The Continental Rift

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A European President & American comedian on the US and Europe divorce: who gets what? And what comes next? Weekly informed, irreverent and short takes on the latest political mayhem.

  1. 2d ago ·  Video

    Saboteurs & Suitors

    Is von der Leyen’s proposed EU Security Council an illusion or a realistic response to Russian sabotage? And will her offer of "associate membership" to Canada trigger an all-out trade war with Donald Trump? A European President and an American comedian untangle this week’s continental rift. Chapters 00:00:00 This week's Continental Rift 00:01:21 The Rifty Backstory 00:03:06 Sweden Election Results and Kingmakers 00:05:34 Nail-biter Elections in Germany and… Russia 00:06:46 SOTEU and Security Council Aspirations 00:09:01 NATO Wants No Discussion of Hybrid Threats 00:10:31 Lindsey Graham Act and Trump’s Tariff Powers 00:12:26 EU Commits to Canada with Offer of Associate Membership 00:17:32 AI Safety: Big Tech asks, EU listens 00:19:44 Frog Watch: Russian Wargaming 00:21:58 France Pushes for Oligarch’s Russia Sanctions Release 00:23:26 US Geopolitics: “It’s complicated” 00:25:29 EU Security Council vs. Kallas proposal More information SWEDEN ELECTIONS - the final count reported only on 17 September (after recording): 176 seats for centre-left vs 173 for the ruling right-wing bloc. Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson resigned though his government remains in place while the speaker of the Riksdag conducts talks on forming a new one. The party positioned as kingmaker is the Centre Party, a liberal party led by Thand Ringqvist took 7.1%. The Liberals are part of Kristersson’s outgoing bloc. EU SANCTIONS LIST - France and Slovakia are blocking the six-monthly renewal of the EU’s existing sanctions list of around 3,000 Russian individuals and entities over the listing of billionaire Alisher Usmanov. On 14 September EU ambassadors extended the list for one week. France says it has “a specific national security issue”; the Financial Times and Euronews report the request is connected to French nationals detained in Azerbaijan. CANADA/EU – Addressing the European Parliament on 17 September, Prime Minister Carney welcomed von der Leyen’s proposal of EU partnership.  He ruled out full EU membership and said any agreement would be put to a vote in Canada’s Parliament. Canada exports no beef to the EU under CETA because its producers use growth hormones banned in the EU. The day before Carney’s statement, President Trump called the proposal “laughable” and threatened “very serious tariffs” on Europe if he judged it “a hostile act”.  FROG WATCH, THE NETHERLANDS - On 15 September pipes and cables were placed on railway tracks at more than 35 locations; infrastructure manager ProRail classified it as sabotage, and police, prosecutors and the intelligence service AIVD are investigating. No suspect or motive has been identified. Fires beside Dutch motorways the same day were a farmers’ protest against the budget. FROG WATCH, GERMANY – the Bundeswehr estimates that in event of a conflict on NATO’s eastern flank 300-1,000 wounded a day could be evacuated to Germany; military and civilian hospitals are preparing. RUSSIA – a CNN investigation published on 15 September reported that 14 Russian reconnaissance satellites passed over Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia in the two days before Iran’s strike on the base on 27 March and that US officials believe the intelligence was shared with Teheran.  Russia denies it.  US DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE – On 15 September DOJ charged five men – two Russian nationals and three Cuban and Venezuelan nationals living in Russia – with working for Russian intelligence to plan surveillance, sabotage and targeted killings including a plot to murder a Russian dissident in the US.  All five remain at large. THE KENNEDY CENTRE – Its board, appointed by President Trump, voted on 15 September to close the venue.  The Administration has said in court it could be demolished if its renovation plan is blocked..    LINDSEY O. GRAHAM SANCTIONING RUSSIA AND IRAN ACT 2026 - passed by US House on 16 September after clearing the Senate in August.  White House has said the President plans to sign it.  It will give the President discretion to impose tariffs of up to 100% on the largest buyers of Russian oil and gas and on countries judged to help Russia evade sanctions, a clause critics in Congress say reaches far beyond Russia. CREDITS Editor Conan Roberts Animation & Design Roland Seer - Tartu Multifilm @rolandseer Music by Paabel @paabeltheband Producer Lucy Antonatos © Fresh Lens Film Sàrl 2026 all rights reserved

