Friday Briefing: Germans are choosing new leadership

February 21, 2025

	By Emmett Lindner

Good morning. We’re covering Germany’s upcoming election and the return of the remains of Israeli hostages.

Plus, volcano tourism in Sicily.

Friedrich Merz, wearing a suit, smiles while holding his hands on his hips as people take photos.

Friedrich Merz, center. Michael Kappeler/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Germany prepares to vote as a Trump-E.U. rift grows

Germans will head to the polls on Sunday to choose their next chancellor. The man favored to clinch the election is Friedrich Merz of the Christian Democrats. He has been considered a potentially better match for President Trump than the current Social Democratic chancellor, Olaf Scholz.

Merz sees an “epochal rupture” with a U.S. that is more aligned with Russia. His reputation for boldness would benefit Germany, argued Noah Barkin, a senior adviser at the Rhodium Group, a geopolitical advisory firm, particularly at a moment when Europe’s security environment is rapidly changing.

Polling second is the far-right party Alternative for Germany, or AfD, which has been linked to neo-Nazis and plots to overthrow the state. To get a sense of what’s at stake, we spoke with Jim Tankersley, our Berlin bureau chief.

What are the big issues galvanizing voters?

Jim: The first is the economy. Germany is in a crisis of stagnant growth and declining competitiveness. Its famed industries, like auto manufacturing, are slumping. Voters are frustrated and appear likely to evict the current chancellor, Olaf Scholz, over it.

The second big issue is immigration. Germany has welcomed millions of refugees over the last decade. They have adapted relatively well, but their presence has unsettled many native-born Germans. The dissatisfaction has grown after a series of seemingly unrelated attacks committed by immigrants over the last year.

How might the actions of the Trump administration affect the election?

Germans generally don’t like the American president, but until last weekend, his actions didn’t seem to be motivating many voters. That might have changed after Trump essentially cut Europe — including Ukraine — out of negotiations with Russia over an end to the war in Ukraine.

What impact could the AfD have on the outcome of the vote?

The party has gained popularity based on an unrelenting promise to stop migration at Germany’s borders and deport some immigrants already in the country. Parts of it are formally classified as extreme by German intelligence, and some of its members have been arrested in plotting to overthrow the government or fined for repeating banned Nazi slogans. It is currently polling in second place. With a late push, it could potentially challenge Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democrats for first.

A group of people dressed in black, some with their faces covered, carry a coffin through a crowd.

Militants handing over what Hamas said were the remains of hostages to the Red Cross in Gaza yesterday. Saher Alghorra for The New York Times

With taunts, Hamas handed back dead hostages

Hamas handed over yesterday what it said were the remains of four Israelis abducted during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack. Among them were Shiri Bibas and her two young children, Ariel and Kfir, the militant group said. Their abduction was widely seen as emblematic of the viciousness of the assault. A U.N. official described the theatrical handoff in Gaza as “abhorrent and cruel.”

Four coffins were placed on a stage in front of a cartoonish picture of Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, as triumphant music played. One casket bore a picture of Kfir Bibas, who was less than 9 months old when he was kidnapped. A poster threatened that if Israel resumed the war, more hostages would return in coffins. The display showed that Hamas was still very much in control in Gaza.

What’s next: Hamas is expected tomorrow to free the last six living hostages covered in the first phase of the cease-fire in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners.

Saudi Arabia: The kingdom is hosting U.S., Russian and Arab officials for high-stakes talks on Ukraine and Gaza, more proof of its regional clout and warm relations with President Trump.

A man wearing a vest with “FBI” on it outside a large building with American flags overhead.

The F.B.I.’s headquarters in Washington. Pete Kiehart for The New York Times

Trump went after officials fighting foreign influence

The Trump administration reassigned several dozen officials at multiple agencies who had been flagging foreign interference in U.S. elections. Trump said that, in the guise of fighting misinformation and disinformation, the government had infringed on free speech rights of Americans.

Experts are alarmed that the cuts could leave the U.S. defenseless against covert influence operations and could embolden foreign adversaries. In last year’s election, the teams tracked and publicized numerous such operations from Russia, China and Iran.

Is that legal?: We examined the legality of 38 major actions Trump has taken in his first month in office.

More on Trump

President Volodymyr Zelensky met with the U.S. envoy to Ukraine. They were expected to discuss paths to ending the war and ways to defuse tensions with D.C.
Trump’s calling President Zelensky a “Dictator without Elections” echoes the Kremlin’s messaging, and repeats a familiar pattern from Trump’s first term.

