now on bbc news, hardtalk‘s stephen sackur speaks to american writer carl hiaasen. florida to meet the author, carl hiassen. his writing is fuelled by anger and corrupt politicians, crooked businessmen and environmental vandals. crooked businessmen and environmentalvandals. so, crooked businessmen and environmental vandals. so, is crooked businessmen and environmentalvandals. so, is this the place where the american dream turned sour? carl hiaasen, welcome to hardtalk. happy to have me on, thank you. here we sit in florida, the state you were born in, raised in, have worked in all your life, and you're still here. what keeps you, in this state that you confess is crazy? um... i think it's where my family is from, i think one of the things about writers as you have to care about what you write about, and as messed up as this state is, as absolutely screwed up and insane, i still care about it. my family is here. either that or i'm just too lazy to leave. i will also say there are weeks when you see the stream of headlines that come out of florida where even a diehard

carl hiaasen, welcome to hardtalk. happy to have me on, thank you. sit in florida, the state you were born in, you're still here. what keeps you in a state that you confess is crazy? um... i think it's where my family is from, i think one of the things about writers is you have to care about what you write about, and as messed up as this state is, as absolutely screwed up and insane as this state is, i still care about it. all my family's here. either that or i'm just too lazy to leave. but i will also say that there are weeks where you see the stream of headlines that come out of florida, where even a diehard floridian will say, there's got to be some place better to live, and less crazy. i have those weeks where ijust go, what am i doing here? take me back to your childhood, because you have portrayed it as a state that was very different. and we're going back to the 1950s and early 1960s, when you were a kid growing up. it seems like you felt about it in a very different way. i did, but when i was a kid, we grew up in — west of fort lauderdale, an

carl hiaasen, welcome to hardtalk. hgppy carl hiaasen, welcome to hardtalk.o have me on, thank you. here we sit in florida, the state you we re we sit in florida, the state you were born in, racing, have worked in all your life, and you are still here. what keeps you, in this state that you confess is crazy? um... i think it is where my family is from, i think one of the things about writers as you have to care about what you write about, and is messed up what you write about, and is messed up as this state use, it is absolutely screwed up and insane, i still care about it. my family is here. either that i am just too lazy to leave. i will also say there are weeks when you see the stream of headlines that come out of florida where even a diehard floridians service, there has got to be some place that had to live, less crazy. i have those weeks where ijust go, what am i doing here? take me back to your childhood, because you have portrayed it as a state that was very different. and we are going back to the 1950s and early 1960s, when you are a kid growing up.

carl hiaasen, thank you very much. thank you. thanks for having me on. it was really a pleasure.ing into the mid, even the high teens. it looks like the temperatures will ease back down a little bit for at least two or three days before they will start rising once again. and, in fact, by the weekend, it could be exceptionally mild across the uk. in the short term, clouds are drifting across the country. these are weather fronts. also, some showers in the forecast too, so not a completely dry picture on monday. in fact, the showers getting into many western parts, some across scotland too. they could be short and sharp through the course of monday, but i think as far as early monday morning is concerned, many of us still having a lot of dry weather. and very mild. when you step out there, monday morning, 9 degrees in the south of the country. that's closer to our daytime temperature and that's the start of the day. so, monday, lots of showers, i think, across western scotland, bit of a breeze here round the coasts. hail and thunder is possible. and one or two showers possible also