Lawyers have concluded their 1st day of opening arguments in the Senate impeachment trial insisting that the Democrats are trying to overturn the results of the 2016 election and that the investigations of Mr Trump's dealings with Ukraine have not been a fact finding mission but a politically motivated effort to force him out of the White House we get a report from a peace agreement Ghani over the 1st hour of a rare Saturday Senate session the lawyers focused on what they say was the president appropriately urging Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden the president did absolutely nothing wrong the president did absolutely nothing wrong the evidence is actually really overwhelming. That the president did nothing wrong the trouble team says House prosecutors spent 3 days holding back he evidence that asking the Senate to do what it's never done remove the president from office and they're asking you to do it with no evidence White House counsel bad civil Loney's as Democrats are trying to overturn the 2016 election and keep the president from being reelected Saager made Dani at the White House in Turkey emergency officials today said the death toll from yesterday's earthquake that rocked eastern Turkey has climbed to 21 with more than a 1000 people injured rescue workers continue searching for dozens of victims believed to be buried under the rubble of collapsed buildings and below freezing temperatures mosques schools sports halls and student dormitories were open for help from hundreds of people who fled their homes after the quake some people are living in tents the Turkish president wretch up tie up her to want is accusing Libyan militia leader General Holly for huffed are of violating a cease fire agreement but despite deploying Turkish forces to back the Libyan government of national accord observe a suggester to one seems to be increasingly looking to diplomacy rather than force after us forces controlled most of Libya in its war against the United Nations recognized government in Tripoli More news at the only news dot com from Washington this is v.o.a. News health authorities in the United States are closely watching for new signs of the sometimes deadly corona virus in China the death toll stands at 41 with nearly 1300 confirmed cases spread across the country 15 medical workers are among those who have been infected one Chinese doctor has died 2 cases of the virus have been identified here in the u.s. a Woman in her sixty's is hospitalized in suburban Chicago Dr Stuart Marcus is with the Senate Alexius Medical Center patient arrived on Monday evening and the patient was appropriately treated patient had a mask placed and was asked if appropriate screening questions and we determine that there was a history that the police the patient had traveled through the. Region of China in the Chinese city of New Han where it's believed the new virus originated authorities have tightened emergency rules to deal with the crisis with air and rail service in and out of 2 Han already shut down today most vehicles including private cars have been ordered out of the downtown area state media say that only authorized vehicles carrying assess ADIZ would be allowed access to the city center Meanwhile the Chinese semi autonomous territory of Hong Kong which is at 5 coronavirus cases the highest state of emergency has been declared the Pentagon has revised upward the number of u.s. Troops diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries or concussions after this week's Iran missile attacks on 2 Iraqi military bases earlier this month initially reporting no injuries the Pentagon later said there had been 11 soldiers hurt that figure now stands at $34.00. You know Australia the bodies of 3 American firefighters who died aboard a crashed tanker plane have been recovered along with the cockpit voice recorder this as their grieving families arrived in Sydney Australia they pieced Charles a dozen reports in Macbeth pull Clyde Hudson and Rick the Morgan died when a c 130 Hercules tanker crashed on this day off dumping 5 retardant out of control blaze northeast of the town of Cooma in southern New South Wales the device the records the last 2 hours of any coke that conversation as well as the 3 bodies has not been retrieved from the still active. Officials say the Americans relatives will be offered an opportunity to visit the hillside crash site I'm Shell's to live in csma once again our top story this hour u.s. President Donald Trump's lawyers have concluded their 1st day of opening arguments in a Senate impeachment trial insisting that the Democrats are trying to overturn the results of the 2016 election and that the investigations of Mr Trump's dealings with Ukraine have not been a fact finding mission but a politically motivated effort to force him out of the White House more news at the u.n. News dot com Gene Randall v.o.a. News. From Washington the away present issues in the news. Welcome to issues in a new on the panel this week the hall t.c. Foreign affairs correspondent for Politico Richard Lodge in dress correspondent for the t.v. a New valve on the job and a moderate who is a famous school in Washington correspondent on 24 news. Welcome everyone I'm shameless Dylan and here are the issues we're going to cover impeachment the trial against u.s. President gets underway for only the 3rd time in American history and peace in the Middle East the White House is finally expected to roll out their big peace plan Hi guys nice to see you not all Richard lovely to have you here on a cold wintry day I see we've got to start with impeachment obviously that is the biggest news of the week I will start with you know how it's been a long week it feels like this week has been a month but what stood out to you in several days of impeachment coverage Well obviously the thing about the milk right I mean the fact that the senators are only allowed 2 things that they can drink and these proceedings and that's water and milk I have a slightly kidding know what stood out to me I guess I would say that Adam shifts opening presentation really was scathing and harsh and eloquent to the point where even Lindsey Graham a staunch Republican defender of President Tropp told him he did a good job and isn't it interesting because Adam Schiff tends to rub Republicans the wrong way but he got praise from that's right I mean even the ones who you already know they're going to vote to not convict President Trump they think that he was pretty good out there and now that being said yeah he apparently recently said that he feels like he's introducing himself to a bunch of