we'll be back with angela merkel's program. >> stay tuned. the opposition is ahead in the albanian elections. the socialists have pulled further and further ahead of the ruling democrats. >> been proceeding slowly. they say the election has been tainted by irregularities. angela merkel has unveiled her party's platform ahead of the elections coming up this september area >> it is full of sleeping proposals to improve the infrastructure and create jobs. what is short on details is how to pay for them. it has come under fire from both the opposition democrats and her current coalition. >> angela merkel arrived with pledges to relieve family and restrict eurozone crisis. a believer party still has something for everyone, but she did not dwell on the details, choosing instead to talk about her governments successes and the challenges that conservatives face on election day. >> that day, the 22nd of september will decide which way this country is going. it is about whether germany will continue on its successful path or whether it will go downhill

we'll be back with angela merkel's program. >> stay tuned. >> welcome back. the opposition is ahead in the albanian elections. the socialists have pulled further and further ahead of the ruling democrats. >> been proceeding slowly. they say the election has been tainted by irregularities. angela merkel has unveiled her party's platform ahead of the elections coming up this september area >> it is full of sleeping proposals to improve the infrastructure and create jobs. what is short on details is how to pay for them. it has come under fire from both the opposition democrats and her current coalition. >> angela merkel arrived with pledges to relieve family and restrict eurozone crisis. a believer party still has something for everyone, but she did not dwell on the details, choosing instead to talk about her governments successes and the challenges that conservatives face on election day. >> that day, the 22nd of september will decide which way this country is going. it is about whether germany will continue on its successful path or whether it will go downhill

-- vladimir. -- vladimir putin and angela merkel's joint visit. russia lays a moral claim to the works, saying it paid for the minute peoples -- paid for them and its peoples own blood. the visit by the german chancellor and russian president to the museum was supposed to be the crowning moment of the the year in which the countries have showcased their close ties, but suddenly, the appointment was canceled. sources say the russians wanted to stop merkel from giving a speech referring to the dispute. hours of intense negotiations followed. in the end, they appeared side- by-side to face the media, and both did their best to play down the diplomatic rift. >> i was looking forward to seeing this exhibition, so i would say we have resolved the problem. >> this is a very sensitive issue for both sides. if we want to move forward, we must look for solutions and of void magnifying the problem -- a void magnifying the problem. >> but it's a solution neither putin merkel seem particularly happy about. >> for more, we are joined by marcus who is standing b

-- vladimir. -- vladimir putin and angela merkel's joint visit. russia lays a moral claim to the works, saying it paid for the minute peoples -- paid for them and its peoples own blood. the visit by the german chancellor and russian president to the museum was supposed to be the crowning moment of the the year in which the countries have showcased their close ties, but suddenly, the appointment was canceled. sources say the russians wanted to stop merkel from giving a speech referring to the dispute. hours of intense negotiations followed. in the end, they appeared side- by-side to face the media, and both did their best to play down the diplomatic rift. >> i was looking forward to seeing this exhibition, so i would say we have resolved the problem. >> this is a very sensitive issue for both sides. if we want to move forward, we f void magnifying the problem -- a void magnifying the problem. >> but it's a solution neither putin merkel seem particularly happy about. >> for more, we are joined by marcus who is standing by in st. petersburg. this pol

with just three months, he is trailing angela merkel by almost 20 points in the polls. he is now replacing his spokesman, hoping that will breathe new life into his campaign. >> i am not going to play big game here. it is me who is to blame for the mistakes. >> his relationship with the media is rocky at best. the appointment could be seen as an effort to make amends. is the former chief political correspondent. after a dispute revealed a rift within the social democratic party. his greatest challenge or maybe himself. he is struggling to stay on message, like why did he fire his former spokesman and he is not to blame? >> you cannot seriously expect me to say anything that could damage the reputation and integrity of another man who is not here to defend himself. you can't be serious. >> it is an uphill battle but they vow to keep on fighting. the voters will have the final say in september. >> now a string of bombings has killed dozens of people. five car bombs targeting army and police claimed at least 29 lives. officials imposed a curfew on the city. people were kil

