working meetings between the departments of defence and chinese officials. both sides also agreed to establishing a us—china artificial intelligence and anti—drug cooperation working group, to address the fentanyl crisis. and the issue of taiwan also came up in the talks. president biden said the us maintains its one china policy, but added that he expects china not to interfere in taiwan's upcoming elections. overall, mr biden hailed the meeting calling the talks "some of the most constructive and productive discussions we've had." in a press conference following the meeting, he spoke of the need for both sides to work together. the united states will continue to compete vigorously with the prc, but we'll manage that competition responsibly so it doesn't veer into conflict, oraccidental conflict, and where it's possible, where our interests are, coincide. we're going to work together like we did on fentanyl. that's what the world expects of us. the rest of all expect, notjust in people in china and united states, but the rest of the world expects that of us. and that's what the united states is going to be doing. earlier in the day, president xi also spoke about the importance of finding a way forward for the two nations. translation: two large countries like china - and the united states turning their back on each other is not an option. it is unrealistic for one side to remodel the other, and conflict and confrontation has unbearable consequences for both sides. planet earth is big enough for the two countries to succeed. and one country's success is an opportunity for the other. turning now to our reporter helena humphrey, who is in san francisco. she's been covering all of those events happening today. of course, low expectations coming into today's meetings between the two leaders, walk us through what ended up coming out of the summit.— out of the summit. that's ri . ht, out of the summit. that's right. the _ out of the summit. that's right, the bar _ out of the summit. that's right, the bar was - out of the summit. that's right, the bar was set - out of the summit. that's i right, the bar was set pretty low in terms of expectations going into this. nevertheless, the white house has said these conversations were constructive and they were candid, and a number of issues and commitments to restoring military to military communication, happening the world —— millie —— of limerick in the world feel a bit safer. also the commitment to work together on curbing imports of chemicals used in fentanyl, think that one feels a bit more personalfor many think that one feels a bit more personal for many americans bearing in mind the opioid epidemic continuing to ravage this country, it is important for president biden has hugger into an election year. and also the establishment of a working group when it comes to artificial intelligence. resident biden was asked at the end of that press conference, do you still consider president xi to be a dictator? he said yes, because he is the leader of communist country which is very different to our own. but i think the fact these two men had these talks, they talked about talking more, that in and of itself is still significant. and those talks centring on foreign policy from the issue of taiwan to those conflicts raging around the world in the middle east and ukraine? there is a lot to talk _ middle east and ukraine? there is a lot to talk about _ middle east and ukraine? there is a lot to talk about there, - is a lot to talk about there, of course, for these two leaders. touching on ukraine president xi said he believes that a diplomatic solution is needed there, although beijing has never condemned russia's full—scale invasion of ukraine. on the topic of israel and hamas, president biden saying he called on president xi to speak to iran to ensure this conflict doesn't spread further in the region. and as you mentioned, the question of taiwan, by far the most significant question going into this sideline meeting. and there are president biden: president xi to make sure those key elections in were free and fair and free of any kind of election meddling. president xi calling on the united states to stop arming taiwan, stop sending weapons there. that seems something that washington will not very likely agree to but in terms of those commitments, the message from president biden was that we will trust those commitments but at the same time, we will also verify there.— also verify there. and briefly, it was about _ also verify there. and briefly, it was about a _ also verify there. and briefly, it was about a year _ also verify there. and briefly, it was about a year since - also verify there. and briefly, it was about a year since the | it was about a year since the last face—to—face meeting between the two leaders, tell us what the meeting was like, what was the atmosphere around what was the atmosphere around what we saw take place?- what we saw take place? while of course. _ what we saw take place? while of course, coming _ what we saw take place? while of course, coming to _ what we saw take place? while of course, coming to this - of course, coming to this meeting, relations were very poon meeting, relations were very poor. we are seeing probably the worst relationship between the worst relationship between the united states and china and around four decades. that said, there were moments of levity between the two leaders. at one point president biden reminded president xi has wife's birthday was coming up next week. but at the same time i think treating this relationship and the tensions with the respect they deserve, president biden reminding that he has met president xi on other occasions even before he was the president, he has known him for many years, but it a town of saying that we are meeting a long—standing old friend once again. they may not be sworn enemies, but we still don't necessarily have the feeling they are friends. helena humphrey reported from san francisco, thank you. earlier i wasjoined byjennifer welch, bloomberg's chief geoeconomics analyst, and lucy hornby, a visiting scholar at harvard's fairbank center for chinese studies, for their