where vladimir putin faces no real challengers. plus, breaking boundaries at the fashion bible — the bbc speaks to the first black female editor of british vogue. i'm helena humphrey. glad you could join me. us senate majority leader chuck schumer has called for new elections in israel, accusing israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu of prioritising his "political survival" above the country. mr schumer, a democrat and america's highest—ranking jewish elected official, said the us should use its leverage to persuade mr netanyahu to change course. while the us remains israel's closest ally and biggest provider of military aid, concerns have been mounting within the biden administration over israel's conduct in gaza as the humanitarian crisis there worsens. now, president biden�*s top ally on capitol hill is calling for israel to make

"course corrections". i have known prime minister netanyahu for a very long time and while we have vehemently disagreed on many occasions, i will always respect his extraordinary bravery for israel on the battlefield as a younger man. i believe in his heart he has his highest priority as — is the security of israel. however, i also believe prime minister netanyahu has lost his way. senior israeli figures, including the ambassador to the us, michael herzog, and mr netanyahu's chief political rival, benny gantz, criticised mr schumer�*s intervention, calling it unhelpful, counterproductive, and unacceptable. mr schumer�*s comments come as the biden administration continues to pressure mr netanyahu not to launch a ground offensive on gaza's southernmost city, rafah — something the white house says is a red line.

but talking to troops on thursday, mr netanyahu sounded undaunted. translation: there are international pressures l preventing us from entering rafah and completing the work. as prime minister of israel, i push away these pressures and we have been doing this successfully for five months already, this record time in the history of the war. i will continue to push away the pressure and we will enter rafa h. we will complete the elimination of the rest of the hamas battalions. dozens of palestinians have been killed or injured by israeli forces while waiting for humanitarian aid at gaza's kuwaiti roundabout. the hamas—run health ministry said that at least 11 dead bodies arrived at al shifa hospital. while a ceasefire deal between israel and hamas remains elusive, hamas said it has presented a truce deal to mediators, based on stopping what it has called israel's aggression against palestinians in gaza. in exchange for the return of all hostages, hamas proposed a more—than—four—month ceasefire. the deal would include

relief aid and the return of displaced gazans to their homes. it also includes the withdrawal of israeli forces from gaza. meanwhile, israel's military says it plans to move the 1.4 million palestinians sheltering in rafah before a planned ground offensive in the city. civilians will be moved to areas israel calls "humanitarian islands" in the middle of the strip. aid groups warn it will be difficult to move so many people to such a small area, especially since a lack of fuel means many will likely have to travel on foot. much of the infrastructure in the areas designated as islands has been badly damaged by israeli attacks. the un and us have warned that a full—scale assault in rafah could be disastrous. earlier, a former spokesperson for the israel defence forces, jonathan conricus, told the bbc that without the support of aid groups, moving people would be a complicated process. ideally, there would be un involvement and aid organisations involved in doing this, but sadly we have seen the same aid organisations refuse to help and participate in alleviating

the suffering in gaza. so sadly, i think it will be done by the idf alone and it would be ideal if these palestinians could find refuge elsewhere — for instance, egypt or in any other location that is not the combat battlefield, but sadly that has not been available and therefore the idf is forced to do what it is doing now. in response to israeli forces moving palestinians to humanitarian islands, this is what sari bashi, programme director at human rights watch, had to say. it is hard to imagine that would happen, considering the experience of the last five months. the israeli military, from the very first day, has flouted its obligations to protect civilians, in particular by refraining from attacks on civilians, and facilitating the rapid delivery of humanitarian assistance. throughout the war, the israeli

military has issued evacuation orders when there is no safe place to go to, and no safe way to get there. that is why we have seen more than 31,000 people killed in gaza since october 7, including over 12,000 children. i spoke earlier with aaron david miller, senior fellow at the carnegie endowment for international peace. what do you think the white house is making of all of this behind closed doors? the administration has said these are the words of senator schumer — they have been very clear on that point — but it also comes a time when we see pressure from president biden himself, you know, to limited success, i think it's fair to say, in the eyes of the biden administration. what you think they will make of that? i think they are happy with the fact that such

