barbara plett usher on caitol vivid way. barbara plett usher on capitol hill. _ vivid way. rbara plett usher on capitol hill, thank you _ vivid way. barbara plett usher on capitol hill, thank you so - vivid way. barbara plett usher on capitol hill, thank you so much i vivid way. barbara plett usher on | capitol hill, thank you so much for that. the us constitution is taking centre stage this week on capitol hill. democrats argued there is a precedent to try an official after he left office. but most republicans argue the constitution is murky on the matter. joining us now is kim wehle, professor at the university of baltimore school of law. you have written a book on the constitution, you know it better pretty much than anyone else. is it the case that a former president, donaldj trump, can be tried for an impeachable offence after he has left office? we impeachable offence after he has left office? ~ ~' ., impeachable offence after he has left office? ~ ~ ., ., left office? we will never know for sure unless _ left office? we will never know for sure unless they _ left offi

let's discuss this further, are a state department correspondent barbara plett usher is in washingtonarbara, idon�*t barbara plett usher is in washington for us. barbara, i don't know if you've been keeping up—to—date with these lines, they are coming through as i'm speaking to you. what do we make of saudi arabia's reaction? well, from what you have read, it's on similar to what the kingdom has said before, that this was a rogue operation and that they have taken steps against the individuals involved and that it won't happen again. or involved and that it won't happen again. 0rtaken involved and that it won't happen again. or taken steps to make sure that it doesn't happen again, so they have jailed eight individuals which they charged and convicted of having been involved. they did sack five senior governments members, including several close aides to the crown prince, although, they did not and up convicting any of them. as far as the kingdom goes, they believe this is a closed case, and what you have read there, thousand sound to me like they are changing that line. 1, ., sound t

, barbara plett usher, who joins us now.bara, it has been fascinating viewing, so what did you make of the way they presented their case today? what were they really focusing on? you remember in the very graphic video they show yesterday, re—enacting or showing the anatomy of the riot and forcing senators to relive that trauma as part of their case. today, it was very much focused on piece by piece talking about mr trump's role and intent during the attack, because to establish or to prove incitement, you have to show intent, until it theyis you have to show intent, until it they is they showed the history of mr trump, they is they showed the history of mrtrump, that they is they showed the history of mr trump, that he had a history of inciting violence. they used his, for example, some of his statement at rallies where he condoned violence against protesters. they also, and quite an important segment, showed how supporters believed that they were following mr trump's orders and they used to their supporters own words and vi

barbara plate usher. what are we expecting in this next stage —— barbara plett usher. in this next stage -- barbara plett ion we just finished, _ usher. they haven't advertise in the section we just finished, which - usher. they haven't advertise in the section we just finished, which was l section we just finished, which was this new video that had not been shown before from the security cameras. they will continue with the argument they're making, which is that president trump meticulously prepared over months his arguments against the election and ultimately can be held responsible for the violence that ensued after the rally. but people haven't said exactly how they will do that in and a detailed way. they have 16 hours in total to present their case. they've done it for almost eight hours today already, and they can only go for eight hours and then they have tomorrow as well. but they have relied very much on visual evidence, on mr trump �*s my own words, his tweets, his comments that have been brought broadcast —— mr trump's own words. comments from his supporters showing what their plans were and s

let us bring in now barbara plett usher, whojoins let us bring in now barbara plett usher, who joins make of what we have heard so far? well, it was lona have heard so far? well, it was ian: and have heard so far? well, it was long and detailed, _ have heard so far? well, it was long and detailed, and - have heard so far? well, it was long and detailed, and i - have heard so far? well, it was long and detailed, and i can't l long and detailed, and i can't of what the democrats say proves that president trump —— account of what the democrats say proves that donald trump... it goes beyond january 6, starts with the way he discarded the election even before it happened, saying that it would be fraudulent if you lost. they described how he had come up with phrases that were repeated again and again, claims this was premeditated to create a well of support amongst the people who supported them to back his claim, and then after the election, he took that up a notch. they also described in some detail how they believed that he knew that his supporters were violent, that he had praised previ

let's bring in barbara plett usher, live with us on capital hill.u and me both, you may have noticed mr castor has not asked a mention mr trump's name yet. he started out by condemning the attack on generally sixth, say whoever committed the crime should be punished, and then talking about how senators were really good people, and i thought he was winding up towards saying they should not be swayed by their passions to go in the wrong direction with this, but, yeah, it is quite a convoluted, long—winded discussion, perhaps he feels he has two hours to fill and he needs to take some time getting there. he doesn't have a video show thatjamie raskin had that there. he doesn't have a video show that jamie raskin had that we saw his last section of the democrats, so, yes, ithink his last section of the democrats, so, yes, i think we have not really seen the threat of his argument yet. but to be clear, but we are expecting him to address, at some point, is whether this trial should even be happening in the first place. is that right?— even be happening in

