hello, i'm sumi somaskanda. in an oval office address to the country, us president joe biden explained why he decided to exit the us presidential race in an oval office address on wednesday. the address marked the first timejoe biden has spoken publicly since he announced he was dropping out of the race just three days ago. he made the decision while in self—isolation with covid—19 at his home in delaware, following days of political fallout after a poor debate performance against former president trump in june. the 81—year—old president said the decision to step aside was a matter of defending democracy. i believe my record as president, my leadership in the world, my vision for america's future all merited a second term but nothing, nothing can come in the way of saving our democracy. that includes

personal ambition. so i have decided the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation, it is a best way to unite our nation. mr biden also praised the work and white house record of vice president kamala harris, who is now running in his place as the likely democratic presidential nominee. i want to thank our great vice president, kamala harris. she is experienced, she is tough and she is capable. she has been an incredible partner to me and a leader for our country. now the choice is up to you, the american people. meanwhile, new cnn polling shows that while mr trump holds a 3—point lead nationally over the vice president, 49 to 46%. that's within the 3 point margin of error. it also shows ms harris performs better thanjoe biden among young voters, where she's up 5 percentage points, and with black voters, where she is up 8 points, and women, where she's up 4 points on the president. speaking at a rally in north carolina, trump celebrated mr biden�*s exit from the race, and described ms

harris as inept. as you know, three days ago, we officially defeated the worst president in the history of our country, crooked joe biden. he quit because he was losing so badly in the polls, he was down in every single poll and down by a lot, so he quit. so now we have a new victim to defeat, lyin�* kamala harris, lyin' - l-y-i-n' - the most incompetent and far left vice president in american history. earlier, i spoke with sabrina siddiqui, white house reporter at the wall street journal about president biden�*s call to unite the democratic party and preserve democracy. this is obviously the first time we are hearing from president biden since his

decision to step aside beyond the written statement, it was really about explaining the rationale to the written statement, it was really about explaining the rationale to the the written statement, it was really about explaining the rationale to the american public and laying out what he believes are the stakes of the election, certainly i think, a bit more of a political speech, what was interesting is — she really did focus on the idea that america is not ruled by kings and dictators, and this is about saving the democracy and no political ambition is greater than that goal. it's a republican of the american people can keep it that way. in many ways he was sounding the same kind of warnings about the stakes in november as he and democrats see it, and weaving that into his decision to ultimately step aside because that was really the argument democrats made to him, truly believes what he is saying then you will accept you are not the most equipped messenger or a candidate to make that case to the american people over the

course of the next three months, even if i do agree this is the way he is presenting the situation to the american people we all know it took some time for him to reach this decision and he certainly would not have reached it if he had not have reached it if he had not been forced by a large number of democrats to ultimately step aside. i5 number of democrats to ultimately step aside. is this a bittersweet _ ultimately step aside. is this a bittersweet for _ ultimately step aside. is this a bittersweet for the - ultimately step aside. is this | a bittersweet for the moment ultimately step aside. is this - a bittersweet for the moment -- a bittersweet for the moment —— president reflecting on his own legacy and passing the torch and reflecting its place in the party is no longer the future? for those of us who covered his campaign in 2020, he had always positioned himself as a bridge, a transitionalfigure positioned himself as a bridge, a transitional figure with the democratic party who was going to be a conduit between his ten years in office to the next generation of leaders and that's why it was very puzzling or surprising i should say to some democrats when he chose to run re— election because a lot of people had interpreted those comments and is 2020 campaign to suggest the only ever intended given his age, to

perhaps remain in office for just one single term. so having this full circle moment when ali comes back to that idea, is really interesting. i also think, yes, he also when you heard him talk about how he did believe that his record and his vision has deserved a second term, he ultimately has come to the conclusion, even if it took some persuasion from a large number of democrats, that it is time to move on to the next generation of leaders, and that moment when he talked about being a bridge, that moment has come now. shortly after his oval office address, mr biden's wife, first ladyjill biden, posted on social media. she shared a post on instagram saying: for more insight on mr biden's remarks and the state of the race, i spoke with our panel stephanie murphy, a former democratic congresswoman from florida — and rodney davis, a former

