hello and a very warm welcome to bbc news. i'm katty kay. i'm christian fraser here in washington. our main story... polls start to close in the biggest day yet in the race for the white house. democrats in m states choose who they want to run against donald trump in november's election. the frontrunner, 78—year—old senator bernie sanders, has senator bernie sanders, won the primary in his hor state has won the primary in his home state of vermont. but the former vice—president, joe biden is trying to catch up, having been given a boost by endorsements from previous rivals. having one virginia and north carolina, both substantial victories. and they'll be up against a number of other contenders

for the nomination, including senators and a billionaire. the race to chose a democratic nominee to take on donald trump in november will enter a new stage in the next few hours. it's super tuesday — the day lots of american democrats go to the polls to pick a candidate. at the very least this day has already shaken up the race — forcing some candidates out and catapulting others to the front of the pack. polls have already closed in eight of the us states taking part in the super tuesday primaries. senator bernie sanders is projected to win vermont, his home state, whilejoe biden is projected to win virginia, a major victory for the former vice—president. two major victories for the former vice president. but we won't know exactly how many delegates each candidate has won until later.

in the past minute, we've had these projections from cbs news. three states are currently pretty good to be in some form of a tie. maine and oklahoma are both toss up between senator sanders and former vice presidentjoe biden. massachusetts is a three—way split between sanders, biden, and senator elizabeth warren. it is her home state. alabama is predicted to be a straight when forjoe biden. let me go to a marianne marsh, our democratic strategist here tonight. big results coming in the last half hour as we been off air, this is moving rapidly and pretty well injoe is moving rapidly and pretty well in joe biden‘s is moving rapidly and pretty well injoe biden‘s direction so well injoe biden‘s direction so far? we are getting the size of what this evening might look like forjoe of what this evening might look like for joe biden. of what this evening might look like forjoe biden. we have warren and bloomberg probably speaking in this hour, which means it won't be a good night for them. but how quickly the states are being called right after the polls close it tells

you how well joe after the polls close it tells you how welljoe biden in particular is doing. that means he is winning by substantial margins. look at virginia where he won by over 55%, which is what he did in south carolina. he needs to report that same performance in a number of states tonight to close the delegate gap with bernie sanders. caddie and i were in north carolina over the weekend, mike bloomberg spent an awful lot of money in north carolina, and we were told at the time that this was a three—way between him, bloomberg and sanders. the result tonight suggest that he has had some enormous momentum from that win in south carolina and the results he's had? that's right, but when you look at the southern states, a high concentration of african—american voters who wa nt african—american voters who want to trade out for the former vice president, i want to trade out for the formervice president, ithink he will do well in the south. at 8pm we have 268 pledge delegates. will be interesting

is to see when the vice president can have not only a firewall, but can build momentum based on the democratic demographics which are african—americans, people of colour and women. as people come out of the polling stations, they speak to pollsters and give them some indication of what has been important to them. interestingly, two thirds almost of people who voted have said that what is important to them is finding a candidate that can be donald trump. only about a third have said political ideology, having a candidate that agrees with them on issues is important. does that suggest to you again, if that suggest to you again, if that holds through the course of tonight, another good indication forjoe biden? of tonight, another good indication for joe biden?” think it does, there is an indication that people are wondering if bernie sanders can win, can he close the deal? i think a lot of traditional democrats are saying they don't think he can. and who is left in the democratic field that can raise the money, that does have the name recognition? you

hear lots of former clinton ministration officials and establishment democratic folks saying it isjoe biden. ithink joe biden will have a very good night tonight, and we set here we go asking if he could stay in it. we will sit here tonight and asking if he is in. in it. we will sit here tonight and asking if he is inlj in it. we will sit here tonight and asking if he is in. i hope there is a tape of us all saying that. the reason we say thatis saying that. the reason we say that is because texas and california are the big prizes. until the weekend, bernie sanders was ahead in texas and miles ahead in california. this is where the test is forjoe biden tonight. he won the election day but he didn't win early voting. there were millions of votes cast especially in california and texas that joe biden can't do anything about. but to pick up oi'i anything about. but to pick up on ron's point, this race for months now has been a referendum on joe biden. months now has been a referendum onjoe biden. he was always a front runner as a placeholder, people waiting to see if he could perform. then they started chopping with other candidates. —— shopping.

