♪ >> no evidence of fraud. attorney general william barr's comment -- to overturn the election defeat. ♪ this is al jazeera live from doha. also coming up. >> this team will always be there for you and your families. >> a promise to fight back against the fallout of the pandemic. president-elect joe biden

introduces his economic team. another player joins the race to get up -- to get european approval for its covid-19 vaccine while american officials decide who will get inoculated first. the u.n.'s nuclear watchdog appeals to iran to reconsider its plan. ♪ donald trump's bid to overturn the u.s. election result has suffered another major blow with the attorney general saying there is no evidence of widespread voter fraud. william barr told the associated press the justice department investigation has in his words not seen fraud on a scale that could have affected a different outcome. president-elect joe biden the trump by 300-6200 32 votes and either electoral college in more than 6 million in the popular vote. let's speak to our white house correspondent.

william barr was one of donald trump's biggest supporters. there must be a particular staying in this one for the president. >> if we are honest, a lot of people were expecting bill barr to be fired in the last couple of hours. he was here on the white house campus for a meeting that was described as routine. he was with the president for an hour and he left. before the election, bill barr was saying voter fraud could be caused by mail-in ballots. now he is saying we have looked at this and there is no widespread evidence of voter fraud. that goes completely against what the president has been saying. he has been tweeting out, more people who are suggesting there is widespread voter fraud and the election was stolen from donald trump. will remember a couple weeks ago the man who was the head of the cybersecurity for the election said this was the most secure election in american history. donald trump said that was because of my administration but it was still stolen from us and

by the way, you are fired. that was why it was thought that bill barr was headed for the exit door. chuck schumer, when he was told what bill barr was said, he said he is going to be the next one to be fired. bill barr has had an interesting relationship with donald trump. he was appointed because he was regarded as loyal to donald trump after jeff sessions was fired because he was not considered loyal enough. people have said he has acted more as donald trump's top lawyer rather than america's top lawyer, particularly when he has intervened in cases like with michael flynn who pled guilty to lying to fbi agent, which is a crime. the department of justice withdrew those charges. he intervened in the sentencing of roger stone, close trump ally who was in trouble with the courts as well. it was bill barr who stood up and gave the first findings of the molar report into alleged

russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and people said his interpretation of it made his boss looked better than the report did. something that was supported by robert mueller hself. what is interesting is there has been a bit of a gap between donald trump and bill barr over the last few months, particularly because the bar did not launch an investigation into jode biden before the election. donald trump was very keen on that. he thought it would give him an electoral advantage. there has been a problem between the two. this is not going to endear william barr to donald trump in the final days of his presidency. >> thank you so much for bringing it down. -- for breaking it down. scott aniston is a visiting fellow in government studies. [no audio]

in the run-up to the election. he was a proponent of the narrative that medlin votes were susceptible to fraud. my question is, while -- why is william barr doing this now? ? is it a matter of having no leg it -- of no evidence or is it a legacy thing? >> the attorney general set himself in a difficult position. we heard a couple weeks ago the department of justice was adjusting their internal policies to look into allegations like this. the problem with coming out with a statement like that is that it creates an expectation the justice department is going to report back on its findings. this is an earlier pledge, which was meant at the time to reinforce the president's claims coming back and biting the attorney general. it is at the point where he would either have to put up evidence or initiate legal proceedings of some sort based on evidence that has to be produced at some point or concede that the effort he said he was going to undertake has

not produced anything. i also think the attorney general is looking through his longer legacy. he has a legal and political career that predates president trump. he may hope to have one that postdates him as well. in that case, continuing to -- with the increasingly isolate, even among supporters of president trump probably is problematic for attorney general william barr. at this point in time, just stick with the more republican mainstream that is not willing to go to the full length of the president's narrative as our rudy giuliani and a couple of key figures. >> as our correspondent talked about earlier, william barr as an attorney general has been accused of acting in the political interest of donald trump as opposed to the interest of the united states. for an international audience, the question is how can he -- how can it be allowed to go down that route? >> in the united states, we have

