this is bbc news. our top stories: president trump is forced to abandon his healthcare bill after some republicans threatened to rebel. i have been saying for the last year and a half, that the best thing we can do, politically speaking, is to let obamaca re explode. can do, politically speaking, is to let obamacare explode. it is exploding now. the westminster attacker: police try to find out if khalid masood was working alone and what motivated his actions. marine le pen is invited to the kremlin by vladimir putin. and we have a look at a new robot barman.

hello and welcome. president donald trump has suffered a major defeat over one of his biggest campaign pledges. his vow to reform america's health—care system and repeal of other careful to donald trump was facing opposition notjust other careful to donald trump was facing opposition not just from democrats, but from his own party congress. the president had issued an ultimatum to republicans saying that he would drop it altogether if they did not back in. but he was forced to abandon his plans after being told that he can we did not have enough support. from washington, john serpell filed this report. —— jon sopel. mr vice president, do you have the vote? a day of truly frantic meetings and phone calls, as the vice president, mike pence, went to the hilt to try to secure the votes needed

to pass health care reform — trumpcare. and the usual tools deployed, a mixture of menace and flattery. but it wasn't going well. my vote is still a no. my vote has not changed. if anybody tells you for certain they know what is go to happen, they are lying. the situation is still very fluid. and if concessions are made to the right of the republican party, you lose the moderates, and vice versa. at the white house, there were no attempts to distance themselves from the legislation. the president's spokesman saying donald trump had done everything he could. there is no question, in my mind, at least, that the president and the team have left everything in the field. we have called every member with a question and concern, taking into consideration the strength of the bill. but there was one definitive statement about how the day would unfold. obviously, later today, the house will vote on the american health care act, the current vote is scheduled for 3:30pm. except it didn't, with journalists prowling every corridor, doubts started to creep in and then the bombshell announcement

after the speaker, paul ryan, went to see the president to tell him they didn't have the votes. we came close, today, but we came up short. i spoke to the president, just a little while ago, and told him the best thing to do was to pull the bill and he agreed. i will not sugar—coat this. this is a disappointing day. doing big things is hard. and the president was defiant in defeat. i've been saying for the last year—and—a—half, that the best thing we can do, politically speaking, is let obamacare explode. it is exploding right now. but on the campaign trail, donald trump said it would be easy. and this was his pledge that every rally. obamacare has to be replaced. we go to get rid of obamacare, which is a disaster. repealing and replacing the disaster known as obamacare! and the author of the art of the deal said only he could deliver it. if you can't make a good deal with a politician, then there is something

wrong with you. you're certainly not very good. chanting: hey hey, ho ho, donald trump has got to go! protestors were vocal in their opposition to the reform plan, which could have seen 2a million americans lose their health insurance. west virginia was solidly behind donald trump last november. john ingram, a retired miner, articulated an uncertainty that echoes around the country. i hope to god that they realise what they are actually doing. in effect, they are dealing with life and death situations. for notjust me, but for millions of people. do you use the rapid insulin, too? at the cabin creek health center, they are watching these proposed changes with alarm. it's the disturbing to think that, you know, we have made some gains — and to take that away

is especially difficult. i think that is disheartening. for patients. yesterday, donald trump clambered on board a giant truck. today, his politicaljuggernaut came to a grinding halt. make no mistake, this is a huge embarrassment and setback. jon sopel, bbc news, washington. our correspondence at capital hill, laura bicker, has more on what might happen next. republicans have to go away and lick their wounds, because serious questions will be asked about their ability to find, ramiz raja come together and make major policy decisions. when it comes to it, it may look like the party defeat, disappointment, and drama. and money comes their future, paul ryan has dismissed today as growing pains of government. by the last eight years, all they have had to do is sit in opposition and oppose democrats, say what they did not

like. now they have defined what they do like about what is within their own party, and come to compromises, when it comes to policy. when it came to this health—care bill, p wright did not like it, the left did not like it. and there was no way in between. and when it came to the first time of asking, the first week to try and push made his legislation through, they just could not push made his legislation through, theyjust could not do it. laura bicker in washington. here in the uk, counterterrorism police are tried to work out if the man behind the westminster attack was alone or work with others. —— working. police have released the first image of the attacker — 52—year—old khalid masood. seven of the people who were arrested have now been released. four are still being questioned. here's our special correspondent lucy manning. the face of khalid masood.

