from berlin. tonight, a massive explosion rocks beirut. the blessed, tearing through the city -- bl -- blast, tearing through the city and killing many. the prime minister, saying those responsible will pay the price. also coming up, heartbreak and

bolivia. the coronavirus pandemic leads to people dying in their cars from covid-19. the overwhelmed hospitals are turning people away. i'm brent goff. to our viewers watching on pbs and around the world, welcome. we are following breaking news from the lebanese capital tonight, beirut. at least 30 people are dead after massive explosions. the initial blast was followed by a second explosion that shattered windows even 10 kilometeters away. people have been takenen to the hospital with injuries. many a a trapped i in their hom.

the blast is beining investigat. fireworks were being stored in a warehouse at the port. lebanon's prime minister has asked for help from m the international commumunity. for more now, we want to o go to the think tank with the heinrich will foundation, heading their office in beirut. good to have you on the program. what can you tell us about the situation right now? it is nightfall there, thehe rescue opeperation is underway. whwhat more can yoyou tell us? >> y yes, thank you. a very difficult day, indeed. i can hear the ambulanances in e background all night. a massive explolosion that atattered windodows all over, cr

windows. as you said, kilometers away from the port. i have beeeen in the shoppipingl and have walked 3-4 kilometers to my home, which is not that fafaaway from m the port area, l of thahat is d destroyed. windows, and the like. it's massive. people's lives, totally devastated. it is not known what may have caused the explosion. brent: we are looking at pictures of the flame, the fires that are still raging tonight following g the aftermath of t e blesessed. what have you -- of the blast. when h have you heard in termssf who may haveeeeen behind t this explosion? >> well, newews are emergiging t

inin the port areas, chemimicals have been storedd possibly for lolong periods of time. possibly, those may have caused the explosion. at the begnining, righght after the blast, to were also rurumors ofof attacks and missile attack, era tax -- air attacks, or even explosives being stored that one off. it seems, at the moment, that those news of those chemicals that went off and caused this huge and very strange explosion, that those news may have no substance to it. brent: the prime minister had said -- had said -- has said

those responsible for the blast will pay the price. who was the prime minister referring to? >> the prime minister most probably refers to the court authority. but if you look at what lebanon went through in the last month, year, when the revolution occurred, it started october 17th, simpson, the country has gone through extraordinary situations -- since then, the country has gone through extra narrow situations, the economic victim, the financial crisis, the political crisis. the humanitarian crisis now developing. huge segments of society pushed under the poverty line in very

short periods of time. people are asking, what is the government doing? it is really hard to find an answer. there are demonstrations for international aid. but to no result. so, people here are really fed up, and they hold the political class, the traditional political elite in this country, that seems to be hostile to -- hostile to any sort of political reform, to hold them responsible. this is the straw that broke the camels back -- camel's back. brent: that is a good way of describing the situation. mr. powell, joining us tonight from beieirut.

we appreciate your time and your insighghts tonight. ststay safe. >> thank you very much. brent: with me here in the studio is my colleague, with dw arabic. she is from lebanon. i want to pick up on what we heard, talking about the mood in the country right now, the people have been disgusted with the government may been protesting. now there is a tragedy of epic proportions for the country. can the people expect the government to do what a government is supposed to do now? >> that is the urgent question at the moment. what will the government do in regards to this disaster? my feeling is that the people are fed up with the government. with the system itself. with the ruling elite, the warlords who have been ruling lebanon since the assumed and of

the civil war. they have done nothing to lift up the country economically, even political to establish democracy or have the country on a strong basis, economically speaking. the people do not trust the government. see on the streets of beirut -- we see on the streets of beirut a massive solidarity, with voices created by the lack of good governance. brent: voices outside the country are very loud. we are hearing from the foreign ministry in your yard. saudi arabia. affirming the kingdom's. or for lebanon. -- affirming the kingdom's full support for lebanon. it's things like the voices from outside the country, just as loud as inside the country right now. >> absolutely. we have seen a lot of tweets from major presidents, major european western countries,

emmanuel macron, the european council tweeted and support, many countries offered humanitarian support. but the main urging question is, who is responsible for the attack? brent: have you heard anything from your sources back in lebanon concerning the origin, the cause of this? mr. powell said maybe there were chemicals, in addition to the explosives or fireworks being stored. it makes it somewhat maybe negligence. he said the port authority could be held responsible. >> it is early to assume any narrative or story. there's obviously different official narratives coming up from the country itself. it seems there is no agreement on what exactly happened.

however, if the investigations lead to some sort of negligence due to storage of explosives or even chemicals at the port of beirut, will someone be held responsible is the question for this crime? major western newspapers are calling this incident disaster akin to hiroshima. what you are seeing a post atomic bomb seen in beirut. it is destroyed. people are also calling each other not to be exposed, because no one knows what kind of chemicals might still be in the air. we are on the verge of a real humanitarian catastrophe that only adds up to the economic crisis, to the failed state that lebanon is in. it is indeed time for the international community to take a step and actually show support to the lebanese people. brent: the prime minister has declared tomorrow a day of mourning in lebanon.

