people in power investigates all this suburb of damascus refuse to crumble under the mind of assets on the. job part two at this time. it's impossible to underestimate the size and scale of the economic crisis it's not just about the billion trillion dollars of debt it's not just about the banks it's not just about the government to real people. from toxic milk to fake meat food scandals continue to rock china as the world turns to it for its foods when he goes undercover to expose the hidden harm in a system geared for profit one east at this time on al-jazeera. u.s. republicans are poised to hand president trump his first a major legislative victory with the final approval of sweeping tax reforms.

hello i'm barbara sarah this is al jazeera live from london also coming up on the program zimbabwe's new president makes fixing the economy his number one priority in the state of the nation speech the u.s. ambassador to the u.n. sends a threatening e-mail to other u.n. member states one day before a major vote on children select. concerns of people. and we'll tell you why the e.u. is taking the young president that step of moving to suspend the poland's voting rights. the biggest overhaul of the u.s. tax system in thirty years is about to become law with the u.s. house of representatives expected to give the bill its final approval. the tax cuts

and jobs act is passed the senate approved a one point five trillion dollar tax reform bill in the early hours of wednesday morning it will be a huge legislative victory for president trump and repeals part of the obamacare health system but one recent poll suggests that fifty five percent of americans oppose it democrats say the bill was passed in secret and the new law will benefit the ultra rich at the expense of the middle class well the bill slashes the corporate tax rate from thirty five to twenty one percent as of january first and ends tax advantages for companies that move overseas income tax rates and inheritance tax will be reduced for most people those earning over half a million dollars a year will experience higher tax reductions but these provisions are temporary and being in twenty twenty six the bill is also expected to add one point five trillion dollars to the u.s. national bet over the next decade it currently stands at twenty trillion dollars

after eight straight years of slow growth and under performance america is ready to take off coupled with a regulatory reforms that have already been implemented by the administration we now a comprehensive tax reform major middle class tax relief and making our businesses both large and small more competitive around the world. is going to kimberly halkett she's a white house correspondent joining us from washington these the c's unsurprisingly i guess kimberly this has become a really partisan issue hasn't it. it really has the top democrat on the floor of the house of representatives jeffrey is talking about this in the last couple of hours talking about this is a categorizing this is a win for billionaires and millionaires but not middle class americans the president on the other hand speaking for the cabinet room in the last couple of

hour saying just the opposite saying that middle class americans are going to start seeing the benefits of this tax reform package as early as february i think many were hoping it would come a little bit sooner given the fact that this is going to take a fact in just twelve days but you're right this is certainly become a partisan issue well republicans are saying that this is a christmas gift for ordinary americans democrats see it much differently a position the white house defends quite frankly after the last presidential election you hear a lot of democrats doing an autopsy saying we forgot about the middle class we refused to address the middle class had on hillary clinton couldn't do it we didn't do it and then we put forth a bill that actually gives tax cuts to move a class about two thousand dollars on average per family and no democrat decides to vote for it it's absolutely incredible i think they're going to pay for it next year. what he means by pay for it next year is that these legislative elections of

twenty eighteen are now less than a year away expect that these lines will be even deeper and more divided as time goes on as we get closer to that election in a town where it's all about winning it seems the lines have been drawn and ultimately it will be the ordinary american voter that will decide when the legislative elections take place in november twenty eight thousand for control of the house and senate on whether or not they like these tax cuts which right now according to the latest polls two thirds of americans disapprove of you know be interesting to see those election results in a year's time roughly but before that when are we expecting the president to sign this into law. well initially the president had set out a tweet saying that in fact there would be a press conference sort of signing ceremony so we thought that would be happening at about eight hundred g.m.t. that time has now slid to twenty g.m.t. and in fact what we're being told now is the president won't sign this into law after it is expected to pack and pass in the house imminently and the reason for

