you're watching beyond 100 days. the senatejudiciary committee is looking into new allegations of sexual assault against brett kavanaugh. a day before the committee is due to hold hearings to hear about another accusation, the news throws more confusion into the supreme court nomination. michael avenatti says he's the lawyer for the woman raising this new accusation. you may remember that name — he's also the lawyer for the porn star stormy daniels. donald trump has just chaired his first session of the un security council — and fair to say it wasn't global peace and harmony. regrettably we found that china has been attempting to interfere in our upcoming 2018 election. also on the programme... one of the suspects linked to the nerve agent attack in salisbury has been unmasked as a colonel serving in russian military intelligence. and the duchess of sussex, meghan markle, out on her first solo engagement, closes the door on one aspect of royal protocol. i am katty kay in washington.

christian fraser is in london. the us senatejusticiary committee is a very busy place today. they are preparing for a major hearing tomorrow involving brett kavanaugh and a woman who accuses him of sexual assault. and now, with less than 2a hours to go, they have to deal with another accusation against mr trump's supreme court nominee — the third of its kind. the latest report has been surfaced by the lawyer michael avenatti, who says a client of his called julie swetnick has serious allegations against mr kavanaugh. we should point out that mr avenatti represents stormy daniels, the porn star who alleges she had an affair with mr trump and was paid by him to remain silent about it. in the last few moments, the president responded to the lawyer's claim. the bbc‘s anthony zurcherjoins us

now to help go through this. where are we? what is going on? less than 2a hours from the hearing here in dc, we are in a situation where republicans don't know what to do. they are caught off guard bit by this. if you saw in that donald trump tweet, donald trump was drawing a direct line between the accusations against him and those against kavanaugh. it will be difficult for him to back down after taking this stand. this woman who has made the latest accusation,

swetnick, has signed an affidavit. what legal implication is there in what michael avenatti says his client is alleging? that affidavit has been handed over to the judiciary committee. they say they will investigate it but it has some weight behind it. she talks about her security clearances she was granted through the federal government, she was a government employee. it tends to bolster their case. the key takeaway from this is that she alleges a pattern of behaviour on the part of mr kavanaugh and his friends from these parties at georgetown prep high school in the dc area, that this wasn't an isolated incident, which we heard from dr ford, but that there were more. no great surprise, i suppose, but a letter dropping now signed by the ten ranking democratic members of the committee, to the

president, saying, we want you to request that you immediately withdraw the nomination of brett kavanaugh to be withdraw the nomination of brett kava naugh to be justice withdraw the nomination of brett kavanaugh to be justice on the supreme court and to direct the fbi to reopen its background investigation and thoroughly re—examined accusations of sexual assault. they are pushing this for a while now, after each new allegation, saying it needs to be investigated and it needs to delay the vote. right now the committee vote is scheduled for friday morning, so there could be a confirmation vote on the floor of the senate early next week. they wa nt to the senate early next week. they want to draw out the process, and the republicans say that is the real goal of the democrats', to extend it to the midterms and just over, and as long as they can block kavanaugh, conceivably democrats could take over the senate and block whoever donald trump comes up with, and this kavanaugh nomination could decide the ideological balance of the

supreme court for a generation. its high stakes for the republicans. they see a chance to change the court and they are not going to back down for the always remember how important these supreme court nominations are. in a television appearance on monday night, judge kavanaugh said that, in his younger years, he was focused on sports, academics and "service projects". but his comments rankled with some of his former classmates, who said he was trying to paint himself as a "choirboy". in a copy of his written testimony, which he will deliver tomorrow, thejudge says this... joining us now from nashville, tennessee is former us attorney—general alberto gonzales, who is now dean of belmont law school. thank you forjoining us. if you

we re thank you forjoining us. if you were still the american attorney general, what would you be advising the justice department and the fbi to do about this case? i'm not sure i'd be advising them to do anything about it at this juncture, this is a political matter. it's a matter to be examined by the us senate. nobody is alleging that there will be charges or that anybody would bring charges. there is a statute of limitations that would probably bar any such prosecution. nonetheless, having said that, i think these allegations are serious, and they are certainly going to complicate matters for the republicans, and obviously they provide additional ammunition for the democrats, who wa nt to ammunition for the democrats, who want to delay the confirmation vote. i don't believe... the letter that i've just heard was read from the

democrats on thejudiciary committee, it doesn't make sense. for example, i think that, whatever the investigation, there needs to be a pending nomination so, if the democrats insists it needs to be withdrawn by the white house, at that point i don't see there would be an investigation in connection with this nomination. we have to wait and see what happens. for full disclosure, you say that as a former friend and somebody who has worked closely with mr kavanaugh. let me be honest, yes, iam biased in this matter. these allegations are very serious and troubling. they are very inconsistent with the person that i know, that i have worked with as an adult. he was one of my lawyers in the white house council's office. many former colleagues and friends, people who have worked with brett and spent time with him, judge brett

