Views From The Outside For August 11, 2026

Views From The Outside

The purpose of this page is to list news stories and reports from mostly Western sources outside of the U.S. You can use Google Translate to translate articles that are printed in another language. 

So far, news sources include:

International

• Médecins Sans Frontieres
1. MSF Leaves A Legacy Of Community-Led Tuberculosis Response In Manila
2. MSF Hands Over Youth-Friendly Healthcare Project In Mombasa, Kenya
3. Three Years, No Decision: EU Inaction While Italy’s Rules Obstruct Sea Rescues
4. Anti-Migrant Violence Triggers Trauma And Medical Emergency On The South Africa-Zimbabwe Border
5. One In Five Pregnant Women In Eastern Chad Are Malnourished Amid Funding Cuts

• UN News
1. Strengthening El Niño To Push 49 Million More People Into Acute Hunger
2. Africans Bear The Brunt Of Biodiversity Loss
3. Gaza ‘Unsafe For Civilians’ As Israeli Attacks Hit Homes And Classrooms
4. ‘A Playground, A Beach, A Home’: UNICEF Demands End To Child Deaths In Russia-Ukraine War
5. Strait Of Hormuz Disruption Hits Energy, Fertilizer And Industrial Trade

From Canada

• Le Devoir
1. Les Navires De Guerre Au Nom De Trump Pourraient Coûter 275 Milliards De Dollars
2. L’ancien Avocat De Donald Trump En Voie D’être Confirmé Comme Procureur Général
3. Les Droits De Douane De Trump Á Nouveau Contestés En Justice Aux États-Unis
4. L’Iran Dit Avoir Conclu Un Accord Avec Oman Sur Le Détroit D’Ormuz
5. Le Hamas Troublé Par Une Mise Au Point Du «Conseil De Paix» Sur Son Désarmement

• Le Journal de Montréal
1. Trump Infirme Une Pénurie D'armements Américains Et Aurait Une «Quantités Énormes De Munitions»
2. La Corée Du Nord A Tiré Un «Projectile Non Identifié», Selon L'armée Sud-Coréenne
3. Colombie: Le Gouvernement Met En Garde Contre De Possibles «Actes Terroristes» Lors De L'investiture Du Président
4. «Le Canada Est Désagréable»: Trump S’attaque De Nouveau Au Gouvernement Carney
5. Près de Jérusalem: Israël Mène Une Incursion Dans Un Camp De Réfugiés

• Toronto Star
1. What To Know As Germany Investigates An Explosive Drone At A Key Cargo Airport
2. Where Extreme Heat Is Having The Biggest Impact On Americans’ Lives, According To A New AP-NORC Poll
3. Europe Heat Wave Puts All Major Italian Cities On Red Alert As Austria Sets Heat Record
4. A New Tennessee Congressional Map That Splits Memphis Is Making Its Debut In The State’s Primary
5. Iran War Renews Concerns About The Lasting Toll Of Traumatic Brain Injuries To US Troops

• CBC
1. Britain's 'Exceptionally Serious' Drought Tests A Country Famous For Its Rain
2. Spokane Wildfires Displace Thousands, But Crews Make Progress Containing Flames
3. In Gaza City, A Funeral For 112 Family Members Takes Place 3 Years After Their Deaths
4. Abdul El-Sayed Wins Michigan's Democratic Senate Primary In Major Victory For Party's Progressive Wing
5. Record-Breaking Heat Grips North Korea, South Korea And Japan

From England

•  BBC
1. Seven Killed After Thai Student Opens Fire At Home And School
2. US Appeals Court Halts Trump Ballroom Project Paving Way For Supreme Court Showdown
3. ‘We Have Nowhere To Return To’: How Russia Is Seizing Homes In Occupied Ukraine
4. Trump Administration To Pay German Firm $1.2bn To Halt US Wind Projects
5. Surprise Fall In US Jobs Last Month As Slow Summer Continues

• Reuters
1. US Stocks, Bonds Rally After Soft Jobs Report; Yen Bounces Back
2. Trump Loses 21 Straight Court Battles For State Voter Rolls As Midterms Near
3. Canada Posts Monster Jobs Gain, Unemployment Rate Hits Two-Year Low
4. Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan Pledge Mutual Defence As Middle East Turmoil Escalates
5. Ukrainian Attacks On Wildberries Strike At Heart Of Russia Inc

From France

• France24
1. WFP To Extend Palantir Contract Despite Concerns Raised In Leaked Audit
2. Houthi Attacks Kill At Least 10 In Yemen As Iran-Backed Rebels Target Marib
3. Spain Imposes Border Checks On Italy Amid Ceuta Migration Row
4. In Pictures: Drought Exposes Word War II Ships, Strands Boats As Europe’s River Levels Plunge
5. How Can You Keep Yourself Safe From Forever Chemicals And Cadmium In Food? (Part 2/2)

• Les Echos
1. Pourquoi Deux Arrestations Dans La Région Du Michoacan Ont Enrayé La Grande Machine Des Exportations D'avocats Mexicains Aux Etats-Unis
2. Chine : Ces Dix Provinces Qui Concentrent La Croissance De L'atelier Du Monde 
3. IA Et Électronique : Les Deux Moteurs Qui Stimulent Le Commerce Extérieur De La Chine
4. « Une Situation Très Difficile » : L'Allemagne Face Au Casse-Tête De L'assèchement Du Rhin
5. Stocks De Secours, Murs De Béton, Dispersion Des Capacités… L'Ukraine Tente De Blinder Son Réseau Énergétique Avant L'hiver

