brent: this is dw news. u.s. president trump lashing out at the media and taking credit for republican wins in yesterday's historic midterm election. mr. trump: the history really will see what a good job we did in the final couple of weeks in terms of getting some tremendous people over the finish line. they really are tremendous people. brent: democrats retook control of the house of representatives. tonight trump is issuing a warning to democrats not to try to check his power.

we go on the road with a caravan of migrants from central america heading to the u.s., and we ask how they are reacting the decision to send troops to the border with mexico. the woman hand-picked by germany's chancellor to take her place. the woman known as a kk to become the next hit of the cdu party. we'll should be able to fend off the other contenders for the top job -- will she able to fend off the other contenders for the top job? ♪ brent: i'm brent goff. it is good to have it with us. we have breaking news this hour. what appears to be the first cabinet reshuffling at the white house following those midterm elections yesterday. u.s. attorney general jeff sessions says he is resigning, and this at the request of

president trump. let's take the story now to the u.s. capitol in washington, dc. maya shwayder is in washington. this is coming the day after the midterms. what do you make of this? maya: this was something that had been rumored for a while. people had been guessing whether or not sessions was going to be out after the midterms and if so how long after. looks like we now have the answer to that question. it took rarely hours after the ink was dry on the paper the results for him to step down. what this now is is a way for the president to not only replace sessions but replace sessions with someone who trump might view as more sympathetic to the way he wants to run the justice department that pertains to the ongoing investigation into the alleged meddling by russia in the 2016 election, led by robert mueller.

brent: we know sessions recused himself when this investigation began, a move that donald trump was openly -- he certainly didn't approve of this. he publicly humiliated sessions because of that. did sessions jump or was he pushed out? maya: humiliated him not just then but many times. over the past year and a half he has been calling him week and in various -- weak in various tweets, and it became a telltale sign for various watching to -- various washington watchers. something was about to happen with the russia investigation. we have to parse the words sessions use. he said at your request i am submitting my recognition --

resignation which looks like it could be peaceful but not willingly. brent: stand by. we will come back to you in a moment to talk about the midterm elections. u.s. president donald trump says republicans divide history -- defied history yesterday. he said his vigorous campaigning allowed republicans to expand their majority in the senate but the democrats have taken control of the house of representatives, the first time in eight years. the president warned democrats not to go after him and his administration now they have the power to subpoena. he also reached out saying he believed they y could work together. mr. trump: hopefully we can all work together next year to continue delivering for the american people, including on economic growth, infrastructure, trade, lowering the cost -- cost of prescription drugs.

these are things they want to work on. i think we will have a lot of reason to do it. brent: that is a change in tone from the u.s. president. let's consider that the conciliatory tone, but the president had a tense exchange, boulder -- verbal altercation with several reporters during the press conference at the white house. listen. mr. trump: very rude person the way you treat sarah huckabee is horrible and the way you t treat oral -- other people are horrible. you shouldn't treat people that way. when you report fake news, when you report fake news which cnn does a lot, you are the enemy of the people. brent: once again the president calling the media fake news, enemy of the people. we have to preface this thing the reporter had asked trump about the way the president had characterized the caravan of

migrants who are approaching the united states. that seemed to set the president off. exchanges like this for the whole world to see, what do they do in terms of undermining his attempts to finding a more measured tone? maya: interesting contrast, him saying not just yesterday but the day before, leading up into the midterms saying, i would like to take a softer tone in the future but i don't have a choice. perhaps he is try to reach out to democrats saying i have to work with them, but we have seen him insult the media before. this is not new for the president, but he seemed like he is spoiling for a fight, trying to square with the fact republicans are no longer really single party rulers in washington, dc anymore. of course they did make gains in the senate which is nothing to sniff out and does solidify their power there, but we are watching trump try to readjust

his priorities, his strategy. lashing out at the media in fine form while doing so. brent: we have to talk about the performance of women in the midterm elections print this has been called the year of the women. they got the rest of georgie -- vast majority of the house. listen to nancy pelosi, the house leader, what she said a few moments ago about women in politics. mrs. pelosi: yesterday americans elected an extraordinary class of dynamic and diverse democratic candidates. women led the way to victory with at least 30 new women coming to the congress. is that not exciting? and there is still some races that are not finalized, so there could be more. brent: nancy pelosi speaking there. it will be 100 women in the house of representatives next year.

