will take a look at his work and the plight of the community coming up. coming up in the next hour, a drive -- we wilill have some of the details for you in our business update. ♪ >> so first it was andrew

johnson and then bill clinton and today it is the turn of donald trump. the house of representatives is expected to impeach the president later today. the third time in u.s. history it has exercised that power. the 435 members of the house of representatives will vote on the allegations that the president abused his power for personal gain and obstructed congress. thevote looks set to pass democrat-controlled congress although trump's friend removal from office looks unlikely. he slammed the impeachment investigation once again as politically motivated and accused the democrats of quote, declaring war on american democracy. to talk a bit more about whahats exexpected today, , i am joinedy our international commentator. us a bitall, tell about what is going to happen today. we have the house of representatives voting on these two articles of impeachment.

what do they say and why were they chose -- why were these chosen in particular? >> this is the big t thing. this is the full house. when you talk about the impeachment vote, that is what is happeningng later today. it is s going to come afteter aw prococedural hurdles the republicans throw to slow things down but we expect a vote today, there are two articles of impeachment. if the president is convicted on just one, if he is voted on just one, he is impeached. one of them is s abuse of power, very straightforward. abusing the powers of his high office. in the words of the actual resolution that is going to be voted upon, using the powers of his -- of his high office to solicit interference from a foreign power, ukraine, to help -- 2020the 2019 president election. the other one and perhaps just

as importatant is obstruction of congress, which is exactly what it sounds like. tois obstructing, refusing cooperate, stonewalling and refusing to provide witnesses, cooperate with subpoenas, all of that. power trump abusing the of his high office and violating his constitutional oath to protect the constitution and uphold it. directed categorical and indiscriminate defiance of subpoenas issued by the house of representatives. donald trump has taken it lightly, railing againinst whate sees as an abuse of power by the congress, basically saying he has been a victim not afforded due process. fact he ishas -- in very much afforded due process in the senate trial coming up where the republicans can call witnesses and lawyers and can cross-examine. these articles were chosen, why? there could have been more including stuff regarding the russia investigation by robert

mueller or even to bring in other counts to broaden this to not just the ukraine issue but many other issues. conflictcts of business interes, allegations regarding paying women for sexual favors and , aning all allegations analyst things -- an endless list of things they could have impeached him on. they need to move the process forward. some of the main people they wanted to call, the white house chief of staff, the secretary of state, the national security advisor, we never heard from those people. the white house refused to let them testify. donald t trump calling this a sham, a hoax process and a witchhunt. they felt they could go to the forevernd it would take and american attention would be lost. democrats felt they had to act now, the house felt it had to act now or they would lose the momentum of the impeachment process. ofyou really laid out some

the drama we are expecting today. nonetheless we probably know what will happen. he will be voted entirely on -- it will be voted on, entirely on party lines. to a lot of people, this is absurd. how come every single congressperson is not rallying around this issue? why isn't it clear as day that this is an impeachment issue? testimonyastating from white house officials and so on and so forth. people close to the president, even republicans who raised money for the president testified damaging testimony which seems to leave no shadow of a doubt. why is this happening? the reason it is all but a foregone conclusion is the democrats have a majority. it is not just that we say polarization and division, it is not just of the parties are divided, they are living in

parallel information universes. one is any reality-based universe and the other is a -- the other is in a less reality-based universe. donald trump and his associates have time and again spun falsehoods and have tried to cast dispersions on real and doeses -- and perceiveved enemis and they basically try to turn the attention away from what the crux of this case is, the ukraine scandal, costly changing their narrative as to why this president should not be impeached. at the crux of the problem, why we have such a partisan split, because america no longer can reach any sort of fact-based debate on a common set of accepted experiences. there is an absolute reality divide and depending on where you are on that side, you are either for impeachment or against impeachment. donald trump is a victim of his own misinformation, fed to him by his own allies who think they are doing him a favor, and by

the news sources from which he gets his information, mainly fox news. these people are deliberately feeding him disinformation. often they know it. donald trump himself may not know it. donald trump may actually believe all of these things he says and really see himself as a victim and one of the worst victims of any president in american history, uniquely victimized. >> is going to be an interesting day and an interesting couple of weeks. for now, thank you very much. know that the u.s. public remains relatively split on the question of impeachment. 45% of americans believe trump should be removed from office. a vocal few supporters did rally to support impeachment in new york earlier. let's take a listen to some of those making their case on the streets. we wouldy were jurors, not even be sitting on a jury.