the face that confronted police officers at parliament. the face that looked out of the car at pedestrians, as he knocked them over. the 52—year—old was known by a number of names. born adrian elms in kent, by the time he was at huntleys secondary school for boys in tunbridge wells, he was called adrian ajao, after his mother got married. school friends remembered him as a sporty pupil, who liked to party. adrian was a nice lad, a fun guy, always laughing, always joking. worked reasonably hard. good at sport. played rugby very well. just an unassuming guy. but masood was soon developing a reputation for violence. in the sleepy sussex village of northiam, where he lived in his 20s, at the local pub he slashed a man in the face with a knife and was sent to jail. he didn't have a very good reputation, definitely. i remember he was a bit of a troubled character, i think is probably the way to describe it. a family friend said this wasn't the only time aidy, as he was known in the village, turned violent. a chap was looking at aidy. i was just sitting at the pool table and i happened to look over and he took umbrage

against the landlord for looking at him like he was, and he flew over the bar. and luckily i was really close, because he got a glass, he was going to do him. he was likejekyll and bloody hyde. he said he thought he felt affected by racism. he said to me, he said, "to be honest with you, i don't like myself." he said, "i don't like my skin." masood spent time in three prisons, hmp lewes, wayland and ford. he worked as a teacher in saudi arabia in 2005 and again, in 2008. he'd already converted to islam by then. his mother now lives in a remote farmhouse in carmarthenshire, which detectives searched yesterday. they haven't been, from what i understand, in any sort of contact with their son for well over 20 years, and at the end of the day, when it comes to terrorism, unfortunately nobody can be responsible for the action of their children. masood, we now know, launched his terror attack after staying overnight

at a hotel in brighton. he stayed in room 228. he seemed happy, staff said, untroubled by what he was about to do — that he was about to leave his hotel room to drive to london to kill. he was joking and smiling and friendly. he was a very, very friendly person, when he walked in. the receptionist said, he's a lovely guest, iliked him. she put comments in the system, you know, as a nice guest. there was nothing in his conduct or demeanour that would have made me get a feeling that there's something weird about this guy. and he'sjust on his way to commit mass murder. detectives have searched the hotel and there have been more raids, more arrests. in manchester, a car was taken away by police in didsbury and two arrests, described by senior officers as significant, were made there and in the west midlands.

the police are still trying to build a picture of a man who came here to attack westminster. they say their main aim now is to try and work out if he was acting alone, inspired by terrorist propaganda, or if there are others, still out there who encouraged him, supported, or even directed this attack. but it's clear there are still gaps in the police's knowledge. what we're appealing to today is to the public, to say, if, even in hindsight now, you realise something about khalid masood, something about his associates, something about his movements, somethign about planning, now is the time to come forward and speak to our officers. a bright student, turned violent man, turned terrorist. no one is still sure how, or why. lucy manning, bbc news, westminster. in other news, paul manafort, donald trump's former campaign chairman,

is to give evidence to the house intelligence committee as part of its investigation into russia's alleged interference in the 2016 election. the committee chairman, devin nunes, says mr manafort has volunteered to speak to the panel. reports this week have suggested that he secretly worked for a russian billionaire before joining the trump campaign. exactly two years since the deadly german wings crash in the french alps, the father of co—pilot andreas lubitz has held a press conference disputing that his son deliberately brought down the plane. german prosecutors had closed their investigation after concluding that lubitz was suicidal and bore sole responsibility. a spanish aid organisation says it found bodies near where two boats capsized on thursday. the find raises the concern about the hundreds of missing migrants off the coast of libya. the developments comes as turkish media reports that 11 migrants died after a boat sank in the aegean. the turkish coast guard says nine people were rescued. france's far—right presidential

hopeful marine le pen has met russia's president at the kremlin. vladimir putin told her he did not want to influence events in the run—up to the election which starts next month. and the national front leader told him, if she were to win she would consider lifting the european union's economic sanctions imposed on russia over its role in the ukraine conflict. let's get more on this story then and how it has been received in france. we spoke to pierre haski who is the co—founder of the news website rue89.com. he thinks the visit is strategic, so that marine le pen can show voters we re that marine le pen can show voters were do when she meets world leaders. and how she hopes to become one herself. the trip to moscow is not unusual. what is unusual is that in this election, the context, she is received by vladimir putin. she has a problem in that her rivals,

like a manual micron, can be seen with angela merkel and theresa may, without any difficulty. she cannot. —— emmanuel macron. she has only met as heads of state the head of state of leven on and off chad. meeting vladimir putin shows she can be presidential and talk directly to some of the most powerful people on this land. but is it a wise meeting, given some of the accusations that have been levelled at rush hour over its alleged interference in your selections. there is a lot of fear about that in europe, as well as conspiracy theories on rumours that russia is supporting the far right. my russia is supporting the far right. my feeling is that with her supporters it will go well, because she can show that she is anti— system, that she is a rabble, and that she can go and meet the outcasts of this world and talk with

