Understand what's happening there and it helps us predict what's happening in the future find out what that vessel will do in the Arctic and Antarctic You're listening to the b.b.c. World Service live from n.p.r. News in Washington I'm Jim Kane Washington is gearing up for another day of intense scrutiny of President Trump's dealings with Ukraine following the release of notes from a July phone call between Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart showing Trump pressing Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden and his son critics have charged the president was withholding aid to Ukraine while asking for that investigation but Trump says he was blocking the aid over concern that Ukraine wasn't doing enough to fight corruption now n.p.r. News has obtained documentation showing the Pentagon notified Congress in May that Ukraine had done enough to receive the aid N.P.R.'s David Well the reports President Trump's professed concerns about corruption in Ukraine are undercut by a letter sent by the Pentagon to Congress 4 months ago in an undersecretary of defense for policy John Rood informs lawmakers that he has quote certified that the government of Ukraine has taken substantial actions to make defense institutional reforms for the purpose of decreasing corruption and increasing accountability that certification is required by law for aid to go to Ukraine still the White House waited until mid September to release those funds Trump has denied withholding that money in order to pressure Ukrainian president follow Demers Olinsky to investigate Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden David Wolman n.p.r. News Washington this morning attention turns to acting director of National Intelligence Joseph McGuire who testifies on Capitol Hill N.P.R.'s Brian Naylor says questions will focus on a whistle blower's complaint about President Trump's conversation with Ukraine's president McGuire is scheduled to testify twice once in an open hearing before the House Intelligence Committee and later behind closed doors to the Senate Intel panel and he will undoubtedly be asked about a whistle blower's complaint against President Trump the whistleblower reportedly raised concerns over President Trump's interactions with the president of Ukraine why. Had refused to transmit it earlier despite a legal requirement that he do so Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warned the United Nations Wednesday that the Middle East is on the edge of collapse and a single blunder could fuel a big fire Linda Vesuvio reports the speech came one day after President Trump described Iran as one of the greatest security threats in the world in a speech Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that security in the Middle East could only occur if the u.s. Withdraws from the region he also accused the u.s. Of engaging in what he called economic terrorism against his country and reiterated that Iran would not engage in diplomatic talks unless American sanctions are lifted 1st earlier he rejected talks with the u.s. In New York which France had been working to arrange but Rouhani also appeared to leave the door open for future talks with the u.s. Foreign p.r. Newsman to see them in New York and from washing Washington you're listening to n.p.r. News. Income inequality in the u.s. Got worse between 20172018 that's according to the latest reports from the u.s. Census Bureau the bureau says the gap between rich and poor has been rising steadily over the past 5 decades the owners of a Spanish food company have been arrested for their alleged role in Spain's largest outbreak of listeriosis an infection caused by the listeria bacteria more than 200 people were infected 3 died and 6 suffered miscarriages who see a benefit it says more the 3 men representing the Seville based company names might go to these are facing several charges including involuntary manslaughter and crimes against health the listeriosis outbreak began mid August and authorities have traced it to a chilled roasted pork meat product sold by the company investigators say the men were aware several months ago that their facilities were contaminated with the bacteria list area which causes the stereo says they did nothing about it for n.p.r. News. This embedded in Britain's House of Commons Speaker John Bercow is calling on members of Parliament to stop treating each other as enemies the speakers plea for civility comes just one day after tempers flared between Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his opponents parliament had just reconvened after the u.k. Supreme Court ruled that Johnson had suspended it illegally after a positive close on Wall Street yesterday shares are up on European markets today and futures are up as well I'm Jim Kane n.p.r. News in Washington support for n.p.r. Comes from n.p.r. Stations other contributors include a move offering premium business cards post cards and other print products for businesses with customizable designs think papers and a selection of custom finishes like gold for you find out more at mu dot com. You're listening to the news room on the b.b.c. World Service with me Tom McCloud just to reiterate that breaking news we heard a moment ago the former French President Jacques Chirac has died he served as both President of France and Prime Minister the Prime Ministership from 194976 and then again in 1906 until 1988 before then becoming president between 195 and 2007 reflect on his political life in a few moments here on the news for him but to one of our top stories today and senior members of Congress have now had the chance to examine a whistle blower's complaint which is central to an impeachment inquiry against President Trump that centers on a phone conversation in which Mr Trump allegedly put pressure on the president of Ukraine to investigate the Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his son Mr Biden has said a rough transcript of the conversation which was released yesterday showed Mr Trump had betrayed his oath of office but Mark when Mullen a Republican congressman said it revealed very little and there's nothing there if this is what Speaker Pelosi is basing her whole impeachment proceedings on them and she she's swimming and still water because it's not going to go anywhere. Well the president's most senior intelligence official Joseph McGuire is due to give evidence to