simon jones, bbc news. 0ur correspondent leigh milner sent this report from a deserted leicester squareiam standing i am standing in the centre of leicester square in london. just over my shoulder we have shakespeare water fountain. over my shoulder we have shakespeare waterfountain. a over my shoulder we have shakespeare water fountain. a handful of over my shoulder we have shakespeare waterfountain. a handful of people here enjoying the morning sun. the pigeons are still here. i have seen a few people take photographs of the centre, stunned by the quietness of the place. usually at this time in the place. usually at this time in the morning we see hundreds, possibly thousands of tourist, making their way to get here, the theatres, musicals, we have the ticket office closed. it is unbelievable to see. leicester square is the home of the west end. an industry which brought in nearly £800 million last year. if my cameraman pans around, i £800 million last year. if my cameraman pans around, i am surrounded by pubs, clubs, cathy is, restau ra nts, surrounded by pubs, clubs, cathy is, resta

simon jones, bbc news. is our news correspondent leigh milner from leicester square, in the heart of central london. well, if there is any place in the uk that is going to feel these changes, it is here in leicester square in london. i am standing right in the centre, just over my shoulder we have got shakespeare's water fountain, just a handful of people here this morning, enjoying the morning sun. the pigeons are still here, though, but i have seen a few people take photographs of the centre, stunned by the silence of the place. usually at this time in the place. usually at this time in the morning, you would see hundreds of thousands of visitors making their way here to get into the theatres, the musicals. the ticket office here is closed. it is unbelievable to see. of course, leicester square is the home of the west end, an industry which brought in nearly £800 million last year. it also, my cameraman can pan around to show you that we are surrounded by pubs, clubs, restaurants, all with signs in their

simon jones, bbc news.ell again this morning — after central banks around the world took co—ordinated action to try to limit the economic impact of the pandemic. the federal reserve in the united states has cut interest rates to 0.25%. president trump has praised the move but markets have reacted cautiously. radio 4's business presenter, dominic o'connell is here. from the market reaction, not convinced? not at all, the ftse 100, the london main convinced? not at all, the ftse100, the london main index has opened just under 7%, only been open for just under 7%, only been open for just over an hour, it is a big fall, to put that in context, last week we had the second biggest fall in history nearly 11%, so we are edging up history nearly 11%, so we are edging up there, it is a big fall. it comes after some pretty extraordinary stuff from central banks. the federal reserve did an emergency rate cut on a sunday night, the first time in the history of the federal reserve there have been two emergency rate cuts

simon jones, bbc news.ots of questions about a vaccine and how quickly can one be developed. speaking to the andrew marr programme, dr michael ryan, executive director of the world health organization, urged caution, warning that the process could be a long one. i think we have to be realistic, vaccines take a long time to develop, test, prove they are effective and then you have to produce enough vaccine for everybody. that's a very long process. we have to be very careful. this vaccine will be given to potentially billions of people and we have to make sure that it's absolutely safe and it does good, not harm. we are talking at least a year. that doesn't mean that we are helpless. we can do a lot to stop this disease right now, and we can save a lot of lives right now. we will work hard on the vaccines, the vaccines will come, but we need to get down and do what we do we need to do now. our political correspondent helen catt is here. the british prime minister bob johnson urging everybody yes, cop shot li

simon jones, bbc news. backin back in 1992, they called bill clinton the comeback kid.man, not really a kid, could be making a comeback? the former us vice president, joe biden, has won the latest round of votes to be the democratic candidate to challenge donald trump later this year. the results so far in the state of south carolina indicate that mr biden has taken around half the votes — a critical result for his campaign after a poor performance in earlier ballots. 14 states are holding their elections on super tuesday this week. 0ur washington correspondent barbara plett usher reports. back in the game. this is the big win joe biden needed. all those of you who've been knocked down, counted out, left behind, this is yourcampaign! cheering. propelled to victory by an outpouring of support from black voters, he always predicted they would revive his struggling campaign, and they came through. if the democrats nominate me, i believe we can beat donald trump. already, 0bama's vice president has had a surge in funding and political endorsements, building momentum as he h

