07/02/2018 Beyond 100 Days

You're watching

Beyond One Hundred Days.

The US Government tries to avert

another shutdown two days before it

runs out of money.

Senators say they've got

a two year budget deal -

now they have to sell it

to the House before the government

runs out of money on Friday.

And it's not even clear

whether President Trump wants

to keep the government up

and running - he says a shutdown

isn't such a bad idea after all.

Let's have a shutdown -

it's worth it for our country.

They have military parades

in Paris and Moscow -

so why not in Washington?

The White House is looking at plans.

The Prime Minister summons her

Brexit war cabinet -

can they finally come up

with a clear decision on what

the government actually wants?

Also on the programme.

Iranian women defy the authorities

by taking off their headscarves -

but is President Rouhani

listening to them?

Dark skin, blue eyes

and long flowing locks,

this is the face of prehistoric

Britain.

Get in touch with us using the

hashtag 'Beyond-One-Hundred-Days'

Hello and welcome -

I'm Katty Kay in Washington

and Christian Fraser is in London.

The American government

is struggling to do what families

around the world manage to do every

single day - balance their budgets.

The Senate has just agreed to a two

year deal but they still have to get

the House of Representatives to sign

on to their plan.

The bipartisan deal

in the Senate gives both sides

a bit of what they want.

Republicans get more money

for the US military.

Democrats get money for health

programmes and disaster relief.

This doesn't deliver the much

promised immigration reform

but it is a rare thing -

American lawmakers actually coming

together to work out solutions.

Here's a listen.

This bill is the product of

extensive negotiations among

congressional leaders and the White

House. No one would suggest it is

perfect. But we worked hard to find

common ground and stay focused on

serving the American people.

After

months of legislative logjam is this

budget deal is a genuine

breakthrough. After months of fiscal

brinkmanship this budget deal is the

first real sprout of bipartisanship.

And it should break the long cycle

of spending crises that have snarled

this Congress and hampered our

middle-class.

One problem to getting this deal

passed is that we don't know

what the President wants -

he's suggested a shutdown may not

be such a bad idea.

If we don't change it,

let's have a shutdown.

It is worth it for our country.

I'd love to see a shutdown

if we don't get this

stuff taken care of.

Let's get more on this

from Republican Congressman Francis

Rooney who joins us live

from Capitol Hill.

Is the American government about to

keep the US Government open and do

its job?

That is the rumour at least

for six weeks!

Not for two years as

the Senate has just said?

Well we

know they're talking about a

two-year deal but will take some

time to get papered up and maybe

have a six weeks continuing

resolution until they figure it out.

Around here it is not closed until

it is closed.

So we will be back

here in six weeks' time negotiating

yet again? Do you realise what this

looks like around the world?

I have

got two words for that, banana

Republic.

So why not just say look

they have done it in the Senate and

got this wonderful bipartisan

agreement, we will agree to it to do

the responsible thing and keep

government open.

The house has its

constitutional duty to evaluate it

and the members must vote in the way

they feel appropriate. But I hope we

can continue that spirit of

bipartisanship that seems to have

arisen in the Senate this morning

and come up with this two-year deal.

And stop worrying about this monthly

funding of the government.

I thought

the most surprising thing about

today was Senate leader Mitch

McConnell describing Chuck Schumer

as my good friend! And of course

what has happened is the majority

have sweeten the pill and that is

how deals get done. The question is

can you get past the fiscal

conservatives in the house?

I do not

know. I think there will be a lot of

momentum to continue the bipartisan

spirit and fund the government long

time. And to get more money for

defence on our side of things

because we feel the fence has been

crippled. A large number of

aeroplanes do not allow flight

because of a lack of parts. We have

the smallest Navy since before the

First World War.

So the Republicans

in your party, some of them do not

want to lift the debt ceiling and

then the president comes along

suggesting a military parade.

Here

is the Defence Secretary speaking

earlier. I think we're all aware in

this country of the affection and

respect the president has for the

military. And putting together some

options, we will send them to the

White House for a decision.

So what

to think, parade is a good idea?

I

have never thought much about the

military parade in the United

States. In the first place it struck

me as something that is not such a

great idea because it is a waste of

money. These little countries do

that to look big. But we do not need

to do that.

Thank you very much for

joining us. Of course plenty of

other countries do celebrate their

armed forces. It is not something

that is traditionally done here in

America. The last one was in 1993 at

the end of the Gulf War.

But here in

the UK of course we have the

Trooping of the Colour. Mr Trump,

his fascination with parades was

spurred perhaps by the invitation to

Paris on Bastille Day as the guest

of Emmanuel Macron.

Russia has

victory Day celebrating the soviet

union and their victory over Nazi

Germany. Something like 10,000

troops taking part. And then of

course North Korea which holds

several parades every year and are

no not so subtle display of military

might.

Well I was watching Lindsay

Graham the Republican senator who

was asked about this and he said

honouring the service and sacrifice

of American service personnel, I'm

all for that but I do not what kind

of Soviet hardware display. But if I

kids marching past the White House

and we have people and celebrate the

veterans then why not.

