the cost of opposition to mr xi's rule can be high.n papers left behind by xu yan's husband, a lawyer, who recently wrote an open letter calling for democratic elections. he is now being detained for subversion. translation: he did everything within the boundaries of the law, yet it's not allowed here. now, many people are afraid of speaking up. what has been the effect on you and your 13—year—old son? my son loves his father. this situation is a huge blow for him. all public discussion of the constitutional change is being tightly controlled and censored. the two—term limit solved a problem facing all undemocratic authoritarian states. it helped china ensure orderly and regular leadership successions. what has happened here today, then, is highly significant. a choreographed, compliant, rubber—stamped parliament has removed the last limitation on xijinping's power. as the delegates left, they may have glanced at this, chairman mao's portrait, a stark reminder of the risks of lifetime rule. john sudworth, bbc news, beijing. we'rejoined

in fact, mr. xiignaled his intention to break the term limits in october of last year when he did not appoint a successor. first of all, this will really mess up the party's own term limit system. let's remember this is the term limit applies not just to the top person in the party state. it applies to everybody who is something in that system. so if the top leader does not have term limits, how are you going to persuade people throughout this hierarchy to retire after two terms? so there's likely to be a lot of confusion, resentment afterwards. the other downside i see is it if he can deliver, he will be china's most effective leader. but if he cannot deliver in the next five, ten years, then it will be his responsibility -- his whole responsibility. >> so let me ask you, the economist in its cover article, the latest one, says the west got it wrong. they bet wrong on china. they believed it was going to move incrementally to a more uralistic syem and a market economy, a much more open econ they are

the cost of opposition to mr xi's rule can be high. lawyer, who recently wrote an open letter calling for democratic elections. he is now being detained for subversion. translation: he did everything within the boundaries of the law, yet it's not allowed here. now, many people are afraid of speaking up. what has been the effect on you and your 13—year—old son? my son loves his father. this situation is a huge blow for him. all public discussion of the constitutional change is being tightly controlled and censored. the two—term limit solved a problem facing all undemocratic authoritarian states. it helped china ensure orderly and regular leadership successions. what has happened here today, then, is highly significant. a choreographed, compliant, rubber—stamped parliament has removed the last limitation on xijinping's power. as the delegates left, they may have glanced at this, chairman mao's portrait, a stark reminder of the risks of lifetime rule. john sudworth, bbc news, beijing. the south korean envoys at the heart of efforts to arr

their big advisor to mr. xi was in washington that very same day. we had mar-a-lago session with china. we had another session in november back in beijing. there's been plenty of discussion. >> how many people tried to stop the president from doing this? gary cohn reportedly has threatened to resign over this. what's your understanding about this? >> i don't know anything about gary resigning. gary was certainly part of the interagency process. president likes to have dissenting views, likes to hear every side of everything because that way it makes sure that his final decision is the best informed. >> hard to find a republican supportive of this decision on capitol hill. hard to find many people in business that's not a -- perhaps somebody in steel or aluminum and not even everybody in those industries are for this. does this give you pause at all? should we believe this is actually going to happen? >> well, i think you have to take the president at his word. he made campaign promises. he's pretty well proven so far he intends to keep his campaign

breaking john bolton's missteps started is a russian spy vote since her and mr xi.

mr. xi is also starting a new term after parliament approved and he to presidential term limits. >>> turkish president erdogan says that his forces have seized town center of afrin along with allied rebels. it has been held by the kurdish ypg militia. turkish launched a rescue back in january. >>> president trump's legal team is snou officially involved in the matter of stormy daniels. attorneys for donald trump himself filed papers claiming that the porn star could owe as much as $20 million for violating an agreement about keeping quiet with her alleged affair with the president. he denies that affair ever happened. >> mr. trump's lawyers also want the case moved from state to federal court and are asking the matter stay behind closed doors and away from the public. speaking with our anna cabrera earlier, stormy daniels lawyer says his team's ready to fight. >> we're not surprised at the effort to move it to federal court. irrelevant regardless whether it's in state court or federal court

