jon sopel bbc news conduct. twenty thousand police officers have not been deployed in hamburg they've created a security cordon around the city center to stop protest is reaching the g. twenty summit venues. but that hasn't stopped the clashes protesters from across europe say leaders have failed to solve many of the issues threatening world peace. jenny hill reports. nnova. the world's leaders aren't exactly welcome comeback. there are tens of thousands of protesters in the city. they done. many different teams. but they are very nice. i resisted. then. to a peaceful to noon. police moved in to bus them. within minutes. stan. this is now. dando paul hoffman our say police. in the right care little secundum at the reading of the waiting hand. holding back the demonstrators who say. they are not. going anywhere. hard to say who provoked hi. but this is exactly. they say eight thousand extremists targeting summit many of them armed with improvised weapons. a person's. yeah shocked how the. is treating all the peop

jon sopel, hamburg.e 620 meeting in hamburg have continued unabated for the second night running. at least 160 police officers are reported injured, reinforcements have been drafted in and cars and lorries have been torched. jenny hill reports. a city centre which is now a battleground. for 2a hours now, violence, chaos, fury, at donald trump, at inequality, at the establishment. even the police here admit they don't have the resources to cope with this. not far from where we took these pictures, an officer firing a warning shot at protesters. protesters have been playing a game of cat and mouse with police. clashes like this have been breaking out all over the city all day. it has been an unprecedented 2a hours of violence in this city. hamburg is in lockdown. city stations deserted. everyone a suspect. tonight, the clashes, the riots, the violence, continues. angela merkel chose hamburg, the gateway to the world, for this summit. she did not realise what the decision meant. bbc news, hamburg. what do w

the bbc‘s north america editor jon sopel has the story., the husband of ivanka, the son in law of the president, and the closest confidante of donald trump to find himself in the cross hairs of the sprawling russia investigation. a man who's normally found studiously avoiding the limelight today found himself uncomfortably the centre of attention. after giving evidence to the senate intelligence committee behind closed doors, he returned to the white house to insist he'd done nothing wrong. i did not collude with russia, nor do i know of anyone else in the campaign who did so. i had no improper contacts. i have not relied on russian funds for my businesses. and i have been fully transparent in providing all requested information. so what were the contacts? in april 2016, kushner meet russian ambassador sergey kislyak, apparently no more than a handshake and passing small talk. kushner denies two for phone calls took place after this. onjune nine, 2016, kushner joins donald trump junior and campaign manager to hear from a russian attorney w

jon sopel, bbc news, washington.whelmingly for sanctions against north korea and russia. iran was also targeted. the bill must pass the senate before it can be passed. and president trump is about to speak at a rally in youngstown, ohio. that's a state where he has a lot of support. we'll be back to hear what he says later in the programme. also this hour: the two main rival leaders in libya have reached a joint agreement to try to bring stability to their country. the head of the un—backed government and the leader of the so—called libyan national army in eastern libya agreed to a conditional ceasefire after talks brokered by the french president emmanuel macron. australia's best—selling indigenous musician, doctor g yunupingu, has died at the age of forty—six. the family has requested that his image is not be broadcast. the singer, who performed around the world and sold hundreds of thousands of albums, had been in poor health for some time. new research reveals that in less than a0 years, sperm counts have dropped

jon sopel, bbc news, washington.other person within the trump administration facing a lot of scrutiny is the attorney general. jeff sessions has already recused himself from the russia investigation. but the white house communication director has told the bbc that talk of replacing him is premature. anthony scaramucci was responding to a story in the washington post. matt zapotosky, is national security reporter for the washington post. he broke the story about jared kushner being the focus of a federal inquiry. he told me we're still at a very early stage in the russia collusion investigation. this was the president's closest confidant, arguably, and his son—in—law, who went and talked to senate investigators and gave them his version of these meetings with russians. that is a critical moment, but there are so many more people we need to hearfrom, and to see if we need to — see how we can corroborate his account. and how does it work? does close—door, non—televised testimony get shared between members of, say, a sen

