to think and see not as political animals but rather as physicians compelled by the constitution to deliver a diagnosis tonight the impeachment trial of u.s. president donald trump has begun and when it ends the verdict will tell the nation and the world whether or not the president has become a cancer on the body politic of america i'm burnt off in berlin this is the day. the hour of 12 noon. as if the united states. article one. abuse of power article 2 obstruction of congress. the gravity of these charges is self evident to anyone who is not self interest houses power. is open. to senate

time. is. also coming up tonight is the russian president preparing his country for a change which guarantees more of the same will it be a 3rd decade of putin power these men you're so busy hideouts and i think will change it is on the syllable you think you may be in more civilized countries or states when this kind of thing happens people expect change and for things to get back. to the noise here. to our viewers on p.b.s. in the united states and all around the world welcome we begin the day with the beginning of the impeachment trial of u.s. president donald trump and the u.s. constitution's clauses for impeachment in a trial are considered an emergency brake if you will congress taking extreme.

action to stop a president whose actions are deemed possibly criminal and dangerous and that is one outcome the other a verdict that exonerates the executive whereas the trial began today a bombshell announcement came from a u.s. government watchdog the government accountability office saying that the trumpet ministration broke the law when it withheld millions in aid earmarked for ukraine about is precisely the claim which triggered impeachment proceedings against the president this could possibly add to the evidence against mr trump but tonight we still do not know if the senate will allow new evidence or witness tears testimony in this trial sir can there be a fair trial without witnesses yeah the same witnesses are saying they need today were available in the house you know when you if you want to witness and witness was available to chose not to call them don't play name they don't want to see documents they don't want to hear from eyewitnesses and they don't want they want

to ignore anything new that comes out what kind of trial it is going to be to talk about that i'm joined tonight by bret broun he is president of the consulting firm the global situation room he joins me from new york city it's good to have you on the day bret you know this report that we got today from the government office of accountability when you add that to these new accusations coming from an associate of giuliani the president's personal attorney about ukraine i mean all of this appears and sounds very damning for the president's kids but will it matter at all if this stuff is not admitted as evidence in this trial. well i think it got pretty darn difficult now for senate majority leader mitch mcconnell lindsey graham who you just heard from there and other republicans to stonewall i mean what you saw last night on american television was someone who was very close both to rudy

giuliani the president's personal attorney as well as to the president himself and he pointed the finger at both of them and rather director and then on top of that this morning it only got worse because this independent u.s. government bodies said pretty darn clearly the president broke the law because the president ordered this aide to be stopped in what does that mean this this report by the g.a.o. ways saying that the president broke the law i mean it's clear to me and the same we have no doubt the evidence is there the evidence that anyone can check see and read shows is that the president the trouble ministration broke the law with ukraine when you have a report out like that then how is it not going to influence the outcome of this trial. so here is why it is so significant for the whole time when testimony and the proceedings in the house of representatives were taking

place the republicans case was predicated on the notion that yes it was unseemly for the president to be asking for personal or political favors but it didn't break the law now you have what for foreign viewers i think is really important to understand the u.s. government accountability office as the name suggests is a really important body here this is not a minor and to d. or agency so for them to say that carries a lot of weight. the $100.00 u.s. senators today they took an oath of impartiality which demands that they act in this trial is jurors and not as lawmakers not as political animals which which they are if they weren't they would even be sitting in congress is it almost a superhero task to ask lawmakers to do that is it even possible do you think. well i don't think there's anyone including the founders of our country who

believed that this process was going to be devoid of politics it is ultimately a political decision but that said the republicans run the risk here of trying to hold almost a kangaroo court where they quickly move past evidence they quickly try to block witnesses and that could be damaging for them on a political basis because many of these republican senators are up for reelection and let's remember it only takes for court least the rules to change and the question of removing a president here in the u.s. will require that supermajority of the senate i don't know that we get there but nonetheless procedurally the votes could be there for witnesses and other evidence to be heard you know i mean let's talk about that what about if we don't get there the constitution is for our for our viewers they see what's happening right now as