short—haul flights will continue as scheduled. 0ur news correspondent simon jones has more.ransport around 200 million passengers each year. now it is effectively saying three quarters of its services will go because it will no longer fly to destinations like europe, after president trump initiated a banner saying people from mainland europe, the uk and ireland cannot travel to the us. so a lot of the players will be grounded. they will take a big financial hit over this and it will happen very soon. it will begin on monday and those players will not take to the air all of april and reassess the situation at the beginning of may. you have analysed here in the uk, for example, same to the uk, for example, same to the government, if you do not give us immediate financial support, when we get to the end of this crisis, they may not be much left of the airline industry. easyjet, one of the major operators, which runs to many european destinations overnight, we have had the foreign office saying we should not go to spain. 18 million people go to spain each year. that would be a b

simon jones, bbc news.he virus. authorities in the worst—hit region of lombardy announced stricter measures including a ban on outdoor physical activity. nearly 5,000 people have died in the country. australia has become the latest country to introduce measures to enforce social distancing after large crowds gathered on sydney's beaches in recent days. meanwhile, a financial package of more than $100 billion us has been made available to support the most vulnerable during the crisis. here the national trust has announced its closing all of its parks and gardens — saying it's no longer possible to maintain social distancing — just days after promising free entry for visitors. houses, cafes and shops run by the trust had already been shut. sainsbury‘s is to change its priority shopping times for nhs staff and elderly customers to keep the two groups apart. nhs and social care workers will be allowed in its stores between 7:30 and 8:00 every morning, monday to saturday. the elderly, disabled and their carers w

simon jones, bbc news.dent, leigh milner is in leicester square in the heart of central london. normally this place is packed, especially at night, what is it like they're at the moment? as you can see behind me, it is deathly quiet. we have a shakespeare water fountain behind me. roughly about a handful of people taking photos really. stunned by the silence and just how quiet the centre of london is. normally, as you say, you would be seeing hundreds, if not thousands, of tourists flocking to the capital for the attractions, musicals, the theatres. leicester square being the home of the west end and industry which brought in nearly £800 million. just over $930 million last year. if we spin around, we have the main ticket office here which is closed. we also have hotels which are obviously closed as well. and if we swing all the way around, a bit difficult for my cameraman, we have a line of restaurants and cafe is, pub chains which all have signs on their doors, telling people that they will be closed for

simon jones, bbc news.berkshire is the latest place to close, after one of its staff tests positive for coronavirus, bringing the number of confirmed cases in the uk to 23. labour calls for home secretary priti patel to attend the commons tomorrow to explain allegations from her departing civil service chief that she bullied staff. in the us, democrat presidential candidatejoe biden wins his first primary in south carolina, boosting his chances of being his party's candidate to take on donald trump in november's election. the former us vice president, joe biden, has won the latest round of votes to be the democratic candidate to challenge donald trump later this year. the results so far in the state of south carolina indicate that mr biden has taken around half the votes — a critical result for his campaign after poor performance in earlier ballots. 14 states are holding their elections on super tuesday this week. our washington correspondent barbara plett usher reports. back in the game. this is the big wi

simon jones, bbc news.the covid—19 epidemic as a "great national trial" for the us. the president has announced additional emergency medical help for new york, washington and california but the us congress has failed so far to agree an economic stimulus package. negotiations are continuing on a deal worth at least a trillion dollar designed to help american workers and companies affected by the global pandemic. our north america correspondent peter bowes reports. "the worst is yet to come". a blunt warning from the mayor of new york city which is now the epicentre of the outbreak in the us with a third of the cases. medical supplies are running out. respirators, masks and protective gowns are all badly needed in hospitals around the country. if the president doesn't act, people will die who could have lived otherwise. senior citizens, folks who are members of families, and we can't get action from the president of the united states. mr trump has responded, declaring a major disaster in new york and washingt

