i'm geeta guru—murthy. welcome to bbc news now, three hours of fast—moving news, interviews and reaction. a us government shutdown is just hours away unless lawmakers in washington can agree a spending plan for government funding. president—elect trump is putting pressure on congress to pass a federal spending bill and avoid the shutdown. the first attempt to pass a bill was heavily defeated in congress — after which trump took to social media, urging congress to scrap what's known as the debt ceiling, or to extend it to 2029. this would mean there'd be no limit on the amount of money the us government could borrow to pay for services, such as social security, medicare and the military. but there are concerns this would make it more difficult to contain the country's budget deficit, that's the amount by which government expenditure exceeds revenue. in the us this is currently

running at more than 1.8 trillion dollars. 38 republicans voted againt mr trump's efforts to suspend the federal debt limit for two years, and his bill fell short of the required two—thirds majority. failure to reach consensus in congress, means the us government faces its 15th shutdown since 1980. now we wait to see whether a second vote — requiring just a simple majority — will happen today. and and if it does — will it receive enough support to pass with such a slim republican majority? jarred hill is a correspondent at cbs news. i think one of the big things with this is that it starts to raise some questions about the mandate that president elect trump will have in congress, despite the fact that he will have control. technically, republicans will be in control of both the senate as well as the house when he comes into power this upcoming year. the other thing, though, is just from a practical sense, is that this means that it is going to be more difficult for republicans and democrats to push through whatever spending package they are able to really pin down on.

because again, you do have this breaking of the wall amongst republicans, at least at this point on this issue. explain for us as well the involvement of donald trump and elon musk also in this whole question. yeah. so that's kind of one of the interesting things here, right. because elon musk is not an elected official. he has been tasked by president elect trump to control government spending and sort of government efficiency, as this department is being called, department of government efficiency. president elect trump, meanwhile, has been doing a lot of conversation on social media, as well as directly with some of the leadership within the republican party trying to steer them in a direction to pass this bill that would put the debt ceiling, raising the debt ceiling or suspending the debt ceiling under president biden, basically saying that this is biden�*s problem, biden�*s fault

for having the debt ceiling going up, not his fight, not his problem. we do know in the past that as we're seeing right now, these debt ceiling conversations can stall an administration's efforts to push other bills through. and so president elect trump wants to make sure that that is put under president biden�*s watch and not under his. elon musk�*s role in this also is interesting, because we have seen him making commentary on social media about his feelings about republican lawmakers who were supporting the previous measure, who are supporting any other measures, saying that they should be primaried, that someone should come in and try and take them out of their seat if they pass these bills that elon musk and president elect trump don't like, what kind of influence will that mean going forward? that's going to be a big question as, again, president elect trump comes into office. very briefly, what's going to happen today? what are the options? so today there's a big question of whether we will see house speaker

mikejohnson bring another bill to the floor to try and get a vote. last night he was playing coy with this one when he was asked directly said, basically, we'll see, uh, you know, keep watch and we'll see what happens. um, but that's going to be the question is, will there be another bill that's brought to the floor? we do know lawmakers have said that they're going to be working throughout the day to try and make sure that they can get something passed. can they, is the question. jeremy hill speaking to me a short time ago. bringing you the latest lines coming out of washington. the speaker has arrived this morning, and journalists are asking what he plans to do today, and mike johnson is answering reporters�* questions. he says they are expecting boats this morning, stay tuned, we have got a plan. and also earlier today, donald trump is taken to truth social to say that if there is going to say that if there is going to be shutdown of government, let it begin now under a biden administration, not under trump administration, not under trump administration, because this is

administration, because this is a biden problem to solve, but if the republicans can help, they will. so a lot more negotiation could come, one imagines, in the us, and we will see how that unfolds. us diplomats are making their first official visit to damascus in more than a decade for talks with syria�*s new islamist leadership. washington still designates hts as a terrorist group. earlier i spoke to dr rim turkmani syria research director, lse, and i asked her how significant the us diplomats visit to damascus is. not only the organisation he leads are designated terrorists.

