-stricken shoppers across Spain and even Portugal are clearing supermarket shelves and leaving grocery stores empty amid chaos… Roads… were left snarled up with traffic as lights and signals went blank… Some hospitals cancelled all surgeries for Monday amid fears for patient safety in the region’s most severe blackout for years… Spain’s train service came to a complete stop, leaving huge crowds stranded at stations, and Madrid’s underground network was evacuated… Air traffic was slashed to ‘half capacity’ as flights were cancelled from a number of airports – with Lisbon cancelling all arrivals for hours…
“Portugal’s national grid operator, REN, said it believes a ‘rare atmospheric event’ could be behind the outage… Many had raised fears that a ‘Russian cyberattack’ is behind the chaos, following previous similar plots against Europe… An outage of this scale is extremely rare and has caused mayhem for millions, including Brits on their holidays.”
No Power in Spain, Portugal and Parts of France
SKY News wrote on April 28:
“We rarely think about how essential and reliable electricity grids are until they fail. Now, millions of people across Spain, Portugal and parts of France are likely thinking of little else… Much of Spain and Portugal’s electricity transmission system collapsed in seconds, including major cities Lisbon, Madrid, Barcelona and Seville. It’s likely the outage will surpass Europe’s largest blackout to date, when 56 million people in Italy and Switzerland lost power for up to 12 hours in 2023…
“Portugal’s grid operator has blamed a ‘rare atmospheric phenomenon’ that caused ‘anomalous oscillations’ in high voltage power lines in Spain… But it’s unlikely whatever caused the outage was a single, localised event.
“A major power line going down can cause a large outage (as it did in 2021 when an interconnector between France and Spain failed, leaving a million people without power for a few hours in 2021). But it’s unlikely to cause a system-wide failure of the kind we’re seeing now…”
If it can happen in Spain, Portugal or France, it can happen everywhere.
Acknowledgement and Disclaimer:
These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.