Within a year, five countries have left the International Criminal Court (ICC). A few weeks ago, the USA announced sanctions against other leading representatives of the court in The Hague. The recent suspension of the chief prosecutor is unlikely to make the job any easier. From the point of view of experts, this crisis could reveal which countries actually stand firmly behind the values of the institution.
After Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, Venezuela and Chad have now also turned their backs on the ICC. “Five countries have so far announced plans to leave the Rome Statute, and we will welcome further future announcements,” a US State Department spokesman said when contacted by the AP news agency.
Sarah Sendner
Pistorius will meet US Minister Hegseth on Tuesday
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius is traveling to the USA next week and will meet his colleague Pete Hegseth there. A Defense Ministry spokesman said the SPD politician would meet Hegseth for talks at the Pentagon at the start of his trip to the USA on Tuesday. He did not give any further details. Pistorius last visited Hegseth in Washington in the summer of 2025.
Sarah Sendner
US court stops Trump's tightening of postal voting rules
A U.S. appeals court has halted an attempt by President Donald Trump's administration to tighten mail-in voting rules ahead of November's congressional elections. A three-judge panel of appeals court in Boston declined to lift an injunction blocking implementation of the United States Postal Service's (USPS) new rule. However, the final decision now rests with the US Supreme Court, which the government has already appealed to.
The Justice Department had argued that it was a “minor” regulation on mail delivery. However, the court saw this differently. The US Constitution states that the states and Congress are responsible for regulating elections, not the executive branch. The court agreed with the lower court's assessment that the rule "is likely to result in the disenfranchisement of millions of voters across the country while providing minimal, if any, benefits in combating voter fraud."
Sarah Sendner
USA: Republicans fear for young voters after activist Kirk's murder
A year after the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, President Donald Trump's Republican Party faces growing resentment among young voters. Although the organization Kirk co-founded, Turning Point USA (TPUSA), has grown significantly since his death, parts of the young electorate are turning away from Trump. At a party conference for the midterm elections on Thursday, Republicans remembered Kirk, who was killed exactly a year ago. The 31-year-old was shot during a debate at a university in the state of Utah.
The main reasons for dissatisfaction are the high cost of living, the war against Iran and the publication of files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. According to a Harvard University survey, half of Americans ages 18 to 29 said they were severely affected by inflation. In addition, the Iran war is met with the greatest rejection by this age group. “The divides that are opening up among younger conservatives and in the party in general — attitudes toward Israel play a big role in that,” said Nicole Hemmer, a history professor at Vanderbilt University. There is a lot of anger about the economy and Trump's foreign policy.
Angelika Ahrens
Support for Vance at Republican meetings
Vice President JD Vance was greeted with shouts of support at a meeting of Republican delegates. At the meeting on Thursday (local time) with Republicans from the battleground states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin as well as from Vance's home state of Ohio, participants chanted "JD, JD, JD," as one participant reported to the AP.
When Vance entered a conference room in a hotel not far from the party convention in Dallas, the shouting began, said Matt Rust, chairman of the Republicans in St. Croix County, Wisconsin. Participants also chanted “48, 48, 48” – a reference to the fact that Vance could become the 48th President of the USA. The meeting was not open to the press.
Vance himself gave no indication of his political plans. He is widely expected to seek the 2028 Republican presidential nomination. He doesn't have to announce that, said Brian Schimming, chairman of the Republicans in Wisconsin.
Angelika Ahrens
US Senator Cruz warns of “Islamists” and communists among Democrats
Texas Senator Ted Cruz described the upcoming midterm elections as the “most consequential of our lifetime” at the Texas Republican National Convention. At the same time, the Republican accused leading Democrats of wanting to introduce Sharia – Islamic law – in the USA. “Shariah law is fundamentally incompatible with the Constitution, and we must stand together and stop it now,” Cruz said. The former presidential candidate claimed during his appearance in Dallas that the Democratic Party is increasingly made up of communists and "Islamists" who "hate" Christians, Jews and capitalism. Cruz did not provide any evidence for these allegations.
Cruz's comments reflect a broader political pattern: Republican leaders portray their political opponents as unpatriotic and traitors to American ideals. Democratic leaders reject that portrayal.
Angelika Ahrens
Report: Pentagon is negotiating a billion-dollar loan for AI startup
According to a media report, the US Department of Defense is negotiating a loan of around five billion dollars for the AI startup Fluidstack. This is intended to strengthen the US supply chain for data centers, reported the Wall Street Journal newspaper, citing insiders. The money would be provided by the Pentagon's Office of Strategic Capital. Fluidstack would therefore use the loan to expand the supply chain and production capacities for certain data center components instead of directly financing a new AI facility. The US Department of Defense and Fluidstack did not immediately respond to a request for comment. US President Donald Trump issued a decree last month banning the use of foreign equipment in the US power grid, which is also used by data centers.
Angelika Ahrens
Diesel prices in the USA rise to a record high - inflation concerns are growing
According to the price portal GasBuddy, the average diesel price in the USA rose above the six dollar mark per gallon (1.36 euros per liter) for the first time on Thursday. The record prices are likely to fuel inflation again along the entire supply chain, explained GasBuddy analyst Patrick De Haan on the X platform. Every truck trip, every delivery, every package and every grocery purchase has now become more expensive. According to the portal, the price is around $2.30 per gallon higher than last year.