republican congressman from illinois. stephanie, i'll start with you, this address puts perhaps an end to the chapter of president biden's seeking reelection but of course, we are now looking ahead to kamala harris and he has six months left in his term so, how do you think this address marks at this moment and marks a path forward? to step down from being the presumptive nominee, it explains, we should be clear that he was not yet a nominee and he took themselves out of the running for a because he had seen the polling on the path was impossible and it felt like it was time to hand the baton over to a younger generation as he talked about tonight because the stakes were too high. he made a selfless act and wanted — had a moment to talk about that.

but he did so just less than four months out of the election. and so, now, he's handed it over, at this point, the presumptive nominee will be harris but she has 100 days to run a campaign and am not one to disparage short campaigns, in fact, my first was only four months and i unseated a 2k year incumbents but there are some advantages to having short campaigns especially when the electorate wants change. and i think the election has been telling us for some time now that they want change. so we will see how this campaign plays out over the next less than four months. kamala harris not picked up the torch that some of those poll numbers were talking about, not as good for her as they need to be, you run campaigns as well, how do you see this next 100 days

playing out of her and the team, what do they need to do? my first race was a short race. i happened to win by the closest republican victory margin in the nation, a thousand and two votes. i know how close races become. every american is believing that this will be our race down to the wire. america's polarised and when you go into the states that are going to matter for the electoral college, i think the margins that joe biden had in the margins that kamala harris has, are pretty similar. maybe off but within the margin of error. americans have made up our minds, kamala harris has proven to be a disaster. that was a different time period, she is not the candidate, the annointed candidate, she is a prosecutor, she will be able to prosecute the case against donald trump, i will remind our viewers that it was her experience as a prosecutor that got her eviscerated on the bait

stage with my good friend tolson gabbert because she hundreds of african—americans teenagers into jail for petty marijuana crimes. these are the types of issues that president trump is going to be able to differentiate himself from vice president harris on the campaign trail and it was president trump that help pass the criminaljustice reform measures so those margins that are too tight right now for kamala harris can get even tighter. unless she truly becomes a candidate that america has never seen yet. just to note, what was a negative for her in a democratic primary which was being too tough on people who committed crimes... in a time coming off the black lives matter protests and a real cry for policing performance. it is an advantage to her at a time when republicans are trying to say democrats are soft on crime, she actually has a record of having been tough on crime

so that example i think is all about context. she ran, in a general record as a prosecutor and as an attorney general, plays differently than when she was running in a primary in a historic moment in this country. we were talking about voting groups that traditionally vote in democratic primaries, young voters, african—american voters and females, this is the democratic base and her numbers right now in a general election matchup against what president biden said is a threat to democracy using rhetoric that i think are still dangerous, president trump is not a threat to democracy, of the us and many americans still support him, this is not, it's dangerous rhetoric that

were talking about and still, still, those democratic voters in those certain demographic groups are still not looking to kamala harris as the candidate. let me ask you this because we heard from president trump in fhis rally in north carolina that kamala harris will destroy the country, there won't be a country in a years time when she takes office, how do you think republicans are now going to approach kamala harris going forward with similar rhetoric? of inspired rhetoric on the left and on the right. i think we all ought to turn this down but when president trump says something, he is condemned but when president biden is in an ice away from the oval office and it's not the same result, it is. and that's why politicians from both parties need to take a step back and realise that

neither candidate is a threat to the united states' survival. we are looking to choose a president of the united states... when we talk about defending democracy, democracy is on the line, it's different than trump's saying, why can't we shoot them in the legs, talking about the george floyd protesters, that is an actual call to a physical violent action, a little bit different than president biden saying we need to defend democracy so, let's be a little clearer about that but i totally agree that we need to tone down the rhetoric but talking about violent action and defending democracy are not the same thing. this will be a debate that we will continue, will run out of time for now, a lot more time together, i'm sure the rodney and stephanie, thank you so much for your insights. around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news. let's look at some other stories making news. a 24—year—old man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and a number of knives were seized after a soldier was stabbed near army barracks in kent.