putin, mr. xi or who ever the leader is, that's an option. i think we are all better than that.t doesn't work to russia's advantage to have a middle east destroyed. or certainly china, certainly not the united states. find common denominators, that's how we structured a world order after world war ii. mutual common interests. >> secretary chuck hagel, thank you so much for joining us today. of course, that world order put the united states and russia in a very clear position. so, that lead to our next segment. where they say life imitates art. and if that is true, red sparrow starring jennifer lawrence and opening this weekend in america and around the world could hardly be more timely. here is a clip from the film. >> i'm curious, did you want me to know you are following me or are you clumsy. >> you americans always think us are so interested in you, don't you? >> what made you want to become a translator? >> if i work for the government, the state helps me take care of my uncle helped me get the job. >> your uncle is a very powerful man. >> in my country itch you don't matter

starting with a guard of honour, mr xi ensured that his guest, 30 years hisjunior, was given a substantialspeaks. this time though it was different. china is north korea‘s only big benefactor. it accounts for the vast majority of its trade. but the relationship has soured significantly over kim‘s nuclear weapons programme. this was about telling the world they are repairing the friendship. in recent years the divide has got wider and wider, because china appears to have lost its patience with its neighbour. that‘s mainly because of the type of reckless language it thinks north korea has been using in those very public spats with donald trump. but now there is a real chance of talks on the table, china wants to reassert its influence. only china can provide him with a certain level of security. and of course if china can persuade others also to provide this kind of security, then so much the better. kim reiterated he is committed to denuclearisation. his country has long said that though. china conveyed a message to the white house after the visit. president trump, in his usual way, said he

but, whatever you call it, the change means mr xi can rule china for as long as he wants.was the first to cast his ballot. the applause, further proof of the inevitability of the result. out of almost 3,000 delegates, only two voted against. " passed , " the announcer says, and this man's hold on power now becomes both complete and indefinite. the cost of opposition to the rule of xijinping can be high. i am shown papers left behind by her husband, a lawyer, who recently wrote an open letter calling for democratic elections. he is now being detained for subversion. translation: he did everything within the boundaries of the law, yet it's not allowed here. now, many people are afraid of speaking up. what has been the effect on you and your 13—year—old son? my son loves his father. this situation is a huge blow for him. all public discussion of the constitutional change is being tightly controlled and censored. the two—term limit solved a problem facing all undemocratic authoritarian states. it helped china ensure orderly and regular leadership successions. what has happened

but there can be little doubt now that he truly sees no danger in mr. xi'sreat decision to extend his own rule until death. that craven reaction is in line with mr. trump's consistent support and fpb aeven nearation men ruling with increasing brutal and auto krat you can methods, putin of russirussia, turkey's erdogan. >> this is not a freedom agenda administration. if in humor you're telling the truth at the heart of it. imagine if obama would make this joke, w, or ronald reagan. no, not really. the fact that they are moving in this direction, that trump seems to near these strong men around the world at a time when the world is moving away to soft liberal terrorism. >> imagine reagan saying instead of tear down this wall, mr. gosh gorbachev, he said let's build a wall. what's the role of the presidency? what is the role of the president of the united states no matter who he or she is to set an agenda. the president undermines that. both when he's serious and when he's kidding. at this particular moment it is a chance to stand up for measuring's democratic

mr. xis also starting a new term after the parliament approved and he to presidential term limits. >>> at least 15 people drowned, including five children when a my great boat capsized near greece. the u.n. says so far at least 400 migrants have died trying to reach europe by sea. >>> we have breaking news to report out of northern syria. according to reuters news agency, rebel fighters from the turkish backed free syria army say had have regained afrin town. they say the flag has been raised and the up to snern is under control. >> this could be a major turning point in turkey's operation olive branch as it's called, the offensive launched back in january. they consider the ypg terrorists but they've been a key ally to the united states in the fight against isis. the afrin offensive isn't the only flash point in syria war. it's still hammering then clave of eastern gutta. >> hair strikes have not let up. they say this is fighting terrorists but there are reports of heavy civilian casualties

