08/03/2018

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0:00:07 > 0:00:10You're watching Beyond 100 Days.

0:00:10 > 0:00:14The President is showing his mettle - amid widespread concern

0:00:14 > 0:00:16in Congress, he is pressing ahead with his tarrifs on

0:00:16 > 0:00:19steel and aluminium.

0:00:19 > 0:00:23There will be exemptions for Canada and Mexico - maybe Australia.

0:00:23 > 0:00:27The plan is evolving, as it tends to do with this President.

0:00:27 > 0:00:30The President's in a hurry to put these tarrifs in place ahead

0:00:30 > 0:00:34of a visit this weekend to the state that helped him to the White House -

0:00:34 > 0:00:36the Keystone State of Pennsylvania.

0:00:36 > 0:00:39We're going to be very fair, we're going to be very flexible

0:00:39 > 0:00:41but we are going to protect the American worker,

0:00:41 > 0:00:46as I said I would do in our campaign.

0:00:46 > 0:00:48But what about the other Trump state, Wisconsin,

0:00:48 > 0:00:51where they make the Harley Davidson - just one of the American

0:00:51 > 0:00:53exports that Europe is threatening to punish?

0:00:53 > 0:00:57Also on the programme...

0:00:57 > 0:01:00A brazen, reckless act is how the UK's Home Secretary describes

0:01:00 > 0:01:02the poisoning of the Russian double agent and his daughter,

0:01:02 > 0:01:05police say 21 people are being treated for side effects.

0:01:07 > 0:01:09So just what is Russia thinking?

0:01:09 > 0:01:17We have a special report on Moscow's relations

0:01:17 > 0:01:21With the West and of history can get any lessons ahead of the election.

0:01:22 > 0:01:26Get in touch with us using the hashtag #Beyond100Days.

0:01:30 > 0:01:32Hello and welcome - I'm Christian Fraser in London

0:01:32 > 0:01:34and Jane O'Brien is in Washington.

0:01:34 > 0:01:36A core commitment of the Trump campaign was to bring

0:01:36 > 0:01:38home the steel jobs.

0:01:38 > 0:01:41And the executives of the metal industry, invited to the White House

0:01:41 > 0:01:42today, have already responded to the President's

0:01:43 > 0:01:46commitment on tarrifs.

0:01:46 > 0:01:50In Kentucky and here at Granite City in Illinois they are firing

0:01:50 > 0:01:51up the blast furnaces, re-hiring steelworkers

0:01:51 > 0:01:55in anticipation of new orders.

0:01:56 > 0:02:00But during a cabinet meeting the president dangled the prospect

0:02:00 > 0:02:02of short term exemptions for Mexico and Canada while Nafta trade

0:02:02 > 0:02:05negotiations continue.

0:02:05 > 0:02:08And he also mentioned Australia, saying he reserved the right to add

0:02:08 > 0:02:13and drop other countries too.

0:02:13 > 0:02:15That may come as welcome news to more than a hundred Republican

0:02:15 > 0:02:17congressmen who signed a letter on Wednesday urging

0:02:17 > 0:02:18the President to change course.

0:02:18 > 0:02:21Mr Trump, though, defended his position.

0:02:23 > 0:02:28Aluminum, steel they are the backbone of our nation.

0:02:28 > 0:02:31They are the bedrock of our defence industrial base.

0:02:31 > 0:02:32Our greatest presidents...

0:02:32 > 0:02:36They protected our country from outside influence

0:02:36 > 0:02:38and from other coutnries coming in and stealing our wealth and jobs.

0:02:40 > 0:02:46We're going to be very fair, we're going to be very flexible

0:02:46 > 0:02:49but we are going to protect the American worker,

0:02:49 > 0:02:51as I said I would do in our campaign.

0:02:51 > 0:02:53Someone who agrees with the President's tariff plan

0:02:53 > 0:02:55is Republican Congressman Tom Reed from New York.

0:02:55 > 0:03:00I spoke to him earlier.

0:03:00 > 0:03:05Congressman, thank you for joining us. Why do you support the

0:03:05 > 0:03:09President's plan for tariffs?You know, what the President is doing is

0:03:09 > 0:03:12exactly what he promised the American people. He is going to

0:03:12 > 0:03:18change the trade agenda going forward, through disruption. Decades

0:03:18 > 0:03:22of status quo policy has left many American interests behind. What you

0:03:22 > 0:03:25see with the potential imposition of tariffs is a message that enough is

0:03:25 > 0:03:30enough, we will have free and open trade with partners across the

0:03:30 > 0:03:34world, as long as American interests are protected and we have an even

0:03:34 > 0:03:37playing field, enforceable, to keep everybody on their toes.But the

0:03:37 > 0:03:42economy is doing well, you have just passed tax reform, unemployment is

0:03:42 > 0:03:46at all-time low. Why do you need to shake up the status quo on trade

0:03:46 > 0:03:50now?Now is an opportunity, enough is enough. The President was clear

0:03:50 > 0:03:54on the campaign and that is why I support what he's doing here. He is

0:03:54 > 0:04:01trying to change the dynamic of what decades of policy has shifted, the

0:04:01 > 0:04:04folks back home from the position of opportunity, to one where they have

0:04:04 > 0:04:08lost opportunity. That has to end. We have to put American interests on

0:04:08 > 0:04:12the same field, an uneven playing field, as the stakeholders across

0:04:12 > 0:04:16the world.But the EU and other allies of America are warning that

0:04:16 > 0:04:21this could spark a massive global trade war. Is it worth it?I don't

0:04:21 > 0:04:25believe we will have a trade war at the end of the day. What we will see

0:04:25 > 0:04:28here is a conversation which recognises that if we play by the

0:04:28 > 0:04:31rules and our trading partners recognise that the rules need to be

0:04:31 > 0:04:33enforceable, that it is an even playing field, we are going to

0:04:33 > 0:04:38embrace them. We are going to embrace the opportunity to compete.

0:04:38 > 0:04:41Country against country, interest against interest, but as long as the

0:04:41 > 0:04:45playing field is even, this imposition of any tariff is

0:04:45 > 0:04:49something we can avoid.What is it that has convinced you that this is

0:04:49 > 0:04:54the way to go, especially in your state of New York?I represent an

0:04:54 > 0:05:00area of New York that is essentially the rust belt. I have seen

0:05:00 > 0:05:03first-hand, talking to families, jobs leaving from the manufacturing

0:05:03 > 0:05:07base. I have seen people suffering from these policies. What we need to

0:05:07 > 0:05:10do is change the policies, change the agenda, disrupt the status quo.

0:05:10 > 0:05:15At the end of the day, we can all win. We can all compete. Our trading

0:05:15 > 0:05:18partners, as well as American interests, in a way that advances

0:05:18 > 0:05:22the course for the residents of those countries and the people we

0:05:22 > 0:05:26represent in New York.You are going against a lot of your fellow party

0:05:26 > 0:05:32members. How big a rift is this within the Republican party?You

0:05:32 > 0:05:36know, obviously we are sending a message that some other folks

0:05:36 > 0:05:41outside of the aisle in the party are concerned about. I recognise, I

0:05:41 > 0:05:44represent the people that are suffering from these decades of

0:05:44 > 0:05:47policy. We want to be a voice for them to say we cannot continue the

0:05:47 > 0:05:53status quo policy of decades before. What we need to do is go down a new

0:05:53 > 0:05:56path. But the new path comes with an anxiety and fear that the long-term

0:05:56 > 0:06:00goal we are trying to achieve, and the President is trying to achieve,

0:06:00 > 0:06:04is good for all of our trading partners, as well as us here in

0:06:04 > 0:06:08America. That is fair, enforceable trade, once and for all.Thank you

0:06:08 > 0:06:12very much for joining us. Thank you for having me on.

0:06:13 > 0:06:14Soon after President Trump announced his intention

0:06:14 > 0:06:17to impose these tariffs - the EU produced a list of those

0:06:17 > 0:06:19American goods on which they would be imposing tarrifs.

0:06:19 > 0:06:24Tit for tat.

0:06:24 > 0:06:26On the list is American whisky, peanut butter, blue jeans,

0:06:26 > 0:06:30and Harley Davidson motorcycles.

0:06:30 > 0:06:32The BBC's Barbara Plett Usher is in Milwuakee, Wisconsin outside

0:06:32 > 0:06:37of the Harley headquarters for us.

