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brook: the are people who are trying to change the world. startups have this energy that energizes me. i'm thriving by helping others everyday. people who know, know bdo. narrator: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation; pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. announcer: and now, "bbc news". >> hello. you are watching the context on bbc news. >> tomorrow marks the third anniversary of the january 6 attack on the capitol. for our country, it was an unprecedented attack on the corner stone of our system. >> donald trump when he entered the political spectrum was a threat to democracy instantly

and thathreat has only grown since he has been in the political realm. >> every time the radical left democrats indict me, i consider it a great badge of honor. ♪ >> hello to you and thank you for joining us here at the context. as the u.s. presidential election campaign gets fully underway, we've got a busy couple of hours ahead hearing live from president biden in his first major speech in this election year. just waiting for that podium. we are expecting him to be talking in the next quarter of an hour. these things, timings can be quite fluid. we will be discussing where the democrats and the republicans are just a few months away from pulling day.

the u.s. secretary of state is back in the middle east a day after israel put forward its plan for the future of gaza. storm hank is delusion parts of the u.k. and europe. and one of the biggest tv cop shows of the 1970's, a star has died at the age of 80. so, welcome to the program. 2024 is the biggest election year in history. with more than 2 billion people across 50 countries expected to go tear. and they include the u.s., where president joe biden will deliver his first major campaign speech of 2024 in the next half-hour in philadelphia. we will bring you that live as

soon as the president starts speaking. his speech comes a day ahead of the three year anniversary of the insurrection at the u.s. capitol, where supporters of former president donald trump attempted to stop congress certifying biden's 2020 election victory. president biden is expected to refer to it prominently. last night, republican presidential hopefuls nikki haley and ron desantis went head-to-head in a debate on cnn. this was seen as one of the final chances for the two candidates to make an impression in a race which has been dominated by one man and that man is of course donald trump. he is leaving the polls for the republican presidential nomination by a massive margin. in just under two hours, he is expected to give a campaign speech in iowa. let's go live to washington and speak to our reporter. thanks very much for joining us.

let's first of all talk about the speech by president joe biden. everything about it is symbolic, including theiming and location. >> that's right. this is joe biden's first campaign speech of 2024. i think he will use it to try to refocus his campaign. last year, the messaging, the narrative out of the biden campaign was very much about biden-omics. about the economic achievements, but that has not been working for mr. biden. he is not doing well in the polls. i think he will try to redirect the narrative today away from this election being a referendum on the biden presidency and more toward a mission to stop donald trump. of course, donald trump is not the official republican nominee yet. he is streaks ahead in the polls. but i think mr. biden will seek

to portray mr. trump as a threat to u.s. democracy, democracy that he will say is america's sacred cause. the timing of this is significant. it is exactly three years since the mob of supporters storm to the capitol and attempted to overturn the results of the 2020 election and u.s. prosecutors have charged donald trump in connection with those events, but i think maybe biden could also mentionhe language that donald trump has been using in recent weeks. donald trump has said that immigrants are poisoning the blood of the country, referred to his critics as vermin, and has also suggested that he may use the presidency to pursue his enemies. >> last night, we had the town hall with ron desantis and nikki haley as well, so there is a sense these first few days of 2024 that after a relatively

sedate pace through 2023, everything is massively ramping up. >> of course. this month, a key month. the republican primary race kicks off 15th of january is the iowa caucus. 23rd of january, the new hampshire primary. donald trump leads the polls by a country mile. he is about 62% amongst primary voters. the next closest rivals, former u.s. ambassador to the u.n. nikki haley and florida governor ron desantis, trail him around 11%. while we don't know that trump will be the candidate, he has historically the largest lead there has ever been in a primary race. >> for the moment, let's leave it there, but i'm sure we will come back to you in president biden has spoken, but there is plenty to say on the u.s. presidential election race as it gets underway so let's get more from a republican party

