hello, it's friday, it's 9am, i'm joanna gosling, welcome to the programme. caitlynjenner is the most famous transgender person in the world. she is also an olympic gold medal winner, reality tv star from keeping up with the kardashians, and she is with us this morning to talk about her life and what she says is her time now, living as her "true self". get in touch with us if there is anything you would like to ask caitlyn. a show boat and a grandstander. that's what donald trump thinks of james comey, who was head of the fbi until the president sacked him. in his first interview since the sacking mr trump insisted he was not under investigation and that the probe into alleged russian meddling in the us election was a "charade". he's a showboat. he's a grandstander. the fbi has been in turmoil. you know that, i know that, everybody knows that. you take a look at the fbi a year ago. it was in virtual turmoil, less than a year ago. it hasn't recovered from that. we'll show you more of that

interview later in the programme. swords, axes and air guns, just some of the weapons seized from children in schools across the country. police chiefs are warning that there has been a worrying rise in the number of young people carrying knives. hello. welcome to the programme. we're live until iiam. caitlynjenner is with us this morning. is there anything you'd like to ask her about her life, her family, her relationships? get in touch. we are also talking about the rise in the number of children carrying knives, as police seize thousands of them from schools. if you have school age kids, are you worried for them? if you're getting in touch, use #victorialive and text, you will be charged at the standard network rate. our top story today. donald trump has been

defending his decision to sack the director of the fbi. in his first extensive television interview since he sacked james comey, he told the american network nbc news that the former fbi boss was a showboat and a grandstander and reiterated that he wasn't under investigation himself. our washington correspondent laura bicker reports. he's become more famous than me! famous, or infamous? when did donald trump decide to sack the towering figure from the fbi? this presidential handshake not an act of friendship, it seems, but the beginning of the end forjames comey. he's a showboater, he's a grandstander. it wasn't on advice from the deputy attorney—general, as the white house stated, it came directly from the president. i was going to fire him. it was my decision. you had already made the decision? i was going to fire him. and another apparent contradiction. the white house claims that james comey had little or no support within the fbi. the rank and file of the fbi had lost confidence in their director. not so, said the acting fbi

director, who was sitting in for his sacked boss before the senate intelligence committee. director comey enjoyed broad support within the fbi, and still does. at the heart of this row is the alleged collusion between the trump campaign and moscow. the president admits that russia was on his mind when he decided to fire comey. there was no good time to do it. and in fact, when i decided tojust do it, i said to myself, you know, this russia thing, with trump and russia, it's a made—up story, it's an excuse by the democrats for having lost an election. donald trump denies any collusion with russia and insists that, despite sacking the head of the fbi, he wants any enquiry done properly and quickly. now to the bbc newsroom with a summary of the rest

of the day's news. the labour leader, jeremy corbyn, will this morning give a speech on foreign affairs. mr corbyn will insist he isn't a pacifist and he's prepared to use military force as a last resort. he will also pledge a "robust", independent foreign policy and says there will be "no hand holding" with us president donald trump if he was prime minister. brazil has declared an end to a national emergency over the zika virus after the number of cases dropped 95% between january and april, compared to the same period a year ago. the virus has been linked to microcephaly where babies are born with abnormally small heads. the threat was at its peak as brazil prepared to host the 2016 olympics, and the zika virus has been linked to severe birth defects in almost 30 countries. detectives investigating the death of a businessman, who was shot dead during a suspected burglary at his home in dorset, have made another arrest. police say a 45—year—old man

from poole is being questioned on suspicion of conspiracy to commit aggravated burglary. three men have been charged with murdering guy hedger during the may day bank holiday weekend. a mexican businesswoman who was known for successfully investigating the kidnap and murder of her daughter by a local drug cartel has been killed by armed intruders. miriam rodriguez martinez headed a local association of 600 families who were searching for their disappeared relatives, and the information she gave the police ensured some gang members were jailed. the un mission in mexico condemned the attack. thousands of weapons have been seized in schools across england and wales. they include swords, axes and air—guns. some of the cases involved children as young as five. police chiefs said there had been a "worrying" increase in young people carrying knives. andy moore reports. some schools have taken to using metal arches to make sure no weapons are brought on to their premises.

but figures obtained by the press association show that the number of seizures in the last year is up about 20% on the previous year. 32 out of 43 police forces in england and wales responded to freedom of information requests about weapons found in schools. the figures showed that 2,579 weapons were found in the two years to march this year. among them were samurai swords, axes and air guns. at least 47 children were below the age of ten, and one five—year—old was caught with a knife. just one stab wound, that went straight in his heart. the national police chiefs council said the increase in young people carrying weapons was worrying. it said it wanted to educate people that carrying a weapon illegally is never acceptable. we'll have more on that story at 10:15am.

we will speak to several people who work to deal with the issue with children in schools. proposals to ban parents in scotland from smacking their children have been put out for public consultation. the move is ahead of a proposed member's bill put forward by highlands and islands green msp john finnie in the scottish parliament which aims to give children equal protection from assault. the consultation will run until 4th august. in england, wales and northern ireland there is no ban on smacking and parents are allowed to use "reasonable chastisement".

however, hitting a child so hard that it leaves a mark, or causes bruising, swelling, cuts, grazes or scratches could result in criminal charges. under scottish law, parents can claim a defence of "justifiable assault" when punishing their child. the united states says it will consider its own interests first, as it reviews its climate change policy. the us secretary of state, rex tillerson, told a meeting of the eight nations with land in the arctic, which has been meeting in alaska, that america would not rush to make a decision, but would take their views into account. it comes as president donald trump said he may pull the us out of the paris accord because he has doubts over the human role in climate change. a london firm which makes virtual reality games has had a massive boost, a £400 million investment from a japanese bank. it's one of the largest ever investments in a british technology company.

the business, called improbable, was only set up five years ago. i think it is a big vote of confidence in the talent pool that we have here and in the potential for this country to produce world leading technology, and if we are able to enter that category that would be a great ambition for us, and something i would be very proud to make happen. one of the uk's oldest swimming baths will reopen for its first public swim in 2a years this weekend. it's part of a fundraising mission to reopen the edwardian victoria baths in manchester for good. the pool first opened in 1906 but the council closed the baths in 1993 because of budget pressures . that's a summary of the latest bbc news. more at 9:30am. caitlynjenner is live in our studio from quarter past. if you've a question you'd like to ask her, or an experience you'd like to share with her, do get in touch with us throughout the morning. use #victorialive and if you text, you will be charged at the standard network rate.

iam i am excited. let's get some sport now with tim, and manchester united are through to the europa league final in a couple of weeks, yes. iam yes. i am looking forward to that chat. it was a nail—biter at old trafford last night, united squeezing through 2—1 on aggregate in the 96th minute. sell the vehicle had a great chance to is that it on away goals but it is mourinho‘s men who will travel to stock on for the final. this goal proved crucial. a brilliant pass from rushyford to set him up. united looked through but this got vigo level. united through after six minutes of injury time. really upsetting, tears for vigo,

dominic but celebrations for united. iam dominic but celebrations for united. i am pleased for the final. their league finishes on sunday and they will have 12 days to prepare. hopefully crystal palace does not need the last game. because in the last game i am going to make a lot of changes. a busy end to the season for mourinho but one of his former side chelsea can relax tonight if the win at west brom. if they do the premier league title will head back to stamford bridge. not many were predicting that at the start of the season predicting that at the start of the season but they are seven points clear with three games remaining. tickets are going for nearly £2000. chelsea fans they did is happening tonight. it could be the first part ofa

tonight. it could be the first part of a really special season. they are also into the fa cup final against arsenal later this month. they beat totte n ha m arsenal later this month. they beat tottenham in the semifinal at wembley in april. the manager loved it. he will love it tonight if they can win. it is the league title that is the first priority and to win that alone would be impressive because it is his first season in english football and only three other managers have won the title in their first season. fielding practice for a bbc nottingham commentator. this was fantastic. durham beat nottinghamshire by four wickets in the 0ne—day cup but it was a huge six from england opener alex hales that stole the headlines. he got the mack sixes in total during an innings of 104. in this one he found the only open window in

the trent bridge media centre and the trent bridge media centre and the ball was picked up by one of the two commentators from the bbc covering the match. that is how it looked. here is how it sounded. alex hales hits this towards me. it is coming towards me! it has come to me. i have got it! how about that? i love it. no swearing at all. very clea n. olympic gold medal winning decathlete, reality tv star, and over the last two years she's become the most famous transgender person in the world. caitlyn jenner changed her name and transitioned fully to living as a woman in her sixties. she's written a book about her own experience of being transgender and how it took her a lifetime to finally live as her true self. caitlyn is with me this morning.

