and france24.com. ♪ mark: welcome back. you are watching live from paris on "france 24." joe biden in tulsa for commemorations of those murdered 100 years ago, the first sitting u.s. president to visit the site where a white mob killed hundreds of black americans in 1921. zero covid dess end u.k. for the first time since july last year, but variants are increasing. the soccer coach's soccer

coach vah he said it was an unexpected opportunity could not refuse. -- coach said it was unexpected opportunity he could not refuse. we are live from paris. ♪ thank you for being with us. joe biden is paying his respects to the community of greenwood and tulsa, oklahoma. up to 300 black americans were murdered by a white mob 100 years ago today. he tweeted earlier about the historic visit, becoming the first u.s. president to visit greenwood, visiting the cultural

center. the area was known as black wall street, with many thriving ack-down businesses. the trouble began with an of substantiated accusation of a white man against -- black mannequin study black woman. president biden said it was a slaughter that took place. let's hear from president joe biden. president biden: for much too long the history of what took place was told in silence. cloaked in darkness. just because history is silent, that does not mean it did not take place. and while darkness can hide much , it erases nothing. it erases nothing. some@@ injustices are so heinou, horrific, grievous that they cannot be buried, no matter how hard people try, and so it is here, only, only with truth can

come healing and justice and repair, only with truth. mark: president biden's visit continues. let's bring in david smith from the guardian newspaper who has been watching and listening. good evening. i wonder what the reaction is to this visit by joe biden to tulsa, oklahoma, becoming the first sitting u.s. president to do this. david: you can see in the wider context of what has happened in the last year with the mder of george floyd in the black lives matter protests, president biden was elected with huge african-american support on the promise to tackle systemic racism. he seemed to be in his element today. he seemed to be in his element today, hitting a lot of notes. this is a man who launched his

campaign and said there was a clear through-line from the tulsa massacre, the kkk, to what happened in charlottesville that day, and ongoing domestic terrorism, seen in the u.s. capitol on january 6. earlier in the day, he unveiled policy measures to tackle systemic racism in housing, education, the economy and other areas. he also had a wider message, which was an incredible contrast from donald trump, a vision of american history. joe biden pointed out the tulsa massacre was suppressed by a conspiracy of silence for many decades. it was not even taught in tulsa schools. it was a rallying cry for america to be honest about its history, including the terrible

racism of the past. he'd said great nations deal with that darkside. -- dark side. this is joe biden with soaring rhetoric called and policies he is comfortable with. mark: how present is the memory of this tulsa massacre in the mind of the average american. joe biden said it has been swept under the carpet. i suspect there are two answers, a white answer in a black answer, and i suspect they are different. david: that is right. for many americans it is a journey of discovering it f the first time. people in their middle-age said they never heard of it. it was not taught in their school wherever they were, and that applies to both black and white students.

for examplea documenty maker tried to make a film and tv networks were not interested, where as last night, i was trying to make up my mind which tulsa massacre documentary to watch. there were quite a few of them. i think george floyd and the black lives have changed everything. yes, there was awareness in the african-american community for a long time and commemorated in museums and so on, but there are some black people who are finding out. certainly, white people are supportive, very eager to discover more as part of that journey, but it is also fair to say that there are parts of america, particularly those that strongly support donald trump, where this will not be registering much. i suspect, for example, the

right wing fox news channel and not be giving much coverage toll joe biden or this anniversary. mark: david smith, the bureau chief of the guardian newspaper in washington, as ever, thank you for joining us. after years of scandal over the sexual abuse of children by priests, the pope has made it a crime in catholic law to abuse, groom, or corrupted child or adult within the church. he said the change was necessary to reduce the number of cases in which the penalty was left to the discretion of the authorities. ace last gasp challend by benjamin netanyahu to thwart a bid by right right-winger to head a new government was rejected on tuesday as opponents raised to seal the pact that would unseat them.

