Murder Story Unfolding

 Police were called to a house in  the Allgau region (far south, Baden-Wurttembeerg state)...Steinheim is the village.

Two bodies found....older German couple (early 60s).

This was late on Wed night.  So by Thursday AM....suspect picked up...45-year old Iraqi guy.

Motive at this point?  Zero.

Problem?  Well....on 8 March....there's set to be a state election.  Up to this point...AfD was set for a 3rd place win (20-percent in polling in past week).  Greens set for 21-percent, and CDU likely to win with 29-percent.

Over the next two weeks....a shift?  It's possible that some voters who were non-AfD-types....will pause over this,  and vote AfD.  I'm not talking about a major shift...but I might go to suggest a 3-point  upward tick for AfD, and both CDU and Greens losing  a point each (probably same story for SPD). 

You could have a scenario where the CDU still wins (say with 27-percent) and their intended partner in the coalition....the Greens...get 19-percent)....meaning it's not enough to reach 50-plus percent. 

This means a 3-party coalition (likely CDU-Greens-FDP or CDU-Greens-SPD).  It's not the end of the world, but it weakens the CDU brand.

20 Feb 2026: Germany: 3 Stories

 1.  Three observations over nightly public TV news (ARD/ZDF) here in  Germany;

-The 7 PM and 8 PM news....have a 'reader'....who simply presents what was already packaged for them by the 'chief', the 'bureau-chiefs' and junior journalists.  They have good speaking habits and superior pronunciation. If you have a problem with the quality of the news....the 'reader' is the last person on the list to get peeved about.

- At least once a month, I'll notice in the middle of some news-package....music (usually sinister/evil tunes).  At that point....I know it's not a ARD or ZDF creation....some foundation or lecture-group built it. It's built like propaganda....but I doubt that the ARD/ZDF news crew even realize what they accepted.   

- I hate to suggest it....but I'll predict within five years....the news-reader for  public-TV here....probably will be AI.   

2. DB (railway folks) Cargo....will dismiss 6,000 workers over the next year.  Order?  They have to reach a level of profitability.

3.  Some rumor starting up....ECB (European Central Bank) 'boss' (Lagarde) might be stepping down. Some additional rumor that Germany is trying to arrange a prime candidate to be the replacement. 

Did Chancellor Merz Say Germany Needs More Migrants?

 NO.  What he said was....the country needs more migrants, emphasizing the need for those who come to work and integrate into the labor market....NOT to live off social benefits. 

I've read various commentaries....but he was pretty clear....this was a broader discussion on migration policy, where he highlighted the importance of distinguishing between legal, work-oriented immigration and the other 'opposite-type'.

I'll just say it....there's a lot of BS these days, and you need to pay attention to the whole speech.

Press Freedom Story

 I noted this story a week ago....pausing over it,  and analyzing.....the2025 World Press Freedom Index (RSF) assigned the USA to position 57 (out off 180 countries).

I pondered over this....there's seven problems.

First, the business plan that most newspapers had in the1960s/1970s....has failed. Somewhere in the 1980s....folks stopped reading a daily paper.

Second, the 1990s solution of bundling up dozens of newspapers....selling them off, and having one real producer of 'text'....gave folks more reason to end reading. Folks wanted local stories or state stories....not so much national politics.

Third, as local TV stations took over public attention.....these stations also got bundled up, and their news content (for locals) became less, and less.

Fourth, no one hindered ABC, NBC, CBS, PBS, MSNBC, or CNN....they all continued their 'slant' on news, and fewer people seemed to watch.

Fifth....basically the same story for WaPo and NY Times.

Sixth, podcasts caught on.

Press freedom?  You can print anything you desire....but if folks won't read it, or pay for it....what good is it?

Cleaning Things Up Story

 The city of Heilbronn has implemented new city code to improve things.

First....spitting is punishable by a 70-Euro fine. 

Second....finishing up and throwing a cigarette on the ground? 70-Euro fine.

Third.....leaving dog feces behind....140-Euro fine.

Fourth....urinating in public....140-Euro (with a 28-Euro processing fee).

How many folks fined for 2025?  Around 138 total.

What Would Happen If German Public TV Adapted The Swiss Rule....List Nationalities of 'Bad-Boys'?

 The Swiss national TV folks went to a new policy...if there's a assault or crime, and police have custody of the identified person....they can list the guy's nationality/ethnic group.

Yeah, it's likely to change public perception in  Switzerland.....rather quickly.  I would imagine within two years....a majority of Swiss will ask for legislation to change things. 

ARD or ZDF (German public TV) to head in this direction?  No.  They would have to be ordered to do this, and fight the order tooth-and-nail.

