04/01/2018 Beyond 100 Days

You're watching Beyond 100 Days.

Donald Trump threatens legal action

against Steve Bannon

after his former aide is

quoted in a disparaging book

about the White House.

The President's lawyers are now

trying to stop the book

from being published,

but lots of people

already have copies.

Welcome to the latest episode of the

reality TV presidency. Reporting in

this book has angered the

administration and taken everyone by

surprise.

What's it like to get

hit by a bomb cyclone.

Well, it looks like this and it's

freezing the east coast of America.

Also on the programme:

If America first is the slogan

under Trump, and the US stops

being the world's big brother,

which country is waiting

to step in its place?

The winner will be

in the first canister.

And the fickle finger of fate in

Virginia. The tide vote that came

down to a lottery. Finally, we have

a result.

Get in touch with us

using the hashtag, #Beyond100Days.

Hello and welcome.

I'm Katty Kay in Washington,

Christian Fraser is in London.

We are just four days

into the new year

and there is already full

drama in the White House.

Donald Trump's lawyers

are furiously trying to stop

the publication of a tell all book

which disparages the president.

In a dramatic statement,

Mr Trump has dumped his former ally

Steve Bannon for

his quotes in the book.

Fire and Fury, is by journalist

Michael Wolff and there

are questions about his sourcing.

But the image of a chaotic

administration, where even

the cabinet members don't think

the President is up to the job,

corroborates a lot

of other reporting,

which is why this book has

triggered big loud alarm

bells in the White House.

Here's our North America

editor Jon Sopel.

Hell hath no fury like a Bannon

scorned, it it would seem.

Steve Bannon, who was described

as the brains behind Donald Trump,

is now out in the Washington cold

after his extraordinary attack.

The warm words of last summer

but a distant memory.

I like him, he's a good man.

He is not a racist,

I can tell you that.

He's a good person.

He actually gets a very unfair

press in that regard.

But we'll see what happens

with Mr Bannon, but he's a good

person and I think the press

treats him frankly very unfairly.

But Bannon was fired soon afterwards

and has now had his revenge,

rounding on the President

and President's son-in-law

during the campaign, saying:

And that's provoked rage

and fury in the White House.

The President issuing

this unprecedented statement

about a close colleague.

When he was fired, he not only lost

his job, he lost his mind...

Today at the White House,

they're lawyering up,

orders to Steve Bannon

to cease and desist.

Threats to the publisher too.

And the response from

Mr Bannon last night, why,

to declare his unfailing

support for the President.

And that brought this response

from Mr Trump today.

He called me a great man last night,

so he obviously changed

his tune pretty quick.

The White House is pushing back hard

on the contents of this book,

describing the author,

Michael Wolff, as an unreliable

witness and a fantasist.

That despite him being given

unprecedented access

to the workings of the West Wing

and recording hours and hours

of conversations.

And even if only

50% of the book is accurate,

it still paints a damning

portrait of a White House

that's dysfunctional

and a president who's paranoid.

No wonder Donald Trump is so angry.

Jon Sopel, BBC News, Washington.

And for more on the fallout we are

joined now by Alexis Simendinger,

national political correspondent

for The Hill.

Thank you for coming in. There will

be questions about the sourcing, and

there will be questions about the

tapes and whether he needs to

corroborate his evidence, but how

damaging is this book and the

contents of it for the White House?

In real terms, it is very damaging.

Not just because the president gets

upset when he is criticised or

denigrated in some way, but it poses

questions about what the president

may have known or what his team

might have known about the Russian

investigation. That is something the

president is animated about. Another

element of this that I think the

president maybe has forgotten that

there are more books being prepared.

Other books are coming, as we know,

and will be treading the same ground

and beat corroborating the same

details, maybe not in the same way.

The White House can stop one book,

which is only selling more books,

but it is not going to be able to

rewrite the narrative about this

administration with other books are

following.

One of the striking

things about the claims in the book,

a number of people close to the

president question his capacity for

the job.

This is something that has

been described about President Trump

since the very beginning, since I

started covering him in 2017, the

beginning. One concern is, all

President's have styles, this

president has never been in

government, what did he know about

government? What did he know about

the legislative Roige? This book is

very damaging because it describes

the president as incurious, not

interested in learning more. We have

seen the president combat his

intelligence committee, the Justice

Department, this book adds more

detail to the President's

unwillingness to learn, even when

other people are winning to teach.

It was said the president is

paranoid, but perhaps he is right to

be. Skimming through the reports,

the number of people that have

called the president stupid, an

idiot, vacuous, or a description of

that ilk, it is long. Some of them,

Rupert Murdoch, Katie Walsh, the

Treasury Secretary, the Secretary of

State Rex Tillerson, chief of staff,

if 50% of those said he was stupid,

that is a problem. Those are his

closest allies.

