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declares mpox a global health emergency as it spreads across africa. ♪ welcome to world news america. the middle east is on edge on the eve of talks about a cease-fire in gaza and the release of hostages held by hamas. officials from israel including the head of the mossad intelligence agency are expected to join negotiations thursday as well as mediators from the u.s., qatar, and egypt. a top official from hamas told the associated press that it is losing faith in the u.s.'s ability to mediate a cease-fire. the u.s., did earlier own' absence. >> all negotiators should return to the table and bring this deal to a conclusion. it is time for the remaining hostages to be released and bring relief to the people of

gaza under the deal now on the table. our incoming partners have assured us there will be representation from hamas. i will let them speak to that, but i'm not going to get into more specifics of that. >> as the cease-fire talks draw near, part of an effort to stop a wider war between israel and lebanese armed hezbollah backed by iran. israel's recent killing of a hezbollah commander in beirut and the recent assassination of a hamas leader in iran are leading to fears that iran or a proxy group could retaliate. the only way is a deal for a cease-fire to hold them back. as cease-fire talks draw nearer, our correspondent has latest from jerusalem and a warning, viewers may some -- find some of the content upsetting. >> in gaza, peace is for the

dead. not the living. laying their father to rest today in khan yunis, killed and artillery strikes, they said, as he went to help the wounded. we were sitting around, she said, he was playing with us when the first strike happened he went to rescue people. in the second strike, he was killed. but this push for a cease-fire is being driven by events outside gaza. by israel's growing conflict with hezbollah and lebanon. by threats of iranian retaliation for the assassination of key hamas and hezbollah leaders. a cease-fire in gaza could prevent regional war. >> the deal would also help enable diplomatic resolution here in lebanon and that would prevent an outbreak of a wider war. we have to take advantage of this window for diplomatic action.

>> the stakes involved in a deal have grown. benjamin netanyahu said it would harm israel security and governing coalition and that mr. netanyahu is protecting himself. he wants israeli troops to filter unarmed civilians moving back to the north. hamas says these are new demands and at the time for negotiation was over. there are also disputes about palestinian prisoners and israeli hostages and decisions for removing the war. an israeli negotiator says the outsiders are driving the deal. >> it seems the mediators have

decided they need to change the rules of the game. they are trying to tell hamas and israel they have to do it. it is obviously that the mediators want the agreement more than the parties do and that is a big part of the problem. >> these talks have been billed as the last chance for a deal. the price of failure will be paid by the hostages, by the region, by teenagers like this one. success may depend on the leaders of israel and hamas risking their own political survival. lucy williamson, bbc news, jerusalem. >> we are joined by the former senior advisor to the u.s. special envoy for israeli-palestinian negotiations. let's talk about the negotiations. do you think that the u.s. is

losing influence at this point? >> from what we are hearing from so many multiple reports, it sounds like hamas would be in doha and meet with the mediators after the session. they don't sit in the room with the head of the mossad anyway. there might be some optical points that each one is trying to position themselves. i think what was mentioned in one of the set up pieces you did is that the parties will go as far as they can go and then the u.s. will see if it puts forward a bridging proposal. i do think that was mentioned, called the final bridging proposal, was mentioned in the statement that was put out by egypt and qatar. the mediators last week to announce doha. i believe that is why tony blinken held off on his trip to the middle east because i think that is the next shoe to drop.

in that the parties will go as far as they can to bridge the gaps, but it will take the u.s., you could bridge over a river. you can't bridge over an ocean. we have to see if the parties get close. i'm not holding my breath for breakthrough tomorrow. there is one last part to play. the united states' bridging proposal. >> how committed would you say the israeli side is at this point? there are conflicting views within prime minister netanyahu's cabin and. he has been accused of prolonging the war for his own gain as well. >> the defense establishment. whether it is the idf the army, they have gone on record in these big cabin and forms that they want the deal. the prime minister is holding back and how much of this is

tactics and good cop/bad cop between them or how much of this reflects something deeper, we will need to see. i saw that top two israeli official just an hour ago, that they do feel they have an improved mandate for the talks. we will see if it is sufficient to bridge some of these differences, but there is no doubt that the divisions that have existed and you have the families of the hostages with demonstrations and the prime minister has decided for whatever reason, whether politics or the belief that by pushing hard is the only way to get a good deal with hamas, whatever the reason is, he has been the bad cop and we will see whether this new mandate, what does that mean operationally when they sit together in doha tomorrow? >> what about iran in this equation? a cease-fire would be the only thing that would delay a retaliation. how much do you think this has

