Rubio becomes 2nd Florida senator to endorse Trump over DeSantis
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., endorsed former President Trump on Sunday instead of his state’s governor, Ron DeSantis, for the 2024 presidential election. “When Trump was in WH I achieved major policies I had worked on for years (like expanded Child Tax Credit & tough sanctions on regime in Cuba & Venezuela) because we had a President who didn’t cave to special interests or let bureaucrats block us,” Rubio wrote on X. “I support Trump because that kind of leadership is the ONLY way we will get the extraordinary actions needed to fix the disaster Biden has created,” he added. “It’s time to get on with the work of beating Biden & saving America!” TRUMP PICKS UP MORE SENATE GOP ENDORSEMENTS Rubio had contested against Trump in the 2016 election but withdrew from the race following his defeat in the Florida primary. Last November, Florida Sen. Rick Scott threw his support behind Trump, leading both state senators to favor Trump over DeSantis. During the contentious 2016 race, Trump often referred to Rubio as “Little Marco,” while Rubio referred to Trump as a “con artist” and said his administration would be “chaos.” TRUMP TAKES NO CHANCES AS THE IOWA CAUCUSES APPROACH Just hours before Rubio threw his support behind Trump, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum — who also dropped out of the 2024 race — endorsed the former president as well. Rubio’s endorsement comes as Trump remains the consistent frontrunner in surveys. He joins nearly two dozen GOP senators in endorsing Trump, including Sens. JD Vance of Ohio, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Rick Scott of Florida, Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt of Missouri, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, and others. Iowa caucusgoers will cast their vote for the Republican presidential nominee Monday evening. Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
Wisconsin Republicans would maintain majority in proposed legislative maps, but with reduced dominance
Most of the newly ordered maps redrawing Wisconsin’s political boundaries for the state Legislature would keep Republicans in majority control, but their dominance would be reduced, according to an independent analysis of the plans. Seven sets of new state Senate and Assembly maps were submitted on Friday, the deadline given by the Wisconsin Supreme Court to propose new maps after it ruled three weeks ago that the current ones drawn by Republicans were unconstitutional. The ruling stands to shake up battleground Wisconsin’s political landscape in a presidential election year. WISCONSIN SUPREME COURT TOSSES GOP-DRAWN LEGISLATIVE MAPS, ORDERS NEW VOTING BOUNDARIES Wisconsin is a purple state, with four of the past six presidential elections decided by less than a percentage point. But Democrats have made gains in recent years, winning the governor’s office in 2018 and again in 2022 and taking over majority control of the state Supreme Court, setting the stage for the redistricting ruling. Under legislative maps first enacted by Republicans in 2011, and then again in 2022 with few changes, the GOP has increased its stranglehold over the Legislature, largely blocking major policy initiatives of Gov. Tony Evers and Democratic lawmakers the past five years. Republicans currently hold a 22-11 supermajority in the Senate and a near supermajority of 64-35 in the Assembly. If they can get a supermajority in both chambers, they would be override Evers’ vetoes. He has already issued more vetoes than any governor in Wisconsin history. The Supreme Court, in ordering new maps, said the current legislative boundary lines were not contiguous, resulting in districts that with disconnected pieces of land in violation of the state constitution. The court ordered new maps with contiguous districts, but also said the maps must not favor one party over another. The Dec. 22 ruling set off a furious dash to meet a March 15 deadline set by the state elections commission to have new boundary lines in effect for the state’s August primary. Candidates have to submit nomination papers signed by residents of the district in which they are running by June 1. Following Friday’s map submissions, a pair of consultants hired by the Supreme Court will analyze the proposals and issue a report by Feb. 1. The consultants could choose to ignore all of the maps submitted last week and put forward their own plan. Or, they could adopt maps as submitted, with or without changes. The Supreme Court has said it will enact a map unless the Legislature passes plans that Evers would sign into law, a highly unlikely scenario. Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers, along with Evers, a conservative Wisconsin law firm, a liberal law firm that brought the redistricting lawsuit, a group of mathematics professors and a redistricting consultant submitted new maps on Friday. “We’re a purple state, and our maps should reflect that basic fact,” Evers said in a statement. “I’ve always promised I’d fight for fair maps — not maps that favor one political party or another — and that’s a promise I’m proud to keep with the maps I’m submitting.” Marquette University Law School research fellow John D. Johnson did an analysis of the maps using a statistical model to predict the results of the 2022 state legislative election had they taken place in the newly proposed districts. This year, different Senate seats will be up for election and turnout will be higher because of the presidential election. Still, the analysis shows that the Assembly maps would keep a Republican majority ranging from as low as one seat to as high as the current 29 seat margin. The 50-49 Republican majority map was submitted by Law Forward, the Madison-based law firm representing Democratic voters that brought the lawsuit. The map maintaining the current 64-35 breakdown was proposed by Republican lawmakers. WISCONSIN CONSULTANTS HIRED TO REDRAW GOP-DRAWN LEGISLATIVE MAPS FOLLOWING COURT RULING Republicans only addressed the contiguity issue in their maps, resulting in fewer changed boundary lines than other proposals. In the Senate, five of the seven submitted plans would maintain the Republican majority, according to Johnson’s analysis. It would range from one seat, under plans from Evers and Law Forward, to 13 seats under the Republican map. The maps proposed by Senate Democrats and a redistricting consultant who intervened in the case would give Democrats a narrow majority of either three seats or one seat. Republicans have indicated that they plan an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court arguing due process violations, but it’s not clear when that would occur. Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos has suggested the appeal will argue that liberal Justice Janet Protasiewicz, who called the current maps “rigged” and “unfair” during her run for office, should not have heard the case. Her vote was the deciding one in the ruling that ordered new maps to be drawn.
For a glimpse into ‘Iowa Silver,’ watch these counties first tonight
It’s caucus day in Iowa, and all signs point to a decisive win for Donald Trump. The former president has been a consistent frontrunner in surveys. But even if Trump takes home a first place trophy, the contest will make news. With so few candidates left in the field, the person who comes in second might be the only one with a chance at competing with Trump. IOWA VOTERS PREPARE TO HEAD TO POLLS AMID BITTER COLD AS FIRST GOP CAUCUSES NEAR Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis are the best positioned to take home that silver medal. And given that those candidates are only separated by a few points in recent surveys, we could be in for a long night. So, for an early look into the statewide result, watch the returns from these counties. They will tell us something about the shape of the overall race. Donald Trump has a strong bond with voters across the Hawkeye State, but it’s rural voters who like Trump most. Low income, non-college educated, and/or evangelical voters are also more likely to live in rural areas, and these groups are critical elements of Trump’s base. The good news for Trump is that Iowa is home to dozens of sparsely populated rural zones. 48 of the state’s 99 counties have fewer than 15,000 residents. Collectively, they add up to a powerful voting bloc. Trump will look to run up the margins as much as possible across all 48 of those counties, and beyond. He has the most work to do in deeply rural counties like the ones below, where Trump had some of his lowest vote shares in 2016: (He had similarly low vote shares in the most evangelical rural counties, as we’ll discuss later.) Trump is poised to do much better in these counties than he did eight years ago. The higher the margin, the tougher it will be for both of the leading alternatives, especially DeSantis, to break through. TRUMP, HALEY AND DESANTIS HAVE PLENTY ON THE LINE AS IOWA CAUCUSES KICK OFF THE GOP PRESIDENTIAL RACE Nikki Haley is running a different campaign to Donald Trump’s. Her record and policies, particularly on foreign policy and spending, are more appealing to non-Trump and/or pro-establishment GOP voters. As a result, Haley over-performs with urban and suburban voters. For her to do well on caucus night, she will need to collect as many raw votes as possible in the highest-populated cities. An ideal night for Haley would look similar to Marco Rubio’s performance in 2016. He captured 23% of the overall statewide vote, mostly on the back of strong performances in the urban counties. Here are those counties, along with Rubio’s share: Despite her second place finish in both the Des Moines Register/NBC News and Suffolk surveys this week, Haley also has an enthusiasm problem: a majority of her voters say they are only mildly or less enthusiastic about her. So look for Haley’s vote share and overall turnout in the places where she’s expected to do best. By talking about his record on issues like abortion and transgender surgery, Ron DeSantis has been trying to persuade voters that he is the most socially conservative candidate in the field. His goal is to win over