and — voting is under way in indonesia's general election — with a controversial former general among those vying to become president. hello. for the first time in 150 years — the us house of representatives has impeached a member of the president's cabinet. tueday�*s vote marked the second push by republicans to charge department of homeland security secretary, alejandro mayorkas with willfully refusing to enforce border laws and breaching the public�*s trust. a vote last week fell short. tueday�*s vote marked the second push by republicans to charge department of homeland security secretary, alejandro mayorkas with willfully refusing to enforce border laws and breaching the public�*s trust. a vote last week fell short.

tuesday's margin was thin, just 214 �*for�* and 213 �*against�*. two republicans and two democrats did not participate. after the vote house speaker mikejohnson said in a statement: the speaker went on to say... president biden put out his own statement, saying"history will not look kindly on house republicans for their blatant act of unconstitutional partisanship that. has targeted an honorable public servant in order to play petty political games. instead of staging political stunts like this, republicans with genuine concerns about the border should want congress to deliver more border resources and stronger border security." this all comes as illegal crossings at the us—mexico border dropped by nearly half from december to january. in the last month of 2023, us border patrol agents recorded nearly 250,000 apprehensions of migrants who crossed the southern border unlawfully.

that is the most arrests ever made on the southern border in a single month... breaking the record of 212,000 set the previous december. but those numbers dropped injanuary consistent with past trends, to around 124,000 arrests. in the last hour i spoke about this with npr congressional correspondent claudia grisales. thank claudia grisales. you forjoining us. it did thank you forjoining us. it did fail last week. three republicans joined democrats in this very narrowly controlled republican chamber who blocked the order to alejandro mayorkas last week. they were missing a key member, who was out battling cancer and he was able to return to the house this evening, giving republicans in the house that one vote margin to be able to push this impeachment across the line and see the secretary

mayorkas impeached this evening on articles, saying that he had failed in terms of his duty as secretary. despite how many impeachments we have seen in recent years, they are incredibly rare, what is significant about what has happened here? very significant, it has been 150 years since we have seen a member of a presidential cabinet impeached. this is a big historic moment for house republicans, also for house speaker mikejohnson, he is only a few months into hisjob but this is something that republicans have been talking about ever since they took control of the house last year. and even before then this was a major goal for them to go to go after mayorkas. it is an historic moment but it will not go far, we do not expect much from the democratically controlled senate to do with this house action. it wasn't unanimous amongst house republicans, three did vote against it,

have they said why? yes, mike gallagher of wisconsin, he is now an outgoing member and this is his last term in the house. he said that he did not believe that this claim that mayorkas failed in his duty enough so that he would be impeached. that the threshold was even reached. and all three republicans who voted against this pretty much said similar in terms of not seeing enough here in terms of impeaching mayorkas and also some concerns that this is going to become a back—and—forth between democrats and republicans to continue to impeach members of the opposing party. that believe that it doesn't reach the bar to be considered a high crime and misdemeanour, is that a view that some senate republicans may share? yes, that is another interesting wrinkle in all of this.

while senate democrats are opposed to this, there are senate republicans who are opposed to this as well. you need 60 votes for example in the senate to convict. assuming the senate goes forward with some sort of impeachment trial, there just isn't nowhere near that number of senators he would get on board in terms of supporting a conviction of mayorkas. just on that point, how do we think or do we know how the senate is going to handle this? they have a few options here. they could hold an abbreviated trial, for example. they are not in for at least two weeks, theyjust left this morning. so it is very possible this is something they could pick up when they come back. senate majority leader chuck schumer this evening railed against this. said that it was not something that will go very far, he didn't expect.

but they would address it in the senate in terms of how procedure demands them too. but it is something that he and other democrats are very much frustrated and angry that this is an issue that they now have to take up in the higher chamber. in other major us political news on tuesday, democrats have now picked up the us house seat formerly held by republican george santos. the win further narrows the already razor—thin majority for republicans in the house of representatives. cbs news projects democrat tom suozzi will win the seat — after the state of new york held a special election on tuesday. both parties poured millions of dollars into the race. mr santos was expelled last december amid allegations of fraud. he faces a multi—count federal indictment for money laundering, fraud and other charges.