kavanaugh, and spent time with him, judge brett kava naugh, they say and spent time with him, judge brett kavanaugh, they say wonderful things about him, so this is all... if true, and that's a tremendously large if, if true, it's inconsistent with the person that i know. so, we do know from previous incidents of sexual harassment, and through the course of the me two movement, to some extent, that people can have one impression of somebody who turned out to be an accuser and their friends turned out to be an accuser and theirfriends don't turned out to be an accuser and their friends don't know about that site. i've not say whetherjudge brett kava naugh site. i've not say whetherjudge brett kavanaugh did this or not. we just don't know that. wouldn't it be wise for better be kind of impartial investigation by the fbi, whether it was reopening the background check oi’ was reopening the background check or some other kind, because leaving this to politicians in this frenzied environment doesn't seem to me a way to get to the truth. i think, as more and more allegations come forward ,

more and more allegations come forward, i think it's put the republicans in a very difficult position, certainly in terms of one allegation of serious juvenile petting, and an isolated incident in high school is one thing, but these stories about potentially drugging young women and engaging in group sex, that is something altogether different. it remains to be seen what the republicans are going to do. they are in a difficult position for a couple of reasons. one that you've got the mid—term elections, and the outcome of this case might have implications for the mid—term elections. and i think they are worried about keeping their majority. the other thing is, we are operating in a different environment, where this kind of activity is much more in focus and there is heightened awareness about this. and we have a closely divided

senate. i think that there are some series issues here now that the republicans had to deal with given these recent allegations. reedley, can we briefly talk about rachel mitchell, the prosecutor the republicans have brought in? ii republicans have brought in? ii republican men on their side. they wa nted republican men on their side. they wanted to bring in and outside counsel. is she the right choice?” don't know her. she apparently has expertise. i'm assuming they couldn't find an equally qualified male prosecutor and they went with the woman, and i would think it's because of the optics, the fact that all the republican members of that committee are male. thank you. that is why they have brought this woman on basically, it looks like, because they have 11 men and they are worried about the optics, don't you think? yes, and it's deeply

political. you were telling me earlier about lisa murkowski, the senator who is on the fence, not actually on thejudiciary committee, but i heard what she said in some of the newspapers this morning, stating the newspapers this morning, stating the obvious about this process. we are now in a place where it's not about whether or notjudge brett kavanaugh is qualified, it's about whether or not a woman has been a bit dim or not and whether she can be believed. —— has been a victim or not. and she is a counterpoint, lisa murkowski, in a tricky position as a moderate republican, and she is getting a lot of pressure to vote no onjudge brett getting a lot of pressure to vote no on judge brett kavanaugh, getting a lot of pressure to vote no onjudge brett kavanaugh, but compare her to what mitch mcconnell, the republican leader in the senate, to what he said about their chosen prosecutor yesterday. we have hired a female assistant to go on staff and to ask these questions in a respectful and professional way. so perhaps not just

so perhaps notjust the optics, perhaps republicans needn't be worried about how bad comment comes out. i don't know if they are planning that coffee to make —— that assistant to make the coffee! that's what it sounds like. plenty more to come tomorrow. let's go to new york. theresa may is speaking at the un general assembly. today, instead, we face a loss of confidence in those very systems that have delivered so much. the belief in free markets has been challenged by the financial crisis of 2008, by the concerns of those feeling left behind by globalisation, by the anxieties about the pace and scale of technological change and what that will mean forjobs, and the

unprecedented mass movements of people across borders, with all the pressures that can bring. and, after the military individualism at the beginning of the sanctuary, people questioned the rationale and legitimacy of the use of force and involving ourselves in crises and conflicts that are not ours, while at the same time being repelled by the slaughter in syria and our failure to end it. these doubts are entirely understandable, and so also is the demand for leadership, so those of us who believe in inclusive societies and open economies have a duty to respond, to learn the lessons of the past, to meet people's concerns with practical actions, not beguiling illusions, and to renew our confidence in the ideas and values that have done so much to benefit so many for so long. for, be in no doubt, if we lack the confidence to step up, others will. in the last century, whether in the

