welcome to bbc news. i'm lewis vaughan jones. our top stories: president trump uses his independence day address at mount rushmore to condemn what he calls a merciless campaign to defame america's heroes. i am here as your president to proclaim before the country and before the world, this monument will never be desecrated. as pubs in england reopen on saturday, the prime minister boris johnson issues a warning to the public not to be complacent. police brutality in the spotlight in mexico, with a teenage soccer player shot by a policeman from a parked patrol car.

and the washington redskins american football team agrees to review its team name, which has long been considered offensive to native americans. president trump has used an independence day address to condemn what he called a merciless campaign to wipe out america's history and defame its heroes. he was speaking at the mount rushmore national monument in south dakota, under the giant sculptures of four historic presidents. mr trump said angry mobs were trying to tear down america's most sacred monuments and impose a left—wing cultural revolution. angry mobs are trying to tear down starches of our founders,

damage our sacred memorials and unleash a wave of violent crime in our cities. some know exactly what they are doing. they think the american people are we and soft and submissive —— weak. but no, the american people are strong and proud and they will not allow our country and all of its values, history and all of its values, history and culture to be taken from them. the bbc‘s north america correspondent david willis was listening to the speech. this is the sort of speech which goes right to donald trump's base and he is trying to whip them up by focusing most recently on protests which have led to the falling of statues in various states across this country. now, instead of addressing the underlying reason for those protests, which of course have been police brutality, racial inequality

in this country, president trump has preferred to focus on the lawlessness surrounding some of those protests, and he talked just a short while ago, about angry mobs who he said were tearing down these statues and seeking basically to tear down american history. it is a clear attempt by the president to position himself very firmly apart from his presumptive democratic rival, joe biden, who he has sought to paint in the same corner as the anarchists and the looters who recently were running rampage in some, as he points out, mainly democrac—run cities and towns. interesting, david, let's get back to this event itself, because not only what he is saying but the fact that the event is happening in the way that it is has also drawn some criticism, given the surge in coronavirus? absolutely.

and the governor of the state of south dakota and said quite simply in response to that criticism, lewis, "if you do not like it, just stay at home." but you know what, there are 7,500 people who were scheduled to be there this evening, certainly quite a large crowd looking at the early television pictures, and there's no social distancing, very few people, if any, seem to be wearing face masks and that is in direct contrast to the advice given by donald trump's own health advisers, who've said that social distancing is necessary if the current outbreak is to be contained. and the us saw yet another record being broken today — more than 50,000 cases of the coronavirus once again, and in five different states at least they have hit new record levels today. david willis there.

next, the coronavirus lockdown in england has just been eased, with many businesses including pubs, restaurants and hairdressers now allowed to reopen. the british prime minister has urged people to "enjoy summer safely" and says he won't hesitate to reverse the measures if cases begin to climb. 0ur political correspondent alex forsyth has more. so two of you? yes, please. it's in the diary, the table's booked. businesses preparing to open up after months of lockdown. some restaurant owners not sure what to expect. nobody knows, no—one knows. we have no idea who's going to come, who isn't. this tourist town in the cotswolds is gearing up. even in the model village, it feels like a big moment. anxious, nervous, excited. it's a nervous time for number ten, too — in his words, a turning point they have to get right, with the virus still present. if it starts running out of control again, this government will not hesitate in putting on the brakes and reimposing restrictions. as we take this next step, our biggest step yet on the road to recovery, i urge the british people

to do so safely. this is what the government wants to avoid. last week, crowds crammed onto bournemouth beach, seemingly ignoring social distancing. critics claim the prime minister's public messaging was in part to blame. tomorrow's been described as "super saturday". are you confident at this point that you've struck the right balance between the country's health and the economy, and are you confident you've got the right public messaging? and to the scientists, if i may, are you comfortable with the pace that this unlocking is progressing? 0n the balance, it is incredibly important to get the balance right, and our priority is health. 0ur priority is the health of the british public. what we're trying to do is walk this narrow path.