0:06:37 > 0:06:40So, the steelworkers are very happy. What about the workers at

0:06:40 > 0:06:46Harley-Davidson?Well, I think the workers at Harley-Davidson will

0:06:46 > 0:06:51suffer a setback if these tariffs, if the steel and aluminium tariffs

0:06:51 > 0:06:56come through, because costs will rise in general. Also, the

0:06:56 > 0:06:59retaliatory tariffs that might come against Harley-Davidson will be

0:06:59 > 0:07:03significant, the company says. There is concern among the workers. But we

0:07:03 > 0:07:06have been at a club of Harley-Davidson fans, speaking to

0:07:06 > 0:07:11people there to see what they thought. By and large, they thought

0:07:11 > 0:07:15Trump should stand up for America, but that this tariff move was to

0:07:15 > 0:07:21blunt a weapon, and they didn't want Harley-Davidson caught up in a trade

0:07:21 > 0:07:23war. They didn't think that they themselves would be effective,

0:07:23 > 0:07:27because they have their bikes already. They said anybody got

0:07:27 > 0:07:30really wants a Harley-Davidson will probably get one, the cost will not

0:07:30 > 0:07:33go up much in America. I was reminded again and again that this

0:07:33 > 0:07:37was about a lifestyle, not just a motorcycle. There was some concern

0:07:37 > 0:07:40expressed about their friends in Europe. They thought the cost would

0:07:40 > 0:07:43go up there quite a bit. There was quite a lot of connection, Europeans

0:07:43 > 0:07:47can hear for events, some members of the club said they were going to

0:07:47 > 0:07:51Prague for a big anniversary event later this summer. Not a lot of

0:07:51 > 0:07:53support for tariffs in this Harley-Davidson crowd, although some

0:07:53 > 0:07:57do think it is just political manoeuvring at this stage, like this

0:07:57 > 0:08:02biker, Steve Godfrey.

0:08:02 > 0:08:04I think it's a bad thing, I generally believe in free trade

0:08:04 > 0:08:06and I don't think he's serious about this.

0:08:06 > 0:08:09I think he's just trying to scare people into getting some

0:08:09 > 0:08:13concessions, which is how he rolls.

0:08:13 > 0:08:16Barbra, that person does seem to have a point, we know that the

0:08:16 > 0:08:23President's plan is evolving. What are they most concerned about?They

0:08:23 > 0:08:31are most concerned about the retaliation tariff. Harley-Davidson

0:08:31 > 0:08:35issued a statement saying that if the steel and aluminium tariffs were

0:08:35 > 0:08:38imposed, costs would go up, as they would with any company using steel

0:08:38 > 0:08:44and aluminium. A retaliatory, punitive tariff would have a

0:08:44 > 0:08:48significant impact on sales. You know, 16% of their sales go to

0:08:48 > 0:08:52Europe. That is important, especially because domestic sales

0:08:52 > 0:08:59are declining. The baby-boomer generation is dwindling, millennials

0:08:59 > 0:09:03are not really interested in motorcycles. We went to a dealership

0:09:03 > 0:09:07and saw how they are trying to target that market dig market with

0:09:07 > 0:09:12cheaper and smaller bikes, they also have an electric bike that they are

0:09:12 > 0:09:17hoping they will launch. But they do feel that it will have an impact.

0:09:23 > 0:09:28"We know what you are doing.

0:09:28 > 0:09:30And you will not succeed", the Prime Minister's warning

0:09:30 > 0:09:33to Russia back in December.

0:09:33 > 0:09:35But do we know to what lengths Russia will go?

0:09:35 > 0:09:38The home secretary Amber Rudd was careful today not to point

0:09:38 > 0:09:40the finger of blame at Moscow.

0:09:40 > 0:09:42But this was a rare type of nerve agent, not easily acquired,

0:09:42 > 0:09:44not easily transported or stored.

0:09:44 > 0:09:45Which quite obviously increases the likelihood

0:09:45 > 0:09:54there was some state involvement.

0:09:54 > 0:09:58Police say tonight that 21 people are still being treated as a result

0:09:58 > 0:10:01of the attack. The Government says all of the facts must be

0:10:01 > 0:10:05established. But if it is proved that Russia was involved, Theresa

0:10:05 > 0:10:10May has signalled that it will not go unanswered. Tom Symons has more.

0:10:10 > 0:10:12Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey is 38 years old, a decorated officer

0:10:12 > 0:10:18with plenty of experience on the front line of policing.

0:10:18 > 0:10:20He's still in a serious condition but the good news today

0:10:20 > 0:10:23is he is awake and talking.

0:10:23 > 0:10:24He's a great character.

0:10:24 > 0:10:26He is a huge presence in Wiltshire Police, well loved

0:10:26 > 0:10:31and massively dedicated officer.

0:10:31 > 0:10:33He is clearly receiving high, specialist treatment.

0:10:33 > 0:10:43He is well, sat up.

0:10:45 > 0:10:47He is not the Nick I know but he is receiving

0:10:47 > 0:10:49a high level of treatment.

0:10:49 > 0:10:50The inquiry's not letting up.

0:10:50 > 0:10:52Police began what appeared to be a major search

0:10:52 > 0:10:54and possible decontamination of Sergei Skripal's house today.

0:10:54 > 0:10:57For a while, they even taped off the graves of his wife and son.

0:10:57 > 0:11:00We are committed to doing all we can to bring

0:11:00 > 0:11:02the perpetrators to justice, whoever they are and

0:11:02 > 0:11:06wherever they may be.

0:11:06 > 0:11:08The investigation is moving at pace and this government

0:11:08 > 0:11:14will act without hesitation as the facts become clearer.

0:11:14 > 0:11:17The BBC's been told the nerve agent used was not sarin or VX,

0:11:17 > 0:11:20which have been used as weapons in the past, but rarer.

0:11:20 > 0:11:22Decontamination teams were heavily protected on Sunday.

0:11:22 > 0:11:24Look at this picture from earlier that day.

0:11:24 > 0:11:28No respirators or suits.

0:11:28 > 0:11:31These officers could not have known they were about to deal with the use

0:11:31 > 0:11:33of a chemical weapon in their city.

0:11:33 > 0:11:36I guess it really brings home to us and the public again

0:11:36 > 0:11:38that we run towards danger while others walk away.

0:11:38 > 0:11:41Sometimes we run to something we don't know.

0:11:41 > 0:11:43The risk they face became obvious today when a bench,

0:11:43 > 0:11:46on which the Skripals were sitting, was exposed by gusts of wind.

0:11:46 > 0:11:50Just look at the operation needed to go in and peg it down again,

0:11:50 > 0:11:56four days on from the incident.

0:11:56 > 0:11:58And it wasn't just police officers who risked being

0:11:58 > 0:12:02exposed that afternoon.

0:12:02 > 0:12:04I've spoken to a doctor who was there.

0:12:04 > 0:12:07She's asked us not to name her but she says she came

0:12:07 > 0:12:09across Yulia Skripal slumped over the bench, unconscious,

0:12:09 > 0:12:11not breathing, vomiting and having a fit.

0:12:11 > 0:12:14She stepped in.

0:12:14 > 0:12:17She got Yulia onto the floor, she got her breathing

0:12:17 > 0:12:21and handed her patient over to paramedics.

0:12:21 > 0:12:23She's concerned about what she's come into contact with,

0:12:23 > 0:12:29but she feels fine.

0:12:29 > 0:12:32Sergei and Yulia Skripal, attacked as she came to Britain

0:12:32 > 0:12:34from Russia to visit him, are not getting better.

0:12:34 > 0:12:36They remain in a critical condition, as the race

0:12:36 > 0:12:38to find their assailant - or assailants - continues.

0:12:38 > 0:12:43Tom Symonds, BBC News, Salisbury.

0:12:43 > 0:12:45Well that suggestion that the Kremlin may have ordered

0:12:45 > 0:12:51this attack has been met with an angry response in Moscow.

0:12:51 > 0:12:53The state media has complained of an anti-Russian

0:12:53 > 0:12:54campaign by the West.

0:12:54 > 0:12:56And among ordinary Russians there's seems to be little sympathy

0:12:56 > 0:12:58for the former double agent, Sergei Skripal who

0:12:58 > 0:12:59remains seriously ill.

0:12:59 > 0:13:02Our Moscow correspondent Steve Rosenberg reports.

0:13:02 > 0:13:06Moscow feels a world away from the drama of Salisbury.

0:13:06 > 0:13:09Relaxed Russians are out enjoying a public holiday,

0:13:09 > 0:13:19determined not to allow a spy scandal to spoil their day.

0:13:21 > 0:13:23People here are short on sympathy for Sergei Skripal.

0:13:23 > 0:13:25TRANSLATION:The fewer secrets you sell, the longer you'll live.

0:13:25 > 0:13:26TRANSLATION:Don't betray your motherland.

0:13:27 > 0:13:29Then you'll have no problems.

0:13:29 > 0:13:32TRANSLATION:When he was in prison in Russia, he was healthy.

0:13:32 > 0:13:34He goes to Britain and gets poisoned.

