this is bbc news — the headlines. it's little more than two weeks now until the us presidential election — and early voting has begun in several states. florida, arkansas, idaho, north dakota and colorado have opened their polling stations — joining several other states who had already done so. election day is november the third. ireland is to impose its highest level of coronavirus restrictions in what the country's leader described as ‘probably europe's strictest regime'. prime minister micheal martin said the measures would remain in place for six weeks and would include forbidding people from travelling more than five kilometres from their homes. six russian military intelligence officers have been charged in the united states with carrying out cyber—attacks on ukraine's power grid, the twenty—seventeen french elections and the twenty—eighteen winter olympic games. the usjustice department says they also attacked computers of businesses worldwide — causing nearly one—billion dollars in losses. now on bbc news forget small talk — it's time for

some hardtalk do they want four more years of donald trump the white house was met with the opt for the other septuagenarian, joe biden. totally different in style a nd biden. totally different in style and worldview. former republican congressman and leo donald trump campaignerjack kingston, the polls say donald trump is in big trouble. is there good reason to think they are wrong?

jack kingston and washington, dc. welcome to hardtalk. you area dc. welcome to hardtalk. you are a loyal donald trump campaignerand it are a loyal donald trump campaigner and it strikes me that when you're in the position like yours, there is a fine mind to trade between optimism and realism. in the spirit of realism, can you acknowledge to me that the donald trump campaign is in deep trouble? i would say this, it's a tough competitive race but we know that last time, 2016, we went to election day having hardly won a single pole. i think something is going on in polls. i've read a lot of them from notjust other political races but my own and other candidates, and they have been wrong many times. i'm not saying that they are not useful. are there not 100% reliable. so, as i look at 2016

and here we are again, another thing is the where isjoe biden spending his time? he is in the same spending his time? he is in the sa m e states spending his time? he is in the same states that we are. arizona, pennsylvania, north carolina, ohio. if he had the double digit leads that other outlets reported that he has, he would not be going to the states, instead he'll be going to another state that he only had a single digit lead to try to grow the lead oral growth seats in the us senate and house, but he is not doing that. but i do believe is that oui’ that. but i do believe is that our internal polls and their internal polls are telling them and us something a lot different than we read in the newspaper. i take the point that we cannot rely on polls and experience tells us that. one thing that we do see consistently independent surveys , consistently independent surveys, including surveys that go beyond the usual polling and survey many thousands of people and americans are deeply

dissatisfied with donald trump's handling of the coronavirus crisis. which would lease except that? i think that they are, but they're also looking at frustration in general that you have a new disease, new virus that we are dealing with in real time and there has been mistakes. look at the world health organisation, which originally said that it was not transmitted human—to—human and who did not declare it a pandemic until late march. certainly a misstep, joe biden said that our travel ban from china was xenophobic when president trump implemented in january. president trump implemented in january. mr kingston, joe biden has not been in powerfor the last eight months, donald trump has been in that eight months, there is some pretty stunning m ista kes there is some pretty stunning mistakes the donald trump is made. if one thinks about his decisions too as he said, downplayed the virus from the very beginning to the american

public, he never leveled with the american people, he taught them that facemasks were not necessary , them that facemasks were not necessary, he refused to wear a mask for a long time and that clearly was a huge mistake and right now, seven or eight months after this disease hit the united states, we have 43 of your states where the levels of your states where the levels of infection are still rising. that is shameful. you know what though, it is true that the death level has stabilised and thatis death level has stabilised and that is very significant we are far more capacity than we did in february and we have that because of donald trump. we went and made sure that we have plenty of pp ease, plenty of hospital beds in donald trump sent ships, mercy ships and the ship named comfort to los angeles and new york city for excess angeles and new york city for excess bed capacities and private capacities and beds in central park is temporary facilities and those are not used, but it was a democrat mayor, governor of new york andrew cuomo that sent