a stalwart supporter of israel came out and publicly expressed the views that i am sure most of the ministries and officials including the president probably hold privately. it is clear that the president has no intention of following the remarks of senator schumer. i think the administration is literally grappling, the president has a huge commitment to israel. he needs the netanyahu government in order to change the situation in gaza. and to allow predictable period of time, 6—8 weeks, trying to get humanitarian assistance into gaza. you notice that as the mensuration has ramped up its rhetoric, not so much as actions, it seems to be coming around however slowly

on the issue of doing more in the humanitarians are at. i don't think the administration has yet reached the point yet where they are prepared to speak as schumer has spoken or to impose real costs and consequences on israel. frustration is building, and the next month or so, during ramadan, i think will test the possibility of another israel—hamas hostage deal, number one, see if the administration can't find a way to get more humanitarian aid into gaza and then they will have to grapple with the determination of israel to launch a ground campaign in rafah, which probably will not happen for at least another month. that will be a real test for the administration. russians in the far east of the country are heading to the polls in a three—day long presidential election. vladimir putin, the incumbent, has been in powerfor 25 years. he is expected to easily secure another six—year term. mr putin faces three challengers in the election, though none have been critical of him.

the bbc�*s russia editor, steve rosenberg, went to the town of borovsk, south of moscow, where two very different pictures of russia are on display. these days, when vladimir 0vchinnikov paints russia, the result is very dark. from a mountain of skulls and a dictator's ambition to this — russia's war in ukraine likened to stalin's terror. the 86—year—old artist had taken his anti—war message onto the streets, graffitiing "stop the war". all these paintings were scrubbed out, and vladimir fined twice for discrediting the russian army. but he continues to speak out against the invasion of ukraine. translation: i believe that this is a crime - against the territorial integrity of a neighbouring country. it is a crime. and if i keep silent about it, it is like i am condoning it.

last month, after the death in prison of opposition leader alexei navalny, vladimir went into town. on this memorial to victims of political repression, he painted mr navalny�*s face. it was quickly erased. but vladimir has created this navalny portrait at home. translation: where is russia heading? . some say we are on our way to more repression, totalitarianism, and to full dictatorship. but there is another picture of russia, one much brighter. the official version. the picture the authorities want russians to see is not of a country that is aggressive abroad and repressive at home, but a russia with a glorious past and a bright future, of heroes and patriots who not only love their country, but also their current president.

instead of dictatorship, it's devotion to the leader on state tv and an action man president flying high and on course for an election landslide. mind you, vladimir putin faces no serious challenge. his fiercest critics are in exile or in prison, or in alexei navalny�*s case, dead. it is impossible to say about our election that it is fair and free. politician boris nadezhdin was barred from running from the election and he claims it was because his anti—war message was growing too popular with the public. in russia we have propaganda, we have the belief that everybody in russia supports vladimir putin and supports the military operation.

it is really not the effect, and my election campaign shows that a lot of people are against vladimir putin and against the special military operation. but he is on the ballot. although, when i caught up with the communist candidate, nikolay kharitonov, he praised putin. "vladimir putin," he said, "is consolidating "the nation for victory." and back in borovsk, many seem to believe that. "i hope putin wins," lyudmila says, "although we do "have talented leaders who could run "the country in an emergency." a putin—less russia means an emergency. now, that is a picture of the kremlin will be more than happy to see painted. steve rosenberg, bbc news, borovsk. at least 60 people are reported to have died trying to cross the mediterranean from libya. around 25 people were rescued from an overcrowed inflatable boat. they say the engine cut out three days into

the crossing, leaving them drifting for days without food and water. the survivors have been taken to italy. 0ur reporter sofia bettiza is following the story. last friday, a group of migrants set off from libya on a dinghy hoping to reach italy, but their engine broke down, and because of that, they were stranded at sea for four days. they were waiting, hoping to be rescued, but they started to die one by one because they didn't have any food or water. now, this is just the latest tragedy in the mediterranean sea. and the international organisation for migration says that 2023 was the deadliest yearfor migrants on record. the un agency says that in 2023, at least 8,565 people died on migration routes. and that death toll, that number is a 20% increase compared to 2022.

