live from washington, this is bbc news. two democrat lawmakers in the state of tennessee expelled by the state legislature over protests for stricter gun control. we'll be speaking to one of those expelled lawmakers, justin jones, shortly. and the biden white house releases a report blaming the chaotic afghanistan withdrawal on the trump administration. hello, i'm sumi somaskanda. welcome to our show. we start tonight in the us state of tennessee where, in an extraordinary move, republican legislators who control the house of representatives in the state have voted to expel

two democratic members for disorderly conduct after they took part in a protest for stricter gun laws in the chamber last week. justin jones and justin pearson have been ousted, but a third democrat — seen in the middle of these pictures, gloria johnson — narrowly survived the vote, which requires a two—thirds majority. the three led a protest in the state capitol in the wake of a deadly school shooting in nashville that left six people dead, including three young children. with me now is former representative justin jones, one of the democrats who was just expelled from the tennessee house. justin, thank you very much for joining us here on bbc news. first and foremost, where exactly are you? you know there have been massive protests at the house in nashville so what is happening around you? yes. is happening around you? yes, thank you _ is happening around you? yes, thank you so — is happening around you? yes, thank you so much _ is happening around you? yes, thank you so much for- is happening around you? yes thank you so much for having me on. i'm actually here in my office, starting to pack up, because the state legislation, the republican majority to be unprecedented and extreme move

to expel the two youngest lawmakers in tennessee, i represent a part of nashville where a week ago we had a shooting that killed six people, including 39—year—old, and the first of my colleagues to equipment was not to pass gun laws but to ban after standing with the young people, thousands of them who have been protesting for the past week, demanding a band to the weapons of war on the streets of our community. i of war on the streets of our community-— of war on the streets of our communi . , ., ., ., ~ community. i 'ust want to make sure i community. i just want to make sure i understood _ community. i just want to make sure i understood that - sure i understood that correctly, expelled means you lose your seat so you are packing your stuff up right now and have to leave? —— ban. i have to leave, they have shut off my id badge already and by access to the building and i had to get another former colleague to let me in, shut off my e—mail access and i am no longer a legislator which means the 70 8000 people from district 72 have no representation, 78,000, i representation, 78,000, i represent the most diverse people in tennessee, i'm here in district 52 and they are left without a voice because of the decision of extreme republican supermajority which is almost completely white,

regular, caucus, extolling the two youngest lawmakers because we stood up. you expected them to take action but are you surprised they voted to expel you and your fellow lawmaker? i think the nation and the world are surprised and should be shocked because what they said is that democracy does not matter in tennessee. i took a very extreme step, there's only been three expulsions of the housing has a history, all of them involving crimes or ethical behaviour, this is the first expulsions of them involving crimes or ethical behaviour, this is the first expulsion for first behaviour, this is the first expulsion forfirst amendment expulsion for first amendment activity for a expulsion forfirst amendment activity for a breach of decorum, they said, violating decorum, they said, violating decorum rules. even the members who have been here former members i've told you nobody has ever heard of a breach of the coral rule resulting in expulsion, it's the most extreme measure because it doesn't only silence of that is really about silencing our district and like i said my district and like i said my district is 78,000 people who have no voice on the representation. that's representation. right. that's what they — representation. right. that's what they did. _ representation. right. that's what they did. so _ representation. right. that's what they did. so i _ representation. right. that's what they did. so i want - representation. right. that's what they did. so i want to i representation. right. that's i what they did. so i want to ask you about republican lawmakers because they said you broke rules of decorum and staged a mutiny and we actually have a

