24/03/2017 BBC News at Ten

Tonight at 10, a humiliating defeat for President Trump

as his key election campaign promise collapses.

Replacing Obama's healthcare scheme for millions of Americans

was top of his list - but he's had to pull it

after failing to get enough support from his own party and Democrats.

Trump's controversial plans had sparked protests amid fears millions

would be left without medical insurance -

Today is a great day for our country.

What happened on the floor is a victory for the American people

We'll be asking how damaging this is to Donald Trump's presidency.

Also tonight, police appeal for more information about the Westminster

attacker as a former classmate says he is stunned.

I was upset to thinking he's turned the way he has,

and upset that he would have turned the way he has.

The EU won't try to punish Britain over Brexit,

says the head of the European Commission.

But he warns there will be a bill to pay.

As Syria's ancient city of Palmyra is liberated again,

more evidence of so-called Islamic State's brutality

And coming up in Sportsday on BBC News,

Lewis Hamilton dominates practise on the first day

of the new Formula One season - fastest in practise in Melbourne

President Trump has suffered a major defeat tonight over one

of his biggest campaign pledges - his vow to reform America's

healthcare system, known as Obamacare.

Mr Trump was facing opposition not just from Democrats,

The President had staked his personal authority on his scheme,

issuing an ultimatum to the Republicans that

he'd drop it altogether, if they didn't back him.

But tonight, just minutes before the vote, he was forced

to abandon his plans dramatically, after being told he didn't

Let's join our North America Editor, Jon Sopel, in Washington.

Just give us a sense of the scale of the shock?

Sophie, Washington doesn't see many days like this. It is hard to

overstate the sense of drama, tension and yes, chaos, that

reverberated from the White House up Pennsylvania Avenue to Capitol Hill

and back down to the White House. Throughout the campaign Donald Trump

had said it was his constant refrain, if you elect me as

President I will win so much, you the American people will get bored

of winning. While at the first legislative hurdle, Donald Trump has

fallen flat on his face, and this despite having a huge majority in

A day of truly frantic meetings and phone calls, as the vice president,

Mike Pence, went to the hilt to try to secure the votes needed to pass

health care reform. And the usual tools deployed, a mixture of menace

and flattery. But it wasn't going well. My vote is still a no. If

anybody tells you for certain they know what is go to happen, they are

lying. The situation is still very fluid. If concessions are made to

the right of the Republican Party, you lose the moderates, and vice

versa. At the White House, there were no attempts to distance

themselves from the legislation. The White House spokesman saying Donald

Trump had done everything he could. There is no question that the

president and the team have left everything in the field. We have

called every member with a question and concern, taking into

consideration the strength of the bill. There was one definitive

statement about how the day would unfold. Later today the house will

vote on the American health care act, the current vote is scheduled

for 3:30pm. Except it didn't, with journalists prowling every corridor,

doubts started to creep in and then the bombshell announcement after the

Speaker, Paul Ryan, went to see the president to tell him they didn't

have the votes. We came close today but we came up short. I spoke to the

president while ago and told him the best thing to do was to pull the

bill and he agreed. I will not sugar-coat this. This is a

disappointing day. Doing big things is hard. And the president was

defiant in defeat. I've been saying for the last year and a half, that

the best thing we can do politically speaking is let Obamacare explode.

It is exploding right now. But on the campaign trail, Donald Trump

said it would be easy. This was his pledge that every rally. Obamacare

has to be replaced. We go to get rid of Obamacare, which is a disaster.

Repealing and replacing the disaster known as Obamacare. And the author

of the art of the deal said only he could deliver it. If you can't make

a good deal with a politician, then there is something wrong with you.

You're certainly not very good. Protestors were vocal in their

opposition to the reform plan, which could have seen 24 million Americans

lose their health insurance. West Virginia was solidly behind Donald

Trump last November. Johnny, a retired miner, articulate and

uncertainty that echoes around the country. I hope they realise what

they are actually doing. In effect, they are dealing with life and death

situations. Not just me, but for millions of people. At the cabin

Creek health Centre, they are watching these proposed changes with

alarm. It's the disturbing to think we have made some gains. To take

that away is especially difficult. It is disheartening. For patients.

