hello, i'm ros atkins. welcome to bbc news. so, it is five days until election day here in the us and today, both candidates are focusing on the southwest. donald trump is visiting new mexico, as well as arizona and nevada, which are crucial swing states. kamala harris is also visiting arizona and nevada. and both candidates want to talk about immigration. bear in mind new mexico and arizona are on the border with mexico. here's some of what we've heard. and we know we have an opportunity in this election to turn the page on a decade of donald trump trying to keep us divided and afraid of each other. we are done without. we are exhausted by it. we are with that. we are done with it. and reno, this is the thing— we

know that this is not who we are. that's not who we are. and it is time for a new generation of leadership in america. cheering and applause then donald and donald trump asked rally——goers if they feel better off today and he promised to bring back the american dream. i'v e i've come today with a message of hope for all americans with your vote in this election, i will end inflation, iwill stop the massive criminal and, you see it, you see it, the criminal invasion, horrible, some horrible deftly people, are not going to allow it. they are not going to allow it. they are destroying our country. we will destroy it immediately. and i will bring back something that you haven't heard for four that you haven�*t heard for four years— that you haven't heard for four years— will bring back the american dream and ijust want to thank you, we're going to bring it back. now, voters in the us

cast their ballot well before election day if they choose, and a record 60 million people have already done this. to put this in context, this is a long way above the equivalent figure at this point in 2020. now, what that may mean for the result, we can't know yet, but we do know is what the polls are saying. here are the seven states that are crucial to the outcome of the election. and this is the latest polling. you can see the overall trend has shifted slightly in trump's favour and let's be as clear as we can be on this — the polls in all seven are within the margin of error. in other words, they're too tight to be a clear indicator of victory for either candidate in any these states. carl nasman has been speaking to people in wisconsin. this is a statistical tie between kamala harris and donald trump to both parties, republicans and democrats, are out trying to secure their votes. we are with the republican party, they are out

here knocking on doors on the outskirts of milwaukee and are trying to get really any advantage they can ahead of election day.— advantage they can ahead of election day. there is a lot of working-class _ election day. there is a lot of working-class people, - election day. there is a lot of working-class people, we'rel working—class people, we're about — working—class people, we're about like teachers, construction workers and stuff like that, _ construction workers and stuff like that, so it's kind of like everyday _ like that, so it's kind of like everyday people that, they are my favourite people to dornoch with because they are the issue that have — with because they are the issue that have been in dc effective directtx — that have been in dc effective directl . . ., directly. here in the centre of milwaukee — directly. here in the centre of milwaukee are _ directly. here in the centre of milwaukee are very _ directly. here in the centre of milwaukee are very blue - directly. here in the centre of milwaukee are very blue area | milwaukee are very blue area this one street but he gives you one the idea of how these parties are going after votes. onjust parties are going after votes. on just the corner over there, there is a donald trump office. a few steps away on this corner, a kamala harris office. this state was decided by selection by about 20,000 votes. it is likely we could do something similar this year. let's go from wisconsin to michigan. ione wells is in detroit ahead of a trump rally on friday.

trump will be holding a rally tomorrow in macone county — somewhere i was earlier — and i spoke to some union leaders and members there. those particular unions — a painters' union and to the local teamsters union — have decided to endorse kamala harris but stressed the membership is a bit mixed when it comes to who to support in the presidential race. macomb county is home to the blue—collar workers, white working class workers, particularly those who may be have been impacted quite a lot by the decline of certain industries in the area and i think those of the voters that donald trump wants to speak to stressing how people felt four years ago. economically, i think he will be keen to stress issues like inflation rising in the last two years to try to reach out some of those voters in particular. bbc verify is focusing on how to help you make up your mind and how we draw our conclusions and how we draw our conclusions and in addition to the team in

washington, dc we have colleagues in the newsroom in london working on the us election and this next report comes from there. it's about a russian disinformation network that has been impersonating dozens of media organisations for bbc and which are sharing fake news reports about the us election. this slick video looks like it was produced by bbc news and even quotes an investigative group, as a source but it is fake and has nothing to do with either the bbc or bellingcat. it is one of hundreds of made up it is one of hundreds of made up of news producers circulated by a network since january. a busy verifier together with fact chequers from a uk—based tech company that uses artificial intelligence to detect disinformation is identified over 300 fake videos impersonating over 50 international media organisations. fakes have several common features, they pose as real well—known news outlets like the bbc. are you

similar production styles, fonts, logos and graphics. in fact, the videos are so realistic and can be hard to detect if they are real or fake. even for a specialist. this operation has been active for over two years and initially it's fake videos like this one blaming ukraine for a deadly strike at the railway station aim to undermine western support for ukraine. all the videos we have seen so far have been promoting programme or narratives. often, these include false claims about the democrats and vice president harris, others appear to be seeking to sow division by arguing the november vote will be rigged, all by defect in the us as a country on the brink of collapse. researchers from check first and finish analytics company who have investigated the network so they have found evidence confirming the videos come from russia. we confirming the videos come from russia. ~ . ., ~ russia. we can link the operation _ russia. we can link the operation to _ russia. we can link the operation to russia - russia. we can link the i operation to russia thanks russia. we can link the - operation to russia thanks to some assets that we know were produced by russian companies and the other source of evidence is a dataset we get access to that proves that one

