oh, ready? no. welcome to talk about hackers, paralyzing the tire societies. computers that are some are you and governments that go crazy for your data. we explain how these technologies work, how they can go in for that's how they can also go terribly. watch it now on you to mid term elections in the united states. they've usually not been a big story outside the united states. congressional seeds up for grabs, state governors races. for decades, this has been considered a purely american affair. domestic democracy were not. this taught to day is voters in the u. s. cast their ballots. the world is watching. there's international

interest because the outcome will impact every one. think. climate change and the world is also worried. are these the mid terms of a democracy at work or of a democracy in disarray? i'm broke off in berlin. this is the day. ah, re election is important. but this one, it feels almost like the presidential. i hoping, craig, i mean, so be able to make a difference to people to represent us are mostly, you know, oxygen ariens that are men and i bite there to be more diverse representation. the fate of our democracy is probably the top isn't for me. i'm hearing that will be taken over by radical i religious salad. it's pretty close. i'm hoping that citizens such as myself actually get alley exercise their right to protect the

democracy. if we don't go out and vote, we're not going to have our voices heard. but to our viewers watching on p b. s in the united states into all of you around the world. welcome. we begin the day and the final hours of election day in the united states. americans are casting their balance to day in mid term elections. and the results could change the balance of power. will democrats maintain control of both houses of congress or will republicans retake power on capital hill? it would be a blow to president biden. yes, an unexpected outcome. no history is full of mid term shall, lacking for the political party of the sitting president ronald reagan, bill clinton's rock, obama. they all suffered mid term losses in congress. but this mid term election, it's different. it's unprecedented. most of the republican candidates on the balance have either questioned or outright denied the outcome of the last presidential election. they do not believe that joe biden is the legitimate

u. s. president. democrats, including the president himself, have sounded the alarm warning that the future of democracy is at stake. well, who wins the mid terms can make or break the rest of a president's time in office? and if the polling numbers are reliable, biden is poised to lose his democratic majority, at least in the house, if not the senate to now, americans are basically voting for a brand new congress, almost all $435.00 seats and bring it up here in the house of representatives, they are up for reelection, but in the senate we only have $35.00 of the $100.00 seats that are up for grabs. this time, democrats need to hold on to practically every seat in order to maintain control of congress. that seems unlikely. all you have to do is just go back in time and you can see why this shows you right here. that the sitting president's party almost

always takes a hit in mid term elections. you see it all the way going back to 946, and there are many unknowns this time around as well. the 2020 census means that this is the 1st national election with those newly redrawn voting districts. gerrymandering is alive and well thanks to both political parties. there are new voting rules in some places and while he may not be on the ballot this time, donald trump, he remains a forced to be reckoned with the picture that emerges after these mid terms. and it may takes days or weeks before we have the final results. it will definitely send signals to the world signals about the presidential election coming up in 2024 and signals about the health and future of american democracy. this is the year we're going to take back the house. we're going to take back to said it, we're going to take back america. and in 2024. most importantly, we are going to take back our magnificent white. we

know in our bones or markers is at risk and we know that this is your moment to defend it. preserver, protect to choose it every freedom. huh. hm. and i can these understand the time to stand up to the slowing left? legality is right. one most important elections, your hardest time and again, i almost feel guilty repeated it are life times are going to be shaped by what happens the next rear to 3 years. it's got a shape with the next couple decades look like we have team coverage tonight at the midterm elections of joy now by our corresponded in his po, she is in phoenix, arizona, and stefan seymour. he is in washington dc. it's good to see both of you in his let me start with you. history is on the side of the republicans in these midterm elections. the party that controls the white house, the democrats, this time almost always loses seats in the mid terms. is history going to repeat itself in 2022?