we are watching for developments on that story. the chinese vaccine against covid-19 has been approved by the who for emergency use and will be made available rapidly in poor countries. it could also be included in the eu covax distribution network. reporter: a welcome boost for a vaccine that has been administered to millions. the who has approved the chinese vaccine for emergency use, the second company in china to be given the green light after authorization last month. >> the vaccine has been given emergency use listing after being found to be safe, effective, and quality assured, following two doses. reporter: it is being used in 22

countries, including brazil, indonesia, and turkey. other nations will now move quickly to improve and import it for distribution. the who listing will add the vaccine to the covax scheme, providing vaccines to coronations. it is facing supply problems due to current south indian exports. approval came as the imf warned about the wider consequences of failure to vaccinate the >> we are deeply concerned, because an increasingly tw -track pandemic is causing a two -track economic recover with negative consequences for all countries. reporter: with two other jabs under development, china continues to make strides in vaccine diplomacy. its vaccination rates have been low. authorits in some regions are using financial rewards and

other gifts to encourage people to sign up. china is aiming to have 40% of the population inoculated by the end of this month. mark: britain reported zero daily deaths from covid-19 for the first time since july 30. this is in spite of our recent rising cases related to the indian variant. according to the latest u.k. government figures, it is the worst death toll in any european country. 4.4 9 million cases in total. tuesday's deaths came after the government reported just one covid death across the u.k. monday. it was a public holiday. there are concerns about a rising cases of delta or indian variant of covid-19, so much so that the date for the reopening of the country june 21 is now looking in doubt. reporter: as england looks to

fully unlock its economy, the 21st of june, commonly known as freedom day, has been thrown into doubt. experts advising the government are calling for the date to be pushed. >>he virus is able to do things we cannot predict, so not only more transmissible, but the virus is less controllable through vaccinati in terms of transmission. the vaccines are still technical people against severe illness in large part. reporter: 75% of all covid-19 infections and the u.k. are believed to be linked to the indian variant of the fires. experts say the increasing cases places the country in early stages of the pandemic's third wave. there are fears that there will be variants. >> we need to drive transssion do and implement vaccinations.

pitting e against the other is a gamble thaton't think this country should be taking, given that we have a choice, which involves a few more weeks potentially. reporter: while nearly 75% of adults in the u.k. have written -- received one vaccine dose, less than half is fully inoculated. a final decision, meanwhile, on the fate of freedom day will likely be made on june 14. mark: let's bring you some football news. the person has been revealed as the new manager of real madrid. he replaces another person, who was replaced, citing a lack of faith from decision-makers after an atrocious season. he worked together to win the champions league in 2014. he is cutting short his deal in england to return to reality,.

-- real madrid. that return was described as an unexpected opportunity he could not refuse. so back in one of his old stomping grounds. sarah morris is our correspondent in madrid. good evening. why do the decision-makers think he is the real deal? reporter: he is seen as one of the most seasoned managers of all time. she is well-known to fans and to the management. that stent he previously did delivered for the club, the famous 10th champions league trophy, four titles during his time. he has delivered three champions

league titles as a manager, one of only three to do that. he is a statesmanlike figure, a gentleman, somebody who gets on very well with the chairman, and that is all important at the moment. as you mentioned, making his disagreement with the management pretty public yesterday in an open letter in a newspaper and said he felt he had been forced to leave because the management was undermining his decisions. mark: there is that sadness among fans, some players, and a lot of the staff that he has left. what is the reaction amongst fans that you have been able to gauge? reporter: it is mixed. there is a lot of delight from

some fans, reposting the welcome video they put out, showing those victorious moments from his first bent in the club -- stent in the club, the championship trophy, but there are people saying is he the man the club needs at a time like this? it is an aging club, that is the way it is perceived by key players. is he the man to bring revolution to the dressing room? , how will he get on this time around? -- and, how will he get on this time around? there is one person so attached to the idea of the super league that failed. carlo ancelotti is supposed to have said recently that he saw