jon sopel, bbc news, washington. story: at least four activists in southern china have been detained by police after publicly commemorating the death of the dissident and nobel laureate, liu xiaobo. the seaside memorial, which took place on i9july, was part of a widely shared international campaign on social media mourning the dissident‘s death. the four were all members of an informal organisation called freedom action group, an ngo that developed to update the world on what happened to update the world on what happened to the then nobel prize winner who died two weeks ago in a northern city, seven days after his death the group organised a global social media campaign to remember him. they encouraged people around the world to post to facebook twitter, instagram, with a hashtag. they gathered in the province on wednesday night by the beach because mr liu was cremated and his ashes scattered into the sea. they had an evening vigil, throwing flowers and other items into the sea. photos of this was widely shared on li

jon sopel bbc news how back. protests outside the g. twenty meetings in hamburg have continued for a second night running. at least a hundred and sixty police officers reported injured reinforcements have been drafted in and calls and trucks have been set on fir. oberlin correspondent jenny hill reports. nnamdi. cities into is now. program. twenty four hours. violence chaos. fury. had donald trump. inequality. but the establishment. even the police he would miss. they don't have the resources. cope with this. not far from where we took these pictures and office of fatah warning shots. estes. with have a process like that. right i know that if they. i think it is in. stations deserted. everyone. specs. tonight she's the riots violence. angela merkel choose liberal humbug the gateway to the world for the summit. it's a decision. she made the request. tony. bc news. i'm. and a brief time ago i spoke with jon sopel who's in hamburg. john we know of course that they did talk about russian meddling. up multiple investigations back here in was

jon sopel, bbc news, washington.rson within the trump administration facing a lot of scrutiny is the attorney general. jeff sessions has already recused himself from the russia investigation. but the white house communication director has told the bbc that talk of replacing him is premature. anthony scaramucci was responding to a story in the washington post by its national security reporter matt zapotosky. we understand that these conversations about ferrari jeff sessions a very preliminary right 110w. “— sessions a very preliminary right now. —— replacing. some people see this as a first step in an effort to get in the way of special counsel. and the us house of representatives is expected to vote today on legislation that would punish russia for its alleged interference in the us election. the bill also includes further sanctions against iran and north korea, for conducting continued ballistic missile tests. but it's the russian measures that set up a tough choice for president donald trump: he wants to improve ti

jon sopel, bbc news, hamburg. are still on the streets of hamburger tonight. a large security cordon has been created around the city centre to stop them reaching the g20 summit venues. stop them reaching the g20 summit venues. police have used water cannon and tear gas to try to distance —— disburse them. protesters say they are angry because leaders have failed to solve many of the issues threatening world peace. jenny hill reports from hamburg. the world's leaders aren't exactly welcome in hamburg. there are tens of thousands of protesters in the city, they dance to many different tunes but they are united in their resistance to this summit. then, after a peaceful afternoon, police moved in to disperse them. within minutes, stalemate. this is now stand—off for a half an hour or so. the police in riot gear, water cannon at the ready have been waiting here, holding back the demonstrators, who say they are not going anywhere. hard to say who provoked whom, but this is exactly what police feared. they say 8,000 ext

jon sopel, bbc news, washington.ricity is made, used and stored, according to ministers. the business and energy secretary greg clark announced plans to invest a quarter of a billion pounds in battery technology — saying he wanted the uk to lead the world in its development. richard westcott has this report. from obvious things like our phones to london‘s new whispering black cab. here on secret tests in norway. to this experimental aircraft, battery power is taking off around the world. the problem is, they still run out too quickly, so today the government‘s promised to invest millions improving the technology. for the next generation of battery technology, there is nowhere better in the world than britain, not only to have the ideas, but to turn them into manufacturing plants to create good jobs. right now, britain is a front runner with battery research. like here at warwick university where they‘re trying to solve the two biggest issues, making batteries weigh less and last longer. this room is four times drier

