Era of the New Majority

[KingSweden]

May 2017: Democrats fail to agree on a single education reform bill, with a student loan forgiveness and tuition subsidy plan floated by Elizabeth Warren failing in the House. Clinton urges compromise as immigration starts to come to the fore, with many Democrats seeking to build on Obama's 2014 executive order with others wanting to go with the 2013 Senate immigration blueprint. Republicans, smarting from their drubbing with Hispanics in the elections six months earlier, warily endorse some sort of plan, with Thune signalling that he wants GOP priorities reflected in any immigration bill. Cruz begins to whip grassroots conservative support against the bill in the Senate while Steve King and Louie Gohmert do the same in the House, while Jeff Flake and Brian Sandoval take point on drawing up a plan in the Senate to bring to the negotiating table. Supreme Court justice Stephen Breyer announces that he will retire after the June decisions are handed down.

May 2017 (continued): A month before the national elections in Canada, British Columbia elects its Legislative Assembly. After sixteen years in power, the center-right BC Liberals are defeated by the left-wing NDP, which form a minority government under John Horgan after the Greens and third-party Conservatives win enough seats to prevent a majority. The seat count:

NDP: 40
BC Liberals: 35
Greens: 7
Conservatives: 3

The election gives the Greens their highest-ever seat total in a provincial legislature. Osborne and Fillon attend NATO meetings in Oslo in their first week in office to discuss the situations in Venezuela, Syria and Russia. The Russian riots keep escalating, with entire apartment tenements lit on fire by protestors and hundreds fleeing the cities as the violence escalates. Russian forces are withdrawn from the Ukrainian frontier, taking the pressure off of the frozen conflict in the Donbass.

Venezuela Crisis: A platoon of American Marines are ambushed in the remote border town of Puerto Ayacucho while on call to help Colombian border guards who are attacked by FARC and ENV (Ejercito Nacional Venezolano, a chavista rebel group) forces. Four of the Marines are captured and the rest of their platoon, under heavy fire, fights their way back to Colombia to report the incident, and then head back into the city to free their kidnapped comrades. Only one of the Marines is killed rescuing the hostages, all of whom survive. After being airlifted back to the United States, it is cited as an episode of true bravery by American forces in an impossible situation in the media.

The event lends credence to American and Colombian testimony that FARC is actively supporting the disparate chavista rebels in Venezuela and Colombia, without UN authorization, expands its military operations in the border region of its country. Much of the corridor between Caracas and the Colombian border is under UN control now, with Caracas and Maracaibo and the rural south the most volatile parts of the country.

And now, for Sports: Bayern Munich wins its seventh European Cup by defeating Marseille in the Champions League final, taking their third championship of the decade (having won in 2012-13 and 2014-15). Robert Lewandowski is the UEFA Man of the Match, while the tournament's top scorer is Real Madrid's James Rodriguez and the CL Best Player is Barcelona's Neymar. Both of the Spanish powers were eliminated in the semifinals, preventing what would have been a truly epic final at Vienna's National Stadium.

[KingSweden]

Canadian federal election, 2017

After the budget negotiations collapse, Justin Trudeau leads his party into the 2017 campaign in a position of strength. Neither leader of the CPC or NDP have been in leadership longer than eight months and the NDP is broadly blamed in polls for the collapse of budget negotiations. In leadership debates, Tory leader John Baird does not perform particularly well in the leadership debate despite being regarded as a good debater, and Trudeau runs a sunny, positive campaign portraying the other parties as being politically petty. Though his strategy is roundly criticized as hypocritical after a nineteen-month old government that has accomplished little of note, Trudeau's Liberals never once lag in the polls.

Seat results:

Liberals: 174
Conservatives: 108
NDP: 51
Greens: 5

The Bloc Quebecois vanishes completely from Parliament after 24 years of having seated at least one MP. The NDP continues its post-2011 decline, losing sixteen seats. The Tories hold their own despite a net loss of seats, regaining some territory in rural Ontario and Manitoba while losing more ground in the Toronto and Vancouver suburbs as the Liberals take a bite out of NDP seats in Quebec and BC once again. Trudeau now controls a Liberal majority, which swiftly passes the budget and is safe until October of 2021.

[KingSweden]

Canadian federal election, 2017

After the budget negotiations collapse, Justin Trudeau leads his party into the 2017 campaign in a position of strength. Neither leader of the CPC or NDP have been in leadership longer than eight months and the NDP is broadly blamed in polls for the collapse of budget negotiations. In leadership debates, Tory leader John Baird does not perform particularly well in the leadership debate despite being regarded as a good debater, and Trudeau runs a sunny, positive campaign portraying the other parties as being politically petty. Though his strategy is roundly criticized as hypocritical after a nineteen-month old government that has accomplished little of note, Trudeau's Liberals never once lag in the polls.

