News of the day: Joe Biden and the EU, Corona at school, side business of politicians

1.

The new US President Biden is very frosty about the EU and Germany - and talks about his vaccination successes in his first major press conference

The magic of a fresh start in the relationship between Europe and the US has suddenly given way to a rather surprising disenchantment.

"The honeymoon is over before it begins," quote my colleagues Christiane Hoffmann, Markus Becker, René Pfister and Christoph Schult in their report on the first experiences with the new US government under Joe Biden, a German diplomat.

For example, the new US president has refused to approve the export of 30 million AstraZeneca vaccine doses stored in the US, which the country will likely never need.

In Afghanistan policy, announcements that they wanted to go back to consultations with the allies were followed by a snub by the new US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who, among other things, threatened to withdraw a large part of the US troops by May 1st.

In the case of the almost completed Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which the USA rejected and which is supposed to supply Europe with Russian gas, Washington says, unwilling to compromise: "The Germans must understand how serious the issue is for us."

Enlarge image

US President Biden: "The honeymoon is over"

Photo: Oliver Contreras / Sipa USA / ddp

The colleague compare the first attempts at communication between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Biden with the exchange of phrases in a bad marriage in which the partners forgot to talk openly with each other.

During a phone call, neither of them would have dared to mention Nord Stream 2 at all.

"Biden is like Trump, only a little nicer in tone," is the headline of the description of a messy relationship.

At the first major press conference of his tenure, which began more than two months ago, Biden now promised, among other things, even faster vaccinations in the USA.

In their video analysis of the presidential appearance, my colleagues René Pfister and Martin Jäschke describe the speaker Biden as "approachable, human, funny" and as a "man who knows how to sell his successes", but unfortunately also often "imprecise in his words" is.

That should change with the first marriage conflict between the rulers of Germany and the USA.

• Video of US President Biden's first press conference: »My predecessor?

  Oh god, I miss him "

• Dispute between Germany and the USA: Biden is like Trump, only a little nicer in tone

2.

Schools are hardly equipped for the more dangerous variant of the coronavirus to affect many children and young people, politics largely ignores this - with fatal consequences

The anger does not have a good reputation at the moment, but sometimes even journalists are gripped by an obviously justified anger.

My colleague Raphaela von Bredow from the science department of SPIEGEL reports today how clearly current scientific findings indicate that the coronavirus mutant B.1.1.7 affects a large number of children and adolescents - and that those infected carry the virus into their families.

Raphaela says, “I am angry that we failed to turn schools and daycare centers into safe places.

This is a total failure of politics. "

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Children during corona self-tests in a Munich elementary school: "The patients are getting younger"

Photo: Matthias Balk / dpa

In her text, Raphaela vividly describes how stunned many scientific experts are following the inability of politics to act.

“At first months passed and many people believed children were magically spared the virus.

One did not want to admit that they are infected with Sars-CoV-2 as well as adults - and infect others, although they often have no symptoms themselves. "Then there was endless discussion about school closings, instead of, for example, twice that nationwide for the students Procure rapid antigen tests carried out every week and make them mandatory.

"Now, as virologists and modelers have been predicting since January at the latest, a third wave of infections is breaking through Germany with power," says the text.

»The much more contagious and dangerous mutant B.1.1.7 is spreading across the country.

And instead of drastically restricting contacts, things are relaxed - especially in schools. "

According to the researchers' findings, the so-called infection rate has skyrocketed in children up to 14 years old and has almost tripled in the past five weeks.

The Robert Koch Institute speaks of outbreaks that "currently particularly affect private households, increasingly day-care centers, schools and the professional environment."

Raphaela says, “We were warned.

Scientists have been predicting this third wave since January, and in the SPIEGEL interview Christian Drosten made it unmistakably clear what would happen in spring if we don't tighten the shutdown. "At that time, Drosten illustrated the situation with the picture of the rickety truck that we are one with Driving down a steep mountain: “We absolutely have to manage not to fly out of the curve.

In this situation, it doesn't help to close your eyes.