an example of a constitution the world's oldest that is functioning you have what the constitution says must be done when you have suspicions of high crimes and misdemeanors i mean it's following the path that it should but what happens in a hyper polarized political environment when the senate is able to fulfill its role as an impartial jury. well there are several points that i would make for viewers in germany and around the world the 1st is that despite the appearance of difficulties and the damage our institutions have suffered of the last few years i do think we're seeing evidence of the system functioning as intended the senate the house of representatives our legislative entities are conducting war oversight than they ever did before and there is an effect on the operation of the administration even if the president isn't removed these are life firing warning

shots across the power of a vote of additional e i think we're seeing as the judicial institutions functions both as a result of some of the evidence that's uncovered here and then lastly i would say i think the press and that 4th estate as we call it here in the u.s. is becoming much more robust much more vigorous in some of the reporting in investigations as a result of this process and we know that for our colleagues in the united states and in washington particularly it's very difficult to do their job especially when there are no white house press briefings being held any more let's look forward though let's assume the math is in favor for the president and he is acquitted here there is no conviction and then we move towards election day in the member what will a lack of a conviction in this trial do to the credibility of the election in november. well i think 1st you're going to see that republican senators

will have to not only vote but voice their support for what clearly were questionable acts by the president and that could have political consequences secondly there's a lot of evidence that's being laid out here which will provide fodder for both the presidential election i think whoever comes out as the nominee of the democratic party will certainly use of the material the statements the evidence here but also for the house of representatives elections for state and local elections in the u.s. you could really see a blue wave that comes as a result of americans just being fed up with this kind of governance is definitely a big risk with this trial joining us tonight with the consulting firm the global situation room but we appreciate your insights tonight thank you to be with you.

yesterday russia's government resigned in mass today president russian president putin began naming replacements what most people would expect to be a political crisis is being treated like business as usual in moscow almost today butin named a former tax technocrat to be the country's new prime minister but insiders say that putin's decisions mean more than meets the eye they say he's grooming political moscow to make room for another decade of putin power. he's little known even within russia now. formally the head of the country's tax service has become russia's prime minister the. lawmakers overwhelmingly backed russian president vladimir putin's candidate for the job to no one's surprise addressing the duma misused and promised change. the president has stressed several

times people should already now be feeling real changes for the better so far this is happening far from everywhere. it's a rapid rise for the career bureaucrat elevated to the country's number 2 position less than 24 hours after russia's government resigned that paved the way for putin is newly announced sweeping constitutional changes there are mixed reactions over whether the political shake up will make any difference because there's a card to stay after the political system was stagnant people want something new now a new decision some kind of renewal i think president putin made the right decision when he shook everything up. you know yup i don't know but i trust putin to make the right decisions good on him whatever the issue of these men your view i doubt anything will change. maybe in more civilized countries or states when this kind of thing happens people expect change and for things to get back. the noise here is a 1000000 you know father sort of moses. critics say misuse tin is merely

a placeholder for putin who they believe has no intention of relinquishing power when his presidential term ends in 2024 but russia's political elites are still pondering what role putin has in mind for himself. what is the mirror putin to talk about and i'm joined now by d.w. russia analyst constantine fund and he joins us tonight be a scott constantine it's good to see you again is so when you look at the actions of the russian president right now what is he doing is he putting a new foundation down for 10 more years of putin power. well 1st of all you mention the people expected it political crisis but that calmed be any political crosses in the placement there is going politics aware politics is conducted by one minutes or yes there is no crisis and mr putin his chosen this unknown technocrats for one simple reason as he approaches 2024 when that he

supposed to step down with present them punt as what is going to do next and how he's good to do it what he needs he needs a deflection of attention from growing economic and social problems in the country oh to give it just one figure out a real disposable incomes officially have been pulling full 5 years or the row so putin is the sided to get to rid of this over centralize system in which he's responsible for everything and make the government and to do not much more all up let's say responsible for the dude least notional are responsible essentially to make them of punching bag so a weeping boys for they grow only for the and the easy public opinion that we haven't russia and the to liberate midst of putin's rome does depend unsent to let didn't do other things he likes of the joys like for impose the end you know playing power called ticks around the globe been lecturing people on history but that's what he wants to do the he doesn't want to be seen as someone who's