major takeways from the summit. thank you so much both for being a part ofjennifer, to start with you. we heard there from president biden during a press conference, calling these meetings constructive and productive. what were your impressions of the summit and what it ended up coming out of it? i what it ended up coming out of it? 4' it? i think there were three ma'or it? i think there were three major takeaways. - it? i think there were three major takeaways. first - it? i think there were three major takeaways. first was j it? i think there were three - major takeaways. first was the cooperation announced in fentanyl, think it was a major priority for president biden go into it, given the rising in opioid deaths in the fact this is becoming increasingly partisan issue and there is pressure to be tougher and china when it comes to fentanyl. the second is reopening military to military dialogue. it sounds like a low bar but it's incredibly important and given how closely the us and chinese military forces are operating next to each other in the indo—pacific, and then the third piece was president biden emphasising that he secured from president xi a commitment that beijing would pick up the phone if president biden never needed to call, the event of a crisis or other international issue. of course it remains to be seen the actual enforcement of all efforts but there was —— but those are positive signs in efforts to establish a formal relationship and increased ability as tensions rise. find ability as tensions rise. and lu , ability as tensions rise. and lucy. how _ ability as tensions rise. and lucy, how about _ ability as tensions rise. and lucy, how about you? - ability as tensions rise. and lucy, how about you? were those positive signs, your mind? i think they were positive, but i also _ think they were positive, but i also think_ think they were positive, but i also think we should keep in mind — also think we should keep in mind that this isjust reverting to where we were a few years _ reverting to where we were a few years ago. mr xi and mr trump— few years ago. mr xi and mr trump announced a fentanyl deal. — trump announced a fentanyl deal. the _ trump announced a fentanyl deal, the bare minimum was keeping _ deal, the bare minimum was keeping that kind of communication open so that any accidental— communication open so that any accidental clash doesn't turn into— accidental clash doesn't turn into war. _ accidental clash doesn't turn into war, that's something that's_ into war, that's something that's been going on for a long time — that's been going on for a long time so— that's been going on for a long time so in_ that's been going on for a long time. so in a way, we are returning _ time. so in a way, we are returning to talking to each other, _ returning to talking to each other, which i think is great. but — other, which i think is great. but i — other, which i think is great. but i think— other, which i think is great. but i think it's quite remarkable that we are reverting to that very basic level— reverting to that very basic level of— reverting to that very basic level of getting along, so there _ level of getting along, so there is_ level of getting along, so there is of a lot more that we have — there is of a lot more that we have to — there is of a lot more that we have to be _ there is of a lot more that we have to be doing to say that the two _ have to be doing to say that the two countries are really making _ the two countries are really making progress.— the two countries are really making progress. lucy, to come back to you _ making progress. lucy, to come back to you quickly, _ making progress. lucy, to come back to you quickly, if— making progress. lucy, to come back to you quickly, if you - back to you quickly, if you look at the list of things that came out of the summit or some agreements, fentanyl discussions, artificial intelligence agreements, to resume military communication, doesn't this sound like president biden got a lot of what he might have been hoping for going into this? i what he might have been hoping for going into this?— for going into this? i think ou for going into this? i think you did- — for going into this? i think you did- l'm _ for going into this? i think you did. i'm not _ for going into this? i think you did. i'm not saying - for going into this? i think| you did. i'm not saying it's not — you did. i'm not saying it's not positive, just think it's very— not positive, just think it's very much a reflection of how poor— very much a reflection of how poor relations were and how poor— poor relations were and how poor communication was. re—establishing these very liasic— re—establishing these very basic things is considered a positive _ basic things is considered a positive. i see it as a positive _ positive. i see it as a positive step but i also said it is— positive step but i also said it is a — positive step but i also said it is a reflection of how very broken _ it is a reflection of how very broken the relationship has been — broken the relationship has been. �* ., ., ., ., been. before we move forward, 'ust to been. before we move forward, just to bring _ been. before we move forward, just to bring in _ been. before we move forward, just to bring in this _ been. before we move forward, just to bring in this moment, i just to bring in this moment, this was during that press conference, i was asked about his thoughts about the chinese leader and whether or not he still considered him a dictator.— still considered him a dictator. ~ , ., dictator. mr president, would ou still dictator. mr president, would you still refer _ dictator. mr president, would you still refer to _ dictator. mr president, would you still refer to president. dictator. mr president, would you still refer to president xi | you still refer to president xi as a — you still refer to president xi as a dictator? _ you still refer to president xi as a dictator?