Virus collides with politics as German election year startsBERLIN (AP) — The coronavirus pandemic is colliding with politics as Germany embarks on its vaccination drive and one of the most unpredictable election years in the country’s post-World War II history.

After months of relatively harmonious pandemic management, fingers are being pointed as the center-left junior partner in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s coalition government takes aim at what it says has been a chaotic start to vaccinating the population.

The discord is likely a sign of the times to come. An electoral marathon in Germany starts in mid-March, when two of six state elections scheduled this year will be held, and culminates on Sept. 26, when voters choose a new national parliament. Germany’s choices will help set the tone for Europe in the coming years.

Merkel, who has led Germany since 2005, plans to step down at the September election. It’s the first election since post-war West Germany’s inaugural vote in 1949 in which there is no incumbent chancellor seeking another term.

Surveys have shown high approval ratings for the 66-year-old Merkel during the pandemic. She has taken a science-led, safety-first approach that has helped her center-right party into a strong poll lead, although Germany has struggled since the fall to get the coronavirus under control.

“We can be glad in Germany and Europe to have such an experienced chancellor as Angela Merkel in this pandemic,” Health Minister Jens Spahn said Wednesday.

https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/world/virus-collides-with-politics-as-german-election-year-starts/

Donald Trump tried tweeting using the official @POTUS account after his personal account was permanently banned by Twitter, but his new tweets were immediately deleted by the social media company.

Just hours after Twitter permanently suspended his @realDonaldTrump account, Trump sent out three tweets Friday from the @POTUS account, a government handle reserved for the sitting president. In the posts, which were quickly taken down by Twitter, he claimed he was being "silenced" as he lashed out at the social media platform, Democrats, the "radical left" and Section 230, a law that gives companies the right to police content on their websites as they see fit.

"As we've said, using another account to try to evade a suspension is against our rules," a Twitter spokesperson told People. "We have taken steps to enforce this with regard to recent Tweets from the @POTUS account. For government accounts, such as @POTUS and @WhiteHouse, we will not suspend those accounts permanently but will take action to limit their use."

https://www.ibtimes.com/donald-trump-tweets-potus-account-after-twitters-suspension-claims-he-was-being-3117888

And again the media is also calling him Mr. Trump and Donald Trump

It’s President of the United States

American idle:New Hampshire House holds drive-in session

DURHAM, N.H. – The usual shoulder-to-shoulder was more like bumper-to-bumper for the New Hampshire House of Representatives on Wednesdayas one of the world's largest legislative bodies convened from the socially distant confines of their cars instead of the Statehouse.

The start of the legislative session was delayed by over an hour as cars lined up to get into the lot at the University of New Hampshire where the session was being held.

Legislators were greeted by a handful ofprotesters who felt the session has failed to reasonably accommodate members with disabilities. One sign read that drive-ins are for movies and making out, “NOT for the NH State Legislature!”

Rep. John Potucek, R-Derry, said he got there before 8 a.m.

“It’s uncomfortable and it’s unique," he said. “It’s history."

“When everybody gets their vaccinations and we go back to the House, we’ll go back to business as usual, and this will be a point of New Hampshire history which will never be repeated," he said. "Hey, this is ‘Live Free or Die.' We are here to do the business we were elected to do.”

Minority leader Renny Cushing, D-Hampton, said he was stuck in traffic for nearly an hour. “It kind of reminded me of going to a Patriots football game," he said.

“Rather than meet in a manner that is safe, convenient and protects public health, they’ve gone through this elaborate scheme that forces people out of their homes,” he said. “It’s just absurd.”

As business got underway, House Clerk Paul Smith advised, “If you’re having trouble with voting, please put on your hazard lights.” Some lawmakers also honked their horns to get the staff’s attention.

The 24-member Senate also convened Wednesday, but in a fully remote session. House Democrats had pushed for the same, but acting Speaker Sherm Packard, R-Londonderry, said that wasn't possible because the House hadn't adopted rules to allow remote sessions. He also has said doing so would cost $300,000 to set up a secure voting system.

Instead, the 400 House lawmakers parked in alternating spots in staggered rows facing a large movie screen in Durham.

The House clerk and speaker will conduct the session from a heated platform, while members watch and listen via the screen or through their car radios. Microphones will be brought to their windows for questions and debate, and voting will conducted via electronic devices similar to those used during the indoor arena session.

Since the coronavirus pandemic began, the House has met indoors in an ice arena and outside on an athletic field at UNH.

But after House Speaker Dick Hinch, R-Merrimack, died of COVID-19 a week after being sworn in during the Dec. 2 outdoor gathering, Republican House leaders scheduled a drive-in movie style session to elect his replacement and adopt rules for the next two years.

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/park-vote-hampshire-house-holds-drive-session-75081485

Bless anons, Q & Q+

G’night.

WWG1WGA