simon jones, bbc news. 0ur political correspondent helen catt is here.on's borisjohnson‘s message to the british people, because in the uk, it is mothering sunday, mother's day, and obviously a lot of people normally would be visiting their pa rents. normally would be visiting their parents. absolutely. boris johnson's message to them today, critically, stay at home, don't do it. the terms he has delivered it in our very stark and i think that is deliberately so. again that's because as you said, mothering sunday in the uk, there is a real emotive pool to try and get family in one place together and that is absolutely what the government does not want. having forced the closure of pubs and bars, and other gathering places, the very last thing it wants is for people to gather in their own homes. the language in boris johnson gather in their own homes. the language in borisjohnson that has used —— used the language in borisjohnson that has used the prime minister writing things like, he cannot sugar coat the threats that if you have an elderly relative, th

simon jones, bbc news.er, markets fell again this morning, after central banks around the world took co—ordinated action to try to limit the economic impact of the pandemic. the federal reserve in the united states has cut interest rates to a quarter of one per cent. president trump has praised the move but markets have reacted cautiously. rather a big inbox then for andrew bailey, who takes over as bank of england governor today. let's talk to our economics editor faisal islam. you've been speaking to him, haven't you? on behalf of all broadcasters. the new governor, andrew bailey, has given an interview. we should go straight to that. here he is, speaking a short time ago. i think it was another strong signal of coordination amongst the central banks, which, you know, we work very closely together and we have been working very closely together, and i've been part of that, along with mark carney running up to the handover here. i think one of the important elements from our point of view was the action tha

simon jones, bbc news.e europe, we might get an idea. the prime minister has said is going to make a decision, whether people are observing the social distancing but things like other restrictions could come into place. everything we've learned about this crisis as we do tend to follow what is rolled out in the rest of europe increasingly likely. added to which the facts on the ground are changing if you like already. parks, some local authorities, they are already closing down, some of the gardens and parks, it's already happening. are the areas we are likely to see developments. we are told there is going to be a dramatic improvement in delivery to hospitals because clearly there's been a problem with many medics unhappy have not had sufficient supplies. also unhappy at the quality of many of the masks and gallons they've been given. matt hancock has said he's going to get on of that quickly. we may see further help the self—employed. they are the ones who seem to have fallen through the safety net the ch

simon jones, bbc news. bringing the total to 35.se affected the school has been shot in the government says it many more closures and may be necessary. we don't take anything off the table at this stage, because we have to make sure that you have all of the tools available if that is what is necessary. the very latest and speaking to a health editor. i also internet‘s programme pressure grows on priti patel on bullying allegations. following the resignation of her top civil servant. he sees his tear gas and rubber bullets as it closes its border to thousands of refugees trying to escape from syria into europe. and i woman who says it was too easy to change and gender when she was 16, takes the clinic that helped her to colt. there has been a significant increase in the number of people are testing positive for coronavirus. 12 bit cases in england how secretary has that is supply school but the spread of the disease cannot be contained. the total number of cases a big uk it now stands at 35. if iran saves his respiratory degrees whic

simon jones, bbc news.it is going to be providing free feel to the emergency services and free food deliveries to the elderly, as the spread of covid—i9 continues, the company said, our natural instinct to protect ourfamilies, said, our natural instinct to protect our families, our colleagues and our company. bp saying it's once to do more and that it has been engaging with business leaders across bp to see what more it can do to assist communities where they live and work, whether that be supporting government efforts, helping local charities of reaching out to people in our supply chain stop what they say we are also looking to protect the elderly, in many ways the most vulnerable, by delivering feed and convenience goods from their retail sites. that is the update from bp, providing free natural for the emergency services and food for the elderly —— free petrol. with me now is our education correspondent charlotte rose. let's talk about the mass school closure as of tomorrow, what do we know what is goin

simon jones, bbc news.ith me now is our correspondent richard galpin. it isa it is a strange world. many millions of people fear losing theirjobs and others are being pulled out of retirement? and a huge number. they are talking about 50,000 nurses and 15,000 doctors. very, very big numberand it 15,000 doctors. very, very big number and it gives an indication of the scale of the challenge which ahead as the rate of infection sta rts ahead as the rate of infection starts to surge, reaching the peak expected and may orjune. starts to surge, reaching the peak expected and may orjune. that is a numbers for england but there are also the other nations doing the same thing? we are hearing scotland talking about doing the same thing and these are people who have only recently retired. it is important to say, since 2017. the younger retirees and they will come in and be assessed as to what role they can play. it could be more at the front line or it could be more back room for example answering calls from the nhs h

