today it's about the dead on the Russian side, about Donald Trump and his rival Ron DeSantis - and about Sahra Wagenknecht's talk show appearances.
Russia's casualty record
The longer the war in Ukraine lasts, the higher the losses, especially on the Russian side.
The dead, who come home in coffins, are difficult to hide, which is why even Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin now mentions the sensitive issue in speeches.
Speaking to loyal officials of the FSB secret service in Moscow, Putin said: "Unfortunately, there are casualties in our ranks." You have to take good care of the family members of your comrades.
Putin does not give specific figures.
The think tank CSIS in the US capital Washington now estimates the number of casualties on the Russian side
at 60,000 to 70,000 men
.
The institute analyzes that this means that more Russians have died in Ukraine than in all Russian wars since the Second World War put together.
For example, 35 times as many Russian soldiers are killed every month than in the Afghan war in the 1980s.
It's a sad record.
Putin's war in Ukraine is likely to overshadow the meeting of foreign ministers of the G-20 countries that is beginning in India today.
The meeting could be interesting because not only US Secretary of State
Antony Blinken
, but also the Russian foreign ministry chief
Sergey Lavrov
will take part.
In one of the last meetings of this kind, the Russians left the room when Western representatives condemned the war in Ukraine.
Also present is the Chinese
Foreign Minister Qin Gang
.
Whether there will be an encounter between the American and the Chinese remains to be seen.
Blinken again warned the Chinese about arms sales to Russia.
Washington will not hesitate to impose sanctions on Chinese companies or individuals if they dodge sanctions on Russia, the US Secretary of State said.
Data on Russia's dead: the dead that Putin is hiding
You can find more news and background information on the war in Ukraine here:
The latest developments:
Several flying objects were recently shot down over Russia - the Kremlin is reacting.
Kiev speaks of "ever tougher" fighting in the east.
And: hackers spread missile alarm in Moscow.
The overview.
Denmark is doing away with public holidays to finance its military:
Copenhagen wants to reach NATO's two percent target faster than planned.
For this, more money must flow into the state coffers.
Parliament made an unusual decision.
Leftists, friends of Russia and right-wing conspirators:
They want peace and have a heart for Putin.
They see Russia's attack on Ukraine as an act of self-defense and the real aggressors are the USA and NATO.
SPIEGEL TV on the new German peace front.
Trump rival Ron DeSantis is turning up
There is a new episode for fans of the endless political soap opera »The Life of Donald T.
«
It has the meaningless title "The Courage to Be Free" and consists of a series of platitudes, as the "New York Times" states in a first review.
Why is that important?
Well, usually the publication of such a book in the US is a sure sign that a politician intends to run in the presidential election.
DeSantis, who, unlike Trump, has not yet officially declared himself, apparently actually wants to know.
A second development is also interesting: Republican Party Secretary Ronna McDaniel has demanded that all Republican politicians running for the 2024 presidential nomination who participate in the party's televised debates take a sacred oath.
They should commit themselves to supporting the winner of the internal party primaries in the actual election.
The purpose of the exercise is to ensure that Donald Trump in particular remains loyal if he is not nominated.
Because there is great concern in the party that Trump could run as an independent third candidate in the event of a defeat against DeSantis.
Trump's reaction to such ideas is not surprising: whether he will support the candidate or not depends entirely on the candidate, says Trump.
Clear.
Donald Trump in exile in Florida: Angry, lonely, but not done
Will Berlin soon be ruled by black and red?
Something is happening at the coalition talks in Berlin.
The incumbent governing mayor and SPD state chairwoman
Franziska Giffey
wants to suggest her party a coalition with the CDU.
Giffey would like to propose to the SPD state board at its meeting this Wednesday that coalition negotiations with the CDU be started, several media reports agree.
The constellation would be interesting:
As is well known, the CDU won the repeat election in Berlin, with a black-red coalition its leader Kai Wegner would become the new governing mayor in Berlin.
