i'm laura trevelyan in washington, and this is bbc world news america. the us economy shrinks again but the president doesn't see a recession. for the second quarter in a row, us economic output falls, raising fears of a recession. but us officials say unemployment is still low. the us energy secretary tells us the new senate climate deal could finally enable america to lower carbon emissions. the us and chinese leaders talk by phone for a marathon two hours plus — as tensions grow over taiwan. soldiers on the front line of the war in ukraine say they're doing better against russia — thanks to the arrival of western weapons. kenya's elephants in danger. climate change is now more of a threat than poaching.

the commonwealth games open in birmingham. more than 5,000 athletes from 72 nations and territories will compete over the next 11 days. welcome to world news america on pbs, in the uk and around the globe. we begin tonight with fears of a recession here in the united states — figures out today showed the economy shrank for the second quarter in a row. prices for groceries and petrol are rising at the fastest pace in forty years. this comes after the us central bank on wednesday raised interest rates for the fourth time this year. but president biden says the underlying economy is still strong. let me just give you what the facts are in terms of the state of the economy. number one, we have a record job markets of record unemployment at 3.6% today.

we created 9 million newjobs so far just as i've become president. businesses are investing in america at record rates, that doesn't sound like a recession to me. joining us now is former economic adviser to barack 0bama and professor at harvard university, jason furman. you have the president and the treasury secretary saying what recession?— treasury secretary saying what recession? ~ ., ., ~ recession? what do you think based on two quarters _ recession? what do you think based on two quarters of _ recession? what do you think based on two quarters of negative - recession? what do you think based | on two quarters of negative economic growth and still strong employment? look, recession is a technical term economists use in the united states, it's decided by a group of people at the national bureau of economic research. i wouldn't get too hung up on the semantics. the basic facts are the economy is adding a lot of jobs, but, and —— economic growth

really is negative and appears to be getting worse all step that's a weird combination we don't normally see if. there is good news there and bad news therefore the american people. bad news therefore the american --eole. ~ . , ., , people. meanwhile, interest rates are auoin people. meanwhile, interest rates are going un- _ people. meanwhile, interest rates are going un- is — people. meanwhile, interest rates are going up. is it— people. meanwhile, interest rates are going up. is it possible - people. meanwhile, interest rates are going up. is it possible that i are going up. is it possible that that could tip the economy into a recession as the central bank is trying desperately to curb inflation, which is really hurting everyone?— inflation, which is really hurting eve one? ~ , inflation, which is really hurting eve one? ~ y , everyone? absolutely it may end up ti -|n~ everyone? absolutely it may end up ti an: the everyone? absolutely it may end up tipping the economy _ everyone? absolutely it may end up tipping the economy when - everyone? absolutely it may end up tipping the economy when the - everyone? absolutely it may end up - tipping the economy when the economy is contracting like this. it's especially unusual to raise them by 75 basis points, but also this inflation itself is unusual. we haven't had inflation like this for 40 haven't had inflation like this for a0 years. i think they are doing the right thing. i think we may have a soft landing and managed to avoid a recession, but part of what they are trying to do is deal with the

problem up front, because the longer you wait, the harder it becomes. {3.35 you wait, the harder it becomes. gas rices are you wait, the harder it becomes. gas prices are going down, and have been for the last month. do you see any other signs that inflation might be peaking? gas other signs that inflation might be heakin? , , . , other signs that inflation might be neakinu? , , . ,., other signs that inflation might be neakinu? , . . . , peaking? gas prices are the clearest one, but peaking? gas prices are the clearest one. but there _ peaking? gas prices are the clearest one, but there is _ peaking? gas prices are the clearest one, but there is a _ peaking? gas prices are the clearest one, but there is a lot _ peaking? gas prices are the clearest one, but there is a lot of— one, but there is a lot of commodities, used car is also where you are seeing in wholesale markets the prices come down in a way we expect to translate into consumers. the problem is, even if inflation has peaked and it comes down from 9%, you know, falls on the way to 6%, that would still be very, very high inflation.— high inflation. people are calling this a weird _ high inflation. people are calling this a weird economy. _ high inflation. people are calling this a weird economy. is - high inflation. people are calling this a weird economy. is it - high inflation. people are calling i this a weird economy. is it because of we are coming out at the pandemic were basically the economy was stopped in order to stop the virus, and there was all of this government support, and it is all stilljust shaking down? support, and it is all still 'ust shaking down?i support, and it is all still 'ust shaking down?fi support, and it is all still 'ust shakin down? , shaking down? three huge things, the nandemic shaking down? three huge things, the pandemic was — shaking down? three huge things, the pandemic was huge, _

