The situation on Friday: Democratic Union of Germany

today we are dealing with the charges against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the crisis of the CDU and the torment of the SPD.

Israel in crisis, Netanyahu accused

Ronen Zvulun / REUTERS

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Issue 47/2019

In the service of the truth

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Is Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about to go political? The man who found a way out again and again? No politician in the history of Israel was head of government longer than he was. Now, the Attorney General has brought charges against Netanyahu. The allegations: corruption, fraud, infidelity. In a conviction for corruption threatens him up to ten years imprisonment. Fraud and infidelity meant three years.

The allegations against Netanyahu are about the suspicion of media influence , and it is about expensive gifts of friendly billionaires. Netanyahu denies all allegations. He had already resigned before the indictment.

Netanyahu's personal crisis coincides with that of the political system. Because this week Opposition Leader Benny Gantz failed to form a government. It stands out: no majority for anyone, Netanyahu remains in charge of managing. Consequence could be the third new elections within one year.

• Indictment against Netanyahu, Israel before new elections: A state at the limit

Will Leipzig become Hypezig for Merz?

Kay Nietfeld / DPA

There is a rule that they have mostly honored at the CDU: Even if there is a dispute before a party congress, then at the latest at the party congress itself, please be quiet again. In the end, according to this rule, the leadership on the stage pretended to be the functionary people down in the floor.

Are these times over? We will see. Because today starts in Leipzig, the CDU party congress . 30 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, an insecure, split party is gathering in the fair and revolutionary city.

Who are we? Where do we want to go? And above all, how do we escape the fate of the SPD?

These are the questions.

Superimposed and condensed is all this from and in the leadership conflict: CDU chief Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer has the party a good year after her election (yet) under control, rival Friedrich Merz lurking at his chance. But what exactly does Merz want? This Friday, he will have the opportunity to explain himself.

By the way, small Merz hype: According to a SPIEGEL survey , 71 percent of Union supporters wish that Merz "clearly" or "more" gets more weight in the party. Just the other way around it behaves for the party leader: A good 54 percent wish that Kramp-Karrenbauer has less influence. Uff.

The Junge Union (aka the club of the Merz fanboys) fired this mood with a motion for the primary election of the Chancellor candidate. The party leadership now recommends: rejection of this and similar requests.

What has become of the CDU? And what can become of her in the future? My colleagues Yasemin Yüksel and my colleague Dirk Kurbjuweit have already discussed these questions in our "Voices" podcast in front of the delegates in Leipzig. You will hear surprising answers to the two questions.

• Podcast "Stimmenfang": What has become of the CDU?

Tormentor seeks new role

Christof STACHE / AFP

If Kevin Kühnert did not exist, hardly anyone would notice that next to the CDU another club is organizing a party convention: the Young Socialists will be meeting in Schwerin today for their federal congress.

For the fact that the young people are among the endangered species in the outdated SPD, Juso CEO Kühnert has developed a great deal of hoopla over the past two years. He almost prevented the GroKo, maybe he could even have become SPD leader.

Should have.

Now Kühnert wants to be re-elected beyond the subjunctive as Juso chairman. And then probably take the next step: The 30-year-old switched to the deputy in the SPD.

My colleague Christian Teevs writes: However, Saskia Esken and Norbert Walter-Borjans would probably have to become the new SPD chairmen, "because Olaf Scholz makes one of his harshest critics a vice is unlikely". On the other hand, if Scholz and his political partner Klara Geywitz become the new chief duo, Kühnert already has a role for sure: that of the chief critic .

• Juso boss Kühnert: The tormentor is fighting for his new role

In own thing

DPA

Many teens use smartphones, tablets and computers more skilfully than their parents and teachers. But many do not recognize the difference between journalism and fake news, between careful research and propaganda. How can you make yourself fit for dealing with digital media? What can teachers do? The SPIEGEL wants to help here, independently, freely accessible and free of charge.

For this reason, together with the Schwarzkopf Foundation Young Europe, we have launched the education platform SPIEGEL Ed. Their goal: to introduce students to the journalistic work from Grade 8, to teach them to recognize real news, and to enable them to participate in social debates.

Winner of the day ...

Loren Elliott / REUTERS

... ... is Fiona Hill . Former US National Security Council Russia expert Donald Trump criticized a Republican conspiracy theory on Ukraine's supposed influence on the 2016 US presidential election as a fiction during the impeachment hearings.

Hill said in front of the House Intelligence Committee: "Some of you in this committee believe that Russia and its security services have not campaigned against our country, and that maybe, somehow, for some reason, Ukraine did so." That's a fictional narrative is propagated and disseminated by the Russian security services themselves. " Chapeau!

The compact news overview in the morning: current and opinionated. Every morning (weekdays) at 6 o'clock. Order directly here:

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I wish you a Happy Friday!

Your Sebastian Fischer