sumi: this is "dw news," live from berlin. moment of truth. the most important u.s. midterm elections in a generation are underway. after a fiererce campaign, americans are casting their ballots. we will tell you what is at stake and why the poll matters. also coming up, it could be one of the last trials of its kind. a nazi concentration camp guard goes on trial in germany. he is accused of being complicit in hundreds of murders, and time is running out to prosecute those like him. and outrage mounts over china's

treatments of muslim minority groups. the u.n. demand china close reeducation camps, but beijing claims the camps do not even exist. ♪ sumi: i'm sumi somaskanda. it's good to have you with us. in just a few hours, the first polls will begin closing in what has been called the most crucial midterm election in decades. donald trump is not on the ballot, but the vote is seen as a referendum on his agenda. surveys suggest republicans will keep control the senate and that the democrats could take back the house of representatives, and that would put them in a position to push back against the president's policies. but the battle promises to be tight. reporter: it is the american public's first chance to vote since donald trump's election back in 2016. the midterms are widely seen as

a referendum on the president after a divisive first two years in offffice. >> do you regret that yoyou coud just take back a and redo? >> there would be certain things. i'm not sure i would want to redo all of them. i would say tone. i would like to have a much softer tone. i feel to a certain extent i have no o choice, but maybe i d, and maybe i could have been softer from that standpoint. reporter: but he has not toned down his rhetoric in the midterms campaign, accusing democrats of being weak on migration. >> democrats are inviting caravan after caravan of illegal aliens to pour into our country, overwhelming your schools, your hospitals, and your communities. reporter: democrats are hoping to achieve a blue wave after crushing results in 2016. >> i feel confident that we will

win. it's just a question of the size of the victory. people ask me, is it a wave or a tsunami. i said all of those are drops of water. thesese races are very close across the country. reporter: in this election, even usually safe seats are up for grabs. in deeply conservative texas, opinion polls indicate democrat beto o'rourke, seseeking electin to the s senate, c could doo surprisingly w well. just a few weeks ago, democrats were hopeful they could win back both the senate and the house. but polls suggest the race is wide open. sumi: dw's oliver sallet is following the midterm elections for us in washington and he joins us for more. hi, oliver. good to see you. the president is not on the ballot, so why is there so much interest in this election? oliver: because these elections are about the future of the trump administration, even if donald trump is not on the ballot himself.

but it's on the voters now to decide how powerful donald trump will be in the next two years to come. it will be on the voters to decide how happy they were not only with the policies, the america first policies that we have talked a lot about in recent days and months, but also about the tone of the debate that we have witnessed here, not only in the election campaign, but in the last two years. so, what is at stake here is control and power over both chambers of american congress, the senate and house of representatives. if one of the two chambers goes back to the democrats, which is the most likely scenario that the democrats take the house back, then this would certainly give donald trump a very hard time in the next two years to move on the way he governed before. that would be a lot more difficult then in the future. sumi: oliver, if we do see a shift in power, this blue wave we keep been hearing about, how could that affect u.s.

foreign-policy? oliver: first of all, it would affect the domestic policy, because if the democrats take back the house, then every policy that has to be confirmed by the u.s. parliament could be blocked by that majority in the house. but that, in turn, would probably lead to a situation which donald trump could focus more on international politics, on foreign-policy. as there is nobody to hinder him, and that would mean a lot more america first, a lot more unilateralism in the future to come. sumi: oliver, domestically we have seen donald trump make immigration, and as he claims, the democrat's failure to tackle it, the centerpiece of his campaigning. we'll talk about that in a moment, but first, let's look at this report. reporter: there has been a big turnout for early voting in the u.s., with long lines at many polling stations like this one in los angeles county. but one group was noticeably absent, as many election volunteers noticed.

>> i have not seen a lot of latinos today. reporter: that has come as a surprise, since one latin american issue has played a big role in the campaign. the migrants making their way to the u.s. mexican b border from central america. president trump has put the issue of illegal migration at the forefront of his campaigning for the republicans, blaming the democrats for allowing them into the united states. democrats hope to turn latino discontent over trump's migration rhetoric into votes, but they don't have a detailed strategy for the diverse latino community, according to sonja, the head of a latino think tank. >> almost 60% of latinos surveyed in a national poll had not received any sort of communication, information from a candidate. reporter: latino interest groups are trying to fill the void, many have set up call centers.

