Jessica Parker
Appearances
Global News Podcast
US senators question Robert F Kennedy Jr at heated confirmation hearing
What has happened is that Friedrich Merz, leading the CDU, running right up to an election, has chosen, even though he says he's sort of done it reluctantly, to push through this call for tougher border rules with votes from Alternativa for Deutschland. And he's going to... table actual legislation on Friday.
Global News Podcast
US senators question Robert F Kennedy Jr at heated confirmation hearing
So there's the possibility that he could lean on those votes again to actually try and push through legislation, although the election is so near. I think many people regard that as highly unlikely that it could go through. But I think number one significance is is this. crack in the firewall. He's under a huge amount of criticism for it.
Global News Podcast
US senators question Robert F Kennedy Jr at heated confirmation hearing
The AFD, who consider the firewall as completely undemocratic, are celebrating. They feel they have even more momentum now. They're already polling second in the polls. And I think as well, Friedrich Merz, some people are saying he will have lost trust with possible coalition partners moving forward because he said he won't go into coalition with the AFD. So then you're
Global News Podcast
US senators question Robert F Kennedy Jr at heated confirmation hearing
the Social Democrats, and they are putting big question marks over his name after this move that he has made.
Global News Podcast
Six-day state funeral for Jimmy Carter begins in Georgia
The Chancellor Olaf Scholz told a German magazine he's staying cool about Elon Musk's activities. He added it's the will of citizens that counts, not the erratic statements of a billionaire. Elon Musk has previously described him as a fool and recently penned a controversial opinion piece endorsing Alternativa für Deutschland or the AFD.
Global News Podcast
Six-day state funeral for Jimmy Carter begins in Georgia
The AFD is a far-right party that's even classed as extremist in certain German states by domestic intelligence. Mr. Musk dismissed such allegations and claimed he'd earned the right to speak out on German politics because of his significant investments in the EU's largest economy.
Global News Podcast
Six-day state funeral for Jimmy Carter begins in Georgia
Notably, Mr Musk's electric car-making brand Tesla has a huge factory in the eastern state of Brandenburg, just outside Berlin. Now, this coming week, Mr Musk is expected to hold a live online discussion with the AFD's candidate for Chancellor, Alice Weidel. This all comes just weeks ahead of Germany's snap federal election.
Global News Podcast
Six-day state funeral for Jimmy Carter begins in Georgia
The vote will take place on February the 23rd, following the collapse of Germany's bickering three-way coalition that comprised of Chancellor Scholz's Social Democrats, the Greens and the FDP Liberals. The AFD, despite polling second, has little prospect of taking power because other parties won't work with it, while Olaf Scholz's chances of retaining the chancellery have long looked slim.
Global News Podcast
Six-day state funeral for Jimmy Carter begins in Georgia
Nevertheless, Germany looks set to be the next electoral testing ground for Elon Musk's apparent willingness to wade in to national politics.
Global News Podcast
Hundreds of thousands head home in northern Gaza
I'm actually stood in the Auschwitz-Birkenau site, looking over at a huge tent that has been constructed here. And inside that tent, yes, there will be world leaders. Yes, there will be European royalty as well, including Britain's King Charles III. But they will be the audience, the ones being addressed. and the people who will be addressing them and speaking will be the survivors.
Global News Podcast
Hundreds of thousands head home in northern Gaza
We think around 50 survivors have made it here today. Obviously, those numbers dwindle as each anniversary passes, but they will be the ones speaking, sharing, I don't know, of course, exactly what they're going to say, but sharing their memories, sharing any words of warning they may have, and sharing their thoughts about how important it is to remember what happened here
Global News Podcast
Hundreds of thousands head home in northern Gaza
No, although I think there is always an anxiety and a fear amongst people I've spoken to before who are involved in these kinds of commemorations or the preservation of what happened here, that with time that memories can fade. And I think that's why actually today is regarded as particularly important, the 80th anniversary of
Global News Podcast
Hundreds of thousands head home in northern Gaza
As time goes on, as I say, there will be fewer survivors over the passage of time. So you begin to lose that opportunity to hear directly.
Global News Podcast
Hundreds of thousands head home in northern Gaza
They'll still be, of course, recorded testimonies, but directly face-to-face in moments like this from survivors, whether they are addressing international media and international audiences, essentially, at an event like this one, or whether they're doing something like going into schools in the countries that they live in to tell people about what they went through and educate young people who now have, you know, generations of distance experience
Global News Podcast
Hundreds of thousands head home in northern Gaza
from what happened in Europe. So I think that is partly why today, the 80th anniversary, is getting so much international attention.