welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is reged ahmad. our top stories: president trump claims "complete power" to issue pardons as senators prepare to question his family's contacts with russians during the us election. venezuela's crisis intensifies as the military clash with protesters trying to march towards the supreme court in caracas. london's great ormond street hospital says staff have received death threats and online abuse in relation to the charlie gard case. hello and welcome to bbc news. president trump has insisted he has complete power to pardon people. it comes amid reports that he's been looking at ways of pardoning himself and his family should

investigators decide there was collusion with russia during the us election campaign. next week, his eldest son and his son—in—law are due to testify before congress. but there was no mention of the controversy when the president spoke at a naval ceremony in virginia. from washington, laura bicker reports. donald trump hoped this week would be a celebration of all that is made in america, including this new state—of—the—art aircraft carrier. instead, he finds himself gearing up for what could be one of his biggest battles. he's clearing the decks and finding new staff to fight off claims the kremlin helped him win the white house. his core message has become engulfed by the many investigations. instead, this is the kind of sales pitch he'd prefer americans to hear. american steel and american hands have constructed a 100,000—ton message to the world. america might is second to none.

donald trump is upgrading his team just as the investigation into whether or not russia meddled in the us presidential election has widened its scope, to reportedly include the trump finances. the president is thought to be furious. this inquiry is no longer outside the white house gates. it's within his inner circle, including his own family, who are due to give evidence later this week. mr trump's son—in—law jared kushner is one of his closest advisors, seen so often at his side, but rarely heard. he has done some talking though, to russians, during the campaign. he'll be asked about that in congress on monday. donald trumpjunior is also in discussions about testifying after it was revealed he met with a russian lawyer who'd offered incriminating information about hillary clinton during the campaign. white house spokesman sean spicer often struggled to convey the president's message amidst

the barrage of questions about russian influence. if the president puts russian salad dressing on his salad tonight, somehow that's a russian connection. he's now saying farewell, resigning. i think it was in the best interests of our communications department, of our press organisation, to not have too many cooks in the kitchen. because he reportedly didn't want to work for this man. the slick, outspoken wall street financier anthony scaramucci will now be in charge of rebranding team trump. donald trump relishes a good fight. he's described the enquiries into his campaign's links with russia as a witchhunt, a hoax. he's getting combat ready, just in case investigators do not agree with him. laura bicker, bbc news, washington. venezuelan soldiers on motorbikes have fired teargas at hundreds of masked, stone—throwing protesters in caracas, the latest round of demonstrations against the government of nicolas maduro. several people were injured in the clashes which came

as the opposition attempted to march to the supreme court building. greg dawson reports. it's become a near—daily occurrence in venezuela. protesters versus police, molotov cocktails versus teargas. these people are marching towards their country's supreme court, which they believe is biased in favour of nicolas maduro, a president who they claim is turning into a dictator. translation: we have to help our children. we are fighting here for them, and these boys cannot be left alone. while others are in their houses, these people are risking their lives for us all. on friday, opposition politicians elected 33 newjudges to form a so—called "shadow supreme court". president maduro rejects them,

as well is ongoing calls for a general election in his country. and he's got support, too. for every anti—government demontration, there's a rally in support of the venezuelan leader. this gathering was to back the president's plans for a new assembly to rewrite the constitution. for the last four months, venezuela has been locked in an impasse of political crisis and violent demonstration. scores of people have been killed since the protests began. nicolas maduro says they are led by right—wing extremists. on thursday, millions of venezuelans joined a general strike called by the opposition. president maduro called the effects minimal, and plans to press ahead with a vote for a new assembly next week. greg dawson, bbc news. a british children's hospital that's seeking to remove life support from a terminally ill baby, has called in the police after a number of its staff

received death threats. great ormond street hospital in london said its employees had been subjected to a "shocking and disgraceful tide of hostility". the parents of charlie gard have been fighting a high court battle to allow him to be flown to the united states for experimental treatment. laura tra nt reports. it's a case that's touched people around the world. attracting a growing number of campaigners who disagree with medical experts over the treatment of a critically ill baby boy. a growing number of campaigners who disagree with medical experts over the treatment of a critically ill baby boy. ii—month—old charlie gard has a form of mitochondrial disease, a condition that causes progressive muscle weakness and irreversible brain damage. his parents, connie yates and chris gard, want to take him to the us for pioneering treatment, but great ormond street hospital says it in charlie's best interests to turn off his life—support and allow him to die. tonight, the hospital

