He doesnt have a soul. Hes a thug, a murder and a killer. Hes the richest man in the world. What does he want from donald trump . Putin will eat him like a sandwich. Hed rather have a puppet as president. Youre the puppet. Just how powerful is he. Punit has an untramabled authority. I dont see any checks on his power. So powerful he rigged the American Election . Of course he wanted Hillary Clinton to lose. He despised Hillary Clinton. Whom would you like better . While russia celebrates, americans ask what does he want and is he really the most powerful man in the world. December 5th, 1989, it was a cold night in east germany. It would change the course of Vladmir Putins life. The berlin wall has just fallen. That night, they found a target. The local kgb headquarters. A mob surrounded the building as the hour grew later, the crowd grew larger. Inside peering through the curtains was a young kgb Lieutenant Colonel named Vladmir Putin. He was terrified that they were going to storm the building. Putin was a junior officer but the boss was away. Reporter separate for help, he dialed kgb headquarters in moscow over and over again. Finally, one official told him, simply, moscow is silent. And i think it felt like a deep betrayal to him. Vladimir putin was on his own. He went down into the bowels of the building and fired up the furnace. He finds himself in the basement, at a furnace, shoveling documents, as he hears demonstrations out on the street. It was going so fast that the furnace is blowing up. Putin torched thousands of pages of kgb documents and secrets, as the crowd closed in. With the fire still raging, putin went outside and faced the mob. By himself. There are armed guards inside, he told them. They will shoot you. And hes able to bluff his way out and tell the crowd, dont try it here. Youre going to get hurt. Putins threat worked. The mob dispersed. This is the drama that stays with putin all the time. The fear of Popular Uprising. Vladimir putin quelled that fear with absolute control. This is what control looks like. In one of the worlds busiest cities, the streets are emptied for Vladimir Putins motorcade. 12 Million People simply disappear on putins inauguration day. Vladimir putin the event was perfectly produced for russian television. Every detail flawlessly planned. Almost every detail. A few russians did not follow the script. Nearly a block away from his inauguration was a cafe called jean jacques where the opposition liked to gather and drink coffee. And the riot Police Descend on the cafe. Arresting people sitting at their tables outside, turning over tables, breaking cups and plates. The crackdown was not shown on russian television. For 94 of russians, their main source of news is television. If it didnt happen on television, it didnt happen. Putins control of television is absolutely no critical word about Vladimir Putin on the russian air waves, none, not one word. Putin controls everything in russia. Putin has an untrammeled authority. I dont see any checks on his power. He is able to make singular, rapid decisions. The absolutism there is unlike anything ive ever seen in russia. All that power is propped up by an astonishing approval rating, over 80 . And thats according to american pollsters. Donald trump wins the presidency but when the United States elected a new president , it looked like russia had fallen for a new leader. There were toasts all over moscow. At the parliament, known as the duma. On talk shows. And at bars. [ laughter ] we are the champions of the world but one man seemed utterly unsurprised by trumps victory. Hes happy to take credit. And that means that he won the u. S. Election. The man who is simultaneously president of russia and in charge of the United States. Mr. Putin. Trump impersonators are everywhere in russia. Youre fired. Youre fired, youre fired. But it could be an american tv program that best describes the putin trump relationship. I think putin views trump as an apprentice. At the heart of all this are some deadly serious questions. Does Vladimir Putin have some kind of hold over donald trump . Did he tamper with the American Elections . I tried to ask him, mr. Putin did not agree to answer my questions, but his closest aide, Dimitri Peskov did. The answer is no. Saying that a country can intervene in your election process. America, huge country, country with the most powerful country in the world. Its simply impossible. We will get at the truth of all this. But to do that, we need to go back to the final days of the country Vladimir Putin loved. I think that down deep in putin there is this sense of extraordinary humiliation over the collapse of the soviet union. Because it wasnt just the soviet union. It was the russian