donald trump was my doctor said he feels better than he did 20 years ago. it's a risky message to send to the public about a disease that killed some 210,000 people. you'll see him shortly. he returns to a white house hard—hit by the virus. his press secretary the latest effort is test positive. we talked to michael cohen on how to handle a patient who is also the president. also in the programme....

tens of thousands of people in england are still unaware that they've been exposed to coronavirus — all because of a major failure in the test and trace system. plus, we'll explain what vip syndrome is and why it's a problem for doctors. hello i'm katty kay in washington, christian fraser is in london. donald trump is getting ready to leave hospital with a message to the country on having the coronavirus — i'm feeling great, there's really nothing to be afraid of. if we were expecting mr trump to emerge from his brush with the pandemic as a convert to masks and social distancing, it seems we were wrong. doctors will tell us to mask up, wash hands and keep six feet apart. mr trump has another take...

it would be wrong not to point out that mr trump had the best possible treatment the country can offer. and — that 210,000 americans have died of this disease. here's the president's physician speaking in the last hour. right now, there is nothing that's being done upstairs here that we can safely conduct at home. we are in a bit of uncharted territory when it comes to a patient that received the therapies he has so early in the coui’se. therapies he has so early in the course. so we are looking to this weekend, if we can get through to monday with him remaining the same or improving, but he reacts, then we will all take that final deep sigh of relief. the white house doctor there, doctor connolly. what does this tell us about the president's state of mind?

and his plan for the last month of the campaign? someone who understands how donald trump operates is — michael cohen. he was one of the president's closest aides, he's the author of disloyal — a memoir about his time working for the president, he's the host of the podcast mea culpa and recently spent some time at 0tisville federal prison and is serving the rest of his sentence at home. thank you very much forjoining us. thank you very much forjoining us. thank you very much, katie, and thank you very much for putting in the 0tis bill. thank you very much for putting in the otis bill. do you think there is a chance that donald trump might come out of this brush with the coronavirus thinking differently about this pandemic? no, no. donald trump went in and will come out of walter reed with the identical understanding, which is predicated on ignorance and arrogance. this covid—19 is serious. he doesn't seem to want to accept or understand the fa ct to want to accept or understand the fact that 210,000 people have now died asa

fact that 210,000 people have now died as a result of this. he thinks he's going to believe this virus to the point that it's not going to affect him or others. there is what now, 32 different people i believe that are being tested and checked because of what? again, because of his ignorance and arrogance. could you imagine if you went to bedminster newjersey you imagine if you went to bedminster new jersey for that fundraiser, not only did you stroke the guy a check, but as a party gift from this function, he ended up coming home with covid—19 to your family. ijust coming home with covid—19 to your family. i just want coming home with covid—19 to your family. ijust want people to understand just how ridiculous this entire conversation is. the whole world understands that the way that you start to control it is you wear a mask, you wash your hands regularly. donald trump has gone so far in the white house and said to people, i don't want to see you wearing a mask in my presence, that's insane. i talked about a lot of this inside my book, disloyal, andl of this inside my book, disloyal, and i talk about it a lot on mea

culpa. this is not a joke, and he does not want to seem to want to except the fact that it's not about him, and as many times as i've said this, i'm going to say it now on your show, donald trump does not ca re your show, donald trump does not care about anyone or anything other than himself. i guess a lot of people might think that he would have the virus, catch it, that might humble him in some ways. but you have seen donald trump, you've been at his side through countless business operations, how does he work, how does he take something like this experience and try to use it to his advantage in the campaign? well, he's going to turn around and say, "look, i had it, i understand the virus, which he doesn't, but i understand the virus, i understand how it makes you feel, and this is not something that we as a country need to shutdown, that we need to start rolling our economy again, etc etc. " and start rolling our economy again, etc etc." and he's going to try to use

it to the best of his advantage during the last 28—29 days before november three. mr cohen, i've watched the doctors over the weekend, and of course, we all witnessed the drive—by last night with him wearing a mask, and i can't help thinking when i listen to them that the politics he's driving the decision—making here and not the science, do you get that impression, and what do you think of the conversations that are currently ongoing within the walter reed hospital? laughing welcome of the statements that i'm hearing from just about everybody that watched that ridiculous drive—by as if that wasn't the stupidest thing that they've ever seenin stupidest thing that they've ever seen in theirlife, stupidest thing that they've ever seen in their life, then what is? you have secret service agents, these gentlemen and these men and women of the service are putting their lives injeopardy women of the service are putting their lives in jeopardy every single day for donald trump and their vowel to take a bullet for him as i once did and said to emilyjane fox in vanity fair, like i would've taken a bullet for him, but not if he is the one pulling the trigger. and what is he doing? he's now putting a group

