our special coverage of the u.s. midterm elections here on the w. news. this is the w. news live from berlin a moment of truth the most important u.s. midterm elections in a generation is underway after a fierce campaign americans are casting their ballots will tell you what is at stake and why the poll matters also coming up it could be one of the last trials of its kind in a nazi concentration camp guard goes on trial here in germany is accused of being

complicit in hundreds of murders and time is running out to prosecute a less nazi war criminals. it's great to have you along everyone in the united states polls have opened in the most crucial midterm elections in decades president all trump is not on the ballot but if you didn't know better you think he was running for reelection their vote is being seen as a referendum on the u.s. president's agenda democrats are hoping a good result for them would force the president to rein in his policies survey suggests that the republicans will keep control of the senate and that democrats could take back the house of representatives but the battle promises to be tight. pools have opened in the u.s. midterm elections. and early indications suggest it will be

a record year for turnout. there and it's all because of dismay he's divisive and he's energizing for those that love him and those that don't. the election is widely being seen as a referendum on the man everyone can't look away from if he doesn't say so himself . i mean who ever even heard of mid term they don't even know what it is i've got a lot of people's i don't know what big term is but now i'm watching every single minute and i'm going out to vote but the key is you have to go out to vote because in a sense i am on the ticket you got to go out to vote. the president's republican party is touting a booming economy in the united states. and republicans are accusing democrats of being weak and migration. democrats are inviting caravan after caravan of illegal aliens to pour into our country overwhelming his

schools yard spittles and your communities. the democrats not so secret weapon former president barack obama he's been on the campaign trail taking aim at the president's often abrasive personality. the character of this country is on the belt who we are is on the ballot. what kind of . what kind of politics we expect is on the ballot how we conduct ourselves in public life is on the ballot how we treat other people is on the belin. so there are likely to be swings on both sides across america and deeply conservative texas a surprisingly strong showing for democrat beta will roark seeking election to the senate every conversation with every board doesn't matter to you just

a few weeks ago democrats felt fairly sure of recapturing both the senate and the house but polls suggest the race is still wide open. and these are expected to be history making midterm elections many asian american feel a committee of asian american republicans to the program he joins me from orlando florida a very good day mr lee happy election day now historically americans asian americans have a favorite the republican party where do things stand now is that still the case well that historically you feel that day to senior bush time or even a little bit after that you have more asian american going to republicans than democrats however the saying has been changed in the last two almost two decades last time with the clinton versus trump asian american still two to one on the

democrat side however you will see a lot of sea change especially in battleground like a florida you will see asian american are rethinking our value who will preach sense us better so you will see a kind of a changing starting in the recent days right now of course i want to emphasize i say is an american community because like any other community it's a very diverse community with diverse political views and political beliefs having said that joe i was wondering does this mean also that the asian american community maybe is turned off by this administration's anti immigrant and nationalist stance . well i see so. your facts that there are many of the asian american because we have a larger trade community or so many new immigrants so you have you see some

of us start to wonder about ron do you know what i'm not and the country is heading to the right direction and that however at the same time you have a lot of other asian americans looking at for example racial colder in the college admission. economy those are domestic issues that they are gradually moving from middle or moderate to liberal to the right so which are factors will be more precise it will find out today right now what would you say is the main admitting issue for asian american voters. well the number one issue. i would have said because in asian family mostly first generation immigrants they really look forward for their kids to have a great education to climb up the ladder to break the so-called append blue ceiling

to get to that you know the high ground in term of politics business and eccentric so how do you get that opportunity to get into the ivy league giving add to the one percent of that ivy league it doesn't represent forty nine percent per cent and stats of the so-called the top. beyond a bamboo ceiling level so that is a compelling issue for asian americans because if they see the hidden racial code that they are really putting a cap on asian kids how will be number one issue but let me add one more thing here not just asian americans you see a great interest start here being sure your community but where you look at this middle level election i'm on the ground i'm a state agency chair for dissent in florida you see the intensity you seldom see

