president putin -- >> reporter: and still he said he may accept an invitation to join putin in moscow next may. for a parade showcasing russia's military might. jim sciutto, cnn, new york. >> and coming up, north korea says no thanks to president trump's latest twitter diplomacy. something new: introducing pick two tuesday. and, enjoy a different deal every weekday. like endless shrimp monday four-course feast wednesday and more. just fifteen dollars til 6 pm. it's five days. five deals. fifteen dollars. see you before six. jim sciutto, cnn, new york.

in fact he sided with putin against america's own intelligence agencies. >> president putin was extremelyrong and powerful in his denial today, and he just said it's not russia. i will say this. i don't see any reason why it would be. >> perhaps one of the most disgraceful moments by an american president on the world stage in front of a russian or soviet leader certainly in my lifetime. >> the only possible explanation for this dangerous behavior is the possibility that president putin holds damaging information over president trump. >> reporter: trump also began going after nato, an alliance the u.s. and its allies depend on, respected by the world except, of course, by vladimir putin. >> they kill us with nato. they kill us. we're paying for anywhere from 70% to 90% to protect europe. >> reporter: putin craved membership in another international institution, the g7 group of world leaders. >> it should be the g8 because a lot of things we talk about have to do with russia. >> reporter: throughout, putin has taken an increasingly prominent place on the world stage, particularly in syria.

putin denied that in helsinki. trump said i believe putin.o clearly there had been dialogue between trump and putin about the origins of the 2016 interference. putin clearly told trump, hey, it wasn't us, it was the ukrainians. you can't trust them. this is part of a broader geostrategic effort by putin to denigrate ukraine because putin has designs on ukraine. putin has invaded ukraine. putin wants to push back support because the united states is the only thing standing between vladimir putin and complete domination of ukraine. >> what used to be. that's what these diplomats will testify to believing our policy. >> i went through lieutenant colonel vindman's testimony last week. even if he doesn't testify, there's some pretty compelling testimony in there that i'm sure the prosecutors will point to that it was the president and the president alone who was obsessed that the ukrainians were out to get him. it was all coming from the president that somehow ukraine had been behind the 2016 election interference and not russia. these are all rus

she said all roads lead to putin.nside the last three years of the trump administration to see how russia looms large, so large over this impeachment investigation as well. you wouldn't do only half of your daily routine so why treat your mouth any differently? listerine® completes the job by preventing plaque, early gum disease, and killing up to 99.9% of germs. try listerine®. need stocking stuffers? try listerine® ready! tabs™. ♪ even though ♪ i find you so captivating ♪ and i'm done with hesitating let's see where this goes? save on a gift that says it all. ♪ jared i'm a verizon engineer, and i'm part of the team building the most powerful 5g experience for america. it's 5g ultra wideband-- --for massive capacity-- --and ultra-fast speeds. almost 2 gigs here in minneapolis. that's 25 times faster than today's network in new york city. so people from midtown manhattan-- --to downtown denver-- --can experience what our 5g can deliver. (woman) and if verizon 5g can deliver performance like this in these places... it'

hill, discord serves putin.ormer security aid and expert fiona hill warns the gop of fictions and dramatic comments on thursday. up in the great state of maine this was the "portland press herald" today. "witness: fictions about ukraine help russia." testimony in the last scheduled public hearings reinforces the case that the president's efforts work toward the detriment of u.s. security. and then you see the subhead there below the fiona hill photo. ex-white house aide says moskow was behind the claim. this is "the washington post" today. multiple stories on the impeachment inquiry overall and again another big main photo taking up most of the front page. four columns wide in the "post," fiona hill arriving for her testimony under the big headline, whirlwind week of testimony wraps up, a warning that conspiracy theories advance russia and divide americans. and the "st. louis post dispatch" from missouri. all-caps bold headline. it says fictional narrative, in quotes, hill says she predicted ukraine efforts woul