It is

interesting because it has raised

some eyebrows. In other countries as

well as here in Washington with

people saying is this about

honouring the veterans or about

Donald Trump wanting to show that he

has a big powerful military. We know

this president has surrounded

himself by generals in his cabinet

in a way that is fairly

unprecedented in US politics. He

seems to have some kind of fondness

for its strong men around the world

who have similar military displays.

I think that is the question, is it

about the president and him wanting

to have some display of his power or

is it about service and honouring

the service of US veterans and in

that case they could be a lot more

support for it in the country I

would say.

You might be right. He

wants to do it in November.

When the UK leaves

the European Union in March 2019

the two sides hope to enter

into a transition period, to allow

more time to agree a final deal.

Today the EU published its draft

Withdrawal Agreement.

Brussels says that during that

transition the UK must abide

by all the rules of the single

market - without any say

in making those rules -

and it wants the power to impose

penalties, if the UK breaks

aspects of the agreement.

That could mean they would

have the power to ground UK flights,

or to impose tarrifs

on British goods.

Or to suspend access

to the single market.

The Brexiteers are up in arms.

It is just one more problem

for the Prime Minister,

who today was chairing the first

of two meetings this week

with her Brexit war cabinet.

Ellie Price has the details.

The European Union Exit

and Trades Strategy

and Negotiation Subcommittee,

or to give it it's more exciting

name, the War Cabinet,

is chaired by the Prime Minister

and consists of ten

senior ministers.

Today they will discuss

Northern Ireland and immigration

in the first of two crunch meetings.

And tomorrow they will move on to

trade and the future partnership.

So will we get any firm

decisions on the UK position?

Probably not.

Today the British Chamber

of Commerce has written

to the Prime Minister calling

for more clarity, urging

ministers to deliver a clear,

unequivocal statement

of intent on Brexit.

And this morning the EU has

published a draft section

of the final withdrawal agreement,

saying they should be a mechanism

for allowing the EU to suspend

certain benefits of single market

membership during

the transition period.

The UK Government has

sought to play that down,

this is a draft document,

they say, produced by the EU

that simply reflects

the stated directives.

Both sides are hoping to be able

to reach agreement on the terms

of the implementation or transition

period by the time they meet at the

European Council summit in March.

We're joined now from Westminster

by the Head of Trade Policy

at the British Chamber

of Commerce Anastassia Beliakova.

They have written a letter to the

Prime Minister to say that patience

is wearing thin and businesses want

to know what is going on. What

impact is this having, this lack of

certainty in practical terms on your

members?

This is impacting business

confidence which in turn is

impacting investment decisions. We

know there will be a transition

period until at least the end of

2020. That gives some short-term

certainty but the question is what

happens later. When businesses are

looking at three or five year cycle

they're not able to make investment

decisions. And unless the government

starts to outline its vision they

will holding off on investment which

could have wider economic effects.

Do you think the government should

negotiate with the EU effectively

with a gun held to its head?

Ambiguity is helpful in

negotiations. It is helpful in the

political environment. However

unless there is more clarity from

the UK Government we will see what

we're seeing now, the EU coming out

with documents and statements of

intent, whilst there is silence from

the UK side. So this creates too

much noise and a lack of balance and

businesses have less confidence. So

we would like to see the UK

Government being much more clear

even if this clarity emerges

gradually.

Well stay with us.

Tim Martin is the Chairman

of J D Wetherspoon -

which is one of the biggest

independent pub chains

here in the UK - and he joins

us now in the studio.

Do you feel you need more clarity? I

do not think so, I think there has

to be a certain ambiguity as we've

just heard in negotiations.

Sometimes when I have been

negotiating I've tried to have the

inscrutable face of us thinks as the

lawyers call it, a poker face. So I

think no reason for businesses to

worry, we can do well outside the

EU, I do not like confidence.

Government VAT receipts were up 15%

in December compared to a year ago,

income tax at 5%. And 300,000 or so

more jobs. So I do think, I do worry

so many business organisations and

particular the CBI are saying we

need this and that. And putting

power in my opinion into the hands

of the EU negotiators. I have some

sympathy with people who like things

ought to be laid out but we are

business people and we deal with

uncertainty.

Christian just that the

British Government is that the risk

of negotiating with a gun held to

its head but the truth is if they

want a transition Britain does not

have a strong negotiating hand.

That

may be so, I personally do not think

we need a transition. We've heard

all sorts of reasons as to why. It

is strange because I run a

reasonably large business, 37,000

people and not one person or not one

consultant, not one lawyer, not one

government adviser has said here is

what you have to do before you leave

the EU. I think we could leave

Monday and we would have lower food

prices, abolishing the powers that

the EU places on food from non-EU

countries. And regain control of

fishing rights. So not to be horrid

to people in Europe but if we took a

more robust attitude we would get a

better deal and we have nothing to

fear anyway.

