in the middle will be protected. welcome to bbc news, i'm lewis vaughan jones. our top stories: donald trump finally issues a statement, saying he condemns the storming of the us capitol by his supporters. to those who engaged in the acts of violence and destruction, you do not represent our country. and to those who broke the law, you will pay. joe biden says wednesday's events in washington mark one of the darkest days in us history, and he's blaming donald trump. the past four years, we've had a president who's made his contempt for our democracy, our constitution, the rule of law, clear in everything he has done. at least four people died as a result of the riots, and dozens more have

been arrested. welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. president trump has condemned those involved in what he called the heinous attack on the capitol building, after criticism of his response to the riot. in a marked change in tone from yesterday's comments, he said he was ‘outraged by the violence‘ and that he was turning his attention to a smooth and orderly transition of power. his video was posted on twitter, after a brief ban on his account appeas to have been lifted. my my focus now turns to ensuring a smooth, orderly and seamless transition of power. this moment calls for healing and reconciliation. 2020 has been a

challenging time for our people, a menacing pandemic has upended the lives of our citizens, isolated millions in their homes, damaged our economy and claimed countless lives. defeating this pandemic and rebuilding the greatest economy on earth will require all of us working together. our north america correspondent peter bowes watched the clip, here's his reaction. this is a very significant change in tone from president trump talking about this being a heinous attack, what happened at the capitol building, saying that he was outraged by it and we have just heard him say that those responsible will pay for what they did. talking about reconciliation, talking about healing, and moving on to the days ahead that certainly have been concerning a lot of people, what will happen between now and the point at whichjoe biden takes over in less than two weeks, and the president is saying, acknowledging really for the first time, that he lost the election by saying that a new administration will be taking

over and he will be focusing on that transition process. and no claims, as he has been claiming recently, of widespread fraud. no claims, falsely, that he won the election by a landslide. that's clearly a difference. what of the timing here, peter? lots of people were calling for him to come out with a statement like this within hours of the actual events yesterday but he didn't. well, yeah. it has been very slow in coming. if you look at all of the others who have been responding to the attack on the capitol building over the last 2a hours, the president did release a video statement but he didn't go anywhere close to the condemnation that we have heard in this latest video. and of course this is in the face of mounting criticism of the president, that may well have played a part in him releasing this particular video with calls for him to be essentially forced out of office. there's been talk of invoking the 25th amendment which is

a mechanism whereby he could be declared unfit for office and removed from the white house. now, mike pence the vice president would take over under those circumstances. mike pence, through one of his advisers, we understand it, is not keen on that kind of action, but there are other potential moves that congress could take and, that is certainly being discussed in terms of possibly a censure of the president and there are other actions as well because there is still a tremendous amount of anger at what president trump said in the minutes and hours before the capitol building was attacked, and he is being accused of inciting that violence, so i think it is significant now, coming back to the video, that he is adopting a very different tone. the ease with which trump supporters were able to storm congress has raised serious questions about security in washington.

the head of capitol police is resigning. our correspondent aleem maqbool has been speaking to some of those caught up in the chaos of wednesday night. no remorse, no guilt, no regrets. those who travelled to washington from across the country to protest are today sightseeing. yesterday had to happen. the shock and disgust is felt elsewhere, not here. how do you feel about it all? i feel very privileged that i was a part of yesterday. ifight forfreedom and democracy. even with everything that happened 7 yes. even with everything that happened. we had the greatest president in our lifetime doing everything he could do, sacrificing his golden years to make this country what it should be and what it always has been. he sacrificed so much, and that is why you seen so many people here, they realise that. in those fateful hours they had been incited to march on the capitol by donald trump. those who forced their way into the building believing they had the right to, to overturn the election result.

