indicted by the special counsel, robert mueller he was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison after being convicted of multiple crimes. also convicted as a result of the mueller investigation into russian interference in the 2016 election was roger stone, a long time political ally of mr trump. having refused to cooperate with the mueller inquiry both men now find themselves rewarded for their loyalty and basking in the glow of a presidential pardon. pardoned with them was charles kushner, the father of mr. trump's senior adviser, jared kushner. a real estate developer, charles kushner was convicted of multiple crimes in 2004, including setting his brother in law up with a prostitute and then trying to blackmail him. news of the pardons came after the president had left the white house to spend the holidays at his florida retreat,

mar a lago, and after he'd thrown the future of three important pieces of legislation into doubt. chief among them, a $900 billion coronavirus relief bill, which, in a video address on twitter, the president branded a disgrace. congress started negotiations on a new package to get urgently needed help to the american people. it's taken forever. however, the bill they are now planning to send back to my desk is much different than anticipated. tied to the coronavirus relief bill is legislation to keep the federal government funded once money runs out on monday. as well as calling on congress to amend that legislation the president also announced he's vetoing the defense policy bill, which funds the troops and is deemed vital to u.s. national security.

although he's not participating in any of the congressional efforts to to govern he comes in at the last minute issues pardons or threatens pardons and then heads down to mar a lago for his christmas vacation. it's very disruptive. in the meantime, he's not participating with the biden administration to try and achieve a smooth transition. this is something really unprecedented in our history. with less than a month left in office, mr. trump seems intent on flexing the powers he still has. he's due back at the white house in the first week of january. and anyone who thinks he'll be packing his bags or leaving quietly would appear to be mistaken. david willis, bbc news, los angeles. hello, this is bbc news. the headlines... a brexit announcement is expected in the coming hours, as the signs from london and brussels suggest a deal is close. the remaining differences

between the two camps have been narrow but deep — in particular over fishing rights. more than 6,000 lorries spend another night stranded outside the port of dover — with drivers waiting to be tested for covid—19 before they're allowed into france. stay at home from boxing day — the message to another 6 million people in england as the toughest level of covid restrictions are widened. president trump has issued another round of pardons — among them two key allies who were convicted over the russia inquiry. now it's time for the business news and ramzan, who has more on the impact of brexit on british business. ido i do indeed. let us have a quick look. the pound is stronger against both the dollar and the euro. it is actually, the ftse 100, is down both the dollar and the euro. it is actually, the ftse100, is down a smidge, but the u k is actually

three quarters of a cent up. business groups have been telling us that they would like a deal over a no deal, that has basically been their mantra since june no deal, that has basically been their mantra sincejune 2016, and it looks like a deal is imminent. so this is what business are looking forward to, and hence why the currency markets are so buoyant. and we can talk more about this. a deal is better than a no deal, but is this a deal business will want?” think frankly, like the rest of us, they have been watching and waiting anxiously. talks have not been going on for nine months. we are heading for what should be the season finale, the pre—christmas hopeful resolution rather than the cliffhanger, but as you say there are going to be changes. what we expect to see in this deal are a guarantee that there is not going to be tariffs, import tariffs on goods crossing borders, and that of course will smooth the path of businesses

and consumers alike to some degree. but there is going to be other things. there are likely to have to be some compromises, aren't there? in terms of not having tariffs. what obligations are there? don't forget, deal or no deal, there is going to bea deal or no deal, there is going to be a more red tape, for goods crossing borders in particular. and that means extra costs on businesses. any speed bumps on the path to growth is not something that business wants to see right now. but frankly, at the moment, they will ta ke frankly, at the moment, they will take the idea of there being a smoother path, and also the fact that perhaps they know what to prepare for in just, that perhaps they know what to prepare for injust, what, a week's time. that is how long we got left oi'i time. that is how long we got left on the transition period. it's not about what happens on the ist of january next year, but in the years ahead ahead as well. don't forget, what we've seen in recent years is business investment, the money that businesses spend on underpinning corporate life, and all of our prosperity going forward, that is