Anastasia, a more

robust attitude from British

business and we could leave

tomorrow?

Businesses would like to

take advantage of the opportunities

presented by Brexit as well as

prepare for the change is the head

and the potential costs of it. But

they are unable to do so if we do

not even know what some of the

practical answer is to the Brexit

questions will be. For example VAT,

we do not know yet if we will

definitely pay import VAT, whether

there will be chances for business

to despair on this. All of these

questions need to be answered by

government. Some of them will be

dependent on the negotiations but

some are fully in the gift of the

government so we would like more

clarity on the practicalities as

soon as possible.

I do not think the

government can give clarity on

things like terrorists because I

think the sensible thing to do if we

leave the EU is do what Australia

and New Zealand and Singapore have

done and abolish almost all import

tariffs on food. The government

cannot say that in negotiations

because it is trying to convince the

EU to have mutual terror free trade.

A tricky situation. -- tariff free

trade.

One theory doing the rounds

is that the Prime Minister should

have set out clearly, she has set

out clearly what she wants, that you

want to leave the single market and

had no customs union of any kind but

perhaps she could have set up more

detail when of course she first

became leader. Because there was not

this traditional leadership contest

where everyone had to set out their

stall, no one knew really where she

stood and maybe at that point it was

the moment where she could have

found a path between the Remainer is

an Brexiteers in the Cabinet. Well

the devil in the detail.

A coalition deal has

been struck in Germany,

between the centre-left

Social Democrats and Angela

Merkel's conservatives.

The agreement looks set to end

four months of deadlock

following an inconclusive general

election last September.

The deal will still need to be

approved by Social Democrat party

members, many of whom fear that

re-entering a Grand Coalition

would damage the party.

A British-based monitoring group

says the latest Syrian government

air strikes have killed more

than twenty civilians

in the rebel-held region

of Eastern Ghouta, near Damascus.

It said a total of eighty people had

died since the attacks

began earlier this week.

The UN has appealed

for an immediate ceasefire.

British supermarket Tesco is facing

the country's largest ever equal pay

law suit which could affect up

to 200,000 mostly

female shop workers.

The women who work on the shop floor

say they earn considerably

less than men who work

in the company's

distribution centres.

Lawyers estimate the supermarket

could be liable for up

to four billion pounds -

around five and a half billion

dollars - in back pay if it loses.

Since the revolution in 1979,

the Iranian government has made

the hijab, the black head scarf,

an emblem of its religious

and political identity.

But now Iranian women

are taking a stand -

increasing numbers of them

are protesting, demanding

their right to wear whatever

they want in public.

Some have been posting

images on social media

- here's a woman standing

in public, bareheaded -

and it has led to dozens of arrests.

Religious leaders have called

for 'strong action' in the courts,

Iran's president Hassan Rouhani has

said that the voices of protesters

need to be listened to.

Sanam Naraghi-Anderlini

who is the co-founder

and executive director

of the International Civil Society

Action Network is here with me now.

Thank you for coming in. Your mother

protested in 1979 when this law was

first implemented.

When they first

announced the imposition she was

amongst 100,000 women who went out

onto the streets but my grandmother

also protested back in the early

20th century when the hijab was

banned so in my own family we've

seen it being banned and in my

grandmother 's generation and then

my mother 's generation but for my

generation...

These social media

posts are getting a lot of

attention, the Iranian government

has said this is all an outside

conspiracy and these women have been

deceived.

In taking off the hijab.

That is not true, it has been since

the 1980s when the hijab was first

imposed it was very much a black

shroud, very wide legged pants, your

wrists and neck are to be covered.

Women have been pushing back the

headscarf since the 1980s, I've been

going back regularly and I remember

in the 1990s seeing pedicured toes

which was a big issue at the time.

You see the colour and shape, it has

been a consistent struggle by

Iranian women of all ages and

generations, rural and urban, years.

And to suggest all of a sudden

because it is social media and

Western media picking it up, that is

doing a huge disservice to women and

especially those who for years have

paid the price, they have been

beaten and find, it has been an

ongoing issue for 39 years.

29

arrested this time around. Of course

it plays into the power struggle

within Iran, president Rouhani,

saying young people should be

listened to. The conservative

theologians in Iran, to the CBS

hijab is sort of an emblem of the

Islamic State?

It certainly has

symbolic value, absolutely. And I

think people have understood from

the beginning that when you impose

the hijab you're always going to

have resistance. The contrast

between Iran and the region in the

last 30 years, Iran the social

trajectory has been to push back the

hijab. Egypt or Jordan where it has

not been mandatory you have walked

women wearing it.

If this is an

existential issue for the Iranian

regime then how far will they go to

make sure that women carry on

wearing it, if they see it as

emblematic of the state of Islam?

Well what we see in Iran is that

there is a transformation that has

been taking place again through the

years. And this issue precisely

because they allowed women to

shorten their codes and make the

scarves just literally a thin veil,

has already been something we've

seen changes with. I do not think

that if the hijab is removed

tomorrow that we will see sudden

change because the substantive

issues for women on the ground, that

is the inequality enshrined in the

law. So I think this is symbolic and

important but the substance is

somewhere else.

