In this weekly feature for Andelman Unleashed, we continue to explore how media of other nations view America and the rest of the world, bringing to bear 60 years of reporting from 90+ countries. We cover lots of ground—diving each week through 30+ newspapers & 100+ websites on every continent. You may not want to read it all, but it’s all here for you!
We can all learn from what others say about us, around the globe.
To accomplish this mission for you, I pay for a host of global media—newspapers, magazines, websites, television—so you all can become better informed about the world…A (lightly) paid, even Founder subscription would help if you are able…and allow you to participate to the fullest in our adventures.
The White House correspondent for France’s 24-hour news network LCI, Sonia Dridi, won the Trump lottery while waiting for him to start his golf game Saturday. At 10:58, she dialed his cell phone number that it seems half the media universe has by now, and he entertained a few questions:
By that time there had already been a pause that continued through the weekend. And if he doesn’t get what he wants…what then? That’s what much of the world was wondering. Well, there’ll always be reporters to target, as Le Monde‘s Nicolas Chapuis observed in his report on the White House Correspondents Association gala:
The second time was the charm, or rather the misfortune, given the acrimony Donald Trump unleashed on representatives of the American media. The President of the United States attended the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, held on Friday, July 24, in Washington, after the event was canceled in April following the intrusion of an armed man into the Hilton Hotel, where the reception was to be held.
For an hour, Donald Trump alternated between digressions and jokes—most of which fell flat—against a backdrop of indictment against the press in general, and against some journalists in particular.
The speech included a joke about the possibility of running for a third term, which is prohibited by the Constitution. Faced with the lack of success of his quips, the billionaire ended up attacking his own staff: “Did anyone get that [joke]? Frankly, I thought it was pretty good. In fact, it was the only good thing I found in that whole damn stupid speech.”
But nowhere, even a gesture toward the war, tariffs, or all that is swallowing his presidency…and as the world holds its breath, India’s NDTV news channel reported:
As India’s Tribune focused on exit strategies:
“I think there’s a lot of them,” Trump said when asked about his exit strategy. “There’s a military exit where we just keep going just the way we are, and we can even make it a heavier dose, and it’s knocking out everything. Or there’s a smarter strategy, and that’s you make a deal, and they want to make a deal. I just don’t think they’re ready yet, but they do want to make a deal.”
The US President emphasised that while military pressure remains an effective option, negotiations are actively proceeding behind the scenes. “You can just keep doing exactly what we’re doing, and take them apart piece by piece. We could do it at a more rapid fashion, which we might do—or we can negotiate with them, which we’re also doing right now,” Trump said, adding, “we’re talking to them.”
One might call it American hypocrisy as Trump opens new fronts in another war: tariffs…and out in front, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as the South China Morning Post reported on an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting
The new wave of US tariffs that hit seven Southeast Asian countries is set to reinforce perceptions of Washington as an unreliable partner to the region.
Citing forced labour practices uncovered in its latest investigations, the US imposed levies ranging from 10% to 12.5% cent on 60 economies—with the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam the hardest hit among Association of Southeast Asian Nations members.
Carol Bellamy, for a decade head of UNICEF and a lifelong observer of America’s role in the world, as Celebrity Guest at Friday’s Unleashed Conversation, highlighted the conundrum that has backed the Trump administration into a global corner…
The full hour with Carol Bellamy is available for our paying subscribers below the paywall…
In seeking to win its way back into Trump’s favor is Britain’s new government, as The Telegraph observed:
Wes Streeting is seeking to repair the UK’s relationship with Donald Trump by “working together” to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and promising to modernise the Armed Forces. In an attempt to turn the page on relations that had soured under Sir Keir Starmer, the Defence Secretary told Pete Hegseth, his US counterpart, he wanted to collaborate on building a global coalition to safeguard shipping through the vital trade route.
The Telegraph understands that Mr Streeting is looking to reset the special relationship after it deteriorated during the outbreak of the Iran war earlier this year. Mr Streeting and Mr Hegseth discussed proposals for a conference in London this week, bringing together Nato allies, defence ministers and military commanders from up to 40 nations. This would include Mr Hegseth and Gen Dan Caine, the US chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The Europeans had previously held regular meetings without the Americans, but the summit would aim to reconcile all sides following a difficult few months.