an idea that some people ascribe to strongly that the president is the head of the executive branch and gets to exercise control over a lot of functions of the executive branch. that includes the attorney general. attorney general william barr has been no strong proponent of this. out of the actions we have seen him taking in the president's favor, could be seen as an expression of that view of how the constitution is supposed -- is supposed to work. at the president is supposed to have control over the prosecutorial functions of the justice department. lots of people disagree with that. if nothing else, attorney general barr has been consistent in that view, dating back to the attorney general before him. there is tension between the presidential control and the independent attorney general justice department. that is why some people proposed after the administration leaves

office, we may want to take steps to make the justice department more independent of presidential control. >> thank you so much for breaking it down. scott anderson, visiting fellow in governing studies at the brookings institution. u.s. president elect joe biden has urged congress to pass the coronavirus aid package. a bipartisan group of lawmakers unveiled a 908 billion dollar bill. biden is hopeful it will pass but says his team is focused on the next session of congress. >> right now, the full congress should come together and pass a robust package for relief to address these urgent needs. but any package passed in a lame-duck session is likely to be at best just a start. my transition team is already working on what i will put

forward in the next congress to address the multiple crazies we are facing, especially our economic and covid crises. >> let's go live to our correspondent in wilmington, delaware. how did joe biden's economy team picks suggest plans to go about building back up as he puts it? >> yes, as joe biden himself said, it is a team of nominees that come from very different backgrounds but share his economic outlook, his economic vision for the unit states. we heard -- for the united states. we heard a real emphasis about helping working-class americans, particularly minorities and groups that have been hard-hit by the pandemic. one common theme throughout all these nominees is they have advocated for stronger government response. for example, cecelia rauch will

serve as the chair of the economic advisors and she wrote a letter months ago calling for more action on the part of government to help with the pandemic. some of the people who will be under her on the council, jared bernstein, heather boushey, progressive democrats who called for targeting black unemployment at the federal reserve. they called for increasing the minimum wage. progressive proposals that really involve more government involvement, more government action to improve this situation. and of course, janet yellen, who has 20 years of experience at the federal reserve alone. she also is a strong proposal -- a strong proponent of fiscal stimulus. and to stop what would turn into a downward spiral. >> more immediately, they are faced with the task of -- lawmakers are faced with the task of passing the coronavirus

relief bill. even if this one we mentioned, this 900 $1 billion package, even if it does not pass now, does it show that the two sides are getting closer to signing off on something? >> i think there is a common sense of urgency between republicans and democrats. there is a lot of concern the economy is heading into a dark place. the forecast are not looking good. the plan that was laid out by joe biden is a very ambitious one and one that republicans in congress are likely to have a problem with. he is talking about more than just continuing unemployment benefits for workers. he is talking about structural change to address the underlying inequities in the system. things like childcare for families. debt relief for student loans. rent relief.

affordable health care for people who have lost their jobs. with the childcare and sick leave, things that would allow people to go back to work without worrying about their families. he goes even farther and he talks about creating new jobs by paying for infrastructure and creating clean energy jobs. these are very expensive proposals but ones that he said will put the economy growing in the right direction but it will be very difficult and no doubt given that congress is so divided and this is going to remain divided even after he is sworn in, compromises will be necessary. >> thank you. the u.s. drug firm pfizer and its german partner have said they hope the vaccine kobe will do in europe in weeks. they have asked the european union that is an agency for

approval. that could mean at least two vaccines approved in europe and the united states by the end of the year. a panel from the u.s. centers for disease control is recommending that frontline workers and nursing home residents should get the vaccinations first. and independent advisory team voted in favor of the guidance. states and other local authorities will ultimately decide on the issue. our correspondent is following develop is from miami. >> the issue their recommendations to the cdc who more than likely will approve them and issue guidance to the states. it is up to each individual state how they handle this. all indications are all 50 states will follow these guidelines, meeting they should get these vaccines out to health care workers and those living in health care -- in long-term care facilities. those are two groups of people who have suffered a great deal. here in flood a, 40% of all