shaking down? three huge things, the pandemic was huge, the _ shaking down? three huge things, the pandemic was huge, the policy - pandemic was huge, the policy response was huge. i think larger thanit response was huge. i think larger than it needed to be in the united states, and the russian invasion of ukraine as having a huge impact, and all three of those are working their way through the system simultaneously.- way through the system simultaneously. way through the system simultaneousl ., ~ simultaneously. jason, thank you very much _ simultaneously. jason, thank you very much for— simultaneously. jason, thank you very much for being _ simultaneously. jason, thank you very much for being with - simultaneously. jason, thank you very much for being with us. - senate democrats have reached agreement on a landmark energy, climate and health care bill. the deal includes nearly 370 billion dollars worth of tax incentives, to encourage consumers and companies to switch to clean sources of energy. for more on this and american energy policy as russia's at war with ukraine, i sat down with the us energy secretary, jennifer granholm, and began by asking about the impact of the new climate agreement. if it goes through for the us ability to reduce polluting emissions? we have got to significantly expand our clean energy capacity in order to meet our paris goals and in order to meet the president's goal of 100% clean electricity by 2035.

so it's going to give us the tools to see that deployment happen. and that is so welcome and very exciting. again, it hasn't happened yet. of course, we have to wait for it to pass both chambers, but the fact that there has been a deal reached in principle is very exciting. the us has been really lagging behind on climate action. so could this turn around the us position and make it a leader on climate? completely. obviously, the president campaigned on being a leader on climate. he's got such aggressive goals and this will enable those goals to become reality. and yes, you know, the us has been, you know, when under the prior administration we pulled out of the paris accords, for example. come on. i mean, all you have to do is look at any paper on any day to see, you know, parts of the planet burning up under heat domes, under extreme weather events. so, yeah, we've got... we were behind.

these actions between the bipartisan infrastructure law that was passed at the end of 2021 and what is being agreed to now, this will really allow us to propel the us in terms of our climate ambitions. and yet by releasing gas from the strategic petroleum reserve to lower gas prices, aren't you also encouraging americans dependence on polluting fossil fuel? well, what the president is really obsessed about, especially right now with inflation being high, is how everyday citizens are having to pay more for fuel. i mean, the fuel alone is, what, a0% of the rise in inflation. so he's very concerned about what real people are feeling. he wants to make sure people are helped. the price of gas as a result of these releases has dropped $0.70 in the past six weeks. so, you know, he wants to make sure that that life is affordable for people as we move to this clean energy economy. but you can't guarantee that fuel prices aren't going to go up again. can't guarantee anything because,

of course, oil is traded you know, china opens up significantly post covid. that means demand for oil goes up and that means prices go up. but you know what? these upward, spiralling prices of fossil fuels are exactly why we have to transition to a clean economy, because, i mean, my counterpart in ireland, minister ryan, often says no country has ever been held hostage to access to the sun or access to the wind. so let's build our own energy security, all of us at home, so that we are not held hostage. but we see what's happening in germany because of russia's invasion of ukraine... and weaponisation of fuel. using fuel as a weapon, germans are being told that they may have to ration their energy. could that happen here in the united states?

do you think you're going to have to tell americans to ration energy this winter? well, honestly, i think the price of fuels is an impetus to for individuals to make their own decisions about that. but i do also know the president really wants to focus on building out clean. and so not we're not in the same position, obviously, as germany or as the as other countries in the eu. gratefully, we are blessed with an abundance of resources. so you don't think americans will have to ration energy? no, i don't think there will be rationing, no. but i do know that we want to work on the demand side of fossil fuels by providing clean energy alternatives. secretary, what to you is the lesson of russia's invasion of ukraine when it comes to energy security and how dependent we are on those that can be hostile actors? yes. isn't the security of a nation number one priority? so that means that developing our own clean energy resources at home makes us energy secure, reduces costs for our people, because sun is the cheapest form of energy, it puts people to work.

