welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is mike embley our top stories: explosive revelations about president trump's white house in an investigation by veteran journalist bob woodward, who warned the president beforehand. at a chaotic senate hearing, president trump's latest nominee for the us supreme court stresses his belief in impartiality. opponents believe he will make the court substantially more conservative. a million people are forced from their homes as japan faces its worst storms in 25 years. and we return to iraq to meet the yazidis, the small religious minority killed or enslaved by islamic state. the picture is of a white house

in a perpetual state of nervous breakdown, as staff try to control the president's anger and even secretly remove some controversial policy documents from his desk to avoid him acting on them. that account is one of many in a damning new book by the distinguished american journalist bob woodward, whose reporting helped remove president richard nixon from office. excerpts have been published by the washington post. the white house says they're fabricated stories by disgruntled former employees. nick bryant reports. today, the white house looked as stately and elegant as ever. but, according to the new book, this mansion is home to a presidency

in chaos, a west wing suffering a nervous breakdown, an administrative coup d'etat. it details how senior aides tried to prevent donald trump from wielding his presidential pen, hiding official documents from his desk to stop him withdrawing america from the nafta free—trade agreement, and ignoring his suggestion to assassinate the syrian leader, bashar al—assad. it quotes the white house chief of staff, john kelly, describing the president as unhinged. i think it's going to be a lesson that has to be absorbed by future presidents... i think it's going to be a lesson that has to be absorbed by future presidents... what gives the book so much credence is the authority of its author, bob woodward, whose work alongside carl bernstein during watergate did so much to bring down richard nixon. woodward is a washington institution. bob woodward finally managed to speak to the president,

but only after the book was finished. so help me god. it's certainly a bad one for the embattled attorney general, jeff sessions, who mr trump apparently described as "mentally retarded" and "a dumb southerner". and there are insights into the legal advice the president received about talking to the special counsel, robert mueller. "don't testify", his former lawyer told him. "it's either that or an orange jumpsuit". the president last appeared before the cameras yesterday, on what looked like an aborted golf trip. and now, yet another diversion. the white house claims the book is nothing more than fabricated stories, many by former disgruntled employees. now, the white house chief of staff,

john kelly, has also issued a statement saying he didn't call the president an idiot. he's also referred to a statement in may, saying the allegation then was "total bs", in his words. it's crucial that the white house hasn't used the term "fake news," its usual blanket condemnation of the media. maybe that will come, but it is worth remembering they are up against bob woodward here, a journalist known for his rigour and fairness. he has written about eight presidents, and has been critical of democrats and republicans. even the president, in that phone conversation with bob woodward, admitted that he was fair. so i think many readers will see in this book an accurate rendering of history. nick bryant reporting there. president trump's latest nominee for the us supreme court, brett kava naugh, has stressed his belief in impartiality, at a chaotic confirmation hearing before a senate committee. responding to perceptions that he will make the supreme court substantially more conservative, he said it should never be viewed as a partisan institution. before he spoke, protesters shouting their opposition

to his appointment were removed. here's how the first few minutes played out. i welcome everyone to this confirmation hearing on the nomination of... mr chairman... ..judge brett kavanaugh. mr chairman... you're out of order, i'll proceed. we cannot possibly move forward, mrchairman, on this hearing. we have not been given an opportunity to have a meaningful hearing on this nominee. mr chairman, we received 40,000 documents that we were not able to review last night, and we believe this hearing should be postponed. i know this is an exciting day for all of you, you hear? mr chairman, if we cannot be recognised, i move to adjourn. mr chairman, i move to adjourn. applause when things did settle down at the end of the day, the president's latest pick to join the supreme court delivered his opening statement. the appointment could affect