when they saw the win in south carolina, they saw joe when they saw the win in south carolina, they sanoe biden has the ability to be donald trump, and that is what they've been waiting for. he has to continue to perform like this for weeks and weeks ahead will be on tonight if you will do it, but that was the test and he passed it. elizabeth warren has been speaking already, suggesting that it we think if people speak early, it won't be good for them. elizabeth warren has been speaking in the last hour, let's listen to what she had to say. i'm in this race because i believe i will make the best president of the united states. cheering. and i want to tell you why. i was not born a politician, but i was born a fighter. elizabeth warren suggesting she's in for the long haul. a lot of

supporters that we have spoken to during the course of this campaign have said it was important to them to have a woman in the race, and elizabeth warren was the person they were supporting. there are a lot of disappointed female voters amongst democrats who look at the front runners now and note we have three men in their 70s who are the front runners, what happened to the women? there is a theory that she wants to stay in it because she wants to stay in it because she could be the compromise candidate, if there wasn't someone candidate, if there wasn't someone who got to the 1991 delegate, then you get a contested... both of them have to put delegates on the board tonight if they want to get there. if we go into a contested convention, no one walks in with that 1991, elizabeth warren think she could be a consensus candidate, the progressive alternative to sanders. an appeal to a number of moderates. that is her play, but she needs to start putting some delegates up to do that. that is clearly what bloomberg

thinks as well. but we will see that in the weeks to come. it doesn't look like she will have a good night tonight. let's go to california. sophie long is ata to california. sophie long is at ajoe to california. sophie long is at a joe biden event in oakland, california, just outside los angeles. i imagine they are feeling pretty good. we spoke to you after the virginia results came in, now they've also had north carolina, they have alabama under their belt. it looks good so under their belt. it looks good so farfor him was blue not a bad start for him. a man people we re pretty bad start for him. a man people were pretty much ready to write off two weeks ago, joe biden had a very poor start to this primary season, a poor showing in iowa and new hampshire, a flicker of life in nevada and that resounding win in south carolina at just that resounding win in south carolina atjust the that resounding win in south carolina at just the right time. his campaign very much seems to be alive and kicking. we are expecting to soon here, we don't have any idea of timing, but you can see some of

his supporters are starting to gather at the gates of this gym area here. so we will be seeing him soon and he will step onto that stage with a spring in his step. first of all, virginia, north carolina and alabama are all playing into the argument that bernie sanders would struggle in states like virginia and north carolina if he were up against donald trump comp november. a good start to the net forjoe biden. thinking back to where we were last week, and there was some debate as to whether the senior senator in south carolina would endorse him. i wondered how important that would be. but that endorsement, the one with better or work last night, we're starting to see now how important these endorsements can be? it is tricky to hear you, tricking, but i think you are talking about endorsements. and it was only last night that we saw both pete buttigieg and

amy klobuchar abandon their race, and were on a campaign stage next to joe race, and were on a campaign stage next tojoe biden, introducing him as the next president of the united states of america. so it was difficult 24 hours ago to work out how that momentum and how those endorsements, not just from them but from other senior democrats, whether they would translate into delegates and votes on super tuesday. but early indications would say they have. the problem is, i'm standing in california and this stage is trying to make it as easy for people to vote as possible and for people to get involved in this process. lots of early voting, up to 40% of the votes cast have already been done so. we will be a long time for the results in california, because mail ballots don't have to be received until three days after polling day. so it could be sometime before we get definitive results here in california. one of the problems potentially for joe biden california. one of the problems

potentially forjoe biden in california is that many people cast those votes before he had that major boost to his campaign and those endorsements. so campaign and those endorsements. 50 we campaign and those endorsements. so we will wait to see. by the way, do we have a number on what percentage of the democratic electorate in this primary cast early ballots, or do we not know yet? i can't quite make out what you're saying, it may be about how many people cast early votes? the figures i've seen in california were about 3.5 million, about 40%. so quite a large proportion of votes could have already been cast before south carolina had that win for joe biden. so it is difficult to say at this stage how much ofan impact to say at this stage how much of an impact early voting will have had in the voting stations i was at today, they've been open since saturday. so there isa open since saturday. so there is a big push to make this process as accessible as possible to all those people who work long hours and can't get to a voting station. they've even had 24 hour voting stations in some places in los

