Frans Verhagen
@fransverhagen.bsky.social
Amerika kenner, publicist, journalist, historicus. Schrijver van 21 boeken, waaronder Geschiedenis van de Verenigde Staten, De Amerikaanse president en een biografie van Abraham Lincoln.
Netanyahu rules the world
June 22, 2025 at 7:22 AM
Netanyahu rules the world
Israel: rogue nation, doomed to self destruct.
June 13, 2025 at 2:20 PM
Israel: rogue nation, doomed to self destruct.
Floor Rusman fileert Ronald Plasterk, die van de foute krant van Nederland.
www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2025/...
www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2025/...
May 10, 2025 at 9:33 AM
Floor Rusman fileert Ronald Plasterk, die van de foute krant van Nederland.
www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2025/...
www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2025/...
A visit from JD Vance can be deadly.
April 21, 2025 at 8:53 AM
A visit from JD Vance can be deadly.
The first (and only) lesson mediatraining in case of a screw up is simple: fess up, apologize, promise better and move on. Three days mediastorm, on average. Nixon never learned. The Clintons never learned. Donald Trump does not do learning. His gang is only capable of self mutulation.
March 28, 2025 at 3:11 PM
The first (and only) lesson mediatraining in case of a screw up is simple: fess up, apologize, promise better and move on. Three days mediastorm, on average. Nixon never learned. The Clintons never learned. Donald Trump does not do learning. His gang is only capable of self mutulation.
So we see the Tesla brand destroyed, people walking away (finally) from Zuckerbergs toys, refusing to use Amazon, a major newspaper destroyed, a famous university embarassed, a law firm shooting itself in the head, visitors hesitating, a country losing its luster. Creative destruction, anyone?
March 24, 2025 at 12:53 PM
So we see the Tesla brand destroyed, people walking away (finally) from Zuckerbergs toys, refusing to use Amazon, a major newspaper destroyed, a famous university embarassed, a law firm shooting itself in the head, visitors hesitating, a country losing its luster. Creative destruction, anyone?
Mob boss hits again.
Trump rescinds executive order after law firm agrees to provide $40m in free services
US president reverses threat to suspend security clearances and cancel federal contracts after meeting with chair of Paul, Weiss
www.theguardian.com
March 21, 2025 at 7:25 AM
Mob boss hits again.
Appalling as it is to hand the plutocrats their tax cuts, I am of two minds about the Democrats allowing the budget to pass. I strong stand would be nice but a shut down never was successfull. The better way is to make the Republicans own whatever happens. So, okay, go along, prepare for later.
March 14, 2025 at 10:31 AM
Appalling as it is to hand the plutocrats their tax cuts, I am of two minds about the Democrats allowing the budget to pass. I strong stand would be nice but a shut down never was successfull. The better way is to make the Republicans own whatever happens. So, okay, go along, prepare for later.
I don't often feel sorry for Rutte, but to have to suffer a Trump campaign rally in the Oval Office required all his skills to keep smiling. The pattern is clear: every Oval Office meeting is now a self promotion opportunity for the psycho in charge.
March 13, 2025 at 6:00 PM
I don't often feel sorry for Rutte, but to have to suffer a Trump campaign rally in the Oval Office required all his skills to keep smiling. The pattern is clear: every Oval Office meeting is now a self promotion opportunity for the psycho in charge.
I've cancelled my subscription after reading the Washington Post since 1983.
Washington Post Columnist Resigns After Paper Spiked Criticism of Jeff Bezos
Ruth Marcus, a longtime columnist at The Post, said its publisher refused to run her critique of the new focus for the paper’s opinion section.
www.nytimes.com
March 13, 2025 at 1:37 PM
I've cancelled my subscription after reading the Washington Post since 1983.
So Trump bought a Tesla. Too bad all loading stations are cancelled. Anyway, Trump being Trump, he will stiff Musk with the bill.
March 12, 2025 at 1:10 PM
So Trump bought a Tesla. Too bad all loading stations are cancelled. Anyway, Trump being Trump, he will stiff Musk with the bill.
Bad idea. Baudet and co will have a field day.
Romania Bars Ultranationalist Candidate From Presidential Race
The country’s electoral commission ruled on Sunday that Calin Georgescu, an outspoken critic of Ukraine and NATO, could not compete in the do-over election.
www.nytimes.com
March 10, 2025 at 9:44 AM
Bad idea. Baudet and co will have a field day.
Link to the Klein article
Opinion | There Is a Liberal Answer to Elon Musk
Right-wing populism thrives on scarcity. The answer is abundance. But a politics of abundance will work only if Democrats confront where their approach has failed.
www.nytimes.com
March 10, 2025 at 9:30 AM
Link to the Klein article
Ezra Klein:
When there is not enough to go around, we look with suspicion on anyone who might take what we have. That suspicion is the fuel of Trump’s politics. Scarcity — or at least the perception of it — is the precondition to his success.