the direction of the us for decades. he addressed how he sees the role of the highest court in the land. our independentjudiciary is the crown jewel of our constitutional republic. in our independentjudiciary, the supreme court is the last line of defence for the separation of powers, and for the rights and liberties guaranteed by the constitution. brett kava naugh there. the bbc‘s david willis has been following events from los angeles. despite the objections of democrats, and there were considerable objections today, on the first day of hearings. there was disruption from the public gallery, constant disruption, and continued calls by democrats on the senate judicial committee for the proceedings to be adjourned because they argued they hadn't had enough time to review more than 40,000 documents related

to brett kava naugh's more than 40,000 documents related to brett kavanaugh's role in the george w bush white house, which only got released last night. so tomorrow brett kava naugh only got released last night. so tomorrow brett kavanaugh is due to be questioned directly by members of the committee, and he faces a real grilling from democratic members of that group. david willis there. let's get some of the day's other news. south korean envoys are travelling to pyongyang to plan for a third summit between president moonjae—in and the north korean leader kim jong—un. the visit comes as attempts to get the north to abandon its nuclear weapons programme appear to be stalling. amazon has briefly become the second us—listed firm to have a market value of more than $1 trillion. shares rose nearly 2% to a high of $2,050.50 in morning trade before slipping back. tech giant apple reached the same milestone in early august. the new york times is reporting that us special counsel robert mueller will accept written answers from donald trump on whether his campaign conspired with russia to interfere in the 2016 presidential election.

however, it seems that offer doesn't apply when it comes to allegations the president tried to obstruct mueller‘s investigation. president trump has said the sports giant nike is sending a terrible message with adverts featuring colin kaepernick, the american footballer who led a protest against police brutality towards african—america ns. —— footballer. kaepernick stirred controversy by kneeling during the us national anthem at matches. president trump also added the company should hire whoever they wanted to be the brands spokeperson the united nations has called on russia and turkey to act urgently to avert bloodshed in the rebel—held syrian province of idlib. it comes amid signs that president bashar al assad's forces are preparing an offensive in the densely—populated region. russia, which backs the syrian government, has been accused of being responsible for new air strikes in the region. caroline rigby reports. an airstrike on a village in the west of idlib province.

anti—government activists claimed this was one of 30 in the region carried out by russian warplanes. for weeks now, the syrian government has been amassing troops in the country's last remaining rebel stronghold, ahead of what's expected to be a major offensive. the population of idlib province in syria's north—west has dramatically increased throughout this conflict, with people fleeing the regime. russia claims the region is now dominated by rebel fighters andjihadi groups, a nest for terrorists. but it's also home to an estimated three million civilians who have nowhere else to go. around half displaced as a result of previous battles. the un warns a full—scale assault here would be like having a war in a refugee camp. it's appealed for sanity in order to avoid humanitarian catastrophe. we could see a battle more cruel

than any previous battles in this, the cruelest war of our generation. the kremlin has rejected talk of civilian casualties, saying action is needed to clear out what it's described as a cradle of terrorism. earlier, president trump warned against a reckless attack against idlib. the us has also threatened swift retaliation to any use of chemical weapons by the syrian regime. helmets, everything else. assad is doing the same thing. that is the exact formula they always follow before a chemical weapons attack that assad does on his own people. we're not going to accept it, it is not ok. some believe an offensive on idlib could mark the beginning of the end of syria's seven—year war, but at what cost to civilian life? caroline rigby, bbc news. the strongest typhoon to hit japan in a quarter of a century has claimed the lives of several people

and injured more than 150. strong winds have battered western parts of the country and more than a million people have been told to leave their homes, with further rain and wind forecast, as our correspondent robin brant reports from tokyo. screaming japan knew that this storm was coming, but some were still caught out, and had a very lucky escape from the torrent of water below. typhoonjebi is the strongest to hitjapan in 25 years. in the worst—hit area, around osaka, the damage is widespread. down there, on the left, you can just about make out a runway. the rest of kansai international airport is underwater. but 3,000 passengers have nowhere to go. the bridge thatjoins the airport and the mainland has been damaged. a ship was repeatedly blown into the columns and roadway. the storm surge caused fires that destroyed dozens of cars waiting to be shipped abroad. others were battered by the winds,