fatalities are from the residents of long-term care facilities. there are some hurdles to go through for this happens. two drugmakers will be seeking fda emergency approval in the next couple of weeks. they say if they do get that approval, they can begin rolling out the vaccines within 24 hours. there are great many logistical challenges ahead. some of these vaccines require more than one dose. they also require extreme refrigeration and there is a shortage of these refrigeration units across the country. you're talking about 25 million people. about 21 million health-care workers and three or 4 million living in long-term care facilities. there are also questions about how communities of color will be prioritized because they have been hit pretty hard as well. there are another couple of vaccines coming down the line that may get approved with the bigger picture is the general population of this country are not likely to get vaccines until

the spring and we are heading into the winter. officials say this could be the most brutal time of this entire pandemic in the united states and they are warning people, do not let your guards down for now. >> still ahead on al jazeera, tests in 10 minutes. why the u.k. is putting its hopes on the rapid results before the coronavirus vaccine arrives. a medical breakthrough on world aids day. how the new injections could be a game changer to the prevention of hiv. ♪ >> the weather is largely drive for china. it is on the cold side. little more cloudy pulling away from japan. one or two showers around the eastern side of japan. easing further eastwards.

showers coming in toward the western side, pushing into -- clear whether there should there we go with that cold. temperatures no higher than four or five celsius. perhaps one or two showers further west. we come further south. we could see a tropical storm here to the east of the philippines. that is going to drive heavy showers into the philippines. at the moment, though what or weather is for central and southern parts of the region. pushing into vietnam. though what are -- in the wetter -- the -- follow the same line of wetter weather. that is going to bring some heavy rain into sri lanka. could develop into a tropical cyclone as we go from wednesday into thursday. we have got red warnings enforced. that wet weather is spreading.

♪ >> after world war ii, france's great empire began to unravel. >> everybody was throwing themselves into the streets bursting with joy, kissing each other. >> and algeria. >> if the indochinese manage to beat the french army, why not? >> the decline continues in episode two of blood and tears, french decolonization on al jazeera. ♪ ♪

>> you are watching al jazeera. a reminder of our top stories. u.s. attorney general william barr says the justice department has found no evidence of widespread voter broad in last months election. president trump's team says the legal fahd -- legal fight will continue. joe biden has unveiled the economic team he says will deal with the pandemic. he stressed the need to open his essays and schools safely and provide relief to millions. a bipartisan group of lawmakers have unveiled the $908 billion covid-19 relief bill aimed at breaking a long deadlock. resident elect a bite and is hopeful it will pass but says his team is focused on the next session of congress. the u.s. government wants the first vaccines delivered within 24 hours of getting approval, but distributing it is not going to be easy. thousands of cargo flights are going to be needed. there is also the issue of

keeping vaccines at super low temperatures. airlines are working on how to use larger quantities of dry ice and shipping companies are building new freezing sites across the world. job -- drug companies are getting large quantities of their vaccines to strategic points to speed up distribution when they get the green light. a professor of emerging infectious diseases at the london school of medicine says vaccines will be easier to distribute and does -- and store. >> for this vaccine that needs ultracold, it needs to be delivered in specialized centers that know how to keep the cold. in germany, they are repurposed saying whole factories or certain places so that people will need to come to those places. the upcoming vaccines -- and we will have a second, third and fourth vaccine very soon -- they

look easier in terms of logistics and they can probably deliver it in under normal french temperatures of two to eight degrees celsius. then, such vaccines can be delivered in your local gp, your outpatient clinic or at pharmacies, etc. the initial vaccines have a bigger logistical hurdle. because we are desperate to start vaccination, we now need to proactively face these challenges and find solutions. >> england is entering a tougher system of tiered coronavirus restrictions on wednesday. 55 members of boris johnson's conservative party voted against the measures in the biggest rebellion. since he became prime minister 40% of the country will be subject to the toughest level of restrictions. that follows a lockdown.

testing remains the best route to getting many countries operating like normal. a u.k. developer says its rapid test could find a result on the spot within 10 minutes. as our correspondent reports from manchester, economic reports are coming up against worries. >> it is tending to think the arrival of a vaccine will mean the end of all this. students being tested before returning home for christmas. whole city populations trying to reduce transmission, but it will not. >> we do not have any long-term data on that. we will not know if people will need an annual vaccination. there are lots of things we do not know about vaccines. using diagnostics at the moment and in the medium and long term is going to be really important. >> fast, accurate testing remains a vital goal. >> dropped five droplets of the solution into the tube. >> this is a do-it-yourself test living results in 10 minutes.