I cannot underscore

how unusual this is. Someone

covering the fifth president of my

career, I have covered Presidents

who described as the smartest person

in the room, asking the sharpest

questions, it is very, very unusual

to have a White House West Wing team

and a cabinet going one, two, three,

questioning the President's

intelligent and curiosity. It is one

thing for your enemies to describe

you in very low terms, but this is

part of what is really, really

unusual about this book.

Alexis

Simendinger, thank you for joining

us. That is one thing that is

interesting about the book. If this

was a book that said the White House

was organised and calm, that the

president was a good manager of the

White House and informed about the

process, we would say, wow, that is

a departure. But this book

corroborates the reports we have had

during the course of the year. Even

if only some of it is proven to be

accurate or 100% accurate, the

portrait it paints of the president,

as you suggest, is not flattering.

What about Michael Wolff? He puts it

in the author's note, he went how he

came by the information. He sat down

and hoovered it all up, and because

it was so chaotic, nobody noticed he

was there for ten months.

That is

how the West Wing operated. I was in

there one day, somebody said to me,

do you want to swing by the oval

office and say hello to the

president. That never happens, there

is protocol for getting access to

the president, but it is a fair

reflection of how chaotic this

presidency is. Certainly in the

first few weeks and months.

From France to Florida,

winter is here with a vengeance.

Storm Eleanor has killed

three people in Europe -

two drowned in Spain

after being swept out to sea

by an enormous wave.

And a skier was killed by a falling

tree in the French Alps.

The region is on avalanche alert,

with many ski resorts

closed for a second day.

Meanwhile, it is freezing

here in America.

You saw it on John Sopel's face

early on.

A massive storm with subzero

temperatures is hitting

the east coast.

You know it's bad when it

even snows in Florida.

Gusty, snowy and bitterly cold.

Winter has hit America in a big way.

A massive storm, which goes

by the ominous name of

a bomb cyclone is rolling up

the eastern seaboard.

Millions of Americans could lose

power, thousands of flights have

already been cancelled.

The truth is, I have no idea

what a bomb cyclone is.

I had never heard of one before.

All I know is we've been

freezing for a week,

and I don't like it.

And the bad news is,

it's about to get worse.

That's because we're about to be

hit by the evil weather twins,

the bomb cyclone will usher

in a polar vortex, which makes

you wonder, are these tourists

on Washington's mall,

Hardy or crazy?

It's pretty cold out.

Freezing!

My nose is numb,

and so is my right hand.

My fingers are frozen.

I'm cold.

We're from Florida,

so it's cold for us.

Yeah, we're not used to this.

I think I'm wearing four layers.

Actually, things haven't been

much better in the Sunshine State,

it snowed there for the first time

in nearly three decades.

But at least these students know it

will get hot again soon in Florida,

while we in the North East

still have months of bitter

winter to get through.

I hope it doesn't continue like

this. It is miserable. It is colder

in some cities in America than it is

on Mars.

I saw that today!

Put that

in your pipe and smoke it!

The BBC's Nada Tawfik

is in New York.

She is the poor soul out on the

streets to show how cold it is. Look

at it! Terrible! Tell us all!

Honestly, it is the wind that is

making these conditions even worse.

Authorities have thousands of

ploughs and personnel out to clean

it up. The wind blankets the

roadways again with snow. Those wind

gusts are getting up to 50 mph at

certain times in this City, so

creating really, really cold wind

chills. Thousands of flights have

been cancelled, two busy airports

have had to cancel flights because

of visibility. Of course, with the

cold temperatures coming in over the

next several days and into the

weekend, getting the City cleaned up

is essential, so that all of this

doesn't turn to ice. That is what

authorities are focusing on now. We

hope that tomorrow schools will

reopen, and the City can get up and

running. The storm hasn't completely

paralysed the City, but has

certainly slowed it down.

The hot

chocolate 's are on us. Go and get

warm.

Well, to explain this streak

of freezing temperatures

I spoke a brief time ago

to Dr Marshall Shepherd,

a former NASA scientist who is now

at the University of Georgia.

Remember I'm a layperson who does

not understand the injury sees

of weather technology,

but what on earth is a bomb cyclone?

This bomb cyclone, that's

the new buzzword, it was polar

vortex a few years ago,

it's really just a storm that

intensifies really rapidly.

It drops in pressure,

024 millibars a day.

A minibar is how meteorologists

measure pressure.

When you hear the term "bomb", think

of a rapidly intensifying storm.

And it's something that's been

around in our field for some time,

but it seems to be quite

new to the media and public.

OK, so does that explain why

it's so very, very cold

up here in Washington.

It's cold in Washington

for a couple of reasons.