0:13:34 > 0:13:35He should have stayed here.

0:13:35 > 0:13:40It's a similar message from Russian TV.

0:13:40 > 0:13:42The Kremlin-controlled media have been mocking Boris Johnson

0:13:42 > 0:13:44and making fun of Britain.

0:13:45 > 0:13:47If you're a professional traitor, he says, my advice,

0:13:47 > 0:13:51don't move to England.

0:13:51 > 0:13:54Something's not right there, the climate, perhaps.

0:13:54 > 0:13:57But too many bad things go on there, people are hanged, poisoned,

0:13:57 > 0:14:06helicopter crashes or they fall out of windows.

0:14:06 > 0:14:09Under Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin has sent a very clear

0:14:09 > 0:14:11message to the Russian people that their country is besieged

0:14:11 > 0:14:13fortress, threatened by enemies abroad and traitors at home.

0:14:13 > 0:14:15That's why is little sympathy here for Sergei Skripal.

0:14:15 > 0:14:23And if Moscow did target Sergei Skripal...

0:14:23 > 0:14:25Most Russian people, not me, of course, most Russian people

0:14:25 > 0:14:28would take pride in it because there is a very

0:14:28 > 0:14:30black and white world, it's us against them.

0:14:30 > 0:14:38Putin has brought us back in a big way.

0:14:39 > 0:14:41Today, the president delivered a special address.

0:14:41 > 0:14:44No mention of spies.

0:14:44 > 0:14:54He congratulated Russian women on International Women's Day.

0:14:56 > 0:14:58Moscow knows it's under suspicion but the Kremlin is acting

0:14:58 > 0:14:59as if it's business as usual.

0:14:59 > 0:15:06Steve Rosenberg, BBC News, Moscow.

0:15:06 > 0:15:09Bill Browder is considered to be one Vladimir Putin's number one enemies

0:15:09 > 0:15:11and deported from Russia for exposing corruption there.

0:15:11 > 0:15:13He's been speaking to the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme.

0:15:13 > 0:15:16At the moment nobody has tried to shoot at me

0:15:16 > 0:15:18or blow me up in a car.

0:15:18 > 0:15:21But this nerve agent stuff and the fact that they can do this

0:15:21 > 0:15:23in a foreign country and get away with it is absolutely

0:15:23 > 0:15:26terrifying for me and every person that is at odds

0:15:26 > 0:15:27with the Russian government.

0:15:27 > 0:15:29How do you protect yourself then?

0:15:29 > 0:15:32Because at any moment, you could be in a bar or a restaurant,

0:15:32 > 0:15:35your food could be spiked, your drink could be spiked,

0:15:35 > 0:15:38you could be walking to the train station and someone drops something

0:15:38 > 0:15:40on your skin and you could end up in a coma.

0:15:40 > 0:15:42That is the whole purpose of what they've done.

0:15:42 > 0:15:43It's called terrorism.

0:15:43 > 0:15:49It's to try and create terror in every one of their enemies.

0:15:49 > 0:15:52And people say "Why did they do this to this man?"

0:15:52 > 0:15:54The answer is he was probably one one-thousandth of

0:15:54 > 0:15:55the reason they did it.

0:15:55 > 0:15:57They did it for everyone else, to say here's

0:15:57 > 0:15:58what we're capable of.

0:15:58 > 0:16:01Well joining us now is Mark Stout, a former intelligence

0:16:01 > 0:16:04analyst for the CIA.

0:16:04 > 0:16:09Thank you very much for joining us. The British say they want all of the

0:16:09 > 0:16:13facts before they say who did this. Who do you think did this?Well, we

0:16:13 > 0:16:17don't know for certain. But I have a hard time imagining it was anybody

0:16:17 > 0:16:21other than somebody associated in some way, shape or form with one of

0:16:21 > 0:16:25the Russian intelligence services. It's really hard to come up with an

0:16:25 > 0:16:28alternative explanation.Must be easier ways to try to assassinate a

0:16:28 > 0:16:33body? This is so dramatic, is it conceivable that this could be done

0:16:33 > 0:16:37without state involvement?It is possible, but hard to imagine. If

0:16:37 > 0:16:43you go back to the 1990s, a Japanese group created nerve agents,

0:16:43 > 0:16:46theoretically it can be done by a non-state actor. But then they had

0:16:46 > 0:16:50to have multiple experiments never got the formula right. There are so

0:16:50 > 0:16:54many ways, if it is not done by a state, it can go wrong, the

0:16:54 > 0:16:57presumption has to be if it is nerve agents it was done by a state, even

0:16:57 > 0:17:02if that is not 100%.I understand you are the former historian at the

0:17:02 > 0:17:10International spy museum there. How does this compare with the Cold War?

0:17:10 > 0:17:15Are there goes? Are we going back in time?Well, there are some echoes.

0:17:15 > 0:17:18What is interesting to me, particularly interesting about this

0:17:18 > 0:17:22murder and the rash of suspicious deaths that there have been in

0:17:22 > 0:17:25Britain in recent years of Russians and people associated with Russia,

0:17:25 > 0:17:29it really goes back a long way into the Cold War, right? The last couple

0:17:29 > 0:17:35of decades of the Cold War, with the interesting and prominent examples

0:17:35 > 0:17:41of the assassination in 77, the last couple of decades, the Russians were

0:17:41 > 0:17:44not assassinating a lot of people abroad. There were historical

0:17:44 > 0:17:48precedents, but it tends to go back to the 50s and even before that.

0:17:48 > 0:17:51This is really a dramatic turn if this is what it appears to be and it

0:17:51 > 0:17:56is a throwback to the very worst periods, I would argue, of Soviet

0:17:56 > 0:18:00history.Doesn't have implications for the United States? I am slightly

0:18:00 > 0:18:03surprised. I've been following the coverage in the United States and it

0:18:03 > 0:18:08has not been picked up as widely as you might imagine?There are a lot

0:18:08 > 0:18:14of other things going on in the United States. We have a President

0:18:14 > 0:18:18allegedly sleeping with a pawn star. As Lou Reed as it is, it has serious

0:18:18 > 0:18:21competition here, it has had media attention but it has not generally

0:18:21 > 0:18:24been on the front pages, just because we have had a lot of things

0:18:24 > 0:18:36going on here. -- as luird.How worried should former spies be?

0:18:36 > 0:18:41Unless they are given personal, direct protection by Scotland Yard

0:18:41 > 0:18:44or private bodyguards, they would potentially happen to be... It would

0:18:44 > 0:18:49be wise for them to be worried if they are not in hiding. Ultimately,

0:18:49 > 0:18:53does not take much, whether it is to give you a nerve agent, shoot you in

0:18:53 > 0:18:56the head, that does not take much interaction. It takes a lot of

0:18:56 > 0:19:00intelligence collection of fronts to find out where you live, your

0:19:00 > 0:19:04pattern of life, how to get it to you, it takes a lot of planning. But

0:19:04 > 0:19:07the actual execution, when you know you need to be right there, my

0:19:07 > 0:19:11target will be there, it is pretty trivial, really. If I were one of

0:19:11 > 0:19:20these folks that had been swapped with Skripal, I would be looking at

0:19:20 > 0:19:24security.It was Anna Chapman, the spy returned from the United States

0:19:24 > 0:19:29from New York back to Russia. As I understand it, there is a rule of

0:19:29 > 0:19:33ethics when you are swapping spies. Why do you think Skripal might have

0:19:33 > 0:19:38been targeted now?Yes, well, if we assume it is the Russians, and I do,

0:19:38 > 0:19:42there are a couple of possibilities. First off

0:19:42 > 0:19:45there are a couple of possibilities. First off, Skripal and the others

0:19:45 > 0:19:51that were pardoned, that was a brief four year period when Putin was

0:19:51 > 0:19:56Prime Minister. It is possible that Putin thinks it was a horrible idea

0:19:56 > 0:19:59and has reversed it. The other possibility is that there have been

0:19:59 > 0:20:01lower level changes in leadership in the Russian intelligence services by

0:20:01 > 0:20:04people that don't necessarily feel themselves bound by old promises and

0:20:04 > 0:20:10are vengeful. A third possibility, it seems to me, is that the Russians

0:20:10 > 0:20:16that might have recently learned that maybe Skripal's espionage was

0:20:16 > 0:20:18moored deeper and damaging than they knew when they prosecuted him and

0:20:18 > 0:20:21swapped him, now they are saying, well, you didn't come clean, the

0:20:21 > 0:20:25dealers off. We don't know. I wouldn't be surprised if it was

0:20:25 > 0:20:30something along one of those three scenarios.Fascinating stuff.