how exciting to be in town. how are you? great. it has been a long road to say the least. i have to admit that after all these years i am probably in the best place i have ever been in my life. i am happiest, most content, people are surprised, my life is so much simpler now. you wa ke my life is so much simpler now. you wake up in the morning and you can be yourself. it is nice. how important is it for you to tell your story? really important. every journey is different. if i have learned one thing over the past two yea rs, learned one thing over the past two years, because two years ago i came out, and i had never met another person who was trans. i did not know anything about the community. in the two years ireland that every story is different. they put me as a spokesperson for the trans

community. i am a spokesperson for my story. every time i'd tell my story either to my children or friends or to god it is like taking thousands of pounds of weight off of my shoulders. it is freeing and i feel good after it because i do not have to lie to that person anymore. i worked on the book. it was a lifetime in the making. but two yea rs, lifetime in the making. but two years, almost 8000 pages of secrets, memoirs, of experiences i've been through that my family didn't even know. when you struggle with this, you struggle with it in the shadows. ididn't you struggle with it in the shadows. ididn‘t want you struggle with it in the shadows. i didn't want to be in the shadows any more. i wanted my entire family and the public to know my story. did you keep meticulous notes? in my head. i'm good at remembering things. i sat down with buzz and we

had a great time writing it. we will on the bestsellers list. i grew up asa on the bestsellers list. i grew up as a poor little dyslexic kit. i am sure my high school english teacher, if she is still around, but probably not, is rolling over in their graves saying, wait a minute, not, is rolling over in their graves saying, waita minute, i'm a new york times bestselling author, that is amazing to me. it was the final chapter that i needed to tell to the public. to tell my story honestly. what was your first memory of not being comfortable as bruce? at a very young age. i see that picture on the monitor over there. i was looking at it. i'm thinking, wait, there i was, about 18 months old. maybe that collar was the problem. i

keep looking for answers. what was it? maybe i really liked it. i don't know what it is. when you deal with something like this you deal with it your entire life. it is just how you deal with it. every person does it differently. some can identify at a very young age. i did. but when i was growing up in the 50s and 60s, there isn't even a name for it. the only thing you had was a big tabloid thing about a man from holland, who had surgery done, but i could not identify with that. you point out in the book that the first time the term was used was in 1974. when you we re term was used was in 1974. when you were born it wasn't even a term. yes. i didn't know what it was. i just knew i was different. i found sports. that is a place where i

could hide, or could be my distraction. i was good at it. i didn't have any gender issues, i could go out on the football field. that was it. that was at my high school. it was a way for me to cope with myself. to prove my masculinity. never knowing how far i would go with it. i went a long way with it. i remember the day after the games. i was in a hotel room in montreal, i didn't have a strip of clothes on, i had the medal on the bathroom counter. i put it on. i looked in the mirror. and i thought, what have i just looked in the mirror. and i thought, what have ijust done? because as i looked in the mirror i knew it wasn't me. but i built this

character up so big, so masculine, that i am stuck with him for the rest of my life. and it was kind of scary. did you feel you were trapping yourself? in a lot of ways i was. i note that character so big. i loved playing bruce. bruce was a good person. he raised a tremendous family, did a lot of good things. i'm very proud of what i was able to accomplish that way. but i got to the age of 65, after struggling with theseissues the age of 65, after struggling with these issues for so many years. and i was right back where i was starting from. in malibu, where i was living, me and kris had gone our separate ways, i raised my wonderful children. i'm still dealing with the same issues i had when i was five. i thought what on earth am i going to do with my life? after long conversations with lord, with my

pastor, with all of my children, i thought, you know what? in god's dies, how does he see how i am doing? and i thought, finally, maybe this is the reason he put me on this earth. —— in god's eyes. i couldn't do it in the 80s when i was really struggling. i couldn't do it. i said maybe i can come forward, number one, live my life honestly, but also in doing that, in having a platform, maybe i can bring some understanding to the world on this issue. and it was very fulfilling. that is what i have been doing for the last couple of years. take us back to the little boy bruce, and the first time you... cross dressed? yes. that is going

way back. i didn't know what i was fascinated by my sister or my mum's closets. i remember going in, fascinated by all of this stuff. but what age? just getting some clothes. my what age? just getting some clothes. my hair was short, because we are talking the late 1950s. i put a scarf over my head, threw on some lipstick, got into one of my mum's outfits, whatever it was. i went out of the house, we lived in an apartment complex, i walked around it, and little did i know that would be something i would do until i was 65 years old. i didn't know why i felt so comfortable in doing that. it felt like me. but it was also the great taboo. i couldn't tell anybody. that set up the pattern. and when you go through something like this, always wonder why is it

the excitement of it, is that what it is all about? am i really trans? amia it is all about? am i really trans? am i a cross dresser? is this a sexual thing? and i came to the point of realising that this is me, this is who i really am. what was the first conversation you really had with anybody about it? probably my first ex—wife. after we had been married for a while i said i had some issues. these are the things going through my head. and that was the first time you spoke to anybody? yes. i couldn't speak to my sister, my family. i thinki yes. i couldn't speak to my sister, my family. i think i just saw a picture of you with your family, you we re very picture of you with your family, you were very close. yes, i am very close with my sister. even as i went on with linda, my second marriage, we we re on with linda, my second marriage, we were only married for four years, i had two wonderful children. i was

really struggling at that time during the 1980s. really, really struggling. we went our separate directions. then for the next six yea rs, directions. then for the next six years, ijust dropped out of life. i lived in my house, by myself, i didn't go out, i didn't do anything, i went out to work once in a while. i became a hermit. secluded. i didn't feel like i fit in anywhere, idid not didn't feel like i fit in anywhere, i did not fit in with the guys, i did not fit in with the girls. that first conversation, when you had to put into words how you were feeling, and the fact you had been in private, just talk us through what you were doing and the fear of somebody actually finding out, potentially, because obviously you we re potentially, because obviously you were actually going out... that was good, i was good, were actually going out... that was good, iwas good, i never got caught, i am good, iwas good, i never got caught, iam proud good, iwas good, i never got caught, i am proud of that. after many years of struggling, when kris

andi many years of struggling, when kris and i met, i had been on hormones the years, i had a couple of little things done, because i thought i was going to do this before i was 40. you had taken the decision, hadn't you? yes, i'm all in, i got started, i was you? yes, i'm all in, i got started, iwas in you? yes, i'm all in, i got started, i was in therapy for five years, preparing for this. i got to 39 and i couldn't go any further. 1989. i just couldn't go any further. how far had you gone? you had the electrolysis. yes, things like that. you were growing breasts? yeah, all that kind of stuff. why did you feel at that point you couldn't go any further? it wasn't time. that's the simple answer. it just further? it wasn't time. that's the simple answer. itjust wasn't time. why not? because of society, because of everything. the only person who had been out there as trans was

renee richards. at that time i was trying to play on the women's circuit. it wasn't in society. it wasn't accepted. many years later, after kris and i had been together for 23 years. we've raised a beautiful family. for 23 years. we've raised a beautifulfamily. wonderful, for 23 years. we've raised a beautiful family. wonderful, smart, intelligent, hard—working beautiful family. wonderful, smart, intelligent, ha rd—working kids. really did a greatjob. then there i was back in malibu. the times had changed at that point. we had other trans people before me. transparent came out. laverne cox from other trans activists out there, who were great, intelligent, articulate women. i thought myself, maybe it is time for me to add my voice to that conversation. maybe i can make a difference too. so i finally had the

courage to get through it. it has been wonderful. as you have described, it has been stopped start throughout your life. throughout my life. i never thoughti throughout your life. throughout my life. i never thought i would be here living my authentic self. really? i never thought i would have the guts. i was getting destroyed in the guts. i was getting destroyed in the tabloids for years and years. as life went on the stakes got higher. of course. because your fame just grew. the reality thing, as well. absolutely. i did not do it for me. idid absolutely. i did not do it for me. i did it for my children. to give them a platform. in opportunity. they have grabbed onto it done extremely well. yeah... again, i built this character, i built it up and built it up, then there i was kind of stuck with it. effectively you sort of found yourself in that by accident. i know when you met

kris she was introduced to you as a mum from beverly hills. exactly. i was honest with her. did i downplay it? my conditions? absolutely, i'm sure i did at the time. because i had been through six years of hell andi had been through six years of hell and i was coming back. and he decided he wouldn't do it. and at that point you invested in the marriage. i invested in the marriage. i invested in the marriage. more children. forthe next 20 years i had kids around all over town, i was a good parent, i loved it. it never leaves you, who you are. at 1.1 said those were distractions that i had. boy, did i get in trouble with the kids. they could not believe they were just a distraction. -- at one point i said

those were distractions. i had to reword it, because they were not really distractions. but i'm sure they knew. how did they know? there was a picture of me, my face on a woman's body, that is what they saw in the tabloids. when do you think they first had an inkling? well, one time... you know how technology will get you, kylie, i think it was kylie 01’ get you, kylie, i think it was kylie or kendal, one of them had been stealing clothes from the other. being the sneaky sister they turned on their computer, put that security alert on, so if there was any movement in the room the security would go. and you even know it was going off. then they would come home. everybody was gone for six hours, so i had my time to be

myself. kylie had a full length mirror. i took a look at what i had on andi mirror. i took a look at what i had on and i walked back out. two hours later i hear this screaming from the other room. and i thought, oh no, i got caught, technology got me on this one. everybody brushed it off. did they realise, did they speak to you about it? no. everybody stayed quiet. we didn't speak about it, about two, three years before i came out. besides my sister who knew, a couple of people knew, a long time before, was kimberly. kimberly, who is wonderful, she is always very nosy, she wants to know everything thatis nosy, she wants to know everything that is going on. she came up to me one day. she had moved out. had her own house. she said, what the hell

