more than 50 people died in a stampede at the funeral of the iranian general killed by u.s. drone attack. it happened as huge crowds gathered for the funeral procession and it comes as the united states says the killing was the right thing to do. also coming up, prince marks the fifth anniversary on the attack on its magazine, charlie hebdo,

which provoked a massive security response. plus, misinformation on social media as australia continues to burn. the nation pays its respects to a firefighter who died battling the inferno. some people are using the web to scam cash and spread conspiracy theories. we will take a look at the modern day side effects of a national tragedy. i'm brent goff. to our viewers on pbs in the united states and around the world, welcome. tonight, the death toll in that stampede at the funeral of the assassinated general custom solo money has reached -- qasem s oleimani has reached 52. huge crowds gathered in the hometown of the general.

he was killed friday by u.s. drone attack. >> they were here to say goodbye to a military commander they called their own. instead, they lost their own lives, caught up in a stampede as hundreds of thousands of mourners descended. this is the hometown of qasem soleimani, the general killed by a u.s. military drone last friday. after a three day state funeral procession, is journal -- his journey has come to an end. but for the iranians, their anger over the killing of their national hero lives on. shouting death to america, iranian lawmakers have been quick to pass a law declaring those involved in soleimani's

death as terrorists. >> all of those involved in the crime in the pentagon and the u.s. military are counted as terrorists. >> however, in america, there was no backing down. >> the president will respond the way he did last week, it was a decisive message about the constraints we are going to place on the regime that does not continue to put american lives at risk. >> more troops are on their way to the middle east, but tensions with iran have thrown the u.s. military presence in iran into question. there was confusion after a leaked letter from the u.s. defense department appeared suggest a withdrawal of american troops from iraq. >> we are not leaving iraq. a letter does not constitute a policy change and there is no signed letter, to the best of my knowledge. there may be question -- people

trying to create confusion i have said a few times now, our policy has not changed. >> the white house says that soleimimani was considered a danger to ameririca. in death, many are now wondering whether he has become an even greater threat. brent: for more, i am joined by an iran expert and professor at indiana university. joining me tonight from indianapolis, it is good to see you again. talk about these images we have been seeing all day, these huge crowds gathering for the funeral and now the stampede, people being killed. what kind of person, what kind of general are the iranians now morning -- mourning? outside of iran, people arare shocke >> i think the crowd sizes have been impressive. beyond the imagination of even

the leaders of the r regime a couple of weeks ago. it is remarkable that we see this massive shift move from protests against the regime to now on the streets in support and morning of the general. i think that represents soleimani's legend as someone safeguarding the national interest in the region, and more importantly as a gesture of grievance against the extrajudicial killing of a military personnel by the united states. brent: we are still talking about what could happen as a result of this killing and it could be unpredictable. iran has warned the united states to prepare for a dark day of revenge. do we dare venture what that could look like, what popossible

scenarios do youou see? hussein: we can't and i'm not sure that even themselves knkn yet. i think they are in a period o f grief and mourning, and the outrage is being displayed publicly in n response to o the details coming out of washington about what a messy process the decision to kill soleimani was. the iranian rank and file would like to demonstrate to the world that they y have been wronged oe again by the united states against what they see as international law and an active of aggression not just against a shadowy militia in iraq, but against the official military of a sovereign nation. brent: the u.s. secretary of

state today held a press conference and reporters asked him to provide more information about this intelligence on the alleged attack by iran that has been thrown out there to justify the drone attack. he didn't give us much. his answer was basically, you must be kidding. we all know what the general was really doing when he was killed. what does that tell you? who knows what the general was doing? do you believe the u.s. secretary of state when he says that? hussein: no, it is hard to believe him. the administration has basasicay direrectly contradicted its owon justifificatioion immediately ar the attack took place, which was that they had credible intelligence thatt i iimminent attack was to be carried out by soleimani,, or under his orders. now, they are saying there was no such imminent and that --

imminent attack coming but that thisis was essentitially a preemptive move against s someoe they have had a long list of grievances for stretching back the last 20 years. the message coming out of washington is a contradictition and increasingly rash expressions that defy logic. brent: professor hussein banai, and iran expert joining us from indianapolis. as always, we appreciate your insight. thank you. here are some of the other stories making headlines. vladimir putin has spent orthodox christmas in syria. putin met the syrian president and this is the only -- only the second time he has traveled to

syria since the military intervention in that country's civil war. puerto rico's governor has declared a state of emergency after a series of earthquakes in the u.s. territory. the most powerful tremor hit early tuesday. at least one person has been confirmed dead. eight others were injured. the venezuelan opposition leader juan guaido has been sworn in for another term as parliamentary speaker following a tense standoff with security forces who tried to stop him from entering the building. he leads the opposition to president nicolas maduro and attempted to seize control of the national assembly. spain's socialist leader has been confirmed as the country's prime minister after a narrow parliamenty y vote. he will nonow head a minority left-wing government, spain's first coalition government since they made the transition to