healthy people in nursing homes with infected people and infected people in nursing homes with healthy people. something like ten to 15,000 people have died in nursing homes because of that stupid, incredibly dumb move. and if you look at the states that at the toughest... mr kingston, i am on the show to challenge you about donald trump who is your man. we challenge democrats at state and national levels on their records, but i need you to address donald trump. i want to ask you, do you think it is right ina ask you, do you think it is right in a democracy that the democratically elected president deliberately and consciously chooses to mislead the american people from the very get—go? the american people from the very get-go? i don't think he is misleading people at all. if you look at the panic level of people rushing out to buy toilet paper, we had shortages of paper towels, you cannot get masks and the reason why we we re masks and the reason why we were trying to prioritise masks

is so that people in health ca re is so that people in health care hospitals and health care facilities had masks because people originally did not need a mask now as per the cdc and the who and everybody else. a big controversy about masks, bowls relevant about the democrats is that if donald trump is going to get the full plane which is not after it, —— full plane which is not accurate, with a look at the system that is the governors of the 50 states have future authority in terms of. and on. mr kingston, donald trump undermined the authority of the states and their leadership. the governors in particularfor example back in april. he was screaming at states like minnesota to lift the very serious lockdown conditions that they had imposed on the people. you remember those tweets from donald trump saying liberate minnesota. he was

undermining the state democratically elected official. steve, i believe that the excessive crackdowns have led to problems in their own right. suicides and drug abuse and spouse abuse and depression because people have not been allowed to leave their houses and in many cases, these people are young people who are not the high vulnerable population. statistically, if you want to follow the signs, we have to admit that the people who are 70 years old or older, but those particularly with illnesses, they are the most vulnerable and we should be focusing on that. notjust young people who are very healthy. but the thing that is so important is under cdc guidelines, there are only guidelines, there are only guidelines that local and municipal health still have the ultimate say so. and food distribution, it's not fair to blame all the

problems on one people but is a decentralised system and local authorities have had a major role in the coronavirus response. one big issue in the campaign clearly is notjust coronavirus, but as the american health care system. a very challenging environment for you and republicans and donald trump in particular to go to the american people and say that mean you want to repeal the affordable health care act, is that something is going to resonate with the american people? people know that the american health care sector of the economy is huge and major and it does not lend itself to centralised planning and i look at your health care system and i've gotten sick twice and i've beenin i've gotten sick twice and i've been in the uk in the last time, actually went to a private doctor because the hotel that i was standing and said if you want to see a doctor today, you have to go to a private doctor and i paid for it with my own and i was

fortu nate it with my own and i was fortunate enough to be able to to do that and here's a system thatis to do that and here's a system that is outside of the government and it worked well. it worked well for me. and countries of socialised medicine. between february and may, coronavirus and the crypt of the united states and 5 million people lost their health insurance because they lost theirjobs health insurance because they lost their jobs and health insurance because they lost theirjobs and a nonparty highly respected medical research organisation, 80% of those people were still receiving health care because of the reforms in the affordable health care act. that is the link between coronavirus and health care and donald trump wants to destroy that. the way they got their health care in the absence of employer—sponsored health care was through medicaid and that has always been there for people who fall through the cracks financially. and we want to keep her own private health

care. if you had that option, joe biden wants to take away the private health care for americans. we don't like that, we think there should not be an insurance company between our doctors and ourselves. with joe biden promises is that he with his extension of the affordable health care, 97% of americans will be covered. one way or another. he would take away my health care and i want to keep my own health care. someone wa nts to my own health care. someone wants to depend on the government probably will have that option and they can go through a government exchange if that's what they want, but personally speaking, i don't think the government is very effective. one aspect of this policy agenda that donald trump is fighting and in others the economy, the us people saying that i have delivered on the economy. i've truly made the american economy created again and he points to the stock market which it had a big dip because of coronavirus, but it is still high. there's no doubt about that. but he really think

