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tv   BBC News The Context  PBS  October 23, 2024 5:00pm-5:30pm PDT

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site that has now been deleted, from labour's head of operations it said that nearly 100 staff and former staff would be heading to the us come about ten spots were available and that we will sort your housing. housing. there are ins they are in their own time, they are there at their own expense, and if they've got accommodation out there, that would also be provided by volunteers. this happens in every election, it's commonplace. you can go as a foreign national, you can campaign, you can give opinions. all of that is very clear but you have to pay for it yourself. you can't be fded by anyone else, let alone they british government. remember this, in two weeks time, keir starmer could be meeting president trump, if he wins the election. just two weeks until election
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day, donald trump turns his attention to the uk labour party over volunteers working on the democratic election campaign. what could it mean for the special relationship should the republican candidate win and return to the white house? also tonight - we will have the latest from ankara - where four people have been killed and 14 others injured during an attack at an arms and aerospace factory. the interior minister described it as terrorism. and allegations of war crimes in the middle east. a former senior official on israel s national security council has told the bbc he feared war crimes might already have been committed in gaza, something israel strongly denies. with just under two weeks to go
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now until polling day in the us presidential election, today on the programme we're going to be in three of the crucial swing states. otherwise known as the battleground states, they will likely determine who ends up in the white house. in a few minutes we'll be live in georgia,, but let's begin with the legal complnt filed by donald trump's campaign against the labour party here in the uk - accusg it of 'blatantly interfering' in the american election. mr trump's team point to a now-deleted social media post, that offered accommodation to some labour members travelling to the us to campaign for mr trump's rival kamala harris. the prime minister says that labour activists were volunteering in their own time. it's all happening while uk prime minister sirkier starmer is abroad. our political editor chris mason is travelling with him and sent this update. this is honolulu in hawaii,
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the truly global footprint of the commonwealth, something me and my fellow bedraggled passengers are well aware of. samoa, in the south pacific, is still some way off. throughout this long journey, the dominating row has been donald trump and the labour party. and the context here matters because senior figures in the labour party have spent ages courting the inner circle of donald trump. so the prime minister and the foreign secretary, david lammy, had dinner with mr trump at trump tower in new york around about a month ago. david lammy has also got to know jd vance, who is the vice presidential pick for donald trump. and the prime minister, was granted a call very soon after mr trump survived that assassination attempt back in the summer. so there's been a real
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attempt to build bridges, and that diplomatically makes sense, doesn't it, with any potential imminent us president. but particularly one that keir starmer, until recently, had not met, and someone who is as unpredictable and outspoken as mr trump. now the context here matters. there's an election campaign going on, but precedent matters, too. and mr trump often has a long memory when he feels there's been a slight against him. and remember this, in just two weeks' time, keir starmer could be ringing president elect trump if he wins the election. so how much should we read into this? let's speak to david dunn, a us & uk security and relationship expert and professor of international politics at birmingham university. david, good to have you with us on the programme. so, as david, good to have you with us on the programme. so, as we have heard, it is entirely typical for foreigners to be in the us working on the election. but something that excites people who are interested in politics. it is there anything to see here in this particular instance? anything irregular? i think actually that is the point, there is nothing new,
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there's nothing novel here. this is an entirely normal activity, and what we are seeing here is a performative protest is part of the election campaign. there is no legal substance here. the commentator described it as a nothing burger and that captures it rather well. but there is is an ttempt to actually capture the news cycle, something mr trump does very well and clearly they have done that by doing this. does it indicate a problem for the relationship going forward? probably not. there is precedent here. in 1992, john majors, conservative party, sent officials to help george h w bush against bill clinton. similarly there were suggestions if there were any issues related to that. the matter was entirely forgotten and seen as part of the campaign rather than everything else. that said, mr trump is
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somebody who appears to be willing to criticise the governing party in the uk as a far left radical force. and perhaps that gives an indication of the type of comments and the type of treatment that we may get from mr trump if he is elected in two weeks' time. he is known for not easily forgiving perceived slights, so could this be an issue going forward if he wins? well, there is a question, he has grudges toea a capacity to be pragmatic. his own vice president compared him to hitler and criticised him with a variety of ways and said he was willing to embrace him, make him his vice president in the form of mr vance because he saw advantage in doing so. the uk on the us have a deeply intertwined security and economic relationship, and i doubt that trump would want to puthat that risk. a vendetta
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out of what is an attempt to make headlines as part of an election campaign at mrs harrises expense. to go back to the original post on linkedin, this was placed by labour party 's of operations. would you expect someone at that level to be posting something like that? i'm sure she regrets it now. talking about the accommodation being sorted, not paid for, not provided that can be a whole variety of things. and i thought there's nothing to see here. really this is grasping at straws. the legal claim will come to nothing. it's chicken feed in terms of the billions spent on the election campaign more broadly. this is in the context of republicans trying to deflect against campaign expenses being provided by you on musk and probably an illegal way in pennsylvania as $1 million a day given out to republican voters, potentially. this is smoke and mirrors rather than anything with