they would have made up their minds. they should do what is best for the country and not the party. >> trump is entitled to all the due process he wants. he should show up and testify. i would love to hear it. he can even send some lawyers in his stead. he has turned down opportunities like that and i don't think it reflects well. >> it is not even a facade. it is in-your-face what trump is doing. there is strength in numbers, hopefully. >> in france it is day 14 of the strikes. once again, railway and metro lines running on a skeletal service. with a week until surface -- with a week until christmas, will there be relief for holiday travelers? union leaders are sitting down with the prime minister to try and hash out a deal to prevent yet more chaos over christmas. the french president struck what was relatively -- what was a

relatively defiant tone saying he would not you turn on the pension reforms but would listen to concerns raised by the unions. while covering that meeting between the prime minister and some of the union leaders, we can talk to our reporter now. first of all, what is it the unions are asking going into this meeting and what chances are there of a breakthrough? outside -- where the prime minister's meeting with trade union leaders and they are hoping to reach a deal over these planned controversial pension reforms in france. the situation is complicated by the fact that not all of the unions have the same position. on more moderate union is the hole behind the reforms but they do have a redline and that is t the so-called pivot age of retirement which the government is trying to push back to 64. that is the age at which french

workers can retire with a full pension. even if they do manage to reach a deal with the government, that might not bring an end to the chaos here because many railway workers of this far-left union, they are taking a stronger stance on the negotiations, going into complete withdrawal. they said they are willing to strike until this happens. so many here in france are hoping that the tug-of-war between the government and the unions will end before christmas so that holiday travel, everyone will be able to get home for the holidays. >> the government today rather hastily appointed a new pension expert. this app of the incumbent was forced to stand down earlier this week in an expensive scandal. tell us more about what you think his appointment might have on those negotiations and what some of the key issues are. right.'s

-- took up his post in quite an embarrassing moment for the government after the foreign minister was forced to step down. he has his work cut out for him and what is macron's most ambitious reforms. there are currently 42 different pension plans in france and he wants to move to one unifified system, a points-based system which means workers will accruee points over the career and will cash in on retirement. it is controversial in france because there is controversrsy over how thehe government is gog to guarantee how much these points are worth and how future governments, whether that will change. the government is expected to put this legislation up for discussion in february and it hopes to get past by summer -- sed by summer. >> we will keep watching those

negotiations between the unions and the government today. the european union's equivalent of the nobel prize is to be handed d down today. a dissident in china who has been imprisoned there for the past five years. his daughter collected the award on his behalf earlier. here she is addressing the eu today. let's take a listen. >> while i don't know where my father is, i believeve he is alive. i believe that his spirit is captured in the prize. know who moved his computer into my bedroom when i needed it. now these people need you. on whya closer look down the eu is recognizing him, we have a look atat his life and hs political work. prize recipient of the eu and he may not even know it, thought to be in isolation,

imprisoned for the flat -- past five years for the chinese government. he was sentenced to life in prison for being a quote unquote, separatist in his native northwest region of china, mostly populated by t the muslim minority. the former economic professor denies the -- denies the accusation. my father did use one weapon, his words. words toto use his find solutions to problems. were existing in china and still existing and causing damage. >> a respected individual and -- intellectual and economist, he was a public face of the muslim minority. he created a website to bringg attention to t the persecution f his people. for years the 49-year-old was closely watched by beijijing and

eventually arrested in 2009 and then again in 2014 as part of a marked increase in oppression. years, ethic minorities have been held in detention camps. -- ethnic minorities have been held in detention camps. visitors have not been allowed to speak to him since 2017. -- beacons of hope. india where the fallout from the citizenship law barring muslims from claiming asylum is continuing to grow. authorities are now -- have now banned large gatherings following violent protests there and classes across the country have claimed at least six lives. with the latest, herere is james wilson. >> protetesters are mountining a seriouous challenge to india's prime minister and his hindu national government.

