♪ >> this is dw news live from berlin. tonight in the united states, a city in pain and protest following the death of an unarmed black man in police custody. the city of minneapolis has seen a second day of demonstrations and looting. protesters say they are angry over the death of george floyd. he died shortly after police arrested him on monday. also coming up, condemnation of china after it approves a new security law in hong kong. the decision likely to further inflame tensions in the

territory where protests have escalated this week. and the agony of the airlines -- easyjet cutting 4500 jobs as a third of -- and a third of its workforce and it's not the only carrier suffering in the coronavirus pandemic. and the jury is still out on whether it works, but some south african fafarmers say wormwood helped againstst the spanish fla centurury ago and they s say itn hehelp eat the coronavirus toda. -- help beat the coronavirus today. i'm brent goff. to our viewers on pbs and in the u.s. and around the world, we start tonight in the u.s. where the city of minneapolis has been shaken by a second day of angry demonstrations and looting following the death of a black man in police custody. the mayor of the city in the

state of minnesota has asked the governor to send in the national guard. he has also called for criminal charges to be filed against the officer who was seen kneeling on george floyd's net. the u.s. department of justice says it has launched an investigation. reporter: minneapolis is a city on fire. an outpouring of rage at the death of a black man at the hands of police. this auto parts stores one of several businesses in the city set ablaze by angry protesters. elsewhere, there was vandalism, looting, and clashes between demonstrators and riot police. the minneapolis police department has praised its officers for showing restraint in their response. >> our officers do not

antagonize people. our officers were there. they were present and reactionary. i will tell you that it is amazing, the amount of restraint used by all of law enforcement out there. reporter: but it is the police's response in this incident that sparked the protest. in t this video taken byby a bystandeder, 46-year-old george floyd is heard asking for breath anand pleadingng wita policemann who has his knee on his neck. >> i can't breathe. reporter: the officer kept his knee on hisis neck for severer minutes, even a aer he stotopped speaking and m moving. flfloyd was pronounced dead at a hospital 90 minutes after this encounter. the lawyer representing his family says he w was a victim of racism. floyd had been arrested on suspicion he used a c counterfet $20 note at a nearby store. >> that was the allegegation tht

he was trying to commit some sort of forgery, which is at worse, a nonvnviolent crime. but yet the police used violent, excessive him a a lethal f force when they came upon him that just doesn't make sense. reporterer: authorities have set an autopsy will be performed d o termine i if the neckck compression n led to h his deat. the mayor of minneapolis has called for criminal charges against the officer who pinned floyd down. the other police officers who were with him at the scene have all been fired. at that has not quelled the anger. instead, george floyd's death has sparked a fresh fury in the u.s. over police treatment of black americans. brent: earlier, i spoke with angela meyer, the second vice president of the minneapolis chapter of the naacp, a civil

rights organization. i asked her if she thought george floyd would still be alivee today if he were e a whie man. guest: i'm convinced i if it wee a white maman he would not be on the ground. we have seen with dylanan reed d other whitete supremacist group, when even in minnesota and massachusetts and michigan, across the country, there have been white supremacists w who ae armed with ak-47s, with assault rifles, and thehey have mararchn the governor's mansion here in minnesota. ththey have marched onon c capin kakansas andnd michigan a and ty have not been trted the e same way. they havave not beenn abubused y type of way. lice have nenever put theirir hands on white supremacist that are e armed, which if i came across a p person who had an assault rifle, i would be in fefear of my life.e. yet a man w who was, in a lot of ways, allegedly --- they are sasaying his alleged crime w was

forgery, which is a low misdemeanor, nonvnviolent crime. yeyet he was on the ground. hehe was also not t resisting ararrest. ththere is fmm from the nearby dragagon walk restauaurant showg he was notot resisting officers. the officers chohose to put himn that pososition. the minneapolis popolice department has banned and hasas not positioned a chokokehold tht is not used in normalalractice byby police. everyone who has been trained in martial arts or jiu-jitsusu, things like ththat, they know tt is not only a way to murder somebody, but to torture them while murdering them. brent: that was angela myers with the minneapolis naacp. china is coming under international criticism for its plan to impose a law restricting

