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Why Slovakia’s election doesn’t really matter for Europe

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:37 GMT

He’s back — and he’s out for revenge.What may sound like the voice-over for a B-movie trailer is in fact a real-life political drama playing out in Slovakia’s election campaign, where former Prime Minister Robert Fico, who was forced to resign in 2018 amid a popular revolt, has returned to center stage with a vengeance.Fico, the leader of a left-wing populist party known as Smer (or, more officially, Direction–Social Democracy) is narrowly leading the polls with about 20 percent ahead of Sunday’s election, slightly ahead of the liberal Progressive Slovakia. The snap election comes after the collapse of a center-right alliance that took over from Smer in 2020.A former communist who rebranded himself a Social Democrat after the fall of the Iron Curtain, Fico, 59, has set alarm bells ringing in Western capitals in recent months by vowing to halt military support for Ukraine and block the country’s path into NATO. He’s even parroted Russian President Vladimir Putin’s talking points, bla...

Can Europe survive Trump 2.0?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:37 GMT

The Continent could face a US president who toyed with quitting NATO and pledged to strike a ‘peace deal’ with Russia.By NICHOLAS VINOCURand CHRISTOPHER PILTZIllustration by Jonathan Bartlett for POLITICOHERE’S SOMETHING THE EUROPEAN MIND can’t fully comprehend: Come November 2024, Donald Trump may be headed back into the White House.It’s a nightmare scenario for Europeans who bore the brunt of the former U.S. president’s antagonism during his four years in office and hoped to never have to think about him again.The fact that his successor, Joe Biden, turned out to be one of the most Europe-friendly U.S. presidents in living memory helped to wash away the bad feelings of the Trump years, making it all feel like a bad dream. Did Trump really toy with the idea of pulling out of NATO? Maybe. Did he really call the European Union a “foe” and Brussels, the seat of the bloc’s institutions, a “hellhole”? Probably. What matters is that he’s gone.But as Biden enters t...

Time for the UN to recognize Taiwan’s voice

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:37 GMT

Jonas Parello-Plesner is the executive director of the Alliance of Democracies Foundation.Despite mounting fears about a clash between Taiwanese and Chinese forces, few dared mention Taiwan during the U.N. General Assembly in New York.The People’s Republic of China (PRC) has used its economic clout and its position as a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council to silence any discussion of Taiwan’s status in the intergovernmental organization. And it also blocks any contact between the government in Taipei and the U.N.’s agencies.This leaves 23 million Taiwanese citizens without a voice in the world’s leading international institution, meaning the U.N. is shunning its own commitment to the “self-determination of peoples.”Beijing, of course, points to Resolution 2758 as the ostensible reason to overlook Taiwan. Passed in 1971, the resolution recognized the PRC as “the only legitimate representative of China to the United Nations” and removed “the representatives of Chiang Kai-she...

Lachlan Murdoch could reunite Fox and Trump, biographer says

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:37 GMT

Lachlan Murdoch, the newly appointed heir to Rupert Murdoch’s media empire, might try to salvage Donald Trump’s relationship with Fox News, according to the media mogul’s biographer.Since Rupert Murdoch announced his plan to resign, ending his decades-long reign atop the family business, there has been much speculation on what’s in store for Fox and News Corp.Among that, one burning question: Will Trump — once beloved by right-wing Fox News and later jilted in favor of Republican opponent Ron DeSantis — make a comeback as the network’s darling?Michael Wolff, author of upcoming book “The Fall: The End of Fox News and the Murdoch Dynasty” and longtime Murdoch watcher, said a Trump reconciliation is a distinct possibility for Rupert’s son Lachlan.“I think he could do that. Absolutely,” Wolff told POLITICO’s new global podcast Power Play. “Why not? It’s a humiliation. I would not want to have to go and sit down for a cup of tea with my father, Rupert M...

Rupert Murdoch’s UK papers could back Labour, biographer Michael Wolff predicts

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:37 GMT

LONDON — Some of Rupert Murdoch’s U.K. media titles could switch their allegiance to the opposition Labour Party ahead of the next election, the mogul’s biographer predicted.Speaking to POLITICO’s Anne McElvoy in her new Power Play podcast, Michael Wolff — longtime Murdoch observer and author of “The Fall: The End of the Murdoch Empire” which publishes this week — discussed the impending exit of the Australian media boss from the chairmanship of Fox Corp. and News Corp.And he pointed out that some of Murdoch’s U.K.-based titles — which have traditionally favored the Conservatives — could make the leap and endorse Labour if its leader Keir Starmer continues to lead in the polls.“He’s done it before. Could he do it now? For sure,” Wolff said when asked if Murdoch could back Labour. “I think the voice of his daughter in London is an important voice,” Wolff added, referring to Elisabeth Murdoch, who is based-in the U.K. “And I think that if he saw a Labour government...