the former head of al-qaida and the mastermind of 9/11. the us still has a $10 million bounty on information leading to his capture. so meeting him by a senior us official is very, very significant. however, i don�*t think we should interpret interpret this as official recognition of his. and what would need to happen in order to build confidence from the us and from other countries, that hgs is going to be able to stabilise the country and that could be perhaps, you know, delisted as a terrorist group. hgs cannot destabilise the country on its own. everyone knows that its capacity is limited. so the key really is to get us to work with other groups, with other segments of the syrian society, to bring stability on their own. there will be no stability. but the head of hgs right now is absolutely desperate for international recognition. we just lost the end of that clip. i was speaking to doctor

turkmani about the visit to damascus that we are telling about, and we are keeping you across anything that comes out of there. elsewhere in syria, a leading kurdish commander — who played a major role in defeating the islamic state group in syria — has told the bbc the huge political changes in the country are �*paving the way�* for them to re—emerge. general mazloum abdi�*s syrian democratic forces are still holding around 10,000 is suspects in the kurdish area of north east syria. he says the group�*s activity has increased significantly, and the danger of a resurgence has doubled. 0ur senior international correspondent 0rla guerin is there. the fall of assad has not freed all of syria�*s prisoners. with good reason, we were told. this is a maximum securityjail.

around 5,000 men are detained here, including some britons, cut off from the outside world and a changing syria. but local authorities warn is is planning its next moves, and could use the current chaos to try a jailbreak. it�*s very rare to get access inside these walls. this is the biggest prison for is detainees. the men being held here, most of them were with is until its last stand. kurdish security sources tell us that they were deeply committed to the ideology of is. we were taken to meet a detainee. hello. who didn�*t want to be identified. he is 28, from australia, and said he was speaking freely. do you have blood on your hands?

were you involved in killing anybody with is? no. i wasn�*t. "no, i wasn�*t", he said, barely audibly. 0n the key questions, he had little to say. this was is in its heyday. it brutalised one third of syria and iraq. now there are warnings that it�*s gearing up again. so general mazloum abdi is facing into battle. he helped defeat is in 2019 with his kurdish forces, backed by the us. translation: of course, | since the fall of the regime, there are more factors allowing is to get stronger. they have more capabilities and more chances. the prisons are more dangerous, and face more threat of attack. the danger has doubled compared to before.

and behind the wire, hope has grown that freedom is coming, somehow. this is roj camp, which holds families of is, around 3,000 women and children. sayeeda, from dagestan, tells me she hopes syria�*s new rebel leader will bring freedom for her and her son ali. 0thers believe is is coming, says the camp manager, who hides her identity because she fears for her safety. translation: they have - packed their bags, ready to go. they say, "we will get out of this camp soon". even their children have changed. they will say some slogans and swear at you and say "it", meaning is, "is coming soon". we will come back

soon and get you". the new syria has inherited plenty of threats, and much unfinished business. 0rla guerin, bbc news, north—east syria. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news.

france�*s president macron has praised the dignity and courage of gisele pelicot following the rape conviction of her ex—husband and 50 other defendants. in a social media post, mr macron said she had "moved and inspired france and the world". dominique pelicot was jailed for 20 years for organising the repeated drugging and rape of his then wife by dozens of strangers over a decade. under french law, the men have ten days to decide whether to appeal. gisele pelicot�*s lawyer says her client has no fear of a new trial. 0ur correspondent hugh schofield has been following the story.

gisele pelicot left the court to the cheers of supporters. this has been a long ordeal. she could have chosen to stay anonymous, but she insisted the trial be in public so that the shame of rape should, as she put it, be felt by the other side. translation: i want to express my deepest gratitude _ to all the people who have supported me throughout this ordeal. a i was overwhelmed by your support and i drew from it the strength to come back every day to face these long days of hearings. 0thers left court in a different way. all the accused, including her ex—husband, dominique, were found guilty. most were taken straight to jail. a handful were freed because of time served in pre—trial custody, and they had to run the gauntlet of the public outside. 50 men were identified who had come to her bedroom to rape or abuse the drugged gisele pelicot. 50 men forming a cross—section of society, said some.