jon sopel, bbc news, washington. england in the first three months of this year. the latest figures show the number of vacancies were up by almost 8,000 compared with the same period last year, with nursing and midwife jobs worst affected. the royal college of nursing says patient care is suffering, but the government insists it is investing in front line staff. our health correspondent, dominic hughes, reports. looking after people when they are at their most vulnerable, providing compassionate and professional care is the main challenge and biggest reward for nurse michelle turner at the royal blackburn teaching hospital. it is a tough job that carries enormous responsibilities. it is a privilege to be a nurse, to be valued in the job that i do. to have people put their lives in your hands on a daily basis. and it is the biggest privilege that you can have. but finding more nurses seems to be a problem, according to a new analysis of the nhsjobs being advertised. around 86,000 nhs posts in england were recorded as

jon sopel, bbc news, hamburg.0 meeting in hamburg have continued unabated for the second night running. at least 160 police officers are reported injured. reinforcements have been drafted in, and cars and lorries have been torched. jenny hill reports. a city centre is now a battle ground. for 2a hours now, violence, chaos, fury, at donald trump, inequality, at the establishment. even the police here admit they do not have the resources to cope with this. not far from where we took these pictures, an officer fired a warning shot at protesters. protesters have been playing a game of cat and mouse with police. clashes like this have been breaking out all over the city all day in an unprecedented 2a hours of violence. hamburg is in lockdown. city stations deserted, everyone a suspect. tonight, the clashes, the riots, the violence continued. angela merkel chose liberal hamburg, the gateway to the world, for this summit. it is a decision she may be regretting. jenny hill, bbc news, hamburg. well, let's return tojon sope

our north america editor jon sopel has more.be brief, i'm going to make my remarks informal... well, he was right about that, wasn't he? it is day one on the job, and certain things are instantly clear. anthony scaramucci does not lack for self—confidence, swagger or bravado. but i love the president, and i'm very, very loyal to the president. this would be his first and last appearance at the white house podium. in a foul—mouthed tirade, he went to war with the two most senior people in the west wing who are not the president. in his conversations with the new yorker magazine, he said the former chief of staff... and the steve bannon... by last friday the chief of staff had been fired, left abandoned at andrews air force base. a scalp to scaramucci. but now, irony of ironies, generaljohn kelly, on the first day as new chief of staff, had changes he wanted to make, as the president lavished praise on him. so i want to congratulate you on having done a fantasticjob and we look forward to, if it's possible, and even better job as

jon sopel, bbc news, washington.investigated by the police watchdog. the transport secretary chris grayling has been criticised for backing london‘s crossrail two project days after scrapping electrification schemes in wales and in northern england. the mayor of greater manchester andy burnham said people would not accept that spending billions more on london is the country‘s highest the international trade secretary, liam fox, is holding talks in washington to discuss a possible trade deal with the united states after the uk leaves the european union. current eu rules prevent britain signing an agreement until after brexit. speaking earlier today, mr fox said the talks cover a ‘number of ‘strands‘ including ‘continuity‘ of existing deals. he also set out why the two countries‘ economies were well suited to trading with one another. it is perhaps a cliche, but the fact that it it is perhaps a cliche, but the fact thatitis it is perhaps a cliche, but the fact that it is a cliche makes it no less true. the united state

from hamburg, here's our north america editor, jon sopel. the famous port of hamburg tonight disembarkation point for anarchists, anti— capitalists, anti— globalisation protesters and the leaders of the world's 20 richest nations. protesters threw stones and fireworks, met by police water cannon. no such hostility when the president ventured out in warsaw this morning. not everywhere in europe that they chant donald trump's name so loudly or so approvingly. but with its populist anti—immigration government, this was politically the ideal place to come. and by dint of poland's history and geography, the perfect location too to deliver a message about the challenges facing the west. the fundamental question of oui’ west. the fundamental question of ourtime is west. the fundamental question of our time is whether the west has the will to survive. do we have the confidence in our values to defend them at any cost? do we have enough respect for our citizens to protect oui’ respect for our citizens to protect our borders? do we have the desire and