The simple answer is,

it's winter and we certainly

expect it to be this cold.

But we have an Arctic air mass that

has been entrenched in the eastern

part of the United States

for several weeks now.

And because of the differences

in air mass between an arctic

air mass and warmer air,

we see the rapid

development of a storm,

the so-called bomb cyclone we have

been hearing about in the media.

It is the combination

of a unique weather event,

winter and an arctic air mass.

OK, it's meant to be cold

in winter in Washington,

but it's not meant to be cold

in winter in Florida,

why have they got snow?

Again, this particular storm system

was so unique and the arctic air

mass moves so far south into Florida

that we saw snowfall as far south

as parts of Florida,

into coastal Savannah, Georgia.

That is unusual.

It's not unprecedented.

We certainly can see those

types of events and snowstorms.

It's just indicative of this

particular system and the fact

that it is intensifying so fast off

the east coast and moving up

into parts of the north-east.

Last time we spoke, it was before

the hurricane in Florida, we spoke

about global warming and the impact

of global warming on extreme weather

conditions, should we be looking at

global warming when we look at this

extreme weather pattern at the

moment in the east coast of the US?

The link between climate change,

global warming and extreme cold is

interesting, because you have some

people that say, "What are they

talking about climate change, look

at the cold weather?" It

demonstrates the misunderstanding

between weather and climate. Weather

is your mood, climate is a

personality. There is some research

that suggests that the jet stream

patterns, the dips and waves in our

atmosphere, because of changes in

the Arctic because of warming, it

may be causing an amplified or wavy

jet stream pattern, and

counterintuitively, that may lead to

colder events like we see and

extreme drought on the one side.

My

personality is sunny, but my mood is

rather blue at the moment because of

the freezing to bridge! What can we

expect in the next few days?

We will

continue to watch the bomb cyclone

as it impacts, we are looking at a

foot of snow in some places, perhaps

more. Strong hurricane force wind,

coastal flooding, so people in those

regions need to be aware.

Eventually, the storm will move into

parts of Canada and the cold air

will stay in trench for a few days,

then we will see a slightly

moderating warm pattern.

I feel bad

for Canada, but I cannot wait for it

to go. Thank you for joining us,

again.

Thank you.

You have to deal with the slush when

it goes on your shoes and in the

car. Terrible.

What are you talking

about?! It is freezing, there is no

slush, there are icicles. There were

icicles hanging from my eyelids when

I was filming earlier. Not very

attractive.

The evil weather twins.

I like it!

One aspect of foreign policy

on which Donald Trump

and Steve Bannon certainly do see

eye-to-eye is China.

Both are wary of Beijing's growing

clout and they want to punish

what they see as China's

unfair trade practices.

China meanwhile sees Mr Trump's

abdication of global

leadership as an opportunity

to expand its own role.

A new report in the New Yorker this

week says China thought

the opportunity

wouldn't come so soon.

Perhaps midway through this

century it could project

its own values abroad.

But in the age of "America First,"

that time has come far

sooner than expected.

And in case you doubt it look

at the figures the New Yorker

published in that same article.

In 2000, the US accounted for 31 %

of the global economy,

China accounted for just 4%.

Today, the U.S.'s share

is 24 % and China's 15 %.

If its economy surpasses America's

in size as experts predict,

says the magazine, it will be

the first time in more

than a century that the world's

largest economy belongs

to a non-democratic country.

The journalist who wrote

the piece is Evan Osnos

and he is with me in the studio.

This is a fascinating piece, you

spend a lot of time in China, you

say they see the Trump

administration as an opportunity for

China.

How? They didn't expect it to

be, for one thing. They thought it

would be a tough administration on

them. They discovered that because

Donald Trump is so determined, to

pull back from global commitments,

things like contributions to the UN,

participating in the Paris climate

agreement, this opens a runway for

China. China has begun to invest in

those kind of institutions and

relationships. One of the first

things that happened after the

inauguration, Xi Jinping said it was

time for them to be the guarantor

for global trade. He did not say it

was because the United States is

pulling back.

No one disputes that

the last century was the Americans

entry, and the question is who this

entry belongs to. If China expands

its role around the world, is it

looking to fill America's shoes as

the global leader in the same way

that America has done since the

Second World War?

I would say was to

be a leader with the same footprint

as America had, setting the standard

around trade and the things that

matter to China. They don't want to

have to be the global policeman, as

they have accused the United States

of being. It would be different.

In

concrete terms, why does it matter

if America retreats and China

advances?

In some ways, it is about

which country will cast the longer

shadow over the 21st century. The

United States experiences have

hardly been perfect. The truth is,

if China set those rules, it will be

up to them to say, this is the

emphasis we put on environmental

protection, workers' rights or human

rights. They stand to gain from this

experience.