democracy in the mid-1970's. it is five years to the day since islamist terrorists went on a rampage against journalists at the french city real magazine -- satirical magazine charlie hebdo. al qaeda claimed responsibility. it was the first of several daily -- deadly incidents over the next few years mostly by french extremists. >> remembering the horrific events five years ago. family members and colleagues of victims mark the occasion with an emotional ceremony in paris. among them, some of the magazine's staff members who were injured in the attack. january 7, 2015, in front of charlie hebdo's headquarters in paris. terrorists targeted the magazine

after it published cararicatures of the prophet mohammed. it took less than two minutes for them to shoot dead 12 people and injured another 11. this was the first of a series of deadly attacks that lasted two days. in the aftermath of the killing, thousands took to the streets to share their grgrief. world leaders gathered in parar, vowing never to give way to terrorism. the phrase je suis charlie, i am charlie, became a sign of solidarity. the magazine, nearly bankrupt before the attttack, gaiained pc susupport arouound the world. > we have been here since 8:0 this morning. we are making g a political ststatement. >> it is important to show solidarity and for freedom of expression. >> the attttack was a m major bw to press freedom in france, but beyond that, the killing of charlie hebdo journalists revealed that the country was

ill prepared to respond t to terrorist threats. for the next two years, france remained in a state of emergency. thousasands more military personnel and police officerss were d deployed to tackle terrorism. more attacks followed, including the november 2015 attack on a concert hall where 130 people died. the following year, in nice, dozens were killed when a truck driver ran into a crowd on bastille day. both attacks reclaimed by factions of the so-called islamic state. -- both attacks were claimed by factions of the so-called islamic state. five years later, france is still on alert for terror attack's while survivors try to keep the memory of the victims alive. brent: earlier today we spoke with a french journalist living in paris. he was working in the same building on the same floor as charlie hebdo on the day of the

attack. here's is how he remembers what happened f five years ago today. >> on that day, i was one of the first on the scene and wh all the people in the street and insidede the newsroom. it was really a nightmare. we were trying to identify people who were alive and tried to do our best with our colleagues to help the survivors and do everything we can, even if we are not doctors and waiting for doctors, for emergency units to try to identify those who were still alive and do everything we c c to help p the survivors. inin france and all over the wod , what happened to charlie and

all of the news world, of course it was right after the attack, we were seeing 4 million people joining in the street, showing their solidarity,y, and sharing how they wanted to protect press freedom. i think what we call the je suis charlie spirit is still there, even if we need to think every day how much press freedom is important. i do think that in that area of the world, and lots of people don't trust journalism, in news organizations. we have to remember that journalists were killed for ththeir job, working to make sue people getet accs toto infoation.n. it can be dangerous. brent: wise words there. that was laurent richard, a

french journalist who witnessed the charlie hebdo attack five years ago today. the captain of the refugee rescue ship lifeline has been cleared of charges that he failed to properly register his vessel. he helped save more than 230 refugees from the mediterranean in june 2018. he faced a 10,000 euro fine over claims that the ship was incorrectly registered. a court has now ruledhat he does not h have to pay that fin. >> in june 2018, more than n 230 refugees drifted off the coast of libya. before the lifeline found them. the captain wanted to save lives, but felt that everywhere he looked, obstacles were in his path. malta refused to allow his ship to dock for days. >> the way people are treated here make me want to cry. people talk about trump anand hs wall but i have the impreression

that europe is no o better. >> only after several othther states a announced that they wee taken some o of the migrants did malta open the harbor. the refugees were finally safe, but the lifeline was confiscated and a new odyssey began. the captain was charged with not properly registering the lifeline, which sailed under a dutch flag. an accusation that he saiddas absurd.. after a court imposed a 10,000 euro fine in may 2019, h he launched an appeal. now, he has finally been vindicated. the battle is not over. another ship captained by him was seized by italian authorities last year after he rescued 100 people from the sea. separate proceedings are underway there. brent: earlier, i spoke with the captain of the lifeline.

this is what he told me about the verdict. >> today, t the court accepts te appeal, so they don't find me, and this is very important for the otother ngos. i think k it w was just -- i wa2 times in malta, and this always costs a a lot of money and also three days of traveling. i'm very happy now. brent: do you think that this verdict will mean that we will see more rescue ships in the mediterranean trying to rescue refugees?? claus: i i hope so. but i thihink it is a long way.