president putin -- >> reporter: and still he said he may accept an invitation to join putin in moscowmay. for a parade showcasing russia's military might. jim sciutto, cnn, new york. >> and coming up, north korea says no thanks to president trump's latest twitter diplomacy. something new: introducing pick two tuesday. and, enjoy a different deal every weekday. like endless shrimp monday four-course feast wednesday and more. just fifteen dollars til 6 pm. it's five days. five deals. fifteen dollars. see you before six. jim sciutto, cnn, new york. ladies and gentlemen, your attention please. geico would like to take a moment to say thank you to our military service members at home and abroad for all their hard work and sacrifice. we all sleep easier knowing you're out there keeping us safe. and on a personal note... sfx: jet engines ... i just needed to get that off my chest. thank you. geico: proudly supporting the military for over 75 years. >>> tonight, north korea has frustration at the stalled denuclearization talks with the united states. saying it wants to see results from these

to a putin-driven u.s.-russia dynamic. from there the american people have only learned more about the trump campaign's ties to russia and russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election. as the intelligence community -- i should say as the intelligence communities unclassified report concluded, and i'm quoting, we assess russian president vladimir putin ordered an influenced campaign in 2016 aimed at the u.s. presidential election. russia's goals were to undermine public faith in the u.s.-democratic process, denigrate secretary clinton, and harm her electability and potential presidency. we further assess putin and the russian government developed a clear preference for president-elect trump. unquote. the interference with our election process by a hostile government was an attack on our democracy and a threat to our national security carried out by russian operatives at the direction of vladimir putin himself. since special counsel mueller's appointment and special counsel to investigate russia's

turkish president rate chip air to one needed a favor from russian president putin. turkey a nato partner found itself asking its old bold russia for permission to intervene militarily in northern syria. the images make plain the new balance of power in the region lattimer putin's russia is now the dominant peacekeeper in syria the agreement between putin and everyone gives a boost to syrian president bashar assad through him putin can secure his position in the region in return assad's getting nearly one 3rd of his territory back while the station's troops along the turkish border in the north. after withdrawing its forces the united states has virtually no part left to play is the u.s. fading to a regional power while russia returns as a word. power. was looked out already let's just talk a little bit more about vladimir putin the report suggests that he's the new good dominant player in the region i think that's what you said earlier if he is the dominant player in the region is it a good thing or about thing it's a terrible thing of course i mean for one thing he

. >>> and putin's pose. vladimir putin new propaganda calendar is out depicting him as a girl strong man and one classic pose from years past is missing. wolf blitzer is off today. i'm jim acosta and you're in "the situation room." >> announcer: this is cnn breaking news. >>> breaking news, growing turmoil and trouble for president trump's personal attorney rudy giuliani. new reports that giuliani sought lucrative private business with top officials in ukraine even as he simultaneously pushed the ukrainian government to dig up dirt on the president's political rivals according to "the new york times" and "the washington post." also breaking, a highly anticipated report from the inspector general at the justice department is expected to dismantle president trump's baseless claim that the fbi spied on his campaign according to "the new york times." i'll speak with congressman harley rouda, a key democrat on the house oversight committee and our analysts have full coverage of the top stories. let's bring with e

is well documented. >> putin is fine.hile repeatedly calling russia's interference in the 2016 election a hoax, the u.s. president is gifting putin one foreign policy victory after the next, spanning almost the entire globe. in the middle east, russian forces now patrolling the northeast of the country after president trump abandoned america's allies there the kurds, forcing them to allow russia into the area. >> we never agreed to protect the kurds for the rest of their lives. >> reporter: putin is the new strong man in the region. even traditional allies like saudi arabia and the uae courting the kremlin as putin makes a sales pitch for russian military equipment instead of american gear. >> translator: the leadership of saudi arabia just needs to make the wise decision just like iran did when they bought s-300 and erdogan when they bought s-400. >> reporter: and while president trump has showed little interest in africa, putin is putting on a full-court press with the conference leaders. >> russia has signed military c

vladimir putin -- that's vlad. vladimir putin knows how to ask ask outsource.hey are degree his bidding, making sure division is alive and well in the united states of america. and in doing so, putin undercuts our position on the world stage. fiona hill got something right today. sock i said from the beginning. >> this is exactly what the russian government was hoping for. as they seed misinformation, they seed doubt. they have everyone questioning the legitimacy of a presidential candidate whether it be president trump or president putin. they would pit one party against the other and pit one side of the electorate against the other. trish: you know the expression, divide and conquer? putin and our enemies including china, they want us in a divided state. they are turning our greatest gift which is to freely voice our opinions, and using against us to create chaos and discourse. it's up to every single one of us to not give in. the next time your friend or neighbor tells you to take that red hat off, remind them of this behavior, adam schiff's behavior. the de