clip from the house caucus chair, from the legislature, and i want to play that for you right now. and i want to play that for you right nova— right now. we've called them out, the chairmen _ right now. we've called them out, the chairmen of - out, the chairmen of committees, the speaker of the house _ committees, the speaker of the house has— committees, the speaker of the house has been calling them out, _ house has been calling them out, time _ house has been calling them out, time and time again, for grabbing— out, time and time again, for grabbing the mic, sucking the air out— grabbing the mic, sucking the air out of— grabbing the mic, sucking the air out of the room, making sure — air out of the room, making sure the _ air out of the room, making sure the other voices and finally— sure the other voices and finally when they come and act so foolish _ finally when they come and act so foolish on the house floor, this is— so foolish on the house floor, this is a — so foolish on the house floor, this is a sacred place that belongs _ this is a sacred place that belongs to everybody and literally start looking up into the gallery with a bullhorn, getting _ the gallery with a bullhorn, getting the protesters worked up getting the protesters worked up into— getting the protesters worked up into a frenzy, that is incumbent on us to say you've gone — incumbent on us to say you've gone a — incumbent on us to say you've gone a step too far and we going _ gone a step too far and we going to _ gone a step too far and we going to take steps to make sure — going to take steps to make sure that if you ever do come back, — sure that if you ever do come back, if— sure that if you ever do come back, if you get re—elected, you — back, if you get re—elected, you know— back, if you get re—elected, you know it is a serious thing to tennesseans. did you know it is a serious thing to tennesseans._ to tennesseans. did you and our to tennesseans. did you and your fellow _ to tennesseans. did you and your fellow lawmaker - to tennesseans. did you and your fellow lawmaker take . to tennesseans. did you and your fellow lawmaker take it | to tennesseans. did you and. your fellow lawmaker take it a step too far, as we go there? no, i mean, we have spent the whole session being silenced, not able to speak, and so what led up to this point was the whole weekend again represent a part of nashville community thatis part of nashville community that is morning and traumatised, we could not talk

about the issue of gun violence because this legislation was passing. teachers and make it easier to get a gun than it is for voters to get healthcare and it's a uniquely american problem where we have these constant mass shootings at elementary schools in nashville and alcoholics won't even let us talk about the issue of gun violence in although let us do was offer women's of silence but what we say is we tile before we are tired of silence, we try to speak about this our microphone was cut off and those protesting, his shut them down, the voting machines, i could not vote for a while, this is a very extreme reaction from a body that has spent a whole session trying to silence any voice of dissent opposition and if i did not know that this happened to me, i would not think this was america, it sounds like you know this is not, this is autocracy and it's very scary that the republican supermajority has silenced us, has silenced our voters for standing up not trying to call for violence by calling for these end of gun violence. we were calling for actions that were calling for actions that we can stop our young people and our children from being

murdered and massacred, thought we were calling for from the house floor. 50 we were calling for from the house floor.— we were calling for from the house floor. so you and your fellow expelled _ house floor. so you and your fellow expelled lawmaker i house floor. so you and your. fellow expelled lawmakerjustin pearson, you are two young black representatives, your fellow democrats, delicate, rather, gloria johnson took part in the protest but was not expelled. republican legislators are saying this is not about race. what is your response to that?— not about race. what is your response to that? gloria said it herself. — response to that? gloria said it herself, the _ response to that? gloria said it herself, the only _ response to that? gloria said| it herself, the only difference is the skin colour, they expeued is the skin colour, they expelled the two youngest black lawmakers, the caucus of 75 members, only one non—white member. in the whole session they made us feel unwelcome, they made us feel unwelcome, they have talked about that we should not, talk about systemic racism, that we cannot be a full authentic selves and represent our diverse district and so, this is clearly racism from the republican caucus and speaker sexton in particular he really was the fourth in hand behind putting this expelled before expulsion.— behind putting this expelled before expulsion. you've now lost your _ before expulsion. you've now lost your seat _ before expulsion. you've now lost your seat and _ before expulsion. you've now lost your seat and the - before expulsion. you've now lost your seat and the aim . before expulsion. you've nowl lost your seat and the aim was to achieve some sort of