the victim, a british army officer in his 40s, is in hospital in a serious but stable condition. the attack isn't believed to be terrorism—related. a man has been arrested on suspicion of causing a deadly crash by dangerous driving on the a61 near barnsley, on sunday. police are asking for anyone who saw a grey porsche 911 in the area to come forward. a man, his partner and two of their young daughters died when their car collided with a motorbike, which also killed the two riders. video has surfaced of a police officer kicking and stomping on the head of a man lying on the ground at manchester airport. police say firearms officers had been attacked while attempting to arrest someone following a fight at the airport tuesday. the force said it had referred itself to the independent office of police conduct and one officer has been removed from operational duties. you're live with bbc news. israeli prime minister benjamin

netanyahu has addressed the us congress for the first time in nearly a decade. members of both the house and senate attended the joint session — however, there were several notable absences by democrats, including former house speaker nancy pelosi and vice president harris who presides over the senate. mr netanyahu received a warm welcome in the chamber — with several standing ovations led by republicans. outside the capitol, thousands protested against his visit and israel's war in gaza. the israeli prime minister dismissed protesters as "iran's useful idiots." mr netanyahu defended israel's military campaign against hamas, painting it as a fight for his country's survival. he laid out a day—after plan, saying israel will retain security control of gaza for the immediate future. he called for gaza to be demilitarized and deradicalized after the war, but for the territory to be under civilian palestinian control. prime minister netanyahu also thanked us presidentjoe biden for his backing throughout the war, but called for more american aid. i deeply appreciate america's support, including in this current war. but this is an exceptional moment.

fast tracking us military aid can dramatically expedite an end to the war in gaza and help prevent a broader war in the middle east. in world war ii, as britain fought on the front lines of civilization, winston churchill appealed to americans with these famous words: "give us the tools and we'll finish the job." today, as israel fights on the frontline of civilization, i too appeal to america: "give us the tools faster, and we'll finish the job faster." democratic congressman brad sherman offered his assessment to me of mr netanyahu's speech. i think it was an extremely effective speech, he put forward his israeli's position clearly, he got, i think, very strong response from the audience, he didn't break any new policy

grounds, they are not given us something new way where we say, oh, that's where were going, or there was a surprise but he answered his critics rather well and cogently. the former speaker of the house, nancy pelosi, did not attend the speech and she wrote after the speech that it was the worst presentation of any foreign dignitary and privilege of addressing the congress of the united states, senator chris murphy saying that the speech was a setback for us — israel relationship in the fight against hamas adding that the downplaying of the humanitarian crisis was astonishing and want to say that it would be a bulletin board recruiting material for terrorists for years, what's your response to that? i don't think he downplayed the humanitarian crisis, he knows that there are people in gaza who aren't getting food and he told us why. that there is huge quantities of food going in and

then hamas steals the food and shoots people who are trying to distribute the food. he didn't downplay it, hejust indicated what the cause of the humanitarian crisis was. mr netanyahu frequently referred to israeli hostages being held in gaza in his speech, but he gave no clue as to whether a deal to secure their release was near. the closest he got was when he said, "we're actively engaged in intensive efforts to secure their release." this did not go unnoticed back in israel. opposition leader yair lapid called the speech "a sham", adding that mr netanyahu "spoke for an hour without saying �*there will be a hostage deal.”' israeli officials estimate that about 116 people are still being held hostage in gaza and some family members of those in captivity are criticising mr netanyahu's trip to washington. among them is ayelet levy shachar, who is desperate to bring her 20—year—old daughter naama back home. naama had just began her military service when she was taken on october 7. ms levy shachar spoke to our correspondent barbara plett usher.