Yesterday, Donald Trump clambered on board a giant truck. Today, his

political juggernaut came to a grinding halt. Make no mistake, this

is a huge embarrassment and setback. Make no mistake, this is a huge

embarrassment and setback. President Tom hasn't even been in

office for 100 days. How damaging is this? -- President Trump. This is

very damaging indeed. Not just because he hasn't got one of his

signature policies through. But it could have a knock-on effect. He

hasn't been able to do the deal. He couldn't win over recounts drink

Republicans in the house. They decided, we are going to say no.

What we have in America is a balance of powers between the judiciary, the

executive, which is Donald Trump, and the legislature. The legislature

has just said no to his plan on health care reform. The judiciary

has said no to his travel ban. That leaves Donald Trump looking rather

isolated. He wants to do all sorts of measures but he has now got an

emboldened Congress that has got the taste for say no to what the

president wants. That poses him all sorts of difficulties going forward.

It is also humiliating. Donald Trump does not like to lose. He will be

smarting from this defeat. One other thing. I think that if Donald Trump

didn't know before that it's very different being the CEO of a major

company and being the president of the United States of America, he

does now. Jon Sopel in Washington, thank you.

Here, counter-terrorism police are trying to establish

whether the man who launched the attack on Westminster

Police have released the first image of the attacker -

52-year-old Khalid Masood - who was born in Kent and named

Seven people arrested by police have been released.

Four suspects are still being questioned.

Here's our special correspondent, Lucy Manning.

The face that confronted police officers at Parliament.

The face that looked out of the car at pedestrians,

The 52-year-old was known by a number of names.

Born Adrian Elms in Kent, by the time he was a Huntleys

Secondary School for Boys in Tunbridge Wells,

he was called Adrian Ajao, after his mother got married.

School friends remembered him as a sporty pupil,

Adrian was a nice lad, a fun guy, always laughing, always joking.

But Masood was soon developing a reputation for violence.

In the sleepy Sussex village of Northiam,

where he lived in his 20s, at the local pub he slashed a man

in the face with a knife and was sent to jail.

He didn't have a very good reputation, definitely.

I remember he was a bit of a troubled character,

A family friend said this wasn't the only time

Aidy, as he was known in the village, turned violent.

I was just sitting at the pool table and I happened to look

over and he took umbrage against the landlord

for looking at him like he was, and he flew over the bar.

Luckily I was really close, because he got a glass,

He said he thought he felt affected by racism.

He said to me, he said, "To be honest with you,

Masood spent time in three prisons, HMP Lewes, Wayland and Ford.

He worked as a teacher in Saudi Arabia in 2005

He'd already converted to Islam by them.

His mother now lives in a remote farmhouse in Carmarthenshire,

They haven't been from what I understand in any sort

of contact with their son for well over 20 years, and at the end

of the day, when it comes to terrorism, unfortunately nobody

can be responsible for the action of their children.

Masood, we now know, launched his terror attack

after staying overnight at a hotel in Brighton.

He seemed happy, staff said, untroubled by

That he was about to leave his hotel room to drive to London to kill.

He was joking and smiling and friendly.

He was a very friendly person when he walked in.

The receptionist said, he's a lovely guest, I liked him.

She put comments in the system, you know, as a nice guest.

There was nothing in his conduct or demeanour that would have made me

get a feeling that there's something weird about this guy.

And he's just on his way to commit mass murder.

Detectives have searched the hotel and there have been more

In Manchester, a car was taken away by police

in Didsbury and two arrests, described by senior officers

as significant, were made there and in the West Midlands.

The police are still trying to build a picture of a man who came

They say their main aim now is to try and work out

if he was acting alone, inspired by terrorist propaganda,

or if there are others, still out there who encouraged him,

supported, or even directed this attack.

But it's clear there are still gaps in the police's knowledge.

What we're appealing to today is the public, to say, if,

even in hindsight now, you realise something

about Khalid Masood, something about his associates,

something about his movements and planning, now is the time

to come forward and speak to our officers.

A bright student, turned violent man, turned terrorist.

17 people remain in hospital tonight after the Westminster attacks -

six of them are in a critical condition.

The fourth victim - who died last night -

has been named as 75-year-old Leslie Rhodes from South London.

This afternoon, Prince Charles visited some of the injured

in hospital and thanked staff for their hard work.