there is no perfect time. there is no perfect, exact way of doing it. this virus is a long way from gone, but it's not going to be gone for a very, very long time. it's now a lot lower than it was. we are going to have to take risks, whatever we do. and this seems a reasonable package of risks at this particular time, at this particular pace. but none of us believe, and i'm sure nobody watching this believes this is a risk—free next step. this is a significant moment for the country, but it's a significant political moment, too. the government's faced real criticism for the way it's handled aspects of this crisis. now, as england faces the biggest easing of restrictions so far, ministers can only hope they've got this right. in leeds, they're preparing for the weekend. extra street marshals will be out, asking people to keep their distance. 0ne local police representative is angry it's all happening on a saturday. it's absolutely nonsense. they should have done it on a monday and done a slow, phased release, giving people a chance to adapt. just days ago, leicester

was the first place subject to a local lockdown, after a spike in cases. today, the government said local outbreaks will be a feature of life to come, as the country takes this next step, so welcome for some, but not without warning. alex forsyth, bbc news, westminster. a mass burial has taken place in myanmar after one of the worst mining disasters in the country's history. rescuers are working to retrieve bodies from the jade mine after it collapsed on thursday. more than 170 people are now confirmed dead, with fears there are many more who will be lost forever. freya cole reports. kneeling by the coffin of a relative, a pregnant woman is overcome with grief. she is one of hundreds of people faced with the grim task of laying loved ones to rest. rescue efforts are ongoing, but have been hindered by the danger that remains in the flooded mine. translation: we have

to take care of the safety of the rescue teams during the recovery operation. we are doing our duties in a very dangerous place. we have found nearly 200 dead bodies so far but i believe there will be some victims under the water that we can't find. the wall of water and mud cascaded into the jade mine on thursday. workers scrambled for their lives, warning others of the sudden danger. but for many, the chance to escape was impossible. in myanmar, the jade industry is riddled with corrupt links to the military and wealthy business owners. this mine should have been closed for the rainy season. but instead, so many took the risk with the hope of a lucky discovery. translation: we are working for a living at the jade mine. there was nothing i could do when i heard my nephew died in the landslide. he is one of so many. leaders in myanmar have blamed the disaster on the country's high rates of joblessness.

the government has promised an investigation, but critics have called out the lack of action for decades, which has resulted in tragedy. freya cole, bbc news. while much of the recent focus on police brutality has centred on the united states, it's a problem in many other parts of the world, too. recent protests in mexico have drawn attention to killings there. will grant reports. one last goal for 16—year—old alexander martinez gomez. in a tragic goodbye team—mates at the us—born semi—professional football footballer smothered his coffin with hugs and tears. still at a loss as to how he could have been shot in the head by police as he chatted to his friends outside a gas station in oaxaca state.

at his wake his distraught mother said local police shot him like he was a common criminal. "he was a sportsman, he had a scholarship," she cried. "and these were supposed to be the people who look after us." the policeman has now been arrested over the shooting. in a statement, the state attorney general‘s office said that they will be no impunity in this case or any other in which members of the police forces have harmed the well—being and the lives of 0axacan families. police brutality is an ongoing and serious problem in mexico. few mexicans will forget the disappearance in late 2014 of 43 student teachers in guerrero state who were the last seen in hands the local police. this is one specific form of police brutality which as you take someone into custody and the person ends up dead. that is one type of brutality but there are many others. they used torture by mexican law enforcement

is a systemic problem. from small towns in rural 0axaca to the capital of mexico city, protests over police brutality are growing. earlier this month, demonstrations turned ugly after a young man, giovanni lopez, died from wounds received while in police custody in guadalajara. in guadalajara itself, a policeman was set alight. mobile phone footage taken from the night giovanni was detained suggested it was for not wearing a face mask. the bbc has repeatedly approached the public security ministry for an interview but no—one has been made available. you can find similar cases, like the one we saw in guadalajara in recent years and pretty much every state in mexico. as alexander martinez‘s friends sang a lament around his coffin, his hopes

