frozen snapshot — 2026-07-18 · see today →
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Friedrich Merz

What's on Friedrich Merz's mind?

read fresh this morning at 6
28%24%20%11%17%
under the French nuclear umbrella 28% resetting ties with Macron 24% Spahn resigns 20% · newkeep the US out of our elections 11% everything else 17%
#1
Germany will join a French nuclear exercise this year

Berlin and Paris call it 'unprecedented' defence cooperation; everyone else calls it a hedge against Washington.

Germany’s Merz hails nuclear deterrence cooperation with France

Al Jazeera · 2026-07-17
our translation

he can't build a german bomb and won't say the word 'american withdrawal' out loud, so he rents a seat at france's table and calls it european deterrence.

Announced with Macron in Brühlvery sure · 4 sources
#2
Military honours, joint cabinets, and one very short clock
Joint cabinet meeting concludedvery sure · 4 sources
#3
His closest ally quits over a secret surrogate child
new — Resignation confirmed this morningvery sure · 4 sources
#4
Warning Washington off the German ballot box
Repeated on camera this weekpretty sure · 3 sources
saturday, july 18
Find a new CDU/CSU faction leader, quickly(reported)
Say 'European deterrence' until it sounds routine(safe bet)
Get the France-Germany China roadmap onto paper(reported)
Take no questions about surrogacy policy(safe bet)

rebuilt from the public schedule, pool reports & old habits — the rest is educated guessing

The source

Senior Merz ally Spahn resigns after coming under pressure in Germany over surrogate baby

news.google.com · 2026-07-18

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