ron desantis pulls out of the race for the white house and endorses donald trump for president, just two days before the new hampshire primary. tensions ramp up between israel and the us over what postwar gaza would look like. and — four years since the first case of covid—19 was ever recorded in the us, are we prepared for the next potential pandemic? hello. i'm azadeh moshiri. welcome to the programme. ron desantis, the governor of florida, was once expected to be the biggest threat to his republican rival, former president donald trump. but today, he has suspended his presidential bid. in an abrupt end to his campaign, he said he no longer believed he could win the nomination — and this is who he endorsed. if there was anything i could do to produce a favourable outcome — more campaign stops, more interviews —

i would do it. but i can't ask our supporters to volunteer their time and donate their resources if we don't have a clear path to victory. accordingly, i am today suspending my campaign. trump is superior to the current incumbent, joe biden. that is clear. i signed a pledge to support the republican nominee, and i will honour that pledge. he has my endorsement because we can't go back to the old republican guard of yesteryear — a repackage formed of warmed—over corporatism that nikki haley represents. live now to our reporter carl nasman who has been following the ron desantis campaign. i know you were at a restaurant. you were expecting to be at a big desantis campaign event. that's not quite how the night's gone, has it? ., �* , ., ., , quite how the night's gone, has it? ., �*, ., ., , ., it? that's not how things have one, it? that's not how things have gone. clearly. _ it? that's not how things have gone, clearly, as— it? that's not how things have gone, clearly, as you - it? that's not how things have gone, clearly, as you can - it? that's not how things have gone, clearly, as you can see. this restaurant, this area where we were supposed to have the desantis campaign rally —

it is empty. he never showed up. in fact, a couple of hours before this event was supposed to start, we got that announcement that ron desantis was dropping out of the race. there was some expectation that he would continue to fight on. he'd go until votes were cast on tuesday, despite what we know were some very low polling numbers here in the state of new hampshire — he was in the single digits. i've been speaking with desantis speaking with desa ntis supporters speaking with desantis supporters who did come down, who did try to make it to this campaign event. they told me that they are surprised at the timing, but they're not shocked that he decided to drop out. here's what one voter told me. it kind of had to be inevitable at this— it kind of had to be inevitable at this point, because we just couldwt— at this point, because we just couldn't pick up the votes that we needed to here in new hampshire. and, ah... i'm disappointed. what we need to do is _ disappointed. what we need to do is consolidate and unify ourselves to make sure that we can make — ourselves to make sure that we can make sure that the best for all of— can make sure that the best for all of the — can make sure that the best for all of the people in the united states— all of the people in the united states get what they need, right? _

states get what they need, right? we need to fix the economy. we need to fix the borden — economy. we need to fix the border. we need to fix everything that's broken. and we need _ everything that's broken. and we need to consolidate behind the person — or people — who are _ the person — or people — who are best _ the person — or people — who are best able to make sure that that happens. carl, - that happens. carl, he said it was inevitable. is that because it hasn't been the smoothest ride for ron desantis during this campaign trail? it for ron desantis during this campaign trail?— for ron desantis during this campaign trail? it has been a bit of a bumpy _ campaign trail? it has been a bit of a bumpy ride. - campaign trail? it has been a bit of a bumpy ride. of - campaign trail? it has been a i bit of a bumpy ride. of course, if you look back to 2023 — bit of a bumpy ride. of course, if you look back to 2023 — as you mentioned — ron desantis was really the frontrunner. he was really the frontrunner. he was the candidate on the republican side that people thought might be able to take on or take down donald trump. he was pitching himself as the former president but without the baggage and without the drama. and then, as we saw, month after month, the momentum seemed to decrease. the polling numbers went down. and this was due to several behind—the—scenes issues. there was some turmoil among the

campaign brass, his advisers — there were several high—profile firings or leavings within his staff — and then we sawjust this struggle to find a message that really resonated with voters, not only in the early states, but really in states across the country. and then the big strategy decision for desantis was to go all—in on the state of iowa, to spend resources and precious money there. the florida governor himself personally visiting all 99 counties. that got him a second—place finish, but it really was a distant second. he was still miles away from donald trump. it took about 51% of the vote in iowa. and that might have been the end of the road. crucially, ron desantis, until the very end, seemed reluctant to really go after, to really criticise, the former president. some people thinking that might be part of the reason why ron desantis decided to come out and endorse the former president for his run in 2024 to try to get back into his good graces. of course, now it is a two—person race —

