“BERLIN (AP) — Germany is embarking on a potentially lengthy search for its next government after the center-left Social Democrats narrowly beat outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel’s center-right bloc in an election that failed to set a clear direction for Europe’s biggest economy under a new leader.
Leaders of the parties in the newly elected parliament were meeting Monday to digest a result that saw Merkel’s Union bloc slump to its worst-ever result in a national election, and appeared to put the keys to power in the hands of two opposition parties.
Both Social Democrat Olaf Scholz, who pulled his party out of a years-long slump, and Armin Laschet, the candidate of Merkel’s party who saw his party’s fortunes decline in a troubled campaign, laid a claim to leading the next government. Scholz is the outgoing vice chancellor and finance minister and Laschet is the governor of Germany’s most populous state, North Rhine-Westphalia.
Whichever of them becomes chancellor will do so with his party having won a smaller share of the vote than any of his predecessors. Who gets the job looks likely to depend on the decision of the prospective junior partners, the environmentalist Greens and the business-friendly Free Democrats — parties that traditionally belong to rival ideological camps.
‘Voters have spoken very clearly,’ Scholz said Monday. ‘They strengthened three parties — the Social Democrats, the Greens and the Free Democrats — so this is the visible mandate the citizens of this country have given: these three parties should lead the next government.’
The only other option that would have a parliamentary majority is a repeat of the ‘grand coalition’ of the Union and Social Democrats. That is the grouping that has run Germany for 12 years of Merkel’s 16-year tenure and has often been marred by squabbling, but this time it would be under Scholz’s leadership with Merkel’s bloc as junior partner. There is little appetite for that, however.
Scholz said the Union ‘received the message from citizens that they should no longer be in government, but go into opposition.’
Merkel’s outgoing government will remain in office until a successor is sworn in, a process that can take weeks or months. Merkel announced in 2018 that she wouldn’t seek a fifth term.” Read more at AP News
“Pfizer/BioNTech will ask for authorization of its Covid-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11 in a matter of days, bringing the US one step closer to vaccinating an age group that has become increasingly vulnerable. Nearly 26% of all Covid-19 recent cases nationwide were reported in children. Meanwhile, Pfizer booster shots are a go for people 65 and older, those with a high risk of severe illness with Covid-19 and those at high risk of exposure at work. About 20 million Americans are eligible for a third shot of the Pfizer vaccine, the White House’s Covid-19 coordinator said. Shots should be available at pharmacies, doctors' offices and sometimes at mass vaccination sites. One other thing to consider: The booster shot recommendation is for those who got their last Pfizer dose at least six months ago. The FDA and CDC will continue to consider widening the recommendations, and Moderna has asked the FDA to consider booster doses for people who got its vaccine.” Read more at CNN
“JOPLIN, Mont. (AP) — Federal investigators are seeking the cause of an Amtrak train derailment near a switch on tracks in the middle of vast farmland in far northern Montana that killed three people and left seven hospitalized over the weekend.
The westbound Empire Builder was traveling from Chicago to Seattle when it left the tracks about 4 p.m. Saturday near Joplin, a town of about 200. Amtrak spokesman Jason Abrams said the train was carrying about 141 passengers and 16 crew members. It had two locomotives and 10 cars, eight of which derailed, with some tipping onto their sides.” Read more at AP News
“WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s a consequential week for President Joe Biden’s agenda, as Democratic leaders delicately trim back his $3.5 trillion ‘Build Back Better ‘package to win over remaining lawmakers and work to quickly pass legislation to avoid a federal shutdown.
An expected Monday vote on a related $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package is now postponed until Thursday, amid ongoing negotiations. More immediately, the Senate has a test vote set Monday to keep the government funded and avert a federal debt default before Thursday’s fiscal year-end deadline. That package stands to run into a blockade by Republican senators — all but ensuring lawmakers will have to try again later in the week.
All this while Biden’s domestic agenda hangs in the balance, at risk of collapse and political fallout if he and Democratic leaders cannot pull their party together to deliver what could be a signature piece of legislation and the biggest overhaul of the nation’s tax and spending priorities in decades. Over the weekend, Biden personally spoke with lawmakers on the path forward, according to a White House official who requested anonymity to discuss the private conversations.
‘Let me just say, it’s an eventful week,’ House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Sunday on ABC’s ‘This Week.’
