The highest court in the u. S. Amy Coney Barretts confirmation cements a conservative majority in the chamber also coming up. Tough new restrictions look likely in germany as a new covert 19 and faction so war chancellor america is reportedly considering drastic measures to slow the spread of the virus. And well take a look at the Game Changing discovery that could transform space travel scientists confirmed there is all lot more water on the moon than anyone thought. Welcome to the show. The United States senate has confirmed any Coney Barrett as the 115th u. S. Supreme Court Justice locking in a conservative majority for years to come. Republicans won the vote 52 to 48 after overcoming efforts from the democrats to slow the confirmation down until after the election tony barrett was President Trumps pick to fill the vacancy left by the late liberal Justice Ruth Bader ginsburg the vote secures a 6 to 3 conservative majority on the court but tension the opening a new era of rulings on abortion l. G. B. T. Q. Rights and health care in the u. S. Lets take a closer look at the woman who is dividing opinions across america. From the moment president presented to Supreme Court nominee amy barrett has been one of the u. S. Elections main figures. The 48 year old catholic and former law professor has publicly opposed abortion and says the constitution shouldnt be reinterpreted the Senate Confirmation hearings parents said she believed judges should stay out of politics. Judges cant just wake up one day and say i have an agenda i like guns i hate guns i like abortion and i hate abortion and walk and like a royal queen and impose their will on the world you have to wait for cases and controversies switches the language of the constitution to wind their way through the process democrats worry kone pirates would rule against the Affordable Care act report the Signature Health insurance reform bill and that she could hand trump another term if the Supreme Court decides the election. Under questioning by senators can only parents refused to reveal her views on major issues. And do you believe that Climate Change is happening and its threatening the air we breathe and the water we drink and i will not do that it will not express a view on a matter of Public Policy especially one that is politically controversial because thats inconsistent with the judicial role as i have explained opponents argue thats just shouldnt be appointed so close to an election. This vacancy should not be filled in tow we have a new president progressives who are fired up by kone parents domination could shift the Supremes Court in a conservative direction for a generation which is exactly what a conservative supporters hope for republicans have now filled 6 of the courts 9 Lifetime Health seats confirmed as a supreme Court Justice will likely influence u. S. Politics for decades to come. Here for more lets bring in w. Washington correspondent stephanie stephon Senate Republicans have confirmed amy kone barrett as expected and in record time democrats trying to delay the vote and have called this the quote last gasp of a Desperate Party but does this successful move really improve the president s odds on election day. A. Very very good question a very complicated question and its not easy to answer it is possible that it helps him a little bit but on the other hand it was a promise by the president from 2016 that he will stack the courts throughout the land and all courts not just the Supreme Court with conservative judges Mitch Mcconnell has helped him with this 220 conservative judges all through the federal courts all over the country are appointed were appointed by the senate or and nominated by donald trump 3 justices miss barrett is the last one so this is a political success and for the president however will it translate in more votes for him come november 3rd that is questionable why because 60000000. 00 plus people already have voted and other other topics besides a conservative court were republicans always wanted and stand for are really at the meat here and that is coronavirus coronavirus coronavirus and the economy there is now as 6 to 3 conservative majority on the Supreme Court thats the most significant ideological shift n. Some 30 years so what does that mean for the american people. Well that means that exactly as you said theres a could turn a conservative its not supposed to be but the conservatives slide into the. Into direction of republicans and conservatism in the United StatesSupreme Court and maybe country why because it has really actually. It has a result if you have a conservative court predominately conservative court for example Voting Rights abortion rights and health care Affordable Care act obamacare these are all top topics which are which will be if not slug already in being in front of the Supreme Court will be there shortly and then the court has to decide now the only chance the only chance for democrats to swing this round is to go called the court that means put extend the number of of the justices at the court from 9 to lets say 11 or 12 or 13 but thats very unlikely actually we just heard it in the report there is a lot of speculation about how the Supreme Court might deal with president trying challenging the results of the upcoming election the u. S. Supreme court is supposed to be above politics so how justified are concerns about the Supreme Court helping the president hold on to power despite a defeat. I think this is one scenario and it has a little bit ring of doomsday with it of course so i think we should all cool down a little bit and see it for what it is the democrats win this fair and square here then with votes and they will be all counted and regularly counted there wont be any foul play in any big way i am sure of this and then since its usually the agencies and departments you government