The situation in the morning - what the Chancellor could click away today

Dates, dates, dates

After

dealt with the question of getting in yesterday, keyword immigration, today is all about making ends meet: appointments on

dominate the Chancellor's to-do list.

Does Scholz also have an app on his tap-proof

on which he can click away completed tasks?

One would wish for him.

That little ping that acknowledges accomplishments is so immensely satisfying.

A full Chancellor's day would feel very different.

10.15 a.m .: Speech at the trade union day of the dbb civil servants’ association and collective bargaining union – ping!

Home game done.

11.30 a.m .: Discussion about the shortage of skilled workers in the public sector – oh no, uff, Kevin Kühnert does.

ping!

Away with it.

3 p.m.: SPD parliamentary group meeting – sigh.

That cap guy... thinks he's Talleyrand.

ping!

Made.

5 p.m.: Discussion with the directors of the IMF, OECD, WTO and Co - ah, a dream appointment!

Finally explaining in English how damn smart this book by Branko Milanovic is about global capitalism.

ping!

The appointment could have lasted longer.

Why does everyone look so tired?

6.30 p.m.: Joint press conference with the same directors – well, if the government spokesman thinks it is necessary... Ping!

Skepticism, worries, fears

Seriously: The challenges in

and

for Scholz's

are enormous.

This is also shown by a

that the opinion research institute Allensbach conducts every year on behalf of the insurance association GDV.

My colleague Florian Diekmann will give you an exclusive report today on this year's results.

A good 1000 representative members of the so-called

, i.e. the 30 to 59 year olds, were surveyed.

It is the age group that finds itself in the

of

, between raising children, caring for parents and striving for professional success.

Unsurprisingly, there is a

in the middle generation in view of inflation and the energy crisis .

"Never before has there been such deep uncertainty and concern as this year," reports Florian.

»51 percent of those surveyed were apprehensive about the next twelve months.

38 percent stated that their economic situation is worse today than it was five years ago.«

It will be a while before the Scholz government can click away this task as done.

If that succeeds at all in the next three years.

• Rising prices and economic worries: The middle generation is feeling insecure about the crisis winter - and is calling for the state 

Praise, praise, demonstrate

They are still holding out, the

in

.

Yesterday people tore down barricades, calling for freedom of the press and an end to the draconian zero-Covid policy.

All this still amounts to a sensation, and today it could continue.

"What we are essentially experiencing is voting with your feet," says SPIEGEL correspondent Christoph Giesen in a video analysis.

And one shouldn't forget: "China is a

." The mass surveillance with facial recognition and location services works so well that every Chinese person who dares to take to the streets must expect a visit from the police.

As the New York Times reported, some Chinese have resorted to sarcasm by posting wildly exaggerated praises of their autocratic leadership on their country's closely monitored social networks.

Or their alleged enthusiasm for corona tests.

Today's German contribution to the topic of Corona seems cute: The Barmer replacement fund presents its "Care Report 2022" on the topic "Are nursing homes still Corona hotspots?" From Xi Jinping's point of view, the answer to the question would definitely be yes.

In China, a visit to a contact person of an infected person should be enough to isolate entire homes and nursing staff for weeks.

In Germany, fortunately, after the initial isolation of people in need of care, people have become much more relaxed.

• Corona protests in China: “This is voting with your feet”

Walk, drive, stand still

Another topic that should make Zero Covid supporters drip a sweat of fear: Today the

ministers

of the federal states are meeting with their federal colleague Volker Wissing in a video link

Among other things, it will be about the

to wear a mask on

.

Bremen, which currently chairs the conference, has submitted a motion to have it abolished.

That is only

- if in the first federal states even those who tested positive are allowed to go to the office, and it feels like the whole of Germany is shopping, working, going to the theater and parties without a mask again.

Why then this caution in the air-conditioned ICE?

But well, the German corona policy has so far been consistent, above all in its inconsistency.

The application from Bremen provides for the abolition of the mask requirement only for the nationwide introduction of the new “

” next year, and subject to the pandemic situation.

However , the

for the new

is uncertain.

The transport ministers will also talk about that today, but probably no longer about the price of 49 euros.

There will be protest actions by an alliance of social organizations and churches, which is demanding a social ticket for only 29 euros for financially weak groups.

And the Verdi trade union is planning a nationwide day of action for adequate financing of public transport, with rallies in - hopefully that's counted correctly - eight cities, from Kiel to Düsseldorf to Munich.