with just three months, he is trailing angela merkel by almost 20 points in the polls. he is now replacing his spokesman, hoping that will breathe new life into his campaign. >> i am not going to play big game here. it is me who is to blame for the mistakes. >> his relationship with the media is rocky at best. the appointment could be seen as an effort to make amends. is the former chief political correspondent. after a dispute revealed a rift within the social democratic party. his greatest challenge or maybe himself. he is struggling to stay on message, like why did he fire his former spokesman and he is not to blame? >> you cannot seriously expect me to say anything that could damage the reputation and integrity of another man who is not here to defend himself. you can't be serious. >> it is an uphill battle but they vow to keep on fighting. the voters will have the final say in september. >> now a string of bombings has killed dozens of people. five car bombs targeting army and police claimed at least 29 lives. officials imposed a curfew on the city. people were kil

on monday, german chancellor angela merkel issued her strongest warning yet to the turkish government, saying it must protect democratic freedoms. >> taksim square and gezi park remain under lock down after being cleared by police last week. >> gezi park was abandoned on monday after the remains of 10 square cleared -- of protester'' tents were cleared. demonstrators say the removal of their camp does not change anything. they vow their protests will continue. >> gezi park has become an image, a symbol for the people, the public. it represents freedom, resistance. shutting this place down does not mean anything. the people are resisting. >> the government is maintaining a hard line against demonstrators. on sunday, prime minister recep tie appeared one -- recep tayyip erdogan said -- hundreds have continued to take to the streets in istanbul and elsewhere. union members walked off the job's -- off of jobs in solidarity with protesters. the government warned anyone taking part in rallies would face the consequences. >> we will not allow these kinds of activities and behaviors because t

on monday, german chancellor angela merkel issued her strongest warning yet to the turkish government, saying it must protect democratic freedoms. >> taksim square and gezi park remain under lock down after being cleared by police last week. >> gezi park was abandoned on monday after the remains of 10 square cleared -- of protester'' tents were cleared. demonstrators say the removal of their camp does not change anything. they vow their protests will continue. >> gezi park has become an image, a symbol for the people, the public. it represents freedom, resistance. shutting this place down does not mean anything. the people are resisting. >> the government is maintaining a hard line against demonstrators. on sunday, prime minister recep tie appeared one -- recep tayyip erdogan said -- hundreds have continued to take to the streets in istanbul and elsewhere. union members walked off the job's -- off of jobs in solidarity with protesters. the government warned anyone taking part in rallies would face the consequences. >> we will not allow these kinds of activities and behaviors because t

he discussed a range of issues with angela merkel at the chancellor's office. the meeting began with a warm welcome, but the governments do have some differences. most recently -- the u.s. internet surveillance. obama said the present program had managed to war dashboard 50 terrorist threats. he defended the practice and added it was subject to controls. >> this was not a situation where we simply go onto the internet and start searching anywhere that we want. this is a circumscribed, narrow system directed at us, being able to protect our people. >> the chancellor merkel said despite the pledges, questions remain. >> i made clear that even when we take all the necessities of collecting information into account, the means have to be appropriate. our basic principles of liberty can thrive only when people feel secure. that's why the question of balance and of appropriateness is something we want to keep discussing with each other. >> obama's first appointment on wednesday was with the german president at his official residence in berlin, complete with military h

it would be the final parliamentary face-off with angela merkel before the upcoming elections. merkel pushed her conservative coalition's economic record with less new debt and lower taxes. >> we can do more. we have ease the burdens on families and businesses. we have invested in education and research and put the brakes on public debt. >> germany's national debt has risen by 400 billion during the legislative term. the point is, you don't know how to handle money. >> idle and merkel said the opposition lacked ideas -- on low merkel -- angela merkel said the opposition lacked ideas. >> all you can think about is placing more burdens on the very people who drive our economy. that is your policy. >> but he had one last parting shot. >> we have already heard this policy statement three or four times over. that is why half of the government is completely overwhelmed with the desire to sleep. >> the battle for votes will be driving german politics. >> let's check up with the latest on nelson mandela's help. south african president says there was a slight improvement overnight and he

