Look who's in Washington 👀 AfD gains vote share in critical municipal elections and WWII-era bombs in Berlin

This week was certainly calmer than last week, though it was very much the hangover of last week's horrors. But for those far from the frontline states and a university campus in Utah where the late young MAGA activist Charlie Kirk was gunned down in gruesome fashion, away from the Qatari capital of Doha, a chill began to be felt. It seems those who most decried "cancel culture" and spent years weaponizing the term "free speech" are prepared to wield both like a cudgel. What a surprise. It was also the anniversary of the Nuremberg Laws in Nazi Germany this week, for those who need a reminder of where this hunt for internal enemies and the free press can lead.

For those of us who are not shocked, shocked by this recent development, now is hardly the time to watch your words but to recognize free speech never meant speech void of consequences. Being hateful or crazy does not mean the ability to get away with saying bizarre inanities or spreading slanderous hate. For a time it might be possible unchecked – ask far-right podcaster Candace Owens who is being sued by the Macrons for saying the French First Lady was born a man – but the Streisand effect or oxygen of amplification may not be enough to prevent one's adversaries from counter-striking in the courts.

But in the name of the decent use of free speech, responsible speech that should be celebrated, I wanted to turn attention to some of the podcasts I have been sent and listening to this week. Former US diplomat turned softpower podcaster Christopher Wurst has a new episode of his "Soft Power/ful Stories" focusing on "bestselling American novelist Roland Merullo's tales of mountain USA exhibitions in the late 70s USSR". Each episode focuses on a former ambassador, USAID employee or US Peace Corps volunteer and their soft power adventures in the world, often chronicling their transformation from wide eyed optimist to seasoned pragmatist. The Center for New American Security's latest episode of the "Brussels Sprouts" podcast also features former US ambassadors to NATO Douglas Lute and Kurt Volker in discussion about Russia's drone incursion into Poland last week. Finally, former Dean of the Marshall Center in Garmisch Andrew Michta sent over a link to his appearance on the "Warcast" produced by "War on the Rocks" looking at "the global security implications of the Pentagon's recent decision to cut security and defense funding to the Baltic states."

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WASHINGTON, DC – Deputy leader of German far-right party at White House for talks

• Politico reports Monday that Beatrix von Storch, the deputy leader of the far-right Alternativ für Deutschland (AfD) was in Washington where she "held talks at the White House this week," citing two sources.
• Recall at the Munich Security Conference this past February, "Vice President JD Vance expressed support for the party shortly after taking office," "raising eyebrows," by contesting what "Mainstream parties say" is a policy that "is intended to avoid a repeat" of Nazism. Joachim Paul, "an AfD politician from the state of Rhineland-Palatinate in western Germany, who is contesting a mayoral race in the town of Ludwigshafen," was with von Storch. Paul "was struck from the ballot amid legal disputes."
• Politico sources said the pair reportedly visited the National Security Council and the State Department in addition to Vance's office. One AfD official said they did not however secure an audience with the Vice President. Both the White House and AfD said "The talks focused on democratic participation and election procedures in Germany". Paul "was presented as a case study in what the AfD describes as the narrowing of political freedoms in Germany." Both are "expected to remain in Washington for several more days for follow-up meetings, including at the State Department."

DUSSELDORF, GERMANY – Far-right triples vote share in local elections in western state

• The New York Times and Deutsche Welle report the AfD "nearly tripled its vote share" from 5.1% to 16.5% of the vote in local elections last Sunday in the western state of North Rhine Westhphalia, Germany's most populous, compared with just five years ago.
• However, voters delivered "a convincing victory" for the Christian Democrats (CDU), the party of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, with nearly 35% of the vote "in municipal elections that were watched across the country as a barometer of the national mood" and AfD "failed to sweep the state". Instead, AfD came in behind the center-left Socialist Democrats (SDP) who garnered 22.5% of the vote. Earlier this year in nationwide general elections, AfD became "the second-strongest political force" behind CDU.
• While the "municipal elections have no direct effect on national politics," more than 20% of the country lives in North Rhine Westphalia, making it an effective place to gauge the political temperature.

BERLIN, GERMANY – 10,000 evacuated in Berlin over discovery of WWII-era bombs

• Deutsche Welle reports 10,000 people were evacuated Thursday evening after an unexploded World War II-era bomb was found in the Spree River which cuts through the city.
• Police secured a perimeter of 500 meters around a densely populated central district of the German capital. There were "long lines" at an emergency shelter set up for residents to spend the night at Mitte city hall while hundreds waited "to register for a place to spend the night". A second shelter had to be opened at a school nearby. Early Friday, authorities declared the bomb in the Spree did not need to be diffused and gave the green light that it was safe for residents to return home.
• Separately, an unexploded World War II-era bomb was detected in the Spandau district Wednesday that was expected to be diffused Friday.

