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announcer: funding for presentation of this program is provided by... brett: you know as someone coming out of college it can be very nerve-racking not knowing what to expect, whether you'll like your job or not, whether you'll make friends, 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" >> hello, i'm christian fraser. this is "the context." pres. trump: they would agree to put in 10 thousand soldiers permanently, forever, 10,000 soldiers on their side of the

border and stop fentanyl and illegal aliens from coming into our country. >> i told them, let's put it on pause for a month. i'm sure we can have good results. good results for the people of mexico. this was the result of the agreement. pres. trump: canada is very tough, were not treated well by canada. we have to be treated well. >> canada will be responding to the u.s. trade action with 25% tariffs against $155 billion worth of american goods. christian: a reprieve from mexico. u.s. terrorist do to come in at midnight will be put on hold for a month. in return for tighter security at the border. we will be live in mexico city.

so far, no escape for canada. 25 percent tariffs imposed from midnight tonight. also on the program. will the piece hold in gaza? the israeli prime minister is in washington for talks on phase two of the cease-fire agreement. and live from big bear valley, bald eagles sitting on a clutch of newly laid eggs. very warm welcome to the program. president trump says the 25% tariff he threatened to impose on mexico to and it will be postponed for a month while negotiations continue between the two countries. the taxes were to do come due at midnight along with similar tariffs for canada and 10% on china. just before the decision was announced, the mexican president claudia sheinbaum set out a wide range of retaliatory tariffs on u.s. imports. in the last hour, donald trump has been giving his response. pres. trump: and they agreed to

put in 10,000 soldiers permanently, like forever, 10,000 soldiers on their side of the border to stop fentanyl and illegal aliens from coming into our country. they have a big incentive to do. other than that we have agreed to talk and consider various other things. we have not agreed on tariffs yet, maybe we will, may be remote. but we have a very good relationship. christian: president trump has justified the tariffs to combat the scourge of fentanyl, a painkiller manufactured in mexico using precursors sourced from china. it is much stronger than heroin, in fact, 50 times more powerful. 100 times more powerful than morphine. it binds to up your receptors in the brain which brings relaxation and relatively small doses and can be fatal. in 2022, over 70,000 americans died from fentanyl overdoses.

we can cross live to mexico city to speak with a political analyst at the mexico political economist. welcome to the program. let's start by outlining for the viewers what sort of things claudia sheinbaum, the mexican president was planning in retaliation. >> thank you for having me. the retaliation was going to be a measured retaliation. mexico has historically been very good at heading back where it hurts, red states, places where most americans don't think that mexicans have a lot of influence. christian: so oranges in florida? >> not quite. that is the canadian way. we do it on value imports, different imports on u.s. steel, wherever mexico can protect its own industry, that is where they would have done it. christian: tariffs delayed but obviously not off the table. what does mexico have to do in the interim? >> look at the language.

we have listened to mr. trump and he cited it as a triumph. i'm happy to let him keep that belief but really what mexico has shown us is the way to deal with the united states at this moment, sort of a three-pronged deal. a lot of what you hear, what seems to be a new concession, has actually been in the works for years. we have been paring for this outcome. what the united states is doing for mexico in this case, which is surprising, which is mainly they have recognized they are the main issue when it comes to high caliber weapons killing mexicans every day. christian: in terms of the concessions given today, which ones are you thinking of when you say that they have been in the pipeline for some time? >> mexico created something called the national guard in the previous administration. on the surface, it is just a gendarmerie but it is actually a

migrant hunting operation, drug hunting operation. sadly a lot of the migrants going through mexico are not mexicans. mexican government does sometimes overreach and feels able to pick them up and send them back to the border. that keeps the u.s. happy. when trump says we are getting 10,000 soldiers on the u.s. border, that is not a lie, but just that they have been preparing to send them since this conflict happened. christian: they were already going. in terms of tariffs today, there will be a sigh of relief in mexico city. how damaging would this be if they were imposed on the mexican economy? >> very damaging but i cannot emphasize enough, the north american region is so integrated, it would have been devastating to the united states. it would have hurt the very industries that trump is trying to protect. you cannot differentiate between a mexican car and an american car. these cars are made in north america.