it would be the final parliamentary face-off with angela merkel before the upcoming elections. merkel pushed her conservative coalition's economic record with less new debt and lower taxes. >> we can do more. we have ease the burdens on families and businesses. we have invested in education and research and put the brakes on public debt. >> germany's national debt has risen by 400 billion during the legislative term. the point is, you don't know how to handle money. >> idle and merkel said the opposition lacked ideas -- on low merkel -- angela merkel said the opposition lacked ideas. >> all you can think about is placing more burdens on the very people who drive our economy. that is your policy. >> but he had one last parting shot. >> we have already heard this policy statement three or four times over. that is why half of the government is completely overwhelmed with the desire to sleep. >> the battle for votes will be driving german politics. >> let's check up with the latest on nelson mandela's help. south african president says there was a slight improvement overnight and he

>> you can only imagine what a relief it is to talk to angela merkel after talking to the leader of russiault public forum, the leader of china, private, difficult conversations with the leader of afghanistan. i mean, merkel is an ally, someone he can rely on, someone he has built a relationship with, someone that at least a public appearances he has a better relationship now than at the beginning. >> cry, you've been talking to the white house today as wes. optical optically, they insist wild viewed as presumptuous, then senator obama's -- this time they said they were there at the invitation of the german leader. what does the white house tell you about the significance and the way they view it of this moment? >> they view this as an incredibly symbolic moment. this symbol of german reunification, so i think you will hear him touch on that. there will be university students in this audience. this has been a big theme for the obama administration. we saw there in israel when he spoke to university students. this will be a speech about the future, the role of citizenship moving forward. i

not much time left for angela merkel's main contender to turn things in his favor. so far it does not look too good for the social democrats, who lacks far behind merkel in recent polls. even support within his own party isn't out. >> just 100 days before election day. the social democrat and his chancellor are struggling to present a convincing image of unity. the party maintains support of internal division -- reports of internal division are unfounded. >> regardless of what is being written about us, there is no internal bickering going on. >> in a previous interview, he did: gabrielle to show more loyalty. -- call on gabrielle to show more loyalty. >> you mentioned in your own reports that the party leadership needs to come o together more. in that way, you have answered your own question. >> so far, public appearances have not gone particularly in his favor. by an interviewer what he was fighting for, he was left .truggling to define words >> while negative media reports and angela merkel's seemingly unfailing report seemed to be putting a strain on the party's

and the party of chancellor angela merkel backed the changes. it was a southern turnaround for the christian democrats, who had long opposed equal tax treatment for same-sex couples. this is now set to be passed before the summer recess. >> the conflict in syria threatens to disturb the fragile peace with neighboring israel. battles between the syrian army and rebels near the border of the golan heights injured two u.s. peacekeepers in the demilitarized zone. make up one-third of the blue helmet mission that has overseen the cease-fire between syria and israel since the 19 70's. a surpriseay later, offer from russian president vladimir putin to send russian troops to replace them. u.n. you all know, secretary-general ban ki-moon recently visited russia. he asked us to increase our participation in peacekeeping operations. difficult situation, we could replace the contingent in this region on the border between israeli troops and the syrian army. >> united nations officials turned down his offer. and closen partner ally and major arms supplier of

with the politics of angela merkel and the german government, because privatisation and poverty -- >> demonstrations take place in several other european cities as voters are flirting with political extremist, there is the growing concern that people want a different kind of europe and the current policies are under siege. >> tornadoes have killed at least three people in -- nine people in the u.s. state of oklahoma. it is not just the wind that is doing damage. has opened ine oklahoma city because of the heavy rain. we are in oklahoma city. we know that there is some light damage here, the awnings have been pulled from buildings, this is what you would expect, if you saw heavy , reorend we have mo an oklahoma, where the strong winds struck a week ago. killing half a dozen -- killing one dozen people. we have driving rain and hail the has pushed through the area, and the problem is between the late rush hour, people are trying to escape the storm, and a lot of people were >♪ "thello, welcome to journal" on dw. i am in berlin. here is what is making the news this hour. turkish anti-go

