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is provided by... woman: a successful business owner sells his company and restores his father's historic jazz club with his son. a raymond james financial advisor get to know you, your passions, and the way you bring people together. life well planned. 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" ♪ >> this is bbc world news ♪ america. it is the final night at the democratic national convention and kamala harris will take to the stage to formally accept her historic nomination. former president donald trump campaigns at the u.s. southern border, criticizing democrats

for their position on immigration. ♪ hello and welcome to world news america. i'm caitriona perry. we are coming to you live from the united center in chicago. rehearsals are underway for the final night. if some loud music begins, that is here at the national convention in chicago. democratic nominee for president kamala harris will take to the stage to deliver her acceptance speech. the u.s. vice president is hoping to become the first female president in the country's nearly 250 year history. the theme for today is for the people, for our future. michigan governor gretchen whitmer and north carolina governor roy cooper, who both represent swing states, will also speak tonight, as will height profile former republican adam kinzinger. there has been no shortage of

enthusiasm from democrats all week, including cory booker who kicked off with a press conference. >> it is almost like weeping has endured through the night but joy cometh in the morning. we see a new dawn in america, a page being turned. that is being represented by the kind of speakers you see before you in this convention. >> before vice president kamala harris makes that speech later tonight, let's have a look at who she is and her rise to the highest level of american politics. 59-year-old harris was born to an indian born mother and a jamaican born father in oakland, california. in 2003 she became the district attorney of san francisco, but her career in politics took off in 2017 when she was elected to the u.s. senate, representing california. in 2020 miss harris unsuccessfully ran for president

but eventually became joe biden's running mate, and they were elected. she launched a nationwide fight for our freedoms tour, highlighting the harm caused by abortion bans. she has cast the most tie-breaking records by a u.s. vice president in history of the senate, helping to pass the inflation reduction act and the american rescue plan. vice president harris was tasked by president biden with tackling migration at the u.s. southern border. she led diplomatic efforts to address the root causes of migration for three central american countries. republicans are critical of her work on that issue, and we will have more on that later in the program. she secured the democratic genital nomination shortly after joe biden ended his bid for reelection in july and he endorsed her. joining me to discuss all that is still to come is representative jamie raskin, a democratic congressman from maryland. we heard from cory booker about the joy and happiness and how

he's been crying through the night with joy and so on. can the democrats harness this for the coming months? rep. absolutely -- rep. raskin: i think it was leonard bernstein that says success is two things, one is a plan, and two is not quite enough time. this started late. a total of 100 days. we are using every will day and we hoped and planned to peak at the right moment in november as we rapidly consolidated the democratic party forces. we have been spreading out to independents and are starting to capture wavering republicans who cannot vote for donald trump. host: you were one of the most vocal individuals calling on joe biden to reconsider his choice to contest the election. rep. raskin:ne of the first but not one of the most vocal. host: you sent a letter, sorry. it was widely reported in the early days. could you anticipate the impact that would have on the party?

how would you characterize that? rep. raskin: i totally anticipated that when he made this decision, there would be a massive wave of gratitude and love for him based on everything he's done over an extraordinary half-century career, and specifically one of the most successful presidential terms in the history of the united states, with the american rescue plan, with the bipartisan infrastructure agreement, with the inflation reduction act, extraordinary progress. i anticipated it would be like a dam breaking and terms of a new generation of validations, but also millions of -- of politicians, but also millions of young people across the country seeing the democratic party can be responsive to new generations. host: what does kamala harris have left to do? what will we hear from her? rep. raskin: tonight we will start to get into the policy specifics them a but there will be great continuity in terms of the values and principles of the democratic party.

