host: this is dw news live from berlin. tonight, the new u.s. president. on his first day in office, joe biden briefing the nation on priority number one, tackling the pandemic that has already claimed more than 400 thousand american lives. biden once all americans to wear masks for the next 100 days. also, angela merkel on the

defensive over tough national lockdown measures. her warning -- we must take the new coronavirus variance very seriously. and a deadly bombing in baghdad for the first time in three years, killing and wounding scores of people. i'm brent goff, to our viewers in the united states and around the world, welcome. we begin tonight with u.s. president joe biden declaring war on the pandemic. today, he unveiled his administration's covid-19 action plan. just a few moments ago, he began by addressing the nation and spoke of the huge challenges that lie ahead to fight to the pandemic. but he assured the american people that help is on the way, that vaccinations will be rolled out across the nation, and that

the u.s. will beat covid-19. let's take a listen. president biden: let me be very clear. things are going to continue to get worse before they get better. the memorial we held two nights ago will not be our last one, unfortunately. the death toll will likely top 500,000 next month. cases will continue to mount. we didn't get into this mess overnight and it's going to take months for us to turn things around, let me be equally clear. we will get through this. we will defeat this pandemic. let me be the clearest on this point. help is on the way. today, today i am unveiling a national strategy on covid-19, an executive action to beat this pandemic. this plan reflects the ideas i set forward during the campaign and that were further refined

over the past three months. it consists of my transition team, task force, dr. tony fauci he and the team and other experts put this team together. our national strategy is comprehensive. it is based on science, not politics. it is based on truth, not denial. and it is detailed. you can review this entire plan, this entire plan, by going to whitehouse.gov. it is so detailed, it is 198 pages. complete detail, what we are going to do. our plan starts with an aggressive, safe vaccination campaign to meet our goal of administering 100 million shots in our first 100 days in office. we are on day one. this will be one of the greatest operational challenges our nation has ever undertaken, and

we are committed to getting it done. as i explained last week, we will move heaven and earth to get more people vaccinated for free. brent: a dramatic difference to what the world has been used to coming from the united states when it comes to fighting the pandemic. let's go to our washington correspondent who has been following this story for us. oliver, if you could, just walk us through what is in this plan, the highlights. we know the president wants all people in the u.s. to wear a mask for the next 100 days, for example. oliver: what a change in tone and rhetoric, first of all, right? he was really frank about the reality, the facts are uncomfortable for the american people. but he was frank inlaying that out, really stressing why it is important to do this here.

he said minorities are particularly effective. when approached -- when pointing out why his covid approach was at the top of his agenda, he made it clear that it will get worse before it gets better. he will sign several executive orders to speed up supplies and the office response. especially the vaccine supply. there was no comprehensive plan by the trump administration. there was no communication between the trump and incoming biden administration on that matter. so what he is trying to do is supply 100 million vaccine doses for the next 100 days. he also wants to beef up the testing supply. he said it will take months until all of this works. so he is again appealing to americans to mask up. he has a mask mandate on federal

property and almost of transport, and for his staffers. that is particularly important for public perception, of course, that people who are in the public eye wear a mask. the american public understands this is a top priority now for president biden. brent: you said the wartime effort is mammoth in its size and scope. you also said that travelers going into the united states are going to have to do things that we have been used to in europe for months. talk to us about that. oliver: he is demanding covid tests for travelers coming in. interestingly, the trump administration, trump himself on his last day in office wanted to relieve in order he had issued at the beginning of the pandemic against advice and against

criticism, not allowing europeans, for example, to travel to the united states. joe biden made very clear that he will not relieve that order. he will stick with this travel ban and he made clear that it will be a bit tighter. people will have to get tested before they board the plane. it will be the job of the airlines to control that if there are no available tests than people cannot travel to the united states. but again, this does not apply to a normal tourist because they have blocked from transatlantic travel to the united states since the beginning of the pandemic. brent: that's true. there is also going to be a quarantine for people coming in. that's new. this is such a dramatic change in what americans are used to, oliver. is it going to be an easy sell for the president?

oliver: it's certainly not going to be, but that's also why he is pushing for transparency. that's why he said you can look up the covid relief plan on the white house website. the united states is in a very polarized situation, perhaps as polarized as the country has been since the end of the civil war. a lot of americans, supporters of former president trump, do not believe in president biden's legitimacy, belief in the baseless claims of voter fraud, and it's going to be very difficult to appeal to them. on the other hand, he is the right person. he has some 50 years of experience. he is a centrist. he has credibility, especially among workers. therefore, it is possible, but it will be challenging for sure. brent: now, we look at one of

the worst hit states in this pandemic, california. >> l.a. is in a state of emergency. while doctors scramble around the clock to save lives, ambulances bring in covid patients every minute. emergency rooms are on the verge of being overwhelmed. she has just finished her 12 hour shift in the er her husband picks her up from work. >> how was your day? like same. horrible. -- >> same. horrible. i am so tired. >> i'm sorry. >> covid-19 dominates her life >> all the keeps playing over over and over in my head is the look on his face when i went into his room. >> he thought he was going home. >> he lit up. am i going home now?

i told the nurse, fill out the form and i will skip them up in my arms and take them home so that he can -- scoop him up in my arms so that i can take him home and he can die at home instead of in a hospital. >> every loss burns itself into their collective memory. they work until they are about to collapse. >> it simply is the worst thing i have ever experienced in my life. i have seen more death in these past 10 months than in all of my eight years of nursing combined, and i'm a critical care nurse. i am a code blue nurse. >> she has nightmares. she has trouble sleeping. when she cannot go to work, she feels guilty. she is dealing with a lifetime of trauma, and she used to tell me maybe every couple of months

about a patient that died. now it's every day, multiple patients. and from what she tells me, it is not a good way to go. it is suffering. >> aaron is on route -- erin is en route to her next shift. her dedication is her motto, keep on fighting. brent: it is a tough situation in california, oliver. for all americans, not only are they dealing with this pandemic, there is also the economic crisis. oliver: there is a lot of suffering. last week, 900 thousand americans filed for unemployment. the numbers keep being on the higher side. poverty is on the rise throughout the country, so the gap is getting wider and wider. there are evictions looming. there is one executive order president biden signed putting a

halt on evictions related to covid-19. but of course, the suffering is still very big. many people just lost their jobs. there is a $2 trillion relief package that joe biden has put forth. rent: how hard is it going to be for president biden to bring people back to gather in america? oliver: besides covid and the response to covid, the biggest challenge, perhaps, for his presidency will be -- one of the points when we look back in a couple of years very important to assess how successful he really was as a u.s. president that has such a big burden as he follows after donald trump, after all of this divisiveness and hatred and the rhetoric of course. the country is very polarized, of course. a lot of trump supporters live

in a parallel reality at this point. the question the legitimacy of joe biden as u.s. president. they believe in misinformation. that was also made clear by joe biden in his inauguration speech. he asked americans for support. he said he wanted to be a president for all americans, but it will be a challenge to reach everyone on both sides of the political aisle. >> indeed, it will. thank you. from fighting the coronavirus to fighting climate change, president biden has signed executive orders to reverse trump era policies, including rejoining the paris climate accord. domestically, bidenas called for a net zero carbon emissions for the u.s. by 2050. that includes a transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy.

internationally, former secretary of state john kerry is now the administration's climate envoy. he is tasked with read -- leading worldwide efforts to reduce carbon emissions and develop green technology. joining me now from copenhagen is the director of a partnership that advises developing countries on sustainable development. it's good to have you on the program. let me get your reaction to president biden bringing the u.s. back into the paris climate agreement. >> thank you for having me. it was a strong, symbolic act that he signed the executive order yesterday. the u.s. will now in a months time be part of the paris agreement again. they will still be

participating, but with trump's view on climate, there has not been much active participation. when it comes to u.s. leadership oath internationally, but also looking at the climate, biden and harris -- we are seeing a path to domestic action, which you mentioned in the introduction also. a lot of my friends are quite optimistic because john kerry has the lead on international climate issues, but you can also see a number of climate experts coming back into the administration. it clearly will be across industries. carrie will be part of a strategic counsel where you touch john kerry will be part of a strategic counsel -- john kerry will be part of a strategic counsel that has not

had that kind of leadership before. brent: the paris climate accord, there are some signs you say it may already be out of date. do we need a new agreement to be reached as soon as possible and can the u.s. help facilitate that? >> we don't need a new agreement, per se, but we need to ramp up commitments. originally, last year was supposed to be the first ramp up where countries come back with new commitments, saying we have been implementing and looking at what we can do, and we can increase our targets. that will now not happen until later this year. so a lot of countries are going to have new commitments. and a new administration in the u.s. will want to ramp up their commitments. we did look at in annual

emissions --an annual emissions report last year. because of trump, the u.s. is now about 50% from their 2030 target. they will need to do a great deal. brent: we know john kerry will be attending the next climate summit in scotland this coming november. how important is this meeting in november? i have heard it could be one of the last opportunities to really make a change that is going to slow the warming of the planet? >> you canlways continue and there is a chance at the next one. at we said in the report we just put out is that if you want to believe in the goals that were set in paris, below two

degreesy the end of t ntury, preferably one and a half, we need to get moving. otherwise, we are looking at three degrees, and i don't think any of us want to live in a three degree plus worldn 2100. it will be really difficult. this is our last chance to get really ramped up. like we heard in a previous discuson about covid and how that has impacted everyone, it is really vital that we build back better and do things for the climate that has positive employment and can generate the economic boost that has been suffering under the covid impact. brent: good to have you on the program, mr. john christiansen. we appreciate your insights. >> thank. brent: let me take you back to

the pandemic, getting the pandemic under the can -- under control the number one priority here for many european countries. the drive to vaccinate as many people as possible is being discussed at a summit of eu leaders. they are also discussing allowing travel with the coronavirus vaccination card. but some fear this could be abused. >> no need for physical distancing. this is what europe looked like before the pandemic. a return to normal life is what europeans are craving. many here are hoping getting vaccinated will bring that life back, but a slow vaccination rollout in many countries means it will take months before travel is available to all. this raises questions about whether vaccinated people should receive privileges by being able to travel freely.