the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee later today when he'll come under pressure from Democrats to publish the full whistleblower complaint but away from Washington what the voters think about all these developments in the run up to next year's election these people in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania if their reaction to news of the impeachment proceedings. Like the idea that troll is. Like trying to get someone else investigator. He hired permissions and kind of can get different things that you know you or I would be able to get away with I mean I don't know that actual law is behind it it just seems like not straightforward or appropriate our public official I just think was probably you know more political conversation and I don't think there was any a malicious intent behind it it's just another attempt on the part of the Democrats to perpetrate through one or more pain and turmoil because they lost the last election while our correspondent David Willis told us more about the information that has been released so far there's a crucial point in the rough transcript it's a summation of a 30 minute conversation between Donald Trump and Mrs Alinsky and it comes that point when Mr Trump asks for a favor and he urges Mrs Alinsky to talk to the u.s. Attorney General William Barr and his Donald Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani about a potential corruption investigation linked to the family of Joe Biden there's a lot of talk about Biden's son the Biden stopped the prosecution reads the rough transcript so what ever you can do with the attorney general would be great now there's no explicit quid pro quo no unless you give us the we won't give you aid money and so on but one should bear in mind that at the time that that conversation took place the white. Was sitting on nearly $400000000.00 in aid to Ukraine which was eventually paid but it took several weeks before that happened the Republicans have said that this is all the nonsense a hoax echoing the comments of Donald Trump and they say there is no there there no explicit quid pro quo and therefore it's just there's no evidence of a smoking gun but the Democrats say that doesn't need to be an explicit quid pro quo that Murray fact that hundreds of millions of dollars in aid money being put on hold at the time they say makes it a classic mobster style shakedown the friend was implied if not explicit David Willis reporting there the New South Wales has become the latest and final Australian state to decriminalize abortion below 22 weeks the bill overturns a 119 year old law which has been criticized by opponents as archaic the legislation had generated weeks of heated debate and it deeply divided the state's conservative government but the New South Wales premier Gladys Berejiklian said that there had been widespread support for this change of law the very important Mastani South Wales were the last state to pass that in whatever form it was can't carry you know honestly in the Lower House and that's what this is about conscience rights should bring people together why should feel free to express their views and that's what happened on the line now is our correspondent in Sydney Phil bursar Phil welcome what exactly are the terms of this new legislation that. Well it's a complex piece of legislation finally approved by both of the houses of the New South Wales State Parliament the upper and lower chambers it makes it legal for terminations to be conducted up to $22.00 weeks gestation or later if 2 specialist doctors agree all terminations after 22 weeks must be performed in a public hospital here in New South Wales there are other provisions it will be a crime punishable by 2 years in prison so either force or prevent a woman from having an abortion and also there's an amendment attached to this new legislation that deems the government must draw guidelines to prevent sex selection abortions taking place that is people deciding to abort a fetus if they don't want to have a boy or a girl referenda on abortion is changing the law and abortions are always very emotive debates how has it been in Australia. Fractious emotional and heated I think is the best way to describe the debate here in New South Wales this bill was introduced to the State Parliament in July so for the best part of 2 months we've had very emotional protests by both sides of the argument outside the gates of the state parliament inside it's been a deeply divisive issue as well it has split the major parties it has caused a serious rift within the governing center right government here in New South Wales almost stripping away its very slim majority nor makers of to tread a very delicate line with balancing their own views and their and the views of the community as well so in the end it has been praised by campaigners as a massive step forward for women Phil thank you let's return to our breaking news to report to you at the start of the program that the former French President Jacques Chirac has died at the age of 86 Mr Chirac was president of France from 1995 until 2007 after a long political career in which he served as mayor of Paris and twice as Prime Minister our Paris correspondent Lucy Williams and looks back at his life Jacques Chirac was a president who embodied France in all its contradictions nicknamed the bulldozer for his early political ambition he won the presidency on his 3rd attempt promising to heal what he called the social fracture in France his determination to protect the interests of French farmers often led to turn 16 inches with British Prime Ministers as he opposed reforms of the common agricultural policy while insisting that the British budget rebate had to go to this issue goes on to shotgun let's assume that everybody will make an effort on this this all affects the degree of support we can have for the now outdated British rebate in the district with Mr Chirac was a president who enjoyed the company of his vote. It is and was at home in the tastes and traditions of rural France he rose quickly becoming prime minister for the 1st time at the age of 41 and spent almost 2 decades as mayor of Paris before entering the Ellie's a palace in 1905 his presidency began in bullish mood as he outraged world opinion by testing nuclear weapons in the South Pacific then in 1908 he reveled in the reflected glory of France's victory in football's World Cup after a difficult 1st term in 