Avsnitt
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Will Trump actually show up to the NATO summit and is Washington really floating a "defence loyalty programme"? Also, can neutral Ireland credibly chair Europe's defence debate as it takes the EU chair?
A former President & a comedian on what's going on and what comes next.
Subscribe so you don't miss our Ankara NATO summit debrief next week.
CLARIFICATIONS
Irish corporate tax — Ireland had the lowest corporate tax rate in the EU when the American tech giants set up their European headquarters there. Today the EU's lowest headline rates are Hungary's (9%) and Amazon's European HQ is in Luxembourg, not Ireland.
Alumina and Rusal — Sweden's tax authority, Skatteverket, has ruled that Rusal's European operations (which include the Irish plant) should fall under EU sanctions, and froze €5.1m in the tax account of its Swedish smelter, Kubal. It's an agency ruling with EU-wide implications rather than a formal Swedish Government request for action to the EU.
Ireland's waters — Ireland's waters (not coastline) make up roughly 16% of the EU's total.
NATO — The Secretary General’s term is 4 years and, following Sweden’s accession in 2024, the organisation now has 32 members.
Chapters
00:00:00 Intro
00:02:30 Putin's yacht
00:05:05 NATO Summit: the pre-amble
00:13:10 Toomas' dramatic NATO Summit
00:15:16 Ireland takes the EU Presidency
00:23:05 Revisit: The Balkan-US grift
00:26:52 Was the American Revolution all about defence spending?
00:28:19 Credits
Youtube @TheContinentalRift (https://www.youtube.com/@TheContinentalRift)
Instagram @thecontinentalriftpod (https://www.instagram.com/thecontinentalriftpod/)
Facebook TheContinentalRift (https://www.facebook.com/TheContinentalRift/)
X @ContRiftShow (https://x.com/ContRiftShow)
CREDITS
Editor Conan Roberts - https://conanroberts.com/Homepage
Animation & Design Roland Seer - Tartu Multifilm @rolandseer
Music by Paabel @paabeltheband (Estonian folk-fusion)
Executive Producer Fred Casella https://www.freshlens.film/
© Fresh Lens Film Sàrl 2026 all rights reserved -
Ten years (and 6, soon 7, Prime Ministers) later was Brexit worth it and how did it change Europe? Also, why is Europe's hard right suddenly speed-walking away from Donald Trump?
A former President & a comedian on what's going on and what comes next.
CLARIFICATION
Zelensky was not stripped of Poland’s Order of Merit, but of the Order of the White Eagle, Poland’s highest honour, awarded to him in 2023 by then-President Andrzej Duda. Some Ukrainian officials returned Order of Merit decorations, while former Ukrainian presidents also returned their Polish honours in solidarity.
Chapters
00:00:00 Intro
00:01:30 Heatwave
00:03:55 EU's Chief Diplomat
00:07:11 Ukraine vs Poland
00:09:55 Ukraine's EU Accession vs Hungary
00:11:20 Brexit Vote, 10 years on
00:18:05 Meloni vs Trump
00:25:42 Outro
Youtube @TheContinentalRift
Instagram @thecontinentalriftpod
Facebook TheContinentalRift
X @ContRiftShow
CREDITS
Editor Conan Roberts
Animation & Design Roland Seer - Tartu Multifilm @rolandseer
Music by Paabel @paabeltheband (Estonian folk-fusion)
Executive Producer Fred Casella
© Fresh Lens Film Sàrl 2026 all rights reserved -
Saknas det avsnitt?
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A comedian and a former president walk into Europe's biggest mess.
American comedian Andy Valvur’s oldest friend, Toomas Hendrik Ilves, grew up to become President of Estonia. Now, as the transatlantic alliance comes apart, The Continental Rift is their weekly, irreverent take on European geopolitics: the EU, NATO, Trump, Russia, and what comes next.
Serious politics, questionable hosts.
New episodes weekly.
This week EUBS asks why…
… did the US embassy quietly killed the dinners where diplomacy actually happens? And why do the Europeans count getting tariffed as a win?
Also…
Ukraine gets to try to join the EU, but can you fill in Europe’s paperwork while fighting for survival (and will French farmers be happy to acept. farming superpower into their club)?
And at the G7 in Évian, has holding the free world together really come down to keeping one man in a good mood?