the incarnation of the evil empire, vladimir putin, and that certainly goes well with her supporters. it does not go well, obviously, with many mainstream voters who are sensitive to the accusations about russia meddling with the us or european elections, or the case of ukraine. so it is a mixed issue, but at the moment, i think the bonus for her is with her supporters and that is what matters at this stage in the campaign. it may play well with her supporters, but doesn't marine le pen need to expand her base in order to try and do well in this election, even potentially when. —— when? to try and do well in this election, even potentially when. -- when? she is proving that she is a world—class leader. —— win. that's what she was to show, that she can go meet vladimir putin at the kremlin, and

she takes international affairs seriously, that she can discuss islamic terrorism, she can discuss the fate of africa, that is what she claimed afterwards, and has positions that go against some of the rivals, particularly emmanuel macron, who will be described during this campaign as a global is who is favourable to international finance. so she is really preparing the fight with emmanuel macron by siding with the anti— system moscow leader, rather than the mainstream world. just on that, briefly, in terms of what she has had to say, she wants sanctions lifted. she supports russia's annexation of crimea. how unusual other statements, and what she want out about? she said that before previously, but obviously saying that if either vladimir putin

isa saying that if either vladimir putin is a different value. —— what do she wa nt is a different value. —— what do she want out of that. she gave the russians everything she they wanted —— they wanted on crimea. russians everything she they wanted -- they wanted on crimea. and that was the co—founder of the news website rue89.com. stay with us. still to come: we'll reveal how our correspondent got on when he tried to order a beer from a robot barman. let there be no more war or bloodshed between arabs and israelis. with great regret, the committee

have decided that south africa should be excluded from the 1970 competition. streaking across the sky, the white hot wreckage from mir drew gasps from onlookers on fiji. this is bbc news. the latest headlines. donald trump has pulled his health—care bill after it became clear he didn't have enough support from his own party to wind a vote in congress. british police have a field to the public to help uncover the motivation of the man who killed four people in wednesday's attack on

westminster. —— appealed to the public. staying without top story, i have been speaking to lend sweet, the washington correspondent for the chicago sun times, and asked her if she thinks the republicans might be out of pac is when it comes to writing and passing legislation. —— lynn sweet. for seven years, the republicans in the us have opposed 0bamacare and republicans in the us have opposed 0bamaca re and have republicans in the us have opposed 0bamacare and have tried to repeal it multiple times. now that the republicans control the house, the senate and the white house, they still could not muster the votes to ta ke still could not muster the votes to take the first steps to repeal former president barack 0bama's signature achievement. it makes this setback even more impact full, because they have the power to do what they want. now, we know that us healthcare is problematic, and the disagreements are almost ideological, about how to fix them. but we also heard donald trump saying today that a 0bamacare is going to "explode". is that going to happen? well, not everywhere and not

for everybody. president trump also said, fairly recently, that he just learnt that healthcare in america is complex. it is one of the most complex. it is one of the most complex aspects of our lives in america. however we got there, here we are. the health insurance for most people comes from their employers. so they probably will not explode. mine will not, mind will not change a bit, because i get it through my employer. so we are talking about everybody. also, president trump could not decide today whether it would implode first, then explode, or what. it needs fixing. president 0bama, when he was in the white house, said it needed fixing. democrats said that for yea rs needed fixing. democrats said that for years they could not get republicans to work with them to fix it. today it is so interesting, because president trump was blaming the democrats for not giving him the votes he needed to pass a republican

bell. finally, lynn sweet, very briefly, what do you expect to happen next? i do not expect this to be the end, even though president trump and the leader of the house, paul ryan, said they are moving on to other things. this could come up again. a big lesson learned for president trump in the art of the deal, when it comes to congress. that was lynn sweet, the washington correspondent for the chicago sun times. the european union won't try to punish britain during brexit talks. that's according to jean claude juncker, president of the european commission. but mrjuncker insisted that the uk would have to honour its "financial commitments" as part of any deal — a figure that he said could be around 50 billion pounds. he was speaking to our europe editor katya adler ahead of celebrations marking the eu's 60th birthday celebrations in rome. kicking out the red carpet for the leaders of the eu — coming to rome for the clubs‘s 60th anniversary. the timing of this birthday bash is awkward, just as one of the eu's most influential members,

the uk, prepares to leave. jean—claudejuncker is the president of the european commission, which will be the lead eu negotiator in brexit talks. in brussels, just before leaving for rome, jean—claude juncker said theresa may would be missed this weekend. on saturday, there will be a celebration. the leaders of 27 member states will be there. u nfortu nately, yes. not 28, but only 27. that, surely is going to be the elephant in the room, isn't it? the fact that theresa may will not be there? she's not an elephant. her absence. yes, but i like her as a person. i am deeply respecting the british people and the british nation. you cannot forget that the european continent has a duty when it comes to britain, because without churchill and without the resilience of the british people, we would not be where we are today.