taking care of that this is not going to happen read despite all the rhetoric from from President Trump so if this is going to happen and biden wins the election then i think the president will. Do what is in the constitution and will concede at some point now however the scenario youre referring to is that he says well you know its very very tied we dont know about the count really and how much how much your problems were with the count and then go bring this case towards the coach to its the court and i dont think that even a freshly appointed justice at the Supreme Court will do anything politically motivated just to keep donald trump in power i dont think that we are at that point here in the United States of america yet all right stephanie wants and washington thank you very much. Here in germany chancellor Angela Merkel has called an emergency meeting with leaders of the 16 regional states in the hope of slowing runaway infections tough new restrictions are likely to focus on closing bars and restaurants and canceling Public Events cases in germany have almost doubled within a week. German officials are worried about the latest numbers coming from the countrys Public Health institute daily infections have reached new highs and there are more than 250 hotspots nationwide germany last weekend also exceeded the grim milestone of 10000. 00 coronavirus deaths now these numbers have led chancellor merkels conservative c. D. U. Party to postpone a pivotal Party Conference the goal of the conference which was supposed to be held at the beginning of december was to appoint a new party leader who would then be in the running to become the conservative chancellor candidate in the 2021 election while her Party Debates the future the chancellor has continued to focus on the pandemic she has repeatedly told citizens to stay at home whenever possible and she did so again at the weekend. The isnt the rules we are not powerless against the virus our behavior decided to the extent to which in the speed at which the virus spreads and the order of the day for all of us is to reduce contact and meet far fewer people mention of. German officials recently announced new measures against the virus they include limiting private gatherings and wearing face masks on busy streets its really safer for me its obvious with the high numbers we have i myself had coronavirus and i know what im talking about we all have to protect each other now. We must ask does not stop air assaults you can talk about wearing them indoors but outside its total rubbish. Both on the streets and among politicians there is a growing debate about germanys course of action. As the country grapples with a serious 2nd wave of the coronavirus pandemic. Lets take a look at some other stories making news around the world. Democrats have put off choosing a new party leader the new leader of the c. D. U. Would be in a strong position to succeed merkel as chancellor next fall but the Party Conference planned for this election has been put off because of the pandemic British Police have arrested 7 men suspected of trying to hijack an oil tanker in the English Channel special forces were called in when the ship began moving a radically the captain says the men thought to be stowaways from mine from nigeria turned violent. Workers and students and roos have gone on strike to press their demands for democratic reforms and the resignation of president aleksander local go the strike raises the pressure on the question go who claim to have won a disputed election in august thousands of people have been taking to the streets every weekend since then to demand his step down. Thousands of students took to the streets early on monday in front of the State University in minsk day one of the oppositions new call for a general strike i dont want to live in fear says design protesters feel intimidated by the riot police who made numerous arrests. Many workers in state owned enterprises joined the general strike images from the tractor factory and a plant for special vehicles. Joined us they chanted to their colleagues much of the machinery stopped running thousands of people gathered again on the streets of minsk on monday afternoon flying the flag of the opposition. On her web site opposition leaders. Called on workers to fight for a peaceful future. She witnessed me doing it but. This is just the start of a general strike that will continue of this i am certain every one of us must now decide for themselves how much responsibility they want to take on. This. Russian state Television InterviewPublic Enterprise workers who are not taking part in the strike that we must feed our families send this man on his way to work rather than to the pick up behind us. Now to some good news for all those dreaming about one day setting up camp on the moon nasa Scientists Say they found clear evidence that there is more water on the lunar surface than anyone previously suspected new Research Suggests that future explorers wont have to venture to the moons polar regions in search of Life Sustaining water. More water on the moon yes life no thats what nassau announced that he Video Press Conference scientists there said they found more water on the moon than they ever thought before but they shot down the idea that that would mean the moon could harbor life. The discovery of more water on the moon was confirmed by technology from its flying lab the stratospheric observatory for infrared astronomy known also by its acronym sophia the scientists said that the deposits are at least partly the result of meteors that carried water and that crashed on the surface of the moon the impact caused rock to melt and form glass beads and trapping the water thus allowing it to survive on the moons harsh surface more water bearing beads might also be buried deeper nasa also said that there is perhaps more water hidden in the form of ice patches located in permanent shadows of the moon one of the nasa scientists said that its not a lot of water the amount is equal to 1300. 