that is because of some we're told by the white house the mundane sort of arcane legislative rules some legal reviewing that needs to take place now you remember that the president said this is going to be a christmas gift for americans that would be signed into law happen in the for and by the end of the year now with the white house saying in fact that this is going to be done by the end of the first year of the president's first term in office so a little bit of spin there in terms of how this is being characterized and they're saying in fact if the signing ceremony slides into january it will still be a great way to start the new year so it's all about the packaging and how to sell this to americans isn't it always kimberly how could lie from the white house thank you. what republicans call the tax bill in title entry form but it will see cuts to social welfare programs like medicare that could impact millions some reports suggest that medicare could be cut by twenty five billion dollars next year and the gallagher reports from florida for insensitivity through retirement whom in miami

has been housing the elderly for seven to use many of its residents rely on social welfare programs and have for decades so i'm like eighty seven year old janet lloyd becca opinion close attention to what's happening in washington a form of social worker janet says well maybe coming to an end my generation i think we never. saw security having an end date. but i believe it well perhaps it will be two thousand and twenty five to have thirty but there will come in and but this is plenty of time for everybody to get their act together. in the need time. and night team of particular concern a potential changes to medicare a federal program for over sixty five's it could face cuts of up to twenty five billion dollars when medicare and medicaid was set up in the one nine hundred sixty

s. it encompassed the idea of a great society one that took care of its poor and elderly experts say any of those programs won't necessarily mean less money for recipients but it will mean less cash for doctors hospitals and nursing facilities and advocates say that could have terrible consequences this was going to be terrible my clinic represents you know newman says without access to affordable health care millions could suffer doctors who take care of the elderly patients will find themselves unable to accept patients they will turn people away who need the care most of all and who can't afford to pay high private market rates or premiums more than fifty million americans currently receive medicare benefits and with a rapidly aging population it's seen by many as a vital safety net it's a curious thing can a thousand people turn sixty five every day in america and will for the next twenty

years so i imagine them a majority of those people vote and i imagine that when the tax cuts actually take place they'll be adversely affected and they're going to go to the polls the traffic report is adopted without objection a motion to the region or face a fine the chamber the republicans tax reform bill is already in popular among many voters it's hope with next year's midterm elections approaching drastic cuts may be avoided and agalloch are al-jazeera miami florida. zimbabwe's new president and musselman jaguar has the liver of his first state of the nation address in the capital harare economic recovery was the focus of it he said his government was determined to open up the economy to foreign investors government will soon and really robust engagement and to reengage grant program

with the international community. in our continued b.d. to rejoin the community of nations may government is committed to open a zimbabwe up to address meant by building a free and transparent economy which are brilliant for its zimbabweans mts well coming out saved us. has more now from harare. the feedback has been generally positive it's ultimately about the economy like he said people want jobs they want the economy to recover and they say the president said all the right things but some are saying we've heard this all before robert mugabe when he was head of state the former head of state he promised to create jobs and he never really did so people are saying they are tired of talk they were in action they want to see results president expected in south africa on thursday he clearly can leave the country without someone in charge so what we could see happening is that

we now starting over is no longer around it's now a new country so he is really trying to engage in that which is very very key but i think most people in the international. spoken to here have said they want to wait and see how the elections next year play out if they're free fair and credible and there's no violence it could indicate there's nasty ability in the country which could encourage investors to come back and pour money into the country. palestinians protesting against president trump's plans to move the u.s. embassy to jerusalem have again called for of the rage there have been clashes there have been some clashes with israeli security forces across the occupied palestinian territory in bethlehem protesters marched in the street to denounce donald trump for a commission of jerusalem as israel's capital israeli security forces this force them with tear gas one day ahead of a vote on the u.s. decision on jerusalem at the u.n. the u.s. ambassador to the u.n. is such a threatening e-mail to other members of the general assembly they gave the warned

of them against supporting a resolution to reject donald trump's recognition of jerusalem the e-mail reads the president will be watching this vote carefully and has requested i report back on those who voted against us as you consider your vote i encourage you to know that the president and the u.s. take this vote personally over on this story mike hanna joins us live now from the united nations in new york so what a strongly worded email certainly there was been the reaction to it at the u.n. . well if you are willing to comment publicly on the what many would regard as outrageous letters sent to members of the general assembly we did hear from one ambassador who said diplomatically that this would not change sweden's position in any way that is probably the general attitude that we hearing from among the various ambassadors but certainly this is struck is rather sour note