that is just not how things are done in this country. lawlessness, storming buildings even, that is what has happened. the nation was not founded on civility, this nation was founded on revolutionary activity. we became civil after the government realised that they got overwhelmed. so, what happens now? i guess now we wait and see if they take us seriously, because they saw how easily we were able to breach their defence. in spite of everything we saw with our own eyes, a lot of those protesters who laid siege to the us capitol insist that it is the other side that is trying to seize power and subvert democracy. among them there's very little sense of embarrassment at the events here — if anything, a sense of pride. proud especially that they caused politicians to cower in congress. i've never had a panic attack, but i think that's what i was having. my heart was pounding very, very hard. i was having a little bit

of trouble catching my breath, and i felt almost paralysed. david hartfield junior works at the capitol building and lives close by. it was scary, and when i got up this morning i was like, "maybe i should just inside all day." i really had that thought of, you know, am i going to be attacked for just going in and paying bills? like, that's a scary thought to wake up with in the morning. life, of course, goes on, but many americans have been left numb by events here. others, though, those involved, have clearly been energised. aleem maqbool, bbc news, in washington. donald trump is now calling for healing and reconciliation but much of that will be taking place after he's left office. so how do lawmakers in the us see their role in the healing and what canjoe biden do to bring the country together. we asked a member of congress from each of the parties. it begins with tone. it's not just about tone, but it is about tone. the way we

campaign, the way we build coalitions, the way we get people riled up, and then secondly, i think president—elect biden really needs to select some issues to make progress on that he can work with republicans on. he can choose to work with the extremes and his party and try to overpower the republicans. i think that would be a terrible decision. there are areas like infrastructure, areas like criminal justice infrastructure, areas like criminaljustice reform, the pandemic, economic recovery, pushing back against china and russia, those are the areas where he can work with republicans and build a far more functional government and we otherwise would have if he went alone. there has been nobody who has been more prepared and at the right place at the right time than joe biden. i have known him for almost 40 years, and he and my husband were good, close friends who worked across the

aisle, who knew that the strongest kind of policy that you build was to bring people of all parties together, to get by and so that every body felt like they had a piece of making that policy successful. i think that policy successful. i think that there is nobody that is more prepared to try to be that here. that was dusty johnson of south dakota and democratic congresswoman of michigan. nicole hemmer is an assistant research scholar at columbia university, she's a presidential and constitutional historian. thanks so much forjoining us. thanks so much forjoining us. thank you for having me. given the events that we've all been referring to when we all saw on our tv screens around the world, where you place that when you place the legacy of donald trump as president? in the course of american history it really is unprecedented. we've never had a president who directed a mob of supporters to

attack another branch of government, and that is a damning legacy. it is a disruption, a couple of centuries of uninterrupted peaceful tra nsfers centuries of uninterrupted peaceful transfers of power and thatis peaceful transfers of power and that is a pretty significant stain on his legacy. and his supporters, many of them, part of the reason they voted for him was because they disrupted and didn't respect democratic norms. they never saw that as a bad thing, they saw that as a good thing. they didn't like washington and what was going on there, how do you think that sentiment now lies? i think for many of them, they are happy just as the reporting a few minutes ago showed. they are proud that they were able to support their president and a time where he had lost support from a lot of people, even in his party as he continued to contest the election with joe biden so i think by and large there is a lot ofjoy and pride

from his supporters about what happened yesterday. how do you marry that, though, with the fa ct marry that, though, with the fact that 70 odd million americans, most of whom won't support what happened but will voted for donald trump? you know, it's a good question. i think that there has been a tradition over the past five yea rs of tradition over the past five years of being disappointed with donald trump but ultimately still supporting him because you like most of what he does, and we saw this with the access hollywood tape, we saw this with the attack on charlottesville. saw this with the attack on cha rlottesville. that saw this with the attack on charlottesville. that was a moment when all of these bad characteristics of donald trump we re characteristics of donald trump were front and centre and yet, as you've just said, 70 million americans still voted for him for re—election. sol americans still voted for him for re—election. so i think that this is part of what his voters have come to expect from him. and i'mjust voters have come to expect from him. and i'm just going to ask you to look forward a little bit now, because given you have got a percentage of donald trump supporters who believe that the election was stolen

and won't be persuaded by facts or whatever, shared facts in the normal centrist political discourse has to say, where do we go from here with yellow thatis we go from here with yellow that is another good question, because that is a real danger for american democracy going forward , for american democracy going forward, and you would want leaders of the republican party say enough is enough, and a few of them have in the aftermath of them have in the aftermath of yesterday but a lot of members still continue to support the president's attempt to overturn the election, immediately after this attack, sol immediately after this attack, so i think there are still some pretty difficult years ahead. great to have you on and your expertise for that. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: japan's prime minister says the tokyo olympics should still go ahead, despite declaring a regional state of emergency.