his story was a very good story to explain how vladimir putin sees the role of these people. >> let's open up for questions. please wait for the microphone to come to you and ask you to identify yourself when you ask your question and let's keep one person per question to include everyone. in the back coming towards you right now. >> i am chris, really big fan of your previous book as well. you start chapter 3 talking about how vladimir putin is interested in controlling organizations and creation of things that are supported by the state. i was wondering if you could comment how the russian administration is using these organizations now. >> the thing is it is a very interesting topic. the kremlin invested a lot into these organizations. the thing is there is a very special meaning in the russian official language. we have Émigres and it is a bad thing and from the soviet union, the terminology was used for immigrants who show their loyalty to the soviet union and working in an official russian language and of course we know a lot of that is put by the kremlin. we know these organiza

putin is in favor of wright state, putin isn't -- in favor of president, putin cash b-- brexit, putin is in favor of undermining nato. the president has yet to confront putin, to say that i believe that youre have inter with our presidential elections and if you do it again there will be serious to the mac and economic consequences. .it has never been sa the president says i believe putin, i don't believe our intelligence community. that is a continuation of the sameic policy is stunning to me and stunning to the market people. laura: secretary cohen, thank you for being with us. you are watching "bbc world news america." still to come oon tonight's program, democrats on today's testimony. we speak to a lawmakho would be involved in drafting the articles of impeachment if it comes to that. in bolivia, an opposition lawmaker has declared herself interim president following the resignationo of morales,ho fled the country after weeksesf violent pr he is katy watson. katy: for the moment -- it is the moment many believe in the have been many for a n leader after evo morales' e signation.

so does that mean it had to be putin?ve been someone else with access to -- >> come on, come on, you're not going to engage in an act of nuclear terrorism in downtown london without the knowledge of the office of the president. >> today we begin the open hearings in the inquiry into the death of alexander litvinenko. >> reporter: in january 2015, a public inquiry opened in london. it's a victory for marina, who, along with her attorneys, fought not eight-year legal battle to make it happen. on the opening day, her attorney argued the evidence leads to one disturbing conclusion, which litvinenko himself reached before he died. >> mr. litvinenko came to the awful realization that he had been the victim of a political assassination by agents of the russian state. >> reporter: and in march 2015, an expert witness testified the polonium that killed litvinenko could have only come from russia. president putin's spokesman declined our request for an interview. in march 2015 and in 2015 putin gave lugovoi a medal, the order of me

>> yes, it does. >> so the rt, putin's -- would you agree with me that r.t. is putin's propaganda machine here in the united states. >> i would agree with you, yes. >> so is it appropriate for the r.t. to be used to affect public policy on our nation? as an example there have been a long series of advertisements or programs on r.t. going against fracking saying it's bad and trying to affect public policy in the united states? is that appropriate use or should americans be paying attention to that? >> in the tense that americans should be paying attention to rt and other outlets used to pop gait this kind of information, absolutely. i wasn't quite sure what you meant by paying attention. >> fracking. nation, if we did away with fracking, the united states would not be in a position today to dominate the oil production within the world and play into strengthening putin's hands. >> that's correct, actually i would like to point out in november of 2011, i actually sat next to vladimir putin at a conference in which he made precisely that point it was the first ti

. >>> and pleasing putin. newly-released testimony from the impeachment inquiry reveals president trump's repeated efforts to keep from angering vladimir putin. why is the american president determined to placate his russian counterpart? >>> i'm wolf blitzer, you're in "the situation room." >> announcer: this is cnn breaking news. >>> we're following breaking news. including a new report just out from "the new york times" saying that president trump has discussed firing michael atkinson, the inspector general who gave congress the whistle-blower report that sparked the impeachment inquiry. meanwhile house democrats sand republicans are gearing up for the historic live televised testimony by three key witnesses starting tomorrow morning. nancy pelosi is expected to meet this hour with her leadership team to finalize their strategy. this according to democratic sources. and house republicans are also planning to meet tonight to discuss how to defend the president after holding a mock hearing today according to a

