♪ brent: this is dw news live from berlin. taking the case for impeachment to the people. >> come to order. good morning. brent: the u.s. house of representatives opens historic public impeachment hearings against president donald trump in the biggest challenge yet. democrats want to prove he abused his power. palestinian m militants maintain their rocket barrage on israel in the retaliation for killing

one of the leaders in gaza. israel has killed 23 palestinian's in the territory. venice suffers its worst floods in half a century, the second highest tide ever reported in the mayor is blaming climate change. electric carmaker tesla will build its nuclear factory near berlin. the ceo says he is plugging into germany's reputation for excellence in engineering. ♪ i'm brent goff. to our viewers on pbs in the united states and around the world, welcome. we begin with high drama and history being made on capitol hill. lawmakers have begun the first public hearings in the impeachment inquiry against president donald trump.

democrats are trying to group you brute -- he abused the office by threatening to withhold millions of dollars in aid to ukraine unless the government investigated the family of joe biden. lawmakers are hearing testimony from two top diplomats. trump has called this process a witchhunt. democratic house intelligence committee chairman adam schiff highlighting what is at stake when he opened today's impeachment hearing. >> if we find the president of the united states abused his power and invited foreign interference or he sought to condition, extort or bribed an ally and conduct investigations to aid his reelection campaign and did so by withholding official acts, hundred of millions of dollars of needed aid, must we simply get over it? is this what americans should expect from their president? if this is not impeachable

conduct, what is? brent: we have got complete coverage. oliver sallet is on the story in washington. in the studio i am joined by boris vormann. he is an analyst from art college here in berlin. the mr. with you, oliver -- let me start with you. what new information has come out? oliver: the hearing today is not so much about new information because both of the diplomats that have testified have done it all before closed doors, but from today on all of thehe hearings wilill be broadcast lie on tv and made public. it can be brought out to the american voters, and obviously the democrats are trying to capitalize on that. they need to get the message out the trump phone call with the

ukrainian president was impeachable, that he pressured zelensky to investigate joe biden, his most likely political rival in 2020. bill taylor confirmed a potential meeting between trump and zelensky as well as military aid of hundreds of millions of dollars were conditioned to such investigations. that would be a quid pro quo. that would be -- that is the line that adam schiff is following. the question to the voters -- will they see that as well? brent: the hearings begin today and people are expecting to see somewhat of a partisan fight going on. you are inside the chamber where the hearing was taking place. what was the atmosphere like?

oliver: it was quite sober but the republicans are under enormous pressure anand you cocd feel that here today. there was a memo circulated addressed to republican house members where they put out the strategy of their defense. that was to say -- you could really tell that today in this hearing republicans also were talking about the attempted to such as this -- coup, such is the word the president is using. there were two diplomats, chosen by president trump, working for the u.s. government. they have a high level of credibility and it is exactly what the democrats are trying to capitalize on today here on capitol hill. brent: history is being made

today. this is the third time we have had impeachment hearings, public hearings that have been televised. it is the first time witnesses have been shown to tell the story of alleged abuse of power. are we looking at a tipping point? >> one thing we should also emphasize is we have seen impeachment hearings before. they were aired on television but it meant a very different thing at the time. we have social media and all forms of media. when nixon was going to be impeached or the hearings started, there was one public sphere. there were three tv channels. it was the consensus of what truth is. it seems to be different this time around. we have a deeply polarized political system. even though it is being shown on television, the interpretations will differ vastly if you ask

republican or democrat. brent: we have a president who is using social media to let the public know what he is thinking several times a day. richard nixon and bill clinton did not have that. boris: it lets him short circuit certain methods of democracy. you could think it is more democratic because he can speak more directly, but there is a short-circuiting of all sorts of different types of institutions that are meant to check power. this is what the democrats have seen as a major threat and the reason they launched the impeachment hearings. brent: and why everything is supposed to be public from here on out. how are you expecting the republicans to defend the president moving forward? is it an attack on the process

or the allegations? boris: i think both. all of her gave us -- oliver gave us clues already. there is a strong argument republicans believed to be that he did nothing wrong, that it is just normal realpolitik. it is ugly but it is the way. brent: they say ugly but not impeachable. boris: this is the line of defense. there is another aspect which is to say the democrats are paradoxically undermining democracy because they want to undo the election of 2016 which is a strange argument given trump is already in office or has been for three years. the similar argument is being made about 2020, democrats want to circumvent the election. brent: moving forward, bring us up to speed on what we can expect. oliver: the impeachment hearings

are going to continue riding, then we are going to hear marie yovanovitch, the former ambassador to ukraine. the predecessor of bill taylor, who is testifying today. she was removed in the spring and is saying rudy giuliani, president trump's private lawyer, campaigned against her and wanted to get rid of her because he believed she would stand in the way of potential investigations against president trump political rival. bill taylor today spoke about the role she had in -- there, talking about a highly irregular channel of policy making on the ukraine. he had a critical take on the role of rudy giuliani, the private lawyer. brent: dw's correspondent oliver sallet and boris vormann, political science professor at board -- at a college in berlin.