laura: joining us now is barbara plett-usher on capitol hill.ay about raw emotion on the side of the democrats as they revisited the events of january 6 and the former president's role, and procedural arguments on the republican side? barbara: yeah, i think that is probably a good way to describe it. it was definitely with that video that the democrats showed, they wanted to remind people about the worst of what had happened. they wanted to remind the american public, but also the republicans who were there on that day, who were shocked and horrified but have been reluctant to criticize mr. trump. so tha was very much part of what they wereoing. this was supposed to be a technical argument about whether the senate hadurisdiction to try a president longer in office. although the democrats did address those arguments, they went after the merit of the case. on mr. trump's side, yes, there was an argument about why the senate did not have jurisdiction in their view, although it was quite a long time coming. bruce castor was quite rambling as he trie

barbara plett usher reports. another day of winter misery for texas.s of people are still without power. this historic storm has generated an epic energy crisis in america's energy state. it's freezing cold and people are seeking warmth wherever they can find it, even in this furniture store. getting food has also become a mission, rationed out in places as supplies have started to run low. and the catastrophe has triggered the politics of climate change. the republican governor blamed clean energy for the scale of the power failure. 0urwind and oursolar got shut down, and they were collectively more than 10% of our power grid. that thrust texas into a situation where it was lacking power in a state—wide basis. it just shows that fossil fuel is necessary. in fact, the state's grid operator reports that every source of energy got crushed by the cold. the power plant simply didn't prepare for such a winter. the democratic author of a sweeping policy on global warning challenged the governor. she said the texas crisis showed the urgency of addressing clim

barbara plett usher, bbc news, washington.protests have been taking place in myanmar, in one of the largest shows of defiance since the coup which deposed aung san suu kyi's government two weeks ago. tens of thousands of people joined rallies in the biggest city, yangon, the capital, naypyitaw, and in mandalay. russia has rejected a call from the european court of human rights — to free the jailed kremlin critic, alexei navalny. thejustice minister said, the court in strasbourg had reached an �*unlawful decision�* which amounted to wanton interference in russia's affairs. protests have been taking place in the catalonia region of spain for a second night running in support of a catalan communist rapper. pablo hasel has been jailed for lyrics and online posts deemed slanderous and pro—terrorist. supporters of chile's most popular football club, colo—colo, have been celebrating victory in a play—off match that stopped them from being relegated. hundreds of security forces were deployed after the club's biggest supporters�* group

barbara plett usher there. we spoke to kathryn brownell.nd university faculty scholar in the department of history at purdue university. she says the house impeachment managers have done a really effective job in laying out the facts and timeline. the house impeachment managers have done a really effective job in foregrounding the hard evidence. they've laid out the facts, the timeline, the very concrete link between trump and the insurrectionists, and they've also put that into that broader context about notjust what happened onjanuary 6 but in the months, even the years, beforehand, and then really talking into his response as well. and a lot of the video that we've been seeing has been very powerful. what do you think of the way it's been presented, because there had been concerns that the democrats might put on a somewhat hollywood—style version of that video? well, i think the power of the presentation is in the evidence and not any glitz and glamour surrounding it, and that's why it's so effective. and this has actually been true in t

barbara plett usher, bbc news, washington.mospheric scientist and meteorologist for the washington post. i asked him why things were so bad. so, believe it or not, this actually started back in earlyjanuary with a disrupion to the polar vortex. think about your coffee in the morning, you're stirring the little coffe, you get this dip in the middle with the vortex. but just like your cup of coffee, if you interrupt the vortex, all that fluid starts to come back up and push towards the edges. that's exactly what happened over the north pole back in mid—january. it filled in, it pushed cold air all the way down the mid—latitudes, and then you have big loads of cold going all the way down in south central us. it's been very difficult so far, 7 million people without power right now. 38 cm of snow in parts of texas, and temperatures down to —34 degrees the plains in parts of. i think people really want to know how long will this last, matthew? well, the good news is there is an end in sight right now. it looks like the cold will re

barbara plett usher, bbc news, washington.authorities have charged three north korean hackers, accusing them of a scheme to steal $1.3 billion from banks and businesses around the world. joining me to discuss is former cia analyst sue mi terry, who also served on the national security council under presidents george w bush and obama. thank bush and obama. you very much for your time. thank you very much for your time. what do you make of this? there is no way that north korea is going to write it citizens to face justice in the united states, what is the point really of these charges? it's still important to point out and highlight for the world that north korea has become one of the most... (audio gapo). i of the most... (audio gapo). i don't know if you can hear me, but we may need to re—establish comms with you. tell me about more, if you would stop you know, i'm very sorry stopping at the moment we have lost your sound. we willaim at the moment we have lost your sound. we will aim to get it back and come back to you. back