progress on gun reform. what are your plans now for achieving that reform, now that you're out of office? i achieving that reform, now that you're out of office?— you're out of office? i mean, we have _ you're out of office? i mean, we have thousands - you're out of office? i mean, we have thousands of - you're out of office? i mean, we have thousands of young | we have thousands of young people they who are going to return on monday and now, whether i'm inside the chamber or outside i will stand with them and demand my colleagues act because what we were calling for was a ban on assault weapons, the weapons of war, and what they responded with was an assault on democracy and that shameful. i don't think in england, people can buy an ar—15, you know, but here in tennessee they can easily buy an ar—15 is much easier to do that than it is to vote or get healthy, a much widerfor healthcare, and of the uniquely american problem and it's something that is defined in generation, from diwali to sandy hook and here in nashville, to come at the 0'driscoll, it shameful and we need to act because we've done the opposite, that it was into the opposite, that it was into the voices of these young people and our constituents and that shameful. you people and our constituents and that shameful.— that shameful. you and your fellow expelled _ that shameful. you and your fellow expelled lawmaker i that shameful. you and your i fellow expelled lawmakerjustin pearson, what happens for you next? do you have to run to

your seats again?— next? do you have to run to your seats again? there is a rocess your seats again? there is a process where _ your seats again? there is a process where the _ your seats again? there is a process where the council. your seats again? there is a i process where the council can appoint a special election and i know my counsel, i'm already getting messages, ithink i know my counsel, i'm already getting messages, i think the mayor posted about it of nashville, now calling a meeting monday to try to reappoint me here. but the question is that the republican supermajority will seat us back here so again they are trying to usurp and undo the will of our voters and my community. none of these people who voted for expulsion within my community. they all live in different districts. silence the voices of district 52. 78,000 people in my district don't have a representative right now because of this extreme attack on democracy. we have members in the legislature who have been guilty of sexual harassment, who were not expelled. 0f harassment, who were not expelled. of crimes but not expeued expelled. of crimes but not expelled but for standing with our constituents and calling for the end to these proliferation of gun was, we have been expelled. share proliferation of gun was, we have been expelled. are you auoin to have been expelled. are you going to pursue _ have been expelled. are you going to pursue any - have been expelled. are you going to pursue any legal- going to pursue any legal recourse of this expulsion? i mean, i definitely am, i've talked to counsel before and we've been talking tonight

because it's unconstitutional, there was a violation of due process and an underling of our constituents�*s voice, so many constitutional concerns and that's why the nation and the world can see what happening because this is such an extreme measure that's unheard of and if it can happen in tennessee, it's sending a signal can happen other parts of america. former representativejustin jones, one of the democrats was expeued jones, one of the democrats was expelled from a tennessee house, thank you very much for sharing your story here with us on bbc. ., ~ sharing your story here with us on bbc. ., ,, ,, sharing your story here with us on bbc. ., ,, i. . around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. the company was started by my father and we've been in business 75 years nearly. we create cumulative way for special occasions. it create cumulative way for special occasions.- special occasions. it is a special _

special occasions. it is a special occasion - special occasions. it is a special occasion and - special occasions. it is a special occasion and it l special occasions. it is a | special occasion and it is special occasions. it is a . special occasion and it is an honour and privilege. i’m special occasion and it is an honour and privilege. i'm john french and — honour and privilege. i'm john french and i've _ honour and privilege. i'm john french and i've been - honour and privilege. i'm john french and i've been a - honour and privilege. i'm john | french and i've been a ceramic craftsman— french and i've been a ceramic craftsman for nearly 40 years. decided — craftsman for nearly 40 years. decided to make for the coronation a piece that incorporates all the skills we — incorporates all the skills i've used over the past 40 years _ i've used over the past 40 years. picture here that i've actually— years. picture here that i've actually painted on, this is actually— actually painted on, this is actually the welsh guard uniform so i thought it's good to sort— uniform so i thought it's good to sort of— uniform so i thought it's good to sort of get that transition. we are — to sort of get that transition. we are in— to sort of get that transition. we are in middle port pottery. in 2010, one of his majesty the king's charities stepped in to preserve, regenerate this building using millions of pounds of funds that were gathered. so the king really did save this pottery back then and it was so important to us, and it was so important to us, and that's why we are so grateful. you're live with bbc news. now to an accounting of the us withdrawal from afghanistan. in a i2—page report, the national security council cites a messy handover from the trump administration for much of the upheaval. it says president biden was determined to bring american troops home but that the choices for such a withdrawal were "severely constrained by conditions "created by his predecessor".

