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Germany’s election winner pledges ‘independence from US’

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Germany’s election winner pledges ‘independence from US’

Germany’s Friedrich Merz promised to “achieve independence” from the US after his centre-right bloc won federal elections, putting him at the head of a potentially complex coalition during a time of upheaval for Europe. 

In an election where Germany shifted to the right, Merz’s Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) came first with 28.6 per cent of the vote on Sunday, leaving it in need of at least one other coalition partner to secure a working parliamentary majority.

Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) came second, with its highest ever vote share of about 21 per cent.

Within hours of polls closing, Merz declared that Germany had to fundamentally remake its security arrangements and end a decades-long reliance on Washington, given that US President Donald Trump was “largely indifferent” to Europe’s fate.

Merz said: “I am in close contact with many prime ministers — heads of government of the EU. And it must be an absolute priority to strengthen Europe as quickly as possible so that, step by step, we actually achieve independence from the USA.

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“I wouldn’t have thought I’d have to say something like that . . . But after Donald Trump’s statements, it is clear that the Americans, at least this American government, are largely indifferent to the fate of Europe.”

Merz, who said he was unsure about the future of Nato, also highlighted Washington’s interventions in the German election campaign, and compared it to Russian interference.

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The Trump administration has openly courted the AfD and has criticised Germany’s mainstream politicians for refusing to co-operate with a party that has flirted with Nazi-era slogans, urged an end to sanctions on Russia and called for mass deportations of migrants.

Trump in recent weeks has blindsided Europe by holding direct talks with Russia over ending the war in Ukraine and has threatened to pull US security guarantees from the continent. Germany hosts the largest contingent of American troops stationed in Europe.

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Trump earlier on Sunday described the election result as proof that “the people of Germany got tired of the no common sense agenda, especially on energy and immigration, that has prevailed for so many years”.

Merz has little option but to form a coalition with outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democratic party, which won a little over 16 per cent of the votes — its worst result since 1887.

But on Sunday night, it remained unclear whether Merz could negotiate a ruling majority strong enough to drive through fundamental reforms, including revisions to a constitutionally enshrined limit on public borrowing.

“I know the scale of the challenge that lies ahead of us,” Merz said. “I approach this with the greatest respect. And I know that it will not be easy.”

“We had a hard campaign but now we will talk to each other,” Merz said, adding it might be even more difficult to form a coalition than he had expected during the election campaign.

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His political calculations were complicated by the fact that Merz’s traditional partner, the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP), was on course to fall short of the 5 per cent threshold to enter the Bundestag.

Voter turnout reached its highest since German reunification in 1990, according to exit poll data, at a level of 84 per cent.

The preliminary results mark a big swing to the right in Germany after a series of deadly attacks by migrants fuelled anti-immigrant sentiment.

German voters shunned Scholz’s unpopular coalition with the Greens and the FDP. The Eurozone’s largest economy has stagnated for the past two years as German industry grappled with high energy prices and Chinese competition.

Scholz indicated he would step back from frontline politics after “a bitter result”.

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Alice Weidel, co-leader of Alternative for Germany, celebrates early results in the election © Soeren Stache/POOL/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Alice Weidel, the AfD co-leader, celebrated the party almost doubling its vote share from 2021, to secure the biggest far-right gains in Germany since the second world war.

“We have led a magnificent campaign,” Weidel said, as she stressed her party was open to coalition talks with the CDU/CSU to meet “the will of the people”.

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After witnessing three years of infighting among top members of Scholz’s fractious coalition, strategists from the CDU and its Bavarian sister party the CSU wanted to avoid needing more than one partner to form a government.

In one potentially helpful outcome for Merz, the far-left Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) looked to have fallen just short of securing seats in parliament, which would have made it impossible for the CDU/CSU to build a working majority with just the SPD.

Under the German electoral system, parties winning less than 5 per cent of the vote are excluded from parliament and their votes are redistributed, strengthening the successful groups.

The next parliament is set to contain five parties, including the Greens, AfD and the far-left Die Linke.

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Holger Schmieding, economist at Berenberg Bank, warned of a “serious risk” that fringe parties might be strong enough to block changes to the German constitution.

“If so, they could veto any loosening of the debt brake enshrined in the constitution”, while it was “crucial to raise spending for the military and Ukraine and ease the tax burden for workers and firms”, he added. 

Data visualisation by Martin Stabe and Jonathan Vincent

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Parts of Florida receive rare snowfall as freezing temperatures linger

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Parts of Florida receive rare snowfall as freezing temperatures linger

A protective coating of ice clings to a strawberry plant in sub-freezing temperatures at a field on Friday in Plant City, Fla.

Chris O’Meara/AP


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A rare snowfall covered parts of the Sunshine State on Sunday for the second year in a row, while freezing temperatures will continue to grip parts of Florida into early this week.

A storm system brought up to 2 inches of snow to southern portions of Alabama and the Florida Panhandle, including Pensacola, on Sunday morning, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

The snowfall occurred almost a year to the day after parts of Florida received record snow in mid-January 2025 — when Pensacola received between 6 to 8 inches of snow.

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And while Sunday’s snowfall is over in Florida, a blast of arctic cold that has been felt across parts of the state since Friday is not.

Orlando and other areas will face a freeze warning Sunday night into Monday morning, with temperatures falling to at least 25 degrees and wind chills in the low 20s in some places, according to the NWS. Further south, Naples and surrounding areas will be under a cold weather advisory Sunday night into Monday morning, where 29-degree wind chills are expected.

