Macron pushes for tougher enforcement of the EU's Digital Services Act

Macron rejects “American free speech” model, demands faster EU censorship enforcement

Cassie B.

• Macron pushes for tougher enforcement of the EU's Digital Services Act, calling American-style free speech "the opposite of free speech"
• The DSA lets regulators fine major platforms up to 6% of global revenue, and the EU hit Elon Musk's X with a €120 million penalty in December 2025
• U.S. officials, including VP J.D. Vance and the Justice Department, accuse Brussels of using the law to target American tech companies
• The dispute has drawn in visa restrictions on EU officials and Trump's own clash with U.S. outlets CNN, MS NOW and Politico
• A House Judiciary Committee probe found EU regulators labeling common political phrases as "hate speech," raising fears of a global censorship standard

In a direct challenge to American free expression principles, French President Emmanuel Macron criticized what he called "American free speech" while advocating for tougher enforcement of the European Union's Digital Services Act (DSA) during a trip to Spain on Wednesday. The French leader urged Brussels to apply the controversial law "much more extensively, much faster and much more forcefully" to combat online misinformation.

The DSA, adopted in 2022, allows regulators to fine major platforms up to 6% of their global annual revenue for violations. In December 2025, the EU levied its first DSA penalty against Elon Musk's X platform, ordering the company to pay €120 million. U.S. officials, including Vice President J.D. Vance, have accused the EU of using the law as a censorship tool targeting American companies.

Speaking to reporters, Macron argued that the American concept of free speech, as currently practiced by some, represents the opposite of genuine free expression. He contended that individual freedoms carry inherent responsibilities and must respect the rights of others. The French president drew a comparison to walking down a street, stating that personal liberty does not include the freedom to assault, insult, or damage shared public spaces. He insisted that those who distribute content on social media must be held legally accountable, just as journalists and editors face consequences for publishing false information.

Under the DSA, the world's largest online platforms — Facebook, X, TikTok, Google, and YouTube among them — must police illegal content, disclose how their advertising and algorithms work, shield minors, and account for risks tied to disinformation, with the strictest obligations reserved for the biggest platforms.

Following the December 2025 fine against X, the U.S. government backed the company's appeal, arguing the EU had exceeded its authority by targeting an American firm. Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate of the Justice Department's Civil Division said Washington "will not tolerate" Brussels using regulation to rein in American tech companies. Vance called the EU's actions an attack on American companies over what he termed "garbage" and accused the bloc of eroding free speech.

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Saudi Arabia preparing massive Yemen offensive

Saudi Arabia preparing massive Yemen offensive – Reuters

RT

Saudi Arabia is planning a major offensive in civil war-torn Yemen, hoping to reverse gains made by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who seized a strategic Red Sea chokepoint last month, Reuters reported on Friday, citing Gulf and Yemeni officials and Western diplomats.

More than 100,000 Yemeni government troops could be mobilized for the offensive, depending on its scale, according to Reuters. The operation would be overseen by Saudi Arabia and supported by Saudi airstrikes. The US and other Western countries providing intelligence and material support to Riyadh are not expected to take part in combat operations.

According to Reuters, the Saudis are considering two options: an attack focused on recapturing the coastal area around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, or a broader offensive involving synchronized attacks on multiple fronts in Al-Bayda, Marib, Taiz and Al-Jawf.

Saudi Arabia first intervened in Yemen in 2015 to support the internationally recognized government, which the Houthis had driven from the capital, Sanaa, the previous year. Large-scale fighting decreased significantly following a UN-brokered truce in 2022.

The fighting escalated again last month, with the Houthis accusing Riyadh of imposing an illegal “siege” on Yemen. The rebels have since captured the strategic port of Mokha and Perim Island in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

The Houthis said on Friday that Saudi forces had carried out 94 strikes on areas under their control over the previous 24 hours. Omar al-Bukhaiti, a spokesman for the Houthi-run government in Sanaa, accused the kingdom of deliberately targeting civilian sites, including schools and health facilities.

