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Germany's Merkel to step down in 2021

Photo: Thomas Lohnes/Getty Images

Embattled German Chancellor Angela Merkel will not run for re-election in 2021 and will step down in December as chairwoman of her party, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), she announced in a press conference Monday.

The big picture: Merkel has served as chancellor of Germany since 2005 and head of the CDU since 2000. Her decision comes after significant losses by the CDU and its coalition partners during recent state elections in Bavaria and Hesse, where the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) and liberal Greens have chipped away at the coalition's ruling majority.

Go deeper

Jonathan Swan, Alayna Treene
36 mins ago - Politics & Policy

USAID chief tests positive for coronavirus

An Air Force cargo jet delivers USAID supplies to Russia earlier this year. Photo: Mikhail Metzel/TASS via Getty Images

The acting administrator of the United States Agency for International Development informed senior staff Wednesday he has tested positive for coronavirus, two sources familiar with the call tell Axios.

Why it matters: John Barsa, who staffers say rarely wears a mask in their office, is the latest in a series of senior administration officials to contract the virus. His positive diagnosis comes amid broader turmoil at the agency following the election.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow
Bryan Walsh, author of Future
3 hours ago - Health

COVID-19 shows a bright future for vaccines

Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios

Promising results from COVID-19 vaccine trials offer hope not just that the pandemic could be ended sooner than expected, but that medicine itself may have a powerful new weapon.

Why it matters: Vaccines are, in the words of one expert, "the single most life-saving innovation ever," but progress had slowed in recent years. New gene-based technology that sped the arrival of the COVID vaccine will boost the overall field, and could even extend to mass killers like cancer.

Go deeper (2 min. read)Arrow
Axios
4 hours ago - Health

Beware a Thanksgiving mirage

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Don't be surprised if COVID metrics plunge over the next few days, only to spike next week.

Why it matters: The COVID Tracking Project warns of a "double-weekend pattern" on Thanksgiving — where the usual weekend backlog of data is tacked on to a holiday.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow

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