what does this say about the shifting power dynamics in the u.s. as well as the mood? maya: not just women but an incredibly diverse group of women. we are seeing the first two muslim congresswomen, one of the first black congresswoman from massachusetts, the first two native american women. this is something the women's march, women in america, especially women who don't support president trump, have been waiting for since january 20 1, 2017, the day after president trump was inaugurated and we saw the huge women's march sweep washihington, dc c d many places around the world. a lot of this we could say is in direct backlash to the rhetoric and policies, the type of administration president trump has been running. people say it is anti-women, anti-d-diversity, anti-lgbt. a lot of this from a lot of

corners a rebuke to those policies and we will see if they are able to consolidate that power and make something out of it. brent: everyone already talking about the election in 2020. maya shwayder on the story for us, thank you. the u.s. congress is now divided like much of the united states. to get a feel for the postelection divide over a from washington -- divide away from washington, we have this town in west virginia. reporter: it is the morning after in west virginia. people expected democrats to make trump's life difficult especially if they launch investigations into his behavior. >> that will not be an improvement. we will not be able to -- the president will not be able to move this country the way he wanted to. when i say move, i mean better. >> the democrat side is going to

continue until they finally break him. that is sad. reporter: this is trump country. almost 80% of voters cast ballots for him to years ago when he promised to revive the coal industry. they have no time for what they see as urban democrat voters. >> we are a diverse country but in metropolitan areas where people depend on social services, they vote more socialist than they do in a conservative, so that is why some of those areas went blue. reporter: two years after the presidential election, this remains a trump stronghold. brent: we are joined by oliver schmidt, director of the german-american fulbright commission. it promotes mutual understanding between germany and the u.s. through academic and bicultural exchanges. good to have you on the program

for we love full disclosure here. i was a fulbright scholar back in the day. it is a good program. let me ask you, what does this election and the results of this election, what do they mean for the work that you do? oliver: i am happily in a business that is not geared to election cycles. every year we have 700 student scholars, teachers, journalists we exchange more of 65 years up to 46,000. doesn't matter the written -- the administration. with great interest i am watching this election, but i know that tomorrow i will continue the way we have done it the last few weeks. brent: you were worried when trump came to power. there was talk about radical cuts in the budget for programs such as the fulbright program.

are you breathing a sigh of relief after the midterms? two things look better? oliver: it is a good question, but i have learned something. by giving information, both sides learn. i learned those cuts i have been asked about for quite a while, those cuts really pertain to trump's idea of covering -- cutting government. has nothing to do with fulbright. he just wants a smaller government. every year that happens, he cuts all kinds of programs that would lead to smaller government, but then we argue an advocate for the program and show up with people like you, alumni, grantees, explain what we are doing and in october we are usually restored back to our original program size. i would actually add a second comment that i found very interesting. as far as the german-american commission is concerned that we

are the biggest program worldwide for fulbright. 50% of fulbrighters come from the german-american program. foreign countries like germany are paid quite a bit to fund those programs. these are binational programs area it is not just american. it is binational, germany funding, france funding. more than $100 million are being funded by foreign countries. brent: oliver schmidt, working for the german-american fulbright commission, thank you for your time. i appreciate your comment about other countries financing this program. that is a good answer to what we have heard many times to the u.s. president regarding pay your own way. thank you very much. oliver: you are welcome. brent: a caravan of migrants heading to the u.s. is now resting in the mexican capital.

immigration, it was a key issue of donald trump's campaigning for the midterm elections with the president linking migrants to crime area he ordered thousands of u.s. troops to the border with mexico. some of the migrants considering whether to complete their journey or to seek asylum where they are in mexico. our reporter has been accompanying them and sent us this report. reporter: gonzalo is from honduras. his life was dominated by violence and poverty. he is gay and estranged and his family who refused to accept him. >> i suffered a lot of discrimination in my home country from within my family too because of who i am. i was even physically attacked. reporter: gonzalo saw no alternative but to flee. he has decided to stay here in mexico where he has applied for asylum.

>> my plan is to go to ti juana. there are a lot of people like me there. people who don't want to go to the states but will stay in mexico. brent: ngo's have set up a center. the help provided here in mexico city for migrants making the trek to the u.s. border has led many to change their plans.. >> we know people are applying first -- for asylulum, but we he rereceived 3200 applications in the past 15 days.s. reporter: some aid organizations expect 20% of those making the trek to the border to choose to stay in mexico. anna is one of them. she is traveling with her eight-year-old and knows what problems she could face. this is the fourth time she has tried to make it to the u.s. >> everything changed when we

reached mexico. because we received help from the government here. they help people make a futuree for themselves, and that is why i'm staying here in mexico city. reporter: 1800 kilometers to the north, this is the most dangerous part of the journey. volunteer helpers say there is little to no transport, and organized crime is rife. >> between chiapas and mexico city there are villages everywhere but in the north the distance between settlements is bigger and it is colder. the climate is different there. it is good they have different options and the change of government in mexico means they are more open to their fellow central americans. reporter: the president has promised jobs for the migrants, but many of them are suspicious of the pledge, believing it to be an attempt to break up the caravan.