of the machines that was used to send the e—mails was located in russia. it to send the e-mails was located in russia. , . ., to send the e-mails was located in russia-— in russia. it is unclear who exactly was _ in russia. it is unclear who exactly was running - in russia. it is unclear who exactly was running the . exactly was running the operation. unusually, the accounts are actually seeking out journalists and accounts are actually seeking outjournalists and asking them to check their own content. they've been sending me and my colleagues e—mails, private messages on eggs, and taking us in posts, asking us to fact check their fake reports. in posts, asking us to fact check theirfake reports. check first has found the operation had sent an estimated total of 71,000 e—mails to 2a5 addresses belonging to researchers, media and fact chequers between january and september this year. they believe the aim is to overwhelm fact chequers and newsrooms with bogus claims, thomas—wurth, and expert in this information is is what controls also seek exposure which they count as a measure of success. it which they count as a measure of succes— which they count as a measure of success. if prominent media organisations, _ of success. if prominent media organisations, prominent - organisations, prominent intelligence agencies expose their work then they can brag to theirfunders and their work then they can brag to their funders and the russian government that they are seen as a serious threat,

that deserves exposure. this operation — that deserves exposure. this operation so _ that deserves exposure. this operation so far— that deserves exposure. this operation so far has - that deserves exposure. this operation so far has failed to generate genuine large—scale engagement in social media users. its activity on eggs appears to be largely driven by in authentic or suspect accounts. but it doesn't stop the people behind the operation. tech firm logically told us that : it operation. tech firm logically told us that: it also appears that the network has been ramping up production in the run—up to the us election by posting videos almost every day. our next bbc verify report today is about political advertising. as you'd imagine, as election day nears, both campaigns are intensifying their efforts to win people's votes and adverts are an important part of that. we've been looking at one subject that's been a particularfocus for the trump campaign. i've been talking with bbc verify�*s lucy gilder. so, new data shows both the trump and harris campaign

has spent a combined total of $50 million on tv ads this week alone. that's paid for around 65,000 airings. this ad analysis shows tv ads continue to dominate in this election campaign. it also shows that both candidates are trying to reach voters through traditional means, as well as through online digital ads. you've been looking at one particular issue that the trump campaign has been focused on. before i ask about that, let me show that those of you watching a little of one advert that the trump campaign has been funding. surgery. for prisoners? for prisoners. every transgender inmate in the prison system would have access. help us understand this particular issue. this is one of three tv ads put out by the trump campaign which claimed that kamala harris supports funding transgender surgeries for prisoners, and research

has shown a1% of all trump's tv ads are focused on this issue. what is interesting is these ads have aired in all seven of the battleground states and have aired on national tv networks and all sports events. are they a fair representation of harris's point on the issue? the ads use a clip from 2019 in a interview with a transgender rights organisation and in it, she talks about a law she helped change as ag in california where she helps inmates access transgender surgery. but this was a clip from five years ago which is not made clear but something else it's picked “p on is in 2019, harris filled out a questionnaire while she was running to be the 2020 democratic presidential candidate and she was asked whether she would use her authority as president to ensure that transgender people, including those in the federal prison system, would have access to transgender surgery and harris replied she would. so, you referenced

2019 and 2020 there. that is several years. what is her position on the issue? harris's campaign team has told us that that is not an issue she's running on this campaign and is not among her policies either but it is clear she supported a few years ago. and when asked about in recent tv interviews, she has not said whether she supports it or not, she has just that she will follow the law. federal law does allow transgender prisoners to mount legal challenges to try to access the surgeries. what's interesting is this law did exist under trump as well but today, only two prisoners in the federal system received transgender surgery to date — one in 2022 and one and 2023 — so, both after trump left office. we'll have more bbc verify stories in the next hour and you can more coverage of the us election from bbc news on our website and app. around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news. let's look at some other stories around the world.

the chancellor rachel reeves says that she hopes the new labour government's announcement of massive tax increases will be a one—off. the tax rises of about £40 billion were announced to parliament by ms reeves in her first budget. the nhs, transport and education will all see a boost in spending. an inquiry into the salisbury poisonings has heard that the first doctor to care for the poisoned daughter of a russian spy thought that he would never see her move again. yulia skripal arrived at the hospital in march 2018 in a deeply unconscious state alongside herfather sergei skripal after they were poisoned with the nerve agent novichok. more than 400 alleged victims or witnesses have come forward to lawyers over allegations of sexual misconduct against former harrods owner mohamed al fayed. one lawyer representing the justice for harrods survivors group described it as "the worst case of corporate "abuse of women the world has ever seen". al fayed died last year, aged 94. you're live with bbc news.