We have to persevere and above all do one thing: step on the brakes. ”Unfortunately, according to Raphaela, that didn't happen.

“Schools can be run safely with low incidences in the population.

But the Chancellor and the Prime Ministers have closed their eyes.

In January we should have massively reduced the number of cases by closing properly and imposing curfews.

Obliging employers to send their people to work from home and, if that is not possible, to introduce tough test regimes.

None of that was done. "

• Read the full story about the corona mutant in daycare centers and schools here: "Take good care of yourself and your children"

3.

Ex-CDU parliamentarian Mark Hauptmann resigned from the party, fees paid in the millions for CSU veteran Peter Gauweiler: The conservatives continue to plague themselves with felt allegations

Even when I was a student in Munich, the CSU politician Peter Gauweiler was an extremely controversial man, and that has hardly changed to this day.

He became known as a vocal campaigner for a law-and-order policy and was hostile, for example, for his steep theses about the correct way to deal with AIDS patients;

In exchange with his critics, he coined the cool-sounding saying: "He who acts has enemies." In Gauweiler's case, however, the actor apparently also has good friends.

The CSU politician is said to have received more than eleven million euros from billionaire August Baron von Finck between 2008 and 2015.

This is reported by the »Süddeutsche Zeitung«, which was able to see the relevant invoices.

Accordingly, Gauweiler received the money as an "agreed fee" for advice in his function as a lawyer - while he was sitting in the Bundestag with a CSU mandate.

The CSU politician Peter Gauweiler

Photo: REUTERS

Gauweiler is 71 years old, a successful lawyer and has been with the CSU for many years.

He was deputy party leader from 2013 to 2015, and from 2002 to March 2015 he sat for the CSU in the Bundestag.

The family of Baron August von Finck is one of the richest in Germany.

Finck's fortune is estimated at several billion euros.

So far, it remains unclear what Gauweiler's paid advisory work was all about for billionaire Finck, who has lived in Switzerland since 1999.

The millions of payments to the CSU politician are likely to fuel the debate about disclosing the additional income of MPs.

Most recently, the Union politicians Georg Nüßlein (CSU) and Nikolas Löbel (CDU) were accused of dubious enrichment because they each received six-figure commissions for brokering protective mask businesses.

Both have resigned their seats in the Bundestag.

Alfred Sauter, member of the CSU state parliament for many years, who has since left the parliamentary group, is believed to have received around 1.2 million euros.

In Thuringia, the local CDU regional association announced today that former member of the Bundestag Mark Hauptmann, who is suspected of corruption, has resigned from the CDU.

Hauptmann is involved in questionable lobbying activities for the authoritarian ruled Azerbaijan.

In the meantime, the Thuringian State Criminal Police Office is investigating the suspicion that he, too, has received commissions for arranging mask deals.

• Read the full story here: CSU politician Gauweiler apparently collected eleven million euros during his time in the Bundestag

• Corruption allegations Ex-MP Hauptmann resigns from the CDU

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What else is important today

• Biontech vaccine can also be stored at freezer temperatures:

  The Biontech vaccine previously had to be stored at minus 70 degrees, which makes logistics difficult, especially for general practitioners.

  The EU Medicines Agency has now checked new data - and changed its mind.

• Colonel of the Bundeswehr is said to have come to work despite the corona infection:

  The Bundeswehr is investigating a senior officer because of alleged serious violations of the corona protection

  rules

  .

  According to SPIEGEL information, the colonel is said to have appeared on duty despite a positive test.

• EU concerned about the state of health of Navalny:

  Alexej Navalny himself accuses the guards of his prison camp of torture, a Kremlin spokesman throws them off.

  The EU is now calling for medical care for the opposition party to be made possible.

• Baguette is to become a Unesco World Heritage Site:

  a landmark like the Eiffel Tower: the savoir-faire and the culture of baguettes are to be included in the Unesco's list of intangible world heritage sites, according to the French Ministry of Culture.

