tonight at 10pm. millions of americans cast their votes in the first nationwide test of donald trump's presidency. all the signs are that turnout is high in many areas as americans decide who should control both houses of congress. i don't agree with his texting or twittering, but other than that, i think the country is in a better place than it was two years ago. donald trump and the whole republican party needs to go. we need to be done with them. it's been a deeply divisive campiagn, with president trump admitting his tone could have been softened, at some points. polling stations on the east coast will close in a couple of hours‘ time, and soon after that we will learn whether donald trump‘s efforts have paid off, or whether change is coming. we‘ll have the latest — and we‘ll be asking how the outcome could affect the direction of us government in the coming years. also tonight, any signs of a solution, foreign secretary? no signs as yet — but ministers

are told they could be asked to approve a brexit deal — later this week. the outcry over the bonfire model of grenfell tower, six men arrested on suspicion of a public order offence, have now been released. we talk to care workers about the sharp rise in the number of vulnerable children needing protection in england. it‘s obviously going to be a heartbreaking time for the parents, and stuff, but, you know, we‘ll always try to look for the positives, and try and support mum. and, a century after the armistice, we examine the power of poetry written by those who experienced the horrors of the great war. and coming up on sportsday on bbc news. a surprise in serbia. red star belgrade beat liverpool 2—0 in the champions league group stage. good evening.

voting is under way in the us mid—term elections it‘s the first nationwide poll since donald trump became president two years ago. and the outcome could have a telling effect on the rest of his term in the white house. the us congress is the law—making centre of us politics — it‘s made up of two chambers — the senate and the house of representatives. all 435 seats in the house of representatives are being contested today. and in the senate — just over a third of the seats are up for election. donald trump‘s republicans currently have a majority in both chambers — but the democrats hope they can win the seats needed to take control of at least one. first tonight — let‘s join our north america editor jon sopel at the white house. historically, mid—term elections

tend to be greeted with a stifled yawn, voter apathy and low turnout. not this time. in some states before the polling stations even opened today voter numbers had already exceeded the total is cast four yea rs exceeded the total is cast four years ago. americans don‘t agree on much when it comes to politics but maybe they can rally around this. donald trump seems to have made voting great again. my colleague nick bryant is in pennsylvania. this is the day when the american people have their say, when their voices, not just the people have their say, when their voices, notjust the president‘s finally get to be heard and despite the ugly whether the lines at this polling station on the outskirts of philadelphia were the longest they have seen in ten years. for many it was donald trump who drew them to the polls. sometimes i don‘t agree with some of his antics and i don‘t agree with his texting for twittering, but other than that i think the country‘s in a better place than it was two years ago. donald trump and the whole republican party needs to go.

we need to be done with them. we're ready for a change. these lines speak of how donald trump has energised the american electorate. he has rallied his blue—collar base, for sure, but here in the suburbs we‘re also seeing a lot of white—collar discontent about the tone and the style of his presidency. suburban kitchens have been turned into election command posts and what‘s been most striking in this campaign is the participation of women. democratic volunteers such as lauren and joanna who see themselves as part of a pink wave against donald trump. everything that comes out of his mouth is a lie and, you know, it‘s just frightening that he is the head of our country at this point. though the suburbs of the major cities will decide whether the democrats can win back control of the house of representatives, many key senate seats are in rule to

rain, that is trump country. and a question throughout america, are you with him or against him —— rural terrain. his name isn‘t on any ballot but he has dominated this campaign and applied the trump political business model of raucous rallies and a hardline stance on immigration. and then there‘s the booming economy. the contrasts in this election could not be more clear. democrats produce mobs. that's what's happened. republicans produce jobs. we love you. but on the eve of this election he also attempted to soften his image by appearing alongside his daughter ivanka, as did we also hear that rare thing, in moment of presidential introspection? i would like to have a much softer tone. i feel to a certain extent i have no choice, but maybe i do and maybe i could have been softer from that standpoint. but i want to get things done. so this is what democracy looks like in the trump era, a huge turnout