a psychiatrist who interviewed many of them had a more nuanced view. translation: one thing - i want to debunk is the notion that these are all just ordinary men. that�*s what we�*ve heard, right? that they could have been anyone. but committing acts like this is not possible for everyone. it is simply not true. across france, people reacted to the news of the convictions with satisfaction. translation: i think it's good thatjustice has been done. - it�*s so rare for people to be convicted. i hope this is an example. i hope this will be useful and that it will enable women�*s rights and all forms of sexual and gender—based violence to be recognised and to go to trial. translation: now, ithink we have to be aware - of the danger and, above all, we have to believe the women who testify to this kind of thing. we have to support them. gisele pelicot said she wanted the trial to change attitudes, change attitudes to rape

and male predatory sex. the respect and admiration with which this unassuming woman is so widely held here give hope that she may be right. hugh schofield, bbc news, in avignon. now, lord peter mandelson will be formally confirmed as the uk�*s next ambassador to the united states today — the first time a politician has been appointed to the role for almost half a century. keir starmer is about to announce that lord mandelson, a former labour minister and european commissionerfor trade, has been given the role. he will take over as donald trump begins his second term as president. he was considered to be one of the frontrunners for the position. let�*s speak to former ambassador to the us, sir david manning, now director at gatehouse advisory partners, a geostrategy consultancy firm. thank you for being with us. was this the best choice, in your view, for a sensitive position?— your view, for a sensitive osition? ~ , position? the prime minister has chosen —

position? the prime minister has chosen someone - position? the prime minister has chosen someone with . position? the prime minister- has chosen someone with immense experience in what is going to be a challenging four years. here we have a former minister who has been trade minister in britain but also has an international reputation. he was the trade commissioner for the european union when britain were still in the eu, so he has enormous experience and a profile that is immediately recognisable, and he is somebody who is seen as very effective. so in a world in which we think that the trump administration will be very transactional, he has probably seen a somebody who will be able to manage that very successfully. i think the trade connection is clearly a very important credential, because we will expect the trump administration to put on tariffs. britain may or may not be one of those affected, but clearly the trade landscape is going to be very important, and peter mandelson has extraordinary experience of dealing with that. find extraordinary experience of dealing with that. and what would your _ dealing with that. and what would your advice - dealing with that. and what would your advice be - dealing with that. and what would your advice be in - dealing with that. and what i would your advice be in terms

of how to navigate that and what to try and do in defending the uk�*s national interest on trade? the uk's national interest on trade? �* , ., trade? i'm sure he will not need my — trade? i'm sure he will not need my advice. _ trade? i'm sure he will not need my advice. what - trade? i'm sure he will not need my advice. what he i trade? i'm sure he will not i need my advice. what he will need my advice. what he will need to do as any of needs to do is try to cultivate the best possible access. of course that means the president, but it also means the people around him, and it means influencing the debate as far as you can in washington and in congress, indeed on wall street and other places. 0ne indeed on wall street and other places. one has to remember that the ambassador to the united states is ambassador to federal companies, it is not just inside washington. but he will be if you like the intermediary between the prime minister and the foreign secretary and the trump administration, and will want to make himself as it were an interlocutor both end so that he can help the dialogue between both sides and help promote british interest as effectively as possible. haw effectively as possible. how damaging — effectively as possible. how damaging is _ effectively as possible. how damaging is the _

effectively as possible. how damaging is the perceived public dispute between elon musk and some of the trump team against sir keir starmer�*s government? we have seen a lot of activity on social media that feels pretty unprecedented. i that feels pretty unprecedented. that feels pretty un - recedented. ., that feels pretty unrecedented. ., , unprecedented. i think it is unprecedented _ unprecedented. i think it is unprecedented because - unprecedented. i think it is| unprecedented because the unprecedented. i think it is - unprecedented because the scale of social media is unprecedented. personally, i�*m perhaps a more relaxed than some about the name—calling. i don�*t think that politics, most politics involves name—calling of some kind, and we know that trump himself has done plenty of name—calling. i think the issueis of name—calling. i think the issue is going to be building up issue is going to be building up access and trust, being able to talk to the key people in the trump administration about a whole range of issues. we are going to find ourselves anxiously waiting to see what the trump administration does on ukraine, which is a key issue for the british government and british politics generally. whether he is going