BERN, SWITZERLAND – New heads of military and intelligence service named

• Neue Zürcher Zeitung and Swissinfo report the Federal Council announced last Friday the Maj. Gen. Benedikt Roos will be the incoming Chief of Defense of the Swiss Armed Forces and the next head of intelligence is career diplomat Serge Bavaud.
• Roos succeeds outgoing Chief of Defense Thomas Süssli and Bavaud succeeds Christian Dussey. Both Süssli and Dussey announced their departures within days of each other in late February. The announcement came a month after the former Minister of Defense and Federal Councillor Viola Amherd announced her departure from both offices, throwing Switzerland's defense establishment into a state of upheaval.
• Roos has been Commander of the Land Forces since August 2024 and Bavaud was named Ambassador to Algeria in June and was slated to take up the post this fall.

BERN, SWITZERLAND – US state of Colorado's National Guard becomes Swiss partner

• The US Army announced via a press release Tuesday that the Colorado National Guard has become a partner of the Swiss Confederation under the National Guard Bureau State Partnership Program (SPP) following a signing ceremony Monday at the Bellevue Palace in Bern.
• Colorado Governor Jared Polis credited former US ambassador to Switzerland Scott Miller and noted the role of the US National Guard "in protecting our state at home and supporting our partners abroad." US Army Maj. Gen. Laura Clellan, the adjutant general of Colorado, said the new partnership "strategically aligns with Switzerland's defense priorities and advances key US national security objectives in Europe."
• The US Army press release notes "Switzerland and Colorado share not only geography and demographics but also cultural, economic, historical and technological bonds," as well as "expertise in air defense, critical infrastructure protection, cyber, emergency response, including search and rescue, high-altitude rotary wing and mountain operations, space and medical support."

BERN, SWITZERLAND – Military will not get more money for air defense in annual budget

• Swissinfo reports the Swiss military will not receive an additional 1 billion Swiss francs ($1.27 billion) in the annual budget for anti-aircraft ammunition after both house of Parliament rejected an increase.
• Members of the Swiss Parliament "argued that it wasn't the time for budget increases" while opponents of the measure to boost Swiss air defenses "argued that it would be better for the federal government to increase ammunition stocks continuously and in small steps." Those who support the boost in funding argued that "in view of the threat situation and the shortages on the arms market, it was necessary for the government to conclude contracts for the purchase of ammunition quickly and secure supplies."
• The vote ultimately failed in the Senate by a vote of 13-30 of those in favor versus those against. Senate President Andrea Gmür-Schönenberger of the Center Party called the result "downright absurd".

MILAN, ITALY – Italy becomes first EU country to regulate the use of AI

• The Guardian reports Italy passed a law Thursday regarding the use and misuse of AI, becoming the first European nation to impose prison terms "on those who use the technology to cause harm" as well as "limiting child access."
• What's in the law: Violators who use AI "for illegal spreading of AI-generated or manipulated content" can receive between one to five years in prison "if it causes harm." Harsher penalties are possible for those who use AI to commit crimes like identity theft and fraud. Children under 14 will be required to have parental consent to access AI. Intellectual property protections however still remain limited in scope, with usage cases likely to be tested in the courts.
• The legislation aligns with the EU's landmark AI Act with the aim to promote "human-centric, transparent and safe AI use" while also promoting "innovation, cybersecurity and privacy protections".

BOLOGNA, ITALY – Italian court approves extradition of Nord Stream 2 suspect

• The AP reports a court in Bologna, Italy Tuesday approved the extradition of Serhii Kuznietsov, a Ukrainian national who is suspected of masterminding the plot to blow up the Nord Stream 2 pipeline in the Baltic Sea on September 26, 2022.
• Kuznietsov's attorney Nicola Canestrini said he planned to appeal on behalf of his client to Italy's highest Cassation Court, according to Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. Canestrini also said his client had been the denied the right to attend a September 9 extradition hearing and had not received all the necessary documents in the case from Germany, which has reviewed little publicly about the investigation.
• Kuznietsov, 49, was detained on a European arrest warrant last month in Rimini, a coastal city on the Adriatic.

BRENNER BASE TUNNEL – Workers break through rock, opening new Alpine tunnel

• Reuters reports construction workers and engineers "broke through a final, thin veil of rock" creating the new Brenner Base Tunnel connecting Italy and Austria underground that, when completed, will be "the world's longest underground rail connection".
• The new tunnel "will eventually become a high-speed rail line linking the north and south of Europe."
• The Brenner Base Tunnel is part of an EU drive to shift transport and cargo lines "off the roads and onto rail" with the aim of cutting pollution and boosting trade.