is going on with you? at that point i thought, it is time to start talking. be open. because everybody knew something was up. i said, i'll come over to your house, we will sit down and talk and i talked about the operations and all of the things i dealt with. she was great talking about it. but for the next two yea rs, about it. but for the next two years , we about it. but for the next two years, we never brought the subject up years, we never brought the subject up again. every time you confess in somebody, pour your soul into it, i thought, finally i can talk to somebody in the family. but we never did again. it always bothered me. i thought, does she think i'm crazy? this and that. until a couple of yea rs this and that. until a couple of years later, we were discussing it. isaid, you years later, we were discussing it. i said, you know that hurt me that you never, i brought it up that time, and you never talked about it again, you never called to ask how i was doing. she said, you know what, ijust didn't know if i should. i thought, it's been a secret for so long, maybe i should continue to

keep it a secret. i thought, 0k, keep it a secret. i thought, ok, i get that, i understand that, i can see why, she has been a great ally, a great friend. through all of this. everybody doesn't quite know how to handle it. the book is called the secrets of my life. we will take a pause for the news, but we will be back with you. there is a very moving scene in the book where you are clearing out your closet later and she comes along and wants to go through it with you. so many moving things and moments in my life. lots more to talk about. do stay with us. we will be back to you. we love your experience —— we would love your experiences, and we will put them to caitlyn. the us president has defended his

decision to sack james the us president has defended his decision to sackjames comey. he was investigating possible collusion between the trump campaign officials and moscow. mr trump insisted he is not under investigation by the fbi over alleged links with russia. jeremy corbyn will insist he isn't a pacifist and he's prepared to use military force as a last resort in a major speech on foreign affairs later. the labour leader will also pledge a "robust", independent foreign policy and says there will be "no hand holding" with us president donald trump if he's prime minister. brazil has declared an end to a national emergency over the zika virus after the number of cases dropped 95% between january and april, compared to the same period a year ago. the virus has been linked to microcephaly where babies are born with abnormally small heads.

the threat was at its peak as brazil prepared to host the 2016 olympics, and the zika virus has been linked to severe birth defects in almost 30 countries. detectives investigating the death of a businessman, who was shot dead during a suspected burglary at his home in dorset, have made another arrest. police say a 45—year—old man from poole is being questioned on suspicion of conspiracy to commit aggravated burglary. three men have been charged with murdering guy hedger during the may day bank holiday weekend. thousands of weapons have been seized in schools across england and wales. figures provided by 32 police forces to the press association show that, in the last two years, more than 2,500 weapons had been found in schools. police chiefs said there had been a "worrying" increase in young people carrying knives including swords, axes and air—guns. we will have more on that at 10:15am when we speak to people who deal with the issue with children in schools. a mexican businesswoman who was known for successfully investigating the kidnap and murder

of her daughter by a local drug cartel has been killed by armed intruders. miriam rodriguez martinez headed a local association of 600 families who were searching for their disappeared relatives, and the information she gave the police ensured some gang members were jailed. the un mission in mexico condemned the attack. that's a summary of the latest bbc news. more at 10am. here's some sport now with tim. manchester united manager jose mourinho says winning the europa league would be the "perfect end" to his side's season. united drew 1—1 with celta vigo at old trafford last night meaning they're into the final 2—1 on aggregate. victory in stockholm against ajax would see them qualify for the champions league. chelsea can win the premier league title tonight. a win at west brom would give them an unassailable ten point lead over second placed spurs.

victory would make antonio conte only the fourth manager to win the premier league in his first season in england. andy murray says he's "concerned" after his latest defeat since his return from injury. he was knocked out of the madrid open in straight sets by borna coric, a player ranked 58 places below him. and masters champion sergio garcia hit the shot of the day at the players championship at sawgrass. he hit a hole in one on the 17th hole. but he finished the day six shots behind the leader on 1—over par. you were talking about kim who asked to two years before you came out what was going on. sometime later you were out your closet. it was a

conversation you had and you did not talk about it for some time afterwards. she came to you when you we re afterwards. she came to you when you were clearing out bruce's clothes. yes. that was... i knew when her father passed away that she had kept some of the clothes because i remember moving those clothes from one storage remember moving those clothes from one storage area remember moving those clothes from one storage area to the next. for me it was kind of tough because first of all i did not think it would be difficult clearing out my closet. i wa nted difficult clearing out my closet. i wanted to clean out my closet and bring in fresh stuff all my life but when i got there to clear out the closet it was like, i am throwing away this person who has been part of me all these years. the clothes kind of symbolised a lot of that, and kim wanted to have some of the clothes that she could distribute within the family, anybody who might wanted, and surprisingly a lot of the kids did want the stuff. it was kind of tough on me. to do that.

those were the milestones. the next was getting name and gender marker change. all the way to, i was born in the state of new york, there are 31 states you cannot change your birth certificate gender marker. fortu nately birth certificate gender marker. fortunately in new york you could and soi fortunately in new york you could and so i was able to get everything changed all the way back to my birth certificate. i remember when all of that was going on it was almost like you were throwing this person under the bus. he was kind of gone, and honestly i liked bruce, he was a good person. you felt that. i felt that and the family felt it. how are the leash and ships now? you talked about there being a void with some of the kids. yes. relationship is different. i have a lot of kids. in some cases it has got a lot better

and in other cases for now it has made little death and. who has got better with? i would rather not put names or labels on that. a lot of the kids i have gotten closer to. 0ther the kids i have gotten closer to. other ones have struggled more with it. why? they are facing a loss in the family, loss of bruce. what i have tried to say to my kids as you did not lose old bruce, you got me. iama did not lose old bruce, you got me. i am a better person today than bruce ever was. more understanding, more giving, bigger heart, more co mforta ble more giving, bigger heart, more comfortable with yourself, happier than bruce ever was, plus i do not have any secrets with you. i am not hiding anything. i am totally open and that is a wonderful feeling to be in your life, and that is what the book is all about, getting to

that point in life. everybody has staff, things they have to deal with the life that are tough. this is my stuff and the book is about how i dealt with it in all those years in good reason badly then getting to the point where i can live my life honestly. that is a hard transition to make. in the book you say that a couple of the kids asked if they can still call you dad. do they? yes. i will always be their dad. do they all call you dad? it's kind of gets tough dad for that is tough on them, but i am not going to hung up on that. i am there father and have been their father all their life. in the trans community they fight about getting the pronouns right. i am probably more lax than most people

because i didn't later in life, i got more baggage, more kids. i am very open with them. if they mess up the mess up. i have messed up in the last two years. we have a question which refers to that. does anyone ever accidentally referred to you as he or bruce? how does that make you feel? of course. within the trans community that is a no, get it right, iam not community that is a no, get it right, i am not that strict. the other day i was at starbucks and i was walking out and this guy comes walking up, because i take about 30, 40, 50 selfies everyday with people, and he actually said, bruce, can i have the picture? 0bviously he messed up. nobody has called me that ina messed up. nobody has called me that in a while. at first i backed up a little bit. i thought that is kind

of strange. 0n the other hand this is kind of the way i feel. probably 95% of the people that come up and say something have never met anybody who is trans. they do not understand the subject. they do not know anything about it. they think we are kind of crazy people on the fringe of society. we are not. we are an integral part of society. i have met some of the most wonderful great smart intelligent people in my community. it is great. when i have something like that i am not going to be confrontational. i said, great, i took the picture and i never mentioned it and moved on. i wa nt never mentioned it and moved on. i want that first and maybe only impression of somebody who is trans to be something positive and good. what are the ways you think improvements can be made? we look at the trump administration, you voted for president trump. i did! he has

withdrawn a piece of federal guidance which allowed students to use whatever bathrooms or changing rooms match the gender they identified with. ok with. i have a lwa ys identified with. ok with. i have always been on the republican side because they are more conservative than my thinking. i am because they are more conservative than my thinking. iam not because they are more conservative than my thinking. i am not into massive government. i think the people of her country make the country strong, not the government. the republicans have been more on that side than the democrats although they have obviously disappointed me lately. trump was our candidate so obviously i am going to vote that week but i am not a big supporter of the republican party or of donald trump. i am a big supporter of my community. that is what i am fighting for. does that make you regret voting for him, what he has done? it does not make me

regret my vote but it is very disappointing. i have been very verbal about that. i thought trump would be better on these issues. why? because i talked to him. what conversations did you have? he spoke about the lg bt conversations did you have? he spoke about the lgbt community and he spoke about a woman who he was in support of and he said that she was totally welcome. he hires a lot of 93v totally welcome. he hires a lot of gay people in the lgbt community. i thought he could make some changes. he came in and i think he has probably been influenced a lot by a lot of the people around him not to ta ke lot of the people around him not to take away any of his responsibility, because he is the president, he eventually signed that, but barack

