of persecution inflicted in nazi germany. he's due to appear in court tomorrow. also on the programme... ten—month—old jacob crouch was murdered by his stepfather craig crouch in december 2020, a court in derby has found. summer's all but disappeared for holidaymakers in the uk, but farmers are also concerned about their harvests. # oh, i've been so down and under pressure... pop singer lizzo, famous for her messages of body positivity, is sued by three former dancers for alleged harrassment and fat—shaming. and is this an orca at play? we report on the killer whales whose new sport is to nudge small boats off the coast of spain. on newsnight at 10.30 — in a special report, voices from inside iran describe the new levels and methods

of reppression directed at women by the morality police. so how should the uk interact with iran? good evening. donald trump will appear in court tomorrow, facing four counts of plotting to overturn the presidential result of 2020. the 45—page indictment, or charge sheet, accuses him of knowingly spreading "pervasive and destabilising lies" about election fraud that threatened american democracy. mr trump's campaign has likened the allegations to the persecution inflicted in nazi germany. the former president has now been impeached twice, arrested twice and charged in three criminal cases — in the other two, he's accused of mishandling secret documents and covering up a payment to a porn star. here's our north america editor sarah smith on another unprecedented storm surrounding donald trump.

die—hard trump supporters were anything but distraught as they learnt of the latest charges against him. these people do believe he's being unfairly persecuted, but also that he can beat the rap. most people believe he's a martyr, you know, just being persecuted, and i think he'll get more votes. i pledge allegiance! keeping a vigil outside a washington prison that houses some of the january 6th rioters, they think this largely democratic city will be hostile territory for a trump trial. do you think that if a dcjury finds donald trump guilty, am i going to think that that was legitimate? laughter no! i, donald john trump do solemnly swear... president trump swore to defend the constitution of the united states. but now he's accused of spreading lies and deceit, in a desperate attempt to stay in power, despite knowing he had lost the 2020 election. the police are now running back... the violent attack on january 6th was, say prosecutors,

the result of his prolific lies, as he deliberately created nationwide mistrust and anger. the attack on our nation's capitol on january 6th 2021 was an unprecedented assault on the seat of american democracy. as described in the indictment, it was fuelled by lies. lies by the defendant, targeted at obstructing a bedrock function of the us government. the trump campaign claims he is being politically persecuted and says his treatment is reminiscent of nazi germany in the 1930s. why did they wait two and a half years? you know why? because he's leading in the polls! because they're afraid of him becoming president and dismantling the uniparty! dismantling the deep state! the indianola parade in iowa always features gary leffler. he went to support trump in washington on the 6th ofjanuary, but didn't break into the capitol. the democrats, their new playbook

is to whoever the republican nominee is, they're going to try to press criminal charges on them. i don't like it but, you know, that's the way they decide to do it. this state will be the first to pick a republican candidate, so voters here follow politics closely and were fully expecting mr trump to be charged with trying to overturn the election. given all the legal troubles that there are right now, i don't think that he's a viable candidate. and every time he gets indicted, his poll numbers seem to go up and he gets more popular, more people want him to be president. because he has people believing that this is all deep state against him, and he's there protecting them from the deep state that's going to take over this country. donald trump is also facing criminal charges under the espionage act over his retention of classified documents. in another case in new york, he is accused of illegally paying hush money to a porn star who claims she had an affair with him. and he may yet be charged with election interference

in the state of georgia. and still the campaigning continues. donald trump says he will not stop electioneering, even if he's convicted and jailed for trying to overturn the results of the last election. sarah smith, bbc news, washington. despite facing multiple criminal charges, donald trump still holds a double—digit lead over his rivals in the race for the republican presidential nomination. so how could the next few months play out? next march the prosecution against president trump will start in the stormy daniels hush money trial in new york. thejudge in florida in the federal classified documents case has set the trial date for the end of may. injust over a year the republican national convention will take place — this is where delegates will select the party's nominees for president and vice president. and finally the 2024 us presidential election will be held on the 5th of november next year. so, how will these latest charges be judged by voters?

jon donnison has been talking to republican voters about whether these latest developments will change their view of donald trump. harrisburg, pennsylvania. in the last four presidential elections, whoever�*s won in this swing state has won the white house. 0n the banks of the susquehanna river, i meet alan and heather dittenber. they both voted for donald trump in the past, so how do they feel after these latest charges? donald trump does some questionable things, but i feel like he has america in his best interests, is our best interests. so the fact he could potentially, i suppose, go to jail, would that put you off voting for him? no. he said he would be prepared to run from prison. i mean, can you imagine that, can you see that? yeah, i see it. i don't know how successful he would be! but i see him doing that, yeah, why not?