across the country. may be one thing this divided nation can agree on is the importance of getting out to vote. nick bryant, bbc news, pennsylvania. in a moment we‘ll get more from jon sopel at the white house — but before that we will talk to james cook in arizona and nada tawfik in newjersey. there has been high turnout in polling stations across newjersey. that‘s really reflective of the energy leading up to this election. the president and his policies are deeply unpopular in suburban areas. so much so that even moderate republicans are concerned and many believe it would be a good thing if democrats controlled the us house of representatives to rein in the president. the democratic party has seized on that fielding centrist candidates who could just pull away with up to four republican seats here alone. in the past 20 years or

so here alone. in the past 20 years or so the numberof here alone. in the past 20 years or so the number of eligible latino vote rs so the number of eligible latino voters that the united states has has more than doubled and yet in the same period the number of latinos who actually vote has only ticked up ever so who actually vote has only ticked up ever so slightly. that presents an opportunity in this election for the democratic party. latinos tend to favour the democrats and this campaign, this president, has been characterised by hostility towards immigration. that is giving the democrats some hope in places like phoenix and arizona, this state that i'm standing in now, and also in places like nevada and maybe just maybe in texas. james, many thanks. nada tawfik, thank you to you too. ba ka re nada tawfik, thank you to you too. bakarejon nada tawfik, thank you to you too. bakare jon sopel in nada tawfik, thank you to you too. bakarejon sopel in washington. what is your reading of things there tonight? —— back tojon sopel. the polling stations will close soon and we will shortly after that get and we will shortly after that get an indication of whether there is a wind of change blowing across

america. we will look at what happens in florida, virginia, kentucky. those will be our early warning radar, if you like, on what is happening in the rest of the country. with the senate seats we will have to wait longer into the night before we get a clear indication of that. i thought it was pretty significant last night that donald trump talked about softening his image and bringing his daughter on stage and bringing his press secretary sarah sanders and his counsel kellyanne conway, because what has happened is donald trump, who lead among women in the 2016 election, white college educated women, they have moved significantly to the democrats and that could be a decisive group to change positions from 2016 and i think that was an expression of worried last night among the republicans. the other things we should be looking out for, what is voter turnout like a month millennials? young people seem to have gone out in much higher numbers, and also among minorities. those are the sort of things democrats will be hoping for as they

look to make games tonight. america‘s leading number cruncher, political alan —— analysts said the democrats could take control of the house of representatives, 80% chance. two years ago it was roughly the same figures for how britain was going to vote for remain and america was going to vote for hillary clinton. many thanks, jon sopel, with the latest thoughts on election day in the united states. you can follow all of the results and reaction throughout the night on bbc news. ministers have been told there may be a cabinet meeting, later this week to approve a plan for brexit. and bbc news has seen a suggested timetable for how the government might try to present its brexit deal to the public and parliament. right now, the sticking point remains the need to avoid a hard border between northern ireland and the republic, as our political editor laura luenssberg reports. you might think it‘s about time

there was a deal, the people who work in there certainly wish it was. one source told me it has been like groundhog day, for two years! but are they finally on their way? is the smile an indication of a deal in the offing? everyone recognises there is a will to get a deal, the whole cabinet united behind the prime minister, as ever, and we‘re optimistic we‘ll continue to get a deal. optimistic about a deal? any signs of a solution, secretary of state? are you optimistic about there being a deal? or the structure of the review mechanism for northern ireland? always optimistic. ministers agreed, there has to be a deal this month, and might get together again at short notice, maybe even again this week. is the cabinet united, chief whip? as always. to sign of a solution for the sticking point, what to do about the irish border. but a note passed to the bbc suggests they‘d wanted to review a deal today and announce big progress this week to kick off a three—week grid, a process to sell the deal

to parliament, and to you. this, then, suggests a day by day, blow by blow guide, to how the government hopes to sell a deal to you and to parliament. a speech by theresa may, speeches by other government ministers, former foreign secretaries and foreign leaders coming on board, businesses coming out to back the deal, and a plan for each day of debate in the house of commons with a final vote saying yes or no to the deal at the end of this month. that is still not impossible for such a timetable to work but it is certainly right now far from being guaranteed. downing street says it‘s not theresa may‘s plan and the childish language in the notes shows it‘s not an official document. but there are clearly plenty of discussions about how to broker the deal with the public, if it can be done with brussels. the eu‘s chief negotiator was clear again

