The old man and the files
At first glance, the matter seems like good news for US President Joe Biden: The special investigator, who has been investigating the question of whether Biden was too sloppy with confidential and secret state files in his private home, will not bring charges against him raise the president.
Biden had stored a number of old files in his private home, even though they didn't belong there after his term as Barack Obama's vice president ended. But according to the report, Biden could not be proven to have committed a crime in this context that would have justified criminal charges. Things are different for ex-President Donald Trump: According to the prosecution's indictment against Trump, he is said to have deliberately hidden files in his Mar-a-Lago house after his term in office and then hindered the investigation into them.
At second glance, the matter is still very embarrassing for Biden. Special Counsel Robert Hur's 345-page report shows images from Biden's garage at his home in Delaware. What you can see is absolute chaos; between the snow shovels and old garden baskets there are open boxes with government files. That doesn't reflect well on the president.
The report also makes clear what many Americans have already believed for a long time: at 81, Biden may no longer really be fit enough to be president. The report describes Biden as a confused old gentleman. When Biden was questioned by investigators, the president is said to have appeared downright demented. He mixed up facts and couldn't remember much, including when he was vice president, the report said. He couldn't even remember the year his son Beau died.
For Biden's political opponents, this is the perfect ammunition for the election campaign. As soon as the report was published, Donald Trump sent emails with quotes from the report as well as the photos from Biden's garage. Biden himself rejected speculation about his fitness in a short press conference in the evening: "My memory is good," he said. However, even during this appearance there was another faux pas: Biden confused the president of Egypt with that of Mexico.
You can read more background information here: Joe Biden defends himself against doubts about his mental fitness
Why does the army chief have to go?
Ukraine is urgently waiting for new military aid from the West, and bitter fighting continues on the front in the East. In this tense situation, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is actually replacing his top general. Valeriy Saluzhny has to go. Oleksandr Syrsky will be the new army chief. The 58-year-old was previously the commander of the land forces.
This is not a good sign and speaks of the growing nervousness on the Ukrainian side. Of course, it could be argued that a different army chief could provide new impetus at the front. But on the other hand, replacing Saluzhny could weaken general morale in the army and in Ukraine as a whole. The general is considered respected and popular, also because he was able to achieve several military successes, especially at the beginning of the Russian attack two years ago.
But apparently the relationship of trust between the president and Saluschny has recently been severely disrupted. There were even rumors that Salushny could run as a possible opponent to Zelensky in the next presidential election. It is clear that one person in particular should be happy about internal disputes on the Ukrainian side: Vladimir Putin.
You can read more background information here: How Donald Trump is playing into the hands of Kremlin boss Putin
Trump can hope for success
After the US Supreme Court hearing, it seems clear where the matter is heading: Donald Trump will probably be allowed to appear on ballot papers as a candidate for the presidential election as normal. The Supreme Court judges were skeptical at a hearing; The majority of them seem to assume that individual states have no right to have Trump removed from the ballot due to his alleged involvement in the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
The final verdict is still pending. However, as things stand, it will happen very soon. It is more likely than ever that things will work out in Trump's favor. The Supreme Court is generally cautious about getting involved in presidential campaigns. It would also be feared that a statement against Trump would open a Pandora's box: Trump supporters in individual states could then, for example, decide to remove Joe Biden from the ballot papers. Chaos would be perfect.
If the Supreme Court decides in favor of Trump, this would also be further evidence that Trump and his supporters are constantly spreading nonsense about the US justice system: The judiciary is not corrupt. And it is not controlled remotely by Joe Biden, the Obamas or George Soros.
You can read more about the background here: The judges' fear of chaos
Read the current SPIEGEL editorial here
The end of the Western partnership:
The US Senate blocks further military aid for Ukraine. If the Europeans do not react, the continent will face a violent reorganization.
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The starting question today: What does “passive right to vote” mean?
Winner of the day…
...are the heads of the Berlinale film festival. After days of debate, they have now decided to disinvite representatives of the AfD. Politicians responsible for culture from the Bundestag and the Berlin House of Representatives are usually invited to the film festival, including members of the AfD. Now they are no longer allowed to be there.
That is consistent. Why, one asks oneself, should people be allowed to come to this event who are fundamentally against everything that has defined the Berlinale for decades? Diversity, cosmopolitanism, dialogue with other cultures, all of this is being fought by AfD people.
It's not for nothing that the Berlinale has the word "International" in its title. The film festival contributed to Germany being accepted back into the circle of civilized countries after the war and the Holocaust. German small minds, nationalists and racists have no place there. They should organize their own film festival, with Björn Höcke's holiday films or whatever. This is definitely going to be a hit.
You can read more about the background here: Berlinale disinvites AfD politicians
The latest reports from the night
Police shoot hostage takers on a Swiss train:
A hostage drama on a regional train in Switzerland lasted almost four hours: Then the police used explosives - the perpetrator did not survive the attack.
Only four weeks in office - Macron fires education minister:
Amélie Oudéa-Castéra recently made disparaging comments about state schools in France - as education minister. Now President Emmanuel Macron has responded to public criticism of the politician.
British Labor Party drastically cuts plans for green investments:
In surveys, the British Labor Party is well ahead of the ruling Tories - if they win the election, they want to invest significantly less money in environmental projects. According to Labor, the government has “driven the economy to the wall.”
I would particularly like to recommend this text to you today:
The crazy promises of a financial fraud
: A dubious entrepreneur from Saarland, who calls himself Ger-D (with a dash!), promises to turn tens of thousands of people into multimillionaires. With digital art. But his “crush” is probably a pyramid scheme. Why do thousands of people follow him in the hope of making a lot of money with little effort? “In a swarm, people actually believe in working together on a project to improve the world,” say Marcel Rosenbach and Max Hoppenstedt, who evaluated numerous documents and chats from inside the project. "The creators are fueling this with a perfidious mixture of esoteric elements, futuristic terms from the world of crypto money and grotesque financial promises." The financial regulator is now examining the case.
I wish you a good start to the day.
Yours, Roland Nelles, US correspondent