barbara plett usher, bbc news, washington.pucci is an atmospheric scientist and meteorologist for the washington post. texans texa ns a re texans are bracing themselves for another long, cold night. why, in your understanding, is the situation so bad? , ., ., , so bad? so, believe it or not, this actually started _ so bad? so, believe it or not, this actually started back _ so bad? so, believe it or not, this actually started back in _ so bad? so, believe it or not, this actually started back in early - actually started back in early january that disrupted the polar vortex. think about your coffee in the morning commute restrain it's coming yet, this dip in the middle with the vortex. butjust like your cup of coffee if you interrupted, all that fluid starts to come back up all that fluid starts to come back up and push towards the edges. that's exactly what happened over the north pole back injanuary. it filled in, it pushed cold air all the way down the latitudes and then you have big loads of coal going all the way down in s

barbara plett usher, bbc news, washington.grip of severe snow storms as the cold weather of recent days shows little sign of easing. poland, germany, the netherlands and the uk are amongst those countries that have seen plunging temperatures and widespead travel disruption. the bbc�*s tim allman has more. it seems like an entire continent has come almost to a grinding halt. this was poland — cars and lorries barely moving as traffic jams formed in and around warsaw. cities across the country blanketed in snow, a hazard for commuters and pedestrians alike. translation: it's hard, i wouldn't recommend i the elderly to go out. it's difficult to walk. i'm not 20 years old and i don't want to fall over and break something. snowploughs tried to clear major roads in germany, but they were a little too late for some — a lorry jackknifed and on its side south of berlin. in the netherlands, it has been described as the first proper snow storm to hit the country in more than a decade. code red national emergency was declared, motorists t

barbara plett usher, bbc news, washington. the headlines on bbc news...le, as it closes in on its target of 15 millionjabs. meanwhile, leading british scientists warn vaccines must be made available to poorer countries in order to bring the pandemic under control. former president donald trump is expected to be acquitted when senators vote on his second impeachment trial later today. the united nations�* human rights council has passed a resolution deploring the military coup in myanmar, and calling for the immediate release of aung san suu kyi and others who've been detained. hundreds of thousands of people have taken part in protests in cities across the country. mark lobel reports. the stand—off between protesters and police is deepening. rubber bullets fired on the streets in the south—east of the country. casualties amongst those standing firm against the coup. 0thers taken away. it is not what the military hoped for from their february the 1st takeover. could their authority now fade into thin air? translation: we need to maintain this dignity. | du

barbara plett usher, bbc news, washington.tist doctor lauren rowe says trump's defence lawyers could have used stronger arguments. defence lawyers could have used strongerarguments. it defence lawyers could have used stronger arguments.— stronger arguments. it was very scattershot- — stronger arguments. it was very scattershot. that _ stronger arguments. it was very scattershot. that is _ stronger arguments. it was very scattershot. that is not - stronger arguments. it was very scattershot. that is not to - stronger arguments. it was very scattershot. that is not to say i scattershot. that is not to say there aren't some cleaner, more straightforward arguments that trump's legal team could have made. they could have taken said chris's advice, perhaps, and constantly with the argument that we should treat this as a legal proceeding and the standards should be the legal definition of incitement, which is a high bar. they could have made the argument that it is impossible to prove, that in trump's absence the attack on the capito

barbara plett usher, bbc news, washington.iplomats from the us, britain, france and germany are due to hold talks today to discuss ways of reviving the 2015 nuclear deal with iran. tehran says it will take further measures that violate the agreement if sanctions against it are not lifted by next week. the iranians began breaching the deal in retaliation for president trump's decision to abandon it and re—impose economic sanctions on tehran. protests have been taking place in the catalonia region of spain for a second night running in support of a catalan communist rapper. pablo hasel has been jailed for lyrics and online posts deemed slanderous and pro—terrorist. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: all the very latest from the tennis. goes head to head with naomi 0saka for place in final. nine years and 15,000 deaths after going into afghanistan, the last soviet troops were finally coming home. the withdrawal completed in good order, but the army defeated in the task it had been sent to perform. malcolm has been murdered.

our north america correspondent, barbara plett usher, reports from washington.tal detail, the prosecution put forward its case to be if you don't find this a high crime and misdemeanour today, you have set a new, terrible standard for presidential conduct in the united states of america. democrats focused on donald trump as mark rule and his intent, arguing the violence was foreseeable and he willingly encouraged it. showing mr trump had a history of inciting political violence, that his supporters listen and got the message study we have wonderful security guys, they said mrtrump, there wonderful security guys, they said mr trump, there may have somebody with the metres in the audience to be if you have somebody getting ready to throw a tomato, not the crap out of them, would you? seriously. the writers at the capitol building did believe they were following the president's orders, their own words presented as evidence. ~ . _ evidence. we are invited by the president of the united states! and much was made mr trump's lack of remorse. this man he was a danger to