of a life in sport or cut short by policeman who were either unaware oi’ unconcerned of who they were shooting at. another sign of a country where a process of genuine police reform is long overdue. will grant, bbc news. this is bbc news. our main headline this hour: president trump uses his independence day address at mount rushmore to condemn what he calls a "merciless" campaign to destroy america's history and defame its heroes. the washington redskins american football team has agreed a review of its controversial team name following renewed pressure from its main sponsor. fed ex, a major backer of the franchise and the team's stadium, is asking them to remove the controversial name, which has long been considered offensive to native americans. the latest calls come after a fresh focus on racism sparked by worldwide protests over the death of george floyd.

leah salgado is deputy director of illuminative — an organisation to improve the depiction of native americans in us culture. thank you very much was talking to us. thank you for having me, lewis. so this has been a long time in the making, it'sjust a review of the name at the moment. how confident are you the name of actually change?” think i'm very confident that it is going to change. i think companies and consumers, people in the united states were all standing up and saying we're not going to take any racism that the team has and so i think the name is going to go. eight and this name has been around a long time, as have calls for it to change. it's offensive to native americans. how has it managed to hang around so long, if that offence has been going on so long? it's important we recognise that the name isa important we recognise that the name is a racial slur. i think in the united states, native people are often made invisible, we're not talked

we're kind of relegated to the sidelines. i think folks have apathy when it comes to changing the name and getting rid of the master generally. is there any way for people who will point to the history of the team to tradition, is there any way of holding, holding onto any part of the name or the imagery or any association between the team and its history in a way that wouldn't be offensive, or is itjust com pletely be offensive, or is itjust completely impossible? the history and the team are steeped in racism and the original owner of the team chose the name, the r word, at the time when many traditional people were not allowed to practise their beliefs or their dances and i think the legacy of the team is one but is very much tied with racism and so it cannot be anything less than getting rid of the name and also getting rid of the mascot. the name and the mascot goes but is there any way to honour

native american history and traditions in relation to football or other names or is there no way at all? no, there is not. when we look at these mascots, they are a caricature of native people. when we look at fans that put on headdresses oi’ at fans that put on headdresses orfans at fans that put on headdresses or fans that put on red face, what they are doing is appropriating who we are, they are not thinking about our traditions or our culture so there is no honour there so there is no honour there so there is no way for us to do that in sport at all. so interesting to hear from you, thank you for coming on the programme and we will await the results of the review. thank you leah salgado. the united states registered more than 53,000 new covid—i9 cases on friday and several states set new records. i spoke to drjoseph mccormick, an epidemiologist and founder of the school of public health in texas. i asked him how worried he was thatjuly 4th celebrations could help to spread the virus.

so i am very worried, because we have already seen what happens when we have these big celebrations. after the memorial day holiday at the end of may — yes, at the end of may — during june, we saw an incredible spike in cases, and that is what we are experiencing right now in all of texas, including south texas. for example, we have seen a tenfold increase in the number of people being hospitalised with this. we went from about — in our county, which is about 450,000 people, we went from ten cases a day to now over 100 a day and our hospitals are now well beyond capacity. we are seeing a huge problem with hospitals. this is being played out also in san antonio, as well as houston and dallas, and austin, so all the major cities, and it is also out in rural areas. we are seeing cases now spiking now in some of the smallest

counties in texas. worrying that capacity is being met or exceeded at this time. i am just reading here about some of the patients and an issue particularly with pregnant women? yes, this is particularly — so the south texas area particularly has one of the highest fertility rates, which of course means that there are a lot of pregnant women and, given the transmission now within the community particularly by young people, we have seen a big spike — the cases between the ages of 18 and a0 have doubled, so they are driving the transmission, which means they are now infecting pregnant women. so one estimate in san antonio was that maybe as many as 30% of pregnant women coming in for delivery are infected and what this has required at the hospital is to create