jon sopel, bbc news, washington.andards will not be lowered to straight a post—brexit trade deal with america. liam fox, who is in america for talks with his counterpart says there was no food safety issue with chlorinated goods. this comes after concerns that were raised over chlorine washed chicken, which is banned in the eu, but legal in america. housebuilders may be banned from selling new homes in england as leasehold, under new government proposals. a public consultation has begun on the issue after it emerged some developers have been selling leaseholds onto investment firms, leading to extra costs or rising charges for homeowners. more than 86,000 nhs posts were vacant in england in the first three months of this year. the latest figures show the number of vacancies were up by almost 8,000 compared with the same period last year, with nursing and midwife jobs worst affected. the royal college of nursing says patient care is suffering, but the government insists it is investing in frontline staff. our health c

i am joined right our not just joined by our north america editor jon sopel. 've never covered a convention with a started with guzan protests. -- booze and protests. -- boos and protests. jon: they did not like the rules of the rules committee had imposed. strip away all of that. this is the anti-trump's action trying to make its voice heard. and they can make their voices heard. if you are thinking, what is the one thing that came out of this convention, today that is that. uneaserlies the deep many people feel about having donald trump as their presidential candidate. katty: but the truth is that they won't nominate donald trump for president. how important is it that a unified behind him this week because if they don't, is that going to ruin the chances of winning? jon: i don't think it ruins his chances because he has always appealed above the heads of the republican party. it is like someone has come in and there has been a hostile takeover. you don't like the old management much. donald trump is not terribly keen on the old management. he is appealing ov

parents to be allowed to "accompany and treat their child until the end". 0ur north america editor jon sopel all the way through the british courts to the european court of human rights and it is legally settled. so why has the president got involved? the white house are trying to make clear that look, it's just out of sensitivity. they have issued a statement saying he doesn't want to pressure the family in any way and members of the administration have spoken to the family in calls facilitated by the british government and the president is just trying to help, if at all possible. a prominentjournalist and human rights campaigner in bangladesh, who had disappeared from his home in dhaka, has been found. it's not clear whether farhad mazhar had been abducted. human rights groups have expressed concern over a recent wave of abductions across the country. 0ne person's been killed and six others injured after a man on the back of a scooter opened fire on a crowd in the french city of toulouse. local police say that while they have not ruled out a terrorist motive, they believe the attack may be

our north america editor jon sopel has more.hrough the british courts to the european court of human rights, and it is legally settled. why has the president got involved? is trying to make it clear that, it is just south of sensitivity. he said he does not wa nt to of sensitivity. he said he does not want to pressure the family and anyway. members of the administration have spoken to the family, calls facilitated by the government. the president isjust trying to help, if at all possible. the easing in relations between iran and the west has produced the first major deal with a european company since sanctions were relaxed in 2015. the french energy giant total has defied american pressure to sign a multi—billion dollar contract to develop iran's gas reserves. andrew bryson reports. the french oil men were there to land a big deal. iran, to show that it is open for business. the signing ceremony was broadcast live on tv. the opportunities are obvious, only russia has more gas underground. this is part of the largest gas field in

jon sopel bbc news washington. and we've time ago i spoke with democratic senator joe manchin from west virginia who signs on the intelligence committee. senator mansion did find jared kushner credible today when he said in that statement he did not collude with russia. well more ominous take everyone interface study there was no. jared commit. i was not in the me. staff only the staff does the preliminary meetings. we were briefed i was briefed as a committee member at two o'clock. and that there be a time hopefully will surely come before the full committee but. i'm gonna take it taken mentor there was no read for him to mislead guy anyway shape or form. i mean yeah unconvinced by jared kushner i when he says that he went to this meeting with multiple russians and donald trump junia. apparently not knowing the russians were offering dutch on hillary clinton because he had been my delete miles. well he knows an awful lot of people that were involved with the russians and we know the russians were very much involve

our north america editor, jon sopel, has more.nd a lot of noise. he has got it in cacophonous levels at the moment. you just talked about the military chiefs saying he is not quite going to obey the orders that came down from the tweed, saying there will be no modifications to there will be no modifications to the current policy until the president's direction has been received. —— either tweet. president's direction has been received. —— eithertweet. in president's direction has been received. —— either tweet. in other words, they don't take direction from twitter. then we have the most extraordinary knife fight in the white house, which should be accompanied to the music of westside story as the jets and accompanied to the music of westside story as thejets and the sharks battle it out. the committees and is director is going after the chief of staff, accusing him of leaking information. "if reince priebus wa nts to information. "if reince priebus wants to say he is not a leak, let him do that". this photo has been released, sho