within the general assembly remembering as well that ambassador halley also had very strong words after that security council vote monday which the u.s. vetoed a resolution condemning any alteration to the status of jerusalem that motion was voted on fourteen votes to one of the halley describing the vote as an insult to the united states that would not be forgotten this letter doing the rounds of the united nations now yet another emphasis of what would appear to be a little more than a thirdly build threat so the security council that was pretty much all members against the united states on this issue what does the general assembly look like and how do you think this e-mail might actually affect the vote on thursday. well it's a very interesting question to give you some idea of the way the general assembly votes on these matters there was a vote on israel's presence in jerusalem back in november which said all israeli

law within jerusalem was not and void because it was an occupying power now that particular resolution was passed by one hundred fifty one votes to six the only ones voting against the united states micronesia of course israel as well among those opposing there were nine abstentions now if that type of vote is realized on thursday more than one hundred fifty voting in favor of the resolution then certainly that could be an embarrassing blow not only to the israel's presence in jerusalem but also because of the split it would appear that the referendum that vote tomorrow will not only just be about the status of jerusalem it will all be as also be about the international view of president trump and what he calls his america first policy so this is moving not just a vote about jerusalem but also possibly an opinion poll and international opinion

poll about the u.s. president is very interesting to see what the results of that general assembly vote on it is i know you'll tell us when the time comes mike hanna for now at the u.n. thank you. still to come in this half hour a u.n. official investigating human rights abuses in the end march is barred from entering the country and. good riddance to bad rubbish. i hope the gates of hell are swinging wide to allow him entrance a sexual assault victim of reacts to the death of an archbishop who helped protect priests accused of abusing children. hello it still warm me up quite surprised maybe i'm not really talking about iran

or the stans or even the caucasus but the if you look at where the tide was coming from out of northeast after out of egypt the breeze drawing it is a southerly winds usually will move from the south of course so temp you're seeing here twenty four in beirut twenty three in baghdad on the child they should be by and they get to six eight degrees and that trains going to carry on for the next couple of days i don't think much more come out of it it's just clag but the direction is coming from was interesting so yes guys might be white but it will feel unusually woman twenty forty is time the court high q it's a twenty three minutes in the sunshine it's quite to dusty atmosphere is part of the world that extends down the eastern side of society towards you it is not much breeze around now you can see anybody's a drawing pictures of nothing else is really going on as you want expect news quite a time in the winter with us of course we are into proper wet season from malawi south which has been some pretty vicious weather in central tanzania some tanzania malawi and i once again the line that's fairly persistent comes down from angola through northern the maybe about swan to south africa's redeveloping big shower

scene likely in the middle of south africa possibly in botswana or the cape town is sitting pretty in the sun.

a reminder of the top stories here on al-jazeera the biggest overhaul of the u.s. tax system in thirty years is about to become law with the u.s. house of representatives expected to give the bill its final approval zimbabwe's new president and resummon god one has delivered his first state of nation address promising to open the country's economy to falling investors after years of isolation and u.s. president donald trump has threatened to cut off financial aid to countries that vote in favor of a draft united nations resolution against is the recognize jerusalem as israel's capital. the european commission has announced on precedented measures against poland over planned reforms through its judiciary the e.u. has triggered its article seven procedure a process that could see poland stripped of its voting rights within the european

bloc but the e.u. wants to pressure poland's government to drop a controversial new judicial laws that the e.u. calls a threat to democracy hungry has said it will not support the measure while poland is calling the decision politically motivated and this pressed ahead with a new laws and. well the european commission first vice president francis to man's made the announcement earlier on wednesday. the common pattern of all these legislative changes is that the executive or legislative powers and are set up in such a way that the ruling majority can systematically politically interfere with the composition the powers the administration and the functioning of these authorities thereby rendering the independence of the judiciary. to be moot well tom nuttall is a columnist specializing in european politics for the common mr magazine he says poland's decision to press ahead with the reforms is on surprising i don't know

