>> here are the stories making world headlines. it is day one of the impeachment trial of donald trump in washington. house managers and attorneys for the former president argue over whether it is constitutional to try a president in the senate after he has left office. in myanmar, police raid the party headquarters of ousted leader aung san suu kyi. meanme, protests have turned violent as demonstrators refused to back down following a military coup last week. team of experts from the world health organization has

concluded that the coronavirus did not originate in a lab in wuhan. e team traveled to investigate where and how the virus started. ♪ >> hello, everyone. thanks for joining us. we begin in washington, d.c., where a historic trial is underway following the of donald trump. democratic house managers are arguing before the senate that the former president is responsible for inciting a violent and deadliest at the u.s. capitol on january 6. not only because of his speech he gave just before the riots, but also for months on pushing a false narrative the election was stolen from him. trump's lawyers are arguing the president was arguing his right to free speech, and they are

also questioning the constitutionality of trying a president who is already out of office. in fact, that is the main issue being argued on this first day. >> the argument is if you compete in impeachable offense in your las few weeks in office, you do it with constitutional impunity. you get away with it. this would create a brand-new january exception to the constitution. and everyone can see immediately why this is so dangerous. it's an invitation to the president to take his best shot at anything he may want to do on his way out the door, including using violent means to lock that door. to hang on to the oval office at all costs. >> joining us is our international affairs commentator douglas herbert. just a general question.

what exactly have we been watching tonight? doug: we have been watching the pretrial trial. it is exactly what we just heard. a debate over the question of whether putting a former impeached president who is no longer in office on trial is constitutional, is it what the framers of the constitution intended? now, the republicans, they been looking for every tactical advice to avoid having to present the case where they would have to address donald trump conduct an office had on. -- head on. they have been looking towards process. what that means is a nutshell is the constitutionality. by raising the specter of constitutionality it gives those republicans who do not want to convict donald trump in easy opt out without having to risk alienating his base or infuriating his tens of millions of supporters. there is still that basic fear of donald trump. we heard in that quote just

before i came on, basically the house peachment prosecutors are making the case, as one of them put it, that this constitutional argument is purely as he put it, it is a fictional, a fictional loophole that is designed to allow the president to escape all accountability. like they said, if the constitution, you know, the framers never really intended not to be able to hold to account a presint who commits crimes while in office. as they kept pointing out, donald trump allegedly committed his crime, his misdemeanor in this case incitement to insurrection, while he was still inffice he was impeached in office. this trial is trying to put on trial and hold him to account for actions he committed as president. constitution barred such a trial after a present left office than any president wanted to avoid any accountability by resigning.

it is called a january exception, in order to avoidhavy responsibility for what they so, it is a little bit of a fig leaf argument here. as one of the house managers put it, they ask, does anyone really believe the january 6th attack on the u.s. capitol would have happened but for the actions of donald trump? the house impeachment prosecutor is trying very clearly to refocus the attention away from what they see as a besides the point constitutional issue, a moot point, onto the substance of the case and that is donald trump's conduct as president. >> so, the outcome of a senate trial if he were convicted normally would be to remove the president from office. in this case, he is already out of office. it could prevent him from ever holding federal office again. but why is the outcome of this trial appear to be a foregone conclusion? doug: just to say you are

absolutely one of the key reasons they are pressing for this trial is because it is not a matter of removing a president om office, but a matter of preventing a former official such as a president from being able to hold public office again look,, are minds going to be changed? almost definitely not. last month in a sneak preview, all but five republican senators, voted against this trial on constitutional grounds. the question now is, since then, a lot of conservative, legal saying it is constitutional. is that argument going to sway minds? is it going to change republicans minds given the high number that it's called it unconstitutional just last month? my bet is no. people are coming in with their opinions and their minds made up. the republican senators are inclined to stick with that, see this as constitutial and not budge an inch. they see this as a vendetta

