officials in washington have released the so—called ‘whistleblower report'. white house officials are accused of trying to cover up evidence that donald trump used his power to solicit foreign interference in next year's election. in a phone call, mr trump pushed ukraine's president to investigate his main political rival, joe biden. borisjohnson says tempers need to come down after furious scenes in the uk parliament on wednesday. but despite strong criticism, the prime minister has refused to apologise for his own controversial language. and this video is trending on bbc.com: prince harry has praised the swedish campaigner, greta thunberg, and said the world will be a "very, very troubling" place if people continue to deny climate change. he was speaking during a visit to botswana on his tour of southern africa. that's all. stay with bbc world news.

now on bbc news it's hardtalk with stephen sackur. welcome to hardtalk, i am stephen sackur. the trump presidency has seen us politics become ever more polarised and partisan. but in the words of one commentator, you ain't seen nothing yet. the democrats‘ decision to begin impeachment proceedings based on emerging details of president trump's dealings with the president of ukraine has intensified the political warfare in washington. my guest is anthony scaramucci, former trump cheerleader, briefly his communications director and now an arch critic. is impeachment a trap for the president's opponents?

anthony scaramucci in new york city, welcome to hardtalk. it is great to be back with you. democratic leadership, after a lot of agonising, has decided to launch impeachment proceedings, impeachment investigations into resident donald trump. do you believe they have made the right decision? i don't really think it was necessarily a right or wrong decision. i sort of feel it was the only decision. the inspector general whistleblower report is out. i read through it this morning. there are irrefutable facts in the

situation which would require any patriotic person to act in the way that the democrats are acting. i don't think it was a right or wrong decision, to me, ora don't think it was a right or wrong decision, to me, or a political strategy. the president has done something traitorous and criminal stop a result of which now, the way the constitution was set up, noble people have to act in a situation like this and so to me it is not a political thing as much as it is a right or a wrong thing. there you go. you have already set yourself up asjudge and jury, go. you have already set yourself up as judge and jury, declaring that the president has acted in a criminal, traitorous way. of course, you are notjudge, you are notjury. why don't you and all the rest of the president's critics wait for events to unfold, listen to witnesses, read all of the evidence, before drawing conclusions? well, listen, i am obviously entitled to my opinion. there is a first amendment right in our country so i am giving you my opinion and my

conclusion. i am am giving you my opinion and my conclusion. iam not am giving you my opinion and my conclusion. i am not on the jury and as you know from an impeachment process , as you know from an impeachment process, there are 100 people who will have that opportunity if the impeachment enquiry gets voted on and gets pushed over into the senate. i am giving you my opinion but if i was on the jury and senate. i am giving you my opinion but if i was on thejury and i senate. i am giving you my opinion but if i was on the jury and i was looking at a body of evidence like that, i would looking at a body of evidence like that, iwould be looking at a body of evidence like that, i would be very concerned if i we re that, i would be very concerned if i were the president of the united states. 0k, well, idsa there is some concern in the white house but i am guessing you have basically seen pretty much what the rest of americans have been allowed to see —— i guess there are some concerns in the white house. the conversation between volodymyr zelensky and donald trump, i'd guess you have seen the whistleblower complaint. you have not seen, i have not seen it either, you have not seen any clear, explicit evidence that donald

trump tide favours he sought from the ukrainians to the release of us aid, or maybe you have seen it, you tell me. i probably haven't seen more than what you have seen but i think i do have an inside track here, despite the president's recent tweeting about and against me. i did work for him for a year. very close personal friends with michael cohen. and if you look at the body of the evidence and you know the president's personality as well as i know the president, it is in there, stephen. what is in there? there was, despite the rhetoric on the republican side, a quid pro quo exchange. there was a delay of the vice president going to the ukraine until we could see how the new ukrainian president was going to act, based on the president's suggestions. if i may

act, based on the president's suggestions. ifi may say act, based on the president's suggestions. if i may say so, anthony scaramucci, everything you have just said is anthony scaramucci, everything you havejust said is inference. i carefully used the word explicit. everything you have just inferred is absolutely not explicit in the transcripts that have been released thus far. that is why i think we need a full impeachment enquiry and that's why we need witnesses and people inside the white house under oath to explain what actually happened. again, i am oath to explain what actually happened. again, iam giving oath to explain what actually happened. again, i am giving you oath to explain what actually happened. again, iam giving you my experience with the president and the way he handles himself and the inferences you are talking about this is not a guy who is going to explicitly say something that black—and—white because he is used to this sort of nefarious activity so to this sort of nefarious activity so he will split it the way he is use to doing it. that's used to. —— used to. i believe i will be proven in terms of my analysis of these fa cts in terms of my analysis of these facts but i appreciate your scepticism and i understand your