strategist and a former chief of staff to marco rubio's 2016 -- 2016 campaign and a democratic party analyst. thank you very much to both of you. matt, if we can start with you. on the screen, i have to say we are watching the podium at philadelphia, the montgomery court community college bluebell. very near to valley forge where george washington, the first u.s. president, such a symbolic place during the war of independence in 1777. there is a lot of symbolism tonight, isn't there? >> certainly. certainly you are seeing president biden and others crisscrossing the country. you mentioned earlier that president biden is in pennsylvania. certainly doing what he is doing. but also recognizing the political lens of this, that will be a political battleground state. to that end, i think the white

house and the candidates on the republican side and voters recognize that former president trump has a very wide lead in this race and will likely be the republican ninee and this race for the white house will come down to states like pennsylvania, michigan, wisconsin, those will be some of the core states to decide the general election. but we've got to get through this primary process with iowa coming up here. we will see how it takes shape. the general election is not far off. you will see president biden and former president trump focused on the general election. >> what did you make of the town hall yesterday and the performances by ron desantis and nikki haley? in 2023, none of the other republican prospective candidates have managed to cut through and take away the narrative from donald trump. did they make any mileage last night? >> look, certainly these

candidates coming up, in the end the for chris does focus form bassett or haley and other candidates really should be on former president trump. at the end of the day, he is the front runner in this race. if you were going to be the front runner, you have to draw a contrast and that is a challenge for these candidates because at the end of the day in order to be a successful candidate for president, you have to have a lane. former president trump is taking up a wide lane in the republican primary for president. even those gop base voters that are still undecided, they still like former president trump. these other candidates will be at the town halls talking about the issues they care about and their vision, but in the end, the challenge for them is that the gop base voters are i lockstep with former president trump.

none of them appeared to breakthrough. we will see what happens with iowa, but former president trump has a big lead and it is hard to see how he won't win those states. >> hilary rosen, things have just kind of started to happen in philadelphia, but we are not there yet. there is plenty of time to talk about what you are expecting and what you would like to hear from president biden in this pretty important speech, isn't it? this is him setting out how he's going to run this campaign. >> well, it seems to be an important speech. i'm not sure it's going to speak to uecided voters as much as they would like. we have seen a year where president biden's approval ratings have gone further down. it has been disappointing tthe white house and democrats that has happened. i think it is this disconnect with the economy actually getting better but voters aren't

necessarily feeling it and aren't giving president biden credit for it. so, the biden campaign is switching strategies to something he strongly believes in, which is this issue of contrast with donald trump, that democracy is at stake once again the way it was in his view in 2020 and again in 2022. i think that has appeal to a certain swath of voters, but i think most people who agree with him are already for him. can he create enough distinctions, can he put enough onto donald trump that persuades people that they have to get to the polls, that they have to vote. i don't think we will see a lot of biden voters switching to trump. is there enough enthusiasm to

carry the president to victory in 2020, are they going to come out and vote again or are they discouraged by both candidates? i think that is the president's biggest challenge, how to see motivate people with these low approval ratings to support him? >> with the location and the timing, it will have been tomorrow, but i think the speech had to be brought forward because of some bad weather due to happen tomorrow, but really talking about what happened on january 6, 2021, is it an issue for joe biden that one donald trump has been before the courts and this issue has been brought up, if anything it has boosted his numbers in the polls? is there a contradiction or an issue for biden that talking about this all the time clearly isn't bothering a lot of the electorate or a lot of the republican potential voters? >> it certainly doesn't bother trump voters.