factor in bringing both political and world economic stability that was the message from vladimir putin on the 2nd and final day of the summit in the brazilian capital after high level talks between member states on future cooperation with our correspondent maria financial has been following it all for is in brasilia maria what have been the big takeaways from this year's summit. a high need to you from the city of brasilia yes these have been 2 very busy days the leader is all greeks member states have met here for 11th time the. abroad to big delegations with them for extensive talks on joint aphorisms by the group in promoting positive. global agendas lightman food and food to eat and boost an international security including economic stability in countering terrorists and speaking with russian media vladimir putin has stressed the group's influence adding that it will continue growing and this is something no one can deny he has said that the group's financial turnover is already currently bigger than the one of g. 7 group and it is expected to increase by 50 more trillion dollars n

dr phil it's i don't think it's a lot of questions that what a putin's primary objectives within the united states is to so as to foment unrest with our nation to cause us to have. lost news confidence in our elections the results of elections those kind of things there is tension though and conducting our business is the way we should and of thought you know playing into putin's hands as an example. well i disagree with what we're doing here today it's under our constitution and my colleagues on the other side of the aisle believe they are functioning under the constitution these hearings this issue has very divisive within our country and is continuing to push that way i think that plays into putin's hands inadvertently maybe nothing we could do about that. but there are certain things we can do as individuals that it wouldn't play into his hands and one of them would be that the loser in the 2060 election has for 3 years continued to argue that because she won the popular vote as she and her friends one of oputa voters somehow the election was inappropriate and that we shouldn't t

what putin is always trying to gage is a level of resistance.putin determines that there is no resistance, that there is no price to pay or too little of a price to pay, he will push further. so i think that is the concern here, richard. if putin were to be even more aggressive, vis-a-vis ukraine, go deeper into ukrainian territory and didn't find that resistance in the form of american military assistance, american partnership, political and military partnership with ukraine, that would not be a stop sign to vladimir putin. it would be a green light. >> one of those viindividuals w marie yovanovitch. helper testimony was showing her steeliness, her importance and those who stand in front of the the diplomatic core to prevent that from happening. what do you think america also saw from marie yovanovitch and her three decades of service? >> i think they saw firsthand from marie yovanovitch why it's so important that we not have a shadow foreign policy, why it is so important that we allow our professional diplomats, people like marie yovanovitch,

vigorously acting to try to rutter against the putin regime. >> but the goal of putin in doing that to send shockwaves across the ranks of the very wealthy, the oligarchs to say you need to cooperate with putin, whatever cooperate means, or you could find yourself like this. you could find yourself from being one of the richest in the country to being in a siberian prison. >> that's right. it was definitely a message meant to be sent. the idea was you are either on my side and you do things my way or look at the alternative. because at that time he was russia's richest man, very powerful. he had an oil company. he was trying to engineer a merger with exxon mobil. and he was very much involved in politics and putin basically said to russia and the rest of the world if you cross me, you are in prison. >> did it work? >> well, seemingly it has. putin now has a regime, which is kind of like gangster capitalism. it's not to say that he is, you know, a pure dictator. but he lives by a system of favors, back and forth and a lot of very powerful business men. one of his close friends took o

vladimir putin would own it.e how -- if he doesn't see how he's been manipulated, that he is being manipulated by teams of intelligence professionals and human intelligence and psychology by vladimir putin himself was a former human intelligence officer. ... they abandon fully functional camps in the russians went in and raised their flag and our position. if it happened at any other point the impeachment would've happened within minutes. brush it now owns our position in syria explain that to me. the y is missing around the black hole of intelligence and the only thing we can do is go through contacts and precedent and say it's unprecedented. there is no context. except the suspicion. this man owes his bookie something and he will never insult his key. see mac. >> in the remaining minutes we have a microphone if you all had questions please line up behind the microphone centerstage i can imagine that there are many of you i would ask please it seems like there are a lot of questions directed to one of the panel

and you know playing into putin's hand. as an example, while i disagree with what we're doing here today it's under our constitution and my colleagues on the other side of the aisle believe they are functioning under that constitution. these hearings in issue has been very advicive within our country. and is continuing to push that way. i think it plays into putin he is a hands inadvertently maybe nothing we can do about that. but there are certain things we can do as individuals that wouldn't play into his hands. one of them would be that the looser in the 2016 election has for three years continued to argue that because she won the popular vote as she and her friends -- she won the popular vote that somehow the election was inappropriate and that we shouldn't trust it, that the electoral college victory which was resounding shouldn't be trusted. does that help putin or play into the narrative that he would like for us to, that our elections are swhou rigged and shouldn't be trusted in. >> yes, it does. >> so the r.t., put