Seat results:

Liberals: 174
Conservatives: 108
NDP: 51
Greens: 5

The Bloc Quebecois vanishes completely from Parliament after 24 years of having seated at least one MP. The NDP continues its post-2011 decline, losing sixteen seats. The Tories hold their own despite a net loss of seats, regaining some territory in rural Ontario and Manitoba while losing more ground in the Toronto and Vancouver suburbs as the Liberals take a bite out of NDP seats in Quebec and BC once again. Trudeau now controls a Liberal majority, which swiftly passes the budget and is safe until October of 2021.

Who is leader of the NDP?

Nathan Cullen. Figured they'd want someone Trudeau's age who can steer the party long-term.

[KingSweden]

2017 FIFA Confederations Cup Part One

In what FIFA hopes will not become a regular occurrence, the Confederations Cup is marked by the peaceful, but occasionally violent, protests rocking Russia. Putin's hopes that the Russian team and world spotlight will rear up patriotic fervor backfires - protestors use the opportunity to highlight authoritarian brutality on a global stage.

Visiting athletes are protected by private security hired by FIFA and the national associations, and the players tweet and post pictures of the chaos over Russian objections. Foreign countries send openly gay dignitaries to spite Russia's laws on homosexuality. However, the protests do subside somewhat in the first weeks as many Russians seek to show a proud nation to the world.

Group A:

Russia (host)
United States (CONCACAF Champion)
New Zealand (2016 OFC Cup Champion)
Portugal (UEFA Euro 2016 Champion)

Russia opens the tournament with a game against New Zealand in Moscow, defeating the Kiwis 2-0 on goals by Shatov and Kokorin in the 55th and 70th minutes. The United States draws against Portugal in a 1-1 affair, with Ronaldo scoring on the Americans in the 10th minute, but the Americans pull even in the 83rd with a header by Jozy Altidore and then Sean Johnson has a miracle save in stoppage time to prevent another goal, this time by Bruma.

The big game in the next match day is Russia and the United States, due to the history of the sporting rivalry and geopolitical tensions in recent years. In front of a stadium in Sochi full of rabid, loud and threatening Russian fans, USA defeats Russia 2-0 on scores by Julian Green (23') and Rubio Rubin (77'). The victory stuns the host Russians. The next day, Portugal blows out New Zealand, with Ronaldo scoring two goals (14', 27') and Bruma (40') and Coentrao (88') to blank the Kiwis 4-0.

In the crucial final day, Portugal defeats Russia 2-1, with Ronaldo scoring in the 11th minute and setting up Eder to score on a cross in the 49th minute. Russia's Shatov manages to hit a penalty kick in the 85th minute, but Ozdoyev's strike in stoppage time is caught by Portuguese goalkeeper Anthony Lopes to prevent a score. Portugal, with 7 points, qualifies to advance to the semifinals. The Americans defeat New Zealand 2-0 with scores by Altidore (37') and Diskerud (55'), but are second-place in the group on aggregate goals.

Points Breakdown:

Portugal 7
USA 7
Russia 3
New Zealand 0

Group B:

Germany (2014 World Cup Champion)
Nigeria (2017 African Cup of Nations Champion)
Australia (2015 AFC Asian Cup Champion)
Colombia (2015 Copa America Champion)

Germany and Australia play the first match, and the Socceroos stun the world by drawing Germany 2-2, with Australia taking a 2-0 lead heading into the break with scores by Luke Brattan (20') and Ben Halloran (45+3'). However, Germany fights back with two scores by Thomas Muller (71', 80') to tie the game and avoid a disastrous start to their campaign. Meanwhile, Colombia defeats Nigeria 3-0 in their first game, with two scores by Jackson (55', 60') and one by Quintero (90+2').

In the next series of matches, Colombia faces Australia and defeats the Socceroos 4-2. Australia's two goals come courtesy of Halloran (17', 89'), while Colombia sees James Rodriguez (22', 48') put up their first two goals and then is complimented by Falcao (63') and Jackson (74'). Germany faces Nigeria, only winning 1-0 with a score from Mats Hummels in the 81st minute, avoiding what would have been a second straight draw.

Australia, hoping to catch Germany, bombs in a 0-0 draw with Nigeria, making it impossible to advance regardless of the result in Germany's next game. Germany defeats Colombia 2-1, with Muller (20') and Gotze (51') scoring to put Germany up high and James scoring in the 70th to put them in a position to tie, but his strike in stoppage is cradled by Marc-André ter Stegen. Germany takes first position in their group while Colombia advances as the runner-up.