jinping,have mr. xi through mr. putin and here we mr. trump. if i were a japanese person, at the in japan, looking three leaders and the way they the u.s. is being pestered by the scandals and everything else of the wedership, i would wonder if should keep the same kind of towards china and towards united states in the you just that mentioned. i'm wondering what you think that. you talk as though nothing has changed few blocks down. >> i don't think that at all. u.s.gument of what strategy should be hasn't changed. what i think. much moree problem is complicated. morenping is much authoritarian and i would use the word expansionist in many than people anticipated. the strategy the basic direction was right.tegy .e have to be better at it your second question, if you was in tokyo, i would i be worried about mr. trump? yes. the strategy is good. very much towards japan alliances. president trump's relationship with abe is really good. talk more already than abe talked to obama on the time.the whole that's good. thisecision-making on north korean

the communist party's people's daily is calling mr. xihe helmsman of the country. >> matt rivers reports the adoration has spurred thousands of ambitious party members to visit the village where president xi himself was sent years ago for re-education. >> reporter: critics call him china's new emperor. but in this small village, adoration abounds for president xi jinping. "all we need are chairman mao and president xi, says this visitor. xi lived here for years in the early '70s, transformed recently from an unknown backwater to a shrine for a living president. the smartly dressed tour guide showed us where she slept, an old picture on the wall. we saw a well he helped dig and a sewing shop he set up. old farmers who new xi back then still rome about. the pseudo mascots of this bizarre theme park. three of us including xi and i joined the communist party together, says this man. communist cadres flood the village each day, paying homage there is a practical purpose for making this visit if you are an ambitious communist party member. it s

this annual session is a key moment for mr. xi. presidential term limits are expected to be lifted. let's bring in cnn's will ripley following this story in beijing. without term limits, the president there could essentially rule for the rest of his life. >> that's right. potentially xi jinping is set up now to rule indefinitely. the chinese government spin on this is that the military and the party already don't have term limits. now by the state not having term limits, there can be consistency in leaderships during tum mouuls times. a lot of complex global issues. china's economy continues to grow. xi jinping apparently feels that he is the only person qualified in china to see through his vision for this country. that does mean he could potentially remain president for life. even though the chinese people did not elect him, this is an authoritarian one party state. our reporting here is blacked out every time we start to talk about it. chinese state media is talking a little bit about it. but their spin is it makes china no different from other country with no term limits. they b

he liked the idea that mr. xi is going to extend his leadership of china. so at one point he is trying to slap china, and then he's praising its leader. hmm. >> and, you know, this isn't the first time that we've heard president trump praise chinese president xi jinping who is poised tomorrow at china's largest legislative gathering, the national people's congress, to push through a plan that was just announced about a week ago, to abolish the two-term limit. which effectively means that xi jinping could rule for life. the limits were set up to avoid a return to the days of mao tse-tung, the crushing, at times bloody dictatorship, the cultural revolution. this is such a sensitive topic here in china. i want to show you a live picture of cnn's feed here, which is now being blacked out by chinese censors, because whenever we start to talk about this, they cut off the signal. and it's not just cnn that's being blocked. social media is being heavily censored. any terms that are believed to be critical of this plan to abolish term limits, you can't even post the

here you have mr. xi, and there you have mr. putin and here you have mr. trump. if i were a japanese person sitting in japan looking at the three leaders and the way that they behaved and how the united states is being tested by the scandals and everything else at the leadership, i would wonder if we should keep the same kind of attitude towards china and towards the united states in the long range. i am wondering what you think about that. because you talk as though nothing has changed a few blocks down. >> i do not think that at all. my argument of what your strategy should be has not changed. a lot of people in that category, that's what i am saying, i think that the problem is more complicated and xi is more authoritarian and i would use the word expansionist, in more dimensions than people anticipated so the strategy was right but we have to be better at it. so your second question, if i were tokyo, and i was seeing donald trump, well, yes, the indo pacific strategy is very good. president donald trump's relationship with shinzo abe is very good. they probab