but downtown, across the river, we find people who voted for donald trump in the past but maybe now are having second thoughts. my opinions have changed. i think he lacks the experience to run a country. i think he's great as a businessman but it takes more than a business mind to run a country. you voted for him the first time, though? yeah, because the first time he spoke like we did. would you vote for him again? tough decision. yes, no, maybe so. i'm on that line right now, so. what's going to tilt you one way or the other? i think the outcome of this. for many, though, here, even potentially facing jail, donald trump is the only option. will you vote for him again? if he's the republican nominee, i would vote for just about. .. i would vote for you againstjoe biden. and thatjust about sums it up. in a polarised nation, many people have already made up their minds. we met plenty of democrats here who said they'd like to see donald trump behind bars. but it's the people in the middle,

still on the fence, whose minds might be swayed by these latest criminal charges who could decide the next presidential election. jon donnison, bbc news, in harrisburg, pennsylvania. let's speak to our north america editor, sarah smith, in washington. mrtrump appears in mr trump appears in court tomorrow and speculation is rife about what this means for his presidential campaign. this means for his presidential cam aiun. , this means for his presidential campaign-— campaign. yes, and it is a remarkable _ campaign. yes, and it is a remarkable fact _ campaign. yes, and it is a remarkable fact that - campaign. yes, and it is a remarkable fact that each | campaign. yes, and it is a - remarkable fact that each time, so far at least, that donald trump has been indicted, his poll ratings have gone up. so much so in fact that he now makes the criminal charges against him at a major plank of his election campaign. he says he is being targeted in order to stop him becoming president again, and he tells his supporters without irony that this is election interference. whereas election interference is

exactly what he has been charged with in this case. he also says to his supporters, they are not really after me, they are after you. i'm just standing in their way. and so he says he is defending them. we may well see some of these trump supporters outside the federal courthouse here tomorrow when he turns up for his appearance, which will of course be the third time we have seen him sitting in a courtroom facing criminal charges. but this really is the most serious case yet because in essence what he is being accused of here is attempting to undermine american democracy itself at the time when he was the sitting president of the united states. sarah smith in washington, thank you. the stepfather of a ten—month—old boy has been found guilty of his murder at derby crown court. police say that jacob crouch suffered a "living hell" at his home in derbyshire before he was killed by 39—year—old craig crouch in 2020. the boy's mother, gemma barton, was cleared of murder and manslaughter, but was found guilty of causing or allowing

the death of a child. their sentencing hearing is due to take place on friday. 0ur midlands correspondent phil mackie sent this report. a smiling, giggling baby, but during jacob crouch's short life, he endured what was described as a "culture of cruelty" at the hands of his mother, gemma barton, and stepfather, craig crouch. can you feel or hear any breathing? no. he's gone. this is the 999 call made after they found jacob's lifeless body in his cot, five days after christmas in 2020. they met on a dating site when she was four months pregnant. they quickly moved in together. and jurors were told that their relationship meant everything to them. crouch was even named as father onjacob's birth certificate. they pretended to be doting parents, but in reality they were subjecting jacob to the utmost cruelty. this footage from her phone shows crouch joking

about whetherjacob had been killed. very quiet in there, have you killed him? no! i wouldn't mind if you had! you're under arrest. why? barton and crouch were arrested nearly a week after he died. i'm arresting you on suspicion of the murder ofjacob. - police found phone messages describing the little boy as a "devil" and detailing their cruel punishments. at the time of his death, jacob had 39 rib fractures, i9 visible bruises, and a perforated bowel, which led to the fatal infection. jacob crouch was born into a culture of cruelty, where both of the people who he should have been able to trust above any other allowed him to be subjected to assault after assault. heartbreakingly, for much ofjacob's short life, he would have been in significant pain as a result of the serious and repeated assaults. during the various covid lockdowns, crouch and barton were able to maintain a happy family facade that kept them away from the gaze of the various agencies that might have been able to intervene.