Cold temperatures coupled with snow are abnormal for Florida but the cold weather will be “short-lived,” said Joe Wegman, a NWS meteorologist.

“We’re only expecting this level of cold for tonight. And then, even by tomorrow night, we’ll have lows in the upper 30s. So, just still cold, well below normal,” Wegman told NPR on Sunday. “By Tuesday night, lows are back up into the upper 40s.”

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Did Hunter S. Thompson Really Kill Himself?

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Did Hunter S. Thompson Really Kill Himself?

Almost from the moment Hunter was laid to rest, his widow and his son began to feud, over everything from the future of Owl Farm to Juan’s belief that his father had been mistreated by Anita in his last days.

The estrangement deepened with time, and now, Anita’s suspicions have taken the feud to a more pointed place, revealing a long, bitter fight over the legacy of the man who pioneered the personal, participatory style of reporting known as gonzo journalism.

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But they were all together the weekend Hunter died.

Juan wrote in his memoir that he was in another room and heard a thump that sounded like a book hitting the floor. Anita was at a health club in Aspen waiting for a yoga class to start. She later told the news media she was on speakerphone with her husband before he shot himself, and heard the “clicking” of the gun.

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Looking back, there were signs from that last weekend that Hunter had planned to take his own life, Juan and Jennifer said in interviews.

He insisted on watching one of his favorite movies, “The Maltese Falcon,” with his 6-year-old grandson, Will. He gave away gifts — an old clock that had belonged to his mother and a signed copy of “Fire in the Nuts,” a short book with his frequent collaborator, the artist Ralph Steadman.

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Ralph Steadman spoke about Hunter’s suicidal ideations in an interview after his death in 2005. ITN, via Getty Images By Itn

“So there is nothing new to know about Hunter’s actual death,” said Juan, 61. “So I do not know why she raised this. And I can’t imagine that the C.B.I. would find anything to act on.”

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He and Jennifer said they did not have any role in Hunter’s death. “This is really shocking,” Jennifer said. “It’s been disruptive to our family. It’s obviously been very traumatic to be revisiting this.” She said she believed Anita knew that her husband took his own life, and added, “we hope this brings her closure.”

Jennifer Winkel

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Anita had been an assistant to Hunter, and was 35 years younger than him. At the time of his death, they had been married for less than two years — it was Hunter’s second marriage — and that last weekend they fought constantly. In his memoir, Juan wrote that Hunter shot a pellet gun at a gong in the living room the night before he killed himself, just missing Anita, prompting her to threaten to call the police and have him put in a nursing home.

Hunter was also in poor health. He had difficulty moving and suffered occasional seizures, the result of decades of heavy drinking.

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“Hunter’s body was giving out,” said Debra Fuller, who worked as an assistant to Hunter and helped manage Owl Farm for almost 20 years before Hunter married Anita. “He was having more difficulty writing as well.”

Hunter had often talked of suicide. Like many of Hunter’s friends, Joe DiSalvo, who was undersheriff of Pitkin County at the time of his death, had conversations with him about how his life would end. He recalled that Hunter would demonstrate his intentions by pointing a loaded gun at his head.

“Hunter talked about suicide,” Mr. DiSalvo said. “He talked about the way he was going to kill himself.”

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U.S. military troops on standby for possible deployment to Minnesota

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U.S. military troops on standby for possible deployment to Minnesota

Federal law enforcement agents confront protesters during a demonstration outside the Bishop Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Thursday.

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Up to 1,500 U.S. active-duty troops in Alaska are on standby for possible deployment to Minnesota, a U.S. official who was not authorized to speak publicly has confirmed to NPR.

The move comes days after President Trump again threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act to control ongoing protests over the immigration enforcement surge in Minneapolis as well as clashes between federal agents and residents. Trump later walked back that threat.

The troops on standby are from the Army’s 11th Airborne Division, which specializes in cold weather operations, according to the division’s website.

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Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said Sunday in an emailed statement to NPR that the “Department of War is always prepared to execute the orders of the Commander-in-Chief if called upon.”

Over the weekend, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz directed the Minnesota National Guard to prepare for possible deployment to assist local law enforcement and emergency management agencies, though they have not been deployed yet.

The Guard said in a Facebook post that these “Minnesota National Guardsmen live, work, and serve in our state, and are focused on protecting life, preserving property, and ensuring Minnesotans can safely exercise their First Amendment rights.” If activated, members would wear yellow reflective vests to “help distinguish them from other agencies in similar uniforms.”

The developments follow days of rising tensions, confrontations and violence stemming from what the Department of Homeland Security has described as its largest operation in history, involving thousands of federal agents, including those from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey told NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday that it would be a “shocking step” if Trump sent the military into the city, too.

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“To those that are paying attention, you’ve got to understand how wild this is right now,” Frey said. “In Minneapolis, crime is dramatically down. We don’t need more federal agents to keep people safe. We are safe.”

Joseph Nunn, an attorney at the Brennan Center’s Liberty and National Security Program, said the Insurrection Act is a “break-glass-in-case-of-emergency type of tool.” It is meant to be used when civilian authorities are overwhelmed by a crisis, he said, and not simply to quell protests — even violent protests.

“It would be a flagrant abuse of the Insurrection Act” if Trump invoked it now, Nunn said, “unlike anything that’s ever happened before in the history of the country.”

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