of people into a vehicle that is sealed, those doors, i've been in those vehicles, they weigh like £600 each of the doors, there is no air that comes in and out except what's coming in from the air conditioning, and the fact that he's wearing a cloth mask instead of the paper proper mask, i mean, he is potentially infecting these people and he doesn't care because, again, donald trump doesn't care about anyone or anything other than himself. i suppose that sad thing for america is that he doesn't see the distinction between the office of the president, he's the commander—in—chief, and there is a security issue, there is a financial issue that comes with that, national security issue, of course, and himself. they are not inseparable, are they? and he sort of treats it as if it's his office. i think that's what concerns a lot of people. with all due respect, he treats it as if he is a monarch. just watch how he sits there and turns his hand. you think sees either the pope or he thinks he's the queen. he thinks he's the royal

monarchy. he needed to go and to show his face and to make sure that his loyal subjects that were standing there on the street need to make sure that he is ok. i mean, the whole thing is... here is the part that bothers me the most. the fact that bothers me the most. the fact that he put people's lives in jeopardy the welcome of that's expected of donald trump, but what about the expense for this ridiculous stunt? not only did they shut down the streets and you have the police officers that are there, you have the secret service that are all over, you have the people in the vehicles, i mean, this is a $100,000 excursion for this as to literally show himself for a block and a half round and around and around, this is absolutely ridiculous. i do not understand what the man was thinking i don't understand the people around him. you can't control donald trump. donald trump is an un—caged animal,

and the fact of the matter is that he is the president and thinks he is completely autonomous. he doesn't answer to anyone, he's going to do what he wants to do, and what he doesn't realise is all he is doing is hurting himself as he's hurting himself, his potential future campaign, and he's hurting america. he is hurting america with this ignorance and this arrogance. so, let's look at that campaign, because i'm sure that mr trump is seeing the poll numbers like anybody else is seeing them, especially coming out of last week's debate when he seems to have taken a nosedive in the polls and some of those swing states. it looks at the moment as if the polls are right, that donald trump may well lose the election in november. how do you think he would handle losing? well, i have said this unfortunately too many times, i said it 19 months ago, i was the first one to say it when i testified before the house oversight committee before the house oversight committee before the house oversight committee before the late great elijah cummings thati before the late great elijah cummings that i do not believe that if donald trump loses that there

will be a peaceful transition of power. i still don't believe it to this day. i think he's already setting the stage that in the event he loses, he's going to contest it, he's going to claim fraud, he's going to claim mail fraud, ballot fraud, and now that he's trying to stack the supreme court, it's going to become a fight. i truly do not believe that there will ever be a peaceful transition of power with donald trump. if he does lose, knowing what you know of the investigation in the southern district and the investigation that the manhattan district attorney has mounted, what do you think will happen the other side of the election? in terms of what, sir? in terms of the investigations into his tax affairs, into the payments that we re tax affairs, into the payments that were made to... 0k, were made to... ok, so let me start, sure, but let me start by saying this, that the tax issue that he has right now is notjust with the tax issue that he has right now is not just with the southern district of new york, he hasn't with the attorney—general of the state of new york. the fact that the attorney—general, so the state, he is no longer covered by the pardon

power. that only works with the federal government. i believe that they will continue to look into the taxes, i think that there are an abundance of issues and problems with his tax returns, and i think that it's going to be a real problem for him, the trump organisation, allen weisel bird, donjunior, eric, you punk, ithank allen weisel bird, donjunior, eric, you punk, i thank you are going to find fraud all over the place. is clearly no love lost between you and the president, mr cohen, does he have any redeeming features in your eyes? redeeming features? i'll have to get back to you on that one. laughing limit all get back to on that one. cani limit all get back to on that one. can i ask you one last question about the russia investigation there we re about the russia investigation there were obviously bob woodward who spoke to his books said he couldn't really understand why mr trump behave the way he did around vladimir putin and was convinced

that mr putin had something on president trump. i know you went to moscow for him, do you commit can you explain this? sure, let me stop you for a second, because i never went to moscow. not only have i never been to moscow, i've never been to russia, i've never been to the czech republic, i've never been to that side of the world. yes, we were looking to do a project, a failed real estate project, a failed real estate project in moscow, but it never materialised, and i've never been there. as faras materialised, and i've never been there. as far as his love and his affection for vladimir putin, it's no different than his love affair going on with kim jong—un or one, or maduro, he wants to be an auto cracked, he wants to be a dictator, he wants to be the king. and he doesn't understand that that's not the role of the president. the president is supposed to be a representative of all the people. donald trump doesn't want to represent all the people, he only wants to represent his supporters, and that's a big problem. his love affair with vladimir putin is simply because he admires him for being

vladimir putin for how he basically runs and controls russia. and as far as this russia investigation that we nt as this russia investigation that went on early on, there is so much that's there that is incorrect, you know, why donald trump fought it and created this turmoil with fake news, witchhunts, and all that, i don't really know. he should've come out and told the truth and had he done that, i wouldn't have probably ended up that, i wouldn't have probably ended up with the legal issues that i ended up with. michael cohen, thank you forjoining us. very good to see you. thank you so much. it seems the president's doctors have thrown everything they can at his infection. getting an exact picture of his state of health, hasn't been easy. here's what we do know. the white house says president trump and the first lady tested positive for coronavirus on thursday evening. by late friday morning mr trump already had a high fever and his oxygen saturation levels had