rise of fascism or the spread of communism, we have seen those on the extreme right and left exploit people's fears, stoke intolerance and racism, close down economies and societies and destroy the peace of nations, and today once more we see worrying trends in the rise of these movements in europe and beyond. we have seen what happens when countries slide into authoritarianism, slowly crushing the basic freedoms and rights of their citizens. we have seen what happens when corrupt oligarchy is rob their nations of the wealth, resources and human capital that are so resources and human capital that are so vital to unlocking a brighter future for their citizens. we have seen what happens when the natural patrick chisholm which is a cornerstone of a healthy society is warped into aggressive nationalism, exploiting fear and uncertainty to promote identity politics at home and belligerent confrontation

abroad, while breaking rules and undermining institutions. and we see this when states like russia flag ra ntly this when states like russia flagrantly breached international norms, from the seizing of sovereign territory to the reckless use of chemical weapons on the streets of britain by agents of the russian gru. we had to show there's a better way to meet the concerns of our people. that way lies in global cooperation between strong and accountable cooperation between strong and accou nta ble states, cooperation between strong and accountable states, based on open economies and inclusive societies. that ensures strong nation states provides the bombs to bring citizens together and ensure that power remains accountable. —— strong nation states provide the bonds. that celebrates free markets and is the confidence to reform them, and that demonstrates that is delivering for your citizens at home does not have to be at the expense of global and the values, rules and ideals that underpin this. indeed, cooperation and competition are not

mutually exclusive. 0nly global cooperation based on a set of agreed rules can ensure that competition is there and doesn't succumb to protectionism, with its certain path to lost jobs protectionism, with its certain path to lostjobs and international confrontation. and it is only global cooperation which can harness legitimate self interest towards common goals, producing agreements on global challenges such as climate change, proliferation and increasing inclusive economic growth. we see this cooperation here today at this un, as we also saw it at the commonwealth heads of government meeting earlier this and here today, is chairing office of the commonwealth, i deliver a clear statement on the half of the heads government of its 53 equal and independent member states. we reaffirm our shared commitment to work together within a rules —based international system, to address shared global challenges and to

foster a fairer, more secure, more sustainable and more prosperous future. this commitment takes account of the special requirements of the least developed countries and of the least developed countries and of small and otherwise vulnerable economies, and it benefits all of oui’ economies, and it benefits all of our citizens and the wider world, but it is not enough for us merely to make the case for cooperation. we need action at home and in the community of nations to show how our ideas and values can deliver practical benefits for all our people in all parts of the world. we must recognise the legitimacy of people's concerns and act to build a global economy that works for everyone. we must invest in the patient work of building open societies, in which everyone has a sta ke societies, in which everyone has a stake in the future, and we must act to uphold the international rules —based system and stand up for our values by protecting those who may suffer when it is violated. let me

ta ke suffer when it is violated. let me take each in turn. first, we must respond to those who feel the global economy is not working for them. the pace of globalisation that has left too many people behind. the fear that our children and grandchildren may lack the education and skills to secure the jobs of tomorrow, and the risk that technological change could become a source of inequality and division rather than the greatest opportunity in history. in the uk, we are driving investment in industries of the future to create newjobs, from low carbon technologies to artificial intelligence. we are investing in education and skills so workers are ready to make the most of opportunities which lie ahead, and we are making sure that people play by the rules, so that business and innovation is celebrated for creating jobs, not demonised because of grievances over tax not paid all rights not respected. and, while we strive to make our own economies

work for all our people, we should do the same at a global level. in an increasingly global economy, it is not enough to ensure people play by the rules at home. we need global cooperation to set and enforce fair rules on trade, tax and the sharing of data, and these rules need to keep pace with the changing nature of trade and technology. so we need to give the world trade organisation a broad, ambitious and urgent mandate to reform. this must address the areas where it is not functioning effectively, deal with issues not currently covered, and maintain trust in a system which is critical to preventing a return to the failed protectionism of the past. fair and respective rules are essential for business to flourish and drive growth, but recent history shows this cannot be sustained without deeper partnerships between governments, business, international fine institutions and civil society, to ensure that growth delivers for everyone. that is why i recently

visited africa, along with british businesses, to promote trade and investment, and to encourage partnership based on shared prosperity and security. it is why, at this general assembly, i co—hosted an event with prime minister trudeau and two other presidents, calling for more support in investment and job creation for young people in the continent. it is why the united kingdom will maintain our commitment to spend 0.7% of gross national income on official development assistance, and we will put our development budget at the heart of our international agenda and do more to createjobs, improve skills and increase investment in emerging economies, in both our and their interests. for the best way of resisting protectionism is to ensure this century is supplied with emerging markets but delivers all of