which we expected to happen. what happens after that? what would be a best case scenario, in your opinion, for the people of lebanon moving forward? >> the prime minister has also called for an investigation. he said the people who did this will be held responsible. but i am not sure to what extent people trust the government in its investigation. we saw the assassination in 2005. we have seen the international tribunal that was formed to investigate the incident because there was a lack of trust in the judicial system. brent: there's a verdict due out later this week. >> on friday, the final verdict. also, fingers are pointing to that. saying, is there any connection to the verdict on friday? we still have to wait and observe and see what kind of stories unfold, whether this was intentional or just an accident.

this definitely adds up to the boiling situation in this country. brent: as someone from there, when you first heard about this explosion and you saw the video, what was the first thing that went through your mind, terms of the calls? >> the first thing you think of when you see this massive destruction and explosion, you think, is this a terrorist attack? an israeli attack? having survived wars in lebanon, that is the first and that rushes to mind. the first thing you do is call your family and friends and make sure they are all right. brent: we appreciate you sharing your insights with us tonight. thank you. we want to turn now to bolivia, which finds itself in a region at the epicenter of the global coronavirus pandemic. the country's health-care system, overwhelmed by the spread of the disease. most of the more than 80,000 infections are in the city -- in

one city, where hospitals and funeral homes are on the brink of collapse. reporter: in this car, a 68-year-old man has died as a result of covid-19. he never made it to the hospital. a few hours earlier, a friend and family members had tried to get him help at five medical centers. but they were denied. >> all the hospitals are full. we were sent to the hospitals in other places. he stopped breathing. that is why we are here. reporter: the sister says her goodbyes while the police examine the corpse. the coroner has not turned up. the officer says people are not dying in their cars, but also dying on the street and on homes. hospitals are at a breaking point. it's harder to access treatment. >> while searching for help, people often go from one hospital to the other. some of them die in their cars.

our department records deaths that occur in private vehicles and public transportation. reporter: bolivia is currently in the community transmission phase. when a test strategy becomes impossible. santa cruz and others are the worst affected regions. the elderly are being hit particularly hard. this woman's father died in his home because no hospital would it -- would admit him. >> for we can do is bury him. my father is no longer with me. reporter: the stories are being repeated every day during the pandemic. there is no end in sight. cemeteries are almost full. funeral homes have run out of coffins. this man is complaining that he had to say goodbye to a family member in a particularly painful way. >> is simply put him in an

improvised box. you can't even barter with them about the price, seeing you are willing to pay for better. there is nothing else. reporter: family members are not even allowed to ente cemeteries and have to say their final goodbyes from afar, tossing flowers at the cars bringing in the bodies for burial. every day, police pickup bodies from the streets. most of them, infected with covid-19. brent: disturbrbing images from bolivia. for more, i'm joined by the director of the bolivia office for apolitical foundation associated with the global democratic party here in germany. it is good to have your the program. when you hear stories and see these images of april being turned away at hospitals -- of people being turned away at hospitals and dying on the

streets, how do you explain this? how did the health care system in bolivia collapsed so quickly -- collapse so quickly? >> good evevening. it i is true what you are sayin. the situation is dire. bolivia's always s had a weakk health system. what we are seeing i is the healthth system operating beyond its capacity. as you saw, almost none of the newly infefected that woululd nd medical attetention are ining hospititalized. inin many case, they cannotot en get the e medical covid-199 test done. many a administer drugs at homee wiwitht any professional supervision. in addition to people dying due to c coronavirus, , peoplele arg due to drug overdoses, hoping to cure themselves. brent: it is terrible. exactly.

if they can't see a doctor, they have no choice but to dr. themselves. what's been the political fallout of this? there have to be political consequences, i assume. >> t the coronavavirus pandemict bolivia and the worsrst moment, becaususe is s in a deep polititical crisis. it is a very polarized country that is polarized into two camps. the relation between the two camps are bad. there is no trust. what is happeneng is, t t morales party and the others have no trust in the current government. there's a large proportion of the abolition that is in general very anxious -- of the

population that is generally very and just -- that i is very generally a anxious about the tradititional medicine. therere are supupposed to be elections, they were postponed several times due to the pandemic and the health risk that an election advocates. there were supposed to be held in may, then august, then september, now october. morales' followers have no trust the current government wants to hold the elections due to the bad handling of the crisis. the current president's party is very low on the bold and d have little chance of winning.. they are worried the goverernmet has no interest in carrying out the elections and will try to extend it a lototonger.

