>> this is al jazeera. >> hello, you're here with the newshour live from london. coming up in the next 60 minutes." -- coming up on the next 60 minutes -- >> it is a particular cruelty shown to george floyd. >> x police officer is sentenced to 22.5 years in jail for the murder of george floyd.

emotional crowds react to the sentencing with the families lawyer calling it a turning point for america. also coming up on the program, welcomed to the white house as the u.s. says six hundred 50 troops will remain in afghanistan after the september 11 withdrawal deadline. and a tornado leaves a trail of destruction in the czech republic, sweeping through several villages and killing five people. >> and in sport, olympics organizers could still take place without spectators. up to 10,000 fans would be allowed into venues. >> welcome to the newshour. former minneapolis police officer derek chauvin has been tencent -- sentenced to 22.5

years for the murder of george floyd. video of chauvin kneeling on george floyd's neck for nine and a half minutes sparked protests around the world against police brutality. the judge added a decade to the state guidelines showing the former officer showed an abuse of power in a position of trust and authority, that chauvin inflicted particular cruelty to floyd in the minutes before his death. >> the court commits you to the custody of the commissioner of correction for a. -- for a period of 270 months, a 10 year addition to the presumptive sentence of 150 months based on your abuse of a position of trust and authority, and the particular cruelty shown to george floyd. you are granted credit of 199

days ready served. -- already served. >> i am not able to give a full formal statement at this time. very briefly, though, i do want to give my condolences to the floyd family. there will be some other information that will be of interest. and i hope things will give you some peace of mind. thank you. >> john has been following the story from minneapolis. crowds are gathered outside the court. take us through what happened earlier and the reaction we have seen in the past hour. >> in the courtroom, we heard the expected victim reaction statements. for members of george floyd's family spoke.

that included his young daughter gianna. she was asked questions. she said she missed her daddy and that he was still with her in spirit. and that when she sees him again, she wants to play with her father in the way that she used to before he died. and we heard from his brothers as well that said they will be serving a life sentence themselves and they wanted the stiffest possible sentence for derek chauvin. in the end, he drew 22.5 years. the range of penalties under the guidelines here in minnesota was 10 years and eight months to 15 years. the center would have been 12.5. the judge was giving him extra 10 years due to the exacerbated circumstances. he named, specifically, showed an's -- chauvin's abuse of particular cruelty.

other factors were in play. it took place in front of children and was one that took laced as a group of police officers conspired together to carry out this act. all of that contribute into the extra 10 years above the guidelines that derek chauvin got. the family spoke outside of the courthouse behind me. and essentially, what they said was encapsulated in the words of brandon williams that said, "we got justice, just not enough justice or can -- not enough justice." reverend sharpton said this was a road stop on the road to full justice. the african americans killed and mistreated by police unjustly, full justice would not be achieved. and we have the brother of george floyd that came out and said there are good and bad police officers. this was terrence floyd.

there are good and bad police officers, but we shouldn't have to sort out who is who. a number of family members and attorneys who spoke, here is a little of what they had to say. >> what are you asking about? >> i was asked how did my dad get hurt. >> do you wish that he was still with us? >> yeah. he is. >> through his spirit? >> yes. >> and when you see your daddy again one day, what do you want to do when you see him? >> i want to play with him. >> what were you thinking? what was going through your head? when you had your knee on my brher's neck.

when he posed no threat anymore. when he was handcuffed. why didn't you get up? why did you stay there? >> the maximum sentence in this case is up to 40 years, but anything over 30 years would likely have been overturned as excessive on appeal. the practical maximum was really around 30 years. one consideration the judge had in mind was apparently derek chauvin would have to do what he has been doing the past hundred 99 days -- 199 days in isolation and because of that, this would

be harder time than another person might have to endure. it's important to note under minnesota law, 22.5 years is not really 22.5 years in jail. generally he would serve two thirds of that, 15 years. the rest would be on parole, supervised probation -- supervised parole outside of prison. he would be released to the public but was so have to check in. >> what about the issue of systemic misconduct? it is striking that while we were awaiting the verdict in the george floyd case, another black man was shot. a daunte wright. there has been a great deal of attention in recent months.