2002 he ran for election again beating the far right candidate John Murray Lappin in the 2nd round of voting a year later his popularity at home briefly soared as he led opposition to the war in Iraq Michigan but we are. Sure. Then that the Kimosabe on the ark. By force or go to tax your mortgage free fall of the National 3. Yet he was also accused of prefer ing to grandstand on the world stage then deal with pressing domestic issues after 10 years in office unemployment in France remains chronically high and the social divides he promised to heal seemed as gaping as ever he was labeled a political chameleon a liar and the weathervane for his shifting policies and political loyalties on leaving office he was found guilty of corruption during his time as mayor of Paris and was given a suspended prison sentence. Critics said he failed to prepare France for the challenges of the 21st century but many here remember him with great affection both for his personal charm and for the way he projected France on the international stage Lucy Williams and there reflecting on the life of Jacques Chirac listening to b.b.c. World Service Here's David with a reminder of our headlines the acting u.s. Intelligence chief will testify to Congress shortly on claims that President Trump abused his power to seek incriminating information from Ukraine on his presidential rival Joe Biden the former president of France Jacques Chirac has died at the age of 86 and the speaker of the British House of Commons says the atmosphere in Parliament over Bracks it is the most toxic he's seen in decades David thank you let's get a bit more on that now the prime minister Boris Johnson has been urged by a number of M.P.'s to moderate his language after unprecedented scenes of anger in Parliament yesterday M.P.'s had returned to Westminster after the Supreme Court ruled Mr Johnson suspension of Parliament was unlawful some had expected the prime minister to be contrite but instead he went on the attack and said the court was wrong and blamed M.P.'s for the delay in bricks that he accused his opponents of surrender sabotage and humbug or lies or false hood the grandson of Winston Churchill Nicholas Soames you know sets as an independent m.p. Said that the tone was worrying I despair to be frank I have grown up in a house where I believe the job of the prime minister even under very difficult circumstances is to try to bring the country together and what the prime minister did yesterday was to drive it further apart it's already split the country split families and this is not the way to carry on our public debate. On the line no is our political correspondent Rob Watson Rob How widespread is the anger towards the prime minister. I think it's very widespread it's not just in the opposition party it's in his own party as well Tom you heard from Nicholas Soames there who was until recently a conservative m.p. And goodness gracious the son of Winston Churchill but someone who was recently in the cabinet when call Amber Rudd described his approach as dangerous and this honest it is very widespread and what he's being accused of essential is of using the kind of language was which is not only polarizing I mean goodness we already know that Britain is very polarized over breakfast but actually words like betrayal trees and surrender which encourage or came in courage political violence I mean given the Supreme Court's judgment earlier this week he could've done one of 2 things he could have been more Molly and about what happened to be chosen it seems to double down on his opposition to the Supreme Court and opposition M.P.'s What is his thinking about why is he doing that I think you're absolutely right he did face that choice and you're also absolutely right he's decided absolutely no humility no apology no resignation and is doubling down on Bracks I think is strategy is simply a populist one and his calculation it as that to fire up the 17400000 people who voted leave and to say Parliament is your enemy it's parliament it's the opposition parties you standing in the way of Bracks that vote for me and I think the pitch is a simple as that now you may consider it somewhat unwise you might consider that won't work but I don't think there's any doubt that's what his pitchers and he's given up all hope of somehow bringing the 2 sides together what do we think might happen next question then I think it's more of the same. There's going to be more bitterness more division more polarized nation I think the key thing to look out for is you know can Mr Johnson get a deal with the European Union in even if he can after the sort of the scenes that we saw yesterday selling at the Parliament I would have thought would be immensely difficult. And which case the big question in British politics becomes Can M.P.'s block him from leaving the European Union without a deal as as the law now suggests or is he really determined to go ahead Robinson thank you in other news in just under 3 hours from now a research ship named after one of the world's most famous naturalists will be unveiled as a shipyard near Liverpool it's hoped that the rule research ship served a bit out and will transform how scientists can work in the Arctic and Antarctic our science correspondent Jonathan Amos is at the dockyard in Birkenhead Jonathan welcome tell us what that ship looks like this is the looks pretty spectacular of this morning Tom I must say a mass of red and white the red obviously important because it's going to go where it's icy and it'll stand out 130 meters long 15000 gross tons a mass of cranes and Hell it pads and places to launch drones and robotic vehicles that go under the water to investigate the science that needs to be done in the far north and the far south and very soon we'll have the duke and the Duchess of Cambridge come here with so they've to officially name this ship they are asked the role research ship to David Attenborough to tell us a bit more about why it's important bishop and some of the science that it's going to try and undertake. 