the parliament hasas decided to grant citizenship to illegal immigrants to flee religious persecution from afghanistan. people of all religions can apply except one, muslims. there are 200 million muslims in india and many believe t the law is a deliberate snub to their community. >> when india got freedom in 1947, hindus, muslims, we were altogether. without muslims we would not have been able to get freedom. >> however the indian government says the law is to protect people who have fled religious persecution in muslim majority countries so there is no need to extend provisions to muslims. >> i want to say that whatever -- the government of the indian peoples party has found that all residents will get -- all refugees will get citizenship in india.

so fierce is the public opposition in some areas, hundreds of protesters have been injured and several have been killed in clashes with police. >> temperatures in australia broke a record this week, hitting a nationwide average of .0.9 degrees celsius the country's annual bushfires started earlier this year. >> firefighters in new south wales are facing a new threat they continue -- as they continue to battle large stretches of bushfires. >> more than 100 fires burning across new south wales. we have 800 people working on these fire grounds. toy complex and difficult

access and manage and contain these fires. >> in a desperate bid to contain the spread, firefighters have launched a controlled fast burn operation. it is s a last resort measure which involves deliberately starting a small blaze in front of the main fire to prevent it from spreading. with temperatures set to stay at record high levels, the region is seeing g the worst possible weather conditions for bushfires. >> given not only the number of fires burning across the state but also the heat wave conditions that will be evidenced thursday anansaturday. we are asking everybody to be alert. --on tuesday, australia l lost loggeded nationwidide t tperatus of a n new record beating thee prprevious higigh in 2013. as conditions worsen, west sydney tipped over 46 degrees. >> let's remind you of our top

stories this hour. the strikes in france hit their second week. chaos continues but unions and the prime minister are sitting down today to try and hash out a deal to get the trains moving in time for christmas. washington.ay in the house of representatives plans to vote on the impeachment of donald trump. the president dismissing the process as quote, a war on democracy. out its most prestigious huhuman rights priz. the winner is behind bars in china. his daughter accepted the award on his behalf earlier today. time of ththe program for someme busineness news. i am joined by our business editor. you'll be starting us off with what is a mega merger and the motor industry.y. >> the boards ofof fiat-chryrysr and the peugeot group have approved details to create the

world's fourthth largestst c ca. talklks were reported at the end of octoberer. the merger is seen as a a boost for both companinies as ththey l with the global downturn in the car industry. the plan will see a big win for shareheholders with bo c compans announcing massive dividends. >> a new car in the street giants is getting into gear. the merger between pozo and fiat-chrysler is no official, make -- is now offfficial, makig it the fourth biggest carmaker in the world. 400,0007 million -- employees as well as a catalog of household names including jeep and maserati, the new franco italian american powerhouse base in -- based in thee netherlands will surpass volkswagen as the market leader in europe. >> this is a union of two companies with incredible brands and a skilled and decayed

workforce. the have both faced toughestst of times and have emererged as minimal competitit. predicted toer is save the companies 4 billion euros a year. -- in the midst of a glglobal crackdowown on emissions. >> our merger is a huge opportunity to take a stronger position in the auto industry, as we seek to master the transition to a world of clean safe and sustainable mobility. will become chief executive of the new company while fiat-chrysler's president will become the chair of the new board of directors. vow that nops plants will be closed, which analysts find skeptical. there is still a lot to be done

before the automakers are fully integrated. the pair said they expect the merger to be complete within a year to 15 monthths. >> shares of companies a are tradadinafterr the news of that merger was confirmed. fiat-chrysler shares are up.p. they had alrlready jumpeped when details of thidealal were firsrt announceced back at the end ofof october. not such a majajor reaction in e markets today. shares in psa up by 1.3% in paris. >> what about the rest o of the marketets? >> it is a m mixed fixture on te european stock markets. small gagains in parisis and in frankfurt. we are also keeping an eye on sterling on the currency markets, c continuing to slide against ththe dollar and the e . it took a tumble after boris johnson madeoves to ststop the extension of the t transition peperiod with ththe eu. thth has p prompted fears of another cliff edge..

