our north america editor jon sopel reports.arine one touching down on the navy's newest aircraft carrier, and the president feeling the full downdraught of the latest setback to buffet his administration. his attorney general, jeff sessions, facing charges that he lied under oath during his confirmation hearings over his contacts with the russians. but the president is standing by him. mr president, do you still have confidence in the attorney general? total. when were you aware that he spoke to the russian ambassador? i wasn't aware at all. what's emerged is that then—senator sessions met the russian ambassador at the republican convention injuly. he met him again in september. but at his confirmation hearing this january, he denied any contact with the russians. if there is any evidence that anyone affiliated with the trump campaign communicated with the russian government in the course of this campaign, what will you do? senator franken, i'm not aware of any of those activities. i have been called a surrogate at a time or tw

jon sopel, bbc news, washington. 75.4." 75 7 w 7 2? nausea, bleeding, headaches and a dimming of vision. of the cabinet here. this was an international trophy and we understand above all this was a triumph sttfie west fitterrfie. fedfiieriestnte'ee as quickly as possible and that's what the voters wanted. this is bbc world news. i'm adnan nawaz. the latest headlines: the ousted south korean president park geun—hye to her impeachment. under the spotlight. france's five main presidential candidates clash over policing, some of the biggest consumers of brazilian meat have suspended hundreds of civilians remain trapped in the west of mosul as iraqi government forces battle islamic state militants. the bbc‘s feras killani is the only internationaljournalist who's had access to the frontline as the troops advance towardsa symbolicmosquee= in the densely—populated old city. irnssrts nveleliesetlnu= taster . ' ' produce for many years. and bribing officials to overlook illegal practices. brazil is a country groud confidence has been shaken. check

jon sopel in washington, thank you. jon sopel in washington, thank you.rorism police are trying to establish whether the man who launched the attack on westminster was working alone or with others. police have released the first image of the attacker — 52—year—old khalid masood — who was born in kent and named adrian elms at birth. seven people arrested by police have been released. four suspects are still being questioned. here's our special correspondent, lucy manning. the face of khalid masood. the face that confronted police officers at parliament. the face that looked out of the car at pedestrians, as he knocked them over. the 52—year—old was known by a number of names. born adrian elms in kent, by the time he was a huntleys secondary school for boys in tunbridge wells, he was called adrian ajao, after his mother got married. school friends remembered him as a sporty pupil, who liked to party. adrian was a nice lad, a fun guy, always laughing, always joking. worked reasonably hard. good at sport. played rugby very well. just an unassuming guy. but ma

jon sopel, bbc news, washington. in the australian state of queensland are beginning to assess the damage wrought by the powerful cyclone debbie. parts of the state remain difficult to access because many roads are blocked. only one fatality has been reported so far. the australian army is heading into the hardest hit areas, where tens of thousands of homes remain without power. let's get some of the latest on the storm's aftermath. bowen looks a bit like a warzone, but the good thing about it is there doesn't seem to be a hell of a lot of structural damage. so there are a lot of trees down, we lost a few awnings, there's signs blown over. probably our biggest issue at this present point of time is the amount of power lines that are down and power lines covering the road. all the roads have been cut off around bowen, airlie beach, proserpine. it's going to be a huge job to clear those roads, so he we are asking people to stay indoors and not move until we can actually get our emergency personnel there. at the moment,

jon sopel, bbc news, washington.e is the most expensive here in the uk, police have released nine of the 11 people arrested since wednesday's attack in central london. detectives are still trying to determine weather the attacker, khalid masood, was acting alone. there are still many questions that officers are working to answer.” sensed this investigation is moving into a new phase tonight. the immediate arrests are over. seven people caught in that first sweep have now been released. that leaves just four people in custody who detectives are concentrating on as potential accomplices, though i am told more arrests are possible. now the hard part of the investigation begins as detectives have to sift through the evidence and try to work out whether khalid masood was acting alone. i understand they simply do not know the answer to that question at this stage. as ever with a modern terrorism investigation, they will have to sift through a mountain of computer evidence and mobile phone evidence, including, intriguingly,