dipped to 93% — just below the normal lower limit of 95% — and he was given oxygen for about an hour. that afternoon he received an infusion of monoclonal antibodies — to reduce viral load. it's promising, but there's no proof yet it works. he was flown to walter reed national military hospital. and there he received a second drug — remdesivir, an antiviral, that was approved in may as a covid—19 therapy. it's been shown to speed up recovery and is used widely in the us. on saturday, the president was given the steroid dexamethasone. this works by dampening the body's immune system which can go haywire with covid—19. it's been shown to help the sickest covid patients but is not recommended for patients with mild symptoms. we'rejoined by dr darria long — a clinical assistant professor at the university of tennessee. thank you very much for being with us. thank you very much for being with us. cani thank you very much for being with us. can i just thank you very much for being with

us. can ijust ask thank you very much for being with us. can i just ask what you made thank you very much for being with us. can ijust ask what you made of doctor connolly's comments in the last hour that seemed to me an awful lot that we still don't know. yeah, hi christian, good to see you both. there is a tone that we don't know, andl there is a tone that we don't know, and i felt that one part of it was fairly mysterious that he was able to share some things but then invoked hippa, or health information and privacy act, is that he couldn't answer others, because of technically that were the case, the entire conference would've been a violation of hippa. so it seemed like a very selective use of hippa to not share exactly what they maybe wa nt to not share exactly what they maybe want to share. can we talk about the question, some very good questions about his lungs, because when you look at this medication that he's on at the moment, there are valid questions about whether he has pneumonia, what sort of problems he had with his lungs over the weekend. let's just listen to doctor connolly on saturday, and then how he corrected himself on sunday. what do the x—rays and ct scans show, are there signs of pneumonia,

are there signs of lung evolvement? was there any damage to the lungs? yeah, so we are tracking all of that. there were some unexpected findings, but nothing of any major clinical concern. he was asked about that again today, and still no detail. what would you like to know about the situation with his lungs? so, christian, i would love to know what's actually the cat scan would've shown of his lungs. we know that tobit does show abnormalities in a cat sand, and i would love to know, they mentioned oxyge n would love to know, they mentioned oxygen saturation, and they said 95%. when it comes to dexa methadone, we don't give that necessarily in unless they are actually hypoxic, that their oxygen levels are lower, because it's beneficial in some patients who are moderately suit —— severely ultima but it is a steroid commit suppresses our immune system, so you don't want to give it to somebody who doesn't necessarily need it, because they are not sick enough,

because they are not sick enough, because it has other adverse effects, like increased risk of other bacterial infections. so i would really love to know, we have to assume that his oxygen levels we re low to assume that his oxygen levels were low enough to make and be given that drug, for instance. doctor long, listening to doctor conley, the white house position this afternoon, he was pretty categorical that the president is out of this now. he said he's back, effectively stopping other words, he's back to where he was. is that it? is the danger over an opera president trump? is he right to be leaving walter reed and going back to the white house? katty come i don't think this timeline makes any sense. if we look at when a patient with covid gets very ill, say a patient was exposed on day zero and developed symptoms around day five, it's not until often day 7—10 or even it's not until often day 7—10 or even sometimes 12 that we see those who get severely ill start to develop those severe infections. so if he did really only become symptomatic say thursday or so, he's not out of the woods by any means, he is not to that 10—day period

today, and which case, what was the point of going to walter reed and just being there for three days? the only other thought is that maybe the timeline isn't right, maybe he was sent to medic earlier, we just don't know. but it doesn't fit. ok, doctor long, thank you very much for joining us. thank you very much. a lot more on this, right? fascinating, both the timeline and the medical situation, who he is now going to handle a campaign. all of it, christian, still unanswered questions. and if we have as much news over the next four weeks as we have had over the last four days, this campaign is going to keep us all on our toes. eskimo we —— when we come back we will... the scottish government is considering if more restrictions need to be put in place to control rising cases of coronavirus. nicola sturgeon said a decision would be made in the next few days. 697 new cases have been reported in scotland since yesterday.

there's speculation about a two week circuit—brea ker being imposed in scotland the end of this week. the cabinet will be considering to update the situation when it meets tomorrow morning. if we do decide more restrictions are necessary and no decision has been taken yet, i want to give an assurance that we will endeavour to give you, the public, and of course, the scottish parliament as much notice as possible. as well as a clear explanation of our reasons and rationale. i want to promise you that we do not impose restrictions lightly. if we decide that extra restrictions are necessary, it will be because we deem it necessary and vital to get the virus back under control and avoid unnecessary loss of life. president trump is returning to the white house in the next few hours. he says he's feeling better than he did 20 years ago and says

there's no need to be afraid of covid. there are more than seven million cases of covid—19 in the in the united states and many of the latest ones are in the white house itself as the virus sweeps through some of the president's closest aides. cassie smedile is the rnc‘s deputy communications director, she joins us now from washington. thank you so much forjoining us. i'm sure you've seen the presidents to eat to tell people not to be afraid of the coronavirus, to not let it dominate your life, and he says he feels better than he did 20 yea rs says he feels better than he did 20 years ago. is that a responsible thing to be telling the american public when some 210,000 people have already died? well, i think he is talking about the nearly 2 million people who are in recovery from it, and to show that optimism as a leader from that perspective to say, get the care you need, take the time you need, listen to your doctors... but not everybody‘s going to have the care the president taft, of course. certainly people are going to have access to their doctors, and