had they put these tariff on, you would have basically had taxes on those parts of the american cars. mexicans were worried, of course, but the united states would have suffered so much as well. christian: the car industry is apoplectic about these tariffs, because as you point out, not just in mexico but in canada as well, some of these parts that go into finished cars go back and forth several times, and each time they go back and forth , presumably, they would be subject to tariffs. >> even things that are not quite american, mexico beer. 75% of american exports come to mexico to make that beer. so there is no distinction between these so-called national products. christian: alex, good to talk to you. thank you. barely 1% of the fentanyl that comes its way into the u.s. find its way through the northern border but there is no sign that president trump is considering a

pause for canada. here is what justin trudeau have to say when he announced 25% retaliatory tariffs on 155 billion dollars of u.s. imports. >> as president john f. kennedy said many years ago, geography has made us neighbors, history has made us friends, economics has made us partners, and necessity has made us allies. that rang true for many decades prior to president kennedy's time in office, and in the decades since. from the beaches of normandy to the mountains of the korean peninsula, from the fields of flanders to the streets of kandahar, we have fought and died alongside you. christian: we will get reaction from the canadian side later in the program. over on this side, the european union is mourning the u.s. president a block will retaliate if he imposes tariffs on eu

goods. german chancellor olaf scholz said the eu was strong enough to react to any u.s. trade levees although the goal he said should be cooperation. overnight, president trump said that u.k. was also out of line on trade but hopes something could be worked out. sir keir starmer has traveled to brussels tonight to be in talks with a reset on the european union. our political chris mason has been watching. chris: the headquarters of the european union, the clubs leaders mingling in brussels. their focus today to defend ukraine but defending their trade with america uppermost in mind, too. you can imagine how the talk of tariffs have gone down here. >> we have to do everything to avoid this totally unnecessary and stupid terror before, trade war. >> what is clear is there are no winners and trade wars. if the united states and the u.s. starts a trade war, the one laughing on the site is china.

>> this is one of the most important things. i will not start a war. i want to start negotiations. chris: just before european leaders landed in brussels, president trump landed in washington, describing the eu as an atrocity and said it would face taxes on its imports into america. pres. trump: they don't take our cars, they don't take our farm products, they take almost nothing and we take everything from them. millions of cars, tremendous amounts of food and farm products. chris: his view clear about the european union, cryptic about the united kingdom. pres. trump: u.k. is out of line but i think that one can be worked out but the european union is an atrocity what they've done. prime minister starmer has been very nice, we've had a couple of meetings, numerous phone calls, we are getting along very well. chris: the president walking away from a weekend of tariffs.

china, mexico, canada having them imposed so far. this is what it sounds like as a basketball game in toronto as the american national anthem plays. in brussels, a city of flax and international politics, you might ask why all of this matters to your day-to-day life. in short, if international trade becomes trickier, more expensive, it can give economies the shivers. look who is also here today. it is prime minister's make less of a habit of showing up since brexit but the nato defense alliance is based here as well. it was the prospect of america imposing tariffs on the u.k. that dominated. >> early days. i want an open and strong trading relationship. that has been the basis of my discussions with president trump. >> reset with the european union in order to keep president trump

on side. >> both of these relations are very important to us. we are not choosing between them. but that has historically been the position of the u.k. for many decades now. chris: tonight, the prime minister is heading for brussels city center for dinner with european union's leaders as they, and he, wrestles with how to confront a foe, russia, and a friend, the united states. christian: just a line from the reuters news agency, the phone call between donald trump and justin trudeau is underway. we will continue to watch whether there is any news coming out of that phone call, whether they might be a pause on those canadian tariffs. no sign there will be at the moment at least. around the world and across the u.k., this is bbc news. ♪

christian: welcome back.

israel's prime minister benjamin netanyahu will be the first foreign leader to meet with donald trump when he visits the white house tomorrow. he is already in washington meeting with president trump's envoy steven witkoff with the focus now turning to the second phase with hamas. since the cease-fire agreement came into effect on the 19th of january, a total of 18 israeli hostages have been released. that leaves 79 unaccounted for but only 44 are believed to still be alive, according to the israeli side. there are emotional reunions on the other side, too. twin brothers reunited in gaza after 15 months of separation. they were split up earlier in the conflict. one brother traveling to the south, the other staying in the north. the family home, as you can see, now in ruins. before leaving, mr. netanyahu gave us some idea of what he would be discussing with president trump on tuesday. >> this meeting will deal with

important, critical issues facing israel and our region. a victory over hamas, achieving the release of all of our hostages, and dealing with the iranian terror access and all of its components. an axis that threatens the peace of israel, the middle east, and the entire world. christian: let's break that down with a senior fellow at the foundation for defense and democracies, former spokesperson for the israeli defense forces. thanks for being on the program. what does benjamin netanyahu want from trump when it comes to phase two of the agreement? >> that's a very good question. it depends on which perspective we look at. there is the israeli political aspect to it and then the many fronts that israel is busy fighting various wars. i think the most important thing currently is to bring back hostages. i think that would be the top priority. and i think this is very

difficult for people around the world to understand but israel is still effectively at war. we are in limbo, in this situation where it is neither really war but definitely not safe to go back to homes in the communities that were ravaged by hamas along the gaza border, or community is destroyed by hezbollah in the north. israelis are still in this in between situation. of course, waiting, anticipating, praying for hostages to come home. this in between situation, it makes it very complex. i think what prime minister netanyahu would want to achieve is a deal that would allow israel at least to get more hostages back. i think there's a lot of people who don't think we will see all of the hostages released by hamas because they refused to release the last ones because that is the leverage that hamas will keep. christian: the arab nations

released a statement last week rejecting president trump's proposal that palestinians in the strip be relocated to egypt and jordan. that seems like a nonstarter for the arab states at least. how do you think president and benjamin d netanyahu see it? jonathan: the interesting thing would be if we could ask palestinians. as an israeli, i feel sad for many palestinians who have been used for decades by their arab brothers as nothing more than a tool to fight israel. of course, you don't want to tell anybody where he can or cannot live as a human. i can understand this generates a lot of friction. but i can also see the positive sides, especially short and midterm, for the rebuilding of gaza without people in it. then for people to return.

christian: there wouldn't be any trust in that. you know the situation. there are tens of thousands clamor to get back to the north. they would be no trust in that process. jonathan: you are absolutely right. i think eventually it won't happen, even if it could be a good thing, could bring prosperity, could bring good future for palestinians, but i don't think it will happen. because that has never been the real priority not of arab states and not of many human organizations. it has been to keep the fight alive between israelis and palestinians and they are unfortunately the tools. christian: the fight is still alive and there has been a concession, the wall street journal reported tonight, the trump administration has agreed to a $1 billion aid package, $1 billion of arms sales to israel, which brings me to iran. the reporting is iran has been

refining uranium to 60%, 90% required for a bomb. but they are advancing now because they don't have a proxy right now that can reach into israel and they are feeling vulnerable. how urgent do you think this iran question is? jonathan: very. the weapons you discussed are not meant for iran, those are close range, the kind of work we have to do with hezbollah, hamas, other palestinian terrorist organizations. when we deal with iran, it is bigger ordinance, definitely not the bulldozers that are part of this deal. iran is a threat and a menace. i think what they are doing, being cunning and clever, they are playing a double game here. on one hand, they are flexing their military capabilities. they recently exposed a new missile depot on close to the coast where they have hundreds if not thousands of missiles

stocked and ready, as they say, to fire toward israel and maritime shipping in the persian or arabian gulf. on the other hand, they are signaling across the board to the u.s. and european countries that they want to negotiate. christian: does netanyahu want to negotiate? jonathan: i don't think so. i think israel is beyond negotiating with iran. understands that negotiations have brought us this far. christian: that question then, the two issues we discussed, gaza and the continuation of the cease-fire, iran question, it seems to me that donald trump looking at negotiation, and yet, prime minister netanyahu wants to continue the war. what happens to the relationship if they divide on those two issues? jonathan: it is difficult to know if that really is what the two leaders want.

