from berlin. tonight, the last full night of the trump presidency. mitch mcconnell, the most powerful republican in congress, accusing the president of using lies to provoke a mob that stormed the u.s. capitol last week, a shocking move what could be enough to help the senate convict donald trump and what would be his second impeachment trial.

and germany is expected to remain under covid-19 restrictions until the end of be wary. that announcement is imminent as a meeting between the chancellor and state leaders continues. and the harsh winter specter has raised dangerous heating methods and a small spanish shanty town. how madrid authorities are failing thousands of people who say they have been forgotten and left out in the cold. ♪ brent: i'm brent goff. to our viewers on pbs in thepunu around the world, welcome. several members of the u.s. national guard have been withdrawn from their duties guarding the u.s. capitol in washington, d.c. this follows the vetting of the guard for links to extremist organization.

25,000 members of the guard are in the u.s. capitol ahead of the inauguration of u.s. president-elect joe biden. and republican majority leader mitch mcconnell today accused president donald trump of provoking the crowd that ransacked the u.s. capitol building on january 6. >> last time the senate convened, we had just reclaimed the capital from violent criminals who tried to stop congress from doing its duty. mob was fed lies. they were provoked by the president and other powerful people. brent: let's take you to washington. our correspondent is at the u.s. capitol. what impact is mitch mcconnell's statement likely to have on his fellow republicans? could it lead to them voting yes to convict donald trump in a n impeachment trial? oliver: it could have a big

impact, brent. mitch mcconnell is the senate majority leader, so he is one of the most important and influential republican figures, if not the most important republican in congress. also consider how supportive he has been throughout president trump 's presidency, whether it was through the first impeachment proceeding or backing president trump in the lost election and claims of voter fraud. but this is changing now. he is indicting donald trump, that it was his fault that he incited the violent mob to storm the u.s. capitol. that will have a big impact. the senate trial, that needs two thirds in the senate for donald trump to be convicted, so it is a big hurdle to take, but it could make the difference, of course. brent: we are heading into the final hours of the trump presidency. washington, d.c., the u.s. capitol, is a changed city.

you are nowhere near that building, oliver. there's a reason for that, isn't there? oliver: washington, d.c., brent, is under lockdown. it is hard to describe the atmosphere. we are inside a military lockdown, in a military zone. it feels rather like a lockdown area rather than being in a city. how many -- there are roadblocks and checks throughout the city, and you can see the military trucks in the back. this is as close as you can get. we tried to get a glimpse of how the situation is and feels-like. let's look at oureport. downtown washington, usually buzzing with people and traffic, now a ghost town. on the others, traffic jams and checkpoints, a city split in

two. the center has become a militarized zone. and the u.s. capital remains under a rict lockdown, days before the presidential inauguration. we are just outside the closed perimeter, and this is as close as the american public can get to the u.s. capitol, which is cordoned off by a three meter high fence and razor wire, which is currently installed on top of fence. we are going to go inside of that perimeter now to get a glimpse of the preparations that arunderway f a dog or ration day -- for an inauguration day that will be unlike any other in american history. soldiers instead of visitors. some 25 thousand members of the national guard or securing the capitol grounds. there has been some concern about a potential inside threat, and not everyone is happy with the new president. >> it's a sticky situation as far as politically. of course, i have my own

thoughts politically, but i uniform i cannot convey them. i am here to do job and i am here to follow what our organization is doing. we are carrying on with that mission. >> ladies and gentlemen, the president-elect of e united states, joseph riden junior. oliver: onhe west side of the u.s. capitol, some normalcy is coming back. rehearsals and sound checks where two weeks ago, thousands of trump supporters stormed the symbol of american democracy. ♪ oliver: the rehearsals for the inauguration cerony were just completed and on this very lawn, thousands gather to cheer for their new president. this year, many things will be different. fear of an attack on the president means a ceremony with hardly any guests, the nationa mall will remain ut down, and authorities asking citizens to stay far away for the sake of their own safety. in the dntown area, buildings