that they should take the time they need, and because of this administration, we have access to testing that we didn't have just seven testing that we didn't have just seven short months ago to heed the guidance and advice of the doctor's end of the scientists and of the cdc and to put out that optimistic tone, to say, get through this, get healthy and go on with your life. i think that's an important tone to hear from our leader. i think as he is working through this with the advice of his doctors that he is trained to present that optimistic message to the american people of life continues. i understand that he wa nts to life continues. i understand that he wants to be optimistic, and the president always likes to be optimistic, and there are certainly moments where that is a very valuable attribute in a leader. but saying at the end of that tweet that he feels better than he did 20 years ago, the invocation may the two other people, you really don't need to worry about this because it's going to make you feel much better if you get the coronavirus, and we know that some people die when they get this illness. it doesn't see mikea very

get this illness. it doesn't see mike a very good caution to people. well, we have heard a lot of sympathy from the president about those who have suffered to this horrible disease, but i think what you are also seen, horrible disease, but i think what you are also seen, for example, i took that to me that the president has probably got more looked rest in the last part is that he's gotten in the last part is that he's gotten in the last part is that he's gotten in the last 20 years, or certainly in the last 20 years, or certainly in the last 20 years, or certainly in the last four and that may be why he is feeling better. we can't really play into why he says that, but we do know that he is trying to put forth this image everyone else out there seemingly trying to look for there seemingly trying to look for the negative in this. he is trying to say, look, i can tell you first—hand to say, look, i can tell you first— hand that to say, look, i can tell you first—hand that this is something that if you work with your doctors, you work with the recommendations of the experts, you can get through this, and you can come out on the other side quite well and ready to go back to life. now, i think we all hope and continue to pray for them, but hope that he take some time to make sure that he's fully recovered. but he is clearly working with the guidance of his medical team. that is really the underlying message to all americans into people around the world is that if you work with your doctors and you use your access to ca re doctors and you use your access to care that you can, the vast majority

of people can pull through the. yes, but you have to know whether you been near someone yes, but you have to know whether you been near someone who's been infected, and we have heard from a few people today, michael scheer at the new york times who has tested positive, not been contacted by the white house, chris christie has not been contacted by the white house, the former governor of newjersey, and the current governor of new jersey said he's trying to get hold of 206 people who were in bedminster last week and doesn't have any phone numbers or any e—mails for them yes, but with respect to the bedminster events, we provided all the information that the state of new jersey asked us to offer certainly there is widespread news on this event, so those that were in it tendons are aware that they should go out and skids testing or check in with their doctor. but i would also note that it is of interest that there are government officials at there are government officials at the state level who are giving out the state level who are giving out the sort of information, we talked about hippa earlier, where is the respect for privacy of contact tracing. i would respect for privacy of contact

tracing. iwould note respect for privacy of contact tracing. i would note that it's interesting that they are trained to put the side of the press despite that our party and our leaders have been very compliant with trying to help get everyone —— get in touch with everyone who needs to be contacted. ok, cassie, thanks for joining the programme. thank you. those are some challenges. you like akamai listen to that and what we have heard as well from people close to the administrationlj have heard as well from people close to the administration i don't get a sense that there is going to be a change in protocol that the president is going to change his attitude. and you see, don't you, in the shape of the term campaign and the biden campaign, they are a very different approaches. let me show you, clip actually ofjoe biden today who is out in west palm beach in florida, so here is, and there is his wife, jill, just pulling him away from the reporters. i think we can see it from another angle in a second, but that just gives you from another angle in a second, but thatjust gives you a really good example, doesn't it, that the care that the biden campaign has been

taken, and they have been really good at this, katty, and the way that the term campaign has been approaching it. yes, i thank you are right. i don't think we're going to see the president come out and suddenly embrace mask wearing or embrace social distancing. the difference is going to be that he comes back to a very different white house, right? i mean, you know, he left on friday. that was before a whole slew of people. we fed 3—4 people become infected since he left. and that is going to mean that there is a change in white house. a lot more people isolating another do have to wear masks at their desks. so whether he likes it or not, there would have been a change in the white house when he gets back to it, assuming of course he does isolation first. the challenges of treating a sitting president for covid bring us to the phenomenon known as "vip syndrome", summed up in the cleveland clinic journal of medicine as... vip often pressures the health care team to bend the rules by which they usually practice medicine." i don't know why you brought that back —— brought that up...

i don't know why you brought that back -- brought that up... you are my vip, christian. the warning though is that you can get extra treatment and it can go wrong and doesn't actually help you. so vips actually don't end up in a better position than the hoi polloi like christian fraser and i. good evening. there was a chance to enjoy some of the autumn sunshine and colour for some today, but unfortunately, not for all. further west, we had a rash of nuisance showers and rather threatening looking skies on this weather watcher picture. so the weekend flooding had little chance of easing at all, i'm afraid. there's that area of low pressure in the front out to the west that's continued to drive some showers, and they will do so through this evening and overnight. the heaviest of the rain today has been through northern ireland, parts of wales, moving into the midlands as we speak. and there is a gradual drifting eastwards of those showers through the night tonight. that said, scotland in northeast england will keep with some clear skies here and temperatures perhaps sinking into single figures, but elsewhere, we should see those temperatures holding up at around 10—12 degrees.