turnout in tuesday's special election to replace santos — was dampened by a snowstorm that blanketed the new york area. that's likely to have helped democrats — who made a strong showing in early voting. in washington, a showdown over foreign aid is looming. a bipartisan group of senators approved a $95 billion aid package for ukraine, israel, the indo—pacific, and global humanitarian efforts. the next stop for the bill is the house — but it's unclear if the lower chamber will vote on or adopt the provisions after the house speaker mike johnson dismissed it. before the passing senate vote — speakerjohnosn criticized the current iteration of the legislation for not addressing issues at us—mexico border — which has seen a record number of migrants crossings under the biden adminsitration. mrjohnson implied he wouldn't schedule a house vote any time soon — though president biden called on the speaker to act quickly.

iurge i urge speakerjohnson to bring it to the floor immediately. immediately. there is no question that a senate bill was put on the floor in the house of representatives, it would pass. it would pass. for republicans in congress who think they can oppose funding for ukraine and not be held accountable, history is watching. history is watching. failure to support ukraine at this critical moment will never be forgotten. the bill allocates $95 billion — or more than £75 billion — in aid for america's national security interests. roughly 60 billion is earmarked for kyiv, 1a billion for israel. another 10 billion for humanitarian efforts including gaza, and four billion for indo—pacific allies. tuesday's supplemental is a stripped—down version of the $118 billion aid package that senate republicans voted down last week, after it drew criticism from former president trump and speakerjohnson.

in kyiv, ukrainian president volodymyr zelensky applauded the senate's passage of the deal, writing on x... "for us in ukraine, continued us assistance helps to save human lives from russian terror. it means that life will continue in our cities and will triumph over war." 0ur reporter sarah rainsford has more on the view from kyiv. this news has been welcomed in kyiv. we have heard from president zelensky who said it brings peace closer in ukraine and talked about this deal helping the security and prosperity of americans and the free world, as he put it, so notjust free world, as he put it, so not just for free world, as he put it, so notjust for ukraine. we talked about it boosting confidence inside ukraine itself. everyone knows this is not a done deal, it isjust one knows this is not a done deal, it is just one step on the way to clearing that aid package for ukraine. but basically people here think it is absolutely critical. i have had pundits, experts and analysts

telling me it would be catastrophic for ukraine if ultimately this aid package isn't passed. it is notjust about money for the budget, it's notjust about helping ukraine keep taxes down and help ukraine keep inflation down, it is also critically money for military assistance. it is about buying the ammunition and the weaponry that ukraine needs to keep defending itself. it comes at a really precarious time for this country when the fighting on the front line is fierce, but it is not advancing. so ukraine is holding russian forces back but it is not able to take new territory and it is desperately low on ammunition. i had a very senior source in ukraine the other day telling me that in one of the hottest spots on the front ukrainian forces are out and eight to one and they outgunned eight to one. so russia has a huge advantage and it is also getting weaponry from north korea and from iran. so ukraine really american

support. as we await a house vote on the package, i broke down the latest withjohn herbst, former us ambassador to ukraine who currently serves as senior director of the atlantic councils eurasia center. we had president zelensky describing the passage of this bill through the us senate as meaning that life will continue in our cities and we will triumph over war. do you see it in those terms?— in those terms? president zelensky _ in those terms? president zelensky is _ in those terms? president zelensky is absolutely - in those terms? president l zelensky is absolutely right. if it is not passed in the house, ukraine desperately needs this aid to continue floating front line russia and it will be much diminished. they want it linked to border security and they view it as a us national security concern as well, what is your view of linking those issues together?

