the transition process is well under way, whether the trump administration acknowledges his projected election victory or not. mr biden told reporters that donald trump's refusal to concede defeat was an "embarrassment" and would reflect poorly on the president's legacy. a long—awaited vatican report has found that popesjohn paul ii and benedict the sixteenth ignored allegations of serial sex abuse against the now disgraced us cardinal, theodore mccarrick. the report found that both pontiffs had been told of mccarrick‘s assaults but chose to believe his denials. russia has been deploying troops in nagorno karabakh after armenia and azerbaijan signed a deal to end the military conflict in the disputed region. fighting there since september has left several thousand people dead. the peace deal has prompted celebrations in azerbaijan, and angry scenes in armenia. now on bbc news...hardtalk.

welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur. donald trump cannot and will not bring himself to concede that he lost the presidential election. gone but not forgotten. his legacy can be seen in a divided body of international alliances and deep uncertainty about america's to political ambition. my guest today hr mcmaster served as his adviser until he was fired in 2018. in terms of america's word in the world, will the trump years be seen as an operation or a marker of underlying change? this is bbc news. i'm sally bundock with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world.

president—elect on the president — joe biden says donald trump's refusal to concede the election will reflect badly on him. what do you say to the americans who are anxious about amid the talk of legal the fact that president trump is yet to concede and what that might mean for the country? challenges in a slew of states, well, i just might mean for the country? well, ijust think it's an embarrassment. more american states tighten coronavirus restrictions as rates of hospital admissions reach record levels. a long—awaited vatican report finds two popes, and other officials, ignored allegations of sex abuse against a former us cardinal. your concern has been american and the domestic workers in spain kept locked security. with the president inside their employers' homes since the start of the who has lost an election and is refusing to accept defeat, does that feel to you like a period of real vulnerability for the united states? i think it should be a period of celebration with the vast numbers of americans who voted

and then a recognition of the strength of our constitution. we have the benefit of our founders having lived through the english civil war and the violence of the 17th century in england so when they wrote our constitution they thought, how can we prevent the worst from happening and so the executive branch has no say in the transition. the president can file lawsuits and so forth by the executive branch of government will have no say in the transition. it will be a smooth transition. it is reg retta ble smooth transition. it is regrettable that the president, i don't think we'll be gracious about the transition, apparently. do you think the people around him, you observed him closely inside that white house. are they telling them, again is up. go with some semblance of dignity. that is not donald trump's style. he is combative and competitive and i think you will let these lawsuits run their course. this

is not unprecedented. it was a similar circumstance in the election between george w bush and al gore. that litigation went on for a month. we have been through this before and i think it will shower the strength. forgive the interruption but up to a point we've seen it before. donald trump uses words like an election stolen. cheating, fraud, corruption. he paints a picture which is very different from anything we've seen from a president before and i am mindful, in your recent book a battle ground you reflected in the health of america itself and you said that the polarisation of america's politics is destructive. we need leaders who can bring us back together, generate confidence in our identity what america lacks at this moment. confidence in our identity what america lacks at this momentlj agree america lacks at this moment.” agree with you. i am encouraged

by president—elect biden‘s comments which have been dead on in terms of what is needed. now it is time for all americans to help the elected president succeed. i think it is fine for us to be divided politically but a lot of people make a big deal about that. if we are all united we would have a one—party system and that sounds like communist china to me. it is ok for us to be divided politically but we need leaders who will bolster and maintain our confidence in our democratic principles and institutions and processes unsightly the president is undermining those at the moment. i hear your words about president—elect biden but i am mindful he is not an office and has no real power for mindful he is not an office and has no real powerfor another 70 days. let us reflect on what president trump has been doing in the last few hours and days. for example he has just in the last few hours and days. for example he hasjust fired the defence secretary, terminated in the president's

words. it looks to many people like an act of vengeance because he refused to agree with the president's inclination to deploy active duty troops to america's cities in the summerand duty troops to america's cities in the summer and some of the violence surrounding the black lives protest movement. do you believe that the removal at this particular time sends a dangerous message?” this particular time sends a dangerous message? i don't think it is dangerous. it is reg retta ble think it is dangerous. it is regrettable and true to form, stephen. there are extremely competent long—term civil serva nts competent long—term civil servants and military officers in the pentagon. i'm not concerned about any kind of danger. i think it is reg retta ble danger. i think it is regrettable and it is not particularly gracious of the president in this transition period. you are sounding sanguine about it but there are media reports quoting sources suggesting that the government did make president is toying with the eye of firing the cia director and fbi director in