23 palestinians have been killed in two days of israel airstrikes. they are targeting millions after rocket attacks on israel. the latest flareup follows the killing of a senior member of the palestinian militant group, islamic jihad, by israeli forces. reporter: first the sirens. and then panic. this is a current operating procedure at this hospital located several commenters from gaza. not even the iron dome can ease this person's fears. his nenewborn is in the hospita. >> two days ago, i became a father. we don't get used to this. reporter: the rockets have been relentless.

they have been fired into israel since tuesday, when a senior official was killed by israeli forces. is reaeally warplanes have responded with a series of airsrstrikes. and with nowhere to run for cover, gaza residents are lashing out. >> the jews are lying. this is my home. it had three floors and it was destroyed during the night. it is not a military site, it is the home of eight people. reporter: the israeli prime minister has warned of further escalation if airstrikes continue. egypt is working to deescalate tensions. in the meantime this hospital is continuing its operations underground. >> this is an all too familiar scenario. only about 30 seconds to find shelter. even if a cease-fire stops, many people fear this is ononly

temporary. without a political solution, another escalation is just a matter of time. brent: tania kramer reporting from israel. here are the other stories from around the world. students from mainland china are leaving hong kong saying they are being targeted in escalating protest against beijing's influence over the territory. it comes as intense clashes continue on university campuses between protesters and security forces. police say the violence has reached dangerous and deadly levels. paris is marking the fourth anniversary of the attacks by the so-called islamic state. they laid wreaths in remembrance of the victims per 100 people were killed when they targeted the product line -- that a clan -- bataclan concert hall. people have been killed in trouble. no group has claimed responsibility.

the blast comes a day after a prisoner exchange between the government and the taliban insurgents, which was aimed at defusing violence. chilean authorities say hundreds have been injured and more than 1000 arrested in nationwnwe riotots. fresesh protests are tuesday afr the cururrency f fell to a hisic w. demonstrators are demandingng te president step down. staying in south america, bolivia's interim president is promising to hold elections as soon as possible. the conservative jeanine anez assumed the role of president following the resignation of ava morella's. he has led to mexico saying he had to because of a two. -- coup. reporter: they are fighting for their president. demonstrators in the city don't

want to simply accept the change of bolivia's leadership. they want evo morales back. they shout step down, and they mean her, jeanine anez, previously the senate vice president. on tuesday evening she declared herself interim president of bolivia, but how she assumed the office remains controversial. during the senate session, the seats of the former president's party colleagues were empty. no competent majority could decide the appointment of an interim government. it didn't stop anez. >> as president of the chamber of senators, i assumed the presidency of the state as it is seen in the constitutional order. i commit myself to accept the possibility for all necessary measures to pacify the country. [applause] reporter: the opposition is

rejoicing. they have no doubts about the legitimacy of the new president. they have taken power for the first time in 14 years. >> this is a further step towards a constitutional successor. hopefully democracy will recover in the months ahead. reporter: but tensions are not using. in the eyes of morales' supporters is a coup. it is also his message from his exile in mexico. on twitter he speaks of the most scheming and sinister coup in history. bolivia is divided. the majority is hoping for an end to the weeks of unrest that have intensified. the new self-proclaimed government has a clear expiration date. the constitution requires new elections to be held within 90 days. brent: one of europe's's most

important cultural destinations is facing a catastrophe. venice is suffering from the highest tide in more than a century. the tide level peaked in just under two meters, leaving homes inundated, both stranded and touristswa wading through mark square. it chilean says repair and rebuilding will cost hundreds of millions of euros. ♪ reporter: alarms sound throughout venice's historic center warning people to find higher ground to escape one of the worst floods in decades. high wind and rain caused the water to search to 197 -- surge to 900 -- hehe found himselflf at the fams st. mark's s square and b blamed climate change for the extreme

weather. >> we just can't wait unfortunately. we have reacheded a new negatate record.. we have to stand together against the effects of climate change. reporter: now it is all hands on deck to put stranded boats back into the water. large vessels require more than manpower. tourists are taking raised walkways to reach the famous sites including st. mark's basilica. the basilica itself was flooded for only the sixth time in its 1200-year-old history. workers are assessing the damage. there is plenty of anger here.

the system designed to prorotect them from high water has voiced -- faced constant delays. >> they have been on it for 10 years but done n nothing. it is total neglect. doesn't work and they have stolen 6 billion euros. in italy that is the way it is. our politicians are thieves. they should be in jail. reporter: as locals take in the aftermath, city officials say the dome -- the damages hundreds of millions of euros as people prepare for more flooding. brent: never before has a german elementary midi removed its chairman until now. he was the head of the legal affairs committee in the german parliament and is a member of the far right alternative for germany party. fellow committee members acted after a string of inflammatory comments. some of which were seen as anti-semitic. reporter: stephan portrayed

himself as a victim of -- the far right politician blamed the move on the governing coalition. >> simply a coalition of real parties that are always against the afd to matter what we do. they wanted to get rid of me and attack the afd. >> we feel he should not remove -- represent us any longer. reporter: following the right-wing extremist attacks, brandner made statements condemned as anti-semitic, but he is not acting alone. time and again the afd has made statements and interrupted parliamentary proceedings. party members left without warning. other parties see a danger in this.