barbara plett usher, bbc news, washington.on saturday — but we have a lot more on the website including this from the bbc reality check team — who've been factchecking the claims presented during the trial so far — just head over to the website news for more details. the biden administration says it will start allowing tens of thousands of asylum seekers into the us who are currently forced to wait in mexico. it says it will begin processing about 25,000 people with active cases next week. asylum seekers will first be required to register and pass a covid—19 test. the united nations' human rights council has passed a resolution deploring the military coup in myanmar, and calling for the immediate release of aung san suu kyi and others who've been detained. hundreds of thousands of people have taken part in protests in cities across the country, which are now entering their eighth day, as mark lobel reports. the stand—off between protesters and police is deepening. rubber bullets fired on the streets in the south—east of the co

barbara plett usher looks at what we can expect from the trial. shouting.sfer of power was shaken. the capitol stormed by armed supporters of the president to stop congress from declaring his election defeat. the ragged insurrection jolted lawmakers into action. members of the lower chamber, including some republicans, charged donald trump with inciting the riots. we fight like hell and if you don't fight like hell, you're _ not going to have i a country any more. president trump used fiery language that day, his lawyers say he was simply exercising his right to free speech. we are going to walkl down to the capitol... but democrats plan to use his own words against him. crowd: take the capitol! they say the evidence is all out there. live streamed and live tweeted. shouting. fight for trump. and they will present it in vivid colour for the nation to see. no one will be able to avert their gaze from what mr trump said and did, and the consequences of his actions. singing. five people died during the riot. here, a memorial service for a capitol police office

barbara plett usher, bbc news, washington. from washington now. and we remember the fact you were actually inside at the time, when all this was going on. from your point of view, how did yesterday reflect what was going on?— was going on? well, sally, i think, was going on? well, sally, i think. yeah. _ was going on? well, sally, i think, yeah, it— was going on? well, sally, i think, yeah, it was - was going on? well, sally, i think, yeah, it was very - think, yeah, it was very emotional to watch. it was a difficult watch, anything you don't realise when you're in a situation like that, we were in one part of the capitol complex, you have no idea what is happening in the rest of the building, let alone equate vast complex there where the congress buildings are, where the capitol is, so, to see the violence being played out and also the kind of models they have showing you exactly where the insurrection nests were at particular times, there was all of this footage we have in before. and audio we hadn't seen before stopping the

barbara plett usher is with us. she is on capitol hill.ots were preplanned, that president trump's speech had nothing to do with it, i don't know if you can take us through the details of how he mounted that case, what points did he highlight? i think there are two ways he mounted that case. he focused very narrowly on president trump's speech saying that the timing of it really, that the people who carried out the riot were already gathering even while he was speaking, that there reports already beforehand that they were planning this type of attack and therefore mr trump's speech could not have incited them. that's essentially the argument he was making, he also focus narrowly on the words of the speech saying that there was no explicit call to violence. so he is basically dismissing the democrats argument which is that he created over a period of two months after losing the election a kind of narrative about how the election had been stolen and that the only way to get what the american people had coming to them as their right was to ta

barbara plett usher, bbc news, washington.y, what you exect? , , . ., it could be brief today, what you exect? , , ., ,, ., it could be brief today, what you exect? , , ., 4' ., it could be brief today, what you exect? , , ., ,, ., , expect? yes, there is talk of may be onl three expect? yes, there is talk of may be only three or— expect? yes, there is talk of may be only three or four _ expect? yes, there is talk of may be only three or four hours _ expect? yes, there is talk of may be only three or four hours for - expect? yes, there is talk of may be only three or four hours for the - only three or four hours for the defence to put their case today and they will focus really on the president's the former president's first amendment rights, in other words, the question of free speech. he was allowed to say what he said because of free speech, they will argue. they will also use some examples from democrats, possibly even bernie sanders, of speeches they have made with pretty fiery rhetoric in them and they will also argue th

let's cross live to washington and speak to our correspondent barbara plett usher. tions does the biden administration have? what barbara, what options does the biden administration have?— administration have? what it has mostly been _ administration have? what it has mostly been talking _ administration have? what it has mostly been talking about - administration have? what it has mostly been talking about is - administration have? what it has mostly been talking about is the | mostly been talking about is the possibility of sanctions. although it depends on really what kind of sanctions you're talking about. in recent years there have been targeted sanctions placed against military leaders because of this campaign against the muslims. of course you remember the americans had a pretty sweeping economic embargo during those decades of military rule. they began to live that in phases when the tradition to democracy started in 2011. mr biden seems to be referring to the possibility of restoring that type of sanctions. he said he's called for a review and he's going to