angeles. it is difficult to say how much of an impact early voting will have on super tuesday results. thank you very much. a quick reminder to our audience, we've been speaking about candidates winning states. tonight is not about winning states, but about the percentage that you get in that state. the delegates are heading out with a proportion of the vote that you've got. so whether you win by a blow out or bya whether you win by a blow out or by a tight margin will have a difference on the number of delegates. it is looking at the moment likejoe biden delegates. it is looking at the moment like joe biden had delegates. it is looking at the moment likejoe biden had a very decisive win in virginia, which will give him more delegates. it looks like it was a little bit closer in north carolina, so he may get fewer of the delegates. so what are the delegates in math tonight? talking about the early voting, obviously there's been lots of confusion for democrats because it is such a big field. when

you look at the exit poll data tonight from virginia, six out of ten voters there say that they only decided in the last few days at. you see that time and time again, and especially for a democratic primary, highly unusual because everyone is so fixated on finding the perfect candidate to beat donald trump. that is all anyone cares about. and women in particular, which i think have hurt weren't done at her worn in klobuchar. i do think that hurt both of them, but when you look at buying's performance over the weekend and sophia's right, 3.5 million people with votes, they can be a big difference. as good as joe biden is doing tonight, it may look different next week. they lost votes, in the attorney general has already made that clear that if you voted for a candidate who has dropped out, you've lost your vote. i've been texting during the course of this evening with

a bloomberg supporter in north carolina, who we met we were down there, and he says that joe biden has consolidated the middle and will be the nominee u nless middle and will be the nominee unless the wheels run off this spring. a little early to say that. but that is from someone who shifted their support from joe biden to bloomberg because he feltjoe biden did not have the momentum and is now seeing that momentum. let's go to vermont, jane o'brien is that bernie sanders's headquarters in essex junction, vermont. bernie sanders's headquarters in essexjunction, vermont. in a reaction from supporters there? they are really nervous. they are very worried about the momentum that joe biden they are very worried about the momentum thatjoe biden seems to have got so far, but they're also saying to hang on a minute, it will be a long night, and watch out for california. that for bernie sanders supporters here will be the test to see how well bernie sanders can continue doing. they point out things like the

fa ct they point out things like the fact that he has far better grassroots organisations across the country, joe biden doesn't have the money, bernie sanders does have a pretty good money chest. they're hoping that the infrastructure will be there to help carry bernie across this —— crossing light. it is not about getting delegates, that that thing that people are most concerned about is before amy klobuchar and pete buttigieg dropped out and endorsed joe biden, they were actually dragging him down, divvying up those delegates among the three of them. now they sayjoe biden is the only person in this race that bernie sanders has to beat. thanks very much, jane. very noisy there. you look at the energy at bernie sanders rallies, but when we were in north carolina, we had 3—400 people in that gym in la.

thousands of people packing out, so much energy across the country with bernie supporters. our correspondent nick bryant is at michael bloomberg's headquarters in west palm beach, florida. florida is not one of the 14 states there, but bloomberg very much with his eye on florida as one of the states you'd like to win. will they be disappointed with some of the results they've seen so far? they've won american samoa, and that gets them seven delegates. but that's a bit like spending the night at las vegas can making huge bet after huge bet after huge bet, and losing every single one, then putting ina few every single one, then putting in a few quarters in the slot machine and coming away with a few dollars. the bloomberg strategy has failed. they hoped to knock joe biden strategy has failed. they hoped to knockjoe biden out on super tuesday, and that will not happen. we will end super tuesday with a two horse race.

it will be joe biden in the moderate lane and bernie sanders in the left wing lane. mike bloomberg will not have a significant impact going forward , significant impact going forward, i don't think, after what he hoped would be his breakthrough moment. he carpet bombed the super tuesday states with television advertising. you couldn't turn on a tv in places like virginia without it looking like the mike bloomberg channel. it was not the sort of thing that democratic voters wanted. what we are seeing is joe bidenjust wanted. what we are seeing is joe biden just picking wanted. what we are seeing is joe bidenjust picking up southern state after southern state. as the race moves west, the voters will have an impact and bernie sanders will do better. but mike bloomberg is having a terrible night, despite american samoa. very important voting delegates, i'm sure. back in 2016, mike bloomberg did the maths and

