live from washington. this is bbc news president trump arrives in california to tour damage caused in the la wildfires, and shows a united front with the states�*s democrat governor, gavin newsom earlier trump also visited hurricane—hit north carolina, and said he might abolish the federal disaster relief agency. thousands of anti—abortion demonstrators march in washington — a day after president trump pardoned 23 abortion activists. hamas releases the names of four israeli soldiers who will be freed on saturday — in return for 180 palestinian prisoners president trump touched down in los angeles this past hour — where he was greeted at the airport by california governor gavin newsom. the two men presenting a unified front there for

cameras — although they have disagreed in the past few weeks over the governor's response to the devastating wildfires in his state. the fires killed 28 people and damaged at least 12,000 homes and businesses. but the president has suggested he might withold federal disaster assistance unless leaders there change the state's approach to its water management. let's listen back to some of the exchange between president trump and governor newsom. i appreciate the governor coming out i appreciate the governor coming ou— i appreciate the governor cominu ou- . coming out and meeting me. thank you — coming out and meeting me. thank you very _ coming out and meeting me. thank you very much. - coming out and meeting me. thank you very much. we - coming out and meeting me. | thank you very much. we will coming out and meeting me. - thank you very much. we will be talking _ thank you very much. we will be talking a — thank you very much. we will be talking a little _ thank you very much. we will be talking a little bit. _ thank you very much. we will be talking a little bit. we _ thank you very much. we will be talking a little bit. we want - talking a little bit. we want to get — talking a little bit. we want to get it _ talking a little bit. we want to get it fixed. _ talking a little bit. we want to get it fixed. we - talking a little bit. we want to get it fixed. we want - talking a little bit. we want to get it fixed. we want toi talking a little bit. we want i to get it fixed. we want to get the problem _ to get it fixed. we want to get the problem fixed. _ to get it fixed. we want to get the problem fixed. and - the problem fixed. and it's like — the problem fixed. and it's like you _ the problem fixed. and it's like you got— the problem fixed. and it's like you got hit— the problem fixed. and it's like you got hit by- the problem fixed. and it's like you got hit by a - the problem fixed. and it'si like you got hit by a bomb, right? _ like you got hit by a bomb, right? like _ like you got hit by a bomb, right? like you _ like you got hit by a bomb, right? like you got- like you got hit by a bomb, right? like you got hit- like you got hit by a bomb, right? like you got hit by ai right? like you got hit by a homh _ right? like you got hit by a bomb. would _ right? like you got hit by a bomb. would you - right? like you got hit by a bomb. would you like - right? like you got hit by a bomb. would you like to l right? like you got hit by a i bomb. would you like to say something? _ bomb. would you like to say something?— bomb. would you like to say something? most important, thank you — something? most important, thank you for _ something? most important, thank you for being - something? most important, thank you for being here. - something? most important, thank you for being here. it | thank you for being here. it means a great deal to all of us, notjust the

means a great deal to all of us, not just the folks means a great deal to all of us, notjust the folks in palisades, the folks in pasadena that were devastated, we are going to need your support, we are going to need your help, you are there for us during covid. i don't forget that. and i have expectations that. and i have expectations that we will be able to work together to make this a speedy recovery. lute together to make this a speedy recove . ~ ~ ., recovery. we will. were going to net it recovery. we will. were going to get it done. _ joining me is our north america correspondent gary 0'donoghue who is in california for us. we both were listening in there as the two men on the tarmac really politically rivals, but showing this united front, i guess you might say, when it comes to the relief response now for those devastating wildfires.— now for those devastating wildfires. ., ., �* ~ wildfires. yeah, i don't think they would _ wildfires. yeah, i don't think they would have _ wildfires. yeah, i don't think they would have been - wildfires. yeah, i don't think. they would have been anything in them showing any direct animosity towards one another in that moment. the governor needs to look presidential, and cheap shots on the tarmac would not have works. i don't think that papers over the problems

and there are problems. number one, the president threatening to tie federal money to changes in state policy, how they handle their water, therefore of the governor �*s not going to be able to able to agree to that. and effectively blaming the governor and others for these fires that have been devastating here. a lot of politics in these visits. i've just been talking to two people who have just come just been talking to two people who havejust come back, their houses just a little bit up that way, renters, just came back for the first time, they have lived here for 12 years. sarah's parents house was lost in the palisades fire as well. so two generations of their family lost their houses. this house behind me was on the market at the time the fires burned. it was a seven bedroom house, a beautiful spot, $18 million it was on the market for and look what is left. i