so we start off tomorrow morning with some showers from the word go. it's good to be a case of sunny spells and scattered showers throughout tuesday. favoured spots to stay dry, once again through scotland, perhaps northeast england as well, and temperatures will perhaps peak at around 16 degrees, that 61 fahrenheit. now, as we move out of tuesday into wednesday, our low—pressure drifts its way northeast. along the southern flank of the low, we will see the strongest of the winds, and that willjust drift more showers into the far northwest of scotland. but not a bad day on wednesday, looks likely to be the driest day of the working week for many. some sunshine coming through, just by the end of the afternoon, clouding over with a few scattered showers into the southwest, and that is because we change gear once again. as we head towards thursday, there is a potential of more wet weather pushing in from the southwest. this area of low pressure is going to continue to bring some rain, some a bit heavy for a time. there is a level of uncertainty just how far north that rain is going to go,

so you will need to keep abreast of the forecast, and we will firm up on those details. more wet weather moving its way through england and wales. showers into the far north, top temperatures, well, feeling a little bit more subdued with the cloud and rain, probably, but still, 9—16 degrees. now, as we move out of thursday into friday, there is more wet weather to come, as you can see quite clearly, another frontal system will bring more rain into england and wales — potentially staying drier into scotland and northern ireland. once we got rid of that rain, though, things looked likely to quiet down as we head into the weekend. take care.

you're watching bbc news with me, katty kay in washington. our top stories... president trump says he'll leave hospital in a few hours. his doctors report he'll now receive medical care at the white house. we speak to former director of homeland security about how we're all vulnerable. because the president contracted this virus, it is a vivid example that the most secure person in america can get it living in the most secure home in america. no one is safe. here in uk, tens of thousands of people are still unaware that they've been exposed to coronavirus after a majorfailure in the test and trace system. also in the programme.... joe biden is campaigning in florida. we check in to see how the president's diagnosis is affecting its voters.

and one of the longest streaks in politics. we show the voter who has cast ballots in every election dating back to 1940. the situation the us finds itself in is unique. nowhere else in the world has great swathes of its executive branch out of action and isolating as a result of positive covid—19 results. there are questions over how this affects polling day in less than a month's time, and beyond that, there are implications for national security. earlier, we spoke tojehjohnson, secretary of homeland security under president 0bama. what worries me, what would worry me most is the larger picture. covid is still very much with us. it is on a

resurgence in many parts of the united states right now, even though many of us thought we had flattened this curve, and my hope is that because the president contracted this virus, it is a vivid example that the most secure pearson in america can get it living in the most secure home in america —— most secure person. no one is safe, so my numberone secure person. no one is safe, so my number one concern remains covid here in our country. my number two concern right now at this moment, given all that has happened with the president's personal condition in the midst of this campaign, just four weeks before election day, is what i'll refer to as misinformation and hysteria. in this type of environment, social media is not our best friend. there is so much misinformation and conspiracy theories out there pushed by former

and actors specifically the russian government, if our intelligence committee is concerned. my immediate concern is the security and the safety of those who work in the white house compound itself. ths includes the united states secret service so when i was in office, i had the responsibility for the security of the white house compound. when you look at america, you look at the white house compound now, the fact that you have several members of the administration who are now having to quarantine, you have the senate put on hiatus because covid has gone there. i don't think there is another country around the world where the top government officials have been hit like this one has. is that a security failing to have allowed this to happen? it's a security failing, it's a security risk. without a doubt. there is no other

government on earth where so many senior officials within that government have contracted the virus, and so if i were still secretary of security, sorry, secretary of security, sorry, secretary of security, sorry, secretary of homeland security, my piece of advice number one to the president and all those in the white house, no more open gatherings in the rose garden, along the south lawn. we have someone who is known to be contagious, who was actually living in the white house now. he is no longer at walter reed, according to the most recent news report, and so to the most recent news report, and so this is a very, very, very delicate situation requiring absolute strict vigilance and adherence to guidelines. we've seen with the press secretary that negative tests don't necessarily mean that you are clear of covid—19. she's tested positive eight days

after the rose garden nomination. do you have concerns about the chain of command? you have concerns about the chain of command ? because we you have concerns about the chain of command? because we have the vice president out and about containing, he's in utah. we have nancy pelosi who's not quarantined. so nobody seems to be following the advice of the coronavirus task force. here in this country, the presidential line of succession is vice president, the vice president is the first in line for the presidency. the speaker of the house, and the members of the cabinet in the order of the seniority of their departments. when i was seniority of their departments. when iwas in seniority of their departments. when i was in office, i was actually the la st i was in office, i was actually the last person in the presidential line of succession because of the department of homeland security was the newest department. my concern is that because the vice president also works in the white house compound, that he take extra precautions to be