i think the border is a national security concern and it should be addressed. but there is no need to link the two issues. both are critical national security interests of the united states. it would be great if we could solve the question of aid to ukraine but we should let holds up on one of those prevent us from moving on the other and that is what we are seeing right now. president biden has said if the house doesn't pass the bill the consequences for america's national security will be significant. what does he mean by that, in your experience? if as a result of america stopping aid to ukraine, putin succeeds in conquering ukraine. 0ne, we have to worry about a much more aggressive kremlin that might strike against nato allies, which are harder to defend than ukraine, which is a large country. two, american leadership will be seen as weak and it will encourage president xi

to move on taiwan. it will encourage iran to produce even more provocations against the united states and israel in the middle east. it would make the consequences of a disastrous exit from afghanistan seems small. it is odd that politicians who criticise the withdrawal from afghanistan are advocating policies that are far more dangerous to american security. he mention american leadership on a global stage, what message does it send, all of this back and forward to the us domestic politics, what message does that send to american allies about future promises of support? about future promises of smart?— about future promises of support? allies are quite concerned _ support? allies are quite concerned about - support? allies are quite concerned about the - support? allies are quite i concerned about the current situation. you talk about europe trying to find ways to cope with its own security. but people who paid attention over the last 75 or 80 years since the last 75 or 80 years since the end of world war ii, note that the great peace the world has enjoyed in europe and

elsewhere, the absence of great power was as a direct result of the institutions the united states helped create and has led. especially nato. so if the united states is seen as an unreliable partner or ally by its friends, by its allies, this will embolden the authoritarian states, which very much want to reduce american security of hemming american security of hemming american prosperity. we have a vital stake in making sure that ukraine is able to stop russian aggression in ukraine. as long as we provide the assistance we have been providing, that will happen. if we were bold in providing assistance, we can hasten putin's defeat in ukraine. but we have to first maintain the assistance and thatis maintain the assistance and that is what this aid bill is all about.— that is what this aid bill is all about. , , ., all about. there is separate preposed — all about. there is separate proposed funding _ all about. there is separate proposed funding in - all about. there is separate proposed funding in this - all about. there is separate | proposed funding in this bill for israel's military action in

gaza and humanitarian aid for gaza and humanitarian aid for gaza as well, giving you also spent many years serving in various guises in israel for the us state department, this impending assault on 13 tacro, the un has said it could lead to slaughter, does the un need to slaughter, does the un need to look for its support for israel? , ., . israel? there is an historic attern israel? there is an historic pattern going _ israel? there is an historic pattern going back- israel? there is an historic| pattern going back literally many decades where israel suffered some form of aggression whether it is from other states in the region or from terrorist groups and in response, when it begins to respond and usually when it responds it had some success, it's great global pressure at the un will reign in israel. and the us support for israel sometimes response to that pressure and then try to persuade the israelis to be less resolute. this is what we are seeing right now. but

israel does have a right to defend itself and america should stand alongside israel, which is not to say america should endorse every single action that israel undertakes. but i see the major problem in the middle east, it is as allowing iran to strike at us through proxies. how many hundreds of attacks have been on american bases with a small american response and three american response and three american soldiers died recently. how many missiles have been launched by the houthis without any substantial response from the united states? this is a problem, too. plenty more to discuss on that but we believe it there the moment. thank you forjoining us. moment. thank you for “oining us. ~ , moment. thank you for “oining us. g , around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news. let's look at a top story in the uk. radio listeners in the uk are mourning the loss of steve wright, the bbc

presenter who's died at the age of 69. wright hosted bbc radio shows for more than four decades. he also fronted television programmes, including top of the pops. peter bowes worked with wright back in the 1990s, and shared his memories. people felt as if they knew him, it was a one—to—one relationship that his comedy, often times is very everyday comedy, related to them. i think that's what made him special. he wasn't as he described himself, he wasn't the jock, he wasn'tjust spinning the discs as they met said in the olden days with him he had a conversation, light—hearted conversation about life sometimes. he was fun to be with, fun to listen to. steve wright's career at the bbc began when he started working as a clerk. he then got his own show called �*steve wright in the afternoon�* in 1981. wright was last on air on sunday you're live with bbc news.

