missing and 31 have been injured. thank you for joining us. four u.s. police officers caught up in the thick of the capitol riot have been giving emotional testimony to a congressional committee. five people were killed. the crowd had been listening to donald trump. in a speech he urged them to go to the u.s. and stop the election. trump claims president joe biden did not defeat him. there is no evidence that supports his claims of electoral fraud. let's hear from liz cheney, a republican on the committee. >> honorable men and women have an obligation to step forward. held accountable, and if not

congress does not act responsibly, this will remain a cancer on our constitutional republic. undermining the peaceful transfer of power at the heart o f our democratic system. we will face the threat of more violence in the months to come and another january 6th every four years. >> let's bring in david smith, a bureau chief at the guardian newspaper. good evening. liz cheney warning of a cancer on the u.s. constitution. strong words but clearly this is a situation which basically has brought out the worst in many people. >> yes. i think america still shocked by the evts of january the sixth. many calls for a full investigation and a reckoning with what happened that day. and certainly today's hearing was a step in that direction. very powerful, visceral testimony from police officers who were under siege from the

pro-trump mob. it really brought to life, it was harrowing. one officer talks about "i could feel myself -- thinking to myself, this is how i'm going to die." for most people january the sixth happened in a few hours, but for him and his colleagues it is a constant trauma. another officer said he got home, his wife wanted to hug him, but he push her away because he still had chemicals on his clothing. there are also some pretty strong abuse odonald trump, describing him as the hitman, dismissing when he came -- that it was all hugs and kisses tahat day. these officers were concerned of those were from begins who backed trump who are trying to rewrite history and play down the attack. today was certainly a bulwark against that. >> indeed.

the eye witness statements tell the same story as the video images show. but there is a lot of misinformation and a lot of "fake news," surrounding what happened on january the sixth, a lot of it spread by supporters of trump. >> yes, and also by right wing media. i've been to a couple of donald trump's campaign rallies recently. he is back on the trip. pretty much every person i speak to at those rallies dismisses january the sixth either as a minor incident, just almost tourism, or they say it was staged by the fbi or infiltrated by left-wing groups. nobody wants to confront it. it would seem the media is playing a role in that. for people who only watch certain channels. they have never seen the kind of footage we witnessed today of violence. they are baffled, puzzled by the

talk of it. and certainly trump, again, on the one hand seems to be downplaying what happened, but on the other some of his rhetoric at the moment seems almost -- trying to turn the interes -- the insurrectionists into marder's, fighting for noble cause. -- martrys, fighting for noble cause. there is a split screen reality. i think the worry on a day like today is that while many broadcasters did show today's hearing ei with that compelling testimony there are other sections of the media and website that will barely cover it. so the polarization will continue. >> thank you for telling it like it is. it is important we continue to do that. david smith, the bureau chief of the guardian in washington. thank you, sir, for joining us. we'll continue to bring coverage and reaction from the events as they unfold in washington. next, tunisia's leading

islamist party has moved to ease the country's political crisis. he's calling for dialogue and urging supporters not to protest. this comes after having first accused the president of launching military coup. france and the united states are urging tunisia's president to respect democracy and human rights. >> t larger political party in tunisisays it is ready to talk, after fierce clashes broke out on monday which it blames on organized thugs, he called on his supporrs to go home to intain peace. they are now calling on tunisia's president to hold presidential elections adding that any delay would be a pretext to maintain an aucratic regime. on sunday night, the democratic credentials were thrown into doubt after the prime minister was fired and parliament suspended for a month. while many have celebrated the latest moves from the president, opinion on streets is split. >> hopefully everything will go

well. i hope the future will be good. the president has taken a good step, very positive one, and i hope the future will get better and better. >> we're a bit scared of what may happen and the return of the ben ali era. now it is only one power. it is the president that holds the executive and judicial powers. >> tensions have simmered in tunisia due to high unemployment rates and the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. issues made worse over the past six months due to the power struggle between the country's president and parliament. >> the crisis he says is behind us, speaking after becoming -- after coming face-to-face with his bitter rival of ivory coast. their face-off and in postelection violence. it's on estimated 3000 people killed in half a million displaced. he was later charged with war

crimes by the hague and was acquitted this year. his return raises questions. calling for his supporters jail the decade ago to be set free. a researcher, the institute of research at the -- put it to him that this meeting really is historic. >> one should not overestimate the impact this meeting can have. it really depends on the political will of the protagonists. they can either start from a political dialogue, which could benefit the country and to peace , ,but also, there is the question of the sincerity of the motives in doing this meeting. so, we can only wait to see really if there is a long-term

