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announcer: 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" i am a little humphrey in washington and this is bbc no -- world news america. the u.s. top diplomat tells the bbc he warned chinese president xi jinping about his country support for russia. >> for china, if it want better relations, not only with us, but, with countries in europe, it cannot do that while at the same time helping fuel the biggest threat to european security since the end of the cold war. >> the first week of testimony in donald trump's criminal trial

wraps up. his former assistant takes to the stand. as we take a look at abortion rights in america the supreme court reviews idaho's near total abortion ban. i am helen of humphrey -- helena humphrey. u.s. sec. of state antony blinken met with the chinese president xi jinping in beijing friday as part of mr. blinken's second visit to china in 10 months amid a significant increase in dialogue between the two powers after recent tensions . the u.s. top diplomat says it there is progress in some areas, praising beijing for efforts to stop the supply of fentanyl reaching the u.s.. the two sides addressed areas where significant differences remained including china's claims over taiwan in the south china sea and china's support for pressure in its war on ukraine.

mr. blinken sat down for an interview with the bbc and told us washington will act if beijing does not stop supplying russia with items used in its assault on ukraine. >> 70% of the machine tools pressure is getting are all coming from china. 90% of the microelectronics. we have been clear that it is doing two things. it is helping russia perpetuate aggression against ukraine. it is creating a growing threat to europe because of russian aggression. what i am hearing from europeans is deep concern about this. for china, if it wants better relations, not only with us, but, with countries in europe, it cannot do that while at the same time helping fuel the biggest threat to european security since the end of the cold war. >> president xi jinping told secretary blinken the u.s. and china should be partners, not rivals. while the u.s. has concerns about china, so does china about the united states. a spokesman for the chinese foreign ministry remarked to the

u.s. has taken in less measures to -- into less to suppress chinese trade and economy and caution to the u.s. over support for taiwan. >> the u.s. should stop hyping up the false narrative of china's overcapacity, lift a legal on chinese companies, and stop adding section 301 tariffs violating wto rules. >china asks for the u.s. abide y the one china principle and china/u.s. three joint communiqués. the u.s. should not send a wrong signal to the taiwan independence forces in any way and earnestly fulfill president biden's promises that the u.s. won't support taiwan's independence. >> with me to talk about this more is the chief economist at a bloomberg economics. thank you for coming in tom. we have heard the warning from

the u.s. secretary of state antony blinken saying if beijing does not stop helping russia, essentially, in its war with ukraine and there will be measures. do we have any idea what the u.s. could do? >> it's interesting. when we look at russian trade data, what we have seen since the beginning of the war of aggression against ukraine is a sharp increase in the share of russian imports coming from china. we can go a little into the detail there. we will see what type of goods they are. they aren't military goods. by providing the imports that keep the russian economy going china is, of course, indirectly, supporting the war machine. what we have seen it from janet yellen and antony blinken on the most recent trip is a signal this may be crossing a redline for the u.s.. mornings have come.

-- the warnings have come and the question is what comes next? from brecheen's perspective the concern has -- from beijing's perspective the concern has to be sanctions down the line. >> the warning from beijing is it they are saying washington is taking steps to hamper their economy instead. you think there is a possibility of a trace back that we have seen in the past getting second wind here? >> i think that we are in a hiatus in the u.s./china relations. donald trump changed the u.s. orientation, the u.s. under trump stopped viewing china as a kind of disciple in the global system. and it started viewing them as a direct competitor. the biden administration has put some diplomatic guardrails on that really kept the orientation. the trump terrorists -- tariffs stayed in place and they went

further and placed sanctions on crucial technologies like semiconductors. biden's meeting with xi jinping at the end of last year signaled a little bit of increased stability. but i think that we see now with concerned about china's exports to russia, with concerns about china's overcapacity, and of course, with the u.s. political cycle, the election coming in november, it is the potential for that stress to start happening again. >> i want to talk more about the competition element. we have heard from both sides at various points we should be partners, not rivals. what do you make of that? do you think that's a concrete aim? do you think potentially this is the niceties of diplomacy? >> i think there is a fundamental problem here. the u.s., for the last several decades, certainly, since the end of world war ii, has been

the biggest, most powerful economy and the biggest, most potent geopolitical force in the world, right? the collapse of the soviet union had a unipolar moment with no real rivals. here comes. china with its 1.4 billion people. around four times the population of the u.s.. china wants to develop. it wants its people to have a higher standard of life. guess what? chinese people only have to get to 25% of the u.s. level of gdp per capita, 25% of u.s. prosperity for china to be the biggest economy in the world. potentially, the world's biggest geopolitical power. that's a real challenge for beijing and daisy -- d.c. to manage. america does not want to give up its position as the preeminent power in the world. china wants to develop and that set some up for conflict. >> briefly, if you don't mind,

