USA vote with Russia and China against UN resolution on Ukraine!
On Thursday, the United States opposed a resolution in the Board of the International Atomic Energy Agency that condemned attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure as a threat to nuclear safety. Together with Russia, China and Niger, Washington voted against the text. The resolution was nevertheless adopted, but the voting behavior sends a clear signal. At issue is how attacks on power plants and electricity grids are to be assessed in a war in which several Ukrainian facilities operate nuclear reactors. If the energy supply fails, safety systems come under pressure. That the United States would side with Moscow in this situation is drawing international attention. The decision comes at a time when the war in Ukraine continues and the stability of nuclear facilities is not a theoretical debate but a real security question.
Prayer in the Oval Office - When politics turns into preaching
“This is neither normal nor healthy”
Pastors pray in the Oval Office for Donald Trump. Cameras are rolling, hands are raised, heads bowed. What was once considered a private matter of faith is becoming a visible component of state power. The appeal to divine order moves to the center of a politics that no longer relies solely on laws but on interpretation. Where the Constitution once served as the standard, the Bible is now invoked, specifically those passages that lend themselves to discipline. The woman as a footnote to the man - that is how it is formulated, that is how it is spread. That this message comes from Paula White-Cain, evangelical television preacher and longtime spiritual adviser to Donald Trump, head of the Faith Office, is no coincidence. It fits the picture. Submission appears as virtue, loyalty as faith. It is not the structure that is questioned, but dissent against it. Those who refuse are labeled disruptive. Religion is not hidden, it is deployed. With a calm voice, with a friendly face, with the claim of moral superiority. The Oval Office has thus become not only a seat of office, but also a pulpit.
Don Bacon breaks with Trump - “Moral blindness toward Russia”
Republican Congressman Don Bacon finds clear words for his own president’s foreign policy. Trump treats Vladimir Putin with kid gloves while confronting Volodymyr Zelensky with boxing gloves, Bacon said. He does not understand this line. Within the administration there is a moral blindness when it comes to Russia. It is remarkable when criticism does not come from the opposition but from within one’s own ranks. Bacon does not represent a fringe position but a segment of Republicans who continue to insist on a firm stance toward Moscow. His statement lays bare how deep the tensions within the party have become. While Trump relies on direct channels to Moscow and increases pressure on Kyiv, unease is growing among some conservatives. The question of whom Washington confronts more harshly is no longer rhetorical. It is being asked in Congress.
Trump declares the enemy defeated - and too late
Donald Trump speaks of a military that is destroying the enemy far ahead of schedule and on a scale never seen before. The United States, he says, is in the process of completely destroying everything. At the same time he claims the other side is calling and asking how to make a deal. His answer: you are a little late. The president paints the picture of an opponent that is militarily faltering and politically conceding. It is the language of a victor while the conflict is still ongoing. Such statements set standards for expectation and reality. Anyone who speaks of total destruction raises the pressure on any subsequent outcome. If negotiations do take place, they will be measured against these words. Trump’s message is directed not only outward but inward. Strength is demonstrated, doubt is not permitted. Yet between the announcement and the outcome of a war there is often more than a headline.
Noem quotes Orwell - and defends hard force
Kristi Noem reaches for a line often attributed to George Orwell: people sleep peacefully in their beds at night because rough men stand ready to use violence on their behalf. With this image she describes the role of the military and security forces. Security, in this view, does not arise from negotiations but from the willingness to be tough. The thought presents violence as a necessary prerequisite for calm. It elevates those who fight to guarantors of daily life. At the same time it shifts the discussion away from the consequences of such operations. When violence is sold as protection, questions about measure and responsibility recede into the background. Noem’s quote functions as a justification for a course that places strength above restraint. It is a clear message to supporters who expect toughness. Yet it ignores that every use of force carries political and human consequences that do not end with a quote. Anyone who does not understand Orwell should be cautious about invoking him as a witness. Quotations carry responsibility, especially when used to justify state violence. And beginning March 31, Kristi Noem will have ample time to revisit him calmly - after her dismissal as head of the Department of Homeland Security.
