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.
Merz sees an “epochal rupture” 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’s security environment is rapidly changing.
Polling second is the far-right party Alternative for Germany, or AfD, which has been linked to neo-Nazis and plots to overthrow the state. To get a sense of what’s at stake, we spoke with Jim Tankersley, our Berlin bureau chief.
What are the big issues galvanizing voters?
Jim: 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.
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.
How might the actions of the Trump administration affect the election?
Germans generally don’t like the American president, but until last weekend, his actions didn’t seem to be motivating many voters. That might have changed after Trump essentially cut Europe — including Ukraine — out of negotiations with Russia over an end to the war in Ukraine.
What impact could the AfD have on the outcome of the vote?
The party has gained popularity based on an unrelenting promise to stop migration at Germany’s 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’s Christian Democrats for first.
With taunts, Hamas handed back dead hostages
Hamas handed over yesterday what it said were the remains of four Israelis 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 “abhorrent and cruel.”
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.
What’s next: 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.
Saudi Arabia: The kingdom is hosting U.S., Russian and Arab officials for high-stakes talks on Ukraine and Gaza, more proof of its regional clout and warm relations with President Trump.
Trump went after officials fighting foreign influence
The Trump administration reassigned several dozen officials 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.
Experts are alarmed that the cuts could leave the U.S. defenseless against covert influence operations and could embolden foreign adversaries. In last year’s election, the teams tracked and publicized numerous such operations from Russia, China and Iran.
Is that legal?: We examined the legality of 38 major actions Trump has taken in his first month in office.
More on Trump
To some tourists, fire, lava and catapulted rocks apparently scream “ideal getaway.” 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.
Lives lived: Dorothy Chin Brandt, who in 1987 became the first female Asian American judge in New York State, died at 78.
CONVERSATION STARTERS
When a digital maze feels like home
Metroidvanias — video games known for their labyrinthine environments that become more accessible with upgrades — have been delighting (and confounding) players since their creation in the 1980s.
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’s appeal stems from a foundational emotion: feeling lost, until even a lonely labyrinth starts to feel like home.