it energizes donald trump. i think there is a court case that will be played out, whether or not a jury will convict him of this, i have my doubts. i think president biden so personally believes this that i know for a fact that even those among his team who would just as see him focus more on issues like the right to abortion or childcare tax credits or the border, he really strongly believes in this issue and he strongly believes that the country was threatened on january 6 every he's got to get that out, but he also has to start talking about other issues. >> ok, hilary rosen and matt, thank you so much for your time. looking at those pictures again, we are going to go straight back to philadelphia. you are looking at the podium at the montgomery county community

college near philadelphia. we are waiting for president joe biden to take to the podium to make what is being seen as a really crucial speech, really kickstarting the campaign in 2024. the election is just 10 months away. it will be really interesting to see what tact he takes. interesting to hear what he says and we will be watching and listening to it right here on the news channel. now, the u.s. secretary of state antony blinken has arrived in turkey on the first leg of a regional tour that will also see m visit israel and several arab nations. the state department says mr. blinken will stress the need to increase humanitarian aid to civilians in gaza. and ensure that they are not forcibly displaced from the territory. his visit comes a day after the israeli defense minister outlined proposals for the

future governance of gaza once the war between israel and hamas is over. he said that other palestinian groups would be in charge, although israel will retain overall security control. hamas, which is designated a terror organization a number of western governments, currently runs gaza. but the ruling party in the occupied west bank, its political rival, says palestinians will not accept israel's proposals. there has also been criticism from germany of the foreign minister warning against any attempts to occupy gaza. >> israel must do more to protect the civilian population and its actions. our position on the so-called day after is very clear. there must be no occupation of the gaza strip.

>> let's speak now to our senior middle eastern analyst -- hello to you, ryan. thank you for speaking to us on the context. what do you make to this plan that is being put forward not officially by the israeli government, but certainly put forward by one of its most senior ministers? >> this is one of the baseline plans that we suspected the israelis would come up with. their goal is to have military and security controls of the gaza strip. at the same time, they don't want civil responsibilities of that strip. they want a palestinian partner governing it on their behalf. they will stggle to find that, but that is their goal. this plan makes a great deal of sense given the endgame concerns and gaza.

>> would you expect elements of it to be acceptable? >> i suspect that over time some elements of the palestinian establishment will be more and more open to some civil authorities within gaza but they will expect concessions out of the israelis, concessions that are difficult for this israeli government to carry out. they want israel to carry out activities like freezing settlements are getting back on a two state negotiation path. that is hard to see with this current government. >> let's talk about antony blinken arriving in the middle east, his fourth trip since october 7. he will visit turkey, greece, other arab states, israel, and occupied west bank. this is a very extensive visit. what do you think his aims are? >> he is now moving into this post major combat operations phase where we are seeing the israelis pull some troops out of gaza and de-escalate the way they are carrying out mbat

operations. he is trying to shape what this occupation of gaza looks like. they are very hesitant to do so because if they do so and israel retains control of the military space over gaza, it will look like they are enabling a reoccupation of the strip. he has to the perception gaps and nudge the israelis to push against their own far right elements in their government to make concessions that the israelis want to see. >> what about the immediate plans? while the hostilities are still ongoing, there has been a spat with the u.n. aid agencies responding to criticism from israel that they have been hampering were stalling on deliveries to gaza. how much do you think the hampering of aid to gaza will be on his to do list? >> it will be a growing concern

as major combat operations removes that excuse. there will be a growing expectation that they open the spigot of aid to allow necessary humanitarian goods to get into gaza. major, but operations are more or less over in the northern part of the strip. under that pressure, the israelis will have to give some ground and buckle. >> no doubt you were referring to it earlier, the issue, the concern about escalation. it has been quite a significant week with the assassination of the hamas leader in beirut, which israel has not confirmed or denied involvement in, but certainly it has been widely blamed for that. again, this will be on his mind as he visits not just israel, but all the other surrounding states as well. >> right and this is one of the areas where the americans have limited leverage.