• Le Monde
1. Jeffrey Epstein And Saint-Tropez: The Sex Predator's Other Hunting Ground In France
2. The Lessons From The Blaze That Defied French Firefighters For 18 Days
3. Russian Interference Becomes Campaign Issue For French Presidential Candidates
4. France Heatwave Expected To Intensify In Coming Days
5. Africa On The Front Line Of Trump's Toughened US Migration Policy

From Germany

• DW
1. IRGC Says Hormuz To Open If US Accepts Iran's Terms
2. Why Young Moroccans Risked Everything To Reach Ceuta
3. Congo's Ebola Outbreak Surpasses 4,000 Cases
4. WSJ: Russia Could Attack NATO Next Month
5. War, Terror, Diplomacy: What If Israel Takes Al-Aqsa Mosque?

• DER SPIEGEL
1. Was Marx Right? How AI Threatens Our Economy And Democracy Itself
2. »Die Menschen Müssen Wissen, Wie Groß Die Bedrohung Durch Russland Heute Ist«
3. Die Kindheit Endet, Sobald Man Versteht, Dass Eltern Nicht Für Immer Bleiben
4. Drohne Explodiert Zwischen Rumänien Und Bulgarien Nahe Einer Gaspipeline

From Russian Source 

• Novaya Gazeta Europe
1. ‘Stoking Feelings Of Abandonment And Helplessness’
2. Russian Émigrés Face Deportation After Being Detained While Vacationing In Sweden
3. ‘A Legal Way To Say No To The War And To Putin’
4. Russian Missile And Drone Attack On Kyiv Kills At Least 17 People
5. At Least 77 Russian Conscripts Were Killed During Ukraine’s Kursk Incursion, Investigation Finds

From Spain

• El Mundo
1. Europa En guerra. El Frutero De Jersón Y La Práctica Rusa De Cazar Civiles Con Drones
2. Crimen Organizado. Emiratos Árabes Unidos Extradita A Daniel Kinahan, Capo De La Droga Irlandés Y Uno De Los Hombres Más Buscados De Europa
3. Oriente Próximo. Netanyahu Rechaza La Hoja De Ruta Del Plan De Trump Para La Paz En Gaza
4. Europa En Guerra. La Inteligencia Estadounidense Confirma Que El Dron Con Explosivos Hallado En Un Aeropuerto Alemán Es Ruso
5. China Entrena A Miles De Robots Para Cubrir 700 Millones De Puestos De Trabajo

• El País
1. Las Primarias Demócratas Muestran La Decreciente Influencia Política De Israel En Estados Unidos
2. Las Afganas Resisten Solas Tras Cinco Años De Terror Talibán: “Guardar Silencio Representaría Aceptar La Injusticia”
3. La Rebelión De La Generación Z Sacude El Sur Del Mundo
4. Damasco Acuerda Con Moscú Mantener La Presencia Rusa En Dos Bases En El Mediterráneo Sirio
5. Colombia Inicia Una Nueva Era Marcada Por Dios Y Los Uniformes

From Switzerland

• Neue Zürcher Zeitung
1. ETH-Nuklearforscher: «Zehn Weitere Jahre Betrieb Von Altanlagen Sind Riskanter Als Ein Neues AKW»
2. Pekings Langer Arm: Der Westen Sollte China Beim Wort Nehmen Und Die Einmischung In Innere Angelegenheiten Nicht Mehr Dulden
3. Was Sich Menschen Wünschen, Wenn Sie Wissen, Dass Sie Sterben
4. Waren Es Profis Oder Doch Nur Amateure? Liechtenstein Ringt Mit Der Aufklärung Der Cyberattacke – Und Möglichen Versäumnissen Bei Der Sicherheit
5. Der Chef Von Swiss Re kritisiert: «Das Risiko Einer Hitzewelle Wurde Unterschätzt»

From Ukraine

• UATV English
1. Ukrainian Ballistics Will Force Kremlin To Negotiate! A Response Is Coming!
2. HOW ARE THE OIL REFINERIES DOING, PUTIN? New Ukrainian FP-7.X Missiles To Deal DECISIVE BLOW
3. THIS FALL! PUTIN To Draft HALF A MILLION Soldiers — Without Declaring MOBILIZATION
4. 11 DAYS In The "GREY ZONE": Ukrainian FPV Crew Hunts Saboteurs & DEFENDS ZAPORIZHZHIA
5. EXCLUSIVE! PUTIN Lost SERBIA And Will Not Get DONBAS | ZELENSKYY'S Interview With Ukrainian Media

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How Shall We Then Live With Unbelievers

The title of this article is based on the title of a multipart documentary by Francis Schaeffer. His work was trying to call America to return to a Christian base for thought. However, here, we need to examine what the New Testament tells us believers regarding how we should relate to unbelievers in our society. This is a very important subject seeing the rise in cultural and societal Christian hubris that is evident in many religiously conservative American Christians including those who are Christian Nationalists and a significant number of those who aren't. I wanted to write about this despite the fact that the biggest current threat to American Democracy is the oligarchy.