2 reasons why the u.k. Needs needs a new research ship for polar regions one is quite a present one actually one that is that it's existing polar fleet which consists of 2 vessels is very old the 2 of them together of propped up something like 50 years of service so they need a modern up to date vessel and the Attenborough will be that he will obviously also this is the 2nd reason of course the the big international report that came out from scientists yesterday looking at the oceans in the frozen regions of earth and explaining that the melting in the Arctic and the Antarctic is now accelerating and that is pushing up sea level. The job of this will be to go to the Arctic and the Antarctic essentially to find out how much how fast you know that's how much ice is going to melt how quickly I'm pushing up sea levels this is Jane Francis who's the director of the British Antarctic Survey the oceans is taking up a lot of carbon dioxide in a lot of the hate generating for. Change and we don't really know where it's going in the ocean how it's happening and particularly in the Southern Ocean which is really big deep ocean around Antarctica and that's really critical to understanding how the whole climate system operates and the ship is going to help to understand what's happening to the big. Which we know are beginning to. Job but he won't do it immediately because. It's not quite ready yet this. Needs to be done within the next few weeks to test the systems then it'll go into the sea to begin trials and also go up to the Arctic is supposed to be. Able to plow through. And not be damaged to do that 1st to establish that it does meet the specifications and then it'll. Probably go down to the Antarctic about this time next year briefly Jonathan is there any disappointment but it's not called. Yeah I mean for those who didn't catch the story there was an online public poll looking for a name for this people suggested. And then ministers stepped in said Ok the joke's over we're going to call it something. Will launch robotic submarines. And they will be called. Wonderful Jonathan thank you for being there and Birkenhead for us here's David with some other stories from our New. Desk at least 30 people are feared to have died following a landslide a gold mine in Chad close to the border with Libya the charity and defense minister . Says the mine you need to best the region caved in early on Tuesday news of the accident has taken some time to emerge because of the remoteness of the area and the state of emergency that's in place due to insecurity the area where the accident happened has very little government presence is largely lawless and is home to many illegal gold mines the French news agency a.f.p. Is reporting that suppliers of the aerospace company have been hit by a series of cyber attacks security sources involved in the investigation is quoted as saying that there have been 4 such incidents in the past 12 months and the Australian tennis player Nick Curiosus been fined and given a suspended 16 week ban following an investigation into his on court behavior officials say the suspect should would be lifted at the end of a 6 month probationary period if the 24 year old complies with several conditions David thank you for us drone attacks on Islamic state targets air strikes and fighting on the outskirts of Tripoli the u.n. Warning that progress to achieving peace and stability to end the civil war are shattered this is the reality of life in Libya today our correspondent Orla Guerin who's in Tripoli described what she's been seeing we were on the frontlines in April not long after the conflict began and we've been back there again in recent days and I have to say that the front lines have not moved much there's basically a military stalemate at the southern edge of Tripoli since April general healthy for half an hour his power base is in the east has been trying to bridge the southern defenses of the city and battle his way in and take over Tripoli and indeed from there or take over control of all of Libya he has been unable to do that so far the forces that are in support of the u.n. . Back to government have been able to hold off this offensive certainly in the last few days it's been obvious that there has been an uptick in the tempo of the battle you hear a lot of explosions this morning we heard a particularly loud buying it was clearly an air strike and we understand that the target once again was the international airport which is not functioning it has been out of action since the beginning of the month now it seems pretty clear that is trying to gain whatever advantage he can on the ground to make as much headway as he can before a peace conference that's been talked about Germany has said it will hold a peace conference which is expected to be next month and of course we are expecting the international community at that stage to press hard for a cease fire so the theory here in Tripoli is that General how things are once again as much ground as they can before any kind of peace talks may be held the United Nations obviously saying that the violence is getting worse part of that is a couple of drone strikes in the last week by the United States against the Islamic State in the country bigger problem are I is there you'll remember that Libyan forces made a huge effort to drive by us out of their coastal stronghold and searched a few years back 700 Libyan security officials about that number were lost in the battle it was extremely costly for Libya the fear and doubt that we are hearing from officials on the prediction indeed is that I yes is now taking advantage of a moment of chaos they are regrouping in the desert the general in charge of defending Tripoli said to us Look we used to be able to monitor those desert routes and we used to do that with support from international partners now we count of our eyes in the desert we have to be watching what's taking place in Tripoli obviously the Americans are concerned they have taken action and we have had these 2 drone strikes in a period of a few days the 1st strikes they have carried out this year in the air in speaking to be a bit earlier. Those scientists say that they found evidence suggesting that babies were bottle fed with dairy milk more than 3000 years ago archeologists found traces of animal fats inside ancient clay vessels giving a rare insight into the diets of Bronze and Iron Age infants Dr Julie done that led to the study from the University of Bristol School of chemistry and she describes these clay bottles they're very individual very often shaped like little animals or mythical animals so sometimes they have 2 feet sometimes 4 feet and they have little heads and then they or the featuring common is that they have a spout through which the milk can be circled by