The morning began with reverberations from the Aschaffenburg attack, as the perpetrator was committed to psychiatric care. By noon, CDU leader Merz announced readiness to accept AfD votes for migration policy changes, marking a departure from the longstanding "firewall" doctrine. This triggered cascading responses throughout German politics, with Scholz directly warning against cooperation with AfD.
Putin signaled openness to Trump-mediated Ukraine negotiations, while Trump continued deportation preparations in the US. The Green Party faced internal pressure over both the Gelbhaar case and controversial youth spokesperson Nietzard. Musk provoked new controversy with Nazi-related jokes, while Benko's arrest in Austria highlighted ongoing real estate sector instability.
By evening, Merz escalated tension by presenting Scholz with an ultimatum on migration policy, while regional CDU members expressed concern about the AfD cooperation strategy.