you have a clear contrast right now. the democratic party believes the government must be an instrument of the common good, for everybody. the trump cult believes government is the instrument of private self enrichment and self aggrandize meant of the guy who gets -- aggrandizement of the guy who gets in. i do believe that kamala harris will set forth some of her specific policies with respect to education, the climate, health care, and so on, to build on the successes of the biden-harris administration. host: one of the points of the administration that has caused some disunity here is the israel policy and the biden administration approach to gaza. we have had some delegates demonstrating outside saying a palestinian voice should have been included during prime time hours. rep. raskin: i think both

president biden and vice president harris have spoken forcefully with where we are to respect to this horrific, bloody conflict in gaza. both of them have said that america has traditionally stood and will always stand with the strategic defense and security of israel, but as vice president harris said, we are not going to remain silent about civilian deaths and about the dislocation of civilian life that has taken place in gaza. we want to see the hostages come home, which is why there were speakers about that, families -- host: and those protesting don't have an issue with that. they want to see the hostages come home as well, but they want the voice of the palestinian americans to be given the same weight. rep. raskin: yes. there have been other sessions over the course of the convention where there have been voices about -- host: but not here in the main

program. rep. raskin: not here. host: should they have been included? rep. raskin: i don't know what has gone into it. when netanyahu came, i met with palestinian family. his i met with families of the hostages. all of them are saying the same thing, bring the hostages home, comprehensive regional cease-fire to break the brutal dynamics of terrorism and war that have engulfed the region. again, i don't want to second-guess anything that has gone on, because i don't know what has gone on into the negotiations. i know lots of people who were scheduled to speak, or play, like james taylor, who got bumped from the program, because logicians attended the filibuster -- because politicians attended the filibuster. we have to elevate the concerns of palestinians. we have a lot of palestinian left officials. rashida tlaib of michigan. we have local and state

palestinian officials. they are very much an important part of the democratic party coalition and must be heard. i have constituents i represent in maryland who have family members who were taken hostage, who are fighting in this conflict. i have palestinian constituents who have lost, in some cases, dozens of family members in bombing in gaza. we want this nightmare to end and we want to see an end permanently to the brutal dynamics of terror and war and occupation. a two state solution is what we are looking for. host: perhaps the vice president may address that issue later on. we will wait to see. we leave it there for the moment. congressman jamie raskin, appreciate your time. immigration policy is considered one of the biggest political challenges for the democratic party and kamala harris. a recent poll from cbs found 48%

of likely voters believe the u.s. southern border crossing will go up if miss harris wins the election. 72% believe they will go down under donald trump. the former president and his republican allies have made immigration a focal point of their criticisms of kamala harris, calling her a failed border czar. former president trump leaned into the narrative while campaigning in the battleground and border state of arizona today. mr. trump: we had a border czar, she loved the title, but she did not want to do the work because she's lazy and, more importantly, she wants to have an open border. you say, who would want an open border where criminals can pour into our country? all you have to do is walk up there if you have the courage to do it and go to that open section, stand there for a little while, you will be running back here quickly. we went for the best numbers in recorded history to the worst numbers in recorded history or any other history.

we have a marxist that is running. this country is not ready for a marxist president. host: the democrats at the convention here have fired back, praising the biden administration's efforts on immigration. they blame former president trump for standing in the way of a bipartisan border security deal that fell apart earlier this year. democratic senator chris murphy was the lead democratic negotiator on that deal. in his speech at the dnc last night, he called kamala harris tough as nails when it comes to immigration and he spoke about the failed measure. >> donald trump's allies were not just in the room, they helped us write the whole bill. it was a bipartisan bill. it was a tough bill. $2 billion in new border security. gave the president the emergency power to shut down the border, make compassionate but serious reforms to our asylum system.

