French President Emmanuel Macron accused Elon Musk on Monday of “supporting a new reactionary international” and interfering in the elections of other countries, such as Germany.
“Ten years ago, if we had been told that the owner of one of the largest social networks in the world would support a new reactionary international and intervene directly in elections, including Germany, who would have imagined it?” he asked during a speech before the annual conference of French ambassadors.
Macron warned of the “uncertainty” that lives a world increasingly in “disorder”, marked by the return of imperial impulses, the questioning of information and knowledge and the “very violent” questioning of humanism.
He warned that there is “an international of reactionaries” that represents “great private financial interests”, which takes advantage of the fact that “our liberal democracies have not been sufficiently effective” in protecting the middle class.
“We must achieve an agenda for the defense of democracy”
“We must achieve an agenda for the defense of democracy,” with counter-powers, and he also warned that large technology companies, while offering new possibilities, are also making States feel threatened by their growing power.
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Faced with this situation, he reached out to the president-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, assuring that the future tenant of the White House “kinds that he has a solid ally” in France.
He added that Trump, who will take office in two weeks, has “a lucid ambition about the transatlantic relationship” between the US and Europe, and recalled that France “knew how to work” with Trump during his first term in 2016-2020.
Macron also acknowledged that “if you are weak and defeatist, there is little chance of being respected by President Trump’s United States.”
The French head of state extended his criticism of Russia and Iran. Regarding Russia, he said that it “has changed” in the way it exerts its “aggressiveness towards Europeans,” and recalled its political and electoral interference last year in Romania, Moldova, Georgia and Armenia.
Macron on Ukraine: “There is no quick and easy solution”
He also accused Moscow of “de facto globalizing” the war in Ukraine, which in his opinion is one of the great strategic challenges for Europe.
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Macron acknowledged that “there is no quick and easy solution to that conflict,” but also recalled that there will be no solution without the Ukrainians, something that Europe would not accept either.
And about Iran, he said that his ballistic program “threatens European territory” and that he has been involved in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as well as in the conflicts in the Middle East.
“The Iranian issue is one of the main ones that we will deal with with the new US Administration,” he summarized.
Macron also warned about the “very important” risk of “regression” in the international fight against climate change, for which he said he is responsible for the recent disasters in Spain and in the French department of Mayotte.
“There is no justification for the continuation of Israel’s military operations”
On Gaza, he said that “there is no justification for the continuation of Israel’s military operations” in that territory and said that this year must mark the progress for the materialization of Palestinian aspirations.
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The French president also focused on international trade, which in his opinion must be “rethought”, because Europeans “have been too naive”, and gave as an example the dispute with China over electric cars.
“If there is no loyalty in trade, it is not possible to produce competitively in Europe,” he said, so he asked to “defend European production capacity at every step of the value chain.”
Washington declares State of Emergency as atmospheric river brings severe flooding
Washington Governor Bob Ferguson declared a state of emergency on Wednesday in response to severe flooding affecting several counties, where more than 75,000 people remain under evacuation alerts following heavy rainfall that has caused significant water accumulation.
An atmospheric river has battered the state since Monday, dropping several centimeters of rain and threatening serious flooding in communities near major rivers. More precipitation is expected in the coming days, and the National Weather Service (NWS) has forecast between 15 and 20 centimeters of rain from Wednesday morning through Thursday afternoon in communities along the far western region, worsening the emergency.
Rainfall totals in higher elevations near the Canadian border could exceed 20 centimeters, further increasing the risk.
“Lives will be at stake in the coming days,” Ferguson warned during a press conference.
The governor underscored the severity of the situation and said he will request an expedited federal disaster declaration from President Donald Trump’s administration to access additional resources for the emergency response.
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“I want to urge all Washington residents to pay close attention to alerts from their counties and emergency management departments. If you receive an evacuation order, please follow it,” he added.
Most rivers from the Canadian border down to southwestern Washington are in flood stage. Several are expected to reach record levels, including the Skagit River, which could exceed its 1990 flood peak when water levels rose 1.2 meters.
Around 75,000 people are at risk of flooding in Skagit County, where authorities continue to maintain an evacuation watch.
The Washington National Guard and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have been activated to assist with evacuations and response efforts in rural areas affected by flooding.
U.S. to require five-year social media history from tourists under Visa Waiver Program
Tourists from 42 countries covered by the U.S. Visa Waiver Program would be required to provide their social media history from the past five years in order to enter the United States, according to a new proposal released Wednesday by the administration of President Donald Trump.
The initiative, led by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), aims to more thoroughly review the activity of travelers entering the country through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA). When asked about the plan’s potential impact on tourism, Trump insisted that the United States is “doing very well.”
“We just want people to come here and be safe… We want to make sure we’re not letting the wrong people into our country,” the president said during a press conference at the White House.
The proposal, published in the Federal Register, seeks to expand the information collected from visitors entering the U.S. for up to three months under the visa waiver program.
ESTA applies to travelers from 42 countries, including the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, France, Japan, Israel and Qatar.
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In addition to requiring a five-year social media history, the plan would increase the amount of personal data requested, such as phone numbers and email addresses used over the past ten years. It also calls for family details, including names, dates of birth and places of birth of the traveler’s relatives.
The proposal further includes a new mobile tool that would allow any foreign visitor to record their departure from the United States.
Six ecuadorian soldiers jailed pending trial for alleged extrajudicial execution
Six Ecuadorian soldiers were placed in pre-trial detention on Wednesday by a civilian court over an alleged extrajudicial execution, the Attorney General’s Office reported.
As part of his war on drug trafficking, President Daniel Noboa declared an internal armed conflict in 2024 and deployed the Armed Forces to the streets. Human rights organizations have since denounced military abuses and a rise in disappearances attributed to state agents.
A judge in the coastal province of Santa Elena ordered pre-trial detention for six soldiers for alleged extrajudicial execution, the prosecution stated on X. It added that the troops, now under investigation for the suspected crime, were in charge of an operation in the resort town of Salinas, during which one of the detainees died.
In a separate case involving alleged abuse of authority, a group of 17 soldiers is currently on trial for the forced disappearance of four minors whose bodies were found burned near an Ecuadorian Air Force (FAE) base.
In December 2024, Saúl Arboleda, Steven Medina, and brothers Josué and Ismael Arroyo — aged 11 to 15 — were detained by a military patrol in southern Guayaquil.
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According to Amnesty International, Ecuador’s Prosecutor’s Office has received reports of at least 43 possible cases of forced disappearance since 2023, the year Noboa took office pledging a tough stance against organized crime.