responsible for what read it touches people's lives more you're talking about a politician who is thinking about his legacy i've heard some commentators say that mr putin can't of forward to live long enough to see that legacy that he has to find a way just stay and pa were connected to power because once he leaves the forces that are against him will become so dangerous that his his wife will be threatened when he's no longer in politics do you agree with that well predictions there and grateful business but let me put it like that i generally agree i think that the put in the system is very much based on one man and when putin got the system will challenge it will be a different system maybe which was maybe much better but it will not be able to system and he knows it i think this man says and he wants to really staying in control for as long as possible and all that will see this

constitutional reform which is a number 2 item on the moscow agenda today i think it's although it's called constitutional reform in fact it's going to be a very thorough rewriting of the current rules all the time a process for political gain in moscow you know that to secure or that puts in a little control person that changes this whole seal of the key i.e. the army the f a z and the police forces until the very very end until a few really decides to with the political scene and what it is also supposed to ensure is that people are me chief coordinator and chief all that up inside the russian elite whether he will succeed. in this that remains to be seen because what we've seen recently according to independent public opinion polls in moscow story in russia is that people just start getting weary of this will settle and this

essentially because smith that changed which is designed to prolong the power of one man over russia may well where thin much sooner then we can imagine well yeah you speak to a important point here i mean when will people become fed up with vladimir putin that he has been their leader for almost all of this century and we're talking about him being connected to power of maybe up until the year 2030 he likes to is talk about democracy and give lip service to that but someone being in power 30 years in a democracy that that can't be healthy any way you look at. well if i had such powers of prediction i would have been winning bets and a 10000 bucks every day i don't but definitely you're right it's i think that the. this problem geisha of the same thing as the french say you know if you saw sharks through cell and then it shows. it's something that usually undermines such systems

and basically i'd like to suggest that we compare it to what happened to 2 regimes authoritarian regimes and they didn't in the last century some of us are in portugal didn't think about change didn't think about succession didn't think about basically what happens in the future and his system collapsed in a military coup francisco franklin spain's not a thinking about succession and change said to yes' before he died and look most of the franco is people remains pretty cool and although this is them did change this was a much better and much smoother result so kind of make a pick yeah let me putin as russia's franco when we will see the w. russia analyst constantine from they are joining us tonight to talk about a president who apparently is not going anywhere constantly thank you thank you.

well when the world needs to get the ear of the russian president it usually calls this woman here the german chancellor angela merkel after almost 2 decades in power the image of maricopa is just as much that of a diplomat and a stateswoman as it is of a politician but it will not be that way forever miracle plans to step down next year when her current term ends her policy decisions now they're being watched and weighed just as much as they've always been in an interview with the financial times she speaks candidly about relations with the u.s. and china and she says that washington's warnings about china should not be a warning for germany's dealings with china now merkel is quoted as saying i would advise against regarding china as a threat simply because it is economically successful and then she goes on to say that's bull that right there do we in germany and europe want to dismantle all interconnected global supply chains because of this economic

competition in my opinion complete isolation from china cannot be the answer aren't so what is the answer let's bring in now our political correspondent simon young he's here in berlin good evening to you simon the u.s. we know considers china particularly the chinese tech giant who way to be a national security threat and so do many people in the coalition government right here in germany yet the german chancellor angela merkel she refuses to say no to allowing who way to come in do business here in germany what is her reasoning for that. well i think anglo medical a single and to be suspicious of the motives of some of those who raise concerns about why way and of a successful chinese companies you hear that in this interview when she says that

china is not a threat simply because it's successful and she'll say interesting we drew a comparison between the economic rise of china and that of gemini she said that the chinese you know economic success is largely based on holiday and technical skill and creativity so i think she is inclined to suspect that there is isolationism and protectionism behind behind that sort of challenge in the case of huawei for instance another point in this case i think he's also the concerns of germany's telecoms providers all of the german telecoms operator is a custom it is of huawei and they've been warning that if you ban that chinese company you know that's going to add billions of euros to the cost and many years to the time that it'll take to roll out the 5 g.

