1.
Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz presented himself today at an eagerly awaited appearance - and failed when attempting to demonstrate his brilliant mood
A politician who admits to the assembled capital press that he has no idea – I find that fundamentally likeable.
"I have no idea, I assume you know that better than I do," Olaf Scholz replied at his summer press conference today when asked where he thought the 200,000 euros in the locker of former SPD MP Johannes Kahrs came from.
Scholz later said: "I'm as curious as you are and of course I'd like to know where it came from."
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Chancellor Olaf Scholz
Photo:
Kay Nietfeld / dpa
Scholz's appearance in Berlin had been eagerly awaited, mainly because of the affair surrounding the Hamburg Warburg Bank.
The current chancellor has been under pressure for a long time because of the scandal surrounding the bank's cum-ex transactions. As Hamburg's first mayor, he received co-owners of Warburg in 2016, who wanted to prevent additional tax payments in the millions.
Shortly thereafter, Hamburg initially waived the payment, the claim was initially considered statute-barred.
In connection with a court judgment, payment was finally made.
The ex-MP Kahrs is being investigated.
The Chancellor said today about the attempts to clarify the case by a committee of inquiry in Hamburg: "Two and a half years, an unbelievable number of hearings, an unbelievable number of files, have brought only one result: There is no evidence that there was any political influence .' More important than his statements on the Hamburg affair was probably the brilliant mood that the Chancellor demonstrated today - he obviously wants to show that he is relaxed about further disclosures or investigations.
Olaf Scholz also spoke to the capital's press about the energy crisis in Germany.
He expects that the gas storage tanks can be filled further.
They are already much fuller than last year.
In addition, the energy crisis is examining whether the three nuclear power plants that are still in operation can run longer.
There will be a decision on this "soon".
The tax relief package planned by Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) is correct, said Scholz.
"I find that very helpful."
Overall: An appearance in a summer mood.
But only almost.
"We experienced two sides of Scholz today," says my colleague Kevin Hagen from SPIEGEL's capital city office.
»On the one hand, he tried to be in control, took the side of the FDP in a dispute with his own comrades, but also presented himself as a caring social democrat with a view to further relief.
On the other hand, he seemed surprisingly touched when it came to the cum-ex affair.
He even threatened a journalist more or less directly with a lawsuit.
Remarkable!"
Read more here: What Scholz said – and what not
2.
Due to the heat wave, inland shipping is increasingly restricted - a cause for concern for the economy
The summer heat in Germany is perhaps still cause for celebration for some people, for example those who were allowed to stay in swimming pools today.
For most people, the high temperatures and lack of rainfall are worrying - especially those living on the streets.
Today, the Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband pointed out that heat waves like the current one can be life-threatening for many homeless people.
The social association is therefore calling for more "help offers, comparable to those of cold help in winter" from the municipalities.
The Federal Working Group for Homeless Aid is also in favor of organized heat aid for the homeless based on the model of cold aid.
The homeless need accommodation that is suitable for staying in hot hours and that is available to homeless people throughout the day.
Parks, train stations and public buildings could also offer the homeless shade and cooling.
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Photo:
IMAGO/Jochen Tack
For the economy, the falling levels of many rivers are a cause for concern because inland waterway transport is already working to a very limited extent.
On the Rhine, the ships that transport coal often only have 40 centimeters of water under their keel - despite less than half the load, as this SPIEGEL video shows today.
Because of the low water level, freight traffic is stagnating on Germany's most important waterway, the Rhine.
High energy prices and a lack of goods are already causing problems for the German economy - now the low water could exacerbate the situation.
The day before yesterday, Germany's chief economist at Deutsche Bank, Stefan Schneider, warned: "If the water levels continue to fall, growth could also drop to just under one percent."
Watch the whole video here: Only 40 centimeters of water under the keel – despite half the load
3.
On this summer's day, many Germans scoff at the spelling mistake on the poster of a Green Party politician - do you never make such mistakes?
A letter is missing on the poster of the top candidate of the Greens in Lower Saxony.
There was a lot of mockery today: "If the top candidate can't even spell the country, she shouldn't govern it," wrote the federal chairman of the Junge Union, Tilman Kuban, on Twitter, because "Lower Saxony" instead of "Lower Saxony" was on the poster Politician Julia Willie Hamburg is to be read.
The Green politician now has to cope with all kinds of ridicule from political competitors and other people.
She herself had probably published a now-deleted photo on Instagram that shows her in front of the poster – and apparently did not notice the mistake.
To remedy the mishap, correction stickers are now to be attached to the posters until newly ordered and corrected posters arrive.
Apparently there are 600 prints in total.
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Photo:
Melissa Erichsen / dpa
As a writer who has made many wrong letters and spelling mistakes in his life as a journalist, I have a bit of sympathy for the Green Woman in Hamburg, who now makes many Germans amused.
A managing director of the city association of the Greens in Hanover said today: "We just have to take that with humor."
In the »Situation in the Evening« we present the »Typo of the Day« every day.
Sometimes I find it a bit scary how mercilessly many Germans get upset when commas are set incorrectly or letters are mixed up or omitted.
I often mistake the outrage for cursed shit.
