Trump on trial, Johnson politically finished
What a bizarre simultaneity: On the same day that the exhaustive, long list of 37 charges against Donald Trump in Florida becomes public, former Prime Minister Boris Johnson has to resign from his position as an MP in Great Britain – because he had lied to parliament, as a commission of inquiry found. He sees himself as the victim of a conspiracy – behind it, he claims, is that Brexit should be reversed.
The simultaneity is a coincidence, but Trump and Johnson have always been similar in one thing: they both represented the populism of a narcissistic leader. It is no wonder that such figures tend to overestimate themselves and believe themselves above the law. And that they then also fall on their noses. Despite this surprising double news, populism as such is of course far from over, on the contrary, Boris Johnson's political career is already over for the time being. And Donald Trump's?
One could say that Trump also became president because he managed to portray Hillary Clinton's careless handling of confidential information as more serious than his entire life story of transgressions. But now the handling of confidential documents catches up with him himself, the indictment seems devastating at first glance: There are now the revealing pictures with boxes full of confidential documents that he stored everywhere. There are the verified quotes from him in which he talks about simply making the secret documents disappear. And there are his lawyers – who capitulated and resigned in the face of their client's stressful situation. No, it doesn't look really good.
Next Tuesday, Trump has to appear in court in Florida, he will be indicted – for the second time. The trial in New York, in which he was sentenced to pay millions of dollars for sexual assault, was only a few weeks ago. And he could soon face further charges: in Georgia, where he put pressure on the authorities to falsify the election in his favor after his election defeat. The Trump presidency is thus subsequently dissolving into a series of court cases – while the next one is already at the door as a ghost. In Florida, Trump is lucky for the time being: The judge he faces there was appointed by Trump himself and has already ruled in his favor in the past. But that doesn't change the fact that Trump's trial for his candidacy in the presidential race is an incalculable risk.
Seven charges – and a stroke of luck for Trump
The culprit for the dam breaking is Putin
These are catastrophic images of destruction that are gradually reaching us from the flood disaster in Ukraine: even in the city of Odessa on the Black Sea, which is located far from the mouth of the Dnieper, garbage, everyday objects, even refrigerators are washed ashore from the floodplain. Entire minefields have been swept away, and the full devastating consequences will only be seen in days and weeks. After the war, many people have lost their livelihoods due to the water.
Exactly how the catastrophe happened is only gradually coming together. In discussions with experts and people on the ground, my colleagues have tried to compile various scenarios – and they describe how desperate the situation along the course of the river is: Kakhovka disaster: And then the dam broke.
Our colleague Katja Lutska in Kiev interviewed the head of the Ukrainian state-owned operating company of the dam. He says that the dam was mined months ago by the Russian military and has now been blown up. It will not be possible to repair it – only to build it from scratch.
The exact circumstances that led to the collapse of the dam have yet to be clarified. But for me, regardless of this, there is no doubt who is to blame for the disaster. It is President Vladimir Putin. It is he who, with his criminal war, leaves behind scorched, poisoned and flooded earth. This has made a fantasy of annihilation come true, with which Moscow's rulers have been covering Ukraine since the beginning of the war. In the beginning, the Russian warlords wanted to smash the Ukrainian identity, but now they want to demolish the whole country. I would be delighted if you would also read my editorial:
Editorial: A dam burst to which there can only be one answer
More news and background information on the war in Ukraine can be found here:
Destroyed Nova Kakhovka Dam: "Hundreds and hundreds of kilograms of TNT caused this explosion"
Destroyed Kakhovka Dam: Are the floods endangering Ukrainian agriculture?
Recent developments: UN sounds the alarm over floods, Zelensky speaks of "difficult battles"
My story of the day: A manatee that became a state affair
You may think I'm crazy when I tell you that you should definitely read a text about a manatee this weekend. But that's the way it is!
My colleague Marian Blasberg tells the story of the manatee Tico, which has become a state affair between Brazil and Venezuela. You learn a lot about manatees, which are really fascinating creatures – and also a lot about diplomatic complications in Latin America. Tico was raised in a Brazilian zoo, then released – and then swam a distance that is absolutely unusual for manatees: 5000 kilometers, all the way to Venezuela. There, Tico is now being held in a zoo where the conditions are – to put it mildly – rather modest. And while the Maduro government wants to keep him as a trophy, Brazil wants to secure his release. This is well worth reading.
Brazil and Venezuela argue over an animal: How a manatee could become a state affair
Event: SPIEGEL Backstage on June 13 at 6 p.m.
Then I would like to recommend an event with two of our foreign correspondents: Is there a threat of a new Cold War? SPIEGEL correspondents in China and the U.S. provide their answers exclusively for subscribers.
Georg Fahrion and Christoph Giesen work for SPIEGEL in Beijing, Bernhard Zand has also reported from China for many years and is now stationed in New York. The three journalists will tell you how they assess the international situation. And they will tell you how to work as a journalist in China and the USA and what you experience there. Moderation: Anne Seith
The event is exclusively for subscribers, but we are giving away ten free accesses. Interested parties write to: info@events.spiegel.de, Subject: SPIEGEL Backstage Raffle. Deadline Monday, June 12 at 6 noon.
If you are already a subscriber, you can register directly via the article.
Exclusively for subscribers: SPIEGEL Backstage – Is a new Cold War looming? - THE MIRROR
Click here for the current daily quiz
The starting question today: "I want you to act as if the house were on fire. Because it's burning.« Who said that?
Loser of the day...
The new SPIEGEL, here digitally and from Saturday on newsstands
... is the band Rammstein. Yes, of course there have always been groupies in rock, as films like »Almous Famous« tell us. But what lead singer Till Lindemann, 60, is accused of has nothing to do with these classic groupie stories. It's about a perfidious casting system for sex, it's about the allegation that women have been harassed around concerts, about the question of voluntariness. Some women suspect that drugs have been mixed into their drink. Lindemann and the band deny it – but what my colleagues have compiled in the SPIEGEL cover story is shocking. It is an insight into a world in which there is talk of "parade" and "leftover". I highly recommend you read it.
The SPIEGEL cover story on the allegations against Rammstein: Sex, power, alcohol – what the young women from "Row Zero" report
The latest news from the night
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The SPIEGEL+ recommendations for today
Helmut Kohl and his consideration for Russia: As early as the nineties, Kohl and his ministers feared that Russia could become an imperialist power. This is shown by confidential documents. Has the West done too little?
Why doesn't anyone stop the AfD? The AfD is polling at 18 percent – and the other parties have no strategy against it. A political landslide is looming in East Germany.
What do I want to leave behind when I die? I got a shocking diagnosis, in black and white. I had to explain that to my friend, to my children. And a doctor confronted me with the question of what should be left of me when I am no longer .
Buongiorno from the Bulli! You probably know Tuscany. But not like our author, who has explored almost every hill by motorhome. Here she reveals the most beautiful pitches. An insider tip is also included.
I wish you a good start to the day.
Mathieu von Rohr, Head of SPIEGEL's Foreign Affairs Department