0bama had put into place something when the north carolina bathroom issue came in and hear is indeed that which upset me. i do go back to washington, dc and i talked to people. do his actions undermine what he said to you and therefore your faith what he said to you and therefore yourfaith in him? what he said to you and therefore your faith in him? there is other things... no. for my community, i have to keep a close eye on the sky, yes, but other things he has done, since i am conservative,... will you have more conversations with him about... make it easier to do business rates in our country instead of the highest tax rate in the world. would you try to have more conversations with him about the lgbt community?” more conversations with him about the lgbt community? i will. how? more conversations with him about the lgbt community? iwill. how? do you want to be there. my loyalties

with my community. can you pick up the phone to him and have a conversation? i cannot tell you all of my secrets! can i? i do have communication. i work very closely with a group called the american unity fund whose mission statement is to help the republican party do a betterjob when it comes to lgbt issues. they do a wonderfuljob. they are on the ground all day long and now where the bodies are buried in the republican party and i worked very closely to change the thinking of the republican party. i think the best thing the republican party can do is doa best thing the republican party can do is do a betterjob with lgbt issues. would you go into politics?” would you go into politics? i have been asked back. i do contribute. as

far as my issue, in issues where i have dealing with the republican party, i could do a betterjob behind the scenes. i have been asked that question a bit. 0ver behind the scenes. i have been asked that question a bit. over the next year i'm looking into it, to be honest. i have to be smart about this. where can i do a betterjob for my community? in bringing the republican party around all lgbt issues. is it from the outside? working in the perimeter? working with everybody to get the republicans to change their thinking? 0r republicans to change their thinking? or is it better off to begin the inside? running the congress, a senate seat, wherever it may be, and doing it there? those are the things i am evaluating. when idid are the things i am evaluating. when i did mention that a couple of weeks ago on a show, the next thing you know, of course, the media, i'm running for president, 0k? that's cleared up. could you see yourself ever running for president?”

cleared up. could you see yourself ever running for president? i was starting about maybe the mayor of malibu. and work my way through the political ranks. start somewhere. would you, sort of, say now that thatis would you, sort of, say now that that is potentially a goal for you, running one day? not so much a goal. my running one day? not so much a goal. my goal is to do a betterjob for my community. i had to figure out where that is. where can i be to do a betterjob, to bring understanding to the lg bt betterjob, to bring understanding to the lgbt community, especially the t portion of that. rosie has tweeted a question. what would you say to people who look to you as a trans—role model and want to go through it? you know what... i read this report over the last couple of yea rs. this report over the last couple of years. the amount of trans people have doubled. and i'm going, 0h! the

entrance is very, very difficult. it isa entrance is very, very difficult. it is a personal decision, what you do. have i brought a little bit more understanding, besides the people that went before me, did i bring more understanding and maybe show some courage, and how good it is to be able to live your authentic self, and because of that has it inspired other people? yes, it has. honestly, people come up to me almost on a daily basis and tell me that. but it isa daily basis and tell me that. but it is a personal decision. for anybody. it isa is a personal decision. for anybody. it is a major decision. we have such issues in our community. the murder rate for trans people. nine since the beginning of the year, already

this year, 12—macro weeks ago in miami. mostly on trans women of colour. that is where a real problem is. -- colour. that is where a real problem is. —— there was one, that was two weeks ago in miami. major, major issues we have out there. we have to solve those problems. make people feel good about who they are. being trans—is part of humanity. it does not have borders. —— being trans—, it is part of humanity. being people, it is who we are, it has been around forever. it is nothing new. maybe in the last 30 years it has come forward a bit more, but it is nothing new. it has been around forever. i don't want to be responsible for people going through this. because when you transition it isn't just you. it

this. because when you transition it isn'tjust you. it is the entire family. every loved one you have. it isa family. every loved one you have. it is a huge, major, major decision in your life. but i would also like to show that if that is what you do, that you are going to make it, it is going to be ok. and hopefully society will accept you and your family will accept you.” society will accept you and your family will accept you. i am admiring your necklace. tell us the story of that. right after the awards were over, the espies, the head of it gave it to me and we've been friends ever since. when you go to bed, what is the last thing you think about that night? you told me earlier in the interview that you did not think you would ever get to this. i had lost enthusiasm for life. back in the old days when i

was training. i wasn't making any money. i was living on a poverty level, $10,000 per year, money. i was living on a poverty level, $10,000 peryear, training, but i would get up every day and i was so but i would get up every day and i was so excited to get started, i had training to do, competitions coming up. and! training to do, competitions coming up. and i thought myself, when i was on my long runs, i never want to lose enthusiasm for life. i always wa nted lose enthusiasm for life. i always wanted to wake up excited for the day. i lost that. i lost that for many, day. i lost that. i lost that for any, day. i lost that. i lost that for many, many, many years. now! day. i lost that. i lost that for many, many, many years. now i have that enthusiasm for life back. i could live my life authentically. i can put my head on the pillow at night. i know that i have had a good day. i am in a position where i can make a difference. i'm playing the fourth quarter of life. what a great opportunity in life, to be able to play the last quarter of your life with a very, in a lot of ways, with a very marginalised community that

is out there which is totally misunderstood. it changed people's lives. going around the us, going around the world, present yourself ina way, around the world, present yourself in a way, in a very positive way, that can make a difference. are you scared of anything any more? no, what i've been through, i can handle anything, yes. great to meet you. thank you for coming in. thank you for having me. i am glad you enjoyed the book. it is funny, isn't it? as well as dark moments. we must show the humour in this. thanks very much. if you would like to see the full interview again, it will be on the web page. he's a "showboat", a "grandstander". those were the words president donald trump used to describe the former fbi chief james comey, who he shockingly fired this week. mr comey was leading an inquiry into alleged russian meddling in the us election and possible collusion between trump campaign officials and moscow. mr trump has dismissed the probe as a "charade", a claim directly contradicted by mr comey‘s successor. the fbi's new acting leader contradicted the president's account that the fbi had been in turmoil before he fired comey. donald trump gave his first

interview since the sacking to nbc. we can play you a bit now. we talk about that interview — and more — with blanquita cullum a republican journalist and broadcaster, margie 0mero, a democratic pollster and strategist, and here in the studio with us is alana horowitz who's the assignment editor at the huffington post. thank you all very much. alana, the first, sorry finding my way through the studio to you. it has been quite a week, hasn't it? james comey got the letter when he was addressing members of his team. how do things stand now finally with donald trump speaking about what he did it and how he sees james comey. quite chaotic. there have been mixed m essa 9 es chaotic. there have been mixed messages all week from the white house. they have placed the blame on the decision. it was said that while donald trump was working from a

recommendation he got. then he said it was his decision and that he was going to do it anyway. people are confused about where this decision is coming from. what is behind it. americans are concerned about it. how about you ? how about you? you are a republican. i thought it was an opinion piece. unlike what you did, and i enjoyed your interview, by the way, the difference was you allowed a discussion. what they did, what happened with lester holt, is, first of all, it was, kind of,'. it was edited. it was cut. —— it was, kind of, edited. instead of going to a

commercial and coming back and continuing with the interview, they we nt continuing with the interview, they went to a white house correspondent who played a lot of excerpts of opinions from people. away from the style of the interview. when president trump comes out and says what he said about the former head of the fbi, how do you see that? do you think he has done the right thing? do you have some sympathy with james comey? the difference i haveis with james comey? the difference i have is i was said it confirmed. i had to go through a senate confirmation. when you were at that level you understand that you serve at the pleasure of the president. the president can fire you any day of the week for any reason. james comey was different. i know other directors of the fbi. there was louis freeh, sessions, others that have been in place, and they were fired. sessions was let go. what james comey did which was

different... sorry to interrupt you, because i would like to bring in margie who is democrat. how do you see the sacking? it is embarrassing. the first explanation, they have an aftermath after the firing, it wasn't credible, it wasn't believable. 0ver wasn't credible, it wasn't believable. over the course of the week we have got to a point where there is a believable scenario, which is the president simply did not want him there any more because of the investigations into russia. that is more believable than a deputy attorney general saying, i have a recommendation everybody asked for come here it is, let's go. that wasn't believable. the answer is better. the answer is worse. the answer may be believable, but it is something which is so incredibly inappropriate. yes, he is allowed to fire the fbi director, that does not mean he should have done it in this case for this reason. trump's poll numbers were already taking a hit. a

new poll came out yesterday and it showed that trump has a record low approval rating. we will see what happens. there has been no news this week. this is the only thing which has been in the political news this week. very different respective there, alana. undermining what we already knew, trump has divided america. polarising in the way people will look at this. definitely. if we have learnt anything from trump, he really garners very strong opinions. people love him and people hate him. right now it seems like he is turning in the direction of disapproval. just because of the disapproval ratings and what is going on. i think we will see if the russian investigation affects his polls. how dependent is it on who comes in to

replace james comey?” dependent is it on who comes in to replace james comey? i think that is part of it. with the fbi investigation. i think the white house will probably avoid, as much as they possibly can, trying to, at least, give the appearance they are interfering in it. the don't forget, the fbi was responsible forjust one investigation. the congress and senate are also investigating it. and they are pretty determined on seeing it through, particularly the democrats. right, ithink we democrats. right, i think we are going to catch up with the weather. good morning. farmers and gardeners will be happy with the forecast. there has been a dry spell across much of the uk. some areas have had 18 days without rain. but that changed last night. and there is more rain to come. it is coming from the south. it has been a wet start

for many. particularly for wales and west of east anglia. in its wake there will be brighter skies by nasty thunderstorms for wales, the midlands and east anglia. they could drift into northern england. for parts of scotland, another sunny and warm one. 21 is possible in the highlands. that will change. 0utbreaks highlands. that will change. outbreaks of rain for scotland, northern ireland, west wales and northern ireland, west wales and northern ireland. it'll be a mild and muggy night. especially across scotland. a great start to saturday here. 0utbreaks scotland. a great start to saturday here. 0utbrea ks of scotland. a great start to saturday here. outbreaks of rain in the morning for scotland, northern ireland and northern england. the further east, the brighter the skies. there are showers around. mainly light. mainly passing through with the breeze. lots of sunshine to the south—east coast. temperatures between 14 to 19 degrees, and not as humid as it has been. there will be a spell of overnight rain pushing

off into the north sea coming into sunday. but then sunshine and showers for the day. those showers in the north—west could be heavy and thundery. a full forecast on the website. enjoy your weekend. hello, i'm joanna gosling. caitlyn jenner tells this programme how she's now living as her "true self" after her transition to living as a woman. as bruce she won an olympic gold medal, raised ten children and became a reality tv star in keeping up with the kardashians. she's been telling us about her struggle. ijust dropped out of life. i love that my house by myself. i did not quite. i did not do anything. i went out to work every once in a while. i became like a hermit. i did not feel like i fit became like a hermit. i did not feel likeifit in became like a hermit. i did not feel like i fit in anywhere. we've a special report from baltimore in the united states, where murder rates, especially those of young black men, have been described as "out of control".