angela merkel said it was important for such a president to recognize negative developments early on and be able to take action. we need morey coordination of economic policy. our institutions need to be harmonized to promote cooperation within the euro group. >> the joint proposals will be submitted to other leaders later this month. for the also calls speedy implementation of a 6 billion euro initiative to bring down use unemployment in the eurozone. the prehistoric woolly mammoth could one day be brought back to life according to scientists in russia who announced a rare discovery on thursday. they found a mammoth carcass in the remote islands of russia's far north. the scientists were astonished to find liquid blood inside the animal that can be used to clone the creature. the remains are 10,000 years old and thought to be the best preserved specimen ever found. >> violent antigovernment protests erupted in several cities across turkey on friday. campaigners accused police of using excessive force. it all started as a demonstration over plans to replace a park in istanbul with a

angela merkel was visibly quite peaked about a question of, -- a question obama put to her.for the gate itself, he was sitting behind her, and during her speech, which preceded his, she made a little gesture in his direction, and he misunderstood that as meaning that it was his turn to speak, and he started to get up, and it was interesting, the body language, with which she told him to sit down and wait. one could sense that there is not a sort of warmth the between the two that there is between close friends, but as i say, i do not think that has much effect on their political relationship. >> how would you characterize the german-u.s. relationship now after obama's visit? >> i think more or less the same as before the visit. it is a businesslike relationship, a practical relationship. just a year ago, in fact, obama was asked by a journalist in washington who the most important person was in europe that he relied on, and to the surprise of many people, not least two people in london of course, he said angela merkel, and the reason is, quite simply ,, of course, and the la

he's expected to meet with angela merkel.ive pictures outside where that meeting is taking place. back to britain and the government's banking standard reported onned in the wake of the libor scandal. apparently calling for jailing reckless bankers as well as claw back powers for bonuses and pensions. let's jail reckless bankers. who is defining what reckless is? >> it is a bit pie in the sky thinking on some of these suggestions. some people i spoke to said it's a load of political grand standing and a lot of it is total nonsense. but essentially what they're trying to do is say, look, following libor, following misselling, following money launder, we have to have a system in place where banks and bank executives are held to account for what they do. you do the crime, you do the time. and this is what they're looking at. so, yes -- >> if you've done a crime, if something is against the law, then prosecute, jail. if those laws are in place -- no? am i missing something here? >> they want to change the framework because in the

angela merkel is promising money for families, growth and bridges, higher pensions and a minimum wage. >> in the next four years we want germany to remain a strong and successful country, a country that is not just aware of opportunities but also uses them. we want to be a country that secures its prosperity and why people like to stick together. we want the best for germany. >> merkel's party platform is at odds with the spending cuts she's pushed for in other european countries where she's often targeted in demonstrations. but her party's new platform says the spending won't increase the deficit or debt or raise taxes. not everyone thinks that can add up. outside of the meeting center, members of the green party opposition sing an old drinking song, asking, who's going to pick up the tab after all the fun has been had? and across from them, young socialists who think angela merkel makes a far more convincing pinocchio than santa claus. >> we're not believing what she's telling us today. we're she's saying exactly the same things she said four years ago and did not make it real in fo

angela merkel is at the podium. she is due to speak five or six minutes. when our president begins speaking, of course, we'll take you back to the brandenburg gate. >>> right now check the top stories. strong winds could make the situation even uglier today for crews battling an out of control wildfire 100 miles west of phoenix. they know the 500,000 acre fire was caused by a person but still looking into exactly how that person started the fire. the fire is zero% contained. >>> a tornado touched down between two airport runways. the twister packs winds around 97 miles per hour. a few planes diverted, but no reports of damage or injuries. >>> in cleveland, ohio, ariel castro back in court for a pretrial hearing. accused of kidnapping three women and keeping them locked inside his house for nine years. castro pleaded not guilty to hundreds of charges. >>> an oil filter problem forces a tokyo-bound united flight to make an emergency landing in seattle. boeing just put the dreamliner back in the air less than a month ago. the latest trouble for boeing' dreaml

