have in common think impeachment think u.s. president today donald trump urged both countries to launch investigations into his political rival joe biden and with that the us president did in public what he's accused of doing in private hitting up a foreign government to dig up dirt that could help him win the next election but he may have to survive an impeachment trial 1st off in berlin this is the day. guys started it was the case it didn't but. i'm not going. because what happened in china is just about as bad as what happened. when you pray. the united states go to china so many years that if we don't deal with

china rip up the usa because they feel like people would fight. for a 2nd war trumps that. you know if they come back they call that a payoff. also coming up tonight a round and robust relic of east german communism that still dominates the skyline of the very unified nation's capital berlin's t.v. tower is turning 50. a bit scary i didn't expect it to be quite high when we looked for a basis to go into leanly interest and we saw it day to day because. our viewers on p.b.s. in the united states and all around the world welcome we begin the day with the

trump presidency deeper than ever in an impeachment investigation deeper than ever inside ukraine today as donald trump added china to the list of countries that he has solicited for political dirt against joe biden lawmakers on capitol hill they had ukraine on their minds in a closed door hearing the former u.s. special envoy to ukraine kurt volker testified about any role he may have had interims coersion of ukrainian president zelinsky to provide damaging information about joe biden and joe biden's son. name appears in that whistleblower complaint which became public last week the one that triggered an impeachment inquiry against the president and wolk is testimony today it was private but president trump he said plenty in public today well i think by. going down and i think his situation because you may very well find that there are many other countries. just

like this. so i would say that president. if it were me i would recommend that they start an investigation. nobody has any doubt that they were that was a christian 100 percent. carli he joins me tonight from kiev in ukraine good evening to you nic let's talk about kurt volker he had an important job as special envoy to ukraine for the united states until he resigned last week last year i interviewed him here and he was adamant in his defense of trump's commitment to ukraine take a listen to what he said i can imagine your job is very difficult if there was one thing that you. could get from the trip administration that you don't have right now what would it be i think i do have what i need from the trump administration i think we have very strong support all

the way through about putting pressure on russia to get their attention to create a negotiation support for ukraine partnership with our european allies and a negotiating power position on the table that we would be prepared to the silicate a un peacekeeping mission to go into eastern ukraine create security create the conditions where there can be elections in the men's could be implemented and then see the territory restored so i think everything is in place but we need is not from the trunk administration what we need is from russia and that is a serious effort by russia to end the war all right so nick is that the image there that we saw is that the image that kurt volker had in kiev i mean what was his reputation in ukraine. well brant had a reputation here of being a friend of ukraine someone who. represented a more traditional republican foreign policy approach towards russia a more hawkish line on russia than we've seen from president trump himself and as

such he was probably as we will discovering now not a great fit in the current trumpet ministration putting on a brave face in that interview with you that last year but he did achieve something that no previous u.s. diplomat had been able to achieve for the ukrainian side he managed to convince mr asian to sell the weapons to ukraine javelin and they're not being used in donbass they're only a last resort should the war escalate but that was really a breakthrough for the ukrainian side who were disappointed the bomber mr ation had restricted their military support to defensive weapons and military supplies and that sense he will be missed definitely here in. this impeachment scandal is getting bigger and ukraine is in even deeper is president he is he's succeeding in deflecting questions about trump and all of trump's men. at a level i think these revelations about the tribes mistrust and reaching out to australia

and these comments will present himself to china in a way takes the heat off a bit it shows that this was paul a pattern part of a bigger pattern of behavior on the part of this is mr ation it wasn't just some specifically ukrainian situation but definitely this is something that is coming to haunt him i was at one of his very rare briefings just the other day when he was trying to talk about his plan to bring peace to dawn bass and again and again you saw him confronted by questions from the excessive press about his meetings with mistress officials had he met rudy giuliani or not had he been influenced or put under pressure and you could say seemed getting very annoyed i don't want to just really to shift the focus back on his domestic agenda that is definitely unwelcome and something that is not going away in a hurry all right nick connelly in here with the latest on the ukrainian angle of this impeachment scandal nic thank you. and here with me of the big table tonight is a man who knows washington d.c. and how u.s. policy reverberates here in berlin and europe jack james is senior fellow at the