    Saboteurs & Suitors

  2. Sep 12 ·  Video

    Aspirations & Annexations

    When Germany’s far-right wins, Trump posts "MGGA" and leaks reveal US pressuring NATO allies to dismantle the International Criminal Court, should Europe confront, or accommodate its antagonists? A European President and an American comedian untangle this week’s continental rift. Chapters 00:00:00 This week's Continental Rift 00:01:06 The Rifty Back Story 00:03:02 Far Right AfD Wins 00:13:21 Sweden Votes! 00:17:40 Frog Watch (drones, hybrid war & Putin) 00:23:08 Trump's Annexation Map 00:26:49 Update: Kaja Kallas 00:30:13 EU Enlargment hits the brakes 00:35:34 US Pressues NATO allies to close ICC More Information AfD election victory - The federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution classified the AfD as 'confirmed right-wing extremist' in May 2025; in February 2026 the Cologne administrative court suspended that classification pending the main proceedings. The AfD first came top in a state election in Thuringia on 1 September 2024 (32.8%). Saxony-Anhalt is its highest state result and the first in which it is within reach of the premiership. Chancellor Merz said of the result that there was 'particularly great joy' 2,500 km to the east. No statement from President Putin. AfD policy positions - the party's federal programme opposes 'ideologically motivated inclusion' and wants special schools for children with special educational needs; it rejects adoption rights for same-sex couples; 'remigration' is described by the party as the removal of illegal migrants and criminals, and by Chancellor Merz as 'ethnic cleansing by skin colour and origin'; the Saxony-Anhalt intelligence service says the state branch's programme is 'permeated by the racist ideology of ethnopluralism'. Alice Weidel is co-0chair of the AfD. her family home is in Einsiedeln, Switzerland; her official residence is in Überlingen, Germany, and she works in Berlin. Her female partner was born in Sri Lanka and adopted by a Swiss family. The couple's two sons were born to Weidel’s partner and adopted by Weidel. Saxony-Anhalt - Saxony-Anhalt had 192,155 foreign nationals at the end of 2025 about 9% of residents, roughly half the national share and among the lowest of any state; the lowest share is in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The aiport drones were found at Leipzig/Halle Airport, at Schkeuditz in Saxony, a few kilometres from the Saxony-Anhalt. Swedish-Estonian Nobel laureates - Svante Pääbo, Nobel laureate in medicine in 2022, was born in Stockholm to the Estonian refugee chemist Karin Pääbo and the Swedish Nobel laureate Sune Bergström. The most recent laureate based in Sweden is Anne L'Huillier of Lund University (physics, 2023), born in France. Hungary - Hungary expelled ten Russian diplomats on Tuesday 8 September. Foreign Minister Anita Orbán, who announced it, is no relation to former prime minister Viktor Orbán.  Kushner & Witkoff - The US envoys travelled to Kyiv by train from Poland on 6 September. President Zelensky said Russia had struck Kyiv's airports the night before to prevent them landing. At the joint press conference with President Zelensky in Kyiv on 6 September, Jared Kushner said: 'From President Putin's perspective, I think he has certain objectives that he expresses he wants to achieve, but obviously there are different aspirations that he has for his country that can also be achieved once this is concluded.' EU Enlargement - Marta Kos, on 8 September: 'We should not risk our future members building dependencies on others that run counter to our long-term interest.' She named Russia as an adversary in the enlargement process, spoke of 'pressure… from the MAGA ideologists', and described China's approach as economic rather than disinformation-led. the Polish government supports Ukraine accession with conditions (opposition comes from President Nawrocki and from a majority of Polish voters). President Macron has said accession would take 'decades'. The Common Agricultural Policy, of which France and Poland are the largest beneficiaries, is about a third of the EU’s 2021-27 budget, and about a quarter of actual EU spending in 2023. ICC - POLITICO reported on 10 September that at a closed meeting of NATO ambassadors in mid-July the US ambassador, Matthew Whitaker, asked allies to withdraw from the Rome Statute and help 'systematically dismantle' the International Criminal Court, ending with 'We will be watching closely who stands with America.' US strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific are continuing: the most recent was on 9 September; at least 230 people have been killed in more than 70 strikes since September 2025. CREDITS Editor Conan Roberts Animation & Design Roland Seer - Tartu Multifilm @rolandseer Music by Paabel @paabeltheband Executive Producer Fred Casella © Fresh Lens Film Sàrl 2026 all rights reserved

