Trump Makes Washington Roar - President Kicks Off His IndyCar Race Right in the Heart of the Capital with wild gestures mit wilden Gesten
Washington has seen plenty of political spectacles, but this Sunday IndyCar came racing past the capital's monuments at nearly 200 miles per hour. Donald Trump and Melania Trump opened the Freedom 250 with a slow lap around the course in the presidential limousine. Shortly afterward, Trump stood in his box, waved the green flag and sent the drivers onto the track. The race ran straight through Washington, including a stretch along Pennsylvania Avenue not far from the White House. Before his lap, Trump had announced that he would be riding in a "beautiful, safe car," just a little slower than the cars people would see afterward.
The race is part of the celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of American independence, which Trump has filled this year with ever bigger events. Those have already included a UFC fight on the White House lawn, military flyovers, a massive Fourth of July fireworks display and a government anniversary fair. Washington got the full Trump treatment at the IndyCar race too. Tenor Christopher Macchio sang the national anthem, a trained bald eagle was released near the starting line, and military aircraft thundered over the city. The formation included a B-2 stealth bomber, the aircraft whose use against Iranian nuclear facilities Trump regularly boasts about. While Trump was making his lap, the presidential plane also flew over the course, escorted by four fighter jets. It was the aircraft gifted by Qatar that Trump now uses as Air Force One, whose acceptance caused just as much controversy as its more limited missile-warning and defensive systems compared with the older presidential aircraft.
All of this happened while the war against Iran launched by Trump has still not ended after nearly six months. Gas prices have risen, and even within the Republican Party concern is growing that, ahead of the November midterm elections, voters are seeing a president who would rather occupy himself with major spectacles than with their cost of living. Trump himself seems to be taking more and more pleasure in the ceremonial side of his office. Last month, at the World Cup final, he handed the trophy to Spain and then remained standing among the players as the confetti fell.
Now it was Washington's turn, and Trump got a car race right through the capital. The man who made it possible above all was Roger Penske, owner of the IndyCar series, a longtime Trump friend and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which Trump awarded him in 2019. Penske had spent 20 years trying to bring the race to Washington, Trump said on television. Then Penske "came to Trump," the president said about himself in the third person, and within about 15 minutes the deal was done. Penske greeted Trump at the track and later sat with him in the box. Also there was Trump's friend Dana White, head of the UFC and co-organizer of the fight on the White House grounds in June. Trump had already set the race in motion earlier this year by executive order, declaring that the cars and drivers would inspire awe and respect among all spectators for this "uniquely American sport." In early August, he put it even more grandly, saying the race cars would make "freedom roar." That roar is not exactly cheap, even though Penske, according to his company, is covering the vast majority of the costs for the course and road work. Washington itself paid for part of the resurfacing. More than 200 manhole covers had to be welded shut so the race cars would not rip them out of the road with the suction they create.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson already wants the race repeated next year and turned into an annual event. That could turn an anniversary event into something permanent, even though it was originally justified by America's 250th birthday. For Trump, the race fits a Washington that he is reshaping more and more to his liking during his second term. Giant banners with his face hang from government buildings, an enormous ballroom is being built at the White House, the Oval Office has been covered in gold, and even the botched repairs to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool are now part of this Washington. Now race cars tear through streets normally used by government vehicles and tour buses. Trump stood trackside, started the race and, for a few hours, got exactly the capital he likes: loud, expensive, backed by the military and completely centered on him.
Zelensky Rejects Any Involvement in Nord Stream Sabotage - German Investigators Continue to Follow Ukrainian Lead
Volodymyr Zelensky has once again firmly rejected any involvement by the Ukrainian leadership in the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines. At a meeting with the heads of state and government of the Nordic-Baltic Eight in Kyiv, the Ukrainian president said Germany knew that Ukraine had been involved neither in planning nor carrying out the operation. Kyiv, he said, was also prepared to fully support the German investigation. Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office and Foreign Ministry were already in constant contact with their European partners on the matter. The case itself, however, continues to lead back to Ukraine.
Germany is investigating the sabotage of Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 and has by now obtained arrest warrants for several Ukrainian suspects. Two men have been arrested. Ukrainian citizen Sergei Kuznetsov was first detained in Italy and later extradited to Germany. Volodymyr Zhuravlov had already been arrested in Poland, but a Polish court refused his extradition and released him. In August 2026, he was finally arrested again in Croatia. German investigators believe seven Ukrainian citizens took part in the operation. They are said to have included four divers, an explosives expert, the captain of the sailing yacht Andromeda and Kuznetsov, who investigators believe led the group. At the end of September 2022, Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 were badly damaged by several explosions near the Danish island of Bornholm. Four leaks were subsequently discovered across three of the four pipeline strings.