laura: barbara plett-usher, thank you so much for that. the u.s.is taking center stage this week. democrats argue there is a precedent to try and official after heeaves office, but most republicans argue the constitution is murky on the matter. joining us is kim whaley, professor at the university of baltimore school of law. you have written a book on the constitution. you know it better than pretty much anyone else. is it the case that a former president, donald j. trump, can be tried for an impeachable offense after he has left office? kim: we will never know for sure unless it were to go to the u.s. supreme court, which it not likely to do. but in terms of precedent, yes, there has not been a president but a secretary of war who had a trial after he left office. i think so long as the articles of impeachment happened when they are in office, it makes sense to have the trial after office, because the impeachment clauses of the constitution include two possible remedies. one is removal and the other is banning someone from holding public office, a

let's cross life to our correspondent barbara plett usher, who is life on capitol hill.sy day today. the senate has adjourned for today will somewhat next? what next is, the senate will resume its deliberations tomorrow and it looks like they are moving speedily towards a vote, so in the morning, they are going to first of all vote to see whether to call witnesses post up that almost her lea's not going to happen, and then both sides will make their closing arguments. you might get a certain amount of debate or speeches from the floor. the senators have not been allowed to say anything throughout this process, but then we are expecting things to move quickly to a vote sometime tomorrow, saturday afternoon, and that would make it the fastest impeachment trial in american history, starting on tuesday and ending on saturday, so less than a week.— so less than a week. barbara, are americans _ so less than a week. barbara, are americans following - so less than a week. barbara, are americans following this i are americans following this trial the way the rest of the world are

barbara plett usher, bbc news, washington. than 100, but the attempt was spotted and blocked. no arrests have been made and police are not sure if the attack came from within the us, or abroad. mary wilson, who co—founded the supremes and remained a member of the group until they split up, has died at the age of 76. # the supremes were known for hits such as baby love and you can't hurry love. the group was founded in detroit as the primettes in 1959, when wilson was 15 years old. wilson was an original member of the group alongside diana ross, florence ballard and barbara martin. i'm joined now by music producer and motown historian paul nixon. how are you? how would you and says mary wilson pulls my contribution to motown? she mary wilson pulls my contribution to motown? ,, ., , ., ., , motown? she was part of the group that ut motown? she was part of the group that put the — motown? she was part of the group that put the label— motown? she was part of the group that put the label on _ motown? she was part of the group that

barbara plett usher, bbc news, washington.wn for hits such as baby love and you can�*t hurry love — and its music became a defining sound of the 1960s. after leaving the supremes, mary wilson continued as a concert performer, and became more involved in political activism. david sillito looks back at her life. # 0oh, need to hold you...# mary wilson. the supremes. ba by love. # set me free why don�*t you, babe...# you keep me hangin�* 0n. # i remember mama said...# you can�*t hurry love. they were a motown hit machine, five number—one singles in a row. #..it�*s a game of give and take...# mary wilson had formed the group with herfriend, florence ballard, when they were teenagers. then they werejoined by a neighbour, diana ross. and then, they headed to the office of motown in detroit. every day, after school, we would catch the bus to motown, sit on the steps. eventually, we got into the lobby. we�*d sit in the lobby. and every day, we�*d do that until eventually, they signed us. we pestered them — to death! i am just so thril

barbara plett usher, bbc news, washington.t fans for there will continue without fans for the next five days. a short, sharp circuit breaker is being imposed across victoria, australia's second most populous state. the growing cluster of infections is linked to a quarantine hotel at melbourne airport. australians returning home must go into isolation for at least two weeks on arrival. health officials say the snap coronavirus lockdown is in response to the hyper—infectious uk variant. it's thought to have been spread in the hotel by a nebuliser, a device that vaporises medicine, that was used by a family who tested positive. stay—at—home orders will apply to millions of people. schools will close and facemasks are mandatory. the australian open will continue in melbourne, but tennis fans won't be allowed to attend for at least five days. the victorian premier, daniel andrews, says there's no time to lose. if we wait for this theory that it might be out there, there might be more cases than we know about, if we wait for that to

we can cross live to our correspondent barbara plett usher on capitol hill. days in, what do you think the trial rests on? i the week. three days in, what do you think the trial rests on?— think the trial rests on? i think three days _ think the trial rests on? i think three days in. _ think the trial rests on? i think three days in, it _ think the trial rests on? i think three days in, it looks - think the trial rests on? i think three days in, it looks as - think the trial rests on? i think three days in, it looks as if, i three days in, it looks as if, ultimately, the senators are going to see this still through the prism, political prism, of their various parties. i think it looks pretty clear that most of the republicans will still vote for acquittal also i think also what is clear is that both of them wanted to be over as girly as possible. we are expecting a foot by the end tomorrow, which will be the fastest impeachment trial in history —— as quickly as possible. but in terms of what has been achieved, i would think the democrats came in with a clear g