scepticism. crosstalk. the facts will unfold and i hopefully you will invite me back. but this guy will not be the resident going into the november 2020 re— election. he will not be the candidate for the republican party. it strikes me as you talk about how clear you think the case is four impeachment proceedings this time around. i have had this similar language before over the last two, maybe getting on for three years, from democrats and you are not a democrats, but democrats have said for a long time that given donald trump was involved in the various activities with the russians, so—called collusion over the release of information, they said there was a cage for impeachment and then guess what? robert miller wrote his long report and that clamour, cacophony, for an impeachment proceeding, it died away. does make robert mueller. ——

robert mueller. allan if you are happy to have me on the show to discuss that, i can tell you that the president can't even collude with his own staff and therefore there was no collusion with the russians. does make if you are happy to have me on the show to discuss that. . i believe that mr mueller made the right conclusion. this is a totally different case but again, i didn't become a critic of the president or switch my view on the president or switch my view on the president because of what is going on right now with ukraine. where i started the slope of criticism is he is out there, man, he is not listening to his staff, he is firing people left and right. 81 people have left the administration, he is a man alone in the white house

seeking his own counsel, he is a rank bully with very low self—esteem and maybe the stress and pressure of thejob or may and maybe the stress and pressure of the job or may be other things are reflecting hisjudgement the job or may be other things are reflecting his judgement or personality, but for me, we could stay on the ukrainian thing if you wa nt stay on the ukrainian thing if you want but in general, this is now a suitability issue for many people who have worked for him, people who are inside the white house, people who are up on capitol hill, and u nfortu nately, who are up on capitol hill, and unfortunately, stephen, there are a lot of these people because their lives are tied to this man, they are lacking the fortitude and the courage to speak out about what they are seeing and so hopefully this will open a window for those people to do that. well, you keep telling me about the president's character and how well you know him. i wanted to talk about the psychodrama with your relationship with president trumpa your relationship with president trump a little later in the interview that you have talked about it so much, let's get into it right 110w. it so much, let's get into it right now. it is something we can't avoid. the truth is, you were the president's biggest, loudest cheerleader for years. you president's biggest, loudest cheerleaderfor years. you begged up his campaign for the presidency in

2016. -- his campaign for the presidency in 2016. —— bigged up. you briefly served him as an ill—fated communications director but even after you are gotten rid of after 11 and years, you continued to be slavishly loyal. the truth about you and donald trump ‘s donald trump hasn't changed his spots, you have made one of the most bizarre u—turns in political history, but donald trump hasn't changed. bizarre u—turns, 0k, trump hasn't changed. bizarre u—turns, ok, that is an interesting way to frame it. the fact that you just said on the show are contrary to what the president said on twitter so what the president said on his twitter account, that he barely even knew me, and i barely even knew me, and —— on his twitter account, that he barely even knew me, and —— had absolutely nothing to do with his electrical —— electoral success. crosstalk. let me just, electrical —— electoral success. crosstalk. let mejust, if i may, eliminate you on a few of the things

you explained and apologised for on behalf of donald trump. the tape, he was boasting about his abuse of women. you didn't break with him then. when he talked about the cha rlottesville then. when he talked about the charlottesville neo—nazi protests and he said there were good people both on the side of the neo—nazis and the people protesting against them, you didn't walk away from him then. i did. crosstalk. you didn't walk away from him. when he described countries that immigrants coming to american were coming from work, i can't even use the word, you didn't walk away from him then. you are didn't walk away from him then. you a re loyal to didn't walk away from him then. you are loyal to president trump throughout. you are being a little unfairand throughout. you are being a little unfair and that is not exactly factual. 0n the charlottesville situation, i totally denounced that, you can find a tape of me on george stephanopoulos's show, that is a very vivid memory for me, because that was after i was ousted and fired from the white house. i was on