Before disussing how those of us Christians should live with unbelievers, we need to face one of our own liabilities. This liability is our penchant for authoritarianism. We are told to submit to so many biblical authority structures and figures that it is difficult for us to turn off the authority switch. Thus when we experience life in society, we are seemingly always looking for proper authority figures to give us orders to obey, and we expect all others to follow suit. After all, misery loves company. And since we are always looking for authority figures to submit too, we often conflate a biblical submission to authority figures with authoritarianism.  And what we miss is that there are times and places where we can turn off the authority switch and live with others as equals.

And so we religiously conservative Christians can unknowingly embrace authoritarianism. We'll describe authoritarianism in terms of the relationships that exist between the authoritarian leader and their authoritarian followers. Authoritarian leaders want total control over what their followers believe. One way they do that is to use labels to reduce a person to just one characteristic, act, or a piece of slander. Such a use of labels is designed to get people to automatically or reflexively accept or reject what is said by a given source. Laudatory labels are used to persuade people to assume that what a given source says is correct while the pejorative use of labels are used to persuade people to assume that what a given source says is false. Notice the black/white thinking involved here.

As for authoritarian followers, they are looking for nanny thinkers. They are looking for leaders with whom they can automatically agree. Therefore, authoritarian followers are much more concerned with who made a claim rather than why the claim was made. If we want to escape from being an authoritarian follower, then we will invest more time into examining why a claim is being made than who made the claim.  The approach  taken by authoritarian followers can be best expressed by making a slight alteration to a bumper sticker about the Bible which I used to see:

'God said it. I believe it. That settles it'

Now if we insert a fill-in-the-blank for the word 'God,' then we get a picture of the sentiments of the authoritarian follower:

_________ said it. I believe it. That settles it. 

For religiously conservative Christians, names that authoritarian followers might insert could include Calvin, Arminius, Luther, Jonathan Edwards, J. Gresham Machen, Tim Keller, Charles Stanley, Charlie Kirk, Rush Limbaugh (for yous psuedo old-timers), Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, John Hagee, Dr. David Jeremiah, and Robert Jeffress. Skipping over the Liberals here, leftist leaders drawing authoritarian followers include Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn, Chris Hedges, Bernie Sanders, Martin Luther King Jr., Mao, and Karl Marx. We should note here that  not all of the people just mentioned act as authoritarian leaders. Just because a leader has authoritarian followers does not imply that that leader is an authoritarian leader.

We should note another reason why my fellow religiously conservative Christians have a penchant for authoritarianism. That reason can be observed by looking at the quoted bumper sticker. We sometimes project the same characteristics that we attribute to God or God's Word to our pet leaders and/or ideologies. For example, some believe that their favorite form of Capitalism works in all times and situations. For others, it is there favorite form of Marxism. Note that neither Captialism nor Marxism are monolithic. In addition, we prefer to become authoritarian followers because it makes life more simple and safe. We don't have to critically examine what our adopted leaders have to say, all we have to do is to trust and obey them. And as with authoritarian followers of different religious or ideological stripes, becoming such a follower of someone who is famous or seems to be an impressive leader can give us a sense of significance and even belonging.

I believe that it is the penchant for authoritarianism that us religiously conservative Christians have which has provided a significant driving force to the recent emergence of today's Christian hubris. We believe that our leaders know what's best and because we have been trained to look for authority figures to follow, and, again, misery loves company, we not only fall in line, we expect, or demand, that everyone else in society do the same

Now we can examine what the New Testament says about how we are to live with unbelievers in society. Note that this discussion will be incomplete in the Scriptures that will be mentioned. But that does not imply that nothing of value will be said. Our first stop is John 3:1-8 (click here for the source).

'Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; 2 this man came to Jesus at night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus responded and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

4 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a person be born when he is old? He cannot enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born, can he?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which has been born of the flesh is flesh, and that which has been born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it is coming from and where it is going; so is everyone who has been born of the Spirit.”'

Why is the above passage important? It is because one of the justifications why some are promoting Christian Nationalism is that Jesus charges us to make disciples of every nation--a.k.a, the Great Commission. Despite the fact that the declension of the word for nation used in the Great Commission (click here for the source of the passage) most often refers to ousiders in the New Testament, one cannot be a disciple without faith. And note, in the passage quoted above, what determines when faith comes. Though we Christians are charged with evangelizing, we can't control the results. We can't control whether faith comes to a person. And so how can any set of laws or leaders make anyone into a disciple of Christ as defined by the New Testament? And yet that is what Christian hubris, especially Christian Nationalism, tries to do.

Or let's look at other New Testament Scriptures. For example, in Matthew 10:12-14 (click here for the source), Jesus told his disciples that if people do not listen to what they say, then leave and walk away.

In addition, both Jesus and Peter instruct us not to dominate others (click here and there for those sources). And though those instructions were about how Christian leaders were to treat believers under their care, why does that not have at least some application to how believers should treat unbelievers.

We could also look at I Corinthians 5:9-11 (click here for the source). There, Paul tells fellow Christians to not associate with church members who are immoral. But note that he does not say that we shouldn't associate with immoral unbelievers. What those with Christian hubris want to do, to varying degrees, is to use their laws to remove unbelievers who are immoral as described in the I Corinthians passage from the presence of God's people in society. That would have the same effect as what Paul said should not be done: to remove Christians from the world.