starting with a guard of honour, mr xi ensured that his guest, 30 years his junior, was given a substantial this time though it was different. china is north korea's only big benefactor. it accounts for the vast majority of its trade. but the relationship has soured significantly over kim's nuclear weapons programme. this was about telling the world they are repairing the friendship. in recent years the divide has got wider and wider, because china appears to have lost its patience with its neighbour. that's mainly because of the type of reckless language it thinks north korea has been using in those very public spats with donald trump. but now there is a real chance of talks on the table, china wants to reassert its influence. only china can provide him with a certain level of security. and of course if china can persuade others also to provide this kind of security, then so much the better. kim reiterated he is committed to denuclearisation. his country has long said that though. china conveyed a message to the white house after the visit. president trump, in his usual way, said he'd been

roach, certainly with what is happened with mr. xi.scussion, the senator from florida, david purdue, will pick up the pieces from that important presidential election as republicans drive forward to november. this is bloomberg. ♪ ♪ tom: with terrific news flow, francine lacqua in london and i am tom keene in new york. we are waiting for headlines out of the united kingdom and russia on those affairs. stephen roach with us, which means we must speak on china. how is hong kong doing and does hong kong change under the permanency of a president xi? now 20: hong kong is years past the handover. the political environment has certainly changed and has been tempered. it's still a vibrant city. i was there a month ago. i'm headed to beijing next week. i think the big questions really are where is china headed in political andf governance changes that have been announced. tom: your massive victory lap as opposed to say mr. navarro is people have been talking about the blowup of china for x number of years and steve roach has always said the har

here, you have mr. xi jinping, there you have mr. putin and here we have mr. trump. if i were a japanese person sitting in japan looking at the three leaders, and the way they behave and how the u.s. is being pestered by scandals and everything else at the leadership, i would wonder if we should keep the same kind of attitude towards china and towards united states in the long race that you just mentioned, and i'm wondering what you think about that. because you talk as though nothing has changed a few blocks down on the white house. >> i don't think that at all. i'm saying my argument of what u.s. strategy should be hasn't changed. i don't think a lot of people in that category. that's what i'm saying. i think the problem is much more -- is much more complicated and xi jinping is much more authoritarian and i would use the word expansionist, in many dimensions, than people anticipated. the problem's harder but the strategy, the basic direction of our strategy, was right. we just have to be better at it. so to your second question, if i were in tokyo, would i be worr

world the white house says there'll be no preconditions to the trump lead with kim jong by may mr chinese leader xi jinping by phone and they both agree to continue the tough sanctions regime on north korea until steps were taken to end its nuclear program. the russian president vladimir putin has rejected accusations by u.s. intelligence that he ordered citizens to interfere in the twenty sixth presidential election and interview president putin said he couldn't care less if anyone meddled in the campaign as they were connected to the kremlin but you have to take coming up next here on al-jazeera it's out front. facing realities growing up when did you realize that you were living in a special place the so-called secret city getting to the heart of the matter why it is activist to live in jail just because she expressed herself hear their story on and talk to al-jazeera at this time. it's been fifteen years since the united states and its allies invaded and occupied iraq millions of refugees and hundreds of thousands of dead later some supporters of the war still believe there's nothing to apologi

mr. trump tweeted, addi in his next message tha president xi told him mr. rdm "looks foro his meeting with me."wh are the prospects? to the man who opened a first and -- britain's embassy in north korea before the weapons program took off. what might kim want? >> lifting of sanctions. reduction of some of the sanctions. they are n all going to be fted. james: in exchange for? >> cap on their nuclear program and continued moratorium on rocket development. james: huge doubts remain. could this be a new nuclblr reactor caof producing m apons-grade plutonium? satellite images fst month suggest the possibility. ahead of the extraordinary ijg visit and a possible first encounter with donald trump, the stakes could hardly be higher. james robbins, bbc news.ja , i spoke with a professor of korean studies at the fletcher school at tufts university. relations between china andha north kore been pretty chilly for a while now. what do you make of this meeting, and why all the secrecy? >> like death and taxes, the day was bound to come. the reclusive, antisocial north k