. >> at the news conference with angela merkel he faced difficult questions. one of them the government of afghanistan pulling out after talking to the taliban. angela merkel called for assurances that they are not insured and on privacy and he refused to say the that america is sending the rebels. describing what he wants instead of how to get there. >> for more on his call to reduce nuclear stockpiles -- jim walsh from the mit securities program. thank you for being here and joining me. he makes a proposal to reduce nuclear arsenals. what do the russians say? >> we have not heard yet. they have been a little bit less affirmative -- the u.s. and russia did agree on cuts under new starts and now president obama is looking to advance of that agenda. he tried to do that after the last meeting. he will have to persuade the russians that this is a priority. this is a speech that was about policy and politics with an audience in europe and at home. talking about arms control and climate change and other issues, this is meant to conjure up images of john f. kennedy,

it was reported that he talked to angela merkel about it as well. what's really going to matter is what happens at home when he comes back tonight and over the next several days when he leaves for africa and what congress is going to say if there are going to be anymore questions that folks really want to bring to the president especially jay carney at the podium about this program. >> protests aside, isn't berlin germany probably one of the more friendly places for the president to have this conversation and to deal with the issue of nsa? >> yes. i would say compared to a lot of countries in the world, absolutely. compared to the rest of europe, yeah. i would say probably better than a couple other countries. most importantly is the president's friendship with angela merkel. this has developed over the course of his presidency. she was initially skeptical about him. they bonded over last couple of years and surprisingly to a lot of germans. >> it used to be we would have g-8 and get something substantive out of it. a trade agreement. now it seems l

hear thanks very much for that and we understand that president putin and the german chancellor angela merkel holding a press conference let's see been listening to this. hello. and russia was a key partner. fair in germany and indeed we have invited now go merkel as an ornery guest you think because the national coming for our trade turnover has reached a high a new high. around a billion us dollars. so. we have set a new goal with merkel. and the targets a hundred billion years of those parts in order to achieve that new joint projects and after the press conference together we don't go merkel google meets with c.e.o.'s of the major companies from countries we will consult them on what needs to be done further including in the innovation sector in germany the leader in the foreign direct investment it's about twenty five billion u.s. dollars. more than six thousand prizes with german capital. operating in russia and of course the energy sector is the traditional. and in. the supply the supplies of oil in. germany account for forty five percent and twenty five percent of all supplies respect

angela merkel and her main challengers were there to prove they have pro industry credentials. >> and they were on the receiving end on a bit of a lecture on taxation and spending. the main message -- don't mess with our success. >> all the top politicians were there and everyone is hoping to be in charge. it was a chance to tell the politicians what it is that they are worried about. >> we don't need a new debate about distribution. we don't need any election giveaways to weaken our international competitiveness. in the election campaign, the parties are being too quick to come up with proposals for tax increases and various giveaways for voters. >> german industry is in good shape and its products are in global demand making at the back out of the german economy. over the past 10 years, industry's share of gdp has risen to 22 point 22 point six percent. in france and britain, it has fallen to 1/10 service industries have grown out for chance of that sector. chancellor angela merkel stressed how important industry is to the economy. >> that is why we eat, and i'm talking about my par