jon sopel, bbc news, washington. gizzi, who is chief political columnist and white house correspondent at newsmax. thank you forjoining us. how bad a defeat is this for donald trump? thank you forjoining us. how bad a defeat is this for donald trump7m certainly doesn't help the momentum, i will say that much. the president sta ked i will say that much. the president staked a locked, not only on repealing and replacing it with the affordable care act, the formal name for obamacare, but on making it clear that he alone, the great wheel of dealer, could close the deal with something new and something better. —— wheeler dealer. in the process, as shakespeare said, he was hoisted on his own petard. members of his own party, moderates, dislike things in there such as the cutting of medicaid, and the more right—wing conservatives said it did not go far enoughin conservatives said it did not go far enough in creating a market raced alternative. i would say the president will probably return with this plan or a variation ther

jon sopel, bbc news, washington.k to dr larry sabato, director of the centre for politics at the university of virginia. thank you for your time. the key question is did anyone tired to the trump campaign have contact with russian intelligence, the decor or donate with the russians to down hillary clinton — none of this proves that? correct. no testimony has been taken and there is no formal investigation but it is clear there is a lot to discover. intent is the key. if he did not do it intentionally, it is not big deal? he's not going to resign, he is not going to be fired, he acted quickly. but there are an awful lot of questions about not onlyjeff sessions but other members of the trump entourage, including his son—in—law a senior adviser in the white house who also met with russians. it matters because of the russians. it matters because of the russian ambassador, an impressive individual, i met him myself and had it in my home, by all accounts he is a senior official in the ssb and he is considered to be notjust

jon sopel, bbc news, washington.ip mazumdar is in washington and joins me now. we heard john they're saying that this is a huge defeat for donald trump. how much of a defeat is it? this is an enormous defeat and huge and humiliation for the president. this was a key campaign promise to the american people. he repeatedly said as we heard there that he was going to repeal obamacare and replace it with something much better. an amazing plan, he kept saying. people would have coverage, they could see the doctor of their choice and it would cost them less. now it is dead in the water. the bill that they tried to get through, remember, the republican party have a majority in the house of representatives. it was members of his own party who were unwilling to vote this bill saying that it either went to a live with cuts to medicate which looks after poor people who need healthcare and others saying it did not go far enough. it is really an enormous blow and what it also shows is that the president said he worked really, real

jon sopel reports.ions that just won't go away — that there was collusion between the russian government and the trump team during last year's election. and much of the attention is now focused on this man, general michael flynn. until a few weeks ago, he was the national security adviser, and one of those closest to the president. but his fall from grace has been swift, after he was found to have lied to the vice president over his contacts with the russians. michael flynn held conversations with the russian ambassador in washington, which, among other things, discussed the lifting of us sanctions against russia — which he denied. he was paid $45,000 to attend a dinner in moscow, hosted by the tv station russia today, and was seated at the same table as vladimir putin. he also lobbied on behalf of another foreign government, turkey, although that wasn't disclosed at the time. today, donald trump rallied to his side with this tweet: "mike flynn should ask for immunity, in that this is a witchhunt, excus

jon sopel, bbc news, washington.against apartheid, ahmed kathrada, who has died at the age of 87. he was a friend and close associate of nelson mandela and was imprisoned with him, spending more than a quarter of a century behind bars. presidentjacob zuma has said he will be given a state funeral. so tonight, in downing street, a letter has been signed by theresa may and tomorrow it will be delivered by hand to the president of the european council, a letter that will lead to the most far—reaching changes in britain's relationship with its european neighbours in nearly half a century. the circumstances in which we joined the common market, as it was called, back in 1973, are barely recognisable today and the brexit process raises questions, not just about britain's future, but also about the future of the european union. as allan little reports. for the founding six, the european project was notjust about trade or even prosperity, it was an act of national redemption for they had suffered not just war, but dictatorsh

jon sopel, bbc news, washington.e at capital hill, laura bicker, has more on what might happen next. republicans have to go away and lick their wounds, because serious questions will be asked about their ability to find, ramiz raja come together and make major policy decisions. when it comes to it, it may look like the party defeat, disappointment, and drama. and money comes their future, paul ryan has dismissed today as growing pains of government. by the last eight years, all they have had to do is sit in opposition and oppose democrats, say what they did not like. now they have defined what they do like about what is within their own party, and come to compromises, when it comes to policy. when it came to this health—care bill, p wright did not like it, the left did not like it. and there was no way in between. and when it came to the first time of asking, the first week to try and push made his legislation through, they just could not push made his legislation through, theyjust could not do it. laura bicker in wa

