welcome to newsday. reporting live from singapore, i'm monica miller. the headlines... a former white house aide tells a congressional committee that president trump wanted to join the capitol hill rioters. mr engel grabbed his arm and said, "sir, you need "to take your hand off the steering wheel. "we're going back to the west wing, we're not "going to the capitol." in new york, ghislaine maxwell is sentenced to 20 years for helping jeffrey epstein abuse young girls.

turkey abuse young girls. dropped its opposition to turkey dropped its opposition to sweden and finland joining the nato alliance after the three countries signed a joint agreement. and the campaigner dame deborahjames, host of the bbc podcast, "you, me and the big c", has died at the age of a0. serena williams suffers a shock first—round defeat, playing her first—round defeat, playing her first singles match in a year. live from our studio in singapore... this is bbc news. it's newsday. hello and welcome to the programme. the inquiry into the riot at the us capitol last year has been hearing dramatic testimony from a former white house aide. cassidy hutchinson said donald trump knew supporters had weapons when he urged them to march to congress.

she also said senior officials had warned repeatedly that mr trump's rally on that day, to try to overturn joe biden�*s victory, could spiral out of control. our north america editor, sarah smith, has more. a surprise witness. her appearance, kept secret until today, delivered explosive testimony. describing how trump had been informed that many in the crowd on the 6th of january were carrying weapons. yet he was furious about security measures. metal detectors were used to find guns and knives. he wanted the screenings stopped to let more people in, ms hutchinson told the committee in previously recorded testimony. i overheard the president says something to the effect of, "i don't care they have weapons. "they're not here to hurt me. "take the effing mags away." donald trump: we are going to walk down and i'll—

be there with you. trump did want to go to the capitol but as he ordered the secret service to drive him there he was told it wasn't safe. he said something to the effect of, "i'm the effing president, take me up to the capitol now." when the president's secret service agent, bobby engel, refused to go to the capitol, trump got physical. the president reached up towards the front of the vehicle to grab at the steering wheel. mr engel grabbed his arm and said, "sir, you need "to take your hand off the steering wheel. "we're going back to the west wing. "we're not going to the capitol." mr trump then used his free hand to lunge towards bobby engel. trump has responded, saying this is a "fake story that is sick and fraudulent." today is the first time we have heard exactly what was happening inside the white house on the 6th of january, how the president's most senior advisers anticipated the violence and did little to stop it, and then asked trump for a presidential pardon so they couldn't be prosecuted. did white house chief of staff mark meadows ever indicate. that he was interested i

in receiving a presidential pardon relating to. the 6th ofjanuary? mr meadows did seek that pardon, yes, ma'am. first—hand evidence from someone who was right at the heart of the white house. sarah smith, bbc news. ghislaine maxwell, a former girlfriend of the sex earlier i've spoke to a professor of law and performers prosecutor, who gave me his take. {iii prosecutor, who gave me his take. u, , prosecutor, who gave me his take. .. , , prosecutor, who gave me his take. , , ., take. of course, she added new detail of what _ take. of course, she added new detail of what was _ take. of course, she added new detail of what was happening i detail of what was happening inside the white house. as well as the shocking indications that the president tried to force his way up to the capitol to lead the riot, but to me, the most important thing she said in some ways places the whole thing in a larger perspective. when she was asked to her reaction for the whole business at the end of the

hearing, she said what she was experiencing at the white house, "we were watching the capitol building being defaced over alive." that's really important because it's easy to forget that. —— over a lie. this is not some liberal commentator or democratic opponent of the president, this is a long time, young, republican loyalist who has worked for one of the most conservative members of congress and then gone into the white house as the senior aide to the white house chief of staff. and she confirms what all this essentially is —— all of us at essentially no, that the basis for all of this, the underlying basis for all of this violence and all of the storm oil was a lie. —— all of this turmoil. people right next to donald trump knew it, and as we learned from the testimony

from the department ofjustice the last time around, donald trump himself i was told over and over again that the claim that there was any fraud was alive. there we have somebody sitting right on the holy conforming that —— right down the hallway confirming. fine conforming that -- right down the hallway confirming. one of the hallway confirming. one of the head of— the hallway confirming. one of the head of the _ the hallway confirming. one of the head of the committee, i the hallway confirming. one ofj the head of the committee, liz cheney, ended by saying there is evidence of witness tampering another activity. but what did ms. hutchinson offers today? is that the smoking gun needed to prosecute the former president was the although i don't think we know that precisely. don't think we know that precisely-— don't think we know that recisel . , ., ., ., precisely. there is a lot more to be learned. _ precisely. there is a lot more to be learned. i— precisely. there is a lot more to be learned. i think- precisely. there is a lot more to be learned. i think one ofl to be learned. i think one of the key points today that was quite interesting was that she said that mark meadows had wanted to go across the street to the so—called war room where rudy giuliani and other planners of the activities were