. >> at the news conference with angela merkel he faced difficult questions. one of them the government of afghanistan pulling out after talking to the taliban. angela merkel called for assurances that they are not insured and on privacy and he refused to say the that america is sending the rebels. describing what he wants instead of how to get there. >> for more on his call to reduce nuclear stockpiles -- jim walsh from the mit securities program. thank you for being here and joining me. he makes a proposal to reduce nuclear arsenals. what do the russians say? >> we have not heard yet. they have been a little bit less affirmative -- the u.s. and russia did agree on cuts under new starts and now president obama is looking to advance of that agenda. he tried to do that after the last meeting. he will have to persuade the russians that this is a priority. this is a speech that was about policy and politics with an audience in europe and at home. talking about arms control and climate change and other issues, this is meant to conjure up images of john f. kennedy,

he is in the german capital to talk with angela merkel. to commemorate the anniversary of his presidential forbear or john f. kennedy's a in west berlin. >> he has brought obama from the g8 summit in northern ireland come to the city with first lady michelle obama and and their two daughters. the highlight of the visit will be a speech in front of the brandenburg gate scheduled for wednesday afternoon. this is his first visit to berlin since his presidency began. he was here as presidential candidate obama back end 2008 and spoke in front front of 200,000 people. >> there is an all out security clampdown in the city to welcome him back. >> bulletproof glass, just one of the security measures in place for the speech at the brandenburg gate. this is for the close relationship between the u.s. and germany. >> the brandenburg gate is a symbol of german unity and, for me, the reunification of germany has always been linked to the help we received from the united states. click 6000 guests have been invited to watch the u.s. president speak. ever

he is in the german capital to talk with angela merkel. to commemorate the anniversary of his presidential forbear or john f. kennedy's a in west berlin. >> he has brought obama from the g8 summit in northern ireland come to the city with first lady michelle obama and and their two daughters. the highlight of the visit will be a speech in front of the brandenburg gate scheduled for wednesday afternoon. this is his first visit to berlin since his presidency began. he was here as presidential candidate obama back end 2008 and spoke in front front of 200,000 people. >> there is an all out security clampdown in the city to welcome him back. >> bulletproof glass, just one of the security measures in place for the speech at the brandenburg gate. this is for the close relationship between the u.s. and germany. >> the brandenburg gate is a symbol of german unity and, for me, the reunification of germany has always been linked to the help we received from the united states. click 6000 guests have been invited to watch the u.s. president speak. ever

there once again, angela merkel hs clear advantage over her challenger. > but it's not clear if merkel's junior coalition partner will gain enough votes to enter parliament. if not, it would be the social democrats who would be most likely to join merkel's cabinet and a grand coalition of the two biggest parties. and 100 days before the election, polls show that would be voters' preferred outcome. >> turkey's prime minister has called on protesters occupying a part of istanbul to leave, saying the message has been heard. he has agreed to suspend plans to build on a park until a court ruling is held. >> some activists are welcoming the move, which follows the worst unrest in turkey in years, but others they they are still considering the government's proposal. >> the turkish prime minister met with a number of hand-picked activists for a 4-hour emergency meeting late thursday night. hours later, turkey announced it would suspend plans to bulldoze the park until the court has ruled on the project. >> we will not take any steps until the judiciary process is over. if the court rules in favo

there once again, angela merkel hs clear advantage over her challenger. > but it's not clear if merkel's junior coalition partner will gain enough votes to enter parliament. if not, it would be the social democrats who would be most likely to join merkel's cabinet and a grand coalition of the two biggest parties. and 100 days before the election, polls show that would be voters' preferred outcome. >> turkey's prime minister has called on protesters occupying a part of istanbul to leave, saying the message has been heard. he has agreed to suspend plans to build on a park until a court ruling is held. >> some activists are welcoming the move, which follows the worst unrest in turkey in years, but others they they are still considering the government's proposal. >> the turkish prime minister met with a number of hand-picked activists for a 4-hour emergency meeting late thursday night. hours later, turkey announced it would suspend plans to bulldoze the park until the court has ruled on the project. >> we will not take any steps until the judiciary process is over. if the court rules in favo