one republican said it would have had almost unanimous support if it weren't for donald trump. trump killed that bill, and he did it because he knew that if we fixed the border, he'd lose his ability to divide us. his ability to fan the flames of fear about people who come from different places. you guys know this, right? hate and division, that is trump 's oxygen. people like trump and jd vance, they need it to survive in politics. host: they have been here all week. they are with us again tonight, our great bbc news panel. stephanie murphy and rodney davis, thanks to you both for being with us once again. to pick up on that issue of immigration, are the democratic party very exposed when it comes

to that? stephanie: the reality is that donald trump prevented the congress from pressing the bill to address the border -- passing the bill to address the border for political purposes so that republicans can come to events like this in the run-up to the election and blame democrats for not addressing the border. despite the fact that trump prevented congress from doing something about the border, the illegal migration numbers are down significantly because of some of the executive action that the biden administration took. when you hear republicans come after democrats for border issues, it is a crisis that they created and perpetrated and perpetuated so that they could have that moment, here during the convention, during the

run-up to the election, to have as a talking point. i think it is really disingenuous, but it is also a reflection of donald trump's politics. it is about i, not you. it is about himself and his political game and not the american people, and addressing a serious issue that had a bipartisan solution. host: we heard that line from bill clinton last night, don't count the lies, count the i's. rodney: when we are talking about immigration, 100%. the problem with the southern border and the 10 to 11 million people who crossed our border illegally was set into motion by joe biden removing the executive actions of donald trump, who when leaving office had historic low border crossings. democrats are going to say, well, the bill!

stephanie: that was also during covid when there were strict regulations on leaving areas. rodney: but you know exactly what was happening for covid, when donald trump threw his executive actions was doing everything, and it was working to reduce border incursions. we can talk technicalities, but we would not need congress. joe biden would not have asked congress to negotiate a bill if there was not a problem before the negotiations begin. joe biden through his own actions caused the problem. joe biden right now could actually change things. his borders are -- border czar -- congress is divided and is paralyzed. it has been paralyzed on issues like daca and immigration for years. stephanie and i were in congress together in 2018 and we had very good compromise immigration bills. you know how many democrats voted for those? zero. because they wanted a campaign

issue. this is politics. immigration is the new third rail of politics no matter what anybody tries to say. it will not get solved through legislative processes. stephanie: it could have been solved through the legislative process in 2018. host: we don't have time to get fully into the nitty-gritty of immigration, because i think there is broad agreement that immigration reform is needed in this country. stephanie: there was a bill that could have been passed. host: to move to the culmination of the entire week, kamala harris taking to the stage here. what tone does she need to strike? stephanie: the bar has been set really high for her with the number of incredibly talented speakers and democratic leaders, but the great thing is that the republicans have set the bar very low for. they have said she is unintelligent, that she can't speak, that she is incapable of being articulate.

and so the bar is very low, given what the republicans have presented her as. i think she needs to give a soaring speech that looks towards the future, that lifts up this party, that continues the momentum that has been built over the last three days. and offers the american people a vision for the future, and also underscores for them that it isn't about her or anybody else on the ticket, it is about them. it is about addressing their needs and moving this country forward in a way that is not divisive. host: from a republican perspective, what is the thing she could say or do that would pose the greatest threat to you and your party colleagues? rodney: there is not a single thing she can say that would pose the greatest threat to my former colleagues and republicans, it is what is she going to do after this convention? the speeches given by the

presidential nominees at the convention should be great. they should wow everybody in the crowd and those watching on tv. i expect that to happen, but it is what is going to happen when we get out of this convention. is she going to stand in front of the news media outlets and take questions at a conference that is not just guided by one of her staffers? is she going to say i need to work with president biden it my current capacity as vice president to address immigration issues, to address economic issues, to address rising crime issues in communities in the united states? if she's able to do that once she leaves, then she will get the success she and democrats want. host: a question is one that many delegates are talking about tonight, is it going to be taylor swift or beyonce that flies onto the stage? stephanie: i effort reports that taylor swift -- i heard reports

that taylor swift's plane landed in chicago, but it does not matter. the star power is great because it draws people who would not pay attention during this moment, the undecideds, the swing voters. as long as she does not do a 90 minute rambling speech, as president -- as former president trump did at his convention, then it will be a win. host: everything has runway overtime this week so far. we might see you rocking out to taylor and beyonce later. who knows? rodney: no kid rock, but we will see. host: we will talk to you guys later on. thanks for being with us, stephanie murphy and rodney davis. it has been indeed a whirlwind few weeks for democrats as their nominee changed. kamala harris's journey to the nomination began on june 27 in many ways when joe biden took part in that debate against donald trump in atlanta and

