Aware of its deeply unpopular national brand, the Democratic Party is turning to an unusually large crop of veterans to help it retake the House next year.
Aware of its deeply unpopular national brand, the Democratic Party is turning to an unusually large crop of veterans to help it retake the House next year.
Several Democrats pointed to JoAnna Mendoza as a promising candidate. A former Marine drill instructor running for the House in Arizona, she could be the first congresswoman from the Marines.
As governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger championed the state’s nonpartisan redistricting system. Now, Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to pause it to help Democrats.
As governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger championed the state’s nonpartisan redistricting system. Now, Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to pause it to help Democrats.
As governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger championed the state’s nonpartisan redistricting system. Now, Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to pause it to help Democrats.
As governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger championed the state’s nonpartisan redistricting system. Now, Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to pause it to help Democrats.
President Nayib Bukele has cracked down on gangs and civil rights, jailing tens of thousands of people. The National Assembly also extended the presidential term to six years.
President Nayib Bukele has cracked down on gangs and civil rights, jailing tens of thousands of people. The National Assembly also extended the presidential term to six years.
Until she decided not to run, former Vice President Kamala Harris had loomed over the race as a likely favorite. Now, a host of hopefuls are jockeying for advantage.
Until she decided not to run, former Vice President Kamala Harris had loomed over the race as a likely favorite. Now, a host of hopefuls are jockeying for advantage.
The military government hopes elections can bring more international legitimacy. But the generals will still rule, and opposition groups are boycotting.
The military government hopes elections can bring more international legitimacy. But the generals will still rule, and opposition groups are boycotting.
Protesters clashing with security forces in Tharketa township, in Yangon, Myanmar, in 2021. The government lifted a four-year state of emergency in place since the army seized power in a coup in 2021.
A Harris ally says “all options are on the table” but cautions against reading too much into the former vice president’s choice to skip the California governor race.
A Harris ally says “all options are on the table” but cautions against reading too much into the former vice president’s choice to skip the California governor race.
Paul Dans will run in the South Carolina primary highlighting the work of Project 2025, a conservative blueprint that President Trump has employed during his second term.
Paul Dans will run in the South Carolina primary highlighting the work of Project 2025, a conservative blueprint that President Trump has employed during his second term.
The president has had a consequential impact on the Republican membership of the Senate as resistors are replaced by devotees. Most incumbents, even those not inclined to, have fallen in line.
The president has had a consequential impact on the Republican membership of the Senate as resistors are replaced by devotees. Most incumbents, even those not inclined to, have fallen in line.
The president has had a consequential impact on the Republican membership of the Senate as resistors are replaced by devotees. Most incumbents, even those not inclined to, have fallen in line.
The president has had a consequential impact on the Republican membership of the Senate as resistors are replaced by devotees. Most incumbents, even those not inclined to, have fallen in line.
The attorney general of Texas, who is challenging Senator John Cornyn, could have secured favorable mortgage rates, and may have violated the law if he knowingly falsified loan documents.
The attorney general of Texas, who is challenging Senator John Cornyn, could have secured favorable mortgage rates, and may have violated the law if he knowingly falsified loan documents.
Two top Jewish Democrats, Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and former Mayor Rahm Emanuel of Chicago, criticized Mr. Mamdani for not condemning those who use the slogan “globalize the intifada.”
Two top Jewish Democrats, Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and former Mayor Rahm Emanuel of Chicago, criticized Mr. Mamdani for not condemning those who use the slogan “globalize the intifada.”
Rahm Emanuel, left, and Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania. Democratic leaders have yet to unite behind Zohran Mamdani’s bid to be mayor of New York City.
Omar Fateh, a young democratic socialist, beat out an establishment Democrat for the party’s endorsement in Minneapolis. But the parallels with Zohran Mamdani in New York might end there.
Omar Fateh, a young democratic socialist, beat out an establishment Democrat for the party’s endorsement in Minneapolis. But the parallels with Zohran Mamdani in New York might end there.
The Minneapolis chapter of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party recently endorsed Omar Fateh, a state senator, for mayor. But the backing has prompted challenges.
City commissioners said the move was meant to save money and improve turnout. Critics noted that it would give some city officials an extra year in office.
City commissioners said the move was meant to save money and improve turnout. Critics noted that it would give some city officials an extra year in office.
Mayor Francis X. Suarez of Miami is supposed to leave office at the end of this year because of term limits. He signed the approved ordinance into law.
By taking up new congressional maps pushed by President Trump first, Republicans hope to discourage Democrats from walking out of a special session before they vote on flood relief.
