Welcome to the programme. President trump has warned that hopes are fading that congress would agree a deal to pass a temporary budget and avert a government shutdown. The us senate is due to vote this hour. He says it is not looking good for a great military or security on the very dangerous southern border. The democrats want a shutdown in order to help diminish the Great Success of the tax cut and what they are doing for our booming economy. The senate is due to vote this power. Existing funding expires at midnight local time. Thats just two hours away. Lets get the latest from our correspondent david willis in washington. David, President Trump sounding rather less optimistic now . Yes, that tweet you mentioned, duncan, in sharp contrast to the much more up beat mood of the president appeared to be injust beat mood of the president appeared to be in just four also beat mood of the president appeared to be injust four also hours earlier when he talked about excellent luminary meeting, as he put it, with senator chuck schumer, the Senate Minority leader, working on solutions for security and our great military, making progress. Well then, a short while ago, not looking great, the word from President Trump. And what we may find in the next couple of minutes is that the republicans do not have the majority that they need for that short term stopgap spending measure, one that would lastjust one month, the simple reason that the democrats wa nted the simple reason that the democrats wanted it tied to some sort of provision for the so called dreamers, the 800,000 or so illegal immigrants, young people who came to the country illegally, and they were granted permission to stay by barack 0bama. Well, that stay of execution, if you like, expires in march and the democrats want to see it extended, they want to see that included in this budget legislation. Well, the republicans have refused to budge, it would appear, on that, we dont know exactly what has been going on behind closed doors at these suggestions and Smoke Signals are that the republicans have refused to budge on that. They have a very slender one seat majority in the senate because, of course, the arizona Senatorjohn Mccain is unwell. So they need at least ten, possibly as many as 16 democrats to weigh in and vote with them on this to pass this stopgap financing measure. And that is seen as highly unlikely, duncan. Yes, david, we are thinking was in the screen of the senate floor before the vote gets under way. Which we expect to happen at some point in the next few minutes. Just explained to us, what exactly would a shutdown entail . Well, the last shutdown, back in 2013, in actualfact, forced well, the last shutdown, back in 2013, in actual fact, forced about 800,000 government workers to stay at home, furloughed their attendance at home, furloughed their attendance at work, it didnt, it went on to 16 days, it had a big impact in certain areas, for examples, national parks, monuments, in many cases were closed down and it caused something of an uproar. It didnt, however, bring the government to its knees and in actual fact although some white house staff for example, pentagon staff, would be furloughed, starting on monday, potentially, as early as that, the white house, those institutions of state, would remain operational but of course the longer it goes on, Something Like this, the more it has the potential to hurt ordinary members of the public. David, we will check back in with you a little later but for now, thank you. While the battle over the Us Government budget has been rumbling on, theres also been a significant announcement about a change in americas military policy. Defence secretary james mattis says that instead of a past focus on terrorism, Us National Security is now making competing with great powers like china and russia a priority. Heres how he put it. We face growing threats from revisionist powers as different as china and russia are from each other, nations that do seek to create a world consistent with their authoritarian models, pursuing Veto Authority over other nations economic, diplomatic and security decisions. Rogue regimes like north korea and iran persist in taking outlaw actions that threaten regional and even global stability, oppressing their own people and even shredding their own peoples dignity and human rights, they push their warped views outward. The us defence secretary james mattis. Well, russias foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has responded. It said the us was striving to prove its Global Leadership through confrontation. Beijing accused washington of having a cold war mentality. Turkey has begun a new intervention in the conflict in syria by launching an offensive against kurdish held territory near its border. Ankara, which has long fought kurdish separatists within its own country, is now shelling Kurdish Militia in the afrin region. Its threatening an all out ground offensive. From inside syria, our chief International Correspondent lyse doucet reports. Warning shots across the border. The target isnt really syria, its the Kurdish Militia now controlling the land all too close to turkey. Tanks and troops are also moving into position, the de facto start of a Ground Invasion thats what turkeys defence minister calls this. Its sights are set on afrin. Syrias kurds have been in charge for the last five years. They are vowing to keep it. We will fight to the last drop of blood, they declare. We will stand with afrin. Turkey calls them terrorists, linked to its main enemy at home, the turkish kurds in the pkk. All this is opening up another major crisis inside syrias already tangled war. Just to the south, the syrian army is pushing ahead with its own offensive to retake ground held by hardline islamists. As fighting intensifies, so too the humanitarian crisis. 