ofthe part of the american government. either any rules about how long the vice president has to show up the vice president has to show up and cast his or her casting vote? l, , a, a, , l, vote? no. they are able to construct _ vote? no. they are able to construct their _ vote? no. they are able to construct their own - vote? no. they are able to construct their own rules. | vote? no. they are able toi construct their own rules. i suspect still keep it open as they knew to pull the vice—president to shop and cast the deciding vote here i expect it will happen tonight before midnight and donald trump will be able to have installed is secretary of defence pete x f. after what has been a pretty contentious and entre virtual confirmation progress to say the least. confirmation progress to say the least-— confirmation progress to say the least. ~ ., ., ., the least. we will narrow down to the next _ the least. we will narrow down to the next 2.5 _ the least. we will narrow down to the next 2.5 hours _ the least. we will narrow down to the next 2.5 hours it - the least. we will narrow down to the next 2.5 hours it was - to the next 2.5 hours it was because this will get done by

midnight. a quick word about the other nominees who are being considered. would you pick out a being potentially vulnerable or do you think there will all go through? the money would have to be on most of them getting through in the end but i would highlight robert kennedyjunior for the health robert kennedy junior for the health secretary robert kennedyjunior for the health secretary nomination and tells each other beaver director of national intelligence who have seen a lot of descent from various quarters. i think they are both interesting and former democrats who have come around and supported trumpet. this go around. they have work to do in terms of convincing or republicans to get on board and we will have to wait and see many democrats ultimately able to support them but i think both of those nominations are the ones we have the most concern about from republican quarters about being able to get them through. the most of the rest we have seen go

through committee process with bipartisanship votes at this point, i'd be surprised if there were any that struggled on the floor. usually it is the norm for presidents to get broad deference in assembling their cabinets. i wouldn't expect anything else here even with some of these pics with the possible exception of those two. ., , the possible exception of those two. . , , two. that is very helpful, thank you _ two. that is very helpful, thank you for _ two. that is very helpful, thank you for taking - two. that is very helpful, thank you for taking us . two. that is very helpful, - thank you for taking us there at all, anthony from politico. remember it is 50—50 in that boat on pete hegseth on defence secretary so jd vance, the vice—president will have the casting vote as we have been discussing he is not yet on the senate floor but at some point he will cast a vote and we are expecting it to be for hegseth and you will then be confirmed as secretary but we will have to wait and see this play out. needless to say when it happens we will tell you about it here on bbc news. an unusually powerful atlantic storm has

been battering ireland and parts of the uk. amber warnings remain in place in scotland, northern ireland and northern england, with millions of people urged to stay at home with gusts of ioomph. in ireland — 250,000 homes and businesses are still without power. meterologists say the wind gusts there were the �*strongest ever recorded'. 0ur correspondent chris page reports. this is what life—threatening weather looks and sounds like. after gathering force over the land to goshen, the storm hit ireland with its full ferocity. in the middle of the night, wins which already strong term savage. the aquarium, the storm caused a surge of floodwater. in county a couple are counting themselves lucky after that this was inflicted on their house. ~ ., my this was inflicted on their house. ~ . ., this was inflicted on their house. ~ . . . house. we are lucky that we are

alive. if this _ house. we are lucky that we are alive. if this fell _ house. we are lucky that we are alive. if this fell inside - house. we are lucky that we are alive. if this fell inside we - alive. if this fell inside we would be very not good. about three o'clock last night it was the worst nightmares you can have really. the worst nightmares you can have really-— the worst nightmares you can have really. there was chaos in cities as well. _ have really. there was chaos in cities as well. in _ have really. there was chaos in cities as well. in dublin - have really. there was chaos in cities as well. in dublin and - cities as well. in dublin and ice rink was wisely flattened. the emergency services believed lives were saved because most people allude advice just out home. people allude advice 'ust out home. ., ., , ., home. now that the storm has blown through, _ home. now that the storm has blown through, people - home. now that the storm has blown through, people are - blown through, people are seeing the scale of the damage and destruction. communities are coming together but clearing away the fallen trees, repairing the electricity network and making the roads safe again could well take some down this leisure centre took a hug! again iouses in down this leisure centre took a hug! again could; in down this leisure centre took a hug! again could well take some safe again could well take some time. several on bulk records time. several on bulk records have been set today, never have been set today, never before has a red weather before has a red weather warning applied across the warning applied across the whole of the irish republic and whole of the irish republic and northern ireland. in northern ireland. in whole of the irish republic and northern ireland.— northern ireland. in county down this _ whole of the irish republic and northern ireland.— northern ireland. in county down this _ northern ireland. in county down this leisure _ northern ireland. in county down this leisure centre . northern ireland. in county i down this leisure centre took northern ireland. in county - northern ireland. in county down this leisure _ northern ireland. in county down this leisure centre . northern ireland. in county i down this leisure centre took northern ireland. in county -

