Why Europe needs to realise the truth about America
Where does Europe fit into the 21st century? Political scientist Professor Helen Thompson returns to the podcast to talk about the big picture for the global economy and international relations in the age of Trump's second term, China's rise and Europe's relative decline.
She talks to Hugh Linehan about the real significance of America's debt pile, Silicon Valley's shift to Trump, the future of NATO, the growing interest in controlling the Arctic and China's economic and technological rise. She argues that to build its own secure future, Europe needs to realise just how different a place America is - and always has been.
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Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Irish Examiner
Why the Musk and Trump relationship has broken down — a psychologist explains
It is not a good break-up. These were always two big beasts used to getting their own way. Two alpha males, if you like the evolutionary metaphor, trying to get along. And now the Donald Trump and Elon Musk relationship is in meltdown. Who could forget that iconic image from just a few short weeks back? Elon Musk standing behind the seated US president, Donald Trump, in the Oval Office, towering over him. Trump, his hands clasped, having to turn awkwardly to look up at him. That silent language of the body. FILE - Elon Musk, joined by his son X Æ A-Xii, in the Oval Office. Musk accompanied by his four-year-old, a charming and informal image, or that great evolutionary signal of mating potential and dominance, depending on your point of view. These were also clearly two massive narcissistic egos out in their gleaming open-top speedster. Musk was appointed special advisor to Trump, heading the Department of Government Efficiency, cutting excess and waste. The backseat driver for a while. There were a lot of bureaucratic casualties already, road kill at the side of the highway as the sports car roared on with frightening speed. But things were always going to be difficult if they hit a bump in the road. And they did. Perhaps, more quickly than many had imagined. There were differing views on what caused the crash. Many pointed to the dramatic fall in Tesla's sales — a 71% fall in profits in one quarter — and the inevitable impact on Musk's reputation. Since the break-up, Tesla's share price has also dropped sharply, as investors have panicked. The attacks on Tesla showrooms couldn't have helped either. Others pointed to Trump's proposed removal of the tax credit for owners of electric vehicles, or the political backlash in Washington over Space X's potential involvement in Trump's proposed 'golden dome' anti-missile defense system. 'Everything changed' However, according to former White House strategist Steve Bannon, what really caused the crash was when the president refused to show Musk the Pentagon's attack plans for any possible war with China. There's only so far being the president's best buddy can get you. Bannon is reported as saying: 'You could feel it. Everything changed.' That, according to Bannon, was the beginning of the end. So now we watch Trump and Musk stumbling away from the crash scene. One minute Trump is putting on a show for the cameras. He's beaming away and introducing the 'big, beautiful bill', a budget reconciliation bill that rolls together hundreds of controversial proposals. Next, he is accusing Musk of 'going crazy' and talking about withdrawing government contracts from the Musk empire. Musk is unhappy too. 'I'm sorry, but I just can't stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination,' he wrote on X. 'Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong.' 'Disgust' He says he's disgusted by the bill. Disgust is one of the most primitive of all the emotions. A survival mechanism — you must avoid what disgusts you. He's social signalling here, alerting others, warning them that there's something disgusting in the camp. Musk is highly attuned to public perception, perhaps even more so than Trump (which is saying something). With his acquisition of X (formerly Twitter), Musk was able to direct (and add to) online discourse, shaping public conversations. Psychologically, Musk's rejection of Trump is an attempt to simultaneously elevate himself and diminish the man behind the bill He can call out the president's action like nobody else. He is positioning himself anew as that free thinker, that risk taker, innovative, courageous, unfettered by any ties. That is his personality, his brand — and he's reasserting it. But it's also a vengeful act. And it's perhaps reminiscent of another political insider (and geek), former Downing Street adviser Dominic Cummings, who was sacked by the then British prime minister, Boris Johnson, in 2020. Cummings was accused of masterminding leaks about the social gatherings in Downing Street. He went on to criticise Johnson as lacking the necessary discipline and focus for a prime minister as well as questioning his competence and decision-making abilities. The revenge of a self-proclaimed genius. And revenge is sweet. In a 2004 study, researchers scanned participants' brains using positron emission tomography (PET) — a medical imaging technique that is used to study brain function (among other things) — while the