volunteers have set up voter guides and are reaching out to potential voters. six out of 10 latinos are millennials, and many are voting for the first time. the latest polls show less than half of them know who is running in their respective districts. with political rhetoric high and a growing distrust in the government and its institutions, many have simply tuned out. >> the trump administration has had a very negative effect on the way latinos view the elections. because we now believe that our vote doesn't count, or it is not going to affect the administration. reporter: kevin deleon is a democratic candidate for senator. he has been one of the most visible of all the latino candidates in california and he has been urging democrats to articulate a position beyond "stop trump." during a campaign rally at his

favorite taco vendor, deleon called on latinos to vote for his fellow democrats to help win back the house of representatives. >> it is critical. in these dangerous times in our nation's history we are engaged in a battle for the soul for our nation against a president without one. the latino vote is to come out strong. come tuesday we need to send a clear message that we are one america. reporter: latino voters represent one of the fastest-growing demographics in the united states. this year's midterms may indicate whether the democrats have found a key to mobilizing them at the polls. sumi: so, oliver, we have seen very sharp rhetoric from the president on immigration. this in general has been a really polarizing campaign leading up to this midterm election. you have been speaking to voters. what are they saying? oliver: it depends on whom you are talking to. if you speak to trump supporters, for instance, they would rather say that eventually

somebody mentioned things how they are, and they are quite happy with that. others are very much repelled of this inflammatory rhetoric. there has just been growing concern over an ad, over an electionon ad video ththat compd illegal migrgrants, or migigrans ming from southern amemerica, with rapists and murderers. and not even fox news, the rather trump-friendly channel, wanted to air this campaign video in the end. so, it is a very divided country right now and it certainly will depend on how those both parties will be able to mobibilize their voter base. sumi: dw's oliver sallet for us in washington, reporting on the midterms. thank you very much. let's get more perspective on the midterms now. we're joined by kodiak hill-davis, political director of republican women for progress, an organization working to encourage republican women to engage in politics and civic discourse. it is important to say the

organization is not actually affiliated with the republican party. thank you for joining us. it is good to have you here. we are seeing a record number of women running for congress, more than 250, mostly for the democrats. why aren't more republican women running? kodiak: well, first and foremost, thank you for having me. and to answer your question, i think what is a little disappointing about the coverage that we have seen is there are record numbers of republican women running for office in this cycle. of course, we are thrilled with an organization that so many democratic women are running for office, but we also think it is important that there are record numbers of republican female candidates running in the cycle, many of them first-time candidates, and of course many good republican incumbents, too. sumi: that being said, let's take a look at the women voters in the u.s. right now. you wrote that trump has a woman problem. that suburban, well-educated women disapprove of the president more than they approve of him.

how significant of a factor is that going to be in these midterm elections? kodiak: i think it's a big factor. when i wrote that piece about two months ago, i think it was incredibly prescient because what we're really seeing is that trump is a polarizing figure with womemen. maybe there were some suburban republican women who held their noses and voted for him in 2016, and when pushed furtheanand further and further outside the party, now i don't think we c cn count on their votes in this cycycle. i think they are disappointed in what they have seen from a policy standpoint. i think separation of mothers and families at the border was certainly a polarizing issue. i think a lot of the me too movement has been very difficult for republicans to overcome. certainly the kakavanaugh heheas lalast month, really polarizizig for republican women, but women in general.

very divisive issues. sumi: i want to ask you more about your organization, republican women for progress. what does that mean? what kind of progress are you looking for? kodiak: our organization originally started in 2016 as republican women for hillary, because we were not sure that donald trump was the right nominee for the republican party. after the 2016 election, we reincorporated as republican women for progress because we are looking forward to the future of the republican party and we think that future depends on women. and right now, the republican caucus in both the house and senate is represented by less than 10% of female republicans. that number is just too low. so, our work is dedicated to building a pipeline of republican female candidates. we want to empower and equip republican women throughout the country to run for elected office. sumi: kodiak hill-davis speaking to us. thank you so much for sharing your insights withth us today. kodiak: thank you for having me. sumi: now to some other stories

making headlines around the world. french judicial sources say they have uncovered a plan to attack president emmanuel macron. police have arrested six members of the radical far right. officials say the plan was vague and not final, but that it was violent. the spanish coasast guard says t least 17 migrants have died trying to cross the mediterranean from north africa in the past 24 hours. rescuers picked up more than 100 others and took them to an enclave. funerals have been held in a sicilian city for nine members of an extended family killed in a flash flood over the weekend. the family drowned when the villa they rented was swept away. two other people were also killed by flooding in the same region. a former nazi concentration camp guard has gone on trial here in germany. the man is charged with complicity in the murder of hundreds of people in nazi occupied poland. more than 60,000 people were killed at that camp.

