the bbc has been given access to one of the many state—run secure detention camps in the far west of china that are being used to contain around a million muslims. china's government has previously denied they even exist. it says the camps are simply schools to combat the rise of islamist extremism. the united states is to send about a thousand more troops to the middle east. a pentagon statement said the deployment is to protect american assets. tensions are growing tensions between the us and iran over two attacks on oil tankers in the gulf of oman last week. amnesty international has urged egypt to hold an impartial investigation into the death of the former islamist president, mohamed morsi, who collapsed during a court appearance. state tv says the muslim brotherhood leader, who was 67, died of a heart attack. amnesty and human rights watch say there are serious questions about his treatment in custody.

it is about half past four in the morning. you are up—to—date with the headlines. now on bbc news — hardtalk‘s stephen sackur talks to valerie jarrett, who was senior advisor to president obama from 2009—2017. welcome to hardtalk. i'm stephen sackur. it is one of the great puzzles of american politics — how voters could make history by putting barack obama in the white house, twice, and then elect donald trump as his successor. how much responsibility should team obama take for the course american politics has taken since they left centre—stage? my my guest today is valeriejarrett, close friend and advisor to barack and michelle obama, from the early daysin and michelle obama, from the early days in chicago all the way through the white house years. how will historians

view the obama legacy? valerie jarrett, valeriejarrett, welcome to hardtalk. well, thank you, i'm delighted to be here. thank you for having me. it's a pleasure. i would like to take you right back to 1991. you then matt, you interviewed a younger michelle robinson for a job, younger michelle robinson for a job, you are a senior lawyer and she wa nted you are a senior lawyer and she wanted a job, a few weeks or months later you met her fiance, wanted a job, a few weeks or months later you met herfiance, rack obama, what did you see in that couple that attracted you to them and what to think they saw in you? —— barack obama. and what to think they saw in you? -- barack obama. they had just been

promoted and i was staffing my office. and someone sent me a resume and across the top it said "brilliant young lawyer has no interest in being in a big law firm, would like to explore public service". i had abandoned a big law firm six years earlier and was impressed with her as may. and walks this tall, confident woman, shook my hand, look me dead in the eye, saw my resume, ever mentioned a word that was on it, she told me her story. we now know it is a quintessential american story about growing up on the south side of chicago, working class family, instilled in both she and her brother the sense of to those who much is given much is expected, and although they had not gone to couege although they had not gone to college she and both her brother was supported to go to college. you were mighty impressed by michelle from the get go. offered her a job on the spot, didn't have the authority, but they did it anyway. the witness thing happened, when she offered her thejob, she

thing happened, when she offered her the job, she didn't just thing happened, when she offered her the job, she didn'tjust say yes, please, i'll take it, she said we have discussed it, my fiance and i, and he has a few problems with the mayor and is not myjob is the right thing for me, i'm not going to take it unless you agree to come and have dinner with me and my fiance, barack obama and then i will make a decision —— weirdness. obama and then i will make a decision -- weirdness. she played it a little softer than that. she said we wa nt a little softer than that. she said we want to make sure that we do this asa team. we want to make sure that we do this as a team. they was intrigued. they wa nted as a team. they was intrigued. they wanted her very much. i've heard of him when he was a community organiser in chicago and obviously his being president of the harvard law review impressed me. and i was happy to do it. and people who think it's not isolated than this, icesave there wasn't a single decision he made about his political career without her right there at the table as well. so is more an indication of the partnership that they had in their approach to making big life decisions together. that is a fascinating thing to say. but it strikes me that there's a rider one could add to would that which is

that i'm not sure there was a single big decision he took going all the way through the white house years that didn't involve your ascent and agreement. well, i will say the three of us bonded that night, in 1991, nearly 30 years ago now, and have been very close personal friends. i'll look at them as the younger siblings they never had. that two summaries is a very interesting question about a potential conflict of interest —— data to some. you know the kids extra ordinarily well, they know your daughter extraordinarily well, you've holidayed with them all the way through the white house years and yet you are also a very senior professional advisor. it's the opposite of a conflict of influence —— interest. you have someone who knows you well and knows your core values and is only there to support you as well as someone who brings substance to the table. , yes, but rather manual, 0bama's first chief of staff clearly did not think it was right. he felt that there were channels open to you that he clearly