careful i'm concerned he intends to go to the dice presidential debate in utah —— vice presidentjoel debate. the next two members in the line of succession, i'm trying to be gentle, or over the age of 80. i hope that all those at least in the upper hope that all those at least in the upper half of the presidential line of succession are taking extra precautions to, and some form, quarantined during this particularly delicate perilous time. jeh johnson, president 0bama's secretary of homeland security. the uk has experienced all manner of problems with its test and trace system. there's been a shortage of available tests, people have travelled miles to find a testing centre, and now, at one of the most crucial points in the pandemic, we learn today that almost 16,000 positive cases went unreported last week. and all because of an astonishing

spreadsheet mistake at public health england, which makes it highly likely that people who were in contact with those 16000 people, were not alerted, and have unwittingly been spreading covid—19. it's a reminder than in a pandemic data is key, lose control of it and you have effectively lost control of your response. let's get more on this from rowland kao, a professor of epidemiology and data science. it's good to have you with us. just explain to us what is happening with the spread street. why did all go wrong? this is an entirely avoidable problem. what they did was use microsoft excel, many of you are aware of. they exceeded the limit of records it can hold, and that rest essentially disappeared. so they've obviously got a record of the

16,000, and they're making moves to find all the people they've been in contact with. not all will be affected, but it's fair to bet that some of them are. how long will it ta ke some of them are. how long will it take them to get through that backlog? so, what they say is about 60,000 plus positive cases did not have their contact trace. we know in the previous week that 80,000 contacts were traced for about 30 odd thousand cases, meaning they probably missed about between 40 and 50,000. those need to be traced will probably take... people. sorry, we lost you at a critical point. how long you think it will take them to find those people? it will take about half a week probably at their current rate of tracing. professor, a lot of decisions are made based on

transmission rates. the famous r rate. do you know what can open if you lose something like 16,000 positive cases and you're not counting them into your numbers? does that affect that transmission rate and potentially people's behaviour? it certainly can. there've been suggestions over the past weeks that the rate may have been increasing. unfortunately, this was the same period when these are heard. it will take some quiet time —— quite some time to disentangle, so —— quite some time to disentangle, so it may have in fact been going up. that would mean if it was going up, people would be less careful than they might be because they had the wrong question about their level of safety? there's a kind of real—life knock on effect of this.

that's right, and also the fact that they're not able to trace individuals who they should be tracing because they're going after those 50,000 audit individuals they missed in previous week. real effects in both ways. thank you very much. they were hoping that the rule of six was actually starting to work. you see on the bottom of this graph when it pops up, so that's what it started to look like. we're just starting to dip downwards then you put those 16,000 on top and you see a very different nature. red faces at public health england because we've been alerted to this fairly basic problem with the spreadsheet, a lot of people saying why going i spreadsheet? it should have been going to a data base. in fact, infections... hopefully now they've

learned, i am assuming. now it will go intoa learned, i am assuming. now it will go into a database hopefully, but the other thing is that we perhaps been hiding, not willingly or by design, and actual uptake and cases. that's a bigger problem. a lot of the focus at the moment on these university cities in the united states, its universities where people are circulating... so often we've seen that countries are three weeks behind each other, depending on what they're doing in society. i remember in august when you were talking about schools and i was saying we should be looking at universities, but they had an open yet. now, exactly the same thing is happening as well. all bars and cafes in paris, will be closed for two weeks from tomorrow, after the french government raised

the coronavirus alert level in the capital to the highest level. universities are also being told, to halve the number of students on campus at any one time. hugh schofield reports. the news from paris is not good. covid infections are up, above 250 per 100,000 people which means the city has hit a higher alert level and automatically new measures are going to kick in. translation: the measures are meant to put the brakes on. the epidemic is going too fast. we have to slow it down so that our health system is not overwhelmed. the headline news is that bars and cafes are going to shut completely for two weeks from tomorrow. they were already having to close doors at ten o'clock, but that hasn't been enough to stop the virus spreading. why are the authorities targeting bars and other drinking places? well, the main vectorfor covid, it is reckoned now, is young people. young people gathering, young people intermingling and young people,

often under the effects of alcohol, dropping their covid guard. there is some respite for the hard—hit hospitality trade. restaurants and bistros, which also expected to be told to shut, can stay open, if they observe new rules of a maximum six to a table and masks on all the time except at the moment of eating. young people are also targeted at paris universities which have been told that lecture halls must now only be used at 50% capacity. parisians are sceptical about the bar closures, but resigned. i'm not, i mean, surprised that my average age is the most contaminated, i don't know. ithinkjust, like, people are still living like nothing is happening, you know? so, that's why i don't think that closing the bars is going to make a difference. paris nowjoins marseille at what they call in france a state

of maximum covid alert. if things deteriorate further, the next level is a state of health emergency. hugh schofield, bbc news, paris. let's get some of the day's other news. in california, four million acres have been consumed by the wildfires that have blighted the state over the last few months. it's double the previous record burned, and likely to get higher as the fires still continue to burn. over 8,000 buildings have been destroyed, and 31 people have been killed. a rare 102—carat white diamond has sold at auction for $15.7 million in what experts say is a ahem "bargain". the gemstone went to an unnamed telephone bidder. the diamond was taken from a 271—carat stone which was discovered at a canadian mine in 2018. only seven other diamonds larger than 100 carats and of the same quality have gone under the hammer.

