Prof. Dr. Kronenberg analyzed the last Parliament debate on the federal budget. He pointed out that a constructive debate as such did not take place due to numerous personal attacks. He also examined two particularly controversial topics that were up for debate: the federal government's new migration policy and Jens Spahn's mask affair. In Kronenberg's view, the federal government, by introducing new (temporary) border controls, can convince citizens that a change in migration policy is possible and politically benefit from the measure. Regarding Spahn's mask affair, Kronenberg explained that SPD Secretary General Klüssendorf's statement that the SPD could get the Left and the Greens to form a majority to set up a committee of inquiry was unusual for a coalition partner of the Chancellor's party. However, Prof. Dr. Kronenberg considered it unlikely that a committee of inquiry would be set up in the near future.
In the course of the phoenix broadcast, Dr. Joachim Weber also examined the background to the recent ceremony on Germany's 70 years of NATO membership. Weber addressed the current debate on the reintroduction of compulsory military service. In his view, it is not surprising that only 54 percent of Germans between the ages of 16 and 29 are in favor of compulsory military service. After all, the rather negative attitude of young people towards compulsory military service “has never been different”. Weber also commented on the decision by NATO member states to increase their respective defense budgets from two to five percent of gross domestic product (GDP). According to Weber, the intention behind this is to meet Trump's demands for an increase in military spending with a numbers trick. While 3.5 percent of GDP can be spent on pure defense, the remaining 1.5 percent could be invested in infrastructure projects that can contribute to defense capabilities in the event of war, according to Weber.