Actionism in the White House
Donald Trump now suspects himself that he could lose the presidential election.
Despite his corona illness, he is hectic.
Today he wants to speak to supporters in front of the White House.
A rally is to be held with him in Florida next Monday.
In the dispute with the Democrats in Congress over a new aid package, Trump's government wants to increase its offer.
The package would therefore comprise the fairytale sum of 1.8 trillion dollars.
Apparently, Trump recognizes that a lack of state aid for companies and the unemployed could do him serious damage during the election campaign.
If there isn't fresh money soon, for example for the airlines, there would be new mass layoffs before November 3rd.
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The White House in Washington
Photo: Jacquelyn Martin / AP
However, it is questionable whether the breakthrough in the negotiations will succeed.
Senate majority leader, Trump's fellow party member Mitch McConnell, suggests he no longer believes in a compromise before the election.
The problem: there are some among McConnell's Republican senators who are strongly opposed to another gigantic widening of the national deficit.
A majority in their own ranks for a huge aid package is therefore not certain.
Also interesting: For days the president has been putting massive pressure on his Justice Minister William Barr and other ministers to use the state apparatus to take action against his political opponents.
Barr should indict Joe Biden and Barack Obama for spying on his campaign team in 2016, Trump made clear.
The FBI chief Christopher Wray appointed by him was also a disappointment in this regard, the president said.
Trump is also starting a new offensive to mobilize his most loyal voters, the so-called "base".
In a two-hour interview with the conservative radio presenter Rush Limbaugh on Friday, the president recited the hit songs with which he normally raptures his fans: the wall in Mexico, attacks against "Sleepy" Joe Biden and so on.
In between, the well-known English swear word with four letters was also used - less presidential.
Trump's uncontrolled rumbling could be a clear signal that he has quasi given up his interim tactics of addressing swing voters in the suburbs.
Now it is evidently only a matter of getting as many of his white working class fans as possible to the polls in important states such as Pennsylvania, Florida or Wisconsin in order to compensate for possible losses in the better-off suburbs of the country.
It is a desperate tactic.
Read the current SPIEGEL cover story here: Corona is destroying the Trump system
Gun calls in the South Caucasus
The most important news of the night: Armenia and Azerbaijan have agreed on a ceasefire, Russia mediated in the conflict over the South Caucasus region Nagorno-Karabakh.
The gun calls should begin on Saturday afternoon, as Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced.
Read more about it here.
Corona crisis in Germany is coming to a head
The corona crisis is back in full force, the news about new risk areas, new quarantine measures and curfew are rolling over and over: After her meeting with the mayors of eleven major German cities, Chancellor Angela Merkel appealed to young people in particular to adhere to the rules, so that the further spread of corona infections can be contained.
According to Merkel, young people might find restrictions on celebrations or a curfew to be excessive.
But then she asked whether it was not worth being patient and thinking about the family and grandparents.
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School yard in Dortmund
Photo: INA FASSBENDER / AFP
Merkel and the mayors have agreed that the cities will introduce extensive restrictions if more than 50 infections per 100,000 inhabitants are registered in seven days.
This includes, for example, the expansion of the obligation to wear mouth and nose protection, or the tightening of requirements for private celebrations.
In Cologne, new rules will apply from the weekend: The consumption of alcohol should be prohibited in public spaces from 10 p.m., in future a maximum of five people from different households should be allowed to meet in public.
Chancellery Minister Helge Braun expressed concern in SPIEGEL about the increase in the number of infections in Germany: "In general, one can say that the freedoms that we had over the summer cannot be fully maintained in autumn and winter," he said.
"Overall caution among the population must increase again."
Head of the Chancellery on the second corona wave: "There must be restrictions, especially for celebrations"
Is
Jens Spahn
coming now
?
It is not too long before the CDU party conference in December.
Then the party wants to clarify the leadership issue.
Armin Laschet, Friedrich Merz and Norbert Röttgen are running for party leadership.
My colleagues from the SPIEGEL capital city office are now reporting on an exciting new development: In the Union, there is clearly growing dissatisfaction with the current staffing levels, while the party is calling for a possible last-minute candidacy from Health Minister
Jens Spahn
.
Several officials want him to run.
Olav Gutting, CDU board member and member of the Bundestag from Schwetzingen, told SPIEGEL: "I would be happy with many others if Jens Spahn were to be elected."
Spahn undoubtedly has the upper hand: In the corona crisis, the Minister of Health has gained popularity.
The actual candidates, Merz, Laschet and Röttgen, meanwhile, play a supporting role.
Behind the Spahn personality there is still an interesting thought game of some Union people.
Unlike Merz, Laschet and Röttgen, Spahn would probably be more willing to give up the candidacy for chancellor as party leader and hand it over to Bavaria - then the way would be free for Markus Söder.
Fight for party leadership: Several CDU politicians call on Spahn to run for office
Loser of the day ...
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Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer
Photo: Political-Moments / imago-images
... is
Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer
.
Just three weeks ago, your Ministry of Defense awarded a major order worth 600 million euros to the German armed forces' new standard assault rifle from CG Haenel.
Now the ministry had to withdraw the order.
The manufacturer apparently failed to inform the ministry about a patent litigation with an American manufacturer over parts of the rifle, reports my colleague Matthias Gebauer.
Haenel should have made the ongoing dispute in the application for the contract transparent, they say.
This is of course embarrassing, especially since one wonders why Kramp-Karrenbauer's Ministry did not discover the alleged formal error during the long-term selection process.
The troops lose out, the soldiers can now wait a while for new rifles.
The entire project is first reset to zero.
The latest news from the night
US election campaign: Second TV duel between Trump and Biden canceled
Mali: Swiss woman killed by Islamist terrorists
Offensive against fake news: Twitter wants to use new measures to prevent false reports about victory in US elections
The SPIEGEL + recommendations for today
Lockdown hours, contact tracing, club deaths: if this is the future, then good night
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AfD boss Meuthen shies away from Berlin: the exile
Fake news affair of the "Kieler Nachrichten": "Then I'll fuck this lying gang"
Tips for the Corona autumn: a vaccine for your soul
Finance expert gives tips on tax savings: Claim your home office from the tax office
Former GDR furniture factory Oelsa: The sofa wonder from Rabenau
Former FDJ functionary organized unit celebration: "A slap in the face of the victims"
Azerbaijan vs. Armenia: Erdoğan's Role in the New War
Klett-Cotta boss on the Frankfurt Book Fair: Why didn't we try harder?
I wish you a nice weekend.
Your Roland Nelles
