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announcer: funding for presentation of this program is provided by... erika: i love seeing interns succeed, i love seeing them come back and join the engagement teams and seeing where they go from there, i get to watch their personal growth, it makes my heart happy. (laughs) announcer: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation, pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. announcer: and now, "bbc news" n washington. n this is "bbc world news america." president trump signs an executive order suspending the entry of migrants into the united states at the southern border with mexico. he is threatening russia with high tariffs and sanctions if

president putin does not end the war in ukraine. prince harry gets an apology and substantial damages after a five-year legal battle with rupert murdoch's newspaper. -- newspaper empire. ♪ welcome to "world news america." donald trump is ordering migrants are barred from what is described as physical entry into the u.s., including by claiming a silent care the proclamation invokes article four of the u.s. constitution, which obliges the federal government to protect states from foreign invasion. it comes as the u.s. prepares to send 1000 troops to the mexican border, after president trump declared the u.s. to be under invasion by illegal immigrants. the troop movement, confirmed by an administration official, follows on another executive order signed monday. no details have been given about the planned deployment. here is our correspondent with more from the border.

will: there are some things we know and others we don't about this troop deployment to the u.s. other border. first, the ones we do know. we expect that it will be around 1000 troops being deployed. we expect sometime in the coming days, to the border, to comply with donald trump's executive actions on border security and immigration. back has been confirmed by u.s. officials. what we don't know is exactly where along this very long and porous border that those troops could be sent. on the one hand, it could be two areas where there are ports of entry. they could be sent to support customs and border protection officials in their work of dealing with migrants as they come to the border, assessing their claims, and essentially showing that there is also a military aspect now to this

emergency declared border. the other area that they could be sent to, which would also make more sense, is that some of the more vulnerable spots along the border, where people trafficking gangs bring migrants through, and obviously, those are the areas that are the most important routes, illegal routes, into the united states. all of that is yet to be made clear. but certainly, the sense that there will be troops along the border, that the army will be involved in this effort by the trump administration, sends out a message by donald trump, first to his supporters, that he would take these actions in his first day in office, and he's doing that. and second, to the migrants themselves, their perspective migrants making it to the border. it sends out a message that the border is harder to cross, that the military are involved, and that they are not welcome if they don't have the right paperwork. bear in mind with all of this is

that donald trump has declared an emergency at this u.s. southern border. but actually, at this point, the numbers are far lower than they were for years. partly following executive actions by the biden administration before he left office which brought down the numbers from where they work in december 23 two this point. sumi: this comes as the fate of refugees destined for the u.s. is in question in the wake of an order from mr. trump halting the country's refugee admissions program. in an email to organizations involved in the program, the u.s. state department said "refugee arrivals to the u.s. have been suspended until further notice. the processing of asylum claims has also been suspended." the u.s. was meant to take and 120 5000 refugees in 2025 under its refugee admissions program. the state department appears to have taken that programs website off-line. donald trump says his country lacks the ability to absorb

large numbers of migrants and refugees. our correspondent tom bateman has more. tom: what we know is the agency responsible for processing refugee applications has notified its officials overseas, to tell them to stop any planned travel by refugees who are already cleared to come to the u.s. that follows the executive order signed by president trump on monday, which basically suspended the refugee admissions program. this is something that a lot -- that has allowed somewhere around 100,000 refugees into the u.s. per year. and the effect of that executive order means that people who had already been vetted by the united states and its rigorous vetting process, who are overseas, who have fled to those countries fleeting war or persecution, that have gone through the entire process of

being registered by -- as refugees, one out the unable to travel. and any future applications will also be suspended as well. it means that around 1600 afghans, some of whom had helped the u.s. military, and also afghans who are relatives of u.s. soldiers, in many cases, afghan americans who are active duty soldiers in the u.s. military, those people who have been expecting very soon to be able to travel to the u.s. have been told they will not be able to do so. some of the people stranded in pakistan, for example pair that whole process for them is closed. there are a number of other cases. this has been met with criticism by refugee support groups and those volunteer organizations that helped refugees in the united states. the trump administration has said and it says on the executive order that it is doing this because it believes the