Biden, Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer are deep into negotiations over the president’s broader proposal, which is being chiseled back to win over key senators and a few House lawmakers who have so far refused the $3.5 trillion price tag and the tax increases on corporations and the wealthy to pay for it.
Behind-the-scenes talks churned, allowing for needed breathing room after Monday’s anticipated vote on the companion $1 trillion public works measure was postponed. The two bills are related, and centrists and progressive factions are at odds at prioritizing one ahead of the other. Pelosi announced the Thursday vote in a letter late Sunday evening to colleagues, noting it’s also a deadline for related transportation programs in the infrastructure bill.” Read more at AP News
“If President Biden gets the wish list that faces epic House votes this week, you'll be more likely to:
Jump in your electric car ... to pick up your kid from free or subsidized daycare .... then work remotely using ubiquitous high-speed internet.
Here's how your life could change if Biden lands his big bets, Axios managing editors Margaret Talev and David Nather write:
Transportation: More of us would be driving electric cars, and lower-income people would have better access to public transit.
High-speed trains, rather than flying, become the smart way to travel between some metros.
Electric vehicles: People who have been on the fence about purchasing a electric car could be persuaded to buy one for two reasons:
Bigger tax credits — up to $12,500 per vehicle — would be more widely available, making EVs more affordable.
Range anxiety — fear of being stranded with a dead battery — fades as the feds spend $13.5 billion for EV infrastructure, including more public charging stations.
Health care: Democrats are seeking to expand coverage for millions of Americans while reducing prescription drug prices.
Medicare would expand to cover dental, vision and hearing benefits — currently only available to seniors with private coverage.
Child care and education: Day care would be free for lower income families. For middle class households, subsidies could save the average family $14,800 per year, according to the White House, because families wouldn’t pay more than 7% of their income for care of children under 5.
Biden wants to provide two years of free preschool before kindergarten — and two free years of community college.
Also in Biden's plan: 12 weeks of paid family leave to tend to a sick family member.
Cities: Mayors say the proposals represent a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make cities more livable, modern and socially equitable.
Goodies include expansions of broadband access that could enable people of all means to work and study from anywhere. Share this story. Read more at Axios
“Thousands of people have fled their homes to escape a wildfire engulfing a forest in California’s north, which authorities believe was sparked deliberately.
Police have arrested a 30-year-old woman on charges of igniting the Fawn fire. Workers at a quarry in Shasta County said they saw the woman trespassing last Wednesday before the fire erupted in a remote canyon, according to Cal Fire, the state’s forestry and fire protection department.
As firefighters battled the flames through the night, she walked out of the shrubs toward them, looking for medical help, the statement issued Thursday said.
Law enforcement officers interviewing the woman, whom the district attorney said at a news conference had a lighter in her pocket, later suspected arson.
Smoke has since painted the sky orange as the blaze swallowed homes near the city of Redding.” Read more at Washington Post
“Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) on Sunday said she was wrong to have opposed same-sex marriage, a position that once caused an enormous rift in her famous political family.
‘I was wrong. I was wrong,’ Cheney told ‘60 Minutes’ correspondent Lesley Stahl in an interview that aired Sunday, after Stahl asked how Cheney would defend condemning same-sex marriage in 2013, despite her sister being married to a woman and despite her father, former vice president Richard B. Cheney, coming out in support of same-sex marriage at the time.
‘I love my sister very much. I love her family very much, and I was wrong,’ Liz Cheney added, appearing emotional. ‘It’s a very personal issue and very personal for my family. I believe my dad was right, and my sister and I have had that conversation.’
Cheney said she and her sister, Mary Cheney, have since reconciled…
Despite her stated views Sunday, Cheney in February voted against the Equality Act, which would have amended the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to add sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes.” Read more at Washington Post
“Authorities continue to search for Brian Laundrie, Gabby Petito's fiancé Monday, less than 24 hours after funeral services were held in New York for Petito, 22, a blogger whose death on a cross-country adventure fueled intense interest across the nation . Laundrie, 23, was last seen on Sept. 14, when he told his parents he was going hiking in the Carlton Reserve, a sprawling wilderness area near his home in North Port, Florida. The search in the 24,000-acre park in Sarasota County comes after the FBI issued a federal arrest warrant Thursday over events that occurred following Petito's death. TV personality Duane Lee Chapman, ‘Dog the Bounty Hunter,’ joined the search and promised to nab Laundrie before his 24th birthday on Nov. 18.” Read more at USA Today
“Texas’ near-ban on abortions has some women traveling to neighboring states. At one Oklahoma clinic, two-thirds of patients now come from Texas.” Read more at New York Times
“Lives Lived: Jay Sandrich won Emmys for directing “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and “The Cosby Show,” and made a crucial casting decision about “The Golden Girls.” He died at 89.” Read more at New York Times
“NEW YORK — After a 15-month pandemic delay, the 2020 Tony Awards were at long last handed out Sunday night, with ‘Moulin Rouge! The Musical’ winning in an abridged field for best musical. Matthew Lopez's two-part ‘The Inheritance’ was crowned best play.