Points Breakdown:

Germany 7
Colombia 6
Australia 2
Nigeria 0

[KingSweden]

Hm, I'm liking what's passed so far. I'm just wondering how the dems are going to survive 2018 after all this.

As a New Mexican, what can you tell me about John Sanchez, Dianna Duran, Hector Balderas, Richard Berry, and Timothy Keller?

[KingSweden]

2017 Confederations Cup Part Two

Semifinals:

Portugal vs. Colombia

The game starts well for Portugal, with Ronaldo scoring off of a cross from Bruma in the 14th minute. However, in the 31st minute Portugal defender Cédric Soares nudges a ball backwards that ricochets off of goalkeeper Anthony Lopes for an own goal attributed to Soares. With the game tied, James scores in the 47th minute, only to see Soares hit a header in the 66th minute to tie the game again. The game thus goes to extra time, and in the 118th minute James scores on a penalty kick. At 120+2', Ronaldo hits a strike that is expertly deflected by Colombian keeper David Ospina. It is regarded as the best game of the tournament, preserving Colombia's win and propelling them into the final.

USA vs. Germany

The game is scoreless for almost its entirety until the 80th minute, when Diskerud scores on a cross from Altidore to take a 1-0 lead. Müller hits a penalty kick at 90+1', sending the game to extra minutes. American keeper Sean Johnson blocks four German kicks in the two halves and in minute 119 Michael Bradley scores on a cross from substitute Clint Dempsey, giving the USA a rare 2-1 over an elite European side to propel them into another Confederations Cup final (having played in the 2009 event).

Third Place:

In the third place match, Germany beats down Portugal, defeating them 4-1. Müller (11'), Kroos (30'), Götze (58') and Schürrle (77') all score for Germany, while Portugal's lone goal is scored by Eder in the 24th minute. It gives Germany yet another top-three finish in a major tournament.

Final

The final pitches USA and Colombia against each other in Moscow, where the mixed Colombian and Russian crowd is overwhelmingly cheering for the Americans to lose. It is not lost on any commentators that the US and Colombia are currently fighting side-by-side in Venezuela and the players meet at midfield before the match to shake hands and embrace.

As for the game itself, it starts well for the Colombians, with Quintero scoring in the 6th minute. The Americans draw up the score on a Michael Bradley cross to DeAndre Yedlin at 22', but the Colombians respond at 40' with a Jackson score on a James assist. The Colombians lead all the way until 89', when Julian Green breaks free down the field, shoots the ball over to Clint Dempsey and thus sets up a game-tying score.

Sean Johnson deflects what would be a go-ahead score by James at 114', and then in extra time stoppage cradles a shot from Falcao. The game thus goes to penalty kicks.

The kicking results:

Jackson (COL): Good
Yedlin (USA): Good
Quintero (COL): No Good
Green (USA): Good
James (COL): Good
Dempsey (USA): No Good
Falcao (COL): No Good
Nguyen (USA): Good
Córdoba (COL): No Good

The United States wins the 2017 Confederations Cup on penalties, 3-2! It is the first major non-CONCACAF international title for the United States and is without doubt the crowning achievement in USA men's soccer history.

Awards

Best Player: Jozy Altidore, USA
Best Goaltender: Sean Johnson, USA
Top Scorers: Thomas Müller and Cristiano Ronaldo (5)

[KingSweden]

June 2017: President Clinton announces her support for Kirsten Gillibrand's military sexual assault proposal, which just barely gains enough support to make it to the floor, where it passes with decent Republican support. In return for GOP votes, Brian Sandoval attaches an amendment amending Title IX to require any public university receiving federal funds to turn rape allegations to the police and completely end the ability of school disciplinary boards to hear or arbitrate sexual assault cases. Though the two are regarded as unrelated, the bill passes both House and Senate and Clinton signs them into law, citing "Gillibrand-Sandoval" as "a major step in ending the culture of intimidation and denial that comes with sexual crimes within institutions." Pundits remark on the incredible comity, bipartisanship and productiveness of the current Congress.

MD-05: The primary elections for the July special election to replace Steny Hoyer is held near the end of the month. All three candidates are State Represenatives from Southern Maryland - Anthony O'Donnell is unopposed in the Republican primary, while CT Wilson, chairman of the Maryland House Black Caucus, faces John Bohanan. Bohanan hits Wilson for his vote against the legalization of same-sex marriage and paints him as a DINO - it is one of the ugliest Democratic primaries in Maryland state history. Bohanan narrowly wins to face O'Donnell in what promises to be a low-turnout summer special.

