Connect with us
[the_ad id="89560"]

International

German chancellor loses vote of confidence in parliament, likely triggering snap election

Published

3 minute read

From LifeSiteNews

By Andreas Wailzer

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is expected to set February 23 as the date for an election

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has lost the vote of confidence in the Bundestag (German Parliament) after the breakdown of the government coalition.

On December 16, members of the Bundestag voted 394-207 against Scholz, with 116 abstentions. The vote of confidence was seen as a formality, and Scholz was expected to lose after the liberal FDP (Free Democratic Party) left the government coalition in early November.

As the German Tagesschau reported, Scholz met German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier at Bellevue Palace after the vote and asked him to dissolve the Bundestag.

Steinmeier has 21 days to decide whether he agrees and calls a snap election within 60 days. He is expected to do so and announce February 23 as the date. Had the coalition not dissolved, the next regular federal election would have taken place in September 2025.

Since the vote was only a formality, the parties used the debate in Parliament to campaign for the upcoming election. Scholz used his speech to launch an attack against the FDP. The “weeks of sabotage” by the Liberals under party leader Christian Lindner had not only damaged the coalition government but also democracy as a whole, he claimed.

CDU/CSU leader Friedrich Merz responded by defending the FDP and called the attack on Lindner “sheer insolence.”

Merz accused Scholz of leaving the country in one of the biggest economic crises in post-war history and failing at the EU level. “You are embarrassing Germany,” he stated. The Chancellor’s behavior in the European Union was “shameful,” Merz said.

Alice Weidel, co-head of the AfD (Alternative for Germany), slammed the left-wing government coalition, stating that its “damage” would burden Germany for decades to come. She pointed to the “decline” of the automotive and mechanical engineering industries and the exodus of the chemical industry due to “exploding energy costs.”

She viewed Donald Trump’s election as an opportunity to end the war in Ukraine through diplomacy while criticizing Scholz and Merz for making a “pilgrimage” to Kyiv to “throw even more good money after the money that has already been burned.”

The federal government will remain in office after losing the vote of confidence until the election of a new Parliament. However, the current coalition consisting of Scholz’s SPD (Social Democratic Party) and the Greens does not have the necessary majority and needs members of the opposition to vote alongside them if they want to pass any new laws.

Daily Caller

‘This Is So Disgusting’: Joe Rogan Unloads On Gavin Newsom For ‘Creepy’ Behavior In Front Of Wildfire Wreckage

Published on

 

From the Daily Caller News Foundation

By

Podcast host Joe Rogan slammed Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday and condemned remarks that Newsom made amidst the still active and devastating wildfires.

Those fires erupted in the coastal town of Pacific Palisades in Los Angeles County and subsequently spread to Altadena near Eaton Canyon. “The Joe Rogan Experience” host criticized what he said was Newsom’s inappropriate demeanor and how he timed his comments, especially as affected families grappled with the total loss of their homes and personal memories.

“The governor gave this creepy speech where he was talking about speculators coming in. And talking about what to do with the land of all these homes that have been burnt down. It’s still only 6% contained. He did this little dance like I’ve been talking with these, you know, with the governor of Hawaii about what to do. We got some ideas,” Rogan said.

Rogan also said that there are broader issues of mismanagement in California’s approach to wildfire prevention and response. He criticized the state for not taking preventative measures like brush clearing and reservoir management.

“The fire insurance pulled out of California like, I think, like 69% of fire insurance pulled out of California because they’re, like, this is too crazy. Like you guys aren’t doing jack to manage this. You’re not clearing the brush. The amount of money they could have saved by just clearing brush. By filling the reservoir, that 11-million-gallon reservoir was completely empty during the time of full fire season. Like, why didn’t you fix that?” Rogan asked.

As Los Angeles County battles wildfires, Newsom faces intense online criticism for his odd shuffle during a local television interview. On Monday, the governor appeared on Los Angeles’ Fox affiliate, discussing the crisis amidst the scorched ruins.

Newsom, while addressing the likelihood of property speculators targeting fire-stricken neighborhoods, smiled broadly and performed a shoulder shimmy.

Rogan said Newsom behaved in a manner that was “disgusting”

Continue Reading

DEI

Biden FBI shut down diversity office before Trump administration could review it

Published on

From LifeSiteNews

By Calvin Freiburger

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has shuttered its Office of Diversity & Inclusion (ODI) ahead of the executive branch’s handover from Joe Biden to Donald Trump, in what critics suspect was a move to destroy records before they could be reviewed by the former agency heads’ political opponents.

“We believe that differences in thought and belief, in race and religion, in orientation, and in ability contribute to more effective decision making, drive innovation, and enhance the employee experience,” the FBI declares, as reported by Fox News. “We know that a more diverse workforce allows us to connect with and maintain the trust of the American people. We also understand we have work to do. We stand committed, as today’s FBI, to fostering a culture of inclusivity and diversity.”

The bureau confirmed to Fox this week that it actually closed the office in December, without elaborating why. But while the elimination of the office is welcome news to conservatives, questions remain.

“We demand that the FBI preserve and retain all records, documents, and information on the now closing DEI Office—Never should have been opened and, if it was, should have closed long ago,” Trump said on Truth Social. “Why is it that they’re closing one day before the Inauguration of a new Administration? The reason is, CORRUPTION!”

The infusion of left-wing “diversity” priorities into every facet of government has been one of the most controversial aspects of the outgoing administration, as has the politicization of law enforcement agencies such as the FBI, from targeting peaceful pro-life activists for federal prosecution, to meeting with social media companies to collude on what speech the government wants censored, to branding “radical-traditionalist” Catholics as an alleged potential threat.

Fox notes that the FBI still has numerous identity-based entities, such as the American Indian and Alaska Native Advisory Committee, Asian Pacific American Advisory Committee, Black Affairs Diversity Committee, Bureau Equality, Hispanic Advisory Board, Near and Middle East Advisory Committee, Persons with Disabilities Advisory Committee, Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee, Women’s Advisory Committee, Blacks in Government, FBI African American Millennials, FBI Family, FBI Jewish Americans, FBI Latinos for Empowerment Advancement and Development, “FBI Pride,” Federal Asian Pacific American Council, and Federally Employed Women.

Continue Reading

Trending

X