0:20:30 > 0:20:32A Danish inventor accused of murdering a Swedish journalist

0:20:32 > 0:20:35on his submarine last August has gone on trial in Copenhagen.

0:20:35 > 0:20:38Peter Madsen has admitted dismembering Kim Wall's body

0:20:38 > 0:20:41and disposing of it at sea, but denies murder.

0:20:41 > 0:20:45He says her death was an accident and that she died of carbon

0:20:45 > 0:20:46monoxide poisoning.

0:20:46 > 0:20:48Ms Wall was working on a story about Madsen when she went

0:20:49 > 0:20:50missing last August.

0:20:50 > 0:20:53The US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is currently on a tour

0:20:53 > 0:20:57of Africa and was today speaking in Ethiopia.

0:20:58 > 0:21:01He did miss a chance to mention North Korea.

0:21:01 > 0:21:03At the event he warned that despite progress,

0:21:03 > 0:21:06the prospect of talks with North Korea is still some way

0:21:06 > 0:21:07off, despite President Trump indicating potentially positive

0:21:07 > 0:21:16signals coming from North Korea by way of the South.

0:21:16 > 0:21:18Russia's relations with the West have cooled dramatically over

0:21:18 > 0:21:20Vladimir Putin's 18 years in power.

0:21:20 > 0:21:23But it's his most recent term that's marked the low point -

0:21:23 > 0:21:27including the annexation of Crimea and war in Ukraine.

0:21:27 > 0:21:30With President Putin set to win re-election

0:21:30 > 0:21:32by a landslide next week, our Moscow correspondent,

0:21:32 > 0:21:34Sarah Rainsford, has travelled to Rostov to explore the depth

0:21:34 > 0:21:37of the East-West divide.

0:21:38 > 0:21:41They see themselves as born warriors.

0:21:43 > 0:21:46The Cossacks, defenders of the country through the centuries.

0:21:50 > 0:21:53It's a past they are fiercely proud of, replayed in the muddy

0:21:53 > 0:21:57borderlands of southern Russia.

0:21:57 > 0:21:58These days, the Cossacks' brand of patriotism is on the rise.

0:21:59 > 0:22:01TRANSLATION:Cossacks want to serve their country

0:22:01 > 0:22:02and protect their land.

0:22:02 > 0:22:10I think that's important.

0:22:10 > 0:22:11And to raise our children as defenders.

0:22:11 > 0:22:14It was that impulse that sent many other Cossacks to fight in Ukraine

0:22:14 > 0:22:15just across the border.

0:22:15 > 0:22:18Alexander went, too.

0:22:18 > 0:22:21One of thousands of volunteer fighters from across the country

0:22:21 > 0:22:23who claimed Ukraine's Russian speakers were in danger.

0:22:29 > 0:22:32He paints the uprising in Kiev as a coup backed by the West,

0:22:32 > 0:22:38views that sound radical are now mainstream here.

0:22:38 > 0:22:41TRANSLATION:Volunteer fighters felt they had to take part in the war,

0:22:41 > 0:22:43because if they didn't, their cities will be shelled next.

0:22:43 > 0:22:44Ukraine was just beginning.

0:22:44 > 0:22:47We know who this is done by.

0:22:47 > 0:22:50It's the West that wants to divide up our country.

0:22:50 > 0:22:53In Rostov, there is a memorial to those who died fighting in Ukraine.

0:22:53 > 0:22:56Despite all the evidence, Russia still denies sending soldiers there.

0:22:56 > 0:22:59Russia's relations with the West have been cooling for some time,

0:22:59 > 0:23:06but it was the war in Ukraine that really marked a breaking point.

0:23:06 > 0:23:09While to many here those who fought are seen as patriots and as heroes.

0:23:09 > 0:23:14For the West, this was the moment that marked Russia as an aggressor.

0:23:14 > 0:23:16The West imposed sanctions, but Russia didn't buckle.

0:23:16 > 0:23:19It retaliated.

0:23:19 > 0:23:22It banned fresh meat from Europe, among other things.

0:23:22 > 0:23:25So no-one here is too flustered by sanctions.

0:23:26 > 0:23:27They've boosted local production and staff think western

0:23:27 > 0:23:32firms would struggle to recapture the market.

0:23:33 > 0:23:36We're ready for the competition, Dmitri says.

0:23:38 > 0:23:40Russia today looks more Western than ever,

0:23:40 > 0:23:43with similar tastes and styles.

0:23:44 > 0:23:47The crowd in this bar see the country as European, culturally.

0:23:47 > 0:23:53The young owner would like to be closer politically, too.

0:23:53 > 0:23:55But the climate has cooled dramatically.

0:23:55 > 0:23:58Maria also has a fashion label and big plans for the future,

0:23:58 > 0:24:02including expanding sales to the West.

0:24:02 > 0:24:04But under Vladimir Putin, she fears Russia will only

0:24:04 > 0:24:07increase its isolation, with assertive policies

0:24:07 > 0:24:11sold to the public by a powerful state-run media.

0:24:13 > 0:24:15TRANSLATION:Instead of talking about problems

0:24:15 > 0:24:17we have inside the country, they talk about how

0:24:17 > 0:24:22we are surrounded by enemies who all want the worst for us.

0:24:22 > 0:24:26It's really scary, because it works everything up,

0:24:26 > 0:24:29then people think they need to push back, otherwise we will be

0:24:29 > 0:24:36overrun and destroyed.

0:24:36 > 0:24:39That siege mentality is growing here, as is the sense that Russia

0:24:39 > 0:24:42has chosen a deliberate path away from the West, with no sign

0:24:42 > 0:24:47that it plans to turn back.

0:24:50 > 0:24:53Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been visiting Birmingham in the UK,

0:24:53 > 0:24:57to launch a project to mark International Women's Day,

0:24:57 > 0:24:59aimed at inspiring female students to take up careers

0:24:59 > 0:25:03in science, technology and engineering industries.

0:25:06 > 0:25:08The royal couple spoke to crowds outside the event -

0:25:08 > 0:25:12some of whom had waited for several hours to see them on the latest leg

0:25:12 > 0:25:14of their tour of the country, in advance of their wedding in May.

0:25:18 > 0:25:23She is really rather good at this, isn't she?She slotted into it very

0:25:23 > 0:25:27well, she looks very at ease. She has a slightly easier role than Kate

0:25:27 > 0:25:32Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, because she is not the first couple,

0:25:32 > 0:25:38if you will, not the direct air to the throne. She can be a bit more

0:25:38 > 0:25:46relaxed. But she has adapted very well. The wedding is made a 19th, at

0:25:46 > 0:25:48St George's Chapel.

0:25:48 > 0:25:50This is Beyond 100 Days from the BBC.

0:25:50 > 0:25:52Coming up for viewers on the BBC News Channel

0:25:52 > 0:25:54and BBC World News - we'll have more on International

0:25:54 > 0:25:57Women's Day, from protests with pots and pans to new boxing-inspired

0:25:57 > 0:25:58Barbies.

0:26:08 > 0:26:13Good evening. We say goodbye to most of the snow as we head towards the

0:26:13 > 0:26:19weekend, because we are about to say hello to some higher temperatures.

0:26:19 > 0:26:21Snow cause some disruption across parts of northern England though,

0:26:21 > 0:26:25bringing beautiful scenes as well. For many more places today, it is

0:26:25 > 0:26:28turning into a sunny one. That weather watcher picture came from

0:26:28 > 0:26:32Wiltshire, where we have had the sunny skies by date and we will have

0:26:32 > 0:26:36clear skies by night. That will allow temperatures drop away.

0:26:36 > 0:26:39Showers feeding across the North West of Scotland. Still wintry

0:26:39 > 0:26:43across the high ground. A bit more the far south-west. Not as cold

0:26:43 > 0:26:46here, four degrees in Plymouth. Most other areas will get down below

0:26:46 > 0:26:51freezing. A widespread frost, perhaps icy stretches and the odd

0:26:51 > 0:26:55mist patch to take us do tomorrow morning. Through tomorrow, after any

0:26:55 > 0:26:59early mist has cleared, the majority will see large amount of sunshine.

0:26:59 > 0:27:02These showers are still feeding in across the western side of Scotland,

0:27:02 > 0:27:07with some over high ground. All the while, southern part of a learned

0:27:07 > 0:27:10and a good part of Wales will cloud over without breaks of rain

0:27:10 > 0:27:14beginning to splash in by the middle part of the afternoon. Friday's

0:27:14 > 0:27:18rush-hour looks like a pretty soggy one from Plymouth to Cardiff, to

0:27:18 > 0:27:21London, as the outbreaks of rain push northwards. Much of the rain

0:27:21 > 0:27:25will be light and patchy initially, but it could turn heavier as we get

0:27:25 > 0:27:28deeper into the evening. That rain, courtesy of this frontal system

0:27:28 > 0:27:32which will be working its way northwards, all driven by an area of

0:27:32 > 0:27:36low pressure sitting down to the south-west. The positioning of this

0:27:36 > 0:27:39low pressure means that as we get into the weekend, we are going to be

0:27:39 > 0:27:43bringing southerly wind across the country, feeding in some very mild

0:27:43 > 0:27:46air indeed. I think mild as the big theme for the weekend forecast.