making plans. think of that for a second, the white house chief of staff wanted to go and be part of the conspiracy that was going to lead to this riot the next day. he was dissuaded only by his 26—year—old staffer, but nonetheless, insisted on being part of the phone conference into that meeting. i would certainly like to know a good deal more about what was said. but it certainly suggests that there was direct participation by the white house in the planning of the insurrection, and that was really the key thing. you're also correct to point out the importance of the notion that even today, supporters of trump are trying to intimidate both the the group —— the courageous witnesses speaking the truth. ghislaine maxwell, a former girlfriend of the sex offenderjeffrey epstein, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison

by a court in new york. she was convicted last december of helping epstein abuse teenage girls. she apologised to her victims but her family said she would appeal. our north america correspondent, nada tawfik, reports from new york. a long—fought victory for annie farmer and all of ghislaine maxwell's victims. justice was slow. she was one of the earliest to report maxwell and the paedophilejeffrey epstein to police, in 1996. but today, annie said it was never too late for accountability. maxwell and epstein were predators who were able to use that power and privilege to harm countless individuals and for far too long, the institutions that should be protecting the public were instead protecting them. and i still hope that we find out more about how that was allowed to occur. maxwell did not look at her victims, but she did address them. she said she was sorry for the pain they had experienced. she also said her association with epstein, who she described

as a manipulative, cunning man, was the greatest regret of her life. her statement felt like a very hollow apology to me. she did not take responsibility for the crimes that she committed and it felt like, once more, her trying to do something to benefit her and not at all about the harm that she had caused. the court allowed others who were not a part of the trial to also confront maxwell. the pain and anguish she caused was plain to see, as several accusers emotionally spoke about the lasting impact of her crimes, such as liz stein. she had a wonderful, full, beautiful life, and so many of usjust didn't have a chance to have that. i think that the closure part of her sentencing is maybe the beginning for a lot of us to start having the life that we anticipated we might have if we had never met

ghislaine maxwell and jeffrey epstein. the british daughter of the disgraced media tycoon robert maxwell ran in the most influential circles, rubbing elbows with presidents and princes. but in court, as she waited to hear her fate, she was supported byjust three members of herfamily. the judge rejected the defence's claim that maxwell was being punished in epstein�*s place and said her sentencing had to reflect the seriousness of her role in the horrific scheme. today is a major step towards justice and perhaps healing for the victims. nada tawfik, bbc news, new york. let's ta ke let's take a look at some other news making headlines. president lopez of mexico has blamed trafficking and what he called a lack of control of the us border after the deaths of at least 50 migrants. they were abandoned in a truck in texas. it's the worst case of migrant deaths due to people smuggling

in the united states. sri lanka has said it plans to open a fuel market to foreign companies. underthe plan, companies. under the plan, firms companies. underthe plan, firms will be able to import and sell their own fuel without having to meet the country's for it and change rules. the cdc in the united states has launched an emergency response to contain the outbreak of monkeypox. the us has recorded more than 240 cases of the disease, which causes fever, rash and skin blisters. china has cut the time of quarantine for travel leaders arriving in the country by half —— travellers. passengers will now have to isolate at a facility for seven days instead of 14. they will have to stay in their own place for a further three days.

turkey has changed its mind and now agreed to support the nato membership applications from finland and sweden. the breakthrough came in madrid. 0ur europe editor, katya adler, reports from madrid. it's taken weeks of negotiations but sweden and finland are now well on their way to becoming nato members after they signed an agreement with turkey to counter threats to each other�*s security. nato hoped to present this united front tonight to send a clear message to vladimir putin. welcoming finland and sweden into the alliance will make them safer, nato stronger, and the mid—atlantic area more secure. this is vital as we face the biggest security crisis in decades. ukraine, of course, is on everyone's minds here. but so is the wider security threat from russia.

nato is ramping up its rapid reaction forces, from 40,000 to 300,000... ..like these french paratroopers preparing to support nato countries close to russia, now feeling very exposed. we can't defend ourselves alone. we will never be alone strong. so we have to have, like, friends and allies. finland and sweden agree. just look at finland's long border with russia. hello. thank you so much for taking the time. moscow's aggression has shocked them. we realised that we have to make a change. - well, it appeared that russia is ready to try to invade - a neighbouring sovereign country _ are you worried, though? because president putin told you directly, he warned you not tojoin nato, or there would be repercussions. yes, we are not. afraid, not at all.