dropped quite sharply recently. not just because a brexit uncertainty but covid as well. really, if we do see more clarity and certainty on the horizon, the hope is that we do see businesses up and down the country turning on those investment taps once again, which might sound quite dull, but ultimately, when we are worrying about how we're going to replace all of the jobs that were lost this year, that is a very crucial part of the puzzle. frankly, this may not be the deal that was on every business's wish list for christmas, but they would rather have uncertainty than not. they are watching and waiting. we only have eight days to go. business is a voice that they want clarity. it is eight days enough time for them to reach through this document, figure out what it means for them? is this giving them enough time to prepare for what will happen from january one? well, we've had in recent months business at same time and

time again, "we do not know what we are preparing for and we do not have time to do it." you may remember and exchange a couple of months ago which happened on one of the select committees in parliament, where we had one business minister basically saying that businesses have got their heads stuck in the sand and are not doing enough. 0ne came back and said, we have got our head stuck in the sand because we are more likely to get answers there than we are talking to government. and there's been that frustration. when there's been that frustration. when there isjust over a week to go and you haven't learned what to prepare for in terms of charges, how to label things, a week is not a long time when you have got these other bumps. christmas, let's not forget christmas, but also all of the disruptions from covid. it could be a bumpy landing. we are hoping to see businesses getting used to these new trading arrangements at the border as well. worst case, the government had envisioned queues of thousands of lorries. pretty similar to what we are seeing at dover this

week. it could be a bumpy start to the new year, even if we do see this new deal in place, which we are all hoping to see in the coming hours. we have had several false alarms so far. let's see where we get to. there will be some unanswered questions in there, because a lot of what we are talking what is good crossing borders. what about services, financial services? i'm not quite sure this deal is going to be broad enough to give us all the answers, but were going to have to see what we get. we will keep a firm eye on that. thank you for your time. let's take on that theme. we've only got eight days to go, and whether we will have time even to get this deal across the line before january one. we will talk about that with the law professor at city university. is there enough time to get this deal ratified? well, it certainly is pushing matter is down to the wire but it is possible for the agreement, if reached, to be

provisionally applied. it means the european parliament cannot consent the site of 2020. a drawn—out procedure awaits all parties. from the european side, we see five years to implement some agreements, or to ratify. there is a huge amount to be consulted. so there is a lot of uncertainty as to the trajectory of the agreement going forward. but it seems the eu has developed procedures for the provision and application of treaties, and those are well tried and tested. but to some degree there is still a lot of uncertainty and a lot of devil of course will be in the detail. you say there are lots of tried and tested methods and processes in place, but nothing could have prepared them for an eight day window, surely? absolutely not, and of course most trade agreements take at least ten years to negotiate. for

example, the japan agreement. it is unprecedented you have an agreement thatis unprecedented you have an agreement that is to unwind. this is an absolutely and totally exceptional situation. unexceptionable absolutely and totally exceptional situation. unexce ptionable events are likely to arise. there could be litigation. there could be matters about the protection of rights. there could be disputes that arise in the very early days. so, absolutely, uncertainty is the order of the game, even if there is an agreement. either way, we are going to see more red tape. that is a guarantee, is that correct? absolutely. there is no way that leaving one of the worlds largest single markets, custom units will not have a dramatic impact on businesses and what will be passed onto consumers, what costs businesses will have to absorb, there is going to be lots of form filling, lots of certificates and declarations. and the capacity to make that pain—free will be quite

limited from the uk government's perspective, so there will be a huge adjustment in life to see how this shift away from one of the worlds largest single market and custom units tojust largest single market and custom units to just be largest single market and custom units tojust be an ordinary member, as it were? fisheries have been one of the stumbling blocks. why do you think that is? on the face of it, it looks like quite a small part of the uk economy, it implies relatively few people in comparison to other sectors. why has fisheries been such a big stumbling plot? this is the million dollar question. as they say, the battles are only so bitter where the stakes are so small, and given the economic and legal significance of fisheries you can see that it is a matter for the larger optics of the dispute. legend the macro level playing field issues. the eu has done micro—fisheries looks like very much

