welcome to new -- to bbc news. i'm kasia madera. italy is under lockdown in a battle to contain the biggest outbreak of coronavirus in europe. across the country, people have been ordered not to travel, other than for work and emergencies. employees are being urged to work from home or take annual leave, all sporting events have been suspended, and schools and universities are shut until the third of april. meanwhile, in the united states, a suburb near new york, new rachelle, has seen one of the worst outbreaks of the virus in the worst outbreaks of the virus in the us. a containment zone has been set up. and doing well online is news that billy eyelash‘s song bad guy has been named as the bestselling digital single of 2019. —— billie eilish's. bestselling digital single of 2019. —— billie eilish‘s. this on top the charts in more than 15 countries. congratulations to billie. that's all from me.

well, now, just after 12:30 a.m., it is time for hardtalk with stephen sackur, speaking to democratic congressman anthony brown. stephen asks if the democrats are on course to make donald trump a one term president. welcome to hardtalk. i'm stephen sackur. the us political landscape has shifted dramatically in the last few weeks. the democratic party's search for the best candidate to beat donald trump in november now seems likely to end with the nomination of a 77—year—old establishment politician written off as past itjust a month ago. isjoe biden really the best the democrats can do? and could the coronavirus crisis change everything? well, my guest is democratic congressman anthony brown. do the democrats have a candidate and a message to beat trump? congressman anthony brown in washington, dc, welcome to hardtalk.

congressman anthony brown in washington, dc, welcome to hardtalk. great to be on with you, stephen. congressman, i think given the state of the world today, we have to begin with the coronavirus. it is having massive impact around the world. i guess many people outside of the united states want to know is the us system of government fit for purpose when it comes to organising an effective response? it's a great question, stephen, because if you look at the united states in the past, we have demonstrated that we can lead the globe when we're taking on issues like ebola, sars, h1n1, and other,

sort of, global pandemics and crises like this. certainly under this administration, they got off to a bad start. i think the president was wrongly messaging. he was trying to instil calm. i think he was more concerned with the market than with public health. but i do think today, we have all the oars in the water and rowing together — our center for disease control, the national institutes of health, public universities and colleges, private labs, public labs in the united states, i think now are reading off the same sheet of music, working towards the same efforts of identification treatment and, of course, eventually a vaccine. it took a little bit of time in coming, but i think we're now moving in the right direction. yeah. i wonder if that's really true.

i'm thinking, for example, of one specific item, that is the availability of testing kits for those americans who are not feeling great and think they may have been exposed to the coronavirus. vice president mike pence said just days ago that he...well, he promised that there would be 1.5 million testing kits available within a week. that simply doesn't seem to be the case. many americans are concerned that if they want to get a test, they're going to have to pay for it. yeah, i think it's important to be candid with the public and not try to message in an overly optimistic way. so it's incumbent upon this administration to take inventory in terms of the testing kits, have a full understanding and appreciation of what private insurance companies will pay for, what they won't pay for, and then communicate to the public. the public can actually accept bad news, as long as it's accurate and consistent.

so that's been the big challenge with this administration. i don't know if you've seen his latest tweet, but donald trump says, and i'm quoting him now, "the democratic party "is still doing its best "to inflame the coronavirus situation "far beyond what the facts warrant." the problem, congressman, is that coronavirus in the us has become something of a political football. which is unfortunate. i mean, you've seen the last three years, almost everything has become a political football. we're now in an election year. and when you have a crisis, a situation like the coronavirus, it does have political implications. but it's not a matter of democrats versus republicans. it's a matter of whether the trump administration can demonstrate the leadership that everyone, both americans and around the world, expect. if you handle it well, then politically it is to your benefit. if you fumble or mismanage, then politically it

will be costly. so, again, it isn't about democrats versus republican. it's about competence and effectiveness and leadership. i understand that point, congressman. and, of course, you're going to look to the chief executive of the federal government, that is the president, for actions that he ought to be taking. but should we not also be expecting plenty from the us congress? you are the legislature. surely there's time now to be considering emergency legislation. i'm thinking, for example, of what to do about those americans who work in the freelance economy, who if they self—isolate for two weeks are going to face real economic hardship. what about those americans who are right now thinking they can't afford to admit they feel ill, because the health care system will not do anything but charge them a great deal of money? shouldn't the congress be thinking about what it can do to deliver results for the american people? absolutely, stephen. you're right. and that's why last week, congress, republicans and democrats, passed about 8.3 or $8.6 billion emergency supplemental.