White evangelical voters. They have historically been the driving force behind caucus winners, including Ted Cruz and Rick Santorum. The effort has not been very successful: 51% of evangelicals say Trump is their first choice in the DMR survey. DeSantis is the next best, with 22% of the evangelical vote. That’s six points higher than his overall performance in the state. To see how DeSantis performs with that group on caucus night, watch these four counties in the northwestern corner of the state, all home to a very high percentage of White Christian populations: There are others scattered throughout the state. Watch returns in Shelby County (83%), Pocahontas (83%) and Monroe (82%). To be clear, DeSantis will need to do a lot more than outperform in these counties. They only have small populations; the Florida governor would need to do well with evangelicals statewide for a strong second place finish. But an outperformance for DeSantis tomorrow starts with strong evangelical margins. The northwest will show us whether that strategy is working. Finally, keep an eye on Calhoun County. This rural county near the eastern part of the state is home to just 9,725 people, but its voters closely matched the preferences of the entire state in 2016. In Calhoun, Cruz won 28.6% of the vote. Statewide, he got 27.6%. Trump received 24.4% of the vote in Calhoun, just 0.1 percentage points away from his statewide total of 24.3%. Even Rubio’s share was about the same: 21.7% in Calhoun, 23.1% overall. No other county got this close to the overall result. That could make Calhoun a useful indicator of the statewide result this time around. And with so few people, its results should come in quickly. We’ll know whether Calhoun is still a leading indicator – and how useful all of these counties are to the overall vote – when results start coming in tonight. Fox team coverage continues throughout caucus day. Our reporters are following the campaigns as they make their last-minute pitches to voters. Caucuses convene at 8PM ET (7PM in Iowa). Since these are meetings that begin with speeches from the campaigns, among other formalities, expect to wait before the first results become available. Throughout the evening, stay tuned for exclusive insights from the Fox News Voter Analysis and the Fox News Decision Desk, which will call the race. At 10PM ET, special coverage begins with Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum.
Speaker Johnson demands firing of federal workers reportedly staging pro-Palestinian walkout
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is calling for the firing of federal workers who are reportedly planning to walk out on their jobs in protest of U.S. policy on Israel and Gaza. He suggested the House of Representatives would help ensure that employees who protest on Tuesday are punished. “Any government worker who walks off the job to protest U.S. support for our ally Israel is ignoring their responsibility and abusing the trust of taxpayers. They deserve to be fired,” Johnson stated on X Sunday. “Oversight Chairman Comer and I will be working together to ensure that each federal agency initiates appropriate disciplinary proceedings against any person who walks out on their job.” NETANYAHU CLARIFIES ISRAEL’S WAR GOAL IS NOT ‘PERMANENTLY OCCUPYING GAZA’ OR TO DISPLACE PALESTINIANS Fox News Digital reached out to the House Oversight Committee for further comment. Johnson was responding to a report by Middle East-focused outlet Al-Monitor that said hundreds of federal employees from 22 government agencies pledged to participate in a walkout on Tuesday. The group reportedly staging the protest, Feds United for Peace, is doing so in opposition to the Biden administration’s handling of the war between Israel and Hamas. It’s reportedly advertising the event as a “Day of Mourning” to mark 100 days since Israel’s invasion of Gaza began. WHITE HOUSE STAFF ‘RELOCATED’ AFTER PRO-PALESTINIAN RIOTERS DAMAGE ANTI-SCALE FENCING, HURL OBJECTS AT COPS Fox News Digital found an Instagram account called “Feds United for Peace” advertising a “Day of Mourning” for Gaza on Jan. 16. According to one post, they label themselves “a group of federal employees representing a range of federal agencies who believe it is our patriotic duty and moral imperative to urge our government to support calls for a ceasefire, and support humanitarian aid and access for Gaza.” HAMAS WORKING TO ORCHESTRATE TERROR ATTACKS WORLDWIDE, IDF CLAIMS The issue of Israel has been driving a wedge between establishment Democrats and hardline leftists since Hamas militants invaded the country on Oct. 7, killing more than 1,200 people. The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza has said that more than 24,000 people have been killed so far in Israel’s response. U.S. participation in the conflict escalated last week when it partnered with the U.K. to lead a coalition air attack on Houthi positions in Yemen. Progressives like Reps. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., and Cori Bush, D-Mo., blasted the Biden administration for skirting Congress for the bombings.