the baby so the oldest one we know of is about 7000 years old so that's from the nearly thick in Europe but the ones we tested are little bit younger than that they were around 30000 years old and the reason we particularly looked at those is because they were found in child graves and we really wanted to confirm for an archaeologist context is also we wanted to confirm that those vessels were actually used to feed babies in infants that was Dr Julie done from the University of Bristol School of chemistry You've been listening to the news room from the b.b.c. World Service with me Tom MacLeod thank you for joining us a quick reminder of the top story breaking news in the last half hour or so the former president of France Jacques Chirac has died at the age of 86 Mr Chirac was president of France from 1995 to 2007 during which time he opposed the u.s. Led assault on Iraq. Distribution of the b.b.c. World Service of the u.s. Is based possible by American Public Media producer and distributor of award winning public radio contact a.p.m. American Public Media with support from Babble a language learning app crafted by language specialists and voiced by native speakers using speech recognition technology doubles daily 10 to 15 minute lessons are available online at Babel be a b b L's dot com. Been called ground 0 for the opioid crisis. Has started some programs to help the littlest kids in one elementary school every single kid has been touched by the opioid overdose epidemic you know if we don't give every waking give. A look at the numbers and that's almost like wiping out a whole generation next time here and now it's here and now every Monday through Thursday morning starting at 11 on k c o u. Welcome to assignment on the b.b.c. World Service I'm Jane chambers and this week's program comes from Chitty government investigation is looking into why thousands of babies was stolen from men mothers and sent abroad for adoption the. Military dictatorship it's gathering evidence from judges social workers medical staff nuns who over. A mothers have been reunited with children they were told with day that's assignment tufted the. B.b.c. News with David Austin the former president of France Jacques Chirac has died aged 86 Mr Chirac led the country from 1905 to 2007 during which time he opposed the u.s. Led assault on Iraq abolished compulsory military service and took his country into the single European currency during a long career Mr Chirac also served as the French prime minister in 2011 he was convicted of corruption relating to his time as mayor of Paris the most senior u.s. Intelligence official is due to speak publicly for the 1st time about concerns raised by a whistleblower which prompted an impeachment inquiry against President Trump Joseph Maguire is expected to be asked to explain why he withheld for weeks concerns raised by an intelligence official about a phone conversation between Mr Trump and the Ukrainian president the speaker of the House of Commons in London has appealed for M.P.'s to treat each other as his opponents are not enemies to a bad tempered Bracks a debate in parliament the speaker John Boehner said there'd been a toxic atmosphere in Parliament on Wednesday worse than any he'd seen in 2 decades as an m.p. Hong Kong's leaders are part of face public questions as officials try to quell anger over the Beijing Beijing's increasing control tens of thousands of people applied to take part in the forum at least 30 people are feared to have died following a landslide a gold mine in Chad close to the border with Libya the Chaldean defense minister Mohammed a body seller says that the mine at Cree booty in the to best the region caved in early on Tuesday. The Australian tennis star Nick Kiryas has been given a suspended 16 week ban for verbal abuse at has been fined $25000.00 and those are the latest stories from b.b.c. News. It was something I was want to do I want to meet her in person to be with her to see or smile or. Be my biggest dream. Backman has spent decades looking for his mother. I always want to tell her after all these years I've been fine. Great my mom and me took care of me and I'm sure she'd been wondering all this years to be looked at for me. Months is one of some 20000 children who were adopted by foreign couples from Chile during the military dictatorship of General Pinochet in the 1970 s. And eighty's I'm Jane Cheney welcome to assignment on the b.b.c. Well. It's an issue that's me making headlines here a government investigation started last year because there's growing evidence to show many of these overseas adoptions were illegal a special place unit was created a few months ago to cope with all the mothers coming forward around Chile to try and find out what happened to their babies I've been following months case since the start of the year as he's looking for his birth mother and I want to try to make sense of what happened to him thousands about the families when I met them on . The air driving round the countryside near to move there are lots of indigenous Muppet communities here yes it's a very poor area and we know now that these villages are where a lot of the children were taken him at the last case what. They said which means children of mothers of silence it's a group of volunteers who help mothers and children to find each other many of them approaches the largest Indigenous community in Chile which makes up around 7 point . 5 percent of the 17000000 population they often live in poverty and say that treated like 2nd class citizens deprived of their land in culture and looked down on by the authorities. We drive past bus greenfields full of ginger cows locals mainly live from farming or forestry sheep graze on the right size and horse and cart trots down the street. Where are we we've got a white and green building in front of us which is now used as a local Play Station but this was very different before. That we've come to the old children's home. Which is in a village called. This is a place where a lot of the babies from around this region were sent before they went to Sweden and other countries outside Chile and how did this work. For the one of the ways to do it was for social workers to put pressure on the mothers and make them believe they were too poor to keep the child or they had too many other children already to cope with another one some of them gave up their children voluntarily because they thought