but afterjacob's death, a new multi—agency strategy has been introduced which local safeguarding boards say has had a positive impact. craig crouch has been found guilty ofjacob's murder. gemma barton was cleared of murder, but convicted of causing or allowing her son's death. neither have explained how, or why, jacob died. phil mackie, bbc news, derby. extreme weather patterns continue across the globe this summer, made more likely by climate change. these residents in zhuozhou, in china, had to be rescued because of extreme floodwaters. they had no electricity or drinking water. and at least 20 people have died in the country because of the flooding. in canada, dangerous wildfires have ravaged parts of british columbia. people remain under evacuation alert. and here in the uk, the summer seems to have disappeared.

july was one of the wettest on record. today, there've been yellow weather warnings in some areas for storms, heavy rain and winds. and there's been flooding, disruption to travel and to holiday plans, like here in worthing, in west sussex. the wet conditions are also causing a problem forfarmers, who are concerned about their crops and about the harvests to come, as our environment correspondent jonah fisher has been finding out. all right, guys, just watch your footing. it's a little bit slippery down here now. rain was forecast all day, and by 10am, much of the ground had turned from green to brown. but people kept coming to the north devon agricultural show. did you look at the forecast today and think, "maybe i won't bother"? no, i'd paid in advance for my tickets and i thought, well, rain or shine, we'll have some fun. it was wet today, just as it has been for most of the last month, and that's bad news for farmers. robin milton has been growing oats

in this field to feed his animals. about a fortnight ago, this was beautifully stood upright, a nice level, even crop. now the oats are on the ground, having buckled in the wind and rain. it's a scene being repeated across the country — food starting to spoil and rot in soggy, windswept fields. what would you say to people who say, farmers are always complaining? one month, they complain it's too dry, the next month, they complain it's too wet. i would say they're right. the reality is that what we're seeing, or it feels like we're seeing, is a climate now that's showing extremes, rather than a more seasonal pattern that we became used to, and that's concerning. after all the rain injuly, august has started in a very similar way,

and that's left farmers looking rather nervously up at the skies, hoping for a break of several days in the weather, when the ground and the crops can dry and a harvest take place. the forecast doesn't look great at the moment, and i see it came out here today that the crops around us are deteriorating very fast. it could be, you know, quite a write—off, really. the car parks at the show closed at lunchtime for health and safety reasons. with no harvest to help with, the tractors had a new role. it's summer! jonah fisher, bbc news, in north devon. the pop singer lizzo, known for her songs celebrating body positivity, is facing claims of harrassment and body—shaming by three former dancers. the legal action against lizzo, her production company and her dance team's captain includes accusations of sexual, religious and racial

harassment, discrimination, assault and false imprisonment. none of the defendants have commented on the allegations. 0ur entertainment correspondent colin paterson reports. # turn up the music, turn down the lights...# until now, 2023 had been a triumph for lizzo, winning record of the year at the grammys for about damn time... # ..it�*s about damn time...# ..pulling a huge crowd at glastonbury... ..and even helping to bring about a resurgence in flute—playing. what's up, y'all? it's lizzo. her messages of acceptance and body positivity have made her a hero to many and were a constant theme of her emmy—winning reality tv show, watch out for the big grrrls. girls that look like me don't get representation. it's time to pull up my sleeves and find them myself. but now, three of her former dancers — including two winners on that show, who went on to tour with lizzo — are suing her and her team. the list of allegations is long,

and includes weight shaming, sexual harassment and having created a hostile work environment. i'm so new to this industry, and for this to be my first experience is really... crazy. arianna davis also claims that after a show in amsterdam this year, lizzo pressurised her into touching a naked performer in a strip club, while crystal williams says she's speaking out now because lizzo is set to do a second season of her tv show. i so if there's anything that i can dol in my power to ensure that dancers, or singers, orwhoever decides. to work with her don't have to go through that same experience, i'm going to do that. _ the two dancers from the reality tv show were sacked earlier this year by lizzo. the third dancer resigned. lizzo has not yet publicly responded to the allegations, which have yet to be tested in court. but in this age of social media, even being found innocent can still not be enough to prevent damage to someone's brand. colin paterson, bbc news.

