Suddenly the Chancellor rumbles

The Chancellor visited the US capital Washington for a good 24 hours - and spoke plainly. Because Olaf Scholz vehemently advocated further aid from the West for Ukraine. At the same time, he directed sharp words towards Vladimir Putin.

This was important: Donald Trump's Republicans in the US Congress have been blocking urgently needed aid for Kiev for months. The next billion-dollar package is on the brink. These are crucial days and hours in Washington. Scholz obviously wanted to help wake up the Americans.

Without the support of the USA and Europe, Ukraine has no chance of defending its own country, warned Scholz. At the same time he attacked Putin. Scholz called his interview with talk show host Tucker Carlson (more here) “ridiculous”. Putin told "lies" about the history of this war.

US President Joe Biden should be grateful for the German's clear support. He has long been fighting for new aid for Kiev and is visibly angry about the blockage in Congress. In a conversation with Scholz in the White House, Biden called the Republicans' attitude "unbearable."

The poker game over Ukraine in Congress could be decided as early as next week. Then there may be further important votes coming up. It remains to be seen whether the Chancellor's words actually have an impact in the end. But the old motto also applies in Washington: A lot helps a lot. The more pressure from all sides on Congress and the stubborn Republicans, the better. Scholz has done his part.

  • You can read more background information here: Scholz is bold, but Biden wavers 

Netanyahu is duping the US government

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears determined to continue the war in Gaza with severity. He has ordered the military to develop a plan to evacuate the population of the southern Gaza town of Rafah. Netanyahu said a military operation was necessary in Rafah to "dismantle" the remaining militant Hamas units.

The problem is: There are currently hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the area in and around Rafah, many of whom previously fled the fighting further north. Ensuring the safety of civilians during an attack seems virtually impossible.

Netanyahu is increasingly heading towards confrontation with his most important ally, the USA. Yes, you could even say he is duping US President Joe Biden.

Shortly before Netanyahu's announcement, Biden had called for Israel to significantly reduce hostilities. The US President generally described the actions in Gaza as “excessive”. There are many innocent people who are starving, in need or even dying. "That has to stop."

  • You can read more background information here: How Benjamin Netanyahu became the politician he is today

Berliners can vote again

How wonderful that some things never change. Berlin, for example, will always be Berlin. A bit of chaos is as much a part of the capital as the Ku'damm or the meatballs. Now the federal election in Berlin must be repeated in parts at the weekend. We remember: The 2021 election was so chaotic in some electoral districts of the capital that the Constitutional Court was of the opinion that at least some Berliners should be given another opportunity to cast their votes.

This means that there will not be new elections everywhere, but only in 455 of 2256 electoral districts. It is unclear whether the election will have a concrete impact on the composition of the Bundestag. Some MPs could lose their mandate, others could be given new seats, the experts believe. However, nothing should change in terms of the majority in parliament.

Particularly strange: The rules for the repetition say that the same applicants have to run as in 2021. This includes the former AfD member of the Bundestag Birgit Malsack-Winkemann. However, she is currently in custody - she is said to be part of the "Reich Citizens" network around Henry XIII. Prince Reuss, who allegedly wanted to overthrow the government. In the new government she was apparently supposed to become justice minister. Fortunately, nothing will come of this, with or without redialing.

  • You can read more background information here: 2021 reloaded – that’s what the repeat election in Berlin is all about

Click here for the current daily quiz

The starting question today: What is the “bad word of the year” for 2023?

Winner of the day…

...is Taylor Swift. The hype surrounding the American singer and her boyfriend, football player Travis Kelce, is reaching its peak this weekend. On Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs, Kelces' team, and the San Francisco 49ers will play in the Super Bowl in Las Vegas. Swift has a concert in Japan beforehand. She is expected to board a plane immediately afterwards in order to be at the stadium in time for the start of the game.

It couldn't be more America: The Super Bowl is - unofficially - the biggest holiday in the USA. Millions of people tune in to watch the game, the half-time show or even just the particularly clever TV spots during breaks. The fact that the country's biggest music star is now connected to the most important sport in this way seems like the perfect XXL symbiosis of entertainment and sport. And there's a positive message: When it comes to sports and fun, America can still come together.

  • These are the ten greatest football players in NFL history 

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I would particularly like to recommend this story to you today:

“We are no longer interested in what others think of us”:

Hansa Rostock could be an East German success story. But fan violence and choreography that apparently glorified Lichtenhagen in 1992 shape the picture - including pyrotechnics. Hansa was already considered a difficult club in the post-reunification period, write my colleagues Jörn Meyn and Jean-Pierre Ziegler. Is the stadium a seismograph for social developments? Can we recognize a phenomenon in Hansa on a small scale that can be observed on a large scale at the political level? “During our research, we noticed how ambivalent most of our interviewees view Hansa,” say my colleagues Jörn Meyn and Jean-Pierre Ziegler. On the one hand, they have the feeling that their club is confronted with a lot of prejudice. On the other hand, they recognize that the violence and provocations are real. Rostock fan Peter Czoch summed it up best: Hansa was like an addiction for him, he said, "that's the problem."

I wish you a good start to the day.

Yours, Roland Nelles, US correspondent