empire. Putin returned home from his kgb posting in 1990 to a country he did not recognize. The ussr had been transformed by Mikhail Gorbachev and his policy of openness, known as glasnost. A romance with things western. Freedom came fast, and it exposed the rot at the heart of soviet communism. Across the soviet union, hundreds of thousands of people began demanding democracy and national independence. It was once again what putin feared most. The people. Rising up. And finally, the people won. Tonight in moscow at the kremlin, the red flag of the failed soviet union at last came down, and the flag of russia rose. 300 years of history erased. Soviet institutions like the kgb simply ceased to exist. Vladimir putin views the breakup of the soviet union as he said himself, to be the greatest geopolitical tragedy of the 20th century. It was a traumatic time. And it sparked a profound change in Vladimir Putin. He became a politician, deputy mayor in his hometown of st. Petersburg. It was not a big job, but putin clearly had big dreams. He commissioned this rarelyseen documentary, about himself. Presenting Vladimir Putin, the credits read, in power. Weirdly, the sound track is from the broadway show cats. The ambitious putin may have already been looking toward moscow, because the russian people were desperate for strong leadership. Under president Boris Yeltsin, the new democracy was a mess. The entire soviet system, it just collapsed. The oligarchs, the men to profited on the spoils of communism became fantastically rich. Mercedes benz is selling more of its top line cars in russia than in all of europe. But ordinary russians were sinking into desperate poverty. They would die of food shortages, even starvation. I dont know how to feed my kids without milk. I just dont know what were going to do. President Boris Yeltsin was in charge, but he seemed increasingly unstable. His drinking. Hes barely being propped up. Russians began calling for a new leader. Theyre tired of the embarrassment of yeltsin. Waiting in the wings was Vladimir Putin. He had taken a job in moscow in the kremlin hierarchy, and he had risen through the ranks with lightning speed. From city bureaucrat to kremlin super star. He had just become acting Prime Minister when it became blindingly clear the country needed a new president. Yeltsin was ready to topple over, and they settled on putin because they knew yeltsin could retire and not be put in jail. Boris yeltsin was notoriously corrupt, but kremlin power brokers wanted to protect him. So a deal was made. A deal was made. December 31st, 1999. The surprise announcement from Boris Yeltsin that he is resigning as president and turning over power to his Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin. In the very first moments of the 21st century, Vladimir Putin became president of russia. His first words . We live in a competitive world, and we are not among its leaders. And right away, putin began to change his country. He joined soldiers on the front lines in the war in chechnya. He reassured russians that better times were ahead. I think well get paid, and well have work. The country quickly fell in love with Vladimir Putin. The number one song in russia was called a man like putin. Hes just very, hes beautiful man, you see . But the Biggest Surprise . America also loved Vladimir Putin. President george w. Bush thought hed found a kindred spirit. I looked the man in the eye. I found him to be very straightforward and trustworthy. I was able to get a sense of his soul. Even hollywood fell for the new russian president. He bonded with stars at a charity dinner. But the honeymoon would soon come to a crashing halt. He was a kgb agent. By definition, he doesnt have a soul. How are you . So glad to see you. Next, when vladimir met hillary. Its important to remember how much he despised Hillary Clinton. And the midsized metris. If these are your wingtips. If this is your gourmet latte. Then these are your vans. Vans for professionals. Strictly professionals. Best commercial van residual value according to alg and starting at just 25,995. Mercedesbenz. Vans. Born to run. Its the simple things in life that mean the most. Boost® simply complete™. No artificial flavors, colors or sweeteners, plus 10 grams of protein and 25 vitamins minerals. It doesnt get better than this. Boost® simply complete™. When youre close to the people you love, does psoriasis ever get in the way of a touching moment . If you have moderate to severe psoriasis, you can embrace the chance of completely clear skin with taltz. Taltz is proven to give you a chance at completely clear skin. With taltz, up to 90 of patients had a significant improvement of their psoriasis plaques. In fact, 4 out of 10 even achieved