This is CBS, I on the world. I'm John Bachelor. Reuters Head Live within these last hours.

Reactions to Volkswagen Labor Chief warnings of mass layoffs,

plant closures in Germany.

I welcome Judy Dempsey, a senior scholar for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, she's in Berlin, who last

week alerted me to this story coming, and now it's hit.

Volkswagen is a very well-known name in the United States.

It is profoundly important for the industrialization of Germany

after the catastrophe of the Second War.

Volkswagen dates to before the second war, 87 years, 88 years, I believe now.

But it is also a major component of German success, renovation, reawakening.

And the idea that plants are closing that layoffs are coming is a

contradiction in what Germany has established as a dialogue between the German people and the government

and labor in general.

Judy, a very good day to you.

I've been reading about Volkswagen, but you're way ahead of me on this. This looks like more

than an industrial blow. This looks like a cultural blow. Do I read that correctly? That

it's beyond Volkswagen now Germany doubts itself good evening to you

And good evening John and thank you there for having me on your show. Well you put the you've put the nail on the head on this and it's Volkswagen is is is symptomatic of

the German economic boom and after the Second World War.

Volkswagen has cultural ramifications, political ramifications,

economic ramifications and global ramifications.

And the problem is that we've put all these together and it turned into a

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