you're watching beyond one hundred days. president trump is putting the finishing touches to his state of the union address. aides say the theme is national unity, which was slightly undermined by his critical tweet of a top democratjust hours before hand. the speech will be carried live on all us tv networks and watched by millions of american voters. the prime minister has been in northern ireland promising there will be no return to borders of the past — whatever happens in the brexit negotiotions. lam determined i am determined to work towards a solution that can command brother support across the community in northern ireland. also on the programme. actor liam neeson denies being a racist, after telling a reporter he'd wanted to kill a black person because someone close to him had been raped, by a black man. and the most popular egg in the world, the instagram sensation, has been poached for a mental health awareness campaign. hello and welcome.

i'm katty kay in washington. christian fraser is in london. tonight the president will give his state of the union address to the american people. he won't have a television audience this big again until voting is already underway in the 2020 election. see this then as the kick off for donald trump's re—election campaign. these addresses are part policy, part theatre. and this time the scene will be fascinating becuase sitting behind the president will be nancy pelosi, the democratic speaker who has just caused mr trump the biggest political upset of his time in office. on the policy front watch for these themes, the border wall, infrastructure spending plans, plans to tackle the hiv epidemic, what next with north korea and trade. jane o brien is on capitol hill for us. it will be interesting to see where

the president tailors his speech this evening to appeal to what is a considerably changed congress. this evening to appeal to what is a considerably changed congressm will indeed but if his early tweets are anything to go by it doesn't look very likely. he is still butting heads with nancy pelosi, the most powerful women in the country up most powerful women in the country up against the most powerful man, and she appears to be winning at the moment. and as soon as he mentions emigration, you can bet any effort at conciliation or bipartisanship is probably going to go straight out of the window, because of course this speech takes place against the background of talks that are going on, just ten days left to go, over trying to reach a compromise over funding for his border wall. he has already dismissed them and it doesn't look like they will reach any compromise he can accept, which means we could be heading for another shutdown in ten days. let's hope not. as you said, a lot of this

is theatre. describe the scene for oui’ is theatre. describe the scene for our viewers of nancy pelosi sitting behind donald trump literally looking over his shoulder as he gives the state of the union address, and next to her, mike pence, the vice president. there you have,in pence, the vice president. there you have, in one image, the reality of divided government. you have a house thatis divided government. you have a house that is now democratic, you have a senate that remains republican, and in the middle you have donald trump, who is accused by supporters and critics alike of sowing chaos between the two. i think that is the quintessential image for 2019 and beyond. how can donald trump, one of the most divisive figures in american history, bring these two together. i think the answer is he cannot. even senators in his own party are getting a little bit fed up party are getting a little bit fed up with some of these antics, particularly over the border wall funding, but the issue is who is

going to blink first, and can anything really get done over the next two years. that in itself even with things like infrastructure on the table which both sides should agree on, looks very unlikely. let's bring in elisabeth bumiller, the washington bureau chief of the new york times. white house aides telling us through the course of today that the theme is going to be unity and bipartisanship in the president is going to take the high road. how long does that last? well, let's see what he says. bearing in mind that one of the authors of the speech tonight is stephen miller, the president's very hard right advisor especially on immigration. you also need to know that the president has as one of his guests, family members of people who he says were killed by illegal immigrants, so this is not i would say a positive or an optimistic message about immigration. i would optimistic message about immigration. iwould be optimistic message about

immigration. i would be expecting him to talk about the crisis at the border and to talk again about the dangers of immigration. i think perhaps there will be some phrasing from the president about the call for unity and coming together, but i think there will be a very tough line on immigration. people who are working with the president on his election bid are hoping that he took something of a high road, if you like, that he does have this appeal to unity, because they think that helps is re—election chances better than just helps is re—election chances better thanjust doing helps is re—election chances better than just doing the hard helps is re—election chances better thanjust doing the hard line on immigration. i wonder, thanjust doing the hard line on immigration. iwonder, having watched lots of these states of the union addresses, whether it makes much difference to campaign chances. who knows? these speeches, huge productions go on in newsrooms across washington to cover these speeches, and many of them are forgotten, and don't forget about trump. he has thought from day one

that the way to win the re—election is to keep his base very close and there has been no evidence so far that he has reached out to the rest of the country, the independents or democrats. he has not shown any sign that he will do that. previous presidents at this stage of their presidency, when facing divided governments after bad midterm losses as donald trump has, reached out and appealed to unity, but again, let's see. maybe there will be lines in the speech tonight but lets see his tweets afterwards. the reason we are so tweets afterwards. the reason we are so interested in the side of the atla ntic so interested in the side of the atlantic is very often these addresses are signals to outside countries, so what should be looking for? i would be interested to see what he says about brexit and about trade. i think he will warn yet again about the dangers of these