donald trump, and nikki haley. voting here in new hampshire begins on tuesday, and we will see which one of them is able to come out on top in the state. ., �* ., state. you've painted that really well. _ state. you've painted that really well. it's _ state. you've painted that really well. it's not - state. you've painted that really well. it's not quite i state. you've painted that| really well. it's not quite a highlights reel, but it really explained what happened today. thank you. with desantis out of the race, all eyes now are on nikki haley, the former south carolina governor who served in the trump administration as us ambassador to the united nations. on sunday, haley continued to campaign, in seven locations across new hampshire, where she is relying on a strong showing on tuesday, and says she's out to win against donald trump. nikki haley's campaign has ramped up attacks on the frontrunner in recent days. everything from trump's age to his relationship with foreign dictators has been fair game. upon learning the news that desantis would drop out, haley quipped that the race is down to "one fella and one lady". but ron desantis�*s endorsement of donald trump may make haley's chances even slimmer. trump celebrated the news

of desantis�* endorsement at a speaking engagement. he called desantis a "very capable person". he called desantis a "very capable person", despite the many attacks he launched against the florida governor throughout the campaign. trump said he would stop calling him "ron desanctimonious" going forward — in case you forgot, that's his nickname for him. earlier, i spoke with jim merrill, a political strategist based in new hampshire. he's served on campaigns for george w. bush, mitt romney and marco rubio. jim, thank you so much for joining the programme. i'd first like to ask about donald trump's reaction. do you think ron desantis has a shot at a vp slot? i don't think so. i don't think that's what today's announcement was about. i suspect donald trump is going to be looking in a different direction for a vp position, but i do think it's obviously significant to the course of

this race in that it's consolidated rapidly. so i think it's impactful for the remainder of this campaign, but i do not believe he'll be in consideration for vice—president. consideration for vice- resident. ,. . vice-president. impactful in what way? _ vice-president. impactful in what way? do _ vice-president. impactful in what way? do you - vice-president. impactful in what way? do you think - vice-president. impactful in what way? do you think any vice-president. impactful in i what way? do you think any of his supporters would flock to haley, or are most of them going to go to donald trump? i suspect a lion's share will go to donald trump. i think that, from that standpoint, trump benefits. and i think it makes it a little more difficult for nikki haley to break through in new hampshire on tuesday. but i do think that it creates pressure for haley to do well in new hampshire, to give her momentum heading into south carolina. there's been a great deal of consolidation behind donald trump's campaign over the last week. the desantis decision today to drop out and endorse trump really now creates a binary race in a circumstance where haley is

really — she's got to do well in new hampshire, and then be able to articulate to voters and the country her path forward heading into south carolina. �* , ., , ., carolina. but is it really a binary race? _ carolina. but is it really a binary race? nikki - carolina. but is it really a binary race? nikki haleyl carolina. but is it really a - binary race? nikki haley said "may the best woman win." she's said that before. but do you really see a path for victory for her, for her to get that nomination? i for her, for her to get that nomination?— nomination? i think it's certainly _ nomination? i think it's certainly challenging. l nomination? ithink it's certainly challenging. i | nomination? i think it's - certainly challenging. i mean, to be clear, donald trump is the odds—on favourite here. he came into this cycle effectively as an incumbent. he came in with the benefits of quasi—incumbency, and he's benefiting from that as we come into the final stretch before tuesday. i will say that nikki haley is positioned to have a good night here on tuesday. now, a few things have to break in her direction but, if she were to win new hampshire, or at least finish very closely to make it clear that she's