Boston police officer hurt trying to stop runaway car after crash in Allston

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:37 GMT

A police officer was hurt in a crash in Allston Wednesday, officials said.The Boston police officer was transported to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries after responding to a two-vehicle crash in the area of North Harvard and Cambridge Streets around 3:30 p.m. After the first crash, both drivers got out of their vehicles to exchange information, and police said the Red Subaru slipped into gear. The officer who was on the scene tried to get in the car to stop from rolling toward a busy intersection, but he was dragged until the car crashed into a nearby pole at a Shell gas station.North Harvard Street was closed for several hours while officials investigated but is reopened as of 6 p.m.

Striking actors and Hollywood studios to restart talks days after writers announce a new tentative labor contract

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:37 GMT

(CNN) — Striking actors and the Hollywood studios will resume negotiations on a new labor contract on Monday, SAG-AFTRA, the actors’ union, said Wednesday.Several executives from the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers member companies will be attending the meetings, the union said.The development comes a day after leaders of the Writers Guild of America voted to authorize its members to return to work following the tentative agreement reached Sunday between union negotiators and Hollywood’s studios and streaming services, effectively ending the months-long strike that has paralyzed the industry.After Tuesday’s WGA development, a SAG-AFTRA spokesperson said in a statement regarding its own negotiations that the union is “reviewing the WGA’s tentative agreement and are committed to achieving a fair and just deal for our members.”“We remain on strike in our TV/Theatrical/Streaming contract and will inform our members when there is negotiations news to sh...

Orioles drop AL East magic number to 1 as Adley Rutschman, Grayson Rodriguez lead 5-1 win over Nationals

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:37 GMT

For much of the Orioles’ rebuild, standing at the light at the end of the tunnel were Adley Rutschman and Grayson Rodriguez.The two former top prospects — the former a generational catcher, the latter a fireballer — headlined a farm system that was expected to end the dark days of 100-loss seasons and lead the next great Orioles team.They’ve helped do just that, and Wednesday night’s 5-1 win over the Washington Nationals at Camden Yards was the latest example.Rutschman hit a two-run homer in the third and Rodriguez pitched 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball to lead the Orioles to their fourth straight win, lowering the club’s magic number to win the American League East title to one.“It’s pretty special,” Rodriguez said about leading the Orioles to a key victory alongside Rutschman. “But it’s not just Adley. It’s DL [Hall] and it’s Gunnar [Henderson] and it’s [Jordan] Westburg and it’...

Chicago Cubs lose another vital game to the comeback Atlanta Braves, this time 6-5 in 10 innings

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:37 GMT

The Chicago Cubs again found themselves holding a lead late against the Atlanta Braves.And again they were on the wrong end of a vital game Wednesday at Truist Park, losing 6-5 in 10 innings after twice failing to maintain a one-run lead in the ninth and 10th innings.Marcell Ozuna slugged the tying solo home run off right-hander Mark Leiter Jr. with one out in the ninth in the right-handed reliever’s first appearance in a week. José Cuas cleaned up the traffic in relief of Leiter, retiring both Braves batters to strand the winning run in scoring position. The Cubs reclaimed the lead in the 10th on Ian Happ’s sacrifice fly, but their one-run lead didn’t hold. Ronald Acuña Jr. tied it with an RBI single, swiped second base for his 70th stolen base of the year, and scored on Ozzie Albies’ single off Daniel Palencia.The Cubs (82-76) now turn to Marcus Stroman in Thursday’s series final to prevent a sweep.Since his move to the bullpen in mid-A...

Column: Chicago Cubs hope to rebound from Seiya Suzuki’s gaffe with time running out in the wild-card race

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:37 GMT

It was merely a coincidence the song “Loser” played over the speakers in the visitors clubhouse at Truist Park on Wednesday afternoon, a day after the Chicago Cubs’ heartbreaking loss to the Atlanta Braves.Someone just liked the catchy ′90s song and put it on the playlist.The Cubs had no choice but to pick up the pieces from a game lost Tuesday night after Seiya Suzuki’s gaffe in right field, a moment that conjured up one of the greatest examples of the so-called Cubs curse — Brant Brown’s dropped fly ball during the final days of the 1998 wild-card chase.But they fell apart at the seams for a second straight night, blowing leads in the eighth, ninth and 10th innings in a heartbreaking 6-5, 10-inning loss. Ozzie Albies’ run-scoring single off Daniel Palencia was the fatal blow. Cubs President Jed Hoyer pointed out before the game there was no curse in Boston or with the Cubs, and he was under the impression fans had moved past ...