said in a statement that their doctors and nurses have been subjected to a shocking and disgraceful tide of hostility. staff have received abuse both in the street and online. thousands of abusive messages, they said, have been sent to doctors and nurses, whose life's work is to care for sick children. many of these messages are menacing, including death threats. the hospital has reported the abuse to the police. it comes as the high court decides on charlie's future and a day after the judge urged any campaigners outside the hospital to respect the needs and wishes of sick children being treated there and their parents. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news. israel has indicated that it is willing to consider different ways to maintain security atjerusalem's holiest site,

known to muslims as al—haram al—sharif, and tojews as the temple mount. metal detectors were put in place after two israeli policemen were killed in the vicinity last week. there have been a series of clashes between israeli forces and palestinians who regard them as unacceptable. it's been confirmed that a 16—year—old german girl, suspected of joining islamic state in iraq, was arrested in mosul last week. the teenager, known simply as linda w, is thought to have been captured in a tunnel, along with three other suspected is brides. more protests have taken place in the polish capital, warsaw, over government plans to reform the supreme court. critics argue it would undermine the independence of the judiciary. earlier, hungary's prime minister, viktor orban, said he would use all legal options to thwart eu attempts to penalise poland over the controversial legislation. sunday marks two months since militants inspired by the islamic state group took over the city of marawi on mindanao in the southern philippines. the number of soldiers killed trying

to recapture the city has now passed 100, and fighting is still going on. new pictures have revealed the intensity of the conflict. bill hayton reports. packed into an armoured vehicle, this unit is on a rescue mission. i had, a comrade lies wounded in the rubble of marawi. pictures provided by the military show them dropping smoke grenades for cover. only then can they pull the man to safety. two months of fighting have devastated marawi. nearly 600 people have died. over 400 militants and more than 100 soldiers and dozens of civilians. the military has struggled to cope with a well—prepared enemy. the military has struggled to cope with a well-prepared enemy. we need to adapt on the situation. so we bring our minds, our brightest

minds, and adapted our tactics. in late may, marawi was taken over by the maute group, whose founders pledged allegiance to the islamic state. security analysts fear they are supported by foreigners and that mindanao could become a haven for the islamic state in asia. in response, martial law was established in the island. on saturday, congress exceeded that for the whole of the year. but human rights groups say martial law is allowing authorities to abuse civilians. the factual basis of these systems, the real threat of rebellion in marawi is a highly questionable. fighting is far from overin questionable. fighting is far from over in marawi, and the consequences for its inhabitants, the philippines, and the region, will

last much, much longer. stay with us here on bbc news. still to come: campaigners use a life—size model of a beached whale to raise awareness of sea life under pressure. here the government plans to introduce a registration system for drones because of growing concern about the risk they pose to aircraft. drone owners will have to complete a safety awareness course. dozens of near misses have been reported in the past year, asjoe lynam reports. gatwick airport has confirmed that some flights have been disrupted this evening by a drone in the area. it wasn't the first time that a drone had flown worryingly close to a runway, but it was enough to close down gatwick airport for a short while three weeks ago. pilots have long complained that unmanned aerial vehicles could fly into their engines, causing accidents. drones are also being used to fly drugs and mobile phones into prisons.

and now the government wants to act by forcing all drone users to register. the new rules mean that any drone weighing more than 250 grams will have to be registered, and their new owners will have to complete a safety awareness test when they buy them. a new technology to prevent drones flying near airports or prisons will be expanded. they can present a danger to aircraft and to individual users, so it's about introducing a registration scheme, it's about geolocations and geo—fencing to stop them being flown near aerodromes and sensitive areas. so it's worth getting the balance right between the different needs of users and the dangers on the other part. the government wants all drones of more than 250 grams to be registered. but that's not much heavier than a mobile phone. but military experts say that drones as light as 400 grams could damage a helicopter window, whilst drones of two kilograms

could critically damage a plane. but serious drone enthusiasts say the new rules may penalise responsible users. the problem is other people who have no knowledge, they don't know how to fly, theyjust go and buy the drone and go up in the sky may be 1000 feet high. this is the problem, not us a problem. and the new rules might be hard to police. after all, criminals are unlikely to sign up to a public register. and anyone that imports drones from abroad would be covered anyway. joe lynam, bbc news. boots, the pharmacy chain, has apologised for dismissing calls to cut the cost of its contraceptive morning—after pills. it had initially refused to drop the price of the medicines because it claimed that doing so would "incentivise inappropriate use" andy moore reports. the british pregnancy advisory