president zelensky even now is trying to pursue a summit meeting with president putin order to try to bring this war to conclusion so they can move on with all of the difficult things they need to do in terms of building the economy. i want to add one other thing if i may. mr. turner suggested earlier that somehow embarrassed president zelensky. i have the deepest respect for president zelensky. this is a guy, jewish background from post soviet industrial suburb in southern ukraine who made himself one of the most popular entertainers in the country, somehow got elected president, and he is not going to miss that opportunity. this is a ukranian patriot. this is a tough guy. frankly, he withstood a lot of pressure for a very long time and didn't give that interview. i have the deepest respect for him, ukranian people also have the deepest respect for him, they have chosen him to deliver the full measure of promise of their revolution of dignity. i think it demands all our respect. >> ask consent to enter the photograph depicted on the screen into the record. >> without objection. >> th

president putin and the russian security services aim to counter u.s. foreign policy objectives in europe including in ukraine where moscow wishes to reassert political economic dominance. i say this not as an alarmist but realist. i do not think long term conflict with russia are desirable or inevitable. i continue to believe that we feed to seek ways of stabilizing our relationship with moscow even as we counter their efforts to harm us. right now, russia's security services and their proxies have geared up to repeat their interference in the 2020 election. we are running out of time to stop them. and the cost of this investigation i would ask you please not promote falsehoods that clearly advance russian interests as republicans and democrats have agreed for decades, ukraine is a valued partner of the united states and it plays an important role in our national security. as iti told the committee last month id refuse to be part of effort to legitimatize an alternative narrative and that ukraine, not russia, attacked us in 2016. these fictions are har

i do not think president putin sees himself as. i do not think president putin sees himself as the monster of a snake or his as a good that is not how we view the powers in the middle east the monster of a snake with it is a good that is not how we view the powers in the middle east. the american forces were supposed to leave syria but they're still there the american forces were supposed to leave syria but they're still there so what are the goals now well the goals of the you have to have a predictor what are the goals now well the goals of the you have to have a predictable strategy to sort of you know see any goals and the united states when it comes that will strategy to sort of you know see any goals of the united states when it comes to syria has been anything but predictable the leaving syria there going back to syria and syria has been anything but predictable the leaving syria there going back to syria in that vein. was asked whether there's any chance of corporation in that vein. was asked whether there's any chance of c

you know, vladimir putin is always pushing.pushing to determine just how much resistance there is. whether that is in syria. whether that is in ukraine. whether that is in europe with democratic elections across the atlantic. whether it is here at home, as we saw in 2016 with our democratic elections and russia's attack on that process. what -- what putin is always trying to gage is a level of resistance. and when putin determines that there is no resistance, that there is no price to pay or too little of a price to pay, he will push further. and so i think that is the concern here, richard. if putin were to be even more aggressive, vis-a-vis ukraine, and didn't find that resistance in the form of american military assistance, american partnership, political and military partnership with ukraine, that would not be a stop sign to vladimir putin. it would be a green light. >> and one of those individuals i think most americans saw this was marie yovanovitch as in her testimony was showing her steeliness, her -- her importance. an

vladimir putin would own it. he does not see how -- if he doesn't see how he's been manipulated, that he is being manipulated by teams of intelligence professionals and human intelligence and psychology by vladimir putin himself was a former human intelligence officer. ... they abandon fully functional camps in the russians went in and raised their flag and our position. if it happened at any other point the impeachment would've happened within minutes. brush it now owns our position in syria explain that to me. the y is missing around the black hole of intelligence and the only thing we can do is go through contacts and precedent and say it's unprecedented. there is no context. except the suspicion. this man owes his bookie something and he will never insult his key. see mac. >> in the remaining minutes we have a microphone if you all had questions please line up behind the microphone centerstage i can imagine that there are many of you i would ask please it seems like there are a lot of questions directed to on