PISA, ITALY – Professor who opposes cutting ties with Israel beaten by protesters

• The Times of Israel reports a professor at the University of Pisa, Rino Casella, "who opposes cutting ties with Israeli schools was beaten in his classroom by pro-Palestinian protesters" who disrupted his class at the university Tuesday.
• Casella, who is not Jewish and describes himself as an atheist, opposed the university's "recent announcement that it would cut ties with two Israeli universities."  When his class was disrupted by protesters who "waved Palestinian flags and hurled abuse at Casella," a student of his "tried to intervene, but he was beaten, and that when Casella tried to shield the student, he too was attacked." Casella required hospitalization for injuries to his head and arms afterwards.
• A separate incident the same day in Turin saw protesters disrupt a guest lecturer from Israel at a Turn polytechnic who defended the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in interactions with the protesters by responding to calls to "free Palestine" by adding "from Hamas". Both incidents were recorded with videos circulating widely on social media.

PARIS, FRANCE – Fitch downgrades France's credit score to lowest on record

• France 24 reports Saturday that US credit rating agency Fitch downgraded the sovereign credit score of France to A+ from AA-, the lowest on record, "as President Emmanuel Macron struggles with political instability and disagreements on how to put the country's strained public finances in order."
• Fitch also said France's "debt mountain" would continue to rise until 2027 "unless urgent action was taken." Agence France Presse adds "the return on French 10-year government bonds, known as the yield, rose to 3.47 percent," placing it on par with Italy, "one of the eurozone's worst performers." Last year, the budget deficit represented 5.8% of GDP and debt 113% of GDP. The eurozone has "ceilings of three percent for the deficit, and 60 percent for debt."
• The credit rating downgrade capped a tumultuous week in French politics after the former Prime Minister François Bayrou lost a confidence vote Monday, the new Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu was sworn in Tuesday and Wednesday people took to the streets in order to "blockade everything" in protest in a campaign that appears to have been stoked by Russian active measures online, Euronews reports.

PARIS, FRANCE – Striking French people contribute to political pile on

• The Guardian and the BBC report that 141 people were arrested in strikes and marches at 476 demonstrations across France "over public services and wages" on Thursday.
• An estimated 280,000 people took part "with major protests reported in Marseille, Nantes, Lyon, Paris and other cities". Most demonstrations were peaceful, some were tense, there were "provocations" on the fringes of the Paris demonstration as some had the great idea to attack banks because as any robber will tell you, that's where the money is. BBC said this was "small scale" though as "performative" might be deemed too much editorializing. Nonetheless, "Officers in riot gear used tear gas and shields to disperse" the few, not the many. Vive la France!
• To know France is to know that strikes are not an aberration from normative reality. However, this week's manifestations come some ten days after the former Prime Minister François Bayrou fell and nine days since the new Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu took office. It is one week after some French people got similarly shouty and rowdy over the "Bloquons tout" protests that seem to have its origin in a Russian active measures campaign across social media. Does it matter? Not particularly, as strikes in France are practically ritualistic, but time will tell if there is a snowball effect or a serious deterioration of political, social and economic conditions.

PARIS, FRANCE – Authorities suspect foreign interference after pigs' heads left at mosques

• CNN reports Friday "French authorities suspect foreign – and plausibly Russian – interference" is behind very haram pigs' heads being left "outside nine mosques in and around Paris during the night of September 8".
• A Normandy farmer sold ten pigs' heads to two people in a car with Serbian plates with authorities tracking a Croatian SIM card the two reportedly used to the border with Belgium. Paris Police Chief Laurent Nuñez said the Paris Prosecutor's Office is "investigating the alleged hate crime" with an eye toward it being "possibly sponsored by a foreign country." CCTV shows "two men driving into Paris and then depositing the porcine remains". Further, "The men allegedly responsible were foreigners who had since left France". Police believe the incidents had "the clear intention to cause unrest within the nation."
• Similar incidents occurred earlier this year, such as the case of three Bulgarians "suspected of painting red hands on Paris' Holocaust Memorial in May 2024" and a Moldovan man who allegedly orchestrated "the painting of some 60 blue Stars of David on walls in and around Paris". Those incidents are also believed to be linked to Russia. Active measures 101: instigate racist, hateful incidents to foment unrest and turn a society against itself.

Finally this week…

MILAN, ITALY – Failed suicide attempt from balcony kills elderly woman walking below

• People reports authorities charged a 70-year-old man who was attempting to kill himself by jumping from his fourth floor balcony in Milan last Sunday with manslaughter after he instead killed an 83-year-old neighbor walking below his balcony while surviving himself.
• Francesca Manno was pronounced dead by emergency services who arrived on the scene. Investigators "initially thought" the incident was "a double-suicide by a couple," however "it soon emerged that Manno was not connected to the suspect, who survived the incident". A woman who knew Manno for five decades told Rai News she lived in the building with her husband and seldom left the house.
• Italian media is not naming the man but he remains hospitalized "with multiple leg fractures".

Stay safe and seek help if you are in need before bringing harm onto yourself or others!

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