against donald trump, in the house prosecutors are just as adamant tha repubcan arguments are nothing but a diversionary tactic to avoid holding trump accountable. are minds going to be changed? they need 17 republicans to join with the democrats for that 2/3 vote. that is not going to happen, given the fact he had five last month, voted with the democrats. they will bring the trial forward but as far as getting that 2/3 threshold, the chances of -- the chances are virtually nil. >> thanks for your insight as always. i want to turn to thomas gift, a lecture at ucl and founding director of the center on u.s. politics. thanks so much for joining us. the impeachment managers appear to be making a compelling argument, showing video of trump 's speeches and of the riots, but what you make of the argumentrom the defense that he was exercising his right to

free speech? >> well, that's certainly the case that republicans are going to make. they are going to say essentially this is constitutionally protected speech, and unless there was an imminent threat of violence that was directed explicitly by donald trump that he is not accountable for e actions of this mob. now, it is also the case that you do not actually need criminality in order for the president to be impeached. that's not a threshold. high crimes and misdemeanors is much more broad. so, even if donald trump was acting in his parameters of freedom of speech, he could still be impeached according to democrats if he was acting kind of with reckless abandon and with the understanding that, espeally in the context of all the claims he had been making about a rigged election, that it could lead to the violence we saw on january 6. >> as we heard from douglas

herbert, there is almost no chance the senate will convict. so, why is this an important process from the democrats ' point of view? >> i think democrats view this as a principled matter. the u.s. capitol insurrection was a horrific attack on new? if he in democrats thing to not hold trump accountable in some of impunity. to enable a culture according to them, it would set a precedent that future presidents can act with more or less reckless abandon, especially in the waning days of their presidency. what i don't think they can expect is to -- for this to lead to a conviction of president trump or his barring from future office. in late january 40 five republicans voted to render the trial unconstitutional. the notion that a significant number will vote to convict e president who continues to hold support among most republican voters seems extremely unrealistic. i don't think most democrats,

serious democrats, have any illusion that that is the case. >> what does it say about the state of the republican party when the majority of them believe this false claim that the election was stolen from former president trump? >> well, certainly the republican party is more divided now than at any point in modern history. going forward, the big issue that is going to be resolved, needs to be resolved within the party are these two factions of so-called establishment republicans and so-called trumpian republicans. they are really at odds. there is such strong division between those two groups, that they are almost akin to the division between republicans and democrats. so, there is a significant, significant splintering. and as far as donald trump, as long as he kind of is able to dangle this possibility of may be running again in 2024 or maintain a significant position within the republican party, i do not think that trumpian

element is going to go away anytime soon. we will continue to see some of these internal battles within the party play out. and it is going to be fierce, because the battle lines are cut so cleanly. >> you think donald trump continue to play a role in the republican party going forward? >> oh, absolutely. i do not think there is any doubt that trump will play significant role. either he is going to set up himself for a 2024 run which may or may not happen. but evenf he doesn't he is already set up a political action committee which is going to allow him to channel funds to certain republican candidates who support his agenda. remember, he is extremely popular within the republican base. i mean, 80% of republicans think that he should not be held guilty in this trial. that is a significant number, especially given all of the scandals and challenges to democratic and constitutional

norms we have seen from the president over the past four years. he has an extremely stubborn base that is resistant to turning fr him inny way. he's going to use that. he creates the spotlight. he wants to be front and center. i don't think he is going to just fade into the sunset. >> thank you, thomas gift. the founding director of the center on u.s. politics. thanks for your time tonight. >> thank you. >> to myanmar, where police have raided the headquarters of the national league for democracy the party of ousted leader aung san suu kyi. protesters have taken to the streets since a military coup last week in spite of a ban on large gatherings. there are reports of demonstrations turning violent. a woman was shot in the head and is unlikely to survive. >> scenes of civil disobedience documented on smartphones in myanmar. in this footage, a crowd start

celebrating after two police officers switch sides and join the protesters. over in the commercial capital, thousands took to the streets to -- defying restrictions on gatherings. protesters say they will keep up the pressure until the coup is reversed. >> [speaking foreign language] > the military has struggled to tone down opposition. the head of the army promised elections any year. a move which aims to disregard a recent vote which the national league for democracy won by a landslide. since the coupl, the junta has

try to restrict the internet. however the protesters themselves say the online crackdown has backfired as demonstrators take to the streets to protest. for now the army has used water cannon, rubber bullets and fired live rounds into the air to disperse crowds, but no one on the street knows for certain how far the junta is willing to go. >> a team of experts from the world health organization has concluded that the coronavirus did not originate in the lap in wuhan, china. the team traveled to the region to investigate where and how the virus started, but with the investigation happening so long after the initial outbreak, experts are trying to rein in expectations of their findings. our correspondent has the latest. >> lots of information. some conclusions and many more questions. the world health organization investigators and their chinese counterparts speaking to the

media for close to three hours and reaching the following conclusions. that there was no significant spread of covid-19 in wuhan before december 2019. the most likely scenario is that the virus was transmitted to human beings via an intermediary animal, when it originated from bats. and the theory ofa a lab leak is unlikely and does not need to be studied further. among the more questions that need to be answered, they need to find out exactly which animal played the role of the intermediary. they also need to find out what role this played exactly by the seafood market at the heart of this pandemic. which animal could have been the intermediary, was it sold in that market? what wildlife targets were sold and where did they come from? this is just the beginning of this investigation, something chinese authorities emphasized a

lot, saying that potentially the investigation could continue elsewhere around the world which fits with the chinese narrative about this virus that it did not originate in china. >> time now for a look at today's top business news. starting in the u.s. where joe biden is staying mum on donald trump's impeachment trial. instead he summoned the top business leaders to discuss his economic stimulus plan. >> he's meeting with the ceo's of j.p. morgan chase, walmart, the gap and lowes to talk about how to get the economy back on track. as vice president kamala harris and janet yellen joining in. seeking support for his covid recovery practice. the one that would see most americans receive $1400 check from the government. the republicans have cited

concerns about the national debt. democrats have the legislative majorities to push it through. the friday monthly jobs report showing severe weakness in the labor market biden is determined toeed to get it done. president biden: we have to deal at the same time with the employment and dealing at the same time with business and growth of the economy. we cannot get everybody well and then -- not move on the economy. we have to move quickly on both. i am anxious to hear what business leaders have to say about how they think approaching this issue, we are approaching this issue. to see if we can find some common ground. >> checking on the markets. european stock indices finish the day mixed as a rally in global sure starts to cool down. paris close just above the flat line. milan down, despite the confidence in mario draghi's ability to put together a government. wall street taking a break from its february rally. the dow and s&p losing ground

the nasdaq and midday barely in positive territory. in france, an oil giant it just released its earnings report for 202. a net loss of $7 billion. also announcing and name change to total energy center pivot away from fossil fuels. tuesday as we see here brought a protest at the headquarters outside paris. as labor unions joined forces with environmentalists to denounce the plan transformation of one of their french oil refineries into a biofuel and solar project. protesters say 700 jobs are at risk amid what they call "a greenwashing project." >> total wants to greenwashing's name and it was to close parts of the refinery for ecological reasons. what they have been saying from the start is that closing the refinery capabilities is actually making pollution worse,

because social and environmental regulations are strict in france. total's obsessed with profit and has no interest in the environment. >> michael lynch is fighting to avoid extradition to the united states prosecutors charged with 17 criminal counts over the $11 billion sale of his software company autonomy to an american tech giant hewlett-packard in 2011. they sued lynch for $5 billion claiming that they inflated autonomies value. a number of british cabinet members have argued against sending him to the u.s.. with even prime minister boris johnson calling the uk's extradition treaty with america invalid. working from home has become the norm for many people during the ongoing health crisis. the crisis comes with a few hidden costs that often have got overlooked, such as electricity, heating and furniture. in france, some companies have been stepping in to help.