jon sopel, bbc news, washington.ge electronic devices in cabin baggage on some passenger flights arriving in the united states and britain is due to come into full effect shortly. from 0700 gmt, laptops, tablets and large smart—phones will have to travel in the hold on flights from turkey, parts of the middle east and north africa. the us ban covers eight countries, while the uk restrictions apply to six. here in the uk, counter—terrorism police have released all but two of the 11 people arrested since wednesday's attack in central london. detectives are still trying to establish whether the attacker, khalid masood, was acting alone when he drove into pedestrians, before stabbing a police officer to death outside parliament. here's our special correspondent lucy manning. the face of khalid masood. the face that confronted police officers at parliament. the face that looked out of the car at pedestrians, as he knocked them over. the 52—year—old was known by a number of names. born adrian elms in kent, by the time he w

jon sopel, bbc news, washington.ust now to dr larry sabato, director of the centre for politics at the university of virginia. he told me what he thinks was in store for the attorney general and the trump administration. he's not going to resign, he is not going to be fired, he acted quickly and recused himself into any investigation. but there are an awful lot of questions about not only sessions but other members of the trump entourage, including his son—in—law a senior adviser in the white house who also met with russians. so why do you say that matters? it matters because of the russian ambassador, who is an impressive individual, i met him myself and had him in my home, by all accounts he is a senior official in the ssb —— fsb and he is considered to be notjust an ambassador but aspire. —— a spy. this is not a normal relationship between the united states and russia. no president since world war two has ever consider to russian leader like donald trump has cosied up to vladimir putin. a bunch of people must sure

jon sopel, bbc news, washington.al students who travelled to join so—called islamic state almost two years ago have been killed in fighting in iraq. hisham fadlallah and ahmed sami khider were part of a group of british medics who joined is in 2015. our home affairs correspondent daniel sandford joins me now — what more can you tell us? these men were part of a group of a dozen british medical students that went tojoin so—called dozen british medical students that went to join so—called islamic state in 2015, although they were at school here and their parents were working as doctors here in the nhs they were of sudanese origin so theirfamilies had they were of sudanese origin so their families had sent them to a private medical school in the sudanese capital khartoum to study medicine but then they became radicalised beforejoining is and one of the two meant became infamous for taking part one of the two meant became infamous fortaking part in one of the two meant became infamous for taking part in an islamic state

jon sopel, bbc news, washington.ling has apologised for "failings" following accusations of bullying and sexism against top—level cyclists. an investigation into the culture of british cycling was launched last year and a report is imminent. chairman jonathan browning said riders will now be better cared for. he added the organisation would also address concerns raised by mps about doping. he's been talking to our sports editor, dan roan. three years, the story was one of success , three years, the story was one of success, british cycling defined by medals and glory, but now there is an image crisis and a damaging tide of allegations. all are being denied but today the man tasked with salvaging the governing body's authority —— invitation said it was time to say sorry. we have met with groups of riders and staff and made it very clear that, where there has been failings, we apologise. we recognise them, but we are doing something about them and moving forward. said there was a bullying culture in british cycling? th

jon sopel, bbc news, washington.s plant at burnaston, near derby. the factory, which makes the auris and avensis models, employs around 2,500 people. but the company also warned that the future success of the plant would depend on continued tariff—free access to european markets after brexit. our industry correspondent john moylan has more details. thiewaeftfigeta‘ej first plant in europe. for almost 25 years. 4 million cars later, and the company is investing again, laying the foundations for the future. we are determined to be competitive. that means building cars with quality, high—productivity, low—cost and this investment helps us hugely to be competitive for the long term. so, we think this is a huge part of preparing for the long—term future. toyota will invest £240 million to upgrade the burnaston plant. in return, the government is providing £21 million for training and research. it's all good news for the 2,500 workers at this site. to compete with toyota's plants around the world to build new cars. now they

jon sopel, north america editor. a reminder newsnight is coming up on bbc two. here is evan davis.onight the reaction to the argument in the us over the attorney general. as it is a world book day we have right and illustrator raymond briggs. join me now on bbc two. here on bbc one it is time for the news where you are. have a good night. hello, you're watching bbc news. i'm olly foster at the bbc sport centre, these are our headlines tonight. no comment from sir bradley wiggins on a day that british cycling admits to more failings. andy murray says he's never experienced anything like it. seven match points saved in a half hour tie break as be scrapes into the dubai semi—finals. and hear the tigers roar. they have thrashed the rhinos tonight to stay top of the super league. good evening, what a terrible few days it's been for british cycling. today they apologised for ‘failings' at the conclusion of the review into a culture of bullying and discrimination at the organisation. they have promised to implement a 39 step action plan to improve athlete and staff welfare. yesterday they