>> there has, indeed. benjamin crump and other attorneys reiterated that this is just a step on the road to full, just treatment for everyone in the u.s. they brought up the names of people including daunte wright, the man killed in the incident not far from here during the trial. so there are other cases ongoing. the state of minnesota is investigating the minneapolis police department for possible racial bias in their treatment of people during arrests. the u.s. justice department is constantly being asked to look into these kind of events on a federal level. and they are also prosecuting derek chauvin for violating the civil rights of george floyd. so there is a kind of reckoning going on here. some people including members of

the floyd family say this is not enough. it is certainly more than we have seen in the past as the rev. al sharpton said. we got more than we thought, but less than we deserve. >> think you very much, john hendren from minneapolis. the criminal justice professor from harvard joins us now. does this case set an important precedent in the country? >> it can. it can serve as a model of what courts should do in cases where police succeed their authority. and harm african-american men. it doesn't necessarily set a precedent where a case tomorrow and it -- and a police officer is not even charged. but the hope is that this will serve as a model so that other jurisdictions will behave in a similar manner.

>> the prosecution grounded their strategy in the video of derek chauvin with his need to george floyd's neck. george floyd was unarmed for over nine minutes. that was a key component in the prosecution's case. you think we're likely to see progress on the use of body cams? >> this shows you how important body cams are. police initially were extraordinarily resistant to body cameras being a mandatory art of their uniform. if nothing else, the george floyd case should show why these are important. body cams can protect good police officers because you have the video. and they can be used to predict -- convict bad police officers because you have the video. the video doesn't rely on recollections.

the video doesn't have bias. it is. you see what happened. people can act accordingly. let us hope every jurisdiction has body cams. the federal government can incentivize that through, among other things, the george floyd bill that is -- they can fund or give incentives to jurisdictions that by body cams. these body worn cameras are an important law enforcement tool. >> the death of george floyd and other unarmed black people at the hands of white police officers has been a catalyst for police reform, but it has divided congress along party lines. why is legislation taking so long? >> as he said, there is a division across party lines. republicans are resistant by any effort that impacts the

authority of police. i don't fully understand the reason, but it is so. the republican party tends not to want to let any legislation go through that could result in either fines or punishment to police officers. i think it is some misguided sense of fealty to police as an institution. but the point here should be that they support, and everyone supports good policing. but there has to be mechanisms to punish bad policing. and that is what these bills do. these bills are out there and are designed to provide mechanisms with avenue. so that people have meaningful regress if a police officer misbehaves. it is shameful that it has not gone through congress yet. >> thank you, professor ronald

sutherland. thank you for your company throughout the evening. thank you. the civil rights attorney ben crump said earlier that a sentence like this should be the norm when a black man is killed as a result of police brutality. >> today represents an opportunity to be a turning point in america. this is the longest sentence that a police officer has ever been sentenced to in the history of the state of minnesota. but this should not be the exception when a black person is killed by brutality by police. it should be the norm. >> the executive director of the advancement project, a nonprofit organization focusing on racial justice issues joins us live

from washington. for many people, the sentencing doesn't go far enough. but ben crump described it as historic sentencing. do you think there is sort of a massive tectonic shift in the debate over race, policing, and criminal justice as something that will continue? can this wave of protests be sustained? >> i think we are going to continue in this way. this conviction of 22.5 years is not enough for the family. it's not enough for the country. but what would be? 100 years? it's not really about the years. it's about how we are going to transform public safety in this country. for black people, the question, the statement for us is, stop

killing us. that is when we will have justice as black people in this country. given the statement of one of his nephews, brandon williams, who said, our family is forever broken. it wouldn't have mattered how many years. it is not about a bad apple. it is about the system of policing. that is the work that will continue. we know that one conviction will not end the killing. >> there is a question of impunity, the abuse of power as an aggravating factor. that that is something that is systemic. we were speaking to ronald sutherland about the importance of police reform. there has been bipartisan agreement over this bill in congress, but we don't have any of the details. important is it to see a

fundamental change in policing in the united states? >> that is key. we can't keep going down this road, having these cases, and think that one case is going to change everything. instead, we need sweeping reform. first of all, we have to be able to reduce the number of interactions with people. those that have mental health incidents, sending out the police is a tragedy in waiting period -- in waiting. traffic stops for a broken tail light gives an opportunity for police officers to abuse their power. we have to have transformation that limits the interactions with police. it put -- it puts money into places where there can be safety

