>> this is dw news. live from berlin. the most powerful woman in washington says it is time to begin drafting articles of impeachment against donald trump. speaker nancy pelosi says donald trump's actions struck at the heart of the u.s. constitution and lawmakers have no choice but to act. dedemocrats are charging that trump abuses power pressing ukraine to investigate trump's political rival. also coming up, samoa goes into

lockdown as it carries out emergency mass vaccinations against measles. it is part of what the world health organization says is a collective failure to confront a worldwide surge in measles cases with children bearing the brunt of the suffering. french public-sector workers stage one of the biggest national strikes in decades in protest against pension reforms. calls for widespread disruption to transport networks, schools and hospitals. some have turned violent. we go to paris for the latest. i'm brent goff. our viewers on pbs in the united states and around the world, welcome. tonight, the speaker of the u.s. house of representatives says she is ready to draft articles of impeachment against the president.

the announcement marks the culmination of months of inquiries into whether president trump abused his office in his dealings with ukraine. he is accused of having used military aid for kiev as a weapon in exchange for investigation into joe biden. speaker pelosi says trump's actions strike at the heart of the u.s. constitution. >> the president is engaged in abuse of power, undermining national security and jeopardizing the integrity of our elections. his actions are in defiance of the vision of our founders and the oath of office that he takes to preserve, protect, and defend the constitution of the united states. sadly, but with confidence and humility, with allegiance to our founders and our hearts full of love for america, today, i'm asking our chairman to proceed

with articles of impeachment. i commend our committee chairs and our members for their approach to actions with the president had not made necessary. brent: you can definitely hear the sadness there in nancy pelosi's voice. let's take the story to washington. our correspondent is in washington. good evening to you. so what does this announcement mean now for donald trump? >> obviously, it is not good news for president trump. you would not get that impression from his series of tweets today. before we get to that, what it means now is that the process is moving forward quite swiftly. what is going to happen is that the articles of impeachment are being prepared. it is expected that they will be debated next week by the house judiciary committee and then what will happen is it will pass onto the house of representatives, where they will

be voted on by the members of congress, and then it is expected that they will be approved and passed on to the senate for the impeachment trial, which should take place in january of next year. in a matter of weeks we are talking about brent: here. brent:this is happening very quickly. -- >> in a matter of weeks we are talking about here. brent: this is happening very quickly. on what basis could you president be impeached? >> it has not been announced exactly what those articles of impeachment will be, but we do have some good indicators, considering the investigations which will be taking place and some of the language being used even by nancy pelosi. one of those articles could be abuse of power by president trump. he put his own personal political gain over national security. bribery is another that could be amongst those articles, referring to the withholding of

$400 million of military aid, which had been approved by congress already, and another is obstruction of congress. we are talking about very serious articles of impeachment, but like i said, president trump is defiant. brent: nancy pelosi the u.s. constitution dictates that this impeachment proceeding take place. it is a sad day for the united states, she says. what about the republican party? has there been any reaction concerning where this is going? >> you are absolutely right. obviously from the democrats, for nancy pelosi, it is a representation of the feeling among them. they say it is a very sad day, but democrats -- what we need to do is focus on president trump mentioned a couple times his reaction.

it is defiance. i'm just going to read what he said in his series of tweets. he says they, referring to the democrats, gave up on the ridiculous mueller stuff, so they hang their hats on two totally appropriate, perfect phone calls with ukrainian president. this seldom used active impingement will be used routinely to attack future presidents and this is not what our founders had mine. she's referring to what nancy pelosi said where she referred several times to the founders and how important it is to proceed with the impeachment trial. the republicans have been standing firm, standing behind president trump despite the fact that there have been grumblings amongst senior members of the republican party. they are standing with the president so will be interesting to see what happens in that

trial in the senate in january. brent: public, thank you. -- pablo, thank you. so, in imminent impeachment. the election is just months away. we visited blackstone, virginia, a state that trump did not win in the 2016 election. >> blackstone is a 3 hour drive south of washington. the residents here are proud to say they are part of the south. this trump supporter says he is doing his best to keep up to speed on what is happening in the capital and he is definitely not happy. >> i don't think americans want this to go on for days and weeks and weeks and this witness and that witness.

it just seems it's millions of dollars being wasted. we have so many national issues we need to solve as a country. >> the family businessman does not believe president trump did anything wrong with regard to ukraine. >> i think a lot of this is just good politics and good business. you want to know where your money is going. you want to make sure things are doing right before you help somebody. >> around 4000 people live in blackstone. roughly half are white. the other half are african-american. the region is traditionally conservative but in the last congressional elections, a democrat won the district. most african-americans we meet don't want to comment on the impeachment proceedings. thomas taylor is an exception. he says he rather see president trump's political fate decided at the ballot box next year. >> we have got until november