    Aspirations & Annexations

  3. Sep 4 ·  Video

    Explosives & Eggs (soft ones)

    Why would Washington spend $4 million on Europe's right-wing media while inviting Russia's finance minister back to the G20? And why Is Germany allowing US company to build a European-sourced cruise missile near Leipzig? A European President and an American comedian untangle this week’s continental rift. Chapters 00:00:00 This week's Continental Rift 00:01:16 Continental Rift backstory 00:02:48 Iceland EU Referendum Result 00:06:57 Germans blame Russia for Attacks 00:12:59 US co. build European cruise missle for Ukraine 00:15:15 Sweden Buys 4x Frigates 00:17:41 Far-Right AfD lead German State election 00:21:19 US spends $$$ on European right-wing media 00:26:23 EU Chief Diplomat position threatened 00:31:53 Russian Finance Minister snubbed at G20 Meeting More Information Leipzig suspects. German investigators have identified two suspects in the 4 August Leipzig drone attack through DNA and mobile-phone data, with reports of up to four people under investigation. As of recording, no arrests had been announced. One suspect held an Italian tourist visa; Italian security sources say he never travelled through Italy. The other, a Russian-born man with a Latvian passport, flew into Berlin in late July. According to European Parliament VP Picierno, EU states issued more than 477,000 tourist visas to Russian citizens in 2025 with Italy, France and Spain the largest issuers. Russia's response. On 3 September, Foreign Minister Lavrov said Goethe-Institut centres in Moscow, St Petersburg and Yekaterinburg would be closed, adding that any other response would show a lack of "self-respect" on Russia's part. Russia's ambassador to Germany says the Bonn consulate closes on 18 September and the Russian House in Berlin by June 2027. The Leipzig missile factory. The US company Covenant plans to build cruise missiles with a range of more than 1,500 km near Leipzig from 2027, with most components sourced in Germany and Europe. Starlink. Ukraine asked the White House in late July to intervene with SpaceX over the use of Starlink for strikes inside Russia. The Financial Times reported in August that the request was not taken up by the administration. Sweden's frigates. Sweden's contract with France's Naval Group for four FDI air-defence frigates is worth SEK 47 billion (about €4.3 billion), with first delivery due in 2030. US grants for European media. Reuters reported on 31 August that the State Department plans $4 million for right-wing media in Europe within a package of at least $25 million for civil-society groups working on conservative causes. The grants are administered by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, which says it does not fund political parties. Recipients have not been identified. Congressional review runs to the end of September. Trump and Spain. President Trump has threatened tariffs on Spain over its refusal to meet NATO's 5% spending target (October 2025) and threatened 100% tariffs on any country imposing a digital services tax (June 2026). Kaja Kallas. Her full title is High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission. The Franco-German paper reported by Politico (31 August) would make her an executive vice-president coordinating the Commission's external departments, move much of the EEAS's roughly 5,000 staff into the Commission, and keep security and defence staff under her. At the Wicklow meeting, ministers broadly supported the existing institutional setup but argued it must work better in practice. Timmermans. In a 2023 Dutch television interview, Frans Timmermans said that Kaja Kallas being prime minister of a country bordering Russia was a potential issue for the NATO secretary-general role. Norway, home of then secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg, shares a 198 km border with Russia. Estonia. Ülle Madise was elected President of Estonia by parliament on 2 September 2026 and takes office on 12 October.

