America & European meltdowns; a US comedian & European President on what's going on and what comes next. A weekly irreverent podcast. Subscribe, listen or watch

Europe
Joined May 2026
America & Europe are divorcing. What the heck is going on and what comes next? American-raised Euros, one an ex-President, the other a comedian, are here to help. #TheContinentalRift a weekly podcast with @IlvesToomas & @AndyValvur
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πŸ•ŠοΈ Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff to Putin: "You are a humanitarian also, sir." Russia had just freed a 74-year-old American teacher held for four years. President @ilvestoomas and comedian @AndyValvur Full episode available now: youtu.be/c04ex211MC8
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Latest πŸ‘‡ Hubbard is back in the US. Trump says no swap was needed, but also that Hubbard wouldn't have been freed if the White House hadn't stopped new sanctions on Russia (CBS). Was that the price? πŸ”” Follow us, and SUBSCRIBE (anywhere) for a new episode every week.
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🀝 Putin floats a summit with Trump and Xi on Ukraine, without Ukraine. Andy's verdict: "three very aggressive real estate agents." If three men decide Ukraine's future, who speaks for Europe? @AndyValvur @ilvestoomas πŸ†• New look. Full episode out now: youtu.be/c04ex211MC8
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To avoid confusion, and it is confusing: the Starlink "slowdown" isn't slower internet. Terminals in Ukraine cut out above about 161 km/h (100 mph), says Zelensky, so interceptor drones chasing Russia's jet-powered Shaheds lose their link. Kyiv says the limit is still on.
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Latest πŸ‘‡ Trump says Musk "put it back"; Ukraine says the Starlink limits are still on. The Kremlin says China is preparing a possible Putin–Trump–Xi meeting; Beijing hasn't confirmed. Who's in the room? πŸ”” Follow us, and SUBSCRIBE on YouTube for a new episode every week.
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🐸 Frog Watch: an alleged plot to kill Poland's PM, c. 700 French supermarkets' fridges hacked, Starlink antennas burned, a ship sunk. Is Russia's shadow war escalating? President @ilvestoomas & @AndyValvur Full ep.: youtu.be/E3yHdqhWV1A
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Latest πŸ‘‡ On Sunday someone tried to burn a Starlink base station near Vilnius. Lithuania calls it Russia-linked sabotage, tied to Starlink arsons in Bulgaria and Poland; Moscow calls such claims baseless. πŸ”” SUBSCRIBE wherever you enjoy podcasts for a new episode every week.
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Europe is shocked by the sudden ceasefire and the implications for energy sanctions. While some advocate for solidarity with Ukraine, others question the EU's stance and its financial dealings with the US. This is not a unifying moment for Europe. #Ukraine #EU #Geopolitics
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Latest πŸ‘‡ The NYT reports Trump's envoys have floated Russian gas returning to Europe in a peace deal; European officials recoiled. Zelensky asked the EU for €70bn more and left without a decision. πŸ”” Follow us, and subscribe on YouTube for a new episode every week.
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πŸ›°οΈ Ukraine's Starshield was capped without warning. Musk: limits are decided "ultimately [by] POTUS". Trump: "I didn't do that." Could Washington switch Europe off? President @ilvestoomas & comedian @AndyValvur Full episode now: youtu.be/E3yHdqhWV1A
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Latest πŸ‘‡ Zelensky says the speed cap is still on. Reuters says the order came from inside the White House; Trump says it wasn't him. Poland, which helps fund Ukraine's Starlink, to Musk: "We are watching you." πŸ”” SUBSCRIBE for a new episode every week.
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This made for an interesting read
1\5 America went much further than that with its recent Starshield/Starlink restrictions on Ukraine. Let me explain the effects. Starlink is a technology that provides critical communication service to government and civilian sector, I repeat the service is critical. So what happened, and why it matters? Someone wanted a 2 cent lower diesel prices before the midterms, or was promised something by putin in exchange for this, maybe he just had a bad mood. Many say Ukraine is not an ally, so the USA can just do whatever it wants, however the service that was crippled by American political leadership or at their silent approval is sold to Germany and Poland, which are part of NATO and are in critical interests of these countries to keep Ukrainian operations running, you may argue, but it's official position by the elected political leadership of these states. Many say it's a blow to the starlink, others that it's a blow to American military industries. I think it's much wider, it's a significant in blow to the American tech and industrial sector which has been driving Americans economy for the past decades. I am a cloud infrastructure engineer developing on premise, hybrid and sovereign solutions. This cloud infrastructure hosts data services used in production facilities, telecom, AI, mining industries and energy sector. Essentially all critical services to a functioning state. Right now everything is run via remote control planes. Here are more concrete 3 example in the thread below:
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πŸ–ŠοΈ Trump has put on hold the sweeping new Russia sanctions he signed into law last month, a week after announcing a diesel deal with Putin. President @ilvestoomas on prospects for US truckers, Putin's Presidency, and European security. Full ep.: youtu.be/E3yHdqhWV1A
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Worth knowing πŸ‘‡ US diesel averaged $6.32 a gallon on Thursday, against $6.29 a week earlier. AP says fuel prices are high mostly because of the war with Iran. πŸ”” SUBSCRIBE wherever you enjoy your podcasts
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TheContinentalRift retweeted
It’s staggering that the EU still issues more than half a million visas each year to Russian citizens. As @IlvesToomas points out on the @ContRiftShow today, it’s Spain, France, and Italy that still issue the vast majority of all those visas and are holding up efforts to safeguard Europeans by finally banning them. In fact, the European Commission recently revealed that this figure rose in 2025 to 618,000 Schengen visas issued to Russian citizens. The refusal rate is just around 6%. How can this possibly continue while Spain, France, and Italy, and all other European nations face increased attacks by Russia, often involving those visitors?
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πŸ•ŠοΈ Neither Russia nor Ukraine said it had agreed to Trump's energy ceasefire. His explanation: "They agreed because I said they agreed." President @ilvestoomas and comedian @AndyValvur 🎧 πŸ“Ί This week's NEW EPISODE of The Continental Rift: youtu.be/E3yHdqhWV1A
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Latest πŸ‘‰ Zelensky says Ukraine paused energy strikes for three days, then said it was "done". Trump called the renewed strikes "a disgrace", and the Kremlin agreed. Who was this ceasefire for? πŸ”” SUBSCRIBE on YouTube for your new episode every week
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🐸 Frog Watch, in 1 week: πŸ‡©πŸ‡° Denmark's population register hacked. πŸ‡§πŸ‡¬ 2 cargo ships sunk in the Black Sea. πŸ‡±πŸ‡»Armed, masked men on Latvia's border with Belarus. πŸ‡¬πŸ‡§ A Royal Navy sailor charged. @AndyValvur + President @ilvestoomas Full ep.: youtu.be/CLiZEgmbIYc
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Latest πŸ‘‰ Bulgaria now says Russia was likely behind the drone strikes that hit four ships off its coast in a week, sinking two. Its PM: "The problem is that we cannot prove it." 11 crew are still missing. πŸ”” SUBSCRIBE for a new episode every week.
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πŸ‡§πŸ‡¦ Banned from office, not on the ballot, and his party still came first. Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik thanked Trump AND Putin. What does that mean for Europe? President @ilvestoomas + @AndyValvur The Continental Rift, Full episode: youtu.be/CLiZEgmbIYc
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Worth knowing πŸ‘‡ The New York Times reports two Trump advisers, James Blair and Chris LaCivita, were paid to advise Republika Srpska's government before the vote. Trump says they don't work for him. πŸ”” Follow us, and subscribe on YouTube for a new episode every week.
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