The case has been politically explosive for years because the question is not only who planted the explosives, but also who may have ordered the operation. Der Spiegel reported in December that Ukraine's Defense Ministry had confirmed that Kuznetsov was serving in Ukraine's Special Operations Forces at the time of the sabotage. Even more serious is a ruling by Germany's Federal Court of Justice that became public in January. It states that the attacks were organized "with a high degree of probability" on behalf of a foreign state. The rest of the ruling makes clear that Ukraine is the state being referred to. Zelensky's statement therefore stands against a German investigative direction that now goes far beyond the idea of a private group acting on its own.
There is still no proof, however, that Zelensky or the Ukrainian government itself ordered the operation. That distinction is likely to remain decisive for the continuing investigation: Ukrainian participants on one side, possible state sponsorship on the other. Zelensky completely rejects the latter and at the same time offers Germany further cooperation.
Canada Draws the Line - Carney Rejects Trump's Terms and Accepts a Trade War
Mark Carney has spent months warning that economic dependence can be turned into a weapon. Now Canada is exactly where he warned it could end up. On Saturday, the United States slapped 50 percent tariffs on roughly $20 billion worth of Canadian goods after Ottawa broke off negotiations at the last minute. Carney said Washington had demanded terms that would effectively have restricted Canada's ability to make its own trade agreements with other countries. For him, that was the end of it. "That is unacceptable," the prime minister said, turning the dispute into a question of Canadian sovereignty.
On September 8, Canada plans to hit back on the same scale. "We will retaliate," Carney said. Ottawa is therefore doing something many U.S. allies have so far shied away from: accepting economic damage rather than giving in to Trump's tariff pressure. For Canada, that is especially risky. Nearly three quarters of its exports go to the United States, whose economy is roughly ten times larger. New agreements can be signed, but supply chains and customers built up over decades in the American market cannot be replaced within a few months. Carney therefore openly acknowledges that Canada's retaliatory tariffs will raise prices and reduce consumer choice. That is exactly the kind of situation he warned about in Davos in January. Back then, he spoke of a breakdown of the existing international order and called on middle powers to stand together against economic pressure from major powers.
Trump answered a day later with a line Canadians have not forgotten: "Canada lives because of the United States. Remember that, Mark, the next time you make your statements." Since then, Trump has repeatedly talked about making Canada the 51st state and has called the shared border artificial. On Sunday, he went further, writing that Canada wanted the benefits of being a state without actually becoming one. British Columbia Premier David Eby responded that the trade condition demanded by Washington really would have reduced Canada economically to the status of a 51st state. Carney is now openly accusing the United States of weaponizing the economic ties between the two countries. America's signature on agreements, he said, now appears to be written only "in pencil." Washington rejects the Canadian account. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer claims Ottawa introduced new demands and walked back commitments it had already made, even though the United States had offered to lower tariffs on steel, autos, lumber and other goods. At the same time, he announced further U.S. measures in response to Canada's retaliatory tariffs. The dispute could therefore very quickly turn into an economic tornado in which both sides keep making more and more goods expensive. Canada would be far more vulnerable economically, but politically Carney appears to have support for now.
Anger at Trump is running high across the country. Politicians are urging people to buy Canadian products, and the U.S. national anthem was booed at soccer games in Vancouver and Montreal over the weekend. Historian Robert Bothwell says no other country is as exposed to economic pressure from the United States as Canada. Success, therefore, does not mean getting through this trade war without losses, but preserving the country's independence against Trump's attempt to subordinate Canada. Europe is watching closely too. Former Italian prime minister and EU commissioner Paolo Gentiloni shared Carney's Saturday speech with the comment that he would like to hear an address like that in Europe sometime. The EU had prepared retaliatory tariffs last year but repeatedly suspended them during negotiations with Washington. Canada is now going further. Nobody knows whether other countries will follow. Carney, at least, has made his decision. Back in the spring, he warned that America was trying to break Canada so it could then own it. On Saturday, he reminded people of that warning and repeated his promise: "That will never, ever happen." - Europe could learn from that, could ...
Russian Traffic Cameras in the EU - Hidden SIM Card and Commands From Russia
The Slovak government wanted to modernize its traffic-monitoring system and buy 279 new speed cameras. They were supposed to be supplied by the Cypriot company Sodasus Ltd, which gave authorities the impression that it manufactured the devices itself. But the cameras come from Russia and were built by Simicon in St. Petersburg. Research found that even the name of the devices had been changed before they were offered for the Slovak market.
In early August, the opposition party Progressive Slovakia was the first to publicly raise doubts about where the cameras came from. The Interior Ministry initially rejected the allegations, but later had to acknowledge that Slovakia's National Security Bureau had confirmed their Russian origin. The technical examination made things considerably more explosive. Experts found a hidden slot for a second SIM card inside one camera, even though it was not mentioned anywhere in the technical documentation. The devices can also receive commands by text message. Twelve phone numbers are stored for that purpose, registered in St. Petersburg and in the Leningrad and Kemerovo regions. What commands can be carried out this way and who has access to them has not yet been publicly clarified. Slovakia's Interior Ministry then stopped the ongoing tests involving two of the new cameras. The role of the supposed manufacturer in Cyprus also raises questions. Sodasus Ltd was founded only in 2021, and there are no publicly available signs of actual manufacturing or any other significant business activity. We have already come across the company in the past in connection with dubious links and no traceable business deals. Even more troubling is that such cameras were apparently never intended only for Slovakia. According to Slovak authorities, Russian-made models are already being used in several EU countries.