jon sopel has the latest. trump doesn't seem to be enjoying tfeee' fifieefe eééfi e? 56 efiifislfifi luck teeee eeeee'e eeee e e6 efiifislfifi luck of the irish as his the luck of the irish as his problems pile up. —— saint patrick's day. remember his tweets that barack 0bama had tapped his phone and that his predecessor was "sick and bad"? he stood by the claim...|j his predecessor was "sick and bad"? he stood by the claim... i think you will find some very interesting items coming to the forefront over the next two weeks. but today the senate intelligence committee flatly contradicted him. based on the information available to us, we see no indication that trump tower was subject to surveillance by any element of the united states government, either before or after government. either before ereftee day government. either before oreftee day 2016. election day 2016. ata election day 2016. at a tetchy white house briefing, a spokesman said trump stood by the claim, even suggesting british intelligence could have been invo

jon sopel, many thanks.nty of police and emergency service imagine, plenty of police and emergency service activity still at westminster tonight. we will be back with more on the day's news here. but let's have a look at the day's other main stories with reeta. in the light of today's events at westminster, the scottish parliament has delayed a vote on whether to demand a second independence referendum. msps were taking part in a second day of debate when the presiding officer interrupted proceedings to say he'd decided to suspend the session. our scotland editor sarah smith is at holyrood. events in london had an immediate impact in edinburgh? they did. the flags are at half—mast outside the scottish parliament tonight. earlier today, it outside the scottish parliament tonight. earliertoday, it took outside the scottish parliament tonight. earlier today, it took a bit longer for information to filter through. whilst that debate was going on, we could see msps in the chamber checking their phones, getting th

jon sopel, our north america editor, thank you very much.vel ban. which means people from six mostly muslim states can still enter the country while it's being contested in court. many of america's biggest businesses have spoken out against the order and its impact on their workforces. mr trump says the ban will stop terrorists entering the country and has previously pledged to take the case "as far as it needs to go." we know president trump enjoys a round of golf — so much so, he conducts much of his weekend business at the so—called winter, or southern, white house — the mar a lago resort in florida. he owns that course, his name's also on a golf club here in the uk too. christian, apparently he's not such a bad golfer either. how do we know that? well the former world number one, greg norman, was quite complimentary about mr trump, and notjust about his swing. 0ur sport reporter, seth bennett's been speaking to the man known as ‘the great white shark‘. his flexibility, for a 70—year—old guy, is pretty darn good. he hits a ball out there

jon sopel, bbc news, washington. and a little bit of our own news to bring you now.royal television society televisionjournalism award for news channel of the year. the jury recognised the news channel for its coverage of the eu referendum, donald trump's election, the nice terror attack, jo cox's murder, the inquests into the hillsborough disaster and other major stories — alongside the impact of current affairs programmes. 0ther nominees included sky news and cnn international. that's it, you're up to date with the headlines, now it's time for newsnight with evan davis. don't walk in front, please! this was boris lastjune. it absolutely clear that people from other european countries who are living here have their rights protected. and today, the house of lords upheld that same idea. contents, 358. not contents, 256. but it's not the vote the government wanted. it takes away negotiating flexibility, unless it's overturned. we'll examine the case for and against making promises to europeans here in the uk. also tonight: that's it, chris, it's war. war has broken out

our north america editor jon sopel reports. kremlin has cast a long shadow over american politics in the last year. intelligence hacked computers belonging to the democratic party before the election. from that, one question — was there collusion between the trump campaign and moscow? the president said that is fake news. then there's the allegation that barack obama tapped the phones in trump tower before the election, perhaps using british big questions for a big man. at six foot eight, james comey stands head and shoulders above all around him. would he stick his neck out today at this hearing? the fbi, as part of our counter intelligence mission, is investigating the russian in the 2016 presidential election. and that includes investigating the nature of any links between individuals associated with the trump campaign and whether there was any co—ordination between thecampaign! 36 iii? fiéiéil if iii? ififiéiiigéiififi. into russian collusion, ames comeyrwould not be dram but what about the president's claims, that his predecess