but today, russia's foreign minister, sergey lavrov, warned the west beefing up its defences and supporting ukraine would only prolong kyiv�*s agony. and that is the delicate balancing act here. all nato countries agree russia is the aggressor, ukraine must be helped militarily, but to what extent? that's where there's disagreement. should russia be given such a bloody nose, it thinks twice in the future about acts of aggression? or, if vladimir putin feels pushed in a corner, is there a risk that he'll escalate, even making good on a threat to use nuclear weapons? trying to keep nato allies together isjoe biden, arguably the star guest at tonight's gala dinner hosted by spain's king and queen. europe's security has been thrown upside down by vladimir putin, but one

thing hasn't changed — when this continent is in crisis, it still relies heavily on washington. katya adler, bbc news, madrid. still to come on the programme... a shocking defeat for serena williams and her first singles match in a year. china marked its first day of rule in hong kong with a series of spectacular celebrations. a huge firework display was held in the former colony. the chinese president, jiang zemin, said unification was the start of a new era for hong kong. the world's first clone has been produced of an adult mammal. scientists in scotland have produced a sheep called dolly

that was cloned in laboratory using a cell from another sheep. for the first time in 20 years, russian and american spacecraft have docked in orbit at the start of a new era of cooperation in space. cheering. challenger powered past. the bishop rock lighthouse at almost 50 knots, shattering a record that had _ stood for 34 years. there was no hiding the sheer elation ofj richard branson and his crew. this is newsday on the bbc. from singapore, i'm monica miller. 0ur headlines... a former white house aide tells a committee that president trump wanted tojoin a committee that president trump wanted to join the capitol hill rioters.

in new york, ghislaine maxwell is sentenced to 20 years for helping jeffrey epstein abuse young girls. the campaigner dame deborah james has died of bowel cancer at the age of 40. she had been receiving end—of—life care at home and had raised millions to help others affected by cancer. dame deborah was host of the bbc�*s you, me and the big c podcast, and was honoured in recognition of her fundraising work. 0ur correspondent rachel burden reports. my name is deborahjames. i'm a mum to two kids and a dog called winston. three years ago, at the age of 35, i was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer and i have been living with cancer ever since. she was young, she was vibrant, with an infectious sense of fun. for deborahjames, cancer was a devastating blow. but she was determined

to share her story, in the hope it would help others. i've had everything — surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy — to enable me to live with cancer. 0n social media, the former teacher called herself bowel babe, detailing the endless rounds of treatment, but poking fun at her disease. having fun with her kids and making life's important milestones. i made my 40th birthday. that's huge, that's enormous, it's the birthday i never thought i would make. i like winding up my oncologist because he's very strait—laced! on her podcast, you, me and the big c, deborah was open... you're sat on the chemo ward in an orange catsuit! funny... and he's, like... doesn't want to say anything and you're just, like, "yeah, hi!" i'm back on treatment and every single time, i don't want to be here. i don't want to be back on treatment.

but never tried to hide her emotions. you just think, it's just not fair. in a final interview, she hoped new treatments would soon be found. cancer should become a chronic disease. i hope it will be in my kids' lifetime, i hope it will become a chronic disease. but i think... there are people doing amazing things and we need to support them and fund them. # and i'll rise up # i'll rise like the day...# the fund she set up to aid research has raised millions. foryears, dame deborah, as she became, fought to increase awareness of her disease... ..with social media posts like these inspiring thousands of fellow patients. in the words of one cancer charity, the lives her campaign saved and will continue to save was nothing

short of incredible. i'm joined by mark lobel. there has been such a flow of reactions to the new the her death —— the news of her death. the sad news that no one wanted to hear, but perhaps the most touching has come from her mother heather, who simply says her heart is broken. she shared images of her daughter, saying "love you images of her daughter, saying " love you forever." images of her daughter, saying "love you forever." this person news around —— broke the news around three hours ago. also the fact that she died surrounded by family at the age ofjust 40. prime minister borisjohnson has said he's deeply saddened and that deborah was an inspiration for so many. sir keir starmer quoted her charity work as truly informational even in the

most challenging moments —— inspirational. tim davie called her a true inspiration and said the way she talked about cancer moved to the nation and inspired change, and out lives. radio five controller said as colleagues and friends of hers were all heartbroken, she had the most incredible energy and magnetism that drew you to her. the messengers from her listeners showed the incredibly special connection she made. charities were particularly grateful for all the work that she did. the chief executive of bowel cancer uk was deeply saddened that her patron had died. she turned her diagnoses into a force for good and through her campaigning tirelessly would have saved —— she has saved countless lives. no doubt partly due to her