0:27:46 > 0:27:50There will be some rain at times, but not all the time. Certainly some

0:27:50 > 0:27:55rain to start on Saturday, part of the Midlands, northern England and

0:27:55 > 0:27:58Northern Ireland, the heavy burst. As that drift into Scotland it could

0:27:58 > 0:28:01give some snow over the high ground. At low levels we are expecting this

0:28:01 > 0:28:06to be falling as rain. All the while we will see milder air pumping up

0:28:06 > 0:28:13from the south, 14 or 15, maybe 16 degrees of things brighten up to the

0:28:13 > 0:28:16south-east. South-eastern areas may get a glancing blow from this area

0:28:16 > 0:28:19of rain on Sunday. Generally, southern parts will see some

0:28:19 > 0:28:23showers. Further north, after any early fog has cleared, it might take

0:28:23 > 0:28:26time to do so and we should see some spells of sunshine. Temperatures,

0:28:26 > 0:28:28for most, in double figures.

0:30:06 > 0:30:08This is Beyond 100 Days,

0:30:08 > 0:30:11with me Christian Fraser in London and Jane O'Brien in Washington.

0:30:11 > 0:30:13Our top stories -

0:30:13 > 0:30:15Ignoring divisions within his own party,

0:30:15 > 0:30:17President Trump pledges to push through with tariffs on steel

0:30:17 > 0:30:19and aluminium imports -

0:30:19 > 0:30:25one Republican told us they're long overdue.

0:30:26 > 0:30:28And what you see here with the

0:30:28 > 0:30:30And what you see here with the potential position of tariffs is a

0:30:30 > 0:30:32message that enough is enough.

0:30:32 > 0:30:35The attempted murder of a former Russian spy was brazen

0:30:35 > 0:30:36and reckless says the UK Government,

0:30:36 > 0:30:38as investigations continue into who was behind it.

0:30:38 > 0:30:40Coming up in the next half hour:

0:30:40 > 0:30:43I sit down with a senior American official who tells me why

0:30:43 > 0:30:46keeping up with Russia is every bit the challenge for the West.

0:30:46 > 0:30:49We are in a situation of playing whack-a-mole, basically.

0:30:49 > 0:30:52We have to stay one step ahead of where the

0:30:52 > 0:30:59Russians are on this.

0:30:59 > 0:31:03The super ages. How these long distant cyclists, some of them in

0:31:03 > 0:31:07their 80s, have the immune system of a 20-year-old. Let us know your

0:31:07 > 0:31:11thoughts using the hashtag...

0:31:16 > 0:31:20Who does the President listen to when it comes to foreign policy?

0:31:20 > 0:31:24The Secretary of State Rex Tillerson reportedly speaks to him every day.

0:31:24 > 0:31:27But the general feeling here in Washington is that the

0:31:27 > 0:31:29wider role of the State department has been downgraded

0:31:29 > 0:31:31under President Trump.

0:31:31 > 0:31:33In embassies around the world, there are still key posts

0:31:33 > 0:31:35that remain unfilled,

0:31:35 > 0:31:41and more than once the President has overruled his closest advisors.

0:31:41 > 0:31:42It is no longer straightforward interpreting

0:31:42 > 0:31:46where American foreign policy is headed, so its useful to sit

0:31:46 > 0:31:49where American foreign policy is headed, so it's useful to sit

0:31:49 > 0:31:52down with a man who works with Rex Tillerson every day.

0:31:52 > 0:31:54Steve Goldstein is the US Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy

0:31:54 > 0:31:55and Public Affairs.

0:31:55 > 0:31:59I have been asking him what he makes of the current debate on tarrifs,

0:31:59 > 0:32:01the poisoning of Sergei Skripal, and of course the links that

0:32:01 > 0:32:02are being drawn with Russia.

0:32:02 > 0:32:07In the three days I've been here, I've heard quite a lot about this

0:32:07 > 0:32:10and I talked to a number of people in the UK Government to have

0:32:10 > 0:32:13and I talked to a number of people in the UK Government who have

0:32:13 > 0:32:15mentioned this episode to me and it is very

0:32:15 > 0:32:18concerning and we respect the work of the British

0:32:18 > 0:32:20investigators in trying to get to the bottom of this.

0:32:20 > 0:32:22But people look at what the State Department is doing.

0:32:22 > 0:32:25There was a story this week in the American papers that

0:32:25 > 0:32:27you were granted $120 million to fight Russian meddling

0:32:27 > 0:32:29and the State Department has spent nothing.

0:32:29 > 0:32:32So people naturally worry that you are not taking

0:32:32 > 0:32:33the Russian threat seriously.

0:32:33 > 0:32:35Well, we take the Russian threat very seriously.

0:32:35 > 0:32:38At my own hearing, I talked about the fact that the Russians had

0:32:38 > 0:32:41interfered in the 2016 elections.

0:32:41 > 0:32:44The Secretary of State indicated in an interview that he did

0:32:44 > 0:32:46in South America that he understood that that interference

0:32:46 > 0:32:49would continue likely in 2018.

0:32:49 > 0:32:53Does the boss take it seriously?

0:32:53 > 0:32:57I think we all take it seriously and we are doing a lot of work.

0:32:57 > 0:32:59The Department itself has spent over $1 billion trying

0:32:59 > 0:33:00to work on these issues.

0:33:00 > 0:33:0240 million is being allocated specifically

0:33:02 > 0:33:04to fight disinformation, but to be very clear,

0:33:04 > 0:33:06this is a specific and ongoing

0:33:06 > 0:33:10problem and we are in a situation of playing whack-a-mole, basically.

0:33:10 > 0:33:14We have to stay one step ahead of where the Russians are a mess

0:33:14 > 0:33:17We have to stay one step ahead of where the Russians are on this

0:33:18 > 0:33:19and it's not just the Russians.

0:33:19 > 0:33:21The Chinese and many other countries are trying

0:33:21 > 0:33:24to participate in disinformation.

0:33:24 > 0:33:26And just with specific reference to the nerve agent,

0:33:26 > 0:33:29if it was proven that there was a link to the Kremlin,

0:33:29 > 0:33:31would the United States, as a close ally of the UK,

0:33:31 > 0:33:33be doing something about that?

0:33:33 > 0:33:35I think we would be very supportive of whatever

0:33:35 > 0:33:37decision that United Kingdom would decide to make.

0:33:37 > 0:33:38OK.

0:33:38 > 0:33:39You are here building relationships...

0:33:39 > 0:33:40Yes.

0:33:40 > 0:33:43Do tariffs, and we are expecting an announcement from Donald Trump

0:33:43 > 0:33:45today on steel and aluminium, does that make your

0:33:45 > 0:33:46job more difficult?

0:33:46 > 0:33:49We understand the concern of our allies regarding that issue

0:33:49 > 0:33:53and Boris Johnson and others have spoken with the Secretary of State.

0:33:53 > 0:33:55I can tell you that the secretary has passed that information

0:33:55 > 0:34:00on to Secretary Ross and others within the administration and has

0:34:00 > 0:34:02expressed concerns people have, but we also have to look

0:34:02 > 0:34:03at this more broadly

0:34:03 > 0:34:07and that's what we're trying to do.

0:34:07 > 0:34:09But we do understand the concerns expressed by the United Kingdom.

0:34:09 > 0:34:11Theresa May has spoken of a deep concern.

0:34:11 > 0:34:14If Canada and Mexico were exempted, then surely your closest ally

0:34:14 > 0:34:17would be exempted as well?

0:34:17 > 0:34:19Well, that's a decision that would be made by the President

0:34:19 > 0:34:22but you are our closest ally, there's no question about that.

0:34:22 > 0:34:24I think the Foreign Minister, who has a very close

0:34:24 > 0:34:29relationship with the Secretary, they like each other quite a bit,

0:34:29 > 0:34:32has made that point and I think the Secretary has passed that along.

0:34:32 > 0:34:33OK.

0:34:33 > 0:34:35Let's turn to North Korea.

0:34:35 > 0:34:38They have said they will sit down for talks with the United States.

0:34:38 > 0:34:40Do you think the President's tough rhetoric is working?

0:34:40 > 0:34:43I do think the tough rhetoric is working.