service launched its campaign with a video mocking the high prices charged in the uk for the morning after pill. they said it would be cheaper to fly to france and buy it there for about £5. wait, so that's. .. 30 quid. 30 actual pounds? tesco and superd rug reduced their prices, but boots refused to back down, saying: there was a vigorous campaign on social media critising the company and calling for a boycott. 30 labour women mps sent a letter to the company yesterday saying boots was taking a moral position on what should be a personal choice for women. then came a late—night change of heart. in its statement, boots said it was truly sorry for its poor choice of words. it said it was committed to finding cheaper forms of the drug. it also said that emergency contraception services were freely

available on the nhs in many of its stores. campaigners said boots had spectacularly misjudged public opinion. our only disappointment is it's taken this long, and the threat of a boycott by its customers for boots to reach this position. this was a position reached by superdrug, tesco far earlier. but not everyone agrees with the decision by boots. their original position was absolutely fine. they were saying they did not want to encourage irresponsible use of the pill. and you have to remember, the morning after pill is a large dose of synthetic hormones. it's not something that needs to be taken like sweeties or like a paracetamol. one of the mps that signed the letter yesterday said on social media overnight, "welcome news, but shame boots responded the morning after." andy moore, bbc news. this is bbc news. our main headline:

president trump insists he has the "complete power to pardon" and attacks the media for its coverage of claims russia interfered in the us election. more than 80 thousand migrants have landed in italy this year — a 16% increase in the numbers who arrived over the same period last year. the government is aiming to disperse many people across the country but some smaller communities are resisting. our correspondent james reynolds reports from sicily. the torrenova town council has called an emergency public meeting — the state has ordered this town to take in around 20 migrants. "i want guarantees," says retired teacher, enzo salvia. "they need medical and criminal checks." "they were already checked when they landed," argues saverio corao.

"i don't think they will damage our country. " the next morning, the region's mayors get together to oppose the plan to take in so many migrants. they have come to the regional capital of messina to persuade the government to reconsider. wearing a tie, may help. the italian government is struggling to find a solution that works. it wants to scatter migrants as soon as they land here in big ports. but that just shuffles the problem from built—up areas to the depths of the countryside. the semi—derelict kangaroo hotel, in the small town of castell‘umberto is now home to 50 migrants — six times the number the government recommends for a town this size. translation: it's not good. it's not good because these here haven't been checked by a doctor. we don't know who they are. it's no good. the town's mayor returns with news of a victory. the state has agreed that half the new arrivals will go

back to messina. translation: i certainly don't want to become their hero. they need someone else to defend them. our town is too small. at night, amid cheers from volunteers, migrants are escorted out. they barely know where they're going. i was told i'm going to messina. do you know where that is? no, sir. italy's relocation plan, improvised and haphazard, has to start again. james reynolds, bbc news, sicily. here in the uk, almost one thousand children are being forced into temporary accommodation every month because more families are becoming homeless, according to councils in england. the local government association says the number has increased by a third in three years. it wants more powers

to build what are described as "genuinely affordable homes". our social affairs correspondent michael buchanan reports. councils say more than 900 children, what they describe as the equivalent of a secondary school, are becoming homeless each month. in total, they say more than 120,000 children and their families are being supported in temporary accommodation, an increase of more than a third since 2014. councils in the south—east and major cities are dealing with the largest numbers. though cornwall and the isle of wight, for instance, also have significant problems. the councils say they need to build more affordable homes. they want rules on borrowing to be relaxed so they can invest in housing development. councils need the power to intervene more in the homes market. we need more affordable housing built in the right place to provide people with decent affordable housing. we also need to be able to intervene earlier as well. rather than waiting for people to become homeless, we need to stop

them becoming homeless in the first place. ministers say they are spending £550 million to tackle homelessness, and that a new bill passed earlier this year will prevent families from losing homes in the first place. michael buchanan, bbc news. train firms could be forced to reduce first class seats on busy commuter lines to ease overcrowding. the transport secretary chris grayling says travellers will see "less first class in the future" with busy suburban trains having "one class" instead. the minister also suggested operators may be forced to scrap first class areas when franchises are awarded in the future. in an area of philadelphia known locally as the bad—lands, some of the purest heroin in the country can be bought for just five dollars. but from next week the city authorities will clear the area to stop the heroin trade. but where will the addicts go? the bbc has been to the city to find out. we live in a world of heroin,

that's the reality we live in. heroin is what is killing people, but, like, not giving people the opportunity to say "help me," not giving people the opportunity to ask for or seek treatment, it keeps them in the basement, it keeps them in places like the train tracks. that is why they are down there, that is why they are in abandoned buildings. so they can be left alone. kensington has the purest heroin in the country. it is the most potent and is the most inexpensive, about $5 a bag.