200,000 people are now on the run, heading north, adding to pressure on turkeys border. These two are among them. Translation i got the kids and put them in the car and we were off. We came here with nothing. In some places, they cant run away. There were more air strikes today in east ghouta, a besieged area on the edge of damascus under rebel control. Thousands are now living in basements. This babys life begins underground. Translation this child is only 20 hours old, born in the bombardment and destruction. The siege here in ghouta. No one can see our suffering. All the children here have known nothing but war. They have to make the most of it. They have no inkling of the complexities of this conflict, but they live with its cost every day. Lyse doucet, bbc news, syria. Lets take a look at some of the other stories making the news the colombian Authorities Say that the number of venezuelans fleeing a severe economic crisis to take up residency in colombia has jumped by more than 60 in the last six months. Migration officials said more than 550,000 venezuela ns are now living in colombia, mostly illegally. Ajury in canada has returned not guilty verdicts for three men who were charged with criminal negligence following the lac megantic rail disaster in 2013. 47 people died when a train carrying nearly eight million litres of shale oil came off the rails and exploded. The three former Railway Workers had been accused of leaving the train unattended, and allowing it to roll away without any control. Two former us olympic gymnasts have been testifying in the case involving former team usa doctor larry nassar. The pair, who won gold at london 2012, are among more than 100 women to have accused nassar of sexual abuse. Hes already facing 60 years in prison after pleading guilty to child pornography charges. 0ur correspondent Rajini Vaidynathan has been speaking to one of his victims. They were nicknamed the fierce five, americas gold winning 0lympic gymnastics team. But four of these young women were hiding a dark secret. They say they were sexually abused by this man, their team doctor larry nassar, whos been described as a monster in court. Today, team captain aly raisman was the latest to share her story. You are so sick. I cant even comprehend how angry i feel when i think of you. You lied to me and manipulated me to think that when you treated me, you were closing your eyes because you had been working hard when you were really touching me, an innocent child, to pleasure yourself. Seen here at the london 2012 games, aly was just 18 years old when her team won gold. But behind the scenes, larry nassar was abusing her. Larry was the olympic doctor and he molested me at the 2012 London Olympic games. Abusers, your time is up. The survivors are here, standing tall, and we are not going anywhere. Her team mate Jordyn Wieber also shared her story in court today. 0ur bodies were all hanging by a thread when we were in london. Who was the doctor that usag sent to keep us healthy and help us get through . The doctor that was our abuser. The doctor that is a child molester. For years, there have been concerns about larry nassar, but many survivors say they were ignored, as victims were notjust decorated 0lympians but the children of Family Friends and state level gymnasts like gwen anderson. A champion athlete who competed for the state of michigan, gwen is seen here at the age of 1a. She was just 12 when she first received treatment from larry nassar. Instead, he molested her time and time again. To have your name and your face and your story out for everybody to see is a scary thing. He was my safe place, he was going to protect me. And he took that and used that against all of us. For so many, this was a doctor they trusted implicitly. For the record, go to hell. Tom brennan was gwens coach and once a close friend of nassars. Did you have any idea of what he was doing . None. I had zero idea. We had the utmost trust for that man and thats where we all went wrong. All this week, young women have packed this small courtroom as they get to do what few survivors of sexual abuse ever have the chance to directly confront their attacker. There has been a real sense of collective empowerment here. Already, more than 80 women have shared their testimonies in this case and every day, more are coming forward saying they want to share their stories, too. Tonight, the list of women who say they want to speak out has grown to as many as 120. The judge says every woman who wants to face larry nassar in court will be given the chance to. Rajini vaidynathan, bbc news, lansing, michigan. Stay with us on bbc news. Still to come looking for hope pope francis speaks about the future for the people of peru. The people of saigon have just heard that, at last, there is to be a ceasefire. The reaction of american servicemen was predictable. Im going home. Demonstrators waiting for mike getting and his rebel cricket team were attacked with tear gas and set upon by police dogs. Anti apartheid campaigners say they will carry on the protests throughout tour. They called him the butcher of lyon. Klaus altmann is being held on a fraud charge in bolivia. But the west germans want to extradite him for crimes committed in wartime france. There, he was the gestapo chief klaus barbie. Millions came to bathe as close as possible at this spot, a tide of humanity that is believed by officials to have broken all records. This is bbc news. The latest headlines President Trump says hopes of making a funding deal to avoid a shutdown of federal government are not looking good and claims the democrats are to blame. Turkey intensifies its shelling of a Kurdish Militia in Northern Syria ahead of a threatened ground offensive. Pope francis has visited a remote rainforest region in peru to sound a stark warning about the future of the amazon. The