competitive, that could change the dynamic heading into south carolina. but, to be clear, it is a steep hill for her to climb. there's no question she is a significant underdog right now. and, again, given the desantis decision, we do see a great deal of consolidation behind donald trump, and you saw senator tim scott endorse him the other night — another former opponent — and so i do believe there's a path forward for nikki haley, but it's a narrow one.— for nikki haley, but it's a narrow one. ~ . , narrow one. well, in that case, if ou narrow one. well, in that case, if you think _ narrow one. well, in that case, if you think there's _ narrow one. well, in that case, if you think there's a _ narrow one. well, in that case, if you think there's a narrow . if you think there's a narrow possibility or path for her here, is she endangering any chance at her own slot on that ticket as a vp by staying in this race longer? i ticket as a vp by staying in this race longer?— ticket as a vp by staying in this race longer? i don't think so. on this race longer? i don't think s0- on the — this race longer? i don't think so. on the campaign - this race longer? i don't think so. on the campaign trail - this race longer? i don't think so. on the campaign trail in l so. on the campaign trail in new hampshire the other day, she said that she was not interested and would not accept that slot. but, realistically, i don't think that she is. i suspect that donald trump is likely to pick a woman to join

him on the ticket eventually. as we've seen in the past with prior presidential campaigns, bitter rivals on the campaign trail do have a way of finding accord with one another in coming together as a unified ticket. so i don't think she's jeopardising that standing. she's obviously sharpened her attacks on donald trump in recent days. but, you know, i think that she will be in strong consideration, contention, for that position should he eventually win the nomination.— should he eventually win the nomination. you say that but, as ou nomination. you say that but, as you say. — nomination. you say that but, as you say. she _ nomination. you say that but, as you say, she has _ nomination. you say that but, | as you say, she has sharpened her attacks on donald trump — and donald trump values loyalty more than any other candidate in the race. will he really be able to get over any attacks that haley throws his way? you know, i think _ that haley throws his way? you know, i think the _ that haley throws his way? ym. know, i think the answer is yes. you know, recall that, betweenjoe biden and kamala harris, they had some pretty

sharp exchanges early in that campaign before eventuallyjoe biden secured the nomination and made kamala harris his running mate. sol and made kamala harris his running mate. so i think, if you go back to 2016 and you look at senator marco rubio, for example, or senator ted cruz — both of whom drew very sharp distinctions with donald trump and there were very sharp exchanges between them — they ultimately worked together fairly well during donald trump's four years in office to enact certain policy positions that they were able to find common ground on and then, as you saw in the recent week, again going back to the consolidation, both marco rubio and ted cruz endorsed donald trump. donald trump certainly appreciates loyalty, and expects it, but i don't believe that nikki haley would be harming herself by running as hard as she can right now and perhaps changing the whole narrative of the campaign cycle here. mil narrative of the campaign cycle here. �* ~ �* narrative of the campaign cycle here. �* . �* ., ., here. all right. we'll have to leave it there. _

here. all right. we'll have to leave it there. jim, - here. all right. we'll have to leave it there. jim, thank- here. all right. we'll have to | leave it there. jim, thank you so much for your time. pleasure bein: so much for your time. pleasure being with _ so much for your time. pleasure being with you- _ so much for your time. pleasure being with you. thank _ so much for your time. pleasure being with you. thank you - so much for your time. pleasure being with you. thank you very l being with you. thank you very much. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. let's look at some other stories making news. people across the whole of the uk are facing strong winds and extreme weather warnings from storm isha. the met office has warned of life—threatening conditions with wind gusts of up to 80mph, especially in coastal areas. flights, railand bus services have faced delays and cancellations. thousands are without power and there are flood warnings in place. a woman and man found dead in a house near norwich, in england, died from stab wounds to the neck. postmortem examinations on two children, also found dead there, will be carried out on wednesday. norfolk police have referred themselves to the independent watchdog, after officers didn't quickly respond to an emergency call. dozens of people are reported to have been killed by ukrainian shelling in the russian—controlled city of donetsk in the eastern

part of the country, according to officials there. meanwhile, ukraine's president, volodymyr zelensky, said in a video posted online that russia shelled 100 cities, towns and villages across ukraine. you're live with bbc news. let's turn our attention now to the war in gaza. the health ministry run by hamas says the last 24 hours has been one of the deadliest days of the war so far. it says that, in the last day, there have been 178 deaths in gaza. the health ministry also added that the total number of those killed in gaza since israel began its offensive some three months ago — has now topped 25,000. and on the ground, israel's military campaign is pressing on, bombing the city of khan younis in the southern gaza strip. all of this comes as benjamin netanyahu remains defiant against calls for the creation of a palestinian state.