Iran reportedly rejected a US ceasefire proposal, which suggests Iran believes it has the advantage over the United States in this phase of the war….andis trying to inflict a steady number of US casualties by targeting sleeping quarters and recreation facilities at US regional bases in order to impose US domestic pressure that would force a halt to its airstrike campaign on Iran….Iranian regime media separately published satellite imagery of damage from an Iranian ballistic missile hitting buildings…following an attack on the Muwaffaq al Salti Airbase that struck troop quarters and killed 3 US soldiers and injured several others. The Houthis [also] likely calculated closing the Bab al Mandeb Strait could help them extract concessions from Saudi Arabia without provoking a major US military response.
And with all that, there goes the last viable near-term exit strategy?
But in Israel, there’s still hope for war and more war as The Times of Israel observed…
The US military has continued to send significant forces to Israel, including dozens of warplanes, refueling planes, air defenses and munitions. Some 90 refuelers had arrived over the past few weeks and were stationed at Ben Gurion Airport and the Ramon and Ovda airbases—a similar deployment to the one that took place just before the US-Israeli war against Iran was launched in late February.
A senior Israeli official told Channel 12 [Israel] that “the chances of reaching an agreement between the United States and Iran are virtually nonexistent,” calling an eventual escalation in the conflict “inevitable.” Sources cited by Channel 13 and Ynet similarly predicted that diplomacy would fail and that Trump, who prefers negotiations, would eventually have “no choice” but to order a major attack.
It may look like Amazon, operate like Amazon and have as loyal a following as Amazon, but in Russia it’s known as Wildberries ….
….and now its warehouses and more are under attack by Ukraine. As ISW points out:
Ukrainian forces appear to have struck at least 10 Wildberries warehouses in Russia and occupied Ukraine in the past week. Ukrainian Unmanned Systems Forces Commander Major Robert "Magyar" Brovdi heavily implied Ukrainian forces struck two Wildberries facilities in Leningrad and an additional Wildberries facility in occupied Crimea.
Intensified Ukrainian strikes against Wildberries facilities may impose additional requirements on Russia’s already-stretched air defenses and will likely increasingly inconvenience Russians who utilize the Wildberries platform. A Russian insider source claimed Russia is urgently building additional fixed Pantsir air defense positions throughout the Moscow region following strikes against Wildberries facilities. Ukraine’s increasing strike campaigns against deep rear areas of Russia, strikes on military logistics and targets at the intermediate-range, and efforts to isolate occupied Crimea are already imposing additional manpower and materiel requirements on Russia in addition to Russia’s existing requirements to staff and defend the frontline. Russia will struggle to include Wildberries warehouses and similar facilities in the growing list of rear-area assets it must defend. Disruptions in Wildberries services will likely continue to inconvenience Russians in urban areas such as Moscow and St. Petersburg, whom the Kremlin has sought to shield from the war effort.
Strikes against Wildberries facilities may also place financial pressure on elites in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle. Russian Presidential Administration Chief of Staff Anton Vaino and First Deputy Chief of Staff Alexei Gromov reportedly either back or co-own Wildberries. Recent Ukrainian strikes against Wildberries have reportedly caused about 170 billion rubles (about $2.2 billion) of damage—likely to place pressure on the elites that own, operate, and maintain stake in Wildberries writ large. Putin notably reportedly asked Russian elites to financially back his war effort in March 2026, breaking a promise he made to oligarchs in July 2000 that he would uphold the privatization of Soviet assets as long as the oligarchs remained out of Russian politics and pledged allegiance to Putin. Russian elites have since reportedly sought to move money abroad to protect their assets from Russian nationalization.