they were giving them a better life but many of them were forced into it Sam tell me horrific stories about how they were breastfeeding their baby when it was pulled from their arms mothers in groups like your nets claim that social workers nuns doctors lawyers and international adoption agencies were all involved in a slick operation that fed the international demand for adoptions. A few illegal adoptions happened in the 1960 s. There are records of them in the 1990 s. As well but the peak of it was during the military dictatorship. One of the policies that was introduced during their dictatorship was to eliminate extreme poverty especially amongst children and one of the ways to do that Western courage for a nurse to adopt children children vulnerable mothers would be identified often by social workers who were convinced they were morally justified in forcing the women to give up their babies some of pressurised into signing paperwork they didn't understand were told they were fit to be mothers and then the necessary documents would be signed off for them to leave the country. The climate of fear during General Pinochet is dictated Schip made it hard for the mothers to speak out because. This was not a time when people could blow the whistle many of the mothers were told they would be killed if they carried on searching for their children or going to the courts to ask about them. Really let me say. Here that takes me to a local Indigenous community to meet. And. I'm. Sorry is busy stoking her log fire in a purple flowery apron and no one. Cries when I talk to her it's obvious she's still very upset about what happened when she took her 4 day old baby boy to the hospital in to move in 1908 going to give up the war may. Want to know you're going to get you want your baby to leave the nurse asked to me and he said Of course I want him to leave he's my treasure and she said he needed a practice that the hospital. Took him away from me and said that he needed to see the doctor and I must wait outside and they never brought him back to me I looked all over the hospital and when I went outside I asked a policeman for him to look to me and asked or there doesn't your doctor are going to Your Honor and said. Taras been looking for her son ever since that's more than 30 years and all that's left to remind her of him is that responder was put on him when he was born and her hospital notes about when she was pregnant with him she's convinced he was taken abroad and says a local taxi driver told her about a woman taking a crying baby to the airport to move on the day he was taken with the same distinctive baby blanket she took with her to the hospital. I started to look at my words when when I was 15 years old I guess I was through puberty. Backman is a busy construction manager living and working in Washington d.c. In the u.s. When I spoke to him in the b.b.c. Studio he told me he was taken to Sweden in 1976 when he was 5 weeks old he always knew he was adopted and get some very well with his Swedish parents but he has lots of questions about his past I was question why me. And then from there on always had a curiosity about my background like many other adoptees that were vital pieces of information missing from his paperwork he went back to Chile in 2000 but couldn't find any details about his mother on that visit but finally earlier on this year his Swedish adoption agency centrists a typical with his mother's name on it months got in touch with us a Chilean charity which helps children and mothers to find each other he sent them and a friend who was also helping him his mother's name and quickly got a reply on Wednesday I got a text from her saying she had good and bad news the good news she's be located your mom's address in Santiago the bad news she passed away. 2007. So sad how did you feel when you heard that having seen her name and everything. Still to say makes me show couple but I remember I was so excited and on Monday her name was. A 1000000 Carmen. The whole day I googled her name a researcher name couldn't find her couldn't see or remember I was to work that day was for a lunch time and I had to step out of lot of people are big sites have you and I think skews myself and. And I think I start crying because I was. It was something I've been wanting to my life and I never had a chance to do a ton of stuff this is still tough. But there was more potentially life changing information from loans to last was commerce when they went to his mother's house they discovered she'd spent the last years of her life living with someone who sounds like she could be moans much older big sister but they had to be certain so they decided to do a d.n.a. Test if it's not a match then that kind of start over. It takes a lot of energy to see 2 emotions. And if that's not the case and the number is going to maybe lay low for a while but then and start over again. And go back to my search. Months is due to visit Chile a few days after I talked to him before he does I'm curious to meet the woman who might be his sister 62 year old Mary Elena lives in a working class area of Santiago she is busy getting ready what she describes as her humble home for months is visit she has warm brown eyes and have face lights up when she talks about her mother even. Though But I mean you want to go with any oh she meant everything to me because she was the only thing I had I never had a father and I didn't know the rest of her family because my mother was kicked out when they found out she was pregnant being a single mother was a tough. Time what kind of life did you have what kind of things did she do here that was how I got something. She worked as a cook one of the big houses here. She didn't know how to read or write she was really good at cooking and she would make all the traditional food like chicken casserole and sweet corn pie I mean lived with the families that she worked for and left Mary Elena to be brought up by a friend they didn't realize you had a brother you never ever thought you had a brother not not got some of us a problem and no you never crossed my mind sometimes she would say one day you'll find out something why do you think your mother never told you anything about him. Because from what people have told me about what was happening at the time. Many mothers were tricked into giving up their babies. People took advantage of the fact they couldn't read and write