‘Moulin Rouge!,’ based on the 2001 pop-mashup movie musical, bested ‘Jagged Little Pill’ and ‘Tina: the Tina Turner Musical’ for the evening’s most coveted statuette. The production collected 10 awards, including for direction, choreography, actor, supporting actor, set design, costumes, lighting, orchestrations and sound. A new play version from London of the chestnut ‘A Christmas Carol’ was runner-up, with five awards.
The complete list of Tony winners
The three nominated musicals closed on March 12, 2020, with the rest of Broadway’s 41 theaters in what turned into the longest shutdown in Broadway history. All three shows are coming back this season along with a slew of others — a fact the Tony Awards stressed in a pair of broadcasts Sunday from Broadway’s Winter Garden Theatre.” Read more at Washington Post
“The Supreme Court’s approval rating is plummeting, its critics are more caustic, and justices are feeling compelled to plead the case to the public that they are judicial philosophers, not politicians in robes.
All of this as the court embarks Oct. 4 on one of the most potentially divisive terms in years. Docketed cases concern gun control, separation of church and state, and the biggest showdown in decades on the future of Roe v. Wade and the constitutional right to an abortion.
Meanwhile, a presidential commission studying the court is being bombarded with criticism from the left, and occasionally the right, that the justices are too political, too powerful and serve for too long.
Justices say they have philosophical — not partisan — differences
Even those who value the court see trouble ahead.
‘Not since Bush v. Gore has the public perception of the court’s legitimacy seemed so seriously threatened,’ the Georgetown Supreme Court Institute’s executive director, Irv Gornstein, said last week at a preview of the court’s upcoming term.” Read more at Washington Post
“Eight people were arrested and three others indicted on Friday after an investigation into the death of Adam Oakes, a student at Virginia Commonwealth University who died in February from alcohol poisoning at a fraternity party, the authorities said.
All eight who were arrested face charges of unlawful hazing of a student, the Richmond, Va., police said in a statement. Three of them face an additional charge of buying and giving alcohol to a minor. All eight are V.C.U. students, and seven of them were enrolled in the fall 2021 semester, according to a statement from the university.
According to Mr. Oakes’s family, the young man’s death, which drew national attention and renewed questions about hazing in Greek organizations across the country, occurred at an off-campus party on Feb. 26 at the Delta Chi fraternity house, where he was given a bottle of Jack Daniel’s whiskey and told to drink it.
Mr. Oakes, 19, was found dead the next morning by Richmond police officers, the authorities said.” Read more at New York Times
“In an interview with Axios' Sarah Mucha, Glenn Youngkin — the Virginia Republican in a dogfight with Terry McAuliffe in the Nov. 2 governor's election — wouldn’t say whether he would have voted to certify the election on Jan. 6 if he had been a member of Congress.
Youngkin believes Joe Biden beat Donald Trump legitimately, and said there's ‘no room for violence in America.’
State of play: Cook Political Report on Friday moved the race to ‘tossup,’ citing a souring national environment for Dems. Keep reading. Read more at Axios
“Meng Wanzhou, the Huawei executive who spent nearly three years in house arrest in Canada, has returned home to China after reaching an agreement with the US on fraud charges. The deal to defer her prosecution until 2022 could bring to an end to a legal saga that has complicated relations between the US, China and Canada. Meng’s return inspired a swell of nationalistic pride in China, but the aftermath of her release did not sit as easily with Canada. Two Canadians detained by China for nearly three years were released directly after Meng gained her freedom. The imprisonment of Michael Kovrig, a former Canadian diplomat, and Michael Spavor, an entrepreneur with business ties to North Korea, was widely seen as retaliation for Meng’s detention. China consistently denied that the cases were connected.” Read more at CNN
“Norway on Saturday lifted social distancing rules, capacity limits on businesses and other pandemic-era restrictions that have been in place for more than a year.
