narrator: funding for this presentatatn is made possible by... woman: babbel, a language a that teaches realinife conversations new language, like spanish, french, german, italian anmore. babbel's 10 to 15 miete lessons are availa as an app or online. reelnformation on baom. narrator: funding was also provided by... e freeman foundation. by judy and peter blum-kovler foundation.. pursuing solutions for america's neglglted needs. and hi contributions topbs station from viewers like you, thank you. woman: and now, bbc worlwonews. laura: this is "bbc world news

america." reporting from washingtoto i am laura trevelyan. opening up the impeachment inquiry. transcripts reveal what witnessewihave been saying behind closed doors.tn battling delhi's pollution. why life in india's capital has many struggling to breathe,he ad how the government is responding. u.s.-russia relations fromou someone who sh know. why markel corporation of says the world - -- kyle gorbachev ss the worlis in colossal danger. rl laura: for those watching on pbe and aroundlobe, welcome to "world news america." the impeachment inquiry into democrats in congress released transcripts of closed-doorea interviews rng top diplomats showed concern about thwspresident's contacts with

ukraine as he withheld military investigation of democrats.oc ambassador marie yovanovitch was asked t the phone call between mr. trump and ukrainian leader in which she was mentioned. president trump says, "well, she is going to go through some things." yovanovitch said, "i didn't know at it meant.i s very concerned. i still am." the lawmaker asked, did you feel threatated. she replied yes. ta former advisthe secretary of state said that in his 37 years in the foreign service he had never seen anything like this. t he said he quit in pcause he got foreign policy was being politicized and that u.s. missions were being used to procure negative political information for domestic purposes. earlier today president trump batted away questions about a smear campaign aimed at ambassador yovanovitch. pres. trump: the president of ukraine was not a fan of hers, either. he did not exactly say glowing things. i'm sure she is a very fine woman. i just don't heow much about

laura: for more on the s peachment inquiry i wained earlier by ron christie, former advisor to president george w. bush. the president is now saying he does not know ch about this bassador who apparently he was so concerned about and wanted to get rid of ithe summer. ron: good evening to you, laura. tye optics are very strange. this is an iividual the president obviously knows who she is and has talked about her in the pasand now is saying "i really don't know who she is." one of the things about this imachment inquiry that is going to harm the president is you are going tfind inconsistencies with what he may have said or tweeted in the pasa withthe witnesses will bring forward to congress. laura: as a former white house official, does it bother you that a former u.s. ambassador felt shocked and threatened by what the president wing about her? ron: interestingly enough, i'm not sure. being one who served at the pleasure of the president of thd untates, you realize that theleasure and the time can

end before you like it. did president bush yell ffe in the ovale? yeah, maybe he had some choice wo qs. however, tstion is is the president's behavior that is alleged disrupting our foreign policy? that is what i'm more interestet about as oppos whether someone was upset at their job. ngura: what are your contacts on capitol hill telou about how solid or otherwise the president's support is as we get the public hhorings on the zon? ron: we safrom the vote in house of representatives that the president did not lose any republicans as it relates to the impeachment inquiry. contacts is what goes on in the united states senate. if the house votes to impeac the president, then you move to a trial in the senate. a conviction would remove the president from office. whatm i hearing? people do not want to have a trial inhe senate. there is wavering support in the president's base. decide to remove him fromto

office. laura: is there a possibility and we may hear from ambassador yovanovitch herself and hoesthe ent is running foreign policy -- this is the allegation -- in his own interest and not what effect could thatave?erica, ron: there are diplomats around the world who are king the same question. is the president acting with america's interest at heart? believe he is. but this alleged testimony about his behaor is going to raise questions. that is why these hearings should be done open in public so all the american people can hear and assess theiralidity. laura: are we going to get to a point where republicans are saying, yes, there wasd pro quo, but they got their aid in the end so it doesn't matter? ron: hard to say. i haveersonally not seen a pro quo.sonally don't see you saw some quotes -- the ukrainian president said he didn't realize the aid had been held up. however, this is a polit process, not a legal one. politically speaking, what do