jon sopel worth in dandong, on the border with northcote you. —— john sudworth. thank you.programme, as wildfires rage in southern france we follow the firefighters on their mission to quell the flames. also coming up on the programme, why prince william is quitting thejob he loves, flying helicopters for the air ambulance service. cheering the us space agency, nasa, has ordered an investigation after confirmation today that astronauts were cleared to fly while drunk. the last foot patrol in south armagh. once an everyday part of the soldiers' lot, drudgery and danger, now no more after almost four decades. if one is on one's own, in a private house, not doing any harm to anyone, i don't really see why people should wander in and say, you're doing something wrong. six rare white lion cubs are on the prowl at worcestershire park and, already, they have been met with a roar of approval from visitors. they're lovely, yeah. really sweet. yeah, they were cute. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm sharanjit leyl, in singapore. i'm kasia madera, in london. our top stories: after two ye

our north america editor, jon sopel, has more.t likes a lot of drama and a lot of noise. he has got it in cacophonous levels at the moment. you just talked about the military chiefs saying he is not quite going to obey the orders that came down from the tweet, saying there will be no modifications to the current policy until the president's direction has been received. in other words, "we don't take direction from twitter." then we have the most extraordinary knife fight in the white house, which should be accompanied to the music of west side story, as thejets and the sharks battle it out. the communications director is going after the chief of staff, accusing him of leaking information. "if reince wants to say he is not a leaker, let him do that." this photo has been released, showing them not exactly one—on—one. meanwhile, the new yorker has shown a quote from the director of communications, anthony scaramucci, some of which i cannot use because i cannot say it on air. but he called reince priebus a schizophrenic and a paranoia

jon sopel. and we've more detail on the discussions at the 620 on our website.his little comparison of the relative powers of presidents trump and putin. see that and much more at bbc dot com forward slash news. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news: israel has strongly condemned unesco for passing a resolution brought by the palestinians to declare the old city of hebron a protected world heritage site. the prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, called the vote a delusional decision. the palestinians had alleged that israel was carrying out violations in hebron where a small community ofjewish settlers lives in the middle of tens of thousands of palestinians. venezuela's roman catholic church has criticised president nicolas maduro's decision to have the constitution rewritten, saying the plan will turn the country into a military dictatorship. mr maduro ordered the establishment of the constituent assembly in may as protests against his government were gathering momentum. at least two people have died after a fire broke out in el salvador

jon sopel reports from hamburg.he famous port of hamburg, tonight a disembarkation point for anarchists, anti—capitalists, anti—globalisation protesters and the leaders of the world's 20 richest nations. the protesters‘ stones and fireworks were met by police teargas water cannon. no such hostility when the president ventured out in warsaw this morning. not everywhere in europe would they chant donald trump's name so loudly or so approvingly. but with its populist anti—immigration government, this was politically the ideal place to come. and by dint of poland's history and geography, the perfect location too to deliver a message about the challenges facing the west. the fundamental question of our time is whether the west has the will to survive. do we have the confidence in our values to defend them at any cost? do we have enough respect for our citizens to protect our borders? do we have the desire and the courage to preserve our civilisation in the face of those who would subvert and destroy it? in the 1940s, the

jon sopel, bbc news, washington.ik who is at a trump rally in ohio. a big campaign event, really, there. the president is in his element there. it is exactly this sort of occasion where he seems to have been setting the stage for the departure of yet another senior law officer. we have to remind ourselves just how extraordinary all this is. yes. absolutely. as we heard there and john serpell‘s package, jeff sessions was the first sitting senator to endorse donald trump. donald trump somebody who puts a high value on loyalty. but in an interview today he said it was not a loyalty thing, the first at he was the first to endorse him. we have seen that donald trump is in wait almost trying to push attorney general to resign with this kind of co nsta nt general to resign with this kind of constant attack on him. he said a few days ago that he was dissatisfied with them. rather than try to put himself in a position where he would have two oust him. we have heard of the likes of ankle to, for example, who have said if you'r