the super league as a bit of a joke, so we will have to see how the management and the italian get along this time around. mark: indeed. maybe that assessment was tied to the fact of the football club were not getting involved in it. thank you very much, indeed. we need to leave it there. we could talk about it all night because interests me anonymously as a fan, but then again, football is football, and we need to move onto other things, so thank you very much indeed. best wishes to carlo ancelotti. that is it for me. stay with us. more to come. live from paris. ♪ >> when you think about stereotypical french person, you think that certain things, but does france deserve its reputation? >> tourists say it is a culture

shock. the number of people smoking is dropping dramatically. >> what has the government done to get people to stop smoking? why is the cliched so hard to stamp out? >> join us. >> fringe connections plus. >> when you think of the stereotypical french person, you think of a beret, glass of wine, and a cigarette. does france really deserve its chain-smoking reputation? tourists often say it is one of the culture shocks they experience in france, but the number of people smoking is dropping dramatically. so what has the french government done to get people to stop smoking. if more and more people are quitting, white is the cche so

hard to stamp out. >> join us as we light into france's smoking culture. ♪ >> part of the reason you might associate smoking with france is because the word cigarette comes from the french, a diminutive of the word cigar. cigarettes first became popular in france in the 1830's, when napoleonic soldiers brought them back from spain. the main performance tobacco consumption was sniffing tobacco. what is it like today? experts say smoking has increased due to the coronavirus pandemic. let's look at the figures from right before. in 2019, 30 percent of adults above 18 said they smoke, over 10 million people. if you break it down by gender,

35% of men are smokers, and 25% women. >> french public health officials have been trying to crack on smoking for years, because the consequences can be terrible. in france, smoking is the number one cause of avoidable death. >> it is estimated 75,000 people die prematurely each year due to smoking-related diseases, 200 people per day, and 20 more than road accidents. >> in france, tobacco shops are everywhere. ♪ >> they are big, red, and a familiar sight in france. we are talking about the signs that indicate a license seller of tobacco products. >> the signs have a surprising name, ke a carrot. >> that is because in the 16th

century, tobacco was sold in little roles tied up with the string that looked like a carrot, and on top of that, you had to grate it. authorities are waging a war against discarded cigarette s. >> each day, 350 tons of waste a year. >> to crackdown, authorities have increased fines. if you are caught, it will cost you 135 year old's -- euros. there is still a lot of work to be done. >> part of the reason smoking is still so common in france is because the way people look at it is different. >> if you light up on the street, you probably will not get a dirty look.

smoking in france is associated with the arts, culture, debauchery, rather than a tacky lack of self-control. >> it is seen as a rebellious, romantic gesture, rejection of a puritan society promoting self betterment. >> the government has started to wonder if the secret to changing smoking culture might be culture itself. >> smoking is romanticized by french culture, and in particular, on the silver screen. ♪ >> it is a prop that pops up in every french movie, cigarette. french films are full of stars puffing away. it is not just the classics. according to a recent study, seven in 10 new french films feature people smoking. it is not a trademark of bad guys. in 22nd thing, the health

minister hit a nerve when she seemed to suggest that french filmmakers should stop featuring smokers in their movies. this prompted an existential question about what would french cinema be without the cigarette. while studies suggest smoking makes people want to light up, others say it is a slippery slope, and a first step towards puritan, moralistic cema, which would ban people drinking alcohol or speeding? free advertising versus censorship, smoking on the silver screen continues to ignite debates. >> despite france's chain-smoking reputation, the number of smokers has dropped dramatically since the 1950's, particularly over the past few years. >> between 2016 and 2017, the number of people smoking on a daily basis dropped by one million, a lot for a population of 67 million. >> before that, it seem like the