north america editor jon sopel has more. jon: marine one touching down on the navy's newest aircraft carrier, the president feeling the full downdraft of the latest setback to buffet his administration. his attorney general, jeff sessions, facing charges that he lied under oath during his confirmation hearings over his contacts with the russians. but the president is standing by him. >> do you still have confidence in the attorney general? president trump: total. >> were you aware that he spoke to the russian ambassador? president trump: i wasn't aware at all. jon: what has emerged is that senator sessions met in july and september. he denied any contact with the russians. sen. >> if there is any evidence that russians --with sessions: i have been called a fair get at a time or two, and i am unable to comment on it. we had the attorney general accused of perjuring himself because of his contact and the white house is absolutely insistent, there is nothing untoward, nothing to see, and the crowd to move on, but the west and ke

jon sopel reports. jon: the allegations of will go jess -- that just won't go away, but that there was collusion between the russian government and the trump team during the election. much of the attention is focused on this man, general michael flynn. until a few weeks ago he was , national security adviser and one of those closest to the president. but his fall from grace has been swift. after he was found to have lied to the vice president over his contacts with the russians. michael flynn had conversations with russian ambassador in washington, which among other ed lifting u.s. sanctions against russia, which he denied to he was paid $45,000 to attend a dinner in moscow posted by the tv station russia today and was seated at the same table and vladimir putin. he also lobbied on behalf of another foreign government, turkey, although that wasn't disclosed at the time. today donald trump rallied to his side with this tweet. "mike flint should ask for immunity in that this is a witchhunt, excuse of the e

our north america editor jon sopel has more. jon: big questions for a big man.t 6'8", james comey stands head and shoulders above all around him. -- would he stick his neck out at the hearing? the answer, yes. mr. comey: the fbi is investigating the russian government's efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election. and that includes investigating the nature of any links between individuals associated with the trump campaign and the russian government and whether there was any coordination between the campaign and russia's efforts. jon: on the detail of the investigation into russian collusion, james comey wouldn't be drawn. what about the president's claims that his predecessor, barack obama, wiretapped trump tower? here he was more forthcoming. mr. comey: with respect to the tweets alleging wiretapping by the prior administration, i have no information that supports those tweets. and we have looked carefully inside the fbi. president obama cannot wiretapally order and of anyone. mr. comey: no president could. rep. schiff: the president accused mr. oba

jon sopel, bbc news, washington.ng to our correspondent in a few minutes time to get more on all of that. we'll find out how this story and all the other top stories are being covered on tomorrow morning's front pages. my on tomorrow morning's front pages. my guests will be ben riley smith, deputy political editor at the telegraph and john crowley, editor in chief of the international business times uk. day with us for that. policing in some areas is putting the public at risk, that is the warning from the police standards watchdog which says there are too few detectives, leading a third of police forces in england and wales in a potentially perilous state with victims being let down from a criminal case is not investigated and suspects not followed up. home affairs correspondent daniel sandford has more. officers from bedford police raiding the home of a suspected drug mule this morning. on a day that inspectors graded the force has inadequate. the worst force in england and wales. a grading the chief constable clai

jon sopel, bbc news, washington. of mr. trumporter since the early days of the now president's campaign. jane o'brien as 10 whether that speech was a success. speech was the right tone, the right message, the right delivery, hit all of the key points and a slight reach out to the democrats. certainly for the republican conscience which will have to done,et health care taxes, give him the money for the military and infrastructure, it was a key bully pulpit speech conference. we'll have to send him the bill to get to the senate to pass into law. it was perfect. jane: what took him so long? >> getting the team together. this is a president who has never spent any time as an elected official. as a ceo used to getting things done yesterday in a very inpatient way, which is good, but in politics it is a different world. he is getting his sea legs, getting his team put together. we would encourage that to continue because the tone was perfect. it actually puts pressure on us to make sure we deliver. jane: what do you think trumpet

i spoke with jon sopel on capitol hill. many in washington are expecting president trump to put meat on the bones of his agenda. what is the meat going to be? , firstlittle bit of tone of all. we remember the speech from his inauguration with the talk of carnage and the dystopian view of the united states of america. this is going to be up the heat and optimistic -- upbeat and optimistic. we caught some clues. he wants to have an increase in defense spending. he wants to see medicare and medicaid protected and social security payments for the elderly protected. we don't know where the money is going to be cut, where is the fall?ing to a lot of people are worried, not the least republicans who want to see the budget balanced. willd trump says he turbocharge the economy and growth will pay for a lot of it. the issue of obamacare where republicans are split and concerned about repealing it without a proper replacement, will he provide parity? jon: he will say progress is being made and we will be soon it.dy to unveil i think t