that reached 135 miles an hour. typhoons and serious storms are not unusual injapan, but more than a million people have been advised to leave their homes as jebi approached. prime minister shinzo abe warned them to take action to protect your lives. those who left now have to wait for the damage reports. this is a country well prepared for extreme conditions, but 2018 has been hard so far. japan achieved its highest—ever recorded temperature this summer — that after severe flooding killed more than 200 people earlier in the year. robin brant, bbc news, tokyo. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: they're crazy, rich and asian. after its box office success in america, now the blockbuster movie comes to the uk. judy garland's dolan is it is from the wizard of oz have finally been

found —— judy garland's stolen slippers. she received the nobel peace prize for her work with the poor and the dying in india's slums. the head of the catholic church said mother teresa was a wonderful example of how to help people in need. we have to identify the bodies then arrange the coffins and take them back home. parents are waiting and wives are waiting, so... hostages appeared, some carried, some running, trying to escape the nightmare behind them. britain lost a princess today, described by all to whom she reached out as irreplaceable. an early—morning car crash in a paris underpass ended a life with more than its share of pain and courage, warmth and compassion. good to have you

with us on bbc news. the latest headlines for you: explosive revelations about president trump's white house by veteran journalist, bob woodward. the white house says they are fabricated stories by disgruntled former employees. president trump's nominee for america's highest court, brett kava naugh, has stressed his belief in impartiality. opponents believe he will make it substantially more conservative. four years ago, thousands of yazidis — a small religious minority in northern iraq — were killed or enslaved by the extremist group that calls itself islamic state. at least 50,000 people fled to nearby mount sinjar, the united nations decided the treatment of the yazidis was a crime against humanity. so what's happened to the community since?

our chief international correspondent lyse doucet has been back to iraq to find out. life now on sinjar mountain, the heart of the yazidis‘ homeland. tens of thousands fled to these slopes four years ago, when islamic state fighters swept in. and many never left, leaving behind their homes in villages below to live here — the only place they feel safe now. isis destroyed my house and many houses... hadi tells me, when is arrived, their muslim neighbours betrayed them. when isis came to sinjar, our neighbours explained everything to isis. they said that yazidis is — like, don't believe god, and they are not muslim. and they killed all the men, and sold women in the market. most yazidis feel they can't come home. this is what the town of sinjar looks like.

survivors are now scattered in camps across northern iraq, or living abroad. there are so many reasons why the yazidis feel they can't come home. look at this. all this needs to be rebuilt, and it's full of the bombs and booby—traps that is left behind. but it runs far deeper than this. after all that's happened here, they don't trust the authorities to protect them, and they're losing hope that anyone will help them. is took bahar‘s husband and oldest son. there's no man to take care of her family, in this traditional culture. so they found a home in this orphanage — a refuge, after surviving their horrific ordeal. bahar tells me she and her children were taken as slaves, forced to convert to islam, beaten daily.

you can still see the scars. translation: my children are always upset, and i keep having flashbacks. we've had no word from either my husband or my son for the past two years. and sometimes this one cries for hours, asking for her father and brother. almost every yazidi we met told us they have no future here. these families are waiting to get out. this makeshift centre in a nearby town is packed. every family has their own story of suffering, and a few western countries are now offering special visas for yazidi victims. but if so many leave, the future of this tiny community — one of the world's oldest religions — is at risk. as yazidi leaders gather at one of their biggest temples, they beseech the world to help them.