greece's prime minister floated the idea of a vaccination certificate to help restore cross-border travel and tourism in his country. >> it's an incentive for people to proceed with vaccination. we have to motivate people and explain to them that it's important in order to protect ourselves and our way of life. >> the eu executive says it will work with eu states on a common approach. >> it's a political and legal decision, what you are allowed to do with the certificate. and i think it's something we will certainly discuss on the european level thave common rules. i think it's important always to find the right balance. for example, you can provide a certificate of a negative covid test if you have not had a

vaccination so far. >> opponents fear that it could divide europeans into two categories, the vaccinated and the nonvaccinated. watchdogs are warning the certificate could be misused by potential employers. >> as with any kind of documents which are really for health, we have to be ready that we will use them for certain purposes and only for those purposes. >> the vaccines provide an amount of protection to those that have had them, but it is still not clear whether they also prevent people from passing on the virus. the fear is that giving people who have been vaccinated the freedom of movement could also pose a threat to those who are not. brent: chancellor angela merkel is defending her decision to tighten the countries national lockdown. she said too many people are still dying, and she is urging

germans to take the new variance seriously -- variants seriously or risk a new wave of infections. >> angela merkel arrived for questions with a more sober message. declining infection rates and fewer people and icus are not good enough when so many people are still dying from covid-19. >> today alone, we have lost over 1000 people. this is terrible. these are not just numbers. these are people who have died all alone. these are families in morning. we have to keep reminding ourselves of this. >> the big worry now comes in forms of variant strains of covid-19. they are one of the major reasons lockdowns have been extended through february and some rules tightened. without have -- eu leaders want

to stop the spread without having to close borders. angela merkel is not planning to do that yet, but -- >> i will be quite frank. if a country with an infection rate twice as high as germany's opens all their shops, we have a problem. >> enormous global demand and not enough doses has led to a slower than expected vaccine rollout in germany. angela merkel repeated a promise that everyone in germany should be offered a vaccine by the middle of september. brent: at least 32 people have been killed and dozens more injured in a double suicide bombing in a rack, the first major attack on the capital in years. two bombers lou themselves up in a crowded market. authorities believe the incident could mark the resurgence of the islamic state. >> security forces assess the damage from the deadly suicide blast.

they are met with pools of blood and widespread destruction. medical workers tend to dozens of injured victims. we were there by the stands. someone came and fell to the ground and started to complain that his stomach hurt. then he pressed the detonator. many died or werinjured. these kinds of attacks were once common in baghdad but have been rare sce the islam stateas driven out in 2017. tensions have heightened over forthcomg elections and an economic crisis. no one has claimed responsibility for the bombing, but authorities are presuming a terrorist link. >> the way and the enemy are clear. as far as i know, there has been

no declaration,ut it is likely the islamic state is behind this criminal incident. >> forces are on high alert in case of further attacks. brent: that was the first deadly suicide attack in baghdad since 2018. earlier, we spoke with a journalist in baghdad. we asked her why this blast happened now. >> it's an interesting question. there have not been many details revealed so far by security agencies about incident -- about the reasons behind the attack now. but one reason security officials have been making is the planned legislative elections set to take place later this year. iraq has seen similar rounds of violence before previous elections. the most recent in 2018 was

before the parliamentary election that year. some are making a connection between increased political tensns and the potential rise of this kind of violence. brent: that was my out of the afp news agency reporting from baghdad. let's go to austria where four people have taken -- four flyers have taken on a ski run in parachutes. they dropped out of a helicopter two point five kilometers above and executed a world first flight. sweeping down the course, the reached speeds of up to 250 kilometers per hour. amazing.

it is always good to land after that. here is the top story we are following. u.s. president joe biden has unveiled his administration's strategy to combat the coronavirus pandemic. the methods include ramping up testing and vaccinations and safely reopening schools. americans are being asked to wear masks for the next 100 days. travelers flying to the u.s. will need to quarantine upon arrival. you are watching dw news. after a quick rake, i will be back to take you through the day. -- quick break, i will be back to take you through the day. stick around.

>> >> hello, you're watching live from paris. u.s. vice president joe biden is anthing fast to forge a coordinated federal response to covid-19 where donald trump had left pandemic planning left to the individual states. we'll bring you all of the latest on joe biden's first full day in office. and e.u. leaders are coordinating to assess how to tackle the new threat of covid-19 variants. some member states are pushing for travel restrictions on europe's internal borders to stop the spread. we'll bring you that a little later on. in iraq, two suicide bombers have killed 32