PM Modi speaks to Putin, discuss India-Russia strategic partnership, BRICS
In a telephone conversation held today, the two leaders reviewed progress on a number of issues of bilateral cooperation in follow-up to recent high-level exchanges between the two countries.
Haley endorsed by ex-Maryland Gov. Hogan, who won’t run on third-party ticket
Squelching speculation of a third-party presidential run, former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan on Sunday endorsed Nikki Haley for the GOP nomination, saying he feels she “is the strongest chance” for Republicans to win in November. Hogan told CNN’s “State of the Union” he thinks “it’s pretty clear” that former President Donald Trump will win Monday’s Iowa caucuses,” but that Haley “has all of the momentum” to make her a strong nominee. Hogan, one of his party’s fiercest Trump critics, had fueled speculation that he was preparing for his own third-party bid when he stepped down from the leadership of No Labels. A resignation letter dated Dec. 15 offered no criticism of the group, and Hogan declined to comment after the letter was obtained earlier this month by The Associated Press. WATCH: HALEY SUPPORTERS PREDICT OUTCOME OF IOWA CAUCUSES, REVEAL WHO THEY REFUSE TO SUPPORT AS GOP NOMINEE On Sunday, Hogan said he hadn’t meant to stoke rumors that he was planning his own run when he left the group, saying that he was focused on GOP efforts “to nominate the strongest possible Republican we can.” “It kind of created a whole lot of speculation,” Hogan said. “I didn’t mean to do that. My position on No Labels has not changed.” No Labels is seeking ballot access across the country as it lays the groundwork for a possible presidential ticket. The plans have spooked many Democrats and other Trump critics who fear it would siphon votes that would otherwise go to Democratic President Joe Biden and facilitate Trump’s return to the White House. Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis have been locked in a tight battle for second place in Iowa, which holds its leadoff GOP caucus vote on Monday night. The final pre-caucus Des Moines Register/NBC News poll found Trump maintaining a formidable lead in the state, supported by nearly half of likely caucus-goers compared with 20% for Haley and 16% for DeSantis. Hogan suggested a strong second-place finish for Haley would give her momentum heading into next week’s primary in New Hampshire, where he said “it’s possible she could win, which would put her in much better position when she moves into her home state of South Carolina.’’ Some had previously hoped that Hogan would seek the GOP nomination this year himself. But in March, Hogan wrote in an op-ed that he wouldn’t run because he cares “more about ensuring a future for the Republican Party than securing my own future in the Republican Party.” Some Republicans had hoped that Hogan, emerging as the new best hope of a small group of “Never Trump Republicans,” would also challenge Trump in 2020. But a year after Hogan’s reelection in 2018, he said that while he appreciated “all of the encouragement” he had received to run for president, he would not. Hogan told AP he had no interest in a “kamikaze mission.” In the past two presidential elections, Hogan said he did not vote for Trump, the party nominee. Hogan said he wrote in the name of his father, former U.S. Rep. Larry Hogan Sr., in 2016 and the late President Ronald Reagan in 2020.