a red herring, not to use another bad pun, but it certainly is something that seems to be solvable from a legal perspective and economic perspective. so it reflects the broader complexity of the agreement. many thanks for your time. that is the business news. we be keeping you abreast of all of the brexit div throughout the day. thank you very much indeed. we're expecting an announcement on a trade deal with the eu in the coming hours — negotiators from both sides have been working through the night to finalise a deal, but it's thought the issue of fishing quotas is still being worked out. former attorney general dominic grieve was a conservative mp until he lost the whip when he voted against the government in a bid to prevent a no—deal brexit. he then sat as an independent mp before standing down in the 2019 general election. hejoins me now. how are you feeling today as we look at this deal? it is a much harder deal than theresa may proposed, but it does at least prevent a no deal

exit. it's better than a no deal exit, because a no deal exit would lead in the first week injanuary to a repetition of the chaos that we so down at dover a few days ago. and that would continue for some time. so, yes, of course it's better. it's also very thin, as your previous speaker rightly pointed out. it is not the same as being in the single market or in the customs union, and it costs businesses wishing to export or import much more money and much more time, and makes us less competitive than we have been, even in transition. and of course 80% of the united kingdom's gdp comes from services, which are not covered by this at all. so my personal view is that we will find over the few years that we will find over the few years that follow that unless the brexit

is our right that we will have gradually to build closer relations again with our eu partners and our neighbours, because they are the countries with whom we trade and on whom our prosperity depends. do you think there would ever be a case for going back in? there may be, but thatis going back in? there may be, but that is going to be much further down the track. and as people made the choice in 2016, and people like myself were not successful in suggesting a pause so that people might be able, if they wish, to reconsider their decision. we are clearly saddled with what we've got for the foreseeable future, and of course one of the problems should we ever consider wanting to rejoin the eu in some form is that those opt outs which were negotiated for us by mrs thatcher and john major will not 110w mrs thatcher and john major will not now be available, and so it will become less attractive for a number

of reasons. people always talk about oui’ of reasons. people always talk about our relations with the eu in binary terms. it's wrong. like any international treaty, it has upsides and downsides. you have to do a cost — benefit analysis. my own assessment was always that the benefits of participating in the eu massively outweighed the costs. and indeed even the sovereignty costs, which in a globalised world are, in my view, a cost that every sensible country has to pay in certain areas. but some of my colleagues in the conservative party disagree. we will have to wait and see, it will cost us have to wait and see, it will cost us if they are wrong, but we will have to wait and see if they are right in their analysis. it takes time. are you saying that the whole issue of europe and brexit is not even necessarily over? that conceivably in the future a tory leadership campaign could still

depend on someone saying i am thinking about going back in, or i'm definitely not going to go back in that direction ever? of course that could happen. it is after all what happened to the conservative party in the 1950s — 60s. when a majority went in favour ofjoining the then eec, and as i say, the idea that the treaty we are about to get is the end of this is simply incorrect. everything in the world is dynamic, it does not stop. the eu is going to develop about the united kingdom is going to develop in various directions. how exactly, we cannot predict. the geography is not going to change. the geography is that we area to change. the geography is that we are a european nation. we may be an offshore island, but we are part of a european cultural and political and economical space. and that is going to continue. and while i know there are some people who think that we will be a global player again,

well, i have my slight doubts about that. liz truss has been trumpeting herjapan trade steel... but forgive me, herjapan trade deal simply replicates what the european union was already offering. so it isn't. it may be that we will get a trade deal with india, but my understanding has always been that india's quid pro quo for giving us a trade deal, it's because to us, it would be vastly increased immigration from india, which liz truss does not want. so all of these things come as a cost. a lot of countries are quite protectionist. india is very protectionist. i think the chances of getting a trade deal with india of any value are very low. what about an american trade deal? well, a us trade dealwould be worth having if we could have it. it