the new york times are saying he is perhaps considering military actions before he leaves office, particularly targeting iran. a lot of people in the outside world, president trump considering these sorts of decisions at this time, it strikes many as deeply dangerous, not just for the united states but for the world. this is where i think we have to be grateful for checks and balances in our system. the president does have significant authorities in the area of defence in our constitution which covers the executive branch, but there are checks in the congress and i think, you know, we have, you know, people within our departments who are going to give the best advice to members of the president's cabinet. because you have said, i think that this period should be one of smooth transition and it seems as if the president is determined to make it as turbulent as possible. isn't one of the problems, and you

found this yourself, that the president simply does not listen to those who are paid to offer him rational analysis and advice? of course, he is the elected president. he does not have to listen but i thought it was my duty to present the president with best advice from across the departments and to a lwa ys across the departments and to always give you multiple options and i found that worked until ijust options and i found that worked until i just got options and i found that worked until ijust got kind of used up until ijust got kind of used up in thatjob because in any administration there are those who define the responsibilities that way, to help the elected president determine his or her agenda and then the implementation of the president's decisions but then there are also those in the administration wants to manipulate decisions consistent with their own agenda and also those who define their role as may be saving the country in the world from the president. this is the so—called anonymous and book writer, for example.

you make a very interesting point on your site others in the white house who have written about that notion of saving america from donald trump. if we are honest about it, is that what you thought you were doing for much of that one year that you felt you serve this as national security adviser? no, stephen. i really felt it was my duty to present the president with multiple options in the best advice and i think we delivered pretty decent outcomes across those 13 months. and of course, i did as i mentioned and used up in that process there was a piece of that. i was on active duty army officer at the time of this was my fifth commander in chief under whom i've served. what do you believe has been donald trump's impact on america's national security strategy? what i've read about an battleground is one of the most significant shifts in us foreign policy since the end of the war and that is the shift

away from this assumption that china, having been welcomed into the international community, would play by the rules, would liberalise its economy. and its governance. 0bviously that's not the case and therefore we needed to recognise that china is arrival, strategic competitor. and that has been a profoundly important shift in policy not just by the united states but across the free world so i think recognising power competition with china who was attempting to take centre stage in the world and if they succeed in the aggression that we are seeing, especially in the midst of a pandemic, the world will be less prosperous and less safe. and we have to worry about russia. my question was whether you believe donald trump had a strategic vision. you have alighted on to policy challenges to the united states, china and russia were frankly at different times mr trump's message has been all

over the shop. he has been very confrontational with china on trade and at the same time according to your success he has offered deals to china and said he would go easy on their oppressive policy if china would give him a sweetener on trade for american farmers. 0n russia, we know that donald trump for years refused to make any sort of personal condemnation of vladimir putin. nobody could figure out why. i come back to this question. you worked closely with them. is there any sort of coherent strategic vision behind trump's instinctive gut policies? the was at the outset but the biggest problem in the foreign policy was the predisposition towards withdrawal. pulling back as he did to, quite suddenly, from the middle east. this halting withdrawal. we

still have special forces units there in syria and iraq. and there in syria and iraq. and the biggest failure of the trump administration foreign policy is its approach towards afghanistan and prioritising withdrawal to the extent that we actually partnered with the taliban against the elected afg ha n taliban against the elected afghan government. i think that isa afghan government. i think that is a real travesty, stephen. and we are already seeing the beginning of a humanitarian catastrophe afghanistan and we may be back on the path towards the taliban again controlling territory, controlling narcotics trade and vastly expanding their threat to all civilised people. iam expanding their threat to all civilised people. i am very concerned about this pensions towards disengagement but i'm concerned but also is abiding administration might continue in that direction. so i think what americans need this point as they need a leader to articulate a sensible and sustainable approach to foreign policy and to recognise that

when we work together with their allies and partners we share the burden and can advance all of our interests together. i want to come back together. i want to come back to convincing allies that america is serious and responsible as a partner but before we get there ijust responsible as a partner but before we get there i just want to reflect not so much in the different strategic geographical arenas for us policy has been a play but also the process itself of decision—making in what has happened to us institutions. for example, under donald trump became quite clear that people like you presenting policy papers, i believe you wrote very early on in your tenure you wrote him a major national security overview document and it is plain that he never read it. it is also plain that he had no interest in filling key positions for example in state department. many posts went unfilled. do you think you left and damaging and may be corrosive legacy in terms of