    Explosives & Eggs (soft ones)

  4. Aug 28 ·  Video

    Mackerel & Missiles

    Why does one of the world’s safest countries feel vulnerable under American protection? And why does Canada — with the world's longest undefended border — seem to agree, just as the CIA drops in on Moscow? A European President and an American comedian untangle this week’s continental rift. Chapters 00:00:00 Background 00:01:30 Introduction 00:02:45 Siim Kallas 00:03:43 Iceland EU vote 00:11:58 Canada & Europe 00:19:00 Boiling Frog Watch 00:23:14 UK steps up 00:25:00 CIA Director in Moscow 00:28:28 The Rhine Group More Information Canada & EU - The EU–Canada trade agreement (CETA) has been provisionally applied since 2017; nearly a decade on, ten EU member states have yet to complete ratification. Canada joined the EU's €150bn SAFE defence-loan scheme in February 2026, the first non-European country to do so. A SAFE loan requires that at least 65% of the value of procured equipment comes from the EU, Ukraine or associated countries. Mark Carney will attend the EU's State of the Union address on 16 September and address the European Parliament in Strasbourg on 17 September Frog Watch - Germany (Leipzig/Halle): a drone with military-grade explosives found near a Ukrainian An-124 on 4 August, a DHL aircraft damaged the same night, and a 3rd drone recovered on 14 August (reported 25 August); ABC News reports US intelligence considers the drone's design typical of Russia's GRU. Der Spiegel reported that a man detained in Romania over a buried handgun cache is suspected of belonging to a Russian-controlled network. Romania: jets destroyed a suspected Russian naval drone near the Neptun Deep gas field on 20 August. Slovakia: police foiled a planned arson attack on the Skyeton reconnaissance-drone plant near Prešov, seizing a napalm-like petrol-polystyrene mixture. Italy: the 13 August explosion at the KNDS Ammo Italy plant at Colleferro followed a fire and remains under investigation, with no attribution made. Britain - At the time of recording the UK was preparing (not yet running) a public information campaign advising households to stock emergency supplies. In UK political theatre, the "special relationship" (a UK characterisation of its relationship with the US) is measured in two rituals: who the new prime minister's first call is with and where the PM first travels. Often the first is to the US while the second has recently been to Brussels. Burnham kept the tradition on the phone (Washington), broke it on the plane (Kyiv). Andy Burnham announced the UK will allow MBDA to release classified design information on the British-made components of the Storm Shadow/SCALP missile so Ukraine can build it domestically; France cleared its components in July. CIA Director in Moscow - Why was he there? Was it to warn Putin over the Baltics (WSJ, Politico), to push for a Ukraine deal (NYT), or fear that the Iran war (and Russia’s aid to Iran) has left the US too stretched to respond (Washington Post)? The theories are flying. The Rhine Group - more can be found here: https://www.rhinegroup.eu/ Youtube @TheContinentalRift (https://www.youtube.com/@TheContinentalRift) Instagram @thecontinentalriftpod (https://www.instagram.com/thecontinentalriftpod/) X @ContRiftShow (https://x.com/ContRiftShow) CREDITS Editor Conan Roberts Animation & Design Roland Seer - Tartu Multifilm @rolandseer Music by Paabel @paabeltheband (Estonian folk-fusion) Executive Producer Fred Casella © Fresh Lens Film Sàrl 2026 all rights reserved