completely clear skin. Do not use if you are allergic to taltz. Before starting you should be checked for tuberculosis. Taltz may increase your risk of infections and lower your ability to fight them. Tell your doctor if you are being treated for an infection or have symptoms. Or if you have received a vaccine or plan to. Inflammatory bowel disease can happen with taltz. Including worsening of symptoms. Serious allergic reactions can occur. Nows your chance at completely clear skin. Just ask your doctor about taltz. How to brush his teeth. woman vo in march, my husband didnt recognize our grandson. woman 2 vo thats when moderate alzheimers made me a caregiver. avo if their alzheimers is getting worse, ask about onceaday namzaric. Namzaric is approved for moderate to severe alzheimers disease in patients who are taking donepezil. It may improve cognition and overall function, and may slow the worsening of symptoms for a while. Namzaric does not change the underlying disease progression. Dont take if allergic to memantine, donepezil, piperidine, or any of the ingredients in namzaric. Tell the doctor about any conditions; including heart, lung, bladder, kidney or liver problems, seizures, stomach ulcers, or procedures with anesthesia. Serious side effects may occur, including muscle problems if given anesthesia; slow heartbeat, fainting, more stomach acid which may lead to ulcers and bleeding; nausea, vomiting, difficulty urinating, seizures, and worsening of lung problems. Most common side effects are headache, diarrhea, dizziness, loss of appetite, and bruising. woman 2 vo i dont know what tomorrow will bring but im doing what i can. avo ask about namzaric today. A 401 k is the most sound way to go. Lets talk asset allocation. Sure. You seem knowledgeable, professional. Im actually a deejay. [ laughing ] no way that really is you . If theyre not a cfp pro, you just dont know. Cfp. Work with the highest standard. Nobody does unlimited like tmobile. While the other guys gouge for unlimited data. Tmobile one save you hundreds a year. Right now get two lines of data for 100 dollars. With taxes and fees included. Thats right 2 unlimited lines for just 100 bucks. All in. And right now, pair up those two lines with two free Samsung Galaxy s7 when you switch. Yup free. So switch and save hundreds when you go all unlimited with tmobile. How many time will she leave her mark . How many ways will she light up the world . This is the woman. At the heart of the hacking scandal that rocked the 2016 president ial election was an old grudge. Ladies and gentlemen, my mother, my hero, and our next president , Hillary Clinton. This is my it went beyond ideology. It was personal. This is my fight song Vladimir Putin was not a fan of Hillary Clinton. Of course putin wanted Hillary Clinton to lose. He hated Hillary Clinton. Prime minister, we have a lot of problems. The tension between the leaders had been brewing for years. In 2001, another american leader, george w. Bush, vouched for putin. I was able to get a sense of his soul. Thank you thank you but on the campaign trail in 2008, hillary had a different take. I could have told him, he was a kgb agent. By definition, he doesnt have a soul. I mean, this is a waste of time, right . Translator ms. Clinton said that you as a former kgb agent by definition can have no soul. Putins reply . States men shouldnt be guided by their hearts. They should use their heads. Clinton had a lot of tough words for putin over the years. Hes a very arrogant person to deal with. We have to stand up to his bullying. He is somebody who will take as much as he possibly can. But it was what happened in 2011 that marked a point of no return. It began with the arab spring protests early that year. The kind of Popular Uprising that putin dreaded. He begins to see himself through the eyes of hosni mubarak. Mubarak of egypt was facing prosecution. Bashar al assad was on the ropes, libyas strongman, gaddafi met a particularly gruesome fate, brutally killed after begging for his life. Putin may have feared the same bloody fate for himself. Just a few weeks later, rebellion arrived in russia. Tens of thousands rallied in the streets of moscow. The biggest protest there since the fall of the soviet union. People were hanging off lampposts. People were in the streets. Really shocking. Putin was now living the same nightmare he had endured as a kgb officer in east germany in 1989. This time in his own back yard. And he wasnt even president at the time. He was Prime Minister. Having handed the presidency over to his associate, dimitri medvedev. As the winter got longer and longer and colder and colder, the protests got bigger and bigger. Hillary clinton weighed in. The russian people like people