did not have and that you could bypass the hierarchy, the white house machine, and, friendly, he wa nted house machine, and, friendly, he wanted you out. he had reservations about my coming on board. i think what we realise after we had worked together for a what we realise after we had worked togetherfor a while is what we realise after we had worked together for a while is that i was a pa rt together for a while is that i was a part of the team. i was an integral pa rt part of the team. i was an integral part of the team. i was an integral part of the team and it would not have been right for the process that the president obama set forth to circumvented and kind of go if you will. you didn't go through the chief of staff, you went to the president xi below the three senior advisers reported directly to the present. we were still 18. think thatis present. we were still 18. think that is the point you are missing —— are team. i'm interested in reporting of some people who were there at the time, daniel slateman, who wrote a book about the obama presidency, he said you were pretty much tantamount to a strategy. . did you feel like a shadow ta star for an alternate chief of staff? they don't even know what that term means. most myself, as did the other

senior advisers, all who reported directly to the president, as part of his team. we met before we would go in and talk to him and tried to reach consensus with one another. we tried to make sure we had cast a broad net so we gave him informed opinions. then we went in there together. if he disagreed we would say valerie thinks this, so—and—so think that. and then president obama would debate the issue and make a decision. what i think was extraordinary about his leadership style was that he really listened to whomever he thought had the best ideas. it could be the mostjunior person in the room. i want to go through some of the issues that you had to go through in the white house. such a strong theme in the memoir that you have written is your ta ke memoir that you have written is your take on race in america today. your race, first of all, outside of the united states in iran. you always said that gave you a particular sort of context on america. you we —— you

we re of context on america. you we —— you were a young black girl who did not suffer prejudice in the first years of your life. do you think you and he shared a perspective on racial division in the united states?” think we had the benefit of seeing the united states from the outside that were not riddled with the discrimination my parents saw, for example, before they left the united states. they ended up in iran because my father couldn't find a job comparable to what his white cou nterpa rts job comparable to what his white counterparts were receiving when he left the military as a large academic teaching institution, that is where he wanted to do his research. so he landed a job at the department of pathology and starting a brand—new hospital. and i've lived there until it was five, and then i moved here to the uk for a year and then to the united states. so my very early years, innocence, my pa rents very early years, innocence, my parents took me over the colour line at the same time, for example, that

ruby bridges was integrating her school in louisiana, surrounded by armed guards, i'm going to an american school with young kids from all over the world. i was thinking ina all over the world. i was thinking in a different way, that may be 0bama in a different way, that may be obama and you with your perspective from outside the us and the fact that you hadn't, personally, experienced in your young life so much outright discrimination, maybe that was one reason why much outright discrimination, maybe that was one reason why obama always wa nted that was one reason why obama always wanted to avoid being defined by policies that were, perhaps, to some people in the united states, to be seen as the politics of black anger 01’ seen as the politics of black anger or resentment or grievance. he was a lwa ys or resentment or grievance. he was always careful to say iama president who happens to be black, rather than the first black president. in some black people in the united states and felt that he let them down, he didn't confront the systemic racism that there is in the united states today. first of all, president 0bama, today. first of all, president obama, to this day, is extraordinarily popular in the black community. extraordinary. his

approval ratings are 90, 90 9% in the black community. whether some people who thought he should do more? of course. you could down —— down every possible way people wished we could have done more. we wished we could have done more. we wish we could have done. i think president obama did do as he tried to talk about race in a way where people could hear him, where it was a teaching moment. so, for example, after the murders in charleston, when reverend pinckney and eight other prisoners were murdered by a self identified white supremacists he said, look, it is not enough to ta ke he said, look, it is not enough to take down the confederate flag, what are we doing to improve our schools, to strengthen the relationship between police and communities of colour? he always tried to discuss it in colour? he always tried to discuss itina colour? he always tried to discuss it in a way where people could hear him and see themselves any other person. why do you some very important opinion formers, thought leaders in the black community have, in retrospect, been very negative about 0bama's impact? in retrospect, been very negative about obama's impact? so who are you talking about? able give you a few