george's show totally denouncing that. forgive me, i spoke to you last year and i discussed that and many other issues and you remained steadfastly loyal to donald trump. you said to me, stephen, i tell you what, judge a man by his actions, not by his words, that is what you said to me. you are usually a very fairguy so give said to me. you are usually a very fair guy so give me an opportunity to speak. i definitely said that i could not ever defend the racist stuff that came out of president trump's mouth. i absolutely said that. you told me you cannot say that. you told me you cannot say that donald trump is a racist. and i still maintain that. i feel that he is objectifying people to such an extent that you are not racist against a black or a white car, you just look at those two things as objects and so unfortunately for the president, that is what he does, he looks at people as objects. i still maintain that. but let us go back over the list of different things that you said that up when you are talking about the mexicans as rapists, i was not with the

president on the campaign then. i was a jet bush supporter. you are fast forwarding into those other categories of things, what i said to the show prior and i have maintained this i tried to defend him the best i cooked —— jeb this i tried to defend him the best i cooked ——jeb bush. does the best that i could, and i did a balancing test. if i am at fault for that, i haveissued test. if i am at fault for that, i have issued that apology and i can ta ke have issued that apology and i can take you and your viewers my washington post editorial where i said, you know what? i got this wrong. and i am man enough to admit that i got something wrong. so frankly, i am that i got something wrong. so frankly, iam not that i got something wrong. so frankly, i am not a political —— politician, when you said i did a u—turn, iam politician, when you said i did a u—turn, i am at american entrepreneur. —— and american entrepreneur. —— and american entrepreneur. unfortunately, sometimes you have to fire a person so sometimes you have to fire a person so for me it is not a political person as much at a ——as much as it

is -- person as much at a ——as much as it is —— and analytical decision. person as much at a ——as much as it is -- and analytical decision. as you made this big flip this summer and declared that you could no longer hold your tongue and you felt that donald trump was an outrage against the us political system and against the us political system and against democracy and had to be removed, you said he has gone full—blown crazy. while the president may not have early—stage dementia, he certainly has full—blown early—stage fascism. you then went on to say... well, that is true. let's add another one. you said you don't understand how public serva nts said you don't understand how public servants can see this sort of full—blown insanity and not act. but the message comes back to this. donald trump essentially, in the way he behaves, the way he puts his message out there, his impulsive decision making, he has not changed from when you were his loudest cheerleader. he really hasn't. 0k.

so again, stephen, i have owned that, though. ithink so again, stephen, i have owned that, though. i think that that is one of the criticisms that liberals would say, they will eventually say to kevin mccarthy, mitch mcconnell and other republicans. what i have said to people and i will say it here on your show, you have to create an offramp for people who that have a monster deadly gotten this thing wrong you want to ridicule me forgetting something wrong and you want to say that i said this at one time and now i am saying something different and the fa ct saying something different and the fact didn't change, i am actually willing to accept that. for somebody who was as close to the situation as me, to make the argument, maybe i am looking at it too closely, and i do think the facts have changed, i do think the facts have changed, i do think he is in steady mental decline, i think the departure of strong people like general kelly, he fired me, and i am being objective about this, he was somebody who was

containing some of the worst elements of the president's personality. since his departure, i think you can trace more aggressive, more full—blown insanity, and more full—blown mania. so again, if you wa nt to full—blown mania. so again, if you want to ridicule me or point out that i got this thing wrong, i own it. but again, i am an american businessperson so one of the things that has made me a reasonably successful juvenile and that has made me a reasonably successfuljuvenile and going from a blue—collarfamily to successfuljuvenile and going from a blue—collar family to where i am is taking calculated risk, assessing bets, and time is getting things wrong but also having the strength of character do say wow, i really got that wrong so let's make an adaptation and change. so let's talk about what you can achieve now. in your credibility. we wa nt to achieve now. in your credibility. we want to talk to you. emphasis on the word character. you want now, you wa nt to word character. you want now, you want to be a player in changing america. you have said... oh, absolutely not. that's not true. you wa nt to absolutely not. that's not true. you want to lead a campaign. you are

going from state to state, with all your media appearances, trying to persuade some republicans to get on what you call the offramp away from donald trump. but how can you do that when the republican party has described you as a man with zero credibility, nothing more than a disgruntled employee? how can you tell ordinary republicans across america that you are more than that? well, first of all they don't think it's fair to call me a disgruntled employee. because you pointed out earlier in the show that i was fired two years ago and i tried to stay loyal and high—minded to the president. so it would be very hard to say i'm a disgruntled employee, because why wouldn't they have just woken from him today after he embarrassed me like that abide me the way he did? so we can split that you just said and the gop chairwoman, the person you are referring to, the person who said i had zero credibility, the total topography of politics being what it is, was soliciting me two months mac grow —— demonstrated that was for