it's like you feel you're teaching in some disenfranchised country that there's this war going on out there, it's like this war that's being waged against our young people, especially our young black men. it's 20 years since we last won the eurovision song contest, so what are our chances this time round? will uk hopeful luciejones lead us to victory? i don't care what i have to do. you're the one that i'm running to # good morning. now to the bbc newsroom with a summary of today's news. us president donald trump has defended his decision to fire former fbi director james comey, who he called

a "showboat" and "grandstander". in an interview with nbc news, the president said it was his decision alone to sack mr comey, who was leading an inquiry into alleged russian interference in the us election and possible collusion between trump campaign officials and moscow. mr trump also insisted he is not under investigation by the fbi over alleged links with russia. jeremy corbyn will insist he isn't a pacifist and he's prepared to use military force as a last resort in a major speech on foreign affairs later. the labour leader will also pledge a "robust", independent foreign policy and says there will be "no hand holding" with us president donald trump if he's prime minister. brazil has declared an end to a national emergency over the zika virus after the number of cases dropped 95% between january and april, compared to the same period a year ago. the virus has been linked to microcephaly where babies are born with abnormally small heads. the threat was at its peak as brazil prepared to host the 2016 olympics,

and the zika virus has been linked to severe birth defects in almost 30 countries. detectives investigating the death of a businessman, who was shot dead during a suspected burglary at his home in dorset, have made another arrest. police say a 45—year—old man from poole is being questioned on suspicion of conspiracy to commit aggravated burglary. three men have been charged with murdering guy hedger during the may day bank holiday weekend. thousands of weapons have been seized in schools across england and wales. figures provided by 32 police forces to the press association show that, in the last two years, more than 2,500 weapons had been found in schools. police chiefs said there had been a "worrying" increase in young people carrying knives including swords, axes and air—guns. a mexican businesswoman who was known for successfully investigating the kidnap and murder of her daughter by a local drug cartel has been killed by armed intruders. miriam rodriguez martinez headed

a local association of 600 families who were searching for their disappeared relatives, and the information she gave the police ensured some gang members were jailed. the un mission in mexico condemned the attack. an untitled harry potter prequel, which was handwritten on a postcard byjk rowling, has been stolen in a burglary in birmingham. the 800—word manuscript, which was written for a charity auction and sold for £25,000, was stolen along with jewellery in the burglary last month. attention in the water.

this is the orange county sheriff's department. be advised, state parks is asking us to make an announcement to let you know you are paddle—boarding next to approximately 15 great white sharks. they are advising that you exit the water in a calm manner. the sharks are as close as the surf line. thank you for your co—operation. a woman was bitten in the area at the end of april. how quickly would they have moved ? the end of april. how quickly would they have moved? quite incredible. that made us stop and focus. can you |magine? that made us stop and focus. can you imagine? you have been getting in touch on the conversation of caitlin. jane says it is great to see you on the programme, a beautiful person inside and out. someone else says we think you are very brave, thank you for making it real. mark says it is fascinating to hear caitlyn talks candidly about what it was like to keep her secret

so long. also kt says she is a transgender women aged 64 who only began transitioning three years ago. she says i have had for catholics support but sadly many transgender biba do not have the happy transition —— the fantastic support. a difficult life long journey but telling us that in her 60s she is the person she was all is meant to be and she is very happy for it. the interview is on the web page. also your comments are always welcome. do get in touch with us throughout the morning. use #victorialive and if you text you will be charged at the standard network rate. leave the water calmly with 15 great white sharks, i think not! manchester united fans hoping to watch their side take on ajax in the europa league final in stockholm on may

24th will have a tough task getting tickets. that's because, while the friends arena in stockholm has a capacity of 50,000, united have been told they'll get fewer than 10,000 tickets for their supporters. well, here's how they secured their place in that final last night. united were a goal up from the first leg and a fantastic header from marouane fellaini doubled their lead. united looked through then. but facundo roncaglia nodded vigo level with a few minutes remaining before he and eric bailly were sent off shortly after. bailly will now miss the final. a tense final few minutes but united hung on. they'll now face ajax in the final. ajax thinks about the final. their league finishes on sunday and they will have 12 days to prepare. hopefully crystal palace does not need the last game. because in the last game i am

going to make a lot of changes. tickets for chelsea's match at west brom this evening are being sold for nearly £2000, that's because a win would make them the premier league champions. not many were predicting that at the start of the season. but antonio conte's side are seven points clear of spurs, with only three games remaining. and if they do get the victory, it could be the first part of a really special season. the blues are also into the fa cup final against arsenal later this month. they beat tottenham last month. only three other managers have won the title in their first season, and antonio conte could become the fourth tonight. there was a bit of fielding practice for a bbc commentator yesterday. durham beat nottinghamshire by four wickets in their one day cup match, but it was a huge six from england opener alex hales that stole the headlines. he hit three sixes in total during his innings of 104. but with this one, he found the only open window

in the trent bridge media centre and the ball was picked up by one of the two commentators from the bbc covering the match. that's how it looked. here's how it sounded for radio nottingham's dave brace—girdle. commentator: hales hits this towards me — it's coming towards me, it's coming! it's coming to our commentary position! i've got it! wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow! it never gets boring. he should have packed his cricket helmet. i love how well—behaved he is. no swearing. it's the end of a busy week of campaigning for all the political parties with 26 days to go until the general election. 0ur political guru norman smith is in westminster. what is the round—up of the week? what is the round—up of the week7m has been a one bam weeks, remorseless. i am

has been a one bam weeks, remorseless. i am worn has been a one bam weeks, remorseless. i am worn out and it is wea k remorseless. i am worn out and it is weak one. the parties have been going at each other like the clubbers trying to land killer blows. we are beginning to see a pattern emerging were michael labour party are desperately pumping out big policy announcements, unveiling their national education service to stand alongside the nhs. we had their manifesto the other day u nfortu nately lea ked their manifesto the other day unfortunately leaked but they tried to ta ke unfortunately leaked but they tried to take advantage of it with the holistic policies about nationalisation, and today we have jeremy corbyn setting out his vision of labour's foreign policy. labour putting out big policies and yet theresa may and the tory party have been remarkably silent. there have been remarkably silent. there have been no major announcements from the tory party all week and i think that tells us that the tories are quite happy for labour to get all the headlines, they want to give them

enough rope in the hope thatjeremy corbyn might hang labour's election prospects. we have this strange situation where labour are out campaigning, putting out about policies, getting jeremy corbyn making big speeches, quite the reverse of the tories who want to keep it quite quiet because they know they are miles ahead in the polls and do not have to do much at they are hoping jeremy corbyn will trap up. what sort of a week has it been forjeremy corbyn? in today's papers, they looked dreadful. but in a funny sort of way the team around jeremy corbyn are relaxed because they never expected to win over papers like the daily mail and the sun. their theory is that the more people get to see and hear him they will see that he is honest, not trying to hide anything, he has his convictions and he is not hiding

them. he does not tailor everything toa them. he does not tailor everything to a particular sound bite. hejust tells everything as he sees it. they think despite the dismal headlines in the mainstream media is the fact of getting him out there they think might begin to cut through a bit more with the electorate. it is not the sort of general election campaign we are used to. the focus seems to have been mainly on labour. what can we expect going forward? next week we get the manifestos or we expect to get all the main parties setting out the manifestos. this is where parties can no longer avoid difficult questions by saying you have to wait for the manifesto. we will have the manifestos and we will be able to see what they are going to do and how they are going to be followed. we will get the entrails of the policies the parties are proposing. there will be no

hiding place from now on. we know exactly what they are promising, who is going to have to pay. there will bea is going to have to pay. there will be a moment of clarity i hope next week when we can finally say this is what they are proposing and this is how they think they are going to do it. that would be good. every day untiljune 8th we'll be highlighting the best gaffe or highly amusing moment from the election campaign, with norman. we need a general election and we need one now. what do you have for us? the first boeing is my kind of abc for people

in the general election campaign appearing before the media. less than one, if you are making a big entrance or exit, do not repeat do not fall down the stairs. watch. 0uch! you know that has they have parts. he is a big man and he has taken a big fall. it is one of those moments when you trip over and you cannot say anything. you know sometimes the doorbell goes and you do not answer because you think it is going to be somebody pestering you for money or you are in your pyjamas or you cannot be bothered? u nfortu nately pyjamas or you cannot be bothered? unfortunately this chapter does not a nswer unfortunately this chapter does not