decided it wasn't worth his fortune running but he would just spend too much money. your analogy, he wasted too much on the slot machines — he made the gamble this time around, you can't just parachute in gamble this time around, you can'tjust parachute in late to an american election, or was it that mike bloomberg is not a very good candidate? or was it that he's not the right candidate for this particular election cycle? he spent millions of its own fortune, as you know, but it is not a very good retail politician. that is the thing. he's not very good at glad which is what joe the thing. he's not very good at glad which is whatjoe biden is good at. —— gladhanding. he doesn't deliver a passionate, stirring stump speech which is what bernie sanders is good at. he just doesn't have those political skills of campaigning. he will argue when he makes a case in his television ads that he gets things done. "michael get it done" is the teacher people have. but in order to reach the

place where you get things done, to be in the room where it happens, you need to win elections. mike bloomberg could do that in new york because he hadn't spent all his rivals, but it is hard to do that on the national level. he thought joe biden was a weak candidate, but asjoe joe biden was a weak candidate, but as joe biden always knew, african—american voters with their him a lifeline. that has destroyed bloomberg. the rationale with him continuing, which was basically to try and stop bernie sanders winning the nomination, that rationale is now blasted because the longer he stays in, the more help he gives to bernie sanders because he splits the moderate vote. they won't drop out, usually you drop out because you run out of money. mike bloomberg won't run out of money. laughter. when you have a fortune of $64 billion, you can spend a few

billion, you can spend a few billion on an election campaign. one thing that is interesting, bloomberg, in the normal election cycle, in some ways, the break—out of the coronavirus, you might think that would've played to the advantage of someone like mike bloomberg. he was pretty audacious, he booked a three minute add sunday night, almost like a presidential statement to the contrary as to how he would run the coronavirus strategy. it tells you they are to mike bloomberg. there's the packaged version you see on tv, paying millions and millions of dollars, then there's the bloomberg you see on the debate stage. i think americans across the country are saying, "we have size of the one we saw on the debate stage and it is not the debate stage and it is not the same one in the commercials. he is floundering. " commercials. he is floundering." money commercials. he is floundering. " money cannot commercials. he is floundering." money cannot buy you love. is that what it was, it was not the strategy, but the man itself who was just a flawed candidate? no question. it is precisely why he skipped those first four contests.

those states are retail politics states, you have to state democratic hands and be in their homes for a year. he just didn't have that time. isn't this a fairly sophisticated campaign? a lot of polling goes into it, he's strong on social media, and we saw how successful he was at that in 2018. he got some of the moderate candidates in trump districts into the house, andi trump districts into the house, and i wonder if he is doing what the democratic national party is not doing on the doorstep was blue and algorithm is not a human emotion. the rest of the country relies on iowa and new hampshire to vet these vets as human beings first. they meet them multiple times, the rest of the country doesn't get that chance. they didn't do that with bloomberg, then they said, "we saw him in then they said, "we saw him in the debates and he didn't match the debates and he didn't match the ads." the debates and he didn't match the ads. " one the debates and he didn't match the ads." one last point, this afternoon there was a very credible report in vanity fare

citing that his advisers were counselling bloomberg to leave the race today before super tuesday and to endorse biden, and he didn't do that. that's a huge amount of money. he can put his money there some point like you say, he did that in the 2018 midterm elections saw what he has said he would do it again, he said he would spend $1 billion on this race whoever is the candidate. but it is not working. and offer him but it could do in support of another candidate. i don't by it. could do in support of another candidate. idon't by it. i agree 100% with this analysis. you don't think bloomberg money injected into a biden campaign could be a pretty strong, powerful weapon? it could be a pretty strong, powerfulweapon? it could be strong and powerful, but people will look at this and see it as a cynical ploy, the democrats say they want to get more money out of politics, yet they will still put billions of dollars in the politics was make it a cynical. is joe biden plus 's

only chance. i don't disagree with the two of you, but i think you cannot buy authenticity. if you start throwing that money... bloomberg has oodles of authenticity. having travelled around this country as much as we all have, people are saying there is too much money in politics and they are tired of the plutocrats buying elections. elizabeth warren said that and look where he got her tonight. let's go to the bbc's her tonight. let's go to the bbc‘s anthonys. no one studies this race quite as closely as anthony does in our washington bureau. how does it look tonight to you? i think obviously the story of the evening tonight as joe obviously the story of the evening tonight asjoe biden doing very well, towards the higherend of doing very well, towards the higher end of expectations. outperforming some of the poles we saw in the last few days in virginia and north carolina. but i want to inject a word of caution here, he's doing well in the south. big prizes are still out there to be one, texas and california. the story