nets for communities. and we need to get rid of qualified immunity. the police unions are a very significant lobby in this country. they do give money to legislators and members of congress. and there is this love affair with police and our country. but for black people, we know that we have to have something that is dramatically different in order to stop the killings. >> how important is that issue of immunity from prosecution? many republicans argue it is necessary for the police to carry out their work and they need to be protected. a shield around them where others say it prevents accountability. is it likely that can be changed? or removed in the near future? >> that is where one of the big

hangups around the george floyd justice in policing act exists, and that is going to be a stalemate. police right now get to act above the law. derek chauvin was a little different because other police officers leaned in and said that's not what we were trained to do. we rarely see that. we usually see the blue wall of silence where police get covered and they cover for each other. that was a little different in this case. but typically, they line up together. and that means they get protection from the law. and we have to and qualified immunity so that they know that they are subject to the laws of this country. >> alright, thank you very much. we appreciate it. judith brown, thank you for joining us.

you are watching the news hour live from london. much more today for you on the program. the u.s. vice president visits the mexican border but can kamala harris curb the recent rise in immigration? the european union's east-west divisions for the putin summit. and a formula one driver finds himself in an unexpected spin. we will have that story and more. ♪ vice president -- u.s. president joe biden called the two leaders old friends and said washington's support for afghanistan was not coming to an end despite the troop withdrawal. the other leader said he respected biden's decision as they enter a new phase.

president biden: afghans will have to decide their future. what they want. but it won't be for lack of us helping. the senseless violence has to stop and it will be very difficult. we are going to stick with you and do our best to see to it that you have what you need. >> the pentagon says the withdrawal is half complete. troop numbers have been cut to two and a half thousand, the lowest number since the 2001 invasion. biden promised to have them all out by september 11. but now, 650 are expected to stay to provide security for diplomats. the taliban resurgence is a significant return. they have seized 30 afghan districts in the last month and say they control 163, totaling 80% of the country. but they deny wanting to take over. in an exclusive of

revia's agreements. -- previous agreements. >> this u.s. troop stationed, willie taliban evacuate troops now? >> if they stay here, it is a kind of violation. we have full right to react. >> antony blinken has acknowledged the attacks have been on the rise. >> we are looking very carefully at the situation on the ground in afghanistan. and we are also looking very hard at whether the taliban is, at all, syria's about a peaceful resolution.

actions that try to take the country by force are totally inconsistent with finding a peaceful resolution. >> let's go straight to kimberly. how important was this meeting at the white house? >> you probably saw the departure of the afghan president right behind me. the meeting has just wrapped up with the u.s. president. it is significant because the assurances from the unitedor states. you heard from joe biden as you play that soundbite that the u.s. support for afghanistan is not ending. what has been made clear is that the united states is withdrawing its forces on september 11. the presence that will remain

will not be significant enough if the taliban continues gains. when this meeting occurred, it had come on the heels of news from the u.s. intelligence community that estimates the afghan government could fall as early as next month's after u.s. troops withdraw. the afghan president was asked about this as he met with the defense secretary. he said these types of predictions have been made before and they are false predictions in his view. and he is determined that afghanistan will overcome the odds. there is no question this meeting will -- to overcome those odds, there is a robust support network in place by the united states. it to that end, one other important additional aspect that the white house confirmed today is that those that have supported the united states over the last 20 years, whether they be translators, drivers, afghan

nationals whose lives are now in dangerous -- in danger as a result of supporting the u.s., what will happen to them? the white house press secretary said those that have qualified for thesis will come to the united states. they will be -- for visas will come to the united states. they will be evacuated. it could take years for the visas to be cleared. we now have about 80 days. they are being moved to another location which is not being revealed. this is one of the things the u.s. is doing to help ensure those that help to mission will be protected. -- that helped the mission will be protected. but the taliban continues to make gains. >> thank you very much, kimberly.