how do you balance that when it comes to brexit negotiations, on the one hand, wanting to keep uk close, but on the other wanting to ensure that others are put off leaving. what it comes negotiations, we will speak in a frank way, a fair way, and we are not naive. so what of the around £50 billion that the commission has demanded written pay before it leaves the eu, covering long—term budget commitments, for example? there will be no sanctions. no punishment. nothing of that kind. but britain has to know, and i suppose that the government does know it, they have to honour the commitments and the former commitments... to the tune of £50 billion?

but i — i don't have... i was mentioning that years ago, £50 billion, £60 billion, it's around that. but that is not the main story. we have two calculate, scientifically. so how will you feel on wednesday when that letter of notification, that formal notification arrives, here in brussels? i will be sad. i will be sad as i when the vote, the referendum took place, in britain. it's a tragedy. does it feel like a failure, jean—claude juncker? it is a failure and a tragedy. and more sombre was for the eu this evening in the vatican. pope francis welcomed leaders ahead of the 60th anniversary celebrations with a warning: without new vision, a renewed social conscience, he said, the european union's days were numbered. katya adler, bbc news, brussels.

now i want to move away from the heavy political stories and to something more refreshing — a robotic barman. it's been serving drinks as more than 800 experts have been gathering in edinburghforthe european robotics forum. our technology correspondent rory cellan—jones was there and ordered a drink. so, i'm going to try this robot barman. but see how long it takes him to pour me a beer. i push... just as well. a reminder of our top story, the political theatre which has played out today over the healthcare ill in the us. republicans withdrew their health—care bill shortly before a vote in the us congress, forfailing to get enough support from within the president's own party. there is much more on the website on that story on our website. lots more to

come on bbc world news. see you soon. hello. there will be some chilly nights this weekend. there will be frost for some of us as the weekend begins, but by day, it is done, sun, sun. what a glorious weekend if you're a fan of blue skies. high pressure right across the uk. the weather ingredients this weekend, because of high pressure, as you might imagine, it is going to be settled. there will be some warm spring sunshine around, but for some others there will be a noticeable breezy. we will need to shelter from that to enjoy the warm sunshine. some chilly nights with frost around. looking at the temperatures as the weekend begins, these are the urban readings, but away from the towns and cities in the countryside we will see those lower readings on the thermometer. in parts of

northern england, northern ireland and scotland will see frost. many of us and scotland will see frost. many of us will have widespread frost on ground and grass. a few patches of fog in parts of yorkshire, lincolnshire, the midlands and parts of wales. that shouldn't last too long into the morning. an exception to the settled weather will be in the northern isles. more cloud around on saturday, especially in the shetlands. 0ur breaks of rain at times, mostly on the light side. as you comes out you can see the extent of the sunshine to begin with, but hints of either missed all fog patches, or low cloud, to begin with, through parts of yorkshire, literature, the midlands and into wales. it should not last too long. by wales. it should not last too long. by mid—morning that should be gone. look at the strength of the wind in east anglia, south—east england and willunga south goes. if anything that may be a notch up compared to what we had on friday. quite able windy picture for some of us. you will need to shelter from the easterly wind to get the best of the warmth from the sunshine. the blue sky continues for the majority of the afternoon. that warmth will be felt, especially where the wind is

right down the western side of the uk, 15 or 16 celsius. saturday, a fine evening, but a chilly night. a touch of frost, especially in the north. remember, on saturday night the clocks go forward an hour, the beginning of british summer time. nothing to do with the weather, though it sounds good. great fun night workers, and great if you want your life longer into the evening. here are the sunset times on sunday. there will be some sunshine around again on sunday for the vast majority. maybe just a again on sunday for the vast majority. maybejust a bit again on sunday for the vast majority. maybe just a bit of cloud to some eastern parts of the uk later in the day. still that's breeze to the south and still sheltering from that to make the most of the sunshine. for the vast majority, the weekend will have a blue sky note. whatever you are doing this weekend, enjoy that, and enjoy your weekend. i'm reged ahmad with bbc world news. our main headlines this hour: donald trump has withdrawn his

healthcare bill after it failed to win enough support from his own party. paul ryan described the decision as a setback. but the democrats said it was a victory for the reckon people, and a great day for america. british police have appealed to the public information about the man behind the attack at westminster. marine le pen said she would consider lifting sanctions on russia if she was elected. the national front leader met vladimir putin in moscow and he said he was not trying to influence events. and those are the headlines on bbc world news. and now on bbc news, we are taking to the stage for a special programme all about