Overview

• Robert Habeck will vacate his Bundestag seat on 1 September, using a taz interview to denounce Bundestag President Julia Klöckner as a “Fehlbesetzung” and to jab at Markus Söder over his public persona.
• Markus Söder dismissed Habeck’s remarks with “Geh mit Gott – Hauptsache, weit weg,” while SPD figures criticized the departure as neglecting voters’ representation duties.
• Coalition leaders press for a reset as the cabinet prepares to advance a Wehrdienst bill from the Defense Ministry, with the Union demanding firmer targets and a conscription backstop if volunteer goals fall short.
• Prosecutors in Dresden have taken over the tram stabbing case and re-arrested a 21-year-old Syrian after new video created urgent suspicion; he is in pretrial detention as the main alleged attacker remains at large.
• The U.S. Embassy urged swift action and the legally highest possible penalties for those responsible, increasing pressure on investigators handling the assault on a 20-year-old American.