    Mackerel & Missiles

  5. Aug 21 ·  Video

    Putsch & Payback

    Why can Washington ‘switch off’ a Japanese judge? And why does that same switch terrify 74% of Europe's business leaders? A European President & American comedian on how this week’s events underscores the difficult dependency Europe has on the US. More Information *The ICC* The March 2023 ICC arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin was issued by a three-judge chamber on which Tomoko Akane sat. She was elected the court’s President a year later. Russia answered the warrant with a criminal case and a wanted-list entry; as of this week she is under US sanctions too. *Reliance on US* ECB President Christine Lagarde made her call to cut Europe’s reliance on Visa, Mastercard and PayPal in April 2025, weeks after the first US sanctions order against the ICC; the digital euro is the ECB’s answer. Reuters reported in 2025 that Starlink coverage was cut over part of Kherson Oblast during Ukraine’s counteroffensive in 2022; Elon Musk denies ever switching off Starlink terminals. Europe’s alternative, the IRIS² satellite constellation, was agreed by the EU in 2022, with contracts signed in late 2024. *Gorbachev* He became Soviet General Secretary in March 1985. The coup found him under house arrest at Foros, his holiday dacha on the southern coast of Crimea, then part of Soviet Ukraine. *Yeltsin* Russia’s Soviet-era parliament made Yeltsin its chairman in 1990 and in June 1991 he won Russia’s first direct presidential election with 57% of the vote. That popular mandate is a large part of why the Soviet tanks blinked in August. *West Germany’s Defence Budget* On NATO’s figures, West Germany spent roughly 3–3.5% of GDP on defence through the 1980s (Britain 4–5%, the US around 6%). By 2014 reunified Germany was near 1.2% *Hybrid War Attacks* Neither factory explosion we mentioned is currently attributed (Bulgaria’s interior minister reported no evidence of foreign interference in the 10 August fire at the EMCO plant). Since we recorded: a Romanian F-16 destroyed an explosive-laden sea drone a few hundred metres from the Neptun Deep gas project. President Nicușor Dan blamed Russia, Kyiv confirmed the drone wasn’t Ukrainian, and Commission President von der Leyen called it what this episode calls it: "This is hybrid warfare." Overnight into Friday a stray drone crashed and burned out in Romania’s Tulcea County, and Ukraine reported Russian strikes hitting a border crossing with Moldova. Chapters 00:00:00 Background 00:01:30 In today's show 00:03:25 Memories of putsch 00:05:24 US Sanctions ICC Prez 00:10:53 Tech Cold Turkey 00:13:44 Weapons dependency 00:17:24 US's Allies-questionaire 00:20:15 USS Abraham Lincoln 00:22:37 The USSR Putsch 00:26:26 The Peace Dividend 00:29:31 Russian Spies 00:31:25 Hybrid War latest 00:33:53 Outro Youtube @TheContinentalRift (https://www.youtube.com/@TheContinentalRift) Instagram @thecontinentalriftpod (https://www.instagram.com/thecontinentalriftpod/) X @ContRiftShow (https://x.com/ContRiftShow) CREDITS Editor Conan Roberts Animation & Design Roland Seer - Tartu Multifilm @rolandseer Music by Paabel @paabeltheband (Estonian folk-fusion) Executive Producer Fred Casella © Fresh Lens Film Sàrl 2026 all rights reserved