When there is not enough to go around, we look with suspicion on anyone who might take what we have. That suspicion is the fuel of Trump’s politics. Scarcity — or at least the perception of it — is the precondition to his success.
March 10, 2025 at 9:29 AM
Ezra Klein:
When there is not enough to go around, we look with suspicion on anyone who might take what we have. That suspicion is the fuel of Trump’s politics. Scarcity — or at least the perception of it — is the precondition to his success.
When there is not enough to go around, we look with suspicion on anyone who might take what we have. That suspicion is the fuel of Trump’s politics. Scarcity — or at least the perception of it — is the precondition to his success.
Class struggle is back! . "It’s an easy story: Elon Musk and the billionaires have taken over government to steal from the American people to enrich themselves,” said Senator Chris Murphy. “That’s the message. It’s true, it’s persuasive, and if we repeat it over and over again, they won’t win.”
March 9, 2025 at 9:13 AM
Class struggle is back! . "It’s an easy story: Elon Musk and the billionaires have taken over government to steal from the American people to enrich themselves,” said Senator Chris Murphy. “That’s the message. It’s true, it’s persuasive, and if we repeat it over and over again, they won’t win.”
Let's face the new reality. These United States are not our ally anymore. They are not on our side.
February 28, 2025 at 8:56 PM
Let's face the new reality. These United States are not our ally anymore. They are not on our side.
You set up a press meeting in the Oval Office and use it to berate the visitor. Two against one, the one being a war time president in a begging situation. It was shamefull.
Setting this up was asking for trouble. This is not diplomacy. Trump and his gang did this on purpose. Putin is laughing.
Setting this up was asking for trouble. This is not diplomacy. Trump and his gang did this on purpose. Putin is laughing.
February 28, 2025 at 8:15 PM
You set up a press meeting in the Oval Office and use it to berate the visitor. Two against one, the one being a war time president in a begging situation. It was shamefull.
Setting this up was asking for trouble. This is not diplomacy. Trump and his gang did this on purpose. Putin is laughing.
Setting this up was asking for trouble. This is not diplomacy. Trump and his gang did this on purpose. Putin is laughing.
The Washington Post will now be like WSJ: serious journalism in the news pages, ideological narrow (and totally predictable) in opinion. The best op ed writers will leave: George Will, Max Boot and David Ignatius. As for my subscription: any sign of journalistic drift, that's the end of it.
Washington Post opinion editor departs as Bezos pushes to promote ‘personal liberties and free markets’
Opinion editor leaves as Amazon executive and newspaper owner says ‘viewpoints opposing those pillars will be left to be published by others’
www.theguardian.com
February 26, 2025 at 6:55 PM
The Washington Post will now be like WSJ: serious journalism in the news pages, ideological narrow (and totally predictable) in opinion. The best op ed writers will leave: George Will, Max Boot and David Ignatius. As for my subscription: any sign of journalistic drift, that's the end of it.
Shameful.
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/24/w...
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/24/w...
U.S. Votes Against U.N. Resolution Demanding Russian Withdrawal from Ukraine
The United States opposed a resolution demanding Russian withdrawal from Ukraine, but won Security Council approval of one calling for peace without assigning blame, exposing fissures between allies.
www.nytimes.com
February 25, 2025 at 10:11 AM
Shameful.
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/24/w...
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/24/w...
Observations on a power grab
Stand back and stand by: allow Trump to fail
A few observations on the power grab of Donald Trump and his gang.
open.substack.com
February 24, 2025 at 5:49 PM
Observations on a power grab
Stop worrying about the Democrats. Being down in the polls is part and parcell of American politics. Just ask the Republicans in november 2012. Don't overdo the disconnect with the American public. It's just that Democrats keep loosing winnable elections. Which, admittedly, is a problem.
February 23, 2025 at 11:21 AM
Stop worrying about the Democrats. Being down in the polls is part and parcell of American politics. Just ask the Republicans in november 2012. Don't overdo the disconnect with the American public. It's just that Democrats keep loosing winnable elections. Which, admittedly, is a problem.
Re: Republican cowards? Wholesale sell out by Trump? Anybody awake in the US? I rest my case.
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/19/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/19/u...
As Trump Turns Against Ukraine, Republicans in Congress Stay Quiet
Congressional Republicans have mostly tempered their criticism or deferred to the president as he topples what were once their party’s core foreign policy principles.
www.nytimes.com
February 20, 2025 at 5:13 PM
Re: Republican cowards? Wholesale sell out by Trump? Anybody awake in the US? I rest my case.
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/19/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/19/u...