i agree with what you say but i'm not entirely sure it is correct. it could be that president trump is using israel as the stick in order to get what he wants from iran, and he keeps on saying it would be nice if this conflict was resolved without israelis striking in iran. we are in the negotiation stage. i think we are talking about two politicians that are very flexible, very experienced. i think they will find ways to have common ground. i think israel and the u.s. share a lot of interests and common ground here. i think those will be found. what we do share with saudi and many other countries in the region is a very real fear of iran going nuclear. if iran does that, then that is a seismic shift in the middle east. it will have global ramifications. i don't want to see that reality happen. i don't think most people in the middle east want to.

i think israel will do a lot in order to stop that from happening. christian: just a final thought on the question within phase two, and that is who controls gaza? we have seen from the return of the hostages, how many hamas fighters are still there, still controlling the streets. what is the solution to that? who would israel like to see controlling gaza if not hamas? jonathan: in war, you try to locate the center of gravity of your enemy and then you strike it until the enemy falls or surrenders. israel has not done that. humanitarian aid is used by hamas as a way of controlling the population. as long as hamas has access to that, as long as israel does not disrupt that from the hands of hamas -- not from the population but the hands of hamas -- hamas will remain in power in gaza.

it's a matter of deciding if it really wants to do that. if he really wants to get rid of hamas, there is a way to get it done, but there is a military and diplomatic price to pay. so far israel has not done that for political and some military reasons. i think the day after in gaza, if hamas is there, we will continue to see the horrible sites that we are seeing on the screen now of destruction, rubble, people suffering, which is not something that we want, not something that most palestinians want. but that is what is in store if hamas remains in power. christian: some complex issues to get to grips with in phase two of these negotiations. jonathan conricus, thank you for coming on. in washington, there are crowds of protesters that have gathered today outside of the usaid building after it was announced that the trump administration intends to put control of the agency under the remit of the state department. the president says usaid is a good concept but has "radical

left lunatics." speaking on his trip to central america, marco rubio says he is now the acting director and had this to say about the way the agency has been operating. >> there are things that it does that are good, things that we have strong questions about. it's about the way it operates as an entity. they are supposed to take policy direction from the state department. they do not. christian: let's cross live to washington to speak with our correspondent. what is the good, as the administration sees it, and what is the bad? >> secretary of state marco rubio there said there is some good but also is an unresponsive agency and said the domestic interests and the international interests do not align. he is saying, in this case, they do not align. for example we saw president trump say that it is filled with the radical left lunatics, but he didn't explain why he called it that and didn't provide any evidence of that.

separately, the unelected advisor, elon musk, who president trump appointed to be the head of the department of government efficiency, called it -- he said it is not an apple with a worm in it, as it is just a bowl of worms. we need to get rid of the whole thing and is beyond repair. what we are seeing is a wider ideological reform, something elon musk has said from the outset he wants to bring to this government. it is something that clearly donald trump is listening to. we are seeing that in other reforms he is making, whether that is cutting federal funding for diversity programs, or cracking down on what they call woke ideology. christian: only a minute, but when you look at the spending, it is less than 1% of federal spending overall. and there are some very important programs, particularly those in sudan right now. if the obvious a shuttered, as it is today, what kind of effect

is that having on the eight operation? merlyn: it is part of the american influence that it wields over the world, it's a soft power that america can use. on a more practical basis, it could shudder programs around the world. in afghanistan, almost all of services depend on humanitarian aid. it could see programs around the world shuttered immediately. christian: thank you for that. we are going to take a short break. lots to come in the second half of the program. stay with us. we will be right back. second half of the programme. to stay with us, we 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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