that there are still are obstacles to making that happen. a back stop means back stop, uh? the backstop, politically troubling promise that there will not be a return to a hard border in northern ireland, whatever happens after brexit. for him and the rest of the eu, that cannot have a shelf life. but the ultimate political choice about doing this deal will come down to the prime minister, before her party, parliament, and then the public will pass judgment too. let‘s gomar to westminster. can we talk about this note, about how the government might present a deal? —— let‘s go to westminster. government might present a deal? —— let's go to westminster. it is not an official document but it backs up what i‘ve been told privately cou ntless what i‘ve been told privately countless times, as and when there

isa countless times, as and when there is a deal standby for the government to throw the kitchen sink trying to persuade parliament and all of us that it persuade parliament and all of us thatitis persuade parliament and all of us that it is the only way forward. there is a sense that they will say to mp5, vote for this or else you will open the country up to some kind of terrible turmoil. there are already mps are very worried about presenting it in that kind of binary way. and a question we have come across several times, laura, several times so far. do you think there is a chance of an early deal within days? certainly we are in the kind of time where now it is possible that all of a sudden we could be on the fast—track to a deal. remember, though, we are talking about the divorce deal, the so—called withdrawal agreement, not the relationship that will shape things between the eu and britain for decades and decades to come. but the cabinet has been told today to be poised, that they might be brought together again at very short notice by theresa may by the end of this week. we are probably talking about

eight summit by the end of this month rather than in ten days or so, but it certainly feels now we are on the cards for that and a senior minister said to me despite the obstacles, the idea we can keep putting this off for another few weeks and the eu will suddenly crack is not facing up to the serious situation the country is actually in. laura kuenssberg, with the latest in westminster. the brexit campaign group leave.eu — founded by the businessman arron banks and an insurance company he owns — face fines totalling £135,000 over breaches of data law. an investigation by the information commissioner found that data from one of mr banks‘s insurance companies was used to send pro—brexit marketing in the run—up to the eu referendum. mr banks is already being investigated over the financing of the pro—brexit group. he denies any wrong—doing. a 16—year—old boy has died after being stabbed in south london. it‘s the fifth fatal knife attack in the capital in the past week. the stabbing happened in the tulse hill area in the south of the city late last night.

police have now started 119 murder inquiries in the city so far this year. six men arrested over a video showing a model of grenfell tower being burned on a bonfire have been released under investigation tonight. the men are aged between 19 and 55. they were arrested on suspicion of intentionally causing harassment, alarm or distress. 72 people died in the grenfell disaster last year. our home affairs correspondent june kelly has the latest. this afternoon, a house in south—east london became the focus for police gathering possible evidence. in the back garden, signs of the aftermath of a bonfire. this is a still from the bonfire video, where a model of grenfell tower was burned. the footage emerged on social media and today neighbours near the house which was searched joined the chorus of outrage.

how can anybody wake up in the morning and think it is ok to make a box in detail, of cutting out windows, cutting out the outlines of people, with their hands up in the air? the men being questioned are being held under the public order act, which says that a person is guilty of an offence if, with intent, to cause a person harassment, alarm or distress, uses threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour or disorderly behaviour. the reality is that as grossly offensive as this is, it does not necessarily mean it is a criminal offence. when you post grossly offensive material online, you can be guilty of an offence under the communications act, for which you can go to prison for up to six months. the video has horrified all those affected by the grenfell tragedy. like rukayet mamadu who escaped from the tower with her grandson. there are people going to the enquiry now,

going through what they went through, during the fire and some of those people are making it like a joke. and at the grenfell enquiry, there was this from the chairman. iam very i am very pleased to hear that the authorities are taking the matter very seriously and that investigation is under way. they arrested men spent the day at a police station in south london. scotla nd police station in south london. scotland yard have announced that all six have been released under investigation. june kelly, bbc news. there‘s been a sharp rise over the past decade in the number of vulnerable children needing protection in england. domestic violence, drug and alcohol addiction, mental health issues and poverty are all contributing to the growing number of cases according to the association of directors of children‘s services. new research shows that 2.4 million people made calls to children‘s services in the past year because they were concerned about a child — that‘s a rise of 78% over ten years. the most serious

