♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ narrator: funding for presentation of this program is provided by... erika: i love seeing interns succeed, i love seeing them come back and join engagement teams and seeing where they go from there,

i get to watch their personal growth, it makes my heart happy. (laughs) ♪ ♪ narrator: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation, the judy and peter blum kovler foundation, upholding freedom by strengthening democracies at home and abroad. announcer: and now, bbc news. caitriona: i'm caitrionay in washington, and this is bbc world news america. sources say the u.s. and ukraine have agreed to a minerals deal. u.k. announces it will increase its defense spending just days before the prime minister is set to meet president trump in washington. bbc has a special report from the congolese city of gola.

♪ hello. you are very welcome. if ukraine has reached a deal allowing the u.s. to assess the country's rare earth and minerals. the deal is much better for ukraine than previous u.s. proposals that ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy rejected. president trump will have access to the minerals in return for ongoing military aid. this as president trump says president zelenskyy wants to come to washington and sign the deal. our north america correspondent nomia iqbal is at the white house for us. things are moving quite fast this afternoon. what is the latest that you know? nomia: well, president trump has

said that he believes mr. zielinski wants to come to the white house to sign that deal. that has not been confirmed. but this deal has been at the center of a rift between both men. but mr. trump has already said that he wants access to these rare minerals that ukraine has, worth billions of dollars in the terms, for all of the military assistance that the u.s. has provided. what does ukraine get in return? let me point to what president trump said a short while ago. he said they get 350 billion dollars and lots of equipment and military equipment and the right to fight on. he goes on to say look, i will say ukraine, they are very brave, but without u.s. and its money and military equipment, this war would have been over in a very short period of time. the key thing about this deal,

which we don't know yet, we are sure we will get details as time goes on, is exactly what has changed in terms of security assurances. they say it is favorable, that the security assurance, we don't know exactly in what form they have been guaranteed. the deal itself was favorable enough for them to approve it. caitriona: nomia, we heard french president macron speaking about a peacekeeping force. we've heard him say he's been speaking to the u.k. prime minister about that as well. president trump himself this afternoon making reference to a need for a peacekeeping force in ukraine. nomia: he did. he said that there could be a form of peacekeeping troops in ukraine, but he also said that europe should do most of the peacekeeping. his comments about your background is interesting -- his comments about ukraine is interesting, though. he said president putin of

russia agreed with him, that there should be peacekeeping troops in ukraine, but in the kremlin later on contradicted that. in terms of exactly what the plan is for peacekeeping, that is something i imagine is not a done deal yet either. but sir keir starmer, the british prime minister, is due in d.c. later this week, and i imagine that is one of the big issues they will speak about. caitriona: naomi eckel, thank you for that. speaking of the british prime minister sir keir starmer, he has discussed defense spending, and will increase defense spending to 2.5% of gdp by 2027, and $17 billion will go each year in 2027. the goal is to spend 3% by the end of the next parliament. but as more money goes to

defense, spending on aid will be reduced to help pay for it. search here insisted the u.s. will continue to -- sir keir insisted that the u.s. will continue to help with age. of course, keir will fly to washington to meet u.s. president trump at the white house, and he spoke earlier on what he expects from the visit. sir keir: the u.s. is our most important bilateral alliance, which covers everything from nuclear technology to nato and beyond. it has survived countless external challenges in the past. we fought war together, but we are the closest partners in trade, growth, and security. so this week when i meet president trump, i will be clear. i want this relationship to go from strength to strength.

but, mr. speaker, strength in this world also depends on a new alliance with europe. caitriona: funding for ukraine and the war with russia are expected to top the agenda during that meeting. our political editor chris mason has more. chris: symbols of solidarity and support that we've become used to, but now, as well as an aggressive russia, a wildly unpredictable america, and a big decision. sir keir: we must find courage in our history, courage and who we are as a nation, because courage is what our own era now demands of us. so starting today, i can announce this government will begin, the biggest sustained increase in defense spending since the end of the cold war. chris: as defense spending goes

up from 2.3% to 2.5%, spending on overseas aid goes down, to be cut by billions. the prime minister said he's not happy doing this, and he will look for other savings in the development budget, but -- sir keir: nonetheless, it remains the past, and i will not pretend otherwise. we will do everything we can to return to a world where that is not the case and rebuild a typical case on development, but at times like this, the defense and security of british people must always come first. chris: not everyone here is convinced. some opposition party don't like it, and some labor mp's don't, either, but some were supportive. >> national interests should come first, so i'm pleased to hear about the increased by 2027. all on this side of the house welcome back. we all want to see more spending

on defense. >> we strongly support the prime minister raising defense spending to 2.5%, you can using sees russian assets to pay for extra defense support on ukraine. chris: there are plenty of dissenting voices. >> i have to say i'm hugely frustrated at this very shortsighted decision. if the wrong decision. is going to impact not just the poorest people in the world but also on us here. this does not make us safer. preventing conflict makes us safer. >> this is the crucial support, including vaccinations and support for nutrition, support for livelihoods. chris: this is them an argument the prime minister needs to win. >> and what you say to those people who might think donald trump is now effectively setting u.k. government policy.

sir keir: yes, it is true, that trump said we should do more, and i agree with him. this is very much my decision, but the circumstances that we face as a country, it is taken first and foremost to ensure that the united kingdom and its systems are safe and secure. that is the first duty that i have as prime minister. chris: last night, sir keir at the -- at the white house, the french president. sir keir starmer will be in the same chair on thursday. diplomatic charm offensive before his appointment in the oval office. caitriona: to talk about all this, i'm joined by sir david manning, who a former ambassador to the u.s. thanks for joining us on bbc news. increasing defense spending, a

cut to aid funding, is this about with president trump, the visit the prime minister was going to make the changes anyway? sir david: i do think that the visit to washington provided the opportunity, if you like, the backdrop. of course, it will help the talks in washington, but to have european members of nato, and when the spending comes through, we hope it will sustain our support for ukraine. it is very clear that they will remain absolutely committed to zelenskyy and ukraine and those values that ukraine has been fighting for for the last few years. caitriona: do you think that is the top of his agenda when he goes to the oval office on thursday? sir david: i think it is the top of the agenda. i think the whole question about

, how will the relationship be sustained between britain and the united states, is what this is about, and, of course, that means, what is the relationship going to be in nato? what is it going to be in russia? what is the trade relationship going to be? there is a very long list of outcomes that they will want to discuss, but certainly the future of the western alliance and the western security system is going to be absolutely a priority for those discussions, i'm sure. caitriona: we seen other foreign leaders who've come to meet president trump in these last few weeks, bring something or bring a deal or bring a partnership to the president. do you think sir keir starmer will be bringing something like that? sir david: well, i think he will see we already have a partnership. the speeches he has made in the last few days, he has said very

clearly, about the bilateral relationship. i think what he's doing is a signaling that he's listening to the president, that he wants to work with him, and in due course as we go through a higher defense spend them at the same time, we can have the same partnership we've had, bilaterally, in the past. i think it is more about sustaining what we've had been some new partnership. caitriona: we heard french president macron in the white house yesterday talking about some kind of peacekeeping force there. we've heard keir starmer talk about the u.k. willingness to talk about support for that. is there support in the u.k. for some kind of peacekeeping troops on the ground in ukraine? sir david: well, there's a huge amount of support among the british public for ukraine. the issue about peacekeeping

troops, i don't think they know the principles, you know, what was involved. there seems to be a great deal of confusion. are we talking about a peacekeeping force that would be a tripwire, so that if the russians attack yet again, they would immediately find themselves on the front lines? are we talking about a peacekeeping force that is well behind the lines, perhaps helping to train, perhaps monitoring what is going on in the country? what would happen if the russians did attack again, which seems very likely at the moment. so i think what is quite clear is the prime minister and president macron really need to consider putting troops on the ground, but i think that this would have to come witha an american commitment to back it up, too. it cannot just be done with european forces. caitriona: to secure the

alliances, do you think sir keir starmer will have any luck trying to get a trade deal? he was not successful under the biden administration. sir david: i think getting an overall free-trade agreement is very unlikely and always has been. those who advocated brexit that it would be an easy sell, but there are firm differences between the two countries on issues. that is not rule out new cooperation in digital areas, ai and high-tech areas. but i do not expect to see a new free-trade agreement. caitriona: ok, sir david manning, thank you for joining us on bbc news. after weeks of wrangling, u.s. house of representatives speaker mike johnson is pushing for a vote late on tuesday evening, but with a slim majority, you can only afford to lose one

republican vote. he's facing pushback on his left and his right. republicans and some bishops are concerned about followed after possible cuts to medicaid, the health program, of course, for pooerer americans, a budget cut i could see the budget followed by as much as $800 million. meanwhile, republicans are demanding bigger cuts. but the democratic leader in the house of representatives, hakeem jeffries, held a rally and said that is not going to happen this time. rep. jackson: reason they will not get a single democratic vote. why? because we are voting with the american people. we are voting with the american people. [applause] we will push back against the republican budget today. we will push back republican

budget tomorrow. we will push back against the reckless republican budget until it is buried deep in the ground, never to rise again. caitriona: survivors recall the horror in goma. 226 children burned to death. they told the bbc they want just as they don't expect to get. the fire, it is believed, to have been started by male in mates as m23 rebels were closing in on goma. up to 4000 men are thought to have broken out. women also escaped. many work rape -- were raped. from goma, our correspondent

orla guerin reports. you may find details of this r report distressing. orla: back to a place of horror. two survivors returned to goma central prison for the first time in a long time. they want to tell their stories and have chosen to be filmed. they enter the main yard of the women's prison, where many use to sleep, crammed together. within these yards, women and children were screaming for help when fire broke out in the night. no one came. their jailers had fled, fearing the rebel advance. a month on, there are human remains among the ashes. and for these women, another trauma. they tell us they were among many raped here.