unfair trade agreements. i do think he will certainly talk about north korea, we are ready for some kind of announcement, so korea, we are ready for some kind of announcement, so i think that, people in europe should look towards that. traditionally president reach out to european allies. president trump as you know has not shown the inclination to do that. he has gone to war with many of the european allies, rhetorically speaking. to war with many of the european allies, rhetorically speakinglj will be very interested to see what he says about trade. and he is expected to talk about so—called islamic state. he has in the past declared victory over i0s. he is taking some heat at the moment even from his own side? -- is. you can look at maps of syria and iraq and see that they are not defeated. he has stopped claiming that in the last couple of days as he has come under heat on that, and he is talking again, the defence secretary jim matus resigned, because of

donald trump's very abrupt decision twitter to withdraw american troops from syria, and now trump is backtracking again by saying, some of them will go to iraq, and maybe fight isis from there. let'sjust return to the people sitting alongside the first lady tonight. there is a young man called joshua trump who has been invited, and he has been bullied in school due to his last name, which is sad and bullying is awful and it is right and an important issue being addressed tonight, but it is a bit of chat spa from the white house to pick bullying when this is the man who called chuck schumer and lying ted and pocahontas, i mean, he is the king of bullying. —— chutzpah. some of that has been pointed out in

the pre—state of the union address. imean, any the pre—state of the union address. i mean, any 11—year—old boy who is getting bullied, it is terrible, he moved schools and still got bullied. the president has guests and other republican senators have guests, a couple's son who was killed in a car crash and an undocumented immigrant has been charged with that, but also a democratic senator who is bringing us a democratic senator who is bringing us his guests, a mother and daughter who were separated in those camps for two months. a perfect illustration of where the two sides are on this question of immigration are on this question of immigration are the perfect illustration of how difficult it will be to have that kind of unity and bipartisanship that the president may talk about during the course of his speech. it is hard to know what theresa may is thinking, or to predict what she might do next. but at a meeting with business people in northern ireland this afternoon, she gave us a clue. "i am not proposing a deal that does not contain that insurance policy," she said, "i am proposing changes". she was referring to the irish backstop — the arrangement that might kick in if trade talks haven't progressed to prevent a hard border on the island. there are some in her party who want that backstop removed completely, and in london three days of talks

are underway to discuss ‘alternative arrangements‘. but these latest comments might suggest that when the pm returns to brussels on thursday, she will still be leaning towards the original deal, while seeking legal assurances from the eu. earlier today in belfast, theresa may sought to reassure people. i know that the prospect of changing the backstop and reopening the withdrawal agreement creates real anxieties here in northern ireland and ireland because it is here that the consequences of whatever is agreed will most be felt. i recognise also that for the majority of voters in northern ireland, voted to remain, and that many will feel that once again decisions taken in westminster having a profound and in many cases unwarranted impact in northern ireland and ireland. sol am determined to work towards a solution that can command broader support from across the community in northern ireland. here's the bbc‘s ireland correspondent emma va rdy.

to what extent did the prime minister... go ahead. theresa may is having to negotiate her way through a difficult set of circumstances in northern ireland. on the one hand, many in the business community were supporting the withdrawal agreement in its originalform, supporting the backstop as it was, saying that as a guarantee that would help them continue trading, much as they do today. and on the other hand you have the very firm opposition to the backstop and the withdrawal agreement from northern ireland's democratic unionist party and the brexiteer is, who hold the balance of power at westminster, so theresa may was here in belfast today explaining to business leaders exactly why she had had to make that u—turn on the backstop, why she couldn't have got the deal in its current form through parliament. we'rejoined now in belfast by stephen kelly, chief executive of manufacturing northern ireland.

very good to have you with us. i know you have just finished a private meeting with the prime minister in northern ireland, so what sort of assurances did you get? we were greatly relieved, from our engagement with the prime minister. she was very engaged in the conversation with us, taking notes, she clearly understands the deep problems that brexit brings to this pa rt problems that brexit brings to this part of the world with the uk deciding to leave the customs union and single market, and it does require special arrangements here on the island of ireland. it ensures the island of ireland. it ensures the life we have enjoyed for the last 20 years can continue. we are seven weeks away from brexit day. i would imagine even now your members are starting to feel the pain, because there is a lack of clarity on importand because there is a lack of clarity on import and export arrangements. how does that affect orders? brexit is here. that is the reality here in