0:34:43 > 0:34:46I think the President is very serious on what we are trying

0:34:46 > 0:34:51to achieve here and we are welcoming that, but whatever North Korea comes

0:34:51 > 0:34:56to the table with, it has to be verifiable and irreversible.

0:34:56 > 0:34:59Because we had the former ambassador Christopher Hill

0:34:59 > 0:35:01on the programme yesterday.

0:35:01 > 0:35:04He said you can't do diplomacy without diplomats.

0:35:04 > 0:35:09You've lost your top man in Seoul, the ambassador has left.

0:35:09 > 0:35:11The incoming ambassador has withdrawn his application.

0:35:11 > 0:35:16You don't have a senior diplomat in Seoul at the moment.

0:35:16 > 0:35:23Well, that is not the case,

0:35:23 > 0:35:24we have a charges de mission,

0:35:24 > 0:35:28who is in charge of the entity that we have within South Korea.

0:35:28 > 0:35:30We also have Susan Thornton, who has been nominated to be

0:35:30 > 0:35:32assistant secretary and is an expert in this area.

0:35:32 > 0:35:34In addition to that, we have other people

0:35:34 > 0:35:37within the department and outside who can come in as negotiators.

0:35:37 > 0:35:39I think people should understand that at the point

0:35:39 > 0:35:41that they are ready to negotiate under the standards

0:35:41 > 0:35:44that the President has set and the Secretary has set,

0:35:44 > 0:35:46we will have an appropriate negotiator at the table.

0:35:46 > 0:35:48But you know there is a wider issue here.

0:35:48 > 0:35:51The last count, 41 of 188 embassies around the world still don't

0:35:51 > 0:35:52have a US Ambassador.

0:35:52 > 0:35:54There is a misnomer in believing that most of these embassies

0:35:55 > 0:35:56are staffed with political people.

0:35:56 > 0:36:02That is not the case.

0:36:02 > 0:36:05Most of them are staffed with very experienced career and foreign

0:36:05 > 0:36:06service representatives.

0:36:06 > 0:36:09While we don't have ambassadors at some embassies who are political,

0:36:09 > 0:36:10we do have very qualified and competent people

0:36:11 > 0:36:13who are doing an excellent job.

0:36:13 > 0:36:15Did they have an ambassador before this administration came

0:36:15 > 0:36:16in, these embassies?

0:36:16 > 0:36:19They did, but as each administration begins,

0:36:19 > 0:36:22frequently the ambassadors resign and new ambassadors are appointed,

0:36:22 > 0:36:24that's how our system operates.

0:36:24 > 0:36:25OK.

0:36:25 > 0:36:29But you look at Mexico and you've just lost Roberta Jacobsen there,

0:36:29 > 0:36:32three decades of experience in Latin America.

0:36:32 > 0:36:37Hugely experienced person, helped set up the embassy in Cuba.

0:36:37 > 0:36:41Can the State Department really lose talent like that?

0:36:41 > 0:36:44Well, Roberta Jacobsen's retiring and that is surely within her right.

0:36:44 > 0:36:47Most of the people that are retiring have been

0:36:47 > 0:36:52with the Department for over 30 years and they have a right to have

0:36:52 > 0:36:54a life after the State Department but we will be naming

0:36:54 > 0:36:57a new ambassador to Mexico very soon, I know that something

0:36:57 > 0:37:02that the White House is working on, along with the Department

0:37:02 > 0:37:04and Roberta Jacobsen has agreed to stay through May to help

0:37:04 > 0:37:06with that early transition.

0:37:06 > 0:37:07with that orderly transition.

0:37:07 > 0:37:10The reason I am pushing you on it is because there

0:37:10 > 0:37:12is a general concern, the President says, look,

0:37:12 > 0:37:14it is not chaotic, there is huge energy the White House,

0:37:14 > 0:37:17it is not chaotic, there is huge energy in the White House,

0:37:17 > 0:37:19but there's a lot of people leaving the administration.

0:37:19 > 0:37:2239 people have left key posts in this administration.

0:37:22 > 0:37:25The concern is if you are building relationships, how can your allies

0:37:25 > 0:37:27depend that secretary Tillotson is going to be there,

0:37:27 > 0:37:29that they are going to follow through the stewardship

0:37:29 > 0:37:31of many of the policies you are trying to set out.

0:37:31 > 0:37:33Well, the Secretary of State will be here.

0:37:33 > 0:37:37As a matter of fact, I know there was a period of time

0:37:37 > 0:37:38last year where some people euphemistically referred

0:37:38 > 0:37:41to the Secretary of State as Rexit, a take-off on Brexit

0:37:41 > 0:37:43and with the belief that he was leaving.

0:37:43 > 0:37:45He was never leaving that post, he serves at the pleasure

0:37:45 > 0:37:48of the President and I think I'd like to put that part

0:37:48 > 0:37:51to bed and let people know he is the Secretary of State.

0:37:51 > 0:37:53And he is staying.

0:37:53 > 0:37:58How are you adapting to the job?

0:37:58 > 0:37:59Because it is tough, isn't it?

0:37:59 > 0:38:03You told me a little earlier that you get up at five in the morning.

0:38:03 > 0:38:04How do you cope?

0:38:04 > 0:38:07It is a little tougher than I realised and I'm trying

0:38:07 > 0:38:10to figure out how to operate with much less sleep than I used

0:38:10 > 0:38:13to get beforehand and to not be quite as stressed when reporters

0:38:13 > 0:38:14and other people call me...

0:38:14 > 0:38:15People like me come calling!

0:38:15 > 0:38:17They say they need an answer right away.

0:38:17 > 0:38:23But it's an honour to serve the President of the United States

0:38:23 > 0:38:24and Secretary.

0:38:24 > 0:38:26It's a great pleasure to have you here in London.

0:38:26 > 0:38:28Thank you very much were talking to us.

0:38:28 > 0:38:30Thank you for having me, I appreciated it.

0:38:30 > 0:38:33Steve Goldstein, the undersecretary of state, fascinating talking to him

0:38:33 > 0:38:39today. I am going to call in the phrase Rexit, because a lot of

0:38:39 > 0:38:43people thought the Secretary of State would be out of there before

0:38:43 > 0:38:46Hope Hicks Gary Cohn or the rest, but he is still hanging in there.

0:38:46 > 0:38:52What sort of power does he have, do you think?It is very interesting

0:38:52 > 0:38:55relationship because he does get sent out as America's top diplomat

0:38:55 > 0:39:01but then he is often undermined by President Trump. We have seen this

0:39:01 > 0:39:05in instances across a variety of issues, North Korea being one. Rex

0:39:05 > 0:39:10Tillerson says America may be open to direct negotiations with the

0:39:10 > 0:39:15North Korean regime and President Trump says, no we're not. So the

0:39:15 > 0:39:19problem is for diplomats in other countries wondering who it is they

0:39:19 > 0:39:23are actually talking to, who does hold the reins here and when Rex

0:39:23 > 0:39:28Tillerson says something, can they actually believe it? So it makes it

0:39:28 > 0:39:33very difficult for diplomatic relationships in a lot of cases.He

0:39:33 > 0:39:37is meticulous, Rex Tillerson. Steve Goldstein was making this point that

0:39:37 > 0:39:39he is fastidious about certain things and will keep going back to

0:39:39 > 0:39:43the White House, even though he gets the brush up, and keep pushing for

0:39:43 > 0:39:47those things he believes in. One other interesting titbit he told me,

0:39:47 > 0:39:51over here Boris Johnson gets a lot of bad press from time to time and

0:39:51 > 0:39:54as been getting some more this week that he said if you put these two

0:39:54 > 0:39:58figures together, Johnson and Rex Tillerson, you would think they

0:39:58 > 0:40:02don't get on. Quite the reverse, he says and they speak practically

0:40:02 > 0:40:06every week and he does listen to Boris Johnson. So you have the Prime

0:40:06 > 0:40:10Minister and the president, who have had their issues of late and the

0:40:10 > 0:40:13special relationship has been under a bit strained but the channels

0:40:13 > 0:40:15between the Foreign & Commonwealth Office and the State Department very

0:40:15 > 0:40:20much alive very useful to both sides of the party. So it is worth hearing

0:40:20 > 0:40:25things like that from people who work with Boris Johnson day-to-day.

0:40:25 > 0:40:31Donald Trump's former campaign manager Paul Manna Ford has pleaded

0:40:31 > 0:40:34not guilty to charges filed against him by the Special Counsel Robert

0:40:34 > 0:40:39Mueller. He will appear before a federal judge before July the 10th,

0:40:39 > 0:40:46we are reading. Mr Manna Ford is accused of 23

0:40:46 > 0:40:48offences, including preparing, filing and subscribing to Sachs

0:40:48 > 0:40:58could lead false tax returns and bank fraud.

