Nov 20, 2017

Merkel in limbo after coalition talks fail

German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Photo: Michael Probst / AP

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she'd prefer a new election to leading a minority government after coalition talks between her center-right Christian Democratic Union, the centrist Free Democratic Party, and the center-left Greens fell apart, per the BBC.

September's elections were initially viewed as a victory for Merkel as the CDU won by far the most seats. Now, unless she can patch together a coalition, it'll be up to German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to call for another election which would take months. Steinmeier has said the parties have a responsibility to come to an agreement.

Why it matters: The situation puts Merkel's position in jeopardy and risks political instability in the European Union's biggest member as Brexit negotiations ramp up. Another election could also benefit the far-right Alternative for Germany, which had big gains in September's election on an anti-immigrant, anti-Islam platform.

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Axios
Updated 8 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 10 p.m. ET: 32,471,119 — Total deaths: 987,593 — Total recoveries: 22,374,557 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 10 p.m. ET: 7,032,524 — Total deaths: 203,657 — Total recoveries: 2,727,335 — Total tests: 99,483,712 — Map.
  3. States: "We’re not closing anything going forward": Florida fully lifts COVID restaurant restrictions — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam tests positive for coronavirus.
  4. Health: Young people accounted for 20% of cases this summer.
  5. Business: Coronavirus has made airports happier places —The expiration of Pandemic Unemployment Assistance looms.
  6. Education: Where bringing students back to school is most risky.
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Biden pushes unity message in new TV wave

A fresh Joe Biden ad, "New Start," signals an effort by his campaign to make unity a central theme, underscoring a new passage in his stump speech that says he won't be a president just for Democrats but for all Americans.

What he's saying: The ad — which began Friday night, and is a follow-up to "Fresh Start" — draws from a Biden speech earlier in the week in Manitowoc, Wisconsin:

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Trump prepares to announce Amy Coney Barrett as Supreme Court replacement

Judge Amy Coney Barrett. Photo: Matt Cashore/Notre Dame University via Reuters

President Trump is preparing to nominate federal appeals court Judge Amy Coney Barrett of Indiana, a favorite of both the social conservative base and Republican elected officials, to succeed Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Republican sources tell Axios.

Why it matters: Barrett would push the already conservative court further and harder to the right, for decades to come, on the most important issues in American politics — from abortion to the limits of presidential power. If confirmed, she would give conservatives a 6-3 majority on the high court.

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