Baden-Württemberg ahead of the election - Greens and CDU tied
Just days before the state election, the race in Baden-Württemberg is open. The Greens have gained ground in the final stretch and now stand at 28 percent, tied with the CDU, which is also at 28 percent. The SPD reaches eight percent, the AfD 18 percent, the FDP and the Left Party each 5.5 percent. All other parties together come to seven percent. Numerically, a coalition of Greens and CDU would be possible. Thirty-two percent of respondents are still undecided or unsure whether they will vote. For parties hovering around the five percent threshold, that could prove decisive on election day. Mobilization becomes the factor.
When asked about their preferred minister president, Cem Özdemir is clearly ahead. Forty-seven percent support him. CDU lead candidate Manuel Hagel stands at 24 percent, Markus Frohnmaier of the AfD at eight percent. Five years ago, the Greens achieved a record result of 32.6 percent, while the CDU fell to a historic low of 24.1 percent. The SPD reached 11 percent, the FDP 10.5 percent, the AfD 9.7 percent, and the Left failed to clear the five percent threshold. Now it will be decided whether the Greens can defend their strong position or whether the CDU will return to the top. Only one thing is certain: this race will be close.
Thirty-day exception - Washington allows India Russian oil
The Trump administration is permitting India for 30 days to purchase Russian oil. The Treasury Department authorized crude oil and petroleum products from Russia that are already on ships to be unloaded in India between March 5 and April 4. The background is rising prices resulting from the war with Iran, which has complicated transport through the Strait of Hormuz. Traders reacted immediately on the markets, with U.S. crude futures climbing above 80 dollars per barrel. Trump had previously announced that measures would be taken to ease price pressure. Whether he was referring specifically to this temporary easing of sanctions remained unclear. The fact is: while Washington continues to sanction Moscow over the war in Ukraine, it simultaneously creates a time-limited exception. Energy policy and foreign policy do not always move in step.
A war spreads - Tehran, Beirut, Bahrain under fire
Israel reports a broad wave of attacks on Tehran. Airstrikes are confirmed in the Iranian capital, while the military speaks of additional strikes. At the same time, the conflict is expanding beyond borders. In Beirut, bombs hit densely populated neighborhoods after Israel issued evacuation calls. Hezbollah responds for the first time with its own warning to residents in northern Israel, urging them to leave areas near the border. In Bahrain, sirens wail, hotels and residential buildings are hit by Iranian attacks according to official statements. In Kuwait, air defense systems respond to rockets and drones, dozens of soldiers are injured, an eleven-year-old girl dies from falling debris. Three rockets aimed at the Saudi Prince Sultan base are intercepted. Qatar reports the interception of a drone attack on the Al Udeid base, where U.S. Central Command is stationed.
An American submarine sinks the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena in the Indian Ocean. At least 87 people die. Three Australian soldiers were aboard the submarine, but according to information from Canberra did not participate in offensive actions. Six American soldiers who were previously killed in a drone attack in Kuwait are to be received with dignity in Dover. Trump plans to attend. In Congress, a resolution to halt the attacks on Iran fails again. 212 to 219 votes. The Speaker of the House declares that the country is not at war, that the operation is limited and nearly complete. At the same time, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announces that firepower over Tehran will increase significantly. The United States determines its own pace and timeline, he says. The ammunition depots are full, the will unbroken.
The Iranian ambassador to Egypt speaks of a war on all levels, military, economic, digital. There have been no talks with the United States, trust has been destroyed. Trump in turn calls on Iranian diplomats worldwide to seek asylum and promises immunity. Between threats, airstrikes and political messages, a conflict grows that is no longer confined to a single battlefield.
Stopped - and yet published: The nature report the White House did not want
When Donald Trump returned to the White House, he halted a nationwide assessment of the state of nature in the United States. The work was far advanced, the first draft nearly finished. Instead of ending the project, the scientists continued - without government, without budget, but with support from foundations. More than three million dollars were raised, about 125 researchers continued their work. Now an 868-page draft is available, open for public comment. The picture is serious. Rivers are overused, polluted, fragmented by infrastructure. Marine and terrestrial ecosystems are losing biodiversity. Thirty-four percent of plant species and 40 percent of animal species are considered threatened. The consequences affect drinking water, food supply, health, jobs and protection from storms and fires. But the report does not stop at diagnosis. It also describes possibilities for restoration, protection and strengthening communities.
The planned National Nature Assessment has become the independent “Nature Registry.” The scientific review is being conducted by the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. The report builds on existing research, invents nothing new, but consolidates what is known. Anyone who wants to know where the United States stands ecologically will find a clear picture here. Whether it will be read politically remains open.