0:40:58 > 0:41:00The Irish Parliament - known as the Dail -

0:41:00 > 0:41:03is this evening debating a bill for the planned abortion referendum.

0:41:03 > 0:41:05The Irish Government has published legislation for the planned abortion

0:41:05 > 0:41:07referendum, paving the way for the voters to decide

0:41:07 > 0:41:09whether to liberalise the country's abortion laws.

0:41:09 > 0:41:11Taoiseach Leo Varadkar met with his Cabinet this morning

0:41:11 > 0:41:13to finalise the wording of the referendum bill,

0:41:13 > 0:41:15which would formally establish a referendum commission.

0:41:15 > 0:41:18The vote will be held at the end of May.

0:41:18 > 0:41:18Chris Page reports from Dublin.

0:41:20 > 0:41:23This is a nation which was once seen as the most socially

0:41:23 > 0:41:25conservative in western Europe, but it feels like

0:41:25 > 0:41:30change has been swift.

0:41:30 > 0:41:36In the next few months, Ireland will make a defining decision.

0:41:36 > 0:41:38Tens of thousands of Irish women have travelled to other

0:41:38 > 0:41:41countries to have abortions.

0:41:41 > 0:41:44Gaye Edward's baby, who she and her husband

0:41:44 > 0:41:47named Joshua, had a fatal condition called anencephaly.

0:41:47 > 0:41:49She says having to go away to end her pregnancy

0:41:49 > 0:41:53magnified her grief.

0:41:53 > 0:41:58While I knew that I had come to the right decision for me,

0:41:58 > 0:42:01it made me feel that society viewed my decision as

0:42:01 > 0:42:03being somehow wrong.

0:42:03 > 0:42:08When you really need to be taken care of you feel like you're just...

0:42:08 > 0:42:13Pushed aside and into a corner.

0:42:13 > 0:42:17Stories like Gaye's have helped to bring about the referendum.

0:42:17 > 0:42:20Voters will decide whether to remove the Eighth Amendment

0:42:20 > 0:42:23of the Irish Constitution, which gives an unborn child

0:42:23 > 0:42:26and a pregnant woman an equal right-to-life.

0:42:26 > 0:42:30These canvassers are campaigning to repeal the Eighth.

0:42:30 > 0:42:32Abortions are happening in Ireland, they're happening dangerously

0:42:32 > 0:42:34and they're happening illegally.

0:42:34 > 0:42:37We are on the shoulders of generations of women who have

0:42:37 > 0:42:43been organising and working for this shift forward.

0:42:43 > 0:42:45If the change to the Constitution is approved in the referendum,

0:42:45 > 0:42:47the Parliament in Dublin will determine how available

0:42:48 > 0:42:51terminations will be.

0:42:51 > 0:42:54Ministers want to allow abortions up to 12 weeks

0:42:54 > 0:42:57into a pregnancy and in some limited circumstances afterwards.

0:42:57 > 0:43:02But the Government does haven't a majority.

0:43:02 > 0:43:04But the Government doesn't have a majority.

0:43:04 > 0:43:06The two main parties are divided on the issue.

0:43:06 > 0:43:11The Catholic Church's strongly defending the Eighth Amendment.

0:43:11 > 0:43:13Its power has diminished, but it certainly hasn't disappeared.

0:43:13 > 0:43:16Life begins at conception and ends and death and we have

0:43:16 > 0:43:18Life begins at conception and ends at death and we have

0:43:18 > 0:43:19to protect all life.

0:43:19 > 0:43:22If it's repealed, all the rights are gone from the baby.

0:43:22 > 0:43:24Women who support the current law are speaking about

0:43:24 > 0:43:26their experiences too.

0:43:26 > 0:43:29Vicky's daughter, Liandan, was still-born at 32 weeks.

0:43:29 > 0:43:32She recalls what happened when a doctor told her he didn't

0:43:32 > 0:43:35expect her baby to live.

0:43:35 > 0:43:38He said that my only option was to pop to England -

0:43:38 > 0:43:41insinuating an abortion.

0:43:41 > 0:43:44That was never going to be an option.

0:43:44 > 0:43:48We spent the summer just being with her.

0:43:48 > 0:43:51The Eighth Amendment showed to me that not

0:43:51 > 0:43:52only did we value her, but our country

0:43:53 > 0:43:56valued her like that.

0:43:56 > 0:43:58For people on both sides, the referendum's about what sort

0:43:58 > 0:44:03of society they want to live in.

0:44:03 > 0:44:04It is a personal, passionate, emotive debate.

0:44:04 > 0:44:12Chris Page, BBC News, Dublin.

0:44:12 > 0:44:14The International Red Cross has postponed an aid convoy due to

0:44:14 > 0:44:22travel

0:44:22 > 0:44:25to the

0:44:25 > 0:44:27Syrian rebel-held enclave of Eastern Ghouta, saying

0:44:27 > 0:44:28it's too dangerous to go there.

0:44:28 > 0:44:30Fighting is intensifying in the region near Damascus,

0:44:30 > 0:44:31as government forces advance.

0:44:31 > 0:44:34An estimated 400,000 people are trapped in the area.

0:44:34 > 0:44:35The Irish Prime Minister has demanded more details

0:44:35 > 0:44:38from the British Government on how it plans to avoid border checks

0:44:38 > 0:44:40between Northern Ireland and the Republic once the UK

0:44:40 > 0:44:41leaves the EU.

0:44:41 > 0:44:43Leo Varadkar said Northern Ireland should stay part

0:44:43 > 0:44:45of the European Single Market if the UK can't find

0:44:45 > 0:44:49a solution to the problem.

0:44:49 > 0:44:57a second winter storm in a week will continue to dump heavy snow in

0:44:57 > 0:45:05England and in the north-east. The 230 centimetres of snow are expected

0:45:05 > 0:45:08from eastern New York through northern Maine after the storm

0:45:08 > 0:45:11slammed the region on Wednesday.

0:45:11 > 0:45:12This is Beyond 100 Days.

0:45:12 > 0:45:15Still to come...

0:45:15 > 0:45:20CACKLING

0:45:20 > 0:45:26Alex Lowe, please stop laughing. While Amazon's digital assistant is

0:45:26 > 0:45:31bursting into fits of laughter... That is still to come.

0:45:31 > 0:45:33Here, a jury at the Old Bailey has seen

0:45:33 > 0:45:36the moment a bomb partially exploded on a tube in south-west London.

0:45:36 > 0:45:39Some of the passengers on board have been describing how their hair

0:45:39 > 0:45:42and clothes caught fire when it went off in a packed carriage

0:45:42 > 0:45:43last September.

0:45:43 > 0:45:4630 people were injured in the incident at Parsons Green station.

0:45:46 > 0:45:4718-year-old Ahmed Hassan denies attempted murder.

0:45:47 > 0:45:52From the Old Bailey, here's June Kelly.

0:45:52 > 0:45:55This was a day of dramatic and distressing evidence

0:45:55 > 0:45:59as the court heard from those who work on the train under attack.

0:45:59 > 0:46:02as the court heard from those who were on the train under attack.

0:46:02 > 0:46:05A bomb had been left in a bag.

0:46:05 > 0:46:10It failed to fully go off but it created a ball of flame

0:46:10 > 0:46:12which terrified scores of early morning commuters as it

0:46:12 > 0:46:13rolled down the carriage.

0:46:13 > 0:46:15One, Amy Coalville, described to the courthouse

0:46:15 > 0:46:17how her hair caught fire.

0:46:17 > 0:46:21She said she'd heard a loud bang and seen a wall of glass.

0:46:21 > 0:46:25A flame came over her right hand side.

0:46:25 > 0:46:27Earlier the evidence focused on the movements that

0:46:27 > 0:46:29morning of Ahmed Hassan, the teenager on trial

0:46:29 > 0:46:34for the attack.

0:46:34 > 0:46:37Here setting off on his journey with his bomb in a Lidl bag,

0:46:37 > 0:46:38the court's been told.

0:46:38 > 0:46:41One passenger, Victoria Holloway, told the jury there was a whooshing

0:46:41 > 0:46:44sound as if someone had lit Bunsen burner she said the flames

0:46:44 > 0:46:47sound as if someone had lit Bunsen burner and she said the flames

0:46:47 > 0:46:49were touching her legs and wrapping around her skin.

0:46:49 > 0:46:52In his evidence, an Army explosives expert, Craig Palmer,

0:46:52 > 0:46:55who was further down the train, went to the scene of the blast.

0:46:55 > 0:46:56He said...

0:47:07 > 0:47:11Two of the passengers were in tears as they gave their evidence.

0:47:11 > 0:47:13They testified from behind a screen and could be

0:47:13 > 0:47:17seen by only the judge, jury and lawyers.

