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whether you'll fit in, and here i feel like it's so welcoming and such an inclusive place to work, you just feel like you're valued. 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" s america. s on his first a mystic as president -- domestic trip as president, president trump says he might abolish federal aid. supporters march in washington a day after president trump pardons activists. and winds of over 100 miles per hour. one person has died and more

than a million without power in u.k. and ireland. welcome to world news america. i'm carl nessman. president trump has visited hurricane affected areas of north carolina and flying to wildfire ravaged los angeles. the fires have killed 28 people and damaged at leas t 12,000 homes and businesses. president trump says he might withhold disaster aid unless of the leaders change their approach to water management. he also visited hurr north carolina where hurricane helene killed 100 people. he also said fema turned out to be a disaster. >> i will also be signing an executive order to begin the

process of fundamentally reforming and overhauling fema or maybe getting rate of fema -- rid of fema. i think when you have a problem like this, i think you want to go -- whether it is a democrat or republican governor, you want to use your state to fix it and not waste time. >> joining me now is our north america correspondent in california. gary, let's start with what we are expecting from the president once he does land in los angeles. >> we know he's going to be graded by the governor gavin newsom and they are not the best of friends. they have called one another names. they have clashed at various news over, the way the fires have been handled. the president blames him and other democrats for not putting out the fire sooner and specifically blames them for not diverting water from the north of the state down to metropolitan areas like l.a. and

southern california. they say there is plenty of water, there was not a problem with that and are repeating -- competing concerns of water in this state over farming, environmentalism and urban development. he will get a tour of the palisades area, just a little southeast of where i am in malibu. he will have a roundtable with some legislators including some democrats but gavin newsom is not included in that. once he has done that, he will go off to las vegas which is the next stop of his tour. carl: we heard while the president was in north carolina earlier on this trip, donald trump discussing potentially attaching conditions on financial aid to california when it comes to the rebuilding effort there. what has been the reaction of that? gary: the first day of his presidency, he signed an order saying putting people before fish, that was the title of it.

he's obsessed with this fish called the delta smelt, which is a small fish in california which is dependent on freshwater. he says that the authorities have kept the water for environmental reasons in the north rather than pumping into the south, suggesting he might withhold federal money if they don't change state policies. that is not something the governor will be able to do politically here, particularly in his second term and he is term limited and has national ambitious potentially for the democratic nomination in 2028. at the same time as all of that, the governor is asking for some money to be put aside by the state prosecutors here to go after the trump administration over other policies, too. these two men will not see i to eye to eye. you have tens of thousands of angelenos and others in this area who have lost their homes and everything, wondering where

the money will come from eventually so they can rebuild. carl: you talk about money and the way these states to rebuild. we also heard the president be very critical of fema, the federal disaster agency. even suggest that he would either reform it or get rid of it altogether. what more can you tell us about the president's thinking there? gary: yeah, he's taken aim at fema in the past as well. it is something that he believes should be handled by the states. he believes the money should be transferred straight to the states. that would require some significant legislation, i think, to dismantle that whole process. fema does have quite a lot of experience in these various disasters around the country. i spoke to one official off the record who was saying, look, we cannot blame people like fema or the lapd or lafd for these fires.

these natural disasters happen. no one is blaming floridians for hurricanes. the politics getting in the way of what is an enormous human story and cost and property cost is going to be very concerning to people in california and potentially elsewhere. carl: we can see some of the disruption of those fires in california behind you. there are still some blazes yet to be completely controlled there in los angeles as well. gary o'donoghue, thank you as always. while the president was on the road, the annual antiabortion march for life rally has been taking place in washington. jd vance joined the rally, touting the administration's antiabortion credentials. mr. trump did sent a video message vowing to end what he called the weaponization of law enforcement against americans' faith. he also said he would instead order his justice department to investigate what he's calling radical left attacks on

antiabortion churches. that follows his pardon thursday of 23 people convicted of various crimes related to protests outside of clinics that do provide abortions. in his first term, mr. trump swung the control of the supreme court leading to the 2022 reversal of roe v. wade, which enabled states to ban abortion nearly outright. he's not get implemented any new measures on abortion since taking office on monday. our correspondent attended the march. >> it has been such a contentious issue for decades and the supreme court has played such a key role in its. there were tens of thousands of people who came to the rally. it happens every year but it has been given extra significance for the people here because of president trump being back in the white house. feelings are very strong. people have come from across the country, many from church groups, from faith schools. people with banners saying

things like babies lives matter. stickers saying made in the womb. among the crowds earlier, i met a man who was one of the 23 people who were pardoned. the antiabortion protesters who were pardoned yesterday by president trump. he's called coleman boyd, 53 years old. he told me he was recently released from house arrest. he had been sentenced after preaching outside a health clinic. two of his children have been trying to block access to it. everyone we have spoken to wants to see a nationwide ban. now, looking to donald trump. he wants to be seen to be on their side because most of them are from the evangelical right who supported him and funded him and who want that ban across the country. it does not seem to be a priority issue for him or to be on his agenda right now.

