Rob Schmitz
Stories
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Europe
Day by day, Europeans pile consequences on Russia for invading Ukraine
Germany announced a large increase in its defense funding and signaled it will be sending arms to Ukraine. The European Union announced all Russian aircraft will be blocked from EU airspace.
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Politics
What Germany, France and Britain are doing to deter a Russian invasion of Ukraine
NPR correspondents in Berlin, Paris and London talk about escalating tensions between Russia and the West over Ukraine.
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Politics
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visits President Biden at the White House
Chancellor Olaf Scholz's visit Monday comes amid criticism of Germany for its handling of Russia's troop build-up along Ukraine's border.
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World
Berlin voted for the city to seize apartments owned by developers to lower rent costs
Voters in Berlin, Germany, want the city to expropriate hundreds of thousands of apartments to stop speculation by big property developers — but it's too costly and probably illegal.
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How chaos at the U.S.-Mexico border fits into the international picture of migration
As the U.S. struggles to cope with a surge of immigration at its southern border, the European Union is faced with its own crisis — the weaponization of migration by Belarus.
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World
Poland is trying to curb an influx of migrants being assisted by Belarus
Poland is sending more troops to its border with Belarus. Thousands of migrants are trying to cross the frontier there, apparently at the instigation of the Belarusian regime.
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Health
The WHO says COVID cases in Europe have risen steadily over the past 5 weeks
Record numbers of COVID-19 deaths in Russia are being blamed on low vaccination rates. At the same time in Germany, which has a high vaccination rate, breakthrough infection rates are rising.
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Politics
German Voters Hit The Polls For Election That Will Determine Merkel's Replacement
Although about a third of Germans vote by mail, millions of voters go to polling places today to choose a new government, and a successor to Angela Merkel, who is stepping down as Chancellor.
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Europe
Germans Can't Agree On Who Should Lead After Angela Merkel
As Germans prepare to vote in a general election, the country appears unsure about who would be the best sucessor to Angela Merkel, who is stepping down as chancellor after 16 years in power.
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National
The U.S. Air Base At The Heart Of America's Biggest Airlift
Here's what it's like at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, where many of the tens of thousands of Afghans evacuated from Kabul over the past few weeks are awaiting travel to the United States.