she is a girl of values, and obviously care. she is a good sister to her siblings. a peace seeker. she is a good daughter, although she likes to fight with her mum, whichjust means that she is very normal. i think she very strong. your face lights up when you talk about her. well, i miss her very much, and i worry, but when i talk about her, i mean, it's like she's here with me. and yes, of course, i love her. tell me, the prime minister is going to the united states and asked if you would come along on his plane, and you said you would not accompany the prime minister on his plane. why is that? i just feel that the focus right now is on the talks and on the negotiations,

and on getting this deal sealed and bringing our hostages back home. so ijust think this is not the right time for this. you think it might lead to a delay on this issue? it might lead to a delay, it might lead to a distraction. i'm asking and hoping that our prime minister's commitment to this will be his first priority. how important do you think the us role is? i think the us plays a critical role in the negotiations. they are reaching the point of breaking a deal. both sides are coming closer with their demands, and, you know, even saying that, it sounds wrong to me, because how can you be talking about demands when you are talking about my daughter's life? so are you hopeful, then? yes. iam not losing hope at any point. we are over nine months, so i am actually feeling desperate.

it has to happen, it has to happen. i spoke with wa'el alzayat, a former us state department middle east advisor, to hear about his reaction to mr netanyahu's speech. i think it is very telling that the hostage families are more critical of the israeli prime minister than the american congress. that tells you the state of our congress and how much it represents the american public, and even the israeli public in some cases. you know, the speech was pretty horrific really. it was as expected, a belligerent, bellicose call to drag the united states into another confrontation in the middle east. you know, 20 years ago it was a right, now it's iran, tomorrow it will be another country. and i think many lawmakers, including pelosi, called it for what it is, and it is not helpful at a time where we need that ceasefire, we need that hostage

deal and palestinian prisoners to be released to allow the loved ones to be reunited and to begin the healing of gaza. where so many thousands have been traumatised, and are left destitute. if you look at this from the perspective of the israeli prime minister, i mean, what do you think he achieved in this address. was it the sign of solidarity of so many members of congress getting up to applaud him? what do you think that was? in that perspective, you know, he did. he came in and solidified his standing with members of congress who are already strong believers in israel and in its war against hamas. i think that's not going to change. i'm not sure he won over any new allies or fans, whether in congress or in the american public. i think there is certainly a segment of american society and the majority of republicans who do support netanyahu in his policies,

but on the democratic side you are seeing overwhelming support for a ceasefire, from continuing aid for israel over not having the united states to be complicit in these crimes. felines are pretty set where they are, and i think it is unhelpful for the prime minister to be coming in and lecturing the american people, and i think his attacks against college students, many of them jewish, i don't think is going to endear any of them as they grow up and move forward in life, either to israel or certainly not to netanyahu and his brand of right wing politics. that is just the feedback we're getting from folks, not just from arabs and muslims but many young people in america as you see the polling. we know the prime minister will meet with president biden of course at the white house. we have spoken in the past about the fact that you and members of the arab—american, muslim american community have been very critical of president biden for his continued support

of israel. what do you anticipate coming out of this meeting, what do you want to see? there is anticipation and there is wants. i will stick with wants, which are really a more forceful response to the israeli prime minister regarding a need to bring about an end to these hostilities, to implement the president's own policy, which includes a temporary ceasefire, followed by a permanent one, at a minimum, the delivery of more aid, given the starvation that is happening, and to the targeting of civilians, civilian infrastructure, displaced people, schools, hospitals. that has to be raised. we are hoping that vice president kamala harris would make a point to raise those issues. we are very clear eyed that she is still the vice president. this is the policy of the president, which has been very, very unfortunate, and quite frankly hated in many