Thank you very much.

Interesting that these women are

facing arrest just by removing the

headscarf in public and it is

something that has been on popular

ever since the Iranian revolution

amongst women and to defy the

authorities does mean they know the

risk the prospect of arrest.

Scientists say they now know

what the first modern Briton looked

like ten thousand years ago -

and it's something of a surprise.

They believe that so-called

Cheddar Man - who lived

in south west England -

had skin that was dark

to black, and blue eyes.

Researchers have used ground

breaking DNA analysis techniques

to examine his skeleton

which was discovered

in Somerset in 1903.

Jon Kay reports.

One, two, three.

Putting flesh on his bones.

The face of Cheddar Man

finally revealed.

By extracting his DNA

and scanning his skull,

experts say they have created him

in unprecedented detail.

And he looks very different

from what they were expecting.

The hair, the eyes, the face.

That combination of blue eyes

and dark skin, really very striking.

Something we would not

have imagined.

And to also get from the DNA

details of his biology.

The fact that he couldn't

digest milk as an adult.

That is something that came really

with the advent of farming.

And 10,000 years ago

people didn't have that.

Look how he's changed.

This is what scientists used

to think he looked like.

A reconstruction from 20 years

ago when DNA analysis

was nowhere near as developed.

Cheddar Man and I share

a common female relative.

This is modern-day Cheddar Man.

Adrian Targett lives in the same

village and shares DNA

with the skeleton found

in the gorge.

So, time to meet his ancestor.

Do you want to see your great,

great, great, great,

great, great, great grandfather?

OK, here he comes.

And...

Oh, my.

What do you think?

It is remarkable, isn't it?

I think there is probably

some resemblance.

Yes, I think there are certainly

other members in my family

who he bears a resemblance to.

Yes, some of my cousins.

You can see that in there?

Yes.

I think my eyes are blue!

Lets have a look.

They are blue!

They are blue.

His hair is not quite

as grey as mine is.

Or my beard!

So 10,000 years after he died,

100 years after he was found,

finally a face to fit the name

of Adrian's ancestor.

Jon Kay, BBC News,

Cheddar in Somerset.

I am disappointed by this. Because

it was initially assumed Cheddar man

had pale skin and fair hair and I

thought maybe I am a direct

descendant but apparently not. They

say 10% of white British ancestry

can be linked to this ancient

population. So I thought maybe I'm

not one of them and then in the

newspaper today it said the 10% link

to this ancestry, their ancestors

would have performed grisly

cannibalistic rituals including

gnawing on human toes and fingers

and drinking from polished

skullcaps. Maybe it is a good thing

I'm not directly linked!

I feel an

existential crisis coming on,

Christian. Do you want to talk about

it? Are you OK?

I think they could

come up with a better name them

Cheddar man.

Well almost all of our

crew here in Washington thought that

Cheddar came from was confident so I

had to educate people. But I look at

Cheddar man and think he looks

suspiciously like someone who came

from another continent, what we

might today call an immigrant in

fact.

Maybe all countries were

linked together, who knows.

Not that

kind of blonde Anglo-Saxon bloke you

might have expected.

This is Beyond 100

Days from the BBC.

Coming up for viewers

on the BBC News Channel

and BBC World News -

Space oddity - What does

Elon Musk's car in orbit really

mean for exploration

of the final frontier?

And the return of the milkman as

the backlash on plastics continues.

That's still to come.

Good evening. After a cold start to

win state many of us had a

reasonably pleasant winter day. --

Wednesday. Further north the crowd

increased and it was a grey

afternoon but with that cloud comes

a lift in temperatures. The milder

air has been out in the Atlantic so

far today. That is moving south and

east in the form of cloud. Already

temperatures dropping across the

South and east. Further north and

west we have cloudy conditions and

outbreaks of rain and hills though.

Looking at the temperature charts,

frost free night for the majority.

Further south and east is where we

see the frost. So cold start

Thursday morning but this is where

we see the slice of milder air

moving across England and Wales

before colder air moving in later

on. In between the two we have a

weather front for the morning

rush-hour. Not much in the way of

rain in the far south. But along

this area we stay cloudy all day

long and there will be some further

bursts of rain. Turning heavier into

the afternoon. Lost of that in

Scotland and Northern Ireland some

wintry showers and hazy sunshine

elsewhere. East Anglia and the

south-east we start with some hazy

sunshine but temperatures are up on

recent days. Into the evening rush

hour we have heavy rain in the

evening spreading across many parts

of Wales and Western and northern

England. Clearer conditions in its

wake so after some wintry showers on

Friday morning becoming a little

less abundant. Although still a

covering of snow possible on

Scottish mountains. But turning

colder even with sunshine around.

The weekend set to turn windy

especially on Saturday night with

rain at times. Brighter and colder

on Sunday.

This is Beyond 100 Days with me,

Katty Kay, in Washington -

Christian Fraser's in London.

Our top stories:

There's a deal to avoid a US

government shutdown,

but Senators must sell

it to the House before

the money runs out on Friday.

The US vice-president Mike Pence

says the US will not allow

North Korea to hijack

the Winter Olympic

Games in South Korea.

Coming up in the next half hour:

Is it fair for President Trump

to claim credit for falling

unemployment among black Americans?

Driving the future of scientific

discovery, Elon Musk's

red convertible heads

towards deep space.

Let us know your thoughts

by using the hashtag

Beyond100Days.

Former vice-president Joe Biden has

been sharing his thoughts

on President Trump.

Speaking to CNN he called

the President "a joke".

Mr Biden said the President's

attacks on the FBI are doing

everything Russian president

Vladimir Putin had ever wanted,

sowing doubt in the US legal system.

This is the court. --

this is the

cloud. -- quote.

What indeed.

Is it accurate to suggest

the dialogue here in Washington

is really doing Moscow's bidding?

Let's put that to former US defense

secretary William Cohen

who joins me now in the studio.

who joins me now in the studio.

Do you agree with Joe Biden? You

also spent a lot of time travelling

around the world.

Yes, I moderated,

or participated in a discussion,

with Joe Biden, 300,000 people in

Washington, so I do share his view.

I think the president is doing

President Putin's work, sewing

distrust in our institutions, the

FBI, the Justice Department, the

rule of law. This is something that

is only working to the benefit of

President Putin, to see people no

longer have a sense of confidence in

the institutions which are designed

to promote the rule of law. If there

is one thing the United States

stands for it is the rule of law. No

man or woman is above that,

including the President of the

United States. He happens to feel

that he is, because his supervisors

are in charge of the Justice

Department. That is totally

antithetical to everything we

believe in this country, that anyone

can be above or break the law and

not be held accountable, so I think

attacking the FBI, the Justice

Department, sowing confusion and

distrust with the American people,

you can't trust what Mr Mueller's

doing, what the Justice Department

is doing, and therefore any report

must be trustworthy, I think that is

undermining the rule of law in this

country.

Speaking about something

not traditional, this idea

of a military parade, and we just

heard General Mattis in the last

hour say, yes, the Pentagon is

drawing up plans, the duty of the

Pentagon of course to draw up plans

that is what the White House once.

Some people think it is a great idea

to celebrate America's military

whereas others think it is a rather

autocratic celebration of America's

military power. We do you come down

as former Defence Secretary?

I think

it is an unnecessary expenditure of

resources. Your witnessing the

shutdown of the government day after

day and this is a parade celebrating

President Trump?

He would say it is

to celebrate the men and women of

the Armed Forces.

We have the 4th of

July, we have Veteran's Day. Frankly

I would like to see him pay tribute

to our military by giving the medal

of Freedom to John McCain, a great

patriot of this country who

symbolised what sacrifices really

are all about. I would have him put

money into training. We have had a

number of accidents with our

submarine force. We need more

training, more readiness, more

capability. I think that is an

unnecessary display of American

patriotism. The American people

unpatriotic and we celebrate that on

veterans Day and the 4th of July. I

think it is unnecessary.

Can I just

circle back to the memo and

allegations against the FBI. The

chair of Oversight, putting justice

above the political process, he says

this has nothing to do with the

Russia investigation. He says it is

an investigation into bias within

the FBI. Isn't it right that the

clean-up that concern?

I served for

ten years on the intelligence

committee in the Senate, and format

of those years I was vice-chair of

the committee. I have never seen a

situation in which you had this kind

of a break in terms of the integrity

of the committee, in terms of

releasing information on a partisan

basis. To me that is just another

aspect that this is something that

been going on to diminish the

credibility of our institutions, and

I think to have the Republicans put

out one version, a sanitised

version, and now have their

Democrats try to come up with

theirs, it is simply undermining the

institution itself and frankly I am

appalled by what is taking place on

Capitol Hill. I think this is

working to the disadvantage of the

American people.

William Cohen,

former Defence Secretary and

senator, of course, thank you for

coming in to join us.

Right now there's a dummy astronaut,

sitting in an electric car,

listening to David Bowie,

orbiting around the Earth.

This is true.

Yes, it all began as a bit

of fun, the crowning glory

of an ambitious space project -

but it has actually worked!

Take a look at this.

It's Elon Musk's Tesla Roadster

that has been up there

for nearly 24 hours.

On the dashboard a note to the fake

astronaut sitting in the drivers

seat reads, "don't panic."

And in the car there is also a note

for any aliens that might

intercept it: "made

on Earth, by humans."

The tesla travelled to space aboard

the world's most powerful rocket

the SpaceX Falcon Heavy -

and even Elon Musk, the man behind

it, seems surprised that it

has actually worked.

Here's the tweet:

"apparently there's a car

in orbit around Earth."

It is currently heading

towards an asteroid belt

between Mars and Jupiter.

Which presumably won't be

good for the paintwork.

But what does all this

mean for the future

of space exploration?

Joining us live from Houston

is Leroy Chiao, former commander

of the International Space Station.

It is great to see you. I mean, I

was just dumbstruck by these rockets

coming back to earth yesterday and

landing on their iPods. Orrey, the

third one went somewhere into the

sea, but extraordinary achievement,

but then I looked today again and

thought, we have gone no further

forward than the Apollo missions --

landing on their pods. OK, the third

one when somewhere into the sea.

I

would not say we have gone

backwards. The third one, it is a

very different rockets than the

Apollo rockets. Similar to the

Saturn five in that the first burn

kerosene and liquid oxygen, but what

you are seeing is a modern version

of a rocket, heavy-lift rocket, that

can go into orbits of this is the

first step of the commercial

ventures towards actually doing an

exploration programme which is

extraordinary. This was not created

using Government funds but was done

entirely using SpaceX funds.

But of

course it will be there for

commercial reasons, to take heavier

payloads, perhaps by satellite, so

the Russians and Chinese will be

watching. What do you think it will

do to the space race?

Well, you

know, it actually has excess

capacity sold to take the heavy

satellites or space probes, we can

launch laws on rockets that are half

the payload size of this rocket. The

fact he has built this to lift so

much more than necessary, just to

want a heavy satellite, you know,

that is really what distinguishes it

and makes it into that step I was

talking about towards commercial

exploration of space. So it is

really an exciting development.

And,

Leroy, you are also saying it could

get us considerably significantly

closer to the prospect of putting a

man or woman on Mars?

That's right.

With the current rockets that we

were flying before the Falcon Heavy

we were not able to get any

significant payload out of law orbit

without using multiple launches,

assembly in orbit, then refuelling

in orbit probably in order to build

a spacecraft that could propel

itself away. Using more powerful

rockets like the Falcon Heavy, you

can lift heavier payloads and put

them into, you know, directly into

orbit around the sun, as Elon is

doing with his Roadster, or with

people on the way to Mars. Now and

he is developing an even bigger

rocket which he, tongue in cheek,

calls the BFR, big Falcon rocket,

and is moving towards that getting

people to Mars.

Thank you. Can we

dip into the live shots of this car?

There it is. They were saying it

might go behind the moon in which

case it would go dark, but it

hasn't, so I think it is on its way

to the asteroid belt, some way

towards Mars. It just doesn't look

real, does it?

LAUGHTER

There was a little story there. I

don't know... You sent me an e-mail

today. You are kind of getting into

this, I'm impressed, but you sent me

this story about... I'm trying to

stay on the team! Yes, beyond the

Milky Way, the first planet found

outside the galaxy, and then I

thought about how long it would take

to get there so I did some research.

3.8 billion years, and this is the

problem. The rocket has lots of

power but it doesn't have speeds up

as we find someone... There they

are, the new planets outside our

galaxy, which are revolving around a

star and some of them are made of

rock, apparently, but 3.8 billion

years. We will not live that long.

Can I just see your research did

come from my daughter who is

studying astrophysics. I wouldn't

like people to suddenly think you

are a professor of this as well,

among all the other things you know

about. Yes, she did give me all the

details, sorry, Maya. Thank you,

Maya, for that!

President Trump has persistently

taken credit for falling black

unemployment, claiming his policies

mean that African Americans have

never had it so good.

While it's true that black

unemployment did fall in the first

year of the Trump administration,

last month it actually went up,

from 6.8% to 7.7%.

African American unemployment rates

started falling in 2010

under President Obama -

so how much of the decline

is due to the policies

of this administration?

Laura Trevelyan reports

from Delaware, where

African American joblessness

is at almost 10%, more than twice

the national average.

This is no ordinary bus.

It's a mobile job centre.

It goes around areas

of high unemployment

in the state of Delaware,

and today the bus is in

Northeast Wilmington.

We have different jobs

available on a daily basis.

Staff help people looking for work,

offering advice on everything

from resumes to interviews.

Delaware's economy isn't seeing

as much growth as other states,

and almost 10% of African-Americans

here are unemployed.

Stressful.

Tiaonna has a job - she's looking

for a better paid position.

Which isn't easy.

What difference would it make

to your life getting the next job?

Ameen, it will make

a difference for my future.

It will make a difference for my

income, for everything, really.

Karryl McManus is an official

with Delaware's Department of Labor.

She says the long-term impact

of being without work

cannot be underestimated.

Work means stronger and more

stable families and,

you know, ultimately leads

to stronger communities.

Alan Beecham is filling out forms

at the Kingswood community Centre.

He's about to start a new job

as a youth counsellor.

Being unemployed was a strain on him

and his family, and he's thrilled

to be working again.

So excited about it.

I have a Social Security now.

I don't really have to worry

about where my next money will come

from, if we have enough money

at the end of the month to pay

our rent, our car or

anything like that.

President Trump is saying that

it's his policies that

are the reason unemployment

is falling among African Americans.

What do you make of that?

Something incredible...

It is somebody else's work.

He has been in office for a year.

Just stop it.

Behind President Trump's

desire to claim credit

for following black unemployment

lies a stubborn problem.

Here in Delaware, for example,

black unemployment rates are three

times that of white unemployment

rates, so even with an improving

economy it's much harder

for African-Americans to find a job.

Those who study rates of black

unemployment say the decline in

African American joblessness is

something that began under President

Obama.

This has been a longer

downward trend, since about 2013,

2014, and so what we are seeing is

just the tail end of that longer

trend. I think it is more important

we focus on why there is a

persistent disparity between black

and white unemployment, and if we

are able to tackle that problem then

I would say that is an

accomplishment and that is something

we should celebrate.

Donald Trump's

plan for rebuilding America's

crumbling infrastructure succeeds,

economists say it has the potential

to bring down African-American

unemployment, something the

president could rightly claim credit

for. Laura Trevelyan, BBC News,

Delaware.

Delighted to say I am joined once

again here in the London studio

by former advisor to George W Bush,

Ron Christie.

He is on a bus and holiday but not

allowed to enjoy it because I am

making him coming to speak about

things like this! Hello. Good to see

you. The percentage of African

Americans unemployed has fallen, as

we are all saying, but there is the

stopper and disparity. Why do you

think it is still there?

Part of it

could be systemic racism, part could

be lack of educational

opportunities. If you don't have a

college diploma in America your

options are severely limited so if

you look at the number of African

Americans, Christian, the gap

divot-mac graduated from college

with a format your degree in America

it is a very small percentage

compared to the number of the

publishing -- those who graduated

from college with a four year

degree.

I suppose the other part of

this, does tax reform help black

people into employment?

I think

every president likes to take a

victory lap, but in this case I

think the president should be a bit

more nuanced. If you're talking

about a one-month changed where it

has gone down to under 7% for the

first time in 45 years, then you

have an update and it goes back up,

I think a three-year average is more

realistic. If you

look at the three-year black

unemployment average it is 7.1%,

but, yes, I do believe part of the

bonuses and tax cuts will help

people of colour, get those tailored

care vouchers taken care of,

transportation, those types of

things, so I think that is a good

thing for all Americans and people

of colour in particular.

Ron, I will

go out on a limb and say the

President Trump is not a president

who does Nuance particularly but you

will remember back in 2008 President

Obama came into office and there was

a lot of optimism in this country

that that would mean significant

progress for black Americans, and

the narrowing of the gap between

black and white Americans and it did

not pan out as many

African-Americans thought it would.

That gets to the persistent nature

of the problem, doesn't it?

It does.

Good to see you, Katty. I am

encouraged by these numbers. If you

look at when President Obama first

came into office the

African-American appointment rate

was nearly 30% so it has been cut by

nearly half and going to Christian's

questions I do believe tax reforms,

the regulatory reform, will make it

more attractive for businesses to

hire people in general and people of

colour in particular. At ever the

optimist, i think they are heading

in the right direction.

when are you

getting back to washington?

katty, i

am coming home tomorrow, coming on!

we miss you! Get away from

Christian!

This is Beyond 100 Days.

Still to come:

Remember this?

Korea analyst Professor Kelly went

viral after his young children

interrupted a BBC interview.

It's now up for an award - we'll

hear what he makes of that shortly.

Two of the victims of the black

cab rapist John Worboys

and the London Mayor Sadiq Khan,

have been given the go-ahead

to challenge the decision

to release him from prison.

Daniel Sandford reports.

Driven into the Royal Courts of

Justice in a high security van the

black cab rate this John Worboys was

led in handcuffs by four prison

officers, as his victim started

their legal battle to prevent his

release from prison. Worboys was

convicted in 2009 of one rate, four

sexual assaults, one attempted

sexual assault, one assault by

penetration and 12 offences of

drugging his victims.

The judge apologised as he sat in

the doctor any victims who were

upset by him being there in person.

One victim said this morning she had

never expected him to be released.

When we were told it an indefinite

sentence...

it was just,

well, justice has been served,

he has been dealt with.

He is serving a life sentence now.

Because that is the way

it was put across to us.

So we never thought

for one second that

he would be eligible for parole.

In court the QC condemned what she

called the blanket

secrecy, and the

failure to produce any kind of

reasons was unlawful, she said.

We

can't challenge the decision until

we know the reasons for it. We have

to know whether that reasoning is

within the bounds of reasonable

parole board or whether it is really

so unreasonable or has failed to

take into account relevant

considerations.

John Worboys, who

devised a kit for drugging and

assaulting his victims in his taxi,

didn't have a lawyer at the start of

the hearing but was able to talk to

one halfway through.

The US vice-president,

Mike Pence, has delivered

a warning to North Korea -

saying Washington won't allow it

to hijack the Winter

Olympics with propaganda.

We now know the younger sister

of North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un,

will attend the opening ceremony.

Kim Yo-jong will be the first

immediate Kim family member

to cross the border.

She was promoted in the North Korean

government last year and works in

the party's propaganda department.

She's blacklisted by the US

over alleged links to

human rights abuses.

Speaking in Japan, ahead of Friday's

opening of the Games in South Korea,

Mr Pence said the North would not be

allowed to use the Olympic banner

to hide the reality that it

enslaves its own people

and threatens the region.

This is what North and

South Korean specialist,

Professor Robert Kelly,

thinks of it all.

There has been a lot of overreaction

to the Olympic participation.

I mean, it's good, right?

North Korea is such a dangerous

place and with nuclear weapons it

even more dangerous.

So it's always good when we can

reach out to them, so their

coming is a good thing,

that we're having negotiations

is a good thing, but ultimately

what really matters is what kind

of concessions will they give us

and what do they want

in exchange for that?

The rest of it is of atmospheric.

The noise and the sound and the Fury

and the rest of it, and it doesn't

really change anything. I don't

think the vice president really

needs to worry about North Korea

capturing the Olympic

what matters ultimately is the two

site at the table, what will they

really exchange, and it is a month

away.

I am almost loathe to say this

because Professor Kelly is an

eminent expert on career, but you

might recognise him, because of

course he gave an interview to the

BBC about North and South Korea, and

then this happened...

I would argue

this is a triumph of democracy,

scandals happen all the time and the

important thing is how we respond to

those scandals.

What will it mean

for the wider region? I think one of

your children has just what then?

Shifting sands in the region? Do you

think relations with the North will

change.

I would be surprised if they

do. Pardon me. My apologies!

LAUGHTER

STUDIO: I love it!

LAUGHTER

One of my kids will come in soon.

Now Professor Kelly is up for an

award for viral video moment of 2017

and we will find out soon if he were

actually win. -- if he will win.

That video has been viewed more

than 8 million times on the BBC's

YouTube channel alone.

His kids even inspired

a cartoon series.

Here he is talking about

the fame side of things.

People take photographs of me

getting out of my car and buying

milk at Costco, you know, and when

it came to immigration and

emigration of the Serbs recognise

me. It is weird. You're that guy,

right? Yes, and that guy, then they

ask for a picture. It is sort of

bizarre. I don't know anything about

being a celebrity.

He is a good

sport!

OK, he definitely has to win. There

was no other moment in 2017 that

captured the kind of viral nature of

how information spreads, the

inadvertent nature of television and

video... And nannies. I love it! OK.

The effect of plastic waste

on the environment and seas

for plastic is only 23%

and in the UK only around half

of all plastic bottles get recycled.

But Norway easily surpasses

America and the UK -

98% of their bottles get recycled.

That's thanks to an ingenious

system where people pay

a deposit on every bottle -

and get the money back once

the empty bottles are returned

and posted into a machine.

There's talk of a similar scheme

being adopted in the UK.

I have already got

a head start on this.

Anyone who follows me on twitter

will know that in my house

we are reducing our use of plastics

- we are now getting

delivered in bottles.

This was my doorstep the other day.

A big shout out to my milkman, Andy

Nicholson. I get the milk bottles a

week and it is better! You remember

this, incidentally? This is how they

used to go round in Britain

delivering milk, back in the 1960s,

some pictures of these electric milk

floats that used to go around, so I

did some research today, and in

1975, 90 4% of UK milk was delivered

in glass bottles, and that had

dropped to 3% in 2014. But you're on

your destroying again -- in 1875 94%

of you cannot. -- in 1975, 90 4%. I

don't get milk delivered and I don't

even know if it is possible here to

get milk delivered in glass bottles.

We do compost, but I once hitched a

ride on a milk float. It took me an

awful long time to get from

Cambridge to a town about five miles

away. First of all, they are not

very fast, not like Elon Musk's red

car, now going round space and

heading to an asteroid. They were

pretty slow, and you do stop and

deliver milk at every other house,

or you did back when I was hitching

in the 1980s. My dad was a milkman.

Was he? Yes, in 1975 he used to

deliver 260 litres a day and around

700 eggs a week and he would go out

at four o'clock in the morning and

come back at seven, then go to his

second job, and he told me today, I

was talking about this with him, he

said he went to night school on

Thursday to get his A-level. A quick

question. How is your milk actually

delivered? By somebody in one of

those very slow carts like your dad

used to drive? No he comes in so

early that I don't see. Like Father

Christmas? But the milk is there,

and it is called, and honestly, it

is better. The milk tastes better?

Yes, it really is. Calder, fresher,

it just works and you're doing your

bit for the environment so that is

my push for the milkmen around the

country. What about summer when it

is very hot? You have to get up

early so it doesn't get warm, and

get there before the bluetits start

eating the foil on the top and

eating the melt... You will be the

do on your doorstep at about four

o'clock in the morning in July,

having just watched American

football on it! Absolutely. That is

it from us. We will be back same

time