he has repeatedly rejected the idea — despite the united states and other allies arguing a palestinian state alongside israel — what's known as a "two—state solution" — is vital for long—term stability. and in a recent development — netanyahu has also rejected an offer from hamas to release the roughly 130 hostages still held captive. under conditions proposed by hamas, israel would completely withdraw its military operation in gaza, and leave hamas in power. netanyahu said that the proposal is unacceptable. i discussed the growing tensions around a two—state solution and much more with ambassadorjim jeffrey, a former us deputy national security advisor under george w. bush. ambassadorjeffrey thank ambassador jeffrey thank you ambassadorjeffrey thank you so much for your time. i want to address the comments benjamin netanyahu has made about his refusal for a two state

solution. in your view do you believe this is out of politics, or genuine ideology? first of all thanks for having me on. it is a little bit of both and also it is the public posturing of both president biden and netanyahu especially after the call at the end of this week, where neither are in the same place but they are going back and forth. i'm not as discouraged as i was a week or two ago, i think netanyahu realises it has to be some solution, beyond permanent israeli garrison of gaza. and they are looking at the options are. ~ ., ., they are looking at the options are. . . ., .,, they are looking at the options are. ~ . ., ., are. what are those other 0 tions are. what are those other options you _ are. what are those other options you are _ are. what are those other. options you are referencing there, arab states don't seem like they are especially interested in providing their own peacekeeping force in gaza, would the un?—

would the un? israelwill not trust would the un? israel will not trust the would the un? israelwill not trust the un _ would the un? israelwill not trust the un nor— would the un? israelwill not trust the un nor should - would the un? israel will not| trust the un nor should they, from the un politt of sinai in 1967 to the disgraceful un failure to execute the 11 on resolution in 1701 the un is not a credible peacekeeping force. but there are other options we had them in bosnia and kosovo, we have a peacekeeping force in the sinai still today from the 1970s but i don't know what it would be, and i rule out local palestinians there playing a role. but for the moment the key thing is and that's what netanyahu is focused on, as the united states is dismantling hamas and getting the hostages back. because of hamas emerges victorious there is no talk of a two state solution, who will run gaza, hamas will run gaza,

thatis run gaza, hamas will run gaza, that is a problem and on obstacle to any consideration of the day after. the obstacle to any consideration of the day after.— of the day after. the director aeneral of the day after. the director general of — of the day after. the director general of the _ of the day after. the director general of the united - of the day after. the director| general of the united nations has been encouraging and talking about the fact palestinians do have a right to self—determination, but i understand what you are talking about their effectiveness when it comes to their peacekeeping forces. i do want to ask about the palestinian authority because you have said there one option is palestinians being their own safeguarding peacekeeping force there. but what confidence think arab states even have an palestinians themselves have in the palestinian authority? that the palestinian authority? git this point there is very little confidence in the palestinian authority either to run a security operation. remember they controlled security in 2007 in gaza and hamas launched the three day uprising and

slaughtered the palestinian authority security forces. everybody remembers that. there are doubts about the administrative capacity of the palestinian authority under president bahs to really run a very complicated reconstruction operation which is what gaza well require. i think these are the initial back and forth, there is no doubt the region as a whole as president biden constantly emphasises, the region as a whole is not going to take a turn towards peace if there is not a commitment by everyone, including israel, to a two state solution, with the exception of iran which rejects a two state solution because it rejects israel. to isolate iran which is critical for everyone in the region there needs to be at least a theoretical movement towards a palestinian state and that's what president biden is pushing. what president