The National Security Bureau points, among others, to the Croatian company Neroline, which sells similar devices and has worked with the city of Rijeka for around ten years. Western intelligence agencies had already described in May 2025 just how dangerous cameras along important transportation routes can become. Russian military hackers had gained access to more than 10,000 cameras near military facilities, rail hubs and border crossings. Around 80 percent were in Ukraine, with others in Romania, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia. The footage made it possible to monitor shipments of military equipment and weapons heading toward Ukraine. According to Western security agencies, the attacks were carried out by the Russian group APT 28, also known as Fancy Bear, which is linked to the GRU military intelligence service. That history is exactly what makes the discovery in Slovakia so troubling: an EU country was preparing to install hundreds of cameras along its roads whose real manufacturer had initially been concealed and which can be remotely contacted through an undocumented SIM card and phone numbers in Russia.
Europe Slammed Trump's Climate Rollback - Now It Is Backing Away From Its Own Policies
When Donald Trump rolled back a large part of U.S. climate policy last year, criticism from Europe, Britain and Canada came fast and loud. Now those same countries and blocs are loosening their own rules as the costs of the energy transition put growing pressure on industry, households and political majorities. The European Union wants to ease its carbon-pricing system and keep more emissions allowances on the market so energy-intensive companies are not hit even harder. At the same time, manufacturers are supposed to be allowed to sell gasoline-powered cars for longer, even though the original plan effectively meant the end of new combustion-engine cars from 2035.
Germany pushed for that change, with Chancellor Friedrich Merz explicitly calling on Brussels to give the auto industry more room. In Britain, new oil drilling in the North Sea is now being discussed again, even though new exploratory drilling was halted only last year. Electric-vehicle rules are also back under review. Prime Minister Andy Burnham is having officials examine whether the existing targets for manufacturers still match consumer demand and competitiveness. Canada is going even further. Prime Minister Mark Carney has scrapped his predecessor's unpopular consumer carbon tax and is backing new oil and gas projects as well as additional facilities for exporting liquefied natural gas. Carney, of all people, spent years as one of the most prominent faces of international climate policy.
The conflict is especially clear in Europe because wind and solar now provide around 34 percent of electricity generation, up from 20 percent in 2021, while electricity prices for households and businesses still rank among the highest in the industrialized world. The EU officially continues to stand by its goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55 percent by 2030 and reaching climate neutrality by 2050. The European Environment Agency warns, however, that meeting the interim target of at least 42.5 percent renewable energy by 2030 would require practically doubling the pace of renewable-energy deployment compared with the past decade. At the same time, major energy companies are backing away from parts of their own green plans. Shell stopped a planned biofuels plant in the Netherlands. BP wants to cut annual spending on energy-transition projects by more than 70 percent and shift its focus back toward oil and gas. Equinor dropped its goal of building between ten and twelve gigawatts of new renewable capacity by 2030. The reason is hardly hidden: oil and gas currently make more money, while many green projects require heavy investment and are not delivering the expected returns.
Europe's industry has another problem on top of that. After Russia's invasion of Ukraine, large parts of the cheap Russian gas supply disappeared, forcing Europe to buy tens of billions of dollars worth of more expensive liquefied natural gas from the United States. At the same time, European carbon policy pushed electricity-production costs even higher. Emissions allowances now account for roughly one quarter to one third of the wholesale price of electricity. Steelmakers, cement producers and chemical companies receive only partial compensation. British chemical company Ineos has already announced the closure of two German plants after previously shutting facilities in Britain and Belgium and mothballing sites in France and Spain. Ineos openly called it Europe's "industrial suicide." Brussels is now trying to ease the pressure and wants to keep more emissions allowances available over the next 15 years. But that could sharply push down their price and weaken the financial incentive to switch to low-carbon technology. Meanwhile, forests are burning across Europe, rivers are carrying less and less water because of heat and drought, and scientists continue to warn about the consequences of global warming.
Politics is therefore facing a problem that can no longer be solved with grand announcements: the climate targets remain, but more and more governments are realizing that their citizens and businesses cannot carry unlimited costs. Trump has long since seized on this development for his own politics and points to Europe as proof that strict climate rules damage economies and jobs. His Energy Secretary Chris Wright even spoke of a "climate cult" that had weakened Europe and driven jobs to Asia. Europe is still a long way from Trump's wholesale demolition of environmental rules, but the old claim that it would simply keep moving further and faster is over. What only a few years ago was sold as irreversible climate policy is now being renegotiated when it comes to cars, heating systems, emissions allowances, oil and gas. The question is no longer only how quickly fossil fuels should be pushed back, but whether governments will finally take the paths needed to enforce climate protection without dumping the costs one-sidedly and with little foresight onto industry, workers and households.