at a also explains the recentnt protests and other movements close to morales' party.y. brent: we are out of time. we appreciate your time tonight and your insights on a very volatile situation in bolivia. thanank you.. let's take a look now at some of the other developments in the coronavirus pandemic. australia, deploying the military to enforce down rules in the state of victoria. -- locked down rules and the state of victoria. anyone caught violating rules will face hefty fines. stricter measures appear to be having an effect. the world health organization has warned there may never be what it is calling a silver bullet for covid-19. a number of faxing zara are in

clinical trials, but it's still not clear how much protection they can offer -- of vaccines are still in trials, but is still not clear how much protection they can offer. tourists are now allowed to visit also provinces during the pandemic. in spain, there's one question on everyone's minds, where in the world is one carlos? -- one carlos -- juan carlos? his departure has many spaniards questioning his motives. reporter: fleeing potential prosecution, or saving his son's reputation? divided on the departure of the former king, juan carlos. the first thihing is to prove te accusations, because he's not been charged.

i think it's an escape. he's running away. the form monarch announced his depaparture from spapain in a lr published from the royal family's website on monday. but never specified his destination. various spanish new sources have reported the 82-year-old could be any number of locations. including the dominican republic, portugal, or france or italy, where he has family and friends. spain's prime minister expressed support for juan carlos and confirmed he had no information about his whereabouts. >> we have complete respect for what is behind the decision of the royal household. this is the decision to distance themselves from the allegedly questionable and reprehensible behavior by a member of the royal household. reporter: juan carlos has been

at the center of a corruption scandal for months. he's accused of allegedly receiving 85 million euros from saudi arabia, deposited in a swiss bank account in 2008. probes are underway in both switzerland and spain. spain's supreme court announced an investigation to determine the legal responsibility off the x monarch -- ex-monarch because of the immunity held as head of state. despite absence from the country, carlos' lawyer says the former king still intense that -- intends to cooperate with the investigation. brent: the u.s. election is just 90 days away. u.s. president, donald trump, is facing a difficult path to reelection, drilling by large margins in opinion surveys due to his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. some republicans are now considering what was once unthinkable -- voting for a

democrat in november. reporter: brian mcgrath has been a republican all his life. the military advisor had a career in the navy, commander of the destroyer. conservative values are his compass. some subtle trump took office, he no longer recognizes his party. he's turned his back on it and longs for change. >> i disagree with virtually every word that came out of barack obama's mouth. but i was never not proud of him. president trump is a a man who s almost no ideological mornings. reporter: he is part of any republican resistance movement. they call themselves republican voters against. many vototed for trump and 2016. -- in 2016. now they are turning against them. >> i thought i'd be a republican all of my life, but the 45th president has broken my faith in

the republican party. >> i had been n riddled withth t and very e embarrassed that i voted for him. >> the dnc runs a tomato can. i will vote for the tomato can. because i believe the tomato can will d do less harm than our current president. reporter: this initiative was founded by sarah longwell, a conservative political strategist. she hopes the videos will encourage as many republican allies as possible to do the unthinkable. >> they don't trust the media. they don't trust elites. theyey don't trust them across they need to feel permission to for for a democrat, which is something they've never done before. reporter: another republican anti-trump initiative is the lincoln project. they attacked trump head on, using guerrilla tactics, but in provocative videos on the u.s. tv news network "fox."

each clip is a punch in the presidential stomach. they show him as incompetent. or as putin's friend and comrade. some clips are addressed directly to the president himself. trump has hit that, calling the project a disgrarace, and the people there "losers." >> he is attacking us for one day, he is not attacking joe biden were running a campaign. he is an easily manipulated person. reporter: some of the most vicious attacks on trump come from top-flight republican political strategists. george conway, the husband of kali kanwar, is one of the founders of the lincoln project. the conwnway couple is a sign of the divide in the a american population. >> i don't thinink there's any savingng the american t truck party.

i think the republican party is effectively dead. reporter: brian mcgrath still has hope for a post trump era in which republicans examine their conscience and review themselves as a party. donald trump collected with a lot of darark parts of people's hearts in this country >> -- in this country. i didn't think it was possible it could happen this quickly, but it did. i'm hoping his performance turns and if people against his approach so that we can get on with the business of trying to be a trusted force for good in the world. >> in november, he will do the of thinkable info for democrat, joe biden. in 2024, he wants to see a conservative candidate can be proud of. brent: 90 days until the u.s. presidential election. here's a reminder of our breaking news story this hour, two massive explosions in the lebanenese capital, beirut, have killed at least 30 people.

sending shockwaves from miles around after hitting the port area. more than 2500 peoeople have beenen injured. hospitals are overerwhelmed. secucurity officials say higigy explosive materials were being stored in the port area. the prime minister has promised an investigation and has appealed for help from the international community. there watching dw news from berlin. when we come back, i will take you through "the day." european democracy, making room for the autocrarats, plus the explosion in beirut. we'll be right back.

a rououtine is reeling frfrom t the aftermamath of a gigantic explosion that has left at least fifty dead and thousands injured the blast was felt to dozens of kilometers away. and has caused severe damage in several parts of the capital lebanon is declared a day of national mourning for this wednesday. the damage is so extensive that. government has officially asked for international aid so far france britain iran qatarar and israel have offered their help. french president emmanuel michael says aid and sources are being sent to beirut. thank