0:00:10 > 0:00:11This is BBC World News Today.
0:00:11 > 0:00:12I'm Kasia Madera.
0:00:12 > 0:00:13Our top stories...
0:00:13 > 0:00:14Fire and fury...
0:00:14 > 0:00:21The author of the incendiary new book about Donald Trump's White
0:00:21 > 0:00:23House speaks in his first broadcast interview since publication.
0:00:23 > 0:00:25I will tell you the one description that everyone gave,
0:00:25 > 0:00:26everyone has in common.
0:00:26 > 0:00:30They all say he is like a child.
0:00:30 > 0:00:32Brutally cold weather in the United States kills
0:00:32 > 0:00:34at least 18 people - low-temperature records could be
0:00:34 > 0:00:38broken in the coming days.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41The lines of communication are open.
0:00:41 > 0:00:42North Korea agrees
0:00:42 > 0:00:45to talks with the South - the first in more than two years.
0:00:45 > 0:00:49The Winter Olympics will be high on the agenda.
0:00:49 > 0:00:50Also in the programme...
0:00:50 > 0:00:53The film that Kevin Spacey was in, and then wasn't.
0:00:53 > 0:00:55We talk to director Ridley Scott about the business of replacing
0:00:55 > 0:01:05the actor after allegations of sexual misconduct.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18Hello and welcome to World News Today.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21The author of a controversial book on Donald Trump's White House has
0:01:21 > 0:01:23spoken for the first time since its publication.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26Michael Wolff, who spent months in Mr Trump's White House
0:01:26 > 0:01:30while researching the book, says the President
0:01:30 > 0:01:31behaves "like a child".
0:01:31 > 0:01:36President Trump tried to get the book's publication halted,
0:01:36 > 0:01:37and has dismissed it as "full of lies".
0:01:37 > 0:01:41Our North America editor Jon Sopel reports.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44Not quite Harry Potter but at midnight last night,
0:01:44 > 0:01:48they were queuing to get their hands on Fire And Fury, and if Donald
0:01:48 > 0:01:51Trump had the powers of the young wizard,
0:01:51 > 0:01:54he'd have made this book disappear but he doesn't and this damning
0:01:54 > 0:01:59portrait is now available for everyone to read.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02Well, what I'm most looking forward to is seeing what we all know
0:02:02 > 0:02:04is going on just below the surface.
0:02:04 > 0:02:06I'm expecting the White House to be as absolutely dysfunctional
0:02:06 > 0:02:11as the leaks make it seem.
0:02:11 > 0:02:16I don't think anyone really gets tired of palace intrigue.
0:02:16 > 0:02:21The picture it paints of life in the West Wing is unsparing,
0:02:21 > 0:02:22allegations of marital strain, of tears and tantrums,
0:02:22 > 0:02:25of dysfunction and improvisation.
0:02:25 > 0:02:29And at the epicentre of every storm, Donald J Trump.
0:02:29 > 0:02:33I will tell you the one description that everyone gave,
0:02:33 > 0:02:38everyone has in common, they all say he is like a child.
0:02:38 > 0:02:45And what they mean by that is he has a need for immediate gratification.
0:02:45 > 0:02:50It's all about him.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53And the gravest charge of all, Michael Wolff alleges that a number
0:02:53 > 0:02:55of his unnamed sources told him that the President was mentally
0:02:55 > 0:02:58unfit to remain in office, a charge that brought this response
0:02:58 > 0:03:01from the President's spokeswoman.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04It's disgraceful and laughable.
0:03:04 > 0:03:09If he was unfit he probably wouldn't be sitting there and wouldn't have
0:03:09 > 0:03:12defeated the most qualified group of candidates that the Republican
0:03:12 > 0:03:14Party has ever seen.
0:03:14 > 0:03:22The President has been on Twitter to rubbish the book saying:
0:03:29 > 0:03:31But that's not how Michael Wolff remembers it.
0:03:31 > 0:03:35I absolutely spoke to the President, whether he realised
0:03:35 > 0:03:37it was an interview or not, I don't know but it certainly
0:03:37 > 0:03:40was not off the record.
0:03:40 > 0:03:45The author says he stands by every word.
0:03:45 > 0:03:47Although with anonymous sources it's hard to fact-check.
