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Trump’s Greenland threats echo dark moments of cold war alliances

Soviet invasions of allies helped destroy the Warsaw Pact – Trump’s dangerous rhetoric risks repeating the mistake inside Nato

Donald Trump’s echoing of Russia’s talking points in its war against Ukraine has long been a cause for alarm and dismay in the west.

Now an even more disturbing Kremlin precedent dating from the cold war is being evoked by the US president’s fixation on taking over Greenland – that of carrying out attacks on military allies.

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© Photograph: Alex Brandon/AP

© Photograph: Alex Brandon/AP

© Photograph: Alex Brandon/AP

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What unites Greenland, Venezuela and Ukraine? Trump's immoral lies and Europe's chronic weakness | Simon Tisdall

The president’s inability to tell right from wrong fuels his increasingly dictatorial, illegal and erratic behaviour

Donald Trump made 30,573 “false or misleading” claims during his first term, according to calculations published in 2021 by the Washington Post. That’s roughly 21 fibs a day. Second time around, he’s still hard at it, lying to Americans and the world on a daily basis. Trump’s disregard for truth and honesty in public life – seen again in his despicable response to the fatal shooting in Minneapolis – is dangerously immoral.

Trump declared last week that the only constraint on his power is “my own morality, my own mind”. That explains a lot. His idea of right and wrong is wholly subjective. He is his own ethical and legal adviser, his own priest and confessor. He is a church of one. Trump lies to himself as well as everyone else. And the resulting damage is pernicious. It costs lives, harms democracy and destroys trust between nations.

Simon Tisdall is a Guardian foreign affairs commentator

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© Photograph: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

© Photograph: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

© Photograph: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

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US urges its citizens to flee Venezuela amid reports of paramilitaries

State department says armed ‘colectivos’ appear to be setting up roadblocks and searching vehicles for Americans

The United States has urged its citizens to leave Venezuela immediately amid reports that armed paramilitaries are trying to track down US citizens, one week after the capture of the South American country’s president, Nicolás Maduro.

In a security alert sent out on Saturday, the state department said there were reports of armed members of pro-regime militias, known as colectivos, setting up roadblocks and searching vehicles for evidence that the occupants were US citizens or supporters of the country.

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© Photograph: Gaby Oráa/Reuters

© Photograph: Gaby Oráa/Reuters

© Photograph: Gaby Oráa/Reuters

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Machado Offered Trump Her Nobel, but Prize Institute Says It’s Not Allowed

After María Corina Machado, Venezuela’s opposition leader, offered her Nobel Peace Prize to President Trump, the Norwegian Nobel Institute said it cannot be “transferred to others.”

© Adriana Loureiro Fernandez for The New York Times

María Corina Machado, Venezuela’s opposition leader, offered to give her Nobel Peace Prize to President Trump, who has long coveted the award.
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Brian Heywood Is Bankrolling Conservative Ballot Measures in Washington

Brian Heywood, a Seattle-area hedge fund founder, has spent millions to put conservative initiatives in front of Washington lawmakers and voters. Next up: parental rights and transgender athletes.

© Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times

“My intention with the initiatives always is to do as little intrusive damage as possible,” said Brian Heywood, a hedge fund founder using his wealth to bankroll ballot initiatives.
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