the report goes on to say that the prior administration "provided no plans for how to conduct the final "withdrawal" and that in the end, "there were no "signs that more time, more funds or more americans "would have yielded a fundamentally different "trajectory." at the white house today, officials hammered home the point that it was a lack of transparency between presidential administrations that led to messy withdrawal. while it was always the president's intend to end that war, it is also undeniable that decisions made and the lack of planning done by the previous administration significantly limited options available to him. transitions matter — that's the first lesson learned here — and the incoming administration wasn't afforded much of one. thus, president biden's choice was stark — either withdraw all our forces or resume fighting with the taliban. he chose the former.

former president donald trump last of the report on social media, saying : joining us now is matt zeller. he is the senior advisor for the iraq and afghanistan veterans of america. thank you so much forjoining us tonight. i thank you so much for “oining us tonight thank you so much for “oining us with us tonight. i 'ust want to get our us tonight. i just want to get your reaction _ us tonight. i just want to get your reaction to _ us tonight. i just want to get your reaction to the - us tonight. i just want to get your reaction to the report . your reaction to the report that we saw come out from the white house.— white house. there's an old sa inc, white house. there's an old saying. mia _ white house. there's an old saying, mia culpa. - white house. there's an old saying, mia culpa. i- white house. there's an old saying, mia culpa. ithink. saying, mia culpa. i think that's what this is. it's better late than never. —— mea. let's be clear, it's not going to bring back at this point probably hundreds of thousands of people who have been killed ijy of people who have been killed by the taliban since their takeover, who could have been rescued had the biden administration listened to those of us who were

desperately trying to get them to evacuate these people as early as february of 2021. and most importantly, in no way does this accounting do what is most needed now, which is help get those remaining wartime allies who are stuck in taliban held to safety. there is still no announced plan on how we are actually going to get some 300,000 remaining siv applicants alone out of afghanistan —— taliban hell. so look, i welcome the fact there is one thing in this report thatis is one thing in this report that is a positive which is that is a positive which is that there is a commitment, a very clear commitment, to ensure that this tragedy never occurs again. but this report lacks is an accounting of the biden administration's role in this fiasco, and i disagree that with more time and resources, we couldn't have done something. in february of 2021, i was part of a team that authored a report and send it

to the administration very quietly is to try not to make a ruckus and keep the taleb and off on what we were trying to do and in that report, we identified that at that moment in february of 2021, the united states military still controlled every single airfield in afghanistan. about 50% of the interpreters and their families at that given time lived outside of kabul and the outlying provinces all around the country. they were at these airports and we could have conducted a very co—ordinated, methodical evacuation of these people. we had them identified, we knew who they were, we knew where they were and most importantly we were in communication with them and we could have done this in a means that would have prevented them from all having to converge on kabul... crosstalk. if that's the case, why do you think the biden administration did not listen to those notices?— administration did not listen to those notices? that's going to those notices? that's going to be a question _ to those notices? that's going to be a question that - to those notices? that's going to be a question that haunts i to those notices? that's going i to be a question that haunts me for the rest of my life. my best guess is that their

understanding of the situation was misinformed. they truly seems to believe that the special visa programme functions and would be adequate enough to be able to provide safe passage way to the vast majority of people who needed it and i think they clearly believe the afghan government was not going to collapse at the rate and to the extent that it did and maybe it's a failure of imagination but if they had just talked to simply any afghan, they could have told them that collapse happens very quickly and that the situation in that country was tenuous at best. i in that country was tenuous at best. ., in that country was tenuous at best. . ., . a in that country was tenuous at best. . ., . ,~' i. in that country was tenuous at best. . ., . i. . best. i want to ask you about the sn applicants. _ best. i want to ask you about the sn applicants. i - best. i want to ask you about the sn applicants. i know. best. i want to ask you about | the sn applicants. i know you worked very hard to get some of those applications through. they want to ask you about something the white house as that. they said "the trump administration lead where massive back log of special immigrant visas approval and stopped siv interviews." that is what they're saying about