it's very likely brand just as you the showed us on the, on the mad that normally the party which is in power loses at the house. and this is likely to happen this year again. but what is really interesting here in the state of arizona, which is so crucial, is one of these crucial states in the midterm, said a 3rd of all the lectures. all a voters already accosted their mail in ballads before yesterday. and normally this is mainly democrats who do early voting so therefore, republicans are really in high alert and carry lake the, the, the republican a candidate for governor, just costed her a ballot here behind me in this building. and she, as did donald trump already kind of try to hint out if the republicans don't wind. that's because they had such a hard time today, costing their ballot here in arizona. so definitely if the republicans will have a hard time here in arizona,

we will hear that over and over again. that voter fraud happened. that's right. of it before. the fact almost trying to imply that that these votes have not been fair and, and free stuff on the, me go to you the, the power equation in congress will most likely look very different after today. and that is a fact that the executive branch, the white house, cannot ignore what will the next 2 years of jo biden's presidency look like? well, very different from what it looks like until now. it will taste different, feel different, look different. why is that? because if the republicans take back both chambers of the house here of congress, then they can make the life of the executive, and that is the, by the administration, the white house, very difficult. on the other hand, of course you will have the president then um, you know, striking more with his veto pan. he can veto this legislation that legislation. so what you're looking at here and that is of course also a fear um,

even of the electorate. he of people who vote now against the, by their ministration as it looks like with bringing more republicans into the representative house of representatives or into senate and or into senate. um, what it looks like is partisan political warfare for the next 2 year. so nothing will get done. this has impact domestically and it of course has impact on international in international affairs. you mentioned environment rights, climate change, a ukraine, an 8th and so on. i could go on and on and on. so it will half an impact in the united states outside of the united states is let's talk a little bit about messaging here, the democrats and joe by. they've campaigned for these midterms on the future of democracy, being at stake. the republicans, on the other hand, they focused on inflation in the economy, which message has resounded most among voters there in arizona where you are

well, we talked to tens of voters this morning. we went to a couple of voting stations and the majority definitely says it's the economy, it's inflation, this is the main message and this is what the republicans have been playing and you know, brand, it is interesting if the election would have happened, let's say 4 or 5 or 6 weeks ago then maybe topics like abortion would have been much more important because, and you also talked about that. a roby wade rather a national wide protection of abortion rights are over ruled by the supreme court. but this has changed. it's really the inflation which is high here. it's the gas praises, it's the housing price prices. so it will be very, very difficult to get the message across. well, joe biden try to do that here. it's so much more at stake than, than money or, or the economy. it's really the future of the democratic system here in this country. but this is the measure message which, which seems to be pretty complicated to bring across to the average rhoder. yet,

initially you mentioned abortion after the u. s. supreme court overturned roe vs wade ending the constitutional right to an abortion. a lot of people predicted that that would be the issue that was going to carry democrats to victory. but there was also gun control the you've all the school shooting the july, 4th, shooting near chicago. i want you to take a look at this video advocating more gun control in the u. s. that's been circulating on social media. i want to be fearful. every time i'm in an open area in a public place. i want to think about how completely vulnerable i am. well, i'm closing my eyes to pray at my place of worship. i enjoy practicing semiannual lockdown, janelle, so 6 year old, don't fully understand what's happening, like over the movies and making a mental note of every eggs needed and blaming. i hope that our sat is interrupted by loud, passive sounds like hardly audiences. freeman learn rest for their lives. i want to think of this dancer as a hiding place for my kid is tiffany. this is

a very effective spot on social media, regardless of where you stand to be the it gets the mix. the point the president has said that these mid terms are about more than just the economy, about inflation. the video kind of sums that up these are, these are existential. i'm issues with that in mind. talk to me about how polarized americans are on this election day and beer inability or their ability to find common ground. i live in this country for 22 years now. brand and i have not not, and i went through 2020 to 2020 no b l m. and all of that, i have not seen this country more polarized, deeply polarized, and divide it than now really now at this mid term elections. and, you know, who knows what's coming in the next 2 years. but why is that? it's not just on the fringes that this society is radicalize in itself. somehow

it's not just the white supremacists or the their white wing, or the christian nationalists who are pushing or acting on the fringes of society. they're pushing into the middle and bring a somehow radicalism also into the middle, into the mainstream. and that is, i think, and will be continues and growing problem for this country. so when the democrats say like democracy is at stake, he and how our country is going forward in the next years. what the future of america is, i think that that is true. and that includes gun control. by the way, you know, the democrats hold is the young voters, the so called jen z waif, because for them gun control you've all the columbine and any other school parkland . any other school shooting you want to mention in that regard? right? for them. this is a real, real big issue, and they were millions of them who had the right to vote for. so maybe that's a chance for the market for the democrats actually not lose too badly,

