donald trump remains defiant after failing to overhaul barack obama's health reforms. the president was forced to abandon his healthcare bill because of lack of support within his own party. two men remain in custody as investigations continue into the westminster terror attack. it's emerged the attacker, khalid masood, sent whatsapp messages moments before hitting the bridge. thousands of civilians attempt to escape mosul amid reports that hundreds have been killed in air strikes in the past few days. i've spoken to witnesses who say that whole families have died in the rubble of their houses, and that nobody was even able to dig them out. also in the next hour... celebrating 60 years since the beginning of the european union. leaders from 27 member countries, minus the united kingdom, mark the anniversary of the treaty of rome by renewing their commitment to a

common future. and in sport, it's pole position for lewis hamilton. he dominates formula one qualifying in melbourne, ahead of the season opening australian grand prix. good morning and welcome to bbc news. donald trump has tried to shrug off the biggest setback so far in his presidency — a failure to overhaul barack obama's health reforms. he's been forced to scrap a vote on his plans at the last minute because he didn't have enough backing from his own party. one republican, kevin brady, told fox news that the priority now was to press ahead with changing america's tax system. greg dawson reports. it was a promise that became one of the pillars of his campaign — and one he repeated at every rally. obamacare has to be be replaced. we're going to get rid of obamacare, which is a disaster. repealing and replacing

the disaster known as obamacare. his pitch to voters — "trust me, i'm a dealmaker." if you can't make a good deal with a politician than there's something wrong with you. you're certainly not very good. throughout friday, the trump administration, led by the vice—president, was trying to persuade fellow republicans to back them. but it wasn't working. some wouldn't accept proposed cuts to health coverage. others said they didn't go far enough. my vote is still a no. facing defeat, house speaker paul ryan consulted with the president and pulled the plug on the bill. yeah, we're going to be living with obamaca re for the foreseeable future. i don't know how long it's going to take us to replace this law. my worry is obamacare is going to be getting even worse. donald trump still predicts that obamacare will end in failure, but conceded until democrats agree it's time to make changes, he can't scrap it.

it's imploding and soon will explode and it's not going to be pretty. so the democrats don't want to see that so they're going to reach out when they're ready and whenever they're ready, we're ready. pushing through healthca re change in america was one of president obama's defining achievements in the white house. it provided more than 20 million people with health insurance, but opponents say it is too expensive and involves too much government interference in people's lives. but criticising obamacare has proved much easier than replacing it for donald trump. after his controversial travel ban was blocked, this failure is another blow to his authority less than three months since he took power. speaking earlier on breakfast, former advisor to george w bush, anneke green, said this setback wouldn't effect his core support. it's coming across in the press as a blow, but he will portray this this as the smart move,

and something he is doing for the american people, and i do not think it will affect his core supporters. we're seeing that even in the praise coming from the groups in the house who refused to vote for in the house, who refused to vote for the bill. counter—terrorism police have released all but two of the 11 people arrested since the attack in westminster on wednesday. detectives are piecing together the background of khalid masood to find out where and when he was radicalised. they are appealing for information as they try to establish whether he acted alone or had help, as alexandra mackenzie reports. khalid masood, the former teacher and father who became a terrorist. but did he act alone? as police begin to build a picture of the killer, it has emerged that minutes before he launched his attack he used the messaging service whatsapp to send an encrypted message from his phone. born adrian elms in kent, by the time he was at huntley's secondary school for boys

in tunbridge wells, he was known as adrian ajao. but what triggered such a brutal act from a once sporty schoolboy who liked to party? he was an incredible fella. but, you know, like i say, when i see him, i loved him. ijust wanted to give him a lift sort of and talk and balance him up a bit. he had developed a reputation for violence. masood spent time in three prisons. last night, the saudi arabian embassy in london confirmed he had worked there as a teacher around ten years ago. by then, he had converted to islam. the police investigation into wednesday's attack has been swift. it brought them to this hotel in brighton. masood stayed here the night before he carried out his deadly attack which took the lives of four people. described as a nice guest, he said he was visiting friends. in manchester, a car was taken away by police. there were further raids and two people, both from birmingham, remain in custody.

