donald trump committed fraud by exaggerating his net worth. joe biden tells striking car workers they deserve a raise. he's the first sitting president to join a picket line. plus, a special report from the border where tens of thousands of ethnic armenians are fleeing the disputed territory of nagorno—karabakh. hello, i'm sumi somaskanda. we begin the programme with the activities of two us presidents — one current, one former. one on the picket line, the other battling his latest court challenge. let's start with former president donald trump, and on tuesday, a new york judge ruled that mr trump "repeatedly" violated state fraud law by misrepresenting his wealth. judge arthur engoron agreed

with new york attorney general letitia james that trump fraudulently inflated his wealth by up to $3.6 billion to get more favourable loans from lenders. in the ruling, judge engoron writes: trump's legal team has responded to the ruling. in a statement, the former president's attorney said: the decision comes ahead of the start of a civil trial against mr trump that begins on monday. i spoke about all this earlier with our correspondent peter bowes. tell us what thejudge said in this ruling.

the judge essentially agreed with the attorney general in new york that has brought this civil case against the former president. it's been a long—running investigation into the business affairs of mrtrump, his organisation and members of his family. the allegation was that, as the judge has now agreed, the former president acted fraudulently in exaggerating his assets, the value of his golf courses, his apartments, including exaggerating the size of his own apartment in the trump building in new york. the reason was to get preferential treatment for loans to impress insurers, to impress banks, to further the cause of his business in the property sphere in new york. the net result of this, at this stage, and this matter isn't completely over as you indicated, because we have the trial starting next week, but the initial impact

is some of the company's licences to operate in new york have been rescinded. that's going to make it much more difficult for the trump organisation to operate in the short—term, but there could be further consequences when other aspects of the lawsuit are heard during the trial that gets under way in a few days. this is being seen as a victory for attorney general letitia james in her civil lawsuit against trump on fraud. what impact does this ruling have? it's potentially very beneficial to letitia james, because it takes off the table a significant part of this lawsuit. that she will be seeking to win at the trial. essentially, thejudge has sided with her so far on these very significant claims against the former president. so there is a narrower window in terms of the burden of proof that the attorney general has to show in court.

in theory, that could make it easier for her to eventually be successful in the overall lawsuit, which she is asking for very significant financial penalties against donald trump and his organisation, essentially she wants to ban him from ever doing business in new york again. meanwhile, the current presidentjoe bidenjoined striking autoworkers in michigan on tuesday. mr biden�*s show of support for the uaw strike is a departure from the presidential tradition of remaining neutral during labour disputes. but he has long positioned himself as a champion of unions and michigan will be a key battleground state for democrats in 202a. former president trump will be visiting the picket lines on wednesday. bob king served as president of the uaw from 2010 to 2014. hejoined me earlier to discuss the president's visit and the ongoing strike. bob, thank you so much

forjoining us on bbc news. do you think the president's visit is important for uaw workers, or with the former president also announcing he is heading to detroit and the picket—lines on wednesday, are you worried that this strike and the concerns might be politicised? no, i think president biden�*s visit today was extremely important, it was very meaningful to the workers. it's a demonstration of how strong public support is in favour of uaw members getting a really good contract. i really appreciate that the president and the public understand how much workers gave up to make these companies profitable, and now these companies have been extremely profitable and have not been fairly sharing that profitability and success with the workers. i think his statement today was great, it's really appreciated, and i think the whole labour movement was excited that we had

a sitting president, first time in history, tojoin a picket line. i want to ask you about one of the points that has been made by the president. he said a shift towards electric vehicles will create new manufacturing jobs. the former president has said the opposite, that electric vehicles will take jobs away from uaw workers. what do you think? it really depends on whether the companies are responsive to the uaw demands. we're going to have batteries and other electrical components replacing engines and transmissions, so it's extremely important that the workers doing that work have the protection of a master agreement, under the master agreement. or, you know, a complete mirror agreement. so that's a really critical issue that will impact... will the transition be a fair one? the president, a fan of the uaw, said over and over again, we have

to have a fair transition. that's a core issue to the uaw. there are plenty ofjobs that will be in electric vehicles. how many of them are under the master agreement has a huge impact on how fair the transition is. i want to ask you about the timing of the strike. ahead of the strike, the ford ceo said: what do you think led to a strike now at this point? i think it was leaders of the three companies losing sight of how much workers sacrificed, making sure, notjust dramatically increasing ceo pay, giving bonuses,

25 million, you know... ridiculous figures to me. and expecting workers... i have spoken to hundreds of workers on the picket line, the amount of injustices, how long workers were kept kept on temporary — two years, four years, some six years, i spoke to one member, ten years temporarily, and then eight years full—time to get to the top pay... that's morally wrong when these companies are so profitable. i also want to ask you about the bigger picture. president biden indicated this is not just about the auto industry, he said it's part of a bigger movement at the moment in other industries as well. does the uaw see itself as part of a broader movement of strikes and labour action?