>> making the odd copy. or turning up the heating. now every day little habits but when you are telecommuting it can cause bills to mount. as this employee discovered. >> [speaking french] >> it has meant a few does an extra euros on her electricity bill. cost can range from 174 years each month. and certain firms like this one are not deaf to their employees plight. it is paying 50 extra euros a month. >> [speaking french]

>> with telecommuting for the company voluntary, it has proven and efficient way to boost the numbers. >> [speaking french] >> not everyone is so lucky. the french government's agreement on telecommuting does not so far specify what cost firms are required to take on. >> probably saving some money on working from home. >> for sure. >> thanks so much. time now for a focus report. tonight we take you to dubai. the city was one of the only in the world still open to tourists with most countries opting to close their borders to non-essential driver. last week dubai ordered bars and pubs to close until the end of the month. >> dubai has made a high risk

bet during the ongoing global pandemic. it is one of the few holiday destinations open to international travelers. protective kits resbling meal trays are offered on national airline flights. all passengers need to do a pc r test. if negative tourists can move around freely. at this hotel, these french visitors have come to enjoy the sunshine of the persian gulf like thousands of other european tourists. >> [speaking french] >> this watersports company is obliged to disinfect each jetski and lifejacket between each use. the global tourism sector has been left reeling by the pandemic. but here, it is high season and businesses blooming. >> in comparison with european

countries like france, here we don't have any help. we made the choice to keep the whole team and without this freedom we would had not been able to do that. we would would've had to lay people off. we'd surely have gone out of business. >> after a strict initial lockdown in spring 2020, the authorities have chosen to open up at any cost and want the world to know about it. >> open. that is a word that has not been used much in the world these days. open is looking good for dubai right now. we want to tell you all about it. >> dubai has proposed the distance working visa to boost the economy. the goal is to attract digital nomads. this new zealander chose to leave berlin to escape the european lockdowns. >> i think you definitely wake up every morning and have a look at the eiffel tower. >> this entrepreneur and tends

to run his online transfer startup from this co-working space until air connections resume across the planet. >> so, i see already a lot of interest, for example, i know a few people who are living in bali, who are coming to dubai. i know people living as digital nomads in spain in berlin, who were moving actually here because they feel right now it's better to be in dubai than in those places where there is a lot of uncertainty. >> dubai has also given residents access to the vaccination campaign launched by emires authorities to lure foreign workers like neil. around 3 million doses have been administered since the start of the year. every day, nearly 100,000 people get vaccinated for free regardless of age or health. some companies are sending bus loads to get immunized.

an operation made possible by the decision to use a chinese vaccine from the center farm laboratory. -- sinefarm laboratory. >> have you had coronavirus? >> no, no. >> uae authorities say that the vaccine is 86% effective although scientific proof has yet to be released. >> our target is to reach 50% of our population within the first part of 2020. i think this will lead us to maybe, increase the process of mno more lockdown. >> public health choices like this cannot be discussed in this absolute monarchy. ome restaurants forced to operate at 70% capacity. are now offering big discounts to encourage the vaccination effort. >> in this french brassiere, he is offering a 10% discount for those who received their first dose of the vaccine.

20% for those with the full vaccine. >> we are lucky. everything is open. but it is true that we want to speed things up. we said to ourselves, let's offer a discount, 10%, 20% is not that much but it can help people going get vaccinated. >> i got vaccinated last week. i did not have to wait. i went to hospital at the last minute. in less than an hour i had the vaccine. i'll have the next dose within three weeks. i do not have to wonder if the ccine will be available. >> this restaurants turnover over the holidays hwas its strongest since opening five years ago. hotels have returned to the same occupancy rates as before the pandemic. this economist says that dubai's lack hydrocarbon reserves explains the desire to keep tourism going. oil and gas rich neighbors like catarrh and kuwait remain closed tourists. >> it is extremely important.

travel and tourism directly, is supportive of the economy accounts for 15% of gdp. s growth strategy is largely built around tourism and its recovery from covid will be dependent on how travel and tourism recovers. >> a policy that could backfire. before end of year celebrations cases were stable at 1000 today. that figure has now tripled. in reaction, dubai authorities have been forced to close bars in recent days. >> that is it for now. stay tuned for more world news here on "france 24." ♪

rs 02/09/21 02/09/21 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from new york, this is democracy now! >> following the despicable attack on january 6, there must be truth and accountability if we are going to move forward, he'll, and bring our country to once again. amy: the historic second impeachment trial of donald trump begins today for inciting the deadly january 6 insurrection at the u.s.