northern ireland and i am sure it is the same across the uk. we have some businesses whose customers are moving elsewhere. we have some businesses who customers have sent lorries north in order to collect some product to ensure it is not locked on the wrong side of the border should brexit negotiation go wrong over the next 52 days. brexit isa wrong over the next 52 days. brexit is a real life on the ground issue that our firms are facing the n day out, and i am sure that is the same right across the uk. i am sure the prime minister told you she doesn't wa nt prime minister told you she doesn't want this to happen but if over the course of the next seven weeks it is impossible to get some kind of agreement that you can get majority support for and we leave the european union with no deal, what impact does that have on your members? it is potentially catastrophic for the northern ireland economy and the consequences that flow with that for communities right across northern ireland. our businesses are not prepared. we have had no advice from hmrc for trade across the border. 0urfirms had no advice from hmrc for trade across the border. 0ur firms are had no advice from hmrc for trade across the border. 0urfirms are not ina across the border. 0urfirms are not in a position to actually deal with

the consequences of a no—deal brexit and it is not theirfault. they don't want to be in this position or a position that means they have to let staff go because they have lost customers or they become uncompetitive because of nontariff partners. and do you think that pain, can you quantify how long that pain, can you quantify how long that pain would last for or do your businesses think they would be able to adjust after a period of a few months? the short answer is no. we have representatives from our dairy industry and the estimate is that within three or four days, milk will no longer be able to be collected from firms because access to the all ireland market, access to international markets means the milk are simply not required that the processing plants. so this will come asa processing plants. so this will come as a really quick, sharp shock, not just to businesses in northern ireland, but they rolled out in terms of the cost of living to the rest of the uk will have a major significant impact on every constituency represented in parliament. the prime minister has

said, andi parliament. the prime minister has said, and i am sure she said this to you in the last hour, that she is not going to allow a hard border to return in ireland, so if there is no deal, as she therefore saying to you there will only be won if the eu imposes it? that may well be the case from our perspective but it doesn't matter if the uk or the eu slammed the door on herface, we are still dealing with a broken nose. 0ne still dealing with a broken nose. one of the scenarios that we have is that the uk mayjust decide to throw open the door inviting the rest of the world to come in and punches in the world to come in and punches in the face and still break our nose. for business the only thing that matters is how do we fix that problem we have at that point in time so we need to make sure that we get a deal, regardless of who is to blame or otherwise, it is irrelevant for businesses. they need to make sure they have money to pay people this friday and every friday up to and beyond the 29th of march. thank you so much for your time. the hollywood actor liam neeson has denied he's racist afterfinding himself at the centre of a global media storm.

earlier, in an interview to promote his latest film, he described how — a0 years ago — when someone close to him had been raped by a black man, he then set out to kill an innocent black man in revenge. he says he quickly came to his senses and was appalled by his behaviour and that it was not motivated by racism. our new york correspondent nick bryant has more. after his explosive comments about rape, revenge and race... mr neeson, are you sorry for what you said? liam neeson arrived at this manhattan television studio, not to make an apology but to offer an explanation. i'm not racist. he admitted to setting out to kill an innocent black man nearly a0 years ago, after someone close to him was allegedly raped by a black man. would you have had the same reaction if yourfriend had said it was a white man? definitely. if she had said an irish or a scot or a brit or a lithuanian, i know i would have had the same effect. i was trying to... show honour to my — stand up for my dear friend,

in this terrible medieval fashion. and i'm a fairly intelligent guy, and that's why it kind of shocked me when i came down—to—earth after having these horrible feelings. luckily, no violence occurred, ever, thanks be to god. what makes you think you can kill a man? promoting his new movie, the theme of which is murderous revenge, the actor had given an interview, telling how he had sought retribution after hearing about the rape. what colour were they? she said it was a black person. i've been up and down areas with a cosh, hoping i'd by approached by someone. there's been outrage at those remarks, but not

universal condemnation. i'm just shocked. i couldn't believe he would say something like that. i thought he was a good guy. it makes you have a little bit of fear, but we have to push through that and find the love. for liam neeson, today was supposed to be about promoting his new movie, but instead, he's trying to salvage his reputation. the 66—year—old has been one of hollywood's more bankable stars. will he face a backlash at the box office? nick bryant, bbc news, new york. interesting, this. lots of people

talking about it, a lot of detractors and some supporters. we spoke yesterday about the governor of virginia in a position of having to defend himself and say i am not a racist and here we also have liam neeson, a major box office star, effectively having to do the same thing. i don't think we can understand how black people would feel listening to those comments. i think the only thing is that some of them have been putting it in context. different to the virginia governor, this wasn't found in a twitter feed, he volunteered this information in an interview because he felt so uncomfortable and i guess that was the point he was trying to make today. the ultimate verdict will be when cold pursuit opens at the box office on friday. it has had good reviews and if their ardent people watching it... let's turn to the full fire in paris. —— awful