netanyahu is pushing back on as a right but meanwhile they are not capable of taking over from arson gaza so is the alternative. that is where the back—and—forth is going right now. back-and-forth is going right now. ~ ., , ., now. around us back hamas, hezbollah — now. around us back hamas, hezbollah and _ now. around us back hamas, hezbollah and the _ now. around us back hamas, hezbollah and the houthis i now. around us back hamas, i hezbollah and the houthis which is complicating things right now. thank you for talking to us. ., ~' now. thank you for talking to us. . ~ , ., now. thank you for talking to us. . ~' i., ., now. thank you for talking to us. . ~ ., ., now. thank you for talking to sunday marks four years since the first official case of covid—19 was ever recorded in america. since then, more than 100 million americans have been sick with the virus and more than1 million americans have died. and in recent weeks, cases have been on the rise here in the us and around the world. according to the world health organisation, hospitalizations have risen by more than 40% in the americas and across europe. well, to get a sense of where things are at and what we have learnt from the pandemic, i spoke with dr peter hotez,

dean of the national school of tropical medicine at the baylor college of medicine. thank you so much forjoining the programme. i would like to start by asking you about restrictions, some states are breaking the guidelines when it comes to covid—19, do you think we are at a point now where we can relax? i at a point now where we can relax? ., �* ~' at a point now where we can relax? ., �* ~ ,., at a point now where we can relax? ., �* ~ ., relax? i don't think so we are in a pretty — relax? i don't think so we are in a pretty significant - relax? i don't think so we are in a pretty significant wave i in a pretty significant wave not as bad as 2021 or 2022 but looking the same size as around this time last year and we are still at 30,000 hospitalisations on a daily basis and so it is a pretty serious pandemic situation still unfortunately although we are in the fourth year of the pandemic. are in the fourth year of the pandemic— are in the fourth year of the andemic. , . , ., ., , , pandemic. deaths have dropped so we're not _ pandemic. deaths have dropped so we're not in _ pandemic. deaths have dropped so we're not in the _ pandemic. deaths have dropped so we're not in the same - so we're not in the same scenario as before, is not reasonable therefore for people to go back to school, or back to go back to school, or back to work if they are

asymptomatic or do we need to take covid—19 far more seriously? take covid-19 far more seriously?— take covid-19 far more seriously? take covid-19 far more seriousl ? ., ., , seriously? the odd part of this is why the _ seriously? the odd part of this is why the states _ seriously? the odd part of this is why the states are _ seriously? the odd part of this is why the states are not - seriously? the odd part of this is why the states are not sync| is why the states are not sync with the centres for disease control, they always worry about the states going rogue and setting president from what the cdc recommends because it gives some states a licence to say, well that state did it i can't i am the most egregious example is what has happened with the florida surgeon general who has gone very rogue and making false claims about covid—19 vaccine saying they cause cancer and his defence could reasonably well be well the california and florida are not going by cdc why should florida. what florida is doing is far more dangerous than 0regon is far more dangerous than oregon and california. in principle i would prefer all the states within the same situation is what cdc is recommending. i understand why states may have differences of opinion but the optics are not

the best. this opinion but the optics are not the best. �* , ., the best. as a reminder california, _ the best. as a reminder california, oregon - the best. as a reminder| california, oregon state the best. as a reminder. california, oregon state is the best. as a reminder- california, oregon state is far more cautious during the pandemic so that's why people were surprised they relaxed those restrictions. covid—19 side you think we have learned the lessons of the pandemic, enough to prevent the next pandemic if and when it does come? i pandemic if and when it does come? ., �* ~' pandemic if and when it does come? ., �* ~ pandemic if and when it does come? .,�* ~ , , come? i don't think so because we are now _ come? i don't think so because we are now in _ come? i don't think so because we are now in a _ come? i don't think so because we are now in a situation - come? i don't think so because we are now in a situation in - we are now in a situation in the 19 states, where we are trying to actively discredit both the science and the scientists, and here in the us we had a very unique situation where of the million deaths, at least 200,000 may be more were needless deaths because so many americans refused vaccines after the vaccines became widely available, this happened during the delta wave in the last half of 2021 into the army crime wave, there was this defiance of public health interventions including getting