german marshall fund he's also a member of the council on foreign relations jack it's good to have you back on the show you just a few days ago from washington you know policymakers you know well makers here in berlin. what are they asking or what are they saying about this impeachment inquiry in washington that is going to happen and i think it's going to happen even by the end of this year if not before. and largely because of what mr trump said today or yesterday asking china now to get involved in this investigation i think he's got a problem understanding what his office is when he speaks and there's a larger problem here and that is. governance the relationship between the executive branch of the legislative branch and there's a 3rd level and that's what i'm really concerned about and that's the reliability of the united states and the trust in the ability to deal with the united states without having it immersed in domestic politics do you get this is that berlin is

already preparing for a president my parents well i don't think they're that far along i mean let's see what happens between now and the time that the impeachment process starts the question is who gains from that does he mr trump again as somebody who's the victim and then plays for its own base or do the democrats win and they have a bit of a problem because even if they go for the impeachment they're going to have some point pivot to the real issues on the table for everyday voters not this so one way or the other this is going to be a very difficult chess game for both sides you know the german chancellor angela merkel well. ukrainian president selenski. he is quoted in this phone call transcript summary with the us president and he he. did not say the most flattering things about miracle were germany's policy with ukraine do you think

he has he shot himself in the foot with germany already well look i think he's right is it the beginning of understanding what his offices as president i mean remember where he came from so he's drinking from a fire hose when it comes to understanding politics whether it's domestic or whether it's fine and i think that you know he's trying to run through extremely tight rope here and in that respect i think you know in that case it's best to give him time to respond to this i mean the fact is is that this accusation that was made by trump that germany and europe to do much for the crate is false so i think it's this point is a real tight rope for him to see how he can do it if this eventually takes place if the president is removed you know that's never happened in u.s. history if it does happen what do you what do you think what's your sense for german u.s. relations post impeachment but that's a hard one that i mean i think that to some extent there were issues before trump

was elected that really shaped german american affairs 30 years after the wall 70 years after the founding of the federal republic we celebrate that i think there were things that were changing anyway and so regardless of who's going to be president and who's going to win the election in 20. i think it's going to continue to change the parameters of discussion tween berlin and washington and the united states in general with germany that's not all bad so it's a little premature to speculate about you know pence or trump or whoever the democrat might be who might win but either way the environment of german america relations is in flux. it's it's in flux and the i guess the building of relationships that you see between policymakers and lawmakers is that happening as robustly as it was but see 101520 years ago or do you see that being eroded well i think that there is an enormous amount of interface between the

governments and i think that there is an enormous amount of by the way interface between governments below the federal level you know they just finished this thing called. and there's a lot of activity going on at the levels of the state and local governments so i think that we shouldn't underestimate the bonds of the countries together that have been built up over these last 7 decades but we should not take them for granted now all right jack stand by we're going to talk with you again in just a moment. insulin phenomenon of the pantheon polls showed that $29.00 is off to german reunification the majority of east in geminids feel like 2nd class citizens in germany fewer than 40 percent of eastern geminids believe reunification was a success among people who are younger than 40 that figure is any around 20 percent

less than half a happy with a democracy in germany. you know sobering words there 29 years after west and east germany became one nation again ending the divisions that were created by the iron curtain of the cold war here with me at the big table is jack james he is with the german marshall fund you know the german chancellor angela merkel and she came from east germany she has been the leader of the country since 2005 and we were doing the math today she has been basically the leader in this country half of the time since the wall phil how responsible is she. personally for these persisting east west differences i don't think she's personally responsible i think these are relationships that are going to evolve. when it happened said now what can grow

