Merz’s party stumbles into a year of German state elections with a narrow defeat

A Christian Democratic Union victory long looked likely despite the unpopularity of the 10-month-old national government. But the party's poll lead shrank ahead of Sunday's election.

In Senate Race, Talarico Challenges ‘Heretical’ Right-Wing Christianity

James Talarico, the Democratic nominee from Texas, hopes to counter what he sees as a conservative takeover of the American church.
The Economist

Germany’s Greens have come back to win in Baden-Württemberg

F IFTEEN YEARS ago the state of Baden-Württemberg sent tremors across Germany by electing the country’s first—and so far only—Green-led government. Two weeks before that vote the Fukushima disaster ...