♪ brent: this is "dw news," live from berlin. the murder trial that the world is watching and the verdict that that world is waiting for. lawyers submit closing arguments today and soon the jury will decide if derek chauvin is guilty or not guilty of murdering george floyd. coming up tonight, the german green party makes its first ever bid for chancellor, naming annalena baerbock as their

candidate to take the reins from angela merkel. can she lead her party to victory? european soccer is in turmoil after 12 top clubs announce they will be forming a super league. uefa announces they may suit to stop them. plus, emotional homecomings inside a bubble. new zealand and australia have related a aaron dean free travel book separated by the pandemic are finally getting reunited. ♪ brent: i'm brent goff, to our viewers in the united states and all of you around the world, welcome. we begin tonight in the u.s. state of minnesota with the closing arguments in the trial of the police officer, former,

charged in the killing of george floyd. now the jury will have to decide whether derek chauvin is guilty of second-degree murder. people across the country are bracing for the verdict and protests that are sure to follow if he is that it. -- if he is acquitted. >> i can't breathe. >> guilty or not, that is the question that 12 men and women will debate behind closed doors. the defendant was fired from the minneapolis police department last year after he -- after floyd died in his custody. floyd is shown being held facedown for nine minutes. resulting protests were some of the most intense and widespread in the united states in a generation. prosecutors claim that the death was clearly homicide and several expert this is backed that up, saying floyd was asphyxiated. his lawyer said drugs, heart

issues, and other factors led to his death. >> multiple entities all acting together, adding to each other, taking away from a different part of, of the ability to get oxygen into his heart. >> george floyd's death rekindled a debate about activists across the u.s. and a guilty verdict would be a rare instance of a police officer facing legal consequences for actions leading to unnecessary death or injury. >> i honestly believe that a conviction in the show in trial for the killing of george -- show for an -- derek chauvin trial for the coming of george floyd could set precedent for

killing black people in america. >> i can't breathe. >> the prosecution tried to persuade the jury that this was not about condemning all police, but holding derek chauvin responsible for his actions. >> only you have the power to convict the defendant of these crimes, and in so doing, and in so doing declare that this use of force was unreasonable. it was excessive. it was grossly disproportionate. it is not an excuse for the shocking abuse that you saw with your own eyes. and you can believe your own eyes. >> asked the defense rested, derek chauvin removed the medical mask that had been hiding his face for most of the trial. >> officer chauvin did not purposefully use unlawful force.

these are officers doing their job in a highly stressful situation. >> protesters are awaiting the verdict in minneapolis where 3000 national guard have been sent in anticipation of unrest. brent: and for more, we go to stefan simons, who has been with this story from the beginning. good evening to you. talk to me about what's going on where you are and then talk to me about the thrust of this closing argument. simon: yeah, ok. -- stefan: yeah, ok. just before we got online with you, there was a big press conference with al sharpton and a bunch of their lawyers, they have several lawyers. the world press is here. local press is here. national press is here. it's a lot of interest from around the world about what's going on here today.

this is a very important day. closing argument day. now the next step is sending the 12 jurors into deliberations. they will be sequestered. they will be isolated. they will have their hands on the transcript, all of this, they are on their own but must make a decision, guilty or not guilty and it takes only one juror to disagree with the others on anyone count. then this is going to be a very tricky outcome. however, today the prosecution again, there was disproportionate violence or brutality, action from derek chauvin against george floyd. and that caused the death of mr. floyd. the defense of course is entirely different. they say that he was a

reasonable officer who acted in reason. a reasonable officer acting in reason with a reasonable doubt, it all works together in the defense plays on this. they want to make this connection and now it will be after the jury receives directions and they will go into deliberations. brent: any idea on when we could get a verdict? stefan: that would be guessing. i wouldn't be able to tell you firmly, tomorrow it's done, there's no way of telling. people who say look, the faster this is over, they all agree that probably it's better for the prosecution. the longer it takes, that should be an indicator for trouble in the jury pool. later there is disagreement where they need to find a way to

discuss them in the general thrust they are going for in the defense. it could be tomorrow, the day after, or it could take days and weeks. brent: we know that the world is waiting for this verdict. the outcome could set off what we have to say is a powder keg. you are standing in the middle of it, aren't you? stefan: absolutely. no doubt that this citynd this state, it's fair to say the entire united states, l.a., atlanta, they are all on edge. tensions are high. all of those security forces and safety are basically prepared for the worst.

everyone is fearing the worst year. nobody wants violence. n it's not what people expect. people here expect a guilty verdict. anything but that is unacceptable. brent: all right, stefan simons on top of the powder keg in minneapolis. thank you. let's take a look now at the other stories making headlines around the world. the russian prison service says they are transferring the jailed opposition leader alexey navalny to a medical facility. he is onhe break of death three weeks into a hunger strike. they warn -- the united states and european union one of consequences if he dies in prison. russians say that his health shouldn't interest the west. more than 100,000 russian troops are amassed near the border of ukraine.