everywhere deserve the right to have their voices heard and their votes counted. When putin hears Something Like that, i imagine he hears Something Like bush talking about saddam hussein. He hears that theyre coming for me. Theyre trying to drive me from power. What the hell do you know about my people and whether they deserve to have their voices heard, like ill tell you if they should have their voices heard. Russians had a lot of reasons to be angry. That fall it was announced that putin would run for president again, for a third time. That meant he could potentially rule russia until 2024. People said oh, my god, im going to die with this guy in power. A few months later, the elections for russias parliament were a farce. We do have serious concerns about the conduct of the elections. Hillary clinton called out the election, really. I dont think she realized quite how badly that was going to go down. With his back against the wall, putin turned the tables. He blamed the protests on Hillary Clinton. Claiming that she was the one who incited them with her complaints about the election. There are growing restrictions on the exercise of fundamental rights. Quoteunquote, she sent a signal, that was his word. Putins strategy propelled him to victory. In march 2012, he won reelection handily. Fighting back tears after a tense fight to maintain his power. He may have won the day. Hillary, hillary but Vladimir Putin never forgot about the woman who kicked him when he was down. Do you think he resolved, you indicated my election. I think thats the line of thinking that led him to the intervention. Im totally convinced that russians were meddling and intervening covertly. U. S. Intelligence concluded that putin personally ordered a campaign to influence the American Election, in part because he holds a grudge for clintons comments in 2011. The other accusation putin had denied that russia was hacking the democrats. Translator i dont know anything about that. You know how many hackers there are today. Its an extremely difficult thing to check. The russians allegedly focussed their attack on a particularly weak target. The Democratic National committee. You could have broken into the dnc with a can opener. This took less work to get into the dncs Computer System than it took the watergate burglars to get into the dnc offices back during the nixon campaign. More than 1900 emails released. In the middle of a tight race, embarrassing emails mysteriously leaked from the Clinton Campaign were all over the news. Wikileaks has announced the Clinton Campaign knows donald trump was delighted by clintons misfortunes. Russia, if youre listening, i hope youre able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing. Donald j. Trump will become the 45th president of the United States, defeating in the end, americas election went putins way. I just received a call from secretary clinton. Hillary clinton was quite negative about our country and her attitude. It wont be bad to get along with russia, right . It wouldnt be bad. And to the contrary, the other candidate, donald trump, was saying that we have to find some understanding. When people like me, i like them. Even putin. Whom would you like better . This is not the outcome we wanted. Hillary clinton suffered one of the most shocking defeats in american history. I know how disappointed you feel, because i feel it too. At least in part some observers say because of the alleged hacking operation. This is painful, and it will be for a long time. Putin had apparently avenged his old grudge. So help me god. Congratulations, mr. President. And he may have achieved even more. The 45th president of the United States. If donald trump is in some way compromised. If the russian government has something that it feels it has on him in terms of leverage, thats a very serious thing. I dont suggest for a second that i have the answer to this question, but we cant just let this matter drop. Up next. A Prominent Russian opposition figure has been shot and killed. Hit him in the back. Right out in the open. Just blocks from the kremlin. The story Vladimir Putin might want the world to forget. vo do not go gentle into that good night, old age should burn and rave at close of day; rage, rage against the dying of the light. Do not go gentle into that good night. Hes a nascar champion whos shes a worldclass swimmer whos stared down the best in her sport. But for both of them, the most challenging opponent was. Pe blood clots in my lung. It was really scary. A dvt in my leg. I had to learn all i could to help protect myself. My doctor and i choose xarelto® xarelto®. To help keep me protected. Xarelto® is a latestgeneration blood thinner. Thats proven to treat and reduce the risk