the israelis want a buffer zone in southern lebanon. they do not want to give them that without some concessions that might involve some handovers of territory or other political concessions. that is where the americans will work hard to bridge that gap because it does look like israel is laying the public relations groundwork for southern incursions into lebanon. >> thank you so much for your time. around the world and across the u.k., this is bbc news. so, let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news. london underground strikes are to go ahead after talks with transport for london failed to make progress. earlier this week, dfl warned there would be severe disruptions across the tube network from the evening of sunday, january 7 until the morning of friday the 12th of january. workers are walking out overpay, grating structures, and travel facilities. two teenagers have been arrested

suspicion of murder after a 16-year-old boy was killed new year's eve. he was fatally stabbed as people gathered near a viewing platform and primrose hill in north london to watch the fireworks. three teenagers were released on bail pending further inquiries. a man has been given a suspended sentence for a homophobic attack on a drag star in a fast food restaurant in liverpool in june of last year. allen woodfield punched james lee williams who performs under the names the vivian and was the winner of the first series of rupaul's drag race u.k. you are live with bbc news. just a reminder, if you are just joining us, that we are awaiting the first campaign speech effectively of 2024 of president joe biden. he will be speaking in philadelphia and we are expecting some strong words.

a very significant day, three years tomorrow since the attack on the capitol. that is certainly expected to feature within his speech. the official start time for that speech was 8:15, but as always with these events, timings slipped slightly. but rest assured, we are keeping an eye on what is happening and we will bring president biden's speech to you as soon we get it. well, let's get more own of the situation in gaza. the united nions had of humanitarian affairs has again called for an immediate end to the war there. saying the territory has become uninhabitable and a place of death and despair. the world was watching on as the people of gaza faced daily assaults on the most basic precepts of humanity. the israeli army said it carried out more than 100 strikes on hamas targets over the past day,

about 85% of the population in the besieged palestinian enclave has been displaced by israel's retaliatory campaign after the deadly hamas attacks on october 7. the hamas run health ministry says more than 22,000 dozens have been killed, 162 in the last 24 hours, including children sheltering intense and a small coastal strip which israel said was the one place people would be safe. let's speak to the mercy corps executive director for europe. hello to you, thank you for joining us. bring us right up to date with the current situation in gaza in terms of the humanitarian situation. >> hi there. the situation in gaza is dire. as you heard from martin griffiths' words, gaza is starving. we have a situation where not only are people dying of rocket

strikes, but actuay in the future we may see more people, more individuals dying as a result of hunger and starvation than from the conflict itself. that is the most concerning thing we are worried about at this point. people are finding it very hard to get access to basic food items. as a result, we are hearing from our staff members who are on the ground in gaza themselves saying that we are seeing families selling blankets, mattresses to get access to basic foods. people are starving, they are cold, they are selling their basic essentials to keep food on the table. >> it is worth pointing out that the weather has changed, it is cold. the situation is getting worse and presumably will get worse. >> absolutely. we are in winter now. >> i apologize, i'm going to have to interrupt you because we

are going across to philadelphia where president joe biden is making his first campaign speech of 2024. >> months ahead will be incredibly difficult. but general washington knew something in his bones. something about the spirit of the troops he was leading. something about the soul of the nation he was struggling to be born. he predicted and i quote, with one heart and one mind, with fortitude and with patience, they would overcome every difficulty, the troops he was leading, and they did, they did. this army that lacked blankets and food, clothes and shoes, this army whose march left bloodied bear footprints in the snow, this ragtag army made up of ordinary people, their mission, george washington

declared, was nothing less than a sacred cause. that was the phrase he used. a sacred cause. freedom, liberty, democracy. american democracy. i just visited the grounds of valley forge and i have been there a number of times from the time a was a boy scout years ago. it is the very site that i think every american should visit. it tells the story of the pain and the suffering and the true patriotism it took to make narrator: funding for this presentation of this program is provided by... narrator: financial services firm, raymond james. man: bdo. accountants and advisors. narrator: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundaon; pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. ♪ ♪

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♪ ♪ narrator: funding for this presentation of this program is provided by... narrator: pediatric surgeon. volunteer. topiary artist. a raymond james financial advisor tailors advice to help you live your life. life well planned.