millions of people across the globe will be put to work by building clean energy solutions. and it saves the planet. it's a win, win, win win. secretary, thank you so much for your time. you bet. "those who play with fire will only get burnt" — the words of the chinese president xijinping to president biden, when the two spoke for more than two hours on thursday morning. that line about fire was a warning regarding us policy towards taiwan, which is self governing, thugh bejing claims the island belongs to china. the speaker of the us house of representatives may go to taiwan next month. for more, let's bring in our state department correspondent, ba ra ba ra plett usher. barbara, that was a marathon phone call. both sides had slightly different readouts. how do you interpret what they had to say about really, actually, what went on between the two men?- really, actually, what went on between the two men? they repair technic points _ between the two men? they repair technic points of— between the two men? they repair technic points of convergence, - between the two men? they repair technic points of convergence, but| between the two men? they repair| technic points of convergence, but i think they mostly illustrated the competing narratives, for example, the white house at the call was

about efforts to manage differences responsibly and work together on areas where interests align. ageing said while there are many areas where interests align commit the problem is washington's approach because it sees china as a primary rival in the most serious challenge in the long term. then when it came to those differences that need to be responsibly managed, it was clear that taiwan was at the top of the list, as he suggested, once again from a chain expended on its claim to taiwan and it warned and typically fiery language that the us but not change its policy and the us are white house responded that it hadn't changed its policy, which is to recognise that china's on the government is in beijing, not in taipei, but it also had its own warning against any unilateral attempt to change the status quo, so that really reflects the concern here that if these tensions with china and lots of different topics do end up into exploding conflict, that would likely be over something like taiwan. �* . ., that would likely be over something like taiwan. 1, ., ., , that would likely be over something like taiwan. . ,, .,~ that would likely be over something

like taiwan-— like taiwan. barbara, has speak of pelosi ash speaker _ like taiwan. barbara, has speak of pelosi ash speaker pelosi - like taiwan. barbara, has speak of pelosi ash speaker pelosi actually| pelosi ash speaker pelosi actually said but that she is going to taiwan in august? said but that she is going to taiwan in auust? ., , �* said but that she is going to taiwan in auust? ., , ., �* ., said but that she is going to taiwan in auust? ., , �* ., in august? no, she hasn't. that was a leak. in august? no, she hasn't. that was a leak- we — in august? no, she hasn't. that was a leak. we know _ in august? no, she hasn't. that was a leak. we know she _ in august? no, she hasn't. that was a leak. we know she is _ in august? no, she hasn't. that was a leak. we know she is planning - in august? no, she hasn't. that was a leak. we know she is planning to l a leak. we know she is planning to go in april but got covid. there are reasons why she would like to go. she has a long history of standing up she has a long history of standing up to china, especially when it comes to human rights. strong support, bipartisan support in congress for taiwan, especially with the sense that china is increasingly threatening it. nancy pelosi may be retiring soon if the democrats lose the house in november. so, it is up to her if she wants to go. congress is independent of the administration. she has been privately advised that this would not be a great time to do so because for various reasons, the chinese see it as particularly provocative, but we haven't heard about a decision either way. we haven't heard about a decision either way-— we haven't heard about a decision either wa . 1, ., , ., , either way. barbara, why would it be seen as so provocative? _ either way. barbara, why would it be seen as so provocative? is _ either way. barbara, why would it be seen as so provocative? is it's - either way. barbara, why would it be seen as so provocative? is it's all. seen as so provocative? is it's all tied into pressure's invasion of ukraine and the us hearing that the chinese might potentially try to make a move on taiwan?-

chinese might potentially try to make a move on taiwan? well, those are factors that _ make a move on taiwan? well, those are factors that have _ make a move on taiwan? well, those are factors that have increased - are factors that have increased tensions with the united states between china and the united states, but i think the key thing, really, has to do with china. it has to do with an important party congress thatis with an important party congress that is taking place in november where the president wants to cement his bed for a third term in leadership and he is facing a lot of domestic problems, economic problems and so on, and the feeling in washington is if he is presented with this challenge to china over taiwan as beijing would cx, he might be triggered to take a more provocative response then he would otherwise have done because he doesn't want to look as if he is weak before this party congress. so i think that is really the thing that the administration is thinking about. . thank you. ukrainian soldiers on the front lines, are saying the rate of russia's bombardment of eastern ukraine has dropped —

by at least a half — thanks to the arrival of sophisticated western weaponry. but is it merely a brief lull, or a sign, that the tide is turning in the conflict? 0ur correspondent andrew harding reports from donbas. the familiar sounds of war thunder across ukraine's front lines. but something is changing here in the donbas. we're rushing to a secret location and a rare rendezvous with a weapon that mightjust be helping to tip the balance in this war. the caesar is a gift from france to ukraine. today, its giant gun is aiming at a russian target 27 kilometres away. three shots in just over a minute, then a swift departure. ok, now we have to get out quickly before the russians potentially find our positions and fire back.