has sent all bosses -- hassan is author of "the taliban revival." the u.s. military deployment is coming to an end but it doesn't mean there is peaceful stability in the country. the taliban are in control of 80% of afghan stan -- afghanistan. how long before the government falls? >> i hope that couple will not -- kabul will not fall. we have seen the scheduled expansion of the taliban control. the taliban have been quite successful building their own institutions. it is not 1994. the taliban have changed in a way, but couple -- kabul has also changed. there is a young generation full

of hope. kabul is different. it is not a place that taliban can just walk in. they have to run the government. we are not seeing signs that they are building a support system to build a nation or to go establish a government. would have this will lead to a clash, dashing the hopes and dreams. it will be kept in the center of everything. >> it's interesting that you said the taliban avoided large cities and provincial capitals. they are strategic in the way they advance where they have

managed to avoid intense fighting. >> they are trying to use this as a bargaining chip. however, you must are memory that the taliban are not a cohesive hierarchical organization. there are taliban leaders that we see in doha. they speak well and articulate. but on the ground, there are ordinary insurgents, criminal elements, organized crime, drug dealers. there are many different factions. there are commanders that may not be doing exactly what doha says to them. there are internal divisions or at least internal rivalries within the taliban.

it is not like they will be able to go and agree in an organized fashion. some groups will try to grab some area because they would like to negotiate. >> in terms of the security vacuum of the u.s. withdrawal and afghan forces, not being up to the job. aside from the taliban, you have militia leaders and warlords. could this plunge the country back into complete civil war and division. with warlords wanting greater control over the territory to insulate it from the taliban.

>> absolutely. we've seen these militias as you mentioned. even with a good intention, they turn into criminal organizations. and it leads to confusion. i think some managements have to be in place. someone needs -- in the u.s. is making an effort. but to bring all factions to the

table, there is this process. >> professor, thank you very much. live from london, much more still to bring you. calls for the palestinian president to resign as mourners bury an outspoken critic. and kenyon welcomes back -- can you welcomes back a safari ride after two decades. -- and kenya welcomes back a safari ride after two decades. ♪ >> hello, nice to see you. we have wild weather rolling across central europe and for the first time in three years, we saw a tornado tear across the southern area of the czech republic.

let me take you to the ground right now and show you it is an extreme ef for twister -- ef4 twister. it will be part of the investigation for days to come. just some scattered showers for the low country. we have been talking about the heat for central areas of europe. the temperature is near 37 degrees and we could get to 40 by saturday. for africa, the rain will be to the west, the ivory coast, and through to the sierra leone. up to 35 on sunday.

tripoli will get up to a high of 42 degrees for both cities. >> a city defined by military occupation. >> the economic project is what it feels like. >> the story of jerusalem. >> occupation, discrimination, injustice. >> history is forgotten at our peril. the plight of countless victims of franco's 36 year dictatorship. a group of survivors has

launched an international lawsuit helping bring those accountable to justice. the silence of others witnessed on al jazeera. ♪ >> our main story this hour, former police officer derek chauvin is sentenced to 22.5 years in jail for the murder of george floyd, 10 years more than the statutory guidelines. show and had been convicted of second in third-degree murder and manslaughter. the top story this hour, the u.s. will keep 650 troops in afghanistan after the rest of

the forces have withdrawn. the taliban and exquisitely told al jazeera that if u.s. troops remain in place, it will be a breach of agreement and they would have the right to respond to that. we continue to follow developments in miami after at least 159 people are still unaccounted for, following that building which partially collapsed in the u.s. town of surfside on thursday. at least four people have died and rescuers are using heavy machines, dogs, and their own hands to sift through the rubble . officials have not determined what caused the wing of the 12 story building to come down. the miami-dade mayor says the rescue effort comes with extreme risk. >> we will continue search-and-rescue because we still have hope that we will find people alive. that is exactly why we are continuing. that is why we are using our dogs and sonar and cameras,

everything possible. >> let's go to karima dodd -- kareem haddad. how was the rescue operation going? -- how is the rescue operation going? >> they are working as hard as they can. that's what they were saying a short while ago and i have no doubt it is true. the air is thick with smoke and dust. i don't know if you can see behind me, but we have firefighters all day extinguishing fires from this building. as the rubble moves around, it sparks fires that need to be taken out. they are also dealing with water. several heavy showers have no doubt made things worse with first responders. and there is flooding at the

bottom as well. it is one of the four victims, her name was stacy feng. the mother of the boy you may have seen pulled out of the rubble yesterday. this is the same kind of story that so many families are dealing with. the families and friends don't know where they are. we heard scenes of panic and they got so hectic over there that they move it over to another place. the family members are upset. the search and rescue is not moving as fast as they would like. officials are doing everything that they can. >> this is still very much an