talks are ongoing in egypt — over a potential ceasefire between israel and hamas. senior intelligence officials from the us, egypt, and israel along with the qatari prime minister attended. a us official tells our news partner cbs that those conversations were productive, but there were no significant breakthroughs. 0ne sticking point is how many palestinian prisoners will be released for israeli hostages. here's our correspondent nick beake. there have been talks which have continued in egypt today and that is to try and bring about some sort of ceasefire. certainly a lull in the fighting for maybe six weeks or so, in which the hostages taken by hamas on october the 7th can be released. we understand some palestinian prisoners in israel would probably be freed as well. hard to ascertain how much progress is being made in these talks. america seems to think they are moving in the

right direction, but it would seem over the past few weeks that israel and hamas really are very far apart on some really crucial elements to any possible ceasefire deal. finally, the israeli defence forces tonight have released a video and they say this video shows the leader of hamas in gaza, in the days after the october the 7th of attacks. he is said to be underground in the vast tunnel network in the city of khan younis, apparently with family members, including children. this video is four months old but what i think the israelis are trying to do is to say this is the man who was responsible for the atrocities on october the 7th. i think they are trying to give this as a reminder to the world as to why their big military operation continues, despite the growing international criticism. voting is under way in indonesia, in one of the world's largest

presidential elections. jobs seem to be the biggest concern for younger voters, who make up more than half of the country's 205—million registered voters. the current frontrunner, seen here in the middle, is defence minister prabowo subianto, a retired general. anies baswedan, on the left, and ganjar pranowo, on othe right, are also in the running. anies baswedan, on the left, and ganjar pranowo, on othe right, are also in the running. unofficial quick count results are expected to come within hours. in the last hour i spoke with our correspondent steve lai, who's injakarta. the polls closed and the count has started beyond that. the official results don't always come out for 35 days after that but the quick count does give us an indication as to who will be winning and candidates have claimed and conceded victory based on these quick counts. hopefully we will have a clearer picture later this evening. you talk about the key issues and jobs is one of them, especially for the young population here.

you mention subianto,the front runner, i want to get more on that for you now with my guest, jonathan head. more known on subianto international stage than the other candidates, but not necessarily for the best reasons? he is a controversial character, special forces commander and was the son—in—law of the dictator who ran indonesia during the cold war and was ousted 26 years ago. he has a chequered past and is an outspoken man, often talked about how western—style democratic values shouldn't apply to indonesia. there are some concerns about what would happen to this young and very lively democracy if prabowo wins the presidency. he has been ahead of his other candidates for much of the campaign. he has refashioned himself in this campaign as an older, more avuncular figure, quite quirky, slick social media campaign and that has appeal to a lot of younger indonesians. the president, has done a very successfuljob at building up infrastructure and advancing the economy.

most of the key policies prabowo is saying you will get most of the same and the voters like that. tiktok is what he has used for his medium to reach out to younger voters. something we have seenjoe biden perhaps emulating as well. indonesia is the world's third largest democracy after india and the united states and a muslim population, it is an ally of the us. depending on who wins, do you see a change in its relationship with the united states? i don't think that will change. indonesia prides itself on being a good, global citizen and they do feel caught in the us china rivalry. china's critical economy, a lot of the infrastructure here was built with chinese investment. but indonesia, like a lot of countries worry about china's ambitions in the south china sea and has been a key partner for the us along with places like vietnam in this kind of balancing act. it is a pluralistic country, it is inclusive, lots of religions and cultures here.