these guns are making all the difference, says dmytro, the unit commander. "we can now hit the russians more accurately and further away, which means they can only attack us half or a third as often as before". and here's the proof. footage of giant russian ammunition stores exploding, hit by western weapons like the caesar and by this long—range american rocket system. key bridges are being targeted too now, like this one further south in kherson, near crimea, potentially trapping russian armour and hinting at a future ukrainian counter—offensive, which all helps to explain this. all quiet, unusually quiet, on this stretch of the eastern front. anothersign, perhaps, of russia's faltering momentum.

just listen to that silence. the point these soldiers keep making to us along the length of this front line is that western weapons really are making a big difference, but not yet a decisive difference. they still need many more if they are to turn the tide against the russians. it's balanced now 50—50, says colonel yuri bereza. "that's thanks to the artillery the west has sent here but we're not yet in a position to counterattack. we still need a lot more weapons, or it will be a bloodbath". and it's notjust about equipment. manpower matters. and ukraine has lost so many soldiers that it's still struggling to fill the gaps with fresh recruits. acquiring my sight. hence this extra training by a group of private western military experts for volunteers who've never fought before.

i would say worrying would be the fact that some of these guys could be in a trench tomorrow or they could be on the front tomorrow, and they lack the basic soldiering skills that the west is used to. but a good positive is this is their homeland. and all 36, 37 of these soldiers seem eager to defend it. you've got to have heart. skill�*s good, but heart's great. plenty of heart then, but still not enough weapons or trained soldiers to be sure of success. andrew harding, bbc news in eastern ukraine. the war in ukraine has transformed the life of the country's first lady 0lena zelenska. 0nce known for her love of privacy, she's now on the cover of vogue magazine, and speaking to the us congress. today she spoke to the bbc expressing her concern about the psychological cost of war on ukrainians, especially women. the whole of ukraine is in constant

stress, for example, there was a mass rocket attack last night, this morning on the ukrainian territory. it was at kyiv region in the east, and in the north of ukraine, and we feel that constantly. every person lives in constant stress from the 2ath of february. that does not relent. so each and every one of us has to learn to live with that feeling. 0lena zelenska, first lady of ukraine, there. in other news now.. an ongoing battle between rival gangs in haiti has reached the centre of the capital, port au prince. video showed gang members and police engaged in a fierce gun battle on wednesday. it's not clear how many people had died since the violence began three weeks ago, although the united nations estimates that more than 200 people died during nine days earlier injuly. officials in the us state of kentucky issued flash—flood warnings on thursday, after heavy rain caused flooding

in parts of the state. the governor said the rain had caused �*one of the worst, most devastating flooding events�*, in the state's history, with more than eight inches of rain falling overnight. it comes after record—breaking rain left parts of missouri underwater earlier this week. the democratic republican of congo has put 30 oil and gas drilling permits up for auction, opening up part of the world's second—biggest rainforest to drilling. activists call this an environmental catastophe, which could release large amounts of carbon into the atmosphere. the drc�*s president said the process was a way to benefit from the country's natural resources. climate change is now a bigger threat to elephants than poaching — so says kenya's wildlife ministry. in the last year official figures show 179 elephants have died due to the ongoing drought. merchuma reports from the tsa—vo national park in kenya, where poor rainy seasons have led to rivers drying up. and a warning, her report

contains upsetting images. a bone here, a jaw there, ribs scattered around, these are the remains of an elephant. in the last few months, such scenes have been found by rangers in kenya's largest park, the tsavo. for the last about 30 minutes we have been following a really, really strong stench. the rangers say that stench will lead us to our carcass. this is the carcass of an elephant and it is still fresh. maybe a few days' old. it is nowjust pieces of bones and some flesh remaining. kenya and the larger horn of africa is going through the worst drought in a0 years. there have been four failed rain seasons. the situation has become unforgiving even to the giants of the animal kingdom. climate change kills 20 times more

elephant than poaching, so it is a red alarm. total across the country, elephants died already, as by the end ofjune, 179. so far poached animals across the country, there are less than ten. the elephants who roam the kenya's broad savannah bring hundreds of thousands of tourists every year. kenya's wildlife service bring tourists here any time they come down to the tsavo national park because normally there would be hundreds of wild animals here, drinking water, playing with mud, taking a bath, but today there is none. this water pond is gradually drying up and the animals have moved away in search of water. the elephants are not only dying of dehydration but also malnutrition because, even where there are water holes they have seriously depleted vegetation. elephants in a day, they eat 300 kilograms of dry moss, drinking 2a0 litres of water. remember, this is the season