the american people believe? election that the president acted in a way that he needs to be removed from office? laura: ron christie, that is the million-dollar question. ron: good to see you.s. laura:co india's highest has accused state governments of passing the buck when it comes to air pollution, saying politicians are onlynterestedea in gimmicks inof lonterm solutions. in delhi, the level of toxins in the air is 10 times the safe limit. drivers are forced to use their cars every other day to improve the situation. reporter: it is a real public health emergency. the air here is poisonous. by many accounts, this is the worst pollution in years. many are choosing to stay indoors, and those who do go out are experiencing health complications. >> because of the pollution level, every day i wake up and it is suffocating to breathe

sometime inflammation in the nostrils and the eyes also. report: for the last few days, delhi has barely seen any sunlight because a thick layer of toxic smog hangs over it. delhi residents continue to breathe highly toxic air as pollututn levels remain severely high even today. the government says it is doing what it can. private vehicles on the roadsct are being rest and schools remain shut. but critics say when pollution levels are so high, delhi needs more drastic poly measures. delhi's city government is restricting the use of private vehicles on the capital's roads. from today until the 15th of november, only cars with odd or even numbered plates will be allowed on the roads each day. but sny are skeptical, as thi

system was used before, but it is not clear if it helps bring down polluon. >> of course it is ineffective in dealing with air pollution as an issue. if air pollution was solely due to the vehicle traffic, this would be a solution. right now it cannot be a solution because motorized private transpor small share in the whole pie. reporter: another major cause of the high pollution l lels is farmers in neighboring states burning crop stubble to clear their fields because they lack modern machinery.mp gners say there isn't enough political will to combat the problem.pe until that h, delhi will continue to choke. laura: absolutely horrifying images of that smog in delhi. shares ofs mcdonald'ropped 3% on wall street today after news

that the fast-food giant firedo. its ce steve easterbrook admitted to a relationshipith an employee, which is against company policy. in a statement he said, "this was a mistake. given the values of the company, i agree with the board that it is time for me to mo on." i spoke to wendy murphy, professor of sexual violence law. s fireds of o mcdonald's i r a consensual relationship with an employee. what is your reaction? wendy: first of all, characterizing that type of relationship as consensual is problematic because in te workplace the laws have been clear for decades that a superior in a workplace nnot have a "consensual relationship" of any kinin with an inferiorri person male or fale. there are antidiscrimination laws that forbid this kind of

contact because i don't think this is complicated -- you don't want anyone in a position power exploiting the power to of changing standards in thethis workplace, the fact that the board of mcdonald's felt they had to leave the ceo go? wendy: i'm not sure it is changing standards. it might be a shifting appreciation for the intolerance of society for the behavior, because it has always been a legal. -- illegal. put in some cases and some companies he has been toler.ed historical the fact that this is mcdonald's, one of thiebiggest comparound the world, that this is the mcdonald's ceo, i think the board's willingness to say no matter what he is a worth to us company, we cannot afford politically and othwise to let this stand. it does speak to the fact thatme

are having an impact when they are speaking up about assault in the workplace, and other t places, thatre is no more cultural tolerance for this behavior. even the most influential and wealthy among us will be punished. laura: and yet so many people in america meet their partners at work. are all workplace relationships going to be problematic? wendy: i hope not. that is where i met my husband. he was my boss. no, the message is very simple, that you can and comfortable socializing and even nddating fraly marrying someone you meet in the workplace. thissue is are they also controlling your career? do they have influence over your future in that company? you meet someone and you love them and you are dating and you want to take it further and you have that problem, in the sense the other, you eitve torior to

get a different job or one of you has to leave the company. that is the only way to make it work. it is not just fair to the individuals iolved, it is fair to, especially in a case lik this, women as a class. you don't't want women i office looking at this relationship and saying, ah, that is why she got promot. i can't believe i have to do something like that did become successful in this business. it is important to senag the right meabout the value of women, that it has nothing to do with whether they arhesleeping wi the boss, that their skills and merit will get them ahead. laura: wendy murphy, thanks for being with us. wendy: you bet. laura:thn news, authorities in the iraqi capital have denied reports of casualties following more violence between security forces and antigovernment protesters. medical sources have been quoted kias saying 4 people were ed. more than 250 people have died since protests beg in baghdad and other cities last moh.ci the united states has formally