keep in mind that the administration, the trump administration, was proposing a meagre 2.5 or 2.6 billion. so congress has stepped up. and you make good points that we have to address. for example, paid sick leave. last year we passed paid parental leave and that was led by the congress for the federal workforce. we've demonstrated the ability to do this. we need to do this. we also should be looking at things like, perhaps, a payroll tax relief so that we can help americans who are going to be out of work. we should also think about things like a loan on next year's earned income tax credit. it would be rather inexpensive for the federal government to do it, given that the cost of borrowing is so low today. we've got to look at ways to get money into the hands of taxpayers, of americans, not just to stabilise the economy and the markets, although it may have that effect, but to give them the necessary means to continue to provide for their families if they have to take off time from work, if you're a small business owner and you have to close your shop or you see a reduced patronage. absolutely.

one last question on coronavirus, then i do want to move on to the state of your own party. but let's be straight with each other. what are you saying to your constituents in maryland right now? are you saying to them that, frankly, there is no question, ultimately the us will face a coronavirus epidemic and they need to accept that fact? yeah, certainly, what i do, i share with them the facts that now more and more states in the united states, i think more than 50% have reported, identified and reported cases of the coronavirus. we've got a number of deaths, notjust in the state of washington, but in, i believe, three states. so i want to be clear with them that it is present in the united states.

health experts still assess it as a low risk, but you need to take precautions. i remind my constituents of the precautions we took with h1n1virus. make sure that you're really good on your personal hygiene. ok, let's move on. you're a senior voice in the democratic party. would you accept that in this battle for the nomination, and ultimately it's come down tojoe biden against bernie sanders, what your party is doing is settling, you are settling for the candidate who is not bernie sanders? that's what you've done. what we're trying to do is, i mean, some may characterise it as settling. i think, i characterise it as uniting. we need to unite around a candidate who not only can defeat donald trump in november, but can also

protect, if you will, our down—ballot candidates. i serve in the united states congress, where in november of 2018, we took the majority, and we took the majority with democrats who align more closely with joe biden and his politics. they're moderate democrats who believe in progress. they believe in bold ideas. but they understand we have to take an incremental approach... yeah, but... to getting those things done, practical solutions. right. but, congressman, you know, you're kind of spinning it as uniting, as a positive thing. it's a deeply negative thing. it's driven by fear. and i wonder why you, and i point to you particularly ‘cause you've decided to join the biden bandwagon in recent days, why are you so scared of bernie sanders and the prospect of him being the nominee for your party? if i were to accept the characteristic of fear, the only thing i fear is the prospects of a second donald trump term. i don't believe that senator sanders is the strongest candidate to defeat donald trump.

i think that he has a very solid base of support. i don't believe that it is a base of support that will expand during the course of this primary contest to a point where we can defeat donald trump. i do believe thatjoe biden is that candidate... right... ..that can do that. ok, but... so the fear i have is a second term. but this is extremely damaging for the democratic party, because what you have is a party elite, an establishment of which it has to be said you're a part, who in the last week have all come together backing biden, saying biden‘s the unifying candidate, while at the same time, as bernie sanders pointed out yesterday, "we" — that is the sanders movement — have the support of virtually every major grassroots liberal, progressive, democratic organisation in the country. so you are in denial. the grassroots are not

where you are. well, that's bernie's claim. come to the fourth congressional district in maryland, and i always start from the grassroots and work my way up. and senator — i'm sorry, vice president biden — enjoys the greatest support in the fourth congressional district in maryland. so, you know, i understand that senator sanders is making this claim, and i understand that he does enjoy the support of many grassroots organisations. but the question we've got to ask ourselves is which candidate is best positioned to defeat donald trump and to bring this party together? and i believe that that is vice president biden. and i think also, not only in winning the presidency, but you'd need to hold on to the majority in the house. what... and i'd like to see us take the senate.