impact. >> it is going to take more than just a handshake. >> that is right. a kind of working peace between these two group. >> absolutely. also, there is protagonists that should be included -- members of the opposition. so that it is an inclusive process. >> the european union says it is on track to inoculate 70% of its population by the end of summer. tthe european commission president is calling on unvaccinated people to get their jab as the delta variant continues to spread. >> after a sluggish start to europe's vaccination campaign and up beat statement from the e.u. commission president. she says the bloceached its goal of inoculating at least a percent of the population with at one dose before the end of july. >> these figures put europe

among the world leaders are the catch-up process has been very successful. but we need to keep up the effort. the delta variant is very dangerous. and i therefore call on everyone who has the opportunity to be vaccinated. >> europe now says it has enough supplies on hand as member states use vaccines to fight the pandemic. the inoculation rates vary by country. romania and bulgaria lag far behind while belgium and the netherlands take the lead with the highest percentage of the population vaccinated.f france says 40 moon people have received one inoculation. in spain despite 55% of the population being fully vaccinated, officials say they need to target younger age groups as they battle a surge in infections. >> we are still seeing significant differences among the different age groups and that is due to the vaccination in people over 40. most of them are already fully vaccinated.

more than 65% of the new covid-19 cases registered are in the range of people below 40 years old. >> while the number of infections remains high in spain, health authorities say they are beginning to see signs of hope, including in the hardest hit region of catalonia. >> france has another world heritage site. unesco has honored nice with this status. nice adapted his urban planning as early as two centuries ago to make itself attractive to foreigners. which in this is a quote "shaped the urban planning an eclectic architectul styles of those areas now evident in nice." one person has died, four missing after an explosion of a chemical plant in germany. 31 people were injured in the incident. the cause of the blast which was

hurt several kilometers away remains unknown -- which was heard several kilometers away remains unknown. >> a passing driver captured this mushroom cloud moments after an explosion rocked this industrial site. fire fighters managed to put out the fire that ensued after almost four hours. they continue to search for missing employees after at least one was found dead and more than a dozen injured. parts operators and the local mayor say they they are saddened by the tragedy. >> [speaking german] >> the incident occurred at the landfill area separate from the

main industrial park that houses major chemical companies including bayer. situated in a town 15 kilometers north of cologne, it is one of the largest chemical sites in europe. the explosion sent out a warning to nearby residents that after testing the air officials said they did not appear to be a danger to their health. the cause is still being investigated. >> you're watching the latest on this story and the rest of the world news. stay with us. you are watching "france 24." ♪ ♪ >> he is probably the most famous frenchman in history but napoleon was born in corsica. at the time, the island had

belonged to the republic of geneva for centuries but it had just been handed over to the kingdom of france. the man who became emperor of the french has always had a colorful, controversial reputation, an image he cultivated himself with the help of arts and artists and it all started here. ♪ ♪ napoleon grew up in this very ilding. what was once the bonaparte family residence now receive some 90,000 visitors every year.

now, this museum is the most visited tourist site in corsica. what is it about napoleon's childhood home that draws people? >> this is where tourists learn about napoleon's childhood through the places he grew up. there plenty of stories. the little wooden hut he built in the courtyard so he could study alone. the house is a real present, it is atmospheric and the tours who come from all four quarters of the world can feel that -- the house if a presence. >> and i believe that he was actually born in this room here. can you tell us about the circumstances of the birth of the future emperor of the french? >> in 1835, his mother explains to american journalist henry lee napoleon was not born on the carpet that picted the story of the iliad as told by napoleon on helena. in fact, she said there were no

carpets in their roosm especially in summers. napoleon was born in august. >> there is an especially interesting detail. >> i will take you there. >> if i am mistaken, that there is a trapdoor. >> yes. this is the trapdoor that napoleon used to escape at the end of his trip to corsica. he'd finished his campaign in egypt and was on the way back and all his cousins had come here to see the great man fresh from his victories in egypt and italy. so he placed his hat and his sw ord on a chair and slipped out through that trapdoor. and made his way to the port just behind us to return to paris to conduct his famous coup. >> his legend's built not only

on his many military victories, but also the anecdote surrounding his character, personality, and insatiable work ethic. this writer has spent years researching the man who he c alls a depressive, a ponca and a conflicted hero. -- and a punk. >> we are at napoleon's cave. it is named after the future emperor because legend has it that napoleon came here when he was a child and teenager to re ad plutarch. so, what does this teach us about his personality? a lot. first, his reclusive character, which became more accentuated over the years as he ascended to power. his love of literature and studying and it might've been here while reading plutarch the spark of ambition in him was ignited.