The group had earlier fired drones and missiles at Saudi Arabia, targeting energy facilities, but denied striking a power station in Medina, one of Islam’s holiest cities, dismissing the Saudi claim as a “lie.”

The escalation in Yemen comes amid the ongoing US-Iran war, with the Strait of Hormuz remaining closed to most shipping and US-Iranian talks on ending the conflict stalled.

Several Saudi allies have stepped up military support for the kingdom. Britain has agreed to provide air-to-air refueling for Saudi warplanes, while France is sending troops, radar and air-defense systems to help protect the Red Sea oil hub of Yanbu.

Pakistan has deployed between 30,000 and 40,000 troops to Saudi Arabia to help defend its borders and intercept missiles and drones, Reuters reported, citing a Pakistani official. Islamabad has also supplied air-defense systems, artillery, drones and anti-drone equipment, while Pakistani military advisers are working alongside Saudi personnel supporting Yemeni forces. Pakistan has not, however, decided to send troops into Yemen for combat operations.

The U.S. Is Sending a Third Aircraft Carrier and a Second Marine Division to the Middle East

The U.S. Is Sending a Third Aircraft Carrier and a Second Marine Division to the Middle East

Michael Snyder

The months ahead are shaping up to be a time of war, economic problems, food shortages and global chaos. There is no end in sight for the war in the Middle East or the war with Russia. Meanwhile, global energy supplies and global food supplies both continue to get even tighter. We desperately need some sort of a diplomatic miracle, but talks with the Iranians have totally broken down and tensions between the Russians and our allies in Europe are higher than ever. Our deteriorating economy is the number one political issue in the U.S. during this election season, but the economic pain that we have experienced so far will be absolutely dwarfed by what is ahead.

On Thursday, it was being reported that the U.S. has decided to deploy a third aircraft carrier and a second Marine division to the Middle East…

The Trump administration has decided to deploy a third aircraft carrier to the Middle East, along with a second Marine division, a US official told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday.

The USS Theodore Roosevelt and an additional division of US Marines will deploy to US Central Command’s area of operations.

The move means that, until the US midterm elections, US President Donald Trump will have significantly greater military capabilities and a wider range of options for potential action against Iran.

Many were hoping that an end to the war was near.

These moves are an indication that a major escalation could be coming.

The Iranians have not backed down and they are not going to back down.

On Tuesday, they attacked three more commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz…

Three vessels reported being struck on Tuesday, September 29, in the area around the Strait of Hormuz as Iran appears to be lashing out to demonstrate that it is still threatening vessels. While it brings the total number of vessels struck to four so far this week, observers point to increasing oil flows and vessel traffic in the region.

UK Maritime Trade Operations reported the incidents, although few details were provided. It said that the information had come from verified sources but was delayed in being transmitted. It was unclear when the strikes took place. It identified all three incidents as involving tankers without details on the extent of the damage, while an unconfirmed report said one of the vessels was an LNG carrier.

Two of the vessels were identified in the tracking by the International Maritime Organization, with both being crude oil tankers flying the Liberian flag and sustaining damage. One VLCC, the Mersin Prosperity (299,319 dwt), is operated by ADNOC. The other tanker appeared to be a smaller vessel, possibly involved in the shuttle operations that have arisen to get oil from the Gulf states to tankers waiting south of the Strait in the Arabian Sea. This tanker was identified as Sinbad (115,949 dwt), and it was last reported at Fujairah. Both tankers appeared to be making the transit dark.

We have been able to get some oil through the Strait of Hormuz in recent weeks.

But not nearly enough.

It would be wonderful if the Iranians were willing to make a reasonable deal, but they just aren’t budging.

In fact, talks with the Iranians went so poorly when Iranian officials came to New York that Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered them to leave early…

After little progress was made in weekend meetings between Iranian and Qatari mediators, Rubio lost patience and told the Iranians on Monday that Araghchi and his delegation had to leave New York immediately, according to the two officials, who were familiar with the decision and spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an internal administration process.

Rubio, according to one official, determined that the Iranians had “overstayed their welcome” and that since the high-level meetings at the U.N. were over, they should leave.