And of course, they

stand to advance very quickly in

things that America has taken for

granted like technology. Reading

your article, I was struck by the

huge advances they have made in

things like face recognition, even

to the extent, there was one

anecdote where you said somebody

went into a toilet, and their face

was recognised. This was a way of

stopping people stealing toilet

paper. Terrifying! One of the big

questions is, who will shape the

technology of the future.

At the

moment, the Trump administration is

proposing a 15% cut on research.

China is not making those cut and

stand to gain on that.

You say they

have a new cultural confidence as

well. It is not just about

confidence, I thought it was

fascinating.

There is a swag of Ayr

that they didn't have a few years

ago.

They are managing to play

Donald Trump by using their history

and confidence.

They discovered, if

you go back to the 19th century, the

playbook is there, the way you deal

with barbarians, just meaning

foreigners, the vanity and

receptions you give. They quite

literally laid out that playbook for

Donald Trump when he came to

Beijing, and it worked beautifully.

One of the anecdotes you picked up

from the Chinese side was that when

they went to the first meeting

between Xi Jinping and President

Trump, they were struck by how much

he didn't know about the sensitive

topics, things like Taiwan, Tibet,

North Korea, and they were able to

exploit that.

What they said was

they expected him to push back in

the way an American president

usually does when China asserts its

position. Donald Trump didn't have

enough knowledge at his disposal to

do that. He said as much. He gave an

interview, and said, I learned after

ten minutes that North Korea was

more corrugated than I thought.

Beyond 100 Days, thank you for

coming in.

My pleasure.

There has been a slew of reports

here, all of them describing the

same phenomenon of foreign leaders

that me Donald Trump and surprised

about how little he knows about

their area of expertise or their

country. That has been concerning

for some of them.

OK, we will go

more into that in the programme.

There's been an explosion

in the Afghan capital, Kabul,

killing at least 20 people,

according to reports.

A spokesman for the interior

minister has told the BBC that

a suicide attacker on foot

detonated explosive devices.

Local media say police were trying

to contain a demonstration

when the attack took place.

At least 14 people have died

and more than 200 injured

after a train caught

fire in South Africa,

following a collision with a truck.

Officials fear

the death toll could rise.

The collision happened

near Kroonstad city

in Free State province.

The train had been travelling

from Port Elizabeth to Johannesburg.

You remember the local congressional

race in Virginia that Christian and

I got excited about before

Christmas, the tie between

Republican and the Democratic

candidates.

As we told you back then

they were going to have to decide it

by drawing names from a hat.

Well, a couple of hours

ago they did just that.

Though actually, it was a rather

tasteful blue potter bowl.

The name that was drawn

first was the Republican

candidate's and so he wins.

But the democratic candidate -

Shelly Simonds -

who we spoke to last year -

now says she could challenge

the result of the lottery.

Maybe it goes on. The reason she

might challenge is now, given the

Republican has won, and if he was

seated, it would be 51-49.

And if

she had won, and when we spoke to

her, she was making this point to

us, it would have been a tie in

Virginia, the first time in 17 years

that Republicans had not been the

majority in the Virginia State

house, and that affects a slew of

legislation in what is a populist

big state in America. And also a

swing state. Virginia is a state

that shifts from being reliably

Republican to more reliably

Democratic, and what Shelly

Simonds's point was, if she got into

office, it would have been easier

for Democrat in the State house to

pass laws in Virginia that were

moored democratically leaning. This

now makes that difficult. David Yan

CE is a name that was drawn out. How

crazy is that? Drawn out of a blue

Ceramica bowl from the Virginia easy

fine art. And the little pieces of

paper or were put in film canisters,

so no one see what they were.

It was

like the World Cup. I saw an

interview with Shelly Simonds. I

felt in my bones she would lose.

Yesterday, apparently, she offered a

deal to the Republicans, saying,

whoever winds, that's it. And he

didn't take it. Now, all options are

on the table. We have seen what the

weather is like on your side of the

Atlantic, this is what it is doing

here. This is not far away. An

inflatable Christmas decoration came

loose above busy Oxford Street. We

have been watching this all day. It

has been flapping around outside the

BBC studios in London. Like a giant

gobstopper, it is lose. It is an

tethered, possibly due to high wind.

It has forced traffic to stop as

repair work was carried out to make

it safe. You have evil weather

twins, we have funny... I don't know

what it is, but it is a Christmas

decoration.

Excuse me. You have a

big balloon, look at this, I am

going to one up you stop this is

what I have got.

It is really, really cold in New

York City. In my lap with, it is 80

degrees, in your language, it is

minus six degrees. In honour of the

freezing temperatures, I have done

you a classic word cloud, cold,

fridge, freeze your nose off, and I

am not -- I am the only person out

it.