jon sopel, bbc news, washington. 0ur washington correspondent barbara plett—usherjoins me live.whether he actually is is another matter. he essentially delivered a conventional speech, so different from his usual style, that republicans were effusive with praise. some said to me that this was the moment he becomes president. some were quite relieved. you didn't have him attacking opponents or painting a gloomy picture of america. he asked for cooperation and unity with the democrats. he talked about tolerance and civil rights, and condemned hate crimes and anti—semitic attacks. all of this is very much the style of presidential addresses to congress. there was a lot of questions whether he would be able to carry it off, but he did. the style was different, but he did. the style was different, but the content was similar to what he said before. we will have to wait and see whether he changes his approach to governing. and that massive infrastructure programme he's talking about that will be very expensive. this was the issue with a speech for democrats, a lot of promises made, bu

jon sopel, bbc news, washington.oke to emily cadei, political correspondent with newsweek and i asked her if the budget seemed to allocate spending on defense at the expense of everything else. i think the important thing to keep in mind here is that the budget is not a binding document. this is really trump's campaign priorities reiterated in what they're calling a budgetrblueprintf= !e 3“ 95 se 1... 545551‘ 55“? z wants to carry out the priorities tha trump has laid out but certainly you see the same things laid out in numbers that he talked about on the campaign trail, which is — america first, strong on defence, taking the us out of foreign entanglements, reducing foreign aid and attacking environmental regulations and a lot of other domestic programmes that he see £132 £1521 ii éiiii qéiiéi'; 7 —— 7 —— — .. —— as a waste of resources. you would have thought, looking from the outside, the chance of getting this through a republican—controlled congress would be high — many republicans surely keen to see more money

jon sopel, bbc news, washington. the french presidential candidate francois fillon, has been placed under investigation over claims that she was paid by her husband for work she didn't do. penelope fillon is being investigated in connection with her role as her husband's parliamentary assistant. the scandal is thought to have seriously harmed her husband's chances of becoming the next french president. an american man who was paralysed from the shoulders down has been able to feed himself and hold onto a cup of coffee after surgeons placed implants in his brain and arm. bill had paralysis in all four of his limbs, after his bicycle ran into the back of a lorry. alexandra mackenzie has more details. numberand number and behold, iwas number and behold, i was able to eat the mashed potatoes really well. 58—year—old bill was paralysed from the shoulders down after a cycling accident eight years ago. —— lo and behold. i was raining really badly. i was following a meal truck and i was keeping my distance pretty good but th

jon sopel has this.uestions for a big man, at 638 inches, james comey stands head and shoulders above all of those around him, would he stick his neck out at today? the hearing today? the answer is yes. the fbi, as the answer is yes. th, pm: x in} i of our counterintelligence mission, is investigating the russian government efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election. that the 2016 presidential electien. that includes the 2016 presidential electieh. that includes investigating the 2016 presidential election. that includes investigating the nature of includes investigating the’natgre—tjf includes inveefigeting the’netgre—ef links includes investige'cing the’neture—uf links between individuals includes investige'cing the’neture—uf links b with en individuals includes investige'cing the’neture—uf links b with the 1dividuals includes investige'cing the’neture—uf links b with the trump als associated with the trump campaign, and the russian government, and whether there were any coordination is betw

jon sopel, bbc news, washington.n twitter, a budget that puts america first must make safety its number one priority. i spoke just now to newsweek political correspondent emily cadei, and suggested the president's list to prioritise defence and border security at the expense of almost everything else. and i think the important thing to keep in mind so this is really trump's campaign priorities reiterated, in what they're calling a budget blueprint. it will be up to congress to really flesh out and determine whether it wants to carry out the priorities that trump has laid out. but certainly you see the same things laidfl in numbers, that he talked about on the campaign trail, which is america first, strong on defence, taking the us out of foreign entanglements, reducing foreign aid, and attacking environmental regulations, and a lot of other domestic programmes that he sees as a waste of resources. you would have thought.— — — —— the chances of getting this through a republican—controlled congress would be high, many r

jon sopel, bbc news, washington.n the australian state of queensland are beginning to assess the damage wrought by the powerful cyclone debbie. parts of the state remain difficult to access because many roads are blocked. only one fatality has been reported so far. the australian army is heading into the hardest hit areas, where tens of thousands of homes remain without power. let's get some of the latest on the storm's aftermath. my main message today for residents on the whitsunday coast is please stay off the roads. we need you to stay off the roads because at 9am this morning the adf will be doing a reconnaissance, they'll be looking at the structural damage which is happening on the whitsunday coast, and we need to be able to get our emergency services personnel in as quickly as possible. for many people this morning they are waking up and they are seeing the devastation that has happened in their communities. our hearts go out to them. our priority is to look after you, is to look after the families that have b

