this is newsnight from one of music's most powerful and distinctive voices sings its last. winter soul aretha franklin dies age seventy six after battling cancer she became a musical icon in the sixty's and seventy's after beginning her singing career church in detroit also on the program hopes of finding survivors of jan it was road bridge disaster. many as twenty people are still missing beneath the rubble of the

bridge. as people try to understand the cause of the disaster. called the fake news the enemy of the people and they are they are the enemy of the u.s. news outlets joined forces to condemn president trump attacks on the media running editorials describing his fake news. as a threat to democracy. welcome to the program. her voice they fired us a reefer franklin has died at the age of seventy six after a battle with pancreatic cancer she died in detroit where she began her career singing in her father's church a voice became part of the american psyche with hits in the one nine hundred sixty

s. and seventy's that earned her the accolade queen of soul she sang at martin luther king's funeral in one thousand nine hundred sixty eight barack obama's presidential inauguration in two thousand and nine and became the first woman to be inducted into the rock n roll hall of fame more than anything rita franklin and immense respect as a powerful black artist during america's civil rights period. the title of her nine hundred sixty seven hit a composition by otis redding crowned her legacy from the moment the song hit the airwaves respect. everything franklin's imprint on soul music was enormous for commanding vocals powered the soundtrack of both the civil rights and women's liberation movements half a century ago. the daughter of the mississippi preacher and a mother who sang and played piano a reason franklin grew up in detroit singing at her father's church services at an

early age she was strongly influenced by the gospel sound. she signed her first recording contract in one nine hundred sixty enjoyed limited success her breakthrough came when she switched labels several years later she soon earned the title queen of soul. still. she performed for president elect bill clinton in one thousand nine hundred three and sixteen years later at the inauguration of president barack obama. among her many accolades she was inducted into the rock n roll hall of fame the first woman to receive the honor that was in one thousand nine hundred seven she received the presidential medal of freedom in two thousand and five and won a total of eighteen grammys the music industry's highest award. last year she announced she would reduce her appearances on stage her declining

health forced her to cancel a planned concert earlier this year. with a career spanning over fifty years aretha franklin made an indelible mark on american music and influenced generations of singers. from. matthews who joins us from los angeles welcome to day w. you knew everything personally tell us about yes i was in the female journalist i'm obviously working or see any of that and. bring my time they are accorded the luxury of interviewing aretha franklin it was called the kodak theatre in hollywood she was performing there later tonight it was an event she was doing there and she gave us a luxury of interviewing her during the daytime now remember i was so nervous at

the time and so was my camera guy because we had heard all these things about her being a perfectionist you know maybe she had a little bit of a diva to do seat but i was just in awe of her professionality she was bare she was that she was really into being into the interview and i think she even corrected you once when i i met one of her teeth which was no that was a wrong here i mean she was really just on top of it and i was just floored it like whoa much she had done and how much she was still giving to all of her bands and what is your record because at that time but this was actually in her sixty's and she was. a lot they're doing various engagements i also remember at the time it was a little bit hot in the room and we kind of wanted to put on the air and she said absolutely not she wanted it that way they were like oh you know. you know we just wanted to please a reader franklin but you know looking back i didn't realize how fortunate i was to be able to interview the queen of soul and how one on one interview i'm not talking about a red carpet interview or some event words a junket but this was

a one on one and that's the interview that lasted about twenty five minutes and we talked about her career you know what she had accomplished and it was just a wonderful experience but her deteriorating health had been making had time yet you know that has had health problems off and on this is not the latest time for her to have problems i mean obviously her situation got really great within the last couple of days but kuwait had been up in there and if you follow her career and you notice that when she really was performing there were times when she was dinner time when she was heavier time for she had to cancel appointments she had had ongoing health issues i would say for well over a decade and at some point she was living in los angeles and. but the thing is she was always a little bit styria said she never heard tell you exactly what she was suffering from i mean we still don't know exactly the cause of her death or why she was in

