to prevent back to the group. use the water and see role materials to avoid content. producers are the ones primarily responsible for the safety of the food. but you can protect yourself and your family from diseases unknown by applying the 5 keys to see for to use them you also have a role to play. this is g.w. news and these are our top stories british prime minister boris johnson has announced tighter restrictions on millions of people amid a surge in the number of corona virus cases london and southeastern england will be placed in a new teacher for warning level nonessential retailers will close and people will be required to stay home except for essential reasons such as work and grocery

shopping. israeli prime minister binyamin netanyahu has become the most high ranking world leader to publicly receive a covert 1000 vaccine on sunday israel will start vaccinating health care workers followed by people over the age of 60 netanyahu urged other israelis to follow his example and get back to needed. u.s. president donald trump has questioned whether russia was behind a massive cyber attack on u.s. government agencies in companies the state and contradicts his secretary of state might pompei o o on friday blame russia for the security breach the hackers exploited widely used security software to get inside critical u.s. government networks. this is deja vu news from berlin follow us on twitter and instagram news or visit our website d.w. dot com.

this week on world story. south dakota the virus is out of control. number a silent christmas in lockdown but we start in delegates following its controversial presidential election many members of the opposition were arrested or fled into exile. but protests against president lucas schenk are continuing unabated. this much just coming out to march on sunday's is as much a part of everyday life as having breakfast on neighborhood just won't keep quiet it's here that you finally get to meet your neighbors. for all the demonstrative good humor fear is never very far away in minsk most people here don't want to be

recognized and only agree to be filmed where in the mosques one person who is willing to take that risk is media at 20 she's only ever known one leader at xander . while mr bush back in august we felt the change was really close it felt like it was in breach just a day or 2 more and everything would change. for months later we're not where we wanted to be. maybe i'll never understand what. police emerge out of on mock bans scattering the marches in all directions dozens of smaller demonstrations in parallel across the capital means making the police and that much harder but for the hundreds of protesters still routinely arrested each weekend the stakes are rising the courts hand out. if a harsher sentences. the fear only really hits you when you get home and read about

everything that's happened that day online. i always carry a set of instructions with me that tell you what to do and who to call in case you are arrested. eventually the protesters recruit continue this time without the help of modern technology so often protest days on the loose the government has switched off mobile phone networks. the reaction to their protest from the locals is over what. we got really lucky one time the police were using stun grenades we got hit by some shrapnel that was nowhere to hide and all we could do was no can people still as we moved from house to house and eventually there are about 30 of us hiding in one woman's house she looks after us and wouldn't let us risk leaving the house unless we had a lift to pick us up. this is one of my senior. but not everyone is as impressed. as the march reaches its conclusion the question is as ever how to get home without getting arrested.

because it really feels like we've changed as a country could never happens now that can't be reversed can become clear to him but. no one can say with any certainty how long these protests will continue or what they might still achieve before most of these young better russians are protesting giving up doesn't seem to be an option like. the us has the highest number of corporate 1000 deaths worldwide. this is partly because president trump continues to downplay the threat of violence the consequences are from. south dakota one of america's least populated states but yet the virus has spiraled out of control here like nowhere else. in the us in the city of sue false a mask mandate was put in place recently without sanctions many citizens remain

defiant i think it's a good idea that people wear masks but some people ball get the idea of being told to do so i think with some of the shut downs are doing and the picking and choosing that they're doing is making a lot of businesses like most of the people nowadays like even ehlers are not right now but i think it's for the best like there's happy. south dakota now sees the highest hospitalisation rate of the u.s. and there is no relief in sight. out of schroeder is one of them he and his colleagues are working 12 hour shifts trying to save those who are at the brink of death. a task which comes with the personal toll we deal with a lot of dying right now unfortunately not everybody is recovering how we'd like it's a little harder every day people are coming in typically requiring much oxygen a lot of them end up getting a breathing tube. and from there you know it's just

a battle for their life i kind of see and understand his weekly press conference mayor paul 10 hakan of the republican party updates his community about the latest developments the mayor has been criticized over his handling of the pandemic in this part of the country i think there's a fierce independence a lot of people have made the mistake of calling a cowboy country at one point and people didn't appreciate that but the point of that term meaning we're independent we don't like people telling us what to do. christina bjorkman wishes for more government action against the pen demick in october she lost her husband took over at 19 after a 30 day long struggle at the hospital her ordeal. where. she says his death could have been avoided with stricter rules. the whole mask mandate got political and should've never been political and should have been