now, what this latest tragedy shows is that despite all these risks, thousands of people are still willing to risk everything to cross the mediterranean sea in the hope for a better life in europe. around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news. let's look at some top stories in the uk. prime minister rishi sunak has ruled out may second as a possible date for a general election. that's when local elections are already taking place. speaking to itv news, mr sunak said they would not happen on the same day. earlier this year mr sunak had suggested that the vote would be in the second half of 202a. but there had been speculation he might move that up. ministers have unveiled a new definition of extremism. the guidelines would block certain groups from government funding and meeting with officials. it would apply to groups that promote an ideology based on "violence, hatred or intolerance".

but the label will not criminalise them. civil liberties advocates and some mps have criticised recent government rhetoric on extremism. and the lineup for one of the world's biggest music festivals has been announced. dua lipa and sza top the bill for glastonbury, meaning two female headliners for the first time in the festival's history. theyjoin coldplay and shania twain, who'll perform in the coveted sunday legend slot. you're live with bbc news. politicians and business leaders in haiti continue to negotiate the make—up of a nine—member transitional council that will govern the caribbean nation after its prime minister ariel henry officially steps down. one of the country's most powerful gang leaders, jimmy cherizier, also known as barbecue, rejected a proposed deal that excludes anyone who has been convicted, indicted, orsanctioned from serving on the council.

gangs that control most of the capital port—au—prince launched an armed campaign almost two weeks ago, when they called for the removal of prime minister henry. as the situation on the ground becomes more volatile, the united nations is evacuating non—essential staff from haiti, and says that it is setting up an air—bridge from the dominican republic, to deliver aid. meanwhile, the dominican republic, which shares the island of hispaniola with haiti, escalated their security operations. 0ur caribbean and central american correspondent will grant reports from the border. it has been another busy and chaotic day on the border between the dominican republic and haiti. a lot of people coming through from the haitian site today because it is market day in this border town and people are permitted to go solely to the market and sell goods or buy bulk items, and then return but not to go into the country properly. meanwhile, the number of people still being returned over the border, deported back into haiti continues at pace. in the capital port—au—prince there has been another uptick

of violence over the past 2a hours with reports of an attack on the main penitentiary. the politics continues as well with efforts to name the interim council, seven names on that list, none of which will be accepted by the main gang leader jimmy cherizier who has used threatening language to make it clear that he does not see anybody on that list or the council as part of haiti's future. in the meantime, the ordinary population in haiti are trying to make ends meet, trying to find enough food and the united nations has announced water it calls an air bridge from this country, the dominican republic, into haiti, and that will take some time to organise but there was a real push to get that sorted out sooner rather than later, such is the urgent need in the haitian capital. ajury in michigan has found the father of a school shooter guilty of involuntary manslaughter. james crumbley, father of the oxford high school shooter who killed four of his classmates in 2021,

was found guilty on all counts. the jury determined that crumbley bears partial responsibility for giving his son access to the gun he used to carry out michigan's deadliest school shooting. crumbley�*s wife was also found guilty on the same charges last month, and their son ethan, a teenager at the time, was sentenced to life in prison without parole. the case marks the first time american parents have been convicted of manslaughter in connection with a school shooting. former us president donald trump appeared in a florida court on thursday, where a judge denied his request to dismiss charges of illegally holding onto classified documents. mr trump's legal team argued that the central charge against him, illegally retaining information related to national defence, is improperly vague. however, us district judge aileen cannon, who was appointed by the former president himself, ruled that that the question of vageuness should be decided during a jury trial. mr trump has pleaded not guilty to the a0 charges accusing him of taking sensitive government documents with him when he left the white house in 2021.

