hundred percent growth but that's what i do is i do things struck her tray shots that was chance response to allegations of russian meddling in the presidential election also coming up on the show can germany and turkey patch up a damaged relationship the two countries top diplomats hold talks on a long list of thorny issues from migration to tear to the disputed arrests of german citizens. i'm michel henry good to have you with us. a day after an explosive book about donald trump's presidency at bookstores he stepped up attacks on the book's claims trump said the book called fire and fury was a work of fiction and that its author had never stepped foot inside the oval office trump was speaking from the presidential retreat camp david after meetings with republican congressional leaders the book that questions donald trump's fitness for office seems to be doubling in its impact and largely things to the us president himself trying fall out of his series of early morning tweets defending his mental capacities as not just smart but genius and a very stable genius at that later at this hastily called press conference at camp david the republicans hope to talk property priorities instead came questions on those tweets and the book everyone in washington is talking about i consider it a work of fiction. i think it's a disgrace it's always good to. have so in terms of the way. to the scriptures that was. very helpful you would have things like that happen we can say whatever comes to your head which is. the way this is never a ten year old swede who would have you at the book is speaking on n.b.c. the book's author michael wolff said he'd had far reaching access inside the u.s. center of power and white house reporters have supported his account interview questions over trump's mental stability and nothing new has been mounting over the course of his first year in office now it's emerged a professor of psychiatry at yale university briefed some members of congress on the president's mental health late last year she told the wy. now what we're saying on that metric in the office of the presidency is a danger to national and international security we're trying to educate the public about the finding of. security who are about to do an. evaluation as more copies a fire in theory cell trump is said to be frustrated that the issue of his mental fitness is gaining traction. for more now i'm joined by detailed discussion phenomena at our washington studio carsten many trump critics are lauding this book by michael wolff but just how much substance is there to it well i would be careful to believe everything that is written in the book because michael wolff himself says that lots of times there are conflicting versions off what really happened and he sometimes given them both or sometimes he settling on one version but there is a lot of hearsay involved it would be particularly careful when it comes to donald trump's family and private conversations because then very often it is someone who was there talks to a friend who then talks to michael wolf having said that when it comes to the parts where he describes in the workings of the early trump ministration and the chaos and dysfunction in the white house that seems pretty accurate or at least credible because it goes along with a lot of other reports from colleagues from what we have heard so that seems pretty credible and let's not forget that he really had a lot of excess michael was at least in the beginning of the white house that didn't seem to be a clio although or it wasn't clear who had the authority to say who is there and who is not so he was sitting there like a fly on the wall and he could watch what was going on. and trunk fired back with a tweet saying that he thought he would qualify not as smart but it sheen yes how is that tweet going john and the us and our people there taking it seriously well there will be those people who say well there's this just donald trump being donald trump and many of his supporters probably was saying anyway that this book is a fabrication and just another attempt to take him down but the fact that we are discussing this right now and that these tweets are coming is confirmation for many of his opponents obviously how insecure and on hinge this president really is in their view and my bottom line is this is really not good for the political system and for democracy in the u.s. because they have always been people coming forward every now and then saying going to trump is. he's crazy unfit for office but these were more individual tax and now we have a broad discussion over the question of whether this president is really dangerous and that's bad for the office of the president in general. carsten phenomena in washington d.c. thank you very much so one north korean athletes take part in the winter olympics next month and south korea both countries have agreed to discuss the question next tuesday it could pave the way for north korean athletes to attend the upcoming games they'll be the first formal talks between the north and south in over two years. the host city for the winter olympics is just eighty kilometers from the de-militarized zone that separates the two countries. on the ninth of january officials from both sides will meet at the truce village of pine wood and join in twenty fourteen the two nations were able to reach an agreement here ahead of the asian games in incheon with north korean athletes crossing the border to take part . and it looks as though another deal could be on the cards according to the country's i.o.c. delegate speaking at beijing airport china said that north korean participation will probably happen there's even a possibility of the two countries marching under the same flag as they did at the two thousand and three university summer games in south korea while some experts and officials have gone as far as to suggest that they could even compete as a single nation. on thursday the presidents of south korea and the united states agree to postpone their joint military exercises during the olympics paving the way for north korean participation by next week north and south korea may well have settled on a deal that could see sport replace military tensions at least for a short while. relations between germany and turkey have been strained