the three question marks today:
Drastic change of mood: nuclear power?
Yes, please, please, please?
Putin fans: Why are so many Russians pro-war?
The Schlesinger case: Unacceptable in the first instance, but is it enough for the third?
1.
Yes to the atom
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Nuclear power plants Isar 1 and 2
Photo: Armin Weigel / picture alliance / dpa
Three out of four Germans, 78 percent, want to postpone the nuclear phase-out planned for the end of the year and want the remaining nuclear power plants to continue running until next summer.
This is the result of a new survey by the online survey company Civey for SPIEGEL.
Two out of three Germans, 67 percent, are even in favor of keeping the reactors connected to the grid for another five years.
And 41 percent are calling for a decades-old taboo to be broken: Germany should build new nuclear power plants.
The change of opinion almost leaves you speechless.
Two generations feared death by radiation, put "nuclear power, no thanks" stickers on their cars and blocked Castor transports.
Nuclear criticism had become part of German identity like muesli and waste separation.
But since Putin's war of aggression at the latest, the mood has also shifted in the left and green milieu.
With a cold eye, it is checked whether nuclear power is not the lesser evil compared to coal-fired power.
Yes, nuclear power is expensive and poses a security risk.
Yes, the final storage issue is still unresolved.
Yes, the new love for the atom can be considered irrational.
But there was also something irrational when the reactors in inland Germany were shut down after a tsunami on the Japanese coast.
A SPIEGEL team investigated how the old opponents of nuclear power see their compatriots' new appetite for nuclear power.
They met the Hahlbohm family from Lemgow in Lower Saxony, three generations under one roof.
The grandmother: "I'm absolutely against shaking the exit." The son-in-law: If the fuel elements can still supply electricity, one should consider whether that makes sense.
The granddaughter: Yes to a limited continued operation.
Colleagues also met Felix Ruwe, 71, from Ahaus in North Rhine-Westphalia, a veteran of the local citizens' initiative »No nuclear waste in Ahaus«.
He sounds frustrated: "We're all old bags now, you have to put it that way," Ruwe replies when asked who is still involved in the citizens' initiative today.
Young offspring for the continuation of the fight is not in sight.
"With us," says his wife Christel, "the resistance will die."
Do you have to feel sorry?
Read the full story here: Nuclear Power?
Yes, please!
2.
Loyal to Putin
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Photo: Anton Vaganov / REUTERS
When Russian troops invaded Ukraine at the end of February, it was often said that this was Putin's war, not Russia's.
Many could not believe that the people would condone such a crime.
Small anti-war demonstrations in Moscow were seen as proof that the Russian people love peace.
Now the impression is different.
The Russians appear to be overwhelmingly supportive of Putin.
“He is the people” is the title story in the new SPIEGEL.
My colleague Christian Esch has lived in Russia for 14 years.
Since the beginning of the war, however, he has mainly reported from the Ukraine.
When Christian came back to Moscow after six months, he was shocked.
The people of the city have changed.
He hardly recognized old acquaintances.
A new station was playing on his favorite radio frequency, which explains to him why one should have little sympathy for Ukrainian civilians.
Christian writes that many Russians feel that Western sanctions confirm that this war is in fact not a Russian attack on Ukraine, but a struggle with an overpowering, resentful West.
In a café, he met foreign policy expert Dmitry Trenin, a smart, friendly, mustachioed gentleman whose sober analyzes often helped Christian to understand Russian politics.
A week before Putin's attack, Trenin had said that war was never planned and that Putin's troop deployment was purely a threatening gesture.
Now he sounded completely different.
Trenin said he supports even a larger war effort.
Russia needs a "self-cleansing" of materialism and other false values, a new "Russian idea."
Christian writes: "The Trenin, whom I meet again five months later, is a changed man."
Read the SPIEGEL cover story here: How Putin's war changed my Moscow
News and background to the war in Ukraine:
What really happened in the Olenivka prison camp?
The Kremlin denies access to the site where 50 Ukrainian prisoners of war died - fueling suspicions of a massacre.
Relatives also attack the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Why many questions remain unanswered.
How much guilt does Russian society have for Putin's war crimes?
Many Russians left their country last.
SPIEGEL reporter Timofey Neshitov, who was born and raised in Saint Petersburg, visited his compatriots in exile.
A Personal Journey to the Origin of Evil.
Russia promises lower grain exports:
Reduced Russian gas deliveries due to an allegedly missing turbine have kept Europe in suspense for weeks.
Moscow is now threatening lower grain exports – and justifies this with a lack of parts.
3. Unacceptable
for the ARD, but is it enough for the regional program?
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RBB director Patricia Schlesinger
Photo: Britta Pedersen / dpa
Patricia Schlesinger resigned yesterday as ARD chairwoman.
She apparently wants to continue as RBB director.
Strange logic.
It's unbearable for now, but is it enough for the regional program?
The chairman of the main committee in the Brandenburg state parliament, Daniel Keller, is apparently not satisfied with Schlesinger's partial withdrawal.
The SPD politician called for an immediate clarification of the allegations today.
If it is already foreseeable that there is misconduct, the director must also draw consequences from the RBB.
In fact, the allegations against Schlesinger have to do with her work as a broadcaster.
It's about possible nepotism in an RBB real estate project.
About the settlement of alleged business dinners in Schlesinger's private apartment.
About Schlesinger's salary increase by a remarkable 16 percent to 303,000 euros per year.
About Schlesinger's husband, who got a well-paid consulting job at the Berlin trade fair, whose supervisory board chairman also happens to be the head of the RBB board of directors.
And finally, it's about Schlesinger's company car.
