Inhibited Lauterbach
It is also good when different views are revealed and nobody tries to fill in the gap that is visible to everyone.
Well, Health Minister
Karl Lauterbach
and the head of the Robert Koch Institute,
Lothar Wieler
, tried to downplay their conflict at the federal press conference yesterday.
They were not successful with it.
In the end, the impression remained that they disagreed on the question of which measures are now necessary in order not to be overwhelmed by the omicron wave.
Lauterbach emphasized that the last Christmas days had not developed into a pandemic driver.
Wieler formulated his skepticism in the form of a poetic prayer: "Christmas should not be the spark that ignites the Omicron fire."
Well, what now?
The modelers' scenarios are horrific, and so far I have not heard a voice claim that everything will be fine.
I find it all the more irritating to listen to the eternal admonisher Lauterbach arguing against a quick lockdown;
knowing that he personally might have a different opinion.
The reason for his change is likely to lie primarily in the coalition partner, the FDP.
The liberals, so you can hear, had made it very clear to Olaf Scholz that another nationwide lockdown would not be possible with them.
However, the FDP is increasingly schizophrenic when it comes to corona policy.
There are supposed freedom fighters like Bundestag Vice President Wolfgang Kubicki, who mobilizes against the introduction of a general compulsory vaccination and says sentences that are close to the conspiracy narrative: "Many advocates of the compulsory vaccination seem to be about revenge and retribution."
But there are also realpoliticians like the new FDP General Secretary Bijan Djir-Sarai, whom my colleagues Christoph Schult and Severin Weiland asked about corona policy and the planned introduction of a general vaccination requirement (you can read the full interview today on SPIEGEL.de) ). "Nobody has to tell me anything about freedom, I was born in Iran in 1976, I know the value of freedom," said Djir-Sarai. “The facts are changing, we are also a ruling party that must not lose sight of these new realities - that is absolutely necessary. According to a survey, the majority of the FDP electorate is in favor of the general compulsory vaccination. So people expect us to fight the pandemic successfully and together. "
That sounds so very different from what party vice Kubicki announces.
The new pluralism of the FDP?
Karl Lauterbach and Lothar Wieler: "Here the question came up whether I still stand by Mr. Wieler ..."
Putin receives
Once a year the Russian President takes an extraordinary amount of time for journalism.
Then he invites more than a thousand reporters to a get-together lasting several hours and answers questions.
It is a great spectacle.
This time it is a bit smaller due to the pandemic, but at least the event is not taking place purely virtually.
500 journalists are invited to the Manege exhibition hall to gain an insight into Putin's world; the crowd is mostly mixed.
However, the Kremlin critical »Novaya Gazeta« was not invited this time
, as my colleague and Moscow SPIEGEL correspondent Christina Hebel writes to me.
Editor-in-chief Dmitry Muratov has just received the Nobel Peace Prize.
Anyone who wants to be admitted to Putin's room must show three negative PCR tests.
Journalists wishing to ask a question had to submit it to the Kremlin in advance.
As with all of his last meetings, Putin will speak to the journalists at a great distance.
In terms of foreign policy
, Vladimir Putin has already set the tone for his annual press conference, says Christina Hebel.
This week he tightened his war rhetoric once more:
"In the event that an" openly aggressive line "against Russia was continued, he threatened the West with" appropriate military-technical response measures ".
Moscow will react "hard" to "unkind steps," the president told the military on Tuesday.
For weeks Putin has been insisting on "long-term, legally binding security guarantees" from NATO and the USA.
He has let tens of thousands of soldiers concentrate on the border with Ukraine and so arouses massive fears of war.
It can be assumed that the Kremlin chief will step up when he meets the journalists today.
Domestically, my colleague estimates, corona politics will be one of the most important issues.
Most recently there were protests in various regions of the country against plans by the government to introduce QR codes for people who have been twice vaccinated and those who have recovered. They should become compulsory in order to visit public places and to use trains and airplanes. In the meantime, the planned draft law on compulsory QR codes in public transport has been postponed at Putin's request.
The Kremlin is clearly making efforts not to fuel displeasure in the country before the New Year holidays.
Putin's approval ratings are no longer as high as they were a few years ago, but according to current surveys they are still stable at over 60 percent.
In view of rising prices, it is assumed that Putin could announce new one-off payments for families and retirees.
Confrontation with Russia: NATO plans to increase troops on the eastern flank
Mild Merz
My colleague Veit Medick has been accompanying and observing Friedrich Merz for a long time.
When he met the newly elected CDU chairman again for his portrait, he noticed a man who wants to come to terms with certain episodes of the past.
Merz
, who has long been perceived as a clear opponent of Angela Merkel,
wants, for example, to redefine his relationship with the former chancellor and bury the old feuds
.
"I would be happy if Angela Merkel and the CDU stay together in the future, it won't fail because of me," said Merz.
“I want to have good relationships with all of my four predecessors alive.
Treating each other properly is part of our party's DNA.
Recently the internal climate was difficult for us.
I want to improve it. "
Looking at the time before Merkel's rise, Merz admitted
to having "completely underestimated" the party friend
.
»Take a look at our tour a good 20 years ago: Kohl, Schäuble, Rühe, Koch, Wulff, Müller.
At that time, women played practically no role in the leadership. ”Merkel, according to Merz, was“ a women's political pacemaker ”for the CDU -“ very clearly ”.
Can the Chancellor resist so much charm offensive?
We'll keep you up to date.
Years of feud: Merz approaches Merkel
The latest news from the night
British studies apparently confirm milder courses in Omicron infections:
Two studies from Great Britain suggest less severe illnesses in Omicron infections.
The number of hospital stays decreased in some cases drastically compared to Delta.
But that is not the all-clear
Former Trump adviser Flynn fails with a lawsuit against the US Congress:
Michael Flynn is supposed to testify before the committee on the attack on the US Capitol - and had defended himself legally.
A judge rejected the application of Donald Trump's confidante but now
James Franco talks about addiction to alcohol, fame and sex:
Several women accused James Franco of sexual harassment just under four years ago.
Now the actor and director has made a detailed statement on this for the first time
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Merry Christmas!
The team from the morning situation says goodbye to a short break for reflection, we will get back to you on December 27th at 6 a.m. punctually.
We wish you all a happy, calm and beautiful festival, despite the adverse circumstances.
Your Martin Knobbe