brent: this is dw news, live from berlin. tonight, history in the making in the u.s. congress. lawmakers are set to impede u.s. president donald trump or second time. emme kratz and some senior republicans in the house of representatives -- democrats are accusing the president of inciting violence. the president is denying any responsibility. and the largest mafia trial in 30 years begins in italy with more than 300 defendant set to

take the stand. we will speak to the informant risking his life to put the mobsters behind bars. and no let up in the lockdown. germany's health minister says the country will not be able to lift its coronavirus restrictions at the end of the month. ♪ brent: i'm brent goff. to our viewers on pbs in the united states and to all of you around the world, welcome. u.s. president donald trump is on the verge of becoming first leader of the united states to be impeached twice. house of representatives is in session, moving forward with the vote to impeach the president. several key republicans now say they will back the move along with the democrats. trump will face a single charge of incitement of insurrection over the storming of the capitol building by his supporters last week.

he denies that he encouraged violence. a final vote by the house is expected shortly within the hour. the house impeachment debate has now in its seventh hour. let's go to washington and our bureau chief. she has been monitoring this debate for us. good evening to you. before we talk about that, i want us to take a listen to jordy speaker nancy pelosi said just a few moments ago. >> the president must be impeached and i believe the president must be convicted by the senate, a constitutional remedy that will ensure that the republic is safe from this man who was so resolutely determined to tear down the things that we hold dear. and that hold us together. brent: we know that this vote is going to pass. there are enough democrats there to get it through. what about the republicans? do we know how many republicans are going to vote for impeachment?

reporter: six have been counted that will vote to impeach the president. not exactly the wave that some thought would come today, but again, six is more than he received last time. the republican party is really in a difficult spot. they don't want to upset the millions who voted for trump. on the other hand, they are trying to figure out how to move on from a president that will most likely be impeached for an unprecedented second time. brent: let's stay with the republicans for a moment. i want to listen to what house republican leader kevin mccarthy had to say just a few moments ago. rep. mccarthy: the president should have immediately denounced the mob when he saw what was unfolding. these facts require immediate action from president trump. except his share of responsibility, quell the

growing -- except his responsibility, quell the growing unrest and ensure that president-elect biden is able to successfully begin his term. brent: we've got the house republican minority leader clearly saying the president is responsible and should accept this fate. we all know that the president has so far refused to accept any responsibility. so what do you make of mccarthy's statement? reporter: it's remarkable. just last week, he supported trump's belief that the election was a fraud. so this is really the first time that he has turned on the president. however, the most establishment republicans are pushing the message today on the floor of unity and that an impeachment would only divide the country even more. and potentially incite more

violence. brent: we have been talking a lot about countries and cities being in lockdown. washington, d.c. is in lockdown right now. there are images coming out of the u.s. capitol that we want to share with our viewers, astonishing images that show embers of the national guard, sleeping, camping out on the floor of the u.s. capitol. talk to me a little bit about this. what are we seeing here? reporter: living or being in washington, d.c. right now feels like being in the midst of a fortress. there is military all over the place. a lot of police, and at night you hear police, sirens, helicopters cruising over downtown. security agencies are really prepping for the inauguration day. secret service is patrolling and controlling the safety of all federal buildings in do you see

and we just see pictures from these 20,000 national guardsmen who will be deployed to protect the city during preparations for it joe biden's inauguration. just to give you kind of an understanding, the military presence in the nation's capital will be larger than the amount of troops currently stationed in iraq and afghanistan combined. but let me address one other concern. there are also rats toward the 50 state capitals. -- threats toward the 50 state capitals. there is fear that they are really very vulnerable. brent: these images are so compelling, especially when you compare them to what we saw in the u.s. capitol just one week ago today. as always, thank you. here's a look a some of the other stories making headlines around the world.