the pound has wiped out all the gains it made since the election last thursday. >> in the u.s. house of representatives, they have approved a spending package for the next year worth $1.4 trillion. >> includes a significant increase in defense funding and tax cuts on high cost health insurance policies. it also gives the trump administration study funding for the border fence with mexico. the package was approroved by house democrats to avavoid a governrnment shutdown and will w pass to the senate. >> in the united states, a court in california has apprproved a settlement worth hurting $.5 billion from electricity -- worth 4.5 bilillion dolollars fm an compapany blamed d with sparg wildfires. >> over a series of blazes in several years that have caused deaths and extensive damage to homes and bususinesses.

in dealing with these cases, the company was pushed into bankruptcy last january. it is s still trying to wiwin approval from thehe state's governor for a plan to recover from that process. >> meanwhile, argentina's government has announced new tataxes asarart of ann e efforto rebalancnce the economy. a tax on impose purchases of fororeign cururren. it would apply to u.s. d dollars usus by mamany people e in argea where inflflatn isis eimateded t over 5 50%. i is the vevernme i is in nenetiationsns with inteternatil monetatary fund d over changes o its multibillion-dollar bailout. powerwas swift and the after putting -- after vowing to put argentina back on its feet. the president has unveiled his plan to kickstart the country's struggling economy. in a sharp shift from the policies of his predecessssor, s government to key proposal to

congress aims to boost welfare spending. econonomicthe deepepest and social crisis we have gone through. we have e to face up to realali. in this context, we are imposing a taxax for an inclusive and supportive argentina. >> the series of economic measures include a tax on financial assets abroad and on the purchase of dollars, the currency used by many argentinians worried about the volatile exchange rate and skyhigh inflation. currencyax on foreign for five years goes a step further than previous governments which limited purchahasing to $200 a month. 70% of the tax will go to social security which has been extreme damage over the past few years. 3030% of that tax will go toward infrastructure and housing. has alsovernment proposed a tax increase on agricultural exports including soybeans and wheat.

the measures come as argentina prepares to reshape its debt with creditors despite a surprise increase in growth, taking the country out of an 18 month downturn, argentina is expected to slip into recession in 2020. >> mcdonalald's has closed all f its restaurants in peru afteter protests over the deaths of two emoyeeees. they were reported to have been electrocuted while cleaning the kitchen at a restaurant in lima. that's part demonstrations outside the chain on tuesday against poor health and safety standards for workers in the country. mcdonald's says it is investigating what happened and has closed its outlets across the couountry for what it says e two days of mourning. >> finally, the latest in the star wars trilogy is being released in france today. we are taking a look at how it is likely to do with the box office. of the trilogyd

and this is t the bigelease inn cinemamas around the wldld this week but it has been a history of box office success. of all of the films, the best performing at the box office was episisode seven, the force awaks which grossed over $2 billion, fofollowed by episode eight, the last jedi which came in at $1.3 billion. if you go back to the first film in 1977, now rebranded as a new hope, still pretty impressive for the time, $775 million. if you adjust for inflation, it would be close to the figururese are seeing today. >> art -- will you be heading to that? thank you very much h for takikg us thrhrou some e of those numbmbers. stephen carroll with our business update. it is time for a short break on the program. stay with us. world news headlines coming up after this and also we will take a close look at what is one of

the biggest migration stories of our time, the war in syria. many displaced abroad but even more inside the country. we will hear from a doctor in the next half an hour about some of the challenges

brandon: my e experience is so difffferent than a mainlanand chinese, it wouldn't be authentic for me to try to cook food for mainland china because that's not me, and that's not my audience. my audience is san francisco,o, and these cross-cultural exexchanges a are the basis for how food evolves. i feel like whatat we'rere seeig in this next wave of this generation of american cooks is this newfound confidence in valuing our traditions and its impact t on the food d culture in america..