quotes. alysia garza, cocreator... of quotes. alysia garza, cocreator... of black lies matter. quotes. alysia garza, cocreator... of black lies matter. "too often 0bama of black lies matter. "too often obama has used things like the killings in ferguson, not to push for greater accountability within law enforcement, but to push a narrative that black people should behave more responsibly." narrative that black people should behave more responsibly. "” narrative that black people should behave more responsibly." i would disagree with her. the facts bear it out in ferguson. they did an investigation and found a pattern and practice of discriminatory behaviour required the city to enter into a consent decree to terminate those practices. police there were simply giving people tickets as a way of generating revenue and disproportionately affecting the african—american community, so the fa ct african—american community, so the fact that actually don't bear up that promise. one more thought, frederick harris, learner professor, columbia university, this is his conclusion" why should black

constituents bear the burden of 0bama's risk aversion when it comes to these difficult issues of race?" i don't have any idea what he would have had him do differently. you never felt that obama was risk averse? not at all. in his first campaign one of the most profound, roll the human speech is about race they have heard anyone give against they have heard anyone give against the advice of some people who said steer away from that. he made that speech because his own foster back in chicago, jeremiah wright, had been exposed a video saying some negative things about the united states and black people that barack 0bama worried about in terms of the impact on his campaign. that might express some risk aversion. what he thought he needed to do was explain to the american people his relationship to the pastor. until quite honestly about race. i think

in the aftermath of the shooting of trayvon martin, president obama zebre family" if i had a son he would look like trayvon martin". he was trying to communicate to the broader public health feels, why is it, in our country, and he said this ina it, in our country, and he said this in a briefing room, but a young black man can't walk down a street in his own neighbourhood and worry about being at risk? and out of that grew my brother ‘s keeper, which is designed to help the trajectory... if they may say so, and idea remember that passion and this was quite clearly. young men like trayvon martin are still being done down by police forces across america today. and i'd just wonder with you and with your talking to president 0bama since he left office of thoughts about the reasons why, to be blunt, you fail to change the dynamic. i think it would be unrealistic to think that one president is going to change in eight years something that has been a part of our society for so long.

what he did do was to create a taskforce that looked at the relationship between police and communities of colour and he gave a blueprint to them of what they could do to improve that bond of trust, because both police and those who they serve and protect both deserve to go home safely. unrealistic, you say, guess that raises the issue of legacy. 80 is of the obama administration, what they changed for good in the united states of america —— eight years. what would you point to is a true, lasting achievement? well, so, for example, we cut the unemployment rate in half, including people of colour. then implement rate was cut in half. 20 million people have healthcare today, many have whom did not have it before. no—one can be discriminated against for a pre—existing condition. 0sama bin laden is no longer walking around the earth. we did not have a single terrorist attack on our watch. we brought home 150,000 troops, we entered into a climate accord with

other countries, and although the united states has pulled out, and many other countries have stayed in that deal. 0n the list goes on. we have eliminated... you can talk about the jobless figures, the killing of bin laden which some can describe as circumstantial... circumstantial that the person who was responsible for the horrid destruction in the united states and we went after him and found him? just like other administrations... but we found him and brought him tojustice. administrations... but we found him and brought him to justice. barack 0bama didn'tfind and brought him to justice. barack 0bama didn't find it... my point is this. in that list you gave me, the key was affordable healthcare. that was a signature measure which barack 0bama personally put himself on the line four and he got through the us congress... keeping our economy from going into the worst... he inherited

the crash of 2007 and 2008 but what did he really changed about the banking system... substantially. there are rules the rule in place under dodd—frank. you have not seen any of the kind of abuses you so under our watch when we first got they happen again not to mention investing into the recovery act which helped businesses and state and local government and reverse that trend, bailing out the automobile industry which were two out of three were in bankruptcy when president obama took office. a lot of the things present 0bama president obama took office. a lot of the things present obama did were in the end executive action because you lost control of the house into thousand and ten and you never had a congress you could truly work with. that means that donald trump, using a similar executive actions can undo