fire. this deadly fire broke out after midnight local time. the flames spreading from the lower floors to the top of the apartment block. high up amid the flames, firefighters battled to reach those stuck inside their apartments and people who had fled to the roof. climbing the outside of the building their only option. the fire engines could not get into the immediate area. and while the rescue teams managed to get many people out, there had been a lot of casualties and others left deeply traumatised. the alarm went off at 12:30 and it was already black with smoke, i lived on the top floor so i tried to pass from balcony to balcony

in order to get away and then we huddled up in a corner and other people climbed up to where i was to escape the flames. the operation to put the fire out continued throughout the night with more than 200 firefighters called in to get it under control. and it wasn't long before the authorities announced that the blaze may not have been an accident. from the information we have the fire is being investigated as a criminal act. one person who lives in the building has been arrested. she was arrested during the night not far from the scene and she is currently in custody. according to an eyewitness who spoke to the bbc, the woman has psychiatric problems and had got involved in a row last night allegedly

threatening to start a fire. what has happened here will come as a shock to those living in this upmarket part of paris which has not only left a growing number of people dead but also dozens injured, including some of the firefighters. jose mourinho has accepted a one year prison sentence for tax fraud — but he won't have to go to jail. instead, it will be exchanged for a fine ofjust over 180,000 euros, which will be added to a separate fine of two million euros. the former manchester united manager's deal with prosecutors is part of a wider investigation into alleged tax evasion by star footballers in spain. un refugee agency special envoy angelina jolie has visited camps in bangladesh for muslim rohingya refugees from myanmar. the hollywood actor condemned the world's failure to prevent

a crisis that saw 730,000 people driven from their homes as she addressed a crowd of refugees in kutapalong camp, the world s largest refugee settlement, in bangladesh's cox's bazar district. the german museum displaying banksy‘s self—destructing painting has "deactivated" the artwork‘s shredding device. ‘love is in the bin' shredded in its frame immediately after selling for £860,000 at sotheby‘s auction house in london in october. banksy has since suggested that the entire canvas was supposed to shred, notjust two thirds of it, but the museum says it wants to prevent the rest of the artwork being destroyed. that was a social media sensation and so this egg. last month, we brought you the egg — the plain and simple egg which became most liked picture on instagram.

forgotten about it already? well, it has 10 million followers. and now it talks — and it has a very positive message about mental health. before the egg, the most popular post on instagram was a photograph of kyliejenner holding hands with her baby. the egg took her record injust nine days. but then a number of follow up photos were added with the egg looking more and more damaged. all became clear on sunday evening when the streaming service hulu played this ad, during sunday's super bowl coverage. that is a cracking story. cracking story, cracking idea by three pr executives in london. they are in their mid—20s, these guys! we talked about influencers and how much power they have on social media. 10 million, and they can do whatever they want with that now, apply to mental health. why didn't we think ofan mental health. why didn't we think

of an egg? why did we do a news show? we are wasted. instead we are presenting beyond 100 days from the bbc. coming up for viewers on the bbc news channel and bbc world news — president trump made several pledges in his first state of the union address one year ago. but did he keep them? stay with us for that. for many across southern england, a cloudy day with a lot of low cloud and fog patches over the hills, and the foggy weather will continue well into the evening as well. elsewhere, wet weather moving in over recent hours. rain turning heavy across wales and another pulse of heavy whale spreading across northern ireland and that will head into western scotland, tied in with an area of cloud and low pressure. this area of cloud and low pressure. this area of cloud and low pressure. this area of cloud needs watching carefully a nd area of cloud needs watching carefully and i will talk more about

that in a moment. for the time being, through this evening and overnight, the rain band will clear away from most areas but could loiter across the south of england with rain here by the end of the night. that is where the mildest weather will be, the temperature around ten or 11. with clearing skies elsewhere the temperature ta kes a skies elsewhere the temperature takes a bit of a dip, and skies elsewhere the temperature takes a bit ofa dip, and into wednesday, for many of us, a bright start to the day but southern england cloudy and rain never too far away from the south—east and east anglia, so probably some rain returning here at times as well. showers for western scotland and may bea showers for western scotland and may be a spell of rain developing through the afternoon in northern ireland. a cool day in the north with the temperature reaching double figures further south. some uncertainty in the forecast for thursday. the uncertainty caused by how much these weather fronts interact with each other. the most likely scenario on thursday as areas of rain moving northwards and eastwards a cross of rain moving northwards and eastwards across the country and it will be quite windy. the rain tending to ease to a mixture of

sunshine and showers through the afternoon unfairly blustery. temperature still on the mild side for most, 8—10 across england and wales, cooler further for most, 8—10 across england and wales, coolerfurther north. but a different scenario that could develop an area of low pressure if those fronts interact with other a bit more and we could see strong winds across south—west england arriving across the north—east of england down towards east anglia as we head into the first part of thursday morning. we could see some strong winds but there is a degree of uncertainty about that. that system will work away but on friday left with a more general area of low pressure bringing wet and windy weather to end the week for most parts of the country and that means gusts of winds up to 70 mph, the rain heavy at times, that is your weather. this is beyond 100 days. with me, katty kay, in washington, christian fraser is in london. our top stories. in a few hours' time, president trump will take the short car ride from the white house to the capitol and deliver his state of the union speech.