segments in our community, as it should. but we think that she should lean in. this is a moment for her to distinguish herself, and to give some hope to average americans, but particularly those in places like michigan and pennsylvania and all the swing states that are now saying right now they don't believe there is a difference between these two parties and i think she needs to show that indeed there is. let's turn to some other important news around the world. at least 18 people were killed on wednesday after a plane crashed during take—off from the capital, kathmandu. the flight was carrying 17 company employees and two crew on a test flight to the tourist destination of pokhara. the only survivor is the plane's captain, who's being treated in hospital. authorities have not been able to confirm the cause of the disaster. typhoon gaemi made landfall on taiwan's east coast on wednesday, bringing wind gusts as high as 150 miles or 240 kilometres per hour. taiwanese officials confirmed two people have been killed so far and hundreds more are injured. the government has declared a typhoon day, suspending work and classes across the island.

rain is expected to persist until thursday, at the paris olympics, crowd trouble forced the first football match of the games to be delayed by almost two hours. the game between argentina and morocco ultimately saw morocco secure a two—one win after all spectators had been removed from the stadium. thank you for watching bbc news. stay with us. hello. we've got a fairly humid and moist air mass with us at the moment. that's bringing quite a lot of low cloud, some mist and some murk around, as we start thursday. generally, through the day, it's going to continue to feel fairly humid — some spells of sunshine, but also a chance of some rain for some of us. now, across southern counties of england, you can see a bit of rain likely here, particularly through the morning hours in the south west, probably

going to push into the southeast of england by the afternoon. some of that could be quite heavy. a few scattered showers further north, particularly so for northern ireland and for scotland, too, especially in the north and the west. but in between these two areas, quite a lot of dry weather. in the sunnier spells, temperatures up to about 2k degrees, but i think most of us, we're looking at about 16 to 22. now, into thursday evening, some more spells of rain moving through the english channel, affecting southern counties of england for a time. some scattered showers continue to move in from the north. but the cloud moves away towards the south east, so still a reasonably humid night across parts of east anglia and the south east — 15 degrees or so. but most of us, a cooler, fresher feel to friday morning, and that fresher air will continue to roll in on a westerly breeze behind this weather front on friday, so a real change in the feel to the weather. with that fresher air comes more sunshine on friday. still a few showers, here and there, particularly so for northern ireland and for scotland, but there could be one or two elsewhere across england and wales. dry and bright for many, though, especially towards the south. in the east, top temperatures up to about 2k degrees in the warmest spots, most of us, typically, 18 to 22 on friday.

rolling into saturday, still a lot of dry weather, but you can see a few showers moving in from the west, potentially affecting northern ireland, scotland, western parts of england and wales. down towards the south east, you're more likely to avoid any of those showers. higher pressure holding on here and temperatures again between about 16 to 22 degrees. but this big area of high pressure builds in and sticks with us, as we head through sunday and into the first part of next week at least, weather fronts trying to move in from the atlantic but bumping into high pressure. so, sunday, ithink, dry, really, across the board. light winds, long spells of sunshine for all of us and it's going to feel that little bit warmer. so we'll start to see temperatures up at around about 25 for the warmest spots, but, quite widely, high teens and low 20s. outlook for next week — a lot of dry, settled weather. perhaps a little bit of rain, at times, later in the week, particularly in the north and north west, but it's likely to be turning warmer, especially in the south and south east. bye— bye.

voice—over: this is bbc news. we'll have the headlines for you at the top of the hour, which is straight after this programme.

welcome to hardtalk. i'm stephen sackur. not so long ago, the rest of the world regarded japan as an inspiration, a powerhouse economy based on cutting—edge technology. well, how times change. today, japan is struggling to adapt to the demands of the 21st century. innovation too often stifled by bureaucracy and political paralysis. an ageing, declining population slow to embrace change. my guest is taro kono, japan's minister for digital transformation. is japan ready for a national reboot?