David Kleimann

Name the band

The EU's approach to Trumpism so far is like a mashup of its greatest failures in trying to counter Orbanism and Putinism, equal parts denial and wishful thinking.

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In the new scramble for Africa’s resources, Europe tries to right old wrongs Ursula von der Leyen says African countries should benefit from resource extraction — but Brussels has yet to deliver on that promise.

NEW: Ursula von der Leyen says African countries should benefit from resource extraction — but Brussels has yet to deliver on that promise.

www.politico.eu/article/in-t...

Europe in dangerous territory. Putting democratic protections on the chopping blocks for trade concessions invites a slippery slope. Increasingly tariff negotiations cuts at the heart of European national security.
www.ft.com/content/5820...

Lutnick Says EU Must Change Digital Rules for Steel Tariff Deal US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the European Union needs to change its digital regulations in order to get a deal to lower steel and aluminum tariffs.

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

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The scramble for Europe is just beginning As the EU struggles to defend its interests, outside powers play divide and rule

We also need to find our hard power, fast, as @gideonrachman.bsky.social recently argued, and find a way to make big decisions in a more agile manner, like our adversaries. More power needs to be delegated to joint decisionmaking, even -- especially! -- in core areas like foreign policy & defence.

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China’s New Weapon in US Trade Talks: Batteries The US is heavily reliant on Chinese batteries as it seeks to stabilize the grid and support explosive data center demand for power.

In the first seven months of 2025, Chinese grid-scale lithium-ion batteries accounted for about 65% of US imports, according to the most recent data available from BNEF.

Washington, with the help of big American companies like ExxonMobil, has been lobbying the EU to scrap its due diligence rules.

Behind closed doors, Brussels is telling EU capitals that it’s not on the table.

Read more from @gabrielgavin.bsky.social and I 👇

Sabine Weyand for President 💚

“Stock markets fell as the simmering trade war between the United States and China reignited, with the Nasdaq down 3.6 percent and the S&P 500 down 2.7 percent”

EU refuses to bow to Trump demands to tear up business rules Brussels has signaled it won’t yield to U.S. pressure to ignite a bonfire of green regulations as part of their trade deal, a top official tells diplomats.

www.politico.eu/article/eu-t...

European Commission: The proposed measure is fully WTO compliant. Upon receipt of a mandate from the Council, the Commission will swiftly engage with affected EU trading partners under the Article XXVIII GATT procedure regarding this change to the EU's WTO tariffs, with a view to

Hassett: "China has stopped buying US soybeans. The silos are full and there are soybeans sitting on the ground w/tarps over them. That's unacceptable to POTUS. We're calling up our soybean customers around the world as part of our trade negotiations & we'll strong policies to support our farmers"

The EPA is ending greenhouse gas data collection. Who will step up to fill the gap? With the agency no longer collecting emissions data from polluting companies, attention is turning to whether climate NGOs have the tools—and legal right—to fulfill this EPA function.

The Environmental Protection Agency announced earlier this month that it would stop making polluting companies report their greenhouse gas emissions to it, eliminating a crucial tool the US uses to...

AOC: I think there's two things that are happening at once: One, there absolutely is an unprecedented abuse of power, destruction of norms, erosion of our government and our democracy in order to prop up an authoritarian style of governance

However, they are weaker than they look…

Jayapal: It is a strange and bizarre time when we literally have a president thinking about plating the ballroom in gold—while he’s thrown 15 million Americans off healthcare, fired over 150,000 federal workers, and is threatening to fire even more if we go into a shutdown.

Trump: "The ones that are run by radical left Democrats -- what they've done to San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles. They're very unsafe places & we're gonna straighten them out one by one. This is gonna be a major part for some people in this room. That's a war too. It's war from within"

Thank you. I should have added a sarcasm alert.

Brussels aims to sign Mercosur trade deal on Dec. 5 U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff crusade has pushed the EU toward completing its long-awaited agreement with the South American bloc.

The European Commission is eyeing a possible signature of its long-awaited partnership agreement with the Mercosur bloc of South American countries on Dec. 5 in Brazil, four EU diplomats told POLITICO.

I liked the Third Reich touch of the “you gotta be fit and beautiful when you serve”.

For Germans, this admin provides so much Deja Vu.

Trump defends use of U.S. military against 'enemy within' Earlier, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the purpose of the department would exclusively be "war fighting."

JUST IN: President Trump has told top U.S. commanders that the military would be used against "enemy within."

EU trade commissioner says the EU could conclude trade negotiations with Malaysia, Thailand, and Philippines "in the next year". Could be a bumper year with India, plus already concluded talks with Mercosur, Mexico, and Indonesia still to be ratified

Free speech news

A blunt and staggering admission that EU trade policy (US AND non-US) is determined in Washington, not in Brussels and member states capitals.

EU trade chief Sefcovic, speaking at the Atlantic Council event today, says the EU and US are "very soon going to propose the post 2026 safeguard measures" on steel, working with tariff-rate quotas, to deal with "global overcapacity"

Chinese Turbine Maker Hires BASF Renewable CEO for Europe Plans Chinese turbine maker Ming Yang Smart Energy Group Ltd. has hired German chemical giant BASF SE’s head of renewables as its new European chief executive, hoping to regain footing in the region’s wind market.

Chinese turbine maker Ming Yang hires a top executive at chemical giant BASF as its new European chief executive.