have been boarded up again after a year of protests and a ndemic. these views have become a common site f many washingtonians. businesses are suffering. >> this is a commercial hu offices are closed, and the security has been, there's so much, we can't even keep up our delivery business. oliver: a life behind fences and roadblocks, those who live here can't wait until the new president is sworn in. brent: oliver, those are surreal images there. it's hard to imagine that is the united states, ending one presidency and starting another one. do we know what is on president trump's agenda the last day in office? oliver: the last day in office, i have his press schedule here. it reads, president trumbull work from early in the morning and late in the evening, and

have many phone calls and many meetings. there is some truth to that, because he has been very active in the last hours, especially signing a lot of executive orders and final america first policies, really leaving some burned soil for his successor joe biden, we will perhaps have to undo some of those decisions. donald trump is set to pardon 100 loyalists and other persons, white-collar crime loyalists who supported him throughout the impeachment proceedings, especially the mueller investigation. we are going to hear from that later today. also, he is said to have recorded already his farewell message, addressing his followers. it is likely he will reiterate his position, his baseless claim of voter fraud there, and also say this is not the end, but it is a new beginning. that is his position on his last day of u.s. president.

brent: tomorrow night at this time when we speak, if all goes as planned, there will be a new president of the united states. oliver, thank you. from politics to the pandemic, the coronavirus continues to ravage the u.s.. the number of deaths due to covid-19 has now searched past 400,000. that's according to johns hopkins university. death rates are rising in nearly two thirds of all the u.s. states. hospitals in the united states and the u.s. state of california have said for weeks, they are simply full. and other states have resorted to converting conference centers into temporary hospitals to treat sick patients. this grim milestone comes as health authorities continue the mass vaccination program against the virus. germany's latest coronavirus numbers bear some good news and some bad news for a land that is

locked in lockdown. the good news is that infection rates are trending in the right direction, but as german chancellor angela merkel meets with political leaders tonight to discuss what comes next, the bad news is that the country is not out of the woods yet. >> people in germany are preparing for titan coronavirus restrictions. here are four likely outcomes from tuesday's political discussions in berlin. one, that the existing measures will be extended until mid february. that means large parts o public life will remain closed, like schools and daycare centers, and also shops, museums, theaters, and dine in restaurants. two, an obligation to wear medical masks. the federal government wants these to be compulsory on public transport and in shops, as is the case in bavaria with ffp2 masks. these offer better protection

than regular cloth masks but are more expensive, so the new rules would probably allow for cheaper surgical masks. three, more working from home. the government wants to impose stricter rules to stop office workers from commuting as much, pushing their employers to let them work from home. four, possible nighttime curfews. they are already in place in some regions, along with stricter border's, but it is unclear whether they would be imposed nationwide. brent: for more, i am joined by my colleague, politico correspondent emmanuel chasse. has anything come out of that meeting? >> there is no official declaration yet. the prime minister and chancellor are still talking, but they already committed on recommitting the current

lockdown until february 14. that means on nonessential shops are staying close, restaurants, fitness studios, schools as well, this comes as no surprise given the current situations, because infections are still fairly high. leaders and angela merkel have also seemingly agreed on making surgical masks mandatory in public transports. also, one of the biggest bones of contention was working from home. the news agencies say that original leaders and angela merkel found an agreement on that, and the ministry for work should send out a directive to companies to facilitate, to enable working from home whenever is possible. until now, it was only a recommendation, but there is a need to reduce contact not only in the workplace, but also on the way to work. where this is not possible,

offices should be reorganized so there are as few people in the room as possible. when it is not possible, ffp2 masks should be provided by the employer. brent: we are looking more at this partial lockdown until valentine's day. it tells us that the current restrictions are not working as hoped, right? emma: it is not they are not working at all, they are working too slowly. if you look at the numbers, the number of infections, they do tend to decrease, but not fast enough. it is a better situation than what we saw in december or early january, but the number of infections, especially the number of deaths, are still too high. there is a race right now between trying to reach immunization through vaccination and also watching out for new strains of the virus that appear at the moment. brent: our correspondent with