    Putsch & Payback

  6. Aug 14 ·  Video

    Euros & Explosives

    If Russia flies an explosive drone into a cargo plane in Germany does Article 5 make a sound? And what do you call it when America sells (lots of) euros and only tells Europe afterwards? A European President & American Comedian on Europe, the US and what comes next. Additional Notes Ceuta - several thousand migrants remain, including about 1,300 unaccompanied minors; death toll is at least 82 per city authorities. Euros, Yen & Dollars - the ECB reaction comes from senior ECB officials speaking anonymously to the Financial Times; the ECB declined official comment. The Trump-administration line “we respect the confidentiality of private discussions with our international counterparts, unlike the ECB” also came from an unnamed senior official, also via the FT Least Digitally Advanced - The European Commission's ‘digital index’ puts Germany near the bottom for digital public services (and mid-table overall). Romania and Bulgaria rank last overall. Drone with a “criminal record” - German media (Bild, Die Zeit) report a DNA trace on the latest Leipzig drone matching evidence from the July 2024 arson at the same airport's DHL hub (see below). Ukraine’s Patriots - Trump promised Ukraine a licence to produce Patriot interceptors at the NATO summit on 8 July ("we're going to give a license to you to make Patriots"), reportedly confirmed it at the White House on 28 July and withdrew it at Camp David on 31 July: "we have not agreed to that." The same day the promise was withdrawn, Vice President Vance called Zelenskyy asking Ukraine to stop striking tankers at Novorossiysk. Kyiv still hopes for the licence and several hundred interceptors before winter. Polish Railway - November 2025, Warsaw–Lublin line: an explosive charge destroyed a section of track, a passenger train ran over the damaged stretch without derailing. Poland charged two Ukrainian men it says acted for Russian intelligence; PM Tusk called it an unprecedented act of sabotage. DHL Devices - The devices were incendiary parcels mailed from Vilnius into the air-cargo network in July 2024. The one at DHL's Leipzig hub actually ignited on the ground (because its flight was delayed); others burned in warehouses near Vilnius and in Birmingham. Five men are on trial in Lithuania; Western officials assessed it as a possible test run for devices on aircraft bound for North America. Mystery Explosions - The 10 August explosions at the EMCO plant in Bulgaria are officially unexplained; authorities' preliminary assessment is an accident. The grounds for suspicion are real: the plant's owner, Emilian Gebrev, survived a GRU poisoning in 2015, and the same GRU unit is blamed for the 2014 Vrbětice explosions in Czechia at an ammunition depot (not a factory) which killed two people. Shadow Fleet Soldiers - When French commandos boarded the tanker Boracay they found two employees of a Russian private military company, contractors rather than uniformed soldiers. Putin’s Threat - Speaking aboard the missile cruiser Varyag on 12 August, Putin called European seizures of shadow-fleet tankers “piracy and banditry” and threatened to seize European vessels “wherever we ourselves deem necessary — anywhere”. 9/11 and Article 5 - NATO invoked Article 5 on 12 September 2001, conditionally, confirming it on 2 October once the US briefed allies on the evidence; an intelligence judgement, not a courtroom standard. Greenland Drilling - The $60 million is Greenland Energy's announced budget for exploratory drilling (the FT described “$60mn worth of equipment” being moved). What actually came ashore without permission on 29–30 July was a barge carrying an excavator and roughly 15 shipping containers (value unstated). Ukraine’s EU Accession - Poland and France have pushed back on the pace of accession, not (yet) Ukraine’s accession itself. Montana vs California - Montana's population is about 1.1 million and California's about 39 million. The German Presidents - Are elected by the Bundesversammlung (Federal Convention): all Bundestag members plus an equal number of delegates chosen by the 16 state parliaments (c. 1,470 people convened solely for that vote) not the Bundestag alone. Chapters 00:00:00 Background 00:01:30 This week... 00:03:15 Ceuta update 00:06:32 US sells Euros 00:08:53 Vances stops Zelensky 00:11:33 Russian drone in Germany 00:15:40 Previous hybrid attacks 00:22:15 US in Greenland 00:25:29 How EU works 00:35:48 Hungary's new President 00:38:55 Credits Youtube @TheContinentalRift (https://www.youtube.com/@TheContinentalRift) Instagram @thecontinentalriftpod (https://www.instagram.com/thecontinentalriftpod/) X @ContRiftShow (https://x.com/ContRiftShow) CREDITS Editor Conan Roberts Animation & Design Roland Seer - Tartu Multifilm @rolandseer Music by Paabel @paabeltheband (Estonian folk-fusion) Executive Producer Fred Casella © Fresh Lens Film Sàrl 2026 all rights reserved