answer the doorbell but when he looks on his security camera he has an important visitor. yes, that is right, it is the prime minister. hurry, tried to get the front door! she is not there any more. i guess the lesson is when someone rings the doorbell you better answer because you do not know who it might be. you know when we want to show how parties are doing, we have brilliant people like jeremy vine dancing around on some sort of lit up floorboard. emily pointing us to where the share of the vote is going. and who can forget peter snow with his arms flailing around? they are trumped by the election people

of career. i love this. —— election people of korea. i don't understand this. we need to have this sort of thing. but it needs to be more differentiated. it comes across as a pe class going mad. i think it is fantastic. we should do that our election coverage. maybe we should get the crazy koreans into newsroom. isn't that a dab question mark i absolutely isn't that a dab question mark i a bsolutely love isn't that a dab question mark i absolutely love it. -- isn't that a dab? we're going to be in bedfordshire on monday 29th may for a big election audience debate. if you've made up your mind already who you're going to vote for, still deciding or don't think you'll bother — and would like the chance to share your views and grill senior politicians on their policies —

get in touch to apply for a place. victoria@bbc.co.uk more details on our facebook and twitter pages. thousands of weapons have been seized from schools across the country — with samurai swords, axes and air guns among those confiscated. the majority of cases involved children — and in very rare cases some as young as five. that's according to figures released to the press association by 32 police forces in england and wales. at least one in five incidents involved knives. police chiefs said there had been a "worrying" increase in young people carrying knives, but said they're working with schools to help educate young people about why carrying any illegal weapon is wrong. one of our reporters, lesley ashmall, made a film about knives last year. she spoke to malika — who knows two people who've been stabbed, as well as one person who stabbed someone to death. it's really difficult to the young person and see the victim, and the murderer, to know them both, and do not know what to say. you are saying rest in peace to the person who

died. but also the person who did it, you don't know what happened, and how the argument started. then it is just and how the argument started. then it isjust a and how the argument started. then it is just a little argument, and somebody has died, and the other one is in prison. dante has never been ina ganderadmits is in prison. dante has never been in a gander admits he has carried a knife in the past. he says boys do it simply because they are scared each other. everyday, you know you will not be with your friends all the time. you won't have people to back you. it might seem like an alternative to other people. that's probably why they carry in the first place. if they think there is a sign of danger, they will pull something out, and get rid of it. if you are caught with a knife you could go to jail. does that not put people off? there is people out there who would rather risk it and actually get this in —— would rather risk it and actually get physically hurt. they would take the risk. we can speak now to damian castello,

who works with kids in schools dealing with the issue of knives, robjackson, a nurse clinician in the emergency department at the royal liverpool hospital who also presents in schools about his work and carl ward, the chief executive of the city learning trust — a group of 10 schools in stoke—on—trent. thank you all forjoining us. damian, kids as young as five, really? shocking, isn't it. we are a charity organisation that work with young people with a focus on reducing violent behaviour, anti—social behaviour, and reducing crime. many of the young people we work with talk openly with us about the fact that they do carry weapons. if it is to school, their local community... what we consistently here as a message as they do not feel safe. they are carrying these weapons as self—defence or protection. not to use them for any criminal activity as such. 0r protection. not to use them for any criminal activity as such. or for any gang activity. we hear a lot

about young people feeling unsafe. you go into schools and tell kids about the potential impact of what will happen, rob, orwhat about the potential impact of what will happen, rob, or what can happen if knives are carried and used. what sort of things have you seen? in the emergency department in liverpool we spoken to nearly 70,000 people across merseyside. we've seen a reduction in the number of people coming in with injuries. anecdotally we are hearing reports that there is a reduction of people carrying knives. it is important we educate people about the reality if you are involved in a knife attack. we show unpleasant photos to people with their hands hanging off. people who have been stabbed. people who have been killed. we show people and tell people the stories and the reality of what it would be like if they were involved in a knife attack. also, what it is like the their family, the hospital, the

applications. we've spoken to around 700 people. iwas applications. we've spoken to around 700 people. i was in a school yesterday. we started with 150 people. by the time we finished 40 had walked out. the pictures you describe our graphic. incredibly and i think they have to be. do they make a difference? the information we get told, yes, we think they do make a difference, we cannot see how they don't. we are not naive, we won't get rid of knife crime, but in liverpool, with the work of the police officers and the hospital workers, we are making inroads into making people aware of the reality of what is involved in a knife attack. it has to be making a difference, yes. damien says that kids carry knives because they don't feel safe. that is terrible if they don't think they are safe in schools. what you think the issue is? -- schools. what you think the issue is? —— what do you think the issue is? —— what do you think the issue is? i'm not sure people would say they feel unsafe in school. safeguarding is one of the top

priorities of every school in the country. this is a shocking report. lama country. this is a shocking report. i am a parent. we should all be worried about it in the uk. however, there are 8 million 500,000, approximately, students in the uk as we currently stand. —— however, there are 8.5 million, approximately, students in the uk as we currently stand. a very small percentage have experienced a scenario like this. the student population is growing in the uk by 140,000 students... it is a small proportion. but for any kids to be carrying something like a samurai sword, and acts, howeverfew carrying something like a samurai sword, and acts, however few it is deeply shocking and it will be worrying parents. —— and axes, however few it is, it is deeply shocking and it will be worrying pa rents. shocking and it will be worrying parents. yes. education and prevention is the answer. damien,

you raised your eyebrows when he said that children do not feel safe in schools, do you think they are? there was a percentage that don't feel safe in school. many people who attend schools come from different areas which may be in conflict. and therefore feel the need to carry weapons to school. how do you fix that? education is the key. we need to give young people, first and foremost, the space and opportunity to be heard, to hear what it is like for them. also, we need to identify what the underlying issues are as to why people are carrying. who are you hearing from? within schools, in the community, and the media. a safe environment for young people to talk about how they feel and their experiences. also what we feel is important is that this problem cannot be tackled by one organisation, one community, and

needs to be tackled by everybody as a whole. you describe it as a vulnerable children, children feeling vulnerable, people will look at those children carrying knives and think, no, tough kids, how do you get through to these kids? giving them a space. educating them. raising the awareness of the dangers of carrying weapons. many children who have carried weapons never intended to hurt anybody. but because they feel a threat this has led to some of them carrying out a cts led to some of them carrying out acts of violence. karl, what about things like metal detectors, ways actually just not allowing things like metal detectors, ways actuallyjust not allowing it things like metal detectors, ways actually just not allowing it to happen? these shouldn't be in schools. surely it should not be that difficult to stop it. it's not. the key point was just that difficult to stop it. it's not. the key point wasjust made that difficult to stop it. it's not. the key point was just made that schools are part of communities. schools reflect what happens in communities. we work hard to make

schools safer places. we should use any means in our —— at our disposal to make sure they are kept safe. if that means a school thinking they need to use a metal detector, that will be up to that individual school to try and ensure that school is ke pt to try and ensure that school is kept as safe as humanly possible. to try and ensure that school is kept as safe as humanly possiblem terms of the work you do, rob, and the difference you say you are making, you said that the beginning, actually, that you are seeing a reduction in your hospital. talks around the picture, specifically your area. “— around the picture, specifically yourarea. —— talk around the picture, specifically your area. —— talk us the picture.” work ina your area. —— talk us the picture.” work in a city centre emergency department. we are busy. the trauma centres up the road in aintree. the work we have done is showing that we have fewer people and 18 presenting with knife stab wins. we are not naive. the majority of people in cities are good people. the majority of kids are good kids. to tackle the

problem we think education is the way forward. we have to show people the reality. the reality is that the majority of these people will not get involved. but we do this to keep people safe by showing them these horrible images and callum booth horrible stories. we will continue to do it if it helps. —— by showing them these horrible images and tell them these horrible images and tell them these horrible stories. do you tell them stories, show images? we don't. we give them a space to talk about their experience. is it a helpful part? if you don't, this is the consequence... we absolutely talk about the consequences. many young people are aware of them. they sometimes do not see any other way in which they can keep themselves safe. we work with young people to identify, teach them to raise awareness of how to defend themselves, as opposed to carrying

knives. thanks very much. some comments on the interview with caitlynjenner, lots of people getting in touch. jane says my husband of 37 years came out as transgender 18 months ago. there has never been any signs before. when it comes to mother's day they get upset because they want to be known as —— because they want to be known as —— because he wants to be known as mum, my son gets upset because it is his dad. another message says a very honest account and so important to talk about lg bt honest account and so important to talk about lgbt issues. an e—mail from marjorie, i was very impressed with her intelligent, articulate, response. i have a more positive image than i had before where i sometimes felt imitated by the preciousness of some trans—people. she should emphasise, as she did in your interview, the massive decision it is and it isn't to be taken lightly. thank you for your comments. keep in touch. coming up:

a special report from baltimore in the united states where murder rates, especially of young black men, have been described as out of control. sometimes you feel you are teaching in some disenfranchised country. that there is this war going on. and it is like this war thatis going on. and it is like this war that is being waged against our young people. especially our young black men. for a summary of today's news, let's go to the bbc newsroom. us president donald trump has defended his decision to fire former fbi director james comey, who he called a "showboat" and "grandstander". in an interview with nbc news, the president said it was his decision alone to sack mr comey, who was leading an inquiry into alleged russian interference in the us election and possible collusion between trump campaign officials and moscow. mr trump also insisted he is not under investigation by the fbi over alleged links with russia. jeremy corbyn will insist he isn't

a pacifist and he's prepared to use military force as a last resort in a major speech on foreign affairs later. the labour leader will also pledge a "robust", independent foreign policy and says there will be "no hand holding" with us president donald trump if he's prime minister. thousands of weapons have been seized in schools across england and wales. figures provided by 32 police forces to the press association show that, in the last two years, more than 2,500 weapons had been found in schools. police chiefs said there had been a "worrying" increase in young people carrying knives including swords, axes and air—guns. tony blair says he hopes the border between ireland and the irish republic remains much the same when the uk leads the eu as it does now. speaking to irish media he said there was a consensus in british politics that the gains of the last

few years in northern ireland should be retained. he is due to make a major speech in ireland in the next half an hour. brazil has declared an end to a national emergency over the zika virus after the number of cases dropped 95% between january and april, compared to the same period a year ago. the virus has been linked to microcephaly where babies are born with abnormally small heads. the threat was at its peak as brazil prepared to host the 2016 olympics, and the zika virus has been linked to severe birth defects in almost 30 countries. a mexican businesswoman who was known for successfully investigating the kidnap and murder of her daughter by a local drug cartel has been killed by armed intruders. miriam rodriguez martinez headed a local association of 600 families who were searching for their disappeared relatives, and the information she gave the police ensured some gang members were jailed. the un mission in mexico condemned the attack. detectives investigating the death of a businessman, who was shot dead during a suspected

burglary at his home in dorset, have made another arrest. police say a 45—year—old man from poole is being questioned on suspicion of conspiracy to commit aggravated burglary. three men have been charged with murdering guy hedger during the may day bank holiday weekend. an untitled harry potter prequel, which was handwritten on a postcard byjk rowling, has been stolen in a burglary in birmingham. the 800—word manuscript, which was written for a charity auction and sold for £25,000, was stolen along with jewellery in the burglary last month. that's a summary of the latest news. join me for bbc newsroom live at 11am. here's some sport now. manchester united fans hoping to watch their side take on ajax in the europa league final on may 24th face a tough task getting tickets. they'll get fewer than a fifth of the places available for the showpiece in stockholm. united made it there

after drawing 1—1 with celta vigo at old trafford last night, winning the tie 2—1 on aggregate. victory against ajax in 12 days would see them qualify for the champions league. chelsea can win the premier league title tonight. a win at west brom would give them an unassailable ten point lead over second placed spurs. victory would make antonio conte only the fourth manager to win the premier league in his first season in england. birmingham city have confirmed that harry redknapp has signed a one year deal to stay on as manager at the club. after redknapp took over from gianfranco zola, birmingham avoided relegation from the championship. andy murray says he's "concerned" after his latest defeat since his return from injury. he was knocked out of the madrid open in straight sets by borna coric, a player ranked 58 places below him. murder rates in many us cities are on the rise, particularly in chicago and baltimore. close to half of those killed are from the african american community. in the inner cities, young black men

are particularly at risk. baltimore's mayor has asked the fbi to step in. he's called the situation "out of control". charlotte pamment has been to balitmore to meet the family and community affected by one of these tragic deaths. ijust heard this scream, and it was like a howl from somebody‘s gut. they blurted out, he was here last night. and miss higgins, one of his favourite teachers, came down screaming. not him. of all the students, i was like, not him. # if you ain't happy here then you should take a flight. # to a happy place, and you should stay the night. # life is great when you ain't scared of heights. # how are you supposed to fly if you are scared of heights? # you should stay there. # it's really great advice. # and on a surface level, it's really basic, right? # i ain't scared to fail, i ain't scared to fight.

# it'sjusta growing pain # you know, this wasjust like the ultimate storyline. this was like the success story. the kid who dropped out, he came back and he came back with a vengeance. i don't know what changed in him. i don't know what made him go back. i was just glad that he did. he just said, i'm going to try and go back to school. he said, there's nothing out here to do. we all fall, but we all can get back up. and his slogan to all the kids used to be, slow progress is better than no progress. he used to talk about how he was going to show off at the graduation. he would say, please, hold your applause, wait to the end. i said, marco, we'll all be up shouting yes, yes, yes! my son got shot twice in the face. his arm, his back, his leg. he took his last breath right here. and this is not right. he didn't deserve it. he wasn't in that bracket.

i can't find a reason in this world why my son did not get to walk across that stage. it's... i've thought about his mom, and i think one of the things that hurt me more than anything was thinking about his mom. i still can't get over, and can't imagine the pain that she is feeling. he was a kid that could have went on and did brilliant things. his mind was brilliant. the potential, we see their potential, and... unfortunately, there are people out there who don't see that. there's people out there who, you know, they hate themselves, and because they hate themselves, they would rather take

others down with them. this was the fourth student, male student, that i had lost this school year, and it had became a bit too much to bear. to just watch brilliant young men's lives be taken. if i had to just speak about the reality of our existence as teachers in an inner city, well, so be it. this is what it's about. it's like you sometimes feel like you're teaching in some disenfranchised country, you know, that there's this war going out there, and it's like this war that's been waged against our young people. especially our young black men. so... this past couple of months, all he desired was to get his high

school diploma, walk across that stage and talk about what he was going to wear under the cap and gown. he's probably going to still do it, like, for real. he's probably going to walk up to the man and be, like, can i get cap and gown and a hat? just to graduate with my school? even though my mom can't see, i can see. you know? that's how he was. caitlyn tenor has told this is loving as herself following her transition. i made that character so big. not that... i loved playing bruce. bruce was a good person. he raised a tremendous family and did a lot of good things. i am very proud

of what i was able to accomplish that way but i got to the age of 65 after struggling with these issues for so many years and i was right back where i started from, in malibu, i had raised ten wonderful great children, kris and i had gone our separate ways, and i was still dealing with the same issues i had had since i was ten. what was i going to do with my life? after long conversations with god, with my pastor, with my children, i thought, you know what? in god's eyes, how does he see how i am doing? and i thought, finally, maybe this is the reason he put me on this earth at this time and at this place in society because i could not do it in the 80s when i was struggling. i

said, maybe i can come forward, live my life honestly but also in doing that and having a platform maybe i can bring some understanding to the world in this issue. it was very fulfilling. that is what i have been doing for the past couple of years. take us back to the little boy bruce and the first time you... cross dressed? yes. that is going way back because i did not know why i was fascinated by either my sister or my mum's closet and i remember going in there fascinated by all of that stuff. at what age? just getting some clothes, my hair was short, it was in the 50s, i put a scarf over my head, through on a little lipstick, got in my mum's outfits or whatever it was that walked around

the apartment complex. little did i know that would be a pattern i would do all the way until i was 65. i did not know why i felt so comfortable doing that. that it felt like me but it was also the great taboo, i could not tell anybody. that kind of set—up the pattern. when you go through something like this you a lwa ys through something like this you always wonder why? is it the excitement, is that what it is about? and i really trans? i might just a cross—dresser? is it sexual? you go through for all of those yea rs you go through for all of those years everything in your head and eventually i came to the point where i realise this is me, this is who i am. what was the first conversation you had within a body about it? probably my first ex—wife. after we

had been married for a while i told i had some issues and these were the things going my head. that was the first time you had spoken to anybody? yes. i could not speak to my sister. we just saw a picture of you and your sister pam, you were very close. yes, we continue to be close. linda, my second marriage, we we re close. linda, my second marriage, we were only married for four years, we had two wonderful children. i told to her, i was struggling in the 80s. we went our separate directions and for the next six years ijust dropped out of life. i lived in my house by myself. i did not go out, i did not do anything, i went out to work once in a while, i became like a hermit, i did not feel like i fit in anywhere. the guys did not fit in

with the girls. that was caitlyn jenner. you can see the full interview on the programme page. robert says she comes across as a genuine person, it has definitely opened my eyes. someone else says it is fascinating to listen to her. she obviously these all sides of people's problems and speaks warmly on life. well done you. keep your thoughts coming in. we are expecting to hear from tony blair shortly because he has spoken of his desire to get back into politics with brexit and he is going to be speaking shortly. we are hoping to bring you some coverage of him delivering a speech on brexit at a meeting, the largest political grouping in the european parliament, there he is. at the moment we have a common travel area where people can

travel freely between southland north, north and south, on the island of ireland. the open border between the north and south is, in terms of trade, as on an immense amount for terms of trade, as on an immense amountfor uk terms of trade, as on an immense amount for uk irish trade and commercial relationships and it is important, although there will be difficult challenges in relation to this, that we safeguard as much of that as possible and minimise potential damage. i explained to the ebp that i think whatever disagreements i have with the british government over brexit or more generally there is a real consensus across the british political system that we must do everything we possibly can to keep the present situation between the republic of ireland and northern ireland, south and north, as similar

to what we have at the moment as we possibly can, and do all we can to minimise any potential disruption. this is of vital importance for the economic relationships and the political relationships. it was enormously beneficial to be able to talk to the epp and speak to them about that and broader questions about that and broader questions about europe. i know from what was said yesterday, what michel barnier said yesterday, what michel barnier said yesterday, what michel barnier said yesterday as well, and in a sense my presence here today is to say, i think there is a really common desire, whatever other issues there are in relation to brexit, to make northern ireland a special case and make sure we do everything we possibly can to protect the good friday agreement and the peace process and protect the strong relationship between the republic of ireland that the uk going forward. thank you. but tony blair speaking at a meeting

in ireland to a gathering of pro—european politicians from across europe. he was interviewed this morning on morning ireland. he was asked about the leadership of the labour party. he said it would be best for him to keep a diplomatic silence for the time being. it's that time of the year again, and tomorrow night ukraine's capital kiev will play host to the 63rd eurovision final. it's 20 years since we last won, so what are our chances this time round? last year ukraine snatched victory at the last moment with a song byjamala about crimean ethnic cleansing underjosef stalin. the uk's entry "you're not alone" byjoe and jake came a pretty disappointing 24th out of 26 countries former x factor #oh... # yasligima toyalmadim #0h, oh...