the institutions of american foreign policy and national security policy—making ? foreign policy and national security policy-making? need a restoration of confidence in oui’ restoration of confidence in our institutions and departments and agencies. you might recall that president trump ran against the government, against the establishment. and at times at peer to be at war with his own administration and even his own white house staff. he came up with that idea himself. how did you feel when you knew he wasn't reading your breathing. we did not bejokey wasn't reading your breathing. we did not be jokey national security document that you wrote up to give a vision of what the trump administration should be all about. why don't you approach and say, mr president, you've got to get serious about this stuff? that was his document. i went to the entire document with them. you loved it and he was the only president who actually gave the speech unveiling national

security strategy. sadly i think he has walked back from some aspects of that approach. but that was his strategy but over time, as happens with any president, any president is an object of those who want to influence his decisions and there is a movement towards a kind of neo— isolationist sentiment in america. donald trump did not invent it. you might measure tapped into that dissatisfaction with the us foreign policy and the length and cost of the wars in the middle east and south asia. so i think this is a dynamic that will carry across multiple administrations under there we talk about donald trump a lot because, you know, it is hard not to, i think this is a phenomenon on, this movement towards disengaging that cuts across both political parties. i want to pick up that point with you and talk about waiting biden will take you a strategy

but when one person in question. usurper more than 30 yea rs question. usurper more than 30 years as question. usurper more than 30 yea rs as a question. usurper more than 30 years as a us army officer, getting to the very top. you had a strong reputation for sort of integrity. then you went to the white house and worked for donald trump for year and you were involved in difficult situations, for example, when trump clearly gave russia's foreign minister some confidential information you should not have given. trump made you go before the press and say that everything president dumb trump had done was wholly appropriate when it clearly wasn't. in many former collea g u es clearly wasn't. in many former colleagues of yours said you made a terrible error. you trust your own reputation by covering up for the president rather than resigning and telling the truth. why didn't you do that. that is just wrong, stephen. what the president did tell him was wholly appropriate. the whole

idea was that he had may be in some way compromised sources and methods. during this conversation the president did not even know the sources and methods were that had already been shared the normal channels. it was counterterrorism information and the only time the source was leaked was it was leaked by somebody who gave that the press eve n somebody who gave that the press even though it wasn't even discussed in the meeting. i have been shot out for real combat so i wasn't worried about the internal politics of the white house. let's think about where america goes from here and it strikes me in many ways one of the biggest challenges joe ways one of the biggest challengesjoe biden ways one of the biggest challenges joe biden has ways one of the biggest challengesjoe biden has got us convincing america's long—standing allies that he will really turn the ship around. that there is going to bea around. that there is going to be a very different approach to national security and foreign policy—making. in many ways, america first, trumpmantra

looked like america alone. he did not seem interested in nato 01’ did not seem interested in nato or european allies. to think biden can and will change the dynamic with allies? i think so thatis dynamic with allies? i think so that is inevitable. for two reasons. i think president biden will have a less offensive approach. some key issues will remain with burden sharing for example. 0r issues will remain with burden sharing for example. or the pipeline vis—a—vis germany giving up its coercive economic power to russia. the issues will remain but the style and the form will be much more conducive to cooperation. the other big factor is we're facing some real threats. if you look the poisoning. the infiltration of russian troops into belarus or the aggression of the chinese communist party and the effort to take over

communications and key logistics infrastructure in the world. bludgeoning soldiers to death in the himalayan frontier, threats to taiwan. as you mentioned already with concentration camps and the repressive actions across china and hong kong we have real threats and we have to work together so i think that the pendulum is swinging back in favour of much closer alignment with our allies on key issues and they should include iran as well and we can talk more about that if you like. i feel good about that. i think our relationships are strong already. ronnie mike asserted this interview has been you bringing the conversation back to china. it sounds to me like you are saying that the united states and its partners may be in europe and elsewhere need to prepare for an indefinite form of long—term hostility across

the world with china. is that what you are saying? i would say competition rather than hostility. we have to recognise what china is waging as this campaign of co—opting. the lower profits and access to the markets in chinese investments. but once we are in, to coerce us but once we are in, to coerce us to adhere to their worldview and what china really wants to do is create servile relationships that allows it to recreate the tributary system. and to do so in a way that profoundly disadvantages is not only from a security perspective but from an economic perspective as well. soi economic perspective as well. so i would say the key word is we have to compete so we have to make ourselves better and stronger but also confront these aggressive chinese practices and the overall policies of the communist party. there have been positive