    Euros & Explosives

  7. Aug 7 ·  Video

    Spies & Stampedes

    Who are Europe’s best spies? And did any of them predict last weekend’s crisis in Ceuta? A European President and an American comedian disentangle the migration mess, European pile-on and American meddling that contributed to the Crisis in Ceuta. Show Notes Spies 1 - this was work done by the French Magazine L’Express and our discussion reflected that article. The original (pay-walled, English version) is here: https://www.lexpress.eu/intelligence/mi6-dgse-ukraine-lexpress-reveals-an-unprecedented-ranking-of-europes-best-spies-08-02-2026-WUF45U7QQZGKZJ3NJJKEVJCTKI/ Spies 2 - if you want to download the Annual Report by the Estonian Foreiugn Intelligence Agency referenced by Toomas, you can find it here: https://valisluureamet.ee/en.html Spanish Supreme Court Ruling - another factor we did not have time to get into is that on 29 June, Spain's Supreme Court ruled that the fast-track “hot return” procedure — handing people straight back across the border with no formal process — can only be used on those crossing Ceuta and Melilla's physical land barriers, like the fences. It was a narrow, technical ruling. The Spanish government says trafficking networks then misrepresented it — including in viral TikTok videos — as “anyone arriving by sea can't be deported.” The ruling did not say that. Ceuta’s history - Portugal captured Ceuta in 1415, 77 years before Columbus sailed. It passed to the Spanish crown in 1580 and was formally ceded by Portugal in 1668 . Morocco, which claims both cities, became an independent state in its modern form in 1956; the UN does not list Ceuta or Melilla as territories to be decolonised. French politics - Jean-Luc Mélenchon (who attacked the French hard-right leader Marine le Pen) is the founder of La France Insoumise — a hard left party (with no leader), but not the French Communist Party, which is a separate party. LFI has denied it is pro-Putin (it’s critics disagree). Italy’s migrant regularisation - Italy's last big amnesty for irregular migrants (around 207,000 applications) came in 2020, under a previous government. What Meloni's government has done is open the legal front door very wide — work-entry quotas of roughly 450,000 for 2023–25 and around 500,000 more for 2026–28 — while keeping regularisation channels available. European regularisation - The REGINE study (ICMPD, 2009) looked at regularisation programmes 1996 and 2008 — not to the present day, as we said — and found that 17 EU member states ran 43 regularisation programmes, with 4.7 million applicants and at least 3.2 million people regularised. Spain, Italy, France, Greece, Belgium and Portugal ran the largest. Morocco’s Trump Highway - This is country's flagship motorway project. Most of it runs through Western Sahara, the disputed territory whose Moroccan sovereignty Trump recognised in 2020 — which is the entire point of the King’s gesture. The naming was announced days after Morocco's Throne Day, and days before the Ceuta surge. US House Bill - The $40 million for Morocco is real, appropriated foreign aid in a State Department funding bill the House passed 217–209 on 15 July. The language describing Ceuta and Melilla as “located in Moroccan territory” sits in the accompanying committee report — a non-binding document the House did not vote on. It transfers nothing and legally recognises nothing. What it does show is an arm of the US Congress putting Morocco's claim to Spanish territory on paper, two weeks before the migrant surge. Nathalie Tocci - more on her work can be found here: https://www.iai.it/en/institute/experts/nathalie-tocci Chapters 00:00:00 Show Background 00:01:30 Introduction 00:03:15 Spie Agencies ranked 00:06:47 Ceuta - pronunciation 00:07:43 Ceuta - history & Schengen 00:11:46 The pile-on 00:14:20 The Letter 00:16:41 Migration weaponised 00:19:16 Germany & AfD 00:21:29 French reaction 00:24:41 Shuffle right 00:26:28 Conspiracy theories 00:31:14 Eruopean past form 00:33:02 EU's Trumpian Wall? 00:35:35 Credits Youtube @TheContinentalRift (https://www.youtube.com/@TheContinentalRift) Instagram @thecontinentalriftpod (https://www.instagram.com/thecontinentalriftpod/) X @ContRiftShow (https://x.com/ContRiftShow) CREDITS Editor Conan Roberts Animation & Design Roland Seer - Tartu Multifilm @rolandseer Music by Paabel @paabeltheband (Estonian folk-fusion) Executive Producer Fred Casella © Fresh Lens Film Sàrl 2026 all rights reserved