they fear is could again return, and no—one in this country will protect them. lyse doucet, bbc news, sinjar. glimmers of hope for the yazidis, but slim. more now on the latest book on the trump administration —— inactivity is putting almost 1.5 billion adults at risk. research led by the world health organization and published in the lancet global health has found that people who don't take regular exercise could end up with cardiovascular disease, dementia and cancers. the study also found there's been no improvement in levels of physical actvity since 2001. —— activity. our global health correspondent smitha mundasad reports. do more exercise. keep fit. get that heart racing. messages the world has heard over and over again. but it looks like some countries, particularly rich ones, aren't keeping up. experts from the world health

organization analysed hundreds of self reported surveys to see if people actually do the 75 minutes of intense activity, or 150 minutes of moderate physical activity, recommended each week. they found more than half the populations of kuwait and saudi arabia did not meet the target. in the uk, 36% of people were not physically active enough. in contrast, in uganda and mozambique, just 6% needed to move more. researchers say as countries get richer, their populations become more sedentary — putting them at greater risk of heart disease, strokes, and some cancers. and scientists found overall, women were more inactive than men. they're calling on governments to act, so that both men and women do more exercise without actively having to seek it out. we have focused so much on physical activity being individual responsibility, and instead

of thinking about how we can build our environment to facilitate physical activity. for example, through urban planning, through transportation systems, through building more parks and recreation facilities, so that physically active choices are the obvious choice, the easier choice, free choices for everybody. some countries like china and india have made improvements, but experts say other nations need to act fast to stop this pandemic of inactivity in its tracks. smitha mundasad, bbc news. let's just take you to this now. they are considered to be hollywood's most treasured piece of america's film industry. they were lost for 13 years after being stolen from a museum in minnesota. now, that pair of ruby slippers worn byjudy garland in the wizard

of oz have been recovered by the fbi. an anonymous donor had once offered $1 million ransom money for the shoes, which are one of four pairs which were worn by the star in the 1939 film. they are more than just a pair of shoes, the slippers. they are an enduring symbol of the power of relief. and i know i speak for eve ryo ne relief. and i know i speak for everyone in the grand rapids community when i say that we are very, very pleased that the public, again, hasa very, very pleased that the public, again, has a potential opportunity to be this piece of hollywood's the most treasured piece of the nation's film history. more now on the latest book on the trump administration and the outrage that it's causing in washington. how is it going down in the rest of the country? i'm joined from phoenix, capital of the state of arizona, by mike noble. he's a pollster who often works on behalf of the republican party.

i know it is a tight race for a senate seat in november's collections. body in numbers telling you about how much or how little all this might matter there? you about how much or how little all this might matter there ?|j you about how much or how little all this might matter there? i think what we have seen driving the race, particularly in arizona, it and what we can tell you is that there is definitely a big effect of donald trump's approval numbers on the down six in races. and why this is important is that the gop has two seats this election but actually in danger. one is nevada, the second is arizona. so these numbers and basically anything that comes up guarding trump is a factor in that the ticket. we hear from people who vote republican mostly as long as they get a more conservative supreme court, as long as they get perhaps movement against abortion, tax cuts and a strong economy, they will pretty much hold their nose, even if they do not like him? when they look

at approval, we are looking at numbers usually in the high 80s or 90s. we at up to 20% of lifelong republicans who have an unfavourable opinion of the president, so they would overall go along with that, which are definitely seeing that, however there is a strong rebellion there amongst the gop class. we have a feeling here that we spent a week talking about michael wolff's fire and fury, and then it faded away and made no difference. is it going to make a difference coming from a journalist who is known for his complaints of research and has helped bring down one president already? yeah, i think it may be a slight factor. what is different about donald trump is that his campaign has been basically covered with a lot of drama. whether it was from the initial video with those

salacious comments that he used during the campaign, to now in the russian investigations. anywhere you 90, russian investigations. anywhere you go, you always hearing news about trump. my question is with voters, will they really be able to discern this according to 100 or thousand others. especially when you compare the these tweets, which can some people the wrong way. we do not know yet, but that is what i would be careful about. we do not know what will happen to the supreme court. that will shape the united states for yea rs that will shape the united states for years to come. absolutely, you look at the supreme court, you look at shunt‘s agenda in general, he really had trouble passing his legislation. where he had his first win was getting conservative neil gorsuch on the bench, which really helped his approval numbers with the base because his numbers were high going in but with failing to push some policy forward, you started to