public protest in hong kong. pro-democracy advocates say the law violates the freedoms of hong kong's special one country -- two systems status. in a joint statement today, the united kingdom, the united states, australia and canada said the legislation would curtail liberties and dramatically eroded the territories autonomy. reporter: disorder in hong kong's legislative council. a democratic lawmaker struggled to get past security guards with the bag. he said it contained a rotten plant, symbolizing what he said was the decay of hong kong's rule of law and way of life. the national people's congress approved plans to proceed with laws against anything china sees as a threat to its authority over this semi autonomous region. the law would allow mainland security agencies to operate openly in hong kong.

pro-dedemocracy advovocates nowr for their civil liberties. >> i was arrested e eight times andd jailed in hong k kong, i nr imagined too be arrested by secret policice. which woululd be terrible and implying there is no differences of hong kong and china. reporter: china says the new law will benefit hong kong's long-term security and stability. the u.k., u.s., australia, and canada were swift to condemn the move. >> we are deeply troubled about that step and we put out a joint statement. the decision now lies with china, but if it follows through on this legislation and implements it, it would clearly violate the autonomy of the people of hong kong. reporter: they have and calls in germany to reprimand china over the incident. >> it's obvious we cannot sit down and watch international law

being pro can by the chinese government and it is obvious the implementation of the national security legislation would exactly bring this. it is obvious european countries have to come together as soon as possible to talk about consequences. reporter: these new laws are china's latest moves to crush anything that undermines its national security. they could take effect in the next few months. brent: here's a look att some of the other stories making headlines around the world. flooding in anglo -- in the aftermath of a cyclone has devastated tens of thousands of homes. the death toll has exceeded 100. estimates suggest at least 100,0000 people aree stranded nr their homes with n nowhere to go and without food or clean water. lockdown restrictions in the u.k. will be eased to allow groups of six people to meet outside. prime minister boris johnson says the new rules take effect on monday.

people will be allowed to meet and parks and private outdoor spaces, provided they stay two meters apart. the london-based budget airline easyjet is cutting 4500 jobs, 30% of its workforce. but it is far from being the only airline suffering from the coronavirus pandemic. the entire industry has lost significant altitude. reporter: easyjet is another inevitable victim of the virus which has infected every single european airline. of course it is the workers who are suffering most as the businesses/labor costs to stay afloat. it's not just easyjet, the rest of the industry is also slashing jobs. ryanair and version are set to cut 3000 each with british airways set to let go of 12,000. outside of europe, the story is the same and not just airlines, but plane makers also. some have gone out of business,

others reducing staffining costs where they c can. the biggest figure today is emirates is reporting to cut up to 40,000 posts. some airlines, including easyjet , are already taking careful steps to reopen their networks. so why cut jobs? because damage has been done. a trade body warned passenger demand could take until 2024 to reach pre-pandemic levels. for some airlines, it's too late. many are already bankrupt or on life-support. brent: my colleague from dw business is here and has been following this story. we're talking about airlines cutting thousands of jobs everywhere. is it all because of the pandemic or is there something else at play? guest: there has been an underlying problem, which is low prices and facing huge competition the sector has. at these low prices, it's been a huge problem to some airlines,

particularly the ones that don't have a fluffy financial cushion. we are talking about low-cost carrier norwegian, alitalia has been in trouble for years, and then the pandemic hit. that was like pouring a barrel of gasoline onto simmering embers and we have companies going under, companies going bankrupt, companies like lufthansa hoping for state aid and i think we will see more cases like that. brent: i know there are not a lot of people flying right now. what challenges will the aviation industry be facing moving forward? guest: the first challenges just to survive. i think we will see more government stepping into provide essential help. looking ahead, there would be less plalanes in the s sky in te immediate aftermath of the pandemic. about half the global fleet is grounded right now. it will take until 2023, the

aaron travel association says, to reach pre-pandemic levels. the most important issue looking ahead is to create an environment that people feel comfortable into travel. creating space in a confined space like in an airplane cabin will be difficult. leaving the middle seat open as some companies have been doing, that could be a way going forward. a second step, it will be important to attract high paying customers, customers buying is this class tickets because that is where you make the money in the aviation industry. however, it's going to be tough because we've all been doing video conferences for the last couple of weeks and we have to keep in mind budgets are strained around the world. even with companies. you never know whether they are going to have the money to send people halfway around the world. brent: it's hard to believe airlines can exist by keeping the middle seat free. that seems almlmost impossible.

