What Poland’s Surprise Election Winner Means for the World

You’ve got to hunt for news about the most consequential election in Europe this year. Israel has pushed even the war in Ukraine far down the headline scroll.

But Sunday’s surprising vote in Poland deserves attention — for what it says about domestic small-d democratic politics and for what it means geopolitically for the U.S. and Europe.

Let’s start with the first and the man of the moment: Donald T. — T is for Tusk — who both shares some qualities with his namesake and represents a rejection of Trumpist politics.

Donald Trump Shares Link Revealing Letitia James' Address While Raging Against Her

Former President Donald Trump on Monday shared a link listing the home address of New York Attorney General Letitia James while accusing her of committing a “miscarriage of justice.”

Trump’s smearing of James, the prosecutor behind his ongoing financial fraud trial, is nothing new. But his Truth Social link to a Substack post by far-right journalist Laura Loomer reportedly might raise a few issues.

Russia recruits Serbs in drive to replenish military forces in Ukraine

At the beginning of September, Branko boarded a direct flight from Belgrade to Moscow.

After a few days in the Russian capital, Branko, with three other Serbian nationals, was driven to a military recruitment centre in Krasnogorsk, a city on the outskirts of Moscow, where the group signed a contract with the Russian military.

“It all went very fast; in one day I became a soldier for Russia … Now I am waiting to be sent to Ukraine,” Branko said in a text exchange on Telegram, requesting anonymity so he could speak freely.

Jim Jordan loses US House speaker vote for second time as support ebbs

The House of Representatives again failed to elect a new speaker on Wednesday, after the hard-right congressman Jim Jordan failed to win the gavel in the second round of voting.

The second vote tally showed 199 Republicans supporting Jordan and all 212 Democrats supporting their leader, Hakeem Jeffries of New York. Twenty-two Republicans opposed Jordan on Wednesday, leaving him far short of the 217 votes needed to ascend to the speakership. Because of Republicans’ razor-thin majority in the House, Jordan can only afford four defections within his party and still become speaker.