the mission that most people ca re the mission that most people care about when the jobless rate has soared over the last seven rate has soared over the last seven months perspective think they are looking at the stock market and celebrating? they are looking at the stock market and celebrating ?|j they are looking at the stock market and celebrating? i think they are looking for theirjobs in the stock market and the interesting thing is the unemployment right now is the same as it was whenjoe biden left office. so when he talks about the recovery that he brought, he had unemployment at the same level that we had an unemployment right now is way too high. this is what it was during the malaise of the obama joe biden years. we need to go back to 2019 we had historically low unemployment rates for african—america ns, hispanic americans for women in the workplace, younger people, people were out making money wages are going up. the v—shaped recovery that we are having under donald trump right now is what is going to save america. 2021 is going to be a very, very strong year if donald trump is in the white house. it depends on whether

the american public believe that because they will remember his promises. he was promising the industrial midwest, michigan and other states, wisconsin, he promised them that they would be the manufacturing hub of the world. look at the recent reality. general motors for example, recently announced another shut down in ohio. they got five other plants that they plan to shut down. this restoration, this magical reinvention of american manufacturing in those key swing states, itjust is not happened. it sounds like barack obama and hillary clinton injoe barack obama and hillary clinton in joe biden barack obama and hillary clinton injoe biden said in 2016 that it is never going to come back. you're never going to have manufacturing. yet, will be found under donald trump but the trade agreements and watching out for foreign companies dumping their product in america, manufacturing did come back. thejobs are out there. it has not

come back and looking at the data, donald trump promised to completely rebalance the trading relationship with china because he said that it is a nasty phrase for the user, he said that they have been raping the us economy and workers and look at the reality. the trade deficit with china when he took office was $31 billion because what now, it is around $31 billion. he has not delivered on his economic promises. but he think when joe on his economic promises. but he think whenjoe biden is going to do when his sun is on the payroll. i'm talking about donald trump. is the record to run on the does the record that we are discussing today. but we are also talking about the discussion of the presidency. at least he has engaged in the economic war with china. donald trump has been out there fighting for tougher agreements, fighting against intellectual property theft, fighting against forced technology transfer. fighting

against china using the ceilings that belong to japan or international waters. he has fought against many of the technologies that china has been stealing from around the world and i think that is a good thing. i would love to see isa good thing. i would love to see is a more united coalition with european countries being part of this because i think together, we can stand up to china but right now it is just very ha rd to china but right now it is just very hard to go it alone but donald trump has had to do that because the international community has not given him the support that they should have and they know that, i want to say this is a member of congress for 22 years, democrats and republicans have been talking this game forever, donald trump finally did something about it. you keep telling me that donald trump delivered and we have discussed it and how do you feel when donald trump was praising the lies about his record? and i'm thinking for example, during the campaign trail of the past week or so, he has been telling

mass audiences that mexico has paid for the wall. that is not true. i think there's a lot of hyperbole in that statement and i'm not going to argue that. but i can say this, whenjoe biden says i am for fracking and against fracking, you can keep your own health care, no, we re keep your own health care, no, were going to take it with your socialised medicine, i'm not going to tell even going to pack the us supreme court or not. those are when he said he had nothing to do with his sun dealing with them, but we know there was a meeting in the white house about it. 100% lights. unfortunately, if you're looking for purity, you mightfind it you're looking for purity, you might find it in the pulpit, you may not find it in politics. and i'm not saying that's an excuse for it, but it isa that's an excuse for it, but it is a rough—and—tumble game, but there's a lot of hyperbole. it sounds like you're more ready to excuse donald trump st untruths and falsifications than many other people than work more closely than you ever have prepared to do. i

am thinking of former defence secretary, who has accused donald trump of making a mockery of the us constitution and john kelly, his former white house chief of staff, a quy white house chief of staff, a guy that he drafted him because he trusted them so much and kelly now says the depths of his dishonesty, tromp dishonesty is just astounding to me. these are guys who note tromp very well and have seen him in action and they do not trust him one inch to represent america's best interests. everything quoting them, and i'm sure you quoted them accurately, those are opinions. ifi accurately, those are opinions. if i say that guy is a rascal, thatis if i say that guy is a rascal, that is an opinion. if i say joe biden came out against fracking and then he said he was forward and not against it, that can be proven as a fact. those are statements that he made. with respect, i don't think you understand what a lie is. joe biden may flip—flop, thatis is. joe biden may flip—flop, that is not the issue today. but flip—flopping isn't lying,