president, all roads lead to putin. just saying that you haven't really decided to move -- speaker pelosi: we haven't. that will be up to the committees to decide. >> do you believe that the testimony from taylor and kent it will be -- speaker pelosi: this isn't about for democrats. this is for the american people. this is about patriotism. it's not about politics. democrats, republicans. it's not about anything political. it's about patriotism. it's about honoring our oath of office. and to uphold the constitution and the constitution spells out what our responsibilities are and what our penalties are. and yesterday, i think -- i do believe the truth will set us free. and so the truth, coming from the president's own appointee, the president's own appointee describing bribery and threatening in the course of it, threatening the identity of the whistleblower was just shameful behavior. yes, ma'am. >> thank you. i want to ask you if the usmca is imminent, how do you think afl-cio is poised to respond if the implementing

say all roads lead putin. putin benefited from our not -- any holding up of that -- that military assistance. putin benefited by the action the president. vis-a-vis syria and turkey, they wanted a stronger stronghold in the middle east that.e president gave him putin benefited from the president's comments about uncertainty about our support nato. putin benefited -- the list goes on. won't even go into the elections. just those three because those are the three i mentioned to the said, mr. hen i had resident, all roads lead to putin. reporter: just saying you haven't decided to move -- haven't.elosi: we that will be up to the committees to decide. reporter: do you believe that taylor and y from kent it will be -- aboutr pelosi: this isn't for democrats. this is for the american people. this is about patriotism. politics.bout democrats, republicans. t's not about anything political. it's about patriotism. t's about honoring our oath of office. and to uphold the constitution constitution spells out what our resp

russian president vladimir putin.the bombshell public testimony, ambassadors, state department officials, and intelligence officers all testified at the withholding of aid to ukraine to help fight against russia sends an ominous message not only to ukraine but to other foreign allies as it begs the question, who is president trump's actions really aimed at helping? >> our holding up of security assistance that would go to a country that is fighting aggression from russia for no good policy reason, no good substantive reason, no good national security reason is wrong. >> i think the signal there's controversy and question about the u.s. support of ukraine sends the signal to vladimir putin that he can leverage that as he seeks to negotiate with not only ukraine but other countries. >> our ukraine policy has been thrown into disarray and shady interests the world over have learned how little it takes to remove an american ambassador who does not give them what they want. after these events, what foreign official, corrup

threat to russian interests president putin and the russian security services into counter u.s. foreign policy objectives in europe including in ukraine where moscow wishes to reassert political economic dominance i say this not as an alarmist but as a realist i do not think long term conflict with russia is either desirable or inevitable i continue to believe that we need to seek ways of stabilizing our relationship with moscow even as we counter their efforts to harm us right now russia's security services and their proxies have geared up to repeat their interference in the 2020 alexion we are running out of time to stop them in the course of this investigation i would ask that you please not promote politically driven false or clearly advance russian interests as republicans and democrats have agreed for decades ukraine is a valued partner of the united states and it plays an important role in our national security and as i told the committee last month i refused to be part of an effort to legitimize an alternate narrative that the ukrainian government is a us are very sorry

is the victim disagrees with the media's assessment that vladimir putin is the victim. here and that is donald trump who has spent a large part of the past here and that is donald trump who has spent a large part of the past week congratulating donald trump himself this is a sorry congratulating donald trump himself this is a sorry day for international law when the president of the united states can come out and tell you day for international law when the president of the united states can come out and camera and say we're in syria not to bring peace not to fight terrorism or and say we're in syria not to bring peace not to fight terror but we're in syria because president trump likes but we're in syria because president trump likes or will we kept the oil we stayed back it kept the oil other people will we kept the oil we stayed back it kept the oil other people can patrol the border of syria frankly and turkey letter and patrol the border of syria frankly and turkey let of that been fighting for a 1000 years let them do the border we don't want to do that we want to

putin owns him.not going to use the word, there's a certain word there that i won't use early in the morning, and that's what he is to putin. and it's that sufrm. and we talked about manhood. it's so interesting, tough guy trump who at the end of the day is owned by another man, he's owned by him. understand that. >> and, joe, it's important to point out too, "new york times" reporting yesterday how close president trump got to get his wish from president zelensky. he wanted zelensky to go on cnn to announce these investigations into the 2016 campaign and into joe biden and his son hunter. the interview was booked for september 13th with fareed zakaria on cnn. then the whistle-blower report comes up, everything blows and you that gets squashed and he does not appear. but the interview was booked, zelensky was ready to do it because he was so desperate to get that money and defend itself against russia. >> that's, again, perhaps that's another reason why donald trump is so angry at the whistle-blower.