isn't written, bernie sanders could still have a very good evening. the reason why is because joe biden is doing well among black voters and older voters, and among voters who just decided in the last few days, in places like texas and california, there are more young voters, more hispanic vote rs young voters, more hispanic voters that ernie does well with. those states had a lot of early voting. so there'll be lots of ballots cast in texas and calico —— california —— bernie does with. we can say joe biden is having a very good evening so far, it is still too early to make a decision on bernie sanders. what do you make of massachusetts? elizabeth warren, we've talked about her and we heard from her tonight saying she wants to carry on, but don't you have to at least carry your own state if you are going to be considered a likely nominee? if you are going to be considered a likely nominee7m is funny, i was talking with bernie sanders's senior adviser about a month and a half ago

about a month and a half ago about what sanders had to do in what states he had to win. one thing he said as you can lose any state, but you can't lose her home state. i thought it was interesting he brought it at the time, and he was on but massachusetts and how bernie would try to knock warren out by winning massachusetts. he won there twice in the past few weeks, looking to thumb his nose in her face on her own home terrain. it will be interesting to see, it will be tough for her to go on if she loses massachusetts. however thatis loses massachusetts. however that is her home turf. anthony, keep drilling into those numbers. very interesting, we will come back to you through the course of the evening. it was tight in minnesota, her home state. if you can't carry her home dust your home state, used should bounce. we saw something today that we didn't see in their public and race in 2016. their public and

establishment desperate to take on donald trump and beat him, but there were too many candidates in the race. that democrats haven't done that, they pulled out in order to do what we've seen tonight, pave the way for two potential candidates. we'll have more as the night wears on. hello. we know, of course, it was a very wet winter. now the met office says it was the uk's third least frosty winter on record. we are going to start wednesday with the widespread frost. but there is more rain on the way, as these weather fronts head in, particularly into parts of england and wales. so even where you start with some sunshine, you will see some cloud increasing and the chance of rain pushing north. but lots of uncertainty about how far north that rain might get. we may not see too much in northern ireland or northern england, much of scotland staying dry. that's how it looks temperature—wise, first thing, that widespread frost, but notice we aren't so cold towards southwest england. that's because here we are starting the day with cloud and outbreaks of rain.

and this very gradually spreads further north across the rest of southern england, wales, into the midlands during the day. but it is a slow process and you may not see too much rain towards northern england and northern ireland. cloud will slowly increase, you may get a few showers starting to break out. showers too for western scotland, but for the rest of the east it is mainly dry. a bit of sunshine, as well. it will feel a bit cooler, the chance of seeing a bit of hill snow into snowdonia, perhaps the peak district, especially as this begins to pull away on wednesday night. and then, skies will clear, northern ireland, scotland, northern england in particular for a chance of frost again going into thursday morning. so for some of us, it will be a cold start on thursday, but the frost isn't as widespread as elsewhere, temperatures hold up underneath cloud. and the potential on thursday for seeing some soaking rain into the channel islands, perhaps also southern counties of england will see strong winds, as well, although there's lots to play for in how far north any rain here will get on thursday.

so watch this space. showers into northwest scotland, elsewhere a fair amount of dry weather on thursday. and then into friday, we will bring along a week weather system across the uk, just pick out some thinker cloud here with the chance of seeing some patchy rain and perhaps some hill snow out of that amount. fairly quiet at the moment on friday. but unfortunately, that will not last because we have a stronger weather system, a deeper area of low pressure heading our way to the weekend. here it is, and that means the weekend's weather will get windier again. this weather front will take rain southwards on saturday. the further south you are, you may not see too much rain during daylight hours, but on sunday once this weather system begins to pull away, it is sunshine and blustery showers. that's your latest forecast.

this is bbc news. the headlines. polls have closed in more than half of the us states taking part in the super tuesday primaries. senator bernie sanders is projected to win formike, his bernie sanders is projected to win for mike, his home state whilejoe biden is projected to win virginia, north carolina, and alabama. estimated three other states could go either way. —— two win by my. the who says the mortality rate of those who might have had the coronavirus appears to be just under three and a half percent. that is higher than the usual rate for the flu. the us central bank has made an emergency interest rate cut over economic risk posed by the virus. and in the us, at least 25 people we re and in the us, at least 25 people were killed as tornadoes ripped through the city of nashville and across the state of tennessee. buildings collapsed in tens of thousands of people are without power. those are the headlines.

we'll be