Why Democracy Is in Retreat
Copenhagen
Why do the good guys keep losing? That was the question that haunted your Global View columnist last week at the Copenhagen Democracy Summit. The annual gathering was initiated in 2018 by Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the former Danish prime minister and secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The Democracy Summit, whose American associates in past years have ranged from the Carter Center to the George W. Bush Institute, represents what people once called the vital center in Western politics.
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Yahoo
37 minutes ago
- Yahoo
UK PM condemns 'death to the IDF' chants at Glastonbury Festival
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Sunday added his voice to those condemning a British punk-rap group for anti-Israel remarks at the Glastonbury music festival, an incident that has already sparked a police inquiry. Bob Vylan led crowds in chants of "Death, death to the IDF", a reference to the acronym for the Israeli military, during their set on Saturday. British police officers are also examining comments by the Irish rap trio Kneecap, whose members have also been highly critical of Israel and its military campaign against the Palestinian militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Prime Minister Keir Starmer told The Telegraph Sunday that "there is no excuse for this kind of appalling hate speech." "I said that Kneecap should not be given a platform and that goes for any other performers making threats or inciting violence," he added. "The BBC needs to explain how these scenes came to be broadcast," he said, referring to the country's national broadcaster. One of Kneecap's members wore a T-shirt dedicated to the Palestine Action Group, which is about to be banned under UK terror laws. The festival's organisers said Bob Vylan's comments had "very much crossed a line". "We are urgently reminding everyone involved in the production of the festival that there is no place at Glastonbury for antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence," the festival said in a statement. Avon and Somerset police said Saturday that video evidence would be assessed by officers "to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation". - 'Life is sacred' - The chants about Israel's military were led by Bob Vylan's frontman Bobby Vylan, and were broadcast live on the BBC, which airs coverage of Britain's most popular music festival. "I thought it's appalling," Wes Streeting, the Labour's government's health secretary, said of the chants, adding that "all life is sacred". "I think the BBC and Glastonbury have got questions to answer about how we saw such a spectacle on our screens," he told Sky News. The Israel embassy said in a statement late Saturday that "it was "deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage at the Glastonbury Festival". But Streeting also took aim at the embassy, telling it to "get your own house in order". "I think there's a serious point there by the Israeli embassy. I wish they'd take the violence of their own citizens towards Palestinians more seriously," he said, citing Israeli settler violence in the West Bank. A spokesperson for the BBC said Vylan's comments were "deeply offensive" and the broadcaster had "no plans" to make the performance available on its on-demand service. Festival-goer Joe McCabe, 31, told AFP that while he did not necessarily agree with Vylan's statement, "I certainly think the message of questioning what's going on there (in Gaza) is right." - 'A joke' - Kneecap, which has made headlines in recent months with its pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel stance, also led crowds in chanting abuse against UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Starmer and other politicians had said the band should not perform after its member Liam O'Hanna, known by his stage name Mo Chara, was charged with a terror offence. He appeared in court this month accused of having displayed a Hezbollah flag while saying "Up Hamas, Up Hezbollah" after a video resurfaced of a London concert last year. The Iran-backed Lebanese force Hezbollah and the Palestinian militant group Hamas are banned in the UK, and it is an offence to express support for them. O'Hanna has denied the charge and told the Guardian newspaper in an interview published Friday that "it was a joke -- we're playing characters". Kneecap regularly lead crowds in chants of "Free Palestine" during its concerts, and fans revere them for their anti-establishment stance and criticism of British imperialism. Their detractors however, call them extremists. The group apologised this year after a 2023 video emerged appearing to show one singer calling for the death of British Conservative lawmakers. Israel began its offensive against Hamas in the Palestinian territory of Gaza after the militants launched an attack that resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures. Israel's retaliatory military campaign has killed at least 56,412 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to Hamas-run territory's health ministry. The United Nations considers these figures to be reliable. bur-gv/jj
Gizmodo
an hour ago
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Elon Musk Returns to Politics by Trolling Iran and Torching Trump's Big Bill