simon jones, bbc news.t, joe biden, has won the latest round of votes to be the democratic party's challenger to donald trump in the presidential elections later this year. mr biden has taken about 50% of the votes in south carolina, according to early indications, which is a critical result for his campaign after poor performances in earlier ballots. 0ur washington correspondent barbara plett usher has the details. backin back in the game. this is the big whenjoe biden back in the game. this is the big when joe biden needed. all those of you who have been knocked down, counted out, left behind, this is yourcampaign! counted out, left behind, this is your campaign! cheering. propelled to victory by an outpouring of support from black voters, he always predicted they would revive his struggling campaign, and they came through. the democrats nominated me. i believe we can beat donald trump. already, 0bama's vice president has had a surge infunding 0bama's vice president has had a surge in funding a political

simon jones, bbc news. into legislation? yes, and it will be a speeded up timetable in parliament over the next few days. later today the government will have the first reading you'll and in their sweeping powers at the government's disposal to use as they see fit. one includes getting recently retired nhs staff back into theirjobs and allowing those volunteering for several weeks not to lose theirjobs, but more details on other powers, for example giving police powers to detain people and put them into isolation if needed on public health grounds and also the possible closure of ports and airports if there are enough border staff due to sickness —— aren't enough. as i said, this is due to go through in parliament quicker than legislation would normally do and partly that's because it's been drawn up with the agreement and support of the opposition parties. nevertheless, labour have some concerns. jeremy corbyn has written to the prime minister saying while the party understands urgent action is needed, he

simon jones, bbc news.speak now to our political correspondent, iain watson, who joins us from our westminster studio. we know there will be these daily briefings. that is quite a change, isn't it? yes, the opposition will be pressing for daily press briefings with the prime minister andindeed briefings with the prime minister and indeed when he is not present, other senior ministers. the government said they were always going to do this at some stage well, that stage has certainly come now. they have been under criticism as well for appearing to be out of step with response to some other countries. they had meeting with deputy chief officer does make chief medical officer on friday and they said they wanted more answers and greater transparency from the government. it looks like they will publish some of the underlying assumptions behind their strategy on friday because they have been following the signs. as you are mentioned, there was going to be that cobra briefing as well. what do they expect to come o

simon jones, bbc news. as supermarkets struggle to cope with panic buying, competition laws have been temporarily suspended to allow rival chains to work together. it's part of a package of measures which will allow stores to keep their shops staffed and stocked with food. dawn bilbrough, who's a critical care nurse, had this tearful message after a tiring shift. i'm a critical care nurse, i'vejust finished 48 hours of work, ijust wa nted finished 48 hours of work, ijust wanted to get some stuff in for the next 48 hours. there is no fruit, there no vegetables, ijust don't know—how i'm supposed to stay healthy. and there's those people who are just healthy. and there's those people who arejust stripping healthy. and there's those people who are just stripping the shelves of basic foods. you just need to stop it, because there's people like me that are going to be looking after you when you're at your lowest. just stop it, please! after today's schools across the uk will only open to children whose parents ha

simon jones, bbc news.ear. and then you have got the pubs, restaurants and bars around it. a lot of those were already uncertain over the last week orso, already uncertain over the last week or so, because people have not been coming out and the footfall has dropped so low, there has been a lot of concern over how long they can sustain that, how long they can keep on employing people. in hospitality and other industries, jobs have already been lost. so the announcement yesterday from the government, telling pubs and restau ra nts a nd government, telling pubs and restaurants and venues like that to close is, at least, a firm direction. they do need to close. when it comes to jobs, that is the big concern. the government package is aimed at stopping mass lay—offs. really tripling wave of redundancies that could have resulted. the money will cover 80% of wages for those who won't have any work now that pubs, who won't have any work now that pu bs, restau ra nts who won't have any work now that pubs, restauran