Meanwhile, the Russian Central Bank lowered its key interest rate for the 5th time in 2026 while attempting to portray Russia’s economy as stable in line with recent Kremlin messaging—from 14.25% to 14% percent and reiterated the need for a gradual rate reduction. The Central Bank claimed Russia’s annual inflation was 5.97% while the annual inflation in 2026 will increase to about 6% to 7% due to fuel price increases (resulting in large part from Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy infrastructure). The Central Bank also slightly raised its key rate forecast range through the end of 2026 from about 14% to 14.5% to about 14.5% to 14.6% and lowered its forecast for Russian economic growth in 2026 from 0.5% to 1.5% to about 0% to 1%. Russian Central Bank Chairperson Elvira Nabiullina acknowledged rising fuel prices are contributing to rising prices of other goods and services but noted the Bank considers the accelerated price growth temporary.
And the Kyiv Post added….
Ukrainian drones struck a Siberian oil refinery Saturday and disrupted a Urals athletics competition, as Kazakhstan’s president told Russia’s Vladimir Putin the Ukraine war should end during a forum in Siberia’s Omsk.
Is America ready for this one? A warning from the South China Morning Post…
A People’s Liberation Army helicopter’s unprecedented flight in the Taiwan Strait has raised concerns in Taipei that Beijing is rehearsing a new kind of operation for a potential cross-strait conflict. Taiwan’s defence ministry said it detected four PLA aircraft, including a helicopter and an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), operating around the island on July 20 and the following morning.
The helicopter and drone crossed the median line and remained east of it for nearly 9.5 hours in the “R9” area—which Taiwan has designated as restricted—the first publicly reported case of a PLA helicopter lingering there for an extended period.
The median line is an unofficial boundary in the Taiwan Strait that divides the self-ruled island and mainland China. The ministry said it closely monitored the aircraft using joint intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets and responded appropriately. Military analysts said the flight might signal a new operational pattern. “This should not be viewed as an isolated flight,” said Chieh Chung, a research fellow at the Association of Strategic Foresight, a Taipei-based military think tank. “The helicopter not only crossed the median line but remained inside the restricted area east of it for an extended period while operating together with a UAV. It raises the possibility that the PLA intends to conduct larger-scale or even routine helicopter-over-water training near, or east of, the median line in the future.”
The fourth canicule [heat wave] is back in southwestern Europe … especially in the Gironde, just west of Bordeaux….
….where the heat has already burned out a region nearly the size of Manhattan.
As Le Monde put it:
The fires were still not contained in Gironde and Landes, ravaging tens of thousands of hectares, destroying hundreds of homes and causing the evacuation of more than 140,000 people.
As the flames headed toward Bordeaux, the governor of Gironde instructed residents of several municipalities in metropolitan areas to leave their homes.
Following an interministerial crisis meeting, military reinforcements were sent to the scene.
Firefighters are exhausted and residents desperate.
Fires have broken out in several other French regions notably in the Var.
==========================
Central Spain devastated by flames: The Madrid region is experiencing the worst fires in its history. Several fires have even merged, in extreme weather conditions. The government has declared a state of emergency.
A fourth heat wave is announced in France: A new episode is expected to hit around July 29, intensifying the drought and increasing the risk of fires.
Right now, according to EU maps, France is the single hardest-hit nation in Europe…
Overall, a territory nearly the size of Rhode Island’s land area has gone up in flames.
Even worse, for wine lovers, if it’s not the fire, it’s the the heat, since we’re talking Bordeaux, as France 3 Aquitaine reported:
The vines are bearing the brunt of the extreme heat of recent weeks. As a result, the grapes are smaller and the harvest is expected to be very early this year in the Bordeaux region.
The vines are also suffocating. The vines don’t seem to be able to withstand the intense heat of recent weeks. In Pierre Vircoulon’s vineyard in Saint-Hippolyte, Gironde, the heatwave has scorched the leaves and disrupted grape growth. “The bunches are normally double or even triple the size,” he observes. The winemaker is already anticipating a 20% loss on his vineyard.
Like many winegrowers already hit by the wine crisis, Pierre Vircoulon sees the problems piling up: " We would like to harvest properly, to have a little less stress and for things to run smoothly, but it's true that in the end, it becomes complicated."