russian opposition leader alexey navalny says he plans to return home to moscow, despite new efforts to put him in jail for allegedly violating his suspended sentence. he has been recovering in germany after being poison with a nerve agent. the kremlin denies any responsibility. officials in ethiopia say an attack happened in a region where 200 people were shot and stabbed to death last month. observers point to violence between rival ethnic groups. ireland's prime minister has apologized to former residents of homes run by the catholic church for unmarried mothers and their babies. an inquiry found that 9000 children died in the homes that operated for decades until the 1990's. rtin says that ireland must acknowledge this scandal. many took the opportunity to

enjoy this unusual weather but the snow also disrupted transport links. authorities brought in heavy machinery to clear roads. the national weather service is forecasting more snow and strong winds. italy is plunging into a new government crisis tonight after former -- the former prime minister pulled his parties ministers out of the capital. he is unhappy about government plans to spend billions of euros pledged by the european union for covid-19 relief. he says he may be willing to support a new administration led by what he calls a nonpartisan figure. the withdrawal of the two ministers leaves one coalition without a majority. let's go to our correspondent who joins us now. how did this internal coalition fight escalate into a full-blown

crisis? reporter: making that decisin to yank his ministers from the government, really plunging everything into complete chaos in terms of how things are going to move forward. he however has not threatened to pull his support. he has complained about the plan and how he's expecting to use the billions of euros to help countries deal with the post pandemic situation as economies have suffered under covid-19. he has criticized them, and then what the government did was come back and readjust theirlan with incorporating some of his suggestions. butet he went back again and said that perhaps the government needs to tap into the european stability mechanism in order to boost the health services. but that was something the five-star movement in government is against. they don't want to be beholden to any e.u. austerity rules.

so in the end, he dd not appreciate the ruling by decree as he said, so it has escalated to this. it cou not be at a worst possible time. as you menti, the country is dealing with t resurgent virus, and on top of that is dealing with the recession. brent: and they've just hit the 80,000 mark of covid deaths. we know that italy was hit really hard by this virus. you would think that a government crisis would be the last thing that political leaders in italy would want to be a part of right now. reporter: yes, and he has accused him of being irresponsible. the leader of the democratic party tweeting that what they have done is basically an error and that italy needs investment in jobs and help to fight the pandemic. it does not need another

government crisis. but mr. renzi is really known to be a disruptor. his party only accounts for about 3% in opinion polls, and yet we have seen him in the past stooped to maneuvers like this. back in 2014, he maneuvered the prime minister out of the democratic party, becoming the prime minister himself. and then staking his reputation on a constitutional referendum that failed and then forced him to step down. now you have a situation where many feel he is doing this for his own personal interests and personal gain at some point, and he is not really thinking about the country. brent: it is good that we have you there to keep track of how many government crises there are in italy. it is known for political earthquakes and short-lived governments, one after the other. how are people in italy reacting to this latest crisis? reporter: survey released said

that some 76% of italians don't really understand the motivation of the crisis beyond the fact that renzi is doing this for his personal gain. 46% don't even understand why it is happening now, because of course, most italians are trying very hard to deal with the issue of the pandemic and issues of the economy. the fact of what is happening in schools, and we've got the higher high schools not open, people learning online from a diance and not in the presence of their teachers. a variety of issues that people have to deal with, bread-and-butter issues, and they don't really want to see this government crisis. so we will have to see what happens in the coming days. he may return and speak to renzi and try to reincorporate him again into the government. or he will try to find oth ministers and c@@reate some kind of majority, but if he doesn't have that, he may have to resign.

d who knows, we might see a technocrat government or we might see fresh elections, which is something that nobody really wants right now. brent: that was the latest from rome. the largest mafia trial in more than three decades has started in italy. the defendants include more than 350 suspected members of one of the world's most feared organized crime groups. they are accused of offenses dating back decades that include murder, drug trafficking, extortion, and money laundering. our reporter spoke to a key informant, as well as the prosecutor leading italy's battle against the mafia. >> he has to move quickly. the chief prosecutor has powerful enemies. italy's number one mafia hunter is leading the fight against the notorious network.