the japanese people are in mourning following the death of emperor hirohito. thousands converged on the imperial palace to pay their respects when it was announced he was dead. good grief! after half a century of delighting fans around the world, charlie brown and the rest of the gang are calling it quits. the singer paul simon starts his tour of south africa tomorrow despite of protests and violence from some black activist groups. they say international artists should continue to boycott south africa until majority rule is established. around the world, people have been paying tribute to the iconic rock star david bowie who sold 140 million albums in a career that spanned half a century. his family announced overnight that he had died of cancer at the age of 69. the world's tallest skyscraper opens later today. the burj dubai, has easily

overtaken its nearest rivals. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: donald trump finally issues a statement saying he condemns the storming of the us capitol by his supporters. at least four people died as a result of the riots and dozens more have been arrested. some breaking news now: abu bakar ba'asyir, a radical muslim cleric and alleged mastermind of the 2002 bali bombings, has been freed from prison. his family picked him up from a jail on the outskirts of jakarta. the 82—year—old is widely considered to be the spiritual leader of an al-qaeda—inspired group that was blamed for the attack that killed 202 people. the bbc‘s shaimaa khalil is in sydney and joins me now. tell us what has happened there. we know that abu bakar ba'asyir was picked up by his

family from jail. reportedly taken back home to central java. as you say, the 82—year—old, the spiritual leader of the al-qaeda affiliated jemaah islamiah, responsible for many attacks, the most responsible of course we re the most responsible of course were the 2002 bali bombings. 203 people died, 80 of them australian, so this news brings up australian, so this news brings up so many raw emotions were so many people here. of course, not very far after 2003, the marriot attacks jeff carter. important to note, though, that even important to note, though, that even though abu bakar ba'asyir was strongly linked to those two attacks, he was never really convicted for them. he was actually imprisoned in 2011 for links with a jihadi training militant camp in aceh province. we also know that he has received a number ofjail reductions to his sentence and now we have heard from indonesian government officials that he has completed his

sentence and he is now a free man stop interesting, and we saw those pictures of him being picked up by friends and family. what has been their reaction? well, his son spoke to local media. he said that his father was going back home. interestingly, he also said, abu bakar interestingly, he also said, abu ba kar ba'asyir‘s interestingly, he also said, abu bakar ba'asyir‘s son, said he was going back to an islamic boarding school that he had established in the 1970s. the graduates of which were linked to militant attacks, to militant groups. so again, a whole load of concern notjust in indonesia, really, but around the world, especially here in australia, at what the release of abu bakar ba'asyir means, whether or not he is going to go back to inciting violence and hate. and actually we heard from people, family members, for example, who heard about his release and said he should not be freed, he should receive a life sentence for each life lost. but we have also heard from one person who

lost five friends in the bali bombings saying that the fear now is that now that he is out he would preach more hate.|j thought this was going to be ultimate closure from me. i thought after 15 years we're not going to see him walk out ofjail. now we can see him walk out ofjail and i am thinking notjust the horror and the memories coming back, but it is the fear factor. he is going to walk out with a hero's welcome. one of the most notable things to happen while he was injail is notable things to happen while he was in jail is that from his prison cell, abu bakar ba'asyir in 2014 pledged allegiance to the so—called islamic state. in 2014 pledged allegiance to the so-called islamic state. so what would that mean for him now being released ? what would that mean for him now being released? we also heard from the australian government, the foreign minister, marise payne, saying that while australia respected indonesia's 70, they should keep an eye on his activities and abu bakar ba'asyir should not be allowed to preach more hate or incite more violence with other militant groups. thank you.