but what's the secret to a successful speech? we'll speak to someone who worked with president bill clinton on crafting some memorable lines. coming up in the next half hour. as theresa may promises no return to borders of the past — we'll ask one of the architects of the peace process in northern ireland if brexit undermines his work. the first trip by a pope to the arabian peninsular — but will the visit help bring peace to yemen? tonight, president trump will address congress and the world about his priorities for the year ahead. it will be his second state of the union address — so what better time to look back on the pledges he made last time. did he keep them or might we be hearing more this year? 0ur correspondents have been looking back at what he said on the iran deal, infrastructure and the so called islamic state group. the state of our union is strong

because our people are strong. but there is much more work to be done. we will continue our fight until isis is defeated. fast forward to december 2018 when president trump tweeted that the us would be pulling troops out of syria, saying that isis had been defeated. we have won against isis and we have beaten them badly. we have taken back the land. many experts and officials dispute that statement. whilst isis lost a lot of its territory, it still has a large presence in syria and iraq with an estimated 30,000

fighters, and isis claimed responsibility for a deadly attack ina responsibility for a deadly attack in a syrian city. i am asking congress to address the fundamental flaws in the terrible iran nuclear deal. what fundamental flaws as he talking about? mainly nuclear programme and not other possible threats. i am announcing today that the united states will withdraw from the united states will withdraw from the iran nuclear deal. he kept his promise and has made it part of a broader policy to counter what he calls iran's malign and terrorist activity. but pulling out of the deal has damaged us credibility because iran was and still is sticking to its terms. it has strained negotiations with european allies and critics argued that ditching a carefully constructed arms control agreement makes the east lest stable not more.|j

arms control agreement makes the east lest stable not more. i am calling on congress to produce a bill that produces at least $1.5 trillion for the new infrastructure investment that are country so desperately needs. this wasn't a new idea for donald trump. he taught that it relentlessly on the campaign trail and promise new bridges, roads in his inaugural address. the $1.5 trillion price tag in the state of the union was new but since then, he has done almost nothing to make it a reality. we are going to rebuild america's crumbling infrastructure. congressional legislation has been nonexistent. infrastructure investment is typically something both parties could agree on, there seems to be very little interest in bipartisan cooperation right now. public service announcement, do not believe anything under a state of

union address under any president will make it into reality. one person who has witnessed many state of the union addresses over the years is the former us defense secretary and republican senator william cohen, whojoins me now. i want to start with the row between president trump and his intelligence chiefs over the state of the world. to what extent is that going to hang over whatever assertions the president makes tonight on big issues, like iran, north korea, the islamic state group, because people know that he is not on the same pages as intelligence chiefs. this isa pages as intelligence chiefs. this is a big problem for him. any president depends on having good intelligence in order to shape policy. now when the president says that i disagree with my entire intelligence community, he is undercutting their credibility. he is also signalling to them, don't bring any bad news or any intelligence that isn't consistent with my views. that will put us in greater danger to the extent they

start cutting back or hedging or trying to please the president. there's an old dialogue in which plato or socrates asks, is beauty pleasing to the gods because it is good or is it good because it is pleasing to the gods? the question here is the intelligence good because it is pleasing to the president or is it pleasing to the president because it is good? these issues are very dangerous of the intelligence community. in terms of shaping our policies, depending upon individual women and not upon the intelligence coming out and then demoralising the intelligence coming at and then making individual decisions without not knowing the intelligence clinic is saying. talking about a specific area of disagreement, isis. here is what the general had to say about the

situation with a so—called islamic state. the fight against isis and violent state. the fight against isis and viole nt extremists state. the fight against isis and violent extremists is not over and our battle is not over. the coalition hard—won gains can only be maintained by continuing against isis that has its profane ideology that feels many of the people involved is efforts. what you expect president trump to say with us troops in syria and whether they are going to withdraw, given how much pushback he's been given over the past days? i would project that the president would say we are determined to pull our troops out of syria. i will do so on a condition basis. depending on what is happening on the ground, what are military advisers are saying but i'm