a medical thing and i think it just got so blown out of proportion and. i think maybe it came from our president he started it. christina bjorkman is pinning her hopes now on the president elect and a nationwide mask mandate once she takes office before then thousands more could die from cold at 19 in south dakota and the rest of the united states. the coronavirus situation is also a concern in turkey. the government only recently began publishing the full number of daily infections. doctors in the country's population are. celebrating her birthday she turns a 2 day or 2 biggest wishes harry potter cake and meeting her best friends.

the latter is more difficult to organize since trick to coronavirus measures have come into force in turkey young people under the age of 20 are only allowed to leave their homes for 3 hours a day. i know that but i used to be able to go outside whenever i wanted it that was much better but i also miss school now everything is done why assume and it's so annoying they are. coming to the other says mothers trying to organize life as best as she can between work and curfew. curfews for children are not the only new anti coronavirus ruined turkey those older than $65.00 can also only go outside at certain times public transportation is forbidden for young and old people and on weekends everyone with few exceptions has to stay at home. it looks pretty bleak

these days in the stumbles usually very busy neighborhoods restaurants bars men. shops closed. the government now reports about $30000.00 new infections per day. in with the queues many of us are angry about how the government is managing the crisis but there's nothing we can do. the government is concerned with its reputation they want to look good that is why there is no transparency or the publishing the need to but they should have informed people much better right from the beginning then everyone would have known what to expect and how to act if you curated. emre clear in the deals with many covered 19 patients he's a family doctor and belongs to the turkish medical association he says the authorities are still hiding the true extent of the crisis.

we still have a lot more cases then the government says according to our estimates we have about 50260000 new infections per day while our doctors and hospitals are at the absolute limit we have to urgently take radical countermeasures on that almost all of us things the current restrictions are already plenty tough the party's over the kids have to go back inside next year she hopes for birthday with out the coronavirus. our last journey is to germany the country is now in a hard lockdown almost everything is closed citizens are being told to stay home the world famous christmas market remembered has also been canceled. this is christmas eve as it gets back and 2020 usually the central market square is

bustling with the city's famous christmas market at this time of the year but it was canceled weeks ago and now the city center has become almost ghostly. only fruit and vegetables on offer but no one comes to buy them. daily dawn has been working here for 3 decades he says he's never seen his city so empty. it's all full for us there's no christmas here now no tourists it's terrible just look the market square is completely empty. and it's the same all over the city the state government has asked variance to only leave their homes if they have valid reasons like going grocery shopping visiting the doctor or going to work wearing a mask is compulsory in most areas of the city center partial school closures a ban on alcohol in public places and a nighttime curfew complete the strictest lockdown in germany police have increased

their presence in the city center to remind people to stick to the rules but for now this litter resistance they tell us. not to release and of course there are people who intentionally defy the rules there have been incidents of people refusing to cooperate when police tell them to wear masks but luckily those people are really the exception and the fella bones' all the people we speak to think the authorities should be even tougher. in the monitors that we think the lockdown is absolutely justified there's just no alternative at the moment and the restrictions should be tightened even further for shift and so. i'm totally fine with it because there are so many people suffering and people not taking this seriously should see what it looks like in hospitals. and that discriminate and getting worse every day that scares people including those who are suffering from the effects of the

lockdown that is already in effect like market trader on the 2 things i had locked down is the best option now there are 3 and we've just got to get through this and maybe things will get better. that gates visit maybe even in time for christmas for that known back us a willing to make sacrifices in the weeks ahead. for . the w.'s crime fighters are back at a bit of africa's most successful radio drama series continues through the only busloads are available online discourse you can share and discuss on t.w. africa's facebook page and other social media platforms to crime fighters to me and now i.

do know. of the more. i can actually do the procedure for you zuma the. in those born swollen. loonies lol the rules. are small groups no love blood for the workers. doesn't. work gives me a burger. oh i can't sleep. on a killing spree. the currents.