united states has been overwhelmed by migration. and it wants to put that funding into communities within the u.s., american communities they say. already, a big impact from that executive order on monday, with the machinery of the bureaucracy implementing it straightaway. many people have been expecting to come here can no longer do so. sumi: that was tom bateman, our correspondent there. here in the u.s., president trump issued an executive order to end diversity policies within the federal government. the administration has ordered federal agencies to put up lawyers working on those programs on paid leave. order claims the programs undermine national unity as they "deny, discredit and undermine the traditional american values of hard work and reach existing civil rights legislation." de i programs aim to promote

participation and workplaces from a range of backgrounds and supporters of the initiative say it addresses historically underrepresentation and discrimination against certain groups, including racial minorities. donald trump has argued this program does not higher on the base of merit. those programs are now being put on pause. you can speak to an ambassador, former chief diversity and inclusion officer. good to see you. what do you think of the presidents order to put all workers in these programs on leave? >> well, i believe it is cruel, quite frankly. these are people who were given positions, they were doing their jobs to their best of their ability, and following the policy of the administration. certain people will follow president trump's policies in his administration. but to hold people to account

for doing their jobs, for being public servants, is cool. to send them home in this way. it also is extremely confusing. the de ia mission began under donald trump. if people look at the record, they will see certainly in the department of state that the dei mission was held initially by three people, and some of those people where absorbed of the larger office that was created under president biden. but president trump started the dei mission. sumi: understood. just a quick follow-up. what about what donald trump says here, that it should go back to a program of making sure people get positions on merit and not on their representation? >> yes, it shows a complete lack of understanding. to ensure that it is merit-based hiring. there is not a conflict between the two. the deia aspect recognizes

that there have been bases that have been supported through statistical data. no decisions were made without the data to back them up. no hiring is done on the basis of protected class, all of that is against the law. he and anyone in his administration will not be able to prove any discriminatory hiring or practices, because they do not exist. sumi: we have to leave it there for today. thank you for joining us on bbc news. as part of his flurry of executive orders since taking office, president trump pardoned hundred supporters hoop attacked the u.s. -- who attacked the u.s. capitol. our colleague has been following that. thanks for taking a look at that. >> so many headlines about the executive orders donald trump has signed. the one that is reverberating around washington and among congressional figures as the

pardons he has issued two 1500 people who were prosecuted for their role in the january 6 insurrection. we have seen in the last hour, henrique terrio arriving at miami airport, greeted by family and supporters. we have seen many supporters outside the jail. we will bring in stewart rhodes, one of those also freed. he led or leads the oath keepers militia. he was in a federal penitentiary for three years. he was given 18 years for sedition, freed this week by donald trump. i start with that, do you still lead the oath keepers? stewart: i just got out of prison. we will see what the future holds. i'm here on capitol hill, i was first in d.c. jail advocating for the other brothers of mine who have not been released from d.c. jail despite having been pardoned. it's ridiculous that they are

waiting 23 days before being turned loose. i am thankful to president trump for doing the right thing. president trump has rewound the l'affaire. it continues now. >> let's be clear, were you given a pardon? stewart: no, i was given a commutation of sentence. >> so you are still guilty of sedition? >> i'm still considered -- yeah, i was found guilty in a jury trial which was a very biased jury trial, made up of people drawn from the d.c. pool. both -- they insisted on pulling the jury from that pool of people they allege are the victims. it's as if you were accused of robbing a shop and then you have for people who work in the shop on the jury. it's ridiculous. >> which is a point donald trump made from the oval office. if i ready the evidence that you

gave to the fbi, how should a jury interpret this? you said my only regret is they should have brought rifles, we should have fixed it right there and then, i would hang nancy pelosi from the lamp post. >> i was frustrated that president trump had not invoked the insurrection act. i wanted him to use his unrestricted power to declassify any of the secrets held by the csa -- cia of the corruption. that is how they protect the people in d.c., the corrupt establishment. the secrets are the swamp water, that the swamp creatures swimming. it protects them and controls them as long as they play the game, they are protected. i wanted to see him use the classification which i think he will now. i think kash patel is all about that. i was frustrated about that. i said that after the fact. it is still protected free each.