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substance and will be seen as such. professor, thank you very much for your thoughts on that story. always a pleasure. well the former president trump is coveting votes in the swing state of georgia today. but yesterday comments made by his longest serving chief of staff, john kelly were making headlines. kelly said that he believed that donald trump met the definition of a fascist and claims trump spoke positively of hitler. he said the the former president was surprised that generals were loyal to the constitution, rather than the president. today - his opponent, vice president kamala harris addressed his remarks. donald trump said that because he does not want a military that is loyal to the united states constitution, he wants a military that is loyal to him. he wants a military that will be loyal to him personally. people like john kelly would not be there to be the guard rails against his propensities
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and his actions. those who once tried to stop him from pursuing his worst impulses would no longer be there and rein him in. so the bottom line is this, we know what donald trump wants. he wants unchecked power. the question in 13 days will be what do the american people want? thank you. thank you. all of this will be feeding into the desion making process of voters as they get ready to go to the polls. let's get a sense of the mood in the first of the swing states we're hearing from through the programme, and speak to our correspondent helena humphrey who is in milton, georgia. that is where president trump 's going to be speaking today. good to see you. i think you win the prize for certainly the most beautiful backdrop of the day with that huge pumpkin patch behind you looking very
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autumnal. what have voters they are been telling you today about their thinking and what they are looking for from the candidates? anita, whatever people's political views here, what i can tell you about the voters in georgia is they are united in very much having this presidential election on their mind. you've got some 2 million voters who've already cast their early ballots where they can reflecting a wider trend we are seeing across the country, some 21 million people who have already cast their ballots, that is a record level, and here in fulton county, this is a really interesting battleground within a battleground, because in 2020, 73% of voters cast their vote for president biden and what we saw was the state flipping blue. in terms of some of the worries when you speak to pple why they have come out and vote already, when i spoke to younger voters, particularly in suburban areas where you tend t see more democratic
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support, more diverse voices, people are concerned about things like reproductive rights, there's a six wee abortion ban on the books here, conley harris has been driving that reproductive rights bust right through all of the counties around their and has been mobilising them to vote. -- kamala harris. they've also been speaking about things like affordability, the cost-of-living crisis, the cost of medication and so on. but it is interesting because when you speak to people in wealthier suburbs like the one i am in right now, the economy also comes up as well with people who are opting for donald trump. they say that they are worried about that as well. along with what is often referred to as culture war issues as well. take a listen to what one won't woman told me a little bit earlier. prices are out of control. i got grandkids, my kids are struggling. they've got three kids and one family, two kids and another family and education is crazy. a lot of things that are coming you know, the lgbt things that are going into schools as early as
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middle school and some of those things, just we need to get a handle back on america. one of the messages that one of that boater also told me as she believes donald trump represents a strong leader. i did ask her about those comments that we have heard from the former chief of staff, general john kelly, saying that donald trump instead is nearing a version of what he said is a fascist that donald trump would prefer a pledge of allegiance from the military generals toward the presidency as opposed to the constitution vulture set -- she said that didn't worry her that she would prefer to see a strong leader at a time when we are seeing such global turmoil in the world stage. good to hear from you. my colleague helena
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for more on the story, you can head to the bbc website or app, we have the latest updates from police and reactions from families. the world health organization
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has postponed a planned mass polio vaccination campaign in northern gaza. it's blamed escalating violence it's blamed escalating violence and a lack of assured humanitarian pauses. dozens of teams were ready with thousands of doses of the vaccine to reach children for the crucial second round of immunisation. the polio virus was found in waste water in gaza earlier this year, and at least one child became paralysed after being infected. meanwhile, a former senior official on israel s national security council has called on soldiers in the country s army to refuse orders that could lead to war crimes being committed in gaza. israel rejects allegations that its forces are carrying out the forced displacement of thousands of civilians and blocking aid from reaching those in need. but eran ezion, who served under four prime ministers, told the bbc he feared war crimes might already have been committed in gaza. he was speaking to our special correspondent fergal keane. it is a vast, unfolding crisis. israel filmed these images
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of people fleeing the offensive by its forces in northern gaza. tens of thousands. hungry, frightened, told by israel to leave. "your lives are in danger," says the voice from the loudspeaker. they carry what they can away from their homes, with no knowing when they will be allowed to return. elsewhere, the israeli military screens the men for anyone suspected of links with hamas. inside jabalia's kamal adwan hospital today. the wounded. this man is crying, "all my children are gone." another says to him, "i've been
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telling you for a week that you should leave your house." an exhausted nurse sent this voice note. we don't have water. the israel defense forces blame hamas for this, saying they use the population as human shields. we spoke about the crisis with one of britain's most senior war crimes lawyers, who has led cases against myanmar for genocide and on israel's occupation of the palestinian territories at the international court of justice. professor philippe sands kc says israel has the right to self-defence after the october