the president on facebook. that is talked about so much. not just a fight for our members, but all workers in the us. workers have been getting the short end of the stick in so many different industries. we need to raise their wages and benefits. the middle class has been attacked and diminished over the past ten, 15, 20 years. it's time to rebuild the middle class. the uaw sees this, the membership, as we are fighting notjust for ourselves but for the working class in general. really interesting conversation, thanks so much for sharing your thoughts. and in other strike—related news, the writer's guild of america has told its members to go back to work, after reaching a tentative deal with management on sunday. the announcement brings to an end a strike that began back in may over higher pay and protections against artificial intelligence. it was one of the longest strikes in wga history. actors, meanwhile, remain on strike. with just days to go before the us government faces a partial shutdown,

congress appears to still be at an impasse on approving a spending measure to avoid it. if congress fails to secure funding by october 1st, hundreds of thousands of federal employees will be furloughed without pay, and government services will be disrupted. but a small group of ultra—conservatives say they won't pass any spending bill without budget cuts. one of those hardline republicans is tennessee congressman tim burchett. we spoke to him earlier. congressman, thanks forjoining us. you have said you will not support a short—term funding bill. the speaker of the house kevin mccarthy is pushing for cuts to ensure he can get some more conservative votes on board. your colleague in congress gary graves told reporters at the weekend that the house leadership plans to cut spending on discretionary programmes by 27%. i see you shaking your head, is that enough to win your vote? no, ma'am.

my colleague you mention there, he has a self—appointed role. i don't know that he speaks for anybody really, other than himself. the truth is, ma'am, a continued resolution isjust a complete capitulation of our duties. as congressmen, we are required to do one thing, and that's pass a budget. continued resolution is not that. they tell us we need to pass this resolution to give us time to work so we cannot pass any more continued resolutions. we have been doing this for almost 30 years, ma'am, they pass a continued resolution, then they pass another, and then they push us up against the christmas break, and then they pass what's called an omnibus. they put all these little nice cherries on top to get us to vote for it, and what does it have in it? you look at an omnibus bill, 2000 pages, bill, 2000 pages, speaker pelosi

saying, we got to pass it so we know what's in it, that is exactly what these big bills are. the powerful leadership, both parties, they put their little projects in there, and what does this little lowly congressman do, we read a 2000 page document to about a fifth or sixth page and we say, that is enough for my folks back home, i'm good with it... then you have 1998 other pages full of goodies... if i could jump in, does that mean you are indeed preparing for a shutdown? i'm not going to vote for a continued resolution, we have had since september. i mean, we've had since january. september 30th, it comes about this time every year, and we know it's coming, yet here we are, we went home the entire month of august. we should have been in washington working. i work at home more than i do up here, this isn't work up here. these groups here, they will start their meetings at 10:30am, caterfor lunch,

take a couple of hours off in the afternoon, then end at ii:30pm and walk out with their brooks brothers jacket over their shoulder and their sleeves rolled up and their collars undone, talking about how hard they worked. people in east tennessee literally dig ditches for a living. people that work with their hands. farmers. we have got lawyers, doctors, single mums that work two jobs because they have a deadbeat... you are talking about hard work, what is your message to military personnel, air traffic controllers, other federal workers who will not get paid if there is a shutdown? the federal government can make their choices of where they want to cut. and where they cut is where it hurts the most, shame on them for doing that. and they will all receive their back pay, nobody will miss anything. the myth that our military will lose their houses, that's not the truth. there are laws that prevent that.

this is just an attempt to scare them. we've had over 20 shutdowns in the last bit of history in our country. they average around three orfour days, i think. they happen, it's unfortunate, but we take in $5 trillion a year, and these folks that are mad at me, they want to spend $7 trillion a year. that's the bottom line. we cannot continue... i have to ask, because the deficit grew every year under the trump presidency, his administration set the record... and i voted against his budgets as well. check your history on that. so why do you think the buck stops here on spending? because now there are a lot more people that realise we are running off a cliff, and we cannot afford to spend $7 trillion a year when we take in $5 trillion.

