Thierry Breton, in a letter to Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission:

On 24 July, you wrote to Member States asking them to nominate candidates for the 2024-2029 College of Commissioner, specifying that Member States that intend to suggest the incumbent Member of the Commission were not required to suggest two candidates. On 25 July, President Emmanuel Macron designated me as France’s official candidate for a second mandate in the College of Commissioners — as he had already publicly announced on the margins of the European Council on 28 June. A few days ago, in the very final stretch of negotiations on the composition of the future College, you asked France to withdraw my name — for personal reasons that in no instance you have discussed directly with me — and offered, as a political trade-off, an allegedly more influential portfolio for France in the future College. You will now be proposed a different candidate.

Over the past five years, I have relentlessly striven to uphold and advance the common European good, above national and party interests. It has been an honour.

However, in light of these latest developments — further testimony to questionable governance — I have to conclude that I can no longer exercise my duties in the College.

I am therefore resigning from my position as European Commissioner, effective immediately.

Translation from bureaucratese to English: “Faced with being fired for being a jackass or resigning, I resign.”

https://youtu.be/FpjW9B8aE8Q




Podcast audio:







In this episode of New Ideal, Onkar Ghate and Elan Journo discuss how the failure of American post-9/11 policy led to the October 7 attacks.



Among the topics covered:




* How the failed American response to 9/11 paved the way for October 7;



* How religion and altruism undermined the response to Islamic totalitarianism;



* How the West lies to itself about the nature of Hamas;



* Why there are no voices articulating a positive strategy for the Middle East;



* The need to rethink the philosophic principles guiding American foreign policy.




Recommended in this podcast are Ghate and Journo’s book Failing to Confront Islamic Totalitarianism: What Went Wrong After 9/11 and Journo’s Winning the Unwinnable War: America's Self-Crippled Response to Islamic Totalitarianism.



The podcast premiered on September 11, 2024. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube Music. Watch archived podcasts here.






Download video: https://www.youtube.com/embed/FpjW9B8aE8Q



Download audio: https://media.blubrry.com/new_ideal_ari/content.blubrry.com/new_ideal_ari/20240910_911-and-Hamas.mp3

PALM BEACH, FL — In the wake of what appears to be a second assassination attempt on Donald Trump, Democrats across the country have stepped forward to accuse the Republican presidential candidate of inciting further violence by not dying in either of the two previous assassination attempts.

PHILADELPHIA, PA — Americans across the country breathed a sigh of relief this morning following breaking news that Vice President Kamala Harris had survived an attempted interview.

Conservatives are right to complain about the blatant bias of ABC’s debate moderators, but the bigger problem was Donald Trump’s undisciplined performance.