but donald trump is proven to bea but donald trump is proven to be a teller of untruths and they can catalogue literally hundreds, if not thousands of them. but it doesn't really matter what i think, it's what is on closest associates think thatis is on closest associates think that is what disturbs the american people. none of those state m e nts american people. none of those statements weren't lights. those are still based on opinions. those are opinions. we know for a fact thatjoe biden said he had nothing to do with hunter biden's dealings with hunter biden's dealings with the corrupt company that he was on the border. he said he was on the border. he said he never met with them, but we do know not that he did me with them. there is a picture of them. there is a picture of them playing golf together. that is a lie. with respect, the republican senate report into hunter biden's work in the ukraine found ultimately, there was no evidence that foreign policy had been influenced by it. i'm never sure how far you're going to get with that argument. but let us stick with your party.

hang on. hang on. the republican senate did not come up with that conclusion they are going to take another look at it not that we have these e—mails and more evidence about it. but i'm telling you what the first report said. let us what the first report said. let us not get stuck on that. the point is that you are here to tell me why americans should vote french donald trump and i'm telling you that there are many people in your own party right now, including serving democratically elected senators who basically say that donald trump is unfit and i'm going to quote is fairly graphic words recently. the president to assist dictators plots and lots of white supremacist. and if you set your party sticks with tromp, you're bound to, you're tied to them, but it's going to be his words, disastrous for you at the polls. he could see you at the polls. he could see you taking a terrible beating of the us congress, notjust

in the white house. i'm glad our party is big enough to have critics in the family, ben has a lwa ys critics in the family, ben has always been one. that is been being ben and he likes that independent streak, he was exempting by democrats as well. things i learned at my 20 years of service is that if you want to bea of service is that if you want to be a hero, criticised the institution and criticise your collea g u es institution and criticise your colleagues you're always the darling of the press for the day or the other party and that is unfortunate. do know under donald trump is that when he assumed office, isis had an area the size of the state of rhode island, is not been reduced and we are at peace we are trying to end the endless wa rs are trying to end the endless wars that america still has trips on the ground in iraq and afghanistan. that is a good thing. i would love to have more international support when it comes to dealing with syria, but he has not been a warmonger. but we have seen underjoe biden was bombing in libya and i still don't know why we were in libya.

he was a bad guy, designing the need to go bomb all the dictators because that's alljoe biden and barack obama see the world, i don't think so. when you turn the argument to national security, i am the argument to national security, iam mindful that the argument to national security, i am mindful that 500 recently retired senior national security officials, including the recently retired deputy, former chairman of the chief of staff of our commode and sink they will have the bag joe biden because they do not believe that donald trump represents properly us national security interests. that is a big problem for him on the national security front. but, stephen, that's 500 people. and very proud of thejoe biden has 500 veterans. you know how many vetera ns a re 500 veterans. you know how many veterans are in america? 17.4 million. we will give him the 500 who have endorsed them. and let me say this. and you know how government works. those quys how government works. those guys that want to be

and with the in cloud, they're not republican or democrat or philosophical, theyjust republican or democrat or philosophical, they just want a job and they want to feel like they are in with the elite. that is why donald trump so good. his allegiance is to the common man. he is a populace. he isa common man. he is a populace. he is a guy that breaks up that cabal. i've seen it over and over again. it's a very incestuous time. it is never your democratic republican. you call him populist but the question is, is he a democrat? there are many people, even under side of the fence, spoke to the leading republican polls, i'm going to quote to you, someone polls, i'm going to quote to you, someone is bound to show quite recently. the former gop michael steele. there are desperately worried that donald trump will not accept defeat come novemberfour after trump will not accept defeat come november four after the election. michael still foods with government as indicated his lack interest and desire and transferring power should he lose the election. michael still was very troubled about