we spoke to one of your colleagues, the republican congressman in nebraska, he supports working with democrats to get a budget bill passed. the conservative team has been undermined. americans like conservative values, we also like governance and effectiveness. what a lot of americans are seeing today is dysfunction. it's not happening because republicans versus democrats, it's because we have a small number of republicans who don't want to co—operate. what's your response? don is a good man, he served our country and he's a friend of mine, but again, you can't spend $7 trillion when you only take in 5 trillion, and that is conservatism, to me. being fiscally strong and morally upright. this administration is neither. the republicans need to stand up to it. we cannot continue down this path of deficit spending,

in no shape, form orfashion. all 50 states pass a budget, they might not follow it as well as they should, but they pass a budget. a church, a synagogue, a temple, i guarantee they all have a budget. any business, the us congress, the united states of america, it hasn't had a budget in 30 years. we have a budget committee out of texas, they can balance our budget in ten years. if we just went back to pre—covid spending levels, and i dare say not many americans can name one thing they have got extra since covid that they could not do without now. they can talk about everything but they can't talk about the numbers, and the numbers don't lie. we take in 5 trillion, we are spending 7 trillion. that will bankrupt this country, and further, like we used to see before world war ii in europe,

people going down the street with a wheelbarrow full of cash to buy a loaf of bread. that is where we are heading. congressman, thank you so much for sharing your perspective with us today. senate leaders have reached their own deal to avert a shutdown, with a short—term funding extension. it's not clear, though, whether it could pass the house. around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news. let's look at some other stories making news. the speaker of canada's house of commons has resigned after unwittingly praising a ukrainian world war ii veteran who fought for the nazis. anthony rota had invited yaroslav hunka to parliament during the visit by ukraine's president on friday. rota referred to the 98—year—old as a "hero", leading to a global backlash. he has reiterated his "profound regret" for the incident. us regulators are suing amazon for allegedly

using "unfair strategies" to illegally create a monopoly. the federal trade commission says the online retailer leveraged its position to push up prices and stifle competition. amazon says the suit is quote "wrong on the facts and law". police across south america are searching for the leader of a venezuelan gang who escaped from the luxurious prison he controlled. hector guerrero flores was nowhere to be found when thousands of police and soldeiers entered the inmate—run facility last week. under guerrero flores's rule, the jail was compared to a resort, boasting a small zoo, a nightclub, and a swimming pool. you're live with bbc news. iraqi state media says at least 100 people have died and 150 others have been injured after a fire broke out at a wedding in northern iraq. the bride and groom are reported to be among the victims. it's not clear what caused the blaze, but early reports indicate that it broke out after fireworks were lit. the country's prime minister told officials to "mobilise all efforts to provide relief to those affected by

the unfortunate incident". a refugee crisis is developing in armenia, with more than 28,000 people fleeing the disputed enclave of nagorno—karabakh. it follows a military operation last week by the azerbaijanis to retake the region, after months of tension. internationally, nagorno—kara bakh is recognised as part of azerbaijan, but for decades ethnic armenians have controlled large parts of the territory. since the ceasefire, there has been a mass exodus of residents of nagorno—karabakh toward the border with armenia. armenia's prime minister has warned that ethnic cleansing is already under way in the region. bbc correspondent sarah rainsford has more from the border town of goris. the slow roll out of their homeland. this is a journey no—one squeezed into these vehicles ever imagined they would make. ethnic armenians fleeing nagorno—karabakh on whatever transport they could find.

it's a week since azerbaijan seized back the enclave. it did promise to protect the armenian majority there, but no—one we found dared believe that. instead, they flooded here, to armenia. we met this family of seven who had crammed their whole lives into a few cases. hungry and exhausted after more than a day crushed into one car, and still reeling from what they've had to give up. translation: it was tough there but it was our - land, for generations — armenian land. now, today, we are here, we are homeless. armenia initially prepared to host 40,000 refugees. it could be facing many more. the cars keep coming through the mountains. there are still hundreds of people leaving nagorno—karabakh every single hour. people who've left behind their homes and their land

and almost everything they own. and i've not met a single person who's told me they think they're ever going back. this isn't a temporary evacuation, it's an exodus. we can't get to karabakh from armenia now that azerbaijan is in control there, but a localjournalist we called told me everyone he knows plans to leave, as soon as the giant trafficjams die down. translation: there was a war, but things were really _ hard before that, too. so, people didn't really think long about whether to stay or go. they decided to leave. because we lost. it was a capitulation. so, what could we do? in a nearby town, there's now a desperate crush — for information and for aid — from people who suddenly have nothing. there are donations, though not much, and no clear picture on where all these

people will end up. and many are still shaken by two days of shelling last week. as azerbaijan retook karabakh by force, melina and her grandchildren huddled in their cellar. she's now had to tell them they won't be going home because she's scared to live under azerbaijani rule. so, they've joined the crowds now heading into uncertainty as the face of nagorno—karabakh is transformed. landmark saudi and israeli trips are under way, an indication that normalisation talks in the region are showing signs of progress. on tuesday, a high—level saudi delegation travelled to the israel—occupied west bank for the first time since 1967. hours after it arrived, israel's tourism minister