simon jones, bbc news.the health secretary matt hancock says he is working day and night to get nhs workers the protective gear they need. we've been sending out equipment all through the last week and over the weekend, making sure that every hospital gets a delivery by the end of the weekend, so that is happening as we speak. but i want to make sure that every single person on the front line gets the equipment that they need. that means both the logistics of getting the protective equipment to them, making sure that is the right equipment and that it fits right and, of course, buying the extra equipment that is needed to make sure that there is ample supply. as i say, we have been able to buy i supply. as i say, we have been able to buyi million more masks, we have shipped 2.6 million over a 24—hour period, so very significant quantities, but, of course, it is all about keeping our nhs workers who are on the front line say. absolutely, we follow the advice that the clinicians give, based on the who advice,

simon jones, bbc news.ss to westmninster now, where our correspondent iain watson has more. we have more detail of who the government is defining its key workers. tell us more. there are certainly some debate invite all about how extensive this list was going to be, how wide the net was going to be, how wide the net was going to be cast and the answer is pretty wide. matt hancock the health secretary said it may cover about 20% of the school rolls for example, if these key workers send their children to school next week. gavin williams in the education secretary suggested yesterday it might only be 10%. but it is extensive. —— gavin williamson. people in the health service, social care, people in the armed forces, people who are providing policing. but it goes much, much wider than that, people who are involved in the food production, distribution and supply chains. it also includes people in manufacturing, logically enough, medical equipment. but it also takes ona medical equipment. but it also takes on a

simon jones at heathrow airport, many thanks.the perspective instead from france. local elections are under way in france, despite widespread unease that the vote is happening at all. the government has ordered the indefinite closure of most public places, including restaurants, bars and shops. our correspondent hugh schofield is in paris. good morning to you. this is the curiosity, we are seeing some people in the uk point out that countries around europe are taking more severe measures in response to the virus, local elections here in the uk postponed in a couple of months‘ time, but going ahead in france today? yes, i think the government found itself caught by its promises. in the middle of last week when there was an initial argument over whether the elections should go ahead, they decided yes, at that point of seem sensible for it to go ahead and they committed themselves. in the last 48 hours, though, things seem to have changed and in every other respect the government has taken drastic and dramatic steps to lockdown and

jones new take on the breakfast of champions. when the u.s. team does get its chance, it will be well worth the wait simone bielz ready to change four gold medals into many more. the womens soccer team out for revenge after a tough time in reo. and then there are the runners. chasing usain bolt's records. >> the dream is still here it's been delayed but it hadn't been denied. >> reporter: tonight they're all likely disappointed but by no means defeated stephanie gosk, nbc news, new york >> and that's "nightly news." i'm lester holt. please take care of yourself and each other. >>> right now at 6:00 enforcing the law durtling the pandemic. we break down the crime rate as the bay area continues to battle the coronavirus. the news at 6:00 starts right now. thanks for joining us in the net net bay area studios. >> it is day eight in the shelter at home for all of us and the virus showing no signs of slowing down. we were watching it together in the newsroom. a lot of sobering statistics he passed along again. >> 2100 positives in california right now and in the last 24 hours, we've seen a nearly 20% increase in cases, 17.5. sadly a southern califor

jones' new take on the breakfast of champions when the u.s. team does get its chance it will be well worth the wait simone biles ready to turn four gold medals intoy more katie ledecky dominating the womens soccer team out for revenge after a tough time in reo. and then there are the runners. christian coleman and noah lyles chasing usain bolt's records >> the dream is still here >> reporter: tonight they're all likely disappointed but by no means defeated stephanie gosk, nbc news, new york >> and that's "nightly news." i'm lester holt. please take care of yourself and each other. we made usaa insurance for members like kate. a former army medic, made of the flexibility to handle whatever monday has in store and tackle four things at once. so when her car got hit, she didn't worry. she simply filed a claim on her usaa app and said... i got this. usaa insurance is made the way kate needs it - easy. she can even pick her payment plan so it's easy on her budget and her life. usaa. what you're made of, we're made for. usaa we find a way through it. it's about taking care of each other. it's the small parts that make a big difference. at chevy, we pro