i do not think president putin sees himself as the monster of a snake pit it isn't present. themselves as the monster of a snake pit that is not how we view the powers in the middle east let's talk a little bit about what happens next then because support the powers in the middle east let's talk a little bit about what happens next then because supposedly you know we've got this vacuum that's been left american forces were supposed to lucidly you know we've got this vacuum that's been left an american forces were supposed to leave syria but they're they're still there so what are the goals now one person in the if syria but they're still there what are the goals now one person that the disagrees with the media's assessment that vladimir putin is the victor here is agrees with the media's assessment that vladimir putin is the victor here and that is donald trump who has spent a large part of the past week and that is donald trump who has spent a large part of the past week congratulating. donald trump himself this is a sorry day congratulating donald trump himself this is a s

media is spinning this situation in syria as a victory for vladimir putin spinning this situation in syria as a victory for vladimir putin of all people the economist came out with this cartoon showing of all people the economist came out with this cartoon showing the russian president holding a huge ball of snakes proclaiming that he had finally achieved russian president holding a huge ball of snakes proclaiming that he had finally achieved peace in the middle east to which the russian foreign minister came out and. saved peace in the middle east to which the russian foreign minister came out and said hold on a 2nd 1st of all vladimir putin doesn't fancy himself as a. hold on a 2nd 1st of all vladimir putin doesn't fancy himself as a as a snake charmer and 2nd of all russia doesn't see the nations of the middle east as a snake charmer and 2nd of all russia doesn't see the nations of the middle east unlike the economist snakes do storage which i do not pieced unlike the economist snakes do storage which i do not think president putin sees himself as the master of the sneakers it's g

as host, putin seemed on top of the world.e scored six goals in an exhibition hockey match with remarkable ease. but just across the border, in the former soviet republic of ukraine, things were not going so smoothly. demonstrators had occupied the capital kiev, demanding immediate democratic reforms. and the overthrow of the corrupt russian-backed president, viktor yanukovych. the protesters had washington's blessing. u.s. diplomats went so far as to visit the demonstrators and hand out food. >> ukraine and its people just didn't want to be part of that close russian orbit anymore. they were looking west. >> as the world watched, things got ugly. i was there when the street protests erupted into pitched battles with riot police. and soon central kiev's main square, the mydan, was on fire. >> the protesters here put themselves in the center of a ring of fire and say they will hold this square even fit costs them their lives. >> for many it did. president trump yanukovych ordered his troops to open fire with live ammunition. ar

as a critic of vladimir putin, a ha hardliner on russia. george, listening to this and the previous days' testimony, what strikes me you had basically the entire foreign policy and national security apparatus of the trump administration that wanted to see the military aid go to ukraine, that wanted to see the meeting between the new president of ukraine and president trump at the white house happen. this is something that you heard from the political officer today at the embassy today, from the act i acting actor at the embassy, the envoy to ukraine, the secretary of state. basically, everybody that president trump had put in place to deal with russia and ukraine policy wanted to see this military aid freed up and sent as congress had approved. the one exception to that it appears to me was donald trump. i guess maybe there was a potential second exception which would be rudy giuliani. >> potentially a third, mick mulvaney who carried out the president's direction to freeze the aid. one thing that's striking about david holmes' testimony, t

is the victor here and that is donald trump who is vladimir putin is the victor here. and that is donald trump who has spent a large part of the past week congratulating donald trump him spend a large part of the past week congratulating donald trump himself this is a sorry day for international law when the press health this is a sorry day for international law when the president of the united states can come out in camera and say we're in syria in the united states could come out in camera and say we're in syria not to bring peace not to fight terror but we're in syria because president trump likes or will we kept the oil we stayed back in not to bring peace not to fight terror but where in syria because president trump likes or will we've kept the oil we stayed back it kept the of the oil wealth of the people but then the world can. draw patrol the border of syria on the border area for syria and really have frankly a turkey let him fighting for a 1000 years let them do the 1000000000 turkey let them fight it for a 1000 years let them do the border we don't want to