the latest in berlin, on what looks to be an ever longer lockdown for germany. emma, thank you. an independent panel of health experts has sharply criticized china and the world health organization for their response to the coronavirus pandemic. the roof -- report says beijing should have impose tougher restrictions more quickly, and the who should have declared an emergency sooner. panel members say they we disappointed and frankly discouraged that poor countries are struggling to get vaccine doses for their population compared with richer countries. a short while ago, we had the opportunity to talk to the cochair of that panel, the former president of liberia and a nobel peace prize laureate. we asked her whether this pandemic could have been avoided if the who had acted more

assertively and china had been more forthcoming. >> absolutely. if china h given information on some of the early findings, about a breakout, if w had had the efftiveness of a timely and effective alarm system, yes. it could have been avoided. i think our report is very clear on why this is so. we believe the who communications system needs to be in the digital age. also think nations could have done more to use protectiv measures. they could have insured masks, social distancing, contact tracing, all of those that help. support could have been given in those respects, so yes, i think through timely andffective

alarm systems, yes, this pandemic could not have read as quickly and as intensively as it did. brent: an analysis about the origins of the pandemic. let's take a look at some of the other stories making headlines around the world. rescue workers in china are stepping up forts trying to reach 22 miners trapped in a goldmine in eastern china. the men have been stuck underground since 10 days ago. authorities have managed to establish contact with some of the minors, but fear -- miners, but fears for their survival are growing. and mostly young protesters demanding jobs in the release of detainees. many repeated the chant of "the people want the fall of the regime." that's the slogan that helped spark the arab spring in tunisia a decade ago.

to now, where a community of people living on the edges of madrid say have -- say they have been forgotten by the authorities. the region has had an unusually cold winter, and for the residents of this shantytown, it is proving to be life-threatening. parts of the settlement have been without power since october and icy conditions have frozen the water supply. our correspondent filed this report from madrid. >> it is bitter cold here on this fast shantytown in the outskirts of madrid. days after the areas heaviest snowfall, temperatures are well below zero. but some prefer to be outside. > it's colder inside the house than outside. with the sun, you can stay on the street. we arelso called here. >> some 8000 residents live here and let -- in what might be europe's biggest informal

settlement. more than half of them have been without electricity. most live in poverty. conditions are worse in sectors five and six of the settlement. because of the cold, many like ramon's family don't even have water. >> [speaking non-english language] this is how we would usually wa our clothes. then we would warm our hands by the fire. we don't have electricity, we don't have water. we don't know what to do. >> authorities blame the power outagen an electrical surge thought to be in sector six of the settlement. we cannot film openly here. it is too dangerous. the people we speak to confirm that they too have no electricity. back in sector five, a mother who wants to stay anonymous invites us into her house. her kids are bundled up,

attending classes online, but only as long as a phone charge and mobile data last. >> when they get upset, i try to give them strength. i tell them, imagine you were sick or didn't have hands. but trying to give them strength, i realize that i don't have any more strength myself. >> it's a similar story for her neighbors. one man likely died due to the cold and a baby was hospitalized with hypothermia. many are resorting to using propane, diesel generators, car batteries, or stoves. it's expensive and very risky, says one from the neighborhood association. she says that at least 40 people here have suffered carbon monoxide poisoning >> they light fires. when they noticed that theire is dwindling, they throw more logs on to keep the house warm.