Chapters
00:00:00 Intro
00:01:30 EUBS: American diplomacy dinners end
00:03:21 EUBS: US EU trade deal ratified
00:04:37 Ukraine's accession to the EU
00:12:25 G7 in Evian
00:15:43 EUtopia
00:18:05 Credits
CREDITS
Editor Conan Roberts
Animation & Design Roland Seer - Tartu Multifilm @rolandseer
Music by Paabel @paabeltheband (Estonian folk-fusion)
Executive Producer Fred Casella
© Fresh Lens Film Sàrl 2026 all rights reserved -
A comedian & ex President (of Estonia, twice) - childhood buddies, American raised now living in Europe - riff on the 'divorce' between the US & Europe.Serious politics, questionable hosts.This week EUBS asks why…does Pete Hegseth equate the allied (including US) storming the Normandy beaches on D-Day to liberate Europe from Nazi tyranny with migrants fleeing war; whether dressing some of his kids in US military uniform is good “optics”, and why the EU Parliament hosts groups with odd beliefs.Also…Is America Europe’s friend or, er… not?https://ecfr.eu/publication/home-alone-europeans-are-ready-to-defend-themselves/Ireland’s alumina scandalhttps://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2026/06/08/why-ireland-is-under-fire-over-its-alumina-exports-to-russiahttps://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2026/06/09/kaja-kallas-urges-ireland-to-get-the-facts-straight-on-alumina-sales-to-russiaAlbania gets in a mess with Kushner & EUhttps://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/6/5/why-the-kushners-plan-to-build-an-albanian-resort-has-sparked-protestsChapters00:00:00 Introduction00:01:32 America, friend or....not?00:05:12 EUBS00:11:09 Ireland's alumina scandal00:16:05 Albania's Kushner Resort 00:22:15 Other fun stuff & looking aheadCREDITSEditor Valter NõmmAnimation & Design Roland Seer - Tartu Multifilm @rolandseerMusic by Paabel @paabeltheband (Estonian folk-fusion)Executive Producer Fred Casella© Fresh Lens Film Sàrl 2026 all rights reserved
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A comedian & ex President (of Estonia, twice) - childhood buddies, American raised now living in Europe - riff on the 'divorce' between the US & Europe.Serious politics, questionable hosts.This week EUBS asks why…The EU insists on a fleet of EVs that cannot make the trip between Brussels and Strasbourg in on a single charge; why Albanians are protesting a Kushner real estate development and why Hungary’s President is appealing to European institutions to help him stay in post. Also…Russia’s Shadow Tanker Fleet https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/in-depth-research-reports/the-shadow-fleet-is-undermining-the-maritime-order-more-brazenly-than-ever/https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-06-01/frances-macron-says-french-navy-boarded-russia-linked-oil-tankerhttps://kyivindependent.com/eus-last-shipyard-servicing-russian-lng-fleet-may-repair-up-to-6-vessels-before-ban-report-says/Europe’s Single Capital Markethttps://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/A-10-2025-0124_EN.htmlhttps://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-05-29/eu-s-economic-powers-strike-deal-to-push-capital-markets-mergerhttps://techcrunch.com/2026/05/05/asml-ceo-christophe-fouquet-no-one-is-coming-for-us/Chapters00:00:00 Intro00:02:40 EUBS: EU's EV fleet, Hungary's President & Albania protests Kushners00:10:54 Russia's Show Tanker Fleet00:19:27 Baby Steps to joined up Capital Markets00:30:38 Next week...00:32:32 CreditsCREDITSEditor Valter NõmmAnimation & Design Roland Seer - Tartu Multifilm @rolandseerMusic by Paabel @paabeltheband (Estonian folk-fusion)Executive Producer Fred Casella© Fresh Lens Film Sàrl 2026 all rights reserved
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A comedian & ex President (of Estonia, twice) - childhood buddies, American raised now living in Europe - riff on the 'divorce' between the US & Europe.
Serious politics, questionable hosts.
This week…
Drones fall on Baltics & Finland while US disengages
https://novayagazeta.eu/en/articles/2026/05/21/at-least-24-drone-incidents-recorded-in-the-baltic-states-since-start-of-2025-en-news
https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2026/05/26/report-us-to-cut-strategic-bombers-and-warships-available-to-nato-in-a-crisis/
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/05/27/uk-spy-chief-gchq-russia-china-us-cyber-attack-security.html
The Pope, Peter Thiel & the AntiChrist
https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/encyclicals/documents/20260515-magnifica-humanitas.html
https://firstthings.com/when-envy-turns-apocalyptic/
https://thecatholicherald.com/article/is-magnifica-humanitas-aimed-at-peter-thiels-techno-political-empire
Animation & Design Roland Seer - Tartu Multifilm @rolandseer
Editor Valter Nõmm
Music Paabel @paabeltheband (Estonian folk-fusion)
Executive Producer Fred Casella
© Fresh Lens Film Sàrl 2026 all rights reserved
Chapters
00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:28 Background to the Pod
00:04:27 Europe-US relationship when Toomas was President
00:05:55 Drones falling on the Baltics
00:10:08 Russian threatens, US disengages
00:19:04 The Pope, Peter Thiel & the AntiChrist
00:28:18 Next week...
00:30:36 credits -
The relationship keeping the free world together is falling apart.
I’m Andy, a comedian. My oldest buddy - since toddlerhood - became a two-term European president. We grew up in the US as refugee kids (the USSR erased our country from the map), but now we live in Europe.
As the EU and the US 'divorce' we decided to stop keeping our conversations to ourselves. You're welcome.
The Continental Rift: serious politics, questionable hosts.
Animation & Design Roland Seer - Tartu Multifilm @rolandseer
Editor Valter Nõmm
Music Paabel @paabeltheband (Estonian folk-fusion)
Executive Producer Fred Casella
© Fresh Lens Film Sàrl 2026 all rights reserved