the eu policy sheaf said there was a danger of a spark setting off the confrontation and announced that there would be no additional sanctions against russia for the time being. it is the end of the six decade long castro era. the communist party has chosen miguel diaz-canel as its new leader. he replaces raul castro, despite not being part of the dynasty president diaz-canel is not expected to move cuba away from a one-party socialist system. germany's green party staking its claim to lead europe's biggest economy for the first time ever. for the first time ever, the greens have named a candidate for chancellor. her name is annalena baerbock and she aims to leave the greens she wins a leading election. they are second only by a small margin to the conservatives.

here is what she had to say when her candidacy was announced. >> we must make changes to create a fair country, places where daycare and school is a place to be where caregivers have the time and have the resources to care for people. a country in which the state functions digitally and serves citizens. a diverse and cosmopolitan country that is values-based and has a strong democracy. brent: we are going to speak with our political correspondent about those developments in a moment, but first let's take a closer look at who annalena baerbock is and how she rose to the top post within the german green party. >> she is the rising star of german politics. annalena baerbock, 40 years old, leader of the german green party. the climate debate served as a

springboard for the triumph of the green party in recent years. triumph protection, renewable energy, these are the topics she fought for since the beginning of her career. >> we have less than 30 years to make a change. to base our way of life and prosperity on climate neutrality is the task of our generation. >> annalena baerbock was born in 1980 in northwest germany and now lives in the east of the country near berlin. she and her husband have two young children. she has a degree in international law and spent several years abroad in the u.s., brussels, and london, coming politically active in the green party in 2008, focusing on foreign and security issues. she soon became a member of parliament first at the regional level and then in 2013 she

entered the german parliament at the age of only 32. she quickly earned respect for her thoroughness and knowledge of details. since 2018 she has been the coleader of the green party at the national level. they have breathed new life into the party. it's more popular than ever. with her, germany would get a chancellor who speaks fluent english, a useful tool in international diplomacy. she wants to make europe an important global player. >> especially on foreign policy and securityssues, already the obama administration called in the past for europe to engage more and i think that europe really has to face this challenge. >> she was long seen as the number two and her nomination as the green party candidate came as a surprise to many. if they continue to rise in the polls, she could succeed angela

merkel after the elections and germany would have its second female chancellor. brent: that would be history in them making. -- in the making. simon young is following these developments. good evening. what are her chances of becoming the next german chancellor? simon: pretty good, actually. the chances of her party doing well in the election in september are pretty good. as you mentioned, they have had good poll numbers in recent months, consistently well above 20%, making them germany's second-largest political force behind the conservatives. it may will be that after that election in september that the greens are in the driving seat and will have a choice, perhaps, between joining a conservative lead coalition, it's unlikely that they would end up as the largest party but that's

possible. they could either join with the conservatives or possibly themselves choose to lead a centerleft coalition and under those circumstances, annalena baerbock, just 40 years of age, would be the next german chancellor. i think that between now and then what she is going to have to do is make sure she is better known. she has not really held any high political office up to now. she has pretty much made her career inside the green party has of course been on top of the greens for three years. but i think that she needs to sort of spread her appeal more widely to voters between now and then, if she is really going to become chancellor, as she hopes to do. brent: tonight the greens stand in stark contrast to the

conservatives who are still struggling to choose their candidate and we understand that senior party members are working to resolve the issue. will they be able to give us a candidate by the end of the night? simon: it's really unclear. those who are battling it out are looking for the decision in the next few hours. the bavarian conservative leader has said it is up to the cdu, the larger party, but he is a much more popular man in the polls. as you say, it's a much more disorganized, chaotic process in which no one really seems to know when it might come to an end compared with the rather smoother unveiling of the candidate that happened today. brent: simon, as always, thank

you. i will have more on the race to become the next german chancellor, next on "the day." a massive wildfire that started sunday morning in cape town, south africa, is still out of control. parts of the university have been destroyed and residents have been evacuated. four firefighters have been hospitalized. our correspondent has more. >> you can see the firemen have been walking behind me and have been walking for hours. you can see it here. the fire burning because of the wind spreading fast. this is where the buildings are. they are being evacuated at this point. >> i don't know where to go. it's scary. >> you look for the safest spot to assemble. >> i'm worried. but what can you do? what do you take, what do you leave? it's my first time.