the medusa 19 test is being trialed in spain. the developers say it is faster than existing alternatives, using month -- using nothing more invasive than a saliva sample. partnered with an app via a unique qr code, there is the potential for a digital immunity passport system. >> there is a timer allocated to the test in terms of days, hours and minutes. to view your actual passport, you have your qr code, which has been bona fide for the device. >> you have a qr code that tells you i have a test, my test is negative, i am good to go. >> all that information is put together once the result is confirmed. >> there is much speculation but the u.k. government insists it is not considering a system of immunity passport to determining where people can go or what they can do. it is an idea that offends libertarian sensibilities. given uncertainties about the

pace and long-term effectiveness of any vaccination program, it may be a necessary evil. >> i think scaled up testing and vaccination programs do need to be digitally linked so we have that information about people, whether they have had a vaccination, whether they have had an antibody response, whether they have had a previous infection. >> the world is holding its breath, expecting an imminent return to normal life. but normality may not be quite as we remember it. >> the u.n.'s nuclear watchdog is urging iran to reconsider its plan to halt unrestricted access to its sites. the parliament has passed a draft motion to allow iran to resume uranium levels at 20%. >> an urgent motion passed during an urgent session in parliament on tuesday. 251 parliamentarians are

demanding the government stop unrestricted access by the inspectors to iranian nuclear sites. the draft bill would also oblige iran's atomic energy organization to take enrichment to 20%. it is now at 4.5%. under the 2015 nuclear agreement, iran should be producing and wrenched uranium -- producing and ridged uranium at only three point seven rception -- 3.7%. >> it sends messages to enemies of iran that this one-sided game is over. >> this motion will have to go to the guardian council for approval, but all decisions about the nuclear program are made by another body, that is the supreme national security council. this move by the conservator literally -- the conservatively controlled parliament comes at a critical time. on friday, a 63-year-old nuclear scientist was assassinated

tehran when his motorcade came under attack. the government released these never before seen photos of him receiving the order of service for his role in the 2015 nuclear deal. a fact which was not public knowledge until now. in 2018, u.s. president donald trump withdrew from the deal and imposed a series of crippling economic penalties on iran. as a result, iran reduces commitments to the deal in phases and the access to international atomic energy inspectors is all that remains as part of the jcpoa deal. there is a light of pressure -- a lot of pressure for the government inside iran. >> i think it is quite telling, indicating the fact that iran's or the iranian debates on the jcpoa moving to a harsher situation and rhetoric, i think

this will have any effect on the future negotiations on the jcpoa in compliance with it. >> tuesday's motion allows the government one month to implement these demands. >> article 176 of the iranian constitution states it is a matter beyond the three branches of government or the legislative body. no political body or branch of power could act the on the. >> the latest report which came out in november said iran now has 12 times more than the permitted amount of 300 kilograms of enriched uranium, putting its stockpile at nearly 4000 kilograms. the killing of -- the killing adds pressure in the last few months they have left in office. the president has said iran will avenge the death of the high-ranking official. what is clear now as he does not

want to use the nuclear agreement to do so. >> israel's prime minister and defense minister says the party will back in opposition bill in favor of dissolving parliament. he says he has lost patience with benjamin netanyahu and is ready to break their alliance if a long overdue budget is not passed medially. the move could force an election in less than two years. u.n. says almost a quarter of a million people have died in yemen's war. aid groups are winning the humanitarian crisis is getting worse with tens of thousands of children at risk of dying due to acute malnutrition. 131,000 people have been killed by indirect forces such as lack of food, health services and infrastructure. years of fighting has brought the economy to a halt. the ethiopian government says a senior politician linked to the

liberation front has surrendered the federal forces. the prime minister has claimed victory in the month-long conflict. the opposition says the conflict is not over. ?8/&&

i'm really excited to be in medellín. it's well-known for all the wrong reasons through the 80's and 90's because of the drug wars, peaking with the world's highest murder rate. now, medellín is known for the transformation of the city and the things that have been happening not least since early 2000. i want to find out who is behind this. i want to meet them and i want to hear if what i've heard about medellín is real.