notified the united nations of its intention to withdraw from the paris agreement to combat climate change. the notification begins a one-year process of exiting the global accord, culminating the day after the 2020 election. u.s. secretary of state mike pompeo s agreement had imposed an unfair economic burden on the united stat. british mps have voted for a new spear, replacing a man has become a global star of the brexit process. lindsay hoyle was literally dragged to the chair thahe takes from john bercow, whose wit and cries of "order" earned brhim famed, while at home he was seen as a champion of parliament and eight phone and the site of government. earlier i spoke to the bbc's gary o'donoghue,ho served as chief political correspondent ie westminster fos. can you explain why this position of speaker was so elevated under john bercow that

we an talking about it in america? gary: he became immensely controversial inl he era of brexit.ee he wasby the pro-brexit people as being someone who stood in the of some of the brexit moves them and by the other side he was seen as a champion. he became a very controversial figure. there is this attempt to return to a much more evenhanded referee-type figure. laur who is this new speaker y what c tell us about him? is he going to be famo for his cries of "order, order"? ga : we will see. the satirists will try to get him as soon as possible. this is sir lindsay hoyle, from lancashire in the north of gland. he i a member of the opposition, labor mp, but they say he will be nonpartisan he says he will not be a continuity candidate because commons has become toxic and a bear pit and he will restore some order. he will try to abolish clapping in the house of commons, which he says has crept in the last w years and he says is very un-parliamentary.

on the lighter side, he has a pet parrot called boris and pet tortoise called maggie. laura: fascinating, conservative leaders both. he going to play a role in the brexit process that yet to come? gary: he will play a pivotal role in everythi. bear in mind in england thear speaker is notsan like in the u.s. with the nancy pelosi. they are there to ensure that the e vernment is held to account, and that is an important thing that parliament has been doing through the brexit process. and they are there to ensure that backbenchers, members who don't have a government job -- bear in mind our executive is drawn from the miabers of pant -- he is there to ensure that they get a voice as well. is going to try to do that. when we saw him dragged to the chair in the introduction, that e an indication of how difficult a job eaker has been in the past.

it dates back to 1377. bear in mind, the reluctan is that over a 150-year period, about seven of them had their heads chopped o for carrying tnews to the monarch of the time. a:a: there you go. ry o'donoghue, thank you. a fate we wish to avoid. you are watching "bbc world news americ" still to come on tonight's program,pruilding bridges, not walls, in the gaming world. how a new videogame is pushing connections instead of violent divisions. laura: large crowds of antigovernment protesters have gathered in cities in lebanon despite prime minister saad hariri resigning last week. the demonstratornt the establishment to be removed and replaced with nonpolitica technocrats.there was a large counterdemonrdration on sunday. reporter:he demonstrations began in october as protest

against high taxes on mobibi phone apps. the plans were scrapped, the prime minister has resigned. these protesters want more. >> we achieved part of our the government.ousting technocratic government, not a political one. >> t how am i supposget married? my entire salary goes on electricity and mobile phone bills. they take all of our money and leave us in debt. yit has been rs and they haven't done a thing. reporter: these demonstrators disagree. supporters of the psident filled centralon beiruunday morning, adamant that the head of state remains in power to guide the country through the crisis. lebanon's foreign minister, the president's son-in-law, vowed to bring about t ange. >> whave long and difficult days ahead. we are racing against time to prevent collapse, but corruption

and public debt beat us. reporter: this revolution is feminist. the country's worst economic crisis for decades and animated by a demand for women's rights, the protesters' lists of demands is growing longer. behind the party atmosphere are serious problems. more than 25% of lebanon's citizens live in poverty, according to the worldank. while the protests might be smaller and the prime minister might have resigned, the iues have not gone away. laura: when you picture the latest video games, you would be forgiven for thinking they are all about blasting away your enemies and blowing up. but a much-anticipated new game is taking a different aplloach. it is death stranding, and the creator says he wants to build bridges, not destroy them.