what is flying going to look like after this pandemic question mark guest: i think there's going to be less touches. whetheher it's using the overhed then, using the entertainment system onboard, there's going to be more disinfecting going on with passengers, with luggage. you might be asked to produce a document stating you are healthy in countries that might be less invasive, there will be stringent tracing in case some passenger on board did contract the virus beforehand. if you talk about the situation aboard, these are going to be here to stay for the future. face masks. don't he surprised your cabin crew wears a face shield or other protective gear. don't be surprised if they are not coming down the aisle to serve you food. a robot might in a couple of years. when we talk about cabin design, there have been designers working with the seating arrangement. how about a middle seat facing

backwards so there is space to put shields in between passengers and whatever they exhale. brent: i wonder if you will be able to hear what the person next to you is saying? guest: sometimes you don't want to. brent: thank you. the race to find a cure for the coronavirus has revived interest in herbal medicines, although none has so far been proven to be effective. a group of farmers in south africa is cashing in on hype surrounding african wormwood. take a look. reporter: in south africa eastern cape province, this farmer is picking the herb african wormwood. >> also something very important for me to do. very, very important. i like it.

the familyly can pick as many as 10 bags a day. you can find the plant all over the placece. it has been growing herere for a longng time. local farmers haveve been usingt as a traditional medicine t that now the demand is going up, which is good for business here. in the village, they sell the plant for four euros a bag. prices have i increased alolongh demand for the herb. many believe wormwood can protect them from the coronavirus, although there is no scientific proof. > i came to fetch some of the because they said it's good for coronavirus. >> the villages also believe in

medicinal properties and have been using it for generations, even though the village has no electricity, no one has been to the doctor for years. wormwood is prized as one of the most powerful medicinal herbs. people say it clears up a stomach ache and half an hour and a fever in three days. >> allllhe virus in your body, it can take it out. it is a good m medicine. if you put your faith in that plan, it will help you. reporter: there is also growing demand in big cities like port elizabeth, when hours drive f fm the village. coronavirus is spreading rapidly in urban areas despite the lockdown. she has been growing wormwood and her grandmother is taking it for flu. mel -- now business is brisk. she has sold branches for one euro each but she doesn't believe it canan protect peoplpe against cocorona.

>> i don't approve of it, not yet. they are still investigating about it. let's learn about it first, so i don't know about corona. >> have e the customers beenn asking you as well? >> i convinced them. reporterer: but the farmer does feel safe from the virus. his daily cup of warm wood tea has a bitter taste, but he reckons it. wormwowood tea helpp his grandmother survive spanish flu. brent: here in berlin, a long-delayed building project is finally underway. the monument to freedom and unity was supposed to be finished last november but a range of problems delayed groundbreaking until today. the monument will stand right in the center of the german capital. it is supposed to remind the

world of what people can do when they stand together. that could be the peaceful uprising that ended a day trader chip -- dictatorship or moving a giant seesaw. reporter: the best view will be from above. the unity seesaw is one of the many names berliners have given to the latest big building project to kick off. an architect rendering shows the memorial to east germany's's full resolution german unity. >> the fact people were able to bring down a dictatorship without bloodshed deserves a prominent place in the capital. i can only say with great wonder that we have to remember the courage of these people. reporter: it has already been a long road. 22 years of work led to the groundbreaking. there were many obstacles, including most recently water

bats living where the pedestal would stand. there were also disputes over the location. the head of the stasi archives says the location is just right. this was the power center of the east german regime. >> the parties central committee, the governing council, they were all based right here. this is a counterweight to that. showing that people struggle for freedom and succeeded, it's important. reporter: construction is supposed to be completed by the end of next year. brent: sports news now -- the english premier league will start it season on june 17. it was put on hold in march because of the coronavirus pandemic. premiership clubs have said the remaining games will be played behind closed doors. two matches left over from match day 28 will kick off the restart.