i didn't sleep a wink because i could see the red coming closer and closer. so, scary. >> according to the initial investigations by the park authority, the fire was caused by homeless people and if that turns out to be true, it wouldn't be the first timthis is happening. the nuer of homeless people in cape town has tremendously increased and some of them are living on the slopes of the mountain. afterwards the fire moved her to the campus of the university of cape town. the students were evacuated on time but several buildingsere evacuated and amongst them, the library. university ione of the most prestigious in south africa and on the continent. hence the library is home to very rare collections and we are not sure yet if these were saved because recently fire doors were installed and it is not safe now to go in either building and have a look. brent: now to a massive shakeup

in european football. 12 top clubs from spain, europe, -- spain and england are announcing a new super league that will be independent of uefa . the top clubs say that they will not be joinin releasing a statement saying that they reject this super league, preferring instead to perform the existing champions league. >> the jewel in the crown of uefa, the biggest money spender, they are under threat from a breakaway super league. top clubs who had been discussed so my secretly for a while, but plans were never as advanced as this. billions of euros backed by j.p. morgan. >> if there is interest by this many players, it means that there is a potential for a bright future. >> uefa, the governing body of

european football, reacting with fury. one top member says that he thinks three of the four clubs in the semi finals next week will be banned for their roles in the super league. referring to chelsea, manchester, and madrid by clubs must go and i expect that -- expect that the happened by friday. then we must finish the tournament. >> we stand united against the disgraceful, self-serving proposals we have seen over the last 24 hours. from a select few clubs in europe. >> outside the stadium the super league club fans from liverpool showed distain. sentiments shown by fans elsewhere in europe. >> the beauty of european football is about diversity and now we are seeing a

concentration of wealth, power, and of the game in the hands of a few clubs. >> uefa won't want to give up on its cash cow, champions league, without a fight, and both sides are apparently ready to launch legal action. brent: joining me here at the big table, kyle, this is a huge change. what does it mean? kyle: the money, the financials, the money that sustains and grows soccer and football here in europe will sort of go from that to that. the lions share, sort of the lions share will go to these clubs. giving details about how it will work, 15 clubs we know, 12 of them from england, three from spain, three from italy, three more getting in on merit and they will be divided into two each season.

that is what determines a champion. 50 founding members in total will have -- 15 founding members will have the lions share and they don't have to get in on merit. brent: but the money? >> talking about the nfl, the u.s., basketball and american football, they don't have to worry about nurturing and sustaining, you know, young people as they do in europe, bringing up boys, girls from younger ages and bringing them into the system. germany is quite good about that. brent: that's true, that's true, americans pull from the universities. what does this mean for the future of the champions league and europa league? >> champions league becomes like a second-tier league. they all have to come in by way of merit. you have to play your way in. a super league, as i said, they

don't, but champions league will be like the second-tier. fewer sponsors, less money coming their way, quite a bit less money coming their way as a result of not having the best clubs, necessarily, in the tournament, making a big, big significant scenario for clubs around all of europe. not just in the non-england spain and italy countries. brent: you notice, here, who is not going to be a part of this, the german football clubs. >> they had been being courted to try to get them into this super league. they read the tea leaves and they know well that the sustaining members, the membership is most important in making decisions in germany and the money has to come down from the champions league and trickle

its way down. we are not sure what the guiding principle was. i'm sure that they recorded as well but they had a single owner who was very wealthy and knows good public relations. brent: it really is more and more about the money. kyle, thank you. here are the latest developments in the coronavirus pandemic. turkey recording 200 and 41 deaths in the past 24 hours, the highest single day death toll in the country. a swedish climate activist, greta thurn berg -- greta thunberg, condemning rich countries for snatching the bulk of vaccine supplies. more than half of all adults in the united states have received at least one dose of a covid-19 vaccine. well, there are millions and

millions of people around the world who are separated by travel restrictions but people in australia and new zealand are now free to visit each other again. the countries have opened a quarantine free travel bubble and for the first time in a year airports have been the scenes of some very emotional reunions. ♪ >> reunited after more than a year apart. families, friends, and grandparents meeting not so newborn grandchildren for the first time. relief as a travel bubble between australia and ne zealand finally opens. >> it's fantastic. >> i have no words, i'm so grateful i could come back. >> this welcome home is testament to the efforts of both countries in fighting the pandemic. they have managed to defeat the virus with strict border

controls and quarantine requirements. >> it was a really weird feeling to be allowed to. you feel like you are breaking the rules a little bit. >> we haven't seen each other for 14 months. thank goodness for zoom and messenger and stuff. i booked a ticket straightaway. >> it's been such a long time and it is so nice to see each other. >> these are the first steps towards what australia and new zealand hope will become a gradual debris opening along with the rest of the world. >> we are so lucky where we with, it's wonderful to be able to come and go. let's work hard and keep the borders safe. >> the travel bubble had faced setbacks for months after small outbreaks in both countries. now everyone is hoping that the bubble will burst. brent: the trial of the white

police officer accused of killing george floyd wrapping up in the u.s.. the jury will be sequestered as they decide whether derek chauvin committed homicide. george floyd died while being restrained last may, sparking global protests. coming up after a short break i will be back. the future of the job of german chancellor is looking rather green at the moment. we will explain right after this. ♪

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♪ >>. football is facing an existential crisis the top club set to join a super league and each get a multibillion payout to clear their debts. closing arguments in the derek chauvin trial. the police officer accused of the murder of george floyd, sparking anti-police violence last me. the prosecutor said chauvin had to know heas squeezing the life out of mr. floyd as he cried out he could not breathe. nasa'