may come at a cost. we have discussed that, about whether we wa nt to discussed that, about whether we want to lower our standards on agricultural produce, for example. but even if we get it, the united states is several thousand miles away. france is 20 miles away across the channel. why are all these lorries queued up at dover in the last few days, and why is it disrupting our food supply? last few days, and why is it disrupting ourfood supply? because most of our food supply, shouldn't be surprising, comes from producers on the other side of the channel. that is the trade lies. and by cutting ourselves off from europe, as we have decided to do, and making oui’ as we have decided to do, and making our trade more complicated, it is going to cost us more, lower our standard of living, and that is the decision that we have taken in order to pursue new goals. whether that has any justification at to pursue new goals. whether that has anyjustification at all, i personally doubt it. was it a strategic error to push for a second

referendum, and would it be a strategic error to keep exit open as issue now? people could have voted for the theresa may deal, they instead for the theresa may deal, they i nstea d got for the theresa may deal, they instead got a new prime minister with a much tougher view on all this, and a different prime minister steered us through this incredibly tough covid period. no, it was worth the effort because, if there had been a second referendum, and there was some indication the public was changing its mind, we might have prevented and stopped the course on which we are now embarked. but it failed. i'm sorry for it, but that is politics. as for whether theresa may's deal ever had a prospect of getting through, the answer to that is most emphatically that it had not. there were 80 members of the conservative party who were unwilling to support it, and on top of that the labour party made quite clear because it was in a state of com plete clear because it was in a state of complete dysfunctionality that it was unable to make up its mind about

anything. there are those few of us on the conservative benches who pushed for a second referendum pushed for a second referendum pushed for a second referendum pushed for it because we thought it was a reasonable way out. theresa may's deal, i'm afraid, never had a prospect of working, because of the binary way in which this debate started to point out. as for the idea we must now put brexit behind us, i'm only too happy to in one sense. i got my life to get on with. but the issue which underlies brexit is not going away. the issue is, "where does our prosperity lie? and oui’ "where does our prosperity lie? and our national interest? who do we have to cooperate with most closely to give the best well—being to our citizens in a difficult and increasingly dangerous world ? " citizens in a difficult and increasingly dangerous world?" at the moment, i haven't listened to one single coherent argument as to how the new relationships which the present prime minister says he is going to develop are going to compensate for the damage that we

have done to the old ones. thank you very much indeed for your time today. just to let you know, we are hearing from the eu that the sources in brussels say there are some hours left to gavin lee, our correspondent in brussels. talks are ongoing. "a good few hours yet" before they actually conclude. no surprise there. brexit is delayed, but we will of course keep you posted. things can change very quickly. 2020 has been the year of cancelled trips and disappointment — but there's one question children around the world are asking — will father christmas be delivering presents? well, we're happy to report that santa's dash around the world, has been classed as an "essential journey", as david sillito

has been finding out. it is, for millions, an exciting night, but there are worries about father christmas. some children have been a little worried about coming christmas, due to this very special situation in the world. and so around the world, efforts have been made to reassure everyone that social distancing and travel restrictions will not interfere with one particular reindeer—powered journey. i understand the concern for santa, because he is of older age and he is of one of the older age groups. but i can tell you that santa claus is immune to this virus. we regard santa claus' travels as essential travel for essential purposes. he is exempt from the need to self—quarantine for 1h days. i'm sure the elves are busily working, doing their magic work to ensure that the christmas stockings will be filled for children across the world. and they, i think, count as key workers, they need to go

into work to do theirjobs. but in this era of social distancing, it is an extra reason to keep well back. and keeping an eye on it all, as usual, is the global santa tracker, run by north american air defence. christmas eve. there are a lot of restrictions around the world. everything looking good ? so, everything looks great so far. so we are tracking santa's progress as he proceeds from the eastern hemisphere back to the west. santa's been doing this for a very long time through a number of issues in the centuries he's been doing this. we only get concerned from a control perspective when it comes to canada and the us, but we do track his progress as he proceeds throuthapan, australia, and of course, through europe as well. is that two metres? no virus is going to stop him. in a christmas of safe present spaces and sanitized hands and hooves. stay safe, santa. david sillito, bbc news.

