Source: Common Dreams
by David Goessmann
“According to the preliminary results of the Bundestag, or parliamentary, elections, the extreme right-wing party Alternative for Germany (AfD) has become the second-strongest force in Germany. It now has 20.8% of the vote, doubling its result compared to the last election. The conservative CDU/CSU got 28.5%. The Social Democrats and the Greens, who have been in government so far, were punished, receiving 16.4 and 11.6% of the vote, respectively. However, the party Die Linke was able to achieve a success. For a long time, it was stuck in polls well below the 5%, which is the mark to enter the Bundestag. But in a final sprint, it was able to significantly increase the result and garner 8.7%. Above all, strong speeches by Member of Parliament Heidi Reichinnek against the anti-migration agenda of all other parties and for real social change were able to mobilize.” (02/25/25)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/extreme-center-helped-afd
Source: United Press International
“President Donald Trump said his administration plans to implement tariffs on [American buyers of goods from] neighbors Canada and Mexico next week. The tariffs were delayed a month after the countries promised to beef up their border security but Trump told reporters Monday the tariffs will now move ‘forward on time, on schedule.’ Trump said earlier that the [American buyers of goods from the] country would be hit with 25% tariffs on its products. [American buyers of goods from] Canada will also see a 10% duty on energy products. … Canada and Mexico make up $900 billion in U.S. imports, including automobiles and agricultural products.” (02/25/25)
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2025/02/25/tariffs-canada-mexico/2311740489551/
Source: National Review
“Good Things and Bad Examples.” (02/25/25)
https://www.nationalreview.com/podcasts/capital-record/good-things-and-bad-examples/
Source: Bet On It
by Theo Jaffe
“Anyone who’s been to Japan will tell you about its incredible levels of public order, safety, and cleanliness. When I went to Japan for the first time this summer, I assumed the Japanophiles were exaggerating, but I was blown away. From the remotest villages to the centers of the densest cities, every single street was immaculately clean, every public bathroom in perfect condition, every convenience store well-stocked and staffed by happy, smiling employees. There wasn’t a hint of danger or sketchiness even in the middle of the night, and not a single homeless person to be seen anywhere. I couldn’t believe how nice it was everywhere, so I resolved to see if I could find anywhere in Japan that wasn’t perfect. When I Googled ‘worst neighborhood in Japan,’ one result popped up more than any other: Kamagasaki, Osaka. When I went to Osaka, I had to check it out for myself.” (02/25/25)
https://www.betonit.ai/p/the-worst-neighborhood-in-japan
Source: Common Dreams
“The collective fortune of the world’s billionaires grew by roughly $10 billion per day during the first month of 2025 as billionaire Donald Trump took office in the United States, ushering in an administration that includes the world’s richest man and other elites hellbent on eviscerating government and delivering fresh tax breaks to the ultra-wealthy. The new analysis of billionaire wealth was published Monday by the global #TaxTheSuperRich Movement, an alliance that is pressuring G20 nations to tax the mega-rich in order to stem destructive inequality and fund critical priorities, including badly needed climate action. According to the analysis, global billionaire wealth surged by $314 billion total in January, which is ‘more than the combined wealth of the 2.8 billion people who make up the poorest third of humanity.'” (02/25/25)
https://www.commondreams.org/news/billionaire-wealth-surges
Source: Washington Monthly
by Bill Scher
“President Donald Trump’s net job approval average, in both the Real Clear Politics and FiveThirtyEight averages, has slid about 7 points over the first month of his second term, leaving his approval rating just barely above his disapproval. This is a historically bad beginning for a presidency. The only worse example is Donald Trump’s first presidency. Who cares about poll numbers anymore, you might ask. Congressional Republicans should. They are on the ballot next year, and the GOP could easily lose control of the House. If Trump does not defy political gravity, he could drag them down, as he did in his first term. Presidential polling honeymoons always end, but rarely so fast.” (02/25/25)
https://washingtonmonthly.com/2025/02/25/trumps-historically-bad-first-month-of-polls-should-terrify-republicans/
Source: France 24 [French state media]
“The chance that a football field-sized asteroid capable of destroying a city will strike Earth in 2032 has fallen to 0.001 percent, the European Space Agency said on Tuesday. A week ago, the asteroid set a new record for having the highest probability of hitting Earth – 3.1 percent according to NASA, and 2.8 percent according to the ESA. The planetary defence community has been scanning the skies. However, as had been widely expected, fresh observations from telescopes around the world narrowed the area of uncertainty where the asteroid could strike, increasingly ruling out the odds of a direct hit. The ESA said the chance was now down to 0.001 percent, adding that the threat level on the Torino Impact Hazard Scale was now at zero – after hitting level three out of a possible 10 last week.” (02/25/25)
https://www.france24.com/en/science/20250225-risk-of-city-killer-asteroid-hitting-earth-downgraded-to-0-001
Source: Fountainhead Forum
“Maria Lobo Murga on Javier Milei’s speech to the 2025 World Economic Forum.” (02/25/25)
https://rumble.com/v6p0p80-ff-276-maria-lobo-murga-on-javier-mileis-speech-to-the-2025-world-economic-.html
Source: Libertarian Institute
by Joseph Solis-Mullen
“Just as today, in the years following World War II the United States faced a national debt exceeding 100% of GDP. Yet, by the early 1970s, that figure had fallen to around 30%. Many policymakers and commentators today point back at this period as proof that economic growth and sound fiscal policies can solve America’s current debt crisis. But can we really ‘grow our way out’ of today’s $36.4 trillion national debt the way we did after the war? The numbers suggest otherwise.” (02/25/25)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/can-the-united-states-grow-its-way-out-of-debt
Source: Town Hall
by Derek Hunter
“Remember that guy who became a meme more than a decade ago screaming in a YouTube video for people to ‘LEAVE BRITNEY ALONE!’? The ‘cry’ for privacy, ironically, went viral in the personification of the ‘Streisand Effect’ – when the attempt to get people not to look at something causes more people to look than otherwise would have. With the exception of Hollywood, politics is full of people desperate to have their privacy respected … just ask their publicists. Some people lead lives of example – something to aspire or look up to – while others lead lives that can best be described as cautionary tales. Whatever side of that divide you fall (and most people spend time on both sides, living their lives largely on the line in the middle), attention is always given to those who scream the loudest and act the dumbest.” (02/25/25)
https://townhall.com/columnists/derekhunter/2025/02/25/politics-is-full-of-hypocrites-and-attention-seekers-n2652723