and hasn't done much... elections have consequences and so when you say what is permanent that is why i encourage people to vote. if you wa nt to encourage people to vote. if you want to continue the trajectory i run you have to make sure the people in office reflect the same values. we changed the executive orders that president bush put in place and that is what happens. so much of what you did has been trashed. i wonder, if i may, to put you and both the obama, you were with them as a results came through. talk to me about your feelings when he became plain that donald trump was going to be in the white house. it was profoundly disappointing that a country that had elected barack obama twice had gonein had elected barack obama twice had gone in that direction and it has been disappointing since that day. it was also troubling that 43% did

not vote and after role hillary clinton won the majority of the vote. where you utterly blindsided? i did not see it coming andi blindsided? i did not see it coming and i think what happened in the country created a wake—up call. it began the day after the inauguration with the women's march, the young folks from parkland, the activism from the #metoo and time's up movement, women and people of colour who ran for office, the fact that the democrats took back the house of representatives and put nancy pelosi again asa representatives and put nancy pelosi again as a speaker of the house, the fa ct we again as a speaker of the house, the fact we have six women running for president, unprecedented and historic and to me it shows progress and ina historic and to me it shows progress and in a sense of some of it may have been a wake—up call but the activism is what gives me optimism. you call the result soul crushing. given the strength of that feeling,

whether you and ba rack given the strength of that feeling, whether you and barack obama and michelle obama will be very visible in the run—up to 2020 to work with the democratic candidates and the ultimate choice for the nomination, working as hard as they can to get a democrat back in the white house.” am no longer that spokesperson that ican am no longer that spokesperson that i can tell you what i intend to do... do not speak on his behalf. i can tell you he is concerned about the direction our country is going in. he was involved in the mid—term elections and my expectation is he will do the same in 2020. we need to get behind it democratic nominee. i have counselled several of the candidates not to bid up so much on their opponents and that whoever emerges goes into the general election in an un— weakened stage. we have some terrific candidates and it is still very early. who do you

like the look of most?” it is still very early. who do you like the look of most? i am not going to put my thumb on this scale. at this time went barack obama was running he was down by 30 points and hillary clinton was the inevitable candidate. i still want to see... we have debates coming up next week... this week. i cannot wait to see them. you're being very tactful but you spent eight years working day in and day out with joe you spent eight years working day in and day out withjoe biden. you spent eight years working day in and day out with joe biden. he is terrific. he would make a great president. i am terrific. he would make a great president. iam not terrific. he would make a great president. i am not saying anything one—way or another because i think we have some really great candidates andi we have some really great candidates and i said quite publicly that vice president biden was indispensable to present 0bama president biden was indispensable to present obama and it would make a good president. do you think it is too old? i do not think. six women andi too old? i do not think. six women and i know them all and they are terrific. in the old man what you speak very openly and frankly about

the difficulties that face professional women who want to get to the top, whether in politics, the law and you have experienced them both. you have raised a young daughter while climbing the ladder and working crazing14 hour days and ina way and working crazing14 hour days and in a way you found yourself in a strange position working for a candidate who was obviously arrival to hillary clinton who could have been the first female president had said one of the nomination and election. you in feel conflicted? no, ididn't. i election. you in feel conflicted? no, i didn't. i have known the obama ‘s since 1991. i thought it would make an outstanding president. he is like a brother. that does not take anything away from her who are strongly supported in the next election in 2016. my loyalty was clearly with barack obama and i think he was an outstanding president and i think history will reflect that and you cannot judge him so quickly. you have to wait a

while, i think. him so quickly. you have to wait a while, ithink. as him so quickly. you have to wait a while, i think. as time evolves and we have greater distance, historians say it takes 10—30 years before you appreciate the legacy of a president. what about the future of the democratic party, leave aside the choice of the face coming into the choice of the face coming into the presidential election, but there isa the presidential election, but there is a battle for the soul of the party at every level. the young progressive, the young radicals perhaps, figure headed by acc, and then the centrists, perhaps symbolised by joe then the centrists, perhaps symbolised byjoe biden. now there isa symbolised byjoe biden. now there is a gulf between the two. there is not so much of a golf. i will say this about the democratic party which i think is a strength, we have a lwa ys which i think is a strength, we have always had a big talent. there are a lwa ys always had a big talent. there are always robust ideas and plenty of people who you might label one way