Alaska opens 2024 session with debate about pay raises, education, and energy
Alaska lawmakers open a new legislative session Tuesday against the backdrop of an election year, with a docket that includes education funding, energy proposals and the ongoing quandary of how big to make the yearly dividend check paid to residents. They’re also beginning the session with a pay raise. Here’s are some things to know: School officials have been pleading for a permanent increase in the K-12 per-student funding allocation. They say inflation has eaten away at their budgets, in some cases forcing program cuts or increased class sizes. They also say they’re struggling to hire teachers and fill other positions. SUPREME COURT REJECTS ALASKA’S ATTEMPTED REVIVAL OF COPPER AND GOLD MINE Lawmakers last year approved a one-time, $175-million boost but Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoed half that sum. Dunleavy, a former educator, did not propose an increase in the funding allocation as part of his budget plan released last month but said education is sure to be a prominent topic this session. He has expressed support for homeschooling and said he wants to replicate successes charter schools have had. He also hopes a bill he introduced last year gets renewed attention. It calls for a three-year program that would pay full-time teachers bonuses as a way to retain them. Tom Klaameyer, president of NEA-Alaska, a teachers’ union, said schools are in “crisis.” He said an increase in school funding and passage of legislation that would allow for pensions for public employees, including teachers, are pressing needs. Nearly 20 years ago, the Legislature voted for the state to stop offering pensions in favor of 401k-style retirement plans in response to multibillion-dollar unfunded pension liabilities. Senate President Gary Stevens, a Republican who leads a bipartisan Senate majority, said it’s time to revisit the pension issue. But he said lawmakers want to be careful in their analysis, to ensure that if they take action it does not lead to unexpected costs. Republican House Speaker Cathy Tilton said members of her caucus are interested in whether changes could be made to the current defined contribution program that would make it more attractive for workers. She also expects a broader conversation around education. For years, legislative leaders have cited the need to end the divisive fights over the size of the yearly check Alaskans receive from the earnings of the state’s nest-egg oil-wealth fund. And year after year, the issue persists. Expectations appear low that this will change during a campaign year, when most legislative seats are up for election. ALASKAN NATIVE AMERICANS UNLEASH ON BIDEN ADMIN’S CLIMATE AGENDA: ‘COMMUNITIES AND CULTURE ARE AT RISK’ The debate dates to 2016, when, amid low oil prices and deficits, then-Gov. Bill Walker vetoed roughly half the amount available for dividends. Before that, the amount of investment earnings allocated to dividends was based on a rolling average of the fund’s performance. Check sizes varied. They were $845.76 in 2005 and $2,072 a decade later, the last year the formula was used. The checks since then have become a political football. In 2018, lawmakers began using Alaska Permanent Fund earnings, long used to pay dividends, as a recurring source of revenue to help pay for government. They have stuck to caps on yearly withdrawals but failed to set a new formula for how the money should be split between dividends and government expenses, igniting fights that have snarled budget negotiations and distracted from other issues. Dunleavy in 2021 proposed a constitutional amendment that was intended to be part of a broader fiscal plan that would dedicate half of what’s withdrawn from the fund to dividends. But it went nowhere. He included in his latest budget proposal a check based on the formula last used in 2015, which is widely seen as unsustainable. Dunleavy successfully ran for governor in 2018 pushing for a dividend in line with the formula but he’s never gotten that through the Legislature. He was reelected to a four-year term in 2022. His budget plan would spend $2.3 billion on dividends of about $3,400 a person and require about $990 million from depleted state savings to balance. Last year’s dividend was $1,312, and Stevens said there will be efforts to pay a “reasonable” dividend this year. The Senate last year passed legislation calling for 75% of annual earnings’ withdrawals to go to government and 25% to dividends and making that a 50/50 split if the state generated at least $1.3 billion in new recurring revenues and hit a savings target. That approach faltered in the Republican-led House. “Are we ever going to solve it?” Stevens said of the yearly debate. “Probably not. It’s always going to be a battle, and when we have a governor that insists on this gigantic dividend in his budget, we’ll always have that battle with the governor.” Dunleavy said he expects discussion of energy issues, including updates to transmission lines in Alaska’s most populous Railbelt region. The natural gas supply relied on by south-central Alaska residents and Dunleavy’s proposal for underground storage of carbon dioxide also could get attention. A salary increase hastily advanced last year by new appointees to the Alaska State Officers Compensation Commission — and accepted by lawmakers — will boost yearly salaries for legislators from $50,400 to $84,000. The governor, lieutenant governor and chief department heads also got raises that took effect July 1. The legislative raises take effect at the start of the session. Half of lawmakers’ pay for January will be at the old rate and half at the new, which will equal about $80,000 this year, said Jessica Geary, executive director of the Legislative Affairs Agency. All lawmakers, except the three who live in Juneau, also are entitled to a daily $307 allowance during session. Regular sessions last up to 121 days. The salary commission has struggled with how to address legislative pay. The per diem lawmakers receive has come under scrutiny, particularly during years with drawn-out special sessions. Lawmakers have complained that without a salary increase, it is hard to attract
Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s elder sister passes away
Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s elder sister died during treatment at a hospital in Mumbai on Monday, a BJP office-bearer said.