campaign money. so for me, you will have to do assess my credibility. your viewers will have to assessment credibility. but the truth of the matter is there's a lot of republicans could feel the way i do, but due to the president's bullying and due to his personality have been relu cta nt to and due to his personality have been reluctant to speak out. so if i'm a lightning rod for that, stephen, reluctant to speak out. so if i'm a lightning rod forthat, stephen, i welcome that, but i'm not really looking to be a player. as i've pointed out in my op—ed, i'm accidentally into politics. i actually find the whole thing quite disgusting. there is nothing about politics that attract me, other than the fact that we have a huge national and potential international crisis now. the president said i wasn't part of helping him get elected, but a sort of feel that i was, given the fact that they was on his executive transition team, when you and i've just met his executive transition team, when you and i'vejust met in december of 2016. so we have to correct the problem. so i'm willing to put my money and time and energy into doing that stop and if people think i'm

credible that's great. if they think i'm not credible, i'll let them decide to stop i'm speaking the truth. but let us talk about what's actually happening today. and as we see the democrats rallying around the impeachment proceedings, we also see republicans circling the wagons and beginning the relentless messaging that this is nothing more than a toxic partisan witch—hunt. now, i'm going to quote you, jim jordan, i'm sure your bubbly know him, republican congressman, trump loyalist, he said the other day "pelissie has finally succumbed to unrelenting roster from the socialist wing of the democratic party, this was never about collusion or ukraine, it's all about the 2016 election and the will of the 2016 election and the will of the american people and the democrats' refusal to accept it was good. does the classic republican position today. my question to you, asa position today. my question to you, as a guy who knows the republican party well, is how do you change that? well, here's what i would say.

that may be the classic position right at this moment. but i think is the fact unfold from the whistleblower‘s report and the inspector general‘s report, i think they will be republicans, already ben saxton senator mitt romney have expressed their concern over what the red in the report and i think have gotte n the red in the report and i think have gotten unredacted version. you andi have gotten unredacted version. you and i have seen the redacted version. and so is my guess, gase —— based on conversations i have had on capitol hill, that if there was an anomalous vote related to impeachment 30 of those senators, who actually hate present from's guts would vote him —— president trump. because these are politicians and peacocks, they will have a tendency to do what is politically expedient for them and to preserve their personal power. so we will have to see how this thing unfold, but where i would break from jim jordan on what he's this is very different. there are facts on the ground now that, in my mind, are irrefutable. that the president was using his power... 0k, imagine if

franklin roosevelt said to winston churchill, hey, i'm holding back those destroyers until you get me information on wendell wilkie. so this is stuff that is disgusting from the leader of the free world, the commander in chief, and somebody that runs the country. so, yes, look, it is what it is, stephen. however disgusted you be there is yet to be any compelling evidence the american public as a whole are sufficiently disgusted... 70% of the american public says they disliked the presidents, according to the axios poll. i think they people are pretty disgusted with his style and his personality. but it does seem, does seem from recent american history, that americans can vote for donald trump even if they don't like the guy. we look at the polling evidence which shows, festival, nancy pelosi, right now, has worse unfavourable ratings and donald trump in many of the recent bowls. so she's got reason to worry that

this will backfire on her —— polls. we also have polls that show that over the last couple of years american people have not wanted to see president trump in peace, despite all of the allegations against him. so there is a real concern that, for the democrats, for enemies of trump such as yourself, this could backfire. yeah, listen, i don't see myself personally as an enemy of the president. i have observed the facts on the ground... excuse me, you accuse the guy of early—stage fascism and not call him an enemy of yours. hold on a second. i'm not accusing him of that. those are i'm not accusing him of that. those a re facts i'm not accusing him of that. those are facts on the ground. his attacking individual citizens on his twitter feed. as attacking attacking individual citizens on his twitterfeed. as attacking publicly traded companies. stephen, he went after my wife, who is a civilian an after my wife, who is a civilian an a suburban housewife on long island on his presidential twitterfeed. 0k. on his presidential twitterfeed. ok. if you go down on butter echo's checklist, manifesto fascism, he is six for ten of the fascist