what kind of left—of—centre politician are you, congressman? cos i'm just looking at bernie sanders‘ platform. he is promising, and this is interesting, given what we've just been discussing about the threat of coronavirus, sanders is promising medicare for all. he'll do away with private insurance. he'll make sure every single american has access to decent health care. he's going to tax the rich. he's going to take on the billionaires. he wants to erode the power of the corporate interests. you're a left—of—centre politician, and yet, according to some of your own colleagues in the house of representatives, you and your like, who are backing biden, are fear—mongering. you're saying that bernie sanders will somehow destroy the country and it simply isn't true. those are the words of congresswoman pramila jayapal from washington. so, right now, the federal budget is about $3 trillion a year that we spend. actually, we spend $4 trillion. we take in $3 trillion. so we're already operating at a $1 trillion debt. senator sanders‘ proposal will cost $6 trillion a year. and his tax on the wealthiest, which i believe we ought to do,

only covers to add that at $6 trillion. so his proposal, i think aspirationally we should all embrace it, it‘s not practical to accomplish. what vice president biden is proposing is the next step in what we did under the affordable care act, 0bamacare, which is the public option. that‘s a bold step forward. it‘s something that couldn‘t be done in the past. but we could, we can get it done now. so it‘s a bold step. it‘s not, it doesn‘t go as far as senator sanders. but senator sanders‘ goal right now is not achievable with the current composition of congress. thing is, it‘s been a long campaign already. and notjust sanders, but a whole heap of democratic aspirant candidates have taken pot—shots atjoe biden. and what we‘ve learnt about him is that for years he‘s been incredibly close to big pharma, he‘s been incredibly close to the financial interests, particularly the credit card companies.

he also has an extremely questionable record as viewed by african—americans when it comes to some of the things he‘s said about race issues and friendships with segregationist politicians. that‘s going to really hurt when it comes to the national election. look, i thinkjoe has an extraordinary relationship with the african—american community, demonstrated in what we saw in the super tuesday elections, what we saw, of course, in south carolina, the african—american community really appreciate his close partnership with president 0bama. president 0bama made it look easy and he did a wonderfuljob. but i think most african—america ns recognise that that was made possible in large part because president 0bama had a strong number two in vice president biden. yeah, but... vice president biden has... congressman, my point is that a lot of bernie sanders supporters will listen to the sorts of issues that ijust mentioned and they‘ll think, "you know what, if the party will not even contemplate bernie

as the candidate, i‘m not going to go out and support the democrat in november." and there are lots of signs that young voters in particular feel that way. yeah, look, senator... i‘m sorry, vice president biden also has a very strong relationship with organised labour. he worked with president biden to get the united states into the paris climate accord. he is willing to take on the tough issues like climate change, he is willing to work with teachers... no no no con ressman ou‘re not looking at the record. these are the people. and i think now the record is that vice president biden has fought hard for working americans. and when another candidate, an opponent, wants to point out that, while he may have sided here with one industry sector, or here with another industry sector, that mischaracterises vice president biden‘s record. the record, if i may say so... ..that‘s what he‘s going to do.

yeah, but, congressman... but the other thing ijust need to point out is this, is that the number one goal is to defeat donald trump. and, you know, whether it‘s vice president biden, whether it‘s senator sanders, whether it was amy klobuchar, pete buttigieg, quite frankly, tulsi gabbard, — i‘d take any one of those five over donald trump. so right now, i think most americans are focused squarely on electability. well, i can hear young progressive democrats like alexandria 0casio—cortez and others saying to that, "do you not care at all about the heart and soul "of the democratic party, about delivering for the american "people in a different way, finally pursuing an agenda "which isn‘t about the corporate interests, "it‘s about the interests of ordinary people?" because you sound like the sort of traditional establishment democrat that for years has just followed that moderate