these siv applicants. is this true? , ., these siv applicants. is this true? , . , these siv applicants. is this true? , . 31: ::f true? yes, that is 100% true. ste - hen true? yes, that is 100% true. stephen mueller, _ true? yes, that is 10096 true. stephen mueller, from's - true? yes, that is 10096 true. stephen mueller, from's lead advisor, has been trying to kill the programme since he was senate staffer for senatorjeff sessions you became from's first attorney general. all you have to do is look at the arrival numbers, which are a matter of public record in the united states going back to the earliest days of the programme in 2009 and you can see what occurred. so during the latter years of the 0bama administration, 2014— 2016 and early 2017, when they left office, the united states and average was issuing around 4000 sivs a year, that is 4000 families were getting to come to the united states. in the first year of the trump administration they halved it, it went down to 2000, then it went down to under 800, by the third year it was under 200 and ijy third year it was under 200 and by the fourth year it was nothing. this was a purposeful

done effort. quite frankly, i've had meetings with these people, they have looked me in the and told me that they believe that the afghans who served alongside us are nothing more than islamic fundamentalist terrorists and it is theirjob to prevent them from coming to the united stop they are deeply misguided individuals, they do not have the correct accounting of these people. none of them have ever served in uniform, none of them have ever been to afghanistan, they probably don't know a single afghan in their life and they don't speak to the vast majority of the american people on this issue. in majority of the american people on this issue.— on this issue. in the very short time _ on this issue. in the very short time we _ on this issue. in the very short time we have - on this issue. in the very short time we have left, | on this issue. in the very - short time we have left, what you think we can learn from this entire experience and the report we saw come up? collapse ha--ens report we saw come up? collapse happens so _ report we saw come up? collapse happens so much _ report we saw come up? collapse happens so much faster- report we saw come up? collapse happens so much faster than - happens so much faster than people account for it. it was a lesson that afghans told us over and over again, that if it happened in the country it was going to happen faster than anybody, including washington, dc, could respond to it. so

think the lesson learned here is that should the united states choose to go to complete a game we need to have a plan for that instead stated whatever that conflict looks like, win or lose. we have to understand that in all future conflicts we are going to have to rely on human beings to supporters. you know, one day an app like on a phone might be able to replace the simultaneous need for an actual human being to translate, but that app is never going to be able to give you the cultural context, it is never going to be able to tell you, for example, we would go to a village and the interpreters would say we are in trouble, normally the kids come out and play with a soccer ball on this guy comes out would see a nobody comes out today, and that happen we would normally get a date. technology will never be able to replace human connection is always going to be needed, notjust in battlefield conflicts, but also humanitarian missions. in my point is that we need to always have a plan to be able to take those who stand alongside us.

we will have to leave it there. matt zeller, senior advisor for the iraq and afghanistan veterans of america, thank you cemetery showing your thoughts with us. ., , cemetery showing your thoughts with us. . , ., ~ cemetery showing your thoughts with us. . , . ,, , ., democrats in the us are calling for changes to the supreme court after an investigation intojustice clarence thomas raised ethical, and possible legal, issues over his conduct. the chair of the senate judiciary committee, dick durbin, says he will act on allegations that thomas accepted lavish hospitality from a conservative billionaire, without disclosing the gifts as required by law. propublica, a non—profit news outlet, says it has evidence that thomas, one of the court's staunchest conservative judges, was treated to trips on private jets and a mega yacht owned by a real estate magnate named harlan crow. in response, durbin said his committee will act based on the report, though he didn't say how. he added "the highest court in the land shouldn't " have the lowest ethical standards." mr crow is a republican who donates generously to right—wing causes. but in a statement, he said

the hospitality was quote: . "no different from the hospitality we have extended to our many other dearfriends." he added that he and his wife "have never sought to influence justice thomas on any legal or political issue." and that "i would never invite anyone who i believe had any intention of doing that." "these are gatherings of friends." propublica says neither mr thomas, nor the supreme court responded their requests for comment live now to justin elliott, one of the propublica reporters on the story. he isjoining us for more on this. thank you for being with us on the bbc news. tell us how you came across this information on the story. yeah, well, we information on the story. yeah, well. we got — information on the story. yeah, well, we got interested - information on the story. yeah, well, we got interested in - information on the story. yeah, well, we got interested in the i well, we got interested in the troubles of supreme court justices and heard about a single one of these trips that justice thomas took on harlan crow's private jet and we started pulling the thread, talking to people, talking to