our people. we must build countries, not just economies that our people. we must build countries, notjust economies that work our people. we must build countries, not just economies that work for everyone, inclusive societies where everyone, inclusive societies where every citizen has a stake in the future. these are the firm foundations on which strong and accountable nations are built, and history has consistently taught us that giving people a stake in society is the best way to ensure stability, stability and economic growth. there is no one right way to do this. every country must choose its own path. but the basic tenets are common across the world, including a government that is open and transparent, an independent judiciary, free and fair elections and a free and open media. the freedom of expression, a right to redress and property rights that are reliably enforced. and equality, freedom of thought, opinion, religion and conscience, all found in the united nations universal declaration of human rights, signed 70 years ago. those of us who

believe in these tenets must set an example in defending and strengthening them at home and abroad. that is why we must call out hate speech, anti—semitism, islamophobia and all forms of prejudice and discrimination against minorities wherever we find it. like many leaders, i suspect, minorities wherever we find it. like many leaders, isuspect, i do minorities wherever we find it. like many leaders, i suspect, i do not a lwa ys many leaders, i suspect, i do not always enjoy reading what the media in my country right about me, but i will defend their right to say it, for the independence of our media is one of my country's greatest achievements and it is the bedrock of our democracy. so too will i defend objectivity and impartiality in the face of those who treat truth is just another in the face of those who treat truth isjust another opinion in the face of those who treat truth is just another opinion to be manipulated. this challenge has only become more complex with the rise in social media and online information. that is why we agreed that the g7 summit injune to step up our effo rts summit injune to step up our efforts to respond to

disinformation, and why, together with our partners and tech companies, we are leading efforts to reclaim the internet from terrorists and others who would do us harm. just as we must stand up for the values that we adhere to, so we must support countries and leaders who choose to take the often difficult steps towards a more inclusive society. the united kingdom will use all of the levers at our disposal to do so. through our aid budget and commitment to sustainable development goals, we will not only protect the most vulnerable but also bolster state is under threat and help others to sustain their progress. through global campaigns, we will help countries to end scourges such as modern slavery and sexual violence in conflict, and we will mobilise wider support for alliances and membership of multilateral organisations, not only the un but also international financial institutions, the g7, the 620 financial institutions, the g7, the g20 and nato. and, just as there is no single recipe for an inclusive

society, so there is no single model for balancing the democratic demands of our public with the imperative to cooperate internationally. the vote by the british people to leave the european union was not a rejection of multilateralism or international cooperation, it was a clear demand for decisions and accountability to lie closer to home. i believe the role of leadership in these circumstances is clear. it is delivering on the democratic wishes of our people, and international cooperation, working with allies and partners in pursuit of our shared values. third, we must have the will and the confidence to act when the fundamental rules we live by our broken. this is not about repeating the mistakes of the past by trying to impose democracy on other countries to regime change, but we should not allow those mistakes to prevent us from protecting people in the face of the worst violations of human rights and human dignity. we

should not allow those mistakes to pa ralyse should not allow those mistakes to paralyse the international should not allow those mistakes to pa ralyse the international community when its long—established norms are violated, and we should not let our inability to prevent some of the worst conflicts today stop us from making every effort to ensure they do not happen again in the future. for, if we stand back, we allow the world to become divided into spheres of influence in which the powerful dominate the week, and in which legitimate grievances go unaddressed. this is notjust a moral imperative, it is also a matter of self—interest because, when barbarous habits and aggression go unchecked, dictators are emboldened. we must have the confidence to act. when the syrian regime used chemical weapons on its people again in april... theresa may speaking at the un general assembly in new york. this is beyond 100 days from the bbc. when earlier this year russia used a

toxic nerve agent in a sickening attack on the streets of salisbury, and our allies took action, expelling over 150 russian intelligence officers, the largest collective expulsion ever. in burma, following the damning report of the united nations fact—finding mission, we should show the same confidence to hold accountable those responsible for the appalling atrocities inflicted on the rohingya people since 2011. similarly, we should gather evidence of daesh's crimes worldwide, ensuring justice for their victims and deterring those who might conduct such crimes in the future. we must do more collectively to prevent such atrocities in the first place and address the causes of instability that can give rise to them. the united nations has a critical role to play, and it has a wide range of levers to do so, from sanctions,

which show the leaders of iran and north korea they cannot act without consequence, to peacekeeping missions like that in south sudan, which is helping to prevent suffering and the collapse of law and order. to be able to withdraw effectively on these levers, the security council must find the political will to act in our collective interest. the un agencies must deliver the reforms the secretary general has started, to become more co—ordinated on the ground and to support these reforms we must ensure properfunding is targeted specifically at those parts of the un that deliver results. 70 yea rs of the un that deliver results. 70 years ago, the general assembly agreed the universal declaration of human rights. today, we must renew the ideals and values upon which that declaration was founded. in doing so, we must learn the lessons of the past and show through our actions how cooperation between