Another passage that is quoted to justify Christian hubris in society is a passage like Romans 13 and in I Peter 2 (click here and there for the sources). In those passages, the government's purpose is to punish those who do evil and honor those who do good. And since all sins are evil, those with Christian hubris believe that we need laws that are only based on God's laws. There are two problems with such an approach. First, again, we are sharing society with unbelievers and so we, in many instances, would have to require an obedience that can only come with and after faith and we can't manufacture faith in people. In addition, such an approach causes governments to only represent believers and to be apathetic or hostile to unbelievers. Such an approach would allow believers to use the government as a proxy to dominate unbelievers. We should also note that the evil mentioned in those two passages was not defined but assumed to be understood by that audience.

Another justification for Christian hubris in society which I have seen consists of a logic that says because we, unlike those in New Testament times, have an opportunity to make society a Christian one, we should do so. And so the examples and the teachings of the Apostles become irrelevant. But such opportunism ignores the New Testament and forgets the dynamics involved when people come to faith and start to become obedient to Christ.

The New Testament tells us that God is patient and wants all to come to repentance and believe. And the question becomes whether Christian hubris practices that patience. Yes, we need certain laws from the Scriptures to protect a nation's citizens from each other and others. But most, if not all of those laws, have been repeated by other sources and provide no privilege to Christianity in society. Those laws that would privilege Christianity above the beliefs of others and would put us religiously conservative Christians into positions of treating unbelievers as subordinates and thus in ways that are not supported by the New Testament. Tim Alberta emphasizes this point when he talks about Peter. For example, when Jesus was being arrested, Peter responded with the sword and Jesus rebuked him. But in I Peter 2, when Christians are being persecuted by unbelievers, Peter tells us to imitate Christ when He was put on trial and was crucified. Christ didn't trade insult for insult. Instead, he suffered quietly so that He could  be take our place by being crucified. Peter goes on to say that how Christ responded set an example for us to follow (click here to see that portion of I Peter 2).

The final argument for Christian Nationalism rests on the claim that God made a covenant with America and so, to keep that covenant, America must follow God. Such a view, however, ignores how covenants were made in the Bible. It was always God who initiated and defined a covenant, not the people. And those covenants are recorded in the Scriptures. In addition, the fulfillment of every covenant was seen in Christ and in Him only. Claiming that God made Americans his covenant people removes Christ from the center of the revelation about the covenant and the covenant itself. Instead, we need to ask whether proclaiming that Americans are God's covenant people is more a result of corporate self-promotion rather than preaching Christ.

And so, just perhaps, we should examine whether democracy with equality puts us religiously conservative Christians in the most optimal situation for how we should share society with unbelievers. That we should look at ourselves as peers with unbelievers in sin because we are. We should look at unbelievers as peers in society, because they are Thus, we can work side-by-side with unbelievers in shaping society knowing that not only do we need to give them, what is for us, an uncomfortabe amount of leeway, we also have much to learn from them. In addition we have Christ's first coming as our example, not His sescond coming. And at that point, we should focus on bearing the fruit of the Spirit in their presence, as Kristin Kobes Du Mez constantly tries to remind us (click here for the list of the fruit of the Spirit). We really need to get how we share society with unbelievers right because the reputation of the Gospel is, in large part,  riding on it. Here, we should note that when Christians dominated many nations during Christendom, all sorts of injustices were practiced then and thus became associated with the Gospel.

Views From The Outside For August 4, 2026

Views From The Outside

The purpose of this page is to list news stories and reports from mostly Western sources outside of the U.S. You can use Google Translate to translate articles that are printed in another language. 

So far, news sources include:

International

• Médecins Sans Frontieres
1. Pakistan Must Protect Afghan Refugees From Forced Return
2. MSF Expands Care For Excluded Communities In Iran As Crisis Continues
3. People Needing Mental And Medical Help One Month After The Earthquakes In Venezuela
4. Urgent Measures Needed To Prevent Further Deaths On Deadly Atlantic Migration Route

• UN News
1. Mount Olympus And D-Day Beaches Among New World Heritage Sites
2. Climate Alarm ‘Blaring From Every Direction’
3. HIV, Hepatitis, STI Gains At Risk As Funding Falls, WHO Warns
4. A Hijab Inspection, A Slap, A Warning Letter: Inside Three Months Of Taliban Rule
5. Forced Online Scams: IOM Warns Trafficking Networks Are Booming

From Canada

• Le Devoir
1. Anthony Fauci, Ancien Conseiller Sur La COVID-19, Refuse De Répondre Au Sénat
2. Stations-Service, Pharmacies, Ports… Cuba Ouvre De Nombreux Secteurs Au Privé
3. Guerre Au Moyen-Orient|Nouvelles Frappes Américaines En Iran Après Les Avertissements De Trump
4. Jay Clayton Confirmé Comme Directeur Du Renseignement Américain
5. Au Groenland, «Pas De Phoque, Pas De Vie»

• Le Journal de Montréal
1. Bolivie: Le Parquet Ordonne L'arrestation De L'ex-président Evo Morales
2.  Pluies Dévastatrices Au Bangladesh: D'où Vient La Mousson?
3. Carney Fait Une Autre Concession À Trump
4. Le Mégafeu Dans Le Sud-Ouest De La France N'a «Pas Progressé», Espoir D'accalmie Pour Jeudi
5. L'aéroport de Washington-Dulles sera rénové pour 22 G$, dit Trump