i have not bought it for you caddie. i was going to say you shouldn't have. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: we visit florida — president trump narrowly won it in 2016 — but coronavirus is the issue joe biden wants front and centre in voters' minds. 0utdoor learning centres for children that normally host thousands of residential school trips every year have written to the prime minister asking him for help. since lockdown schools have been unable to take pupils on any overnight educational trips. for many children it's a rite of passage, orfor some, the only chance they get to experience the countryside. sarah campbell reports. all the equipment is in place, just waiting to be used. this 45 acre site is one of 14 run by pgl. this

is what their centres normally look and sound like. with 99% of their income gone, the company isjust —— has just laid income gone, the company isjust —— hasjust laid off a quarter of its staff. it's heartbreaking. it's a wonderful facility that should be used. we will compare ourselves to many other sectors that are already open and operating safely, such as this hospitality sector —— the hospitality sector, youth hostels, boarding schools. so we don't understand why our sector remains effectively closed. despite their effo rts effectively closed. despite their efforts to make centres of covid safe, governments across the uk are advising schools against residential stays. 0perators have been told the concern is about unnecessarily increasing transmission, with shared facilities like bedrooms, showers and canteens. snow doni a's facilities like bedrooms, showers and canteens. snow doni as outdoor activity centre has been largely empty since march, hoping to go

there in january, empty since march, hoping to go there injanuary, these year six pupils. when the year six 's went last year, they were nervous but they look like they had so much fun. we only got one chance to see it, and we won't get another in secondary school. so i think that if we go now, it will be life changing. without changing government guidance, the sector ‘s warning that the entire feature of act or education to the uk is at risk. —— outdoor education. 45 thousand people took part in the london marathon yesterday. but it wasn't the normal route through the city. instead, it was a virtual marathon — with runners choosing their own routes. i think my application got lost in the post. anyway, among them was 87—year—old kenjones who finished despite gale force winds and rain. 0ur ireland correspondent emma vardy has been talking to him.

since the very first london marathon in1981, only ten people have completed every single race. ken jones from strabane in northern ireland was not going to let a pandemic get in the way of crossing the finishing line of his 40th event. i want to do it because i want to get the medals, all the medals. the rain was slanting down, not coming straight, it was really horrible. and this year, no roaring crowds. ken had been training with his daughter, who completed the distance with him, and he was joined along the way by neighbours. when you're in the big crowds in london they encourage you to keep going. thank god i had my neighbours there with me. they were just in front of me and i kept up with them. they're 20, 30 years younger than me. heather has run the event before with herfather in london, acting as his guide runner, to help him through the gruelling distance, a feat at any age. we have seen young men of 20 frothing at the mouth and staggering and crawling,

so daddy is very determined to finish and he will do whatever it takes and he will over—exhaust himself, so i am there to pace him. it is very hard to describe it, but you feel very satisfied with yourself. i have already entered for next year's race. his 40th medal is in the post, but ken hopes there will be more collected back on the finish line in london. emma vardy, bbc news. i really hope this virus is over so we can run another marathon. more than half of american voters will cast ballots by mail this year. that's a lot more than usual and has led to concerns about a delayed result. but in florida, one of the key battleground states, they will be feeding those ballots through the scanners, effectively counting them, a full 22 days before election day. indeed, the results from mail—in ballots in florida were released quicker in 2016 than the results from votes cast in person on election day,

so we should get a good steer from florida on election night. it's always tight, of course. here's the current poll. joe biden narrowly ahead. biden 47.8%, trump 45.8%. and this is what might make the difference in florida. nationally, joe biden is points ahead of trump among seniors, which is important when it comes to florida. let's go down to west palm beach. we arejoined by brian mudd. how is the state of the race in florida? it's very complicated. it is truly a toss—up as it often is, and what i wa nt toss—up as it often is, and what i want —— what i'm watching in

particular, democrats bring up the score, passing particular, democrats bring up the score, passing more particular, democrats bring up the score, passing more total ballots and republicans for the first time since the 905. that was led by... what we seen with the initial boat5 by mail, more ballot5 have been cast by mail, more ballot5 have been cast by mail, more ballot5 have been cast by mail in the first week of voting then showed up to vote in person and then showed up to vote in person and the early voting for two weeks during the august primary election. democrats have the edge right now by a two to one margin. however close it is, we could get a result in florida on election night because they start counting effectively 22 days before polling day. when it comes to palm beach in particular, we have those sort of histories from when elections... theoretically, are

smoother now. we don't have any, so it looks like it smoother in that regard. in my right to say today is the last day to register to vote in florida? correct, today is the last day. there is a huge push with spanish—speaking stations in south florida, so we've seen that the lowest voter registration has been with hispanics. so there's a big last—minute polish. —— last—minute push. when they call you on your morning show, what are they saying about just the president last week? the taxes, the debates, then the infection. was interesting about thatis infection. was interesting about that is regarding taxes, this was an issue that was brought up four years ago, andl issue that was brought up four years ago, and i really haven't seen