now to other news, and france is rolling out its vaccination programme, but at a much slower rate than for example the uk. only 500 people had been given the jab in the first week. at least 25,000 were vaccinated on thursday. the french prime minister, jean castex, says the vaccine will shortly be offered to all over—75s as he expressed concern the virus is still spreading too fast in france. our paris correspondent lucy williamson has been to a hospital in the southern city of saint—etienne. for france, this is not a vaccine to be delivered in a hurry. these tiny vials may be endorsed by doctors, but they carry a political risk. at saint—etienne's new vaccination centre, the first doses to arrive are for staff, not patients — a new push to increase vaccinations and public confidence in them. until now, only residents of elderly care homes were eligible for the jab. this week it is being offered to firefighters, domestic carers and all medical staff over the age of 50. we are dealing with a technocratic system which is not reactive enough

and only wants to follow regulatory procedures without any risk, and we all think it is time to take risks. speaks french. under pressure over the low number of vaccinations, the prime minister, jean castex, said tonight that everyone over the age of 75 can have the vaccine from 18 january. but he insisted that france was right to begin its campaign in the way it did. the government says it made sense to focus on the most vulnerable first, and to require signed consent and a doctor's approval before carrying out the vaccination. but there is another reason for this caution around the vaccine. polls suggest that more than half the french population isn't planning to take it. marie is a newspaper publisher in paris. her three children have all have their childhood vaccinations, she says, and she is happy to have most vaccinations herself. but the pfizer vaccine currently on offer in france

has her worried because it was developed so quickly, using a new technique. you see the government telling you that it's completely safe, you see doctors telling you it's completely safe, researchers telling you it's completely safe. does that change your mind? maybe they could say i'm sure with 99%, but not 100%. nobody could say 100%, and my concern is about the 1%, 2%, 3%, 5% of risk. distrust of vaccines has a long history here, but france's slow start led to accusations it was becoming a laughing stock. the government is trying to vaccinate the nation without alienating one set of voters or embarrassing another. lucy williamson, bbc news, paris. back to our main story: our north america correspondent, nick bryant, considers what yesterday's shocking events could mean

for mr trump's legacy and for the future of american politics. so help me god. congratulations, mr president. from the moment that donald trump took the oath of office, it instantly became clear that he would change the presidency more than the presidency would change him. this american carnage stops right here and stops right now. but millions of voters had sent him to the white house precisely because he was prepared to say the unsayable. they loved his anti—establishment energy. they backed his trashing of behavioural norms. ahead of the election, he strongly signalled that he was even prepared to reject democratic conventions. he refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power. well, we're going to have to see what happens. you know that. i've been complaining very strongly about the ballots, and the ballots are a disaster. but more than 74 million americans voted for him nonetheless, the second highest figure in us history. he won almost 47%

of the national vote. in events like this 4july celebration at the lincoln memorial, critics of his presidency saw signs of authoritarianism — america first as a military tattoo. and many people globally viewed episodes like his return from hospital after recovering from the coronavirus as comic opera. some lampooned him as an american mussolini. but many of his backers saw something different — an american strongman and a fellow victim of elite sneering. the whole number of electors appointed to vote for president of the united states... on capitol hill last night some of his loyal allies, the trump enablers, started to jump ship. i hate it to end this way. oh, my god, i hate it. from my point of view, he's been a consequential president. but today, first thing you'll see — all i can say is count me out.

enough is enough. but almost half of republican lawmakers voted last night to overturn joe biden's victory, even after they witnessed firsthand what looked like an insurrection on capitol hill. when he emerged on the political scene four years ago, it was said that the new york tycoon had mounted a hostile ta keover of the republican party. but there was always massive buy—in from the rank—and—file conservatives who became his personal base. so even after the american carnage that we witnessed here yesterday, he remains the dominant figure in conservative politics, and could be for years to come. the republicans have always prided themselves on being the party of abraham lincoln, but these past four years they have become the party of donald trump. many of his supporters display a near cult—like devotion, so it is premature to see the storming of the capitol as trump and trumpism's final stand. nick bryant, bbc news, washington.