dawn of the audiobook simon & schuster their very first title 1985 was a thriller you all remember how to get your point across in 30 seconds or less they wanted james earl jonesbut he was doing voiceovers for cnn and a decade later the first audie awards the original host of cbs sunday morning charles kuralt. [applause] i am proud to be on that show and that brings the subject to me. [laughter] i recorded my own audiobook this year. thank you very much. [applause] obituaries i actually requested jim dale because i saw him on the original cast of barnum when i was 12 and he was superb. signed up doing my own audiobook start to finish for one thing i discovered how many words i have been mispronouncing all my life. [laughter] i thought it was biopic i thought it was posthumous and i wrote a book about obituaries and i do not know how to pronounce posthumous. [laughter] but fortunately i had a terrific producer scott sherritt. [applause] and took me by the tongue to guide me through the creative process that is much more nuanced than i realized a form of communication all of its own storytelling and acting fully engaging with an audience unseen with your voice a

jones' new take on the breakfast of champions. when this u.s. team does get its chance, it will be well worth the wait. simoneeady to turn four gold medals into many more. katie ledecky dominating. the women's soccer team out for revenge after a tough time in rio. and then there are the runners chasing usain bolt's records. >> the dream is still here. it's been delayed but it hasn't been denied. >> reporter: tonight they are likely disappointed but by no means defeated. stephanie gosk, nbc news, new york. >> that's where we are right about now. that's our broadcast for this tuesday evening as well. thank you so much for being here with us. on behalf of all of my colleagues at all the networks of nbc news, good night from our temporary field headquarters. >>> >>> good evening from new york. i'm chris hayes. new york is now a cautionary tale for the rest of the world. there are nearly 15,000 cases in the city alone, around 30% of all of the cases in the entire country. at this point there is no sign they are slowing down. the city is desperately trying to brace for impact as hospitals groan under the strain. to

jones' new take on the breakfast of champions. when this u.s. team does get its chance, it will be well worth the wait. simonedy to turn four gold medals into many more. katie ledecky dominating. the women's soccer team out for revenge after a tough time in rio. and then there are the runners christian coleman and noah alias chasing usain bolt's records. >> the dream is still here. it's been delayed but it hasn't been denied. >> reporter: tonight they are likely disappointed but by no means defeated. stephanie gosk, nbc news, new york. >> that's where we are right about now. that's our broadcast for this tuesday evening as well. thank you so much for being here with us. on behalf of all of my colleagues at all the networks of nbc news, good night from our temporary field headquarters. ♪ >>> good morning, everyone. it is wednesday, march 25th. i'm ayman mohyeldin. we begin with major new developments from washington, d.c., after days of partisan gridlock, senator leaders and the white house announced a mass d massive deal aimed at rescuing the american economy from the scourge of the white house. the white hou

jones' new take on the breakfast of champions. when this u.s. team does get its chance, it will be well worth the wait. simone biles ready to turn four gold medals into many more. katie ledecky dominating. the women's soccer team out for revenge after a tough time in rio. and then there are the runners chasing usain bolt's records. >> the dream is still here. it's been delayed but it hasn't been denied. >> reporter: tonight they are likely disappointed but by no means defeated. stephanie gosk, nbc news, new york. >> that's where we are right about now. that's our broadcast for this tuesday evening as well. thank you so much for being here with us. on behalf of all of my colleagues at all the networks of nbc news, good night from our temporary field headquarters. >>> in spain today, the main convention center in the city of madrid has been converted into a hospital. spain has the second worst outbreak in europe right now after italy. hundreds of patients are already at this field hospital that they have set up at the madrid convention center. they expect it will be 1,300 by the end of this week. they then expe

simon jones, bbc news. 0ur assistant political editor, norman smith, is in westminster.e find out today exactly who the key workers are? yes, i think we will. you got a sense of the sort of pressure ministers were under yesterday when they were not able to provide that much clarity. but i think we have the outlines of it. it will be obviously nhs staff, it looks like it will be all nhs staff. some teachers as well, those who will still have to go into schools to keep the skeleton services running. they are also talking about supermarket delivery drivers, to make sure you can still get food supplies, particularly to the elderly. social workers as well, they look like they are going to be exempted. those involved in key infrastructure. you really could involve quite a wide range of people, i guess you are talking about people who supply gas, water, energy, may be telecoms, the internet, maybe post, as well. who knows, maybe somejournalists, i don't know. it is quite a large group of people that we are talking about. but the fact that the government is unable to sort of put