people that have been moved on that issue. people who thought he should have released taxes for years ago and don't trust him on that issue, they're the same people today. when you talk about the coronavirus, what's most interesting about the president and his condition is the issue thatjoe president and his condition is the issue that joe biden president and his condition is the issue thatjoe biden scores best on happens to be the coronavirus response. happens to be the coronavirus response. so that is not an issue that plays well for president trump. so his having the virus actually can work against him in that regard. it's important to remember the polls because momentum matters with people that are voting in real time, so the quicker the cycle turns back to economic matters, the better for the president in this state in particular. but it'll be interesting to see ultimately how this plays out and how many votes are coming in around this period of time. to give you an idea, the democrat stronghold, 51% of the ballot so far

in the state have come in from those three counties. they count for less than 30% of the state's population. so it does look like there's enthusiasm with democrats getting their ballots in right now. brian, we are bringing the show down to florida a couple weeks so we will come and look you up. great, i look forward to it. socially distance of course. this is my favourite story of the day. bea lumpkin, a retired teacherfrom chicago, cast her first vote in a us election in 1940, for franklin d roosevelt, and she has a perfect streak of voting in every election since. but like most seniors, she has been told to stay home during the pandemic. so, not to be defeated, she put on a full hazmat—like suit and took her ballot to the mailbox. now 102 years old, bea was wheeled to the ballot box by her grandson, who was equally determined that she would cast her ballot. and let me tell you, bea lumpkin may be 102, but she is very well—informed

about the mail—in ballot process. "as soon as they get my ballot, she says, i'm going to get an email. and then i will know they have processed it." if she can do it, you can do it. hello there. the first weekend of october was a complete wash—out for most of us, wasn't it? was a complete wash—out for but we actually started the working week on a little more of an optimistic note. a chance to get to enjoy some of the autumn colour that we've got at the moment, with sunny spells and a few scattered showers. and you can see in the highland of scotland, still the legacy of the weekend's wet weather with this flooded ploughed field. now, we're still under the influence of low pressure, so today's a bit of a messy story. the weather fronts out to the west and the south, that's where we'll see the more enhanced showers, some of them merging together for longer spells of rain at times. but the best of the drier weather through scotland and northeast england, and here, we'll get to see more in the way of sunshine. in terms of the feel of things, temperatures should peak between 12 and 16 degrees. that area of low pressure starts to finally drift

away into scandinavia. along the southern flank of the low, however, we'll see stronger winds from a cooler direction just driving and more showers here across northwest scotland. so a disappointing day here, but for much of northern ireland, england and wales, dry, settled and sunny. wednesday looks likely to be the best day of the working week, and temperatures are likely to peak again at around 14—16 for many. now we could see the afternoon sunshine turning increasingly hazy as another area of low pressure is set to arrive during thursday, and thursday and friday look pretty wet, particularly across england and wales. the first batch of rain is set to move in, and that means a marked contrast, a north—south divide with the weather. we keep the risk of some showers into the far northwest of the great glen, dry and sunny elsewhere with the rain easing away from the south, and those temperatures again between ten and 15 degrees. by the time we move out of thursday evening into friday, we'll see the risk of more significant rain. now there is still a level

of uncertainty exactly where this area of low pressure will be sitting, but it looks as though the bulk of the wet weather will be across england and wales yet again, somewhat drier and brighter the further north and west you are, and those temperatures a little bit subdued. so, a rather dismal end to the working week for some of us. however, as we move towards the weekend, things look a little more optimistic with high pressure building in from the atlantic and quieting things down. the winds turned in a clockwise direction, so they will come from a northerly direction, meaning contrast to the field the weather as we go through the weekend. the blue to send all the way south, meaning temperatures look likely to be just below average for the time of year. but my glasses definitely half full as the week ahead looks mostly dry. early rain will is a way as that low pressure clears through, and it will be dry, settled and sunny. 0n the

cooler side, though. are we can certainly look drier and calmer than a can pass, but noticeably cooler. it looks as though that pressure will stay with us as we look further ahead, but we will have weak weather fronts at times and that mightjust enhance a few showers from time to time. but the theme doesn't change it too much, it does look likely that we are going to see a drier tory as we look further ahead. —— drier story. sunshine coming through by day, but unfortunately this time of year, that could also lead to the potential for some overnight frost. gardeners and growers take note. that will no doubt help with those autumn beautiful leaves. bye—bye.

president trump is leaving hospital tonight — his medical team say he's still not out of the woods — but they're cautiously optimistic. 24 hours after his impromptu drive by — the president says he's feeling really good and told people not to be afraid of covid or let it dominate their lives. if we can get through to monday with him the same or improving better yet, then we will all take that final deep sigh of relief. i will be live at the white house where the president is going to touch down in about 90 minutes. uncharted territory — that's what the president's doctors have called the aggressive treatments he has been given. we'll be looking at what they are. also tonight...