and were poor and pushed them into giving them up or sometimes they told them the baby had died. These life changing discoveries are being made thanks to the work of non-government organizations. And. It's a kind of detective work really an impact of a small town 30 minutes drive from to move with a leafy main square by locals gather to brightly colored woolly hats and a seasonal badge to the N.F.L.'s case explains how they do it. When people come to us the mothers generally have no information about where to look so we get in touch with the local authorities via social networks and the leaders of the indigenous communities sometimes we have cases where the mother didn't even know her child was alive. But this year Sanchez is one of those mothers. In her bungalow on the outskirts of the movie a fluffy gray cat purrs on my knee. In 1977 but to d.c. I was 19 years old when she found out she was pregnant and her boyfriend left her to deal with her on her own she didn't tell her family and came to move her to have the baby. As we see partied she describes how she felt when he was born then we don't need. So going on that fake that he was so handsome little face was perfect any guy would not like some other newborn baby se but is so young like you think he was trying it on me and I didn't let the nurses help it into his nappy. They took him away to do what I thought were some routine checks. I don't remember looking out the window and creating examine and it was raining and then the next thing I remember is I was walking on my own street what do you think happens how can it be that you were suddenly alone in the street without your baby John Russell me come on what. Are ya and says he may not be here don't I thought he must have died but I don't know if they told me that I just thought it would have happened if they said that I gave my baby up for adoption I don't remember that and I know that I never wanted to have him adopted but I had arranged for child care when I started . But speciate think she might have been drugged which is something that many mothers say happened to them she suffered from depression for many years and would wear black in August around the time she'd been in hospital but then suddenly last year something extraordinary happened she found out that her son was actually alive and was searching for her children. I was so shocked I didn't know what to do I said that can't be right if you get He's dead but they said in his speech Bruce and there was a picture of him it was him and when I saw his face I knew it was him I will never forget is focused on Patricia's son Daniel lives in Sweden all his life he thought his mother had abandoned him but now they've been reunited and get on well but Tracy says he's even thinking about coming to live in Chile because that's where he told her he treaty feels at home. On detective work usually culminates in finding someone to blame someone culpable Constance it is the founder of not suppose Commerce the NGO that helped moms track down his mother she works in a tiny busy office in Santiago as part of her attempts to link up families Hogan a zation tracked down a social worker who they think illegally got hold of children and with the help of others sent them out of the country finally we found her here is that there were no house or beautiful house. We tried to make a leg partnership with her without talking about the rights of the to find their biologicals family and everything and finally she will show us lots of files books with names and pictures and everything we came to her with some of the cases help us but finally she started saying I don't want to help you anymore she was a little bit scared Chander so that this could be a very very huge thing against her did yes. Files are currently in the hands of government investigators they're looking at cases from all over Chile which show documents where signatures were forged and names and other information was changed or is missing those implicated in the theft of the children are now dead or very old. This is the legal heart and. I've got the Supreme Court in front of me and in the using grey building with pillows and the Chilean flag hanging off the top I have come to a small block of offices I'm pretty much of the city to meet by me and I say that. My mates a judge of the court of appeals and part of the government investigation he's in charge of working out which of the adoptions were legitimate and which weren't He ushers me into his office with plush red curtains. Now people keep talking about a regular adoption What does that actually mean I mean what what was the problem with these adoptions. This. All the people talk about irregular adoptions in the investigation I have found that the law Chilean children out of a country with a document that awarded them temporary custody I ones they were out of the country they could be legally adopted in the country or they were taken to places like Sweden Italy England or United States. Up until 988 Chilean law stated that adoptions in Chile could only take place 2 years after a child had been living with the family. By awarding temporary custody to foreign adoption agents or parents to be the courts were bypassing this law and abusing the system. They look. At In many cases their mother say that their children were taken away from them against their will or they were even told they were dead it seems amazing that they never asked to see the body but remember these were very poor people who were told that they would be too upset if this sort of body ordered the body was going to be used for medical investigations or they were shown it closed coffin so they didn't make much fuss now the big question is why why was this happening premier or. First of all the law allowed them to because it didn't protect the children enough then they realized they could take advantage of the situation and make money out of it but how were they making money out of it you know get lost city recently of pretty I think that they were offering a service that they could make money out of so now they knew that there were for example Swedish or English parents looking to adopt and they made sure they got those children by whatever means possible because they knew the adoptive parents would pay good money for them in Dollars a lot of people are saying this investigation is taking too long and that people are trying to protect judges who