strong and accountable states, with open economies and inclusive societies, can best deliver security and prosperity for all our people. as kofi annan said at the start of his second term as secretary—general, i have sought to turn an unflinching eye to the failures of our recent past in order to assess more clearly what it will ta ke to assess more clearly what it will take for us to succeed in the future. in that spirit, let us show unflinching resolve to renew the promise of freedom, opportunity and fairness, a promise which has delivered for more people in more places than at any other period in our history, and let us ensure that promise can be fulfilled for our children and grandchildren, and for every generation to come. thank you. applause british prime minister theresa may speaking at the united nations general assembly, addressing delegates from around the world,

talking about the need for global cooperation, for open economies, for inclusive policies, celebrating even a free press, all the kinds of things that leaders for the last 70 yea rs have stood things that leaders for the last 70 years have stood up and said before the united nations general assembly but, in the age of donald trump, who yesterday talked about isolation and the end of localism, it almost sounds radical and i'm joined by michael singh, who served as a senior middle east affairs person during george w bush's presidency for the so odd to think of that speech and think, is she talking to donald trump? the things of each leader are different. president trump stressing sovereignty, urging patriotism, not globalism, on those who are in attendance. prime minister may focusing on international cooperation. in some ways, each is also smoking in a domestic context. prime minister may obviously struggling with brexit home, perhaps

trying to show that the uk is not isolated, focused on building international relationships. residents can also speaking to domestic supporters in a campaign style message. —— president trump also speaking. but people have spoken about economies, inclusive societies, but you hear it now and it strikes you how different the voices from europe and the states are. right, these issues are now quite contentious. we have seen the rise of far right populism. when you look at the individual issues, there were quite similar themes, north korea, iran, still the basis for cooperation if they can get over the big thematic issues that seem to divide them. i love the optimism.

meanwhile, donald trump has been chairing the united nations security council with some familiar hawkish themes. not immediately the data. the idea is to slow choke iran with sanctions more coming in november and hope you can deliver the art of the deal with president rahane much as he did with kimjong—un. they wa nt as he did with kimjong—un. they want a better deal, as president trump has said and in order to get the iranians to the negotiating table they are going to put on as much pressure as possible.” table they are going to put on as much pressure as possible. i think what the iranians are counting on is that no other countries outside the middle east are going to support the united states in this. it will be the us rather than iran that finds

itself isolated in this. that is the challenge to come. the whole focus was to be an denuclearisation and chemical weapons and then he turns to the chinese representative and said you are meddling in our mid—term elections and i know why you are doing it to become because i am winning on trade. while some will see that as i do version from the russian question, i think it is a legitimate issue to be raising. you see this as a concern not only in the united states but in australia and across asia and if presented in the right date, it could be a gain an issue which forms the basis for cooperation which brings together allies rather than divides us. another story unfolding in new york is the us secretary of state meeting

with north korea's foreign minister. mike pompeo characterized the talks as very positive and he announced he will be travelling to pyongyang next month. today president trump also forecast that there might be an announcement soon on a second summit between him and kimjung un. the bbc‘s state department correspondent barbara plett usher joins us now from the un. he spoke again in glowing terms about kim jong—un saying that we in the media don't see all the progress being made. what sort of meeting might this be and when? we don't have very many details about anything at the moment but we do know that north korea is the good news story for america here at the un because the united nations love a diplomatic initiative and it has kicked into high gear today with mike pompeo meeting officials today and saying he might go to pyongyang

next month to have this summit in the coming months perhaps. still no details about what concrete steps north korea might take towards denuclearises. mike pompeo likes to give the impression that they're at the tales to keep close to his chest. mr trump was doing the same thing. he said there are talks behind—the—scenes and there would be good news to announce in the coming weeks, or years, he good news to announce in the coming weeks, oryears, he said. he said he has got to know and like kim jong—un. there is a lot of diplomacy but it is more difficult to keep up the maximum pressure on north korea. the united states wants sanctions to stay in place and mr trump alluded to that and mike pompeo is going to hold a security council meeting tomorrow urging members to hold the nine on sanctions. he said that they

we re nine on sanctions. he said that they were going to make sure what agreement they got was very viable. talking about the idea that they wa nt to talking about the idea that they want to put maximum pressure on iran to get a deal but is there a split between mike pompeo and donald trump who would like a deal and john bolton national security adviser who might wanta bolton national security adviser who might want a more hawkish position which might include regime change in iran gesture at i have to say that the administration officials are not after regime change but after changing behaviour. that is their line. but mrchamp changing behaviour. that is their line. but mr champ has very hawkish radiant views. there was a side event on un premises to talk about what a threat iran was and they are

getting that message across. that is their moment in a way and they want to take advantage of it. mr trump is a deal makerand to take advantage of it. mr trump is a deal maker and says things about wanting to meet the president and get a better deal. we will see where that goes in the long term. i think it's fair to say that on iran are some of his officials are more hawkish than he is and have long track records of that. thank you very much indeed. new york is a city of competing power events today. world leaders who aren't at the united nations today are at the bloomberg global business forum — theresa may was there. leading the forum for open trade and global cooperation is former new york city mayor michael bloomberg. he is pouring money into the mid—term elections to support issues like gun control and action on climate change. he's also weighing running for president. i sat down with him earlier today in new york. you have a president yesterday who said categorically that he rejects the ideology of globalism.