While Giffey would sacrifice her mayoral position, she could hope to survive politically as a multi-portfolio super senator.
In purely mathematical terms, a continuation of the red-green-red coalition would be conceivable in Berlin.
The left wing of the SPD could campaign for this.
The question is, however, whether this would really be such a good idea, after the party was punished by Berliners in precisely this constellation in the election.
You might not have to bang your head against the same wall twice.
Media reports about the Berlin SPD: Giffey apparently tends towards a coalition with the CDU
Here is the current quiz of the day
The starting question today: In the 2023 election to the Berlin House of Representatives, the CDU was the strongest force for the first time in more than 20 years.
What was the name of your top candidate?
Winner of the day...
... is
Sarah Wagenknecht.
Although she has been telling the greatest nonsense for years, especially in foreign policy, she is still invited to talk shows and interviewed diligently almost everywhere.
Like now again in the program "Hart aber fair" on ARD, where she coolly put into perspective the rapes of Ukrainian women by the Russian army.
The constant invitations make her the winner.
Despite her unspeakable failures, she still has a forum for her twisted views.
Part of the truth is: Wagenknecht often sits there because she is a quota bringer for us media people, like Donald Trump, Chinese spy balloons, sea monsters and the great real estate atlas.
Wagenknecht has never had a majority in Germany.
In the 2021 federal election, she received a meager 3.7 percent of the second votes with her party, which came first on the state list in North Rhine-Westphalia.
She has never held any government office.
On the construction site, one would probably say »she has never really worked«.
Still, people tune in when she speaks.
The same mechanisms probably play out in many people's brains when watching talk shows with Sahra Wagenknecht as in the case of "gaffers" in an accident on the freeway.
They look when they should know it's not right.
I'm not sure what all of this says about us as viewers, as media and as a society.
Personally, I would wish for a world that got by without Sahra Wagenknecht as a guest on "Hart aber fair".
But you don't have to exaggerate and want to ban her from performing or otherwise demand nonsense.
As long as Sahra Wagenknecht only sits on talk shows and not in the chancellery, I'm not worried about Germany.
The latest news from the night
Two trains collided in Greece - numerous dead and injured:
At least 29 people died in the collision of a freight and a passenger train on Wednesday night.
The ruling party's candidate declared the winner of the presidential election in Nigeria:
The opposition spoke of a "sham election" and demanded that the polls be canceled.
Despite the protests, the electoral commission in Nigeria now declared Bola Ahmed Tinubu the winner of the presidential election.
Police in Peru find up to 800-year-old mummy in ex-food delivery boy's cooler:
The man called her "Juanita" and "my spiritual friend" – now he is in police custody.
The SPIEGEL + recommendations for today
Fear of the interest rate shock:
According to some experts, inflation in the USA already seemed to have been defeated.
But now it's coming back in many sectors - and fueling concern that the Fed will have to take much tougher action.
How Christine Lagarde wants to save Europe's economy with a new leadership style:
Her critics regard the belated reaction to high inflation as one of the biggest mistakes in the history of the ECB.
Now the President defines her role differently and has new advisors.
Is that enough?
»For many it is now about survival«:
Dictator Kim Jong Un takes advice from his sister and appears with his daughter.
Human Rights Watch's Lina Yoon explains why the situation for North Korean women is getting worse.
»An MDMA trip eliminates the optical distortion«:
bestselling author Bas Kast presents methods for greater psychological well-being in »Compass for the Soul«.
Exercise and healthy eating are part of it, but he describes hallucinogenic mushrooms as a »game changer«.
I'm sorry, what?
Rat races in Hollywood:
In »Tár«, director Todd Field and his star Cate Blanchett describe a case of genius and encroachment.
The film is highly controversial – and probably has a good chance at the Oscars.
I wish you a good start into the day.
Yours, Roland Nelles, US correspondent