By taking up new congressional maps pushed by President Trump first, Republicans hope to discourage Democrats from walking out of a special session before they vote on flood relief.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba of Japan and other leaders of the Liberal Democratic Party in Tokyo on Monday, a day after the party’s defeat in parliamentary elections.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba of Japan, center left, vowed to stay in office despite the poor showing by his Liberal Democratic Party, which has led Japan for all but five of the last 70 years.
With his calls to limit foreign workers, fight globalism and put “Japanese First,” Sohei Kamiya has brought a fiery right-wing populism to Japan’s election on Sunday.
With his calls to limit foreign workers, fight globalism and put “Japanese First,” Sohei Kamiya has brought a fiery right-wing populism to Japan’s election on Sunday.
Sohei Kamiya, the leader of an upstart right-wing political party called Sanseito, delivering a campaign speech this month at Takasaki Station in Gunma Prefecture, north of Tokyo.
A State Department cable telling officials to avoid comments on the “fairness or integrity” of most elections continues a U.S. turn away from promoting democratic values abroad.
A State Department cable telling officials to avoid comments on the “fairness or integrity” of most elections continues a U.S. turn away from promoting democratic values abroad.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a department cable that public comments on foreign elections “should be brief, focused on congratulating the winning candidate and, when appropriate, noting shared foreign policy interests.”
One thing is clear from a reporter’s conversations with laid-off federal workers this year: The cuts have been anything but straightforward and efficient.
One thing is clear from a reporter’s conversations with laid-off federal workers this year: The cuts have been anything but straightforward and efficient.
A State Department cable telling officials to avoid comments on the “fairness or integrity” of most elections continues a U.S. turn away from promoting democratic values abroad.
A State Department cable telling officials to avoid comments on the “fairness or integrity” of most elections continues a U.S. turn away from promoting democratic values abroad.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a department cable that public comments on foreign elections “should be brief, focused on congratulating the winning candidate and, when appropriate, noting shared foreign policy interests.”
Vice President JD Vance has been given a delicate task: selling President Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill.” He spoke on Wednesday at a machine shop in West Pittston, Pa.
Adelita Grijalva beat back charges of “legacy” and embraced the memory of her father, Raúl Grijalva, to win the Democratic primary for the House seat opened by his death.
Adelita Grijalva beat back charges of “legacy” and embraced the memory of her father, Raúl Grijalva, to win the Democratic primary for the House seat opened by his death.
Then-President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil with President Trump during a visit to the White House in 2019. In Mr. Trump’s first term, few world leaders were a more reliable ally than Mr. Bolsonaro.
Moldova's Victory bloc, a pro-Russian political alliance, plans to participating in the country's September parliamentary elections, the bloc's founder Ilan Shor announced on July 6. Shor, an exiled pro-Kremlin oligarch, established the Victory bloc in August 2024. The bloc includes his own Shor party, which is banned in Moldova. Victory will submit documents in the coming days registering the bloc for participation in the September vote, Shor said. "Our main goal in these elections is to overth
Moldova's Victory bloc, a pro-Russian political alliance, plans to participating in the country's September parliamentary elections, the bloc's founder Ilan Shor announced on July 6.
Shor, an exiled pro-Kremlin oligarch, established the Victory bloc in August 2024. The bloc includes his own Shor party, which is banned in Moldova.
Victory will submit documents in the coming days registering the bloc for participation in the September vote, Shor said.
"Our main goal in these elections is to overthrow the fascist regime and hold early democratic elections within the next six months," Shor said.
The candidate list will be headed by Evghenia Gutul, the head of Moldova's Gagauzia region, who is currently on trial for illegally funding the banned Shor party. Gutul maintains ties to Moscow and is currently under U.S. sanctions.
The upcoming September elections carry high stakes for Moldova, one of the pooerest countries in Europe. Moldovan President Maia Sandu said on July 4 that Chisinau's European path rests on the outcome of the vote.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pledged on July 4 that the European Union will help Moldova defend itself against hybrid threats by "agents of autocracy" as elections approach.
Moldova was granted EU candidate status in 2022. Sandu's ruling Party of Action and Solidarity aims to maintain its parliamentary majority and move the country closer to full membership by 2030.