at gurney street, it's kind of like a safe consumption site underground no one knows about. they save lives and are there for each other. my son was addicted to heroin. he is in recovery. but during his addiction, he was on the streets of kensington on and off for five years. we know that if we go to gurney street, there is a certain group of people that we might always see there. when we disperse people, where are we dispersing them to, and will we be able to find them once we disperse them?

the actor, john heard, best known for his role in the home alone films, has died at the age of 72. us media reports say he was found dead at a hotel in california. as well as enjoying a successful film career, john heard earned an emmy nomination for playing a corrupt detective in the tv series, the sopranos. an amateur poker player, who normally enjoys a modest game at his local casino in hull in north east england, is celebrating a win worth more than $2,5 million at the world's most prestigious tournament in las vegas. john hesp, a 64—year—old caravan salesman, finished fourth in a field of 7,000 entrants. he's played pokerfor twenty years, but always as an amateur. despite his success in sin city, he said he had no grand plans for the money he'd won.

i'd like to take my wife on holiday. my wife isn't that bothered about going away on holiday, but we're quite happy to go away to our humble static caravan in the yorkshire dales at pateley bridge, so that's about it really. i can't say any more than that. now — if you happened to visit paris this saturday you may have had something of a surprise. all the normal attractions were there — exactly as you'd expect — but there was a rather unusual guest. and a guest that was large in stature. the bbc‘s tim allman explains. at first glance, this looks somewhat surprising. a giant sperm whale washed up on the banks of the river seine. scientists seem to examine it. tourists look on in interest. but things are not as they seem. this is, in fact, a giant replica. these people will not break character, even for the cameras. translation: we found out

he had an eye infection. he could not see properly. this happens quite often, though not usually around this area. similar replicas of beachings happen in many places. we saw it on—line and we thought it was real. it was a sculpture. that is amazing. the team behind this say they want to explore the boundaries between reality and fiction. in the shadow of notre dame, it is certainly an interesting place to try.

tim allman, bbc news. the weather now with nick miller. hello. saturday turned into the day of the downpour. that is not surprising when you see skies like this and many others from weather watchers. the area of low pressure producing those showers and outbreaks of rain on saturday are still close by on sunday. even if you have a dry start, be prepared for some showers as the day goes on. cloud around first thing. outbreaks of rain in the midlands and northern england and eastern scotland, with low cloud. we will look at things in greater detail at 9am. where we have clear skies overnight, mist and fog patches in wales and south—west england. they will clear. england, brighter spots, sunny spells. a fair amount of cloud to begin the day. rain in the midlands and it will clear into showers and brighten up.

northern ireland, bare the odd shower, dry weather to come. western scotland starting fine. east scotland, low cloud and a cool breeze. some outbreaks of rain. that rain will go south during the day across scotland. it should brighten up again after moving through. northern ireland, the odd shower. dry weather. sunny spells. late morning into the afternoon, showers getting going in england and wales. some could be heavy. sunny spells in between. temperatures in the high teens and low 20s. what does that mean for the golf and royal birkdale? a cloudy start. overnight cloud lingering. overnight rain lingering. some showers. improving pictures through the day. easier compared to saturday. the women's world cup, sunshine in the morning, but in the afternoon, the increasing chance of a shower that could be heavy.

some showers will continue into sunday evening before slowly fading. by the time we get to monday, it is only slowly clearing from parts of eastern england. a cool breeze with that. elsewhere, a dry and sunny day. temperatures in the west approaching the mid—20s. looking at the big picture for tuesday. in between weather systems. most places will have a fine day. look at this, the next weather system is not too far away. take advantage of the fine day on tuesday. some pleasantly warm and sunny spells. wednesday, that system will come in and more rain will come in with it from the west. this is bbc news. the headlines: president trump insists he has the "complete power to pardon" and attacks the media for its coverage of the claims russia interfered in the us election.

next week, his eldest son and his son—in—law are due to testify before congress about their contacts with a russian