still committed to removing the men and women and we will do it on a basis on which it is safe for those who stayed behind and consistent with my objective. that is the best you'll hear from with my objective. that is the best you'll hearfrom him. with my objective. that is the best you'll hear from him. the first yea rs you'll hear from him. the first years europe have not been altogether good. i'm looking at my list from the all but ruined iran deal, tit—for—tat tariffs, possible arms race under way, unilateral retreat from syria without even a courtesy call. for there be anything more positive for europe in this speech tonight? hard to say. the purpose of a meeting such as the state of the union is to inform and to inspire. unfortunately, long before president trump took office, but some of these messages over the yea rs have but some of these messages over the years have turned more into spectacle than into a substantive production of where we are as a nation. you have people signing up

and cheering and others sitting down looking stone face. the irony is that the republicans normally would be very supportive of the president on syria. they will probably not be cheering on that and the democrats, he liked the notion that we are bringing our troops home don't like the way which he liked the notion that we are bringing our troops home don't like the way which she has done it. a mixed reaction and that he will get on their feet. with members trying to decide whether to support him or applaud him. 0verall, the policy has been a really mixed from my perspective. i don't agree with how the situation with north korea was handled, to the extent that the president says he is going for a second meeting. that is bob martin in terms of how much progress they've made today. —— problematic. thank you forjoining us. for the insomniacs, the address is at 2am. and i will see you then. today theresa may reiterated her

commitment to the principles of the northern ireland peace treaty, the good friday agreement, a day after one of the agreement‘s chief negotiators — lord trimble — announced he might initiate a legal challenge against her government for breaching it. so why is the 1998 good friday agreement so important to people in northern ireland? well, to remind you, it brought an end to over 30 years of violence. the two sides in northern ireland reached a compromise — each community was to be treated on an equal basis. since then it has been held up as a model for establishing peace in other countries scarred by civil war. the agreement established an executive to deal with local issues, located in belfast. all illegal paramilitary groups agreed to destroy their weapons christian prisoners being punished for violent crimes, connected to the troubles were released early. anyone from northern ireland who wanted it would be granted dual british and irish citizenship. and there would be a return to peace—time security arrangements without border infrastructure. i spoke earlier tojonathan powell, who was the chief british negotiator of the good friday agreement. the good friday agreement was

intended in one sense to bring a close to a cold war between north and south. there is a suspicion that if the backstop was triggered, it would give a greater power to dublin over northern ireland affairs. would that be dangerous?” over northern ireland affairs. would that be dangerous? i don't think that be dangerous? i don't think thatis that be dangerous? i don't think that is the real concern with the backstop. their concern and a legitimate one is that if there has to bea legitimate one is that if there has to be a border, different custom system and regular tree system, you wa nt system and regular tree system, you want it to either be between north and south all the irish sea and the unionists objected to being in the sea and been cut off from the uk. i don't thing they really fear that the republic will have a greater say, possibly the eu but not dublin. you worked on the negotiations. how big a threat to you think brexit and specifically the prospective leaving with no deal is to that agreement?

the main threat is a hard border. the main threat is a hard border. the good friday agreement was about identity. we can degree on whether he wants to be in the uk or united ireland they could live in northern ireland they could live in northern ireland and the irish or british or both. if you put in a hard border through a hard brexit or a backstop, it will undermine the whole basis of the good friday agreement and all of the good friday agreement and all of the work we've done the past 30 odd yea rs the work we've done the past 30 odd years to get to a lasting peace in northern ireland. de thing some people in the brexit camp have perhaps been pushing for a hard brexit come to the realisation that because of the good friday agreement, they're not going to the break they wanted ? agreement, they're not going to the break they wanted? element i think thatis break they wanted? element i think that is right. if you remember, john major and tony blair campaigned in northern ireland. people like me have been saying for three years that there has been a problem. you

would have to have a border and i think many people in the backstay camp who talk about the border in ireland being no difference between camden and islington, do not care about northern ireland and probably have never been there and that is a real problem. the paradoxes now, because of the backstop in and of itself, we could be heading to a ha rd itself, we could be heading to a hard border that the backstop seeks to avoid? this is the conundrum of going out loud any agreement. i personally don't believe we will go out without any agreement. i remember the fuel crisis in 2000, when we are in government. the government are very needy close down. we had to put emergency powers in place and we went right behind the tories and opinion polls, the anytime we did for any governor ta kes anytime we did for any governor takes us out agreement wilful within weeks and will not be viable for the people. this is beyond 100 days. still to come — the pope has given the first ever papal mass in the united arab emirates — the bbc‘s religion editor will have more.