the police investigation will now focus on finding out if anyone helped khalid masood to carry out his attack and at what inspired him to commit mass murder. with me is our correspondent, nick beake. just bring us up—to—date with the police investigation. the two men mentioned there who remain in custody are both from birmingham. one is 58, one is 27. they were arrested under terrorism legislation, so the police have two weeks to question them before they are charged with any offence. ii people in all have been arrested after the events of last wednesday, and the police moved pretty quickly. for them it was a nightmare scenario because you have someone who they had investigated previously, or

certainly mi5 had looked up and read —— and are deemed to be a peripheral figure. but in march 2017 he was not somebody on their radar. they moved quickly to work at known associates and we heard the police asking the public for their information to work out whether this man was acting alone or being directed in any way. of course, we heard about this messaging activity, a way that you can use your mobile phone. we know that khalid masood yesterday checked his phone some three minutes before he launched the attack. the police will want to work out whether indeed he was reading messages, or maybe sending a message, if indeed that was the case. was he saying goodbye 01’ was the case. was he saying goodbye or potentially taking instructions? but is one thing they would hope to achieve. we also look more about khalid masood himself. in some ways it is contradictory, because we have someone it is contradictory, because we have someone who has been to prison on a number of occasions because of a violent tendency. he has stabbed two different people. but also we have

people describing a charming individual, certainly as a younger man. the night before he launched his attack at the hotel we stayed at in brighton, the staff said he was a model best, somebody they would want staying in their place. the police are trying to work this out. —— model guest. the main question is when was he radicalised and who was responsible for the? we know he spent two spells in saudi arabia as an english teacher. the saudi authorities have said that he was not on their radar there, he had no criminal record. another possibility is that he may have been radicalised in prison. we know he spent spells in three different prisons. if that we re in three different prisons. if that were the case, that is something the authorities will want to work as $0011 authorities will want to work as 50011 as authorities will want to work as soon as possible. nick many thanks. the united nations has expressed deep concern over a "terrible loss of life" after reports of an incident in the battle for mosul that has caused a high

number of civilian casualties. thousands of iraqi civilians are trying to flee the west of the city, as the fight against so—called islamic state continues. the us—led coalition and iraqi forces have been using airstrikes against is militants. but eyewitnesses say that many civilians have been killed and many remain buried under the rubble. our middle east editor, jeremy bowen, has been speaking to some of those escaping is—held areas in west mosul, who say that people are being used as human shields. thousands of civilians are getting out of the parts of mosul that are controlled by islamic state everyday. and they're doing that because they feel that if they stay, if they don't take the really serious risk of trying to cross the front line to get out, then they're going to get killed anyway. many of the people here are talking about air strikes by the us—led coalition. i've spoken to witnesses who say whole families have died in the rubble of their houses, and that nobody was even able to dig them out. what people have also said

was that the jihadists of islamic state deliberately mingling with them, that they are treating them as human shields. so for these people, life back home has become absolutely insupportable, toxic and lethal. that's why they've come here to a very uncertain future. many of them are just in the clothes are standing up in, leaving behind all their possessions. perhaps it's easy to do that when you feel that if you stay at home, you're going to get killed. this weekend marks 60 years since the treaty of rome was signed, creating the european economic community which we now know as the european union. today 27 eu leaders have signed a new rome declaration to honour the 1957 treaty.

theresa may isn't attending, as the anniversary comes days before she'll trigger article 50. but the president of the european council, donald tusk, has warned eu leaders meeting in rome that europe as a political entity must either be united or not exist at all. he told them, "prove today that you are the leaders of europe, that you can care for this great legacy we inherited". bbc‘s karin giannone is in rome. an enormous day here in rome. it was six nations back then. 27 leaders today. and they're all back in the same building — palazzp dei conservatori on rome's capitol hill. right in the historic city centre, designed by michelangelo. sumptuous surroundings, frescoes adorning the walls for this ceremony today. but it is a muted celebration. the challenges ahead are clear to everybody, and you've got the departure in a matter of days of one of the european union's members. so it is a troubled time, although celebrations will not be too abundant or too obvious.