0:03:47 > 0:03:49The most remarkable thing about this is -
0:03:49 > 0:03:52given Michael Wolff's track record - why White House staff gave him
0:03:52 > 0:03:56access to the inner sanctum of the West Wing for months on end
0:03:56 > 0:04:00as virtually a semi-resident.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03The author was asked this morning what he had to say
0:04:03 > 0:04:06about the threatening legal letter the President's lawyers had sent.
0:04:06 > 0:04:07His reply?
0:04:07 > 0:04:09Where do I send the box of chocolates?
0:04:09 > 0:04:13Jon Sopel, BBC News, Washington.
0:04:13 > 0:04:17Supporters of Mr Trump have dismissed the book
0:04:17 > 0:04:19which depicts a chaotic White House, as phoney.
0:04:19 > 0:04:21Sebastian Gorka, who was Deputy Assistant
0:04:21 > 0:04:23and Strategist to the President,
0:04:23 > 0:04:29dismissed the book as blatant lies by a political assassin.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32You need to have a look at the disclaimer that the book has
0:04:32 > 0:04:35on page ten of the Business Insider just published today.
0:04:35 > 0:04:39On page ten the author, Michael Wolff, who has been caught
0:04:39 > 0:04:42lying repeatedly in the past in his previous books,
0:04:42 > 0:04:45states that he cannot verify the accuracy of anything
0:04:45 > 0:04:48that is in the book.
0:04:48 > 0:04:54If you did that as a journalist, you would be fired.
0:04:54 > 0:04:56This is just a tissue of lies which is about
0:04:56 > 0:04:57as realistic as Harry Potter.
0:04:57 > 0:04:59Let me give you just one factual example.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02He states that on the day he won the election,
0:05:02 > 0:05:04the President did not know who John Boehner, the Speaker
0:05:04 > 0:05:06of the House, was in Congress.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09Any child with access to Google can google Donald J Trump
0:05:09 > 0:05:12and John Boehner and find photographs of those two men golfing
0:05:12 > 0:05:14together from two years ago.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17The idea that this person is reporting anything of factual
0:05:17 > 0:05:21import is just fallacious.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24Again, he is a political hack, this is a storm in a teacup
0:05:24 > 0:05:28and the book will be forgotten a week from now.
0:05:28 > 0:05:30That was Sebastian Gorka, who was President Trump's
0:05:30 > 0:05:32Deputy Assistant for eight months last year.
0:05:32 > 0:05:42Let's talk to our correspondent, Anthony Zurckher in Washington.
0:05:44 > 0:05:49My goodness, where do we start? Let us start with the disclaimer that
0:05:49 > 0:05:52Sebastien gawker was talking about. It is the
0:05:52 > 0:05:53Sebastien gawker was talking about. It is the note in which Michael
0:05:53 > 0:05:57Wolff himself talks about the looseness with truth, what are we to
0:05:57 > 0:06:02make of this?Michael Gove said he conducted over 200 interviews, many
0:06:02 > 0:06:07of which she recorded and has notes for, he has said that he stands by
0:06:07 > 0:06:10all of the reporting and he is comfortable with it. -- Michael
0:06:10 > 0:06:17Wolff. As pointed out, some of his past works have been pushing the
0:06:17 > 0:06:21facts as far as they can go and focusing more on flowery language
0:06:21 > 0:06:25than on actual on the ground reporting. But I think if you look
0:06:25 > 0:06:29at the book overall, it matches up with you what of what the mainstream
0:06:29 > 0:06:34reporting has been on Donald Trump as President over the past year. It
0:06:34 > 0:06:38is no secret that there has been a lot of chaos within the White House
0:06:38 > 0:06:43and that there is a lot of staff turnover. The president has assumed
0:06:43 > 0:06:45occasionally disinterested in the details of governing. There should
0:06:45 > 0:06:51not come as a surprise but we should look at individual anecdotes and
0:06:51 > 0:06:56individual stories with a sceptical eye, we cannot take it on face value
0:06:56 > 0:06:59and while heaters and sceptics of Donald Trump might embrace this
0:06:59 > 0:07:03book, they must look at it as a somewhat detached observer and not
0:07:03 > 0:07:11this just because it agrees with the worldview that it is necessarily
0:07:11 > 0:07:13entirely accurate.Thank you very much, a fascinating insight into
0:07:13 > 0:07:16what is turning out to be a fascinating book. Thank you very
0:07:16 > 0:07:24much. On Donald Trump has spoken a few moments ago, he is on his way to
0:07:24 > 0:07:27camp David in Maryland, the presidential retreat. It spoke to
0:07:27 > 0:07:31the media briefly that was gathered. But he did not speak about the book.