>> there are men within the public administration. they attempt to manage it in whole or in part, trying to succeed in dominating. not only on the economic level, but also on the administrative and political level. >> he has been fighting them for more than 30 years and has prepared a strong message to send to the families. over the next two years, more than 350 will take the stand in the biggest mafia trial in decades. the court room is set up to accommodate them along with hundreds of witnesses. over the years, the business model has evolved from fighting bloody wars in the street to more sophisticated financial business.

>> they operate in the shadows by importing tons of cocaine from latin america and quietly buying power and influence in europe. these are the main reasons why it is so hard to fight the clans. now working with prosecutors, he was raised to become a powerful mafiosi. >> you start with guns as a child. they make you shoot. they carry guns, and you are a kid, and it is all a game to you. the other kids have toy guns, your guns are real. you are not afraid of being beaten, but of disappointing those who are training you. >> he smuggled drugs, extorted people, and even participated in murders. at after the birth of his second child, he decided this life was no longer for him, and turned against that family. >> when it became known, they ambushed me twice within 12 hours. the first time, i managed to

escape. the second time, i was armed and returned fire, wounding three people. they tried to kill me several times, and set fire to my wife's shop. >> since income he has helped but hundreds of mafiosi behind bars. he is not the only one worried they will fight back. >> i understood that if they knock me down, all this great work will stop. there are thousands and thousands of people who believe in me, and therefore, i am the last hope. this also gives me courage and helps. we have to carry on, whatever it takes. if i pulled out today, i would feel like a coward. >> while this trial won't free collaborative from the clutches of the mafia, it is a real chance to bring attention to the

suffering of millions of people, not just here in italy. brent: i'm joined by a senior researcher and criminology at the university of essex and she focuses on organized crime, the italian mafia. it's good to have you on the program. you have written a book about the most powerful italian mafia. this is shocking to a lot of people. how influential is the mafia now? >> i am surprised you are shocked, act julie, because germany is probably the one that has made the -- actually, i do think in germany there have been some very important news about this group and specifically about the mobility and capacity of the -- capacity that some of the clans have had in the past 20r 30 years. some of these clans have managed

to move their money and their activities on an opportunity basis and following the routes of different industries, such as the drug trade, cocaine being their main revenue. but obviously, they have used the liberal market to invest in different types of activities's so that they can launder the money. brent: so they have gotten stronger over the last couple of decades, right? my point is that i think around the world, people have assumed that the mafia was actually losing its influence and power gradually, but that hasn't been the case, right? >> well, it has been the case when it comes to the other mafia, the sicilian mafia, that has been severely maimed by trials and the activities in the

1980's and 1990's. but this mafia is a different group and it has very different characteristics in terms of organization, flexibility, activities, resilience, all different things. it is a whole other story. it is peculiar in the sense that it has alws been there, but it has managed to be hidden for quite a while. but it is not hidden anymore, for quite a long time now. brent: in the report that we just saw, we saw at former mafioso, we saw key witnesses, as well as the chief prosecutor. they are all living under constant heavy police protection. the prosecutor has been living that way for decades. do they stand a chance to help put an end to this group? >> i think obviously the answer would be, it depends.

he is doing amazing work and putting himself on the line, obviously. but at the same time, it's just one piece of the puzzle. it's very important piece, but we should not think of it in a straight line. there is not one moment when they are defeated. they will never be defeated. the mafia change their face all the time and they adapt. so this is a piece of the puzzle. the rest of the puzzle is for society, for politicians. there is a governmental crisis in italy as we speak. how can the government consider investing long term in this when we're so wrapped up in all this? brent: a very good point. but realistically, what do you expect this big trial to achieve? >> first of all, the state will

put strong faith -- a strong face, saying we need more support here. this is a very serious issue. we have 350 people on trial, and this cannot and should not be ignored. it is like maintaining the alert very high. it will also create mixed feelings. a lot of people on trial here are not very big mafiosi and they are sort of normal people who have been caught up in different things. local people are actually reacting in very mixed ways. in the long term, the group will adapt. the state will need more resources. they will put in jail some people, and hopefully, lessons learned. brent: that is something good at least. we appreciate your time and your insights tonight. thank you.