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7 attacks, but it is now breaking international law. it has to be proportionate, it has to meet the requirements of international humanitarian law, it must distinguish between civilians and military targets. it doesn't allow you to use famine as a weapon of war, it doesn't allow you to forcibly deport or evacuate large numbers of people. it is impossible to see what is going on now in gaza, as it is impossible to see what happened on the 7th of october and not crimes are screaming out. there is little public dissent over the army's conduct of the war. but one prominent figure is now breaking ranks. eran etzion served under four israeli prime ministers, he is a former deputy head
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of the country's national security council. a critic of prime minister netanyahu, he fears vengeance is leading israel into war crimes. do you believe war crimes are taking place? i fear that they might be, yes. and what should they do? they should refuse. if a soldier or an officer is expected to commit something that might be suspected as a war crime, they must refuse. we were attacked savagely on october 7 and there is no question, not about the savagery, not about the brutality, intentions of hamas,ous there is no question about that, and we obviously had and still have the full right of self-defence. again, that is beyond any question. but this doesn't give us the right to... obviously not to commit war crimes. and also not to sink to the level of the terrorist organisations. some aid has crossed the border. people are still fleeing jabalia. we asked the idf for an interview, but they said no spokesperson was available
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today. they don't refer us to an earlier statement which said, "the idf will continue to act as it has always done, according to international law." and today the army's humanitarian relief wing said they were committed to allowing aid into gaza without limit. this is israel's narrative, but with scenes of civilians suffering flowing out of northern gaza, it is being widely challenged. fergal keane, bbc news, jerusalem. let's turn to turkey now, where five people have been killed --have been killed and 14 injured in an attack on an aviation company near the capital ankara. this footage captures the start of the attack. the building in the back
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of the shot is a turkish aerospace industries building. in the footage you can hear several gunshots followed by an explosion. tkey's interior minister called the incident "a terrorist attack". these images are taken from cctv footage inside the aviation facility and show a man carrying an assault rifle. our corspondent caroline hawley has more. from the car park outside the headquarters of turkey's state-run aerospace company, someone filmed as the attack unfolded. first came the shooting. then the explosion. followed by more gunfire. the attackers appear to have arrived in this taxi. to the right of it, one of the first casualties. cctv showed two attackers -
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one a man, one a woman - just outside the building, carrying large rucksacks and automatic weapons. the man then enters the headquarters. security forces rushed to the scene as employees took refuge in shelters. the company makes both civilian and military aircraft as well as drones. this is the aftermath. no group has yet said it was behind it, but suspicion is likely to fall on members of a kurdish separatist group called the pkk, which has carried out similar attacks before. president erdogan had just arrived in russia to attend the brics summit of emerging economies. from those here and from other allies, including the us and eu, came a chorus of condemnation. translation: i thank you for your condolences. we have four martyrs and 14 injured. i condemn this heinous terrorist attack and wish god's mercy to our martyrs. the two attackers were killed
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by the security forces, and a media blackout has now been imposed by the turkish authorities as they investigate who did this. caroline hawley, bbc news. let's get more on this with mehmet celik in istanbul. he is the editorial coordinator at daily sabah newspaper. thank you very much for joining us on bbc news. i know you have been telling the team in the gallery that there are issues with the internet in turkey right now. hopefully the line will hold. what more versed wall can you tell us about what happened, the timing of it, who might be behind it? the timing of this is very significant. this is not just a random terrorist attack on a public space or let's say a crowd area. this is the target itself
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very strategic and very deliberate and very calculated. in terms of the location itself, it's a very significant location for the defence industry and the terrorist attack has been carried out at a time where turkey is holding a large defence expo in istanbul. very large crowd of foreign invtors and those interested in turkish defence products in turkey right now i'm this is taking place. number two, i think it is happening at a time where there is a political momentum that is being debated between many parties across the spectrum of turkey's political and domestic politics when it comes to that. very recently, people's alliance, one of the sides, the mhp, which is an ally to mr air have called for the terrorist group who is in prison right
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now to say that, you know, if you want a peaceful future, make a call to the terrorist organisation to lay down arms and then you can come and talk, we can talk about these things at the parliament. i think because of these two very strategic things, two strategic momentum taking place at this time, this terrorist attack is very calculated based on targeting two deliberate targets, one is the new political momentum and one is the defence industry. really giving us the context to all of this. just talked a little bit more briefly, i you would come about the potential implications. well, i think, in terms of the fact that the defence industry has been targeted at a time where turkey's defence products are shining very brightly across the globe, i think this will have a little dense, but in
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terms of turkey's position on counterterrorism, it will not make it any significant dent because turkey has been suffering for the last decade and has been carrying out counterterrorism operations both domestically along its border and beyond its border, so this is a propaganda basically that target 's turkey's growing defence industry on the one hand and on the other, turkey's determined stance when it comes to fighting against terror. thank you very much for your time today. editorial coordinator at the daily esop newspaper in istanbul. don't forget you can get in touch with me and some of announcer: funding for presentation of this program is provided by... financial services firm, raymond james. announcer: funding was also provided by,
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the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation, pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ announcer: get the free pbs app now and stream the best of pbs.
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