influence on hamas? >> it is unclear. their relationship with hamas has always been one of support, but hamas has not always been a full proxy. it is interesting for them to kind of now position themselves suddenly, these are the people who lauded october 7 atrocities who are now saying if you could bring an end to the war, we are for it. i think iran is trying to position itself. in practice, they have been giving weapons to the people who are alive. i'm not holding my breath for iran at this point. it is interesting that they haven't retaliated until they see the results of tomorrow. >> thank you for giving us your perspective. >> always happy to help. >> ukraine says it will establish humanitarian corridors in the region to let civilians escape a cross-border military

offensive. ukraine's operation inside russia is the biggest foreign incursion in the country since the second world war. president zelenskyy said they continue to advance in several directions, while the incursion is being seen as a victory for ukraine, it has come as a cost for its soldiers. >> here, adrenaline, you realize when you enter that territory how much we have suffered. how much are women and children have suffered. >> ok, here in the u.s., former president donald trump is back on the campaign trail in the key battleground state of north carolina. it is a state he won by one percentage point in the 2020 election, but he has a slight edge with voters on the economy according to recent polls. but harris is catching up. a new survey from the cook political report shows her at 48% and trump at 47%. by contrast back in may, mr.

trump was ahead of president biden by three points. he touted his economic agenda wednesday following a new report that shows u.s. inflation falling below 3% for the first time since 2021. still, the former president is seeking to tie the former vice president to the high prices that have plagued the biden administration. >> young people will be unaffordable. [applause] >> let's go right to caitríona perry standing by in asheville, north carolina, at the rally, where donald trump has been speaking. give us an idea of what the atmosphere has been like. >> uris, welcome to -- yes, welcome to the thomas wilson enter. behind me, the former president is still speaking to the gathered audience here.

he has been speaking for over an hour now. given remarks build to be focusing on the economy. it is a different type of event than we usually see him having. the maximum capacity is just over two any 400 people here. it is a more intimate event. people have been waiting for several hours to hear what he has to say. north carolina is a purple state. you have the dense urban areas and then you have in between large tracts of this state which are very heavily populated with republican supporting voters. donald trump won here in the past two elections by the tiniest margins. that is something both campaigns are hoping to capitalize on. supporters feel there is only

one winner in november and that is going to be donald trump. >> i'm 22 years old and one day i want to be able to buy a house and raise a world in a house that is not crazy. >> hopefully some new policy stuff about the tax rate or just creating jobs. creating more manufacturing in this country to where people can actually have the american dream and get interest rates down to where people can go out and buy a house. >> growing up in such a hard political time, regardless of what side you are on has been frowned upon in the media in general. >> i don't think we are going to go anywhere. i think our country is going to be in trouble. [applause] >> what we are seeing here today is something of a reset for the trump campaign. he had a formula set for running against joe biden. he has had to go back to trump basics in terms of taking on kamala harris.

the race is tighter now. he has been criticized for not outlining policies and attacking her on policies for the last few weeks, having that freewheeling conversation with elon musk and the press conference at mar-a-lago last week. what we have seen today is an effort to focus in on the economy today. he has spoken about many other subject matters as well and he has debuted a of attack. today he is referring to kamala- nomics and seeking to put harris front and center. of course, the polls coming today. he had a comfortable lead when he was running against joe biden. i have been speaking to congressman chuck edwards. i spoke to him earlier when it

was quieter before donald trump took to the stage. i want to start with the new average of polls that is just out from the cook political report today that shows that kamala harris has edged ahead of donald trump in north carolina. what do you think has caused him to slide, her to bump up like that? >> polls are just a thumbnail view of a very select group of folks at any particular time. the ultimate poll will happen november 5. i believe north carolina will be largely supportive of donald trump. >> do you think the margin will be greater this year? >> i think we will win by a far greater margin this year. folks are hurting in north carolina. the harris and biden policies that made things so much more expensive. i think they are going to

remember that when they go to the polls on november 5. >> if that poll is reflective and she is getting the edge ahead of him in north carolina, what does he need to do to win over voters in this state? >> i think donald trump needs to do what donald trump does, present his message, remind the american people of how much better off we were when he was our president, and ultimately he will come out on top november 5. >> is there a certain message or policy he will use to try to win over democratic voters? we are speaking and hash bill -- asheville which is a heavily purple part of the blue state. >> folks need to look at how much more expensive life is today than it was four years ago under donald j. trump. because working in public leadership is all about trying to help people's lives to be