New threats, new challenges, their antecedents…Plus, an inscribed copy of my book, A Red Line in the Sand. Founding members get my last three books and lunch withn Andelman! Along with a weekly portfolio of cartoons…and Friday our weekly live conversation.…with a new Celebrity Guest to decode the universe, or America’s next challenge:
Mauro Gilli is Professor of Military Strategy and Technology at the Hertie School, focusing on military-technological competition, modern military operations, & strategic rivalry. His research has been widely published and received the Best Academic Article Award from the America in the World Consortium. Mauro has a BA in Political Science with minor in Economics from the University of Turin (summa cum laude), MA in International Relations & International Economics from Johns Hopkin’s School of Advanced International Studies, and PhD in Political Science from Northwestern. Before joining Hertie, he was Postdoctoral Fellow at Dartmouth College, then Senior Researcher in Military Technology & International Security at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich. He is part of the Centre for International Security‘s research team.
Up Next:
August 7: Nadia Hashimi, advocate for Afghan women
Any number of wannabee dictators would doubtless have applauded the move by Nicaragua’s dictator-for-20-years Daniel Ortega who, fed up with having to go back periodically to an electorate he quite clearly manipulates, decided this week simply to abolish such charades entirely. No more elections at all…..
Brazilian cartoonist Thiago Lucas had his own special take on Ortega’s action..
Still, there is stunningly one opposition voice still left in the country, La Prensa: the last remaining print newspaper in Nicaragua since the 2019 shutdown of fellow opposition paper El Nuevo Diario whose physical supplies of newsprint were blocked by Ortega. In May 2025, La Prensa was awarded UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize. In response, Nicaragua simply announced it was pulling out of UNESCO. Foreign Minister Valdrack Jaentschkeclaimed the paper is pro-U.S. media and “represents the vile betrayal against our Motherland.” So this week, here’s what the paper editorialized:
Not to be outdone, El Pais elaborated:
Meanwhile, ha (!) from a Bogota daily …
France’s center-right Le Figaro is paying close attention…
Flavio Bolsonaro was nominated on Saturday by Brazil’s main right-wing party to challenge left-wing President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in the October elections. “Bolsonaro’s blood flows here,” the senator and son of former president Jair Bolsonaro (2019-2022), imprisoned for attempting a coup, declared, patting his arm, at a Liberal Party convention in São Paulo.
Argentina’s [Trump-backed] president, Javier Milei, also offered his support on Saturday, warning of the “risk” he believes is posed by rival Brazilian President Lula. “I firmly believe that there is no one else (than Flavio Bolsonaro) capable of ending the Lula risk that hangs over Brazil.”
For our highly valued, but lightly paid,members…a very special feature from the BBC this week whose correspondent made it to the elementary school in Iran where 120 children died in a bomb strike early in the war….Our favorite British ensemble, the Marsh Family take on Silicon Valley ….
… and of course, the full hour of Unleashed Conversation with Carol Bellamy … Plus our weekly portfolio from the world’s Cartoonists.
Call for the Immediate Release of Egyptian Editorial Cartoonist Ashraf Omar, Who Has Been Arbitrarily Detained for Two Years….July 22 marked the second anniversary of the unlawful pretrial detention of Egyptian political cartoonist Ashraf Omar, a contributor to the independent media outlet Al Manassa. On this occasion, our organizations, which have mobilized in his support, reiterate their call for his immediate release.
On November 15, 2025, the State Security Prosecution referred the case to the Cairo Criminal Court, charging Ashraf Omar and 11 co-defendants with “financing terrorism for the benefit of a terrorist group” and “participation in a terrorist group in pursuit of its objectives.” The trial, scheduled to begin before the Cairo Criminal Court on May 10 and then on July 13, 2026, has been postponed to October 12.
Our organizations [including the entire Andelman Unleashed family] are alarmed by the length of time elapsed since Ashraf Omar was abducted by Egyptian security forces from his home on July 22, 2024, and cannot accept he remains arbitrarily detained for his cartoons, awaiting a trial that exploits anti-terrorism legislation for repressive purposes.
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