japan's prime minister says he is confident this year's tokyo olympics will go ahead. yoshihide suga believes a global vaccination programme could make all the difference, but there has been a recent surge of covid cases in tokyo and a state of emergency has been declared. the bbc‘s tim allman reports. ever since the london games of 1948, every four years, without fail, the summer olympics have taken place. fail, the summer olympics have ta ken place. but fail, the summer olympics have taken place. but then came coronavirus, and the postponement of last year's event. now, tokyo 2020 is all set to become tokyo 2021, at least according to japan's prime minister. translation: i think it is possible because the administering of vaccines has begun around the world. i wa nt to has begun around the world. i want to start vaccinations in japan by the end of february. if we take appropriate measures, i think public feeling towards the olympics will change. has confidence may

be welcome, but his timing might have been a little better. the state of emergency declared in the tokyo region as cases surge once more. translation: coronavirus is spreading rapidly. i don't think we can contain it if we continue to live normally, so i think it is right to do it. translation: there is no need to declare a state of emergency. i think this would scare everyone and people would not go out anymore. more people would commit suicide, and it will be a disaster. a vaccination programme in japan is one thing, but how do you do the same for competitors all around the world ? the same for competitors all around the world? and, in all likelihood, if the games are postponed again, they won't happen at all. that is just about it from me. i will be back with the headlines injust a couple i will be back with the headlines in just a couple of moments' time. plenty more online as always. you can

a lwa ys online as always. you can always download the bbc news app. you can reach me on twitter. i'm @lvaughanjones. hello there. thursday was a really cold day in the midlands, where the fog persisted. and it's cold widely at the moment, of course. we've got a widespread frost. and again, for many parts of the country it could be quite icy out there as well, and in some areas we're seeing some more sleet and snow falling. so it's a real mixture. some quite tricky conditions early in the morning, a wintry mixture. we've got most of the patchy fog now across the south—east of england by this stage. but with sleet and snow falling mainly across wales and northern england, there's going to be a covering of snow for many. there could be even more than that over the pennines. a dry but icy start for northern ireland, and indeed for much of scotland, but a covering

of snow for northern and eastern areas. the more persistent snow should have moved southwards by this stage and the wintry showers that we're left with will soon fade away, so it's going to turn dry and sunny for scotland and indeed for northern ireland. more cloud, though, for england and wales. again a mixture of rain, sleet and mainly hill snow for northern england and wales. a few wintry showers around elsewhere and the fog will be lifting through the morning. but a cold day wherever you are, temperatures again only 1—4 celsius. and as we head into the weekend, it's going to be really cold start on saturday morning. a widespread, quite sharp frost as well. some fog around in the morning across southern england to slowly lift, but otherwise england and wales looks dry and sunny. for scotland and northern ireland, the cloud will tend to increase as the winds pick up and we'll see some wetter weather arriving in the north—west of scotland. but another cold day — those temperatures in the afternoon 2—4 degrees for many areas. the wetter weather that's coming into the north—west on that second weather front there, and that will slip its way southwards on saturday night, but weaken. but we're left with more cloud across the northern half of the uk.

still some patches of fog in southern england. southern areas, though, seeing a bright but cold day. more cloud for northern england, northern ireland and scotland in particular, some further damp weather coming back into western areas of scotland. here it should be a bit milder, and generally those temperatures a degree or so higher on sunday. things are going to get milder for many of us as we head into next week, as the winds come in from the atlantic. notice that colder air still across parts of scotland, so there is the threat of some snow here. but generally next week looks much milder, but there will be some rain and some stronger winds as well.

and dozens more have been arrested. this is bbc news, the headlines: donald trump has released a video on social media, condemning the chaotic scenes that took place at the us congress on wednesday. he said the people who carried out the acts of violence did not represent america. he also conceded that a new administration would now take office. president—electjoe biden has launched a stinging attack on donald trump, blaming him for the insurrection on capitol hill on wednesday. mr biden called it one of the "darkest days in american history". he said president trump had spent the past four years showing contempt for democracy. the indonesian authorities have released from prison an islamic cleric, abu bakar bashir, the suspected mastermind of the bali bombings in 2002. more than 200 people were killed. reports say bashir, now aged 82, was collected from the prison south of jakarta by family members.