workers from harlan crow's yacht and his resorts and it just sort of snowballed. what is clarence — just sort of snowballed. what is clarence thomas _ just sort of snowballed. what is clarence thomas and - just sort of snowballed. what is clarence thomas and the i is clarence thomas and the supreme court saying in response? i understand has not been a response yet.— been a response yet. that's riuht. been a response yet. that's right- we — been a response yet. that's right. we did _ been a response yet. that's right. we did what - been a response yet. that's right. we did what we - been a response yet. that's. right. we did what we always do, which is send them a very detailed list of questions and interview requests. they actually didn't respond at all aside from saying they had gotten the questions. we actually reach out to them again today and they haven't responded and that is a theme. i mean, clarence thomas has given very few interviews in his years as a supreme court justice and basically never, as far as i know, have responded on the record to criticism of his fracture. you know, the fact of the matter is about the supreme court there is no higher authority than the judiciary, so they are basically left to police themselves and there are questions around whether there is any capacity or mechanism to

do that, it's all incredibly opaque. do that, it's all incredibly opaque-— do that, it's all incredibly o-uaue. ., , . , ., do that, it's all incredibly o-uaue. ., , ., . opaque. how unusual is it for a sureme opaque. how unusual is it for a supreme court _ opaque. how unusual is it for a supreme courtjustice - opaque. how unusual is it for a supreme courtjustice to - opaque. how unusual is it for a supreme courtjustice to be - supreme courtjustice to be receiving these type of gifts, which is essentially personal hospitality? it’s which is essentially personal hospitality?— hospitality? it's incredibly unusual- _ hospitality? it's incredibly unusual. in _ hospitality? it's incredibly unusual. in fact, - hospitality? it's incredibly unusual. in fact, we - hospitality? it's incredibly| unusual. in fact, we spoke hospitality? it's incredibly i unusual. in fact, we spoke to multiple historians of the court and put the question to them and what they told us is that they didn't know of any examples, at least in the modern history of the supreme court, of a justice having a relationship with one out later lake clarendon thomas has with harlan crow, lavishing them with gifts over so many years and this sort of extent of the gifts, rides on a privatejet around the world, multiple cruises on his super—yachts, stays at his essentially private hotel, no—one has heard of anything like this. if private hotel, no-one has heard of anything like this.— of anything like this. if you look at the _ of anything like this. if you look at the regulations, i of anything like this. if you i look at the regulations, they state that food, lodging, or entertainment can be received as personal hospitality, they don't have to be reported. it

also says that the exemption does not include such as transportation, that a substitute for commercial presentation, does that mean that the rise in the private jet are the ones that are at issue here?— jet are the ones that are at issue here? . ., issue here? yeah, we went of this very _ issue here? yeah, we went of this very carefully _ issue here? yeah, we went of this very carefully with - issue here? yeah, we went of this very carefully with a i this very carefully with a couple of ethics lawyers who specialise in this and, yes, they told us that the rides on they told us that the rides on the private jet, they told us that the rides on the privatejet, you know, this particular private jet, the privatejet, you know, this particular privatejet, if the privatejet, you know, this particular private jet, if you charter it, and cost between $10,000 and $50,000 perflight hour, so this is not cheap, rides on the private jet, plus the cruises on the yacht, for example, a trip in indonesia in 2019, they were using the offer to get around, hopping from island to island, the ethics lawyers we talked to said that transportation very clearly does not fit into the categories of food, lodging, or entertainment that are exempt from the disclosure rule under certain circumstances. in fact, clarence thomas himself interestingly, in the 1990s that we disclosed a couple of