hospice care i think she wanted to kind of just leave that silently and didn't want to you know stress out band so to speak she know she was beloved all of the world so she's a private person as much as she's given to america and to the world with her wonderful of ones she still was a very private person and a mother of four and. how will she be remembered. oh it is the queen of soul me rolling stone magazine once called her the greatest singer ever to live i mean she's just amazing he's transcended she is so he is aren't eat she is opera she could even do country there wasn't any music genre there were rita frankly couldn't do and we really just don't have singers like that at all in the world and she came up during a time where there was much civil rights unrest and yet she was able to express she really will be remembered for that we thank you for that matters in this thanks for

joining data. well as you can imagine twitter is full of tributes from fans politicians and fellow musicians a former beatle supporter mccartney tweeted let's take a moment to give facts for the beautiful life of a wreath of franklin the queen of our souls who inspired a soul for many many years she'll be a mess but the memory of her greatness as a musician and a fine human being will live with us forever is british singer songwriter elton john she sang and played magnificently and we all worked with her witnessing the greatest soul artist of all time i had taught her and worship her talent god bless her my condolences to all her family and friends we shared the same birthday and that meant so much to me and diana ross american singer and former member of the supremes says and i'm sitting in prayer for the wonderful golden spirit of aretha franklin and finally found out this from hillary clinton mourning the loss today of aretha franklin who shared her spirit and talent with the world she deserves not

only our respect but also our lasting gratitude for opening our eyes ears and hearts rest in eternal peace my friend. let's move on to the rest of the day's news now rescue teams in the italian city of genoa still working to pull survivors and bodies from the rubble of the collapsed miranda a highway bridge local authorities say as many as twenty people could still be buried beneath the daybreak at least thirty eight people were killed when a stretch of the road gave way on tuesday during a busy mid day traffic in this first big domestic test of its ability if there is new government is juggling rescuers with recrimination. as hopes of finding survivors fades the blame game intensifies officials initially pointed the finger at the e.u. accusing it of limiting funding for infrastructure past the focus of criticism is now shifting to. the company responsible for the bridge locals say the long been

concerns about its upkeep. when we drive on this motorway and it's full of traffic automatically trying to go over it fast. because touch wood crossed fingers we go i've heard fast hoping it doesn't come a crashing down. about a insists its maintenance checks were up to date but that hasn't stopped ministers threatening fines calling for resignations and promising to revoke its operating license they include italy's new populist interior minister. entire chunks of highway cannot collapse like this and people cannot die like this in twenty eighteen i want to stress once again that those responsible will be found out. has hit town at the e.u. and the company that manages this stretch of the mates way behind me but so many

people here anger and blame will only go so far they want to know what happens next crucially how this young government plans to prevent a tragedy like this from happening again. the blame game that's playing out here is doing little to help those suffering the consequences of this catastrophe thing clear the hundreds of residents who've been evacuated from this area it's fear the part of the bridge still standing may yet come crashing down. come l.a. works nearby he says authorities have given him no indication when he'll be able to return. it by the arm of the in the city man and if we talk about a week it's still sustainable but if the area is not accessible for a month then there's a huge problem a little problem in the table because there are hundreds of people who have to go to work there they're on the lower. meanwhile the rest of the city is watching in horror is this crisis unfolds disasters raise serious questions about the safety of

italy's roads and bridges with many asking if this can happen here where it's next . so this disaster is shaking it's really socially monica jones is that here now with the economic impact well i can definitely tell you that this collapse already has a financial impact on that company that infrastructure group which is the company that operates the motorway which is part of that collapsed morandi bridge investors have turned away bringing atlanta shares down more than twenty percent after they suspended trading this morning atlanta is the parent company of outdoor strother which some are blaming for the disaster the italian government has threatened to the company with heavy fines and is demanding it contributes to the bridges reconstruction the other however says it conducted regular safety checks and investigators have not yet established the course of this collapse.