but we'll see here. we'll see if the, if those youngest of the voters, if they actually come out on this election day in is i want to talk a little bit about what we, we've seen in terms of threats, of violence against politicians. those threats have increased. there's been claims of, of more voter intimidation. there been calls for violence if the election results are not in line with certain expectations from where you are in arizona. is this mid term election considered a bad omen for what is to come in 2024. see no brain for me. what is kind of the worse omen if i can say so is really the fact that there is hardly any common ground rep. people come together and talk about facts. it's all about fake news and we have been talking about that. but what we experience now here in this election, especially here in arizona, is as, as carry lager just talked about her, the republican government. a candidate used to be a journalist, herself,

they're always blaming the so called mainstream media. why? because they, because we are offering just information, just pure facts, and that's what they don't want to hear. they, when their people to be in their own kind of social media bubbles just following their news outlets. and that is such a huge danger for a democracy. if people don't get the information, they know it, they need to really cost ballads on a solid, a ground. so for me, this is the biggest fact threat which is very visible in this midterm elections did have easiest pole in phoenix, arizona, stefan simmons in washington d. c to both of you. thank you. everyone to continue the conversation. now i'm joined by constance. her stilton mueller. she is the director of the center on the united states in europe at the brookings institution in washington, dc. and started going to see you again. you know, we,

we've talked several times on this program about how europeans see the u. s. the transit when it ties that bind to, let me ask you as a european, looking at these mid term elections. i'm, how do you feel? is there a sense of dread? is there a sense of optimism or maybe a wait and see, feel how do you feel? oh, 1st off, i have a german passport. i don't have an american passport. i'm not entitled to vote. i'm a guest in this country, albeit one living there for the 3rd time. and i think the weight and see part is true in as much as there are because of the popularity of men in voting. there are a lot of races whose outcomes we will not see until in, you know, couple days or maybe even weeks on the optimism

factor, i think is pretty minimal at this point. because we are looking at, i think, very clear when the for the to pay the house and probably g o p majority in senate of 52 to 3 seats. what that would mean for the federal government at the very least is probably impeachment, filibustering, gridlock and the administration having to move to governance by executive order. which, you know, will hold up things. and also, i think be a significant constraint in foreign and security policy. very specifically in the grade one. and then of course, as i believe is mentioned, there is the other element of all the state and local races on which in which could i think creates the, the,

the institutional framework put people in place for shaping a republican victory and 2024. so in other words, the sense of dread is one that will play out between today and 2024. what do you tell other europeans when they talk to you about american democracy, particularly considering that in these mid terms, you have a significant number of republican candidates who look set to when seen in congress, who are election deniers. they do not believe that the last election was on the up and up and the question, the legitimacy of the presidency of joe biden. with that in mind, what do you say to people when they ask you how healthy is american democracy?

well again i'm, i don't think i'm preparing to pronounce on the health of american democracy. i would prefer to leave that to americans, frankly, a, but i do say to germans, to other europeans. is that the, this and previous elections in america are an object lesson in the importance of the, of safeguarding the effectiveness and an agenda massey, of democratic governance. and of looking to the economic and social and sunday of democracy. and i think it's possible to make a case that here and naps and other countries in europe on those preconditions and the effectiveness and legitimacy of democratic institutions have been taking for granted. and one is paying the price for that and i think that in very good,

i'm just going to say with, based on that, i mean, do you have the sense, i mean, you've observed american politics, american democracy for a long time. there been periods in american history where the united states, as, as also been american democracy itself, has been in crisis and it has managed to correct itself. it is managed to come back into a sense of normative behavior. if you will, do you get the sense that we are still in that safety zone, if you will, or had the guard rails baby? had they been taken off? oh, i think you and i both realize that what you're asking, the leading question right now. you're predisposing nature a certain answer. i don't know. it's really hard to say. i have had a lot of trust in the talent he of american democracy in the past. but i've also