you are running a forum here that is about globalism, about open trade. about countries cooperating and working together. what do you make of what the president said? well, i wish people would laugh with us rather than at us. i don't agree with many, if not most, of donald trump's policies, as i've not been shy about saying. but i think that, with time, his policies will switch around because the only way this works is if people work together. you need business and government to work together, you need all the different countries to work together. we don't live in a world where anybody can stand alone. so, if we are in this rather critical moment, in the world, and you have firm beliefs in the value of globalisation and globalism and open markets isn't it imperative that you run for president? i don't think it is imperative. that i run for president. if not this moment, when?

i think what, you've used the word imperative, i believe very strongly that a lot of the things we're doing are going in the wrong direction. and i believe that i should have, would like to have a say, just like every other one of the 330 million americans, i have some experience in government. 12 years of dealing with these kinds of problems, helping pull people together, explaining to people what we're doing and will buy. —— and why. setting an agenda and convincing people that that's the right direction to go, rather than the typical political pandering of saying, i'll follow you and i'll be with you as long as i can be. yes, i would like very much to be able to, for myself, for my kids, make a difference. you don't have to be president of the united states to do that. it's a great forum and it gives you an opportunity to do a lot of things but,

you know, i work very hard with a company that has influence around the world i have foundation that gives away an enormous amount of money and works on all of these problems. and i could be very happy continuing to do that. we'll see down the road. you said that you'll take a look at it after the mid—term elections. you are investing a lot of money in races around the country. yeah, i think it's first of the year more likely than right after the mid—term elections but, yes. what happens in the mid—term is for you to decide this? i'm focused on the mid—term elections. i believe that the republicans in two years have not provided the check and balance that the founding fathers wanted on the executive branch from the legislature. i believe they have not addressed climate change, arms, immigration, any of the serious issues and, in business, if you have somebody that doesn't do thejob, you replace them. i think it's time to replace the republican—led house with a democratic lead house but i said to nancy pelosi in california two weeks ago,

if the democrats do what the republicans are doing, they'll find me opposed to them the next time. the decision to run is, if you find that there is enough people out there, not a majority but enough people who like your views and your approach to how you solve problems and what your ethics are and your efficiency, creativity, ability to manage. because these are managementjobs, which we forget about. and if there was a decent number that you could then build on in the campaign, then i think you'd give it real serious thought. michael bloomberg, the former mayor of new york. there are a couple of truisms, in the cold days of january, iowa holds its first caucuses and michael bloomberg floats the idea of running for

president? does he have shot? last time he decided he was a businessman and he would not get a return on his investment so he decided not to. everything he is standing for at the moment is not what is happening at the moment. if he is holding a forum on free and open trade and open economies. so this would be an ideal time for him to run. this would have to be as a democrat as he has rejected the republicans. switching parties would like having to have your cake and eat it where people wa nt your cake and eat it where people want authenticity. identity might come to the same conclusion but likes people talking about it. as we are. the two men identified as suspects in the nerve agent attack in salisbury said they were tourists who went to the city to see its famous cathedral spire.

they may have approached sergei skripal s house by accident they said, but they denied carrying any poison or committing any crime. president putin even told us these two men, named as alexander petrov and ruslan boshirov, were ordinary russian citizens. but the bbc has now discovered the real identity of one of those men. and as suspected he is a serving officer with the gru, russian military intelligence. 0ur security correspondent gordon carrera has been looking into it and joins us from washington. this is an investigation led by belling cat, and investigating website. they have been looking at the data around this one individual who called himself ruslan boshirov but they have identified him as anatoliy chepiga who was highly decorated and an important figure in the russian generation. in the

russian intelligence agency. therefore less likely to be there as a tourist but under a false identity to target sergei sk rebuttal. —— sergei skripal. there has been some interesting information about their movement. a lot of this has been unearthed by belling cat using data on passports. his passport shows a photo very similar to ross lambert she roughjust photo very similar to ross lambert she rough just a few years younger. —— ruslan basher. the two men did say they were sports nutritionists who had come to britain to see salisbury cathedral. britain had always thought they were undercover