corporate centre—ground politics. well, look, whenjoe biden and i are fighting for raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, when we‘re willing to only support trade agreements that protect labour and the environment and the consumers, when we‘re willing to fight for climate change, and many of the components of the green new deal, that doesn‘t sound particularly establishment. when we‘re talking about a more progressive tax code that will tax the wealthiest americans, will increase the corporate income tax, and quite frankly, i oppose the tax scam of 2017, that doesn‘t sound to me to be beholden to big business. so... maybe you‘re... congressman, maybe... you know, the problem.... the problem with the senator sanders approach is either you‘re for the revolution or the status quo, and most americans, including me and joe biden, are somewhere in between. and one of the problems that we have is that when you have someone who‘s

a moderate, we are labelled as establishment candidates who are beholden to corporate interests. there is somewhere between bernie‘s revolution and the status quo, and that‘s where most americans are. let me ask you one specific question, and it seems to me very relevant right now. it‘s about the vice presidential pick that‘s eventually going to have to be made. let us assumejoe biden wins the nomination. there are two schools of thought. 0ne school says he‘s got to pick somebody who will appeal to the young progressives, the latinos, the people who are notjoining the biden bandwagon so far. the other school of thought says, "absolutely not. this guy is 77 years old. he‘s not in the greatest shape, and we need to have a vice president who is of his ideological thinking and who is ready to take over at a moment‘s notice, and certainly ready to run in 2024, if, as seems very possible, biden chooses not to." which school are you in? well, first, let me reject the notion that he‘s not

in good shape, becausejoe biden‘s in very good shape. but your point is what vice president biden needs to do is to meld all of that. he needs to find a candidate who, you know, and probably the number one responsibility of a vice president is to fill the vacancy of the... ..that may occur in the presidency. so you want someone who‘s ready to lead on day one, someone who can attract certainly that portion of the electorate that may not be attracted tojoe biden, someone that can balance his strengths and his weaknesses, so he can do that, and he‘ll find somebody that can do that, absolutely. do you think it has to be a woman, given the fact that there were so many women in the race for the nomination and they‘ve all been knocked out? and it says something slightly weird about the democratic party, arguably, that yet again, we‘ve got a 77—year—old white male who appears to be heading for the nomination. yeah, no, certainly, iwould... i would love forjoe biden, assuming he‘s the nominee, and if bernie‘s the nominee

as well, to nominate a woman to be vice president. i think that america is long overdue for a woman vice president, quite frankly. we‘re long overdue for a woman president. so i would strongly encourage and expect a woman to be the vice president. ok, so let‘s turn to the elephant in the room, and that is the fact that donald trump looks right now to be in pretty strong position to beat off the democratic nominee in november. you look at the polling, trump‘s recent... the last month, his approval ratings have been pretty good. admittedly, the markets are poorer right now because of coronavirus, but the economy generally has been strong. trump‘s going to be very difficult to beat. yeah, look, it is going to be a difficult race in november, there‘s no doubt about it. and i think that‘s even more the reason why we need to unite behind a democratic nominee sooner rather than later. president trump, at least up until this week, or last week, had a good narrative on the economy.

he pointed to the markets. i don‘t think that‘s a good indicator of the strength of your economy, but he certainly was able to do that. he was able to point to economic growth, and i think now the forecasts are suggesting that growth is going to be... could be negative this year. but up till now, he‘s had a strong economic narrative, not a complete narrative, because we also know that economically, many families need to work two or three jobs in order to make ends meet, that wages, while rising, are generally stagnant while corporate profits are soaring. so there‘s a competing economic narrative. but, yes, up until recently, president trump had a pretty strong narrative. that‘s probably going to vanish if it hasn‘t already. but nevertheless, it is going to be a tough race in november. the democrats have to come together. we‘ve got to energise our base. i think there are a lot of disenchanted republicans who we should welcome to the coalition, and certainly there‘ll be many independents who are going to be, and already are, moving in our direction because of this president‘s, not only his

policies, but his lack of professionalism and his disrespect for a wide swath of the american public. i‘ve got to be honest with you, though, congressman, when you say, "we have got to energise the public," and before that, you‘ve been telling me how committed you are now to the biden campaign — you can‘t really convince either yourself or the american people, can you, thatjoe biden is the guy to energise the united states of america? leave aside the fact trump calls him "sleepy joe" on twitter pretty much every day — mr biden, with all the respect in the world, when he performs at rallies and we see him on tv, he is a man of 77. and to put it bluntly, he comes across as a man of 77.