ongoing live rescue operation. the sheer scale of the destruction and the cause of the collapse. >> that is something officials were asked about in the presser today as they have been every time they have shown up in front of the media, when we will find out what the cause is for this collapse. the priority remains search-and-rescue. this is what fire and rescue crews are focused on right now. this is something that has happened before. survivors were pulled out 72 hours after. it is still possible there are people trapped in that rubble. as far as the cause, what we are hearing is that we believe this

was a russian of structural engineering. the integrity of the building. it was undergoing maintenance work. they are going through this 40 year recertification process required. this is raising all sorts of questions about building codes. they are safe and a great deal of panic among residents and their loved ones. >> thank you very much from southside florida -- surfside, florida. , harris says the biden administration is making progress on dealing with the sharp rise in migration of ross the southern bharris was speakit visit and capacity for head of the white house response.

it is one of the largest pedestrian crossing points with mexico. there are more from the border patrol facility and the political reasoning behind, harris's visit. >> the vice president has emphasized that el paso was the place where, back in 2017, it caused so much controversy and criticism of children being taken away from their parents and not being properly tracked. there is a favorable comparison, obviously, between those harsher policies under president trump and the more main policies as the biden administration would describe it that they have. there is a lot of pushback from republicans in the u.s. congress

about the situation at the border. the biden administration was unprepared for the surge of people coming up from central america, primarily that they bungled the situation. the white house responds that things are getting better. it is still something as a political sore point. former president donald trump through his term in office made a border and immigration one of the centerpieces of his presidency. somewhere further down from the rio grande in a couple of days, it will keep the border issue alive and keep the pressure on the white house.

>> just across the border from southern california, he sent us this report. >> this is a port of entry, one of the many defined on the u.s. mexico border and we see a migrant camp. groups estimate 3000 people living in this camp. many of them are children living in unsanitary conditions, precarious conditions. a majority of folks are from central america. countries like honduras, guatemala, and el salvador. many of them desperate to have an opportunity. there is a lot of hope at this camp that changing immigration policies in the united states will mean that the asylum cases could soon be heard. despite the fact that the biden administration has been phasing out trump era immigration policies, specifically the so-called migrant protection

protocols that forced many asylum-seekers to wait in mexico while cases were heard, they are still -- there is still title 42 that sites the ongoing health emergency. this is probably the main reason we are seeing so many people, thousands of people still stuck here on this side of the border. >> rescuers in the czech republic are searching for survivors after a tornado killed at least five people. the country's most powerful storm on record, tearing roofs off of buildings and sending cars flying through the air. >> a place of sanctuary. buildings destroyed by a rare tornado. it was found by eyewitnesses before it hit towns and villages in the southeast of the czech republic. after violently ripping a path through the region, people were left in shock. >> all of our belongings are scattered everywhere.

the tornado snatched all the windows and took everything. >> many people are clearing what used to be roofs from the front patios. some completely ripped off. >> it was like a war zone. everything was spinning around. it took our roof away. >> half of the roof is missing. windows are broken. we can't live there now. >> the tornado reached wind speeds of 330 kilometers an hour , making it the most powerful on record to hit central european nations. >> we live in the era of global warming. one condition for tornadoes like this is hot and human air. these conditions are very common nowadays. >> police have cordoned off entire streets.

>> trees were falling down and roads were blocked. many people living here have lost their homes, and some their lives. and now they are looking to find those trapped. >> the summit between eu leaders has concluded with divisions between east and west dominating after a late night debate. they rejected a proposal from germany and france to hold a summit with russia. poland said it would send the wrong message and hungary's prime minister also came under severe pressure under new laws that banned teaching of sexuality in schools. >> it is wrapped up now and clear at the end of it that there were -- there was some

resolution when it came to russia. there are still divisions in terms of opinion. the german chancellor and the french president both made it very clear that there is space to open dialogue with russia on issues of common interest. they were calling for an eu russia summit. president joe biden met vladimir putin in geneva. it went badly with other eu leaders. that there wasfor the eu to be rolling out the red carpet for moscow. what we heard at the end was the head of the eu commission saying that leaders had agreed that it perhaps wasn't the right time for something like an eu-russia summit. it is too soon. nevertheless, the doors not being closed on certain issues

of common interest including the iran nuclear deal or climate change. >> a funeral for an outspoken critic has been held in the occupied west bank. arrested and beaten by palestinian authority security forces. stephanie decker reports on the protests. >> leave, leave abbas. chance and specifically at the palestinian president. one of the authorities most prominent critics. >> [speaking foreign language] >> do you think there will be justice? >> justice, no.