and they are all too aware of what is ahead for the european union and the challenges there. let's talk to someone who was there on the day the original treaty of rome was signed back in 1957, the bbc‘s the bbc‘s rome correspondent, david willey. david, you were a junior reporter for reuters. they'd given you this job because there wasn't that much interest back at home. no, there was no english participant. the british government had been invited by the six to take part, and the rather huffily declined. it was to be years later before britain became a member, under rather special terms. it has been dogged, the history of the today's european union, the original common market, has been dogged by a certain lack of credibility in the eyes of british people. i often wonder to what extent it's all to do with the fact that most of the founding fathers of the european union were catholics. and it was significant in those days, i remember being struck by the following day

after the signature, all the heads of state and foreign ministers trooped off to see the pope at the vatican. and here, this time, they went to see the paper first. so, you know, british attitudes towards the pope and the reformation, i think that has always coloured british attitudes towards the european ideal. and the brits were there that day, they're not here today. thinking about how the whole situation has changed in terms of aspirations for the european union. there is great uncertainty about the future of the union. of course, what everybody fears here is that britain's example could be followed by other members of the 27. this could be the beginning of the unravelling of europe, rather than its construction. the speeches are very brave today, and it seems to be that there is great uncertainty about the political future of the union. rome itself, you were able to just walk into that building back in 1957.

your biggest worry was where to put your umbrella! how rome has changed — there are places in lockdown today. absolutely. you can't move in rome today, whereas ijust walked up the steps presented myself. of course, it was much easier to move about on that particular night because i remember it was raining cats and dogs. so i had my umbrella and just forced my way in! but today the omens are much better. we have a lovely day in rome. it's a beautiful recalling of historic events. everybody, ithink, perhaps except for me, was conscious that it was an historic day. certainly the vatican newspaper came out with a headline saying it was one of the most significant events in rome in modern times. but your piece didn't make it too big, either? i didn't make the bulletin, as it were. david, thank you very much indeed. more needs to be done to help tackle the vicious cycle of debt and overcharging — according to a

house of lords committee. it says banks are failing customers who need them most, leaving the poorest to reply on expensive products. here's our business correspondent, jonty bloom. banks and building societies are not only there for the rich, but they are more difficult for the poor to access. 1.7 million people in this country have no bank account, many can only borrow at high interest rates even if they aren't forced to use payday lenders. the closure of thousands of high street banks also hits the poorest and especially the elderly as they have less access to online services. 40% of the working age population have less than £100 in savings, and if they have to use pre—paid meters, they also pay more more basic services like gas and electricity. to end such financial exclusion the lords committee is calling for better financial education in schools, a dedicated government minister to tackle the problem and for the banks to have a duty of care to their customers. too many people still don't have a bank account or access to basic and fairly priced financial services of the sort that most of us take for granted.

that means that the poverty premium, where the poor are paying more for a range of things from heating their house to being able to get a loan, is leading them into a vicious circle of further debt and financial distress. the government says four million people are benefiting from basic bank accounts which charge no fees and that tough new rules mean that the number of payday loans has halved since 2014. the headlines on bbc news... donald trump remains defiant after failing to overhaul barack obama's health reforms. the president was forced to abandon his healthcare bill because of lack of support within his own party. two men remain in custody as investigations continue into the westminster terror attack. it's emerged khalid masood sent whatsapp messages moments before he carried out the attack. thousands of civilians attempt

to escape mosul amid reports that hundreds have been killed in air strikes in the past few days. history helps us to paint a picture of the past, but the future of the subject may well lie in virtual reality. a development team from liverpool has invented a new way to use one of these, a vr headset, to take students to the battlefields of the first world war. our correspondent, robert hall, has been to see the technology in action. thousands of children have followed the centenary trail across the channel to visit the first world war battlefields. thousands more will not have that chance. now, this merseyside development team think they have a solution. keep it in the background. maybe start there, walk there. if you move around to the farmhouse... as you get to your one o'clock.