to stand by nato, which is the fundamental building block of our security. fundamental building block of oursecurity. how fundamental building block of our security. how he is going to approach the middle east, how he is going to approach china. peter mandelson has a great deal of experience about a lot of international issues, and it is a very big in tray, but honestly i think it is about how you can build a good working relationship and not worry about the barbs that they have been exchanged in the past. have been exchanged in the ast. �* ., ~ have been exchanged in the ast. ., ~ ., , past. and if elon musk does direct funding _ past. and if elon musk does direct funding towards - past. and if elon musk does j direct funding towards nigel farage, what would that do to the uk and us relationship, and should nigel farage be used as peter mandelson has recently suggested some sort of link? i have no idea whether the government will contemplate using the leader of a party thatis using the leader of a party that is highly critical of it as some sort of link to president trump. it seems pretty unlikely. i think the whole presence of elon musk is a question, what i understand

he is doing at the moment is funding or suggesting that he might fund reform in ways that are legal under the british electoral system, and if we don�*t like that, we will have to change the law. thank you very much forjoining us. thank you very much for “oining us. . ~' thank you very much for “oining us. . ~ , ., us. thank you. now- - the croatian president has declared a day of mourning after a seven—year—old child was killed and several other people injured in a knife attack at a school.writing on social media, president plenkovic offered his �*deepest condolences�* after the attack at a zagreb primary school. a former student at the school has been arrested. 0ur balkans correspondent guy delauney has more on this. what we know is that shortly before ten o�*clock this morning a young man aged according to the media around 19 years old, entered the elementary school in the west of zagreb and he made his way to the first year classroom, and once he got there he attacked the teacher and a number of the students.

he was using a knife, so the teacher was stabbed and the students were stabbed as well. according to croatia�*s health minister, one student who was just seven years old died at the scene. a number of other students were taken to hospital, their condition is not believed to be life threatening. the teacher and also the suspected perpetrator are both in hospital, as well. the teacher�*s life is in dayjur according to the hospital. she is ago going an operation at the moment after receiving wounds to the chest. obviously a shocking incident and a unimaginable distress for the parents and the people involved. it does sound like there was a lot of distress for the families, as you can imagine. the parents turning up at the school not knowing where their children were, with being a scene of violence at the school.

the evidence of that, parents being greeted with sight of blood in the corridor and in the classrooms. that wouldn�*t have been what they were expecting to see in the last friday before the christmas break. this is not what people are used to seeing in zagreb or anywhere else in croatia. this is an event which is completely out of the ordinary for croatia which hasn�*t had any experience of this sort of attacks before. here in the uk, there are calls for tomorrow�*s deadline to apply for pension credit to be extended, amid fears that thousands of older people will miss out on their winter fuel payment. qualifying for pension credit is the main way to get the extra money towards fuel bills, but the liberal democrats say there are still vulnerable older people who haven�*t applied. the charity age uk says it�*s being inundated with requests for help with the process. kevin peachey reports. since 1997, the winter fuel payment has been a lifeline for many pensioners. but after the government announced in july that

the payment would mainly be limited to those receiving pension credit, there�*s been a surge in first—time applications. now there are calls for the government to extend tomorrow�*s deadline. the government have made this awful decision to slash winter fuel payments. we�*re saying that the least they can do is to make sure that everybody possible who could qualify for pension credit or qualify for winter fuel payments has the opportunity to do so. it�*s a very straightforward thing, let�*s just extend the deadline to make sure that nobody is missing out due to lack of time. the charity age uk says time is not on their side, and say there is a three—month wait for pension credit claims to be processed and they�*ve been inundated with requests for help. we know that many of those claims will be successful, but unfortunately some won�*t be. and for some older people, they still haven�*t heard about pension credit, or the thought is too overwhelming. there is help available,

