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Story summary
- Chancellor Friedrich Merz overstated asylum-reduction figures in his ARD interview.
- First-time asylum applications fell 35.4% in H1 2026 versus 2025, not over 60%.
- The decline began before Merz took office, after Syrian leader Bashar Assad fell in December 2024.
- Merz voted for a historic amendment to Germany’s debt brake in March 2025.
- Data show battery electric vehicles emit about 73% less CO2 than internal combustion cars, contrary to Merz’s statement.