since the felt coup against turkey's president or the one that now they look like they could finally be thawing the nato allies have pledged to improve times after germany's foreign minister zick mark gabrielle invited mr bush counterpart medlock of the shoulder to his home town of goslar here's more. germany in taki scene trip struck a new year's resolution to improve ties after years of escalating tensions the mood here was cordell takis foreign minister emphasizing a hope for progress. that yes there are differences. there have been problems even tensions and escalations. but we all agree and have the shared desire to overcome these tensions and differences through dialogue. the only. touring gap players hometown the two men discussed how to steer relations onto a better course in these historic streets they focused on their country's shared experiences and common ties the flag waving crowds a reminder that some three million people of turkish origin live in germany those citizens as well as mutual economic interests forming some of the incentives to thaw relations. fun for i believe we have the responsibility to find a way to get along. that's do to our historical legacy and the wishes of our citizens. we must not forget that. we've both made it our business to do everything we can to overcome the difficulties that have been in german turkish relations. about as both men have conceded key differences remain particularly over the case of denis usual he's one of several german and german tactician nationals in detention in turkey for what beilin calls political reasons reports suggest gabble had made his release a precondition for restarting arms sales to turkey gobbler now denies this though he did say the case came up in talks. now to some of the other stories making news around the world. in syria at least seventeen civilians have been killed and sixty injured in airstrikes on of rebel held area near damascus that's according to the syrian observatory for human rights the region one of the last remaining opposition strongholds in the country is the target of almost daily air rights where the syrian government and russia. thousands of government supporters have held rallies across iran for a fourth day state television showed protesters with an iranian flags and chanting slogans against the u.s. and israel the rallies are response to a way of anti-government protests broke out at the end of december. the leader of germany's free democrats has defended his decision to not join a governing coalition with merkel conservatives and the greens christian linder described the move as a constructive no and accused merkel of governing without ambition for germany. orthodox christians around the world have been celebrating christmas on the face of the epitome january sixth is said to be the day on which the three kings arrived in bethlehem but it's also the date on which john the baptist baptized jesus christ which is why christians in some countries marked the day with watery events. cells and stuck to the chilly waters across bulgaria in a traditional epiphany ritual the priest throws a cross into the water to symbolize the baptism of christ but retrieving the cross brings the swimmer good luck for the year ahead. of the christian faiths observe appear to need to recall the legend of the three wise men who followed us to find the infant jesus in germany children dressed as the three kings of orient and go door to door singing collecting money for charity not even germany's president could escape. the feast of the epiphany falls on the same day as the start of the orthodox christmas at the vatican pope francis marked the catholic festival and also reached out to orthodox christians. some eastern churches catholic and orthodox are celebrating christmas today. may this glorious celebration be a source of new spiritual vigor and of communion among us christians who recognize him as lord and savior. based in churches elaborate of the day with parades and religious services in music like here in croatia. and in serbia. and in ukraine. barcelona have made the biggest sign in a football skirt transfer window by signing liverpool midfielder felipe. the deal to bring the brazilian to catalonia is reportedly worth one hundred sixty million euros continue spent just fought under five years at liverpool scoring fifty four goals for you conclude. he's long been billed as a replacement for his countryman neymar who left barcelona last summer. a ski jump in just four hills tournament has come to a close in austria with one name on everybody's lips kamil stalk was untouchable over the first three stages and with the overall victory almost in the bag he had a record in his sights of bishops' often he was hoping to become just the second man to win all four events let's find out if he managed it. head and shoulders above the competition reigning champion and olympic gold medalist kamlesh doc was king of the four hills again after winning the first three stages the pole was equally impressive in bishops' often he said the longest distance in the first round and held his nerve on his final jump to ensure victory again. that gave him the grand slam and kept one of the most dominant for his performances in years. it was really good competition for me the chance wasn't perfect today but i did my best and can i say thank you for one team team colleagues team coaches because they they've been working so hard and i'm really appreciate them after germany's best type is a card writer crashed out of the tournament in the third stage is countrymen and there's bellinger stepped up with a strong performance to claim second place for the tournament. he was followed in third by norway's and does fine and the. u.s. space pioneer john young has died at the age of eighty seven as commander of the apollo sixteen mission he became the ninth person to walk on the moon he also commanded the first space shuttle mission when young retired in two thousand and four he had visited space six times and was the only astronaut to have taken part in all of nasa space programs. thanks for watching i'm michelle henry in berlin see you at the top of the hour. meet the germans new and surprising new aspects of noise and culture in germany. u.s. american kate moos takes a look at germany distinguished.