she says their attackers came over the wall from the men's section. >> i was raped violently and passed out here while the second man was raping me, i cam to. he told me he would kill me if i try to escape. the lucky ones got out without being raped. orla: by morning, utter chaos and a mass jailbreak. dark smoke billowed from the prison as thousands of the men managed to get away. m23 rebels were already in the city. back in the women's section,

still no escape, another hour passed before anyone came to free the survivors and to count the dead. >> instead of opening the door, they let us die like animals in the prison. when i sleep at night, everything comes back to me. i see the dead again. all the bodies i saw before i got out. orla: among the dead, 23 children, our sources say. a survivor who did not want to appear on camera told us some of the children started to die when police fired tear gas into the prison, though it was already ablaze. in a goma hospital, we meet another survivor, seeta, who was

pulled from the flames by a friend. she is in constant pain from severe burns and in mourning for her two-year-old daughter. >> i had ester on my back, she says, when we wanted to escape, and something fell on her. a bomb, i don't know. she died on the spot. orla: she tells me ester was just starting to walk and was without sin. she and the other survivors we spoke to said no one had contacted them to take their testimony. not the rebels in charge of goma now nor the government who used to run the prison. you can see here how the roof caved right in and how intense the blaze was. there are scorch marks all around on the walls and lots of

rubble and ash on the ground. the full story of what happened here may never be known, but we do know that women and children were trapped here, left inside, unable to escape. survivors have told us they do not expect justice. the prison now stands as a silent reminder of those who died here and an indictment of those who left them. orla guerin, bbc news, goma. caitriona: the bbc has asked the government for a response to what the survivors have told us, but so far, we have not received one. let's have a look as some other news from around the world. the vatican says pope francis remains in critical condition, but he is stable. his prognosis remains died, but he it -- dire, but he is working

from his sick bed. the 88-year-old pontiff is spending his month in hospital. south korea's suspended president apologized again for his attempt to impose martial law last year. but in the last hearing of his impeachment trial, he denied insurrection. he was charged with insurrection charges and could face the death penalty. syria's interim leader says the country has a historic opportunity to rebuild after the fall of bashar al-assad's regime. he made the comments at a congress of 600 delegates in damascus. critics say the process is rough, and key ethnic groups have been left out. now, sky watchers will be

treated to a planetary parade this week. seven planets, mars, jupiter, venus, uranus, neptune, and saturn, will all be visible in the evening sky. it will be the last time seven planets will be seen simultaneously so clearly until 2040. here is our science correspondent. >> for weeks, we've been able to see as many as six planets in the night sky. now this planetary parade has reached its climax, with mure creek also coming in -- mercury also coming into view, completing the set. among those catching a glimpse is scotland's astronomer royal. rpof. heymans: in hopes of the western horizon where mercury is joining the rest of the planets in the planetary parade. unfortunately, the weather gods

are against me. the clouds have rolled in from the west. but i can still see venus flying right up there, jupiter is up there, and i've got mars in the east. so i can see the best planets, even if the elusive mercury cannot be same. >> usually you cannot see them all in one go, because they go round at different speeds. right now, they are all in the right place to see in the night sky. mercury, venus, mars, and jupiter are visible with the naked eye. saturn is low on the horizon, and for uranus and neptune, you will need 80 telescope, because they are so far away. what is the best way of seeing the planetary parade? >> you need to start pretty much in twilight, as soon as the sun has set, and then you need to look over at mercury and saturn over in the west. don't be disappointed if they are hard to pick out. above them, really very

obviously is venus, the brightest of the planets. absolutely sparkling. you cannot miss it. if you have a telescope, you can find neptune and uranus. further around still is jupiter. that is really bright, too. it should be very easy to pick out. further out in the eastern sky is mars, and that has a distinct pinkish-reddish color so that stands out to. >> how often does this kind of thing happen? dr. massey: planet parade's are pretty rare. we will be able to see it in the u.k., so even the kids will not have gone to bed by the time it is in the sky. >> all seven planets will be visible for the next few days. the next time to see them all again is in june 2040. caitriona: remember, you can keep up-to-date with all of the news, including that developing story from ukraine, in relation

to the minerals deal, on our website, bbc.com/news. you can follow us on your favorite social media platforms. that is it for today's world news america. i'm caitriona perry. thanks so much for watching. narrator: funding for presentation of this program is provided by... bdo, accountants and advisors, funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation, the judy and peter blum kovler foundation, upholding freedom by strengthening democracies at home and abroad. ♪ ♪ usa today calls it "arguably the best bargain in streaming" that's because the free pbs app let's you watch the best of pbs anytime, anywhere.

amna: good evening. i'm amna nawaz. geoff: and i'm geoff bennett. on the "news hour" tonight, the white house says it will decide which news organizations can routinely cover president trump, raising questions about freedom of the press. amna: a measles outbreak in west texas spreads amid declining childhood vaccinations. geoff: how a lack of resources for students with disabilities could soon be made worse by

efforts to disnt