Elon Musk's political silence lasted exactly three weeks. For anyone else, that might seem brief. For Musk, it was an eternity. Some even speculated that the Tesla CEO had backed away from politics and geopolitical affairs for good. This was a profound misunderstanding of the man who has just spectacularly reminded politicians of his power by renewing his attacks on Donald Trump's 'One Big, Beautiful Bill' and provoking the Ayatollah of Iran. The criticism of the Trump administration's signature legislation has been scathing. 'The latest Senate draft bill will destroy millions of jobs in America and cause immense strategic harm to our country!,' the billionaire wrote on X. He followed up by citing private polling data he posted that showed widespread opposition to the bill's key tenets, concluding, 'Polls show that this bill is political suicide for the Republican Party.' The latest Senate draft bill will destroy millions of jobs in America and cause immense strategic harm to our country! Utterly insane and destructive. It gives handouts to industries of the past while severely damaging industries of the future. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 28, 2025The message is clear: he's not going anywhere. Musk intends to continue using his platform to influence political affairs, and with a fortune valued at $367 billion according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, he has the financial power to back it up. This new offensive puts him in direct conflict with a president who has yet to respond. Trump wants his flagship bill, which includes deep cuts to social programs and clean energy while raising the debt ceiling, signed by July 4. With the Senate set to begin debate on June 29, Musk's attacks are unlikely to help sway Republican legislators already worried about exploding the national deficit. For Musk, this is a risky maneuver. His previous political involvement came at a high price. After reportedly spending heavily to help Trump return to the White House, he was entrusted with a tailor made department, the infamous Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The department's actions, which included eliminating government agencies, quickly made it a symbol of the administration's controversial agenda. As a result, Tesla's reputation as a clean energy champion took a massive hit. The company saw its sales, stock, and profits plummet amid global protests, and under pressure from investors, Musk was forced to leave the government at the end of May. To make matters worse, Musk and Trump had a massive public fallout on June 5, trading a series of personal insults online. The backlash from the MAGA base was so severe that Musk was forced to apologize, express his regrets, and delete one of his most inflammatory posts about Trump. Since then, the state of the relationship between the two men has been unclear. Beyond domestic politics, Musk also sent a clear message to foreign leaders. He issued a direct provocation to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei after the Iranian Supreme Leader threatened Israel following recent US and Israeli military actions. 'The Zionist regime must know that attacking the Islamic Republic of Iran will result in a heavy cost for them,' Ayatollah Khamenei posted on X on June 26, his first message since the US bombing of three Iranian nuclear sites. To this, Musk replied with a taunt: 'Is America the Great Satan or the Greatest Satan?' Is America the Great Satan or the Greatest Satan? — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 26, 2025The Ayatollah did not respond, but Musk's intention was obvious. He followed up with a second post reading, 'Only on X,' a boast that the world's most powerful people communicate on his platform. For those who thought the tech king was retreating to focus solely on his businesses, Musk has just reminded everyone that he has no intention of giving up his global influence.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Senator Thom Tillis announces he is not running for reelection
North Carolina U.S. Senator Thom Tillis has announced that he will not be running for re-election. The Republican representative said that over the last year, he has joked about not looking forward to running for another term. And now he wants to spend more time with his wife, children, and grandchildren. 'It's not a hard choice, and I will not be seeking re-election,' he said in a statement. Tillis said he has been grateful for his time as a representative for North Carolina. And for the path that got him there. 'It has been a blessing to go on a journey from living in a trailer park and making minimum wage as a young man to having the honor of serving as U.S. Senator for North Carolina,' he said in a statement. READ: Senator Tillis voices concerns about Big Beautiful Bill in its current form, says he can't support He is proud of his accomplishments, he said, emphasizing work in bipartisan victories, including passing eugenics compensation, investing in mental health, and passing the Respect for Marriage Act. 'Sometimes those bipartisan initiatives got me into trouble with my own party, but I wouldn't have changed a single one,' he said. 'In Washington over the last few years, it's become increasingly evident that leaders who are willing to embrace bipartisanship, compromise, and demonstrate independent thinking are becoming an endangered species.' But Tillis said he has noticed a shift in politics where independent thinking is criticized when it opposes a person's party. He said he has seen this on both sides of the aisle. 'Too many elected officials are motivated by pure raw politics who really don't give a damn about the people they promised to represent on the campaign trail,' he said. 'After they get elected, they don't bother to do the hard work to research the policies they seek to implement and understand the consequences those policies could have on that young adult living in a trailer park, struggling to make ends meet.' This announcement comes just a day after he spoke out against the Big Beautiful Bill in its current form. On Saturday, Tillis said he had concerns about the way the bill would affect Medicaid, specifically how cuts would impact rural communities and hospitals in North Carolina. He said he looks forward to continuing to represent the state of North Carolina for the next 18 months, unhindered by campaigning distractions. 'I look forward to having the pure freedom to call the balls and strikes as I see fit and representing the great people of North Carolina to the best of my ability,' he said. WATCH: Supreme Court limits nationwide injunctions, but fate of Trump birthright citizenship order unclear