Andy Murray contemplates future after first-round exit at Australian Open
Five-time finalist Andy Murray has said there was a “definite possibility” that he has played his final Australian Open tournament after slumping out at the first hurdle. The 36-year-old put up stiff resistance in a 61-minute first set against Argentine Tomas Martin Etcheverry on Monday, but the 30th seed slowly ground him down to win 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 at the year’s first tennis Grand Slam. Murray had a frustrating end to 2023, winning just one match in his last four tournaments, and said previously that unless his form picked up the curtain could be coming down on his career. “Yeah, it’s a definite possibility that will be the last time I play here,” he said. “In comparison to the matches that I played here last year, it’s the complete opposite feeling walking off the court. Wish I involved the crowd more. Just disappointed with the way I played. Tough, tough way to finish.” The British player, who won Wimbledon in 2013 and 2016 and also took the US Open title in 2012, is part of a golden generation coming towards the end of trophy-laden careers. Roger Federer retired in 2022 and Rafael Nadal had an injury-blighted 2023 and is absent from the Australian Open with a muscle tear. At 36, Djokovic is still hoping to add to his record haul of 24 Grand Slam titles before hanging up his racquet. Murray said he had spoken to his family and coaching staff about when he might quit. “They’re very aware of how I feel about things, where I would like to finish playing, when that would be,” he said. “I haven’t made any definite decisions on that. It’s not like it hasn’t been something that’s been on my mind.” He added that the time frame on when he will retire “narrows when you play and have results like today”. “I haven’t gained in belief from today’s match that at some stage I’m going to start playing really well again or winning tournaments or getting to the latter stages of major events.” Whatever it is, it always has and always will be a pleasure @andy_murray ❤️@AustralianOpen | #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/5VwMRhxP1n — ATP Tour (@atptour) January 15, 2024 Meanwhile, two-time finalist Daniil Medvedev and US Open champion Coco Gauff swept into the second round, but Wimbledon winner Marketa Vondrousova was also sent packing. On a baking-hot day at Melbourne Park, men’s seventh seed Stefanos Tsitsipas and women’s sixth seed Ons Jabeur also tasted victory, ahead of Naomi Osaka’s Grand Slam comeback in the evening session. Adblock test (Why?)
Thousands of tractors block Berlin traffic over plans to end diesel subsidy
Farmers gather in German capital to join a giant rally demanding a rethink of the government’s plans to tax them more. Thousands of German farmers, truck drivers and agricultural workers have gathered with tractors and other heavy equipment in front of Berlin’s iconic Brandenburg Gate for another demonstration by farmers angry at the government’s plans to end tax breaks on diesel. Police on Monday estimated that at least 3,000 tractors had already arrived for the protest and an estimated 2,000 more were on the way in a climax to their weeklong protests. The tractors blocked traffic in parts of the city and Berlin’s public transit agency reported major service delays. About 10,000 people had registered for the demonstrations against Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s plans to cut subsidies, but Berlin police expect even more to attend. A total of 1,300 police officers have been deployed to accompany the farmer protests, Berlin police chief Barbara Slowik told city leaders on Monday. German farmers protest against the cut of vehicle tax subsidies [Liesa Johannssen/Reuters] In addition to representatives of the farmers’ association and trade unions, Finance Minister Christian Lindner is also expected to address the protesters. On Sunday evening, police were stopping tractors from entering the demonstration area in the capital’s governmental district. “It can’t take any more,” said a police spokesperson. Over the past week, farmers have blocked highway entrances and slowed down traffic across Germany, dissatisfied with concessions the government has already made. Berlin announced plans to cut subsidies and tax breaks on diesel and agricultural vehicles after a court ruling tore a multibillion-euro hole in the government’s budget, forcing Scholz’s coalition to find savings. The government, which has already partially walked back on the plans, defended the reductions by pointing to increases in farmers’ income in recent years. In the financial year 2022-23, farms made a record profit of 115,400 euros ($126,000) on average, a 45 percent increase on the year before, according to industry figures. On January 4, the government said tax exemption for farming vehicles would be retained and cuts in diesel tax breaks would be staggered over three years. Scholz said in a video message on Saturday that “we took the farmers’ arguments to heart”, adding that he believes the government came up with “a good compromise”. But the farmers, with the vocal backing of the opposition conservatives and far-right parties, say the government’s concessions do not go far enough. “Farmers will die out,” said farmer Karl-Wilhelm Kempner on Sunday as he boarded a bus in Cologne to head to the demonstration. [which agency quoted him?] “The population must understand that far more food will be imported” if subsidies are not restored. Adblock test (Why?)