investigations where a child is at risk of significant harm have risen by 159%. 75,000 children are now in care in england — a rise of nearly a quarter in a decade. it comes at a time of huge financial pressure for councils — as their budgets are cut. our social affairs correspondent alison holt has been to liverpool to meet the people working to protect vulnerable children. i have been working with this young kids since november now. the issues are, his mum‘s ability to keep him safe as she is an alcoholic. gary is a family support worker and he is on his way to help take a child into care. to protect the boy‘s identity, we are calling him tim. he is obviously going to be upset by what is happening. his little world has been turned upside down. gary has spent months working with the mother, but social workers have decided that the risks to tim are now too great. it is obviously going

to be a heartbreaking time for the parents. as gary emerges from the mum‘s house, carrying her son‘s belongings, there is a last minute phone call, saying that relatives will let tim stay with them. even so, it is a distressing day for him and his mum. she is tearful, she is crying. and you‘re trying to take as many positives from what is happening, but at the end of the day, it is still a baby, a baby being removed from its mother. liverpool has seen a significant rise in children going into care, a sign of what this new report says are huge pressures felt by councils across the country. nationally, at the front door of the care system, calls from people worried about children have nearly doubled in a decade. in liverpool, the social worker team manager is dealing with an urgent case. a strategy meeting is called involving social workers, police and other agencies.

there are fears a man who has attacked one person may target a mother and her small child next. we cannot be in there because of the level of confidential information being discussed, but they are trying to draw up a plan which will mean that that child is protected quickly. do you feel you‘re getting more of these serious cases? i do. i think there is a huge demand for social care and, you know, just in the last year alone, there were 71,000 contacts for children alone... can ijust take this call? hello, careline? in too many of the homes they visit, they find domestic violence, mental health problems and addiction. complicated, hard to reach families like maria‘s. i hate it. i hide it. i am scared that they will take my children. heroin addiction nearly cost maria her children. for more than a year, she tried to avoid social workers,

worried by the neglect the children faced. there was very little food in the cupboards. support worker pauline davidson represented maria‘s last chance. the children seemed really guarded and unhappy and very sad. pauline visited them three orfour times a week, sometimes twice a day, finally maria admitted her addiction. i had to say to her, i will speak to social services, but you have been honest with us and that is what we have wanted, because now we can help you. how different are the children? they are happy, they are smiling. a step forward for maria, but social workers have many others needing help. he punches and kicks his anti—on

several cases. and poverty plays its part. in some homes, unfortunately, that we visit, there are no toys, no forms of stimulation for the children. there are not appropriate beds for children to sleep in, cots, bedding, furniture even. so the basics. the very basic needs, yes. these pressures mean a £5 million overspend on children‘s services in the city this year alone. most of the north—west authorities are also facing overspend, some of them greater than ours and it is the same as the national picture. the local government association are talking about a £2 million gap in children‘s social care funding. a hard reality for services that shape lives like tim‘s. despite gary‘s hopes that he will go to a relative, he eventually moved to a children‘s home. the government says extra money is being put in to ease pressures and improve the lives of children like him. alison holt, bbc news, liverpool. inspectors are warning that the future of a major homecare provider —

for thousands of elderly people across the uk — is uncertain. the care quality commission says allied healthcare could only confirm it has enough money to operate until the end of the month. the company said the warning was unwarranted and premature. a former member of staff at sir philip green‘s arcadia group has claimed she was subjected to frequent sexual harassment by sir philip. another has told the bbc he constantly swore at her but sir philip has previously denied allegations that he‘s been guilty of unlawful sexual or racist behaviour. our special correspondent lucy manning has the story. this woman ran top shop‘s las vegas store. she claims sir philip green sexually harassed her. it turned into things like him slapping my butt or him calling me fat or him calling me sexy or are talking about about my boobs or my ass.

in the us, it would definitely be classified as sexual harassment. she was sacked from the company but she denies this is revenge. are you just a disgruntled ex—employee? i am speaking my truth and that is just what it is. having experienced his behaviour and having been tormented by it rather and then here is people in the uk, women in the uk that are affected and i am sure men as well and they are not allowed to speak up about it is just absurd. some of sir philip green‘s former british employees who legally can speak out are reluctant to fully identify themselves. still scared of his power in the retail world. he verbally harassed people. it was a constant verbal barrage. it was an attack but when it becomes constant and you are not given the right to reply and when you do reply, your reply is considered worthless, you know, there is nowhere for you to go. sir philip has claimed his behaviour in the office was just banter. i understand banter to be.