jon sopel, bbc news, washington.: the wife of the westminster attacker khalid masood has said she is saddened and shocked by her husband's actions. in a statement through police, rohey hydara expressed her condolences to the families of the dead and wished a speedy recovery to those injured. the wife of french presidential candidate francois fillon has been placed under formal investigation as part of the inquiry into so—called fake jobs. mr fillon was under formal investigation earlier this month. he is accused of paying hundreds of thousands of euros to his family for work they did not do. the centre—right contender and his welsh—born wife, penelope, deny any wrongdoing. the former first lady of ivory coast, simone gbagbo, has been acquitted of crimes against humanity at a trial in the commercial capital, abidjan. the charges relate to violence that followed a presidential election in 2010 when her husband, laurent, refused to concede to alassane 0uattara. an american general leading the fight to recapture the iraq

jon sopel, bbc news, washington. radio 1 newsbeat and joins us now from airlie beach on queensland's coast. bring us up to date with what is happening and what you know this hour. it is obviously windy here, i'm not sure if you can hear that, but the weather is ongoing, we've had a lot of water on the seafront and rain and winds overnight but things are settling down. i'm in a tour operator on the beach. they have had some flooding and further along you can see trees that have gone through buildings and i've heard reports of cars being flooded, stuck in the middle of the road and totally filled with water. we've got some pictures that you have taken of what you have seen in the last few hours, i think we can show our viewers that. talk us through the experiences that you have had in the last 2a hours when the cyclone really hit the area you're in. yes, even the locals i think were surprised at quite how ferocious the storm was. certainly in our hotel we had tiles going off the roof, trees coming down around us and qu

jon sopel, bbc news, washington. is at capitol hill and she has more on what may happen next. republicans have to go our way and lick their wounds because serious questions will be asked about their ability to find a compromise, to come together and make major policy decisions. after today, after this week, they look like a party of defeat, disappointment and drama. and when it comes to their future, poor ryan has dismissed today as the growing pains of government. all they had to do over the last eight years was sit in opposition and a pose, talk about what they did not like. now they need to find what they do like within their own party and come to a compromise when it comes to policy. when it came to this healthcare bill, neither the right nor the left liked it and there was no way in between. and when it came to the first week, the first push of major legislation, they just first week, the first push of major legislation, theyjust could not do it. here in the uk, to counterterrorism police have released all but t

jon sopel is at capitol hill. and this vote is looking pretty close, isn't it, jon? with certainty is that if anyone tells you they know how this vote is going to go, they're lying. choose your metaphor, this is on a knife edge. what it boils down to is the health insurance which millions of americans will get in future. the congressional office says up to 24 million americans could lose their health insurance as a result of this. for donald trump, this is a massive test of his authority. can the great deal—maker get a deal done with congress? he is finding it very different from being the ceo of a company, where you tell people what to do, instead, having to deal with politicians who have minds of their own. what happens if he loses this photo? well, if he loses, there is a huge loss of prestige, he has got a very red—faced at the end of it, because he has invested a huge amount in it. it could have a knock—on effect for other legislation which he wants to introduce. i'm just going to finish by saying that we have counted donald trump out on so many occasions, he wo

our north america editor jon sopel reports.e touching down on the navy's newest aircraft carrier, and the president feeling the full downdraught of the latest setback to buffet his administration. his attorney general, jeff sessions, facing charges that he lied under oath during his confirmation hearings over his contacts with the russians. but the president is standing by him. mr president, do you still have confidence in the attorney general? total. when were you aware that he spoke to the russian ambassador? i wasn't aware at all. what's emerged is that then senator sessions met the russian ambassador at the republican convention injuly. he met him again in september. but at his confirmation hearing this january, he denied any contact with the russians. if there is any evidence that anyone affiliated with the trump campaign communicated with the russian government in the course of this campaign, what will you do? senator franken, i'm not aware of any of those activities. i have been called a surrogate a time or two in that c

