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Migration majority wobbles despite AfD, Netanyahu in Washington, Bamf overburdening, Backing for Denmark, US spending freeze paused

published by Sigrid Arteaga
Contributor: Imogen Goodman and Ulrich Kraus

Wednesday, 29th of January, 2025
Newspapers Headlines

Bild: Now it’s our turn to talk! | Jetzt reden wir!
FAZ: AfD announces approval of CDU/CSU motions | AfD kündigt Zustimmung zu Anträgen der Union an
Funke: A100: Shutdown of freeway lighting stopped | A100: Abschaltung der Autobahn-Beleuchtung gestoppt
Handelsblatt: VW subsidiaries consider US production | VW-Töchter erwägen US-Produktion
RND: AI competition from China: What does DeepSeek mean for ChatGPT, the US and Europe? | KI-Konkurrenz aus China: Was bedeutet DeepSeek für ChatGPT, die USA und Europa?
SZ: Red-Green coalition accuses Merz of breaking his word | Rot-Grün wirft Merz Wortbruch vor
Tagesspiegel: Asylum showdown: AfD wants Merz to help them achieve a majority in parliament | Asyl-Showdown: AfD will Merz im Bundestag zur Mehrheit verhelfen
taz: Made with help from Germany | Made with help from Germany
Welt: German economy demands radical policy change | Deutsche Wirtschaft fordert radikale Politikwende

Top-News

Majority wavers – BSW and FDP do not want to vote for all of the CDU/CSU’s proposals: On Wednesday, the CDU and CSU want to introduce two proposals to tighten asylum policy; so-called motions for resolution are not legally binding, but they are politically significant because they call on the government to introduce new laws. Among other things, it calls for the rejection of those seeking protection at the borders. According to Thorsten Frei, the parliamentary managing director of the CDU/CSU, the party intends to put forward a draft for an „Influx Limitation Act“ for voting on Friday; among other things, it proposes ending the subsequent immigration of family members of people with only subsidiary protection until further notice. spiegel.de

  • CDU General Secretary Carsten Linnemann: „I will not work with the AfD for a second.“ rp-online.de
  • FDP will reject the motion for a „change in domestic security policy,“ reports DPA. However, the FDP faction intends to vote in favor of the five-point plan proposed by the CDU/CSU candidate for chancellor, Friedrich Merz, for a change in migration policy. web.de
  • Sahra Wagenknecht’s alliance wants to vote against some of the proposals of the CDU/CSU faction on migration policy. Party leader Sahra Wagenknecht considers it impossible to monitor all German borders. The same applies to the idea of imprisoning 50,000 people who are to be deported.
  • AfD will approve all the CDU/CSU proposals, announced parliamentary group leader Tino Chrupalla; although the proposals contain criticism of the AfD. AfD deputy parliamentary leader Stefan Keuter told Deutschlandfunk that the party was prepared to „accept insults for the good of the German people“. t-online.de, tagesschau.de
  • Possible votes from the AfD: Churches sharply criticize the CDU over migration plans. spiegel.de
  • The SPD, the Greens and the Left Party will reject the proposals outright. They believe that the plans would violate German and European law. The SPD has announced that it will table its own proposals. SPD leader Saskia Esken said that the firewall against the far right is ablaze. Green faction leader Katharina Dröge accused Merz of breaking his word.
  • Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser said that the CDU/CSU’s plans could not be implemented in reality and would anger Germany’s neighbors, among others. She said there was a danger that uncontrolled immigration would result because neighboring countries would stop cooperating. faz.net
  • Refusals at the border: Friedrich Merz wants to ignore EU law. lto.de
Polls

RTL/ntv Trendbarometer by Forsa: CDU/CSU 30 percent (-1), SPD 16 percent, Greens 14 percent (+1), FDP 4 percent, AfD 20 percent (+1), Left Party 4 percent, BSW 3 percent, others 9 percent. n-tv.de

  • Chancellor preference: Olaf Scholz 16 percent, Friedrich Merz 25 percent (+2), Robert Habeck 22 percent (-1), Alice Weidel 16 percent. n-tv.de

Ipsos Sunday poll: CDU 30 percent, SPD 16 percent, Greens 14 percent (+1), FDP 4 percent, AfD 19 percent, Left 3 percent, BSW 6 percent (-1), others 8 percent. (compared to the previous month) ipsos.com

Politics

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu invited to the White House next Tuesday: „Netanyahu will be the first foreign leader in US President Donald Trump’s second term to be invited to the White House“, Netanyahu’s office said. The US government has not yet confirmed the meeting. spiegel.de

The EU and the US have agreed on „maximum pressure“ on Russia, according to EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas. The US and the EU are in agreement on how to deal with Russia, Brussels announced after the first telephone conversation between Kallas and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The EU Commission proposed punitive tariffs on further agricultural products from Russia; these must be decided by the EU member states and the EU Parliament. zeit.de

Chancellor Olaf Scholz warns of the dangers posed by the Russian shadow fleet: The latest incident shows what a threat Moscow poses, Scholz said after talks with Denmark’s head of government Mette Frederiksen. NATO’s „Baltic Sentry“ operation is now improving protection of the Baltic Sea and the critical infrastructure on the seabed. Scholz emphasized that the European NATO states and EU countries must further increase their defense spending. Frederiksen called for a strong and determined Europe that is able to defend itself. n-tv.de, welt.de

Afghan Aschaffenburg killer apparently not deported due to Bamf overload: The deportation letter from the Federal Office for Migration was not sent to the responsible immigration office until July 26, 2023 – more than a month after the asylum application was rejected. This was reported by the Bild newspaper, citing a confidential paper from the interior ministry. This means that the deadline for the return, which expired on August 3, was too short. The delay could no longer be explained, but was probably due to the high workload caused by the large number of new arrivals at the time.