>> we are in tokyo, where there is just hot s left for these developers to finish a game that has had the games industry talking since it was announced in 2016. and we are the only mera crew in the world allowed in creator's unique approach to making games. famed for populariinng stealth ga the 1 10's, where sneaking, not shooting, was the way to pla he has been considered a visionary. what is soon clear is he is in complete conol of that vision. here he is personally editing the trailer for death stranding.

reporter: his first game released since setting up his own independent studio is a mysterious tale of a post-apocalyptic america.ar for three the advtising and marketing has teased and confused people, leaving many scratching their heads. what is it all about? reporter: while this approach is exciting some, others are nervous,eft wondering if anyone is challenging this vision and if the game will live up to expectations. with gaming worth more than the movie and music industries combined, titles like death stranding require huge investments, costing millions to develop. it is employing stars like

hollywood acrs and has some of music's biggest names contributing to the soundtrack. >> this is a new ip. in this day and age where there is so much money and so much risk, it is unusual to see a new ip of this grandness.ts even that in if in 2019 should be applauded. reporter: the people around me are working on gaming's biggest secret. you have artists, coders, prucers, technical staff, all here working their socks off to finish the game and make sure it is up to the standard of the gaming world expects. >> death stranding codemaster! reporter: as the team celebrated getting the game ready for his release, the questions turned to the llture. wihey still be celebrating when people outside the room get a chance to see what they are working on?

laura: mikhail gorbad ear his place in history for his role in bringing down the iron curtain and rolling back the ear arms race between th soviet union and the u.s. he is warning that tensions between russia a the west are putting the world and colossal danger. mr. gorbachev has been speaking to our moscow correspondent steve rosenrkrg to 0 years since the fall of the berlin wall. steve: at the age of 88, mikhail gorbachev rarely goes on camera. but the men who helped end the cold war has decided to speak out, fring his legacy is under threat. the arms race he thought he had stopped has reignited, amid growing tension between moscow and the u.s. how dangerous do you think the current confrontation is between russia and the west? mr. gorbachev: as long as weapons of mass distrtrtion

exist, nuclear weapons, the all nati ssuld declare, all nations, nuclear weapons must be destroyed. to saveur ourselves and planet. steve: mikhail gorbachev says preventing war became his prioty when the soviet public began sharing their feelings of conflict. mr. gorbachev: t everyone us say to me, "mr. gorbachev, don't y about the food shortag or our other problems. we'll manage. just make sure there is no w ar." it showed in the last war how much my countrymen hadd. suffe

steve: in the past weeks to talk how would you describe the currenttw standoff n russia and the west? mr. gorbachev: chilly, but still a war. steve:hen the berlin wall fell, gorbachev didn't intervene, reluctant to prop of the iron curtain. mr. gorbachev: there mt not be bloodshed. we couldn't allow that. for an issue of such magnitude, for.ermany, the whole wor steve: he famously mit it off wigaret thatcher. any advice on bgoxit? mrachev: you can figure that one out for yourselves. you british are clever. i uldn't give you advice. steve: so not only president,

but a true diplomat. ste rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. laura: an important interview. intuto our sporting champions in d.c., the washington nationals paid a visit to the white houn. this aftern it's customary for american sports teams to be invited by thpresident after winning championship. but like so much in washington right now, these eveves are not without division. catcher kurt suzuki donned a "make america eat again" hat, while more than half a dozen players chose not to attend. some have been critical of mr. trump's policies, and the president himself was booed when he attended a world series game. divided times indeed in sport and in politics. i'm laura trevelyan. thank you so much for watching "bbc world news america." narrator: funding for this presentation is made possible by... babbel, an online proguam designed by la specialists

teaching spanish, french and more. rrator: funding was also provided by... the freeman foundation. by j y and peter blum-kovler found. rsuing sololions for america's neglected needs. and by contribution to this pbs statom viewers like you, thank you. narrator: be more, pbs. ♪

on the newshour tonight, on the record. the first transcripts of testimy from the impeachment inquiry are released as white house officials refused to appear in before investigators. ukraine in the crossfire of a political fight in america, a report from the warfront with the battle against russia grinds on. >> n america and europe help. i think russia will push forward. they will not just occupy this area. they will wait. >> plus, any walter is here to break down what tomorrow's state elections mean for the presidential election, and what is next in