Our correspondent Sarah Campbell reports.

A royal thank you to the medical teams, who are continuing

to deal with the aftermath of Wednesday's attack.

17 people remain in hospitals across London, including

As many as 50 people were injured and most have now been discharged.

Francisco Lopes from Portugal is amongst the first to talk

He started to move towards the pedestrian pavement and started

to take out the people that were in front of the car.

So literally, when I realised this, the car was literally just

So I had literally no time to get out of the way.

Travis Frain, a student from Lancashire, was asked

by the Prince what he remembered of the attack and how

The visit was also a chance for staff to reflect

on what they themselves have had to deal with.

It was inspiring, the way people just worked together

and communicated to deal with the patient in front of them.

It didn't matter how many would be coming.

You knew you would just keep working.

In Westminster, as the number of tributes continued to grow,

so too did the number of people killed in the attack.

Friends and neighbours here in Clapham, south London,

are mourning the loss of Leslie Rhodes.

He was 75 years old and a retired window cleaner.

He would clean the windows without even asking.

He would just clean the windows, take the rubbish downstairs.

To be there at that precise time and get hit by that maniac,

PC Keith Palmer, pictured here with an American tourist

in the hour before he was stabbed to death in the line of duty.

An online appeal for his family, organised by the Metropolitan Police

Federation, has reached more than ?0.5 million -

Named today - Police Constable Kris Aves.

He's been left with significant injuries

He and two other officers were returning from

And still unconscious but now in a stable

She was thrown into the Thames by the force of the car's impact.

A Romanian citizen on holiday with her boyfriend, today,

the country's ambassador told me she should have been

They were coming to London to celebrate their birthday.

He intended to ask her for marriage on the same day.

Today, at Westminster Abbey, in a show of solidarity,

religious leaders joined together for a minute's silence to remember

the four who were killed and the many more who were injured.

Our Home Affairs Correspondent, Daniel Sandford,

As far as the police investigation goes, a lot of unanswered questions,

including crucially, whether he was acting alone. I sensed this

investigation is moving into a new phase tonight. The immediate arrests

are over. Seven people caught up in that first sweep have now been

released. That leaves four people in custody, who detectives are

concentrating on as potential accomplices. I'm told more arrests

are possible. Now the hard miles of the investigation begins as

detectives have to sift through the evidence and try and work out

whether Khalid Masood was working alone and I understand they don't

know the answer to that question at this stage. They are going to have

to sift through a mountain of computer evidence and mobile phone

evidence including intriguingly the fact that the lid Masud's mobile

phone sent a message to the encrypted messaging up WhatsApp,

just two minutes before he crossed that bridge. If that's correct, the

key question is who did he send that message to? Detectives are hoping

that buried in that mountain of evidence that they've seized of

computer and mobile phone evidence, is the answer to that critical

question will stop you, if anybody, helped Khalid Masood to kill four

people and wreak havoc and terror here in the heart of Westminster?