Most all highly urbanized metropolitan cities in Germany....will say they have a bigger problem today...than 25 years ago.  Blame?  It tends to go toward drugs, and criminal clans/gangs.   The gangs/clans being ethnic German?  Well....no (it's just awful rare).  Most relate to Serbian, Lebanese, Albanian, Turkish, Russian, Polish, Syrian, Chechen, Italian, and Vietnamese (oddly, strictly smokes smuggling).

If this were forced?  You might see a voting trend....where it was determined that public safety to be a bigger issue than the economy.  

What's The Real Threat Of AfD In Germany?

 So....after all the political commentary and accusations....there is one fundamental issue.

Once AfD gets up around 30-percent of the vote (federal election)....they CAN'T form a coalition (yes, wake-up and simply grasp this reality).

So the number two winner (the CDU-CSU)...with around 22-to-24 percent....gets the nod.   

They (the CDU-CSU) have to go and talk to the SPD and Greens (figure both combined will have just around 22-percent).  This 'deal' chatter?  You have to get to the bottom line of CDU-CSU 'promises' and figure 60-to-70 percent cut/gone. Then you have to sit at a  table where both the SPD and Greens lay out all kinds of stuff that conservatives can't stand. Then you go to the CDU-CSU membership and just say 'suck-it-up' and just accept it.

Then you go through four miserable years where half of the CDU-CSU voters are shaking their heads....hating every single week,  and edging closer and closer to voting AfD next time around (getting closer to that 50-percent level).

This is the Godzilla-like fear that exists with the AfD. It's not 2029 that worries folks....it's the 2033 (or earlier if the coalition fails) election that worries folks.

19 Feb 2026: Germany: 10 Stories

 1.  US State Department is apparently building an online portal called freedom .gov to let people in Europe and beyond access content banned by local governments.

Yeah, it's like a 1960s version of Radio-Free-Europe....for the internet.  

And yes, it makes some countries appear almost Soviet-like (in a comical way)..

2. Copenhagen is apparently now re-examining nuclear energy....to rebuild some type of grid stability reserve.

Now....if you were in this Danish discussion....would you build to 100-perecent, or to 200-percent....to sell grid-power to the Germans (at a hefty rate)?  

3.  Non-German patient (38-year old Algerian) at the Bedburg mental facility (fenced-in/controlled)....threatened staff with a box-cutter/utility knife  (don't ask how he got it). Staff fled into a safe room. Federal SEK unit sent to re-establish order.....guy taken prisoner.

4.  Kinda funny.....Thuringian Minister-President Mario Voigt (CDU Party)...got caught up in a minor scandal.

Being Minister-President....he sits on the MDR (public TV network for the region) Broadcasting Council.  He gets about 800 Euro a month as expense allowance (food/beverages and probably one night a month for hotel costs).

Well....someone asked about attending meetings....he hasn't attended a single one of the twelve meetings since March 2024. 

5.  Someone pointed  out yesterday....three hotel chains in Germany have gone bankrupt in the past 15 months: Lindner, Achat, Revo. 

Occupancy in general....across Germany....down.   As much as we talk about recovery after Covid....it's a marginal recovery.

6. I noticed a humor piece off social media yesterday...."They fall for every AI scam", German teens demand social media ban for people over 40.

As funny as it sounds....if you engaged with a few German teens (say ages 15/16)....they'd be pretty cynical/sarcastic over where things in the past year or two have gone (they aren't that stupid).

7. I probably wasted 90 minutes over the past two days analyzing the ZDF (public TV) scandal over the US ICE operation and  the AI-chatter.

So....ZDF has spoken up to an admission of errors in a report about ICE operations.

Primary screw-up?  The ZDF folks used AI-generated images without proper attribution. 

But as you look at the footage....it's archive stuff....(probably 3-to-4 years, from the Biden era)....then built into a ZDF package....the context of current deportation measures.

Yeah, it's stupid stuff you'd do as a first-year college student.

A few months ago....I sat and watched a 1979 ARD news piece (15-minutes, prime-time news).  Ninety-percent was written/read material....without much video. Today?  They seem to be pressured....associate video to the spoken word.

8. Crazy talk....car brands Vauxhall, Citroen, Fiat and Peugeot say they will 'resurrect' the availability of diesel engines.  

German guys almost weeping (gleefully).....diesel engines can't be terminated.

9. Italy's former President Francesco Cossiga....gave a talk yesterday.  He told Italy's Corriere della Sera (newspaper)....that the 9-11 attacks "were run by the CIA and Mossad and that this was common knowledge amongst global intelligence agencies."

I would imagine if you went around the EU....75-percent of politicians now believe this.  

10.  MDR (public TV) did a piece over Gen-Z Germans.  The Gen-Z crowd feels politically underrepresented, and see themselves as disadvantaged.  Future? Crappy.

A majority seem to have little interest in politics.