• Toronto Star
1. Urban League Report Says Trump Administration Is Harming Black Americans’ Chances At American Dream
2. Congo Says The Death Toll In Fastest-Growing Ebola Outbreak Has Passed 1,500
3. Witness To A Fatal ICE Shooting In Houston Is Released From Immigration Detention
4. Record-Low Danube River Affects Tourism And Industry As Drought And Heat Grip Central Europe
5. Fringe Israeli Settler Group Is Sneaking Into Syria To Try To Claim Land For A Jewish Outpost

• CBC
1. U.S. FCC Approves Giant Space Mirror To Deliver 'Sunlight On Demand,' But What Are The Legal Implications?
2. CBC Identifies Canadian Woman Accused Of Spying At NATO Military HQ
3. Is Trump Overseeing A New 'Red Scare'?
4. Russia Charges Telegram Founder With Aiding Terrorism, Assisting Ukraine Intelligence
5. Israel Says It Asked Canada For Permission For Netanyahu To Use Canadian Airspace

From England

•  BBC
1. Spain's PM Blames Traffickers After 60,000 Migrants Reach Ceuta From Morocco
2. Plan For Hamas To Disarm Faces Big Obstacles, Yet It Offers Rare Hope For Gaza
3. What Triggered The Mass Migrant Crossings Into Ceuta?
4. What A Battle In Space Might Look Like
5. Trump Now 'Not Sure' About Letting Ukraine Build Patriot Missiles

• Reuters
1. OpenAI Finds Evidence Other AI Agents Escaped Containment As It Widens Hacking Probe
2. US ICE Detains Johns Hopkins Researcher As Airport Arrests Surge
3. US Treasury Informed Banks That It May Intervene In Japan's Yen, Source Says
4. Illicit Iranian Gambling Network Helped Pull Off A $4 Billion Sanctions Dodge
5. Israeli Military Cracks Down On West Bank Village As Settlers March In

From France

• France24
1. Why Did Riyadh Join US Strikes On Tehran's Allies In Iraq?
2. Strong El Nino 'Adding Fuel To A Planet Already On Fire', Warns UN Chief
3. Yemen Says Ready To Escalate Against Houthi Rebels As They Target Saudi Arabia
4. Hamas Agrees To Disarm Under Trump Ceasefire Deal
5. France, Spain Eye Respite From Wildfires As Other Blazes Break Out In Europe

• Les Echos
1. Retraites : En Allemagne, La Bronca Des Leaders Conservateurs De l'Est Contre La Réforme De Friedrich Merz 
2. Sécheresse : Le Danube Au Plus Bas Met L'économie Roumaine Sous Pression
3. Andy Burnham Pose Les Premières Pierres De Son Grand Plan De Décentralisation Fiscale
4. Guerres : Stopper La Contagion 
5. Le PIB Américain Inférieur Aux Attentes

• Le Monde
1. 'It Was The Chance Of Our Lives': After Short Exile In Ceuta, Tens Of Thousands Of Young People Return To Morocco
2. Museums Seek Influencers To Bring Fresh Perspective To Art World
3. 'Climate Disasters Do Not Automatically Lead To Greater Care For The World'
4. Trump Tries To Pressure Israel To Accept Deal Tying Hamas Disarmament To Israeli Withdrawal From The Gaza Strip
5. In Prato, Italy, Anger Grows Over Abuses In Fast Fashion By The Chinese Mafia

From Germany

• DW
1. Could The Ceuta Crisis Help Trump In The Midterms?
2. Germany News: Pride Marches Planned After Berlin Attack
3. Iran Warns Neighbors Against Being US 'Defensive Shield'
4. Human Trafficking In Mexico: The Dark Side Of Tourism
5. How Crypto Miners Are Stealing Power In Southeast Asia

• DER SPIEGEL
1. Die Palastrevolte – Wie Die CDU An Ihrem Kanzler Verzweifelt
2. Sie Nennen Ihn Das Phantom Des Bundestags. Wer Ist Der Faule Ex-AfD-Mann?
3. Anschlag In Berlin: CSD-Attentäter Stand In Kontakt Mit Salafistenprediger
4. Angriffe Von autonomer KI: »Die Bedrohung Ist Real. Die Nächsten Zwei Bis Vier Jahre Werden Holpri
   

From Russian Source 

• Novaya Gazeta Europe
1. The EU Students Still Studying In Russia
2. Russian Human Rights Groups Report A Surge In Inquiries Amidst Rumors Of A New Mobilisation
3. Invisible Veterans
4. Russia Sentences Journalist To 12 Years On Treason Charges
5. Russian Regions Raise Military Recruitment Bonuses As Enlistment Falls

From Spain

• El Mundo
1. América. Arranca El Diálogo Teledirigido Entre El Chavismo Y Parte De La Oposición Venezolana
2. "El Jefe Quiere Este Dinero": Así Funciona La Inédita Operación De Recaudación De Fondos De Trump
3. Crisis En Ceuta. Europa Se Revuelve Contra Sánchez Por Poner En Riesgo Sus Fronteras
4. Italia Comienza Los Controles A Viajeros De España Tras Suspender El Espacio Schengen
5. Trump Insinúa Ahora Que Podría No Dar Permiso A Ucrania Para Fabricar Proyectiles Para Los Sistemas Defensivos Patriot