Ararghchi and his team departed New York very early Tuesday.

What this means is that the global energy crisis is going to continue to get worse.

Earlier today, we learned that the Chinese “have suspended exports of oil products to ‌regions beyond Hong Kong and Macau until further notice”…

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Putin: Ready To Use 'All Weapons' Including Nuclear, If Kaliningrad Attacked

Putin: Ready To Use 'All Weapons' Including Nuclear, If Kaliningrad Attacked

TYLER DURDEN

Now it's no longer just high-ranking Kremlin officials saying it, but Russian President Vladimir Putin has now directly weighed in amid the ongoing nuclear threat tit-for-tat involving European officials.

Speaking at the Valdai Discussion Club in Moscow on Thursday, he warned the Western allies to cease their escalation in Ukraine, stressing he's willing to use "all weapons" in the Russian arsenal in the scenario that Russia's exclave of Kaliningrad comes under attack.

"The drills in the Baltic Sea, following one another… Then the attempts to arrest our ships and vessels. All this is an escalation. And then we began to hear statements regarding the Kaliningrad region," Putin said.

"If it comes to direct attack against the Russian Federation, in this case on Kaliningrad and possibly some other territories, of course the issue of using all weapons in our country’s arsenal will inevitably and unavoidably emerge on the agenda. This is unavoidable," he asserted in a warning that includes nuclear weapons.

NATO held recent military drills near Kaliningrad which were broadly described as deterrence operations, which Putin referenced in the remarks.

Rhetoric has been running particularly hot over the exclave which is sandwiched between NATO members Poland and Lithuania all week, as Associated Press earlier described:

The warning sent to NATO echoed statements issued by several Russian embassies in Europe this week which said that Moscow has "information that NATO is preparing (an) air and naval blockade of Kaliningrad and Kaliningrad region."

The embassies in the U.K. and Ireland posted their statements on their Telegram channels, and the embassy in Belgium released it to the Tass news agency.

The ratcheting accusations from the European side have also centered on charges of a Russian sabotage campaign targeting the Baltics as well as Germany.

Moscow at the start of the week took the rare step of submitting a formal letter to NATO leadership in Brussels.

The letter accused NATO of an "unprecedented escalation of the military-political situation around Russia's region of Kaliningrad accompanied by highly provocative public statements by NATO Allies' officials."

"This dangerous and reckless course entails high risk of the outbreak of a direct armed conflict with the possibility of Russian strikes against decision-making centers of the alliance's member states right from the outset of the conflict," the letter said.

NATO was especially incensed and alarmed at this key line of Moscow's letter:

"Russia will be ready to use the entire arsenal of forces and capabilities at its disposal, including nuclear weapons, in order to defend its territory, should NATO countries undertake any attempt aimed at isolating the Kaliningrad region from the rest of the country."

Apparently this most recent tense back-and-forth over Kaliningrad was initially triggered by a television show which recently aired in the UK this month.

Preview of the provocative UK series The WarGame which started airing this month. The Kremlin has vehemently condemned it, and sees in it some clear messaging and an ominous threat:

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Chaos Across France:

France is fighting for its life and has officially entered a Civil War that will soon eclipse the French revolution. Police officers are being lynched in the streets and hung from light poles

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France: 400 schools closed as student protests continue

Photos

Police have made around 2,000 arrests and scores of people have been injured, including 40 high school principals, according to Geffray.

Fires were started in at least two high schools on Thursday, while teachers were reportedly inadvertently ​splashed with petrol ⁠at a third in the southern city of Marseille, according to officials.

At ​least one car was torched in the eastern city of Strasbourg while riot police clashed with youths in Toulouse in the southwest.

In the southeastern region of Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes, authorities claimed that "at least €25 million" of damage has been done in their jurisdiction alone. The Ile de France region that includes Paris estimated damages around €7 million on Friday. 

But students have also criticized what they see as a heavy-handed police response.

"You don't want to hear our words; you just fire tear gas," one student wrote on a placard outside the Lycée Voltaire in central Paris.