My favorite story today

The Suez Canal, blocked by a container ship, as a sign of the times: Of course, the stranding of the ship "Ever Given" causes great concern for many people all over the world.

My colleague Patrick Beuth also recognizes in the pictures of the accident a gift to the community of internet users.

Photo: Suez Canal Authority / imago images / Xinhua

"Thank you.

We needed this picture «, Patrick writes in his thanks to the captain, to the failed salvage experts, to the builders of the Suez Canal and to the photographers on site - on behalf of the whole internet: Thank you.

"No motif has so far brought the all-encompassing excessive demands with the world to the point as the" Ever Given "." And the examples of so-called memes provided are actually very amusing.

• Container ship memes: The "Ever Given" is a gift on the Internet

What we recommend today at SPIEGEL +

• "It works better with someone you know":

  Whether donation dinner or vaccine debacle: Jens Spahn has been criticized for months.

  Here he takes a stand on his mistakes and says how he deals with people's anger.

• "It is the greatest genocide in our history":

  300,000 corona deaths in one year: Brazil's ex-president Lula also blames his successor Jair Bolsonaro for this.

  He appeals to Angela Merkel - and has a radical proposal.

• Halix's Secret:

  Where did the 29 million doses of vaccine come from that authorities discovered at an AstraZeneca plant?

  Probably mainly from a Dutch factory - behind which there is a German billionaire family.

• "My fear tells me how important what I do":

  Her speech at the inauguration of US President Biden made her world famous overnight.

  How did 23-year-old Amanda Gorman deal with sudden fame - and how did she overcome her language disorder?

Which is less important today

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»Bild« editor-in-chief Julian Reichelt: »I'm very sorry«

Photo: Jens Schlueter / epa-EFE

• Tamed »Bild« wild-catcher:

  Julian Reichelt

  , 40, editor-in-chief of the »Bild« newspaper who is known for his gruffness and is currently released from his position, is allowed to return to his workplace next Monday.

  But he gets a co-boss at his side.

  Her name is Alexandra Würzbach and is also editor-in-chief of "Bild am Sonntag".

  After compliance allegations, the law firm Freshfields had investigated Reichelt.

  According to Reichelt's employer, the Axel Springer publishing house, he had "admitted the mixture of professional and private relationships."

  However, there was no evidence to support the allegation that he abused his power.

  My colleague Isabell Hülsen and my colleagues Alexander Kühn, Martin U. Müller and Anton Rainer report that the role of the co-editor-in-chief Würzbach in the editorial team, who is now to be the guardian, is compared to the role of the strict housekeeper Miss Rottenmeier from the children's book »Heidi« .

  Reichelt himself is repentant and says: "What I mainly blame myself for is that I have hurt people for whom I am responsible."

Typo of the day

, corrected in the meantime: "Accordingly, if there is a seven-day incidence of over 100 opening steps, it should be withdrawn."

Cartoon of the day:

Superjens

Enlarge picturePhoto: plassmann

And tonight?

Could you read the latest book by Julian Barnes?

The British writer is famous as a gifted anecdote thrower.

At a young age he wrote a novel entitled "Flaubert's Parrot," in which a stuffed bird, historically documented in 19th-century France, played a leading role.

His new work "The Man in the Red Skirt" is about a gynecologist and artist friend named Samuel Pozzi, who lived in Paris at the end of the century before last.

The author Barnes declared it a non-fiction book.

But in the description of the 75-year-old writer, the life of Monsieur Pozzi appears like a wild, gossip-loving novel.

Pozzi was the doctor and lover of actress Sarah Bernhardt.

He had himself portrayed in a pompous painting by a Parisian celebrity painter, the American John Singer Sargent.

And he was the friend of many dandies, aristocrats and artist people, among whom the writer Joris-Karl Huysmans ("Deep Down") was the most famous.

For me, "The Man in the Red Skirt" is the most entertaining book this spring.

(Read a quick review here.)

A lovely evening.

Sincerely

yours, Wolfgang Höbel

Here you can order the "Lage am Abend" by email.