faced so much criticism after that. democrats at that point begin putting pressure on president biden to withdraw his nomination. he stepped down from the race on july 21 and endorsed vice president harris to replace him as the nominee. miss harris officially clenched the democratic nomination for president on august 2 in a virtual roll call held by party delegates. tonight she will formally accept that nomination at the democratic national convention when she makes her speech on the stage just down there behind us. you can follow all our reporting from the dnc. we have many teams on the ground in chicago. all of that is on the live page on our website, bbc.com/news and the bbc news app. do stay with us on bbc news, where we will have everything later on. the vice president -- ukrainian president zelenskyy visited

thursday and said ukrainian forces seized another settlement in russia's region. ukrainian officials are calling a buffer zone in russian territory. as tensions increase over ukraine's cross-border offensive, kyiv is coming under scrutiny for the way it prosecutes people accused of collaborating with russia. since russia's full-scale invasion in february 2022, about 1800 people have been convicted on crimes ranging from leaking military secrets to simply what is described as justifying it online. the united states says ukraine is breaking international humanitarian law. our ukraine correspondent has reports from the east of the country. correspondent: collaboration hurts ukraine. in one village last year, two men tipped off the russians about the funeral of a ukrainian soldier. the invaders then hit it with a missile, killing 59 people.

mp's voted quickly to make collaboration a crime in 2022, with russia's full skill invasion, to prevent -- full-scale invasion, to prevent tragedies like these. this is a town bludgeoned by occupation, liberation, and fighting. when the russians arrived, an electrician volunteered to restore power to the town. >> the russians said i had to work for them or not at all. i was afraid they would punish me and my family. correspondent: but when he was liberated six month later, he was arrested. he was handed a suspended sentence and banned from working as an electrician. across town, vladimir is adjusting to life without his wife tatyana, who is in prison. she was a neighborhood volunteer where she liaise with local

officials. under occupation, she continued and was later sentenced to five years by a ukrainian court. if i were week, i would burst into tears -- i were weak, i would burst into tears, he tells me. but what about his wife? we were granted permission to meet her at this prison 300 kilometers away. tatyana is held in this separate block for convicted collaborators. she claims she was just giving out firewood. prosecutors argued she had illegally taken a job with the russians. >> what is mike ryan? fighting -- what is my crime? fighting for the people. i did not fight for the russians. i survived and found myself in a prison. correspondent: critics, including the united nations, are concerned. >> the law is problematic because it is vaguely worded. and in terms of compliance with

international humanitarian law, it does criminalize acts that could be lawfully compelled by the occupying authority. correspondent: but the message from one of the mp's who drew up the collaboration law is blunt. >> i strongly disagree with such a statement that this legislation is a breach of international law. correspondent: what about those who act under duress, might be saying what they need to to just survive? >> look, the law is pretty much clear, saying that collaboration is a crime if you do it voluntary, not under direct pressure. correspondent: for now, this collaboration law is seen as necessary for tough justice. if it means ukraine can be free of russia's grasp. james waterhouse, bbc news. host: canada's government has ordered two major railroad companies to resume operations

and enter arbitration after they halted freight services after a dispute with the labor union. canadian national and canadian pacific railroads shutdown on thursday after failing to secure a deal with the teamsters labor union. more than 5000 workers were locked out of -- 9000 workers were locked out of employment. canada's freight minister says they could move within the next few days. that is it for world news america. do stay with us here for full coverage of the democratic national convention in chicago. 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. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

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amna: good evening. i'm amna nawaz. geoff: and i'm geoff bennett. on the “news hour” tonight. >> we're on offense and we've got the ball, we're driving down the field. geoff: vice presidential