indicators, especially with the uk and sweden's decision to ban the chinese communications company that wants to control all our data and send it back to beijing. we will see similar actions across europe. so i think it is already happening, stephen. we are almost out of time andi stephen. we are almost out of time and i want a quick thought from you and to policy challenges where wonder if you thinkjoe biden should be reversing donald trump policies. number one, iran, do think biden should take the united states back into the so—called agreement with iran to control its nuclear activities, and number two, north korea. should biden and the policy that trump began of engagement with north korea. a brief answer in both those challenges. the biden administration should not go back into the iran nuclear deal. it was fundamentally flawed and i think what they can do is begin to negotiate a

better deal but keep the sanctions in place. sanctions that are appropriate based on around's for decade—long proxy war they are waging against us. 0ne war they are waging against us. one north korea it is very important to keep in place this campaign of maximum pressure and test this thesis be convinced that he is safer without the weapons than he is without the weapons than he is with them. what would be a tremendous mistake would be to return to the failed pattern of previous efforts which is, in the response to a north korean provocation which is reasonable to predict between now and when president biden is sworn in on january 20, to respond to that with the big payoffjust for the privilege of talking to the north and then a long drawn out negotiation in a week agreement thatis negotiation in a week agreement that is immediately broken. we don't want to do that again. it is very important to keep the sanctions in place and to place additional pressure on china and others to enforce those

sanctions. let me end by bringing back to the beginning. we began by talking about what is happening in terms of present trump and his inability to a cce pt present trump and his inability to accept electoral defeat. your recent book, battlegrounds, was subtitled the fight to defend the free world. isn't it true that the biggest problem in any fight to defend the free world is right now is the weakness, the internal weakness of the united states of america? the polarisation, the division, the sense that american public and politicians have a real problem figuring out where they want to ta ke figuring out where they want to take the nation. isn't that the biggest weakness of all. . take the nation. isn't that the biggest weakness of all. ” think it is the greatest cause for concern. america is much stronger than we appear. 0ur political elites are more polarised than the vast majority of americans. the media many ways as more

polarised than the vast majority of americans but what i argue for is that we have to come together as a people. we need civil discussions about our greatest challenges and how we can overcome them. and i have confidence that we are going to emerge from these crises of a pandemic, a recession, the social divide laid bare by george floyd's murder and the vitriolic political season. i feel good about the election. so many americans voted and i think our confidence is going to grow and be restored in connection to our democratic principles and institutions and processes. we will meet again in a year or two and see whether that is justified but for now i thank you very much indeed for being on hard talk. stephen, thank you. it is a pleasure.

hello. the mist and fog some of you've seen over the past few days, not as much of an issue over the next 2a hours or so. reason on wednesday behind that is that it'll be a little bit too windy at times, and that wind could bring in thicker cloud with rain in the north and west. these are the weather fronts responsible, they'll only slowly push their way through, so many eastern areas will be dry through the bulk of the day. but it is here across east anglia southeast that we start off with the coolest conditions and 1—2 mist and fog patches. they'll be fairly short—lived though, and will lift up and clear. as we said, much of wales, good part of england will stay dry. there could be some patchy drizzle in the west, but across ireland and into western scotland, rain

will come and go all day. and you can just see this narrow band of bright colours — an indication there will be some pretty intense rain particularly during the afternoon. overall a fairly mild day, tempered somewhat by the breeze, and that wind will be strongest particularly towards the west. these are the areas that will see winds over a0 mph, the heavy rain pushing its way through eastwards across scotland, particularly across england and wales as we go through wednesday night and into thursday morning, allowing clearing skies behind, thankfully temperatures not dropping too much. as we go into thursday morning, coolest conditions, unlike on wednesday morning, will be in the west. wet weather to begin with on the far east of scotland and across east anglia. quite windy here, but that wind will clear away with the rain. that little brief ridge of high pressure, a window of fine weather before more cloud and rain arrives. so for many of you, a dry day with some sunshine, as well. best of the sunshine and western areas through the morning make the most of it, clouding over into the afternoon. patchy rain or drizzle possible by the end of the day, heaviest of the rain

and western scotland into the western northern ireland. a little bit cooler than recent days. as we go through thursday night and into friday, that rain will spread its way eastwards. it'll push through mainly during the night for many of you, lingering across some eastern areas first thing. sunshine comes out, a few showers in the west, but by and large, the daytime at least will be a dry day for many. again, a little bit cool in the breeze compared to how we start the week. but as we go into the weekend, low pressure close by with sets of weather fronts pushing through. we'll have to watch just how deep this area of low pressure gets into the northwest on sunday. could be particularly wild and windy here. so while there still will be some rain at times this weekend, better chances of sunshine between 00:27:44,572 --> 4294966103:13:29,430 the downpours on sunday.