>> the afd's contribution is not constructive. its aim is to destroroy our democratic institutions. >> the afd has a hostile attitude which it radiates the whole time. you notice it in every sitting and debate. they reverse everything to xenophobia and try to push every issue in that direction. reporter: on the sidelines, the parliamentary leader was asked if there were a bright people available. >> we only have a bright people. -- upright people. don't ask such questions. reporter: there might not be consensus anytime soon. they have previously spoken out in favor of the death penalty. brent: electric carmaker tesla

coming to berlin. the company will build its first european factory on the outskirts of the german capital. the giga factory will produce vehicles, powertrains and batteries. elon musk said tesla chose germany because of the country's reputation for engineering prowess. this will create around 10,000 new jobs and it will be based near berlin's new but not open and long-delayed airport. for more on this, i am joined by anthony howard's. mr. musk has come to an end that come to berlin. why did he decide to build a factory in germany? anthony: they started in california, moved to nevada, annual output. it is not yet built.

he goes to china and that victory comes on line next year. it was built in one year. they spoke in the early days of learning to make a machine that makes the machine. he has come to germany for robotics expertise, the right place to expand. tesla has been making electric cars for longer than anyone else and would like to keep the lead but would like to get bigger. the giga victory will help with that. brent: i wonder if he is coming here, if that will lead to the new airport being opened at some point in the future. what about production starting? will it be built as quickly as in china? anthony: he says 2021. that is very fast. anyone in berlin wants to laugh because of the airport, the one they haven't built in 11 years. he is trying to build a factory

that makes 500,000 cars a year, 120 football fields in footprint and he will do it by the end of 2021. he pushes until the breaking point on people, norms and all structures. brent: it is an alpha move. will they get the likes of volkswagen and dine with a run for their money? anthony: it will literally and figuratively. in terms of investment from the german government but also it is about their products. if you asked a year ago will it give these giants a run for their money, you would say no and associate elon musk with the guy smoking para one of on a podcast. that was a year ago. and then in california they built 97,000 cars and everyone went it sounds like the company is growing.

the man might not have but the company. people are paying attention. he has turned up a week after angela merkel says she has got $1 trillion to invest in electric cars. he comes to the door and says -- brent: he has the midas touch, but we wonder if he has talked with the trade unions and labor cost -- how is his mentality going to go down? anthony: like a lead balloon. it will not work. it will be a spectacular failure in many ways. i am not sure whether it will work or he will make money but the lithium clad guarantee is it will not be boring. anthony: the prediction -- brent: thank you. rafael nadal has produced an incredible comeback to defeat daniil medvedev. he lost on a tiebreaker was

almost overwhelmed in the second but after saving a match point, he came back. the final set was settled by hawkeye technology. the first ever career victory over the spaniard. afraid for the argentinian capital, david abraham has been banned after knocking over an opposition coach last weekend. he plowed down the freiburg coach, resulting in a massive brawl area the german organization find him. he will be allowed to play in frankfurt's remaining europa games. football's governing body announced the appointment of arson fechner. -- arsene wenger.

he had recently been linked with the vacant position at bayern munich but will now be tasked with overseeing the growth of the sport at fifa. he will be focused on training coaches and considering changes to the game. spain's all-time top goal spider -- goalscorer david villa will announce -- leave at the end of the season. he played 93 games and scored 59 goals. he also won various club titles, memorably the winning title in the 2011 champions league finale. here is a reminder of the top story we are following for you. the u.s. house of representatives has begun public hearings in the impeachment inquiry against donald trump. lawmakers are considering whether he abuse his office by

pressuring ukraine to investigate the family of his political rival. palestinian militants are contininuing the rockeket barran israel after wounding a leader in gaza. israeli retaliation has killed 23 people in the territory. you are watching dw news from berlin. i will be back to take you through the day. complete coverage of the first day of those public impeachment hearings in the u.s. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

two hundred france twenty four correspondents around the world. you're watching fronts twenty four we are live from paris these are the headlines this hour. france twenty four exclusive the desperate plight of african migrants rescued at sea and then sent back to libya our forces witnessed firsthand how people of being sent to the world country. thanks use a different tool. the trump engagement enquiring goes public two senior us diplomats to testify against the president i mean he still to leverage aides to ukraine intend. for information on his personal life i didn't. and the death toll rises on this the second day of fighting between israel and t