vaccinated and it was notjust because of random disinformation it was a deliberate and predatory campaign, led by extremist members of the us congress, together with some of the extremist conservative news outlets and people with down that rabbit hole and paid for it with their lives, we have not fixed that. now we're seeing a revisionist history from the actors from the far right, now i have called them out and others have as well saying 200,000 americans saying 200 , 000 americans needlessly saying 200,000 americans needlessly died because of the disinformation, there is revisionist history going on, falsely claiming it was the covid—19 vaccine that killed americans or the scientists invented the virus in the first place. all of this means we continue to politicise the pandemic and we will not be ready for the next one as a consequence. fin ready for the next one as a consequence.— ready for the next one as a consequence. ready for the next one as a conseuuence. . , , consequence. on that issue when ou are consequence. on that issue when you are talking — consequence. on that issue when you are talking about _ consequence. on that issue when you are talking about the - consequence. on that issue when you are talking about the next - you are talking about the next week —— davis was sounding the alarm about disease x, what they are calling the next pandemic disease would be. they

presented some concerning information about it. how much is that something people should be worried about or is this more of a hypothetical issue and we are talking aboutjust in case precautions? {line and we are talking about 'ust in case precautions?�* and we are talking about 'ust in case precautions? one of the most common _ in case precautions? one of the most common questions - in case precautions? one of the most common questions i - in case precautions? one of the most common questions i am i most common questions i am askedis most common questions i am asked is what the heck is going on? by that what do they mean? you bet ebola, in 2014, we had virus infection 2016, now covid—19 the answers these pandemics are not coming at a regular basis, now we are understanding why it has to do with a confluence of a number of forces which includes climate change and urbanisation and deforestation and greater exposure to animal reservoirs. so that we should now expect these on a regular basis, we have had three major coronavirus epidemics in the century alone, stars and me as an covid—19, we should expect a

fourth one before the end of the decade, we still have these do not tick influencers, the avian influencers and in the southern part of the united states we have mosquito transmitted virus inspections, we had seek in 2016 and some are concerned about dinky returning to the gulf coast or yellow fever, we have enormous vulnerabilities and i think we're still not taking them even after covid—19, which we realise the public health impact was only one part, it was the geopolitical impact and the economic impact we are still not taking them seriously enough. doctor, thank you so much for your time. there is plenty more news on their website. stay with us here on bbc news. plenty more to come.

hello there. storm isha's likely to cause significant damage and disruption in parts of the uk as we push into monday morning. met office amber warnings are in force for severe gales with damaging gusts and heavy rain. this heavy rain combined with snow melt, because of milder temperatures across northern areas, is likely to lead to localised flooding. the centre of storm isha passing to the north of scotland, widespread severe gales on the southern flank pretty much covering most of the uk. these are the sorts of wind gusts we can expect, even inland up to 60 mph or more, in excess of 70—80mph around irish sea coasts and 90mph over parts of northern ireland and western scotland. the amber warning is valid until 6am. these are the temperatures we can expect to start monday morning, 6—11 celsius. so, storm isha's likely to bring significant disruption to travel on monday morning. stay tuned to your local radio bulletins and also bbc breakfast for the latest updates. monday itself looks very windy, though storm isha pulling away

into the norwegian sea, staying blustery with showers, and some showers will be heavy at times. best of sunshine will tend to be over eastern parts of the country — these temperatures 7—11. but as we move through monday evening and overnight, the winds will begin to ease down as a ridge of high pressure starts to build and the showers die off over northern and western areas. it'll turn dry and clear and cool over the north and east of the uk, but the next spell of wet and windy weather early on tuesday morning. here it is on the pressure chart — the next low pressure system to bring a spell of rain and gales. not as severe as storm isha, but still a blustery day, wet and windy weather over western areas spreading to all areas. could see some transient snow on the mountains of scotland before the mild air starts to move north across the whole country and it will be very mild indeed for the time of year — temperatures reaching

14, maybe 15 celsius. the weather remains quite changeable through the week, wet and windy spells interspersed with drier and sunnier moments. generally for the time of year, it's going to be staying mild throughout.

us markets defy geopolitical concerns, surging to a record high. we'll take a look at what's behind the optimism. plus: why americans pay twice as much for sugar than the rest of the world. hello, and welcome to asia business report. the us stock market surged to a new high on friday — signs investors are shrugging off global headwinds. the rally�*s being driven mainly by big tech and is seen spilling over to the s&p 500 — a benchmark index that investors closely watch. it ended friday's trading session at a record high, outstripping its previous record more than a year ago. i spoke to tribeca investment

partners, who told me what's driving the rally.