an entire separate unit for the babies being born of pregnant women who are covid positive. that is extraordinary. the problem is that transmission is particularly during — right after delivery. forgive me for interrupting. that is extraordinary. i hadn't heard of a separate wing being created for that particular issue. what is your message, then, for young people, but to all americans this weekend? well, the only way we have to control this transmission — and it is already so large — the only way we have to control it is for people to respect the guidelines of wearing masks, staying home as much as possible, certainly not congregating in large — in any large numbers. in fact, there is a mandate in the state of texas now that no more than ten people should be congregating together. and to practise social distancing and hand washing.

those other methods we know work. we know they work because they worked early on in april and may and then, when we stopped practising them and allowed everyone to go out, it was particularly the young people who started getting infected. in fact in our area, two—thirds of the so—called community transmission is from people from 18 to a0. so my message is you have to be respectful of everyone and not transmit it. 0ur our thanks to dr mccormick. let's get some of the day's other news. brazil's presidentjair bolsonaro has diluted a law requiring the mandatory wearing of face masks in public. mr bolsonaro vetoed their obligatory use in shops, churches and schools, arguing this could be unconstitutional. a french court has launched an inquiry into how three

senior government figures — including the outgoing prime minister edouard philippe — have dealt with the coronavirus epidemic. the investigation, triggered by complaints from unions and doctors, was announced hours after mr philippe stood down in a reshuffle. air france says it will cut 6,500 jobs after losing 95% of its revenue because of the coronavirus pandemic. another 1,000 jobs are being shed at a sister regional airline, hop!. the french government has already thrown a multibillion—euro lifeline to the national carrier and urged it not to make compulsory lay—offs. the former head of amnesty international in turkey taner kilic has been jailed for more than six years on terrorism charges. three other amnesty officials were jailed for shorter terms. they deny the charges, saying they were taking part in a human rights workshop when it was raided by police. coronavirus has raised new concerns about the safety of our commutes into work. in fact, the lockdown has

decimated ridership on transit systems in many countries, including the us. in new york, that means subways and buses are running full service with a fraction of the revenue. nada tawfik went around the city to take a look at how mass transit can survive under difficult safety and financial concerns. mass transit is often called the lifeblood of new york. before the coronavirus pandemic, millions relied on it each day. now, with the city reopen, the road to recovery could largely depend on people's comfort with riding public transit. lily, like the majority of new yorkers, is not rushing back to the office. when she does return, she says she will not be riding the subway there. i'm so happy to rediscover new york again, because i'm able to walk to different neighbourhoods i didn't see before — certain

streets are closed off — and it made be more aware of what is going on the environment. now that i'm happy to walk around, to use bikes, to use electric scooters, it made me more cognisant and so, i don't see the need as much to be using public transportation. since the outbreak hit, ridership has plummeted as people stay home or walk and take private cars to get around. this is weekday rush hour and you can tell how empty the subways still are. every month, the mta is losing $500 million. they are trying to make riding safer, though. they have instituted cleaning overnight, social distancing stickers, and they are asking everyone to wear a mask. and i love it. i enjoyed not having a lot of people. i enjoy there's not a lot of people there. you know, and everything. you can see and enjoy the way without the problem and they are faster. i haven't felt uncomfortable yet. there's been other places they felt more uncomfortable than i do on the train. for sure. the safety of public transport during the pandemic is not been well studied, and healthca re professionals continue to urge people to stay home, unless it is essential. i will say that if you are in a crowded train and people are not masking, that is

absolutely an increased risk. if you're able to distance, if you're able to wear your mask and those around you are doing the same, and new york city have stepped up their efforts to pass out masks to pass out hand sanitiser to people as they enter the subway system. it is not a perfect system, but we are doing what we can as a city, as a country to mitigate against these risks. meanwhile, transit authorities and agencies are trained —— trying to mitigate financial damage. at la guardia, a major milestone — the completion of the new terminal b, part of a sweeping transformation of the airport. but officials fear that unless the federal government steps in with aid to cover lost revenue, similar infrastructure projects will suffer. it is critically important. not only has infrastructure in general been neglected, really across the country and across the region, but, we have the potential to contribute to a strong economic recovery. that is what we want to do. investing in infrastructure is one way to soften the blow of the pandemic.