June 2017 (continued): Trudeau passes his budget on a party-line vote. Osborne announces the most ambitious loosening of building and zoning rules in British history, freeing up nearly 45% of the London green belts for construction in a bid to cool booming housing prices. The Austrian grand coalition collapses over a tax and spending agreement, forcing early elections. Hassan Rohani is reelected as President of Iran over both more liberal and more conservative opponents. Ukrainian forces drive rebels over the border and have completely secured the Donbass. Rumors emerge that Ukraine plans to seize Crimea next. Nicolas Maduro, in exile in Cuba, gives an address disseminated on the internet encouraging chavista partisans to keep fighting, stating, "If the revolution fails here, it will be used by the capitalists to claim that it must fail everywhere!" Violence in Venezuela continues to escalate as anti-chavista forces begin to arm themselves with heavier weapons and begin a "de-Bolivarization" of the countryside.

And now, for Sports: The Washington Wizards defeat the Houston Rockets in six games to win their second NBA Championship, with Kevin Durant earning MVP honors. The Nashville Predators defeat the New Jersey Devils in five games to win their first Stanley Cup, with Filip Forsberg earning the Hart Trophy.

[KingSweden]

July 2017: The outlines of an immigration deal are sketched in the Senate after Sandoval and Flake agree to "basic principles" with Schumer and Mark Warner. Ted Cruz threatens to kibosh the deal and Republicans begin whipping votes in the House to prevent anything from passing, earning them a stern rebuke from Sandoval, who declares, "This needs to happen. This is going to happen. I am going to vote for it, and you should too. You can either accept that reform is happening and be part of a Republican Party that contributed to it, or you don't." Another Liz Warren-led tuition reform plan fails in the Senate in committee. John Bohanan wins the special election in MD-05 by less than 2%.

July 2017 (continued): The American, British, French and Australian contributions to the Venezuela mission are vastly increased. Colombian forces have secured the entire frontier and unleashed a massive attack on FARC forces that broke the ceasefire brokered in 2015. The death toll in Venezuela continues to rise as rival paramilitaries begin to target civilians, including 27 schoolchildren murdered when their school bus is seized. Drug money and weapons from old Colombian cartels and seized from the mostly disbanded Venezuelan military begin to proliferate, and Colombian forces are reinforced to defend the lawless border region.

And now, for Sports: A few weeks after winning the Confederations Cup, the United States defeats Panama in the final of the 2017 Gold Cup to win their third straight title in the competition. The IOC elects to give the 2024 Summer Olympics to Boston, which will be the first American Summer Olympics since 1996 and the first Olympiad in the United States since 2002. Later in the month, UEFA votes to give the 2024 Euro competition to Germany over a Scotland-Ireland bid and Spain.

[KingSweden]

August 2017: Congress goes on recess without anything passed for immigration or energy, and there are angry town halls over the immigration issue similar to 2009 and 2013 for many Republican Congressmen. Ruth Bader Ginsburg checks into the hospital with heart palpitations - two days later she has passed away, opening up the first vacancy of Hillary's term. Hillary surprises many by announcing that she will nominate California Senator and former AG and prosecutor Kamala Harris to the bench. Many conservative outside groups demand her blockage by the Senate, though most Republican Senators are uncertain about blocking one of their colleagues and Thune says in an interview, "Senator Harris is a sharp woman with a unique legal background. I'd prefer someone with experience as a judge, but she doesn't significantly alter the balance of the court and I don't think she's under qualified, by any means."

August 2017 (continued): Demonstrations begin in Japan over escalating consumer prices as the economy dips into yet another recession. With the turmoil in Russia and Venezuela, and the ongoing (but much subdued) conflict with ISIS in the Middle East, oil cross $90 a barrel for the first time since summer of 2014. Nicolas Sarkozy is installed by Francois Fillon as Prime Minister to unite the quarreling factions of the UMP and they introduce a surprisingly right-wing budget, with pension and spending cuts, tax relief and regulatory reform. The Socialist Party, still smarting from its landslide losses earlier in the year, rebels, encouraging general strikes. Italy sees 2% growth for the first time in years.

And now, for Sports: A big week in the NFL as future Hall of Fame QBs Tom Brady and Drew Brees both retire during training camp. Never before have two such accomplished players retired simultaneously. Huge news out of Europe as Chelsea FC announces the signing of Lionel Messi and Quintero to an already stacked roster of big-name talent. To keep pace in the arms race, Paris St. Germain shocks the world by signing Paul Pogba away from Juventus and Radamel Falcao away from Monaco.