pontiff says the area and its indigenous communities are being exploited for their Natural Resources and face a threat like never before. Virginia langeberg reports. Pope francis arrived on the edges of the amazon rainforest to a resoundingly warm reception, from those perhaps too young to fathom the scale of the issues the communities face. The pontiff was notjust a guest for these amazonian tribes, but a powerful mouthpiece for their plight, protecting the land they see slipping away from them. This once tranquil part of the world has fallen victim to an illegal gold rush, which has spawned a billion dollar black market, that is destroying the habitat and is seeing the introduction of Human Trafficking and violent criminal networks. Translation the native amazonian people have probably never been so threatened on their own land as they are at present. The amazon is a territory that is being disputed on many fronts. 0n the one hand, pressure being asserted by great business interests, seeking petroleum, gas, lumber, and gold. And, on the other, the threat against the territories also comes from several policies that ostensibly aim to conserve land, but dont consider humans. This was the second and final leg of the pontiffs week long south american visit, and the first time the pope has denounced environmental degradation in a place as threatened an isolated as this. Translation i have a feeling of peace and tranquillity. He has comforted us with his soft words, telling us we can change this world, and continue with our customs and traditions. Translation pope francis also feels the worry about the loss of forest, in which we native people are affected on a social, environmental and cultural level. From the rainforest region, the pontiff then travelled to perus capital, lima, to meet with followers there. But the popemobile suffered a flat tyre, forcing the pontiff to switch vehicles in the middle of the motorway. Successive political leaders have tried and failed to slow the gold rush, but the amazon will be a focus of the world bishops meeting taking place in october next year. Returning to the top story now about the Us Government voted to david, do you have an update . They are voting at the moment and there is a move them although not great. This spending measure which republicans wa nt to spending measure which republicans want to see past, but it will be passed. If that is the case and it is not passed, government will shut at midnight tonight, just under two hours away. The democrats had looked for some sort of protection for the hundreds of thousands of young people who entered the country illegally, the so called dreamers, to be shoehorned into this legislation. Republicans were not willing to accommodate that. Republicans needed those democrat votes a nd republicans needed those democrat votes and it does appear that they have not got it although the vote is still going on and it remains to be seen still going on and it remains to be seen how it turns out. I think we will be returning to you again soon. Saturday marks a year since Donald Trumps inauguration as president of the united states. A property billionaire and a political novice, he was dismissed by many as lacking the skills and experience needed for the top office. Twelve months on, how supportive are americans of their leader . Laura trevelyan has been to pennsylvania to meet trump voters, and those less convinced by the president. The mon valley in western pennsylvania is the birthplace of us steel. This factory was once owned by the 19th century magnate andrew carnegie. In its heyday, it employed thousands. Donald trump tapped into the sense of industrial decline, winning by promising to put america first. 0ver lunch, i asked trump voters for their verdict on year one. Seems like he cares about the working class. He cares about the people who are trying to make a living, and have big businesses, and things like that, and Small Businesses. I think he cares about things like that. Some of the stuff he does i agree with, like the tax cuts, looking out for the working class, people like that. But im not a big fan of all the rants on social media, i think they can do away with all of that. How are you feeling about that vote . A little disappointed. Juan lacey, a Small Business owner in the mon valley, hoped trump would run government like the ceo. So does this former 0bama voter regret switching to trump . When i went into the polling booth, i was satisfied. Im having buyers remorse. Why . Because its not consistent. John fetterman is a democrat in trump country. But you get out to some of these areas that no ones visited, no ones taken the time to care, left it really open and ripe for someone to step in, like a donald trump, and say, hey, you know, im the guy that can fix this. The populist mayor of braddock, with a tattoo of the towns zipcode, counsels his party to understand trumps appeal. Its got to be more than, you know, trumps awful, vote for us. And again, i think it has to come back to an earnest, progressive, populist message. In his inaugural address a year ago, donald trump promised people in towns like braddock that he would give them back theirjobs and their dreams. There is an early electoral test, here in pennsylvania, of whether the voters feel he is delivering. There is a special election in the state, in what should be a safe republican seat. But the president is taking no chances. A real friend and a spectacular man, rick saccone. That is the candidate here. Mr trump doesnt want to lose this election, and he was in the mon valley thursday with this message. Very simply, your pay cheques will be much bigger, because under our tax cuts, you will be keeping more of your hard earned money. The question is whether mr trump can get the credit here for an improving economy, or if the heat generated by