think you heard that from the governor and his comments, he said it's notjust about the palisades and lovely bits of malibu, it's also about altadena. i will say that there is some annoyance here that the president didn't decide to go to pasadena where the other big fire was. , .., to pasadena where the other big fire was. , .. ., fire was. gary, can we go to that live _ fire was. gary, can we go to that live shot _ fire was. gary, can we go to that live shot again, - fire was. gary, can we go to that live shot again, we - fire was. gary, can we go to | that live shot again, we have the president there, we did see a shot there of the president touring some of that damage and devastation there from those wildfires politics aside at what can we expect to come next in terms of the federal response and what will be a multibillion—dollar recovery effort? multibillion-dollar recovery effort? ., ., ., , multibillion-dollar recovery effort? ., ., , effort? the governor has signed two and a half _ effort? the governor has signed two and a half billion _ effort? the governor has signed two and a half billion dollars - two and a half billion dollars of immediate aid, beforejoe biden left office come a guaranteed 100% of immediate funding through fema. so these

centres where people can go, get this immediate money for immediate needs, that is what they were doing in the first few days after the fire. 40,000 dollars, putting things right, bit by bit people are trying to come out and i was mentioning brian and sarah, theirfirst time back herejust brian and sarah, theirfirst time back here just to see their home or the place they rented. people bit by bit that are going to be trying to do that at the same time as this politics is playing out. but we will have to see whether donald trump follows through on this threat about federal money and follows through on his other threats, which is to dismantle fema, the emergency manage me agency. he says the money should go straight to the governor �*s welcome i wonder if he's ready to directly hand over money to gavin newsom. this over money to gavin newsom. as ou over money to gavin newsom. as you rightly point out and all those people you've been speaking with there, so many

lives affected by these wildfires and that relief effort is really going to be taking a long time. gary 0'donnell who for us in california. thank you. earlier on friday he visited north carolina, where hurricane helene killed killed more than a hundred people in september. speaking in asheville, president trump again threatened to dismantle the us federal emergency agency, fema — saying it had turned out to be a disaster. i spoke to a republican congressman from north carolina, chuck edwards. he was on air force one with donald trump when the president visited earlier to discuss the relief effort from a hurricane which struck his state last october. he told me they had a frank and honest conversation. we both agree that fema needs an overhaul. it has failed the people — an overhaul. it has failed the people here in western north carolina. _ people here in western north carolina, and i'm particularly proud — carolina, and i'm particularly proud that president trump after— proud that president trump after visiting this district in western— after visiting this district in western north carolina in the early— western north carolina in the early days of october made the promise — early days of october made the promise that western north

carolina _ promise that western north carolina would not be forgotten and today he lived up to that promise _ and today he lived up to that promise. taking air force one during — promise. taking air force one during this _ promise. taking air force one during this term on its very first— during this term on its very first trip— during this term on its very first trip right here in the epicentre of my district that has been ravaged by hurricane helene — has been ravaged by hurricane helene l— has been ravaged by hurricane helene. . , helene. i was there in the aftermath _ helene. i was there in the aftermath of _ helene. i was there in the aftermath of that - helene. i was there in the aftermath of that storm. i helene. i was there in the i aftermath of that storm. the devastation was... what would you like to see change? i devastation was... what would you like to see change?- you like to see change? i think that the president _ you like to see change? i think that the president has - you like to see change? i think that the president has a - you like to see change? i think that the president has a really| that the president has a really good — that the president has a really goodidea that the president has a really good idea and we have to strip down — good idea and we have to strip down the — good idea and we have to strip down the number of employees, 20,000 — down the number of employees, 20,000 employees at fema. yet, the people _ 20,000 employees at fema. yet, the people here in western north— the people here in western north carolina are struggling to get— north carolina are struggling to get the administrative work done — to get the administrative work done that is necessary to get their— done that is necessary to get their homes rebuilt and replaced. i believe that the president is very much on target _ president is very much on target in _ president is very much on target in believing that money should — target in believing that money should be distributed to the