an all—star cast is to create a unique digital retelling ofjm barrie's enchanting classic, peter pan, in support of great 0rmond street hospital children's charity. the audio adaptation will feature the likes of academy award winner 0livia colman, kenneth branagh and jane horrocks, alongside many more. well, joining me now is actor charlie cameron, who will be playing the title role of peter pan. tell us more. it's really wonderful, i have to say. we've got the best creative team on board possible, so kenneth branagh. he is perfect for this thing. the most incredible music and sound design has been written. and it's all the extravaganza you would want from going to the theatre. it's just so magical. but it is also that lovely

intimacy that he would get with an audio production. this is not staged, is that right? it is all spoken? yes, it is all audio. you would download it from our website, which is listened to peter pan dot—com, you buy it as if you are buying an album. it is yours to keep forever. it is the perfect thing to buy for a last minute christmas gift. you don't have to look at the screen, which we might all be fed up of doing at the moment. you just listen to it, close your ayes, grab a cup of cocoa. i think it is almost more magical, the fact that it invites you to use your imagination. but the audio is incredible. it is out of this world. what makes it so amazing? did you actually recorded as we hear it, or did you have to do it all individually? that's a really

good question. we recorded it. we all had to make home—made studios, cellar taping duvets to wardrobes and cupboards and things, and then we we re and cupboards and things, and then we were all zoomed up. we all had out we were all zoomed up. we all had our own we were all zoomed up. we all had our own equipment, microphones, and we had each other on a zoom on our headphones. charlie cameron, so sorry. thank you for watching this on bbc news. now it's time for a look at the weather with matt taylor. hello, a festive dusting of snow for some of you today. for others, just mopping up after yesterday's rain. still plenty of flood warnings in force at the moment. things are looking dry for most for the rest of today. a mixture of rain, sleet and snow. still some snow flurries too, in northern scotland. a few showers to the west

of wales. a lot more dry weather than yesterday. quite a few of you will stay dry all day long. it will feel cold. 3—7 c on the thermometers. it is going to feel much colder, thanks to that wind. pretty chilly christmas eve. showers keep going into the night across eastern parts of england. clear skies elsewhere. as winds fall lighter, it is not going to be snow we are waking up to, it will be the sparkle of a christmas morning frost. temperature is widely below freezing as we start christmas day. a bit icy in places, too, and there will be one or two sleet showers in the east of england. clouding over from the west. more substantially in scotla nd from the west. more substantially in scotland and northern ireland, with rain into the highlands, islands and the rest of northern ireland. damaged were left to rue the day. elsewhere staying chilly, in mid—single figures. a largely dry day for many. at the time boxing

day, winds a switch to a westerly direction. increasing amounts of cloud and showers through the day, turning wet. wet is the bulb will be scotla nd turning wet. wet is the bulb will be scotland and northern ireland, as the winds really start to ramp up. those winds will make it feel cooler. the winds are a slight concern as we go through saturday night, particularly across england and wales. may be severe gales for some as we go into sunday morning. low pressure is actually dominating, and it will bring more rain southwards. we will have to watch river levels again, and the risk of flooding. that persistent rain does get away as we go through to sunday, most get away as we go through to sunday, m ost pla ces get away as we go through to sunday, most places will be seeing some sunshine. a scattering of showers. a mixture of rain, hail, sleet and snow, even the odd rumble of thunder. colder conditions to see acts 2020. goodbye for now.

this is bbc news. the headlines... the uk and european union hammer out the final details of a christmas eve post—brexit trade deal, with a press conference expected soon. with one week to go until the end of the transition period, disagreements over fishing rights are thought to have caused a "last—minute hitch". more than 6,000 lorries spend another night stranded outside the port of dover, with drivers waiting to be tested for covid—19 before they're allowed into france. another six million people in england are told to stay at home from boxing day as the toughest level of covid restrictions are widened.