Weeks after a high-profile public falling out with U.S. President Donald Trump, tech mogul Elon Musk announced the creation of a new political party in the United States, dubbed the "America Party." Musk said on July 5 that the party's aim is to "give you back your freedom" and challenge the traditional two-party Republican and Democratic system.The announcement came a day after Trump signed his sweeping tax cut and spending bill into law, a legislative act that Musk has fiercely opposed. It rem
Weeks after a high-profile public falling out with U.S. President Donald Trump, tech mogul Elon Musk announced the creation of a new political party in the United States, dubbed the "America Party."
Musk said on July 5 that the party's aim is to "give you back your freedom" and challenge the traditional two-party Republican and Democratic system.
The announcement came a day after Trump signed his sweeping tax cut and spending bill into law, a legislative act that Musk has fiercely opposed. It remains unclear if the America Party has been formally registered with election authorities, but Musk indicated it would launch "next year."
Musk's decision follows a poll he conducted on X on July 4, asking his followers if he should create a new political party.He cited the overwhelming support, writing: "By a factor of 2 to 1, you want a new political party and you shall have it! When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy."
The strained relationship between Musk and Trump began to deteriorate significantly after a period where Musk publicly supported Trump's re-election bid and held a high-profile role in the U.S. government's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
In May, Musk announced his departure from DOGE, citing the end of his "scheduled time." Initially, Trump praised him as "one of the greatest business leaders and innovators the world has ever produced."
However, tensions escalated sharply on May 22 after the U.S. House of Representatives passed the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," a significant tax-cut and spending bill that Trump signed into law on Friday.
Musk vehemently condemned the legislation, calling it a "massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination." He argued that the bill's spending would exacerbate the "already gigantic budget deficit" and "burden American citizens with crushingly unsustainable debt."
Adding to the friction earlier this week, Trump threatened to cut off billions of dollars in federal subsidies to Musk's companies and even hinted at the possibility of deporting the South Africa-born entrepreneur.
Moldovan President Maia Sandu said on July 4 that her country's European Union aspirations depend on Moldovan citizens as a crucial September 28 election approaches. Sandu hopes her pro-European Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) will retain its parliamentary majority, paving the way for Moldova, one of Europe's poorest nations, to join the EU by 2030.Sandu made her remarks at the conclusion of the 27-nation bloc's inaugural summit with Moldova. Her PAS party faces a challenge from the pro-Rus
Moldovan President Maia Sandu said on July 4 that her country's European Union aspirations depend on Moldovan citizens as a crucial September 28 election approaches.
Sandu hopes her pro-European Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) will retain its parliamentary majority, paving the way for Moldova, one of Europe's poorest nations, to join the EU by 2030.
Sandu made her remarks at the conclusion of the 27-nation bloc's inaugural summit with Moldova. Her PAS party faces a challenge from the pro-Russian Socialist Party and its allies in the upcoming election. Sandu secured re-election last year by a narrow margin against a Socialist challenger in the ex-Soviet state, located between Ukraine and Romania. A referendum seeking public backing for EU membership also just barely surpassed a 50% majority.
"Prosperity and peace do not occur for nothing, you have to build them. With collective effort and unity. When citizens are united and choose the correct path and proceed along it," Sandu told a news conference after the summit. "The European Union is already happening here. The only risk is if we stop. If we decide this autumn that nothing will stop us, then everything is possible."
Sandu and her party have condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine and accuse Moscow of destabilizing Moldova. Russia, in turn, claims many Moldovans desire to maintain ties with Moscow and accuses Sandu of fostering Russophobia.
Opinion polls suggest that no single party will likely secure a parliamentary majority. If no majority emerges, pro-European parties would need to engage in coalition talks.
At the summit, which included European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council head Antonio Costa, the EU announced the disbursement of the first €270 million ($318 million) tranche of an Economic Growth Plan for Moldova.
“Russia rejoices,” wrote the pro-European Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on X this week. He was referring to a joint appearance onstage in Warsaw of George Simion, the far right presidential candidate in Romania, and his Polish equivalent Karol Nawrocki just days before elections in both countries.
On May 18, Romanians will vote in the second and final round of elections to pick their president, with Simion, a decisive first round winner, the favourite, albeit current polling shows he is
“Russia rejoices,” wrote the pro-European Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on X this week. He was referring to a joint appearance onstage in Warsaw of George Simion, the far right presidential candidate in Romania, and his Polish equivalent Karol Nawrocki just days before elections in both countries.
On May 18, Romanians will vote in the second and final round of elections to pick their president, with Simion, a decisive first round winner, the favourite, albeit current polling shows he is running neck-and-neck with his opponent Nicusor Dan, the relatively liberal current mayor of Bucharest. Also on that day, the first round of Poland’s presidential elections will take place. Nawrocki, analysts suggest, is likely to lose to the more liberal Warsaw mayor Rafał Trzaskowski.
