Unworthy debate
Personal attacks, insults, bold lies - the first TV duel between
Donald Trump
and
Joe Biden
was chaotic, it was unworthy.
There wasn't much room for content.
The incumbent and his challenger blamed each other and kept interrupting each other.
"This debate was embarrassing for the United States of America," commented TV veteran
Wolf Blitzer
from CNN.
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Challenger Biden (left), US President Trump
Photo: Olivier Douliery / AP
Biden called Trump, among other things, a "clown" - and the "worst president America has ever had."
Trump, who kept fire on Biden for an hour and a half, accused his challenger, among other things, of being manipulated by the "radical left" and that Biden was "anything but smart".
Moderator
Chris Wallace
often appeared weak, powerless.
Whoever the polls should choose as the "winner" of this event:
US political culture is the big loser.
First TV debate: Biden calls Trump a "clown" - who once again sows doubts about the election
Manager in court
Worldwide
eleven million cars were
affected, the damage adds up to many billions of euros - at
VW
alone
to around 32 billion
.
The
diesel scandal over manipulated exhaust gas measurements
is not just about the material, it has destroyed a lot of trust and also the myth of the pure engineering
skill
that is solely oriented towards the matter.
He revealed a nefariousness that up until then hardly anyone would have wanted to suspect - but not among the always correct Germans.
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Martin Winterkorn and Rupert Stadler
Photo: CHRISTOF STACHE / AFP
As of today, the former Audi boss
Rupert Stadler
and three other high-ranking employees are on trial.
Five years after the exhaust gas scandal became known, a German court is hearing for the first time who is to blame.
There are many questions:
When did who know what about what - and why did no one report anything?
Why could the fraud remain secret for so long?
In the high-security courtroom of the Munich-Stadelheim correctional facility,
more than 300 witnesses are to be
heard
on
181 trial days
.
It is unclear when the fraud trial against another size, the former VW manager
Martin Winterkorn
, begins before the Braunschweig regional court.
Allegedly, the manager, who denies all allegations, is said to have health problems and may only be able to negotiate to a limited extent.
It would be a fatal symbol if those responsible for this scandal were to be spared.
Winterkorn, it is said, has just completed two foot operations, and there is still an old hip problem.
Does a sore leg actually save from charge and testimony?
It would be hard to believe.
Start of trial in exhaust gas fraud: The first car boss is on trial for Dieselgate
Lobby register in sight
The young CDU MP
Philipp Amthor
promoted the US
IT company Augustus Intelligence
, which SPIEGEL exposed.
The affair brought up a topic that has been discussed for years: the question of
how
transparently elected representatives
must make
their contacts with business and interest groups
, how openly they should deal with the pressure that affects them every day, the question, whether the
Bundestag
needs
a lobby register
.
The CDU
and
SPD
have now agreed on a draft law for such a register, other parliamentary groups have also submitted drafts and motions, and tomorrow there will be a public hearing in the Bundestag.
Today members of the
"Alliance for Lobbying Transparency" say
they are likely to criticize that the coalition
draft is
not strict enough.
However, the question of how far MEPs should be transparent is not that easy to answer.
This is shown in a dispute that my colleague
Sabrina Winter had
with Union Managing Director
Patrick Schnieder
and
Roman Ebner
from Abhabenwatch.de on the lobby register.
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Patrick Schnieder
Photo: via www.imago-images.de / imago images / Political-Moments
Schnieder defends himself against complete transparency, he warns against "researching MPs through the back door" and says: "Democracy needs a protected space for exchange."
Ebner argues against this: "Why should a commercial enterprise have the right to meet with members of parliament in a protected room when it ultimately comes down to distributing tax money?"
Which argument do you find more convincing?
Read the conversation during the day in our plus area on spiegel.de.
Draft by Union and SPD: The lobby register
Coal instead of clapping
When the federal and state health ministers hold a conference today, it is mainly about Corona.
About test strategies, containment measures and possibly - and hopefully also - about the personnel.
Outside, on the streets of Berlin,
nurses and geriatric nurses will
protest with red flags, their motto: "Clapping was yesterday, today is payday".
They are demanding more wages, as they have done so often.
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Public service warning strikes
Photo: Sachelle Babbar / imago images / ZUMA Wire
Of course, it is difficult to understand how one can
call
for warning strikes
at hospitals
in an ongoing pandemic
.
Of course, it sounds bold to ask for more money, given the billions in debt that the state is trying to shoulder anyway.
And yet: if you are serious about recognizing all those who have persevered and worked through times of crisis, you cannot avoid generously rewarding them.
Not unique, but sustainable.
Data Analysis: Should Public Service Workers Get More Money?
Winner of the day ...
... is the North Rhine-Westphalian Prime Minister
Armin Laschet
.
Today he is on a pilgrimage to Rome, including a
private audience with Pope Francis
.
According to the State Chancellery, the occasion is the celebrations for the
Day of German Unity
in the German embassies at the Holy See and Italy, where North Rhine-Westphalia is the partner state.
Icon: enlarge
Armin Laschet
Photo: Maja Hitij / Getty Images
Laschet must have suffered with the Pope, after all, he campaigned for the opening of churches and houses of prayer early in the pandemic.
In any case, his trip should be more successful than the last.
When Laschet traveled to the Greek refugee camp Moria in August, he soon had to break off his visit - for security reasons.
That shouldn't happen in the Vatican, because where is one safer than in the care of the Almighty?
SPIEGEL survey: Merz is ahead of the CDU chairmanship, Söder on the K question
The latest news from the night
UN Security Council calls for a ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh:
The fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh continues.
After the Secretary General, the UN Security Council is now joining the call for peace
British House of Commons votes for controversial internal market law:
Experts warned that the House of Commons has now passed a controversial law that could override parts of the Brexit deals.
The EU had described the plans as a "breach of trust"
Timo Werner scores for Chelsea for the first time:
Despite his first goal in the blues jersey, Werner was eliminated from the League Cup with his new club.
In the London derby, Chelsea lost on penalties at Tottenham Hotspur
The SPIEGEL + recommendations for today
A village in Brandenburg longs for the Russians to return: "We still know obedience"
Boss fails because of the racist network in the Amsterdam fire brigade: "As if I had a knife in my back"
QAnon: A man against the most dangerous cult in the world
In self-experiment to a healthy bowel: My body screams "Sugar!"
I wish you an inspiring day.
Your Martin Knobbe