this was aggressive, it was threatening, it was constant and it brought you down constantly. other staff members told the bbc they saw similar behaviour towards colleagues. he picked up a pair of boots, shouting and swearing at her and threw them at her. luckily she ducked. this was in front of the whole team. he said, what do you mean i can‘t do that, iam paying her wages, i can treat her how i want. another woman was so scared she hid in the cupboard. he went looking for her, opened the cupboard and said, there you are and made her do the meeting. he is a bully. she said he used a word often seen as a racial slur when describing a black man. sir philip had taken out an injunction against the daily telegraph to stop some sexual and racial harassment allegations but he was named in the house of lords. some of those who work with sir philip say he can be charming and generous. his companies say they take accusations and grievances very seriously if they are raised by staff and they are

thoroughly investigated. he has previously wholly and categorically denied he has been guilty of any unlawful sexist and racist behaviour. lucy manning, bbc news. china has rejected criticism that it‘s mistreating hundreds of thousands of uighur muslims in detention camps. two dozen mostly western countries attending the un human rights council in geneva urged the closure of the camps in the far—western region of xinjiang and demanded access for un monitors. last month the bbc broadcast evidence that china is expanding its vast network of internment camps for its muslim population as our correspondent john sudworth reports. huge fences all around it, look. we filmed the fences designed to keep people in. we saw how fast the camps and their watchtowers are being built. and we uncovered evidence that the authorities do not

want the world to see. but today, china arrived at its human rights hearing in geneva insisting it has nothing to hide. the camps, it says, are just schools. translation: we will not accept the politically driven accusations from a few countries which are fraught with biases and are seriously far away from facts. the facts, we are told, can be found in footage broadcast by state run media, showing uighurs, xinjiang‘s main muslim minority happily undergoing anti—extremism training. from the outside, though, they don‘t look like schools. our own investigation found this giant facility with 16 watchtowers. at the un today, western countries, one by one, expressed deep unease. we are very concerned

about the treatment of ethnic minorities, including uighurs. we recommend that all re—education centres be closed. cannot recommend that china release uighurs who have been detained without due process. allow independent observers unhindered access to all regions. i thank you, mr president. the authorities here do not like the criticisms of course, but they are unlikely to be overly concerned. despite the global outcry, there is very little talk of consequences. china intends to keep fighting its war against extremism its own way. john sudworth, bbc news, beijing. there were mixed results for english sides in the champions‘ league tonight. a late goal helped spurs to a win over psv eindhoven. but liverpool were beaten

by red star belgrade as natalie pirks reports. tottenham‘s new stadium was supposed to be the only place to watch champions league football in london this season but stuck at wembley in this must win match their defending looked as shabby as the nfl—ravaged pitch afterjust 62 seconds. it is the perfect start... the clock ticked on and spurs couldn‘t see a way through until... there is the champions league lifeline for tottenham. who else but captain kane? and there was still time for a winner. spurs have at least given themselves a fighting chance. a fortnight ago liverpool beat a poor red star belgrade 4—0 at anfield. tonight was an altogether different prospect. and this time they do take the lead. red star‘s coach said they were playing for the pride of serbia. pavkov was on a personal mission. again. fancies his chances. liverpool had their moments

but ultimately lax defending saw last year‘s finalists humbled 2—0. it could yet be a costly defeat. natalie pirks, bbc news. the first world war poet wilfred owen died a hundred years ago just a week before the armistice was signed. his poems shed light on the physical and mental horrors soldiers faced in the trenches of the great war. our correspondent lorna gordon looks at the impact his war poetry had on the treatment of mental health. bent double like old beggars under sacks, knock—kneed. coughing like hags, we crushed through sludge. wilfred owen‘s poems paint a vivid picture of the horror of the trenches. his words have helped shape the way future generations see war. gas! quick, boys! an ecstasy of fumbling. fitting the clumsy helmetsjust in time. owen‘s therapy for shell shock included a spell teaching here at tynecastle high school in edinburgh.