[KingSweden]

September 2017: Clinton nominates Sri Srinivasan to take the place of Stephen Breyer, and he is quickly approved by the judiciary committee. The Republicans decide not to filibuster his nomination and he passes 63-37. Breyer steps down the next day. Harris' nomination goes to the Senate the next week so both can be seated for October and November cases, and Harris is approved more narrowly, only passing the Senate 56-44 after many Republicans elect not to vote for her over her lack of judicial experience. It is the first time two new Supreme Court justices have been seated the same week. The Court maintains its 5-4 conservative majority. Republicans also present their energy and immigration plans, with the energy reform written by John Hoeven and Thom Tillis and the immigration plan written by Brian Sandoval and Jeff Flake. President Clinton declares an "autumn of action" to pass both large compromise bills, with many Democrats protesting the energy plan for lacking the environmental safeguards many of them (and their donors) were looking for.

September 2017 (continued): In the Austrian snap elections, the ÖVP places first over the FPÖ, with each taking 30% and 24%, respectively. The SPÖ, wracked by ugly internal conflicts, places at 20%, one of its worst showings in history, and loses 14 seats. NEOS, the liberal alternative, clocks in at 16% while the Greens win 10%. The ÖVP forms a government of only 93 seats with NEOS, ending the SPÖVP grand coalition, with the FPÖ forming the main opposition. Iraqi forces stir controversy when they massacre IS forces in northern Iraq to the tune of hundreds of jihadi fighters. A major earthquake strikes Kyushu, killing 3,500 people. The Russian protests have mostly been quelled by now, with protestors and anti-Putin billionaires retreating to plot how to flip the energy to their advantage in parliamentary elections in December and in the spring Presidential election.

And now, for sports: A stunner in the NHL, as the Toronto Maple Leafs, a few months after signing free agent Steve Stamkos, trade two first round draft picks and two young players to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Sidney Crosby. It is the biggest trade since the Kings traded for Wayne Gretzky.

[KingSweden]

Wasn't Breyer going to resign

Thanks for catching that, indeed he was. I added that to the September 2017 section even though his replacement would likely have passed through earlier.

[KingSweden]

German federal election, 2017

Angela Merkel and her CDU/CSU coalition heads into the elections confident of another majority, campaigning on Germany's stable (yet mediocre) economy and her confident leadership after twelve years in power. The opposition SPD, which has spent the past four years part of her government, has little to run on her against as they were in the Cabinet. The Alternative for Germany, a Eurosceptic right-wing party, has lost much of its steam since its founding and the Left has taken a chunk out of the SPD's natural base along with the Greens.

In the election, Merkel's CDU/CSU wins 44% of the vote, the SPD takes only 20%, the Left takes 14%, the Greens take 11% and the AfD takes 9%. The FDP once again fails to enter the Bundestag, this time only managing 2% of the vote. The CDU/CSU has won its first outright, albeit narrow, majority in the Bundestag since the Kohl era - the election is Merkel's greatest triumph yet.

[KingSweden]

September 2017 (continued): In the Austrian snap elections, the ÖVP places first over the FPÖ, with each taking 30% and 24%, respectively. The SPÖ, wracked by ugly internal conflicts, places at 20%, one of its worst showings in history, and loses 14 seats. NEOS, the liberal alternative, clocks in at 16% while the Greens win 10%. The ÖVP forms a government of only 93 seats with NEOS, ending the SPÖVP grand coalition, with the FPÖ forming the main opposition. Iraqi forces stir controversy when they massacre IS forces in northern Iraq to the tune of hundreds of jihadi fighters. A major earthquake strikes Kyushu, killing 3,500 people. The Russian protests have mostly been quelled by now, with protestors and anti-Putin billionaires retreating to plot how to flip the energy to their advantage in parliamentary elections in December and in the spring Presidential election.

I know more about Austria, Croatia and Sweden than other "middle-sized" European nations because a) I'm Swedish and b) I did a lot of work on Austria in a TL I wrote on the Alternative History Wikia, so I'm familiar with its politics.

Wow, you even covered Austria! I can just hope that this won't happen in the next elections
This TL really is great and extremely detailed, though!

[KingSweden]

German federal election, 2017

Angela Merkel and her CDU/CSU coalition heads into the elections confident of another majority, campaigning on Germany's stable (yet mediocre) economy and her confident leadership after twelve years in power. The opposition SPD, which has spent the past four years part of her government, has little to run on her against as they were in the Cabinet. The Alternative for Germany, a Eurosceptic right-wing party, has lost much of its steam since its founding and the Left has taken a chunk out of the SPD's natural base along with the Greens.

In the election, Merkel's CDU/CSU wins 44% of the vote, the SPD takes only 20%, the Left takes 14%, the Greens take 11% and the AfD takes 9%. The FDP once again fails to enter the Bundestag, this time only managing 2% of the vote. The CDU/CSU has won its first outright, albeit narrow, majority in the Bundestag since the Kohl era - the election is Merkel's greatest triumph yet.

