Irene Braam
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irenebraam.bsky.social
Irene Braam
@irenebraam.bsky.social
Executive Director Bertelsmann Foundation North America, writing in a personal capacity on all things transatlanctic and that matter.
Reposted by Irene Braam
November 11, 2025 at 1:22 PM
Reposted by Irene Braam
Data-center projects that “may sit empty for years because the local utility isn’t ready to supply electricity.”

@bloomberg.com @weisenthal.bsky.social $NVDA
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
November 10, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Nobody protesting, no outcry by political leaders, no daily media headlines…..
A massacre without precedent is taking place in Sudan’s North Darfur region, and it is somehow being met with near-total international indifference.
How to Stop the Genocide in Sudan
A murdering militia still depends on international legitimacy to survive.
foreignpolicy.com
November 6, 2025 at 10:57 PM
Maybe more interesting than all other November 4 election results 👇
NEW: Mississippi Democrats broke the Republican Party's supermajority in the state Senate tonight for the first time since 2011.

It came as Democrats flipped 2 Senate seats and 1 House seat.

“Mississippi just broke the supermajority—and the people have taken back their power,” the party says.
Mississippi Democrats Break Republican Senate Supermajority, Flipping 3 Legislative Seats
After 13 years, Mississippi Democrats broke the Republican Party's supermajority in the Mississippi Senate, flipping 3 legislative seats.
www.mississippifreepress.org
November 5, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Reposted by Irene Braam
Abigail Spanberger wins Virginia’s governor race, returning the state to Democratic leadership. She will be its first female governor. 🔗 on.wsj.com/493FVmD
November 5, 2025 at 1:03 AM
Only in America
Last month, a class-action lawsuit was filed in the US against Swiss sportswear brand On. Customers claimed On trainers with CloudTec technology emit a 'loud, embarrassing and difficult to stop squeaking sound'. on.ft.com/4nEiUdw
November 4, 2025 at 7:19 PM
A bargain…..https://www.wsj.com/business/energy-oil/615-000-a-day-order-to-keep-coal-plant-open-ignites-debate-in-michigan-aa8bf2a6
$615,000 a Day: Order to Keep Coal Plant Open Ignites Debate in Michigan
Some consider the lakeside power station a dinosaur, while others are hoping to attract a data center.
www.wsj.com
November 4, 2025 at 12:28 AM
Where are the protests?
Tens of thousands of people have tried to escape the Sudanese city of El Fasher since paramilitary fighters seized the city in Darfur from Sudan’s military more than a week ago. But only some people have made it to the nearest aid zone after surviving a massacre inside the city.
After Fleeing a Massacre, Survivors Encountered Still More Gunfire and Abductions
Thousands of people who witnessed atrocities have tried to escape El Fasher in Sudan’s Darfur region since paramilitary fighters seized that city in late October.
nyti.ms
November 3, 2025 at 6:11 PM
Reposted by Irene Braam
A welcome revival of the Dutch political centre on.ft.com/4hYkeqJ | opinion
A welcome revival of the Dutch political centre
The liberal D66 are the big winners of the Netherlands election. So is Europe
on.ft.com
November 2, 2025 at 1:59 PM
Reposted by Irene Braam
Big loser of the night is the perpetual "Europe doomed" narrative. Great win for Center/center left parties, while far-right got dinged but remains part of the political landscape.

The notion of the far-right always rising and it being 1933 in Europe has just grown really stale.
The significance of a D66 win in 🇳🇱 (if it transpires) will need some explaining outside the country. The Netherlands, like Denmark, has two liberal parties: one rooted in the classical liberal tradition, the other in the radical liberal one. D66 is the latter, ie the left-of-centre liberal party.
DUTCH EXIT POLL

Outstanding for Jetten’s D66, above all expectations
Wilders about in line with expectations
Timmermans: solid but disappointing; lost seats
CDA solid but on lower side of expectations
October 29, 2025 at 10:45 PM
Reposted by Irene Braam
🚀 November 4 @5:30pm ASTROPOLITICS screens at Delphi Lux in Berlin — a 63-minute journey from the Cold War’s space race to today’s crowded cosmos. Can space become a domain of cooperation, or will history repeat itself? free event, registration required: bit.ly/47xpM6L
October 16, 2025 at 12:56 PM
Reposted by Irene Braam
Look at what we can do if we want to.

www.bbc.com/news/article...
Nexperia: Dutch government takes control of China-owned chip firm
The move, which is aimed to protect supplies of technology, could raise tensions between the EU and China.
www.bbc.com
October 13, 2025 at 11:37 AM
Reposted by Irene Braam
Not commenting on this action, but if boycotts of Israel continue after it stops killing in Gaza, if they are not tied to a specific demand, the conclusion Israelis draw is “they hate us regardless and there is no point listening to them.”
October 11, 2025 at 7:52 AM
I assume he wants people to pay for his book www.theverge.com/news/674366/...
Nick Clegg says asking artists for use permission would ‘kill’ the AI industry
Paul McCartne, Elton John and others signed an open letter.
www.theverge.com
October 8, 2025 at 7:27 PM
Reposted by Irene Braam
Boycotting Israeli films is an ill-conceived means of achieving political change, Gershom Gorenberg argues. It targets “a vital source of artistic dissent rather than policy makers”:
The Reason Not to Boycott Israeli Films
Cinema is a vital source of artistic dissent in a country at war.
bit.ly
October 3, 2025 at 6:15 PM
Reposted by Irene Braam
The 2028 US election remains a long way off. But it is not too early for Europeans to start preparing for the possibility of a J.D. Vance presidency, writes Majda Ruge
https://bit.ly/47TZxsQ
J.D. Vance’s foreign policy: When restraint meets culture war
Vance is shaping up to be America’s most influential vice president since Dick Cheney—but that’s where the similarities between them end…
ecfr.eu
September 25, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Reposted by Irene Braam
Access to minerals that power a battery has emerged as a vital geopolitical, economic & social concern. So where does the lithium, the nickel, and the cobalt come from? Who controls the supply? Thursday Oct 3 20.00 hrs Docu and Talk @debalie.bsky.social.
debalie.nl/cinema/cined...
Cinédialoog: Lithium Rising
From the moment the smartphone alarm wakes us up in the morning, we begin our day relying on the lithium battery. From the mundane to lifesaving, lithium powered devices get us through the day. Who co...
debalie.nl
September 23, 2025 at 9:47 PM
Too many subscription cancellations ?https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/jimmy-kimmel-live-return-abc-1236374942/
Jimmy Kimmel to Return to ABC on Tuesday After Show’s Controversial Suspension
The Walt Disney Company in a new statement says the move was made "to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country."
www.hollywoodreporter.com
September 22, 2025 at 8:44 PM
Reposted by Irene Braam
Whisper it softly - as it really doesn't fit the narrative - but the AfD has markedly underperformed in a series of recent mayoral elections in Germany's eastern states. Often where the rival candidate was a dynamic local figure commanding broad "popular front" support.
Die Niederlagenserie der AFD im Osten setzt sich fort. Nach den vergeigten Wahlen in Meißen, Wolmirstedt, Nauen, Wriezen und Diera-Zehren konnte die AFD heute auch in Potsdam, Frankfurt (Oder), Velten und Glienicke/Nordbahn keinen Wahlsieg verbuchen. Sie wird hier keinen Bürgermeister stellen.🧵
September 21, 2025 at 6:05 PM
Great initiative, will other outlets follow? www.theatlantic.com/press-releas...
The Atlantic Announces Free Digital Subscriptions for All U.S. Public High Schools
None
www.theatlantic.com
September 17, 2025 at 10:03 PM