Suspect in custody after violent crime in Beelitz: The 23-year-old man from Guinea is said to have killed a man two weeks ago and seriously injured a woman last Sunday. He has confessed to both crimes, said Brandenburg’s interior minister, Katrin Lange. He had not previously been charged with criminal offences. According to current knowledge, he is not subject to deportation. The man killed was a member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU); however, political motivation is not apparent from the information so far. The woman attacked is from Ukraine. The investigations into the background to the crimes are ongoing. stern.de, n-tv.de

More regional news:

  • Thuringia: SPD leaves equality committee to AfD. thueringer-allgemeine.de
  • Thuringia: AfD wants to make Holocaust trivializer Jörg Prophet deputy speaker in the Landtag. tagesspiegel.de
  • Bavaria: State government wants „no rush“ on tougher psychiatric rules. augsburger-allgemeine.de
  • Brandenburg: State security investigates disruption of Holocaust Remembrance Day. n-tv.de
  • Brandenburg: Entry into PCK refinery rejected. n-tv.de
  • Berlin: Central Committee of German Catholics apologizes to victims 15 years after the abuse scandal at the Canisius College was uncovered. domradio.de
  • Rhineland-Palatinate: Sports funding increased. n-tv.de
  • Hessen: Frankfurt am Main can now take action against vacant apartments. faz.net
  • Hessen: Video surveillance with artificial intelligence introduced. echo-online.de
  • Schleswig-Holstein: Ministry of the Interior admits mishandling of financial settlement for Sachsenwald owners. ndr.de
  • Saxony-Anhalt: More Holocaust remembrance ’stumbling stones‘ damaged in Zeitz. sueddeutsche.de
  • Saxony: Public memorial service for police officer killed on duty in Dresden. mdr.de
  • Rhineland-Palatinate: SPD election volunteer attacked. n-tv.de
  • Baden-Württemberg: AfD employee insulted and attacked. n-tv.de
  • Baden-Württemberg: Witnesses contradict left-wing politician Gökay Akbulut in dispute with football fans. n-tv.de
  • Rhineland-Palatinate: New action plan to better protect women from violence. swr.de
  • Saxony: Labor market mentoring programm for refugees set to continue. n-tv.de
  • Lower Saxony: The debt of the insolvent Landesgartenschau amounts to 1.54 million euros. hna.de
Around the World

Investigations against Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Justice Minister Carlo Nordio: The public prosecutor’s office is investigating the release of a Libyan general wanted by the International Criminal Court. Meloni said in a video that she is suspected of aiding and abetting a crime and embezzlement in the case. The general was arrested in Turin on Sunday following a tip-off from the criminal court, but was released on Tuesday and immediately flown to Tripoli in Libya. tagesschau.de

US government issues comprehensive spending freeze: The order to the federal authorities applies to government grants and loans. Among other things, programs for the transition to a climate-friendly energy supply and foreign aid are affected. The government wants to examine which of these expenditures will be continued and which will be permanently eliminated. The billions in funding for social assistance and the state health insurance Medicare for people with disabilities and seniors are excluded from the block. The website for Medicaid payments is currently unavailable, the White House confirmed; allocations to the states would continue to be processed and the portal would be back online shortly. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer called the spending freeze illegal and unconstitutional. n-tv.de, web.de, spiegel.de

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has secured the backing of her European partners in the face of threats by US President Trump to take control of Greenland: „The territories and sovereignty of states must be respected,“ Frederiksen said after meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris. She later met with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Brussels. In the morning she had discussed the situation with Chancellor Olaf Scholz. faz.net, n-tv.de

Russian delegation arrives in Damascus: The delegation includes Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov and Russia’s Syria envoy. Russia was one of the most important allies of the overthrown Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian civil war and intervened militarily in the conflict in 2015. Moscow is particularly interested in maintaining its military bases in Syria. n-tv.de

More news:

  • France: Prime Minister Francois Bayrou could lose the support of the Socialists. zeit.de
  • Great Britain: Government seeks to boost growth with radical ideas. sueddeutsche.de
  • Lithuania: Balts take action against looted grain from occupied Ukrainian territories. topagrar.com
  • Serbia: Prime Minister Milos Vucevic resigns in the wake of mass protests against his government, which were sparked by the collapse of a train station roof in Novi Sad. n-tv.de
  • Kosovo: Lumir Abdixhiku, leader of the Democratic League, is standing for prime minister in the February 9 elections. capital-beat.tv
  • Turkey: Repression against opposition members and artists. taz.de
  • Austria: Medical association concerned about women’s rights under blue-black coalition. derstandard.de
  • France: Investigation after user complaints and money laundering allegations against crypto exchange Binance. n-tv.de
  • Estonia: Authorities are fully digitized. t3n.de
  • Ireland: EU partners send emergency power generators after Eowyn storm. deutschlandfunk.de
  • Poland: Sports and Tourism Minister Slawomir Nitras calls on the population to boycott Tesla after Musk’s statements about German guilt. tagesspiegel.de
  • France: President Emmanuel Macron announces comprehensive modernization of the Louvre Museum. stern.de
  • Congo: Fighting continues in Goma, unrest in the capital Kinshasa; the East African Community EAC announces a crisis summit. faz.net
  • South Korea: 176 people rescued from burning plane. n-tv.de
  • USA: Bill Gates lashes out at Elon Musk over AfD advertising. waz.de
  • USA: First Colombian Air Force plane carrying people deported from the USA landed in Bogotá. tagesschau.de

Business

German economy expects wants politicians to signal a new start after the election: Economic output will shrink by 0.1 percent this year, the BDI predicts. In the event of the new tariffs threatened by US President Donald Trump, there is a risk of an even sharper decline. In contrast, the global economy is expected to grow by 3.2 percent. BDI President Peter Leibinger said the mood in the German economy is miserable. The industry association Gesamtmetall is calling for a signal of a fresh start after the federal election; the future government should present a 100-day program and quickly implement improvements. faz.net, n-tv.de

Almost one in eight continues to work shortly after retirement: According to the Federal Statistical Office, 13 percent continue to work in the first six months after they first receive their pension. Thereafter, the figure corresponds to the EU average. 55 percent of those surveyed stopped working after retirement and 33 percent were not in employment even before they started receiving their first retirement pension, for example due to partial retirement, illness or unemployment. tagesspiegel.de, faz.net

More from the worlds of business, technology and science:

  • Carmakers are suing against tariffs on e-cars from China. manager-magazin.de
  • Deutsche Bahn offers four percent more pay in wage negotiations. n-tv.de
  • Thousands of postal workers on token strike. zdf.de
  • Lufthansa wants to buy shares in the Spanish airline Air Europa. n-tv.de
  • Federal Labor Court: Payroll accounting can also be done digitally. lto.de
  • Building AI expertise: Four out of five companies have no plan. heise.de
  • Economy: US industry weakens – orders shrink surprisingly. wiwo.de
Lifestyle
  • Copyright: Indian news media sue OpenAI. heise.de
  • CNN correspondent Clarissa Ward: A parachute journalist and her crash landings. uebermedien.de
  • Journalists‘ association warns of „tech giants‘ rampage“. www1.wdr.de
  • A pay rise of just under 6 percent: DJV and Deutsche Welle agree on a collective agreement. dwdl.de
  • Special broadcast in the afternoon: Das Erste shows Bundestag session on migration policy. dwdl.de
  • Macron on crisis visit to Louvre. www1.wdr.de
  • Film composer Hans Zimmer is to reinterpret the national anthem of Saudi Arabia. sueddeutsche.de
  • Deleted video: Selena Gomez cries on Instagram over Trump’s mass deportation plans. spiegel.de
  • Cycling star Remco Evenepoel: Olympic champion robbed by postman. faz.net
Community News

ASK A GERMAN WEDNESDAY:  Why don’t Germans think you’re sincere when you ask, „how are you“ ?  This fascinating phenomenon highlights the differences in how cultures communicate and express themselves. In the United States, it is customary to use „Hi, how are you?“ as a standard conversation opener, often without expecting a detailed response. In Germany, however, the phrase „Wie geht’s?“ is interpreted and used quite differently depending on the relationship’s context and nature. In a professional setting, Germans often respond with a concise and matter-of-fact answer that might briefly touch on how their day has been going so far. The brevity and neutrality of the answer are not a sign that they doubt your sincerity, but rather a reflection of cultural norms around professionalism and privacy. In more personal settings, however, the situation changes. When you ask a close friend or family member how they are, you are likely to receive a more heartfelt and honest answer.

Sports
  • Germany’s national team coach Julian Nagelsmann has apparently made provisions for an early World Cup exit – extended until 2028. web.de
  • Referee of the year 2024: „94 minutes of babysitting“ – Deniz Aytekin talks about the job of Bundesliga referee. rnd.de
  • Urbig becomes record-breaking keeper: FC Bayern signs next generation of goalkeepers – most expensive second division keeper in history. n-tv.de
  • Will the new Champions League mode be a fiasco for Man City? sport.de
  • „That was just the beginning“: Tennis icon Kerber impressed by Lys. sport.de
  • DSV has nominated: Biathlon – One place on the World Cup team still available. sportschau.de
  • No World Cup return, World Cup in jeopardy for ski jumping icon Simon Ammann: „His performance isn’t good“. sport.de
Gedöns

„Karls Erlebnis-Dorf“ in Loxstedt: amusement park plans „Pipikakaland“. t-online.de

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