bowel campaign, which is approaching £7 million. she only set out to raise a quarter of i only set out to raise a quarter ofi million. this is for research into personalised medicine for cancer patients. dame deborah's second book will be coming out in august. bowel cancer is so important. every day in the uk, around 120 new cases are found. let's leave you with the most poignant words of the day. they came from dame deborah herself. this was shared with permission by her family. with her characteristic oneness and humour. —— bluntness. what and humour. -- bluntness. what and humour. -- bluntness. what an extraordinarily _ and humour. -- bluntness. what an extraordinarily life. thanks i an extraordinarily life. thanks for sharing. an extraordinarily life. thanks forsharing. 0nto an extraordinarily life. thanks for sharing. 0nto sport, an extraordinarily life. thanks forsharing. 0nto sport, and an extraordinarily life. thanks for sharing. 0nto sport, and at day two of wimbledon, the

seven—time champion serena williams have been knocked out in the first round. in a match that lasted more than three hours, she was beaten by the french player harmony tan. williams, whose 40, hasn't played a single match since retiring after being injured at wimbledon last year. another veteran did make it into the second round. rafael nadal, winning his match on the centre court. day one was about novak backed off a glitch trying to find his form. the ravi rafael nadal was... 0nly won one match on the atp tour. finding his first serve at times hard to come by, but dropped the third set for 22

time grand slam �*s. he showed his battling qualities. every inch of them. as he powered through in full in the end. he is looking at 36 years old to win three grand slam �*s in a row. you that is still a big dream, but here the men's draw, matteo berrettini had a positive cove test. —— covid test. it is potentially looking like a djokovic nadal final. the world number one said white —— showed us why she is the standout player this year. 36 consecutive wins. in straight sets. she had to work in that second set and admitted she still finding herfeet second set and admitted she still finding her feet on the

grass. she had arguably the toughest test in the opening round against karolina, but she came through in straight sets, and cocoa golf, who made her name by beating venus williams, continues her development. she drops the first set before winning in three. and finally, to a story which caught some attention yesterday. assume to be married couple at a pub in england were serenaded by coldplay�*s chris martin. he sings after spotting the singer in the pub, they said they were planning to play his song at their wedding. the star responded with an impromptu performance that won't be forgotten anytime soon. that's

all we have for you now. stay with the bbc news. hello there. on tuesday, we saw a definite east—west divide across the country. eastern areas saw the best of the sunshine and the warmth. further north and west, it was windy with outbreaks of rain and felt fairly cool for the time of year. now, for today, it's going to be one of sunshine and showers and it'll be less windy as well. the reason for it — the centre of this low pressure system will be just pulling away slightly from the northwest of the uk, so we'll have fewer isobars across the charts, but still some weather fronts which will bring outbreaks of rain. the overnight band of rain will be slowly clearing away from eastern england and eastern scotland. it will do by around mid—morning, and then we're all into the regime of sunshine and showers, and into the afternoon, some of these showers could turn out to be heavy and thundery across some northern and western areas. probably the best of the sunshine across the southeast. winds will be lighter — these are mean wind speeds —

much lighter than what we had on tuesday. i think with lighter winds and in the sunshine, it'll feel a touch warmer. temperatures range from around 18—23 degrees across the southeast. many of the showers will tend to fade away during wednesday night. just watching this area of heavy, perhaps thundery rain just scrape the far southeast of the near continent there. that'll push in towards the north sea, perhaps affecting northeast scotland during the morning. but for most, it's clear spells, one or two showers and mild with temperatures in double figures for most. you can see that weather front bringing heavy rainfall across the eastern parts of the uk as we head through thursday. 0therwise, low pressure, again, close enough to bring another day of sunshine and showers. so, this rain could get close, again, to the southeast of england during thursday afternoon. could be some heavy rain as well across the far northeast of scotland. otherwise, for most, sunshine and showers again, some of them will be quite heavy, and because the winds are light, these showers will be fairly slow—moving. temperatures reaching highs of 18—21 degrees.

friday, similar story. we've got low pressure to the west of the uk, so again, it's generally light winds, sunny spells, scattered showers and some of them could be quite heavy in places, and those temperatures around just a little below the seasonal norm of, say, 18—21 celsius. now, as we head into the weekend, we'll hold onto the sunshine and showers theme, but i think from sunday and into the following week, it looks like high pressure will build in from the west, and that should settle things down and turn warmer in the south.

this is bbc news. we'll have the headlines and all the main news stories for you at the top of the hour as newsday continues, straight after hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk. i'm stephen sackur. singapore is a city state that has thrived in the era of globalisation, international supply chains

but what happens when the geopolitical weather changes?