The Senate narrowly confirmed Kash Patel, a Trump ally with little law-enforcement experience, as the next director of the F.B.I.
Funds for global health programs have remained frozen, despite a federal judge’s order that temporarily halted the Trump administration’s dismantling of U.S.A.I.D.
The Trump administration cut protections for hundreds of thousands of Haitians in the U.S., putting them on track to be targeted for deportation.
Europe is facing a new reality: Trump may not quit NATO entirely, but he’s already undercutting it.
Track Trump’s actions since he took office.

CHINA

A large 19th-century building, on which Britain’s Coat of Arms is carved on the pediment.

Beijing hopes to turn the former site of Britain’s Royal Mint into an embassy in London. Henry Nicholls/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Diplomacy: Britain appears ready to approve China’s new embassy, which would be the largest one in Europe. Neighbors and activists fear tapped phones and suppressed protests.
South Pacific: A group of Chinese navy vessels, including a formidable warship, sailed legally near Australia and New Zealand, raising alarm.
Health care: Still recovering from pandemic spending, hospitals across China are being squeezed by a slumping economy and efforts to curb medical spending.
Motivation: Local governments in China are handing out “snail awards” to shame underperforming workers. But amid frequent crackdowns, doing nothing may be the safest bet.

More Top News

Spain: Luis Rubiales, the former head of Spain’s soccer federation, was convicted of sexual assault for forcibly kissing a member of the women’s national team.
New York City: Gov. Kathy Hochul said she would leave Mayor Eric Adams in place, but would impose strict new guardrails on his administration.
U.K.: A giant hole opened up on a street in Surrey, southwest of London, forcing evacuations and leaving a car teetering on the edge. The cause was unknown.
Germany: QR codes have mysteriously appeared on roughly 1,000 graves in Munich, leaving city workers bewildered and setting off an investigation.
U.S.: Nearly one in 10 adults in the U.S. identifies as L.G.B.T.Q., according to a large analysis.

Tech: A.I. tools are changing how start-ups are built, making workers more productive and spurring tales of “tiny team” success.

Sports

F1: Lewis Hamilton says he’s feeling revitalized heading into his first season with Ferrari. “I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be."
Tennis: Venus Williams is back at it, having received a coveted wild-card entry into the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells.
Soccer: Which teams are in the Champions League round of 16, and when is the draw? Here’s a breakdown.

MORNING READ

A person stands on a mountainside looking at a line of lava farther up the mountain.

Lava flowing from a crater on Mount Etna this month. Marco Restivo/Etna walk, via Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

To some tourists, fire, lava and catapulted rocks apparently scream “ideal getaway.” Thousands of visitors are swarming Sicily as Mount Etna erupts. The throngs have congested roads and obstructed rescue crews, prompting warnings from officials for people to stay away.

Not everyone has listened.

Lives lived: Dorothy Chin Brandt, who in 1987 became the first female Asian American judge in New York State, died at 78.

CONVERSATION STARTERS

A collage of various bags and shoes on a black background.

Where the Air Jordan meets Chanel: These are the 25 shoes and bags that have transformed fashion, according to our critics.
America’s superhero: As Anthony Mackie picks up Captain America’s shield, Disney has a chance to do right by him and the next generation of Marvel heroes.
Quick, get off the couch: Therapy is good. These therapists? Not so much.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times .

ARTS AND IDEAS

Side-by-side looping videos show a few frames of gameplay from Metroid, on the left, and Castlevania, on the right.

Metroid, left, and Castlevania.

When a digital maze feels like home

Metroidvanias — video games known for their labyrinthine environments that become more accessible with upgrades — have been delighting (and confounding) players since their creation in the 1980s.

The name for this subgenre is a mash-up of the titles of the games Metroid and Castelevania, which earned devoted fan bases in the mid-80s for the freedom they gave players to explore their arcane worlds. Much of a Metroidvania’s appeal stems from a foundational emotion: feeling lost, until even a lonely labyrinth starts to feel like home.

RECOMMENDATIONS

A white plate with cucumber strips, a neat pile of rice and a piece of chicken with herbs, ginger and garlic.

Christopher Testani for The New York Times

Cook: The joy of Hainan chicken rice is in the sum of its parts.

Train: Are long, slow workouts the key to longevity and better health? We asked the experts.

Pack: Some style-conscious travelers are embracing the timeless romance of the travel satchel.

Play: Spelling Bee, the Mini Crossword, Wordle and Sudoku. Find all our games here.

That’s it for today. See you next week. — Emmett

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