but the system is of course overwhelmed at the moment. there were 91,000 unprocessed claims for pension credit in mid—november. the government brought in around 500 extra staff to process applications to help deal with demand. around 9,000 claims are being processed each week, double the amount being processed in august. this the prime minister said most pensioners would soon be in a better financial position. pensioners were, a year ago, facing, even with the winter fuel allowance, would not be as well off as a pensioner after the £160 or £470 next april. but that�*s only because we can maintain the triple lock. the policy has led to months of debate in westminster. politicians talk of tough choices, but it�*s the elderly who are left with the decision on whether to turn the thermostat up or down. kevin phe there. just to leave

ou with kevin phe there. just to leave you with some _ kevin phe there. just to leave you with some pictures - kevin phe there. just to leave you with some pictures from i you with some pictures from damascus, where people have been gathering in the last few hours as the us holds talks with the new leadership of hgs. stay with us here on bbc news. hello there. today showers are following a band of rain that�*s moving across the country and it�*s breezy too, but, over the weekend, the winds are going to be much stronger. it could well bring with it some travel disruption and the air is turning colder, so the showers that will be pushing in will be turning wintry by the time we get to sunday. we�*ve got this area of cloud. everything is rattling in from the atlantic. this area of cloud will be arriving overnight. this is the cloud that�*s been bringing the rain today and keeping temperatures around about nine or ten degrees after what was quite a cold start across some eastern parts of the uk. it�*s across eastern parts of england that we�*ll see that rain to end the day. that moves away. skies will clearfor just a short while. then that area of cloud comes

in from the atlantic fairly quickly. it�*ll bring some more rain in from the west and the winds starting to pick up, as well. so probably not quite as cold as it was last night for the eastern side of the uk. temperatures will be down to around six or seven degrees. the windy weather on saturday is going to be more across the northern half of the uk. widely gusts 50 to 60mph, it could be getting close to 80mph in the far north of scotland. very windy conditions, though, across the whole of the uk. this is all that�*s left of the rain as it moves down into southern parts of england. showers following on behind and those beginning to turn wintry over the hills in northern scotland, where it�*s going to be very, very windy. we�*ve got temperatures in scotland and northern ireland falling away to seven or eight degrees. further south just about making double figures. but the air is getting colder through the weekend. we are drawing in polar maritime air, the air coming all the way from greenland and iceland. it�*s that area of low pressure running to the north of scotland that�*s bringing the really windy weather. further south it will be windier on sunday.

it will be windy across eastern parts of england, but it�*s elsewhere that we will see those winds gusting widely 50 to 60mph, perhaps a little bit stronger than that. squally showers coming in and those will be heavy, possibly thundery, and there will be some wintriness in there, as well. some hail too. frequent showers coming into northern parts of scotland. another windy day on sunday and it will feel colder, as well. widely those temperatures at sixes and sevens. so getting colder over the weekend, but heading into the christmas week temperatures are going to be rising. milderair coming infrom the atlantic, less windy, many places will be dry, but pretty cloudy.

live from new york at the opening bell this is business today, where us stocks have opened lower as fears over a looming government shutdown grow. the race to secure a last—minute funding deal is back on after the spending bill backed by donald trump was heavily defeated. also on the show — counting the cost of a war economy. russia keeps its record high interest rates on hold, defying expectations. and searching for answers. will google be forced to sell its popular chrome browser to keep a lid on its search monopoly?

welcome to business today, live from new york. us stocks have opened lower following on from falls across asia and europe on friday. investors are grappling with the possibility of a us government shutdown. the losses were somewhat mitigated by the latest commerce department inflation report showing the personal consumption expenditure index, which is the fed�*s preferred inflation measure, rising by 2.4% in november on an annual basis, compared with estimates of 2.5%. this has tempered some investors concerns about the likelihood of a slower pace of interest rate cuts. let�*s speak to clayton triick, of angel 0ak capital advisors. welcome. first, let�*s start off with what investors are grappling with this morning. the potential of a government shutdown, they are concerned about the debt issues as well as still digesting that cut from the fed. the anticipation

that we may not get as many interest rate cuts