Your timeline is great, but a little nitpick: the numbers add up to 100%, forgetting the usual German share for "other parties" of a few %, and the CDU/CSU's 44% is smaller than SPD+Grüne+Linke's 45%.

But didn't Merkel nearly get a majority of seats in 2013 with only 41% of the vote? It looks like she was only four or five seats shy of an absolute, no-coalition government.

[KingSweden]

October 2017: In what is called a "grand compromise," Thune announces that he will support combined legislative immigration solution in return for Democratic votes for the Republican energy plan. Sandoval and Durbin, the main architect of the Senate Democrats' immigration program, sit down to hash out the details while Heidi Heitkamp and John Hoeven negotiate potential amendments. House Democrats pass a wide-ranging "jobs act" which includes government-subsidized temporary positions modelled on a Georgia plan, reserving part of unemployment funds to subsidize community college education for unemployed workers in a new program called Back To School (BTS), and, after insistence from Republicans needed to pass the bill, reforms to federal contracting policies to allow more competitive bidding and managerial reform to cut costs.

October 2017 (continued): At a confab in Brussels, the EU's four main center-right leaders - Osborne, Fillon, Merkel and Kopacz - chart out a "five-year program" for kick-starting the Eurozone's sluggish but growing economy. The inclusion of Poland over Italy does not go unnoticed in Rome, where Renzi, busy working on his labor market and macroeconomic reforms, bristles at what he calls "closed-door negotiations." A massive earthquake strikes northern India, killing close to 40,000 people in that country and 14,000 in Pakistan. Modi and Sharif pledge to coordinate emergency responses in the volatile border country, a remarkable step for the two oft-hostile nations.

And now, for sports: An embarrassing end to an otherwise excellent postseason as the New York Yankees are swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers in four games in the 2017 World Series. The Yankees have won an AL Pennant in every decade but the 1910s.

[KingSweden]

Will you cover Italy?

I've had a few entries in the international "continued" portions where I've touched on Italian events, though I have to admit that outside of Renzi = left and Berlusconi = right, Italian politics confuses me. So far in this TL, Renzi has passed electoral reform and had snap elections in 2015.

[KingSweden]

German federal election, 2017

Angela Merkel and her CDU/CSU coalition heads into the elections confident of another majority, campaigning on Germany's stable (yet mediocre) economy and her confident leadership after twelve years in power. The opposition SPD, which has spent the past four years part of her government, has little to run on her against as they were in the Cabinet. The Alternative for Germany, a Eurosceptic right-wing party, has lost much of its steam since its founding and the Left has taken a chunk out of the SPD's natural base along with the Greens.

In the election, Merkel's CDU/CSU wins 44% of the vote, the SPD takes only 20%, the Left takes 14%, the Greens take 11% and the AfD takes 9%. The FDP once again fails to enter the Bundestag, this time only managing 2% of the vote. The CDU/CSU has won its first outright, albeit narrow, majority in the Bundestag since the Kohl era - the election is Merkel's greatest triumph yet.

Your timeline is great, but a little nitpick: the numbers add up to 100%, forgetting the usual German share for "other parties" of a few %, and the CDU/CSU's 44% is smaller than SPD+Grüne+Linke's 45%.

But didn't Merkel nearly get a majority of seats in 2013 with only 41% of the vote? It looks like she was only four or five seats shy of an absolute, no-coalition government.

Yeah, but that was with neither the FDP nor the AFD reaching the Bundestag threshold.

Ah, of course. I didn't think of that, though I thought it was wild that FDP lost 93 seats outright. What #'s would the CDU/CSU need for an outright majority with AFD entering the Bundestag?

[KingSweden]

September 2017 (continued): In the Austrian snap elections, the ÖVP places first over the FPÖ, with each taking 30% and 24%, respectively. The SPÖ, wracked by ugly internal conflicts, places at 20%, one of its worst showings in history, and loses 14 seats. NEOS, the liberal alternative, clocks in at 16% while the Greens win 10%. The ÖVP forms a government of only 93 seats with NEOS, ending the SPÖVP grand coalition, with the FPÖ forming the main opposition. Iraqi forces stir controversy when they massacre IS forces in northern Iraq to the tune of hundreds of jihadi fighters. A major earthquake strikes Kyushu, killing 3,500 people. The Russian protests have mostly been quelled by now, with protestors and anti-Putin billionaires retreating to plot how to flip the energy to their advantage in parliamentary elections in December and in the spring Presidential election.

Wow, you even covered Austria! I can just hope that this won't happen in the next elections
This TL really is great and extremely detailed, though!