better. americans lives were better when donald trump was our president four years ago. things are so much more expensive today. people are spending so much more for things they are buying. things -- folks are concerned about the border. those are the issues that will come out on november 5. >> what would president trump do about rising prices? >> we've got to get are spending under control. something harris and biden have ignored and failed to do. and they have been very unwilling to work with congress to reduce our spending. and then there is the issue of regulation. harrison biden have put $2 trillion of regulatory impact on the backs of american businesses and families. and then there is the issue of interest rates. the runaway inflation created by

those other issues that have caused interest rates to skyrocket. now, our mortgages, car payments, credit card bills are so much more expensive and we were so much better off when president trump was in the white house and responsible for helping set these policies. >> the inflation rate, the new figures are out today, showing it has dipped under 3% for the first time since 2021. you are laughing. >> i'm laughing because folks refuse to acknowledge that that 3% or whatever the number is today is a compounded effect. it may be 3% now, but we have experienced in total the greatest inflationary rates while harris and biden have been in the white house in the last 40 years. so you can't just look at the rate today. you have to look at the rate over the last four years.

that rate equates to $1250 a month. that is real dollars out of americans' pockets. >> in terms of the prices that are set by private companies, is there anything president trump will do about that in a second term? >> the prices set by private companies are indicative of their cost bases. what it costs for them for utilities and fuel and labor. it is one more indication of how this economy is not working for american economy -- american families. >> what do you think we will hear from him today on the economy? >> you never really know what president trump might say, but i would suspect he would remind us that we were in such better shape, our economy was in such better shape when he was our president before.

unemployment was low, even for major minority groups, hispanics, african-americans. i think he will remind us that harrison biden, with a stroke of their pen, have settled americans with unbelievable regulation that is making everything not only more difficult and not only removing our freedoms and liberties, but making things more expensive. >> is the economy, the cost of living the number one issue for north carolinans? >> the two issues i hear from north carolina's 11th congressional district are the economy and how things are so expensive and how they have a tougher time making ends meet than ever before and then there is the issue of the southern border, the fact that we have had 11 million illegal crossings and there seems to be no path by harris and biden to fix that. we need donald trump back in the white house to reverse the 64

executive actions that harris and biden made that has made our southern border so porous. [cheering] >> you can probably see behind me the crowd are on their feet as the former president donald trump has just wrapped up his remarks. huge cheers. his plan to put no taxes on tips. he delivers his trademark chant of, " kamala harris, you are fired," brought the crowd to their feet. back to you. >> thank you so much. for the second time in two years, the world health organization considers mpox the global public health emergency.

formerly known as monkeypox, it has killed people in the democratic republic of congo and is spreading across africa. we can speak with the deputy director of the division of pathogens at the center for disease control. how alarming is this to see it spread across parts of africa? >> it is certainly concerning to us. the public health concern by the who is a reflection of how seriously we take it. we have been tracking cases in the drc during 2023 and 2024 and we have been working actively to help them get a handle on this. >> why are we seeing this bread right now? >> people are coming in touch with animals that spread it.

we no longer vaccinated against smallpox. once upon a time that protected us. most people in the world are not vaccinated against smallpox. we have a very large population that are at risk. >> in most cases, it is self-limiting. fatal cases were quite low during that outbreak. for people who have immuno compromising conditions or other conditions that put them at risk , it can be a very severe illness with rash and legions -- lay-ins that spread all over the body. we have seen fatal infections. for played one, we are concerned

because it is a little more serious version of it. we expect a higher proportion of people to have severe cases, some people who are not immuno compromised. we would see a higher fatality rate if they started to circulate more widely. >> how will this help country stop the spread? >> i think the main thing is raising awareness and bringing together collaborating countries from around the world to help those countries who are experiencing the large outbreaks right now. it will take a global effort to bring this under control and the more attention we can bring to it and the more partners we can bring to the table the better. >> i can imagine cdc is collaborating with its partners around the globe on this. the deputy director of the division of high consequence pathogens at the cdc, very good to have you on bbc news, thank you so much for joining us. >> thank you. >> now, remember you can find

more on all the day's news on bbc.com/news or follow us on your favorite social media site and you can download our bbc news app to follow the latest headlines and analysis from our correspondents around the world. thank you for watching world news america. ♪ announcer: funding for presentation of this program is provided by... financial services firm, raymond james. 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: "usa today" calls it, "arguably the best bargain in streaming." that's because the free pbs app lets you watch the best of pbs anytime, anywhere.

♪ >> good evening. >> tonight, north carolina enters political spotlight as trump and harris choose the swing states for outlines of their economic visions. >> we talk with jamie diamond -- dimon on what ca