together should grow together and it's not going to be easy i always make a comparison and i hope it's not too far afield i mean we had a civil war between 1965 and we're not done with that either and i mean this takes a while generation so i don't put the onus on her for the kind of. adjustments and changes and quite frankly frictions that have occurred this is part and parcel of the price that one paid in 180990 to get something that had been our the goal for many many decades you know and when you really look at the image of are going outside of the country she's known as the champion of western liberal democracy but inside the country here if you ask people what does merkel champion most people will tell you they don't know she's not really known for being a champion of any calls since she was an east german couldn't she have done more if she had made east germans in east germany maybe her or champion as

a politician i don't think she wanted to do that i think from the time she was elected she wanted to be the chancer of all germans and i think that was having on her mind that she shouldn't be pigeonholed she was always being measured as that is she being too much of an aussie is that right i mean maybe some people in east germany felt that that wasn't enough but my sense is that that was her goal i mean she was given an opportunity to do something that very few leaders have ever had the opportunity to do and that's just so 2 parts of the country together i mean even though she'd been chancers in 2005 she was already involved in the early part of the years and she served in coles cabinet so she saw that unfolding over. the right at the beginning and i would give her credit for sustaining the dialogue now whether or not she was you know talking about big pictures and you know the vision thing and so forth i don't think that matters too much i think that this was a time when there was sustainability and to some extent predictability and now

maybe there's a different you know i fear i remember covering the election victory of dear hard schroeder and when he became chancellor here and then covering. became chancellor and me these were this was like night and day the difference is here do you think west germans do they not get enough credit for you know electing or accepting east german as their chancellor as they did in 2005 and then for keeping her in power for as long as they have yeah it's an amazing thing she's going to probably tie calls record as 16 years and in that respect it's almost a bit of a compliment in the sense that she did arrive at a point where people east and west did feel they were represented by her why else would she been elected 3 times after her 1st initial and so i think that to some extent there's a great deal of accomplishment there at a time when it was turbulent remember there was the recession there was

a lot of things with the euro and then of course we had the migration issue so i think that you know what should underestimate what was at stake and at the same time you know these things evolve at a certain epoch and i think that at the end of 621 or whatever the 21 of his she will be able to bow out and i think quite frankly with a great deal of legacy behind her let me ask you before we run out of time when she does step down in 2020 what would that be the time that lawmakers here say now is the time to draw the line now is the time to declare east and west history not of that that's going to happen i mean i think as i said before in the united states we have great our regional diversity as i think germany has had diversity as. for almost the entire existence of it as a country and even well before that they shouldn't necessarily be a 0 sum game there ought to be a way to combine the regional identities with the national identities and maybe of course but the european focus. senior fellow at the german marshall fund is always good to have you on the show good to hear your insights today all you will still

think injected to be. so 29 years since west and east germany ceased to be the division the official division was no more how did that happen here's a look back when the wall still stood. may 989 the iron curtain was starting to fray hungary wanted to pull down ford as people in east germany just wanted to leave many fled to west german embassies in eastern european countries hoping to continue on from that to the west. despite the warnings of east germany's leadership more and more people left the country took to the streets in october 190-913-0000 people demonstrated against the east german regime. a month later it was half a 1000000 i. 10 on the 9th of

november 1909 the unimaginable happened the berlin wall fell the i and carrots and was history germans were overjoyed oh. chancellor helmut kohl took advantage of the euphoria he convinced france britain and finally soviet leader mikhail gorbachev that a united germany would be at the service of europe. in record speed german unity was a great both nationally and internationally the 5 states of the former g.d.r. joined west germany on october 3rd 1990 kohl finally attained his goal a unified germany. we remember those days very well someone who made those days possible is with me here in the studio right now the former east german civil rights activist caterine. i think it's good to have you on the show we've talked before here at the big table i want to pick up on the topic

of the german chancellor angela merkel we've been talking about her tonight when you think about america and her contribution to german reunification has she done enough. or has she let you down how do you feel. you know i in my opinion this is not a one man show or one woman show so we unification or democracy is a job for all of us so we have to make it possible we have to talk to each other and to understand each other it's about understanding and how those position where is he coming from what is the background and so we should put more effort into this it's just work it is work it is and it's love and it's it's true it has to be done every day is it being done enough today so i think