0:07:31 > 0:07:38This is what he said. Hi, everybody, I am going over with the Senator is
0:07:38 > 0:07:42to camp David. We have a lot of things to work on and accomplished,
0:07:42 > 0:07:48the stock market is very big today. We have new records and I think we
0:07:48 > 0:07:53will continue to set things. The tax cuts are kicking and far beyond what
0:07:53 > 0:07:56anybody thought. Numerous companies have today come out and announced
0:07:56 > 0:08:01they will make big payments to their employees, something that nobody had
0:08:01 > 0:08:08in mind. We are very honoured by it but the market is good. The jobs
0:08:08 > 0:08:11reports were very good and we think they will get really good over the
0:08:11 > 0:08:14next couple of months. So we are going to Camp David wearing a lot of
0:08:14 > 0:08:19the great Republican senators are joining us and we are making America
0:08:19 > 0:08:30great again. Thank you very much.
0:08:31 > 0:08:36So, Donald Trump, he is on his way to Camp David to talk with
0:08:36 > 0:08:40Republicans when they will be talking about the legislative
0:08:40 > 0:08:44priorities and the future. But the main thing that we wanted the year
0:08:44 > 0:08:48was comments about Michael Wolff's explosive book, he did not speak
0:08:48 > 0:08:54about that, did he?
0:08:55 > 0:08:57A winter storm has caused travel chaos in the north-east
0:08:57 > 0:09:00of the United States and is being blamed for up to 18
0:09:00 > 0:09:01deaths across the country.
0:09:01 > 0:09:03Forecasters say the brutal cold will reach from New England
0:09:03 > 0:09:06across to the Midwest and down to the Carolinas and that
0:09:06 > 0:09:08low-temperature records could be broken across the region
0:09:08 > 0:09:09in the coming days.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12Laura Trevelyan in New York explains how people are coping there.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15The impact of the bomb cyclone in Portland in Maine where the storm
0:09:15 > 0:09:20swallowed up the very foundations of Ferry Beach as wind and waves
0:09:20 > 0:09:22lashed the coastline. of Ferry Beach as wind and waves
0:09:22 > 0:09:23In Massachusetts, the storm brought not just heavy
0:09:23 > 0:09:26snowfall but flooding too, due to the high winds.
0:09:26 > 0:09:28In Boston, there was a three foot storm surge.
0:09:28 > 0:09:35The mayor is blaming the changing climate.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38We're keeping an eye on all of those different floodings and if anyone
0:09:38 > 0:09:41wants to question global warming, just see where the flood zones are.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44Those zones didn't flood 30 years ago.
0:09:44 > 0:09:49This is the scene in coastal New England today.
0:09:49 > 0:09:51In the wake of the blizzard, the subzero conditions are making
0:09:51 > 0:09:54life very difficult.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57The winter hurricane conditions closed New York's major airports,
0:09:57 > 0:10:02though they're reopening today.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05The clear up has begun in Manhattan.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08New Yorkers are trying to take it all in their frozen stride.
0:10:08 > 0:10:09I'm so bundled up.
0:10:09 > 0:10:10I have so many layers.
0:10:10 > 0:10:12I feel OK right now.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14As long as I go quickly to work, I'm OK.
0:10:14 > 0:10:16I just want it to be over with.
0:10:16 > 0:10:17It's been way too long.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20I just want it to be nice and warm again.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23The race is on to clear away the snow in Manhattan before it
0:10:23 > 0:10:25turns into dangerous ice.
0:10:25 > 0:10:30The storm brought in all this cold air from the Arctic and so,
0:10:30 > 0:10:32in its aftermath, we're due to have subzero temperatures
0:10:32 > 0:10:33for the next few days.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36It is so cold out here, -10 Celsius, that already I can hardly
0:10:36 > 0:10:42feel my fingers or my toes.
0:10:42 > 0:10:44Can you believe this is Tallahassee, Florida?
0:10:44 > 0:10:48And we are getting snow?