were allegedly involved and that they're not doing enough to bring them to justice how would you respond to that and then also hit on the one your millions your trial these are complaints that were made in 2018 or 2017 I think that we are taking normal amount of time to investigate it that we are dependent on other organizations for information and you have to remember that we're looking into paperwork from 30 or 40 years ago from. Places like hospitals that no longer exist or clinics that burnt down for them and these are archives that have disappeared or that legally they were allowed to get a read of the paperwork so it is very difficult to investigate this but this is a not giving this a Geisha and we're constantly gathering information we're not trying to protect anyone or waiting for people to die so they can't be brought to justice. A big part of the investigation is so that people like Munns can find out the truth about what happened but his priority for now is being reunited with his biological family a few days after I talked to Mons the results of the d.n.a. Test to write and I visit to find out if she really is his big sister if it is a living one I know they say about me that people from North phoned me and said I have some news for you the d.n.a. Test has come through and it's positive. Get it in a must I cried and cried and thought about my mother she would have been so amazed to hear about team she's obviously keen to discuss the news with moans have breath but there's a language barrier that makes phone calls difficult so I offer to his translator. RINGBACK RINGBACK Eyes upon her I once it's Jane here and I'm here with Mary Ellen is there something you'd like to say to her Yes Heather Ok good news today. I'll be Ok. I'll see if there's something she wants to say I lend money thaw. These here get I'm a city man knows. What I want done is she says hello little brother today I heard the news definite definitely brother and sister and I'm really happy and I cried a lot. In the solo show I was I was equally as have been excited and I kind of. Thought so but those nice 100 percent match before come down as well but I'm really really excited I can't wait to see her or family just be part of it build a culture tell us. Get me there were 11 then you're dinner together or just. Life and cry together and so forth you don't need the though you put under the law doesn't love the other. She says thank you very much that will brother I'm waiting for you with. Me. But what about the other side of the story I want to know what month Swedish mother thinks about everything that's going on she lives in a little town in the south of Sweden and when I speak to on a Skype she tells me what. It was like inside child course. Wonderfully he was very easy to to bring up and I'm separated from her husband Emmanuel marriage I was a children. And it was a big. Bother and her ex-husband were told they were adopting a child his mother had given him up for adoption because she had 3 more children and was too poor to cope with him they had no idea there was anything a regular about the adoption more surprised his money. I think it was shocking to me and I was very sad because of Morris I really don't know anything about it no. My connection to Ross has never changed and he will resist I love you is my real mother and I see it in so I'm I think it was very important for him to go to church for he said. Background and I said it suited him and I want him to have some sort of contact is she and family yeah. Adoptees in Sweden a pushing for an investigation into adoption Centron but the Swedish government says they're waiting to see the outcome of the Chilean government investigation in a written statement a spokesperson from adoption Centrum said they're taking the allegations very seriously and they welcome the inquiry made by the Chilean authorities but they stress that it's the country of origin in this case Chile that determines which children are for various reasons available for adoption. Amman's Backman the truth about his past has taken him on an emotional rollercoaster now to Santiago's airport to meet the sister he never knew he had. It's early on Saturday morning and Maria Elena is here with her son Victor anxiously waiting to see the mountains for the 1st time checking out a picture of him on the face so they know how to recognize him how do you feel now the McComas they see and there would. Be 007 very nervous and I just want to Hakim I didn't get much sleep last night. We wait and wait for months to get his luggage and come through customs Finally Victor spots him. Feeling when he says look he's the one in the t. Shirt with short hair. I think. Back about Mary Elena pushes through the crowds and they finally get a hug they've been waiting. For this immunity. For 3 years he. Says we had a long wait for you we were getting really nervous Cratylus and very very strong How was it just arriving just now. Been trying to. Imagine this on a plane coming in. Last hour and I was the go emotional guy star colonel but then I could imagine to be in arms and I was. I saw it from a distance and. I can tell right away it was her and I was there was the best feeling ever this is closest get to something. That's so from this edition of the program I'm changing this to him or from the series to b.b.c. Wild Service dot com slash assignment. From the pollute the studios at California Lutheran University this is listener supported k c l u I Robin Young Ohio's been called ground 0 for the opioid crisis Ruhlman for it has started some programs to help the littlest kids in one elementary school every single kid has been touched by the opioid overdose epidemic you know if we don't give everything that we can give to a look at the numbers and it's almost like wiping out a whole generation next time here and now it's here and now every Monday through Thursday morning starting at 11 on k.c.a.l. You. It's 4 o'clock. Bringing you the sounds and stories of the California coast this is 88.3 k c l u f m and 80000 Oaks 102.3 f.m. 1340 am k.c.a.l. You Santa Barbara and 89.7 k.c.a.l. And key h.d. Sentiment heard on 92 point one in San Luis Obispo We're live on line a key c.l.u. Dot org. Good morning 2 days ago Democrats announced an impeachment inquiry today they call in effect their 1st witness the acting director of national intelligence appears before Congress It's Morning Edition from n.p.r. News.