    Spies & Stampedes

  8. Jul 31 ·  Video

    Kill Switches & Neanderthals

    Can America switch Europe off? Why does the Kremlin dread August? And who walked out on whom at the UN? A European President & US comedian make sense of the continental rift. More Information Europe is the fastest-warming continent, heating at roughly twice the global average since the 1980s (WMO / Copernicus). The Arctic warms faster still, and the heaviest human impacts fall elsewhere. #AmericaAlone. This X post and hashtag came from the official X account of France’s Permanent Mission to the UN in Geneva (25 July). The mission is headed by France’s ambassador; the post was institutional, not personal. Elbridge Colby is the Under Secretary of War for Policy — the Pentagon’s top policy official (formerly titled Under Secretary of Defense for Policy). The review he announced is officially the Europe Posture Review. The UK has a new Prime Minister because under the UK’s parliamentary system it is the winning political party won power, not an individual. Whomever is the leader of the ruling party becomes (by royal ascent) the King’s Prime Minister. Kier Starmer lost his party’s leadership. Andy Burnham won an election to become a Member of Parliament and then gained (unopposed) his party’s leadership and therefore becomes the UK’s 6th Prime Minister in 10 years. The European Commission fined Google €890 million on 23 July under the Digital Markets Act for self-preferencing in search and app-store services. Trump announced a Section 301 tariff investigation the next day. For more, check out our previous episode Fines & Frugals On 12 June 2026, 3 days after it was launched, the US government imposed export controls on Anthropic’s new Claude Fable model on national-security grounds; unable to verify nationality in real time, Anthropic suspended access for everyone. 30th June, the Commerce Department lifted its restrictions and global access resumed on 1 July. A handful of island states exceed Europe on the absolute measure of electricity prices, though EU industrial electricity runs 2-3x US prices and German, Danish and Irish household electricity prices rank near the top globally. In digitalisation of government Germany ranks 21st out 27 EU countries. Cro-Magnon vs Neanderthals. "Cro-Magnon" is a 19th century label, taken from the name of the rock shelter in the Dordogne, France where the first skeletons were found in 1868. They are modern humans. Neanderthal brains were as large as ours (or larger) and exhibited complex behaviour. Everyone of non-African descent carries roughly 1–2% Neanderthal DNA. Recent research argues that unsustainable demographics resulted in Neanderthals being absorbed into far larger incoming populations of Homo sapiens amid a volatile climate. One group was too small and too isolated to survive the arrival of a new, bigger, better-connected group. Various European governments are weaning themselves, piecemeal, off US tech: France: all ministries must file plans to move 2.5 million government computers to Linux by autumn 2026; Teams and Zoom to be replaced by the French-hosted Visio by 2027; national health-data platform to leave US-law-exposed infrastructure by end-2026. Germany: Schleswig-Holstein has moved ~30,000 government workplaces (≈80%) to Linux and open-source office software, saving over €15m in licences. Denmark: the Digital Affairs Ministry is switching to LibreOffice Austria: the armed forces have completed their move off Microsoft Office. Italy: the defence ministry is migrating off 150,000 PCs (€29m projected savings). The European Parliament: voted 471–68 in January 2026 for a resolution to directing the Commission to map the EU’s dependencies. Chapters 00:00:00 Backstory 00:01:30 Today's topics 00:02:56 Russia's Black August 00:06:14 Europe's fires 00:09:38 US walkout on France 00:13:15 US's Europe Posture Review 00:18:52 UK's new Prime Minister 00:21:40 Primer: European Tech 00:34:59 Credits Youtube @TheContinentalRift (https://www.youtube.com/@TheContinentalRift) Instagram @thecontinentalriftpod (https://www.instagram.com/thecontinentalriftpod/) X @ContRiftShow (https://x.com/ContRiftShow) CREDITS Editor Conan Roberts Animation & Design Roland Seer - Tartu Multifilm @rolandseer Music by Paabel @paabeltheband (Estonian folk-fusion) Executive Producer Fred Casella © Fresh Lens Film Sàrl 2026 all rights reserved

    Kill Switches & Neanderthals
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

A European President & American comedian on the US and Europe divorce: who gets what? And what comes next? Weekly informed, irreverent and short takes on the latest political mayhem.

Information

  • Creator
    Fresh Lens
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    18
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Fresh Lens Film Sàrl
  • Show Website
    The Continental Rift