By David BroderCaroline de GruyterMattia Ferraresi and Tim Schneider

Mr. Broder is the author of “Mussolini’s Grandchildren.” Ms. de Gruyter is a columnist for the Dutch newspaper NRC. Mr. Ferraresi is a writer for the Italian newspaper QN. Mr. Schneider is an editor in Times Opinion.

The far right has been rising in Europe for a long time — Edward Luttwak called fascism “the wave of the future” back in 1994 — but last month’s electoral breakthrough in Saxony-Anhalt by the Alternative for Germany party, or AfD, felt seismic. For the first time in Germany’s postwar history, a far-right party stands on the brink of power. The AfD joins a legion of others, not least Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy and Marine Le Pen’s National Rally in France, either in office or perilously close to it.

In a written online conversation, Tim Schneider, an editor in Times Opinion, hosted David Broder, author of “Mussolini’s Grandchildren”; Caroline de Gruyter, a columnist for the Dutch newspaper NRC; and Mattia Ferraresi, a writer for the Italian newspaper QN, to discuss Europe’s thriving far right, the roots of its success, its plans for power and, of course, what President Trump has to do with it all.

President Trump’s surprise decision to suspend sanctions on Russian diesel fuel stunned Ukrainian and European officials, who were meeting with U.S. envoys at an exclusive golf club near Miami.

President Trump’s new diplomatic crisis over Ukraine first erupted at Steve Witkoff’s exclusive golf club outside Miami on Friday.

Senior Ukrainian and European officials had traveled to the club, Shell Bay, for talks with Mr. Trump’s peace envoys, Mr. Witkoff and Jared Kushner. They had planned to discuss updated proposals to end the war in Ukraine ahead of another trip to Russia by Mr. Witkoff and Mr. Kushner.

But Mr. Witkoff and Mr. Kushner soon made an announcement that stunned the visitors and much of the world when the news became public shortly thereafter. The United States, the Americans said, would suspend sanctions on Russian diesel fuel. The Americans added a firm request from Mr. Trump: that Ukraine stop attacking Russian oil refineries.

One of the Ukrainians asked what they would get in return.

The Americans responded that the United States was doing a lot for Ukraine already, according to three people familiar with the meeting, and should not have to make a trade for Ukraine to stop its refinery attacks. The Americans then mentioned U.S. intelligence assistance, considered vital to the Ukrainian war effort.

[...]

One major takeaway from Florida, Mr. Seibert told ambassadors, was that the Americans were engaging more with the Russians than they publicly acknowledge , the official and one of the diplomats said.

cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/43719814

archived copy of the article

cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/43512244

archived copy of the article

cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/43500934

Faced with a president who has called global warming a hoax, officials have filed dozens of suits against oil companies to try to cover the costs of extreme weather.

Archived copy of the article

cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/43471546

archived copy of the article — includes text but not video

In 2024, these voters were an essential part of the winning Republican coalition. Now, many feel abandoned and furious, complicating the party’s chances in November.

Sept. 30, 2026

Jessica Cantu Vuittonet, who runs a coffee shop in San Benito, Texas, cast her first ballot in 2024 — for Donald Trump. Two years later, after her brother was deported, she feels angry and betrayed.

Ariel Salinas, who owns a construction company in McAllen, Texas, can no longer reliably find laborers for his work crews. He blames the president’s immigration policies for his financial headaches.

In more than two dozen interviews across the region in recent weeks, Hispanic voters said they were furious over the president’s approach to immigration and the economy — the very problems they had counted on him to fix.