network for instance you know i mean this is a case where we are seeing economic policy colliding with national security policy so i mean you've covered the chancellor for a long time what do you think the chances are that miracle will change her mind about you know the risk assessment of who way. well i think she's always ready to listen and indeed she's been holding meetings today with senior members of our own party many of whom are very alarmed by the security considerations and i mean it's worth noting that just today there have been stories of police raids here in germany and also elsewhere in europe people said to be spying on behalf of way and the chinese so these are all real concerns i'm sure the chancellor is listening to that but she says you know let's

not focus on china soli let's not exclude one company per se let's remain open and she also for instance put faith in regulation talking about the infamous general data protection regulation here in the you saying that's the way to keep people's data safe so this is the kind of measure the price he'd expect from charge you know and so on we've got about 30 seconds left here let me ask you how much of merkel stance is about not sharing its stance with donald trump if trump is voted out of office and of amber for example do you think that a different leader in the white house would make it easier for merrill the change your mind. well i think there's no doubt that a lot of people here in berlin see trump's america 1st approach as a kind of hyper protectionism at least potentially and they're worried about that but mccool i think sees opportunities as well she says you know if if this is the american century as

a president obama called it rather the asian century is century europe has become less important that means we've got to do things like step up the manufacturing of key technologies like batteries and computer chips and other things in other words she's looking to the future for what europe's response can be to those protectionist challenges our political correspondent simon young simon thank you. germany's parliament has rejected controversial legislation aimed at helping people who need organ donations the new opt out law would have the sumed that people agreed to have their organs transplanted after death unless they had signed a declaration saying otherwise the german government is looking for ways to increase the supply of organ donors as the country has europe's lowest their nation raked. functionalist job as a business consultant kept him on the road but then he was diagnosed with genetic

lung disease he fought to stay healthy as long as he could but it became clear his health depended on getting a donated long time asked discreate when i 1st spoke to the doctors and they told me i needed a lung transplant if i was shot as. it's my lung and i would have preferred to live the rest of my life with my own along. having someone else's lung was a concept he would have to get used to for just a few more examinations than his name could go on the waiting list for donor like function you know there are around 1500 people in germany who are waiting for lifesaving organs to be donated and many of them have been waiting for us. does believe the problem is dramatic in all of europe germany has the lowest number of organ donors the longest waiting lists and the highest number of patients whose lives are in danger if they do not receive an organ donation or. oddly this is the

case even though more than 80 percent of germans a positive organ donations according to doctors one problem is that death and organ donation are in many families people simply don't talk about it and if it's not clear what the deceased would have wanted most relatives decided against organ donation or even when the patient wants to donate an organ often the donation doesn't take place so organs cannot be transplanted and presents on the waiting list. that was the case 900 times in 2018. when the day's almost on the conversation continues online to find us on twitter you can follow me and t.v. and remember whatever happens between now and then tomorrow is another day we'll see you that everybody.

strong opinions clear position on the international perspectives. the middle east has once again been taken to the brink of war and back and all the talk is of tro against iran iran against trolls but what about. woman. peacemaker to find out to join me and my guests on to the points of trial for going to the point. next time on the gulf of mexico is. a journey into

the unknown. of justifying exploit. a battle against the forces of nature. 1900 the 1st nonstop flight across the atlantic and just as a moment in history a long cherished dream finally comes true. pioneers of the sky. in 45 minutes on t w. can i am. sick closest place to hallam's missed. him standing key an. entrance does a camp. all trains kimi and. you. nice news and keeping.

a list of all story. nico is a. must. starts january 27th on d w. what about. the situation in the middle east remains explosive off the tensions between the united states and iran took the region to the brink of war but what's about the other big players such as russia when for instance german chancellor angela merkel wanted to talk about efforts to resolve the ongoing crisis in libya it was bloody putin in moscow that she turned to a no holds washington to look too long ago a way.