landed in saudi arabia for a un event. haim katz is the first israeli minister to lead an official delegation to the gulf country, according to his office. the trips come amid complex negotiations between saudi, israeli, and american leaders. tom bateman explains. what is going on in the background here is that we've had these developing talks, american—led, that might lead to a possible normalisation of diplomatic relations between israel and saudi arabia, two old adversaries in the middle east. that would be a historic realignment of relations in the middle east. this is being driven by the americans. now there's something in it for everyone. all three countries involved, the americans, israel and saudi arabia. but there are also very significant costs, concessions that each country would be expected to make. but one of the reasons that saudi arabia is involved, the quid pro quos that it

would get for recognition of israel from the americans. now, one of those is it wants advanced weaponry from the united states. it also wants a civilian nuclear programme with the ability to enrich uranium in the country. now, this would be a dramatic change both for relations in the middle east, but for what's happening potentially on the ground in terms of the security ties and security relations within this very, very volatile region. the reason we've seen the ambassador for the saudis going to the palestinians today is he outlined his commitment to the palestinian cause, because the saudis and the americans will need to see some concessions from israel to the palestinians in order for this deal to stick. joe biden, the us president, wants it before presidential election next year, but i think all of this is a long way off. we're not talking weeks. this is in the scale of months, possibly well into next year and the list of things they have to work through, the list of issues that have to hang together in order

for such a deal to take place is vast. so it would be a huge achievement. but what we've seen in the last week or so is the leaders of saudi arabia, the us, and israel all talking up the prospects of this thing happening in the coming months. and before we go, president biden�*s dog, commander, has bitten yet another secret service agent. this is the 11th time the german shepherd has bitten a guard of the first family. this latest attack happened on monday night. the officer was treated on the white house grounds. the administration's press secretary has previously blamed the attacks on the stress of living at the white house. quick footnote — that story is one of the most—read on our webite, so go to bbcnews.com for more. that's all from us here in washington, we leave you with these live pictures of london as we hand off to our colleagues there. stay with us here on bbc news.

hello there. storm agnes is going to bring some very strong winds to irish sea coasts during wednesday, could bring disruption. at the moment, agnes is rapidly developing underneath this powerful atlantic jet stream. there's some evidence that we might see a sting jet form — that's something that really accelerates the winds — and at its peak, well out to sea, the winds are modelled to reach 120 miles an hour in gusts, so some ferocious winds. they will stay well away from land. and, actually, by the time agnes works across the uk, it will be working in as a weakening area of low pressure. still, though, the winds strong enough to bring some disruption, as we'll see in a moment. now, if you're outside at the moment, you might notice the winds picking up across wales and south—west england. otherwise, it's a breezy kind of night. quite cool for scotland, where there'll be one or two showers, the weather turning increasingly mild as we head into the first part of wednesday morning for england and wales. now, the strongest winds from agnes will be working through irish sea coasts where gusts could reach 60s to 70s of miles an hour, strong enough to bring

some disruption. it will be a bright start with some sunshine for scotland, and eastern england having a relatively quiet day. it's through the afternoon that we get this swathe of really strong winds moving in, the winds strong enough to bring some power cuts, maybe some transport disruption, ferries perhaps running with cancellations or delays. and we'll probably see some trees being blown over as well due to those strong winds. and the winds continue overnight across northern england and scotland, so very windy here wednesday night before agnes starts to clear out into the norwegian sea. we then get a ridge of high pressure just ahead of the next system, and what that means is actually, for thursday, many of us, at least for a time, will see a slice of dry weather with a bit of sunshine as agnes works away before the next band of rain works in through the afternoon. some of the rain could be quite heavy in the west thursday afternoon. continues to be mild, about 16—20 celsius, and another relatively mild day on the cards for friday. there will be lots of showers around for scotland, northern ireland, the far north

of england, perhaps merging together across the far north of scotland to bring some wetter weather, whereas across southern areas of england and wales, it looks like being a dry day on friday with some warm spells of sunshine. temperatures i6—2i. what about the weekend weather prospects? well, things look quite unsettled at the moment. we're looking at the risk of showers or some longer spells of rain for many of us this weekend, but it will stay on the mild side. bye for now.

this is bbc news. we'll have all the headlines for you at the top of the hour, straight after this programme. welcome to hardtalk, from tallinn. i'm stephen sackur. estonia has vivid memories of invasion and rule from moscow, and that collective hurt underpins this country's staunch support for ukraine in its war with russia. but standing up to vladimir putin doesn't come risk—free for this small baltic nation. my guest today is estonia's prime minister, kaja kallas. are people here beginning to question her decision—making when it comes to russia and ukraine?