• El País
1. Estados Unidos Activa El Modo Electoral A Tres Meses De Las ‘Midterms’
2. Mamdani Y Ocasio-Cortez Forjan Una Alianza Para Impulsar Su Ideario Socialista En EE UU
3. Yakarta, La Ciudad Más Poblada Del Mundo, Se Hunde En El Mar De Java
4. Trump Dice Que Suspende Los Ataques Contra Irán A La Espera De Un Acuerdo Rápido
5. Los Buscadores De Basura Se Juegan La Vida En El Mayor Vertedero Del Sudeste Asiático

From Switzerland

• Neue Zürcher Zeitung
1. «Sollten Wir Unsere Kriegstaktik Ändern, Um Der Welt Zu Gefallen? Ich Würde Nicht Eine Menschenseele Opfern, Um Dafür Die Öffentliche Meinung Zu Gewinnen»
2. Die Gesundheitskosten In Der Schweiz Steigen Stark, Die Cheflöhne Bei Den Krankenkassen Sinken Leicht
3. Der Rechtsstaat Scheitert Am Vollzug
4. Wie Seedrohnen Die Kriegsführung Auf Dem Meer Verändern
5. Die EU-Länder liefern Sich In Der Ceuta-Krise Einen Heftigen Streit – Am Dienstag Haben Sie Eine Zweite Chance

From Ukraine

• UATV English
1. UKRAINE CHANGED THE WAR! Burning Wildberries And Devastating Strikes Spark Total Kremlin Panic!
2. RUSSIAN TERROR IS POWERLESS! Air Force Day: Zelenskyy Revealed Truth About Sky Defense And Missiles!
3. 81% of Russians DEMAND AN END TO THE AUTHORITIES: A Massive Revolt Is Brewing In Russia!
4. Russia Attacked Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, And Zaporizhzhia: There Are Wounded!
5. FUEL HELL IN RUSSIA! Massive Refinery Collapse And The Crash Of The Kremlin's Shadow Fleet: DETAILS!

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What's It Like To Live With A Perfect Person

I am occasionally in the position to give dating advice. I don't know why that is because, at my age, the only dating I do is decrepidating. And I do that quite well. But one piece of advice I always give is that when choosing to date a particular person, if that person does not freely admit to having faults and sins, then don't date them. Why? It is because once you are in a committed relationship, that person's failure to admit to having faults and sins will morph into making you one of their scapegoats. The person who refuses to admit to fauls and sins has proclaimed themselves to be perfect.

I grew up in a home where one of the family members was perfect because that person was too insecure to admit to having faults and sins. And therefore, some of the other members of my family served as scapegoats for that perfect person. Though I was not a recipient of those attacks, those attacks did have a significantly negative effect on myself. 

And so perhaps, just perhaps, we should apply that same rule to the people we elect. Why? It is for the same reason. When things go wrong, some of our politicians will always find whipping boys to blame instead of admitting to being wrong. We have to live with scapegoating others, or even perhaps ourselves, for at least their first term. And since most incumbants are continually reelected, we usually have to live with that abuse much longer than a person's single term.

The reluctance of family member to admit faults and sins was only part of what made my home life back then dysfunctional. But we should note, that trait alone can easily make any home dysfunctional. And so now let's return to the criteria we using in voting for candidates. 

Currently, we have a President who is too insecure to admit to doing something wrong or even making mistakes. And many of us have moments or situations in which we also feel insecure. So we should empathize with the President regarding that without condoning how he behaves. Because the President is scapegoating particular people and groups and even nations with his criticisms and worse, our nation has either become dysfunctional or is getting more dysfunctional. Here I am not saying that our democracy has become dysfunctional, the whole nation is.

That doesn't mean that the President is always wrong when he  criticizes others, but it does mean that he is not always right as well. And getting some of his most ardent followers to admit that he can be wrong is harder than for the Conclave to elect a conservative Protestant to be Pope.

At this point, we can now talk about how the whole nation has become dysfunctional. For the President is now reflecting what has become of America. In a past article, I talked about those who arrogantly believe that they have everything to teach others and nothing to learn from them. What I am talking about now is the flip side of that coin. When we always blame others for the failures that our side has caused, we are proclaiming that our side is never wrong. We are proclaiming that our side is perfect. And we see that kind of approach being taken by  some  MAGA followers, some progressives, religiously consesrvative Christians with hubris, the oligarchy, to name a few. And so when one's side is wrong, one abuses everyone by either gaslighting or scapegoating others. And just as it is dysfunctional when a family member portrays themselves as perfect, it is even worse when a whole nation is divided by such behavior.

While the President likes to brag about how "hot" our nation has become under his leadership, the world looks at us in the same way that other members of a family look at the member who always blames others for their mistakes. Of course our nation isn't the only nation that practices such scapegoating. But there might be an interesting correlation here. The nations whose leaders scapegoat the most are the nations that are currently practicing the most physical violence against others. And whether one is exhibiting external or internal violence, with the latter being expressed by words, the resulting violence, along with the gaslighting, is abusive to all victims as well as all who have to see or listen.