nevertheless, the way we travel in big cities may never be the same. two divers in mexico have found evidence of prehistoric mining from 11,000 years ago in a cave deep beneath the yucatan peninsula. documented in a new study, the cave appears to be a perfect time capsule revealing tools, fire pits, and signs of excavation. to get into the cave, divers had to squeeze through a gap of 70cm. what they saw has been described as one of the most important archaeological discoveries in mexico in decades. they found navigational markers, digging tools and fire pits. the discovery has offered fascinating evidence of the daily lives of people around 10,000 years ago. you can reach me on twitter. contact me at any time. i'm @lvaughanjones.

iam i am lewis vaughanjones and this is bbc news. goodbye. hello there. there's no sign of our weather settling down any time soon and this weekend, it stays certainly unsettled with cloud and rain on the way, and there will be some strong winds as well, particularly as we head into sunday. scenes like these, i think, be quite commonplace over the next 2a hours. you can see extensive cloud racing then across the atlantic, but this area of cloud in the west atlantic, a puny area, a weak area of low pressure at the moment, but it's going to rapidly deepen as it races towards the british isles and by sunday, it will be bringing gales across northern areas. the winds strong enough to bring down some trees, so there is the risk of some transport disruption, particularly in the north. so this weekend — unsettled, windy, especially on sunday. rain at times. a lot of cloud around. 0ccasional brighter spells. that's what we've got on the weather menu. now, over the next few hours, we've got cloud and rain

with us across england and wales. some dry weatherfor a time in scotland. 0ccasional clear spells here. it's a warm night, particularly in the south, with temperatures around 15 to even 17 around liverpool and manchester, whereas further north, a fresher 9 or 10 degrees. now, through saturday, this rain that we start off with will tend to ease. we'll still have some damp stuff around. a little bit of light rain and drizzle just about anywhere but more especially around the western coasts and hills. perhaps a little bit of sunshine poking through in scotland. here, though, there will be a few passing showers the afternoon. temperature—wise, well, we're looking at highs around 16—17 across the north, england and wales, up to around 22 in the warmest spots. then saturday night, our area of low pressure begins to flex its muscles and by sunday morning, we're looking at a swathe of strong winds. the winds will be strongest quite early on sunday morning, working way across the north. so especially for scotland, but also getting very blustery over northern england on and to the east of the pennines.

gusts of wind could reach 50 or 60 mph! if this low pressure deepens, then the winds could be stronger than this, mind you. but either way, winds this strong are capable of bringing down a few trees and certainly causing some transport disruption. it's guaranteed that we'll have some speed limits, for example, on the bridges and the ferries could be affected. even as the rain and winds begin to ebb away, we're looking at blustery showers following in to the north—west as we head through sunday afternoon. but nowhere's really immune from seeing the odd afternoon downpour on sunday. beyond that, well, it stays unsettled. we're looking at further showers around at times, particularly in the north and west.

this is bbc news. the headlines: president trump has responded to criticism over his plans to celebrate american independence day at mount rushmore — with no compulsory face masks or social distancing — saying the monument will never be destroyed. he also condemned what he called a merciless campaign to wipe out america's history and defame its heroes. as pubs in england reopen on saturday, the prime minister has issued a warning to the public not to be complacent. borisjohnson says the public "must not let them down" on social distancing and that he won't hesitate to reimpose restrictions. police brutality is in the spotlight in mexico — with a teenage soccer player shot by an officer from a parked patrol car. in another instance, a man died when an officer knelt on his neck. police brutality is an ongoing problem in mexico.