According to the energy authority EIA, US diesel stocks are currently 13 percent below their five-year average at 106.3 million barrels. However, inventories have increased over the past week as refineries operate at full speed due to high profit margins. The US and Israeli war against Iran as well as Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil facilities have reduced supply. Because of the escalating Iran conflict, oil futures contracts also climbed back above $100 per barrel. On Thursday they reached their highest level since mid-May.
Lydia Wolter
Appeals court blocks Trump's requirements for postal voting
A US appeals court has confirmed the preliminary blocking of an executive order by President Donald Trump restricting postal voting. The Supreme Court is also considering the case. Postal voting documents for the November midterm elections are already being sent out in several states.
According to Trump's decree, the states should coordinate the design of their postal ballot envelopes in advance with the US government and upload voter lists to an online portal. The post office had announced that it would otherwise not transport ballot papers from these states. However, the intended portal has not yet been activated.
Lydia Wolter
Trump announces reimbursements for Obamacare policyholders
The US government has promised around a million people with health insurance a refund of $500. The White House announced that the money would be paid to insured people in 30 states who were insured through the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare. They were charged excessive fees by the government of Trump's predecessor Joe Biden.
Lydia Wolter
US Supreme Court rejects new districts in Missouri
The U.S. Supreme Court has again rejected a push to use new district boundaries in the state of Missouri supported by President Donald Trump. This means that the previous constituency boundaries are likely to apply in the election for the US House of Representatives in November.
This was the second time that the Supreme Court refused to intervene in favor of the new constituency plan. The decision came after a heated legal battle and shortly before the first ballot papers for the important elections are sent out.
Angelika Ahrens
$5,000: Trump wants to reward Americans if they win the election
The election campaign is the time for campaign promises: US President Donald Trump promises all adult Americans $5,000 (currently €4,300) each if his party wins the congressional elections. “If the Republicans win, you win with us and get $5,000,” he said at the Republican convention in Dallas, Texas. “They’ll call it the Trump dividend,” he promised.
According to Trump, the reward will flow if Republicans can maintain their majority in both chambers of Congress in the elections. Roughly speaking, the proposal would cost more than $1 trillion for more than 245 million adults in the country, about as much as the superpower's entire defense budget. A corresponding decision in Congress therefore seems neither politically nor financially realistic.
Sarah Sendner
Trump turns the Republican convention into his own stage
US President Donald Trump has focused the start of the Republican party conference before the midterm elections on Wednesday (local time) entirely on himself. In his speech in Dallas, he urged voters to vote for Republicans in the November midterm elections and warned of a Democratic victory. “If we leave America’s future to the radical left, our nation will spend the next decade trying to get back on its feet,” Trump said.
The unusual party conference takes place two months before the congressional elections and doubles as a rally and fundraising event. Unlike the regular party conferences for the presidential election, this time it is not about nominating a presidential candidate. Trump will appear on both evenings. Republicans are banking heavily on his support, although his low approval ratings could hurt the party in close races across the country.
Sarah Sendner
Democrat surprises with video at Republican party conference
Almost two months before the congressional elections in the USA, Democrat John Fetterman caused a surprise at the Republican Party Convention. "Why am I standing here speaking to you today? Because, well, I'm a common-sense Democrat," the Pennsylvania senator said in a video message at the Republican convention in Dallas. "I will always stand with America. I will always reject extremes, socialism and this anti-American way of life."
Fetterman portrayed President Donald Trump as a fighter for the steel industry - one of the senator's core concerns. Fetterman is considered a borderline crosser in Congress. There was always speculation about a possible change of party.
Angelika Ahrens
USA and Ecuador want to intensify the fight against drugs
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio wants to further expand cooperation with Ecuador in the fight against drug cartels. To do this, he will ask Congress to provide an additional 45 million US dollars (around 39 million euros) for the South American country, as Rubio announced in the Ecuadorian capital Quito. There should also be funds to combat illegal mining and ships to strengthen the coast guard.
Rubio met, among others, President Daniel Noboa in Ecuador. The liberal-conservative head of state is considered a close partner of Washington. “We have no better ally in the region,” praised the US Secretary of State. Both sides agree to intensify the fight against drugs.
Ecuador has become an important transit country for cocaine from neighboring countries such as Colombia and Peru. The security situation in the country has deteriorated significantly.
Sarah Sendner
Amazon plane accident: Pilot warned against approaching too quickly
A pilot of the crashed Amazon cargo plane in Miami has repeatedly warned against approaching too quickly. This emerges from excerpts from audio recordings from the cockpit that the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) published on Wednesday (local time). Accordingly, the pilot warned about the high speed almost two minutes before landing. Shortly before touchdown, he also asked that the landing be aborted. The other pilot did not consistently respond to warnings, according to the NTSB.
The full transcript of the recording will be released later. The investigators have now questioned both pilots who survived the accident.
Angelika Ahrens
“Crazy Communists”: Republicans vilify Democrats
At their party conference almost two months before the important midterm elections, the Republicans portrayed the Democrats as a radical left-wing threat to the USA. The Democrats are no longer the same party as they used to be, warned the Republican majority leader in the House of Representatives, Steve Scalise. “The Democratic Party has been completely taken over by crazy communists,” he claimed in Dallas, Texas. Similar to Scalise, other Republicans also painted a picture of extreme left-wing Democrats threatening the country at the start of the party conference.
US President Donald Trump and other high-ranking Republicans have been repeatedly harassing Democrats for weeks