of dvt and pe blood clots from happening again. In clinical studies, almost 98 of patients on xarelto® did not experience another dvt or pe. Heres how xarelto works. Xarelto® works differently. Warfarin interferes with at least six bloodclotting factors. Xarelto® is selective. Targeting just one critical factor, interacting with less of your bodys natural bloodclotting function. Dont stop taking xarelto® without talking to your doctor as this may increase risk of blood clots. While taking, you may bruise more easily, or take longer for bleeding to stop. It may increase your risk of bleeding if you take certain medicines. Xarelto® can cause serious, and in rare cases, fatal bleeding. Get help right away for unexpected bleeding, unusual bruising, or tingling. If youve had spinal anesthesia, watch for back pain or any nerve or musclerelated signs or symptoms. Do not take xarelto® if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. Tell your doctor before all planned medical or dental procedures and before starting xarelto® about any conditions, such as kidney, liver, or bleeding problems. Youve got to learn all you can. To help protect yourself from dvt and pe blood clots. Talk to your doctor about xarelto®. Theres more to know. The dinosaurs extinction. Got you outnumbered. Dont listen to them. Not appropriate. Now im mashing these potatoes with my stick of butter. Why dont you sit over here. Something for everyone is awesome. Find your awesome with the Xfinity Stream app. More to stream to every screen. February 27, 2015. Nearly midnight. A man and woman walk across the bridge right next to the kremlin. A highlymonitored area, littered with surveillance cameras. All those cameras, but amazingly, this grainy, faraway video is the only footage that exists of a critical moment in recent russian history. Inside the circle of what a russian tv station claims is Boris Nemtsov and his girlfriend. He was the wellknown Opposition Leader who led the protests in 2011. While this snowplow hides the two from cameras view, nemtsov was killed, shot four times in the back. A Prominent Russian opposition figure has been killed. Four shots, in the back. Just blocks from the kremlin. So who murdered Boris Nemtsov . Vladimir putin condemned the killing, calling it shameful and impudent. In the meantime, doubts remain. The assassination was extremely professional. Reporter a russianborn journalist says that only one group could be that professional. His girlfriend he was walking with didnt realize he had been shot until the car was driving off. It was quick and professional, and nobody has that kind of training outside the government. Senator john mccain takes it one step further. Vladimir putin is a thug and a murderer and killer. And a kgb agent. He had Boris Nemtsov killed in the shadow of the kremlin. This is lousy behavior. Its nonsense, its nonsense. Theres nothing to comment on. Over the course of putins time in power, his regime has been accused of deaths of many of its critics, including a journalist and former kgb agent. Theres not a single thing to sustain these allegations, but they take on a folklorish reality. It may stem in part from the evidence that nemtsov had been accumulating against the president. Nemtsov was about to reveal information that would prove russias involvement in the conflict in ukraine. That ukraine report was released a few months after nemtsovs murder. But there was an earlier nemtsov report published in 2012 that also was embarrassing for putin. It claimed the president had 43 planes, 15 helicopters and four yachts at his disposal. Including one super yacht. Then there are the palaces. Nemtsovs report says there were 20 president ial palaces available to putin at any time. One of the palaces, known in the press simply as putins palace, was said to be worth 1 billion. This is not true. This is actually perverted reality. His spokesperson says every world leader, especially a Nuclear World power like russia or the United States has access to stateowned homes, planes and helicopters that are safe and have secure communications. Of course he uses this vehicle, this plane, this residences, but its not his property. The rumors about his wealth, the rumors about the palaces has nothing to do with reality. Just, just lies. The rumors of putins wealth . Well, some of them are simply staggering. And some people including myself believe hes the richest man in the world or one of the richest men in the world. He was once the largest foreign investor in russia. Now hes one of Vladimir Putins toughest critics. We talked in 2015. You really think putin is the richest man in the world . I really think that. And im not just saying that crazily. Estimated net worth . 