let's cross over now to our financial markets correspondent ali bazza standing by for us in frankfurt will you kept an eye on atlanta shares all day long how did that day end. well with a loss of twenty one percent not as bad as it was for some parts of the day but still meaning that so much value and the share was wiped out so the investor is basically dumping the share at any cost because they fear that in the aftermath of this catastrophe that maybe even the business model of atlantic will be in question here and the government the deputy transport minister spoke of three options maybe a combination either read revocation of the license for all the concessions or just for this part of the road that was affected or perhaps a penalty and he said that a penalty of one hundred fifty million euros would not be enough that's apparently

the sum that's in the contract so the future is uncertain for atlanta and the stock market shows that very clearly today one of the big company said the a big name in german chemical as a heavyweight to buy a saw first megan may go losses on the stock market what's the reason this time. yesterday the stock tanked that one down by about five percent and since the beginning of the week the loss is totaling now about twenty percent and that it's fifteen billion euros of stock market value wiped out well it's monsanto the company that it took over the agro chemical company and the weed killer that was a big seller with monsanto well that's creating legal problems because people claim it created health problems for them a groundskeeper who had to use the weed killer professionally got

a damage. ruling by a jury in the united states to the tune of two hundred ninety million dollars and there are thousands of possible lawsuits out there so investors really worried that this could hit buyer in a very big way maybe not the best investment we'll soon find out it's in frankfurt thank you so much. german rail operator deutsche bahn and telecoms giant dodge a telecom a both the ending of to the ts in iran as a result of the latest u.s. sanctions targeting that country the iranian subsidiaries of both companies say they will cease consulting activities there the u.s. says any company doing business in iran can be banned from operating in the u.s. and while the new has created legislation to protect european companies many are on willing to risk being sanctioned washing. turkey's finance

minister berra. has assured international investors that the country will emerge stronger from its currency crisis insisting its banks are healthy and strong and while there is no denying the position of the lira at least can rely on support from some very unusual quarters. as the lira struggles at all time lows many turks are really in behind president everyone's calls to exchange us dollars for local currency one is stand all restauranteur message upon his own novel scheme to rescue the lira. for much the aim is to support the state and support the government therefore we launched a campaign to offer one portion of free fish and bread to anyone who converts one hundred dollars or more to. the restauranteur came up with the idea in partnership with a nearby foreign exchange office and the idea seems to be getting popular support from his turnbull's phish fans. of course are support these campaigns to protect

their currency i believe that everybody needs to be sensitive to this matter as foreign currency rates have risen these days but today we didn't have any dollars left to convert us to that. i think it sounds fishy some might say it's simply good publicity for this popular restaurant. the turkish lira hit a record low this week now forty percent down this year there to one's influence over monetary policy and a bitter dispute with the united states have spooked investors sparking turkey's worst currency crisis in two decades. china and the united states will hold the low level talks later this month in a bid to resolve their escalating trade dispute the chinese comus ministry said a delegation led by its vice comus minister will meet with an american group led by the undersecretary for international affairs at the department of treasury the

chinese markets and currency have suffered losses in recent months investors have been spooked by washington and beijing sticked for tat to terrorists. the chinese economy has lost steam in recent months washington's tariffs have put a damper on investor sentiment since the last trade talks between beijing and washington in may the shanghai composite has declined more than ten percent and the yuan has been falling to the chinese currency has slumped over the past few months it has fallen more than eight percent against the greenback since last may but the u. once fall has also helped cushion the effect of tariffs by making chinese goods cheaper that is another sore point for washington which has repeatedly called on china to strengthen the yuan and it's also demanding beijing to make concessions to lessen its trade imbalance with the u.s. so while these low level trade talks are welcome news analysts warn they may take

some time before the two countries come to a truce. and that is your business after day for now over to fail because i don't know if it's time to stand up for a free press yes well you can stand up and i'll sit down and do this i'm done all for it thank you monica more than three hundred and fifty news outlets across the united states have pledged to run editorials today in defense of press freedom they're condemning president trump's attacks on what he calls fake news and he suggestions that journalists from news organizations that oppose his policies are enemies of the people the initiative was launched by the boston globe newspaper using the image you see behind me president trump's use of the terms fake news and enemies of the people to describe news outlets has been both cheered and condemned often along party political lines but there are concerns that his rhetoric accord erode respect for one of the foundations of democracy a free press and undermine the way people peacefully resolve their differences. a

few days ago i called the fake is the enemy of the people and they are they are the enemy of the free the sake media is trying to silence us. i think it is i mean i get to give you a question you say cattle you are fake do sir i'm not finished i'm not finished make this they can make anything better because they are the fake fake disgusting. a taste of some of the opinions president trump has expressed about the media now let's take a look at what some newspapers are saying in support of and in opposition to today's freedom of the press campaign i will study fort lauderdale florida where the sun sentinel writes the press isn't america's enemy mr trump it's america's watchdog the wall street journal however takes a dissenting view pointing out that it is not staking part in today's coordinated