checklist. crosstalk. if you don't want to be described as an enemy of trump's fine. but all of those people... crosstalk. but, seriously, all of those people, whether it's nancy pelosi, whether it is the more left—leaning members of the democratic party, whether as people such as who have turned against trump for one reason or another, you may find that this impeachment process that fires badly. donald trump himself said "bring it on, it's only going to help me get re—elected in 2020". again, this is my inference, could be wrong about this, i don't think he really believes that. patel was a few days ago when got on the phone to nancy pelosi and said, hey, can we work this out? we have had... him being the fourth about to be in peace. i don't think he really believe that. they don't think he wa nts to believe that. they don't think he wants to go through the process of impeachment. all people suggest that

it helped president clinton, i thought of don't believe that. it certainly damaged vice president al gore and it set up the republican party for the electoral success of george bush and then running the ca rd george bush and then running the card table for six years from 2000 until 2006. so for me i certainly think his posturing by saying that. they don't think anybody wants to get impeached. but he knows, he knows what he did. and i think there has got to be a tremendous amount of concern inside the white house related to him. one of the things you are pointing at... crosstalk was a very quickly, we're out of time. given the state of the economy, the good jobless numbers that continue, given that you have said to me in the past,"judge given that you have said to me in the past," judge trump of the state of the economy more than anything else" there is still a strong likelihood he will run and win in 2020. 0k, we'll take a gentleman spent on that. he will not be the republican nominee by november of 2020. i don't see any way he will be able to survive what's going on right now in terms of a good

standing statesman and says women like republican. we will have to see what happens. the economy is also weakening, stephen anthony scaramucci, sadly we're out of time. but i'd do thank you forjoining me on hardtalk. it's good, it's good to be here. thank you. good morning. well, last week's high pressure and settled autumn sunshine — a distant memory. this week it's been very different, hasn't it? on monday, we saw some heavy rain, some areas seeing a month's worth of rain injust a 24—hour period. through the middle part of the week it's quietened down a little, sunny spells and scattered showers. but there's more wet and windy weather to come through this weekend.

here it is sitting out in the atlantic. and it's going to continue to push its way across the seas towards us for the second half of the weekend. ahead of it, circulating around, an area of low pressure, a scattering of showers. some of those quite heavy, possibly thundery, and some of them, as we go through the day today, merging together longer spells of rain. blustery winds, particularly through the south—west, driving those showers inland. there'll be some heavy ones through wales, north—west england, and northern ireland as well. the best of the drier, sunnier slot perhaps reserved for scotland. temperatures a little subdued in comparison to of late. we're seeing highs 01:14 to 18 degrees the high. now, as we move out of friday into the start of the weekend, that low pressure will ease away. and we'll see a relatively quiet spell for a time. so the start of the weekend is not looking too bad. yes, we will have sunny spells and scattered showers, but there will be some drier interludes in between. quite a blustery feel still. and the end of the afternoon we'll be some wetter weather pushing

into the south—west. now, the timings for this rain still subject to change. so if you do have outdoor plans this weekend you'll certainly need to keep abreast of the forecast. but that is likely to bring a spell of very wet weather and some windy weather with it as well. so we could see 2—3 inches of rain. and at times, through the early hours of sunday morning, we're going to see strong, gusty winds, in excess of 40—50 mph in places. and as that low moves through, maybe for a time 60 mph across eastern england, close to the coast. but that low will move through, and then we start to see some drier weather coming through on sunday. however, the wind direction into the north is going to make it feel a little on the cool side as well. so top temperatures in scotland 13—15 degrees. further south and east we're looking at highs of 17 or 18. so just in case you haven't already got the message, it does look at the moment as though saturday will be the better of the two days in the weekend.

sunny spells and a few showers. sunday will start off wet and windy but that rain will slowly ease away. and then monday into tuesday things are a little bit quieter, but the temperatures could be better for this time of year. take care.

got that wrong so let's make an adaptation and change.

i'm sharanjit leyl in singapore, the headlines: a furious response from donald trump after claims the white house tried to cover up details of his phone call with ukraine's president. what these guys are doing, democrats, are doing to this country, is a disgrace and it shouldn't be allowed. there should be a way of stopping it. tackling britain's toxic politics. borisjohnson tries to cool tempers over brexit but refuses to apologise for his own language. i'm reged ahmad in london. also in the programme: security fears ahead of afg hanistan's presidential election. taliban threats, force thousands of polling centres to close. and france declares monday a national day of mourning