200 billion. I believe its 200 billion. That would make putin almost two and a half times wealthier than the man forbes says is the worlds wealthiest, bill gates. All these accusations about billions and billions of dollars of his fortune, this is not true. Dont believe in them. Hes got nothing. Hes got what he writes in his personal financial declaration every year. Putins most recent financial declaration says that he personally owns less than half an acre of land, a roughly 900 square foot apartment and a 200 square foot garage in which maybe he puts the vehicle listed in that document, a vintage russian sedan, a 4x4 and a trailer like this one. The document does not say how much putin has in the bank or in investments. Adam szubin talked to the bbc. Im not in a position to give you figures, but what i can say is three supposedly draws a state salary of Something Like 110,000 a year. That is not an accurate statement of the mans wealth. But if putin was getting rich, he surely wasnt the only one in russia. Take this statistic. In 1996, when putin had just moved to moscow and begun his climb to the top, there were no billionaires in all of russia. By 2014, russia had 111 billionaires, according to forbes. And while moscow now has multiple bentley dealerships to satisfy its bevy of billionaires, the average wage in russia is less than 450 a month. Thats lower than the average wage in china. Vladimir putin but despite all the allegations, despite all the accusations, the fact remains, Vladimir Putin is remarkably popular in russia. Why . Well tell you when we come back. Be taken care of. Home, car, Life Insurance obviously, ohhh. But with added touches you cant get everywhere else, like claim free rewards. Or safe driving bonus checks. Oh yes. Even a claim satisfaction guaranteeeeeeeeeee in means Protection Plus unique extras only from an expert allstate agent. Its good to be in, good hands. I am totally blind. I lost my sight in afghanistan. If youre totally blind, you may also be struggling with non24. Calling 8448442424. Or visit my24info. Com. Dont let dust and allergens and lifes beautiful moments. Flonase allergy relief delivers more complete relief. Flonase helps block 6 key inflammatory substances that cause all your symptoms, including nasal congestion and itchy, watery eyes. Flonase is an allergy nasal spray that works even beyond the nose. So you can enjoy every beautiful moment to the fullest. Flonase. 61 changes everything. Not just the automobile, f tomorrow will transform but mobility itself. An autonomousthinking vehicle protecting those inside and out. And its the mercedesbenz of today that will help us get there. The 2017 eclass, with innovations no car has offered before. And that will change driving forever after. Lease the e300 for 549 a month at your local mercedesbenz dealer. Mercedesbenz. The best or nothing. Youthats why you drink ensure. Sidelined. With 9 grams of protein and 26 vitamins and minerals. For the strength and energy to get back to doing. What you love. Ensure. Always be you. But when we brought our daughter home, that was it. Now i have nicoderm cq. The nicoderm cq patch with unique extended release Technology Helps prevent your urge to smoke all day. Its the best thing that ever happened to me. Every great why needs a great how. The most powerful man in the world is also the most popular. Vladimir putin Vladimir PutinsApproval Ratings have soared as high as 86 in recent years. Consider that american president s are happy when they break the 50 mark. How has he done it . Partly, its the cult of putin. He has mastered the art of the manly photo op. He rides horseback bare chested, finds ancient treasures under water, rides a submarine to the bottom of the black sea, flies planes, fights forest fires. A middleaged leader riding around shirtless on a horse like conan the barbarian after a dozen donuts. He thinks this looks good. Everything we find ridiculous about Vladimir Putin is very appealing in a media universe that he controls absolutely. Perhaps the foundation of the putin juggernaut is a political truism no matter where you live. Its the economy, stupid. After the chaotic years of Boris Yeltsin, putin stepped in and stabilized the country, and he rode the wave of ever rising oil prices, which translated into rising wages and soaring stock indices. Then in late 2014, the party stopped. Oil prices slumped. And soon after came western economic sanctions. Vladimir putin had navigated hard times well. He had slashed social spending, implemented an austerity program. Allowed the ruble to fall and the bank kept it in check. The outward seeming ethic of wealth looks closer to dubai add to the economics, putins secret sauce, nationalism. It surged in 2014 after an invasion that