Daniel Sandford, thank you. The European Union won't

try to punish Britain That's according to

Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European

Commission. But Mr Juncker insisted that the UK

would have to honour its "financial commitments" as part of any deal -

a figure that he said He was speaking to our Europe editor

Katya Adler, ahead of celebrations marking the EU's 60th birthday

celebrations in Rome. Kicking out the red carpet

for the leaders of the EU, coming to Rome for the club's 60th

anniversary. The timing of this birthday bash

is awkward, just as one of the EU's most influential members,

the UK, prepares to leave. Jean-Claude Juncker is the President

of the European Commission, which will be the lead EU negotiator

in Brexit talks. In Brussels, just before leaving

for Rome, he told me Theresa May On Saturday there

will be a celebration. The leaders of 27 member

states will be there. That surely is going to be

the elephant in the room, isn't it - the fact that Theresa May is not

there on Saturday? I'm deeply respecting the British

people and the British nation. Brexit or no Brexit,

we should not forget that the European continent has

a duty when it comes to Britain, because without Churchill

and without the resilience of the British people,

we wouldn't be where we are now. So I'm everything but in a hostile

mood when it comes to Britain. How do you balance that

in Brexit negotiations - on the one hand wanting to keep

Britain close, but on the other wanting to make sure that others

are put off leaving? When it comes to negotiations,

we'll negotiate in a friendly way, So what about the around ?50 billion

the Commission has demanded Britain pay before it leaves the EU,

covering long-term budget There will be no

sanctions, no punishment. But Britain has to know,

and I suppose the government does know it, they have to honour

the commitments, I was mentioning like that years

ago, 50 or 60 billions, around that. How will you feel on Wednesday,

when that letter of notification, that formal letter of notification

arrives in Brussels? As I was sad when the vote in the

referendum took place in Britain. Does it feel like a failure,

President Juncker? And more sombre words for the EU

this evening in the Vatican. Pope Francis welcomed leaders ahead

of the 60th anniversary Without new vision, a renewed social

conscience, he said, the European Union's

days were numbered. A brief look at some of the day's

other other news stories. In Belgium, prosecutors have charged

a 39-year-old man with attempted murder after a car was driven

at high speed towards crowds in Antwerp's shopping

district yesterday. No-one was injured.

The suspect is a Tunisian man. Police say they also found a gun

and knives in the car. The former Egyptian President,

Hosni Mubarak, has been released, after six years in detention

following his fall from The 88-year-old was being held

in a military hospital. Earlier this month, judges

cleared him of any involvement in the deaths of protestors

during the Arab Spring in 2011. Millions of phone and broadband

customers could be in line for automatic compensation payments,

if they suffer poor The plan has been announced

by the telecoms regulator, Ofcom. Currently only a small number

of customers receive compensation. Ofcom will make a final decision

before the end of the year. The assault on so-called

Islamic State is gaining ground, on two fronts - in Iraq,

where the attack on Mosul In Northern Syria, government

forces, backed by Russian and Iranian allies, have recaptured

the ancient city of Palmyra from the extremists

for the second time in a year. Our Chief International

Correspondent, Lyse Doucet, has travelled to Palmyra

and its historic ruins, Roman ruins, precious

world heritage. IS occupied this site twice

in the past two years. Their last target,

the Roman theatre - a stage for grisly executions,

slitting throats, shooting IS has lost this prize and ground

beyond here to the Syrian military, Palmyra matters, but the battles

which lie ahead, including Raqqa - the IS's self-declared capital -

matter more, and are And that's because confronting

IS in Syria means confronting Are the West and countries in this

region now willing to work with President Assad and his Russian

and Iranian allies to In the basement of a deserted

building we are shown what's called And the paper trail

of its brutal rule. The crimes include leaving Islam,

spreading corruption. Two men, called Ahmed,

were thrown from the top The city of Palmyra next

to the ancient site is a ghost town. People fled IS and the ferocious

fighting here, including Syrian This is where some of

the displaced have taken refuge. 30 families here, including this

woman and her five children. She remembers the exact moment

when IS fighters came to her door. TRANSLATION: It was a quarter

to five in the morning. I opened the door and saw

men shouting at me. They came in and took

my husband and niece. I was told they chopped

off his head. They took my nephew,

who was only 15. She doesn't know how

her family will cope. IS no longer occupies their home,

but it's dark shadow Welsh hopes of qualifying

for the World Cup look increasingly remote following a goalless draw

against the Republic of Ireland. The Republic's captain,

Seamus Coleman, suffered what appeared to be a serious leg

injury after a tackle that led There are different ways to express

passion. Legitimately. A match which mattered, certainly. Republic of

Ireland and Wales, both imagining a World Cup, like their thrilling

euros, both sharing a dull first half. Wales have fallen behind in

the qualification table and really needed to win here. And of course

they had him. Gareth Bale, in case you hadn't recognised him from the

wide shot. These sets of players knew each other well. Joe Allen of

Wales, Glenn Whelan of Ireland, team-mates at Stoke City. Contained

here are just about. Gareth Bale had already been booked in the second

half, when Neil Taylor of Wales made this challenge. Red card, instant

reaction from the referee. After lengthy treatment to his right leg,

Seamus Coleman was carried off. Gareth Bale will be suspended for

Wales' next game and however near his late miss here, Wales have

stalled. Republic of Ireland better placed but hard to think of anything

but an injury on the goalless final whistle. Joe Wilson, BBC News.

Now on BBC One, it's time for the news where you are.