Certainly perfect people, regardless of the location or context, can be angering. But if we are going to reach them, it is counterproductive to respond to them with anger because that will all too easily trigger their insecurities and make them defensive. We need to find ways to peacefully challenging their denial of faults and sins. I know that some will read those words and claim that I am singing, To Dream The Imp-ossible Dream. And that might be the case. But is it better to only let perfect people own their insecurities and abusive defensiveness, or is it better to act like perfect people ourselves when challenging them? Who wins if we choose the latter?

Views From The Outside For July 28, 2026

 Views From The Outside

The purpose of this page is to list news stories and reports from mostly Western sources outside of the U.S. You can use Google Translate to translate articles that are printed in another language. 

So far, news sources include:

International

• Médecins Sans Frontieres
1. In Cité Soleil, People Risk Their Lives To Seek Medical Care
2. MSF Calls For The Immediate Release Of All Palestinian Healthcare Workers Arbitrarily Detained By Israel
3. Half A Million People In El-Obeid Face Limited Services As Drone Attacks Intensify
4. The Number One Health Issue In Palestine Is The Israeli Occupation
5. Testimony From An Injured MSF Colleague In Gaza, Palestine

• UN News
1. Thousands Prevented From Returning Home To Southern Lebanon
2. Nicaragua Continues To Weaken Political Freedoms, UN Warns
3. Deadly Afghanistan Floods Kill At Least 26 As Aid Agencies Race To Reach Survivors
4. From lithium To Nickel: How The UN Is Helping Countries Make The Most Of Critical Minerals
5. ‘Business As Usual Is A Business Of Death’: UN Adopts Road Safety Pledge Over US Objection

From Canada

• Le Devoir
1. Cette Astuce De Jardinage Pourrait Ralentir La Propagation Des Feux De Forêt
2. L’architecte Des Nouveaux Tarifs Américains Ne Craint Pas De Réplique Du Canada
3. Le Japon Troublé Par Le Rythme De Sommeil De Sa Première Ministre Japonaise
4. Le Taux De Criminalité Et La Gravité Des Infractions Ont Diminué Au Canada En 2025
5. Six Symptômes De Démence Qui Peuvent Se Manifester Des Années Avant Le Diagnostic

• Le Journal de Montréal
1. «C’est Majeur»: L’attaque Sur Un Pétrolier Dans La Mer Rouge Aura-T-Elle Un Impact Sur Le Commerce Mondial?
2. Rubio Et Lavrov Se Retrouvent En Marge De L'Asean Et Évoquent Le Conflit En Ukraine
3. Violents Incendies En Europe Du Sud, Des Milliers De Personnes Évacuées
4. Les Élus Américains Approuvent Un Plan À 95 Milliards De Dollars Notamment Pour Financer La Guerre En Iran
5. Washington Veut Développer Le Nucléaire Civil En Arabie Saoudite, En Plein Conflit Avec Téhéran

• Toronto Star
1. Yemen’s Houthis Attack Saudi Tankers In The Red Sea, Threatening To Widen Iran War
2. Brent Oil’s Price Briefly Tops $100 Per Barrel, As Tesla And Alphabet Drag Wall Street Lower
3. Suspected Militants Kill Judge, Security Guard In Ambush In Restive Southwest Pakistan
4. OPP, CSBA Investigators To Announce Results Of Cross-Border Gun And Drugs Probe
5. Pakistan Rejects Amnesty Call For War Crimes Probe Into Kabul Airstrike

• CBC
1. Haitians In The U.S. Brace For Deportation As Trump Ends Their Protected Status
2. EU Fines Alphabet $1B US For Google Play, Search Infractions
3. Trump's 'Big Lie' In Prime Time
4. U.S. FDA Panel To Review 7 Peptides Amid Growing Popularity
5. France's Heat Wave In June Tied to 5,700 More Deaths Than Normal

From England

•  BBC
1. US Hits Dozens Of Countries With New Wave Of Tariffs
2. Tens Of Thousands Evacuated From French Tourist Spot And Near Madrid As Wildfires Spread
3. This New Bridge Aimed To Show US-Canada Unity But Instead Stoked Divisions
4. South Korea Is Becoming A Medical Tourism Hotspot
5. Four Palestinians And Two Israelis Killed In West Bank Shooting

• Reuters
1. Brazil Says US Tariffs Related To Forced Labor Are 'Arbitrary' And 'Unjustified'
2. Iran Flew IRGC Commanders, Missile Gear To Yemen's Houthis
3. Iran Strikes On CIA Facilities Prompt Questions About Possible Russian Role
4. Russian Entrepreneurs See Stock Go Up In Flames As Ukraine Targets Wildberries
5. US Prosecutors Drop New York Times Subpoenas In Trump Plane Leak Probe

From France

• France24
1. Wildfires Force More Than 200,000 People In France And Spain To Flee
2. US Pummels Iran As Tehran Targets Regional Bases Stationing US Forces
3. Kyiv, Moscow Trade Long-Range Air Strikes, Killing More Than A Dozen
4. Netanyahu Orders New West Bank Settler utposts, Legalises Existing Ones After Deadly Clash
5. Arrests, Denials And Missing Images: Gulf States’ Response To Iranian Strikes