and some are even suggesting that, you know, there has been some deterioration in his mental capacities. how...? what do you make of that? yeah, first of all, again, i reject any concerns or doubts about vice president biden‘s health, both his physical health and his mental acuity. but in terms of exciting the democratic base, look to november of 2018, where we really energised the base. it was a base that was committed to sort of distancing itself from president trump. we elected a lot of moderate democrats that made the majority in the house. so, number one, you‘ve got this energised base that wants to defeat donald trump, and then number two, and this is the work between now and november, to excite and energise the base around things like raising the minimum wage, protecting workers‘ rights, rejoining the climate change, restoring us global leadership, and getting back to a strategy—based foreign policy, and not a personality—based foreign policy, and those types of things that have in the past and can energise a base

to defeat donald trump. all right. congressman anthony brown, i thank you very much forjoining me from your capitol hill office on hardtalk. thanks, stephen. hello there. on tuesday we had a temperature of 16.5 degrees at kew gardens and in cambridgeshire, making it the warmest day of the year so far. for some southern parts of the uk, the air originated all the way from the azores, hence

that bit of warmth. further north, the air is cooler and it‘s the cooler air that will win out over the next few days. these shower clusters are heading into the north—west of the uk. this band of cloud, all that‘s left of the earlier rain taking some patchy rain and drizzle southwards into the english channel but keeping temperatures up across southern england and wales. colder air further north, though, and lots of showers packing into scotland and northern ireland. and here we‘ll have showers or longer spells of rain on wednesday. some heavy bursts of rain and snow of the hills of scotland. some of those hours will be blown into northern england and wales. towards the south—east of the uk, they get away with a dry day. it will be quite blustery out there, mind you, especially in those heavy showers and across the north—west of scotland, gusts of 50, maybe 60 miles an hour. here, the air is a little bit cooler, but there‘s still warmth to be found across eastern parts of england, temperatures not far of what we saw on tuesday, 111—15 degrees. but it will get colder, i think, later on in the week.

and we‘ve got this weather front taking some wetter weather into england and wales on wednesday night. and it‘s behind that the area gets quite a bit colder and we see the snow level lowering on wednesday night in scotland and northern england. some icy conditions here as there could be in northern ireland as well. but the snow levels will rise, i think, on thursday. but we‘lljust keep wetter weather piling into scotland and northern ireland, the winds strengthening as well and will blow some rain into the north—west of england. a few passing showers across southern parts of england and wales, they get away with a dry day in the midlands. temperatures back to near where they should be for this time of year as they cooler air arrives. that area of low pressure keeps wetter weather going across the northern half of the uk during thursday evening, that pushes away and we get a ridge of high pressure in time for friday morning. so, it‘s a chilly start, yes, the winds will have eased and most places will start dry and sunny. it won‘t be too long, though, before the cloud bubbles up and spreads throughout the day.

and those temperatures are still quite healthy for this time of year, 8—12 degrees. that rain will push its way eastwards on friday night, we‘ll see more rain arriving in the north—west of the uk on saturday. that then sweeps its down way into england and wales and cooler air follows into the north—west on sunday with some sunshine and blustery showers.

welcome to newsday. i‘m sharanjit leyl in singapore. the headlines: italy is in lockdown. public gatherings are forbidden, tourist sites are virtually deserted, and doctors give stark advice to the public. stay at home and be prepared for a kind of war, because we are facing a war now here. in the us, a "containment zone" is in place around the town of new rochelle near new york, following a large cluster of cases. i‘m kasia madera in london. also in the programme, as china‘s cases of coronavirus appear to stabilise, is it business as usual for those