that case in florida is one of four criminal cases he faces as he ramps up his presidential campaign. another is the so—called hush—money case in new york. on thursday, prosecutors said they would not oppose a 30—day delay in a trial that was set to begin on march 25. in that case, mr trump is accused of falsifying business records to hide a payment to adult film star stormy daniels. he's pleaded not guilty to all 3a felony counts. earlier, i spoke to mark zaid, an attorney who focuses on cases related to national security. let's start with a look at the florida case, then, and the classified documents. trump's team challenged whether he should be prosecuted under the espionage act for retaining classified documents. we knowjudge aileen cannon, a trump appointee, threw that out. she said that would be premature. what do you make of that ruling? right. so this is a 2—page order

and i was very surprised that they took literally almost the entire day to argue two motions that, frankly, were long shots to begin with, and did not deserve as much time as they received. so the motion that was denied with respect to the constitutionality and vagueness of certain terms in the espionage act — this is an act that dates back to world war i, 1917, last amended during the korean conflict 70 years ago — and it has been used countless times against not only spies but also leakers of classified information or those who just mishandle it, national defence information, the term in this older statute. this has been decided multiple times over the years, so i am not sure why she denied it without prejudice, because these are not questions of fact that will come before the jury, but at least she acted really quickly, which has been somewhat unusual for her. i want to talk about

a second point as well. you were just mentioning that trump's lawyers raising another point with regards to the presidential records act, saying it should be up to a president to use their discretion whether something is a presidential record or can be declassified as a personal one. the thought here being it could be up to their thought process. what do you make of that argument? anyone and certainly our generation or the one above us, our parents, who had microwaves, know they did not need an instruction in the owner's manual not to dry your pet in it. that is the sort of framework of this motion that i view it by. the presidential records act, which was created in the aftermath of watergate, in the nixon administration, where richard nixon wanted

to retain tape recordings of oval office meetings, the infamous 18—minute gap, to decide what was personal and what were presidential records. prior to that statute, staff and presidents and vice presidents would take home all sorts of documents for decades, including classified information. this statute makes it very clear as to what is and what is not personal and presidential. it does not apply to classified or national defence information. there have been numerous executive orders which govern classification, no mention of the presidential records act, there were numerous orders that existed before the presidential records act, and there was no mention in that statute. it's a civil statute. had president trump wanted to challenge whether or not these were his records, he could have returned them to the national archives, and then filed a civil lawsuit to challenge.

i don't know why this motion is still on the table and my hope is that judge cannon will issue a very well reasoned, whether lengthy or short, opinion and puts this issue to bed very quickly. mark, i know you specialise in national security, but i do want to get your take on the hush money case. because that was the first criminal case we expected to move forward — now the potential for it to be delayed up to 30 days. briefly, what does that mean for the trump team and defence? it's great for the trump team, because it delays this case even further, which is frankly what they want. it is a horrible look for the prosecution, but the reality is it was not their fault, it was the federal government's fault in the southern district of new york, and the us attorney—general�*s 0ffice for not providing these

documents to the new york city prosecutors sooner. this is a real egg on their face, an unnecessary, unforced error as we say. mark zaid, an attorney who focuses on cases related to national security. we always appreciate your analysis. thank you. my pleasure. from 1920s starlets, to the supermodels of the �*90s, the fashion bible british vogue has seen it all. now, the glossy magazine has a new boss. chioma nnadi, has replaced edward enninful, to be become the first ever black woman to sit in the editor's chair. noor nanji reports. style, famous faces, outlandish outfits. for decades, vogue and its editors have informed us of the biggest fashion trends. now the british magazine has a new woman in charge determined to make her mark. yeah, his show was one of the best. you're the first woman of colour to hold this post. what does that mean to you? it's obviously an incredible honour. and i think, thinking about the sort of younger baby chioma, thinking about what she might have thought and i know how meaningful it is for, for younger people to see someone like me, who looks like me,