the main thing for him are immigration and the economy. the opinion polls show about two thirds of the population don't want a nationwide ban, so he's made clear he wants to leave it up to individual states to decide. many of the people who are here today may be disappointed. carl: hamas has named for female hostages due to be released on saturday as part of the israel-gaza cease-fire deal. the four women are all soldiers who were seized from the army base in southern israel during the october 7 attacks. in return, israel is excited to release 180 palestinian detainees. the second such exchange under the cease-fire deal. hamas is expected to provide information about the remaining 26 israeli hostages due to be released over the following five weeks. our correspondent is in jerusalem. nick: before hostages set to be released were all serving with the israeli military.

it is a place just over the fence from gaza and it was overrun by hamas fighters on october 7. some videos were taken by those fighters as they seized hostages and took them to gaza. the four women being released on saturday were part of this unit. they'd warned, because they were spotters, that there were suspicious signs that there were some sort of assault coming. it does seem that those warnings were not acted upon. the four women's families, it is thought that they obviously welcomed the news but now have this anxious wait to see whether or not their loved ones will actually be released. the choreography will be that a few hours after the release, there will be a number of palestinian prisoners who have been held in israeli jails who will themselves be freed. the figure is between about 180 and 200. this is all part of the cease-fire deal that has been in

operation since last sunday. we know it is a very fragile truce but for now, it seems to be holding. i think this will be a pivotal weekend because also this weekend, hamas are set to give details of 26 other hostages who are due to be released in this, the first phase of this cease-fire deal. hamas will say whether those people are living or in fact dead. carl: for more, let's speak with michael oren, former israeli ambassador to the u.s. we are expecting this latest exchange of israeli hostages, palestinian prisoners. what does this mean to you? does this show that the cease-fire is on track? michael: at least for the first phase. two phases after this which will be much more complicated. the second phase will coffer almost complete -- almost complete withdrawal of israelis from the gaza strip, the release

of palestinian prisoners from israel jails. i know two families whose loved ones were killed by these prisoners. hamas will declare victory. it is extremely difficult for an israeli society which has been battling hamas after the assaults of it over seven. very difficult. yes, on track. we are delighted that the hostages will be coming home. one of the families i know personally, a wonderful family, peace activists. it's very meaningful but that joy will be tempered by fears and in certain segments of the population resentment. carl: those are the scenes that everyone is hoping to see more of in the coming weeks. we heard the president speaking in the oval office during one of these impromptu media sessions did not really have a strong answer when he was asked about the cease-fire deal and the

steps you were mentioning. how confident are you that this trump administration will forcefully ensure that the cease-fire does remain in effect into the later stages? michael: i think it will. it will try. not everything is in the hands of the trump administration. hamas has violated every cease-fire ever reached between the organization and the state of israel. there was a cease-fire in effect on october 7, 2023, and a cease-fire in effect during the first hostage release a month later and hamas violated it. there is a limit to even what the trump administration can do. even israeli society, there will be tremendous pushback on the israeli government, including a governmental crisis. part of the israeli government broke with the coalition over this deal, which left the coalition with a razor thin majority in knesset. there are 120 members, you need 61 members to have a government. this government is at 62. other factions may leave the

government and the second stage which would bring the government down and lead to elections. that then creates a situation where nobody knows the outcome. carl: there is another cease-fire that is in effect between israel and lebanon. we are hearing reports no that the prime minister -- now that the prime minister has said not all of the idf troops will actually withdraw from that area of lebanon by the 60 day deadline. how concerning is that to you and would that mean that this other cease-fire is in danger of collapsing? michael: i think it is a source of frsome friction. i heard the trump administration was not thrilled with that announcement. at the end of the day, it was a decision to remain another 30 days in southern lebanon. it serves the interest both of the u.s. and lebanon itself. the israeli government, the army is in southern lebanon to rid the area of hezbollah which is a common interest. as long as hezbollah is

deployed, you will have a warlike situation. lebanon has an interest in pushing hezbollah north of the river 20 miles north of the border. that serves america's interest, too. if it is 30 days, i think everyone could acknowledge this is a step towards greater stability and not instability. carl: the white house says it was the push for that kind of extension of the terms of that cease-fire. just looking at gaza now briefly. people are being allowed to return to their homes now. what role do you think israel will play and the u.s. as well in terms of the rebuilding effort that is to come? michael: that is a huge question and there are different opinions. the previous administration wanted the palestinian authority which would be revamped and purified of corruption moving into gaza. israel said, the israeli government said there's not much difference between the palestinian authority and hamas

in terms of the anti-israel stance. then, you have the trump administration's special envoy floating an idea of removing some 2 million palestinians from the gaza strip to indonesia for up to a decade while an international consortium rebuilds the gaza strip and transforms it into a type of mediterranean river area. it is a wonderful beachfront area which could be a great vacation spot for everyone in the world. there are different ideas for what will play out. my underlying assumption is that israel were retained military security responsibility for the gaza strip for the foreseeable future, especially as hamas remains a serious power in gaza. carl: michael, former israeli ambassador to the u.s., always great to get your perspective. michael: thank you. carl: america's new top diplomat is were poorly poised to pause u.s. aid to all countries aside from israel and egypt, according to a state department memo.