00 milliliter bottle of water per cubic meter another said that the water doesnt mean that there could be life on the moon because you need more than water to ensure the conditions for life oh. Well. Well. What will. However scientists did say that if they can eventually extract enough water from the moon it could eliminate the need to bring water on Space Missions water is very heavy and takes up a lot of room room that could be used for other purposes. Only it is live from berlin and come from expense for watching. In mexico many forces also turn up in the us climb a tree because the store basis my place it went from just one week. Can really get. We still have time to ask im going. To assess. The gnomish me and my name is michelle and munched i mean im a father of 2 children because i was diagnosed with cancer i wrote about my 3 year old 2 weeks later my life looked radically different has never been the same sorts of. Even 2 rounds of chemotherapy couldnt treat mikhails aggressive cancer only hong let. Me try to sell foods if left untreated i would die in 2 or 3 months at best. So its incredibly serious clear. His my last hope is a gene therapy with cancer killing cells such as kim mariah from nova artist with a price tag of 370000 swiss francs and camera is just the beginning of a new drug lets turn it was injected into his mind 850000. 00 gens its now the most expensive drug on earth price tag of 1000000. 00 how willing are society to bear the costs of withholding i want to let someone die to save money because their. Power at these prices calculated it all. Pharmaceutical companies sound the market to determine what can they get half of it and where the limousines actually need the full. Would Health InsuranceCompanies Pay these record prices. But 4370000 francs thats a lot of money and they cant afford it was what can you do. Its tricky its hard to tell what the future has in store. All you want were going to get this cancer. Lets hope so. Make a home and has a rare and aggressive form of lymph node cancer his crooked mouth also comes from the disease. His last hope is kim riaa a completely new treatment just approved last fall. Samples are taken of the patients own immune cells and these are sent to a novara just laboratory in the us there are the cells are genetically modified and reprogrammed into cancer killing cells. After being multiplied and frozen these cells are sent back to switzerland. The patient receives the killer cells in one single infusion with a price tag of 370000 swiss francs according to the novara just catalogue. It remains unclear whether the Health Insurance companies will pay for camera they have joined together to negotiate a discount. Unless you have eyes and i wait for the insurer hazel and where i negotiate contracts with the pharmaceutical industry were currently negotiating the price of kim rai with no volatile on. The price is too much she says partly because it is unclear what long term effects can royal will have and whether the cancer will return. Official and it isnt quite clear to us how the price came about we didnt receive any cost breakdown and dont know why the price is so high its all that its good now is all. The Pharma Companies provide that gonski formally and there is no formula as to how to price prices down ive never seen the mean this and i think they try to start with as high priced as possible because in the end it always gets negotiated. The highly monolithic 1st price they set is just a starting place its off its a real problem if you ask me i couldnt tell you what we can do about it cause in it. They discussed whether Health Insurers should pay. Only in the event of success but what is success when it comes to cancer theres no solution in sight and for the time being every insurer is deciding for themselves. Making on launch times low cost of sure to pre refuses to pay for q mariah the benefits are not clear enough they say. The house to be honest i was furious as well because this stinks of incompetence. In the end its like the wild west of here would you please like that those who can afford treatment so the ones who get a chance to have. And for others its not clear whether they can pay its 2 Tier Health Care yes. Mchales relatives want to fund the treatment themselves but the hospital is demanding half a 1000000 francs as security. After a camera infusion some patients reactions require transfer to the intensive care unit to leave because the goblet is kindly willing to give 850000 franc advance on her inheritance. For petes script also you know the meter so im also getting an advance on an inheritance. When my brother spot their houses they got their share and i havent needed it so far so but soca want it now id like to use it for this and its also cool. Its usually its not me cupboard i was except a cd to get it really touched me that a lot of people i know are ready to give 10000 francs if it will help saying they know it isnt much so that. There are a lot of kind people like that and it really touches down the hall who benefits because everyone realizes that in the worst Case Scenario the money will simply be going to fall out and in the very worst case it wont even have done any good to fall. According to nova artist one and a half years after treatment 40 percent of patients like nick i almost died and still have cancer. Thats a start but could it be better. Youre not doing your job or typically those made of course exceed what the drug im currently on had a 20 percent chance of success. In the south was good there were days when i thought thats it as he gets older. I could only hope my final hours would go quickly told us this done i didnt want my family to have to watch forever this