see those numbers slipped. but after that pushed through, they are overall pretty strong among his base. citing this other one will pretty much secure that base once more. what is your expectation of how arizona will play for the republicans? -- max i think. iwould say the democrat would have the advantage. —— so i think. also, we have not elected democrat to that position since 1998. why is that important? it is because this current atmosphere that we are seeing is that trump is definitely having a bit of a drag on anyone with a r next to their name on the ballot. thank you so much. absolutely, thanks for having me. that is so much for being with us. much more for you at any time on the bbc news website. thanks for watching. —— thank you so much.

hello again. if you heading outside over the next hour or two if you heading outside over the next hourortwo in if you heading outside over the next hour or two in england and wales, you will probably do so under cloudy skies. we have got a cold front winning a bit of rain to the east coast of east anglia in particular, showers and western scotland as well but otherwise, it is dry enough. temperatures are, relatively mild start to the date here, cooler air for scotland and also the northern ireland. it is he were we will have the best of the morning sunshine. we are going to see whether moving off the atlantic and that is going to bring some rain to northern ireland and western scotland, where it will turn progressively heavier to the course of the afternoon. england and wales stays pretty cloudy, only the occasional sunny spells. then as we get towards the end of the week, we are going to see weather patterns

turned increasingly unsettled. it is going to come cooling breezy with rain at times. is this chart. low pressure starts to form across scotla nd pressure starts to form across scotland and that is what is going to be bringing rain initially to scotland, then the northern england. —— use this child. further south, another weather front probably sta rts another weather front probably starts to moving across south wales and that will put on two parts of southern england, particularly the south—west and maybe the midlands in the afternoon as well. in between these areas of rain, there could be a few places that avoid the downpours and stay dry and bright but it will be turning noticeably cooler, notably in the north. it changes all down to the jet stream, which becomes more amplified over the few days. if you underneath this ridge, it will be more drive. —— if we were. instead, we're under this ridge, the air becomes trapped and slow—moving. as you can imagine, we will have areas of rain rotating around this slow—moving area of low pressure through friday and into the weekend as well. more rain to come to scotland and northern england in

particular. could still be sent showers around across southern counties of england and southern temperatures nothing to write home about really. i is about 15 degrees also for aberdeen, maybe a 16 or so from birmingham, 19 if we season by the spells in london. —— it is about. we could cease and heavy rain and maybe parts of england too. sunday looks likely to become dry. this is bbc news, the headlines: a new book by the veteran americanjournalist bob woodward offers a damning assessment of the trump presidency, a white house in a perpetual state of nervous breakdown, as staff try to control the president's anger. the white house says they are fabricated stories from disgruntled former staff. president trump's latest nominee for the us supreme court, brett kava naugh, has stressed his belief in impartiality at a chaotic confirmation hearing before a senate committee. responding to perceptions that he will make the supreme court substantially more conservative, he said it should never be viewed as a partisan institution. the strongest typhoon to hitjapan in a quarter

of a century has killed several people and injured more than 150. strong winds have battered the west of the country and more than one million people have had to leave their homes. now on bbc news, panorama. across britain, serious violence is on the rise, with 100 violent deaths in london this year, including at least 16 teenagers. in the last 24 hours seven more people have been injured in stabbings... it's the third teenager to be fatally stabbed in the capital so far this year. this summer, panorama has been at the heart of one community affected by the violence, filming with the family of a murdered teenager. a 17—year—old boy has been

shot dead in southwark. he was found in warham street, just after 6 o'clock last night. rhyhiem barton, a well known rapper, was just 17 when he was shot dead in may this year. so what's fuelling the murders of children like rhyhiem? anybody who wants problems, stay away from our community. we want peace in our community.