european countries should make a new -- s should start a new c rescue mission -- sea rescue mission. this is the thing i want to see. we are all volunteers and we pay the nations from normal people like you and me. this is n not work fofor volunt. this is work for professionals. we do it in a professional way, save tens of thousands of lives. this should be a job for professional see rescuers -- sea rescuers paid by the european countries. brent: that was lifeline captain claus peter reisch speaking to me earlier today. coming up -- showing kindness to these gentle giants. an ngo in t thailand is s doingy

with the dark side of elephant tourism. we will show you. firefighters in southeastern australia are racing to take advantage of a brief drop in temperatures before another heatwave is expected to hit later this week. on tuesday, calls to pay respects to one of at least 25 people killed in the blazes. the 36-year-old volunteer firefighter died along with his colleague just before christmas when their vehicle was overturned by a fire tornado. that scene is being all over the country. the tragedy is not near an end and no wave of miss -- and now a wave of misinformation is making it worse. >> there is a blame game going on as australians try to come to terms with who or what is

responsible for this tragedy and unfortunately some of what we are seeing is misinformation. there isis a conspiracy claiming that environmentalists have been starting these fires to "perp etuate the fake linkage between the fires and climate change and promote their green agenda." police have taken action against about 200 people who have started fires during the fire and. there is no -- during the fire ban. there is no indication that this was orchestrated political action. we also see social media chatter blaming the australian green party for allegedly going against the fire patrol, where firefighters start big fires to prevent -- start small fires to prevent big fires later on. they are a minor party that has never been in power and this is all information to divert

from the real cause of the fires, which is hat this is the highest and -- hottest and driest period on record for australia. brent: we have the bushfire season has another two months before it ends. there has been a lot of political point scoring going on but scammers are also taking advantage of this situation. >> we are seeing fake donation websites pop up. this one claimed to be raising money for a funeral of a father and son who had died while trying to defend their home from bushfires. now, the family says they did not authorize this and they reported it to the police. australia's consumer agency is issuing warnings and warning people to only donate to well-known charities. people want to help out in times of tragedy and it is --

australia is a rich country but it still relies on volunteers to fight fires and care for wildlife. this tragedy is considering some australians to consider whether the country has been adequately spending public finances to prepare. brent: it is unbelievable that people would actually put up a gofundme profile like that and try to scam people. thank you. sports news now, munich has presented a new board member for goalkeeper. he will then become chairman in 2022. he was a polarizing figure on the pitch. he says he can -- people can expect a different side off the pitch. >> on the page, the former munich goalkeeper was seen as a hothead. his stance ranged from biting to

launching kung fu kicks but times have changed. >> i won't slide tackle through the meeting room. it has helped me a lotot on the fifield. but ththat was over 11 years ag. >> the man also known as the titan stood between the posts for 14 years. he won 8 titles as well as the champions league with the club. in his new role, he was quick to defend the decision to bring in a new goalkeeper, even though the young talent could challenge the number one spot next season. >> if alexander is available, then we have to sign such a great goalkeeper. he already saiaid quite clearly that he is ready to stand back. he is ready to learn from others.

>> oliver has big shoes to fill in his new position, but with his winning mentality, munich is in familiar hands. brent: police protect the pachyderms in thailand, where elephant tourism is a big attraction. tourists are being shown the cruel reality that sometimes comes along with this tourism. one ngo is trying a different approach. >> this elephant is only two years old, but s she is a ququk learner. the exercises seem innocent enough but she is already undergoing separation from her mother, beatings, and months of captivity so that she is obedient. this vililge in thaiailand's eat is a center for relevant -- elephant training. activists are trying to end these e practices bubut still, h

goes on away from cameras. meanwhile, it is not so black and white for locals. >> we do not raise them to hurt them. we raise them like someone in our family. if they are not stubborn, we do nothing to them. when we are in difficulty or in danger, we can use the hook. if we only use our barehands, we wouldn't have anything to stop them. >> at this camp in the north of the country, elephantnts perform tricks up to five times a day. it is a tourist draw a and with visitors, sometimes 5000 today, paying ann entrarance fee of $5, it is big business. here like in many centers, the hook is used indiscriminately. increasingly, elephant riots are getting bad press -- elephant

rides are getting bad press andd tour operators are steerering clear. some campsps are rebranding as refuges or sanctuaries. activists say the same bad practices occur. one ngo is looking to a new approach. here, tourists must stay at least 50 meters away from the animals and there is no touching. >> our target is to return total freedom to the elephants. but we need to do this without causing problems to other communities living nearby. >> hooks remain a key factor, but only as a last resort.

>> elephants are safer and the tourists feel safer. sometimes they feel stressed out when they feel tourists and as a result, they can hurt the tourists. ever since this program was implemented, they have become calm her. -- calmer. >> there are nearly 4000 elephants in captivity in thailand and campaigners hope cruelty and the hook will be things of the past. brent: and so do we. after a short break, i will be back to take you through the day. [captioning performed by the national capaptioning institute, whh h is responsibible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

. en route to swap to life in paris will use an analysis from frae twenty four. on marco these the name world is headlines. a deadly stampede among the mourners secretary of general qassem soleimani. this is french president macron's reportedly race dance of the judge of us president donald trump in order in the killing by drone strike. france is warning its citizens against traveling to iran present. five years on the victims of the shelly at the terror attack i remember. terrorist stone the editorial offices of the satirical magazine cutting down twelve people. it marks the start of