in a position like this. my first childhood memories is just fixating on a pair of shiny shoes, these patent leather shoes, when i was a kid. and ijust remember getting my dad to buy them because my mum wouldn't. and ifeel that getting dressed is one of the mostjoyful things i get to do every day and i like to bring a sense of colour and joy and optimism. chioma spent the last 1a years working at vogue in new york before returning to london, where she grew up. the thing i brought to american vogue was a sense of british style and that eccentricity and that sense of cherry picking from different things. and i think leaving the uk made me realisejust how much of a london girl i was. i really love this cover — cover image. for her debut issue, nnadi chose to feature the singer fka twigs — a nod to her early days as a musicjournalist. that colour was all over the runways this season. the magazine's circulation has remained steady over recent years, but it does still face challenges. vogue has been criticised

for being out of touch and for displaying fashion that is unaffordable to most people. what would you say to that? for me, when i open a magazine, that's really what i want to see. and there is obviously a fantasy aspect of fashion, and that's obviously what drew me in, too, as a young person. and how would your colleagues describe you? are you sort of a terrifying, devil wears prada type editor, or are you more easygoing? i hope — i hope i'm not terrifying. i would say i'm pretty easygoing, but i also have a really strong sense of what i like. so this is... her new chapter starts now as she takes the helm of the industry's fashion bible. noor nanji, bbc news. iam i am helena iam helena humphrey. thank i am helena humphrey. thank you for your time company. i will see you soon. hello. well, the weather has been very mild in the last day or so. in london, temperatures on thursday reached 18.1 degrees celsius, so spring is definitely in the air. how about friday?

i don't think it's going to be quite as warm and if anything, a lot of cloud and a good chance of catching some rain. now, currently, an area of low pressure is crossing us with its weather fronts and that spells a lot of rain—bearing cloud. and in fact, through the night, it will have been a wet picture across many parts of scotland. rain also around the lake district and elsewhere we've got showers crossing the uk. temperatures early in the morning on friday — double figures for london and norwich and many of us around 9—10 degrees. a bit colder there in scotland — 5 for aberdeen. the forecast, then, for friday, and a lot of cloud first half of the day, very few glimmers of sunshine. showers possible through the morning and afternoon across england and wales, cracks of thunder likely, but out towards the west — and in some other areas as well — there'll be some bright spells. temperatures — well, from yorkshire southwards i think we're still talking about the mid—teens, but further north and west, closer to around 10 or 11. and then friday night the skies clear, and into saturday morning with lighter winds, it is going to be a chilly start. so crisp sunshine early

on saturday with temperatures in parts of scotland around —3 degrees celsius. i don't think it's going to be frosty in the south. so saturday, lots of bright if not sunny weather across many northern and eastern areas. but this weather front is approaching — its southwesterlies pushing the rain bearing clouds so there will be some damp weather for the south—west, for wales, the irish sea and into northern ireland. temperatures though, around 10—13 degrees. and then for the rest of the weekend, while weather fronts keep on crossing the uk, notice that the winds are blowing out of the southwest — that's a mild direction. so if anything, despite all the cloud and the early outbreaks of rain, i think on sunday with that even southerly, i think the temperatures are going to rise. we're talking around 15—16, maybe even 17 degrees celsius in one or two spots across the east and the southeast. let's have a look at the outlook. it is going to be a mixed

bag, every weather icon you can possibly imagine. but those temperatures are going to remain on the mild side. mid—teens across the south — around, say, 8—13 in the north of the uk. that's it from me. bye— bye.

voice-over: this is bbc news. we will have the headlines

for you at the top of the hour, which is straight after this programme. welcome to hardtalk. i'm stephen sackur. millions of haitians face a daily struggle for survival. gang violence is rampant. the streets are lawless. basic services from health care to food distribution are broken. starvation and disease loom large. ariel henry, the unelected prime minister, has now said he's quitting. but is there any prospect of more effective leaders emerging? well, my guest is former acting prime minister claudejoseph. can haiti's unfolding catastrophe be reversed? would an armed international intervention make things better or worse?