never seen election periods, like in the last 56 years, where people question the validity of democratic institutions. question a majority rule. and the protection of minority is question the separation of powers, question, political pluralism, all foundational principles of limited government and constitutional democracy. since really the days of the, the early days of, in fact, the founding of this republic. i've never seen those questioned, quite so broadly. and in quite this ferocity, as in this election period, i wanted to talk in a moment about what the implications of this election for foreign policy. first that we've got to report about u. s. foreign policy. we're going to take a look at that and then we'll go to come back and talk. ross's war against ukraine

is one. the u. s. has not been able to look away from. americans have already sent more than $60000000000.00 worth of assistance into this war. zone democrat, president joe biden has promised to continue to do all it takes to defend ukraine sovereignty as americans head to the polls. and these midterm elections, us congress, is expected to touch more republicans. and the big question everybody is asking is what impact that will have on us assistance to ukraine and other allies? well, the answer depends on who you are. there will be enough support no matter who controls i, which house and given a president biden, still in the white house. so i, i, i am quite confident that very, very strong support will continue for ukraine. yet one prominent republican started sending a very different signal ahead of the elections. kevin mccarthy is the top republican

in the house of representatives of he says he believes americans would no longer be willing to write a blank check to ukraine in the face of a biting recession back home. after all, the soaring prices of gas, food, and housing top, the list of worries for ordinary americans. democrats, fear that a republican majority in congress could soon make ukraine a domestic bargaining chip. but poll, so more than 2 thirds of americans back u. s. assistance to ukraine. warnings that china may try to invade taiwan rather sooner than later could become the next test for the west and for america's willingness to pay a price for global leadership. conference in the last 20 for 48 hours has been more talk about russian meddling in you us elections if the republicans, if they do take control of congress, can that be seen as

a victory for vladimir putin? no. i mean, honestly, i not, not a responsible question to ask, where do you that? well, let me, let me, let me ask you this, and do you have faith that the republicans will continue the support of ukraine? the same way that we have seen the last 2 years with a democrat controlled congress? that's a very different question. and in key candidates, as you were previous reports, jess have made it clear that they are going to want to post restrictions on future support. the term that they use is oversight. but we've also heard key exponents of the matter, right, like margaret taylor green,

i say that there should not be any more ukraine and at all. i think that's a more or less verbatim quote for jane events and said some similar things. the thing that i have been saying on visits back in berlin for quite a while is that it's important to understand that that position may be most harshly articulated by the mag, right. but there are also middle of the road restraints with very different priorities. there are china hawks who say russia is a problem that should be left, excuse me, to europe. and then finally, as we saw it was this with this letter from the progressive caucus in congress 10 days ago. there are also folks on the progressive left for whom ukraine aid should be moderated or just reduced. and that if you take that together, the impact of that whatever, the,

the binary stations position ends up being. the impact of that, of course, is to have a chilling effect on, on the alliance. and i think in enabling effect on it's under series for 1st and foremost to, to i've had about 30 seconds left. confronted, there is a lot of talk about donald trump after these midterm elections announced his candidacy once again for the presidency of the united states. if that happens, what should europeans braced themselves for? well, he would still have to be elected right? that. so we still have 2 more years and, but i would suggest i have been suggesting for a while that europeans need to think very hard what that would mean for them. with a very aggressive china adversarial, russia and america that might be somewhere between different and hostile. that

could amount to a strategic i'd say, i said for europe. and i would just prepare than trinity. because that's unfortunate. we're out of time. but as always, it's great to talk with you and great to get your valuable insights in your analysis. we appreciate your time tonight. thank you very welcome. bye. the day's almost done. the conversation continues online, you'll find it on twitter. you can follow me on twitter. it brent gov tv and remember whatever happens between now and then tomorrow is another day. our coverage of the mid term elections in the united states continues to stay with dw with

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if we don't do something, our children won't be able to enjoy fresh air. units with this week on d w ah ah ah, this is dw news, live it from berlin tonight, americans casting their ballot in mid term elections a what is at stake for the us and for the world you as president by says that a win for the republicans would threaten the future of democracy itself and is history about to repeat itself. former president.