the bank of england is widely expected to raise interest rates again tomorrow, for the 14th time in a row, as it continues to try to curb inflation. latest figures suggest that the rate of price increases may be slowing, so this decision could be finely balanced. 0ur economics editor faisal islam is here. what are we expecting from the bank tomorrow, and what could the impact be? it isa it is a big decision for the bank of england, its 9—member monetary policy committee will decide at noon tomorrow. expectations are there will be a quarter point rate rise, but we will see what vote reveals at noon tomorrow. in a way, over the past year we have seen the sharp and relentless rise up from zero to kind of around normal at 5%. that has been kind of obvious. it gets trickier now and more finely tuned judgments as you say. a couple of things have gone in the bank's favour over the past month. we have

seen sterling rise, that will help temper the price pressures from imports. we have also seen other pressures in the markets, where they have been raising questions about the bank of england's credibility and mortgage rates going up without decisions being made. that has all calmed down. in the public because my expectations of where inflation is going, which were really high, are starting to temper and that is going in the bank's favour. a crucial issue is they have raised rates by 5% and the impact of that has taken time to filter through into the economy and they are turning the tap of rate rises on. we're beginning to see the impact of that now. we have seen that in the housing market and corporate insolvencies, too. that leads back to this balancing act between crushing inflation, but avoiding a downturn. it is a tight rope and we are probably approaching the kind of most narrow and trickiest part of that tight rope with this decision today. ==

that tight rope with this decision toda . ., ., ., ., ~ i. today. -- tomorrow. 0k, thank you very much- — today. -- tomorrow. 0k, thank you very much. programme _ today. -- tomorrow. 0k, thank you very much. programme occur. -- l very much. programme occur. —— faisal islam. in ukraine, around 5,000 women are currently serving as soldiers on the frontline. as the country continues to make small territorial gains in the south and east, it's also fighting another battleground, in the form of russian propaganda. disinformation has been used as a tactic since the war started back in 2014, when moscow annexed crimea. now it's become increasingly targeted on individuals. 0lga malchevska travelled to ukraine to investigate the story of one female sergeant. my name is andriana. i'm a soldier, servicewoman. andriana is a female soldier and a special unit markswoman. she's one of the best—known members of the ukrainian armed forces. her unit drove over a land mine last december. russian media reported she had been killed, describing her death in graphic detail, and calling her a ukrainian nazi.

but we tracked andriana down in ukraine, in a hospital. we can't disclose its location, for her safety. they published that i am without legs and without hands. yes, and then i'm killed, like, i was killed by them. they are professionals in propaganda. i am alive and i will protect my country. andriana, like many other ukrainians, joined a volunteer battalion when russia invaded ukraine back in 2014. she spent a year with the aidar battalion which, like many of the others, was subsequently subsumed into the official army. although not militarily trained, andriana showed strong combat skills, including shooting. when you are on the front line and when you see a target, how do you feel about it? is it a target or a person? it depends on the situation.

sometimes, it's a person, because they are people. but if it will not be for me a target, i will be a target for them. it's a feeling shared by many in this hospital. but for andriana, the biggest concern is the impact on herfamily. she hasn't held her son for seven months. two days ago, i was talking with him and he said to me that, "mum, remember when we were a family and when we loved each other?" and i tried to explain to him that we now are a family and we love each other, but the period is such. andriana is now preparing to return to the front line. the price paid is already too high to give up. 0lga malchevska, bbc news. increasing numbers of orcas, or killer whales, are targeting

fishing and sailing vessels off the coast of spain, damaging their rudders. just why is unclear. it's thought that it might be that the orcas view it as a game. now scientists are tagging and tracking some of the whales, and the satellite information is being used to create online maps to help keep sailors safe. 0ur science correspondent victoria gill reports from southern spain. are these animals attacking or playing? for more than an hour, five orcas nudged, rammed and spun this yacht around. it's one of at least 100 incidents this year, and scientists are trying to work out what's driving the strange, dangerous behaviour. playing with the rudders, they break the fibre, and the rudder split on the back, so it was completely split. so did that end up in the water? yes, and this floated. and because it's floating, the orcas were playing with it, like, from the bottom, and playing on their nose. were they? yes.

in this boatyard in barbate, in southern spain, they've repaired at least 40 sailing vessels damaged by orcas since april. here in the narrow strait of gibraltar, a population of fewer than 60 critically endangered iberian orcas move through one of the busiest waterways in the world. in the nearby fishing port, some crews say their boats have also been a target. translation: we have seen them and they are punching us, - a few days ago, sailing an hourfrom here. they have always been there, but they have never come near us, but in the last few years, it has changed. scientists are examining footage of these encounters that's been taken by sailors since 2020, when sailing vessels started reporting that orcas were attacking them. it's thought the first encounters began four years earlier, with just two young, curious killer whales. now scientists say up to 20 individual animals have learned this behaviour.