‘It is 561 days since we introduced the toughest measures in Norway in peacetime,’ Prime Minister Erna Solberg said in announcing the moves at a news conference Friday. ‘Now the time has come to return to a normal daily life.’
In Norway, new daily cases have dropped by 50% over the past two weeks. Sixty-seven percent of the population are fully vaccinated and another 10% have had a first dose, according to the Our World in Data project at the University of Oxford.” Read more at Boston Globe
“Iceland’s election. Iceland’s ruling coalition slightly increased its majority in parliament following elections over the weekend, as the centrist Progressive and Independence parties gained seats while the Left Greens, the other party in a three-way coalition, lost some seats but retained enough to continue as a viable partner. Party leaders have yet to announce what form a new coalition might take.
For a few hours on Sunday, it appeared Iceland had joined Cuba, Nicaragua, Mexico, and Rwanda as one of the handful of countries with a majority female legislature, however a recount reduced the number of female representatives to just 48 percent of Iceland’s incoming parliament.” Read more at Foreign Policy
“Brexit pains. The British government will today consider plans to deploy the country’s armed forces to combat fuel shortages after a run on gas stations (a panic itself induced by a truck driver shortage) left many stations shuttered with empty pumps. Gas for cars is not the only sort in short supply; the CO2 required to carbonate fizzy drinks is also on the verge of running out.
A shortage of both drivers and poultry workers following the U.K. exit from the European Union has led to a U-turn from the Conservative government, which will now issue up to 10,500 temporary visas for foreign workers in an attempt to address the shortfall.
Whether truckers will take up the offer remains an open question; companies across Europe are also hiring, wages within the EU are higher, and new regulations have improved working conditions, according to Marco Digioia, the head of the European Road Haulers Association.
Although most British politicians won’t dare utter the word Brexit, as Jonathan Freedland argues, days of long lines for gas across the U.K.—along with the specter of bare supermarket shelves and a Christmas without turkeys—have led even 52 percent of Leave voters to partly blame Britain’s departure from the EU for the crisis, according to a poll.” Read more at Foreign Policy
“HAVEN, Wis. — The first tee on a Ryder Cup Sunday is usually a place of high tension. But not on this Ryder Cup Sunday.
When Justin Thomas stepped onto the tee for his match with Tyrrell Hatton of England, the home fans in the surrounding grandstand implored Thomas to chug a beer, as he had at the same spot Saturday afternoon when the American team built a nearly insurmountable lead ahead of the competition’s final stage.
Thomas, preparing to play one of 12 climactic Sunday singles matches, smiled, but waved off the cans of beer being offered.
‘Yeah, later,’ a fan yelled from the rollicking grandstand. ‘He’ll catch up on the beers later.’
Yes, he would. And the Champagne, too.
The U.S. golfers, beleaguered for most of the last 25 years of Ryder Cup competition, on Sunday completed a three-day rout of the normally dominant European team to win the event for just the third time this century. Though they needed to win only three and a half points on Sunday to secure the Ryder Cup trophy — each match victory is worth one point and a tie is worth half a point — the Americans attacked brazenly, capturing eight of a possible 12 available points to trounce the Europeans, 19-9.
The 19 points are a record in a modern format for the event, established in 1979. The previous record was 18½ points, which was accomplished by the United States in 1981 and the Europeans in 2004 and 2006.
The American Patrick Cantlay, who remained undefeated in this year’s event with a decisive 4 and 2 victory over Shane Lowry of Ireland on Sunday, summarized his team’s uncompromising attitude during the three days of competition at Whistling Straits, a daunting golf course along two miles of Lake Michigan shoreline in central Wisconsin.
‘I woke up this morning and told the guys, ‘Let’s get 20 points,’ Cantlay said. ‘This is the next era of Ryder Cup teams for the U.S.A., and I wanted to send a message. Everyone on our team has a killer’s instinct and we’re going to bring that to future Cups.’
Collin Morikawa added, ‘It was imperative that we win this Ryder Cup for American golf, but it’s not just a win, it’s a dominant win, and that matters.’” Read more at New York Times