2020 to keep him or replace him. if you get rid of him now, it will mess the country up. that means the people who voted for him, their vote didn't count. >> in the barbershop, all blackett chats with customomers about the impeachment. she says she doesn't follow the hearings. she will remain a trump supporter regardless of what is said in washington. >> everybody has their pros and cons. there things that make a good president good and bad president bad, but look at the economy now. there is no reason to kick him out. >> just leave him alone. i think he is doing a great job. >> with the figure of special counsel robert mueller looking on, proprietors of a nearby bed and breakfast are hard at work. they are democrats and they believe the impeachment hearings are justified. but they don't think the result

will play a role in the upcoming elections. >> the guy that worked for clinton said it's the economy stupid. that looks like what is going to be. you're going to see how the economy is going and that will be the advantage to the current administration. >> republicans and democrats in blackstone seem to agree on this point. they also agree that the united states is currently deeply divided. but they differ on who is to blame. brent: here are some of the other stories making headlines around the world. at least 57 people have died after a boat carrying migrants capsized off the coast of northwest africa. a report from the international organization for migration says more than 80 people survived and the vessel left in late november headed for europe. a woman is in critical condition after she was set on fire on her

way to a court hearing in india. she was going to the hearing in the rape case that she had previously filed against two men. those men were among the five connected with setting her on fire. the us trillion city of sydney is shrouded in unprecedented smog as severe bushfires rage nearby. hundreds o of homes have been destroyeyed and four people have died s since the blaze began wes ago. scientists say the fires are more intense than usual thanks to a prolonged drought fueled by climate change. they are calling it an outrage and a collective failure. that is how the world health organization is describing a surge in the number of people dying from measles. the latest report shows that the disease killed about 140,000 people in 2018. most of the victims were children. the who says one of the reasons

the number of cases is increasing is because people are not vaccinating their children. here is a closer look at the place being devastated by measles. the pacific nation of samoa. more than 4000 cases have been reported since the current outbreak began and on the streets of the capital city, they are largely deserted as vaccination teams go door to door. >> this woman is buying close for her son to be buried in. he is one of 60 children who have died in the measles epidemic sweeping samoa. >> i don't know how -- my little boy. >> with cases mounting, the government has declared a state of emergency. vaccinations have been made compulsory in a country were only around the third of the

population was immunized against measles. around 90% need to be vaccinated for adequate protection. one reason for the adequate spread of the disease, misinformation by anti-vaccination groups. >> we have asked many times for people to cocome and get vaccinated. the problem is that we have been handicapped because we have so many anti-vaccine people and of course many of our people still resort to traditional methods. >> the government's patience has run out. it started a two day shutdown of government offices and advised samoans to stay indoors.

officials have been advised to hang red flags from the windows of those who have been immunized. others are being vaccinated in emergency centers. the tiny island nation is desperate to stamp out the disease. brent: here in europe, france has come to a standstill thanks to a strike. a look sector workers join the protest against the president plans to reform the pension system. schools and hospitals have been seriously disrupted. some of the protests have turned violent. >> a sea of strikers. it is the largest mobilization across france in decades. this time, it is all about reforming pensions for future generations. >> we don't have enough to make ends meet. this reform will make things

worse. >> i might retire in 10 years and i'm not sure i will be able to survive on what macron is advising. it is that simple. >> by thursday afternoon, scenes from the paris cindy center showed increasing violence. protesters smashed store windows and clashed with police. among them, members of the black block. the violence made visible the frustration many strict supporters feel with the french government. >> as soon as they want to save money, it is always the working class to see if price. that is unacceptable. there is money there. the people in power have to pay. they know how to find money. they make deals. have turned the world upside down and they want us to pay but we don't agree with that. >> the general strike was called by trade unions to protest the

government's plans for pension reform. many fear it would increase their work time and reduce pensions. the strike has received widespread support. >> there are several forces united for this. there are students, nurses, firemen, doctors, lawyers and yellow vests like me. >> unions say they might extend the strike as far as monday. brent: let's take this story to our correspondent in paris. what is going on right now in paris and what should we expect through the night? >> >> the demonstrations kind of finished. there are the last demonstrators behind me. police have blocked off the square and are asking everybody to leave but there have been up until now clashes between protesters and police. the demonstration took off at

2:00 in the afternoon and got stuck for quite a while, but finally arrived here at its final destination. brent: what are people upset about? we want to remind our viewers, france has about 42 pension systems as it is today and the president wants to have one for the entire country for all workers. our people upset about that or about having to work longer? on the upset pensions are going to be smaller? > >> the french are afraid they will have less money when they retire. that it will be impossible for them to make ends meet. there are 42 different systems, but lots of people here say there is a reason for that. if you take teachers, teachers have a special system and part of that is that there pension is calculated based on what they earned at the end of the career. they start off with a very low

salary and that goes up year after year and that is why it is calculated that way. many people say it is complicated, but there is reason for it. the fact that some people have more benefits than others. we won't be able to make ends meet when they retire. >> every year, the system gets more expensive, but last time the french even thought about reforming pensions was in 1995. we know that the protests lasted so long that the government backed off. what you think president macron is going to do this time? >> he is obviously afraid that that might happen again. it is crucial for him to push through the pensions. one of the centerpieces that he was running on was being elected for president. he is afraid that this might happen again and it looks like the government is open to