by pinning tracking tags to the animals' fins — a technique used for many years to study them — researchers here are gathering information that could help sailors. thanks to the satellite tagging, we're able to know where exactly, how to save the sailing boats and motorboats, how to leave the area and to not cross the main area of the killer whales. what are these killer whales trying to do? it's only a game. it's not revenge, it's not climate change or nothing like that, it's just a game and that's it. that game is focused on the boats' rudder. after orcas broke the rudder of a french boat earlier this year, they appeared to play with the floating debris. these incidents have become divisive here. for tourists on a whale—watching boat like this, they'll wait for hours just for a glimpse of these orcas, they're a spectacle. but sailors in the fishing industry here are desperate to understand how to avoid them. for sailing crews that are navigating these waters, if they see the orcas, what do the scientists

suggest that they do? full ahead. full ahead motors. and straight on, don't change the course. wow! even that's not clear. other official advice for sailors contradicts it. these marine mammals — and their unusual new habit — is putting our ability and our willingness to share the ocean with its wildlife to the test. victoria gill, bbc news, in southern spain. to england's world cup campaign now, and laurenjames has been the standout player of the tournament so far. she's scored three goals in three games, and is the younger sister of chelsea's reece james. as england prepare to face nigeria in the last 16 next week, our sports correspondent natalie pirks has been speaking to the james siblings' first coach, their father. carter's ball in, laurenjames! what a goal! stepping out of the shadow of her older brother and firmly into a spotlight of her own. that is world class.

assist after assist, goal after goal, england's secret weapon is no longer so secret. we were sitting down, just watching it, the first goal, as it goes in. we sort of, like, just turned and looked at each other and then just gave each other a cuddle. and it's something that you just sit and think, wow! for her football coach dad nigel, it was an extra—special moment. two of his former students who now play for england happen to be his children. reece james is a defender for chelsea and has usually stolen the headlines, but that younger sister lauren is now shining on the world stage comes as no surprise. can't believe it, it's brilliant. but, yeah, we should believe it because that's lauren. she's trained all her life, she's dedicated, she's been obsessed to be a footballer, that's all she has ever wanted to do. as a child, she would train against older boys, and it shows. the coolest customer on the pitch has now scored three world cup goals in three games.

but this wise head on young shoulders isn't dreaming of personal accolades. i've just thought about just helping the team and looking to contribute where i can. and most importantly, enjoy my football and, hopefully, goals follow. goals are great, but for dad, recognition is key. well done. you were fantastic. you make us all proud. you make the whole country really proud. you've just got to keep going, keep believing and go again. no longer sister of reece, just lauren, standing in her own light. it's lauren james! 0h! remember the name. natalie pirks, bbc news. laurenjames! that is absolutely sensational! time for a look at the weather. here's ben rich. are we are going to see any sun at all soon? there are some signs that as we go into next week and probably the second half of next week, there might be something a bit drier and

warmer on the way. not a heatwave, but something a little bit different to what we have had recently. but thatis to what we have had recently. but that is still a little way off. still more wet and decidedly cool weather between now and then. and today did not feel particularly like summer thanks to this area of low pressure, the swell of cloud on the satellite pictures named storm patricia by the french weather service for impact in france, but it has brought strong winds and heavy rain. as that storm rolls eastward, tomorrow should be drier and brighter. but with this northerly wind making it feel decidedly cool. so as we head into tomorrow, yes, a better chance of some spells of sunshine. but we will see some showers, some of which will be heavy and possibly thundery. across the northern half of scotland, generally staying quite cloudy with bits and pieces of rain. you will feel the effects of that northerly winds, not bad in any sunshine, but in the shade and the breeze, feeling rather

cool shade and the breeze, feeling rather cool. into friday, that wind may ease a little, but still coming down from the north. quite a few hefty showers and may be thunderstorms across eastern counties of england. if you elsewhere, but more dry weather. however, these temperatures a little disappointing for the time of year. —— a few elsewhere. then let me show you what happens as we head into saturday. this area of low pressure steam again from the atlantic, unusually deep blow for the time of year. it is the fourth weekend in a row with low pressure in charge. —— deep low. heavy rain, thunder and lightning. and strong winds. gale is quite possible around some western coast. look at these temperatures for august, 14 to 18 degrees. that is disappointing by any measure. but as we get into sunday, it is going to be a little bit drier, brighter and a little bit warmer. and as i said at the start, there is some hope that through the middle of next week, it might turn a bit drier. and a bit warmer.

thank you.