it in other midterm elections almost comparable to the point he's sixteen but this is just incredible voter and to see as them all around mr a leak leslie from the national committee of asian american republicans joining us from orlando florida sir thank you for sharing your views with us thank you. and there really have extensive coverage of the midterms throughout the day and we'll bring you all the results and what the u.s. terms midterms mean for europe and of course you can also follow us on twitter for up to date. today to minutes of dates all right we want to bring you now some of the other stories making news around the world. secretary of state mike on pale has said the u.s. will relentlessly pursue iran this after president trump ordered renewed sanctions on the country washington wants tehran to end its ballistic missile program and

abandon regional conflicts iranian president hassan rouhani says tehran will defy american demands. the trial of notorious drug lord el chapo real name king whose mind is set to begin in new york under tight security he's accused of leading a criminal enterprise that sold vast quantities of cocaine and smuggled billions of dollars into mexico. french president i knew in my call has repeated his calls for a quote real in european army as he attends ceremonies commemorating the end of world war one mccaw said europe needs a joint military force to better defend itself against china russia and even the us . a former nazi concentration camp guard has gone on trial here in germany the man is facing hundreds of counts of accessory to murder for alleged crimes at the start tough camp in nazi occupied poland over sixty thousand people

were killed at the camp and time is now running out to prosecute those responsible . it is likely to be one of the last cases of its kind ninety four year old johann after arriving in court today accused of being an accessory to murder. from nine hundred forty two to nine hundred forty four the former s.s. man served as a garbage dump of concentration camp near the polish city of danske over one hundred thousand people were imprisoned edged out of sixty five thousand of them were killed most of them gassed or shot there is no evidence of the defendant being involved in individual murders but the prosecution argues he must have known about the killings and was therefore an accessory. so also we have information from old interrogations from guards and witnesses that people knew all too well what was going on in the camp. in addition the camp was structured in such

a way that you had a good overview of the whole camp from the watchtowers you could also see through the fence that's why we assume that all the guards knew what went on especially when you served in the compass long as the defendant did. seven years ago the case against the former guard at a different camp the extermination camps. set a legal precedent in that case the guard john demjanjuk was convicted as an accessory to twenty eight thousand murders a german court ruled that the defendant did not have to personally commit murder to be found guilty. the ruling sparked several new trials against former concentration camp workers in this latest trial seventeen survivors and relatives of those have victims from around the world every presented as co plaintiff's lawyer owner acts for an elderly couple from israel who interred it to two of his children let's get

off for my clients this isn't about a prison sentence for the defendant they don't want to see him suffer. they want him to engage with his past to tell the truth and not to obscure trivialize or deny these crimes like so many s.s. men and others who were responsible have done in the past. he has never denied being a guard at start off but claims he knew nothing of the killings and was never a nazi due to his old age the trial hearings will only last up to two hours a day the case against him will continue until mid january. champion's league football returns tonight i'm going to say get pacesetters morissette rents have already had a scare before their clash with lasik on madrid their play was forced to abort the landing in madrid just as it was about to touch down but the team are safe and are now going in search of early qualification for the knockout stages. it was all

smiles at the airport before dortmund boarded the flight to madrid the aborted landing which followed was hardly the perfect preparation for a big game but dortmunder in such good form they're on the brink of the champions league last sixteen with two games to spare a handsome home win over athletico in october underlined their speedy revival under coach lucy i'm five but he is staying as cautious as ever. and that would for we have got to prepare really well they might have lost against us four nil but that game is gone now it was just one match. we know all about atlantico they have been one of the best teams in europe for seven or eight years with the munch of the new . fiver is right about that politico's champions league pedigree they've reached two finals in the last five years but dortmund red hot streak has the

spaniards worried. they're playing very well they are producing spectacular football and it's clear that if they keep this level they have a big chance of winning the bundesliga title. the bundesliga is not the only trophy on dortmund's minds they are well aware that this season's champions league final is all selected let it go stadium a repeat visit is the aim next the us olympics committee has taken the highly unusual step of moving to shut down the country's governing body for gymnastics this follows a sexual abuse scandal and a series of failed reform efforts u.s. journalists have won a slew of medals at recent a lympics and world championships but usa gymnastics was plunged into crisis when team doctor larry nasser was sentenced to life in prison after facing charges of molesting more than two hundred and fifty gymnasts. and before i let you go reminder of our main headline this hour we're americans are voting in what are

being called the most crucial midterm elections in decades the poll is being seen as a referendum on donald trump's presidency and demick.