chancellor angela merkel stop here first on her tour of the disaster areas. in all, she pledged 100 million euros in aid from the german government. >> i understand that it will take many weeks. the loss of income and the damage will have a lasting impact, so our support will not falter. >> merkel does not want her appearance to be seen as a grab for votes. but there is no denying that floods can help politicians hold on to power. that is what the former chancellor found out after viewing damage in saxony 11 years ago. taking charge in rain gear helped him win reelection in 2002. merkel's challenger said the flood is a case for more european integration at a foreign policy speech in berlin. >> this flood has impacted people in a number of european nations. another example of why it is important for europeans to stand together. >> the german chancellor will encounter similar damage as she continues her tour. she will be able to promise federal relief, a message people surely want to hear, even if it is not meant to get votes. >> what is the mood in the region,

chancellor angela merkel was on hand to pay tribute to workers' efforts. >> i have nothing but respect for those fighting for every meter of levy, day and night, for days now. it is an admirable achievement, seeing the country come together like this is a great experience. >> public funding to fix the flood damage is expected to total 8 billion euros. that is more than for the floods in 2002, when the government set aside 7 billion euros. >> the federal government and the states will each pay half. it will cover reconstruction costs and long-term damage. we know that those will be very high. >> the situation remains dire further upstream around the town of fishbeck. after a levee broke on monday, the whole region has been submerged and several villages left uninhabitable. authorities imposed mandatory evacuations in some areas. if the final line of defense gives way, the flooding could keep on spreading unchecked. >> in business news, the british mobile phone giant vodafone wants to plug into the german cable television market. it is an early-stage talks to buy the biggest provider of

chancellor angela merkel was on hand to pay tribute to workers' efforts. >> i have nothing but respect for those fighting for every meter of levy, day and night, for days now. it is an admirable achievement, seeing the country come together like this is a great experience. >> public funding to fix the flood damage is expected to total 8 billion euros. that is more than for the floods in 2002, when the government set aside 7 billion euros. >> the federal government and the states will each pay half. it will cover reconstruction costs and long-term damage. we know that those will be very high. >> the situation remains dire further upstream around the town of fishbeck. after a levee broke on monday, the whole region has been it is valued at some 7 billion euros on the stock exchange. the takeover price could be as much as 10 billion euros. analysts say that vodafone wants to push into the quadruple-play market, that means offering custom broadband, internet, and mobile phone services. what do the markets make of that possible deal? we have the reaction from the frankfurt stock exchange. >

chancellor angela merkel stop here first on her tour of the disaster areas. in all, she pledged 100 million euros in aid from the german government. >> i understand that it will take many weeks. the loss of income and the damage will have a lasting impact, so our support will not falter. >> merkel does not want her appearance to be seen as a grab for votes. but there is no denying that floods can help politicians hold on to power. that is what the former chancellor found out after viewing damage in saxony 11 years ago. taking charge in rain gear helped him win reelection in 2002. merkel's challenger said the flood is a case for more european integration at a foreign policy speech in berlin. >> this flood has impacted people in a number of european nations. another example of why it is important for europeans to stand together. >> the german chancellor will encounter similar damage as she continues her tour. she will be able to promise federal relief, a message people surely want to hear, even if it is not meant to get votes. >> what is the mood in the region,

angela merkel and her main challengers were there to prove they have pro industry credentials. >> and they were on the receiving end on a bit of a lecture on taxation and spending. the main message -- don't mess with our success. >> all the top politicians were there and everyone is hoping to be in charge. it was a chance to tell the politicians what it is that they are worried about. >> we don't need a new debate about distribution. we don't need any election giveaways to weaken our international competitiveness. in the election campaign, the parties are being too quick to come up with proposals for tax increases and various giveaways for voters. >> german industry is in good shape and its products are in global demand making at the back out of the german economy. over the past 10 years, industry's share of gdp has risen to 22 point 22 point six percent. in france and britain, it has fallen to 1/10 service industries have grown out for chance of that sector. chancellor angela merkel stressed how important industry is to the economy. >> that is why we eat, and i'm talking about my par