According to research by "Business Insider" magazine, it is a moonlight blue Audi A8 with 435 hp, massage seats and soundproof windows, total value 145,830 euros.
Quite a lot for the head of a public institution that is mainly financed by contributions.
Which is why Audi granted a kind of press discount of almost 70 percent.
Apparently Schlesinger was seen as a brand ambassador.
A SPIEGEL inquiry to the public broadcasters revealed today that Schlesinger's company car stands out among his colleagues.
At Hessischer Rundfunk, the directorship drives an electric BMW, at Bayerischer Rundfunk a plug-in hybrid.
There is no company car at Radio Bremen.
Karola Wille from MDR, on the other hand, has the same Audi model as Schlesinger, albeit for a larger transmission area.
What surprised me the most was Schlesinger's handling of the matter.
She once stood for investigative journalism on the NDR program »Panorama«.
Now she was outraged at the piercings (“and then to the Springer press as well”), as if “Panorama” had always been waiting for official press releases.
Incidentally, a critical article on the subject of press discounts was already running there in 2003, titled »Shopping with a press card – discounts for greedy journalists«.
My colleague Anton Rainer comments on the case as follows: "Schlesinger not only supplied opponents of the public service system with ammunition, but gave them a whole arsenal."
Read more here: Committee chief calls for immediate clarification in the Schlesinger case
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What else is important today
China imposes sanctions on Pelosi:
She "trampled" the one-China policy: Beijing has decided to take punitive measures against the US top politician because of Nancy Pelosi's trip to Taiwan.
EnBW announces substantial price increase:
The Baden-Württemberg energy group EnBW has announced new tariffs for October.
That in itself should surprise few – the amount of the surcharge, on the other hand, does.
Expert in a tank explores Grunewald – the blast site is still 700 degrees hot:
Dozens of tons of explosive ordnance and ammunition are stored at the blast site in Berlin's Grunewald, where explosions triggered a major fire.
A police demolition expert has now gained an overview.
My favorite story today: There is so much China in a German car
Germany should become more independent from China?
My colleagues Martin Hesse and Simon Hage went to Audi and wanted to know what that means in concrete terms.
Using the example of an e-tron, Audi's best-selling electric car.
They wanted to know: how much China is in this supposedly German car?
An e-tron consists of around 6000 parts, from the chassis to the on-board electrical system and the battery to the drive train with the electric motor.
The parts come from suppliers at 550 locations in 37 countries.
Audi counts 149 parts that come directly from China.
There are also Chinese pre-products that are in the parts.
The electric motor, for example, is produced in Hungary, but requires metals that are often extracted in a mine in northern China.
And the semiconductors.
Martin and Simon have researched that there are more than 6000 computer chips in a single Audi e-tron, even in the windshield wipers.
Infineon is an important chip supplier for Audi; the required silicon and ferrosilicon usually comes from China.
"The corporations are trying to get back the most important parts of production," write the colleagues.
But a look inside the Audi e-tron shows: "Self-sufficiency is a mirage in the complex world of cars."
Read the whole story here: So much China is in a German Audi
What we recommend at SPIEGEL+ today
Battle of the know-it-alls:
Karl Lauterbach and Marco Buschmann have been arguing for weeks about the new Infection Protection Act.
Then the chancellor sent a supervisor, now there is a draft: Who prevailed?
He worshiped him like a father:
as a minor, Georg Menne was repeatedly raped by a priest.
Despite this, he worked for the Church throughout his life.
Now, at 63, he is suing her for damages.
His toughest game:
He was world goalkeeper and known for his freaks.
Now Oliver Kahn is under pressure after expensive transfers as CEO of FC Bayern.
Portrait of a Man Who Became His Own Caretaker.
Which isn't that important today
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Actress Fonda on her skincare routine: "I sleep, I move, I stay out of the sun"
Photo: Richard Shotwell / dpa
Get trimmed: US actress Jane Fonda, 84, is skeptical about the outcome of her cosmetic surgery.
"I had a facelift and I stopped doing it because I didn't want to look distorted," the 84-year-old told American Vogue.
She assumes that many women are addicted to cosmetic surgery.
But "I think we all know a lot of women who are rich and who've had all kinds of facelifts and things like that and they look awful."
The Academy Award winner and aerobics pioneer said she's glad she's been blessed with a robust physique.
"Every day when I get out of the car, I thank the goddesses for having such strong thighs and for working out."
Typo of the day
, now corrected: Getreideal with Ukraine just started
Cartoon of the Day:
Taiwan
And tonight?
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Photo: Netflix
If you don't care about the start of the Bundesliga (Frankfurt vs. Bavaria, from 8.30 p.m. on Sat.1) or Slipknot's performance at the Wacken Festival (from 9.10 p.m. on Magenta TV), you could start tonight with the Better Call Saul Season 6 on Netflix ahead of the August 15 finale of this phenomenal series.
My colleague Joachim Hentschel wrote a eulogy for the sleazy crook Jimmy McGill in the new SPIEGEL.
The last episode will be an "exciting, almost divine TV moment: the moon landing of one of the most exciting series of all time".
Oh, you don't know the series at all, nor the »Breaking Bad« saga connected to it?
Then I envy you for being able to discover them now.
I enjoyed accompanying you through the week at this point.
Thanks also for the many reactions to my supposed ability to snap off my thumb (you can find photos here).
If you notice anything, please write to me by e-mail (alexander.neubacher@spiegel.de ) or via Twitter (@Alex_Neubacher ).
My colleague Wolfgang Höbel will welcome you next Monday.
I wish you a nice evening and a nice weekend.
Cordially Alexander Neubacher
Here you can order the »Situation in the Evening« by e-mail.