four children — aged between 3 and 8 — have died in a house fire overnight in stafford. their motherjumped from a first floor window with her baby and her partner — their injuries are not life threatening. the local fire and crime commissioner paid tribute to the emergency services and described what's happened as heartbreaking. sima kotecha reports. the fire happened close to 3am. eyewitnesses say that it sounded like an explosion. for children were killed. eight—year—old riley, sexual keegan, four—year—old tilly rose and three—year—old 0llie. —— six—year—old. three—year—old 0llie. ——

six-year-old. due to the severity of the fire, ourfire six-year-old. due to the severity of the fire, our fire investigation team were currently working with colleagues from the police to find out how the fire started and spread throughout the property. three people managed to survive the blaze. their brother, their mother and her partner. firefighters say they managed to escape byjumping out of an upstairs window. their injuries are not believed to be life—threatening. more than 15 firefighters scramble to the house to put out the flames. neighbours described the loss of young lives is a ptly described the loss of young lives is aptly heartbreaking. family members have been laying flowers at the scene, desperately trying to hold back tears in front of the heavy media presence. for young lives gone

and a community left shaken and devastated. pope francis has concluded a historic visit to the arabian peninsula, with the first—ever papal mass in the united arab emirates. 0ver180,000 people were there. the homily was delivered in italian and translated into arabic. at a meeting in abu dhabi with the world's top sunni muslim cleric — the grand imam el tayeb — the pope made a broad appeal for christian and muslim leaders to work together to promote peace, with particular focus on the war in yemen, in which his hosts have been playing a role alongside saudi arabia. the bbc‘s religion editor martin bashir is with me. talk to me about the mass today. this was the highlight of the trip. in many ways, it was like a pastoral visit because in a population of around 9 million people, they're

actually 1 around 9 million people, they're actually1 million catholics and expatriates mostly working and living in the united arab emirates. it very quickly became a diplomatic venture. he was the pope, alongside the grand imam, talking about the popular notion that religion is often conceived as a creator and stimulate of war and of them issued communiques in which theyjointly condemned religious inspired violence and committed the followers of both islam and christianity to dialogue and peace building. to read you a couple of quotes, the statement of the grand imam, i would like to address my fellow muslims in the east. my message to you is to embrace your christian brothers and sisters. pope francis said this. the time has come when religions shed

more actively exert themselves to help deepen their capacity for reconciliation, the vision for hope, the concrete paths of peace. we either build the future together or there will be no future at all. what was interesting, i think, there will be no future at all. what was interesting, ithink, here there will be no future at all. what was interesting, i think, here is the pope acting as an international diplomat without naming any of the conflicts or any of the countries. you think about someone likeable scenario in brazil or ban in hungary or indeed donald trump and no doubt will mention the building of a wall ona will mention the building of a wall on a southern border. he was pope francis appealing not to politics but to ancient scripture about the way we regard each other. what he was basically saying was that, regardless of religion, ethnicity, nationality, each individual is made in the image of god. that phrase

drawn from the first chapters of genesis and he was using that to challenge both people of faith and those without faith to help those towards peace building. briefly, he also touched on yemen, mentioning it by name and the war. that the host country here was in it engaged in! yes, i spoke to one of his advisers about 20 minutes ago because they landed early today in rome. he said that this conflict in yemen was weighing heavily on pope francis. tens of thousands have been killed. something like 16 billion people are facing severe hunger. pope francis said, we must not follow the logic of armed power and then he uses remarkable words, war cannot create anything but misery. weapons bring

nothing but death. and in the case of yemen, i think we would all agree that he has a point. unusual, though, martin. as we have said, the state of the union is a chance for the president to speak directly to the president to speak directly to the american people. 0ne presidential advisor has told us tonight's copy has been sharpied by the president a good bit. it isa it is a word. move on. move on. it's about striking the right tone but also trying to get a memorable line which drives the message home. here are a few examples from the past. don't let anyone tell you that america's best days are behind her. that the american spirit has been vanquished. the era of big government is over. the axis of evil

threatening the piece of the world. so what is the secret to writing a good state of the union address? michael waldman penned four of them for president clinton and is now president of the brennan center forjustice. he joined us from new york just a short time ago. there are only two lines from states of the union addresses and i've been following from the last two decades tightly remember. 0ne following from the last two decades tightly remember. one from president bush, the axis of evil, the other one was what you involved in, president clinton, the era of big government was over. when you wrote that back in 1996, did you know that you had hit? well, that was at a moment when there was a big debate going on between the very conservative republican congress and president bill clinton and the democrats over the role of government. it was more of a debate over first principles. government. it was more of a debate overfirst principles. he government. it was more of a debate over first principles. he was trying to make the case that he was for a balanced budget but wanted to defend

social programmes like medicare and medicaid and education and the environment. there than other moments where these speeches have been significant in american history. franklin roosevelt articulated the four freedoms in a state of the union address. speech writers of the forgotten heroes on nights like this. you have been spending weeks and months getting to know your subject and into the head of the president. putting you on the spot, how would you write for donald trump? i am not sure i want to be in that particular location but he is going to no doubt try to say that he wa nts going to no doubt try to say that he wants cooperation, to reach across the aisle, the problem he has is that the audience watching knows that the audience watching knows that he might well start tweeting angrily by the time he gets back to the white house. the one thing that i will be watching for and i sure