time is running out to prosecute those who were responsible. reporter: it is likely to be one of the last cases of its kind. the 94-year-old arriving in court today, accused of being an accessory to murder. from 1942 to 1944, the former ss man was a guard at stutthof concentration camp. over 100,000 people were imprisoned there. 65,000 of them were killed, most of them gassed or shot. there's no evidence of the defendant being involved in individual murders, but the prosecution argues he must have known about the killings and was therefore an accessory. >> we have information from old interrogations from guards and witnesses. the people knew all too well what was going on in the camp. in addition, the camp was structured in such a way that you had a good overview of the

whole camp from the watchtowers. you could also see through the fence. that's whwhy we assume that all the guards knew what went on, especially when you served in the camp as long as the defendndant did. reportrter: seven years ago, the case against the former guard at a different camp set a legal precedent. in that case, the guard was convicted as an accessory to 28,000 murders. a german court ruled that the defendant did not have to personally commit murder to be found guilty. the ruling sparked several new trials against former concentration camp workers. in this latest trial, 17 survivors and relatives of victims from around the world are represented as co-plaintiffs. this lawyer acts for an elderly couple from israel who were interred there as children.

>> for my clients, this is not about a prison sentence for the defendant. they don't want to see him suffer. they want him to engaged in his past, to tell the truth, and not to obscure, trivializem or deny these crimes, like so many ss men have done in the past. reporter: johann has never denied being a guard at stutthof, but claims he knew nothing of the killings and was never a nazi. due to his old age, the trial hearings will only last up to two hours a day. the case against him will continue until mid-january. sumi: steven is here now with business. will big tech face a big tax here in europe? steven: that's the question, as e.u. membership aids are divided proposal to place a 3% tax on big internet companies like google and facebook. some countries fear they will be less attractive to tech firms,

while others fear washington might retaliate. still, others want to push through a measure by the end of the year, and italy said it will simply go ahead on its own with a digital tax if there is no eu agreement. reporter: the digital tax is a fraught t sue in eururope. while e taxing high-tech firms like googlgle, facebook and aman could help government reasason money, somome countries fear thy could lose out, especially if washingtgton retaliatetes. >> of course there wilill be a reactition from the united stat. which kind of reaction, , i do t know. of course we should decide for ourselves, but we should think thoroughly on whether it is a good idea or not. reporter: denmark says u.s. retaliation could potentially offset the benefits of a tax. ireland fears it could become less competitive. the irish capital dublin is home to the european headquarters of several u.s. tech firms. germany, the eu's biggest market is hoping for a broad agreement between eu states and summer 2020.

france on the other hand is determined to push through a proposal for an eu-wide tax this yeyear. >> when there is a will, there is a way. and there is a will from france and from many countries to have the introduction of a directive by the end of 2018. reporter: but all eu countries have to agree before a a law can be adopteded, and thingsgs don't look promising. that is why italy is putting pressure on brussels. rome has said it will impose their own national digital tax if there is no eu consensus. steven: we asked our frankfurt correspondent why italy, of all nations, is eager to move forward with a digital tax. >> italy desperately needs money and it's popular to tax the large tech companies. popular with voters, that is. many people in italy, and also here in germany, are angry that

the large tech firms pay so little tax on their income, by seeking the most favorable legislation in terms of taxes. and here in europe, they find it in ireland and luxembourg. that is why countries like italy have comome up with the idea too tatax the revenues, the e salese turnover of large tech corporations. this, of course, might be against internationally agreed rules for trading -- for taxing corporate incomes. that is why the european union wants a common approach here. steven: police in bulgaria have raided a printing workshop that was making high-quality counterfeit u.s. dollar notes. officers said they seized fake $100 bills in various stages of completion. with a face value of more than $1.3 million, the inks used replicated magnetic ink, making

the forged notes extremely difficult to recognize. that is accordining to the interior ministry. three suspects were taken into custody. they are thought to be part of an organized crime ring. last month, bulgaria authorities dismantled another counterfeiting operaration and seized fake notes worth more than $14 million. it began with the return of the vinyl record, followed by other products like filtered coffee makers and polaroid cameras. around the world, items that were almost extinct are now in high demand. consumers increasingly want lasting, durable things in a world of fleeting digital impressions. retro has become a mass phenomenon, and that means it is very good business. reporter: the instant camera. midcentury furniture. notebooks with thread stitching. products from the past, in demand today. this company is located near hamburg. sales have grown by 25% in the