that is something in this election we haven't seen the division between islam and secularism we have seen in the past. we have seen inclusiveness and it is part of the indonesian package. 0ne quick word from you about a misconception about indonesia when it comes to democracy, what should the international audience know? it is a lively democracy, a young one they have only had free elections for the last 25 years. but they're not going to buy all of the western package. people don't like conflict, they worry it can get out of hand and what the president has done, he has brought everyone in and you haven't had a lot of debate about a lot of policies. it is the indonesian style, find a consensus it is not the rowdy, democratic politics we are used to in the west. not as confrontational in the public space. so there's quite a bit of stake here, regarding the indonesian elections. we will be watching closely here on bbc news and i will be out on the ground injakarta and into the evening

and reporting as the results come in. making headlines. the us secretary of defense lloyd austin was released from a military hospital — after undergoing treatment for bladder issues. the pentagon says — austin was discharged from walter reed medical center on tuesday — and will perform his duties remotely from home for now, while he recuperates. following prostate cancer surgery. thunderstorms are complicating efforts to put out wildfires in the australian state of victoria. the storms have knocked over several transmission towers, leaving half a million people without electricity. authorities in victoria had urged several rural communities to evacuate their homes because of potentially catastrophic fires fanned by rising temperatures and high winds. the conditions are said to be the worst since deadly wildfires four years ago. a major winter storm blanketed the northeast

us in snow on tuesday. some areas recorded up to 15 inches, or 38 centimeters of snow. and there are flood warnings in place for the northern mid—atlantic and southern new england coasts. several hundreds of flights have been delayed or canceled and schools in new york and boston were either closed for the day or had students attend remotely. stay with us here on bbc news. hello. it's wet, it's mild. if anything, it's going to get even milder across some parts of the country. but this story is not true for scotland — it's been quite the opposite. at the moment we've got clear skies. it's very cold in the highlands. and early on wednesday morning, temperatures in some spots could be as low as —8 degrees celsius — but not in northern ireland, england and wales. the air current is coming in from the southwest. weather fronts

are crossing us here. a lot of cloud and outbreaks of rain. so the clear skies will be across scotland through the early hours, and this is where we've got also light winds. we recently had some snow showers, as well, in the last 2a hours. so hence the temperatures are pretty low, close to the ground. but just to the south of that, we have the weather fronts, that thick cloud, layers of cloud, outbreaks of rain. 10 degrees in the south, around about 6 by the time we get to belfast, and a couple of degrees above freezing in the morning in glasgow and edinburgh. so here's the forecast for wednesday. now, these weather fronts or rain—bearing clouds will be shifting northwards through the course of the day. again, some wintriness across the highlands. i think to sum up wednesday, rain possible almost at any time, almost anywhere across the country. but also one or two glimmers of sunshine. temperatures should reach 1a or 15 degrees celsius, i think, across parts of england. and then on thursday, a more substantial area of rainfall crosses scotland. this is actually a cold front, so the air behind it is slightly cooler. ahead of it, here around east anglia, lincolnshire, the south east, where the sky's clear with a bit of sunshine,

it is possible that temperatures may reach 16 or 17 degrees celsius. not unheard of this time of the year. in fact, it's happening more and more often. so, why so mild? well, if we track this airstream, you can see the air�*s coming in all the way from portugal and spain, in fact, the canaries. and you can even trace it back all the way into the subtropical atlantic — a really mild air mass streaming our way over the next few days. but i mentioned something about a cold front. here it is, as it moves over the uk during the course of friday and then introducing something a little less mild. it's not going to get cold, it'sjust not going to be as mild. let's have a look at the outlook, then, over the next few days. so, the peak of this mild spell will be around thursday. but after that, it looks as though those temperatures will ease a little bit. staying on the mild side, and overall, the weather very changeable with rain at times.

welcome to hardtalk from new york. i'm stephen sackur.

the two—year anniversary of vladimir putin's all—out invasion of ukraine is fast approaching. the ensuing conflict has exposed deep geopolitical division here at united nations headquarters. it's also exposed deep political division inside the united states. right now, further american military and economic assistance to ukraine is blocked by partisan warfare on capitol hill. my guest today is ukraine's un ambassador, sergiy kyslytsya. does kyiv now feel betrayed? ambassador sergiy kyslytsya, welcome to hardtalk. well, thank you.

nice to see you.