jon sopel reports from hamburg.t is hard to overstate the significance of this meeting, this handshake. two men with nuclear arsenals who could blow the world to pieces. two self—proclaimed tough guys who like to win. but today at their first face—to—face meeting, they were the epitome of restraint and respect. thank you very much. president putin and i have been discussing various things and i think it is going very well. we will have a talk now. 0bviously, that will continue. and for his part, vladimir putin said i am delighted to be able and for his part, vladimir putin said "i am delighted to be able to meet you personally, mr president, and i hope, as you have said, the meeting will yield positive results." the meeting went on for nearly two hours longer than scheduled. they onlyjust made it in time for the concert tonight. they discussed ukraine and continuing western sanctions, and syria, where it is said they agreed on much. president trump raised russian interference in the american elections. mr putin deni

s jon sopel joins me now with the latest soap joan cycle this was pretty much a chronicle of a political death foretold wasn't especially. since the new communications director came into office well i was saying this morning that i just couldn't see how they could be this co existence. between scaramucci who is freewheeling swashbuckling. speaks his mind i'm we know boy to be find out how he speaks his mind. that when he spoke to the new yorker magazine. and drawings previous who he was so abusive about there wasn't room in the white house full both of them. and i suppose you know. donald trump said rights was a good man it was so sweet i fell slightly damning with faint praise. in the assessment of him. i think. this. struggled to assert himself in that white house to bring order to bring discipline out to bring a chain of command if you lik. but i'm sure people will be looking to general kelly. to achieve that which hasn't been seen in the previous six months now whether donald trump. will change his style that's another question whether he'll be able to stop the leaks i'm sure is one

jon sopel, bbc news, hamburg.o's national chair of the syrian american council. hejoins me from san diego. thank you for speaking to us here on bbc world news. i wonder, thank you for speaking to us here on bbc world news. iwonder, did thank you for speaking to us here on bbc world news. i wonder, did this announcement of a ceasefire, how much of this give you? it's a small step, we hope, in the right direction but it isn't sufficient from our point of view. in e—motion which reduces the amount of killing of civilians in syria is a welcome move. why do you say it is in the sufficient? it is limited to south—east syria in my understanding and privately serving the interests ofjordan and israel and i'm not sure if it is actually saving the interest of the syrian people, and we are worried more specifically as to who is going to enforce no—fly zone. if russia is going to be the enforcer of the no—fly zone, it will ultimately become a fox protecting the hen house. we hope the us or jordan will monitor and enforce any

it's not been reciprocated jon sopel bbc news washington. and joining us now from capitol hill is republican congressman scott taylor from virginia. and congressman taylor if the president's ari public. a system of his it honey general acceptable to you. is it acceptable lately guy you know i i can understand why the president would be frustrated with the attorney general having just you know just assigned there that he recuse himself i i understand that at the same time. the attorney general's done some great work as well too and let's face it looks and the the attorney genera. he he he's there at the at the pleasure of the president but it's of of course his loyalty is not what the president it's with the constitution so. i understand the frustrations but i i think some of it's a little bit overblown but no. i understand. but if the president was to find add jeff sessions or if jeff sessions with to feel that he was forced to quit for the next few days. would you be concerned. i think so i i think i would be concerned of course and as i sa

jon sopel, bbc news, washington.g case which has made headlines around the world, but now the parents of the terminally—ill baby charlie gard have ended their legal battle to keep him alive. they had wanted to take their son to the us for experimental treatment. but an american doctor then said he was no longer willing to offer the therapy — and the family's lawyer told london's high court time had run out for the baby. here's our medical correspondent fergus walsh. the fight over charlie gard's future, a sick little boy who will now be allowed to die. after an emotional hearing, his parents said they had agreed to let their son go. they emerged to face the world's media. our son is an absolute warrior, and we could not be prouder of him, and we will miss him terribly. his body, heart and soul may soon be gone, but his spirit will live on for eternity, and he will make a difference to people's lives for years to come, we will make sure of that. we are now going to spend our last precious moments with our son, charlie