>> what did you intend to do with the rifles you brought to the capitol? stewart: we did not bring rifles to the capitol. we left our weapons in our hotel in virginia. as a free american and as a veteran, i always carry conceal every day of my life. >> did you carry concealed into the capitol? stewart: no, i did not. you are not loaning me finish my answer. i drove from texas to virginia to at a hotel room and then go through security on capitol grounds. we left our guns in our hotel room responsibly and did not bring them to the capitol. >> irrespective of where the brought arms, the u.s. district judge, timothy kelly, who delivered the sentence on you, said the day broke our tradition of peacefully transferring power. whatever you thought about the election, was it right to go into the capitol and bring the confirmation of the vote to an end?

stewart: look at it this way, what i think happened by day, is first of all, i did not go inside. i simply stood outside and exercise my right to free speech, which unfortunately you brits don't have. i have the right to stand outside and say whatever i want about the election. that's what i did. because of who i am, the founder of oath keepers, i was targeted, i was selected out from the worst charge, such as conspiracy along with my codefendants who were targeted for who they were, for oath keepers. they went inside the capitol. they blundered in along with everyone else who wandered inside a 20 minutes after than congress had recessed, 25 minutes after somebody else had already entered. they wanted in and around, took no action any different than anybody else and yet they were selected out because of who they were, as part of propaganda. >> i don't want to negate the case but i want to ask about henrique terrio who has-bee --

who has been freed. he has called for retribution. what would retribution look like for you? stewart: accountability and justice. i want the two police officers he coughed red-handed with video proof lying on the stand. i want them charged with perjury. and i will the prosecutors who put them up to it charged with subordination of perjury. >> right. stewart: in all cases across the board, not just my case. >> when donald trump says back the blue, i wonder what you make about the statement from the former capitol hill police officer on duty, who says he fully expects people like you, like your supporters, to come after him and his family. stewart: no, not at all. my organization is made up of 30% police officers. my board is made up of police officers. we have -- we are police officers. there were police officers that

day who are oath keepers. one of them is named mike nichols, he helped reach capitol police escort other officers out of the crowd. he was able to get them out and help them get out safely through the crowd. he was not allowed to testify or were we allowed to show the video of him doing that. suppression of evidence is another issue. >> the president was asked if there is -- stewart: no oath keepers -- not one oath keepers hood a police officer. >> the president was asked whether there was any future role for the proud boys and oath keepers. he said, let's see. what role do you think you play? stewart: pardon? if we go back to the mission -- go ahead. i heard you. if we go back to the mission we always had from the very beginning, one, to advocate that the lease of the united states follow the constitution and don't violate people's rights. i don't want to see excessive police force, like we saw on

capitol hill that day. you had an unconscious woman being struck in the head with a wooden club by a police officer over and over again. i want to see that police officer held accountable. i advocate all police officers respect the rights of people and control themselves. that was not on that day. you had michael byrd shooting an unarmed woman in the neck. he has never been brought to justice. >> as you see it, it is your role to hold the police to account. you stand ready? stewart: sure, not just -- i don't stand by and ready. i want police officers to obey their oaths for defending the constitution. those that go too far, the police officer who murdered george floyd, i watched that video and i have -- and i do believe he, went too far and he should have took his knee off of his neck. >> you don't sound very apologetic though. there is one panel who pleaded

guilty and she was sentenced to 60 days in prison. she came out of jail and says, we should apologize, we did wrong. you don't have any grip -- don't have any regrets. stewart: i did not hurt anyone that day, neither did my men. we were there to do security for two permitted events on capitol grounds. one, area seven, and a rally. that is why we were there, to protect people and keep them safe, which we have done the entire time our religion has existed. are is not hurt anybody. it's strange to have police officers -- there were police officers at my sentencing who described their injuries. i didn't injure anybody. it's be -- it's bizarre behavior. to attribute to us things that other people did. >> stewart rhodes, thank you for your time. thank you for coming on the program. stewart: thank you. god bless. >> you get the sense that the people who are being released, the more prominent figures like

him and enrique tarrio will play a much more vocal role. they will obviously be speaking to the media this next week or so. what is that public profile going forward? sumi: that is an open question and we are hearing reports that there could be something like inviting those pardon january 6 rioters to the white house itself. a very open question and interesting discussion. thank you so much. we are going to take a look now at some pictures from los angeles because a new wildfire has flared up near lake castaic, north of santa clarita, quickly growing in size. a number of evacuation orders have been issued and roads closed, dense smoke can be seen across a wide area. the previous tires were among the most destructive in u.s. history, destroying thousands of homes and killing 27 people. we will keep our eye on those images as the situation develops. prince harry described the settlement of his lawsuit in britain against tabloid

