22/2019 • 26 JANUARY, 2019 WEEKEND ISSUE
DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH
ʼDonʼt bet against Nancy Pelosi,ʼ former top aide warns Donald Trump It may not be his last loss, predict people who know her
Nancy Pelosi won round one in what is widely seen as the quintessential political showdown after Donald Trump conceded to postponing the State of the Union.
Autobahn speed limit ʼcould save lives,ʼ
German police evacuate train in Frankfurt
Proposals to impose speed limits on Germanyʼs highways have divided the country. But the German police union believes itʼs time to hit the brakes because the situation "is crazy." The deputy leader of the German Police Officersʼ Union, Michael Mertens, on Friday backed proposals to impose a general speed limit on Germanyʼs famed Autobahnin an interview with the Süddeutsche Zeitung daily. Recent proposals by a government commission on the future of mobility to impose restrictions triggered a heated debate across the country.
A bomb threat against a Deutsche Bahn Intercity-Express (ICE) train prompted an evacuation and the temporary closure of a train station in the German financial capital of Frankfurt on Friday. Federal police in the city of Koblenz reported the threat on Twitter, writing that 500 passengers on the high-speed train had been removed safely at the Frankfurt Süd (Frankfurt South) train station and that they were uninjured. After searching the train, German police gave the all-clear and the passengers were able to re-board the train and continue their journey.
"I learned a long time ago not to bet against Nancy Pelosi," John Lawrence told DW in a recent interview when asked to size up the coming clash between President Donald Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, which many observers think will shape the political landscape in the US over the next two years. Lawrence should know. He worked for almost four decades as a senior Congressional staffer on Capitol Hill, the last eight years as chief of staff to Nancy Pelosi. And while Pelosi, who is 78, and Trump, who is 72, are peers, they are separated by a gulf of political experience. "She has a vastly better sense of the political system than Mr. Trump," said Lawrence, who worked as Pelosiʼs top aide from 2005 to 2011. "I think Mr. Trump — I have not worked with him — but those of us who follow politics pretty closely see in Mr. Trump somebody who fundamentally misunderstands the allocation of power in the American political system." Despite not having won the popular vote in the presidential election, added Lawrence, Trump appears to believe that he was "anointed to have much greater power than presidents have in the modern American government." Historic figure Trumpʼs apparent belief in what has been called an imperial presidency first clashed with the new political reality of a divided government when the house speaker effectively postponed the presidentʼs traditional State
of the Union address before Congress until the government shutdown is over. After initially vowing to give his address at a different location, Trump quickly backed down and accepted Pelosiʼs postponement. While the showdown between Trump and Pelosi — who as Speaker of the House of Representatives is second in line for the presidency after the vice president — over the largely ceremonial State of the Union address has little practical consequences, it delivered a clear message to Trump that Pelosi is keenly aware of her constitutional powers and is not afraid to use them vis-a-vis the president. "She is speaker of the House — a constitutional officer with authority independent of the president to control access to the Capitol," said Thomas Mann, who studies Congress for the Brookings Institution. He described Pelosi as a professional colleague he has known for 25 years. "She is smart, politically savvy and tough, and she leads a united party." Pelosi made history when she became the first female speaker of the House of Representatives in 2007, and again this year when she became the first speaker in more than 50 years to reclaim the position after losing it. While it may seem that Pelosiʼs political path was predetermined, particularly because she hails from a political family in Baltimore where both her father and her brother served as mayor, her political rise was unorthodox.
Trump ally Roger Stone arrested for lying to Russia probe
Greece approves Macedonia name change
The FBI on Friday arrested Roger Stone, a political strategist and longtime ally of President Donald Trump, in Florida. He was charged with seven counts, including obstruction of an official proceeding and witness tampering, tied to a federal probe. Special Counsel Robert Mueller is investigating Russian collusion with Trumpʼs presidential campaign. Authorities have already arrested several Trump allies in connection to the probe, including his former lawyer, Michael Cohen.
Greeceʼs parliament voted on Friday in favor of a deal to enda diplomatic dispute with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM)that has plagued relations for nearly 30 years. The Greek government had been underimmense public pressure to back down from the agreement, which will allow its neighbor tochange its namefrom the FYROM to the Republic of North Macedonia. The vote tally: 153 in favor146 against Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who hammered out the deal with his Macedonian counterpart last year, hailed the ratification as a "historic day."