You need to pull your head

around your ears, you have to pull

it tight. Awful.

This is

Beyond 100 Days from the BBC.

Coming up for viewers on the BBC

News Channel and BBC World News,

we've more on Donald Trump's battle

with Steve Bannon,

and those explosive excerpts

from a controversial book

which the President's lawyers

are now trying to stop.

And Sweden's very own fake news

fight, with an election looming,

security officials know

who's to blame.

We report from Stockholm.

That's still to come.

Good evening. Our spell of

unsettled, wet and windy weather

will come to an end to gradually

over the next day or so as high

pressure starts to take over into

the weekend.

There were a few

princes of sunshine to be seen out

there today, this in London, but not

so in eastern Scotland, Saint

Andrews and Fife with a soggy one.

As we move through this evening and

overnight, outbreaks of rain. Across

the southern half of the country,

heavy and squally winds, windy

conditions for a time across parts

of the south-west of England, Wales,

too. Friday morning, around two or

three, in the north, five or six.

Icy stretches in northern parts of

the country. Tomorrow, a mix of

rain, hill snow in eastern Scotland,

North East England, too. Further

south, showers moving from west to

east. Equally, sunshine reappearing.

Northern Ireland and southern

England, too, temperatures for or

nine. Sunday, -- Friday, hill snow

easing, overnight into Saturday,

fairly widespread mist and fog

forming, and a sharp frost. The

coolest night for quite a while. The

odd icy stretch as well, to start up

your Saturday morning. A change in

weather tight as we head into

Saturday. We see the wind coming

from a north or north easterly

direction, feeling bitterly cold

around the east coast on Saturday.

Sunshine reappears in the north,

further south we hold onto more

cloud, and a few showers. Mild at

six or seven, but temperatures two

or three across Scotland on Sunday.

Saturday night, cold, temperatures

below freezing, colder in the

countryside. Sunday, a few icy

stretches and widespread frost

around. High pressure will dominate

the weather as we move through

Sunday and into the start of the new

working week, too. Sunday, after the

cold, frosty, potentially icy stock,

a return to sunshine across the

country. Feeling chilly,

temperatures around 1-7, but lighter

wind than we have seen recently. The

cold pressure continues into Monday.

Goodbye or now.

This is Beyond 100 Days,

with me Katty Kay in Washington.

Christian Fraser's in London.

Our top stories: Donald Trump's

lawyers are trying to stop

the publication of a book containing

explosive allegations

about his Presidency,

revealed by his former chief

strategist Steve Bannon.

A severe winter storm

is hitting the eastern US,

bringing strong winds and blizzards.

It's the tenth day of

record-breaking low temperatures.

Coming up in the next half hour:

We hear from the former British

prime minister who's campaigning

for a new Brexit referendum.

Is Tony Blair too late?

Rare royal jewels owned

by the Qatari ruling family

are stolen in Venice in a daring

raid at a museum

during visiting hours.

Let us know your thoughts

by using the hashtag.

Let's get more now

on our top story...

Lawyers for Donald Trump

are threatening legal action

against his former chief strategist,

Steve Bannon, and trying to stop

the publication of an explosive book

about the President.

Mr Bannon is quoted

at length in the book.

For example, he describes a meeting

between Trump's son,

Don Jr, and a Russian

operative as treasonous.

And that's just one of the things

that's angered the White House.

The book's author

Michael Wolff also claims that Trump

did not enjoy his own inauguration.

He was angry that A-level stars had

snubbed the event And visibly

fought with his wife,

who seemed on the verge of tears.

The First Lady's Office

rejects this claim.

The book also Ivanka Trump has

secret political ambitions.

It says that she and her husband

Jared Kushner accepted roles

in the West Wing over the advice

of almost everyone they

knew, and it says that

if an opportunity arose,

Ivanka would be the one

to run for President.

This is what was said that the

This is what was said that the White

House briefing.

I a lot going to go

through every single page of the

book, but numerous examples,

falsehoods, taking place. I will

give you one. It is really easy. The

crime that the President did not

know who some were, did not know who

some were, some of you have said

that the president had not know

them, he has played golf. It is

pretty simple and pretty basic. Ages

of employees. Super easy to fact

check. I am not going to waste my

time, the country's time, going page

by page, talking about this complete

fantasyland tabloid gossip. Sad.

Pathetic. The focus of the

administration is moving the country

forward.

The BBC's Anthony Zurcher

is watching it all unfold

and he's with me now.

The President's spokesperson said

this is total fantasy. How seriously

should we take this?

I think we

should have a somewhat sceptical

eye. Donald, critics could look at

this and think this confirms

suspicions. Everything that we

thought. And when you say that, you

want to make sure that you have got

substance behind these things. With

that chaos in the White House, the

staff top murder, the more gospey

stuff, we're going to have to look

at the tapes. Anti-Steve Bannon has

not said that those quotations are

not true. That is damaging. It can

undermine the defence is that the

Waitrose has constructed.

Calls to

look at the tapes... Some sort of

verification progress. I am sure

that the White House would like to

be talking about the fact that the

Dow Jones has broken records. First

time ever that the stock market is

booming. Unemployment down. The

economy is doing well. But the story

derails that?

Absolutely. Trying to

get that message out. But this story

has derailed the message. Donald

Trump's tweets about North Korea,

Pakistan, Hillary Clinton's aides.

And Congress has got a lot of work

to do this month. Immigration

solution. Child health insurance.

Raise budget caps. And every day

that they do not spend talking about

that, advancing goals, going to get

closer to these deadlines.

We have

just seen a clip of the press

briefing. Apparently the president

was beamed in to talk about tax

reform. He was 20 feet away! Does

that suggest he does not want to

appear in front of the press?

It was

interesting. He was on the

television monitor, essentially

boasting about the economy. That is

the message that they want to get

out. Beat and control exactly what

he says, pre-recorded messages, she

does not have to worry about taking

any questions. Earlier today, he had

comments some in the White House,

questions if he communicates with

Steve Bannon. He said he does not

talk to her murder. That contradicts

what procedure study, the

conversation as recently as

December. This was a controlled

environment.

Thank you. I suppose

the so what depends on how he

reacts. He is furious. Sometimes,

those tweets are not controlled.

Depends how he keeps himself in

check. That is interesting he

appeared in that press briefing. Dow

getting to 25,000. Big deal. It is

an important economic story. White

House could tout it as a victory.

But the Washington press machine is

talking about this book. So much

drama. So much, surrounding this.

They need to get back to talking

about the economy. The danger they

over-read. Anyway...

In the 18 months since the EU

referendum, we have heard talk

of a 'hard and soft' Brexit -

we know there are both

Remainers and Leavers

on the Conservative and Labour

benches but overall the two main

parties say they are committed

to honouring the referendum result

and leaving the European Union.

But today, the former

Prime Minister, Tony Blair said

the Labour party should

back his call for a second

referendum on whether the UK should

stay in the European Union,

and said that the public should be

allowed to "think again".

Is all that I am arguing for, it is

extraordinary that this should be

contentious. When we know the new

relationship, and we could not know

that in June 2016, we should compare

what we have just now and this new

deal. I think the reason why the

government do not want us to have

this debate is because they know

when they come up with terms of the

new relationship it is going to

result in either people saying we

are not actually going to be much

better off than inside the European

Union. Going to have to accept most

of the migrants from Europe, end up

abating by European rules. Or...

Hard Brexit. Economic damage. My

point is that you have different

scenarios on the sprigs of

negotiation. When you see what the

government calls for we should be

able to have our say.

With me now is Anand Menon

from the UK in a Changing Europe.

He's watching every twist and turn

of this Brexit process.

Happy new year. On my way home last

night, I was reading something you

wrote. You said the main reason that

dossiers like the ones Tony Blair

has produced are not trusted, not

necessarily because they lie, it is

because the country they refer is

not inhabited by many voters.

Aggregate economics works as a basic

for describing the economy but when

the economy series slightly, it does

not speak to everybody. We saw that.

George Osborne said it was doing

well. For those suffering from

posterity, wages falling, he was

talking about a different country.

Secondly, the result of the

referendum campaign is that people

have become suspicious about

forecasting predictions. People who

believe we should leave can say that

they had forecasted doom after we

left. Wrong again now. That is

something that the people who want

to remain, are finding it difficult

to get a credible answer to.

Those

who want to remain, losing sight of

the people that people were not

voting because of economic argument,

but voting to take back control?

That is what Tony Blair is trying to

deny them?

People voted for a week

variety of reasons. Many had nothing

to do with economic. But even those

who voted on economic issues,

thought he was dead cash back, wages

up, migrants leaving - more jobs.

Economic arguments on both sides.

But many of us not necessarily

cutting through the electorate, the

way that the campaign hoped that

they would.

For Remainers... Tony

Blair, the best messenger?

I cannot

speak for everybody in the country.

He has a reputation. Some people

because it is Tony Blair would think

yes, he would say that. But he has

still got a way with words. Lovely

phrase. One choice. He said it was

later general election when you said

I do not like the government, I do

like the government. What are we

voting for? He said when we get the

deal from the European Union, the

people should get the chance to vote

on what is on the table. As it

stands, it is a convincing case. The

problem is partly the messenger. The

country is so divided that you end

up with Remainers talking to

Remainers. Remainers have not been

able to talk to Leavers.

That is the

critical point. Thank you.

After the 2016 election,

Donald Trump said millions of people

had voted illegally in America

and that was the reason he didn't

win the popular vote.

So incensed he was he by this,

that he set up a commission

to investigate voter fraud.

Last night that commission

was disbanded - it found no evidence

to support Mr Trump's allegation.

But the White House isn't

taking that as proof

that the President was wrong -

indeed Mr Trump is pushing

for stronger laws regulating who can

and can't vote and says the only

reason the commission didn't come up

with anything is because democratic

states didn't cooperate.

Actually blaming states. Democratic

but Republicans as well. They have

said that voter fraud is not a big

deal. The real problem has been the

small-town life. Most Americans do

not bother to go to the polls. If

you impose restrictions on how

difficult it is to punch your

ballot, you have to have certain

forms of identification. You're

going to diminish that even more.

The minority groups might think that

is the President's whole point.

Trying to expand these regulations,

making it more difficult for people

to vote, buy producing

identification, that hits minority

voters. They tend to vote Democrat.

Many states would think it is

getting people to vote in the first

place that is the problem.

Theresa May has challenged the call

by her local council leader

for police to clear rough sleepers

from Windsor ahead

of the royal wedding.

The Prime Minister, who is a local

MP, said she "did not agree"

with the Conservative council chief

Simon Dudley's claim that beggars

on the streets could cast the event

in a "sadly unfavourably light".

Thousands of people are expected

to descend on the Berkshire town

when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

marry in St George's Chapel

in Windsor Castle in May.The BBC's

Adina Campbell has more.

It's been home to British

kings and queens for

more than 1,000 years.

Windsor Castle is a popular tourist

destination overlooking high-end

shops in one of the country's

most affluent areas.

But, a stone's throwaway

is Stewart's home, a bus

shelter where he's been

living for the last four months.

It's the Royal Borough, isn't it,

the Queen lives right

behind me and the castle,

I think they say with the Royal

wedding coming up, they don't

want us on the street.

Now people like Stewart

are being targeted by the council.

In a three-page letter

to Thames Valley Police,

leader Simon Dudley says,

"there's evidence that a large

number of adults begging in Windsor

are not in fact homeless

and if they are, they're chosing

to reject all supporting services."

He goes on to say, "This is creating

a concerning and hostile atmosphere

for residents and the seven million

tourists who come to

Windsor each year."

But for those out in the cold,

it's a different story.

James has been homeless

for the last 12 months.

He says he never aggressively

begs for money, but is

grateful when people do.

The council has said

that they have offered support

accommodation to people like you.

Why haven't you taken that up?

It's only over the Christmas

period, for four days.

After the four days, you're kicked

back out on the streets.

Windsor Castle is one

of the country's most popular

tourist destinations

and on the 19th of May,

when Prince Harry marries

Meghan Markle here, tens

of thousands of people are expected.

Police and the local authorities

will want to make sure everyone

from all different communities

are safe and secure.

For years, Windsor has been home

to the rich and poor,

but some local businesses say

begging is increasingly

becoming a problem.

There's been a large influence

of these beggars coming

in and, at the moment, it's becoming

a little bit a nightmare.

The Thames Valley Police

and Crime Commissioner says

the homeless community should be

treated with kindness,

but today's letter has created more

unease and uncertainty for those

living here on the streets.

Still to come: Guarding

against fake news.

As an election approaches

in Sweden - they aren't shy

about saying who they think

is behind the misinformation.

Here...

The Environment Secretary,

Michael Gove, has set out proposals

for what farming might look

like after Brexit.

It would see the current EU subsidy,

based on how much land you own,

replaced with one based

on what you do with the land.

Here's our Business

Editor Simon Jack.

For 45 years, those

who work on this green

and pleasant land had been

regulated, protected and paid by the

EU.

3 billion a year in

subsidies is paid out

to farmers, determined

by

how much land they own, that will

change according to the Environment

Secretary.

What I want to do is to move away

from the current method of

subsidy which doesn't really reward

efficiency to a method of

agricultural support which make sure

that good bombers have new markets

for their products

and at the same time

that the natural environment

is

enhanced.

Under proposals announced today,

the Government would limit

payments to the largest landowners.

It would reward environmental

protection measures such as flood

prevention and support high

standards in animal welfare.

We are very pleased with the Gove

announcement today because it

provides a level of

certainty for the bombing.

It gives is a chance to adjust our

businesses and study the impact

of Brexit and plan accordingly.

Farming is a long-term business.

The cattle we have

on the farm, many will not

be sold until we leave the EU so any

chance to plan ahead is really

valuable.

Cut-price competition from overseas

like chickens treated with

chlorine from the US,

is banned in the EU.

Some worry that in a rush to make

new trade partners, UK farmers

will be undercut.

There is perhaps no

other sector where

opinion is so divided between those

who think Brexit will be the making

of and those who think Brexit

will be the breaking of an industry.

Can you make an agricultural policy

tailor-made for Britain's economy

and environment, or are you taking

a massive gamble by stepping outside

the fence of subsidies

and protection?

The farming landscape may

change with Brexit, but

subsidies for farmers are not

going anywhere for six years, proved

perhaps of how hard some

habits are the break.

You're watching Beyond 100 Days.

Western democracies

are increasingly alarmed by foreign

manipulation of information -

particularly around election time.

In an oped in the New York Times,

Fusion GPS, the company that

commissioned a collection

of intelligence reports

about Donald Trump's campaign

ties to Russia, says:

Fusion GPS also said:

Across the Atlantic in Sweden,

where elections are being held

this year, authorities

are also concerned.

Our Security Correspondent Gordon

Corera has travelled

to Stockholm, to find out more.

As little one fake news and four in

Paul Ince start to spread, Sweden

has been the target. A general

election is due here this year.

Officials have said the country is

already under attack. Head of the

security service, its version of

MI5, told me where he thinks the

threat comes from.

We are not shy.

We think the biggest threat comes

from Russia. If they want

uncertainty, they will do that. We

have seen that from different

ministers. We have seen fake news.

It has been going on for a long

time.

This is one example.

Supposedly about arms deals with

Ukraine, it used the forged

signature of the defence minister.

Allegations of Russian interference

have been growing and a number of

countries, including the United

States and United Kingdom. But

Sweden views closer, with Russia

just across the Baltic Sea. It is

thought that year, Russian fears

over Sweden's closer relationship

with Nato could influence and even

intimidate. It is not just about

disinformation. Three years ago, a

Russian submarine was thought to

have been seen in Swedish waters.

Today, the concern is about fake

news. This false story about a

church being vandalised by Muslims

was spread by social media accounts

known as bots. Bart now proven link

to Russia. They monitor the risk and

it has seen the problem extend

beyond the country's borders. This

story about a former Swedish Foreign

Minister, setting up a group to

battle you risk it takes was set up

-- picked up weeks before the

referendum.

Reading this article you

can see the link. Fake photoshopped

page. From one of the major

newspapers.

Swedish society is

trying to confront the threat. Media

organisations are supporting

independent fact checking. And the

government wants primary school

children, taught how to spot fake

news. This year's collection could

be a taste of how far this works.

Does evidence like that, and what we

talked about, the stuff that we have

got from the book this week, does

that make it more difficult for

these congressional committees to

try to shop this then? Clearly

concerned about disinformation.

Looking at social media. Trying to

put pressure on his part, Google, to

say where they advertise and the

source of content. I think on the

Fusion GPS, plenty of sceptics.

Especially those intelligence

committees. They have said it is not

a reliable organisation Mrs Sally

and we do not created everything

that they have as being the gospel

truth. Taking Fusion GPS with a

pinch of salt, certainly the

Republicans.

Jewellery thought to be worth

several million dollars has been

stolen in a daring heist in Venice.

Police say at least two thieves

delayed the alarm system

at the Doge's Palace,

before breaking into

a reinforced cabinet to take

a broach and some earrings.

The jewels had been on loan

from the royal family of Qatar.

James Reynolds has the details.

The exhibition held

at the Doge's Palace in Venice

was called Treasures

of the Moguls and Maharajas.

The jewellery on display,

some of it on loan from the ruling

family of Qatar, was worth

millions of pounds.

For one criminal gang,

this was all too tempting.

At least two thieves helped

themselves to a golden brooch

and a pair of earrings.

Incredibly, they did

so during normal visiting hours.

TRANSLATION:

While the exhibition

was open to the public,

one of the glass cases of jewels

on display was open.

Some jewels were stolen

and the thieves made their getaway

by mixing with the public.

Officials suspect the gang

may have spent several

months planning the theft.

Investigators are now trying to work

out exactly how the thieves managed

to switch off the museum's alarm

system and how they managed to walk

away while hiding among visitors.

Experts from Rome have been sent

to help find out who did it.

The police describe the gang,

with some understatement,

as very skilled professionals.

James Reynolds, BBC News, Rome.

Beautiful Venice. Out of a movie! We

had been speaking about the weather

affecting people. This is one rescue

that ended well! It is a group of

people in Canada, coming across a

moose! Stuck in deep snow. Grabbed

shovels! Freed the animal! It took

about 15 minutes. I love this. Just

look at that. Rescuing a moose!

Moose on the loose! Before we go...

A tweet from George

Sending them out!? The publishers

definitely want this to get out.

Journalists will carry on going

through it. Just