office rs always thought they were undercover officers using a false identity from the gi you. this is more evidence pointing in that direction particularly when he looks to have beena particularly when he looks to have been a highly decorated colonel in the military intelligence. it suggests a significant figure in an operation likely to be authorised at a high—level. operation likely to be authorised at a high-level. it seems that president putin must have known at some stage this information would get out. that britain's story was going to be corroborated. what is moscow's game here? that is what surprises people. when they were put up surprises people. when they were put up on party couple of weeks ago saying they were tourists. partly because they didn't appear very convincing, as people felt. there we re convincing, as people felt. there were long pauses and things they couldn't explain. they didn't want to talk about their business

background. a lot of people thought it was odd. was it for russian domestic consumption? it does look like the russian machine to put out this information hasn't been functioning as well as people think if you do indeed by the idea that they are russian intelligence officers. 0k. gordon, thank you very much. it does come back to this idea that russia is almost playing with the uk government over this. they don't really care that it looks outlandish. they are almost thumbing their nose. that is what people have said to this programme. gordon's implication is something slightly different that may be this just wasn't done very well. maybe we have started to think that moscow is omnipotent when it comes to this activity and they are masters of this craft but gordon was suggesting

that some people have thought they haven't handled it as well as they could and perhaps they didn't expect the identities to be revealed as quickly as they did. if you read the belling cat story. phone numbers linked to the street where the russian intelligence authorities are. it does point to the idea that they are a bit madcap and not as highly professional as we have led to believe. today new allegations have been made against supreme court nominee brett kavanaugh that are being investigated by the senate judiciary committee. it comes just a day before the judge and his original accuser — dr christine blasey ford give their testimony. republican senator jeff flake is among those who sit on the committee. he says he won't make his decision till after hearing both sides and then gave an impassioned speech on remembering the ordeal they are going through.

we in this political culture, in this city, and in this building, even in this chamber, we seem to sometimes forget that before this woman and this man are anything else, they are human beings. we sometimes seem intent on stripping people of their humanity so that we might more easily denigrate or defame them or put them through the grinder that our politics requires. we seem, sometimes, even to enjoy it. the republicans can lose two votes in this process. jeff flake is on the fence. susan collins and lisa the fence. susan collins and lisa the mccanns key we talked about earlier in the programme. they seem to be the only three who want to hear from this witness tomorrow. yes. although i have heard some republicans saying that there are more on the fence and who feel

rather squeamish with this whole procedure. they will call a vote. mitch mcconnell will call a vote when he knows he has enough to get brett kava naugh confirmed when he knows he has enough to get brett kavanaugh confirmed that this is moving so rapidly so who knows when the hearing takes place on friday. spare a thought forjeff fla ke, friday. spare a thought forjeff flake, he is leaving senate. he entered office to try to do the right thing as a republican member of congress and you felt for him. he looked like he was almost in tears during that speech appealing to senators humanity rather than political partisanship. a moment of civility that we haven't seen very much of it recently. this is beyond one hundred days. why this has caused such a stir. the government has made an unreserved apology to the victims

of the infected blood scandal. a public inquiry is considering how imported blood products — infected with hepatitis and hiv — were given to thousands of nhs patients in the 1970s and ‘80s. 0ur health correspondent sophie hutchinson reports. this is the third and final day of these preliminary hearings here at these preliminary hearings here at the infected blood enquiry. this morning we heard a great deal of criticism of the government and its lack of candour and secrecy around official documents. lawyers saying that their clients had pursued freedom of information requests that they knew were for documents that existed and there was delay of getting those documents from government departments. this afternoon the lawyer for the department of social care in england representing the former department of health for the whole of the uk,

eleanor gray qc, made an apology on behalf of the government. things happened that should not have happened that should not have happened and so on behalf of my clients i say unreservedly that we are sorry. we are sorry that this should be so. that this happened when it should not have done. this is the beginning of the journey to uncover exactly what happened and why. for those that represent it begins with an expression of sorrow and regret. the nhs services providing blood and transplants also apologised today. their lawyer said that they would be honest and transparent in what data part in the enquiry. they said, we do get it. they said the enquiry was likely to uncover they said the enquiry was likely to u ncover facts they said the enquiry was likely to uncover facts that were seriously unpalatable and they said whatever

those truths worth they were two very sorry. the opposition leader in britainjeremy corbyn is most relaxed when he is being jeremy corbyn. and today at his party's conference in liverpool he struck the chord of a man who feels more at home with his role as leader. thejokes are slicker, maybe he is even starting to look prime ministerial. but there is still a big question mark over brexit. for all the unity in the conference hall today, labour remains just as divided as the conservatives over what to do in the event of no deal. mr corbyn reiterated that labour will almost certainly vote against whatever plan theresa may produces. but failing that, what? let's discuss it with rupa huq, the mp for ealing central and acton. did you like what you heard today? classic corbin. in delivery ferry confident. in interviews he can look a bit snippy and irritated but this