when elephants give birth. we expect so many miscarriages, and we have seen them before. and those calves who manage to be born, their chances of survival will be limited. there are efforts to bring some relief to the elephants and other animals in the park. drought—resistant trees are being planted in some areas. huge water ponds are also being dug with the hopes that when it will rain, the water they will collect there will sustain the animals for a longer period. remains of nearly 6000 elephant that died during the drought of the early 70s are preserved at this research centre. perhaps a constant reminder that it could happen again. there are 36,000 elephants in kenya. climate change is now threatening their survival. merchuma, bbc news

the commonwealth games have begun in birmingham, with the opening ceremony marking the start of ten days of competition. prince charles and the duchess of cornwall attended the ceremony, which told the story of the city of birmingham, and was headlined by the band duran duran. 0ur sports correspondent jane dougall is in brimingham's victoria park, and sent this preview of the games. there's been a party going on here in victoria square as people gather to celebrate the opening of these commonwealth games in birmingham. representatives from 72 nations and territories around the globe will be taking part with 6500 athletes and officials all descending here on birmingham ahead of the events. it's going to be the biggest sporting programme in commonwealth games history, with new sports being added, including women's 2020 cricket, three on three basketball and mixed synchronised swimming. the events themselves begin on friday and they are the most

inclusive to date with a record a2 para sports that will be running concurrently at the games and also more medals will be available for the women's competitors than for the men's for the first time ever on the first day. 16 gold medals are up for grabs, the first of which is the men's and women's triathlon, then the men's gymnastics team final. and in the afternoon, the track cycling significantly more than 1.2 million tickets have already been sold for these games, making them the best attended yet. jane dougall reporting from birmingham. and finally — if you had $6 million to spare, would you spend it on a one—of—a—kind dinosaur skeleton? well someonejust did. yes, the gorgo—saurus — a faster and stronger relative of tyrannosaurus rex, roamed the earth 77 million years ago. this one was found in montana in 2018 — and was auctioned off today

in new york, as the only one available to private buyers anywhere in the world. and our question to the new owner, what will you call it? gorgy? thanks for watching. hello. largely cloudy skies today. tomorrow, a brighter and somewhat sunnier prospect. we have seen some sunshine today around the north, northwest of scotland, but further south in scotland, it's notjust been cloudy, but we've had some heavy and thundery rain in places, particularly into dumfries and galloway. and overnight, we continue to see some outbreaks of rain through parts of the central belt, southern scotland and indeed into northern england. elsewhere, where you have seen some rain today or a few showers becomes mainly dry with some clear spells around. a touch warmer overnight and particularly so in scotland. now, tomorrow, there will be more in the way of sunshine from the word go. we're kind of in between weather systems. here's the next one coming in — will be turning things wetter right at the end of the day initially

in northern ireland. until then, though, we start with cloud and some outbreaks of rain in northern england, south—east scotland. that clears away, and then, although it brightens up, eastern scotland, northern england, especially into the pennines, we'll see a few showers breaking out, and there's a chance of the odd shower elsewhere. but overall, it's brighter, sunnier and feeling warmer compared with today. so, temperatures up to around 28 degrees in the london area, but more places getting into the low 20s. as i hinted earlier, in northern ireland, a breeze and starts to pick up and here comes some rain through the evening — heading into scotland as well, pushing across scotland overnight and into saturday morning, whereas much of england and wales will stay dry. and as for your temperatures, it's going to be a warmer night as well, so we're talking widely now mid—teens as saturday begins. now, on saturday, we have this area of low pressure well to the north of scotland, but the trailing weather front here heading in a bit further south, but it is going to weaken as it does so. so, if you're eyeing that and thinking, "some rain out and about, please," there won't be much around. quite a damp start in northern ireland and scotland — will tend to brighten up here. still the chance of showers. thicker cloud with some patchy rain,

parts of northern and western england and wales, but patchy not amounting to very much. although clouding up in east anglia and the southeast, still some hazy sunny spells, and this is where we'll see the day's higher temperatures, but also sunny spells in eastern scotland, easily into the low 20s. that weather system never really clears through, so it's still around, maybe through a central swathe of the uk on sunday, though some uncertainty about its exact position. it could be a little bit further south, so keep an eye on the forecast. but certainly to the south of this weather system, this is where we're going to see the higher temperatures this weekend. bye— bye.

hello, and welcome to our look ahead to what the papers will be bringing us tomorrow. with me are miatta fahnbulleh, the chief executive of the new economics foundation, which is a left—wing economics think thank. and also with me is annabel denham, who's director of communications at the institute of economic affairs, or iea, a free market think tank. welcome to you both, we already have a few titles in, let's look at them.