{"id":243367,"date":"2025-02-20T22:30:08","date_gmt":"2025-02-20T22:30:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/20\/friday-briefing-germans-are-choosing-new-leadership\/"},"modified":"2025-02-20T22:30:08","modified_gmt":"2025-02-20T22:30:08","slug":"friday-briefing-germans-are-choosing-new-leadership","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/20\/friday-briefing-germans-are-choosing-new-leadership\/","title":{"rendered":"Friday Briefing: Germans Are Choosing New Leadership"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align:center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/02\/20\/multimedia\/21ambriefing-asia-germany2\/21ambriefing-asia-germany2-facebookJumbo.jpg?ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"Friday Briefing: Germans Are Choosing New Leadership\" title=\"Friday Briefing: Germans Are Choosing New Leadership\" \/><\/div><p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-0\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<h2 class=\"css-13o6u42 eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-6d2bbd5d\">Germany prepares to vote as a Trump-E.U. rift grows<\/h2>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Germans will head to the polls on Sunday to choose their next chancellor. <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/02\/20\/world\/europe\/germany-merz.html\" title=\"\">The man favored to clinch the election is Friedrich Merz<\/a> of the Christian Democrats. He has been considered a potentially better match for President Trump than the current Social Democratic chancellor, Olaf Scholz.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Merz sees an \u201cepochal rupture\u201d with a U.S. that is more aligned with Russia. His reputation for boldness would benefit Germany, argued Noah Barkin, a senior adviser at the Rhodium Group, a geopolitical advisory firm, particularly at a moment when Europe\u2019s security environment is rapidly changing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Polling second is the far-right party <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/02\/19\/world\/europe\/alice-weidel-germany-far-right-afd.html\" title=\"\">Alternative for Germany<\/a>, or AfD, which has been linked to neo-Nazis and plots to overthrow the state. To get a sense of what\u2019s at stake, we spoke with Jim Tankersley, our Berlin bureau chief.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">What are the big issues galvanizing voters?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">Jim:<\/strong> The first is the economy. Germany is in a crisis of stagnant growth and declining competitiveness. Its famed industries, like auto manufacturing, are slumping. Voters are frustrated and appear likely to evict the current chancellor, Olaf Scholz, over it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-1\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The second big issue is immigration. Germany has welcomed millions of refugees over the last decade. They have adapted relatively well, but their presence has unsettled many native-born Germans. The dissatisfaction has grown after a series of seemingly unrelated attacks committed by immigrants over the last year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">How might the actions of the Trump administration affect the election?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Germans generally don\u2019t like the American president, but until last weekend, his actions didn\u2019t seem to be motivating many voters. That might have changed after Trump essentially cut Europe \u2014 including Ukraine \u2014 out of negotiations with Russia over an end to the war in Ukraine. <\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">What impact could the AfD have on the outcome of the vote?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The party has gained popularity based on an unrelenting promise to stop migration at Germany\u2019s borders and deport some immigrants already in the country. Parts of it are formally classified as extreme by German intelligence, and some of its members have been arrested in plotting to overthrow the government or fined for repeating banned Nazi slogans. It is currently polling in second place. With a late push, it could potentially challenge Friedrich Merz\u2019s Christian Democrats for first.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"css-7ad88g e1mu4ftr0\"\/><\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-2\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<h2 class=\"css-13o6u42 eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-7c6ce887\">With taunts, Hamas handed back dead hostages<\/h2>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Hamas <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/02\/20\/world\/middleeast\/israel-hamas-hostages-bodies.html\" title=\"\">handed over yesterday what it said were the remains of four Israelis<\/a> abducted during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack. Among them were Shiri Bibas and her two young children, Ariel and Kfir, the militant group said. Their abduction was widely seen as emblematic of the viciousness of the assault. A U.N. official described the theatrical handoff in Gaza as \u201cabhorrent and cruel.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-3\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Four coffins were placed on a stage in front of a cartoonish picture of Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, as triumphant music played. One casket bore a picture of Kfir Bibas, who was less than 9 months old when he was kidnapped. A poster threatened that if Israel resumed the war, more hostages would return in coffins. The display showed that Hamas was still very much in control in Gaza.