antitobacco policies were not working. >> the antismoking laws were pioneered by a person when she was health minister. her 1976 law band all advertisements for tobacco and tv and radio and reinforced by the 1991 law which banned all advertising and smoking and collective areas like schools and on public transportation. >> in 2007, smoking was banned in indoor spaces, offices, restaurants, bars, but that did not work. it pushed people outside to keep smoking. >> what worked this time? a combination of factors, including a change of packaging. >> since 2017 all packs are neutral. there are no logos. you will find some gruesome pictures, black lungs, or big warnings that say smoking kills or causes infertility. >> there has been a steady increase in the price of

cigarettes. aipac will cost you 10 euros these days. a decade ago, it was less than four euros. >> the government is helping people quit by nicotine patches or nicotine gum. >> the trick is to stop people from starting in the first place. ♪ >> to dig deeper into france's smoking culture, i am joined by our guest. thank you for being with us. you are a research director at the institute for epidemiology and public health and you specialize in addiction. why is it that smoking is still associated with france, if the numbers of smokers are dropping? >> yes, the numbers have been dropping over time, a great public health success, but

smokers are very visible in the public space, restaurants, bars, movies, and right now here, the students are not here every day, but they smoke right in front of the door, the entrance, so when you walk in, you have to make your way through a huge crowd of smokers downstairs. it is still not taboo at all to smoke in front of universities, high schools. there is a law of tolerance of smoking. >> the key demographic is young people. the average age people experiment is 13, 14. why is it so hard to change that attitude toward smoking in young people? >> there is a time when young people tried to break rules and experiment with different things, and smoking is part of that. cigarettes are easily accessible. you can buy cigarettes, even

under 18. >> there is a fine if you are caught selling the cigarettes, 135 euros, but it doesn't work. >> it doesn't work. it still remains normal in some ways. >> another demographic differences the number of women who smoke. it is quite steady. why do women smoke so much in france? >> that is a good question. sums studies show -- some studies show the user to control their weight. they are afraid of gaining weight if they stop smoking. they tend to smoke less. smokers with limited levels of smoking have more difficulty quitting or reducing their smoking because they don't think it is really dangerous for their health. >> in terms of the profile of smokers in france, have you noticed any differences in socioeconomic back door geographic origin? >> yes, what is peculiar about

france compared to other countries is there is a high proportion of people who have graduated from university, working qualified jobs, who smoke, 17% approximate, but among people who have not gone to university or are unemployed, the levels are double. in terms of geography, there are big differences. some of the most disadvantaged areas are where people smoke most, so the north of france. the south, also near borders, so it is quite easy for people to buy cigarettes abroad where it is cheaper. >> the government has taken a lot of measures to tackle smoking in france. d.c. others that could be taken to reduce money versus -- reduced numbers more? >> one thing that could be done is to implement verification of identification when young people go to tobacco shops and buy cigarettes. the other thing is smoking is

still visible. as long as it is visible, in movies, restaurants, parks, everywhere, it becomes normal. it stays normal. if we could reduce the disability of smoking in the public space, it would probably be the next step to prevent young people from starting to smoke. >> thank you for being on the show today. >> many of you sent in your questions and comments about smoking in france. one person wants to know why during the strictest lockdown that tobacco is still considered an essential good in tobacco stores are still open? >> it raised a lot of eyebrows. studies were suggesting smokers were more at risk of contracting a severe form of covid-19, but specialist say that since tobacco is addictive, that they would break the quarantine to get a nicotine fixe so it was better to leave them open.

>> there is still a long way to go before france changes its attitude toward smoking, and longer before the reputation gets changed as well. >> that is all the time we have. you can keep tweeti

06/01/21 06/01/21 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from new york, this is democracy now! >> we may have won the award tonight, but the battle is not over. we will continue to fight and speak out against those measures that attempt to silence our voices. they don't want you to know the truth on that bill. they don't want you to know how they don't want to see you at the polls. they don't want you to know you have rights. amy: democratic lawmakers in texas staged a dramatic walkout