if we have seen some kind of progress, if you think china were to make a move on taiwan that the progress would be eroded? >> i don't think china making a move on taiwan is a high probability event. china has a bunch of challenges at home. their property sector is collapsing. they are the subject of international opprobrium. the u.s. is tied up in the middle east, focused on ukraine, thinking about the election and many in taiwan would like a high degree of independence but not of it risks a buddy -- bloody conflict with their bigger neighbor. i would not put a high probability on something going wrong there. if it does go wrong, it will be a game changer in u.s. china relations. we would see not just an incremental worsening but an entire new world of hostility. >> the chief economist at a bloomberg economics, great to get your perspective. thank you. we returned to the u.k. now where two british men were

charged with helping russian intelligence services. this case stems from a suspected arson attack on two businesses in london. public records show the business is allegedly targeted are owned by ukrainians. counterterror offices have linked the suspects, age 20 and 22, to a blaze that required 65 firefighters to put out. prosecutors say the alledge it arson was intended to benefit the russian state. the british foreign office summoned the russian ambassador and issued a statement friday saying the u.k. remains deeply concerned by allegations of russian orchestrated malign activity o u.k. soil. as well as the wider reported pattern of behavior we are witnessing on the part of the russian federation to sponsor such activity on the territory of other sovereign states. the nato secretary-general jan stoltenberg said friday these alledge in russia back parts won't stop the alliance from supporting ukraine. after the u.s. congress passed more than $60 billion in aid to

ukraine, the pentagon announced friday it will provide another six billion dollars through a long-term initiative. the aide will include aid for the patriot air defense system, the weaponry the ukrainian president has said is crucial to fending off russian aerial attacks. now turning to the war in gaza where the death toll continues to mount. we have an update. about a baby rescued from her dying mother's womb after an israeli airstrike on rafa. she was delivered by cesarean section this weekend and she has died. our correspondent sent this report. it does contain distressing images. >> are in this fragile form, a dino -- in this fragile form, a tiny force of hope. this baby was the last survivor. her family was obliterated by an

israeli airstrike. her pregnant mom was pulled from this place but minutes later doctors in the hospital were able to rescue sabrine from her dying mother's arms. they stimulated her breathing. air was pumped into her lungs. then, to an incubator, fighting for life. notice the gentleness of the doctor as he cradles her head. relatives watched over the newborn. paternal grandmother planned to take care of the orphaned baby. >> i will raise her in the best way. i hope god gives her a long life.

>>sabrine fought to live, two days ago briefly opening her eyes. 24 hours later, her condition is still critical. she lost her struggle. at midday yesterday, the dead child was brought home to her people. she was buried alongside her mother, after whom she was named. her father, and her three-year-old sister. today, her uncle prayed at her grave. overhead, and israeli drone. the loss that changed everything for the family changes nothing in the war.

>> this girl left a mark on everybody's heart. she moved the world -- whole world. to me, she was a living legacy of my brother, the only survivor of the massacre, my soul. this is why i called her my soul. >> she lived for five days. fergal keane, bbc news, jerusalem. >> the first official week of donald trump hush money trial wrapped up with testimony detailing a tabloid catch or kill steam alleged to have buried damaging stories about mr. trump as he campaigned for the white house in 2016. they could be the only one of mr. trump's four criminal cases that will conclude before the presidential election this november. friday president biden said he would be happy to face donald trump in a debate. that is something he had not previously committed to. joining us now is our new york

correspondent neto who has been covering every step of the trial. today wraps up the fourth day of testimony in the case. what stood out to you? >> helena, you have two people who have been on the stand now that were extremely close to donald trump, real insiders. the last one we just had was rhona graff's assistant for more than 30 years. she was subpoenaed, compelled to come testify. she said she did not want to be in court. under prosecution questioning she said she did and put the former playboy model karen mcdougal and stormy daniels contacts into donald trump's contacts at trump tower and vaguely recalls seeing stormy daniels there in the lead up to the 2016 election. rhona graff says she has respect for donald trump. as she left, you could see him

try to get up and briefly say hello to her. things were very different when the defense got a chance to finally cross-examine the former publisher of the national inquirer david pecker. they tried to get him to poke holes the prosecution narrative saying essentially the catch and kill scheme was good business for pecker and he cooperated with prosecutors because he was in the middle of a media acquisition deal and did not want that to be impacted. pecker hit back. he said he had been truthful the entire time and understood the catch and kill scheme to be in service of donald trump's campaign. the defense struggled to put a hole in the prosecution narrative. >> briefly, what will you be watching in a week to come? >> after president biden said he would be happy to debate donald

trump, donald trump defiantly left the courtroom man said he would debate him anytime anywhere including here, next week, denied, or you been at the white house -- tonight, or even at the white house. we will see if the two have a debate. as far as the legal trial, we are waiting to see more former trump insiders take the stand. michael cohen, others, and how the defense will hinder that. >> ne in manhattan, great to have your reporting. thank you so much. the debate over abortion rights in the u.s. taking center stage on thursday. 17 republican-led states sued a federal agency over a new national rule requiring employers to give workers time off another accommodations for abortion procedures. on wednesday the arizona house of representatives voted to overturn a 19th-century law banning abortion. it could be removed from state law as early as next week if the state senate approves. arizona's 15 week cut off for

abortions would remain. wednesday the u.s. supreme court considered an idaho case that would determine whether estate abortion bands can be superseded by a federal law requiring hospitals to provide emergency care to preserve the person's health. idaho is one of more than 17 states that have introduced total or near-total bands on abortion since the supreme court overturned roe v. wade nearly two years ago ending the federal right to abortion. florida could be the latest statement to introduce strict abortion restrictions. a six-week band is -- ban is set to take affect their next week while florida voters vote to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution. joe biden has made the defense of abortion access and reproductive health care a key part of his reelection bid. donald trump says his position is to let states decide. earlier i spoke to the director of the white house gender policy council jennifer klein, also an assistant to president biden.