his tweets and feuds is distracting even his own voters. Laura trevelyan reporting. It might sound far fetched but engineers and entrepreneurs believe a hyperloop is not so much a fantasy, but the future of travel. Our Technology CorrespondentRory Cellan Jones went to the nevada desert to see it in action. Were heading through the nevada desert, north of las vegas, for a glimpse of what its backers claim is the future of transport. This is a hyperloop, an attempt to send passengers hurtling at 700mph through a vacuum tube. Many think that is far fetched, but this project got the backing last year of virgin, with Sir Richard Branson becoming chairman. In this 500 metre test track, they say they have shown that the technology works, though they have not yet put any human beings on board. I think my background in spacecraft engineering has given me the skill set to be able to. The head of engineering sees no reason why people might be scared. The hyperloop is a maglev train in a vacuum tube system. And so you can also think of it as an aircraft flying at 200,000 feet. People have no issue going in aeroplanes, and people have no issue with maglev trains. This combines the two, and allows you to be more energy efficient. This is not the only project. Elon musk, who originally floated the whole idea, has proposed a tunnel under los angeles, that could carry cars or be transformed into a hyperloop. The Virgin Hyperloop team has said they could take passengers from london to edinburgh in 50 minutes, or cut the journey between new york and boston to under half an hour. But making this work in the real world will mean running several of these pipes alongside each other over long distances, perhaps underground. And convincing governments that that is realistic is going to prove well, pretty challenging. Even if some governments do share that vision, they will face another challenge finding the money and the public support to build this kind of structure, many miles across, or under, their country. Dont forget you can get in touch with me and some of the team on twitter, im duncangolestani. Hi there. Snow again caused problems on friday in scotland. Scenes like this were fairly commonplace. The snowiest place at the moment tulloch bridge, in the highlands, where weve nearly got a0 centimetres of snow on the ground. Now, the forecast this weekend, a couple of areas of low pressure, one today and another bringing heavy rain and a change to mild conditions on the way for the second half of the weekend. This is how we start off your saturday, then. A band of rain will be working into southern and western parts of the country. A cold and frosty start to the north east, with snow showers again affecting parts of scotland, with an ongoing threat of ice, as well. The main uncertainty with the forecast through the weekend is how far north this pulse of rain will be during saturday morning. It could go right the way across northern ireland. If that happens, there is quite a risk that it turns to snow. Three or four centimetres quite possible here, similar snow totals possible across the high ground of north wales, and the north west midland for a time. Whereas, further south, for the most part its cold rain will fall, although there will be some flakes of sleet mixed in, particularly over the high ground, for example the chilterns, and maybe some other areas. Rest of the day, bright skies in scotland filter southwards into far north england northern ireland. A slow change to the rest, a dull, dank day, with the rain easing off slowly, and were left with chilly conditions. Temperatures for most in a range of 3 5 degrees. Milder, though, in the south west. On saturday night, the second of those areas of low pressure that we see on the satellite picture starts to swing in. That will be bringing a band of rain across northern ireland. Ahead of that, it is cold, one of the colder nights of this year so far in scotland. Temperatures could be dipping down well, well below freezing, perhaps 8 or 10 degrees, Something Like that. And then on sunday that band of rain will work into colder air, and for a time, it could turn to snow. And that snow could be very heavy across the high ground of scotland, and across the peaks and the pennines, as well, perhaps as much as ten or 15 centimetres of snow. Whereas if we get snow at lower levels, it will not last long because it will transition back to rain, as mild air works in from the west. There will be quite a range in temperatures, then, for the second half of the weekend. Quite chilly underneath this band of rain, and still some snow mixed in across the north east. Mild air pushing in across parts of england, wales and northern ireland, boosting, for some, the temperatures to double figures. And that is the story of the weather next week. Mild air across the country, so the weather will feel much different early next week. Thats your latest weather. This is bbc news. The headlines the us federal government is on the verge of being shut down, if the senate doesnt approve new budget measures by midnight local time. President trump says hopes of making a deal are not looking good. Senators are voting on a stop gap measure to keep federal agencies funded. Russia has denied withdrawing its forces from the syrian region of afrin ahead of an expected turkish attack. Turkish media earlier said moscow had started pulling its personnel out of the enclave, which is controlled by kurdish fighters. But the Russian Foreign minister said these reports had been refuted. Pope francis has made his first visit to the amazon on the final leg of his trip to chile and peru. Speaking to thousands of Indigenous People on the edge of the rainforest in peru, he said amazon tribes had never been so threatened, and that they bore deep wounds. In a few moments itll be time for newswatch. But first, click