chancellor angela merkel visited the flood defenses. she brought a promise of aid from the government and admiration for helpers'. >> i am impressed by the atmosphere here, the way everyone is pulling together. i know a lot of people are exhausted after so many days, but they are not giving up. >> in eastern germany, the flood waters are moving inexorably many dikes are threatening to burst. lower saxony is preparing for the river elbe to swell. further upstream in dresden, the crest of the flood has already passed. temporary flood barriers help keep the historic city center dry. dresden is home to many treasures of baroque architecture. but in residential areas, the battle against the high water continues. again, locals have been pulling together to build up defenses. >> there's obviously a lot of fear, but people have just been fantastic. we are sticking together. it is good. >> it now looks like dresden will escape the kind of inundation it saw in 2002, but the cost of the damage is likely to be high. authorities anticipate a 2 billi

chancellor angela merkel visited the flood defenses. she brought a promise of aid from the government and admiration for helpers'. >> i am impressed by the atmosphere here, the way everyone is pulling together. i know a lot of people are exhausted after so many days, but they are not giving up. >> in eastern germany, the flood waters are moving inexorably many dikes are threatening to burst. lower saxony is preparing for the river elbe to swell. further upstream in dresden, the crest of the flood has already passed. temporary flood barriers help keep the historic city center dry. dresden is home to many treasures of baroque architecture. but in residential areas, the battle against the high water continues. again, locals have been pulling together to build up defenses. >> there's obviously a lot of fear, but people have just been fantastic. we are sticking together. it is good. >> it now looks like dresden will escape the kind of inundation it saw in 2002, but the cost of the damage is likely to be high. authorities anticipate a 2 billi

angela merkel's party is the favorite to defeat the spd opposition.stian democratic union have already been released. carolyn roth is in berlin and she joins us now. so we're looking ahead towards what's going to be taking place over the next couple of months. and also what type of changes we're going to see from within the various coalitions in germany at the moment. >> absolutely. i mean, the platform has already pretty much been released over the last couple of weeks. it's been heavily criticized because as you pointed out, there's this gravitational shift toward the center. even towards the left with some of the policies very much socialist. what we're talking about rent control, talking about minimum wage. so many would argue angela merkel hasn't just taken a page out of the social democrats playbook but entire chapters. she's also been criticized for how she's going to be able to finance these 30 billion euros in spending for families, for children, mothers, for education research and road infrastructure. given that the christian democrats are a

president barack obama, as we just heard, is in germany where he has met chancellor angela merkel. he is expected to use a speech at the brandenburg gate to call for disarmament, some degree of disarmament, anyway, provided russia does the same. let's get more from our correspondent nick spicer. i think that is a strongly worded loop length, calling for disarmament. i think what he is going to do is perhaps call for a reduction of nuclear arsenals. that is what we are expecting, isn't it? >> absolutely right. reduction of nuclear arsenals in the united states and russia, having much of the world's nuclear weapons, by one third, brought down to 1000 warheads per country, which is still an awful lot of nuclear warheads. this time, however, barack obama would like to see included tactical nuclear weapons, which would be new and would be difficult to persuade the russians to accept because the weapons they have been talking about historically has been strategic ones. that is what is on the table from the american president, as well as a trade deal between the united states and europe.

german chancellor angela merkel is addressing the crowd right now.nt is right off to her side this morning. he is expected to talk about the surveillance scandal, acknowledging what had been going on there and the effects on other parts of the world. >> also expected to talk about the world nuclear stockpiles trying to have a country pushed to the side. where john f. kennedy gave a huge speech 50 years ago. this could be historic. a lot of topics to cover for the president. >> continuing to keep an eye on as it's happening now. giving you live pictures from berlin, germany. more ahead on "today in the bay." >>> welcome back, everybody, on wednesday morning. live out to the new york stock exchange. >> super herosuperheroes. >> going all america. captain america helping ring it in. investors likely sitting on their hands waiting to hear what ben bernanke says about pouring money into the economy. superhero welcome. living large on wednesday, june 19th. this is "today in the bay." good morning, everybody. i'm jon kelley. >> i'm laura garcia-cannon. new