>> they want to break us apart. they offer us jobs and asylum, but they have been making those promises for years and have never kept them. reporter: that is why so many migrants are determined to pass on to the u.s. border. they are regrouping in mexico city and gathering their strength for the reception president trump has warned they will receive. he is sending troops to stop them entering the u.s. >> we are pressing ahead. we are shrunk together, and we will do everything we can to get to the united states. >> i want to go on. it is too risky to stay here. >> i am going to cross the border. if i have to break the law to do that, i am sorry, but i have no other future, you see. reporter: the future most of the

migrants in the caravan say they cannot see in mexico. ♪ helena: after the midterm elections in the united states, investors are bracing for gridlock. economists believe donald trump may not be able to cut taxes further, but it also means his current tax cuts can't be rolled back. they believe gridlock will keep a check on trump's more disruptive market measures like the trade war with china. some went out the u.s. economy forms well when control is split. earlier i spoke to a professor of economics in berlin for his take. >> since he seems to have lost the house, he is looking for cooperation.

confrontational trump will never work. he will have to reach the hand across the aisle and try to pick up the initiatives the house is interested in. helena: if he doesn't get the approval of the house of representatives and there is gridlock in legislation, what could that mean for the health, the further development of the u.s. economy? >> the economy is doing well. it is growing fast. if anything it doesn't need another tax cut. trump has intimated that was maybe on the table, a middle-class tax cut to make the middle-class happier because most of the tax cut fell on wealthier people. that is off the table. it is good, will cool it off a little bit. there are other initiatives the congress might be interested in, the house. they are interested in infrastructure spending and trump would be interested i in some sort of compromise in this direction. helena: that is one flash point.

we have been speaking about trump's trade policies. what can we expect in the, can we expect a further expansion of the trade war, and what will the result of this midterm election mean for countries like germany? >> to the extent trump wants to have congressional action on any of this, these policies, a new nafta treaty, the u.s.mca treaty, you will have to have the cooperation of congress. congress will be likely to move along with what he has been promoting what one has to be worried being outside of nafta, outside the u.s., canada, mexico trading area because that will affect the german market. any action to china will affect the german market because the chinese producers will try to sell into europe, and that will affect europe -- germany which is an export country. helena: after the midterm

elections, that is when u.s. politicians consider the bill from hell, which would carry plenty of economic sanctions against russia. and after the midterm elections is now. with the strengthened, many believe russia could be hit even harder, so is moscow concerned? we went to russian and german resources conference in potsdam to find out. reporter: it is a long day of speeches and talks, networking and more networking. business as usual it seems, but what is about the looming threats about a new threat of u.s. sanctions on moscow? >> we have to wait and see what sanctions are coming or if there coming at all. if they do, wewe will find a convincing solution. reporter: but the mood among

russian businesses is less relaxed. nine out of 10 fear u.s. sanctions, a study found. what is more, they could threaten international projects like north stream 2, a gas pipeline underer constructioion. european investors might pull out to get -- avoid getting penalized. >> the project could be delayed and take longer than planned. but it is a completely commercial project, which is profitable for everyone involved, so i am convinced it will be completed successfully. reporter: the german economy minister said germany is standing with russia on this project. gunnar: back to brent -- helena: back to brent. brent: new developments, reports from pakistan suggest a christian inmate will be released from death may -- death

row. her status remains unclear. some officials say asia bibi has been transferred to islam is not for security reasons, , but auauthorities are prereparing ty her out of the country.y. pakistan supreme court acquitted her of blasphemy charges. that triggered violent protests by islamist groups who want to see her publicly executed. in cameroon 79 boarding school students who were kidnapped by separatists have been released. the kidnappers are still holding three i don't hostages from the school. the children aged between 11 and 17 were seized mondayay morningn the capital of the northwest region of the country. no single group says he carried out the kidnapping but separatist militias have been calling for a school boycott. one of german chancellor angela

merkel's closest allies have officially launched her campaign to lead the chancellor's conservative cdu party. she announced she was stepping down from the job as party leader and whoever succeeds her will be well-positioned to become germany's next chancellor. annegret karen bauer -- annegret kramp-karrenbauer is seen as the major one. three are vying for the job. reporter: she is the anointed successor. it was the chancellor's legacy that annegret kramp-karrenbauer honored first in her speech. >> this is the end of an era in which there are many personal relationships, many personal experiences that t i connect wih angela merkel. but this is also an end of an era that has changed, shaped the

cdu in a special and lasting way. reporter: she was the state premier of silent -- a province before she was called to be director. in a position she has s been markle's right-h-hand woman. many are disillusioned with merkel and her governing coalition and the challenge will be to step out of merkel's shadow and sharpen her own profile. today she said it was time to open a new chapter. yet she refused to criticize the chancellor's controversial immigration policy, saying the challenge now is to find solutions. >> when somebody knocks on our door, we take them in and give them protection. if they abuse that protection to permit crimes, how should we deal with that? those are the questions people

expect answers to, but they don't expect us to discuss three years whether what happened in 2015 was right or wrong. reporter: merkel's refugee policy has come under heavy criticism. not the least from one of the contenders for the leadership. this man is health minister. he met with people in north westphalia. along with this one who is also standing. both are seen as more conservative than the chancellor and have vowed to move the cdu further to the right. the new leader will be elected at a party conference on the seventh of december. brent: he was a reminder of top stories, u.s. attorney general jeff sessions has been forced out of his job. sessions says he is stepping down at donald trump's request. he has been the target of

trump's attacacks since recusing himself from the i investigation into the president campaign and russia. u.s. president donald trump attributes republican gains to his campaigning. they lost control of the house but increased majority in the u.s. senate. you are watching dw news live from berlin. after a short break, i will be back to take you through the day. stick around for them. -- then. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] ♪

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