intrusion into his private life as a monumental victory. a newspaper group owned by the taken ripper -- rupert murdoch has given an unequivocal apology. it agreed to pay substantial damages. it edited intrusion over a 15 year period, involving phone hacking and the use of private investigators. president trump urged russia's leader to end what he called the ridiculous war in ukraine. writing on social media "if we don't make a dual -- a deal, i have no other choice but to put high levels of taxes, tariffs and sanctions on anything being sold by russia to the united states." there has been no response from the kremlin. mr. trump has asserted he could end the ukraine conflict in 24 hours. let's take a look at other headlines from around the world. israeli snipers are reported to have surrounded the palestinian refugee camp in the occupied west bank, as israel continues what it calls a decisive counterterrorism operation for a second date. they can be seen on videos

destroying roads around a hospital where staff and patients were trapped. 10 people have been killed. dozens of them did since the operation began. the refugee camp has been regarded as a stronghold of armed help -- armed palestinian groups. a rare winter storm is bringing freezing rain to the deep south closing highways and airports and prompting a first-ever blizzard warning in southwest louisiana. the extreme weather is part of a cold air mass dissented on the south and eastern u.s. four people are thought to have died from cold exposure so far. let's return to our top story. president pence executive order on immigration as he sends more than 1000 troops to the u.s.-mexico border. we can go to capitol hill to speak to the congressman from tennessee. great to see you. thank you for joining us on bbc news. i want to start with this order from president trump, surging the number of troops to the southern border. what role do you think these troops should have?

>> certainly prevention. president trump campaigned, and everybody knew that he campaigned on stopping the flow of illegal aliens coming into our country via the southern border, bringing drugs and trafficking. from an enforcement standpoint, what you just reported on is new news and we will find out the directive. but i would assume that would be prevention of people crossing the southern border unlawfully. sumi: what about the mass deportation order? rates are starting in cities across the u.s. i spoke to your colleague, tim merchant, the other day, about these mass deportation orders and concerns that people who are working here in the u.s., who are undocumented but may have family here, that they are concerned about getting caught up in these deportations. you concerned as well? -- are you concerned as well?

rep. kustoff: from what president trump has said, the first major push on the deportations are those who are here illegally with criminal records. again, we just had a big election in november. this issue was litigated. i know that the people in my district do not want to see people who are here unlawfully, certainly those who have criminal records and some who are violent. it will start with those people, and president trump, from a policy perspective, has the support of the majority of the american people, and certainly the majority of the people who live in my district and west tennessee. sumi: i also want to ask you about the order to stop the refugee resettlement program. we understand that also affects 1600 afghans who worked with the u.s. military or they are family members of active-duty members. do you think it is the right decision to pause there resettlement in the u.s.?

rep. kustoff: i do. again, we have seen a lot of activity from president trump in the 48 hours that he has taken office. we have seen so much activity, you've got so much news to report, including one you just reported. i think it is the right decision so that president trump and his officials and his administration can get a hold on all of the numbers, all the people who are here, whether they are here for resettlement purposes, or whether they are here -- sumi: very quickly -- rep. kustoff: let's get an assessment. sumi: we've got 20 seconds, including those who have worked with the u.s. military on the ground in afghanistan. rep. kustoff: again, let president trump get all of the information, all of the information about people who are here so that he can make the decisions by executive order. sumi: understood.

great to have you back on bbc news. thanks for making time for us. rep. kustoff: thank you very much. sumi: that is our program. don't forget, you can always get the latest on our website, bbc.com/news. we have the latest as easy on donald trump's orders to send troops to the border as part of his crackdown on immigration. we have coverage of the other sweeping executive orders issued by president trump. bbc.com/news. for all of us here in washington, thank you for watching world news america, and stayed bbc news. ♪ announcer: funding for presentation of this program is provided by... announcer: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation, pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs.

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♪ >> good evening. >> on the news hour tonight, the pentagon prepares to send up to