barbara plett usher, washington.ut taking action, but what action is available to the americans?— action is available to the americans? , ., ., , ., , americans? he has put out a strongly worded statement _ americans? he has put out a strongly worded statement that _ americans? he has put out a strongly worded statement that is _ americans? he has put out a strongly worded statement that is notable - americans? he has put out a strongly worded statement that is notable for| worded statement that is notable for a number of reasons. one, he has said that this is a direct assault on the transition to democracy and the rule of law. he has also called for an international response. he says the international community should unite to press the military to relinquish the power it sees and release those that interested, with the resurgence on communications and he says they should act together, the world community, to hold the generals accountable if they don't do that. and then he has also threatened sanctions. he said we,

i've been speaking to barbara plett usher about how president biden�*s stance differs from his predecessor trump. he had very strong statements about russia as you heard there, signalling that he would stand up to president putin in a way that mr trump very obviously did not. but he did also try to contrast himself in other ways, broadly he talked about restoring alliances and rebutting alliances that have been strained under president trump. and rejoining international organisations, and putting diplomacy at the centre of things. he also talked about policy changes. he reversed a decision that president trump had made to withdraw a certain number of troops that are stationed in germany and he also said that he would raise the cap on the number of refugees that are allowed to come to the country by about eight times. at the moment the number is 15,000. he wanted to raise it 125,000. so in tone and policy, he did try to send the signal that he was taking a very different approach. looking at the fact that he wants to bring america back to a place within diplomacy that it once enjoyed in his

barbara plett usher, bbc news, washington.quipment during the first months of the pandemic, according to a report by mps. the public accounts committee says care sector staff were particularly neglected. the department of health and social care says it's worked "tirelessly to procure, produce and deliver ppe". people are being urged not to copy or share videos on social media which show claims of preventative treatments for coronavirus. the royal college of physicians — which represents tens of thousands of doctors — say the clips can be misleading and incredibly dangerous, with some videos viewed hundreds of thousands of times. sima kotecha reports. message alert. a video message from mum on whatsapp. and today i�*m going to tell you something very important, very imperative information which can save us all from the infection of coronavirus. the practice is very simple. you need to inhale plain steam — plain water steam. klaxon. 'of course, this is untrue, but his videos have been viewed of course, this is untrue, but his vi

barbara plett usher looks at what we can expect from the trial. shouting.ul transfer of power was shaken. the capitol stormed by armed supporters of the president to stop congress from declaring his election defeat. the ragged insurrectionjolted lawmakers into action. members of the lower chamber, including some republicans, charged donald trump with inciting the riots. we fight like hell and if you don�*t fight like hell, you�*re not going to have a country any more. president trump used fiery language that day, his lawyers say he was simply exercising his right to free speech. we are going to walk down to the capitol... but democrats plan to use his own words against him. crowd: take the capitol! they say the evidence is all out there. live streamed and live tweeted. shouting. fight for trump. and they will present it in vivid colour for the nation to see. no one will be able to avert their gaze from what mr trump said and did, and the consequences of his actions. singing. five people died during the riot. here, a memorial service for a capitol police off

barbara plett usher, bbc news, washington.ore than doubled in the last year. the group, which is currently working on adapting its vaccine to cope with new strains of coronavirus, reported pre—tax profits of 2.8 billion pounds for 2020, that's despite offering its vaccine on a not—for—profit basis. it's also suggested that if it needed to produce an amended version of the vaccine to combat these new strains, it could do so at scale in as little as six months. prisoners are being kept locked up for up to 90% of their day because of coronavirus restrictions. the prisons watchdog say that the extra restrictions, which began in march, have led to a decline in their mental and physical health and a rise in drug taking and self—harm. the report also found the long—term consequences of such an extended and restrictive regime could be "profound", with some newly released offenders ill—prepared for life outside meaning re—offending is more likely. a drug that suppresses appetite has led to some people losing more than a fifth of their

our correspondent barbara plett usher told me more about how the biden administration is poised to respond. what it has mostly been talking about is the possibility of sanctions. although it depends on really what kind of sanctions you're talking about. in recent years there have been targeted sanctions placed against military leaders because of this campaign against the muslims. of course you remember the americans had a pretty sweeping economic embargo during those decades of military rule. they began to lift that in phases when the tradition to democracy started in 2011. mr biden seems to be referring to the possibility of restoring that type of sanctions. he said he's called for a review and he's going to take action appropriately. that's something that he's keeping open as a possibility. he would need the support of the international community if he wants to effectively isolate the generals. how could all of this effect overall power in that region? particularly that region is by china? it's an interesting question. this is probably the first real test of mr biden china policy. he wil

barbara plett usher reports. on this vote, the ayes at 56, the nays are mr.l because he's no longer president. but the senate voted to proceed. and democrats previewed the case they plan to make — a visual and visceral account of the capitol riot, linking the president's fiery words with disturbing scenes of violence. senators, this cannot be our future. this cannot be the future of america. we cannot have presidents inciting and mobilising mob violence against our government and our institutions because they refuse to accept the will of the people under the constitution of the united states. representative so—and—so seeks to walk back comments about — i forget what it was — something that bothered her. mr trump's lawyers got off to a rambling and rocky start. sources said he didn't sound pleased with their performance. they used their own video evidence to claim that democrats had long been on a mission to impeach the former president, and they dismissed the case as political theatre. i rise today, mr speaker, to call for the impeachment of the president of