negotiations with the protesters. he does not want to give up on the main piece, on that fusion of 42 systems into one, but there seems to be some leeway for negotiation. brent: lisa, thank you. german chancellor angela merkel's governing coalition partners are in crisis. they have seen popularity plummet, taken a beating in elections. last weekend, party members voted against the establishment and in favor of two candidates to become the new coleaders. the duo has made it clear they are no fans of being in a government with angela merkel and her conservatives. >> the social democrats have elected a little-known mp and a former state finance minister as

their new party leaders. >> it is incredible that we are standing here having been nominated by the party. >> they are openly critical of the so-called grand coalition. the spd has formed a coalition with angela merkel's conservative party three times since 2005. over that time, the party's popularity has plummeted. now, polls place the spd at 13%. they belelieve being in the coalition has weakened the spd's image. >> plays a big role for young voters if you can say, you know us as angela merkel's junior partner. that is a problem because we are seen as second fiddle and without ambitions of our own. >> young vototers were o openly opposed to the last coalitioion. their leader is the head of the

young socialists. they backed the team. he says the days of the grand coalition should be numbered. >> people want the country's big conflicts to be solved one way or another. they want clarity but a grand coalition can't change that. we need a political alliance to the left or, i hope that won't happen, clearly to the right. >> neither wants to leave the grand coalition immediately. instead, they want to place new demands on merkel's conservative party. >> we talked about how more needs to be done for the climate and the investments that need to be made. the question of distribution needs to be clarified. we must address these and get clarity from our coalition partner. >> first, they have to be voted in at the party conference. once that is done, it will be up for them to forge new paths.

brent: let's have a look at some of the other news headlines around the world one week before the u.k. elections, for members of the european car lament of the brexit party have resigned and urged people to vote for conservatives. they say support for the brexit party is splitting and that forced johnson's brexit deal was the only option. polish authorities say at least eight people including a number of children were killed when a gas explosion destroyed a house in a mountain resort. rescuers are still searching the rubble. nepal is hololding a mass animal sacrifice e despite crititicismm rights groups and the country's supreme court that is cruel and outdated. the event involving the slaughter of t thousands of animals is thohought to be t the largest of its kind in the world. it takes p place every f five wd -- every five years and attract about hindus from across the region.

sports news now. the firestorm over rage created over this headline in in italian newspaper. it reads black friday. my colleague, kres harrington, is here to say they are not talking about shopping deals on the day after thanksgiving. >> absolutely not. basically this is a match preview, the italian top-flight between milan and roma. they decided to use to lack footballers on the front page. we all know black has a negative connotation in many different ways. one positive way is the way we interpret black friday shopping deals, but when i see this in this context, i personally was -- brent: people would say it is obvious they are referring to the skin color. what has been the reaction?

kres: condemnation from everywhere except one. the first was football against racism in europe. this organization speaks for itself. they say the media fuels racism everyday and i can understand that because there are some trigger words used to associate black athletes, calling them gifted, where white athletes are hard-working. sometimes you have to read between the lines to pick up on it. there was another outraged individual, a nigerian sports journalist. he wanted to know who the editor was because he could not understand the idea how they do not know this is a racist, inappropriate headline. he went on to paint the whole society of italy with a broad stroke, saying the country doesn't have the capacity to deal with this problem. it is a big problem. brent: what does that mean? kres: the craziest thing is, you

would think when you're informed you have offended someone, that is an opportunity to backpedal. the newspaper did not do that. they doubled down on the headline. they went on to say that it was a celebration of diversity and they had a pretty lengthy comment here. we are looking at this now for those who want to and can understand, this was praising the difference, the difference of black athletes and white athletes that for some strange reason are not pictured. the one thing that caught my eye is, it is transformed into poison by those who have poison in them. i can't really understand that. the unmitigated gall of the newspaper to publish such a headline, it is really disgusting. brent: italy, we know it does not have a great track record regarding grace and football. -- race and football. kres: one player featured here,

when he arrived he was on the receiving end of monkey chance and so on. the organization came out and sent him a letter saying it is not racist, it is to show respect. which is obviously ridiculous. one thing is shutting off the microphones so the players can't pick up the audible chance and sounds. a way to mute the problem. so they don't here. don't think this problem is going anywhere. i read a report where youth football players, nine and 10-year-olds are painting their faces black show solidarity with black athletes. there is serious cultural diversity programs needed. it is unfortunate but these boundaries of respect, when you go outside these boundaries, someone has got to tap you on the shoulder and say you are being offensive. brent: and point out something like that when it's on the front page of a newspaper. as always, thank you.

the top stories we are following for you -- the speaker of the u.s. house of representatives is moving forward with articles of impeachment against donald trump. pelosi says that american democracy is at stake and the president has abused his office in his dealings with ukraine. 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 that. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

conference twenty four i'm from twenty four .com. what about you into my comparison france twenty four the headlines this hour. brown's grinds to a halt amid mass opposition to president microns pension reforms union say a quarter of a million marched in paris this to this day the government puts the figure is sixty five thousand seventy one people were arrested and there were clashes in several. major cities. survey destruction on public transport nine out of ten trains canceled a fifth of flights in and out of the country scrapped. and most state schools close to unions have voted to extend the strike into next week. and in iraq protest is accused pro iranian mili