that. are you? if there is a fair election, he will absolutely accept defeat and i would encourage them to do so. if the election is stolen. i think we should go to court. that is what hillary clinton would do. that is what al gore did too. donald trump has decided that maryland votes represent a major threat and the committee said there is simply no basis for this conspiracy theory that voting by mail causes fraud. so, donald trump may be projecting the vote on that basis which independent experts do not accept. will you back the independent experts, or back men donald trump? on a micro level, i ordered my independent ballot august 26, i checked on it it still have not received it, found that the sainted to the wrong address. they have looked at his melon voting does have a lot of inefficiencies,

ballots get lost and there's inefficiencies, problems collecting there are some problems with her. those who say otherwise, have a vested interest in having them in the state of michigan has 3.4 million people who have voted by absentee ballot this would ta ke by absentee ballot this would take them days and weeks to count those and there's no telling what the governor of mission and being a staunch anti—trump person that is going to be done fairly. i went down to be done fairly. i went down to florida for the recount between george bush and al gore neck and tell you, stephen, it is an incredibly frustrating process and just hope that good people step forward in counties ballots a nd people step forward in counties ballots and sort it out right. but, unfortunately, we a lot of institutions and a lot of corruption. there are a lot of potentially dangerous and even dark days ahead of us for american democracy? they are of joe biden is elected or if donald trump is reelected, our economy is going to come back in america will remain strong and were going to keep having groupies and people will be

working again and will be at the coronavirus and we can do it on an international basis in donald trump has been very transparent and i think he is a great american and world leader. jack kingston, i thank you very much forjoining us on hardtop. —— hardtalk. very, very mild out there at the moment. and tuesday promises to be a very mild day too. we have southerly winds across the uk, and the air is coming all the way from spain and portugal, in fact. there's a bit of rain in the forecast too. quite a lot of

it. you can see this big low pressure there sweeping in from the south of the cloud, that is with the air is coming from, all the way from iberia. so, with the winds it will be a very mild morning, with a lot of cloud and outbreaks of rain too, it'll have been a very wet night in northern ireland, and parts of scotland but these are the morning temperatures. 13 in plymouth, double figures also across some northern part of the uk. the rain will be intermittent, it will come and go across most parts of england or wales. but northern ireland in the afternoon could see persistent heavy showers and probably clip parts of southwest scotland as well. but aberdeen will be a little bit brighter. but look at the temperatures. we are pushing 20 in the southeast. it's more likely to be 17 to 19 degrees there. now, on wednesday, another low pressure comes in. remnants of storm barbara which will have swept across parts of portugal, spain, the bay of biscay. we are not too sure how much wind this weather system will bring. the thinking is it will

certainly bring a fair bit of rain and you see the dark blues there, but the wind could be for a time quite strong in the extreme southeast of the country. further west and north, a different weather pattern and more sunshine for the lake district, but not completely dry. there are some showers around across the northwest of the uk. it is still going to be mild and the weather system are still coming in from the south. thursday, we have a bit of a break in the weather, and between weather systems. you can see fewer isobars on the weather map. the white pressure lines. that means that winds will be a lot lighter with some sunshine around and thursday is promising to be a pretty decent day across most of the uk. you can see the weather system out there in the north sea and one in the atlantic with a bit of wet weather to the south of us and we're in between so there will be more sunshine around. temperatures will be around 12 to 16 degrees. a little bit fresher. you can see the temperatures peaking on tuesday. from then onwards, it looks like it will cool off a tad bit. overall, staying on the mild side. that is it for me.

goodbye.

this is bbc news: i'm lewis vaughan jones with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. president trump attacks his own top coronavirus adviser — describing the highly respected expert anthony fauci as a "disaster". could china's covid success drive it further apart from the united states — we have a special report. belgium's health minister warns the country could soon be overwhelmed by new coronavirus infections — 3s cases there soar. the story of the conjoined twins from pakistan — separated by surgeons in london — and their return home.