where to call the law and justice the governing party in poland is riding high in the opinion polls i think that they are very adept at turning the battle good brussels to their own advantage they can say he's just an unelected bureaucrats are trying to undermine our national sovereignty so they say we're perfectly content to think this one reckless way through. or has suffered a setback after europe's top court ruled that it is a transport company and it can be regulated just like other taxi firms the right hailing app out argue that it's an information sharing app putting drivers and passengers in contact and not a taxi service the european court of justice didn't agree says e.u. governments can now regulate ober as they would for any other transport company. catalans are anxiously preparing for thursday's the size of regional vote which

will help settle the question of whether the region should secede from spain polling stations are being set up across the region thursday's poll pits the leaders of the separatist movement against candidates who want to stay part of spain record turnout is expected and candidates are neck and neck in opinion polls with neither side likely to win a clear majority but drib it called for the vote after pro secession leaders unilaterally declared independence in october two ugandan politicians have been detained as the tried to enter parliament for the second day of a controversial debate about extending the rule of the president scuffles broke out as police tried to block several opposition members two of them were pushed into security vehicles and driven away there against a bill that would remove the age at the age cap of seventy five years on the president allowing seventy three year old president you know what it was seventy two further extend his three decades in charge. mian maher has blocked an

independent un investigators from visiting the country for the rest of her tenure the un special rapporteur for me and my young lady was you to visit in january to assess the state of human rights the un has accused troops of ethnic cleansing and possible elements of genocide against the regime they says she's disappointed by the me and maher government's decision saying there must be something terrible happening in record high well she spoke to us a little earlier from seoul. i am really deeply. disappointed and then. why the decision. to deny. my mandate over there you know the human rights mechanisms and most of to silence. about these kind of. at least seventeen people have been killed in air strikes in syria's province it's

believed four children and two women are among the dead the syrian civil defense the first responders also known as the white helmets say the best toll is higher putting the figure at nineteen the province has been a rebel stronghold for three years and president bashar assad has recently launched an offensive to try and retake it. well it's a thousand days a since a coalition of forces led by saudi arabia launched its air campaign against iran back to the rebels in yemen the high number of civilian casualties it's caused has prompted an outcry around the world a sea blockade meanwhile has also brought the country to the brink of famine more than ten thousand people have been killed since the conflict began and the u.n. says at least one hundred thirty six civilians died in airstrikes in just ten days this month's aid groups estimate three quarters of yemen's population are depending on aid to survive the country is also suffering the world's largest color epidemic

partly due to lack of clean water which has affected almost a million people. reports. was walking out of her father's cement factory north of the capital sanaa when the building was hit by an strike the blast waves twisted her back she's now struggling to walk doctors say her spine was damaged during the attack while her life has been shattered by the conflicts in her country dreams of graduating and becoming a doctor and i used to go to school of thought my life was beautiful because i could walk and right now i can't walk to school i can only go through a wheelchair i used to be able to sit in the chair at my desk and write but now when i try to write my hand hurts i used to love writing but now i can't even hold a pen. but the conflict in yemen shows no sign of abating on tuesday the

who thiis five a ballistic was signed to was the subject capital of riyadh they say they were targeting a meeting of senior officials of the royal palace saudi arabia accuses iran of supplying the whole thiis with them assign and that's the conflicts continue as there are fears of a wider region. confrontation the whole thing is the remain defiant and. then we face a war carried out by ten countries and there are attempts to create more divisions and chaos but that has failed and we still lead the front against the aggressors. meanwhile the fighting rages near the capital sana'a forces loyal to president of the. are struggling to break her three defense lines civilians caught in the fighting. thousands of people have been killed since the start of the conflict

into a thousand and fifteen and my hope is that two thousand and eighteen comes along with peace and end of aggression and blockade imposed on my country but i also hope that all the parties come together and build a democratic state. millions of yemenis struggle to find food and shelter the country which faces the world's biggest humanitarian crisis is also politically divided first by the international community to negotiate a settlement suffered a setback earlier this month when the country is asked that leader. was killed by the who. but for many yemenis like neuron perhaps suffer the most in this conflict and and to the fighting can't come soon enough hashem about al-jazeera. mexican journalist has been shot dead at a school where he was attending his six year old's six year old son's christmas