>> this is the primary school, which in napoleon's day was the royal high school. joseph his eldest brother recounts in his memoirs his younger simply -- sibling was a bad loser. during history class he was placed in the carthaginians team against the romans. because refused to lose, his mother was forced to calm napoleon down. from a early age, he had that appetite for victory. when napoleon is in his 20's and stationed here, he goes for a walk in the neighborhood and stumbles upon two soldiers doing target practice, shooting at a target out in the gulf. he intervenes, and, using his

scientific knowledge to work out a technique with a lot of self-assurance, so that the canon is properly positioned for the cannonball to hit the target. what this teaches us about napoleon, if the story is true, is that he had a real talent for leadership and an innate sense of strategy. ♪ >> once crowned emperor in 1904, napoleon's -- in 1804, the polling set himself up re outside of paris p the castle had been home to kings of france for centuries and it felt an equally real residence for men who put himself centerstage wiht th the help of some the finest artists of his time.

you are an art historian she is a curator here at fontainebleau. choses why napoleon chose this site. >> fontainebleau is a place where dynasty succeeded one another. for napoleon bonaparte, the young infantry soldier who gained a scholarship to military school, being able to live in a place steeped in world history was of course -- royal hisry was of coursextremely tempting. this royal palace that shone so brightly during the renaissance and under the ereign of the bourbons was chosen as a platform to show off his power. >> two centuries after his death, the polar remains a controversial figure, and he was certainly somebody was interested in communicating around his own image, propaganda even. -- he was a polarizing figure. >> he wanted to make an impact

he did so on the battlefield and with his -- acted like a sword striking the page. these words were printed in the army news bulletins read by soldiers. while the ones who survived the battles and by civilians. he fascinated people and once in power he understood the arts could help further his image, and he relied on those he deemed competent. >> one painter in particular was key. jacques louis david, for his portrait of napoleon crossing me -- the alps as well as the scene of his coronation in the notre dame cathedral. with a little artistic license, since the emperor crowned himself without the people blessing and his mother was not really in attendance. later, porter served to show off different facets of napoleon --

portraits served to show off different facets of his personality. >> placing him on an equal footing with the kings of france, he hired artists such as david, the first painter of the emperor. francois gerard and for portrait . >> and this is a recent hanging, a very important portrait. can you tell us more about that? >> in 1812, david gives alexander douglas, the future duke of hamilton, portrait of napoleon depicting him as a man at work. leaving his desk at 4 a.m. he had spent his night working on his civil code, maneuvering his massive empire. his candle goes out after a night spent working for the benefit of his people. he gets up. and goes to review his troops.

>> and not all the images of napoleon were totally flattering. there were some sketches some caricatures that weren't so flattering. especially from the english. how did he crawl -- control his image within the empire? >> napoleon liked to control his image and to fire counter shots. when english caricaturists -- for instance, pointing their fingers at the scandal of the alleged poisoning of injured friend soldiers, a french artist created -- depicting napoleon as a miracle worker. so, he fought fire with fire. >> when it comes to his architectural ambitions, napoleon's arc de triomphe has

stood the test of time. ycenturies on, -- two centuries on, it is among france's most iconcic monument spirit his personal legacy is something contemporary artists are grappling with today. his signature tricorn hat, his famed warhorse and pompous poses on horseback. napoleon has been parodied to the point where his silhouette speaks volumes. now, at his final resting place, contemporary artists are turning that image on his head adding voices of dissent to the narrative that surrounds him. her installation evokes look flags of military offensives and their consequences. this is the emperor self-aggrandizing nature as he crowns himself and this revision is painting.

this work zooms in on the site of his exile and death, st. helena. >> i wanted to talk about the notion of time, eternity, and how even a figure like napoleon, well, he's quite insignificant in the grand scheme of things. >> two centuries after his demise, the darker aspects of napoleon's time in power are being brought to light. in the city of rouin, the mayor has suggested replacing his statue prompt and controversy in france. napoleon's law of 1802 effectively restored slavery in the colonies and last year antiracist protesters tore down a. statue of his wife josephine. it is one of the most contentious issues as napoleon's legacy is reappraised. >> it is the day george floyd had been murdered, and one of the artists, he came back to his

studio in the next morning i had an image in my cell phone, which was just a portrait of napoleon with a zip on his mouth. and some chains at his feet. >> even the composition of this exhibition has proved a divisive. he planned to hang a horses skeleton above napoleon's tomb, a nod to the ancient funeral rite of burying membersf the cavalry with their horses. critics deemed that disrespectful as a site that should serve as a solemn memorial. ♪ >>a hero for some. a monster for others. napoleon bonaparte is certainly a divisive figure, but one thi ngs undisputed -- in his short rain he shaped the french republic and its capital like no otheleader. the tributes to him there near this bicentennial year are both expansive and eclectic.

we will leave you with a glimpse of what is on offer.

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07/20/21 07/20/21 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from new york, this is democracy now! >> a consortium of news outlets including frontline have been investigating the use of spyware called pegasus any israeli company that sells it to foreign governments. >> anything on the phone including pictures, contacts, listening to calls. amy: the israeli