Beam me up? Bavarian governor eyes top job after Merkel
(WorldNews Germany)

NUREMBERG, Germany (AP) — Markus Soeder is many things: the state governor of Bavaria, a conservative who believes in combating climate change, and a Star Trek fan. The question Germans are asking now is: can the 54-year-old win enough backing across the political spectrum to succeed Angela Merkel as chancellor this fall? Once dismissed as a provincial maverick with a penchant for picking fights and wearing outrageous Carnival costumes, Soeder was catapulted onto the national stage last year when the country’s first coronavirus cases were confirmed in Bavaria. Over the past months he has loyally supported Merkel — whose cool-handed approach to the pandemic has been praised in Germany...