tom: over the weekend, was the linkage of mr. xina, i believe it is in the vicinity of 86 million or 90 million members , which i'm going to guess is a very small part of the chinese population. how are they different from our perception? what is the distinction of esther xi's communist party and its dominance? >> i think the perception is that it continues to renew itself and reinforce its grip on the economy. theinping has made it clear state is not stepping away, but also blurring the lines between the state and the party. increasingly, when you speak with analysts and investors and a government directive or a party directive? that is running throughout the economy. i say, the perception is one of doubling down, reinforcing the communist party to the anticorruption campaign, and at the same time, blurring that link with the government. francine: thank you so much ,enda curran joining us from hong kong. still with us, jens nordvig and conrad dequadros. jens, if you look at the china factor, are you confident china's tackling finan

you conflate tariffs into this announcement on foreign policy or are they too distinctive ideas to mr. xi tom m.: i think they have to be taken together because that is positionshas hi the trade action has taken on china in many ways. he has conflated the two so i do not think you can unpick them easily. he is concerned about them being brought in the out to a wider range of sectors. he's concerned about it being retooled. china signed off on these sanctions, the most recent round of sanctions on north korea. part of that has played to this breakdown of relations between north korea and china. china in some ways has been like a rock -- been between a rock and a hard place. they are facing pushback from north korea. when i was a north korea back in 2016, they are very interested in striking up a dialogue with the u.s.. they were back then and clearly they are now. they raise their eyebrows when you try to link the north koreans in china. they do not like to be seen as china's little brother. francine: kevin, how much does this embolden president trump? this is an unprecedented summit. a lo

mr trump treated. adding in his next message that president xi had told him mr kim also "looks forward to his meeting withurn to drjim hoare. this is the vice minister who looked after europe... he opened britain's first embassy in north korea before its weapons programme really took off. what does kim now want? that might well include a lifting of sanctions, or a reduction of some of the sanctions. they're not all going to be lifted. in exchange for...? in exchange for a cap on their nuclear programme and the continued moratorium of their rocket development. huge doubts remain. could this be a new north korean nuclear reactor capable of producing weapons grade plutonium? satellite images from last month suggest that possibility. so behind kim's extraordinary beijing visit and ahead of a possible first encounter with donald trump, the stakes could hardly be higher. james robbins, bbc news. the cost of drinks in plastic bottles and cans in england could increase under plans for a refundable deposit scheme to reduce waste and increase recycling. consumers would receive their money back when they returned bo

mr. xi apparently told mr. trump that the meeting went very well.p or uprising because they know he is not in the country this is wonderful of living in america. our president will to to other countries and we know his agenda. brian: we know sean penn would like to impeach the president. steve: if you like to look to sean penn for advice. brian: although madonna did they were a couple together. try not to get me on track. kim jong-un hop ad train to china. why is this important. since 2011 he has not left the country. it fueled thoughts they were not getting along too well. think about it, kim jong un has two of the biggest meetings in his life. he has the south korean leader and president trump in may. why not meet with kim jong-un and president xi to maybe get the parameters. this is a question. if i get rid of my nuclear weapons, hypothetically, will you watch my back? how do i go back doing this? what should i ask for from the americans which i asked for from the south koreans? their objective is the same. china wants a north korea. we would lik