# men bu yerde toyalmadim #oh... # yasligima toyalmadim # vatanima toyalmadim.# former x factor contestant lucie jones is our hopeful for this year. here's a taster of her song "never give up on you". # i'll never give up on you # i don't care what i've got to lose # you're the one that i'm running to #just give me your hand and hold on # together we're dancing through this storm # we're running through... she has her work cut out. this is

the first eurovision since we voted out of brexit. even the prime minister is concerned.” out of brexit. even the prime minister is concerned. i am sure you are behind eurovision. we're not leaving that, as well, are we? no. chuckles although in current circumstances i'm not sure how many votes we will get. it'll be very interesting indeed. let's talk now to four superfans all in kiev for the final. william lee adams runs one of the most popular eurovision fan sites and is hosting parties across europe to celebrate the competition. alasdair rendall is head of 0age international — the super eurovision fan club group. lisa jayne lewis is a eurovision expert out in kiev, who says she's been "married" to the competition since 1993. samantha ross, is an american superfan who is working in the press team for bulgaria's act this year. lisa jane, you've been married to

the competition for a very long time. why are you such a fan and what does it take to win it? what i say about that statement, i feel like i'm that eurovision in 1991. we fell in love in 1992. in 1993, since then i've been connected to the contest. what does it take to win? some of the entries, you could describe them as surreal, some of the winners are, i guess, interesting. what is it? what is the x factorfor a winner in eurovision? it isa x factorfor a winner in eurovision? it is a combination of things. it is not just a it is a combination of things. it is notjust a case of coming with a really good song, or coming with a really good song, or coming with a really good song, or coming with a really good back story, maybe if you are an artist, or staging or styling. you have to get everything. you have to get all of the planets align. that is what makes a winner

at eurovision. it is impossible to say what that thing is. because it shifts every year. who knows? all of the planets have to ally. it is a big deal. alistair, can lucie do it? we got the best song we've sent in many years. all of the elements are there. it is the 60th song, the 20th anniversary since we last. the first time in many years we have the magical package lucy jane time in many years we have the magical package luchane was alluding to. we have a great performance. it is a tv shows you that standout performance. she delivers every time. she has been doing fantastic at rehearsals. good chance last —— good chance this year, much better you joined the fan club when you attend. you have been watching for a long time. how does she compare to previous entries? it is our best

song since 2009. it is a strong song, strong performance. it is a world away from the eurovision cliches. it is a contemporary sound. that is what we need. william lee, you will be vlogging, you will be eurovision, you will be, what do you think? we are really making the most of this. my personal favourites are portugal. they avoid eurovision cliches because there are no explosions, they are singing from the heart. when he sings he closes his eyes, the audience is with him all the way. samantha, you are american but a eurovision super fan, how did that happen?”

american but a eurovision super fan, how did that happen? i basically started as just familiar with the words eurovision song contest growing up in a household that watched a lot of monty python programmes. every single spring all of my european friends at university would start talking about who has the better song. i started watching one year. i ended up surpassing them with my fandom for it. i started a personal website. and in 20101 attended it for the first time. now iamona attended it for the first time. now i am on a delegation for it, so dreams can come true. lisa jane, are you worried about the impact of brexit on voting? not at all. it'll have absolutely no effect whatsoever on any of the votes coming to the uk. what alistair said, this is the strongest overall package the uk have brought this year. that is what people will see that is what people will vote on. how can you be so sure? everybody says voting gets political. that is a misnomer. it is

an political voting, it is more cultural voting. you get groups of countries who vote for each other. that is because the singers who are famous in, say denmark, are likely to be famous in sweden and norway. scandinavian countries. a singer famous in serbia is likely to be famous in serbia is likely to be famous in serbia is likely to be famous in croatia, monty negra, as well. it isn't so much political voting as the british country have been led to believe, it is more of a shared culture and shared music industry, though. —— a singerfamous in serbia is likely to be famous in croatia and montenegro. what do you brexit will not be on your mind. people will be voting for the song they like the most. —— what do you think, alistair? some people who may vote in a brexit way to make a point. but the vast majority of people will be voting for their favourite song. we have a

democratic process of choosing our eurovision entry. how does it work elsewhere? it varies from country to country. inaudible i'm struggling to hear you. i will go back to samantha. samantha, you said you were part of a delegation, you are with the bulgarian entry. we haven't heard it. tell us about your entry and what your hopes are. we are incredibly proud of our song. kristian, 17 years old, he was born after the start of the year 2000, wonderful landmark. the song is a modern ballad with a influence about

bringing the world together and accomplishing goals through unity. a eurovision message with an exceptional singer. we are so proud of him. seeing our name pulled out of him. seeing our name pulled out of the envelope last night was a massive thrill for the entire delegation. i might be biased, but go bog area. samantha, a final point. —— but go —— but go bulgaria. it takes up a lot of time. it is a massive saturday night. for most people. i report on the contest year round. i follow people. i report on the contest year round. ifollow the national selection. there is thejunior contest in georgia which i will be going to. there is lots going on. i'm fortunate to be able to turn it into a part—timejob, which is wonderful. if you enjoy yourjob you

will never work a day in your life, they say. absolutely. enjoy it tomorrow. thank you very much. we will be in bedfordshire on the 29th of may for a big election audience debate. if you have already made up your mind on who you will vote for, your mind on who you will vote for, you are still decide to come all you do not think you will bother, if you would like the opportunity to grill senior politicians on their policies do get in touch to apply for a place. we have some breaking news. the coroner has said a 14—year—old boy died asa coroner has said a 14—year—old boy died as a result of an allergic reaction to a school lunch. he was being kept back after school when he collapsed. 0ur correspondent has been at the inquest and has the latest. what happened, richard? very sad story. this happened last november. 14—year—old, at a school in east london, he collapsed a

couple of hours after having a school lunch. he had a wide range of food allergies. he was also severely asthmatic. when he collapsed he said to the staff he was unable to breathe. they eventually got the medical pack which he had at school, which contained items which should help him in case of an emergency such as this. the coroner found staff didn't really know about his condition. and also that the school nurse had incorrectly listed his condition as mild to moderate when in fact it was severe. the fact that condition had been listed in the way it was meant there was no record is made of the use of an adrenaline shot which was in his first aid kit. when staff got the first aid pack they did not know how to use the adrenaline shot, whether it should be used, they asked for advice from paramedics who also suggested it shouldn't be used just yet. five minutes later when the paramedics

arrived, it still had not been used, four days after that he died of what was listed as a hypoxic brain injury. the coroner made clear this was down to the allergic reaction he suffered from food and the lack of treatment he had after that. thank you very much. if you want to see the caitlynjenner interview again it is on the programme page. fascinating to talk to her. she has written a book about transitioning in her 60s, about the struggles through her life, the secrets she kept, but now in her 60s she is com pletely kept, but now in her 60s she is completely open with those around her. she talks about the journey, with the comedy aspects of it, as well, that she talks openly about. she wanted to bring the humour through in the way she talks about her life. great to have her on the show today. thank you for your company. enjoy your weekend. newsroom live is coming up next. i will see you soon. goodbye.

a band of rain is moving north. it is heading towards scotland and northern ireland. behind it we will get sunshine. we will see heavy showers setting off across the central areas. temperatures with the sunshine getting up to about 18, 19 degrees. probably higher than that in the north of scotland. chilly in east scotland and we could see temperatures dampening down in the south—west as we get rain and drizzle here. heavy showers continuing into northern end on this evening. then we get rain from wales and northern ireland and it could be telling misty and murky over the

hills of scotland. quite a mild night. most of the wet weather was across the northern half of the uk at the start of the weekend. the rain becomes confined to scotland. behind that, some showers, but otherwise sunshine to enjoy. many places will be dry. temperatures will begin to the high teens, possibly 20 in the south—east. —— temperatures will be in the high teens. jeremy corbyn will insist he isn't a pacifist and is prepared to use military force as a last resort in a major speech on foreign affairs later. an inquest into the death of a 14—year—old boy,

who was taken ill during school detention, finds he died after an allergic reaction to a school lunch. he was a veryjolly boy, very friendly. he has got many friends, and his aim in future was he would bea and his aim in future was he would be a politician. at a meeting in ireland — tony blair says northern ireland must be a special case in brexit talks.