0:10:48 > 0:10:50That was the reaction in Tallahassee, Florida,
0:10:50 > 0:10:53where they haven't seen snow in almost three decades.
0:10:53 > 0:10:55And freezing temperatures are prompting many
0:10:55 > 0:10:57Americans to experiment.
0:10:57 > 0:11:07This particular trick is proving very popular in the deep freeze.
0:11:17 > 0:11:25Laura joins us, it has dropped even further down than -10, hasn't it?
0:11:25 > 0:11:30Yes, -17 degrees. Some are enjoying the icy conditions, taking advantage
0:11:30 > 0:11:34with ice skating. The concern is that with these temperatures due to
0:11:34 > 0:11:37continue at least through Sunday, believe it or not it will warm up on
0:11:37 > 0:11:42Monday, enough for it to small, but the concern is that the snow will
0:11:42 > 0:11:48come to eyes and conditions become slippery, very dangerous for the
0:11:48 > 0:11:51elderly and vulnerable and the homeless, the very young, but these
0:11:51 > 0:11:55conditions are just terrible to be out and about in and tonight the
0:11:55 > 0:11:58Mayor of New York has forecasted that the temperature on Saturday
0:11:58 > 0:12:07night could drop to -30 Celsius. -40 degrees in parts of New England. We
0:12:07 > 0:12:10have not seen a prolonged cold period like this in many years and
0:12:10 > 0:12:15it could be that by Monday this has been a historic low in the period of
0:12:15 > 0:12:23new work whether since records began.In terms of the people
0:12:23 > 0:12:26enjoying themselves, yes, absolutely fine, but there is a serious side,
0:12:26 > 0:12:31the race is on the corrupt the enormous amount of snow that has
0:12:31 > 0:12:37followed.Yes, and not just here in New York, but further afield in
0:12:37 > 0:12:40Boston. Because what happened is this enormous winter blizzard moved
0:12:40 > 0:12:46up the eastern seaboard, was that it whipped up the tides, the storm went
0:12:46 > 0:12:51through at high tide, so there was flooding. They have already got icy
0:12:51 > 0:12:56conditions as you can imagine, one subway station in Boston was flooded
0:12:56 > 0:13:02and they saw coastal flooding in parts that have never flooded
0:13:02 > 0:13:05before. So it is hard to underestimate the impact this
0:13:05 > 0:13:10weather has had. It is not Moscow, we are not used to having prolonged
0:13:10 > 0:13:16weather like this. In New York City there are 1500 snowploughs, 800
0:13:16 > 0:13:21machines scattering salt, but they are having to work overtime just to
0:13:21 > 0:13:24keep up with the fact that we're going to have this ice now.Not
0:13:24 > 0:13:35funny at all. Laura Trevelyan, thank you for that update.
0:13:36 > 0:13:38North Korea has agreed to hold direct talks
0:13:38 > 0:13:41with the South next Tuesday - for the first time in two years.
0:13:41 > 0:13:43They're likely to focus primarily on next month's Winter Olympics,
0:13:43 > 0:13:45which are taking place in South Korea.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48It comes a day after the US announced that it had agreed
0:13:48 > 0:13:50to Seoul's request to delay joint military exercises.
0:13:50 > 0:13:52Those drills usually increase tensions with Pyongyang.
0:13:52 > 0:13:54From Seoul, Sophie Long sent this report.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57The first talks between the North and South Korean governments
0:13:57 > 0:14:01for more than two years will take place here, the village
0:14:01 > 0:14:03of Panmunjom, which straddles the border between the two countries
0:14:03 > 0:14:05in the demilitarised zone.
0:14:05 > 0:14:10The South's offer of high-level talks was accepted via fax.
0:14:10 > 0:14:16TRANSLATION:Regarding the agenda, both will discuss the Pyeongchang
0:14:16 > 0:14:20Winter Olympics and ways to improve ties between South and North Korea.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23It came just hours after the United States
0:14:23 > 0:14:26and South Korea agreed to suspend joint military drills.
0:14:26 > 0:14:30They say exercises like this one are defensive
0:14:30 > 0:14:34but the North Korean leader sees them as rehearsals for invasion.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37Both South Korean and US Marines are taking part in this exercise
0:14:37 > 0:14:40in the mountains of Pyeongchang.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42They are training together to deal with winter war conditions
0:14:42 > 0:14:47and temperatures of below minus 20.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50But these drills will stop for the duration of the Winter
0:14:50 > 0:14:55Olympics and Paralympics.
0:14:55 > 0:14:58The South Korean President Moon Jae-in has said the Games
0:14:58 > 0:14:59could be a ground-breaking chance to de-escalate tensions
0:14:59 > 0:15:01on the Korean peninsula.
0:15:01 > 0:15:05Xin Gu-sop hasn't seen his sister for 70 years.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08He and 61,000 others whose families remain divided by the border hope
0:15:08 > 0:15:18these talks could be a prelude to change.
0:15:18 > 0:15:20TRANSLATION:I am old now and I don't know how many
0:15:20 > 0:15:22more years I will live.
0:15:22 > 0:15:25It is my only wish that I meet my sister once and for all.
0:15:25 > 0:15:29This is the wish not only for me but for all divided families.
0:15:29 > 0:15:30But others are sceptical about Kim Jong-un's motives.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33The commander of US forces in South Korea said
0:15:33 > 0:15:40they are keeping their expectations at an appropriate level.
0:15:40 > 0:15:44My mission remains the same, to quietly and under control operate
0:15:44 > 0:15:48a military force in greater and greater readiness in the event
0:15:48 > 0:15:54that it's the negative outcome, not the positive one.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57But scepticism didn't stop President Trump claiming
0:15:57 > 0:16:00credit for the potential thawing of relations.
0:16:00 > 0:16:04Does anybody really believe that talks and dialogue would be
0:16:04 > 0:16:08going on between North and South Korea right now,
0:16:08 > 0:16:11he tweeted, if I wasn't firm, strong and willing to commit our total
0:16:11 > 0:16:12might against the North?
0:16:12 > 0:16:18Sophie Long, BBC News, Seoul.
0:16:18 > 0:16:20Let's take a look at some of the other
0:16:20 > 0:16:22stories making the news...
0:16:22 > 0:16:25Rail authorities in South Africa say 19 people
0:16:25 > 0:16:28were killed in a train crash on Thursday 200 kilometres
0:16:28 > 0:16:29south-west of Johannesburg.
0:16:29 > 0:16:31Hospital workers say four children are among the dead.
0:16:31 > 0:16:33The train was travelling from Johannesburg to Port Elizabeth
0:16:33 > 0:16:36when it hit a truck and burst into flames.
0:16:36 > 0:16:37Nearly 200 people were injured.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40Police have launched a manslaughter investigation.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45Protests in Pakistan, after the US Government announced
0:16:45 > 0:16:48it was cutting almost all security aid to the country.
0:16:48 > 0:16:50Washington said Islamabad had failed to deal with terrorist networks
0:16:50 > 0:16:53operating on its soil and the freeze will remain until action
0:16:53 > 0:16:59was taken against the Haqqani network and the Taliban.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03A hot-air balloon has crashed near Luxor in Egypt,
0:17:03 > 0:17:05killing one tourist from South Africa.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08Strong winds over the ancient city had forced the balloon off course
0:17:08 > 0:17:09into a mountainous area.
0:17:09 > 0:17:11Another 15 people were injured, two seriously.
0:17:11 > 0:17:13In 2013, 19 tourists were killed when a hot-air balloon
0:17:13 > 0:17:23caught fire in Luxor.
0:17:37 > 0:17:39Apple has confirmed that all its iPhones, iPads and Mac
0:17:39 > 0:17:42computers are affected by two major flaws in computer chips.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45It emerged this week that tech companies have been working on a fix
0:17:45 > 0:17:47for the Meltdown and Spectre bugs, which could allow
0:17:47 > 0:17:48hackers to steal data.
0:17:48 > 0:17:50Apple said there was no evidence that the weakness
0:17:50 > 0:17:51had been exploited.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54The war in Syria is heading towards its eighth year with no
0:17:54 > 0:17:56definite end in sight, though some believe the government's
0:17:56 > 0:17:59new assault on the last entirely rebel-held province in the country
0:17:59 > 0:18:00could prove the beginning of the end.
0:18:00 > 0:18:03Idlib, in north-west Syria, has been in the hands of rebel
0:18:03 > 0:18:05groups since near the beginning of the conflict.