justice in absence. >> calling for the downfall of the regime and calling for president abbas -- everyone telling us that they are convinced the activist was killed. >> he was fiercely outspoken, accusing them of corruption, human rights violations, and being a so-called subcontractor for israel. canceled long-awaited elections. >> the international community needs to stop corruption.

>> human rights groups said to his body showed bruising on the neck, chest, back, and legs. some ribs were also broken. they say there will be a transparent and impartial investigation. everyone here told us they are fed up. it will be very difficult and dangerous to achieve real change in large numbers. stephanie decker, al jazeera, have run -- he braun -- hebron. >> hoping to witness another win for their team. we will be back with much more

in sports. ♪

>> thank you very much. the head of t tokyo olympics that it is possible that next month's games will take place without spectators. just four days ago, it was announced up to 10,000 fans would be allowed into venues. a cogent athlete from uganda recently arrived in tokyo and both tested positive with the highly infectious delta variant of the coronavirus.

>> despite the measures against coronavirus we have introduced, i am aware that i need to prepare for changes on a daily basis. and we will need to respond quickly. the situation is constantly changing. holding the games with no spectators remains an option that we have to consider. >> the action resumes at the euros on saturday with denmark and the last 16. a danish fans saw their team squeeze into the knockout rounds thanks to a 4-1 win over russia and the final group game. they had to rebuild after the collapse of star player, their first match against finland. he suffered cardiac arrest and has now been released from hospital. >> we managed to put ourselves

together and go out and play two very well played games. it shows that we have moved on and are ready to face these next challenges. >> another big challenge, we know denmark is a very good team. they have great players. they will be underestimated for us. >> they secured a five-one win over a qualifying playoff. 16 teams will take part in the fifa arab cup which kicks off this november. it is used as a test event for next year's world cup. the red bull driver in the

second practice in austria. they lead after his victory in france last sunday. a good day, managing to spin out in the pit lane. the williams driver george russell will replace next season. >> we need to evaluate the situation for the future. he had really good weekends and some off weekends. and whatever decision he would be taking, the person involved in that would be the driver. >> hosting the world rally champ and chef a 19 year absence.

the fire rally was once known to be one of the toughest in the world. >> can use safari rally was back in the champing ship for the first time in nearly 20 years. it is good news for fans. >> it is an event we have done before. >> i can see people just doing that. >> international champions are up against east africa's best drivers. the safari valley was first held nearly 70 years ago. it was known for being one of the toughest in the world and nearly 2000 kilometers of open road. we met one of the veteran drivers on the track side. he has come to see his new

incarnation. >> when we rallied before, we need to where the safety cloaks. it was an option to wear the gloves or not but now we have to wear fireproof protection. everything is composite. >> as international rally standards steadily developed, they remain their old self. from 2002, he parted ways with the world rally championship. they have promised to bring it back ever since he took office eight years ago. the government spent millions of dollars and now it is here. the first stages of this circuit , everything is organized through international standards.

three days of rough dirt roads, through bush, forest, and savannah. some of the fastest time so far and a favorite to win. driving between the stages draws a crowd. local teams used denominate the podiums. with 800 million people, it puts kenya on the world stage. >> back to merriam. >> that concludes the news hour. i will be back in a moment with more of the days news, including all the latest on the sentencing

of police officer derek chauvin for the murder of george floyd. reaction to that, coming up shortly.

jack: we would play house. it was great, because, like, she would be the mom, i'd be the dad, we had no problems. it was just grea natasha del toro: meet jack and yaya, childhood friends who always understood each other, even when others did not. yaya: i'm proud of being trans. i want people to look at me and just be, like, "damn, she went through hell "and she's okay. i can be okay, too." del toro: love, humor, and acceptance in a lifelong friendship. "jack and yaya," on america reframed. ♪ america reframed was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting, the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation. wyncote foundation, the national endowment for the arts,