effort it says the first amendment does not say the government cannot criticize the press has the trunk enjoys free speech just as these media adversaries do and in its editorial boston globe which launched today's initiative process replacing a freebie deal with a state run media has always been a first order of business for any corrupt regime taking of a country to get more honest from our washington correspondent stefan simone so welcome stefan is this a campaign by these newspapers likely to make any difference. realistically speaking i'm afraid no it won't make a difference it won't make a difference for the journalists working in washington covering the white house and the trump administration and the reason is is that the president will use those attacks and will go along with those attacks can be assumed because he uses them as a tool to cater to and rally his base as you have broadcast it in the beginning of

this interview and with his comments fake news fake news enemy. he will not let go of this because it's beneficial for him forty eight percent of the republicans agree with the president now according to our latest poll that the press is the enemy of the people so what sorts of pressures do american journalists feel themselves under. all this by being always on the watch of mr trump's twitter feeds twitter feeds it is specifically really specifically hard for local drunk so those local journalists they go into a town hall meetings there covering local issues and even they get on occasion physically harassed by people who are just subscribing to the line of the president and to the entire narrative that the press in the united states is suddenly the enemy of the people and does only report on true stuff fake news which is obviously

not the case but for those local colleagues it's really really hard. in washington thank you. let's take a look now at some of the other stories making news around the world of mali's president abraham who has been officially reelected for another five year term after winning sixty seven percent of sunday's runoff vote the opposition lead buyers from honestly say i've already declared that they would reject the result of recount pain marred by accusations of fraud violence and loto. two women accused of poisoning the half brother of north korea's leader will be tried for murder i'm a lazy and judge ruled that there is evidence for the trial to proceed the women say they thought they were taking part in a t.v. prank with a smirk smeared a nerve agent in the face of came joe now at kuala lumpur's apple's. former

indian prime minister atal bihari has died at the age of ninety three he was one of india's most charismatic politicians credited with leading the rise of the nationalist b j p which now governs the country gave the b.g. moderate face and was widely respected across the political spectrum. of the death toll from flooding in the indian state of cattle has risen to more than one hundred with more to rental rain expected officials fear that number will increase carola located on india's southern tip is a tourist magnet known for its pristine beaches coffee and spices the state is hit by monsoons every year but this year has been called the worst for a century prime minister and remote he has ordered the defense ministry to assist with the rescue and relief operations. they've never seen flooding like this in carolina ten days of heavy rain combined with overflowing dams has and this state in water.

in some cases homes have barely visible above the water line pretty steadily as all this looks most faiths hannity's have been caused by dead reefs mudslides. for those who survived the realisation they've lost everything. there has got into both floors of our high we went to her neighbor's place and stayed in the second floor of their house all those things have been destroyed by the water they are destroyed. more heavy rain is forecast in the coming days the priority is to get those in low lying areas to safety before it becomes too difficult to reach them. with the will of this whole road was submerged under water and more than eighty families are stuck the people here all came together early in the morning and are helping to move these people to camps.

they're being moved to shelters like this one tens of thousands of people have already been evacuated by the army. and there is another problem on the horizon people here could soon face a lack of drinking water after damage to treatment plants a cruel irony when the water from above is in anything but short supply. so some sports spanish football is coming to north america leaguers organizing body says it plans to hold regular season games in the earth it states and canada the league assigned a fifteen year deal with a multinational media group to promote football by bringing teams like oh they'll get in barcelona to play. across the atlantic the league has given any details of when the first games will be played. for a situ of today to have more at the top of the hour and of course as always website i leave you now though with aretha franklin whose death has been announced here is

the queen of soul we think. you gotta think about what you're saying and you've got to think about the consequences of your act or shut up while you've. been in and. say what you've. been stranded. on a slippery. slope .

what keeps us in shape what makes us see taz. my name is dr carson the i talk to me the comics let's. watch them at work. and then discuss what you can do to clear your head. stay choose and let's all try to stay. in the. next.

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