or another but i think what they all have in common is they want every young child to up and have a chance to go to college and not be laden with so much that that they spend alive paying it off. they want people to be able to have health cannot broke because you want to get better. these are the core values that make but in terms of the message and the messenger, you have to think specifically about how you win back the voters in states like michigan, wisconsin and other mainstream states where donald trump actually pulled it out of the bag. you have to win those people back. what kind of democratic party do you need? his very own polling is showing that the candidate you mention, joe biden, is beating him in all those estates. we have an embarrassment of riches and the challenge is not going to be making

people the question is can we get them to turn out on election day. think about the issues i talk about the kitchen table and give me confidence you will fight for me and not put yourself first, not thinking about your legacy and winning the new cycle thinking about me and my family. the more i hear you talk, i am wondering whether you will run for electoral office... why would you think that? you have been around for so long... that should be reason enough... you know what i would say to you, when president obama said when he left office, the most important office is at the office of citizen and i truly believe this. what i am interested in doing in this next chapter is exciting people about participating in their communities, voting, changing the culture around voting. what about michelle obama ? culture around voting. what about michelle obama? she will not be running either. she will never run

for office in my opinion and i think it is because she believes she can have a greater impact outside of it. she has never been a politician but a public service and there is a difference. barack obama managed to do both but neither she or i will run for office. thank you for being on hardtalk. thank you very much indeed. hello there. south—eastern parts of the uk were warmest and sunniest on monday, but things look a little bit different over the next few days. we are looking down towards iberia, a lot of cloud around here,

that is going to get drawn up towards the uk, together with some warm and humid air, and it brings the threat of some thundery downpours towards the south—east. at the moment though, things are fairly quiet. towards the end of the night, we are starting to see a bit of rain arriving across the channel, we've got some rain in towards the north—west of scotland, but otherwise a dry start. a little bit chilly for some eastern parts of england. for the cricket at old trafford, whilst there is a band of cloud around, it shouldn't really produce any rain. it should be a dry day, fairly cloudy with temperatures maybe 18 or 19 degrees. we do have some rain though, coming into scotland, showery rain, mainly for western scotland, coming into northern ireland, too, and then some sunshine. but increasing cloud for england and wales, and this rain, moving northwards through the channel into england and wales. the heaviest rain towards the south—east of england and east anglia. temperatures on tuesday, similar to those of monday. but it will feel quite muggy i think, as that wetter weather pushes in towards the south—east, and it's going to be arriving at royal ascot as well, which starts on tuesday. we've got some rain here,

and overnight, and into wednesday as well before things improve for ladies' day on thursday. but before then, this is the main area at risk of some rain, which could be quite heavy, as you can see there, and some thunderstorms. now, this could be a high impact event but there is an awful lot of uncertainty about the detail. hence, it is a yellow thunderstorm warning from the met office. now, we may well find the earlier rain moving away, out into the north sea, and things quietening down for a while. but we're looking at some storms to push in on tuesday night, up from the near continent, into the south—east of england, the midlands towards east anglia and lincolnshire, perhaps, for the rush hour on wednesday. that wetter weather then moves northwards, taking away most of the storms, but there's still some rain around across england and we could see some more storms in the south—east later. scotland and northern ireland, it's much more straightforward. there'll be some sunny spells, there'll be some showers around as well. and again, those temperatures 16—20 degrees. but a humid feel for many central and eastern parts of england, together with those storms potentially,

all on that weather front. as that moves away we've got slightly fresher air, slightly cooler air coming in from the north—west around that area of low pressure. so things get a little more straightforward everywhere, really, i think, on thursday. most of the showers in the north—west of the uk, close to that area of low pressure. there'll be a few showers coming into england and wales, but not many, probably the driest weather and the warmest weather back again towards the south—east of england. again, highs of around 20 celsius.

this is the briefing, i'm sally bundock. our top story: as tensions with iran rise, the pentagon says 1,000 more american troops are being sent to the middle east. the six remaining candidates to become british prime minister face a second ballot of conservative mps this afternoon. rare access inside the hidden world of china's detention camps, thought to be holding up to a million muslims. and facebook is set to launch its own digital currency.