states — should be distributed to the states and that the states should _ states and that the states should be responsible at that point — should be responsible at that point to— should be responsible at that point to address the disasters. the us senate is set to vote on whether to confirm former fox news host, pete hegseth as the country's new secretary of defense. mr hegseth was one of the first nominations made by donald trump shortly after he won the us election in november. most of the repubican—led senate has stood behind the combat veteran who served in iraq and afghanistan. the vote for the top miliaryjob in the us comes amid multiple accusations of sexual misconduct against pete hegseth——but he denies all allegations against him. still, he one woman accused him of sexual asssault during a republican conference last october if tonight vote passes as planned, he would lead more than two million service members. gretchen carlson is a former fox news host and co—founder of the women's rights nonprofit, lift 0ur voices. she told me her concerns about tonight's confirmation vote. what would you want senators to know about him as they begin to

weigh this upcoming confirmation vote. ., ., confirmation vote. thanks for havinu confirmation vote. thanks for having me- — confirmation vote. thanks for having me- l _ confirmation vote. thanks for having me. i never— confirmation vote. thanks for having me. i never had - confirmation vote. thanks for having me. i never had any i having me. i never had any personal interaction with pete at work because we were working on the opposite ends of a time schedule. based on the allegations that have come forward, i think there is a myriad of problems here. it's notjust myriad of problems here. it's not just the sexual myriad of problems here. it's notjust the sexual misconduct issues it's also the mismanagement allegations that the two nonprofits that they ran allegations of excessive drinking. ithink ran allegations of excessive drinking. i think there's a lot of things here that senators should be paying attention to and so far only two republicans have said that they will not vote for him.— vote for him. while at fox news, vote for him. while at fox news. you _ vote for him. while at fox news, you sued _ vote for him. while at fox news, you sued over - vote for him. while at fox l news, you sued over claims vote for him. while at fox - news, you sued over claims of sexual harassment there. what goes through your mind then when you hear about those allegations of sexual misconduct against pete hegseth which of course he has denied.

the allegation against him didn't happen in the workplace, at least the sexual assault allegation which was back from 2017, which allegedly took place in california. but, you know, fox has said since my whole story eight and a half years ago that they really have cleaned up the environment there and that they take sexual harassment and any other kind of mistreatment of employees very seriously, so it's never a good look to have these kinds of allegations against any of their employees with regard to whether or not there were allegations against pete hegseth within the building of fox news, i'm not aware of that. ~ ., ., ,, fox news, i'm not aware of that. ~ ., ., , ., ~' fox news, i'm not aware of that. ~ ., ., ,, , that. what do you think this nomination _ that. what do you think this nomination says _ that. what do you think this nomination says then - that. what do you think this nomination says then aboutj that. what do you think this - nomination says then about the way the trump administration might approach issues about women's rights and protections of these sorts of allegations of these sorts of allegations of sexual abuse. does this set a certain tone for the next administration? it a certain tone for the next administration? it certainly not a positive _

administration? it certainly not a positive outlook, - administration? it certainly not a positive outlook, but| not a positive outlook, but when you do the work i do when i'm speaking up for women, frankly everyone on a daily basis, you have to be optimistic, and it's incredibly disappointing that the president would select people with these kinds of allegations, and by the weight it's notjust pete hegseth from their sexual misconduct allegations against her ear for the nominees for very top positions. so people who rank this as an important character evaluation and it's also upsetting when you see that may the senators are paying more attention to the allegations of mismanagement of finances as opposed to somebody being assaulted. so i guess the conclusion to me is that there is still a lot of work to be done and that is why i am relentless in the fight to try and make sure that this doesn't happen to more women. it’s happen to more women. it's interesting _ happen to more women. it's interesting because at last count i think there's about 19 former fox news personalities or employees that are to join

trump's next administration. why do you think the president seems to have such a close relationship with the channel that he wants to bring in all these former employees? i that he wants to bring in all these former employees? i find it really ironic _ these former employees? i find it really ironic because - these former employees? i find it really ironic because when - it really ironic because when he was running for president again this time, he was very critical of fox news on many occasions and even called for certain people there to not be on the air any more. i think the president's infatuation with television in general is something that you just cannot get past. he always comes back to fox news. it's not surprising to me at all that there would be 19 fax employees who would soon be in the trump administration. i think he considers them 1527 00: