:00:09. > :00:16.This is BBC World News America, reporting from Washington.
:00:17. > :00:19.I'm Tim Willcox. No information support base, and we have looked
:00:20. > :00:25.inside the FBI carefully. The head of the FBI says there is no
:00:26. > :00:29.evidence of wiretapping. The bureau is investigating possible Russian
:00:30. > :00:34.meddling in the US elections and any ties to the Trump campaign.
:00:35. > :00:39.Iraq's Prime Minister visited the White House to talk strategy against
:00:40. > :00:44.Islamic State, and how the two leaders hope to fight back against
:00:45. > :00:49.the militant group. # The White Cliffs of Dover #
:00:50. > :00:56.Celebrating the forces sweetheart, Dame Vera Lynn on her 100th
:00:57. > :01:09.birthday, her voice the soundtrack to the Second World War.
:01:10. > :01:16.Hello, and welcome to our viewers on public television in America and
:01:17. > :01:20.around the globe. The allegations had been explosive
:01:21. > :01:24.but the question today, would be testimony be equally so? Straight
:01:25. > :01:28.out of the gates, the director of the FBI confirmed his agency is
:01:29. > :01:31.looking into possible into parents by Russia in the US presidential
:01:32. > :01:35.elections. He also made clear there is no
:01:36. > :01:37.evidence to back up President Trump's claims of wiretapping at
:01:38. > :01:44.Trump Tower. Both of these issues have consumed
:01:45. > :01:48.the US public and been the talk of Washington for weeks.
:01:49. > :01:52.Jon Sopel has this. Big questions for a big man, at 638
:01:53. > :01:57.inches, James Comey stands head and shoulders above all of those around
:01:58. > :02:01.him, would he stick his neck out at the hearing today?
:02:02. > :02:05.The answer is yes. The FBI, as part of our counterintelligence mission,
:02:06. > :02:10.is investigating the Russian government efforts to interfere in
:02:11. > :02:14.the 2016 presidential election. That includes investigating the nature of
:02:15. > :02:19.any links between individuals associated with the Trump campaign,
:02:20. > :02:23.and the Russian government, and whether there were any coordination
:02:24. > :02:27.is between the campaign and Russia's efforts. On the detail of the
:02:28. > :02:32.investigation into Russian pollution, James Comey would not be
:02:33. > :02:37.drawn. What about the President's claims that his predecessor, Barack
:02:38. > :02:40.Obama, wiretapped Trump Tower? He was more forthcoming here. With
:02:41. > :02:45.respect to those tweets from the president about alleged wiretapping
:02:46. > :02:48.directed at him from the prior administration, I have no evidence
:02:49. > :02:51.to support those and we have carefully looked inside of the FBI.
:02:52. > :02:57.Resident Obama could not unilaterally order a wiretap of
:02:58. > :03:07.anyone? -- president. No president could. President Obama has been
:03:08. > :03:14.accused of engaging in McCarthyism, do you? I tried very hard not to
:03:15. > :03:17.engage in any isms of any kind. Then, they turned to the director of
:03:18. > :03:20.the National Security Agency to answer questions about British
:03:21. > :03:24.security involvement, but the responses were unequivocal.
:03:25. > :03:31.Could you ever request that your counterparts at GCHQ should wiretap
:03:32. > :03:36.President Trump on behalf of Barack Obama. That would break the FISA
:03:37. > :03:45.agreement that has been in place for decades. They called this nonsense,
:03:46. > :03:49.would you agree? Yes, sir. Does it damage the relationship with one of
:03:50. > :03:55.our closest intelligence partners for the president to make a bailiff
:03:56. > :03:59.-- baseless claim that the British participated in this against him? It
:04:00. > :04:03.frustrates a key ally. This relationship is strong enough, we
:04:04. > :04:06.can deal with this. Donald Trump didn't wait for the committee to
:04:07. > :04:12.start but -- before tweeting his verdict.
:04:13. > :04:29.At the White House briefing, were they getting ready to hoist the
:04:30. > :04:34.white flag? Of course not. Is the president prepared to withdraw that
:04:35. > :04:39.accusation and apologise? No, we started a hearing. It is still
:04:40. > :04:43.ongoing. As for collusion with the Russians, what pollution? There is
:04:44. > :04:47.no evidence, according to the people who have been briefed, of any
:04:48. > :04:53.collusion or activity leading them to believe it exists. The president
:04:54. > :04:56.had a public meeting today with the Iraqi Prime Minister, and even he
:04:57. > :05:00.got in on the act, grabbing the arm of the president at the end and
:05:01. > :05:05.said, we had nothing to do with the wiretapping. It is not recorded
:05:06. > :05:10.whether or not the president laughed at the joke.
:05:11. > :05:15.Let's go straight to Capitol Hill, and Laura Trevelyan.
:05:16. > :05:19.After those allegations and speculation, a significant
:05:20. > :05:24.development about the investigation? Yes, we now know the FBI had
:05:25. > :05:28.sufficient evidence, whether circumstantial or what, we don't
:05:29. > :05:32.know, to decide to open a counterintelligence investigation
:05:33. > :05:36.into whether there were links between a foreign power, Russia,
:05:37. > :05:41.which we know intelligence agencies concluded, tried to interfere in the
:05:42. > :05:43.election with the aim of helping Donald Trump against Hillary
:05:44. > :05:50.Clinton. Remember, Vladimir Putin does not like her. An investigation
:05:51. > :05:56.into foreign powers, Russia, and the Trump campaign to see if officials
:05:57. > :06:00.colluded or coordinated at all with Russian agents during the campaign.
:06:01. > :06:05.We now know the existence of this enquiry. Before it had been reported
:06:06. > :06:09.by media outlets, but now it has been officially confirmed.
:06:10. > :06:12.Potentially this is a criminal investigation, right at the door of
:06:13. > :06:17.the White House. Upstart involving those currently in the White House
:06:18. > :06:21.but those who were known to the Trump campaign or part of it.
:06:22. > :06:27.Where it leads or how long it takes? We have no idea. All we know is the
:06:28. > :06:31.FBI director has said he will follow the facts wherever they may lead.
:06:32. > :06:36.And, the existence of this? Of course, it's not good news for the
:06:37. > :06:40.White House as it revives the whole question of whether or not be
:06:41. > :06:43.relationship with Russia was to close, and the president is very
:06:44. > :06:47.sensitive about the election and the fact he lost the popular vote to
:06:48. > :06:51.Hillary Clinton and doesn't want the issue of Russia revived.
:06:52. > :06:56.And, difficult for the White House, saying there was no evidence of
:06:57. > :06:58.wiretapping Trump Tower. Another big hearing today, Neale
:06:59. > :07:04.course edge, do we expect him to be blocked as a supreme court judge by
:07:05. > :07:09.the Democrats Russian market is a question as to whether they invoke
:07:10. > :07:17.the filibuster, talking out that. The nominee by Barack Obama was not
:07:18. > :07:19.given a hearing by Republicans, they correctly counted that they could
:07:20. > :07:27.win the election and have the chance to fill the vacancy. What he does
:07:28. > :07:31.isn't changing the ideological balance of the court. The court
:07:32. > :07:35.would still be split 4-4 with a swing justice. It is the possibility
:07:36. > :07:39.of more vacancies opening up in the next couple of years that could tip
:07:40. > :07:43.the balance. Do they go for broke now, or do the Democrats wait and
:07:44. > :07:50.save their energy for the next fight? That is big question, he is
:07:51. > :07:54.doing his best to appear like the best judge you can appealing to
:07:55. > :07:59.central Democrats. Thank you. And as we saw earlier,
:08:00. > :08:02.much of the world's media attention was focused on congressional
:08:03. > :08:08.hearings but Donald Trump welcome to the Iraqi Prime Minister to the
:08:09. > :08:13.White House. His visit comes as the Trump Prime Minister --
:08:14. > :08:20.administration has meetings on fighting Isis. He sought financial
:08:21. > :08:32.and military assistance from the prior administration. I spoke to a
:08:33. > :08:36.an expert on the matter. What is he seeking from President Trump? I
:08:37. > :08:42.think Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi is looking for President Trump,
:08:43. > :08:48.something that he will be wanting to hear, it is all Daesh Daesh Daesh,
:08:49. > :08:53.or Islamic State. You will want there to be programmes to keep it
:08:54. > :08:57.from being as effective as a terror group, they had a terrible coming in
:08:58. > :09:02.Baghdad today that killed over 40 people. He will want some help. It
:09:03. > :09:06.looks like Mosul may finally be retaken but he is also looking for
:09:07. > :09:10.Reconstruction and that. -- money for that as well. How does it have a
:09:11. > :09:14.with President Trump and his proposed budget cuts which would see
:09:15. > :09:18.the State Department losing a lot of money which would be responsible for
:09:19. > :09:22.reconstruction in Iraq? When it comes to the reconstruction,
:09:23. > :09:29.President Trump may tell them to look elsewhere, like the Gulf states
:09:30. > :09:32.and possible donors, Germany and other European countries. But the
:09:33. > :09:35.USA has pulled most of the weight on the security side which is where
:09:36. > :09:41.they should expect to see contributions. With proposed 54
:09:42. > :09:46.billion US extra for the Pentagon, more money could be earmarked for
:09:47. > :09:52.the fight against Daesh, Islamic State, in Iraq and Syria? Yes, they
:09:53. > :09:58.could request a long-term military presence to train their army and
:09:59. > :10:02.police forces. It could easily fit into the new budget proposals. Where
:10:03. > :10:07.are we at the moment in terms of US forces fighting in Iraq? How many
:10:08. > :10:13.thousands are there? In Iraq? There are about I've thousand, 5500. Most
:10:14. > :10:22.of them in a kind of training role. Mostly high-end special forces with
:10:23. > :10:25.Iraq on the battlefield. We've heard of these conversations with Haider
:10:26. > :10:28.al-Abadi asking Donald Trump in the early days about these restrictions
:10:29. > :10:37.on Iraqi forces. He has won a battle against the USA
:10:38. > :10:43.administration? Or has found allies. Secretary matters, the new National
:10:44. > :10:47.Security Advisor, General McMaster, they work well and I expect the
:10:48. > :10:51.Prime Minister had a receptive audience and people to carry his
:10:52. > :10:55.water into the administration and make his case.
:10:56. > :10:59.And we have President Trump hosting this meeting, 68 countries in the
:11:00. > :11:03.fight against Islamic State, what do we expect America will offer to
:11:04. > :11:07.spearhead any agreement with all of those different countries? I expect
:11:08. > :11:12.the 68 countries are going to be looking less at Iraq, as you
:11:13. > :11:16.mentioned. That fight is nearly done, and focus more on Syria where
:11:17. > :11:21.that problem is more complicated and answers are more difficult to find.
:11:22. > :11:26.America promises more cash in the fight against Islamic State as well?
:11:27. > :11:31.Possibly, but money can only take you so far. What you need our boots
:11:32. > :11:38.on the ground and good allies, not American boots but local forces who
:11:39. > :11:44.carry the fight to Islamic State. On the Syrian side of the border, they
:11:45. > :11:51.are more difficult to find. It's a pleasure talking to you.
:11:52. > :11:56.Pope Francis has asked for God 's forgiveness for what he called the
:11:57. > :12:02.sins and failings from the Roman Catholic Church during the Rwanda
:12:03. > :12:06.genocide, and it came after he met the president of Rwanda.
:12:07. > :12:11.He asked for an apology for the role that some Catholic priests played in
:12:12. > :12:17.the manner scope -- massacres. Some of the biggest consumers of
:12:18. > :12:22.Brazilian meets have. In a meeting with ambassadors from
:12:23. > :12:27.Europe, the USA and China, the Brazilian president said that the
:12:28. > :12:30.government is confident in the meat's quality, the biggest red meat
:12:31. > :12:35.exporter in the world. The five main candidates for the
:12:36. > :12:36.French presidency are taking part in the first of three televised
:12:37. > :12:44.debates. The frontrunners in the opinion
:12:45. > :12:56.polls, Marine Le Pen and her opponent, they are hoping.
:12:57. > :12:59.The divorce date is set, the UK will start the Brexit process on March
:13:00. > :13:03.the 29th. The Prime Minister will notify the
:13:04. > :13:05.EU that Britain is leaving the union.
:13:06. > :13:08.Downing Street says Theresa May will write a letter to the European
:13:09. > :13:12.Council to make it official and earlier she spoke about the expected
:13:13. > :13:15.benefits of Brexit. When people voted in the referendum
:13:16. > :13:20.last year it wasn't just about leaving the EU but voting for
:13:21. > :13:24.change, they wanted a change in how the country works, to make sure it
:13:25. > :13:29.works for everyone, not just the privileged few. As part of that, we
:13:30. > :13:32.have a plan for Britain and part of it is about building a stronger
:13:33. > :13:40.economy. Against the backdrop of Brexit,
:13:41. > :13:42.President Trump made it clear he wants to renegotiate the North
:13:43. > :13:46.American Free Trade Agreement which could be bad news for Texas cattle
:13:47. > :13:50.ranchers, as the trade agreement eliminates trade barriers between
:13:51. > :13:53.the US, Canada and Mexico. Since the introduction in 1984, US
:13:54. > :14:03.beef exports have soared. Coleman Lock is a fifth-generation
:14:04. > :14:09.Texas cattle rancher. My family have been raising cattle since 1915, a
:14:10. > :14:13.little over 100 years. His fortunes are tied to International Trade
:14:14. > :14:18.Commission significant number of his Brahman cattle are sold abroad,
:14:19. > :14:22.including just south of the border in Mexico. We've been dealing in
:14:23. > :14:29.international trade since 1933 when we first expect -- exported cattle
:14:30. > :14:32.to Australia. The export market is important to you? It is very
:14:33. > :14:39.important to our organisation. Some years, I've seen our international
:14:40. > :14:43.sales be 85% of all of our business that we did that year. The North
:14:44. > :14:48.American Free Trade Agreement is really important for those exports.
:14:49. > :14:55.It allows his beef to enter Mexico duty-free. So any changes could hurt
:14:56. > :14:58.him and other American cattle owners. Donald Trump enjoyed strong
:14:59. > :15:03.support in rural communities like this one, as well as the rust belt.
:15:04. > :15:09.Now, the challenge is, can he come up with a trade policy that helps
:15:10. > :15:14.both manufacturing and farming? In the state capital of Austin, the
:15:15. > :15:18.Texas agriculture Commissioner called for calm. Syd Millar was part
:15:19. > :15:22.of the Trump campaigns advisory Council, and like the president he
:15:23. > :15:26.believes changing the trade agreement is a good thing, even if
:15:27. > :15:30.it shakes things up. I predicted that, I said when the president
:15:31. > :15:35.takes office, it will be a rocky start, he will upset people and rock
:15:36. > :15:40.the boat, we will renegotiate deals, people won't want to re-negotiate
:15:41. > :15:45.deals if they don't have a sweet deal. The honeymoon isn't over yet,
:15:46. > :15:49.but is the cattle industry is beginning to fray? According to this
:15:50. > :15:54.cattle dealer, Trump's decision to walk away from the transpacific
:15:55. > :16:01.partnership, a trade pact with Asia, means lost dollars for ranchers. We
:16:02. > :16:05.can qualify TPP today, what could be going to those countries today is
:16:06. > :16:09.about $400,000 worth of beef or that would
:16:10. > :16:17.be going. It is not. It is a quantifiable
:16:18. > :16:25.number. They are hoping his tough stance on the trade agreement is an
:16:26. > :16:30.opening negotiation tactic. You are watching BBC World News
:16:31. > :16:33.America and still to come... A region in peril in Nigeria. Our Boko
:16:34. > :16:35.Haram has put hundreds of thousands of lives at risk in the country's
:16:36. > :16:48.north-east. The hundreds of years, the unique
:16:49. > :16:53.language thrived in the Malayan archipelago but now there are only a
:16:54. > :17:01.handful of people who speak his language. One group from Singapore
:17:02. > :17:05.want to stop that. And bring it back.
:17:06. > :17:43.We are trying to teach this language to a new generation of learners, so
:17:44. > :17:47.we rebuild the critical mass. These new learners pass the language onto
:17:48. > :17:55.their children so it will be used future generations.
:17:56. > :17:59.We use social media like Facebook to reach out to young people and keep
:18:00. > :18:00.the land which relevant so their generation cares enough about the
:18:01. > :18:18.language to keep it going. There are gaps in the language
:18:19. > :18:22.because it is critically endangered, it hasn't been spoken for many years
:18:23. > :18:24.but what we are trying to do is create new terms which fill the gaps
:18:25. > :18:53.and leave the language relevant. The UN says hundreds of thousands of
:18:54. > :18:57.people are at risk in north-east Nigeria as the army continues to
:18:58. > :19:01.push fighters from the Islamist group Boko Haram out of towns and
:19:02. > :19:05.villages. Food shortages have forced many people to flee their homes and
:19:06. > :19:11.farms. The BBC's Clive Myrie has this report.
:19:12. > :19:18.Farmers fields in north-east Nigeria, known to yield crops but
:19:19. > :19:21.pity. They are dusty brown patches because farmers for years have been
:19:22. > :19:31.unable to use this land due to conflict. On the ground in this
:19:32. > :19:36.town, bullet riddled buildings and homes ransacked. Lives destroyed.
:19:37. > :19:40.This city used to have a population of close to 300,000 people but now
:19:41. > :19:44.you walk down the main street here and there is nothing but trouble.
:19:45. > :19:51.It's a ghost town. A shell, empty of life. Residents had to flee the
:19:52. > :19:58.Islamist group Boko Haram, and now the grounds of the derelict hospital
:19:59. > :20:07.many call home. This woman escaped the blood let. She is 14.
:20:08. > :20:11.TRANSLATION: They started killing people and burning houses, so we
:20:12. > :20:19.hide. They said that they would be safe, don't be afraid. But when they
:20:20. > :20:27.found us, they hacked my father, cutting his neck and cutting his
:20:28. > :20:33.throat. Excels in their own country, the rituals of life continue. But so
:20:34. > :20:39.many people are paying the price for the twisted ideology of the few that
:20:40. > :20:44.the camps for those displaced by the fighting are struggling. This one
:20:45. > :20:48.houses 11,000 people and was so overcrowded with malnourished and
:20:49. > :20:53.new arrivals a few months ago, there was not enough food. More than 1000
:20:54. > :20:58.died. Nevertheless, hundreds of thousands are arriving at camps like
:20:59. > :21:04.this daily, as the Nigerian military continues to push Boko Haram back
:21:05. > :21:08.and liberating villages. A woman had walked with her three children from
:21:09. > :21:15.10pm one evening, and it took her until 9pm to reach the camp. It is
:21:16. > :21:22.estimated there are up to 800,000 people trapped out there without
:21:23. > :21:27.access. They are left to their fate. What is needed is more international
:21:28. > :21:32.help, and crucially farmers being able to tell their land. But Boko
:21:33. > :21:37.Haram is still out there and the farmers are scared. The chances of a
:21:38. > :21:44.decent harvest this year is zero. Planting season begins in less than
:21:45. > :21:48.two weeks. This town is being rebuilt, after the wanton
:21:49. > :21:53.destruction of Boko Haram. But this place holds terrible memories for
:21:54. > :22:03.those who fled for their lives. For this 15-year-old girl. TRANSLATION:
:22:04. > :22:16.I have no mother. I have no father. I have nowhere to live. I'll never
:22:17. > :22:20.go back. Clive Myrie, BBC News. You were watching BBC World News
:22:21. > :22:23.America. Hers was the voice of a generation under fire, dame here
:22:24. > :22:30.Lynn provided hope and reassurance to millions during the Second World
:22:31. > :22:38.War through her songs -- Dame fear relent. Veterans have been taking
:22:39. > :22:43.place at events Dame fear Lynn says she is thrilled by tributes from
:22:44. > :22:51.veterans at the white cliffs of Dover. The face of defiance blended
:22:52. > :22:57.with the voice of hope. 100 years of Day grid three projected onto the
:22:58. > :23:03.last piece of England that the troops saw as they left to battle
:23:04. > :23:09.for England's -- Dame Vera Lynn. A heartbreaking lullabies became the
:23:10. > :23:15.soundtrack for a nation in peril. # Will meet again
:23:16. > :23:17.# Don't know where, don't know when #
:23:18. > :23:21.She soothed fears and stiffened resolved
:23:22. > :23:29.. Some sunny day... But Dame Vera Lynn
:23:30. > :23:33.can still recall her brush with a demanding voice coach.
:23:34. > :23:39.She heard me sing and said no, I cannot train that voice! It's not a
:23:40. > :23:49.natural voice! I said well thank you very much, madam. And left! Today in
:23:50. > :23:54.Dover, above the cliffs that inspired one of her greatest songs,
:23:55. > :23:59.veterans and friends came to celebrate her milestone birthday.
:24:00. > :24:07.And, recall her life affirming sound. Her voice came through clear
:24:08. > :24:16.and with it was a story as she sang. It gave you hope of coming home. If
:24:17. > :24:20.you listen to her voice in a jungle clearing, it takes the fright away
:24:21. > :24:25.by making you think of other parts of your life and hopes for the
:24:26. > :24:29.future. The bracing winds of the channel did not deter a salute above
:24:30. > :24:36.the cliffs that Dame Vera Lynn sang to mortality. A grand gesture for a
:24:37. > :24:40.grand dame still on a journey as she continues to share it with a
:24:41. > :24:46.grateful nation. Duncan Kennedy, BBC News.
:24:47. > :24:56.# All over the world will #
:24:57. > :25:00.Dame Vera Lynn is 100 years old. That's all for today, more stories
:25:01. > :25:02.available on the website. From all of us, thank