down this leisure centre took a huge hit. houses in down this leisure centre took a huge hit. houses in near belfast suffered damage, it has become a frequent scenario during the storms of recent years. during the storms of recent ears. ., years. the tree went through the conservatory _ years. the tree went through the conservatory a _ years. the tree went through the conservatory a few - years. the tree went through the conservatory a few years| the conservatory a few years ago, last year turned some storms again a substantial damage to the roof and again this year. aha, damage to the roof and again this year-— damage to the roof and again this ear. �* . , .,, this year. a recurring problem. no-one seems _ this year. a recurring problem. no-one seems to _ this year. a recurring problem. no-one seems to want - this year. a recurring problem. no-one seems to want to - this year. a recurring problem. | no-one seems to want to know. no—one seems to want to know. 0r no—one seems to want to know. or have _ no—one seems to want to know. or have anything to do with it. there — or have anything to do with it. there was— or have anything to do with it. there was a sense of helplessness in the places which experienced the worst of the winds. the dangerous bile and gales passed in a few hours. but across the island of ireland, storm eowyn has left a deep long lasting and costly mark. in lebanon, israel's fragile ceasefire agreement with hezbollah is on a knife—edge.

destroyed an apartment block, killing 73 people. israel says the building was a terrorist command centre but a bbc investigation has found most of the victims were civilians. nawal al—maghafi investigates: this is the site of lebanon's deadliest attack. an israeli air strike destroyed a residential building in the village of ain el delb in southern lebanon. 0nce home to more than 100 people, all that remains here are memories of the lives that were lost. it was the 29th of september. hisham al—baba went to the building to visit his sister denise. shortly after, four more israeli missiles headed towards the building...

..causing the entire apartment block to collapse... ..trapping dozens of families under the rubble. this video shows the moment that hisham al—baba was pulled from the rubble, seven hours later, only to find out he'd lost his sister denise, her husband and their two children. in total, 73 people were killed. ain el delb is a quiet residential neighbourhood. everyone i've spoken to felt safe here. they even invited family members to seek refuge here after fighting escalated in the south. they've also told me that

they've never witnessed any hezbollah military activity. so why was this building targeted? the israeli army, the idf, told us it had eliminated a hezbollah commander and that the building was being used as a terrorist command centre — but didn't provide any evidence to support this. we investigated their claim and found evidence that six of those killed were connected with hezbollah's military wing but none were commanders. we sent the idf their names. it didn't tell us if they were the targets of the strike but said that the overwhelming majority of those killed were confirmed to be terror operatives. but our investigation found that at least 60 people killed were civilians. 23 of them were children. and we found that this pattern of striking entire buildings, leading to high civilian casualties,

has been a feature of israel's war with hezbollah. we examined ten israeli strikes across lebanon. they killed more than 200 people. the idf told us these strikes hit terror infrastructure, command—and—control centres and hezbollah operatives. in one strike, it said it hit a building where a hezbollah terrorist was hiding. at least 28 people were killed in that attack. but the attack in ain el delb remains the most deadly. for now, a fragile ceasefire has held, but no—one knows how long this relative peace will last. nawalal—maghafi, bbc news, southern lebanon. let's take a look now at donald trump's foreign policy. it falls under his �*america first�* approach — and we've been looking for signs of what that may mean in practice.

here's a bit of what he told world leaders and business executives during his first virtual address as president to the world economic forum in davos. my message to every business in the world is very simple. come make your product in america and we will give you among the lowest taxes of any nation on earth, but if you don't make your product in america, which is your prerogative, simply, you will have to pay a tariff. under the trump administration there will be no better place on earth to create jobs, build factories or grow a company than right here in the good old usa. the president has also been signing executive orders — aiming to limit us assistance overseas and reverse biden—era foreign policy. on friday, the state department issued a halt to existing and new foreign aid. the notice appears to affect everything, from development assistance to military support with exceptions only for emergency food aid and military funding for israel and egypt.