0:18:05 > 0:18:07Tens of thousands of civilians and fighters from former rebel
0:18:07 > 0:18:09strongholds including Aleppo, Homs and Daraya
0:18:09 > 0:18:10were evacuated there.
0:18:10 > 0:18:12But an attack in the far south of the province
0:18:12 > 0:18:14by government forces, backed by Russian planes,
0:18:14 > 0:18:16could suggest the regime has fresh aspirations to reclaim control.
0:18:16 > 0:18:19Here's Mike Thomson - and I should warn you that his film
0:18:19 > 0:18:25contains distressing scenes.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29This has been life for the past two weeks for the people
0:18:29 > 0:18:32of southern Idlib.
0:18:32 > 0:18:42And the bombing by Syrian government forces is carrying on.
0:18:42 > 0:18:46TRANSLATION:Today marks the 15th day of the continuous onslaught
0:18:46 > 0:18:48by Syrian warplanes, mainly against the southern
0:18:48 > 0:18:52and eastern Idlib countryside.
0:18:52 > 0:18:56We've had more than 250 aerial raids.
0:18:56 > 0:19:02So far 57 people have died and 200 civilians have been injured.
0:19:02 > 0:19:11And it seems it is the very young who are suffering the most.
0:19:11 > 0:19:15TRANSLATION:The majority of those casualties are innocent civilians.
0:19:15 > 0:19:18Just yesterday, a massacre committed saw more than 12 civilians killed,
0:19:18 > 0:19:25the majority of which were children.
0:19:25 > 0:19:29Hunger and cold compete with bombs and bullets as causes
0:19:29 > 0:19:35of misery here in this hugely overcrowded province.
0:19:35 > 0:19:37TRANSLATION:We fled the heavy bombardment in Aleppo,
0:19:37 > 0:19:40leaving our homes behind, only to face the same terrible
0:19:40 > 0:19:44scene here in Idlib, of bombardment and destruction.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47Where else can we go?
0:19:47 > 0:19:57We are living a nightmare each day, alone, and scared for our children.
0:19:57 > 0:20:02Idlib's population has been swelled by the arrival of thousands
0:20:02 > 0:20:05of civilians and fighters from other areas of Syria, as more and more
0:20:05 > 0:20:09rebel territory has fallen to government forces.
0:20:09 > 0:20:14Now Idlib is in the firing line.
0:20:14 > 0:20:18Idlib is in a strategic location, on the border with Turkey.
0:20:18 > 0:20:22It is the main area that supplies coming through Turkey pass
0:20:22 > 0:20:25through in order to be deployed in the rest of the rebel
0:20:25 > 0:20:28held areas in Syria.
0:20:28 > 0:20:30Infighting between rebel groups, some of whom are extremists,
0:20:30 > 0:20:36has weakened them further.
0:20:36 > 0:20:42After a long struggle, an alliance led by the formerly
0:20:42 > 0:20:46Al-Qaeda-linked Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, now dominates.
0:20:46 > 0:20:50It is accused of carrying out numerous war crimes.
0:20:50 > 0:20:54These war crimes include the summary killings of civilians,
0:20:54 > 0:20:55especially the activist human rights defenders, beheading,
0:20:55 > 0:21:02and stoning of women.
0:21:02 > 0:21:05Idlib civilians haven't taken this lying down.
0:21:05 > 0:21:09Over the last year there have been street protests
0:21:09 > 0:21:13against HTS's diktats.
0:21:13 > 0:21:23Local radio station Fresh FM has joined the rebellion against HTS's
0:21:23 > 0:21:27rule, defying their ban on playing music and using women presenters.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29But the station's founder fears that if President Assad's forces succeed
0:21:29 > 0:21:32in overrunning the province, his rule might be even worse
0:21:32 > 0:21:38than that of the extremists.
0:21:38 > 0:21:42HTS is dangerous.
0:22:00 > 0:22:03If Assad's forces take over all of Idlib, will your radio
0:22:03 > 0:22:07station keep broadcasting?
0:22:07 > 0:22:08No.
0:22:08 > 0:22:10They will burn it.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13They will break everything.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16With the nearby Turkish border currently closed to refugees,
0:22:16 > 0:22:20the burning question facing civilians desperate to escape
0:22:20 > 0:22:25Idlib is where to go.