jon sopel, bbc news, washington. a brief look at some of the day's other news stories.s beenjailed for 27 years for raping and abusing fourgirls, as young as 10. the brother of 57—year—old michael dunn has called the sentence lenient, given the attacks spanned almost a0 years. greater manchester police force has referred itself to the independent police complaints commission, concerned it missed chances to arrest him. police investigating the disappearance of raf gunner corrie mckague have arrested a man on suspicion of attempting to pervert the course ofjustice. the 23—year—old airman went missing on a night out in bury st edmunds in september. a landfill site will be searched in the coming week. two women have appeared in court in malaysia charged with murdering the brother of north korea's leader. one is vietnamese, the other‘s from indonesia, they're accused of smearing a nerve agent on kim jong—nam's face. neither has yet entered a plea, but one told the court she was not guilty. they face a mandatory death sentence if convicted. more than 1,000 jobs are thought to

your best protection against this health care system is not to get sick. 0ur north america editor jon sopelstuck with him firmly. do you think these numbers mark the beginning of this base thinking, hang on the second, you promised to look after the common man and you are giving the rich a big tax cut? it could be the issue that separates donald trump from his base if things go badly. this could be it for the republican party and the leadership. there are so party and the leadership. there are so many layers of complexity in this. donald trump, it's easy, cheaper, better. in government, it's fiendishly complicated, isn't it? what does he do with house republicans who thought they could vote for it, it might fail, i'm going to get blamed in two years in elections. no thanks. i don't want to have anything to do with it. how much political input does donald trump put into it? does he want his name closely associated with it? if he goes too much in one direction, he goes too much in one direction, he loses the libertarian right who don't want government interference. too much in the other direc

our north america editor, jon sopel, is here. e president may have confidence, eight senior republicans say he must recuse himself from any investigation into the ties with russia. he's unlikely to go, isn't he,jon? russia. he's unlikely to go, isn't he, jon? yes. a long way between recuse and resign? a long, long way. where we are, it seems to me, broadly there are three administrations. we will tough it out, carry on in the job, administrations. we will tough it out, carry on in thejob, he can oversee any investigation that is going on. i think that will pile up bad head leans. the other option is that he announces this kind of word, the word of the day, recuse himself. he withdraws from overseeing any investigation into the links between russia and their involvement in the last us presidential election. the most dramatic option, of course, is thatis most dramatic option, of course, is that is fired. that is not going to. ha. i don't see unless there is new evidenced that he has been — about his conduct. what there is a kind of

jon sopel, bbc news, at the white house.okesman was being forced to backtrack on his claims that sean spicer has promised not to repeat the allegations after the british. our security correspondent, spied on donald trump as so oftefifibegarrwithatwefi.‘ then. cemethe allegatien”"' " britain's intelligence agency may fiavefioneine iappmfr three intelligence sources have the nsa, the cia, the fbi or the department ofjustige. ., ., he used gchq. gchq hit back and said it was ridiculous. at least we have something

~~ , from washington, our north america editor, jon sopel, has more. the classic oval office ifi' designed to portray two world leaders getting along just fine. no eye contact, no chat, ii; 5 s§§§§§lg il—‘iiitié 555555555" , ,,, , ,, , the photographers asked if there's going to be a handshake. even chancellor merkel asks that. but president trump's hands don't move. ladies and gentlemen, the president of the united states and the chancellor of the federal republic of germany. at theirjoint news conference later, it was clear where the two agreed to disagree and for all the politics there was this thinly disguised barb from mrs merkel. translation: i've always said it's much better to talk to one another and not about think our conversation proved this. this riposte to an endless stream of attacks from donald trump over the past year, variously describing the german leader as catastrophic, following insane policies and of ruining her country. and the president wasn't going to give up on pursuing european nations over their nato contributions. i reiterat

conclusion that there is no collusion and that there is no collusionané—that 0ur north america editor jon sopel still going on. have learned - the course of this learned during the course of this long hearing exactly what the fbi is :-g:i§§i:§ and what it has ” " ' " long hearing exactly what the fbi is :-g:i§§i:§ and what it has so " ' " long hearing exactly what the fbi is [as gig and what it has so far - investigating and what it has sefep investigating and what it has sefap just before that, this is a found? just before that, this is a pinch yourself moment. we are hearing the fbi is investigating whether there was collusion between the kremlin and donald the fact the investigation campaign. the fact the investigation is taking place, i know we have heard the drip, drip, drip - is heard the drip, drip, drip that is worth marking out in itself. the hour looking at the extent to which russian cyber hackers intervened in the election. was there collusion individuals from . a individuals from the a individuals from the trump , with individuals from the trump campaign as part of that? how far é