But Simion’s appearance in Warsaw did cause anger, with one Polish member of the European parliament describing both candidates as representatives of “Putin’s international”. Simion denies being pro-Kremlin, but wants to stop military aid to Ukraine. An ultranationalist, he promotes the rebuilding of a greater Romania, raising the prospect of potential territorial disputes with Ukraine, Moldova, and Bulgaria. Indeed, he is already banned from entering both Moldova and Ukraine.
Rather than Russia, the association Simion prefers to acknowledge is with Donald Trump and MAGA. As he said of his visit to Poland and support for Nawrocki, “Together, we could become two pro-MAGA presidents committed to reviving our partnership with the United States and strengthening stability along NATO’s eastern flank.”
Certainly, Simion’s MAGA love was on show during the first round of Romania’s election on May 4, and MAGA reciprocated that love.
At the party’s Bucharest headquarters, on a warm, triumphant election night, with Simion having won over 40% of the votes, a MAGA hat-wearing American took to the podium. He asked the cheering crowd if they wanted their own "Trump hat", and threw one (and only one) towards a section chanting "MAGA, MAGA, MAGA." Brian Brown, a prominent conservative activist, was in his element, expressing solidarity with jubilant Simion supporters.
"You, my friends," he said, "are in the eye of the storm. What happens in this country will define what happens all over Europe. And Americans know it and more and more are waking up to the truth that we must stand together. We must never be silenced." Meanwhile, a protester screaming “fascists” was quickly removed.
Brown, who leads the anti-LGBTQ group International Organization for the Family and has been described by human rights organizations as an "infamous exporter of hate and vocal Putin supporter," was celebrating a seismic political shift. In response to Simion’s large first round victory, Romania's prime minister resigned. His own party's establishment candidate didn’t even make it to the May 18 second round.
Simion, a 38-year-old Eurosceptic and self-described "Trumpist," had founded his far-right nationalist party, Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) just over a decade ago. At the AUR offices on election night – with Simion himself only appearing by video – Brown drew explicit parallels between Romania's situation and that of America, extolling the "friendship of true Romanians and true Americans, people that stand together against a lie." Right wing leaders in other countries echoed the sentiment. Italy's deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini, for instance, declared on social media that Romanians had "finally voted, freely, with their heads and hearts."
Romania's election became a right wing cause célèbre after the Constitutional Court annulled the presidential polls in December last year, ruling that it had been vitiated by a Russian influence operation. U.S. vice president JD Vance accused Romania of canceling the election based on “flimsy suspicions” and Elon Musk described the head of the Constitutional Court as a “tyrant”. This is why MAGA supporters took a keen interest in the May 4 do-over. It was, according to Brown, a litmus test for freedom, for the voters’ right to choose their president, no matter how unpalatable he might be to the establishment.
In November, 2024, far-right candidate Călin Georgescu won the first round of Romania’s presidential elections. The polls were scuppered though after intelligence revealed irregularities in campaign funding and that Russia had been involved in the setting up of almost 800 TikTok accounts backing Georgescu’s candidacy. He was also barred from participating in the rerun.
Brian Brown, prominent Trump supporter and MAGA activist, takes to the podium at the AUR headquarters in Bucharest to celebrate the "friendship of true Romanians and true Americans." Video: Natalie Donback.
Distrust and disapproval of Romania’s political system have been growing ever since. When I got to Bucharest, my taxi driver, the first person I met, told me he wouldn’t even bother voting in the rerun. The ban on Georgescu was portrayed in right wing circles as anti-democratic. And the support he received from leading Trump administration figures such as Vance was in keeping with their support for far-right parties across Europe.
Before Friedrich Merz won a contentious parliamentary vote to become German Chancellor, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Germany was a “tyranny in disguise” because its intelligence services classified the anti-immigration AfD, now Germany’s main opposition party, as “confirmed right wing extremist[s].” Vance said the “bureaucrats” were trying to destroy “the most popular party in Germany.” It proved, he added, that decades after the West brought down the Berlin Wall, the German establishment had “rebuilt” it. The outspoken nature of this intervention in the internal politics of an ally shows that the Trump administration would rather maintain ideological ties with far-right parties in Europe than follow traditional diplomatic protocols.