joining me now is jennifer klein, the assistant to the president and director of white house gender policy counsel. a very warm welcome, jennifer, thank you for being with us. when we think about abortion in the u.s. we often talk about what's next. we continue to see a lot of changes, including through the courts. since roe v. wade was overturned, where are women right now in this country, in this post roe era? >> that's the right question. what happened when the supreme court in the u.s. overturn roe v. wade and the dobbs decision more than two years ago, women lost their reproductive freedom. women lost the right to choose across the country. now we are in a situation where there are 21 states with extreme abortion bands in place meaning when -- one in three women of reproductive age in the country are living in a state with a restrictive ban.

>> let's talk about the reality on the ground. what exactly that means. we have seen women turned away from emergency rooms. we have seen the risk of doctors being criminalized. is the situation urgent enough that the administration can do something now? >> yes. i mean, the president said from the day the dobbs decision came down that the only way to replace the constitutional right that had been lost, and i would note, it is the first time in american history that a fundamental constitutional right has been taken away, the only way to a place that is bypassing federal legislation that would effect women and people across the country. that is what the president and vice president are fighting to do. at the same time, he was very clear that there is a lot we can do and will do. that is what we have been doing every day in the biden/harris administration. for example, we are working to ensure that women, when they

walk into an emergency room, perhaps in the midst of a miscarriage, are able to get the emergency care they need that is required under federal law. we are working to make sure women have access to medication abortion, more than 50% of the abortions in the country, so they can get access to the fda safe approved, safe and effective medication. to use. you noted cases of women being forced to travel out of state. we are making sure they have the right to travel out of state if that is what they have to do. we are making sure the full range of reproductive health care is available including abortion and also contraception. sadly, as we have seen in the country, most recently in alabama, the alabama supreme court put the availability of in vitro fertilization in question. we are working to make sure people have the full range of reproductive health care they might need.

>> i wonder whether you think the president could go further. the use of executive orders, for example. abortion rights activists have been calling for federal land to be used for abortion clinics. is that something he would consider? >> we have considered every option including that one. that one has a big problem associated with it. which is, if a person performs an abortion on federal island -- federal land and they left federal land they could be prosecuted in the state. we have looked at every option. it's important to keep in mind we have taken every action we can. he issued three executive orders and a presidential memorandum. and from those, a whole series of actions have been taken across the federal government, whether it is making sure servicemembers and veterans have access to reproductive health care, making sure that our department of justice is defending and bringing cases to

defend reproductive freedom. also, across all agencies that have a role to play, most obviously, the department of health and human services, who, for example, as i said, this is an issue now in the supreme court, they have issued a series of guidance and information under the emergency medical treatment and labor apt to make sure women get access to the emergency care they need even if it includes an abortion in an emergency room. >> i want to touch on the #metoo movement, something that gained nationwide recognition, i think that's fair to say in 2017. if we look at seven years since that, essentially, we are seeing it face challenges, including recent challenges. where do you think we are in this moment in history? are you concerned we could see structures trying to push back in america on some hard won

rights for women in the country? >> i am concerned. the most recent judgment out of the new york supreme court is devastating. courageous women, courageous survivors came forward. the shuri believe them. millions of people believed them. the judgment does not change that, but it's a stark reminder that we have a long way to go. we have made a lot of progress. here in the biden/harris administration the president and vice president are very very committed to addressing gender-based violence wherever it occurs, including sexual harassment at work, but really everywhere. in the military, on college campuses come online. we see a huge amount of harassment and abuse online. the president will proudly tell you that one of his most important accomplishments is passing the violence against women act, writing and passing the violence against women act

in 1993. we could reauthorize that on a bipartisan basis in 2022. there's a lot of great work being done. there's a lot more we sadly need to do. we learned yesterday the work that survivors have done, the experiences they have taken by coming forward, are not for nothing. and we need to continue to support them. >> jennifer klein assistant to the president and director of a white house policy general counsel. thank you for being with us. >> thank you for having me. >> finally, some stunning pictures of a pink moon seen across the u.s.. this is aprils full moon in all its glory over palm beach in florida. the pink moon does not take his name from its appearance. it is based on what native americans used to call it, naming it after a plant native

to north america that blooms in springtime. find all the news on the bbc website bbc.com/news. go to our website or check out your favorite social media site. i am helena humphrey. thank you for watching world news america. announcer: funding for presentation of this program is provided by... financial services firm, raymond james. bdo. accountants and advisors. cunard is a proud supporter of public television. announcer: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation, pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

amna: good evening. i'm amna nawaz. geoff bennett is away. on the "newshour" tonight, israelis celebrate passover as of