was his greatest hits. we saw with the snap election last year. the more the public sees him, the more they like him. in that election we we re they like him. in that election we were supposed to be completely wiped out. we were 20% behind in the polls, i had the second smallest majority in the country. i was elected with 50 times more majority. good stuff from jeremy corbyn. lots of stuff on the fact that there should be a general election and if there is no general election it would be another referendum. i'm still not entirely clear what labour is proposing. a customs deal and a strong relationship with the single market. if you're going to have a strong relationship with the single market, there has to be freedom of movement. we have six tests. we have

them all here. we have to have the same benefits as we have now. that is the gist of them. that is what the brexiteers used to claim at the beginning of this. they never say that any more. is it a genuine alternative to what the conservatives are offering or two european membership? the of problem that theresa may has got is that she is not going to go for customs union because she has so many red lines. the chequers plan is an acceptable by both wings of her party and by michel barnier. it is wise of labour not to pre—empt things and take things off the table. we willjudge the deal when it comes back by the six tests. if they are not met, then we will vote against it. it doesn't get through the commons, then we are

in uncharted territory. we have not ruled out the possibility of a referendum with the option to remain. we were for the article 50 triggering to respect the result of the referendum but we know so much more now. but we're not in charge. the conservatives are in the driving seat and they have made a complete mess of this whether you voted to remain orto mess of this whether you voted to remain or to leave. single digits of people this is going well. thank you very much. an optimistic view of what went on this week. it is something that we do everyday instinct of a. when the duchess of cambridge attended her first solo event she did something we don't normally see the royal state. she shut the car door. that, guys, is front—page news. it's extraordinary. cani

front—page news. it's extraordinary. can i say something? the duchess of sussex. what was she thinking. an extraordinary moment in british history where a royal shot a car door. she has been praised by some saying she is down—to—earth but others saying she is putting people out of a job. what happened to the person who was supposed to shut the car door? and next time she's out in a car, will she or will she not shut the door? tune in for the latest instalment. the latest instalment of the gripping drama, the duchess and the gripping drama, the duchess and the car door. whatever next. we will be back tomorrow. in congress. see you tomorrow. buy. the week got off to a pretty cool

start but as far as the days have been going on, things have been warming up. temperatures got up to around 23 degrees. parts of eastern scotla nd around 23 degrees. parts of eastern scotland and the eastern coast of northern ireland saw temperatures into the low 20s. we had some outbreaks of rain where there was low cloud. to the south of this weather front some pretty warm air in place. it is wide temperatures are rose so high today. at this time of year, the nights are long enough that if these guys stay clear it will stay chilly. that is going to happen in southern england tonight. some spots in the countryside will get close to freezing. north—west england and northern ireland and particularly the north—west of

scotla nd particularly the north—west of scotland will see cloud and some outbreaks of rain and it will be milder. some mist and fog to start tomorrow across central and southern areas. we will see some sunshine. the rain pushes south across scotla nd the rain pushes south across scotland and northern ireland. there will be a band of cloud left behind to the north of that. the winds switch around to north—westerly is bringing cooler and fresh air. a much cooler airfor the bringing cooler and fresh air. a much cooler air for the likes of aberdeen. further south, much cooler air for the likes of aberdeen. furthersouth, again, much cooler air for the likes of aberdeen. further south, again, 23 degrees. however, as we move out of thursday into friday, this frontal system edging southwards. behind it a north—westerly flow developing introducing cooler air. you can wave goodbye to daytime temperatures in the 20s. there will be sunshine around on friday. a bit of patchy

cloud. temperatures 14—16d at best. into the weekend, high pressure looks set to dominate. frontal systems trying to pushing towards the north—west so a bit of rain here, perhaps. a bit of a breeze as well. some cool days ahead and chilly nights, as well. this is bbc news. the headlines at 8pm: theresa may has used a speech at the united nations to chastise russia over the salisbury poisoning incident and to warn of the dangers of countries sliding into authoritarianism. we see this when states like russia flagrantly breach international norms, from the seizing of sovereign territory to the reckless use of chemical weapons on the streets of britain by agents of the russian gru. meanwhile, the real identity of one of the suspects of the salisbury nerve—agent poisoning is revealed to be a russian colonel, according

to an investigative website. at the united nations, president trump tells members that america will never allow iran to acquire a nuclear bomb. back here, jeremy corbyn tells labour's conference in liverpool