I know more about Austria, Croatia and Sweden than other "middle-sized" European nations because a) I'm Swedish and b) I did a lot of work on Austria in a TL I wrote on the Alternative History Wikia, so I'm familiar with its politics.

Cool. Can you give me the link to this one, please?

Of course! Of course, only a small part is about Austria, but here's the TL (so far, of course).

http://althistory.wikia.com/wiki/Cinco_De_Mayo

[KingSweden]

United States elections, 2017

Virginia

Governor: It is revealed in an extensive Washington Post report that after being drawn into the same district by court-ordered redistricting, Randy Forbes and Scott Rigell met at a Virginia Beach steakhouse in late 2015 to discuss 2017. They agree that rather than risk a primary in a competitive seat, one will run for Governor and the other will run for the seat. Forbes, having been in Congress close to a decade longer than Rigell, offers to run for Governor and then back Rigell in a hypothetical 2018 Senate bid. Forbes largely clears the field, with Mark Obenshain deciding to run for Attorney General again.

Mark Herring clears the field for Governor after Ralph Northam, who was leaning towards running for Lt. Gov. again, is picked to head the VA. The matchup between Herring and Forbes sets up a classic NoVA vs. Hampton Roads matchup, with Herring regarded as a slight favorite over the conservative Forbes. The campaign tightens to be a tossup as it enters its final months, with Herring focusing madly on base turnout in the suburbs and major cities. Herring runs largely on his socially progressive policies, his connections in Northern Virginia, and on continuing the economic growth under Terry McAuliffe. Forbes runs on a remarkably pragmatic platform, but without a connection to the booming DC-area suburbs, he remains a point or two behind in polling even once the race tightens. The polling is correct, with Herring winning 50-48.

Lieutenant Governor: After Northam leaves to take a Cabinet position, Governor McAuliffe taps former Congressman Tom Perriello as his Lieutenant Governor. Perriello decides to run for a term in his own right in the fall, facing State Senator Steve Martin from the Richmond area. Despite a disciplined, pragmatic campaign by Martin, Perriello easily wins 53-46 thanks to strong support in all the major metro areas and in his old congressional district, where he outperforms all other Democratic nominees.

Attorney General: With Herring leaving the AG post, it sets up a race between 2013 Republican nominee State Sen. Mark Obenshain and State Senator Chap Petersen. Lightning does not strike twice for Democrats, as Obenshain succeeds this time by a similarly narrow margin that he lost by in 2013. R pickup.

VA State House: Democrats pick up one seat in the State House to slash the Republican majority to 61-39, staying in the minority yet again.

[KingSweden]

United States elections, 2017

New Jersey

Governor: Christie's approval rating continues its post-reelection decline - he never recovers from Bridgegate even though he was not involved directly, and his popularity is hit further by two more credit downgrades on New Jersey's debt, stubborn unemployment, and further scandals involving his Lieutenant Governor Kim Guadagno that actually have some teeth. His run for President alienates his constituents further. As such, few major Republican figures in the vein of a Guadagno, Scott Garrett or Tom Kean, Jr. enter the race out of fear that they would lose. The only takers are Jeff Chiesa, Joe Kyrillos and Jon Bramnick. In a tight election race, Chiesa takes the nomination.

The Democratic primary is wild, featuring the following major candidates: Senate President Steve Sweeney, businessman Phil Murphy, Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, and former Congressman Rush Holt. Murphy and Sweeney split the centrist vote, while Fulop and Holt split the progressive vote. Fulop, running against the "Jersey machine," wins the primary 27-25-23-21 out of the four major candidates, despite having cozied up to major NJ power brokers to finance his run. Murphy quickly announces that his Super PAC will fully back Fulop and his running mate, Assemblyman John Wisniewski.

With Christie's popularity low and Chiesa struggling as a first-time candidate despite his name recognition, Fulop overcomes his awkward public persona and infighting with Sweeney, who never endorses him, to win the New Jersey governorship 54-40, with a third-party libertarian taking a surprising 6% of the vote. D pickup.

New Jersey Legislature: The Democrats win two seats in the Assembly to jump their majority even higher to 55-25, one of their biggest majorities in history, helped by peeling off Republicans in southern New Jersey with moderate candidates. Murphy's PAC's spending helps drive up their totals. Democrats capture one seat in the New Jersey Senate (District 7) to increase their majority to 25-15, just shy of a 2/3rds super-majority.

[KingSweden]

German federal election, 2017

Angela Merkel and her CDU/CSU coalition heads into the elections confident of another majority, campaigning on Germany's stable (yet mediocre) economy and her confident leadership after twelve years in power. The opposition SPD, which has spent the past four years part of her government, has little to run on her against as they were in the Cabinet. The Alternative for Germany, a Eurosceptic right-wing party, has lost much of its steam since its founding and the Left has taken a chunk out of the SPD's natural base along with the Greens.