shocked the world. Bigger nations must not be allowed to bully the small. Vladmir putin grabbed a piece of ukraine for russia. The west was horrified. Thats the sort of thing that hitler did in the 1930s. We thought those days were gone. It all looked very different through russian eyes. I have never met a russian who accepted the notion of ukraine as a totally separate state. This resented it not russians. They see it as a revival of deep sense of power and national destiny. Putin has given them their pride back. Russia is once again a great power. Pew above all of national power. Putin might say he has made russia great again. Sound familiar . We will make America Great again. Usa, usa. Like putin, trump has used nationalism to boost his support. Many believe that donald trump is no Vladmir Putin. Putin is a much more practiced, subtle, cunning player. Hes playing in poker terms a couple of deuces at the highest level. Hes reasserted russia on the world stage from a position of relative weakness like nobody i can think of. Thats an amazing feat of geopolitics. Tmobile one save you hundreds a year. Right now get two lines of data for 100 dollars. With taxes and fees included. Thats right 2 unlimited lines for just 100 bucks. All in. And right now, pair up those two lines with two free Samsung Galaxy s7 when you switch. Yup free. So switch and save hundreds when you go all unlimited with tmobile. Its the simple things in life that mean the most. Boost® simply complete™. No artificial flavors, colors or sweeteners, plus 10 grams of protein and 25 vitamins minerals. It doesnt get better than this. Boost® simply complete™. With 9 lobster dishes. Est is back try succulent new lobster mix match or see how sweet a lobster lovers dream can be. Theres something for everyone and everyones invited. So come in soon. Including the fullsized introducingsprintercedesbenz family of vans. And the midsized metris. If these are your wingtips. If this is your gourmet latte. Then these are your vans. Vans for professionals. Strictly professionals. Best commercial van residual value according to alg and starting at just 25,995. Mercedesbenz. Vans. Born to run. Finally, here are my thoughts on he who we have called the most powerful man in the world. The United States and china are more powerful countries than russia but the power of a head of state is determined by the countrys strength and the capacity he or she has to exercise that power yunilatera unilaterally, unconstrained by other parties or forces. Combining those two metrics, its easy to see why Vladmir Putin rises to the top. He is created what he calls a vertical of power unlike any we have seen in other great nations. As the russian chest grand master has noted, himself a harsh critic of putin, the entire structure of russian Political Authority rests on one man. When the czar died, you knew the process by which his son would be elevated. When the general secretary of the soviet communist party rise, they would select his successor. When putin dies, i almost said if. What will happen . No one knows. To understand putin, you have to understand russia. The last hundred years have seen the fall of czar, the great depression, world war ii with its tens of millions of russian dead, totalitarian brutality, the collapse of communist, the break up of the soviet union and then comes Vladmir Putin who ushers in almost two decades of stability and in popular perception, rising standards of living and increasing prominence and respect in the world. Respect is important. Russians have immense national pride. Russia is the largest country on the planet. 48 times larger than germany. It encompasses 11 time zones and straddles europe, yaz aasia and middle east. Its also rich country. Culturally its often thought of itself as the third rome preserving christianity even as rome fell to the barbarians. Putin understands russia. He also understands the world. Hes not foolish enough to make a frontal assault on america or europe. He knows how to use power asymmetrically with cyber tools. He understands the vulnerabilities of free societies, the internal divisions and discord and gaping openness. He understand the fragility of constitutions like the European Union and nato and ideas like integration and diversity. In other words, Vladmir Putin understands us very well. The question is do we, does donald trump really understand him . Thnchts is o this is our weekly look at the story behind the story. Todays show is coming to you live from los angeles. Were talking about the political world thats stranger than fiction. The truth dead . Ill talk to nancy gibbs about her latest cover story and about when to Say Something is a lie. The President Trump making podcasts great again