barbara plett usher, bbc news, washington.ience at university college london. what did you make of the defence argument as it summed up? to defence argument as it summed up? tr? me, there's almost nothing me, there�*s almost nothing suspenseful about this impeachment trial and a not guilty verdict is a foregone conclusion. everything we have seen so far including from the republican defence, serious observers of american politics were predicting from a mile away. as evidence, republicans used only about three of the four hours —— three or four hours of their allocated hours defending trump and at least some legal experts have suggested that is three more more hours than they needed in the argument is a better strategy would be not to put a defence on at all and just to say that the house managers did not meet their burden to convicts. the minutes of the case as a burden is the politics of the moment and everything really vows to politics here. there is a question of whether a fever public and senators might rebel against trump

we can speak to barbara plett usher, who's at the state department for us: he really did try to contrast as much as possible with his predecessor here. find himself as much as possible with his predecessor here.— predecessor here. and especially on russia he had _ predecessor here. and especially on russia he had very _ predecessor here. and especially on russia he had very strong _ predecessor here. and especially on | russia he had very strong statement about russia and she heard there, signalling that he would stand up to president putin and a way that mr trump very obviously did not. but he did also try to contrast himself in other ways broadly talked about restoring alliances and rebutting alliances that have been strained and the present. and rejoining international organisations, and putting diplomacy at the centre of things. he also talked about policy changes. here is their decision that president trump had made to withdraw a certain number of troops that are stationed in germany and he also said that he would raise the cap on the number of refugees that are allowed to come to th

barbara plett—usher, bbc news, washington.women. he was convicted yesterday after a three—week trial at sheffield crown court. emergency services have warned members of the public to stay away from a large fire on dartmoor. firefighters worked through the night to try and contain the flames which took hold of grassland near tavistock and spread to an area three miles wide. strong winds and poor visibility made it extremely dangerous to tackle the fire, but no homes are under threat. archaelogists say they've found evidence that part of stonehenge is second hand — and was orginally put together in wales. a team from university college london believe there are key elements linking stonehenge to the remains of a welsh ancient stone circle. they say it could give the answer to one of the great mysteries about the monument — why its stones came from so far away, rather than a local quarry. now it's time for a look at the weather. matt taylor has the details. it wasn't quite as cold last night as the night before, was it? it's not o

barbara plett usher, bbc news, washington. we're joined now by steve adler.ht old mets is in it. —— right old mess. how much has come back? -- right old mess. how much has come back? ., , -- right old mess. how much has come back? , ., ,': ~ -- right old mess. how much has come back? , 5; ~ ., -- right old mess. how much has come back? , q; ~ ., ., -- right old mess. how much has come back? , , ., q; ~ ., ., ~, back? probably about 3696 of our city was without power. _ back? probably about 3696 of our city was without power. we _ back? probably about 3696 of our city was without power. we probably - back? probably about 3696 of our city was without power. we probably got| was without power. we probably got that number down to low 30s, but there _ that number down to low 30s, but there is_ that number down to low 30s, but there is still a long way for us to lo. there is still a long way for us to o, . ., there is still a long way for us to go. what advice are you giving to eo - le in go. what advice are you giving to people in austin _ go. what advice are you

barbara plett usher, bbc news, washington. 0ur our top story this lunchtime.ary says the coronavirus pandemic has made changes more, not less, urgent. lull; pandemic has made changes more, not less. urgent-— less, urgent. my 'ob as health secretary h less, urgent. my 'ob as health secretary is _ less, urgent. my 'ob as health secretary is to i less, urgent. my job as health secretary is to make _ less, urgent. my job as health secretary is to make the i less, urgent. my job as health i secretary is to make the system less, urgent. my job as health - secretary is to make the system work for those who work in the system, to free up, to empower, to harness the mission driven capability of team health and care.— mission driven capability of team health and care. coming up on bbc news, eddie _ health and care. coming up on bbc news, eddie jones _ health and care. coming up on bbc news, eddie jones goes _ health and care. coming up on bbc news, eddie jones goes with i news, eddiejones goes with experience for england's six nations match against italy, bringing georg

we can cross live to our correspondent barbara plett usher on capitol hill: you have been following thees. that was the case. your right _ today? was that they ks? yes. that was the case. your right to - today? was that they ks? yes. that was the case. your right to ask i today? was that they ks? yes. that was the case. your right to ask that| was the case. your right to ask that question because it was very short, especially compared to the two days of the democrats case for the prosecution and we did know that mr trump two lawyers would not take the full 16 hours that they have been allocated and would wrap up before even one day i was over but has been a brief and succinct defence and had also been interspersed with a number of video montages, some of them played more than one time, so they played more than one time, so they played inasmuch audiovisual as they could. of course the audiovisual used by the democrats was very much about the ride itself, none of those pictures were used in this defence, it was more about democrats and things they had said and presented them in a way to s