last five years. >> digitization has not cannibalized the non-digital. on the contrary, there is a strength and awareness of non-digital behavior in the age of digitization. people write more consciously. they sit down n and write a letr consciously or notes in a notebook. reporter: even large companies like bmw have jumped on the vintage bandwagon, with 1960's and 1970's style motorcycles. every 10th bmw motorcycle sold is a retro model. almost as expensive as the motorcycles, and extremely in demand, furniture made in the mid-20th century. this one costs 10,000 euros. >> furniture from the 1960's and 1970's was built differently, much better in quality. it was glued and assembled differently. the furniture was built for eternity.

reporter: linda marshall likes to buy retro clothes. she loves fashion from the 1920's. what fascinates her about an era she never experienced herself? >> for me, this has a lot to do with enjoyment. the enjoyment of design, music, dance, joie de vivre from the time back then. reporter: despite their style preferences, the retro fans say they still feel happy in the present. steven: back to sumi, and europe upping pressure on china. sumi: that's right. we have seen germany, france and the u.s. renewing calls for china to close down detention camps that activists say are holding one million muslim minorities. former detainees have described the camps as political indoctrination centers were muslims are forced to renounce their faith and swear loyalty to the communist party.

beijing has rejected all accusations of mass internment, calling the charges politically motivated. reporter: we're driving through an oasis city on the silk road. we're looking for a reeducation camp, something the chinese governmentnt says does not exis. but we find one. surveillance cameras, a watchtower, high walls, andd barbed wirire. we have to film undercover and constantly watch out for police. a passerby tells us that people study here, but reports say it is more like indoctrination. satellite images show the site has an eight block complex of buildings and a sports field. 5000 kilometers away near stuttgart, he studies the sysystem of oppression in te province. he is familiar of the compound we saw. he says it is clearly a reeducation center. >> you can see that these are relatively normal-looking grey buildings. it's not a classic prison with

buildings of different shapes. in china, these bubuildings oftn have similar structures because they are prefabricated. reporter: for his data, he analyzes government documents for these camps. he says there are at least 1000 internment camps in the province. the advocacy group human rights watch and the u.n. estimates the number of prisoners at up to one million. it is china's biggest injunction -- indoctrination effort since the cultural revolution. >> re-education there is so massive, and based on what we have heard from various eyewitnesses, it is going increasingly in the direction of cultural genocide. reporter: but what is really going on? we spoke to someone here in istanbul. no one in the province was willing to talk to u us, out of fear. this is the flag of the independence movement, banned in china. a man shows it to us.

he escaped from china, but his sister is at one of the camps. he tells u us about his visitt there. >> on my left there were about 600 to 700 people. theyey were standing at attetenn and d singing a chinesese marchg song. there was a sign above which said, education center of the party. everyone wore blue uniforms and stood still. reporter: experts say that uighurs are being forced to learn chinese and attend watchers about the danger of islam. they say beijing is trying to wipe out their islamic identity. back at one of its main attractions, the chinese flag flies here. a sign over the entrance reads, love the communist party, love the country. we try to meet the imam, but we can't. it is not even clear if one can pray at this mosque. security checks are everywhere.

but only uighurs have to show their i.d. chinese can simply pass through. what does the chinese governmemt say to all thihis? it calls the camps vocational education. china's ministry of foreign affairs keeps giving the same response. >> in xinjiang province, society is currently stable. the economy is developing. all ethnic groups live in harmony. reporter: at the main square, communist party propaganda. state and party leader xi jinping poses with laughing uighurs. but many might say there is little to laugh about. sumi: we just have one sports item for you. liverpool's hopes of reaching the knockout stages of the champions league have suffered a blow. they slipped to a surprise 2-0 defeat. the defeat means liverpool now face a tough task getting out of a group that also features

napoli. a reminder now of our top story that we are following f for you here on dw. u.s. voters are casting ballots in what many describe as the most pivotal midterm elections in decades. the poll is being seen as a referendum on donald trump's presidency. with a strong showing, democrats could take back control of congress. you're watching "dw news." you can always get the latest on our website, dw.com. ♪ [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

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