then a full schedule of games will be played the following weekend. italy's top-flight football league has also decided to resume behind closed doors on june 20. in germany possibly just leave, berlin was hosted in a heated rattle that had big implications for both clubs. they took another step toward survival. reporter: heads were knocking early in this one. leipzig's tyler adams collided going for the all. but the defender stayed in the game long enough to curl a fantastic corner that found marco grew each -- he timed his rurun just perfectly to give an

early lead. less than 20 minutes later, leipzig returned the favor. heading home for the home side to level the score one to one. after the break, just after the hour mark, aggressiveness hurt the home side. the defender picked up his second yellow and was sent off. down one man, it did not stop leipzig. patrick fired toward goal to keeper, stopped but the ball slips from his grasp. ruled an own goal, leipzig takes the lead. they were given a lifeline thanks to physicality in the 81st minute. a newcomer who subbed in minutes earlier, converted from the spot to level the score.

>> i feel good. i am in good form. this is the most important. reporter: leipzig remained unbeaten since the restart and so does berlin behind their new coach. brent: breaking news in the last few minutes -- u.s. president donald trump has signed an executive order to make social media companies liable for what users say on their platforms. currently, these platforms such as facebook and twitter cannot be held accountabable for userr generated posts. this all started earlier this week when twitter fact-check two of donald trump's tweets about mail-in voting. trump accused twitter of trying to stifle free speech and influence the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. twitter said the tweeeet violatd its rules on what it says --

what it calls for key social issue of voting. for more now, i'm joined by the assistant professor at the school of media and public affairs at george washington university. good to have you. talk us through what does this executivive order d do guest:? it's good to be here. the executive order does two things. narrowly, itit removes protectis that social mediaia companies hd enjoyed, which protected them from legal liability and the posts of their users. before this executive order was signeded, user could post anythg he or she wanted on social media and the company itself would not be responsible if the material were liable or defamamatory in y way. under this executive order, this is no longer the case. of course, the executive order is not going to hold up in a

coururt exactly as it stands. it's already clear it will be subjected to many aggressive legal challenges. there iss a broader point herer. this execucutive order is aboutn aggressiveve number italia tory move the trump administration is making in response to trump being fact checked on twitter. it''s an a attack on big tech companies. the big picture matters more than the smaller details of the executive order which are likely to be rolled back. brent: let me ask you about the power of this executive order and the power it has or doesn't have. i understand the law that basically protects social media platforms from the posts you or i would post, that comes from the 1996 communications decency act from congress. so the u.s. president doesn't have the authority to change a law, only congress has that authority, correct? guest: that's right. this is a clear usurpation of

congress'power and authority. for that reason, it will be challenged by many organizations and entities across the political spectrum. already today, we are seeing itter, the u.s. president wasand claiming male in voteses would ensure a rigged election in november. but that's not true, correct? guest: that is false. there are claims that are in big u.s. perhaps, but -- that are ambiguous, perhaps, but there's no question trump was inventing a falsehood and he was fact checked on manyy -- many public leaders are fact checked constantly by aggressssive fact checking orgrganizations a and e did not respond well to this fact checking brent: effort. brent:what about social media companies? should they be responsible for

untruths being distributed on their platforms, particularly in political campaigns? guest: it is very clear that when fact-checks are applied, people respond a across the political spectrum by becoming more accurate. it therefore creates a disincentive for politicians to spread lies and misinformation. socialal media companies can and should issue fact-checks in order to convince peoeople of te truth,h, to let peopople know wt is what,t, to brent: separate ft from fiction. unfortunately, we are out of time. we appreciate your insight tonight. you are watching dw newews "the day" is next. ♪

france says it will re open its famed balls restaurants and public parks the with restrictions. it comes in the day france records of the three thousand more covered nineteen cases. record unemployment in france twenty two point 6% on a pro that's a further eight hundred and forty three thousand people signing on that in march. and there's more to come with major job losses to be announced french comic at little. china's problem is approved plans to impose a new security long hong kong the measure would punish secession.