hope he doesn't do this, ronald reagan started the tradition of honouring heroes in the gallery, sitting up with the first lady. people who had done great things and reflected ideals and values. last year, and in a recent 0val reflected ideals and values. last year, and in a recent oval office speech, ciampi is the same thing to have victims of crimes. families of crimes. we feel for their loss but these were victims of undocumented immigrants. it is basically a racist undertone. i think a attempt to stoke fear in what is otherwise a fairly exalted and somewhat revered place for americans. it was a change when he did it and place for americans. it was a change when he did itand i place for americans. it was a change when he did it and i hope it does not do it again. i was reflecting today that he is a matter of can indication in the sense that he a lwa ys indication in the sense that he always knows the audiences speaking to. he tailors it for his base, for the media, for his guests, whoever it may be. tonight, we're supposedly

going to get this warm and fuzzy donald trump and i'm not sure that really is the donald trump we know? there's a sort of presidential voice that you see the speeches. he is quite a communicator when he has these bombastic rallies, he is obviously very effective. when he gives this kind of speech from a teleprompter. he can look a bit like one of the robots at disney world in the hall of presidents. it doesn't look like a very naturalistic fit for him. what will be interesting as watching the reaction, not only of nancy pelosi sitting behind him but the hundreds of democrats sitting in front of him he will decide whether to cheer, grimace, applaud or whatever. i went geeky and dug out the whole line of the bill clinton address. the era of big government is over

but we can never go back to a time when we go forward on being on your own. i can see while they stuck with the era of big government is over. i know that with all of the eyes of the nation on him tonight, donald trump really looks forward to. i will be watching it 2am, getting in the mood and i wondered how to get in the mood and we have some very astute viewers, one pointed me to the trump collection. to know about that? you can experience the world of trump. i don't think that's him in the robe. i did find one thing that speaks volumes of the transatlantic connection and it is the scottish countryside candle, which you could light tonight in the studio. i will redo what it says. evocative of the freshly manicured lawns at all our golf courses, the scottish countryside candle will transport you to a relaxing day out on the course. earthy and soothing, hints of suede, moss and amber provide perfect aroma to permit your home. $55. $55 for hint of maas!

grass cutting, same effect. i thought you can say that was you in the robe but i won't even go there. i hope it to a clock in the morning, you are fast asleep but i will be here in the studio for a bbc news special listening to the president was mike second says the union address. we will go over and dissect it and see if any of those promises from last year have been kept. anymore promises this year, kept. we will be back tomorrow to go over it all as well. see you then. it is been a cloudy day for many people and over the hills and that foggy weather will continue well into the evening. elsewhere, wet

weather moved in over recent hours. maintaining heavy across wales and northern england. another pulse of heavy rain spanning over northern ireland and western scotland. an area of cloud in low pressure but it is this area of cloud in the mid—atlantic is this area of cloud in the mid—atla ntic that needs is this area of cloud in the mid—atlantic that needs watching carefully, which i will come back to. this evening however, rain band will clear but loiter in the far south—east of england. the mildest weather will be there and temperatures around 11 or 10 degrees. temperatures take a bit of a dip but you'll see some further showers for western scotland and perhaps the far north of northern ireland. that takes on into wednesday. bright start for many, southern inward will be cloudy though and ray never too far away from the south—east and east anglia. further showers for western scotland. spell of rain developing. cooler in the north, temperatures

reaching double figures further south. uncertainty on thursday, caused by how much these two weather fronts interact. the most likely scenario on thursdays that we will see areas of rain moving further northwards and eastwards across the country and it will be a windy day. the rain will tend to ease, through the afternoon and it will be fairly blustery. temperature wise, still on the mild side for most. cooler further north. however, a different scenario that could develop of low pressure if those two fronts interact with each other and see a swathe of strong winds. we could see some strong winds but there is a degree of uncertainty about that. that system will work away but on friday, left with a general area of low pressure bringing wet and windy weather to end the week for most

parts the country. this is bbc news. the headlines at 8pm: the prime minister, visiting belfast, pledges to secure a brexit deal that ensures no hard border between northern ireland and the republic. i know that the prospect of changing the backstop and reopening the withdrawal agreement creates real anxieties here in northern ireland and in ireland because it is here that the consequences of whatever is agreed will most be felt. four children are killed in a house fire in the middle of the night in stafford. another toddler and two adults were injured after leaping from a first—floor window to escape the flames. liam neeson denies he's racist after his comments to promote his new film provoke a media storm. a warning about the impact of pollution on our children — the un says the uk has the highest number suffering from respiratory conditions in europe.