jon sopel, bbc news, washington.s‘ position i spoke to the bbc‘s nada tawfik who's in ohio, where president trump was speaking at a rally. jeff sessions was the first sitting senator to indoors president trump and president trump is someone who puts a very high value on loyalty but in an interview today he said it wasn't a great loyalty thing, the fa ct wasn't a great loyalty thing, the fact he was the first to endorse him, and we've seen camp eden in a way is almost trying to push the attorney general to resign with this kind of constant attack on him, calling him beleaguered a few days ago, now he's saying he's very dissatisfied with him, rather than putting himself in a position where he might have to oust him. we've heard from an court of law example saying if you're not satisfied with the attorney general then get rid of him. wheni the attorney general then get rid of him. when i spoke to supporters outside this rally, we asked them about the staff changes in the administration in the last few weeks, and now we

jon sopel is at the white house. how surprisingly is this announcement?ld be a review of this policy, but the timing has come completely out of the blue. no one was expecting it. we rang the pentagon expecting a comment, and they're referred everybody back to the white house. donald trump also announced it on twitter. where else? saint armed forces cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail. he has also said transgender personnel will not be able to serve in any capacity. there are already a few thousand serving in the us military at the moment. to the question, what happens to them now? there is no answer. it doesn't sound like the policy has been formulated. a gay republican group said this is politics, pure and simple, nothing else to this. it seems this is a policy that is designed to appeal to donald trump's conservative belts. this is a manifestation of what is known as the culture wars that has gay it affected abortion, gun law, gay rights and today it is transgender armed force

jon sopel, bbc news, washington.person within the trump administration facing a lot of scrutiny is the attorney general. jeff sessions has already recused himself from the russia investigation, but the white house communication director has told the bbc that talk of replacing him is not happening. anthony scaramucci was responding to a story in the washington post. that story came from the post's national security reporter matt za potos ky. he also broke the story about jared kushner being the focus of a federal inquiry, and joins us now. first of all, where would you say we are now with jared kushner‘s testimony? well, i think we are still very early in this investigation. today was a critical moment, and as you mentioned this was the president's closest confidant, arguably, and his son—in—law who went and talked to senate investigators and gave him his version of these meetings with russians. that is a critical moment, but there are so many more people we need to hear from, but there are so many more people we need

well, our north america editor, jon sopel, is there.t is hard to overstate the significance of what has unfolded. ten days ago anthony scaramucci was seen as the ten days ago anthony scaramucci was seen 3s the answer ten days ago anthony scaramucci was seen as the answer to all the white house's communications problems but now he has gone, apparently escorted off the premises. there has been a sense of chaos and drift because also seen the departure of the press secretary, the previous chief of staff and now mr scaramucci. it is a white house at a crossroads, either going down the path of further chaos and discord or with a new chief of staff getting a bit of iron discipline into the way this place runs. that is why this is such a pivotal moment. i'm going to be brief and make my remarks informal. he was right about that, wasn't he? it is day one on thejob and that, wasn't he? it is day one on the job and certain things are insta ntly the job and certain things are instantly clear. anthony scaramucci does not lack for self—confidence, s

swirling in washington that the president is considering sacking mr sessions. 0ur north america editor jon sopel could be another high profile sacking, and of a man only recently regarded as a close and essential ally. that is the key difference between the sacking of the fbi director james comey and jeff sessions. james comey, donald trump inherited from the 0bama presidency. jeff sessions was the first senator to come out and back donald trump in his bid to become president. they were the best of friends. jeff sessions has given donald trump 100% loyalty, which has been repaid in the last week by a new york times interview in which donald trump criticised him and said he would never have appointed him if he would never have appointed him if he had known he would excuse himself from the russia investigation, and tweets on consecutive days describing him as weak and beleaguered. in the last hour or so, we have heard from the new white house communications director that a decision will be taken soon onjeff sessions‘ future. you can only conclude from that that his future does not look very bright