In the election, Merkel's CDU/CSU wins 44% of the vote, the SPD takes only 20%, the Left takes 14%, the Greens take 11% and the AfD takes 9%. The FDP once again fails to enter the Bundestag, this time only managing 2% of the vote. The CDU/CSU has won its first outright, albeit narrow, majority in the Bundestag since the Kohl era - the election is Merkel's greatest triumph yet.

Your timeline is great, but a little nitpick: the numbers add up to 100%, forgetting the usual German share for "other parties" of a few %, and the CDU/CSU's 44% is smaller than SPD+Grüne+Linke's 45%.

But didn't Merkel nearly get a majority of seats in 2013 with only 41% of the vote? It looks like she was only four or five seats shy of an absolute, no-coalition government.

Yeah, but that was with neither the FDP nor the AFD reaching the Bundestag threshold.

Ah, of course. I didn't think of that, though I thought it was wild that FDP lost 93 seats outright. What #'s would the CDU/CSU need for an outright majority with AFD entering the Bundestag?

Depends on the numbers for the SPD, Greens, Left and AfD, it's hard but barely doable with AfD in the Bundestag though you need a collapse of the SPD vote, presuming Linke and Greens stay in double digits. 18-10-10-5 or 16-12-10-5 are numbers we have to look at. Those might be too implausible, though.

What about 20-11-8-5?

[KingSweden]

November 2017: The good results for Democrats in the two off-year elections are cited as boding well for Clinton's Democrats after a busy first year. Both parties signal that immigration and energy will likely not be touched until the next year. Northam's VA reform package is approved in both Houses of Congress. A massive snowstorm hits the Midwest and Northeast, slowing down travel and commerce for days. An oil train derails in rural North Dakota, and it takes days to reach it in blizzard conditions, leaving a massive spill out on the prairie.

November 2017 (continued): John Key's National Party is elected to yet another government, attaining a majority with the backing of minor-party Maori, United Future and ACT. Ukraine's government teeters on collapse as harsh winter weather brings with it fresh protests. A cruise ship in Thailand sinks after running aground. Everyone aboard survives.

[KingSweden]

United States elections, 2017

Municipal

Atlanta Mayor: With Kasim Reed term-limited, Kwanza Hall is the eventual winner of the election to replace him.

Boston Mayor: Marty Walsh is easily reelected to a second term, and the City Councilmen who retire are replaced with significantly more developer-friendly candidates.

New York City: Bill de Blasio wins yet another wide-open Democratic primary, once again with backing from the WFP. He defeats Michael Grimm in the general election. All five borough Presidents are reelected, as are all major downballot offices. The wild and unpredictable races of the 2013 contest never materialize. Several WFP-backed candidates are elected to the City Council to replace retiring members, moving the needle even further left in the city.

Seattle Mayor: After a first term filled with a slew of progressive pet causes (minimum wage, tax hikes, mass transit, developer fees, police reform, etc.), Seattle's Ed Murray is reelected by wide margins in both the top-two and the general, failing to attract a top-tier recruit.

[KingSweden]

What is the margin on the New York City race?

I'd imagine less than 2013, but probably in the 60-40 range.

[KingSweden]

December 2017: A slow month, no major legislation passes. One of the best Christmas shopping seasons on record contrasts with a 600-point slump in the Dow to end the month. Oil drops back under $90 a barrel as the situation in Russia calms down, though the rouble is still weak and the economy there has not had positive growth since 2014, signalling a depression. It is an unseasonably dry winter, with minimal snowfall across North America or Europe after a quiet, unremarkable hurricane season. A garbage workers' strike begins in Milwaukee.

December 2017 (continued): Ahn Cheol-soo is elected President of South Korea as an independent, and he appoints Park Won-soon as Prime Minister. He is the youngest man elected President of South Korea, and marks a major shift towards populism in South Korean political discourse.

And now, for Sports: USC quarterback Ricky Town wins the Heisman after a 5,000 yard, 47 touchdown and 5 interception season for the Trojans, beating out Alabama QB Cooper Bateman and Florida QB Will Grier. In the MLS Cup, Orlando City defeats Vancouver Whitecaps in penalty kicks. It is a remarkable run for both teams, with the Lions being the first "wild-card" team to win the Cup after knocking off Columbus and the Supporters' Shield-winning DC United en route to the Cup, and the Whitecaps are the first Canadian side to play for an MLS Cup. In the FIFA Club World Cup, Bayern Munich defeats Seongnam FC to win their third championship.