Perhaps it would be better not to drive in these places today.

• Too many unanswered questions: the railway union questions the rapid start of the 49-euro ticket

You can find news and background information on the war in Ukraine here:

• Ukraine warns of unsafe prisons, Selenska laments sexual violence as a war tactic:

  the attacks on the infrastructure endanger the operation of Ukrainian prisons.

  According to Olena Selenska, Russian soldiers deliberately rape civilian victims.

  And: The US sells missiles to Finland.

  The most important developments.

• Does Germany have to help Ukraine with gas, Ms. Sabadus?

  Russia is targeting the electricity industry in Kyiv and elsewhere.

  Here, analyst Aura Sabadus explains whether the country will need aid soon - and what Gazprom knows about Ukraine's energy sector. 

• "This winter is Putin's last argument":

  Half of the energy infrastructure in Ukraine is damaged.

  Maksym Timchenko, head of Ukraine's largest private energy company, is facing a harsh winter.

  He is not afraid of a total blackout. 

• The Bundeswehr urgently needs ammunition - but it can't be done that quickly:

  According to the Bundeswehr Association, ammunition worth 20 to 30 billion euros is missing.

  Government officials and the armaments industry met in the chancellery to increase production.

  Apparently it's not that easy.

Here is the current quiz of the day

The starting question today: Which of these countries is not a permanent member of the UN Security Council?

Winner of the day...

…is

, USA correspondent for the “Tagesspiegel” in Washington.

Together with Annett Meiritz from the "Handelsblatt", previously with us in the SPIEGEL capital city office, Juliane wrote a book about how "conservative women are conquering the USA".

Under the title "Guns N' Rosé" the two colleagues present an entertaining and informative portrait of the female right-wing milieu in the USA.

From "rural feminism" in the provinces to the "queens of polemics" in right-wing conservative media to the women in Congress, Washington's "broken center of power".

Yesterday evening Juliane and Annett presented their book in Berlin with the head of the Atlantic Bridge, Sigmar Gabriel.

The positions of right-wing women are populist, Juliane said, but "they often have a point at their core."

The US Democrats also gave the populists too much leeway on important issues such as border security and illegal migration.

Your co-author Meiritz warned against associating the triumph of the American conservatives solely with Trump as a person.

"We will continue to talk about the same topics and methods in the future, even if different names will be associated with them."

Ex-Secretary of State Gabriel described one major difference between the USA and our system: »There are enemies, not political competitors.

The other must be defeated, defeated.«

The panel agreed that female voters for both political camps, US Democrats and Republicans, will be decisive in the next presidential elections.

Sounds like Juliane's book is required reading for anyone interested in America.

The latest news from the night

• Washington and Berlin are sending appeals to Beijing:

  the governments still shy away from open criticism - but in view of the escalation, Germany, the USA and the UN are calling for moderation in China.

  Arbitrary arrests are unacceptable.

• Speedster with rainbow flag interrupts Portugal game:

  With a rainbow flag in hand and other political messages on his T-shirt, a man stormed the pitch at Portugal's World Cup game against Uruguay.

  Folders led the speedster away.

  A player is now worried.

• Cologne is probably heading for another record number of people leaving the church: by

  the end of the year, more people than ever before in Cologne are expected to have left the Catholic and Protestant churches.

  One reason for the new record is the ongoing quarrels surrounding Cardinal Woelki.

The SPIEGEL + recommendations for today

• The sweet vapor business:

  E-cigarettes were long considered a niche product.

  But now disposable vaporizers from China are conquering German schoolyards.

  The industry is ecstatic, youth advocates and environmental experts are alarmed.

• Air conditioning instead of heat pump - can that work?

  Heat pumps are popular, but expensive and currently hard to come by.

  In order to still heat in a way that saves gas and CO2, more and more homeowners are turning to air conditioning.

  Whether this pays off depends on several factors.

• “Some players used to find excuses not to play for England”:

  No other team has been chasing their own goals for as long as the “Three Lions”.

  Here author Paul Hayward talks about England's inventor's curse, parallels to Brexit and the eternal fear of Germany.

• Just shy or already depressed, the little one?

  Introverted children (and adults) are often overlooked - or even mistaken for being sick.

  A mistake, thinks the author Antje Kunstmann.

  She says: Everyone benefits when "intros" contribute their specific strengths.

I wish you a good start into the day.

Yours, Melanie Amann