i'm roz atkins here with you in washington, dc. let's turn to the middle east. us secretary of state antony blinken says negotiators have made "good progress" towards a truce in lebanon. two of presidentjoe biden's top advisers are now heading back to the us after spending thursday in tel aviv working with israeli officials on a ceasefire deal with hezbollah. tens of thousands of people on both sides of the israel—lebanon border have left their homes to escape cross—border fire between hezbollah and israeli forces. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu told us negotiators that any agreement must ensure israel can counter threats to its security from lebanon. efforts to secure a ceasefire agreement between israel and hamas are also continuing. cia director bill burns is in the egyptian capital cairo with mediators, exploring options to end the fighting and bring hostages home. our middle east regional editor sebastian usher sent this update from jerusalem.

even as there is a big new diplomatic push to get a ceasefire between israel and hezbollah and lebanon, —— a ceasefire between israel and hezbollah in lebanon, the fighting between the two sides is continuing unabated. in israel, seven people were killed today by hezbollah rockets. that is one of the largest death tolls there has been since hezbollah began to fire into israel after the october 7 attacks in support of hamas. israel has continued with its air strikes on baalbek and tyre and we heard that six health workers were killed, so there is no let up. but two us envoys came to israel and they spoke to prime minister netanyahu. there has been much talk and speculation over a possible 60 days ceasefire. there has even been reports showing a draft proposal. this has been dismissed

to an extent by israel and mr netanyahu himself has said he's not interested in documents and papers. what's he's interested in is ensuring that the security of israel in the north can be assured — that is what he is focused on. he said that during the meeting with the two us envoys and said it later when he met members of the military. that is his message at the moment. so, there is hope building that there may be the beginning of an end to this new conflict between hezbollah and israel in lebanon, but i think we still have to wait to see any concrete movement forward on it. meanwhile, the humanitarian situation in gaza continues to deteriorate. at least 39 palestinians were killed in an israeli attack on a hospital in northern gaza on thursday, according to health officials. israel's military said forces were targeting hamas fighters that were hiding in the hospital — a claim that hamas and local health officials reject. a hospital director said some staff suffered burns and that

medical supplies were also destroyed. at least 158 people are now confirmed dead after the worst flash flooding to hit spain in decades. king felipe held a minute's silence for the victims today, nearly all of whom were from the region of valencia. almost a year's worth of rain fell in just eight hours on wednesday, causing these terrifying scenes you can see here. water rushing through the streets, sweeping away bridges and roads. emergency teams are continuing to search for survivors and the dozens who remain missing. officials are warning residents to remain at home with more heavy rains predicted over the next 24 hours. our correspondent andrew harding has sent this report from valencia. the flood came and rearranged valencia. boats on the streets. streets turned into scrapheap. homes inside out. bridges

brushed aside. all of this by a flood as fast as a mudslide, packing the punch of a tsunami. for many here, the warnings came much too late. the water came much too late. the water came very. _ came much too late. the water came very. very _ came much too late. the water came very, very fast _ came much too late. the water came very, very fast and - came much too late. the water came very, very fast and we i came very, very fast and we heard so much water coming down, coming out, and we were safely home, watching from the balconies and seeing the cars moving, moving. isaid balconies and seeing the cars moving, moving. i said we can't do anything. but it wasn't raining. it was all the water coming from there.- raining. it was all the water coming from there. that's it. almost inevitably, _ coming from there. that's it. almost inevitably, the - coming from there. that's it. almost inevitably, the true l almost inevitably, the true death toll has only now begun to reveal itself. alongside happier stories of the vulnerable holdt to safety. from this height, you can see the scale of whatever eastern spain and what nearby regions are still bracing themselves

for. the small town of pipe water stood in the floods path. miguel�*s pharmacies want, no family here left untouched. everybody has someone who lost someone and i feel worse than yesterday. i couldn't sleep. at the end, it's like a nightmare. a big nightmare. abs, the end, it's like a nightmare. a big nightmare.— a big nightmare. a nightmare for which this _ a big nightmare. a nightmare for which this prosperous - for which this prosperous region seemed woefully unprepared. as the rescue work ramps up here, so do the questions. could the authorities have warned people earlier and more urgently to move to safer ground? and at a deeper level, how do we prepare better for what the scientists all agree is the more menacing climate heading our way?

meanwhile, supplies of food and water in some areas here are scarce. internet is limited. we're not going to be able to even start pouring. i can't even start pouring. i can't even my work. no—one in the area can contact each other because we have no internet. tonight in towns and suburbs like this, people say they feel abandoned. the darkness masking the damage to a major european city in deep shock. andrew harding, bbc news, valencia. the us, south korea, and japan have condemned north korea's launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile. north korea's military fired the missile, which you can see here, on thursday. it flew for 86 minutes — the longest flight of a such a missile on record — before landing in waters off japan's western coast. the us is about 8000 north korean soldiers have now reached the kursk region of russia, where ukrainian trips

of launched attacks aim at diverting russian