• Les Echos
1. « L'Union Européenne Paiera Le Prix Fort » : Trump Réplique Par Une Procédure Tarifaire Après L'amende Infligée À Google 
2. Destitué Par Erdogan, Le Leader De L'opposition Turque Lance Un Nouveau Parti
3. Au Caire, La France Tente De Désamorcer Les Critiques Sur Son Aide Aux Gazaouis
4. En Allemagne, Merz Remanie Son Gouvernement Avant Des Élections Régionales Cruciales
5. Guerre Au Moyen-Orient : « L'Iran A Peu De Cartes, Mais Les Joue Très Bien »

• Le Monde
1. Netanyahu Launches Large-Scale Operation In West Bank After Deadly Clashes Between Palestinians And Settlers
2. Spanish PM Says Priority Is To 'Save Lives' As Fires Burnt 25,000 Hectares West Of Madrid
3. At Sciences Po, 'I Have To Speak As A Media Founder, Not As A Victim Of Repression'
4. At France's Space Command Center In Toulouse, The Space War Is Already Underway
5. Four Days After Arriving At Downing Street, Andy Burnham Is Already In Turmoil

From Germany

• DW
1. Saudi-Led Coalition Attacks Yemen's Hodeida
2. Why Trump's 'Forced Labor' Tariffs Leave The World Puzzled
3. Canada-EU: Closer Trade Ties To Counter Trump?
4. German Municipalities Impose Water Restrictions
5. ICC Judges Living Under US Sanctions

• DER SPIEGEL
1. Schweizer Fall Pelicot?: Schweizer Politiker Soll Die 14-Jährige Tochter Seiner Partnerin Betäubt Und Missbraucht Haben – Die Behörden Wollten Daraufhin Die Opfer Abschieben
2.  Neuordnung der US-Außenpolitik: Rahm Emanuel könnte der nächste US-Präsident werden. Jetzt legt er sich mit Netanyahu an
3. Schwanger Und Plötzlich Ersetzt
4. Die Straße Von Hormus Ist Praktisch Wieder Dicht – Droht Der Welt Eine Neue Ölkrise?
5. Die Regierung Kürzt Das Wohngeld Drastisch – Und Trifft Damit Vor Allem Kinder

From Russian Source 

• Novaya Gazeta Europe
1. ‘Please Send Adult Diapers’
2. The War On The Warehouses
3. Jailed Russian Lawyer Denied Hospitalisation After Collapsing With Dangerously High Blood Pressure
4. Russian Senator Calls For Recruiting Women And Disabled People Into Drone Defence Units
5. Russian Courts Convicted Record Number Of People For 'Terrorism' In 2025, Study Finds

From Spain

• El Mundo
1. Los Alemanes Lamenta La Tragedia Ocurrida En Berlín, Este Sábado, Frente A La Puerta De Brandeburgo.
2. Colonos Radicales Queman Dos Mezquitas En Cisjordania Mientras Escala La Violencia Con Dos Israelíes Y Cuatro Palestinos Muertos
3. América. Daniel Ortega, "En La Diana", Tras Quitarse La Última Careta
4.  Zelenski Alerta De Que Rusia Prepara La Llegada De Otros 30.000 Soldados Norcoreanos
5. Putin Exige Actuar Con Firmeza Ante Los Intentos De Detención De Cargueros

• El País
1. Irán Asume El Precio De La Guerra Para Preservar El Estratégico Control De Ormuz
2. Marruecos Dedica A Trump La Nueva Autopista De Un Millar De Kilómetros Que Enlaza Con El Sáhara
3. Guterres Alaba La Transición En Siria Y Llama A Israel A Respetar Su Integridad Territorial
4. La Eliminación Del Voto Sitúa A Ortega Entre Los Peores Dictadores Del Mundo: “Nicaragua Se Está Convirtiendo En La Corea Del Norte De América”
5. Bucarest Convocará Al Embajador Ruso Tras Derribar Un Tercer Dron En El Espacio Aéreo Rumano

From Switzerland

• Neue Zürcher Zeitung
1. «Ein Teil Unserer Freiheit Ist Längst Verlorengegangen», Sagt Der Islamismus-Experte Ahmad Mansour
2. Drohnen gegen Lastwagen: Wie Die Ukraine Russlands Nachschub An Die Front Kappt
3. Messerattacken, Bomben, Fahrzeuge: Eine Chronik Der Islamistischen Anschläge In Deutschland
4. Chinas Wirtschaft Schwächelt, Aber Der Nächste Aufstieg Hat Bereits Begonnen
5. Abseits Des Bankensystems Hat Sich Ein Gigantischer Schuldenberg Aufgebaut. Er Könnte Der Auslöser Für Die Nächste Finanzkrise Sein

From Ukraine

• UATV English
1. Ukraine Opens A NEW FRONT In Britain, And Drones Destroy Russia’s SHADOW FLEET — RUSSIA IS FINISHED!
2. "Civilian" Wildberries: Hidden Artery Of PUTIN'S War Machine | 12% Of Warehouses ALREADY DESTROYED!
3. CRATERS, BOMBS, AND RUINS: THIS DONBAS TOWN Is Being WIPED OFF THE MAP | Travel Of Our Time
4. Russian Strikes On Gas Stations & Markets | Ukrainian Forces DESTROY Bridges In Crimea
5. CRIME OF THE CENTURY: Russia Is Abducting And Russifying Thousands Of Ukrainian Children!

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