senators and one of the most interesting things that somebody said was just in a my. Asked the now independent former Republican who does support impeaching Trump and he said that he feels like this whole week like people like shift and others who have been laying out the case that he said that he's pretty sure many of his Republican colleagues that it's the 1st time they've actually listened right because he's the basic facts because everybody is watching News from their preferred cable network Richard and by the way to to point about the milk in the water I actually I was in the Senate chamber yesterday watching from the president Larry and there were several senators chewing gum furiously So I think I might be a loophole here something I don't actually eat sushi if did a really good job I think even Republicans are saying that but there was a misstep in the beginning a misstep with Jerry not lawyer who attacked Republican senators who were voting with the Democrats on some of the amendments to the ground rules and he said the fact that they're not voting with the Democrats on those they're engaging in a cover up and that seemed to offend even the moderates that the Democrats are trying to reach out to trying to convince So do you think that hurt the Democrats cause Well I think that obviously it shocked even the chief justice John Roberts who's presiding over the session I think in the end I believe it will have this impact of just solo the firing the Republican position that what is presented is fundamentally biased it's interesting to me that as much as what stood out was how strong Adam Shift initial presentation was I was not surprised but I I am not sure that this way of hammering every details that we heard last fall during the House hearings will have a the impact the or the outcome they expect from the Republican senator So to answer your question I feel that during Adler's comment Harden what was already a not very open receptive audience on the Republican side and add to this even if Adam Schiff said there's a method to our madness when he was gone. Going back to every small details of what we heard last fall I have the impression it's just going to take the last bit of openness or the locals the last aspect of openness from the Republicans to any way of considering this impeachment these impeachment arguments yes so it's not as if they were he was speaking to necessarily a very welcoming Republican audience but it did it did annoy Lisa Lisa Murkowski is one of the moderate Republicans look the senators look pretty bored even the Democrats it's the same point almost being hammered as you said over and over and over again and now the Democrats also know that at the end of this he's going to be acquitted I mean Trump is going to be acquitted barring some bombshell and even if there is a bombshell likely Republicans will stick with the president so why go through all of this this might sound crazy go for it and I'm I'm not saying that this is definitely what they're doing but look maybe they just are thinking about the history books and doing the right thing and getting this on the record you know yeah they're hammering every detail but that goes into the Congressional Record and one day in the future people are going to look back at this crazy day and age and want to know exactly how it went and so maybe that's that's one thing they're thinking and you know they're also they're also no doubt thinking about their own base and their own political futures and November and so you know I'm sure that there are plenty of people who find this whole thing boring that it doesn't have enough to zags or whatever but there are others who are riveted I was in a cab the other night and I was at the driver was listening to the impeachment proceedings and I was like wow you're really listening to that and he said Well yeah because in my country we don't have this sort of thing and I was like What are you talking about his eye and he was from China and he was just saying he's an asylum seeker here and he was saying that they just don't have the sort of open system they don't have this type of thing where you can find out what these lawmakers are thinking and to him it was just fascinating and so that kind of was a reminder to me that. Didn't get so worked up about things like because I was I think also I believe just the way you're implying a how that in the future maybe even shorter short term it'll be a way to go back to the so-called moderates on the Republican side and say Ok we had a strong case and still you could not acknowledge anything you voted like a sheep with all the other ones with the line that came from the White House or the Republican leadership I think it's going to be something that will come up could be next election could be in 2 years and a half from now so I think that's one thing however just to to add to the comment of your driver I worried that the Noffs of Americans over there are also trying to reach by again really explaining what they found out of the hearings in the house I think it's just going to be perceived as I've been afraid it's going to be perceived as the Democrats getting into the smallest little thing trying to find something even if they present this as a major threat to the Constitution of the country the security of the country it's going to be I'm afraid when you get so into the details it's going to be seen as they were looking at every possible way to go after this president who in the end was elected which brings us to the Republican defense they are challenging the result of the 2016 action not sure that it's going to be the famous Obama electorate moving to do trump side you don't think this is going to convince some of the American public that's watching and it is interesting because they have to speak both sides really have to speak but more the Democrats because they are prosecuting they have to speak to so many different audiences like nomination they have to speak to the history books to how this is perceived years from now they also have to speak to moderate Republicans and they have to speak to the American public and of course on Saturday when they wrap up the Republicans get their chance the president's legal team gets their chance to defend the president what is their defense going to be in a while back. Well I think a lot of it's going to be about process about claiming that this whole situation has been unfair the Democrats haven't really given a chance for Trump and his supporters to present their case although there's some irony with that and you know that they're going to basically claim that there's