barbara plett—usher, bbc news, washington.kent will become the world's dominant strain, according to the director of the uk's genetic surveillance programme. professor sharon peacock from the covid—19 genomics uk consortium said the variant which has been detected across britain, and in more than 50 countries, is going to sweep the world in all probability. she added that transmissibility was likely to cause scientists difficulties for years to come. when we look at what's happening with the variants circulating in the uk, there was this news that it might be slightly more lethal and i think the jury is still out on that. i don't think the evidence is really firm that it is. oh, really? well, i think it's still under investigation at the moment, but when you look at the number of cases that was caused because of transmission, the number of deaths and illness that it caused simply by being much more transmissible caused numerically more problems for people in this country than it being slightly more lethal, if that does prove t

barbara plett usher, bbc news, washington.treatment plant in oldsmar and tried to increase the amount of sodium hydroxide in the water by a factor of more than 100, but the attempt was spotted and blocked. no arrests have been made, and police are not sure if the attack came from within the us, or abroad. you're welcome to get in touch today, you can send me an e—mail or message me on instagram or twitter. particularly interested to hear from you if you are a black woman with an experience to share about the maternity care you received. the reason i am asking that is because a national inquiry will begin today interracial injustice in the maternity care systems of this country. black women are more likely to die on and more likely to have a pregnancy end in stillbirth than white women. why is that happening? such a shocking statistic. we will talk more about that between half past nine and ten and your own experiences are very welcome, i would like to feed them into the conversation. the headlines on bbc news: all travellers a

i'm joined now by our state department correspondent barbara plett usher, in washington. arbara. it's pretty key, isn't it, that the crown prince has been specifically named in this report? how significant is that? yeah, well, publicly naming him in the us government document as having approved of an operation to capture or kill kush 0b is extraordinary rebuke and one that had been classified and one that had been pushed by congress to be declassified for many years, it's something that the trump administration refused to do in the biden administration agreed to do as part of its reset with saudi arabia. —— khashoggi. focusing more on calling out human rights abuses. so it is very significant. the question is what that will lead to, and there is what that will lead to, and there is pressure to sanction the crown prince since the intelligence assessment hears that he was responsible for this killing. that is very sensitive, however, because he is the defect or ruler of a key us ally and could become the official ruler at any time, really, if his father would pass away. so f

barbara plett—usher, bbc news, washington.good to have you with us. we are going to hear the defence case for donald trump starting later today, but to sum up first how you think the prosecution case has gone. well, the prosecution has done a very good job and some would say just as best as you could expect. they know that they are facing highly unlikely chance of they put together enough film and evidence to really convey not only the violence and terror and damage that was done injanuary the six, but also the in january the six, but also the long chain of injanuary the six, but also the long chain of encouragement that donald trump gave people to behave in that way, leading up to january six. and that is about the best they could do. they also did one really interesting thing. they cast the other republicans in congress is also being victims of what happened on sixth january. and that is despite the fact that several of them have also encouraged and were encouraging ideas like the vote was stolen and the election was fraudul

barbara plett usher, bbc news, washington. have taken to the streets for a fourth consecutive day of demonstrations. they're calling for the restoration of democracy after the military seized power last week — and arrested many leading democratic politicians. the military has banned gatherings of more than five people. a mission to mars is due to orbit the red planet later today. the hope spacecraft still has one of the most dangerous parts of its journey ahead — when it needs to brake forjust the right amount of time to avoid crashing into mars, or missing altogether. sounds pretty important, doesn't it? our global science correspondent rebecca morelle has more. a first for the united arab emirates. this was the moment last summer when it sent its spacecraft to mars. now it's almost reached its destination, but the probe, called hope, has a critical manoeuvre ahead — getting into orbit. it needs to approach mars atjust the right speed and angle. if anything goes wrong, the entire mission will be lost. the spacecraft will stud

i'm joined now by barbara plett usher in washington. before we begin.g means of reaction to this report from the us secretary of state who has means of reaction to this report from the us secretary of state who has announced what he has announced what from the us secretary of state who has announced what he calls a ban on individuals who have engaged in activities and dissidents.- activities and dissidents. that's ri . ht. activities and dissidents. that's riuht. he activities and dissidents. that's right- he has— activities and dissidents. that's right. he has put— activities and dissidents. that's right. he has put in _ activities and dissidents. that's right. he has put in a _ activities and dissidents. that'sl right. he has put in a statement that the first response to this assessment that has not been made public and he calls it the band which would be a visa restriction policy and it would be applied to members who are acting on behalf of a foreign government to threaten, surveilled, harm quorum or harass generalists, at the base or dissidents. th