mr trump tweeted. adding in his next message that president xi had told him mr kim also "looks forward to his meeting withminister who looked after europe... he opened britain's first embassy in north korea before its weapons programme really took off. what does kim now want? that might well include a lifting of sanctions, or a reduction of some of the sanctions. they're not all going to be lifted. in exchange for...? in exchange for a cap on their nuclear programme and the continued moratorium of their rocket development. huge doubts remain. could this be a new north korean nuclear reactor capable of producing weapons grade plutonium? satellite images from last month suggest that possibility. so behind kim's extraordinary beijing visit and ahead of a possible first encounter with donald trump, the stakes could hardly be higher. james robbins, bbc news. president trump has announced that his veterans affairs secretary david shulkin is to resign and that he is nominating white house doctor ronnyjohnson as his successor. white house officials said mr shulkin had become a distraction due to a constant wave o

north korea's leader a lavish welcome at the start of a secret trip to beijing mr kim is said to have assured china's president xi that's he's committed to denuclearize ation. and russia holds a day of mourning a funeral so house for the sixty four people who died in the deadly faster shopping mall in but inside me here many of the dead were children. i'm still going to welcome to the program. a protest march in on a eighty five year old holocaust survivor is taking place in paris as we speak and around was killed in an attack on friday thousands have been marching through the streets of the french capital to protest the killing police say they are trying to come out as an unceasing mercy attack firefighters discovers a partially body on friday after being called to a fire in her apartment in the east of the same. she'd been stopped several times police arrested a neighbor and another suspect. because well at least lewis says march in paris so welcome lisa so we see a lots of people behind you were waiting to pay their respects tell us what's going on. yes absolutely that thousands of people who have come here to

the state-run people's daily reports that yesterday, the visit at mr. xiequest marked the first time kim jong-un had left north korean territory for some time. -- creating the appropriate atmosphere for dialogue with north korea. president trump continuing to talk about that topic this morning in his two tweets so far this morning. here is what he had to say. steve day message last night from xi jinping of china that his meeting with kim jong-un went very well and he looks forward to his meeting with me. in the meantime, unfortunately, maximum sanctions and pressure must be maintained at all cost. for years and for many administrations, everyone said that peace in the denuclearization of the korean peninsula was not even a small possibility. now there is a good chance that kim jong-un will do what is right for his people and humanity. , theforward to our meeting president said. those were his two tweets this morning. anna is in chicago, independent. your thoughts on this citizenship question being included in the 2020 census? caller: i think the question s

people's congress is the term limits for president and vice president have been lifted so mr wong a close ally of xi jinping now in this role as vice president a role means that that office will have much more power than it has traditionally and we know that he's going to be focused on trade issues particularly with the united states and friction that's been increasing with them so he's going to front that in the past he worked on anti-corruption which was a very important if not the most important initiative that she jinping wanted done in his first five year term now moving forward he'll also mr wong the vice president focus on other foreign policy issues which there are many outside of the united states and trade friction there's also north korea that's something that's very important to the xi jinping administrations and moving forward to his term officially starts on saturday and he will start to really crack down almost immediately because there's also some things going on in washington right now about a deal with an act that was passed with taiwan obviously that's an issue that beijing is ver

mr. trump. from xi jinping's perspective it makes sense to meet with kim jong-un. chin tha does not want to be sidelined. he'll meet with moon jae in and president trump and they want to be part of this. china is north korea's ally and security partner and so on. just like the united states is coordinating with our allies, pretrump meeting this makes sense from china and kim jong-un's perspective. >> the white house released a statement between kim and xi. we see this development as further evidence that the campaign of maximum pressure is creating the appropriate atmosphere tore dialogue with north korea. is that really an accurate assessment of what's happening here or is this more china not wanting to be on the sidelines and wanting to make sure it reasserts it has influence in the situation with north korea after being pretty surprised by a potential kim jong-un trump meeting. >> no, i think from china, it's intention is goal is not to be sidelined. it wants to be a player. it was a player during the six party talks process and does not want to be sidelined. bu