a number of things well for one thing they'll say like even if this happened it's not a big enough deal to remove a president from office especially so close to an election I mean there's a number of defenses that they're going to run through but I do think it's really important to remember that you know when you were talking about why are the Democrats getting into the weeds and I think it's partly because one of the Republican defenses so far when they go out and they talk to reporters they're like we're not hearing anything new there's nothing bad there's nothing there and so the Democrats are trying to say look like here are like 50 things we've laid out how can you say there's nothing there but I do think that there's nothing there is definitely going to be an ongoing defense of the Republicans now what's the irony the irony is that they have voted against or tried to stop the introduction of additional evidence and there's a lot of science that they're not going to stand up for the ability to call witnesses witnesses that President Trump himself has blocked from testifying and so the question then is if you guys want more details why don't you allow these witnesses to come and what are you afraid of right and that is what Chuck Schumer has been saying again and again in front of the cameras Chuck Schumer loves to talk in front of cameras but this is his perfect way to do it he has a good reason to now politicians love Doc and kids like a sunflower press the sun and it really does glow but what is one of the arguments also that you have been hearing from the legal team and on this matter of witnesses is and really this to this 2nd article of impeachment which is struction of Congress is that there was an obstruction of Congress because the House Democrats didn't exhaust every option they did not go to the courts to subpoena the witnesses these witnesses like John Bolton so why should the Senate. Due their job for them and I think it's a strong argument if even if we go with the Democrats saying well if we had gone to courts it would have extended the entire process probably over the 2020 presidential election that's probably true but in the end it's easy to make this even simplified argument of saying well the minute of the Senate is to consider what came out of the House impeachment inquiry I do not judge the quality of whatever was done and not done from the house but they can easily limit whatever they say on this point so that's why again I think the obstruction of justice is a Congress yes a structure of Congress is going to be an interesting argument to defend in front of the senators because it's perceived as the weakest of the 2 article of it of impeachment I believe that the defense starting on Saturday and the president to tornadoes are going to say that they're going to try to diminish the value of the entire process and minimize the strength of the whole thing by saying even in the house the didn't go after this we can say that the courts would have extended the end I think but in the end it's easy to understand I think just to go back to what I was trying to except to say about getting into the nitty gritty of the inquiry and the happen in the House is that I do certain moment people want to a summary Ok so what is the main thing I feel that the way the president's defense is going to come out is to say listen this is a simple as this he's doing his job they're trying to stop him from doing his job that was the president way of behaving is a perch or better is a different type of political leader and I think if not everybody definitely not on the Democratic side but the electorate Republican electorate will exactly understand what they want to hear live easy so it's much easier for them to have a simple sound bites because they can just say all of this is you know nonsense the president and that's nothing wrong and the Democrats are out to get the president but the Democrats actually. Have to present all of this evidence which can get repetitive but I want to zoom out for a minute now since you are a foreign affairs correspondent This involves another country but 2 countries really Ukraine and Russia how do you think they're perceiving all of this well I think the Ukrainians are extremely concerned about the long term damage it's going to do to their relationship with the United States they already have been worried I mean their government is pretty young it's trying to root out corruption and it really relies heavily on hundreds of millions of dollars and financial assistance that the u.s. Provides to fight Russia and so they're concerned I think the Russians are probably delighting in the chaos that this is causing this that's always what they delight in is cast in the United States All right let us go to break when we come back we're going to dig into impeachment and peace plan which is not complicated at all art We'll see you on the other side of the break issues in the news is coming to you from the Voice of America in Washington and if you would like to download the program it's free on i Tunes Just click on the i Tunes tab on our website at v.o.a. News dot com While you're there check out our other programs Press Conference USA and encounter also visit us on Facebook and to leave a comment or 2 then like us at current affairs with Carol Castillo Now back to our panel now Paul to see foreign affairs correspondent for Politico Richard Martin dress correspondent for t.v. a New Bell Canada and our moderator. Washington correspondent for 24 news. Ok we are back not all Richard No I just I stopped you really in the middle of your point on Russia and Ukraine so before we get to the peace plan if you want to continue that thought that was basically I mean just this this idea that you know the Russians are going to delight in the chaos at the same time you know if the Republicans are making the argument that now is not the time to remove a president from office so close to an auction you could argue that on a. Geo political front that's a good point right I mean if you keep the president in office like the Republicans want that does to some degree add a measure of stability and that could throw other countries like the Russians off their game a tad if he if present trends Textron not to mention that President Trump is reelected as many other countries believe he will be you report for Canada Richard how are the Canadians viewing this how is the rest of the world other than Ukraine and Russia viewing this I think they're very much interested in the outcome of this impeachment trial do people in Canada in particular remember perfectly well