people are not doing it enough because they are expecting someone out should do it but that's not how our democracy work we can only do it or no one does it so then it's not happening so but the responsibility is on us it's so in the english word of responsibility it's a very fine because it's the ability to respond to right exactly so and i really like that as it is an interesting way to look at the word but you're right it is the ability to respond to each other when you when you look at what has happened in the last 30 years do you still feel like an east german. you know if you ask me in the respect if i feel like a 2nd a 2nd class citizen i don't care but if you are as ok i'm unformed from

my past so what i am today it's because of my history growing up in a dictatorship knowing what this means how it affects your freedom of speech or moving whatever you want or becoming what you want to become so i much more area. see the privilege of living in a democracy and being piety because you were denied that you know what it was like to have dinner and in this respect i will never forget my tossed with to take us back to 1990 when east and west germany came together again this be the last question before we run out of time what expectations did you have for the future i just had the how not to come too long into prison so afraid

of being oh yeah and yet there. but i also i just felt ok if we can make it if we can give this movement a face and if we can leave the movement out of the church and the freedom and we you can see it on our banner for an open country it is free people it's true and and so that was our house that visit wishing we gave to the street and it's a vision that you continue to give to the country and you know your your life is an example of that and we appreciate you taking the time to share with us tonight again cuts mean how are the east german civil rights activist on this very important day here in germany thank you catherine thank you. well today marks another anniversary here it was 50 years ago that construction was completed in east berlin on the television tower it was designed to tower over west

berlin a symbol of communism engineering superiority well it didn't work out quite that way did it but the t.v. tower it became an icon of a city that is changing and attracting millions of people every year take a look. at a height of 368 meters it's billions most visible landmark. since it opened in 1969 it's attracted 16000000 visitors from all over the world. a bit scary hadn't expected to be quite so high when we look for places to go and when we did the 1st thing we saw is the great big tower it was going to rise every monuments virtually in only one of the. 2 elevators transport gets to the top in just 40 seconds. village that takes 3 cities to the viewing

platform at ita 203 meters as a top speed of 21 kilometers per hour for safety reasons only $350.00 people are allowed on the platform at any one time on a clear day you can see 80 kilometers. the revolving platform also doubles as a restaurant guests can enjoy an ever changing view joining their meal. to come in and the tables are moving so 1st of all you have to find your table manners and then you are amazed by the view that greets you so yes it's very special when you come up here those definite you know wow effect that. tolson brinkman is the boss here so he gets to see places most visitors don't see. the technicians platform at 246 meters for example. i still mean it's an architectural achievement and above all a masterful piece of engineering my colleagues thought of using slide tools and

glass is quite remarkable. they were back. to berlin television tower isn't just a draw for the tourists it's also a unique building that best testament to the division of germany and its reunification. and this special day is almost the end of the car. station continues online you'll find us on twitter either at the w. news or you can follow me at brant go off t.v. don't forget to use the hash tag today and remember whatever happens between now and then tomorrow is another day we'll see that everybody.

comes. into conflict with sebastian with time running out cold brussels among them to get affected feel. climbing to keep the flame on the bridge before they go she ations fire my guest this week here in prague is the czech foreign minister tomas petrusha he has surprisingly clear differences with a government who so so why doesn't he resign so from it doesn't.

sleep. cheerfully. don't suit me. to do good. discovery. subscribe. documentary. when your family scattered across the globe. saw it you didn't listen

to. the journey back to the issue can minutely. charge family from somalia live around the world to. me to the urgent assistance. starts october 8th on. the world. little thing the. french block of is in the central europe you've seen massive demonstrations protests demonstrations off to the prime minister to decide whether he won't focus with a side of them believe in the and defend themself to the fury with time running out for brussels on one of them to get a brecht's to deal with climbing through people of the blame on the britain if the negotiations fail my guest this week here in prague is the czech parminter thought to 30th he has surprisingly clear differences with the government he so of so why doesn't he was on.