here in germany, the government has signed off on a plan to require travelers from covid-19 hotspots to get tested before entering the country. germany's health minister says the measures are needed to guard against the new, more contagious take and of the virus. he also says the country's current lockdown will be extended into february. infections and deaths are still at high levels. the government facing criticism over what they say is a very sluggish vaccination rollout. reporter: after more than two months of increasingly tougher restrictions in germany, the number of new infections and deaths from the coronavirus remains alarmingly high. while the vaccination effort is underway, some in berlin are disappointed by its progress. >> i thought i would belong to the second group. i'm over 75 years old, and that i would be vaccinated soon. i don't think that's going to work. i'm a little disappointed.

one should probably start with specific groups. i think that is good. now, they should decide which groups to focus on and how to apply the vaccination criteria. then i think it will work by summer. >> the german health minister defended the government's vaccination plan, the target of criticism in recent weeks. >> the fact that vaccines are in short supply worldwide is a fact that we cannot change. this is the same for us as it is for almost all other countries in the end around the world. the reason for the shortage at the beginning of the vaccination rollout is a lack of production capacity and not a lack of purchasing contracts. opposition parties were not convinced. from the business brinley ftp to the left party, the vaccine rollout was criticized for being slow and chaotic. germany's better goal --

political system is partly to blame. >> it has wonderful advantages, but it sometimes slows down the process. i think the rollout was more a question of internal german matters rather than policy. >> germany has so far administered the jab to more than 750,000 people it has vaccinated a lower share of the population and several other e.u. companies. -- e.u. countries. the hope is that enough doses will be available for the rollout too soon pick up pace. brent: germany's government is not the only government here in europe facing criticism for being too slow with getting people vaccinated. today, several european union health minister's discussed making the rollouts faster. our brussels correspondent has more. reporter: with only two vaccines approve so far by the european medical agency, scarcity is something ministers point toward. but there are number of other

aspects, one in particular announced from officials is that pfizer, for instance, insisted they do not want to be made liable for any problems that may occur with their vaccine during the negotiations between the commission when they preordered vaccines and that is something that caused major delays. that is what officials told me today. overall, of course, many say in hindsight that things could have been duff -- could've been done differently. with the information at the time, member states are happy what they have achieved and that there is enough vaccine for all of europe. brent: let's take a look at some of the other development in the pandemic. written has reported more than 1500 deaths in the last -- written has reported 1500 deaths, the highest daily death toll so far in britain. a delegation will travel to the

city of wuhan to investigate how the global outbreak began there. japan has widened the state of emergency is declared for the tokyo area and an even larger region. the spread of covid-19 is casting fresh doubt on the capital's ability to host the olympic games this coming summer. we want to remind you of the top story we are following, we are looking at live pictures right now of the u.s. house of representatives. embers of the house are debating an article of impeachment against president donald trump. democrats and some republicans say that he incited last week's riot at the u.s. capitol that left five people dead. lawmakers are expected to vote on impeachment within the hour. don't forget, you can always get dw news on the go. just download dw news from the app store and google play.

if you are part of a news story, you can also use the dw app to send us photos and videos to share what is happening. you are watching dw news. after a short break, i will be back to take you through the day. we will have continuing coverage of the second impeachment vote against the u.s. president. we will be right back. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

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>> welcome to "live from paris," world news analysis from france 24. republicans turn against president trump as the house passed a vote on his second impeachment. that vote happening as we speak. it is an unprecedented situation in u.s. history. house speaker nancy pelosi has called trump a clear and present danger to america in the wake of violence from his supporters in the wake of his speech last week.