historian peter barton, facing a battery of small cameras, is here to bring history alive by inviting students into the trenches. trench warfare was more about maintenance rather than anything else. peter is a solitary figure. his department crew is hidden from sight as cameras record his view of the landslide. i'm talking to that block of cameras as if it is a tour group. the idea is to make it as informal as possible. normally on television you get a very small timescale. here i can talk for as long as i like, so i can talk forfive or six or seven minutes. back in liverpool, the individual images are stitched together to make a 360 degree virtual reality. i think history as a subject can be quite dull if taught in a particular way, and it enables children from all walks of life to take part and experience the first world war battlefields. we've all sat in classrooms

like that and listened to teachers at the front talk about important events in history. this technology will enable students to travel miles from their desk and onto the actual battlefield. and what they're doing over there is defending themselves, their regiment... what i will do is take you straight into where the soldier spends his life, in the front—line trench. the acid stress test. remember, you can adjust focus, the volume, the system will enable the system will enable a class of students to share the experience, but to react as individuals. what did they make of it? everyone loves the technology of it and it's far more immersive when you can see what you can do with it. it is not difficult to listen to, there were no distractions. the man who oversees government funded visits during the centenary, believes the virtual reality

is at the start of its journey. here is an opportunity to take young people all over the world to show them the sites where things have happened in the past and to give them a genuine immersive experience which they could not otherwise get. without being there themselves. these are early days, but the virtual world is without limit, enabling more and more of us to step back in history. this year's red nose day has so far raised more than £71 million. the fundraiser included james corden‘s carpool karaoke with take that and a special love actually sequel. comic relief has raised more than £1 billion since it launched in 1985. the comedian, sir lenny henry, opened the show with a tribute to those affected by the westminster attack. comic relief has raised more than £1

billion since it launched in 1985. sport now, and a full round—up from the bbc sport centre. formula one is back, and so is lewis hamilton, who's dominated qualifying in melbourne. and the era of faster, more demanding cars got off to a promising start, as hamilton claimed pole position at the australian grand prix. it looks as though, we could see a real battle between mercedes and ferrari this season, as nick parrott reports. new cars, new regulations, but it was deja vu in australia as lewis hamilton came out on top in qualifying for the fourth year running. the briton predicted ferrari would be a threat and vettel joins him on the front row. his new mercedes team—mate got closer to hamilton than rosberg managed a year ago and the finn went second. others seem unlikely to challenge with red bull's hopes appearing thin for now. verstappen was more than a second off the pace and had to settle for fifth. ricardo pushed so hard it cost him dear in front of his home fans. if hamilton was on the

limit, it didn't show. when it mattered it beat the mark set down by bottas and despite reviving ferrari's fortunes, vettel was more than a quarter of a second adrift. working how he can gain advantage over the mercedes will be crucial. this rule change has been huge and such a massive challenge for everyone and the guys have just worked, you know, so hard to make this car what it is today and to be out there to up here representing them, valtteri did a greatjob. it is great for us for mercedes. i'm looking forward to the race and it is close between us all. sir bradley wiggins has promised to

shock a few people once the investigation into alleged wrongdoing at team sky is over. speaking on television he said the claims were one of the worst things to be accused for a man of his integrity, and that he had a lot to say. the investigation centres on a package delivered him before the 2011 tour de france. replublic of ireland captain seamus coleman suffered a broken leg in their world cup qualifier with wales. the match ended goalless — gareth bale had the only real chances for either side — but he'll miss the next game against serbia, after receiving a yellow card. it was a tackle from neil taylor that caused the injury to coleman — it wasn't a malicious challenge but it was certainly mistimed — and taylor was sent off for it. as coleman was carried off on a stretcher. a real blow to him. he is having the season of a lifetime at club level. he is a great playerfor us. a great captain. ijust said in a couple of interviews and a great character. so, it's a big, big loss.