it could affect material support to ukraine, which received billions of dollars in us military aid and weapons under the previous administration. i got ravi agrawal�*s reaction to this week's developments. he's the editor in chief of foreign policy magazine and the host of fp live. you will have seen reports that there is going to be a thorough review of the aid that america sends abroad. what is your reaction to that?— sends abroad. what is your reaction to that? this could have devastating _ reaction to that? this could l have devastating implications for many countries around the world. fora number of for many countries around the world. for a number of massive crises, there are several non—government organisations that rely on aid from the united states distributed by the state department, there is also america's own aid agency us aid that gets a lot of wondering from the state department which is then deployed around the world and a range of crises to try and help people in need. the very

mundane but necessary work of getting food to people who need food, getting other types of aid and medical supplies and a range of crises situations around the world. all that can be jeopardised and a lot of these ngos do long—term planning, they rely on stability of the annual funding that they get from the united states. if you take that out of the equation or the sudden or them have massive holes to fill and teams that there will be unable to support.— and teams that there will be unable to support. while you are disappointed _ unable to support. while you are disappointed by - unable to support. while you are disappointed by the - unable to support. while you l are disappointed by the news, given donald trump and his allies were collected on an america first platform, this shouldn't necessarily come as a surprise? it shouldn't necessarily come as a surrise? , ., �* surprise? it shouldn't come as a surprise _ surprise? it shouldn't come as a surprise and _ surprise? it shouldn't come as a surprise and i _ surprise? it shouldn't come as a surprise and i think- surprise? it shouldn't come as a surprise and i think aid - a surprise and i think aid agencies have been worried about this for a while. they're been wanting about it for quite a while. if this happens as we expected to it will be a shock. the america first agenda on the part of it and the secretary of

state marco rubio when he went to the state department this week to speak to his team, he made very clear that america's foreign policy with him at the helm is going to focus exclusively on american national interests and not on the interest of other countries, of other priorities and they will call back anything they can call back. a much more transactional form anything they can call back. a much more transactionalform of foreign policy, which will be something that bigger countries might be able to exploit if they are able to find give and take touch points where they can take advantage but much harderfor smaller can take advantage but much harder for smaller countries to pay that gain. harder for smaller countries to pay that gain-— harder for smaller countries to pay that gain. you been up the economic— pay that gain. you been up the economic forum _ pay that gain. you been up the economic forum and _ pay that gain. you been up the economic forum and i'm - pay that gain. you been up the i economic forum and i'm guessing donald trump dominated a few of the discussions day? he donald trump dominated a few of the discussions day?— the discussions day? he really did. he wasn't _ the discussions day? he really did. he wasn't there, - the discussions day? he really did. he wasn't there, but - the discussions day? he really did. he wasn't there, but he l did. he wasn't there, but he cast a very long shadow of the proceedings. every single letter i spoke to obviously in europe but also other parts of the world were very concerned about what his tariffs would mean for them, what his other

threats would mean for them, for example his claim that he could invade greenland. certainly something that is worried a lot of european officials, who states of tariffs in canada and mexico of course would have devastating impacts on the economy is bad. these were all things that came up these were all things that came up again and again and every single conversation but even had nothing to do with america but trump would come up again and again. i but trump would come up again and again-— but trump would come up again and again. i wonder what you've heard concern _ and again. i wonder what you've heard concern from _ and again. i wonder what you've heard concern from political- heard concern from political leaders, among business leaders the map and optimism and a lower regulation approach in america?— lower regulation approach in america? , ., america? most ceos are quite leased, america? most ceos are quite pleased. the _ america? most ceos are quite pleased, the city _ america? most ceos are quite pleased, the city lower - america? most ceos are quite pleased, the city lower taxes, | pleased, the city lower taxes, deregulation, more business friendly climate. also trump has made very clear that he will get rid of diversity initiatives, ti as it is known, esg, environmental regulations. some companies have become a

bit tired of now they can do away with those. there's a lot of optimism among ceos, stock markets have been soaring in the past week or so on that but again, all of this comes with a degree of flux and uncertainty. trump sees the unpredictability, what he often sees as the madman dairy that was coined by richard nixon as some sort of an advantage for him but that puts some sort of an advantage for him but t