0:47:17 > 0:47:20One of them, known only as Miss S, described how on that

0:47:20 > 0:47:25morning her coat was burning and her tights were melting.

0:47:25 > 0:47:34She has been left scarred after burns to her hands, legs and face.

0:47:37 > 0:47:39You're watching Beyond 100 Days.

0:47:39 > 0:47:42From trade to freedom of religious expression,

0:47:42 > 0:47:45Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince has quite the agenda as he meets

0:47:45 > 0:47:54with the most senior figures in Britain

0:47:54 > 0:47:55as part of his UK charm offensive.

0:47:55 > 0:47:58Today, Mohammed bin Salman met with the Archbishop of Canterbury,

0:47:58 > 0:48:00Justin Welby, to promote Saudi Arabia as a tolerant kingdom.

0:48:00 > 0:48:03The leader of the Church of England did raise concerns -

0:48:03 > 0:48:05like the freedom of Christian expression in Saudi Arabia,

0:48:05 > 0:48:07and the dire humanitarian situation in Yemen,

0:48:07 > 0:48:11where a Saudi-led coalition is fighting rebels.

0:48:11 > 0:48:13Many haven't warmed to this visit,

0:48:13 > 0:48:15with pockets of protests across London,

0:48:15 > 0:48:18but they've not swayed the Prime Minister.

0:48:18 > 0:48:21The Crown Prince met with Theresa May on Wednesday, with talks

0:48:21 > 0:48:23of a $90 billion trade deal.

0:48:24 > 0:48:27No doubt that will be a key topic when the pair meet

0:48:27 > 0:48:29at the PM's official country house tonight, Chequers, where she's

0:48:29 > 0:48:32hosting a private dinner.

0:48:32 > 0:48:35Well, it's all about modernising

0:48:40 > 0:48:42It is International Women's Day and there have been strikes across the

0:48:42 > 0:48:49globe as women and men campaign for gender equality and an end to

0:48:49 > 0:48:51discrimination. We have been tracking some noisy

0:48:51 > 0:48:55street protests and the more unusual ways that companies around the world

0:48:55 > 0:48:59have responded. One famous brand was quite literally turned on its head.

0:48:59 > 0:49:01Take a look.

0:49:15 > 0:49:17THEY CHANT

0:50:00 > 0:50:05Some of the protests there around the world. Outside the BBC in

0:50:05 > 0:50:10London, staff gathered to demand equal pay. They chose they -- said

0:50:10 > 0:50:26they chose to stand at 4:22pm, nine to represent the 9% discrepancy.

0:50:26 > 0:50:30Carrie Gracie was there, who resigned earlier this year as the

0:50:30 > 0:50:34China editor. Now, running a marathon or long-distance cycling,

0:50:34 > 0:50:38how often you hear older people saying such sports are just for the

0:50:38 > 0:50:42young. Well, it seems it is not the case. Researchers have been

0:50:42 > 0:50:46following a big group of older cyclists, some in their who have

0:50:46 > 0:50:50remained active. Some of the results are surprising, as Fergus Falls has

0:50:50 > 0:50:53been finding out.I have arranged a 60 mile ride through the Surrey

0:50:53 > 0:50:57Hills. This is what healthy ageing looks

0:50:57 > 0:51:03like. The cyclists, aged 64-82, think nothing of spending five hours

0:51:03 > 0:51:12or more in the saddle.Room for one more?I do it for reasons, for

0:51:12 > 0:51:15health, because I enjoyed, because it is sociable, it is just a

0:51:15 > 0:51:18wonderful life.They have all been examined as part of a trial which is

0:51:18 > 0:51:22challenging perceptions of ageing. One of the first result I got from

0:51:22 > 0:51:30the medical study was I was told my body fat was comparable to that of a

0:51:30 > 0:51:3619-year-old.Leading the peloton is professor Norman Lazarus. At 82, a

0:51:36 > 0:51:41prime example of healthy ageing.If exercise was a pill, everybody in

0:51:41 > 0:51:47the world would be taking an exercise pill.He not only took part

0:51:47 > 0:51:53in the study, but helped lead the research. This test shows his

0:51:53 > 0:51:59excellent lung function.Last little bit, keep pushing.An MRI scan gives

0:51:59 > 0:52:03another indication of how well Norman is ageing. These are his

0:52:03 > 0:52:10thighs. Now compare Norman's muscular legs on the right with that

0:52:10 > 0:52:16they said and tree 50-year-old on the left, which is mostly fat. If

0:52:16 > 0:52:23more of us could do the recommended 150 minutes of moderate physical

0:52:23 > 0:52:29activity each week, it would pay huge dividends.Across a whole come

0:52:29 > 0:52:32at of different levels, what exercise is doing in older

0:52:32 > 0:52:35individuals is giving them higher levels of function and better

0:52:35 > 0:52:40quality of life -- across the whole gamut.The most remarkable findings

0:52:40 > 0:52:44came when scientists in Birmingham examined blood samples from the

0:52:44 > 0:52:49cyclists. They found their immune system, which normally declines with

0:52:49 > 0:52:53age, was still as strong as a young person's.The immune system is

0:52:53 > 0:53:05really key in the body, it has several roles. It protects us from

0:53:05 > 0:53:07infections but it also helps us to fight things like cancer, so the

0:53:07 > 0:53:10fact that the cyclists have the immune system of a 20-year-old and

0:53:10 > 0:53:12not a 70 or 80-year-old means they are protected from infections and

0:53:12 > 0:53:17cancer potentially.The advantages, then, of exercise in later life are

0:53:17 > 0:53:23profound. So if cycling is not your thing, try another sport. What about

0:53:23 > 0:53:28dancing? Gardening? Even brisk walking. Most of the health benefits

0:53:28 > 0:53:32of these super agers are easily achievable if we just did a bit more

0:53:32 > 0:53:36physical activity.

0:53:37 > 0:53:43Isn't that fascinating? I mean, it is really confirming what we all do

0:53:43 > 0:53:46know, that exercise is good for us but I was saying this a few weeks

0:53:46 > 0:53:50ago, my grandad used to walk regularly and when he stopped

0:53:50 > 0:53:54walking, things started to go downhill but he just couldn't walk

0:53:54 > 0:53:59anymore because his legs seized upon his back seized up and he is nearly

0:53:59 > 0:54:0294, but still, the moment that the exercise finished, that is the point

0:54:02 > 0:54:09where he started to go downhill, so there is a lesson there for all of

0:54:09 > 0:54:12us, isn't there?And it is a lesson that, as you say, we know, they say

0:54:12 > 0:54:16use it or lose it and it's nice to see that science is finally

0:54:16 > 0:54:19confirming our innate knowledge on that.Get back on the bike, get

0:54:19 > 0:54:22moving. And I say that because we are going to seamlessly move into

0:54:22 > 0:54:27something that I have in my house which means I don't move very much,

0:54:27 > 0:54:31I don't move off the couch because I have Amazon Alexa and some say there

0:54:31 > 0:54:40device has been letting out an unprompted creepy cackle.

0:54:40 > 0:54:45CREEPY CACKLE

0:54:45 > 0:54:50Some people have described it as a sort of witchlike cackle. It is

0:54:50 > 0:54:53reported to happen even without the device being given the wake-up

0:54:53 > 0:54:58command, so you say at Alexa and you give it a command. What really

0:54:58 > 0:55:03concerns me is that mine is in my bedroom so if I was in my bedroom

0:55:03 > 0:55:05getting dressed in the morning and I heard that, I would develop a bit of

0:55:05 > 0:55:09a complex.I think it is very worrying first of all virtue can't

0:55:09 > 0:55:13get up and use a switch like everybody else, including me, and

0:55:13 > 0:55:17that you would have one of these things in your bedroom. What does

0:55:17 > 0:55:21happen when she suddenly switches on and start cackling?All of my

0:55:21 > 0:55:24friends are dumping them because they are always listing and they are

0:55:24 > 0:55:28terrified they are listening in on their secrets but I have one

0:55:28 > 0:55:31upstairs and one downstairs and because I am an early adopter, I had

0:55:31 > 0:55:36one downstairs that turns on my lights so I don't even have to get

0:55:36 > 0:55:42up to turn them off for Ron.This is totally alien to me because I am the

0:55:42 > 0:55:45sort of person that puts a sticky tape over the camera lens of my

0:55:45 > 0:55:49computer because I'm so worried about technology.Then you appear on

0:55:49 > 0:55:53television and tell everybody your secrets! I don't know, I am an open

0:55:53 > 0:55:57book. I am here all week. We will be back for the same time on Monday,

0:55:57 > 0:56:00thank you to Jane for her company. Caddy will be