because theire consumes the oxygen, this has adverse effects. they wake up with headaches or nausea >> several ngos have condemned the situation here. >> in 2017, the authorities signed a regional agreement ensuring dignified living conditions for the residents of the area. this agreement also covered providing electricity to the settlement. >> a few families have been offered gas heaters for the opportunity to relocate. the power utility now wants to shut down illegal taps. however, many here feel forgotten. they think that if the authorities were serious about helping, they would already have presented clear solutions. brent: european lawmakers are

said to discuss the fate of migrants stranded along the european union's external borders. the situation is especially acute in bosnia, where thousands of mostly middle eastern migrants remain in limbo. bosnia is not a member of the european union, but it borders croatia, which is part of the eu. human rights groups say migrants have frequently reported rough encounters with croatian police, including beatings and being forcibly pushed back into bosnia. croatian authorities have denied these allegations. currently, 9000 migrants are estimated to be in bosnia. many are from afghanistan, pakistan, or syria. the human migration agency says more than one third are living without any shelter. many were left homeless when a camp in lippa was evacuated back in december. it happened after bosnian

authorities failed to prepare the camp for winter. the empty camp was later set on fire. the bosnian army has set up new tents, but ngos say more permanent shelter is sorely needed. marina strauss has this report. marina: for the past three months, this camp has been home for a young pakistani, who shares a shelter in the woods with five others. >> here is my sleeping bag. potato, chile, water, everything. this is my food. marina: they have enough to eat, he says, but other than that, they have practically nothing. this time of year, temperatures often drop well below zero. he has to collect wood from the forest to keep him warm. there is only one reason the man entered these -- the men e

ndure these conditions. they want to get in croatia. >> i get asked, why do you want to come to croatia? why do you come across the border? that's why. [inaudible] marina: he wants to find work in germany, in his hometown of pakistan, he said -- in pakistan, he said he had to struggle day in, day out, just to make ends meet. the lippa refugee camp made headlines in recent weeks. first it was cleared and then burns down. the migrants had refugees have been moved into tents, but they are saying nobody should live like this in winter. it's pictures like these that attracted unwanted attention to how authorities have handled the

situation, but the region's prime minister says the eu and the bosnian government share the blame. >> there are solutions for the migration situation in bosnia. the highest officials in this country need to show political will to stop and regulate illegal migration into the country and control how the money is spent. marina: of all the people we spoke to here, none want to stay in bosnia. rather, to continue their journey into the eu. for many, the chances of being granted asylum in the eu are slim, but a men here says going back to pakistan is not an option. >> we want to work here. you know? marina: as soon as it gets a bit warmer, he will try to cross the border again. for now, he has no choice but to

wait here. a life in mud, rain, and your cold -- severe cold. brent: driving a 4 x 4 through the desert is a popular past time in qatar for men. there are almost no women who do this, but the female offloading enthusiast -- is breaking the mold. she is not only an in tassie is to -- unenthusiastic dune bash, as they are called, and she hopes more women will follow her example into the sand. >> a convoy of 4 x 4's traversing the desert is a common site in qatar, but an off routing trip is usually for men only. >> you start off with this and

you think it is a man's sport. this was also keeping me away in the beginning. >> but that changed quickly once she gave it a go. >> as soonest my tires toued the sand, i fell in love with the desert. >> the south african is not only a passionate driver, but also a martial in her club, meaning she is responsible for keeping things taking over and making sure no one gets stuck in the sand. the club's chief marshall says herxpertise is not the only benefit of having her around. >> with her as a marshall, she and -- is encouraging lots of women to be part of this group. >> she is certainly pleased that she has had such a positive impact. >> it's always good to inspire people in a positive way, so it's good. >> desert driving trips are among the offers with which qatar plans to win over visitors to the kingdom during the 2022

football world cup. though off-road was once a male domain, wom are making inroads, as her example shows. brent: here's a reminder of the top story we are following for you. mitch mcconnell, the most powerful republican in the u.s. congress, is accusing donald trump of using lies to incite the right at the capital last week, which could be enough to convince the senate to convict. tonight, u.s. former national security advisor john bolton on policy after four years of trump. 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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>> hello, it's 10:00 p.m. in paris. here are our headlines this evening. donald trump bids the presidency goodbye in a prerecorded video where he says he is the first president in decades with no new wars. we will get the latest on that and what is coming with the incoming joe biden team. our correspondent will join us from washington. some of president elect joe biden's nominees appeared before congressional panels tuesday, this beginning the confirmation process that will allow the new administration to get to work. we will bring you more on that. in france, the health minister has said that the coronavirus