participants played an economic game based on trust. When trust was violated, participants wanted revenge, and this was reflected in increased activity in the reward-related regions of the brain, the dorsal striatum. Revenge, in other words, is primarily about making yourself feel better rather than righting any wrongs. Your act may make you appear moral but it may be more selfish But revenge for what here? That's where these big narcissistic egos come into play. Psychologically, narcissists are highly sensitive to perceived slights — real or imagined. Musk may have felt Trump was attempting to diminish his achievements for political gain, violating this pact of mutual respect. This kind of sensitivity can quickly transmogrify admiration into contempt. Contempt, coincidentally, is the single best predictor of a breakdown in very close relationships. Disgust and contempt are powerful emotions, evolving to protect us — disgust from physical contamination (spoiled food, disease), and contempt from social or moral contamination (betrayal, incompetence). Both involve rejection — disgust rejects something physically; contempt rejects something socially or morally. Musk may be giving it to Trump with both barrels here. Break-ups are always hard, they get much harder when emotions like these get intertwined with the process. But how will the most powerful man in the world respond to this sort of rejection from the richest man in the world? And where will it end? Geoff Beattie is Professor of Psychology at Edgehill University. (c) The Conversation Read More Terry Prone: Abuse of nursing home patients has been going on for decades
Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Irish Examiner
Los Angeles police order immigration protesters downtown to go home
Los Angeles braced for another day of unrest on Monday over US president Donald Trump's immigration policies, after police declared the city's downtown an unlawful assembly area and ordered protesters to go home. California officials pushed back at the deployment of National Guard troops by the White House, saying they were unnecessary and had only inflamed the situation. Governor Gavin Newsom vowed to sue the federal government. "This is exactly what Donald Trump wanted. He flamed the fires and illegally acted to federalize the National Guard," Newsom posted on X on Monday. "We're suing him." Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass blamed the Trump administration for inciting tension by sending in the Guard. She also condemned protesters after some burned cars and hurled bottles at police. "I don't want people to fall into the chaos that I believe is being created by the administration completely unnecessarily," Bass told a press conference on Sunday. The unrest in Los Angeles has become a flashpoint in Trump's signature effort to clamp down on illegal immigration. The Republican president has pledged to deport record numbers of people who are in the country illegally and to lock down the US-Mexico border, setting the ICE border enforcement agency a daily goal of arresting at least 3,000 migrants. Los Angeles police said some protesters had thrown concrete projectiles, bottles and other items at police. Police declared several rallies to be unlawful assemblies and later extended that to include the whole downtown area. Cleanup continues after a night of protests in downtown Los Angeles. Picture: Damian Dovarganes/AP Several self-driving cars from Alphabet's Waymo were set ablaze on a downtown street on Sunday evening. Police on horseback tried to control the crowds. Some officers used flash-bang grenades and tear gas, CNN reported. Demonstrators shouted "Shame on you!" at police and some appeared to throw objects, video images showed. One group blocked the 101 Freeway, a downtown thoroughfare. City police chief Jim McDonnell told a media briefing on Sunday evening that people had a right to protest peacefully but the violence he had seen by some was "disgusting" and the protests were getting out of control. Police said they had arrested 10 people on Sunday and 29 the previous night, adding arrests were continuing. Vanessa Cardenas, head of the immigration advocacy group America's Voice, accused the Trump administration of "trumping up an excuse to abuse power, and deliberately stoke and force confrontations around immigration." White House responds In response to California's threat to sue the government, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on X that "Newsom did nothing as violent riots erupted in Los Angeles for days." Asked if the National Guard was needed, police chief McDonnell said police would not "go to that right away," but added, "Looking at the violence tonight, I think we've got to make a reassessment." In a social media post, Trump called on McDonnell to do so. "He should, right now!!!" Trump added. "Don't let these thugs get away with this. Make America great again!!!" The White House disputed Newsom's characterization of Trump inflaming the situation, saying in a statement, "Everyone saw the chaos, violence and lawlessness." Earlier on Sunday, about a dozen National Guard members, along with Department of Homeland Security personnel, pushed back a group of demonstrators outside a federal building in downtown Los Angeles, video showed. Police officers patrol the area after a night of protests. Picture: Damian Dovarganes/AP The US Northern Command said 300 members of the California National Guard had been deployed to three spots in the Los Angeles area. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told CBS program "Face the Nation" that the National Guard would provide safety around buildings to people engaged in peaceful protest and to law enforcement. 'All action necessary' The Trump administration's immigration enforcement measures have also included residents who are in the country legally, some with permanent residence, spurring legal challenges. In a social media post on Sunday, Trump called the demonstrators "violent, insurrectionist mobs" and said he was directing his cabinet officers "to take all such action necessary" to stop what he called riots. Despite Trump's language, he has not invoked the Insurrection Act, an 1807 law that empowers a president to deploy the US military to suppress events such as civil disorder. Asked on Sunday whether he was considering doing so, he said, "It depends on whether or not there's an insurrection." Defense secretary Pete Hegseth said on Saturday the Pentagon is prepared to mobilize active-duty troops "if violence continues" in Los Angeles, saying Marines at nearby Camp Pendleton were on high alert. Read More Journalist and photographer hit by non-lethal bullets during LA protests
Irish Times
an hour ago
- Irish Times
Opposition tables second motion to ban Central Bank role in approving Israeli bonds
Members of the main Opposition parties have combined for a second time to put pressure on the State to stop facilitating the sale of Israeli bonds through the Central Bank . A fortnight after the defeat in the Dáil of a Sinn Féin Bill to prevent the Central Bank's role in approving Israeli bonds for sale in the European Union , the Social Democrats have tabled a private members' motion calling for the exact same measures. The Central Bank of Ireland has a role in approving documents on bonds issued by the Israeli government, which have been described as 'war bonds' by the Opposition. The Bill would have prevented the Irish Central Bank from approving the prospectus that allows Israel to trade its bonds in the European Union. Israel traditionally had its European bond prospectuses rubber-stamped in the UK, but turned to the Central Bank for authorisations after Brexit. READ MORE Sinéad Gibney of the Social Democrats said the Government had insisted the State is not selling the bonds. She argued the fact remained that Ireland was 'facilitating' the sale of bonds within Europe. 'Countries sell these bonds to raise money, and in the case of Israel, that money is being spent on bullets and on weapons to kill people, and that's why we have to stop it,' she said. Ms Gibney, Seán Crowe of Sinn Féin, Duncan Smith of Labour and Paul Murphy of People Before Profit all spoke against the bonds at a joint media conference by the four main Opposition parties on Monday, and argued that by facilitating their sale, Ireland became complicit in the Israeli war effort. They said the Central Bank should have no role in approving the prospectus that allows Israel to trade its bonds in the European Union. 'What's happening is these bonds are basically going toward blood money,' said Mr Crowe. 'It's buying the bullets, it's buying the ammunition.' [ 'Repulsive'; 'obscene'; 'genocide': Dáil voices rise in unison over Israel's slaughter in Gaza Opens in new window ] He added: 'Is there anyone in Ireland comfortable with the fact that we're facilitating this blood money coming into our country and being spent on weapons that are killing men, women and children?' Mr Murphy said that in the past day Israel had seized a boat carrying humanitarian aid from international waters and 'kidnapped' activists, including Greta Thunberg . He said the argument of the Government 'boiled down to the fact that if they don't authorise the bonds, someone else in Europe will authorise the bonds, and they'll be able to be to be sold. 'We do not accept that we should be assisting in the sale of Israeli bonds used for genocide at all,' he said. Mr Smith said that Ireland may be doing more than other European countries but the bar was so low, it was nowhere near enough. 'This motion could send a clear signal that Irish people do not stand for the selling of Israeli war bonds. We are asking for the Government to legislate, on an emergency basis, for the Central Bank to ban those sales.' [ Harris praises Madleen volunteers for highlighting 'urgent need for humanitarian aid' to reach Gaza Opens in new window ] Ms Gibney said the Government had a very clear mandate of support for Palestine from the population. 'Other Member States have much more divided populations, much more gritty things to deal with in terms of getting people on board. The Irish Government has the mandate of the Irish people, and they should be leaders on this. And it is simply not good enough to say, 'if we don't do it, somebody else will', because that is the absolute definition of complicity. If we stand up and stop this, other countries will follow suit.' Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe said during the Dáil debate at the end of May that the Sinn Féin legislation was 'unworkable' and inconsistent with EU law.