washington d.c. the white house is the center of power in the united states. or is it. i think that there's a lot of issues with the lack of disclosure it leaves voters in the dark if the representatives and senators in congress make the laws but the arms lobby the various religious groups and the powerful pressure groups also wield considerable influence over me try to push an issue we will do protests but they will also do phone calls and then social media pressure most americans want stricter environmental protection and weapons laws but are their voices being heard to have all kinds of policies in the united states these days which do not have democratic

widespread approval what they have is millionaires putting extraordinary sums it. we're going to kid solve the paris climate. after taking office in 2017 donald trump reversed u.s. policy on the environment while recruiting his own new stuff who complied with his anti conservation stance. people of the fed called me a climate skeptic or a climate denier coal lobbyist such as scott pruitt and andrew wheeler work pointed to head the environmental protection agency. the powerful business lobbies chalk this up as a success with millions of dollars at stake with shades of the wild west it seems the strongest and most powerful controlled along even in the shadow of the corona crisis washington has continued to cut back on environmental protection so. who in

the usa is really pulling the strings. follow the money trail. anima soliah does just that her work place washington d.c. home to some 12000 lobbyists. only a works for an ngo that wants to see more transparency she looks through tax returns for example to find out who is paying which lobby groups and think tanks in order to shape laws and public opinion it's frustrating work with many facts and figures remaining anonymous and it's all completely legal. we have people operating behind the scenes without ever disclosing their identity having a significant impact on who is elected in the united states who is holding power in the united states what laws are passed and it's something that really seeps into every aspect of people's daily lives without them knowing it they're aiming to

influence the political system across the board. at the top is the president then there are the members of the 2 chambers of congress $435.00 directly elected representatives and the $100.00 senators 2 per state. lobby groups and advocacy organizations also operate at the individual state level and their influence extends down to local level one reason is that the political parties as such have limited financial clout in the us individual politicians are therefore dependent on external funding from their supporters especially when it comes to expensive election campaigns. the most influential players in the poker stakes for power include billionaires who prefer to operate in secret among them 2 brothers charles koch and his now deceased brother david they created. sprawling

network of countless organizations willing substantial political power. is an expert on the issue of dark money and the hidden connections in such networks. the koch brothers were to some extent pioneers in heralding in a new era of money and politics and in particular in building up a new model of dark money at work so they built what is often referred to as the koch network. the koch network comprises a loose association of think tanks lobby groups organizations that claim to be grassroots movements and the media the koch's repeatedly bought influence over politicians judges even universities doing so with millions and millions of dollars . so who are the koch brothers in 20 they had an estimated fortune of around $50000000000.00 each david koch died in the summer of $29000.00 leaving his older brother charles born in 1935 to continue the fight for the interests of their

company koch industries. maybe not a famous global brand but the company generates more revenue than facebook and goldman sachs combined with an estimated value of $110000000000.00 and almost $130000.00 employees worldwide. for this oil gas and chemical conglomerate weaker environmentalists protection laws mean better business. the goal has always been true democracy where people can run their own lives and choose what they want to buy and choose how to spend their money. charles koch put it in a rare interview in 2012. award winning filmmaker robert greenwald wanted to find out more about the publicize the shy brothers and their system. many americans have never even heard of the powerful corporation. as

one of the cult brothers said. candidates are like actors and what they do is they read from a script and what the koch brothers want to do and they did very successfully they want to write that script and writing that script happens by funding all of these different sources hundreds of millions of dollars or 14 for their education you are going to get invited to figure out in the future a $1012.00 election cycle $400000000.00. in his documentary investigation greenwald set out on a search to discover the impact on the ground of these billionaires and their factories one among his shocking revelations was the story of a community where an alarming proportion of locals seems to be dying due to environmental pollution. you can see the steam coming from mr it calls a full throttle to before there are no and it's hard to bring even if we have 15

homes in the area and maybe 11 people in that home or with care and don't bring you. to the way these paper are saying they're dying this is inexcusable. this right here this private property but if you can follow it in a strike line you would be at georgia pacific suppliant own back ok industry. koch industries ignored all requests for an interview with greenwald's production company as they did for this documentary to. pay. attacked me personally with and had kind of headlines about what a bad guy i was and then threatened to sue what are facts are ironclad. as the koch's expand their network they try to be quite open politically

their goal to ensure laws that benefit their business and increase their profits. for decades ago in 1980 david koch was the libertarian party's candidate for vice president alongside clark they ran on a platform of minimizing state intervention promising to abolish corporate taxes social security and minimum wage laws. ronald reagan became president while the clark koch ticket mustered around one percent of the vote in a turning point in a cup strategy the brothers now decided to pull the strings from the background. his running for vice president was a real lesson as he has said the way to impact their policies the way to impact their profit arge was not by running for office but by financing all these

other ways. taking on the big money behind the oil lobby is a tough proposition amid concerns about the impact of a major pipeline project on the standing rock reservation in $27000.00 lawyer and activist chase iron eyes took action. this is our country this isn't trump's country and we're going to have to stand there. in peace and dignity. with me. to meet the protests in north and south dakota against the construction of oil pipelines became almost a daily occurrence in the meantime a 3rd pipeline is under construction which the native american people living here see as a threat it's not like you know. i don't have a choice. it is either i write these guys or my inherent. quality when i was born. the latest project is called keystone x.l.

pipeline said to be even bigger than the original keystone pipeline and fears of oil leaks that could poison the water proved to be founded by the end of 2901 and a half 1000000 leaders had already spilled into the ground. rules are not a matter of just a matter when and so we these are just these are risks that we. we choose not to bear the wrists. you know then our children might have to drink water. the oil to be pumped through north and south dakota comes from canada the tar sands of alberta have been a major source of wealth for the koch brothers and also a highly toxic way of producing oil. and the construction of the keystone x.l. pipeline was initially halted by then president obama in 2015 shortly after taking

office in 2017 trump revive the project. that is everybody ready to describe. a city or koch industries denies having lobbied for the construction of the pipeline environmental organizations reject such claims given the amount of money donated by the coax to think tanks and during the pipelines construction the texas public policy foundation said in 2017 the pipeline would lead to thousands of new jobs across the u.s. and provide for the safe and affordable transfer of oil the safest way to move products and goods is through pipelines the keystone pipeline goes through the regulatory hurdles and believe me there are a lot of regulatory hurdles but we've got to stop all of the protests and the lawsuit after lawsuit after lawsuit that are just driving up the cost because any

time you drive up the cost of energy you hurt the least among us more than anyone else. the conservative think tank also promotes the free market on social media while dismissing renewable energy sources such as wind turbines that's something you go to the country for something we've enjoyed living in a country it's peaceful it's quiet it's serene it's no longer like koch industries is one of the sponsors behind the think tank together with various other oil companies such as exxon mobil the list of donors was leaked to the local media and then made public a few years ago the kind of information that think tanks do not voluntarily disclose. as one of the benefits that we have is that people can give to us freely and be protected from harassment and you see that so often here now is when donors are released or people get viciously attacked in the united states and they get.

i've no legislature i had a lot of threats against me because my information was public a similar argumentation to that of the coax where the president attacks us and we can't threats from people in congress and this becomes part of a culture that we are evil so we need to be destroyed or killed then why force people to disclose. the figures and groups who donate millions from behind the scenes often remain in the shadows many organizations do not have to reveal their donors thanks to a series of court rulings the most important of these concerns a lawsuit brought by a conservative organization against the federal election commission. 2010 the supreme court found that financial donations to political campaigns were covered by the right to free speech a right that also applies to corporations the decision permitted them to spend unlimited funds on political advertising koch brothers were a critical part of the citizens united decision they funded several of the groups

that helped the knish 8 that lawsuit they funded. many of the politicians who spoke in favor of the lawsuit they funded some in the media who are in favor of the lawsuit and the ultimate decision organizations were then created that function like parties but without the financial restrictions so-called super pacs super pac is a political committee that can take unlimited sources from donors and spend unlimited funds in support of a candidate super pacs are not allowed to coordinate with campaigns and because of that they're able to take unlimited sums traditional campaign so that are actually operated by the candidate people there they've hired to operate their campaign are limited in how much they can take from individual donors. candidates may accept up to $5000.00 per year from the regular political action committees or pacs. there is

no such limit for the super pacs while they cannot give money directly to the candidates they are allowed to fund promotional campaigns that target the candidates opponents. new super pacs have continued to pop up within the koch industries network. a germany based professor of north american politics refers to the super pacs as shadow parties. the super. super pacs have been in existence since 2010 and the koch brothers are a good example and they can buy airtime on t.v. stations but the reason they're also called shadows parties is that they have a similar organizational structure to the political parties completely only reason why the super pacs do not declare themselves as parties is that this would limit the money they could spend. on. the citizens united verdict is one of the factors

behind the constant increase in election campaign spending from $3000000000.00 in the year 2000 to $6.00 and a half 1000000000 in 2016 under certain circumstances organizations can keep their donors secret a loophole that the koch's have been eager to exploit. as it was and fill me in really koch brothers phenomenon like the koch brothers is unthinkable in germany we have very strict regulations on election campaign and party financings your. most americans would laugh at what we call a party donation is gambled a tie spends we've had that previously under helmut kohl and more recently with the a.f. these donations from switzerland but the sums involved the peanuts compared to those in the us cost of. came from. and in washington those sums are enormous k. street is a stone's throw from the white house and on the political front is famous for its concentration of lobby firms they employ around $12000.00 agents in washington

alone in 2019 koch industries spend almost $11000000.00 on lobbying operations. being phenomenon can hardly be compared with here. but if someone wants to influence policy in germany they have to influence an entire party. clean what it's for is speedy because i'm of the american political system has many more points of contact through which advocacy groups can influence specific senators you know to were in a position to stop or favors certain reform initiatives into the form ford says it . so begins to get. the more money you have the bigger the stage the principle that is perfectly normal in the u.s. where who has which role at a given time is not always clear government stuff become lobbyists and vice versa this also applies to the employees of the 200 think tanks in washington d.c.

. the. german born that works for a left of center think tank in washington. he's seen how every election is followed by the new government recruiting hundreds of think tank employees. as if in a dodge when a new foreign minister is appointed in germany they bring a handful of people with them you need find here in the u.s. it's completely different when barack obama succeeded george w. bush almost 4000 political operatives joined the administration during his 1st term in office and he now i'm going to these people have to come from somewhere we have called it because i liken it to a world where a think tank structure is used to bring people up to operating temperature of for joining the government you know i put in some. i rush. i'm

a teacher rush holt scientist and 5 time winner of the jeopardy quiz show who is rush told and a member of the house of representatives until 2015 minutes during his time in office he advocated in vain for more transparency for political ad financing i hope you'll agree i'm the best choice for sat. now ready. undisclosed secret. taking a very average size a week. or not based on a principled decision making but rather on distortion and. unfair influence that it's no longer a workable democracy. rush holt was a congressman for 16 years spanning the presidencies of clinton bush jr and obama

why do moves to combat secret funding fail hold points to a fundamental political problem the 2 big parties constantly blocking each other in congress members of the house the house of representatives and the senate are perfectly happy. they feel that their job. legislation. is nothing. or even. which the coax benefit from their commitment to the free market unites them with a powerful group of ultra conservative evangelical christians the fellowship foundation also known as the family uses religion as a vehicle for political power. jug the longtime head of the organization was considered the most powerful man in washington who no one had ever heard of he enjoyed excellent connections to the highest political echelons.

george bush sr praised him for his quiet diplomacy the fellowship foundation worked largely in secrecy to fulfill its worldview that the free market is god's will. along comes a theology that says that thing that's making you rich that thing that's making you powerful that's what god wants and you're doing it you're getting rich not for yourself you're getting rich because god wants you to be rich it's a kind of trickle down fundamentals of american conservatism has this idea of trickle down economics that the way to help the poor is to help the rich. journalist jeff sharlet has published his insights into the fellowship foundation as a former member of the family himself. on a plush estate outside washington d.c. he was in a kind of cadet camp with other young men it was there that he realized how close

their ties to the political elite were. i remember i think in the 1st week. there was a visit i believe from senator jesse helms a very far right wing senator from north carolina and. that time. and there was a visit the newly elected conservative prime minister norway and so here's he's a bush was coming then the following week so i very quickly realize a wait a minute this is not just a little church group there's there's something going on here. the fellowship foundation founded in $1035.00 largely stays out of the public eye with one exception the annual national prayer breakfast. a meeting to pray and to address important issues and an event that is attended by some of the most powerful people in the country and heads of state from all over the world including every u.s. president since dwight d. eisenhower. john f.

kennedy was a guest. as was barack obama else matters and donald trump who boasted of his services to the family such as fighting abortion rights made tremendous progress tremendous progress you know what we've done and it's been my honor. to drive the united states state department crazy because they're not deciding who gets face time with the president the family is you control you control the president's time that power the national prayer record selfness is just one morning and it's the only sort of visible part is just want to bet on what is essentially a week long big festival where for instance they'll have. seminars for the oil industry and god the defense industry and god what does god want from missile manufacturers more money more missiles the grandiose prayer breakfast aside the

family works in conspicuously for years the number of congressmen stayed in the family house on c. street in washington d.c. for negligible rent and that influence remains all too evident during the coronavirus crisis to right now in the. coronavirus response with vice president mike pence who is a longtime associate of the family is pushing a really significant part of coronavirus aid money into sectarian churches in the united states we have an idea of separation of church and state instead we have a long term project of pushing it toward a a particular christian right ideal of power. meanwhile the 30000 inhabitants of the pine ridge reservation in south dakota feel powerless with 80 percent unemployment and widespread alcohol and drug addiction in

the community has serious problems chase iron ice grande for the house of representatives back in 2016 as a candidate in north dakota. my opponent who's indorsed by all a big distraction in north dakota was endorsed by all the coal companies all the oil company the 1st time around. he had a $1000000.00 and. breaking called good friends in their network you know. just like us like. when people have an i want to cash they win elections i mean that's just how it goes 'd he continues to visit the capitol in washington but only as a visitor many members of congress are millionaires themselves the cokes have been among those advancing their own agenda with cash their network expanded in the eighty's with organizations billed as citizens initiatives. in

1904 they launched citizens for a sound economy their members challenge any and all new environmental regulations with backing from exxon and microsoft. in 1903 they took on then president bill clinton who was planning an energy tax that would have cost koch industries a lot of money clinton's plan failed. citizens for a sound economy later split into different divisions k. street in washington is home to one of their successors freedom works. and i'm brandon is proud of the power his organization wields with evidence presented on the walls like trophies he's helped in appointing the controversial brett kavanaugh as a supreme court judge earned him thanks from trump but does freedom works have the power to influence legislation i believe we do and we've actually i look back on last year we have there's bills we supported we had a there was

a bipartisan coalition on criminal justice reform that we actually have the bill hanging up here in our office that we were able to drive so many phone calls to get that across the finish line. according to its own figures freedom works has 6000000 members and army of volunteers they're dedicated to the fight for libertarian goals against taxes and state influence freedom works provides them with the arguments and training to pressurize politicians. when we try to push an issue we will organize office visits where people by the dozen will go and visit our congressman we will do protests but they will also do phone calls and then social media pressure we could drive thousands of calls per day and those thousands of calls usually equate into hundreds of hours and when we asked them to do calls will send them a very small 5 point outline of various positions and facts that they could use to

call their elected officials. as the coronavirus crisis hit home freedom works oversaw phone calls to state governors their demand to end the shutdown at the federal level the aim was to stop spending on state rescue packages. we now have folks in the senate and in the house who are very ready and willing to vote no and that's what we're working as soon as i'm off this call getting out another call to try to rally up some support to get some more congressmen to vote no. our politics just another commercial commodity in the u.s. that coax wanted to influence public opinion and presidents with money being the key factor and they've not been the only conservative billionaires involved the mercers are another highly influential family. robert

mercer became a multi-billionaire as a hedge fund manager. and his more socially visible daughter has learnt a lot from the coax in 2011 rebecca donated more than $25000000.00 towards the koch's political activities but in some ways the mercers are even more radical. they supported donald trump in 2016 with their own network using dubious tactics and a lot of money to gain access to the. white house. david mager man was taken aback by his boss's actions by 2016 he had worked over 20 years for robert mercer and had helped develop the algorithms that earned billions for the family i felt that i had my my intellectual efforts and my work had gone into creating the possibility of people having outsized influence on politics.

during the 26000 election campaign the mercers didn't just rely on the dividends of a classic campaign.