Am I too hot there?
I asked Lutz Diedrichs, an experienced colleague from the SPIEGEL final editorial team, whether Germans generally take spelling mistakes too seriously.
"Even as the long-serving final editor, I'm still annoyed by printed errors," says the colleague.
»The feedback from the readers shows that mistakes are still seen and criticized.
In that respect, I feel vindicated.” A long-retired colleague was once asked if he found his job as a bean counter satisfying.
He replied: »I consider the job to be a cultural assignment.«
Incidentally, SPIEGEL's final editor, Ursula Junger, used my query with colleague Diedrichs to remind me of a sentence by Immanuel Kant.
It reads: "All language is the designation of thoughts." Again and again, says the colleague, she finds out "how right Kant is."
Read more here: "If the lead candidate can't even spell the country, she shouldn't be running it"
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News and background to the war in Ukraine:
EU embargo on Russian coal has come into effect:
Despite the war in Ukraine, Europe is still hoping for Russian gas.
In the case of coal, on the other hand, there is now a ban on buying the raw material from Russia.
The 120-day transition period is over.
Ukraine warns Russians against "uncomfortably hot summer vacation" in Crimea:
It is still unclear how the explosions at a Russian military base in Crimea came about.
Kyiv has now sent a poisoned embassy to Russia.
Find all the latest developments on the war in Ukraine here: The News Update
What else is important today
Public prosecutor's office takes over Schlesinger investigations:
In the case of the former RBB director Patricia Schlesinger, things are happening in quick succession.
Now the General Prosecutor's Office in Berlin is taking over the case.
According to the broadcaster, the Broadcasting Council also prefers its meeting.
Economic researchers fear a recession - and the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs:
The German Economic Institute is alarmed by the rising gas prices.
Accordingly, there is a risk of massive consequences for jobs and inflation - price shocks due to production losses are not even taken into account.
The five German glaciers are shrinking at record
speed: the ice in Germany is receding, faster and faster: the melting on the Zugspitze is particularly advanced.
One of the glaciers could be lost this year - what desert dust has to do with it.
My favorite story today: Freeze for peace?
Humor is a particularly difficult business in an editorial team like SPIEGEL, which often reports on very serious topics.
My colleague Alexander Osang always manages to make me smile or laugh with his columns.
His new text deals, among other things, with cozy dwellings, firewood supplies and the impending energy crisis.
"It's a confusing time," writes Alexander.
'The Minister of Economic Affairs regulates our living room temperature and the Christmas holidays.
I burn forest for peace.
For a long time I thought that I was polluting southern Brandenburg with fine dust, now my small stove is an alternative again.«
Read the whole column here: Robert Habeck seems like Father Frost to me
What we recommend at SPIEGEL+ today
Ex-financial senator charged mayor Tschentscher:
The statement increases the pressure on Peter Tschentscher and Chancellor Olaf Scholz in the cum-ex scandal: the former Hamburg finance senator Wolfgang Peiner has accused the mayor of the Hanseatic city of misconduct.
"One of the biggest mistakes in the history of central banks":
The star economist Mohamed El-Erian accuses the US central bank of having overslept the price development.
Here he reveals which investments are still worthwhile - and why his Bitcoin investment failed.
Bad Blood:
Yuck, a red spot!
Many still do not want to see or mention that women menstruate once a month.
Where the millennia-old "period shame" comes from - and what helps against it.
Which is less important today
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Photo:
Hendrik Schmidt / picture alliance / dpa
TV woman with homesickness: Mareile Höppner
, 45, changes from the public ARD program to the private broadcaster RTL.
Since 2008, Höppner has presented the magazine show »Brisant«, which specializes in gossip and tabloid topics.
In the future, the journalist will present the magazine »Extra« at the Cologne station.
Höppner said: "I'm looking forward to 'coming home'." She once had her first job at RTL.
»People and their stories – that was always my drive and my passion.«
Typo of the day
, now corrected: »Industry, craftsmen and consumers have been complaining since the corona crisis that urgently needed raw materials and preliminary products are missing or are being delivered with delays: chips for car on-board computers were missing, as were bicycles, insulating materials for construction sites or wood for furniture.«
Cartoon of the day:
Servus
And tonight?
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Wall Street bankers on the day of the 1929 crash
Photo:
Between The Wars / United Archives International / IMAGO
Could you read the novel »Treue« by the celebrated US author Hernan Diaz, which my colleague Xaver von Cranach recommends as »exciting like a crime thriller«, »even though nobody gets killed.« The novel plays with the myth of New York’s Wall Street, HBO has already secured the film rights, and Kate Winslet will play a leading role.
And what is the plot of the novel about?
About a young man who invests in the stock market with virtuosity and with a lot of luck – until the famous crash on October 24, 1929.
The young man simply keeps investing and makes even more money in the crisis.
“It's about money in this book.
But only superficially,” writes Xaver.
In fact, the fate of the investor's wife becomes the core of the story.
The enlightenment about the life of this woman, writes Xaver,
A lovely evening.
Yours sincerely,
Wolfgang Hoebel
Here you can order the »Situation in the Evening« by e-mail.