private jet trips and it is totally unclear why he has stopped disclosing them. i want to ask you _ stopped disclosing them. i want to ask you about _ stopped disclosing them. i want to ask you about what _ stopped disclosing them. i want to ask you about what harlan i to ask you about what harlan crow has said here. is that there was no improper lobbying happening, they didn't adjudicate any cases that had to do with harlan crow's company, so is there really any conflict? , ., . conflict? there is no evidence of a conflict _ conflict? there is no evidence of a conflict in _ conflict? there is no evidence of a conflict in a _ conflict? there is no evidence of a conflict in a particular- of a conflict in a particular case, but what we do know is that, you know, from what we have been able to see in a couple of these cases and it is very difficult reporting because these are resorts that are very much close to the public, privatejets, private public, private jets, private yachts, public, privatejets, private yachts, but we were able to get a look at the names of guests who were at some of these events and these are notjust sort of ordinary social friends of harlan crow in some cases, they are people who are conservative political diverse, people who are very active in the conservative legal movement and work and think tanks that

do all kinds of advocacy around the supreme court and the law. and you might think of lawrence thomas as a conservative, which, of course he is, but it is not really a binary between conservative and liberal, if he issues a separate opinion that creates or proposes a new legal theory, that could have vast consequences for public policy. all right, very interesting investigation, justin elliott, one of the propublica report is one of the propublica report is on the street.— on the street. thank you for “oininr on the street. thank you for joining us- _ on the street. thank you for joining us. thank _ on the street. thank you for joining us. thank you - on the street. thank you for joining us. thank you very i joining us. thank you very much. that is a programme at the cell. we are following that top story in tennessee, the extraordinary moves seeing the republican—dominated legislature that expelling two democrat lawmakers. we spoke a little earlier to one of those lawmakers who was expelled, justinjones, who said he might be seeking some legal recourse to that expulsion. he also said he might be running again in a special election for that set again. we will continue to follow that story for you at the top of the next hour. i'm

sumi somaskanda in washington, thank you for watching bbc news. hello there. the weather for the easter weekend is looking pretty decent for many of us. a lot of places will stay dry and there'll be plenty of sunshine around, too. the temperatures creeping up, particularly easter sunday looks to be a warm one across southern areas. however, it's all changed by the time we head into the bank holiday, easter monday. it turns more unsettled thanks to this area of low pressure. but high pressure dominates the scene, as you can see, for good friday. it starts off chilly, though, with some frost around, early mist and fog, which will clear quite quickly. as the temperatures rise into the afternoon, could see some fairweather cloud bubbling up — that could spark off the odd shower across southeast england. a bit of cloud just rolling in off the north sea for northeast england, eastern scotland, and along north sea coasts, it'll be quite chilly with an onshore breeze. 0therwise, elsewhere after that chilly starts, it's the low to mid—teens for most of us. and then, through friday night into the early part of saturday, temperatures again tumble across central, southern

and western areas where skies are clearest. it's particularly cold there, i think, for west midlands, central wales, but eastern scotland, eastern england, more cloud here, so not quite as cold as will be further west. into saturday, then, very little change, high pressure dominates the scene. this weather front getting a little bit closer to northern ireland, but it stays away, i think, throughout the day. so, plenty of sunshine once again through the morning, into the afternoon, a bit of cloud bubbling up — that could just produce the odd shower here and there. but most places will stay dry and those temperatures ranging from around 11—15 degrees again. quite chilly, though, across north east scotland, with the onshore breeze. easter sunday looks to be a little bit warmer. plenty of sunshine through central and southern areas, a bit more clouds to the east, and then to the west, this weather front starts to bring more of a breeze. outbreaks of rain to northern ireland, the far west of scotland, later in the day. but for the rest of the country, that sunshine around southerly winds, it could be quite warm — up to around 17 degrees in the mildest spots. then it's all change for bank holiday monday. this weather front spreads across the country with some fairly gusty winds, as it does clear through during the second part of the day, it brightens up sunshine and blustery showers, most of the showers in the north and the west, some

of them will be fairly heavy. temperatures coming down a touch, particularly in the north and the west, highs of 10 to around 13 or 14 degrees for most. and then, the upcoming new week looks unsettled, low pressure always nearby. it'll stay quite showery. a bit of sunshine around, too, but it will be noticeably cooler.