Rob Schmitz

Surf's down! Munich, until now an inland surfing hotspot, has lost its biggest wave Munich's famous river wave, the Eisbachwelle, vanished after a dredging in early November. Authorities are working to resurrect the beloved wave but impatient surfers have also tried their own methods.

Munich's famous river wave, the Eisbachwelle, vanished after a dredging in early November. Authorities are working to resurrect the beloved wave but impatient surfers have also tried their own methods. n.pr/43ETW6N

My latest w/NPR's Anas Baba on Gaza's unexploded ordnance and the plans to remove what is believed to be tens of thousands of unexploded bombs from the strip. www.instagram.com/reel/DQputzC...

What is it like to judge a literary competition? A Booker judge weighs in Chris Power has read more than 150 novels in seven months as one of the judges for this year's Booker prize.

Your assignment: 153 books. 7 months. And you thought your book club was intense. This is what awaits the judges for the Booker Prize, which will be awarded on Nov 10. On @npr.org's and @wbur.org's Here & Now I spoke to a judge about how he does it: www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2...

Copenhagen is adapting to a warmer world with rain tunnels and 'sponge parks' Copenhagen is expected to receive 30% more rainfall by the end of the century. The city is responding with a massive long-term adaptation plan.

Copenhagen is expected to receive 30% more rainfall by the end of the century. The city is responding with a massive long-term adaptation plan.

My wonderful German colleague @alisaschllnbrg.bsky.social interviewed me about how I saw Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s visit with President Trump. Here’s our conversation:

Friedrich Merz in den USA: "Der Englisch sprechende Merz scheint anders" Beim Auftritt im Oval Office wirkte Friedrich Merz wie ausgewechselt. Das hat auch mit der Sprache zu tun, sagt Rob Schmitz, Korrespondent des US-Senders NPR.

Friedrich Merz war in Washington, und ich durfte ein schönes Kollegengespräch mit NPR-Korri @robschmitz.bsky.social führen.

www.zeit.de/kultur/2025-...

Friedrich Merz in den USA: "Der Englisch sprechende Merz scheint anders" Beim Auftritt im Oval Office wirkte Friedrich Merz wie ausgewechselt. Das hat auch mit der Sprache zu tun, sagt Rob Schmitz, Korrespondent des US-Senders NPR.

„Merz' Englisch ist fantastisch. Es ist wirklich gut.“
NPR-Korrespondent Rob Schmitz im Interview über Merz‘ Englisch, die Begegnung mit Trump und den Faktor Six Foot Five.

Von Alisa Schellenberg

www.zeit.de/kultur/2025-...
@alisaschllnbrg.bsky.social
@robschmitz.bsky.social

How to dismantle democracy: Lessons aspiring autocrats may take from Hungary's Orban The dismantling of Hungary's democracy is a point of fascination for political scientists around the world — including those advising the Trump administration.

Stacking the judiciary w/loyalists. Targeting universities & News orgs. Purging the government. Eliminating the "woke" agenda. Our @npr.org story on Viktor Orban's track record in Hungary & who it's inspired. "Trump went further in two months than Orban could in 15 years" www.npr.org/2025/04/20/n...

Never give up - one Gaza boy's story of trying to survive in Gaza Podcast Episode · Consider This from NPR · 03/16/2025 · 14m

A year ago, NPR Gaza Producer Anas Baba and I profiled Nimer, an 11-year old boy shot five times by the Israeli military, suffering greatly from his wounds. A year later, Anas set out to find Nimer to see if he survived. He did. And here’s our update: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/c...

"There's nothing that the United States could want in Greenland that they couldn't get just by talking to us normally without threats of annexation" -Ramus Jarlov, member of the Danish Parliament, in my @npr.org story on how the Danes are handling Trump's Greenland envy: www.npr.org/2025/02/10/n...

A professor of Chinese studies asked China's AI-bot Deepseek some questions about what happened at Tiananmen Square on 4 June 1989, and here's the result:

What, traditionally, were performing robots are now replaced by performing robots.

We need more lowest-level talks to repair this relationship.

"We are like the dreamer who dreams, and then lives in the dream. But who is the dreamer?"

Thank you, David Lynch, for being you and for sharing your fascination of life and beyond with us.

Berlin, now, sundown.

Incredible byline, incredible dateline, incredible story. Great to see Evan’s work again in the WSJ

www.wsj.com/world/russia...

Some Syrian refugees in Berlin ponder returning post-Assad, others call Germany home Germany hosts almost a million Syrians who fled war and dictatorship.

There are nearly a million Syrians living in Germany, the largest diaspora outside the Middle East. Our story about how they’re grappling with the fall of the Assad regime:

Syrian refugees in Germany ponder returning after Assad ouster

www.npr.org/2024/12/12/n...

Former US ambassador to Germany Ric Grenell reportedly paid influencers to promote him on social media to become the incoming Trump administration's Secretary of State, per @politico.com. The effort failed.

Thanks, Mason!

Martyn Stewart has spent his life collecting the sounds of nature. Now that audio has been paired with the sweeping music of Robert Shields, aka ONR, on their new album "Imperfect Cadence". Please listen to the result - it's magical: www.npr.org/2024/11/27/n...

Chef Jose Andres discusses his mission to feed the hungry in times of disaster Chef Jose Andres talks about his work around the world as founder of World Central Kitchen, and how he spends Thanksgiving.

My conversation with World Central Kitchen founder, chef Jose Andres, on the spirit of Thanksgiving and his org's mission to feed the hungry in these turbulent times: www.npr.org/2024/11/26/n...

If you grew up listening to the Pixies & the Breeders, you must listen to my convo on @npr.org w/the great Kim Deal, who discusses her first -yes, first! - solo album "Nobody Loves You More," which is, unsurprisingly, sublime: www.npr.org/2024/11/25/n...

The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant. I talk to @steveinskeep.bsky.social about what this means: www.npr.org/2024/11/21/n...

Two undersea data cables damaged in the Baltic Sea Germany's defense minister said damage to two data cables in the Baltic Sea appeared to be acts of sabotage. Several European countries have launched investigations.

Chinese cargo ship Yi Peng 3 is under investigation by Swedish authorities for severing telecommunications cables between Sweden & Lithuania and Germany & Finland. The ship is still being held by a Danish navy patrol boat. My report on NPR's Morning Edition: www.npr.org/2024/11/21/n...

My conversation last night on @npr.org about the Chinese vessel stopped by the Danish navy: www.npr.org/2024/11/20/n...

Update: A Danish navy patrol boat continues to float alongside the anchored Yi Peng 3 in the straits between Denmark and Sweden, waiting for officials from Germany, Sweden, and Finland to arrive to question the crew.

Denmark's Navy has confirmed that it is in the waters around the Yi Peng 3, a Chinese vessel sailing from Russia that, according to investigators, was in the waters above the Swedish-Lithuanian & Finnish-German underwater telecoms cables in the Baltic Sea when both were severed earlier this week.