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">What\u2019s next:<\/strong> Hamas is expected tomorrow to free the last six living hostages covered in the first phase of the cease-fire in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">Saudi Arabia: <\/strong>The kingdom is hosting U.S., Russian and Arab officials for high-stakes talks on Ukraine and Gaza, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/02\/20\/world\/middleeast\/trump-saudi-arabia-diplomacy.html\" title=\"\">more proof of its regional clout and warm relations with President Trump<\/a>.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"css-7ad88g e1mu4ftr0\"\/><\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-4\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<h2 class=\"css-13o6u42 eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-5bdbc8b9\">Trump went after officials fighting foreign influence<\/h2>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The Trump administration <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/02\/20\/business\/trump-foreign-influence-election-interference.html\" title=\"\">reassigned several dozen officials<\/a> at multiple agencies who had been flagging foreign interference in U.S. elections. Trump said that, in the guise of fighting misinformation and disinformation, the government had infringed on free speech rights of Americans.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Experts are alarmed that the cuts could leave the U.S. defenseless against covert influence operations and could embolden foreign adversaries. In last year\u2019s election, the teams tracked and publicized numerous such operations from Russia, China and Iran.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">Is that legal?: <\/strong>We examined <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/02\/20\/upshot\/trump-executive-orders-legality.html\" title=\"\">the legality of 38 major actions<\/a> Trump has taken in his first month in office.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"css-13o6u42 eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-5fb6ce07\">More on Trump<\/h2>\n<hr class=\"css-7ad88g e1mu4ftr0\"\/><\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-7\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">To some tourists, fire, lava and catapulted rocks apparently scream \u201cideal getaway.\u201d Thousands of visitors are swarming Sicily as Mount Etna erupts. The throngs have congested roads and obstructed rescue crews, prompting warnings from officials for people to stay away.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\"><a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/02\/19\/world\/europe\/mount-etna-tourists-eruption.html\" title=\"\">Not everyone has listened<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">Lives lived:<\/strong> Dorothy Chin Brandt, who in 1987 became the first female Asian American judge in New York State, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/02\/19\/nyregion\/dorothy-chin-brandt-dead.html\" title=\"\">died at 78<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"css-1uuxri4 e1gnsphs0\" id=\"link-286d948a\"><span><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">CONVERSATION STARTERS <\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-10\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<h2 class=\"css-13o6u42 eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-37cfc184\">When a digital maze feels like home<\/h2>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Metroidvanias \u2014 video games known for their labyrinthine environments that become more accessible with upgrades \u2014 have been delighting (and confounding) players since their creation in the 1980s.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The name for this subgenre is a mash-up of the titles of the games Metroid and Castlevania, which earned devoted fan bases in the mid-80s for the freedom they gave players to explore their arcane worlds. Much of a Metroidvania\u2019s appeal stems from a foundational emotion: <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2025\/02\/20\/arts\/metroidvania-games-metroid-castlevania.html\" title=\"\">feeling lost, until even a lonely labyrinth starts to feel like home<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"css-1uuxri4 e1gnsphs0\" id=\"link-705d9918\"><span><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">RECOMMENDATIONS <\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/02\/20\/briefing\/germany-elections-hamas-hostages-election-interference-cuts.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Germany prepares to vote as a Trump-E.U. rift grows Germans will head to the polls on Sunday to choose their next chancellor. The man favored to clinch the election is Friedrich Merz of the Christian Democrats. He has been considered a potentially better match for President Trump than the current Social Democratic chancellor, Olaf Scholz. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":243368,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/02\/20\/multimedia\/21ambriefing-asia-germany2\/21ambriefing-asia-germany2-facebookJumbo.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[235,30460,10057,36426,2122],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243367"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=243367"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243367\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":243369,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243367\/revisions\/243369"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/243368"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=243367"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=243367"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=243367"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}