mr. trump about the talks? clare: trump says xi told him the meeting went well with kim.fficial reports we have seen from north korea and china seem to bear that out. they downplay tensions to emphasize a good working relationship between the countries. remember, china has traditionally been a major ally of north korea, but recent sanctions have really put a strain on their ties. the point of t this meeting for china a seems to be largely an effort to save face, to try and present itself as a relevant player in any y north kokorean s after south korea and the u.s. have been the ones making headlines. but this meeting with china is also likely to boost north korea's leverage in any possible meetings with trump. having beijing on their side willll provide them wiggle roomn terms of having a partner that can help soften trade restrictions. brent: that's a very good point, especially that you make about the chinese president. when we look at the u.s. president, he is known for calling the north korean leader rocket man. today he tweeted that he believes that the north korean

mr. trump never signed it. >>> president xi jinping is poised to rule china indefinitely after sweeping changes to the nation's constitution. china's largely rubber stamped parliament voted to scrap presidential term limits to allow xi to remain in office at the end of his second term in 2023. of the 2,964 ballots, two delegates voted no and three abstains. the amendments include other clauses that would further strengthen xi's grip elevating him to a level of power not seen since decades. janice mackey frazier is in beijing with the latest. good morning. >> good morning. no surprise that the vote was overwhelmingly in favor of abolishing the presidential term limits allowing xi jinping to rule indefinitely. he is in total control of the communist party, of the military, and of the state. so he could rule for the rest of his life if he so chooses. it is a bold move and it's one that is causing some anxiety across china. among those who don't want to see a return to the sort of strong man rule that defines the era. there are risks ahead of infighting, personalized politics, as well as instabilit

north korea's leader a lavish welcome at the start of a secret trip to beijing mr kim is said to have assured china's president xi that he's committed to denuclearize ation we'll bring you reaction from washington also on the program france almost a fallen hero the police officer killed in last week's terrorist attack is hailed as a symbol of the country's spirit of resistance. and russia holds a day of mourning as funerals a held for the sixty four people who died in the weekend's deadly fire at a shopping mall in siberia many of the dead which killed. i'm phil gal welcome to the program. after days of rumors it has been confirmed that north korea's leader kim jong un did visit china this week he's meeting with president xi jinping was kept under wraps until after he left yesterday the hope is that this is the problem to talk about nuclear disarmament today u.s. president donald trump tweeted that he had received a message from president xi saying that the meeting had gone well that north korea's leader was looking forward to meeting him mr trump then went on to say that until that u.s. sanctions would remain in

house says there'll be no preconditions to the tram pleating with kim jong un by may mr trump soaker label chinese leader xi jinping by phone and they both agreed to continue the tough sanctions regime on north korea until steps were taken to end its nuclear program the russian president vladimir putin has rejected accusations by u.s. intelligence that he ordered citizens to interfere in the true the sixteen presidential election in an interview president putin said he couldn't care less if anyone meddled in the campaign as they weren't connected to the kremlin but europe today it's coming up next here on al-jazeera it's up front. facing realities growing up went to do you realize that you were living in a special place a so-called secret city getting to the heart of the matter while activists to live in jail just because she expressed herself hear their story on to al-jazeera at this time. it's been fifteen years since the united states and its allies invaded and occupied iraq millions of refugees and hundreds of thousands of dead later some supporters of the war still believe there's nothing to apologize

mr. secretary, as you know, the most senior economic adviser to president xi jinping is in washington now for negotiations. come to some agreement on trade to move things forward. going to do. what are the conversations like in light of these tariffs? >> i am sure they will be a topic to be discussed. we have put tariffs on other products. this is nothing new. this just happens to be broader geographically than the typical tariff program. as you correctly pointed out, the very direct impact on chinese exports to us is not theg to drastically affect economy, nor was it meant to. these are not meant to hurt other countries as much as they are meant to bring jobs back to theu.s. and label -- level playing field. >> u.s. commerce secretary wilbur ross. secretary.u, mr. fantastic interview. we appreciate it. let's check how stocks are doing. there was movement right be for that interview. here is abigail doolittle. looking at mixed trading action. earlier, we had greater than 1% declines. s&p 500 down .2%. the nasdaq up almost .2 percent. off the lows, a little bit of a reversal. the question