out and for me to be a never ending with a work out committee and i didnt want to lie around like a vegetable on drugs all strogatz with the dudes shook musique in the dog. About a dozen Cancer Patients cannot be treated due to the price dispute critics might claim the Health Insurers are at fault with terminally ill patients running out of time and dying while negotiations my gone with no bar to see the full your theres this level of need the thought of but thats not the case we all share the responsibility because we have yet to find a solution to this all around less than ideal situation policy but so. Mikhail monch times family has scraped together half a 1000000 francs he is the 1st lymphatic cancer patient in switzerland to receive ken ryan. The border. Mikhail has a muenster taken from him that will be shipped by plane to the us where they will be converted into cancer killing cells referred to as carty cells. Will the treatment work. Cancer is growing so every day counts. Instead of me and it takes a while for the cells to be produced in a best Case Scenario it will be 4 weeks but it may take a little longer since so many products are sent in the high concept of that im called to. Get it but i do ensure the funds are available to go come to ny about as prepared to issue a Bank Guarantee that i and we are supposed to deposit everything into a special escrow account that spec heres dan c. Well make sure its not touched but this way we can proceed with treatment by their father murphy earlier lymph node. It. Was a pro. Moved through Clinical Trials funded by novara. Goodman to see here i can feel at least 2. Experts criticize the fact that the effect of can riaa has been tested on less than 100 patients worldwide the follow a period was less than 2 years and can royal was not compared to an existing treatment so the long term effects remain unknown this criticism generally holds true for other trials on barrier diseases. But naturally Patients Want the treatment as soon as possible and the companies present the Study Results as positively as they can says antonio. This is how this is the case everywhere and its intuitive although there have also been studies with carty cells that have to be aborted because test subjects were dying and there were too many side effects up or and. Because that went out isnt that crazy. As i will say yes but were also talking about patients who would otherwise die along with other can competent diseases thats. A world has gotten impatient and our patients have to were not just going to say to them lets wait 5 years and all thats the problem its walking a muffin fiamma thats is thats popping. The trial with these deaths didnt concern novartis which conducted follow up studies on safety and efficacy and basically what do you say about no vargass price as it was our suit in price i find the prices in general to be staggering in many areas if you need it and not just those of novartis. Or and these prices are completely nontransparent to patients and to us doctors or its. Someone enabling all. All of this to go on because there are vested interests and none so there are reasons why they want to be on the companys good solid thats pushed into interestingly to whom theyre stacking the whole months if not then failing which then measure their wives stand off because they could also produce in india or china can afford c. And so it means jobs in Basel Alberts thats an its the jobs of course i did if you look at switzerland for example it doesnt have much industry but it does boast a few of the worlds most important pharmaceutical companies a 55 i can sell it. At no fortresses plant in the town of dine in argos switzerland we meet with the head of cell and gene therapy in europe a month away in australia. So this will be. This will be a key site for us. They avoid talking about numbers here but Cancer Patients expect a price discount if the transport costs to the us are eliminated. No says mr austin me because the production side doesnt affect the price it is the value of gene therapy that is relevant meaning a prolonged life. This is a paradigm shift because the pharmaceutical industry used to justify its prices with High Research costs. The principle of value based prices is wrong Health Insurers say because a human life is ultimately priceless and they estimate that premiums will rise by more than 10 percent over 10 years due to the cost of medicines. And youre not afraid that the Health Care System could break if you continue like this. No im not afraid i think we can find the solutions we are open to take the resources the kinds were open to take risks with with our stakeholders to make sure that we can bring the therapies the patients. The pharmaceutical industry calls this risk sharing with those insured bearing part of the risk including the risk for camera which was not even invented by no bar to small. These cancer killing cells trace their origins back to the university of pennsylvania and this is far from an isolated case with more than 60 percent of newly approved drugs in the us not stemming from pharmaceutical companies that. Are me professor of the universe there pennsylvania my team invented. In 2465 years old but ive been working on the. 1992. Carl june was named one of the worlds 100 most influential people by Time Magazine in 2018 reversed actually tested this in patients ready yet factual because they have lost to the virus many of their own t. Cells. 2 years later my wife died of Ovarian Cancer in 2001 and so i really needed to move from the to do really all cancer or. At the time however he did not receive a dollar from the pharmaceutical industry because the treatment initially only worked on mice but not human its ok were were we know for sure is that the. Fun day in essential way was essential to make a new industry so to have philanthropy at the governments of