0:22:25 > 0:22:26If there are attacks against civilians,
0:22:26 > 0:22:27they have nowhere to flee.
0:22:27 > 0:22:30They can't go to government-controlled areas out
0:22:30 > 0:22:33of fear of reprisals and attacks against them, and at the same time
0:22:33 > 0:22:35they can't cross into Turkey.
0:22:35 > 0:22:41It is yet unclear whether President Assad has the strength to retake
0:22:41 > 0:22:47the whole of this last rebel held bastion, though even if he does,
0:22:47 > 0:22:49many years of insurgency involving various rebel groups looks likely
0:22:49 > 0:22:55to follow before rebuilding this shattered country can truly begin.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00Sir Ridley Scott's true-life kidnap drama,
0:23:00 > 0:23:03All The Money In The World, is destined to go down in cinema
0:23:03 > 0:23:05history as the film that Kevin Spacey was in,
0:23:05 > 0:23:07and then wasn't.
0:23:07 > 0:23:09Spacey, who played the rich oil tycoon, John Paul Getty,
0:23:09 > 0:23:12was dropped from the film and replaced with Christopher
0:23:12 > 0:23:13Plummer just six weeks before its release date
0:23:13 > 0:23:15following accusations of sexual misconduct.
0:23:15 > 0:23:25Will Gompertz spoke to Sir Ridley.
0:23:25 > 0:23:28Initially, it was a commercial decision which would be maybe
0:23:28 > 0:23:30a little hand in hand with a moral decision.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33You know, you can't take the artist, and actually whatever a person
0:23:33 > 0:23:36decides to do in their private life which doesn't harm others,
0:23:36 > 0:23:39you have to separate that from what they do as an artist
0:23:39 > 0:23:42or as a person, as a clever person.
0:23:42 > 0:23:47Mr Getty, your grandson, he's been kidnapped.
0:23:47 > 0:23:51I have seen the movie and it is completely seamless.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54What was running through my head - is it a much different movie
0:23:54 > 0:23:56with Plummer and not Spacey?
0:23:56 > 0:23:58Kevin Spacey did a fantastically good job.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01It was cooler and chillier.
0:24:01 > 0:24:05Christopher comes with this inordinate charm.
0:24:05 > 0:24:08His smile and his twinkle.
0:24:08 > 0:24:12So when in fact he's doing the same words,
0:24:12 > 0:24:14the same text as Kevin, the twinkle and smile
0:24:14 > 0:24:16somehow make him that much more effective,
0:24:16 > 0:24:19I think.
0:24:19 > 0:24:23Are we looking at a moment in the Hollywood where things
0:24:23 > 0:24:26will change, where sexism will subside and women will get
0:24:26 > 0:24:27a fair crack at the whip?
0:24:27 > 0:24:29Or do you think it's windowdressing?
0:24:29 > 0:24:31I think a bit of each.
0:24:31 > 0:24:33I think there will be an immediate change,
0:24:33 > 0:24:34because there should be.
0:24:34 > 0:24:37It is long overdue.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40You know, I have never experienced any of those things that
0:24:40 > 0:24:43you describe in my life, in my companies.
0:24:43 > 0:24:47I frankly have women running my companies.
0:24:47 > 0:24:52I have always been a supporter of strong women without ever
0:24:52 > 0:24:55actually thinking about it, which I think is the best way.
0:24:55 > 0:24:58I have great respect for women generally.
0:24:58 > 0:24:59Maybe it comes from my mum.
0:24:59 > 0:25:03I had a very strong mother who brought up three pretty stalwart
0:25:03 > 0:25:10sons who were always very independent and tough.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13You talk about it being long overdue, it is something you have
0:25:13 > 0:25:15witnessed in Hollywood, women being mistreated?
0:25:15 > 0:25:16Never.
0:25:16 > 0:25:17Never, never.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20And if it ever came in front of me, I would immediately step on it.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23But not really, I've always treated every actor or actress
0:25:23 > 0:25:33with the greatest respect.
0:25:46 > 0:25:53The remainder of our top story...
0:25:53 > 0:25:55The author of a damning book on Donald Trump is standing
0:25:55 > 0:25:57by everything he's written, and he dismissed the president's
0:25:57 > 0:25:59assertion that he'd never talked to him.
0:25:59 > 0:26:01Michael Wolff - the author of the instant