party thirty four year old who mark perez was a reporter who wrote regularly on security and drugs stories in southeastern veracruz state the state security coordinator has confirmed a lone gunman shot him dead. motorists broad the venezuelan city of san cristoval to a standstill in protests against fuel shortages hundreds of drivers blocked main roads in and out of the city they're angry at huge queues for fuel with some motorists complaining they have to wait eight hours to fill up venezuela has huge oil reserves and the lowest prices in the world this grace the former archbishop of boston cardinal bernard law has died once an influential figure in the u.s. catholic church he was forced to step down after it was revealed he protected several priests accused of abusing children how to have helped star has boy. is a dramatic fall from grace for the highest ranking catholic official in the united

states. cardinal law once favored by the late pope john paul the second was forced to resign after it was revealed that he had failed to remove priests from his ministry who had been accused of abusing children the from archbishop silence over child molesters in the priesthood sparked the worst crisis in the american catholicism news of his death provoked anger in massachusetts where he was the archbishop of boston good riddance to bad rubbish i hope the gates of hell are swinging wide to allow him entrance i am a mother of three of children that have been sexually abused by priests. tano law has everything under the cap and he would not have made anything he would not meet with. the abuse in boston extended over six decades involving over two hundred thirty priests and more than seven hundred fifty victims

their harvard educated law was implicated in a scandal after a boston globe newspaper investigation was published in two thousand and two please know that as long as i have a position to do so i will work tirelessly to address this crisis and to underscore it's a very good. this is a wake up call for the term the paper used court documents revealing the car to had moved priests who had abused children from parish to parish without alerting police parents. his actions led to a public uproar and mass protests before his resignation at the end of the year the newspaper's investigation was then made into an oscar winning movie in two thousand and fifteen. boston priest molested kids in six different versions over the last thirty years the church found out about it and did nothing we haven't committed any

long term investigator for resources for years despite his involvement in the clergy sex abuse scandal of the vatican continue to support and offered him a position in rome within the church he focused on building catholic jewish relations and acting as an unofficial envoy to cuba cardinal bernard law who died in rome he was eighty six years old. after a reminder of the top stories on al-jazeera u.s. president donald trump has threatened to cut off financial aid to countries the vote in favor of a draft united nations resolution against his decision to recognize jerusalem as the capital of israel trying told reporters he will be watching the votes of the emergency session at the u.n. general assembly on thursday the session was requested by arab and muslim countries it's also been revealed the u.s. ambassador to the u.n. has sent

a threatening e-mail to other members ahead of the. well over in palestine people have been protesting against the u.s. move by calling for another day of rage in the occupied west bank clashes broke out between demonstrators and the israeli security forces while in bethlehem protesters marched in defiance of the decision. the biggest overhaul of the u.s. tax system in thirty years is about to become law with the u.s. house of representatives expected to give the bill its final approval the senate approved a one point five trillion dollars tax reform bill in the early hours of wednesday morning it will be to be a huge legislative victory for president donald trump but one recent poll suggests fifty five percent of americans oppose it so after eight straight years of slow growth and under performance america is ready to take off coupled with a regulatory reforms that have already been implemented by the administration we now a comprehensive tax reform major middle class tax relief. and making our businesses

both large and small more competitive around the world zimbabwe's new president. has the live in his first state of the nation address in the capital harare the speech focused on the economy which he promised to revitalize by opening zimbabwe to foreign investors after years of isolation. two ugandan politicians have been detained as they tried to enter parliament for the second day of a controversial debate about extending the rule of the president the bill would remove the age cap of seventy five years on the presidency which would then allow seventy three year old president seventy to extend his three decades in charge i'm going to have all of the day's news on the news hour in less than half an hour next though inside story.

some call it sounded arabia's quite mild one thousand days ago put together an coalition to fight the rebels who have taken over.