a big loss. a big loss to everton. a big loss to us but he'll fight back, i hope and yeah, it puts things in prospective. he had a serious injury himself and he's a great boy. he's a cracking lad. i have not seen the challenge, but i have seen the outcome if you like. it's a bad one for seamus and that's a shame because i think he's one of the best full— backs in the premier league. england's tyrrell hatton‘s campaign at the wgc match play in texas came to an unfortunate end, when he was given a two—shot penalty in a play—off. he was up against rafa cabrera bello and charles howell, chasing a place in the last 16, when he accidentally touched his ball as he prepared to tap in — and failed to replace it before holing out.

the penalty meant hatton was out — and howell eventually went through. that's all sport for now. now the weather with chris fawkes. high pressure is firmly in charge of oui’ high pressure is firmly in charge of our weather this weekend, and that means whether‘s going to stay fine and dryfor means whether‘s going to stay fine and dry for the majority of us, with sunshine to look forward to. our weather watchers have been out already this morning snapping the spring sunshine. this was the theme in wrexham. temperatures got down to -5 in wrexham. temperatures got down to —5 last night in the coldest spots — northern ireland and northern england. in the spring sunshine, the temperatures are rising very quickly. come the afternoon temperature should hit 19 celsius for wales, that's likely to be the warmest spot. if we do reach 19, that will make it the warmest day of

the year so far what are the chances of it actually happening on a weekend? for the of it actually happening on a weekend ? for the northern of it actually happening on a weekend? for the northern isles of scotla nd weekend? for the northern isles of scotland in shetland, the cloud here is big enough for occasional light rain and drizzle. that is really the exception. for the rest of scotland and northern ireland, and you sunshine. temperatures in the warmest areas up sunshine. temperatures in the warmest areas up to 17. in greater manchester, merseyside and cheshire. 18 for the warmest spots in south—west england. gusty winds will continue to blow around the south coast, making it feel a little bit cooler. temperatures pegged back around the coast of east anglia and kent by brisk wind. we must keep the bay overnight. —— wind keep defroster bay. we will see temperatures taking a tumble. in the countryside, widespread frost with lows potentially done to “11 celsius once again. they could be one or two mist and fog patches first thing, but essentially another gorgeous day. lots of spring sunshine on the

cards. again with cool easterly winds making their presence felt in the south. but otherwise a similar day with temperatures may be a degree down across england, but still pretty warm. we should the highs reaching the upper teens once again in the warmest spots. looking to next week, a decent start. however, it will turn cloudy across western areas from the mid week with the threat of rain and brisk winds in the west. just a quick reminder — the clocks go forward to by an hour. that means an hour less in bed. darker mornings, but lighter evenings. hello and welcome to dateline london. donald trump cannot manage to persuade enough republicans in congress on his first big leadership test ? health care. so where does his presidency go now? the london terrorist attack. plus, the european union at 60 — comfortable middle age or mid—life crisis? our top team of guests today —

on what will be my last dateline london before i leave the bbc — are abdel bari atwan, who is an arab author and journalist. thomas kielinger of die welt. janet daley of the sunday telegraph. jef mcallister, who is an american commentator. donald trump — the self—described great deal—maker, whose ghost written biography was the art of the deal — has failed to convince even republicans in congress that he knows what he is doing on health care. in what polls say is the most unpopular presidency ever at this stage, can he convince americans he knows what he is doing on anything else? how much trouble is he in? he starts in trouble because he is unpopular. it was an election which hillary clinton won by 3 million popular votes. he said health care was easy, republicans can do this because we have been saying for seven years that we can do health care better, quickly. it turns out their ideas

cannot even pass their own caucus. they were unworkable. he is not a deal—maker. he thought he could do his fairy tale thing. he disappoints his fairy tale thing. he disappoints his base. it makes him look and competent. it is a mess. does it give him a chance to pivot? it is interesting. in many ways he is not a republican. he is not a classic small government republican. this was paul ryan's health care bill. trump probably doesn't know most of the content. the freedom