secretary of state marco rubio reportedly made that move pending a review period, leaving the fate of hundreds of u.s. foreign aid contracts also up in the air. an unusual powerful atlantic storm has been bettering ireland and parts of the u.k.. amber warnings remained in place in scotland, northern ireland and northern england with millions of people urged to stay home with gusts up to 100 miles per hour, 160 kilometers per hour. in ireland, 250,000 homes and businesses are still without power. meteorologist say the wind gusts were the strongest ever recorded. our correspondent reports. >> this is what life-threatening weather looks and sounds like. after gathering force of the atlantic ocean, the storm hit ireland with its full ferocity. in the middle of the night, winds which were already strong turn to savage.

the aquarium, the storm caused a surge of floodwater. a couple accounting themselves fortunate not to have been killed when the gale inflicted this on their house. >> we are very lucky that we are alive. if this would have fell inside, we would be buried underneath. just the worst nightmare you can have, really. >> there was chaos in cities, too. in dublin, an ice rink was largely flattened. the emergency services believe that lives were saved because most people followed advice to stay-at-home. now that the storm has blown through, people are seeing the scale of the damage and destruction. communities are coming together, clearing away the fallen trees, repairing the electricity network, and making the roads safe again could well take some time.

several unwelcome records have been set today. never before has a red weather warning applied across the whole of irish republic and northern ireland. this leisure center took a huge hit. near belfast, suffering damage. it has become a frequent scenario during the storms of recent years. >> the tree went through the conservatory of years ago. substantial damage to the roof and again this year. a recurring problem. >> nobody wants to know anything to do with it. >> there is a sense of hopelessness the places that experienced the worst of the winds. the dangerous, violent gales passed in a few hours, but across the island of ireland, the storm has left a deep,

long-lasting, and costly mark. chris page, bbc news. carl: let's take a look at some other stories making headlines. the united nations peacekeeping force of these are democratic republic of congo says it has been engaged in intense combat with m23 rebels were threatening a city. the u.n. mission says it was supporting the congolese army with heavy artillery fire. the commander has been killed during combat. russia's ministry of defense says its troops has managed to split ukrainian forces defending the eastern settlement of velyka novosilka into two groups and encircle them. those claims have not been independently verified, but there was video footage that has been seen that shows soldiers planting a russian flag in the center of that small town. in serbia, schools, universities, cinemas and bars remain closed throughout the day amid protests that call for a general strike and some

businesses joined in. it is the latest in a series of shutdowns since the collapse of concrete canopy at a railway station last september. 15 people died, including some children. in lebanon, israel's fragile cease-fire agreement with hezbollah is on a knife edge. both sides agreed to withdraw their forces from southern lebanon by monday but there are fears that deadline may not be met. the country still reeling from last year's intense fighting, including one israeli airstrike that destroyed an apartment block, killing 73 people. israel says the building was a terrorist command center, but a recent bbc investigation found most of the victims were civilians. our correspondent has more. >> this is the site of lebanon's deadliest attack. an israeli airstrike destroyed a residential building in this village in southern lebanon. once home to more than 100 people, all that remains here are memories of the lives that

were lost. it was the 29th of september. he 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. >> [speaking another language] >> this video shows the moment he was pulled from the rubble seven hours later.

only to find out he had lost his sister, her husband, and their two children. in total, 73 people were killed. it is a quiet residential neighborhood. everyone i have spoken to felt safe here. but even invited family members to seek refuge here after fighting escalated in the south. they also told me they have 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 center, but did not 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 examine 10 israeli strikes across lebanon. they killed more than 200 people. the idf told us these strikes hit terror infrastructure, command-and-control centers, and hezbollah operatives. in one strike, it said it hit a building where hezbollah terrorists was hiding. at least 28 people were killed in that attack. but, the attack remains the most

deadly. for now, a fragile cease-fire has helped but no one knows how long this relative peace will last. bbc news, southern lebanon. carl: large parts of the southern united states has been experiencing some unusually cold weather which has come as a surprise to everybody, including these animals at a zoo in the texan city of houston. some of these creatures have never seen snow before. you can kind of tell. an elephant seemed quite excited by the weather. the cold snap is expected to last through until this weekend. before we go, it was pandemonium in washington today. two new giant pandas making their debut at the national zoo. you can see them there. the three-year-old bears arrived in the u.s. from china last october, but since then, they have been in quarantine until today.

this is the first chance that people get to see them in person. they are the first pandas to come to washington, d.c. from china in 24 years. they now have their own live webcam. you can see these are actual shots inside the panda enclosure there in the united states. thank you for watching "world news america." 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. ♪ ♪ announcer: "usa today" calls it, "arguably the best bargain in streaming." that's because the free pbs app lets you watch the best of pbs anytime, anywhere.

i am amna navaz. geoff: and i am geoff bennett. tonight, president trump suggests a complete overhaul of how the federal government responds to natural disasters. amna: the indigenous lumbee tribe of north carolina gets a presidential endorsement for i