Simion, for his part, has said that he’s a natural ally of the U.S. Republican Party, and that AUR is “almost perfectly aligned ideologically with the MAGA movement.” Just two weeks before the Romanian elections, Brian Brown met with Simion and his wife in Washington, D.C., with both men propagating their affinity to “the free world” and “Judeo-Christian legacy” in an Instagram video. Simion is also currently being scrutinized over attempts to hire a lobbying firm in the U.S. for $1.5 million to secure meetings with key American political figures and media appearances with U.S. journalists.
In Romania, the president has a semi-executive role that comes with considerable powers over foreign policy, national security, defence spending and judicial appointments. The Romanian president also represents the country on the international stage and can veto important EU votes – a level of influence that might be considered handy on the other side of the Atlantic too.
The fact that both U.S. and other European far-right leaders came in person to offer their support to Simion after the first round of the election, or paid obeisance online, shows how it’s becoming increasingly important for the far-right to to be seen as a coherent, global force. As Brown put it in Bucharest: “We need MAGA and MEGA. Make America great again. Make Europe great again.”
With Canada and Australia swinging to the center-left in their recent elections – in what many have called “the Trump slump” – the Romanian election offers Trump and MAGA hope that it can continue to remake the world in its own image. The irony is that MAGA, with its global offshoots, is arguably the most effective contemporary international solidarity movement, despite railing against globalism and being so apparently parochial in its outlook.
A version of this story was published in last week’s Coda Currents newsletter. Sign up here.
Débat animé par Jérémi Bouffard sur la TVC de la Matapédia avec:
Alexander Reford du Parti Libéral du Canada
Maxime Blanchette-Joncas du Bloc Québécois
Noémi Bureau-Civil, candidate indépendante pour une décroissance choisie
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Débat animé par Jérémi Bouffard sur la TVC de la Matapédia avec:
Alexander Reford du Parti Libéral du Canada
Maxime Blanchette-Joncas du Bloc Québécois
Noémi Bureau-Civil, candidate indépendante pour une décroissance choisie
— Permalien
Ne cherchant pas à se faire élire, mais d’abord à se faire entendre, Noémi Bureau-Civil, Tommy Lefebvre et Raphaël Arsenault ont choisi de se présenter tous les trois comme candidats indépendants dans la même circonscription, pour y défendre la même idée: la décroissance. C’est ainsi qu’ils ont pu prendre part ensemble à ce débat et y jouir d’un temps de parole égal à celui de chacun des autres protagonistes.
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Ne cherchant pas à se faire élire, mais d’abord à se faire entendre, Noémi Bureau-Civil, Tommy Lefebvre et Raphaël Arsenault ont choisi de se présenter tous les trois comme candidats indépendants dans la même circonscription, pour y défendre la même idée: la décroissance. C’est ainsi qu’ils ont pu prendre part ensemble à ce débat et y jouir d’un temps de parole égal à celui de chacun des autres protagonistes.
— Permalien
Le jeune et populaire député fait face à un opposant surprise de fort calibre. Le gars de la place contre le gentleman jardinier. La bataille électorale dans Rimouski-La Matapédia s’annonce chaude. Même si ici, l’hiver n’est pas fini.
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Le jeune et populaire député fait face à un opposant surprise de fort calibre. Le gars de la place contre le gentleman jardinier. La bataille électorale dans Rimouski-La Matapédia s’annonce chaude. Même si ici, l’hiver n’est pas fini.
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Trois candidats indépendants se présentent dans la circonscription de Rimouski-La Matapédia pour les élections fédérales du 28 avril. Noémi Bureau-Civil, Raphaël Arsenault et Tommy Lefebvre mènent cette campagne en bloc pour la décroissance.
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Trois candidats indépendants se présentent dans la circonscription de Rimouski-La Matapédia pour les élections fédérales du 28 avril. Noémi Bureau-Civil, Raphaël Arsenault et Tommy Lefebvre mènent cette campagne en bloc pour la décroissance.
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Noémi Bureau-Civil, Tommy Lefebvre, Raphaël Arsenault et Lysane Picker-Paquin du Parti rhinocéros ont plaidé, à tour de rôle, que le modèle de développement basé sur la croissance n'est pas viable d'un point de vue économique et environnemental. Ils proposent à la place de miser sur le développement économique à échelle humaine et basé sur la production locale.
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Noémi Bureau-Civil, Tommy Lefebvre, Raphaël Arsenault et Lysane Picker-Paquin du Parti rhinocéros ont plaidé, à tour de rôle, que le modèle de développement basé sur la croissance n'est pas viable d'un point de vue économique et environnemental. Ils proposent à la place de miser sur le développement économique à échelle humaine et basé sur la production locale.
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