— you still refer to president xi as a dictator? looks, he is. he is a dictator— as a dictator? looks, he is. he is a dictator in _ as a dictator? looks, he is. he is a dictator in the _ as a dictator? looks, he is. he is a dictator in the sense - as a dictator? looks, he is. he is a dictator in the sense that l is a dictator in the sense that he is a dictator in the sense that be is — is a dictator in the sense that be is a — is a dictator in the sense that be is a guy— is a dictator in the sense that he is a guy who runs a country that— he is a guy who runs a country that is— he is a guy who runs a country that is a — he is a guy who runs a country that is a communist country. jennifer. _ that is a communist country. jennifer, the president saying, he is a dictator. what do you make of the relationship between these two leaders, which does stretch back several years? which does stretch back several ears? , , , years? yes, they first met when they were _ years? yes, they first met when they were both _ years? yes, they first met when they were both vice _ years? yes, they first met when they were both vice president . they were both vice president some and vice president biden was charged with introducing the then vice president xi jinping on his tour of the us and likewise vice president biden paid a reciprocal visit to china. so he often remarks on the fact that they have this long—running relationship, that he has talked to mr xi put in about times as a world leader, and i think as a result he also feels that he will will still be candid in talking about not only xijinping and china's political system, only xijinping and china's politicalsystem, but only xijinping and china's political system, but deep the state of the chinese economy as well and leveraging that critical relationship to have frank and honest dialogue, which he sees as an important point of having a more mature relationship and acknowledging the fact these two countries are not always going to get along but it's especially in those months they need to at least be able to talk to each other. . , ., ., other. lucy, another interesting - other. lucy, another interesting point, i other. lucy, another| interesting point, we other. lucy, another- interesting point, we saw the press conference from president biden, there was no press conference from president xi. nojoint statement, which conference from president xi. no joint statement, which you might often see from a meeting like this. what do those two things signal to you about the state of this relationship? trio state of this relationship? no ress state of this relationship? no press conference is very much par for— press conference is very much par for the _ press conference is very much par for the course for xi jinping. _ par for the course for xi jinping. there have been a few examples _ jinping. there have been a few examples in the past where he has done — examples in the past where he has done joint appearances with foreign — has done joint appearances with foreign leaders. the questions he takes — foreign leaders. the questions he takes usually there are only one or— he takes usually there are only one or two _ he takes usually there are only one or two and they are usually carefully — one or two and they are usually carefully vetted in advance. so that's — carefully vetted in advance. so that's a — carefully vetted in advance. so that's a very different way that— that's a very different way that he _ that's a very different way that he has of interacting with the public, and of course biden is in _ the public, and of course biden is in a — the public, and of course biden is in a democracy so he is used to taking — is in a democracy so he is used to taking this kind of questions. i think it really shows— questions. i think it really shows how different the two systems are, just like biden's mark— systems are, just like biden's mark about, well, xi jinping systems are, just like biden's mark about, well, xijinping is a dictator— mark about, well, xijinping is a dictator but we still have to talk — a dictator but we still have to talk to — a dictator but we still have to talk to him. mr xi made a talk to him. mrxi made a similar— talk to him. mrxi made a similar remark in his statement, saying something along — statement, saying something along the lines of, one country shouldn't— along the lines of, one country shouldn't be shaping the other. if shouldn't be shaping the other. if we _ shouldn't be shaping the other. if we have _ shouldn't be shaping the other. if we have to get along in the future — if we have to get along in the future, then one of the basics for getting along is to recognise that we have very different systems.— different systems. jennifer, very briefly. _ different systems. jennifer, very briefly, do _ different systems. jennifer, very briefly, do you - different systems. jennifer, very briefly, do you think i different systems. jennifer, l very briefly, do you think that this summit did enough to start to ease those incredible tensions we've seen playing out over the past few months between these two countries? i between these two countries? i think as a lucy mention, it's a low bar, the fact that progress is reallyjust getting back to where we were not that long ago in advance of some of the tensions that happen over taiwan for example. i think it did indicate positive momentum, i think the one note of caution would be, the two presidents met last year in bali and had a pretty positive meeting that set out a joint intention to establish guardrails in the relationship and a few months later, things were pretty off track when there was the incident of a chinese spy balloon over fly incident of a chinese spy balloon overfly in incident of a chinese spy balloon over fly in the united states. so i would caution that. i think it was a really positive step forward, this is still a pretty fragile equilibrium, something that can be easily disrupted by another incident and certainly with the us election on the horizon and political pressures that are building, i wouldn't discount the possibility that things might not proceed extremely smoothly over the next year or so. , . , . , so. jennifer welsh, lucy hornby, _ so. jennifer welsh, lucy hornby, thank _ so. jennifer welsh, lucy hornby, thank you - so. jennifer welsh, lucyj hornby, thank you both. so. jennifer welsh, lucy - hornby, thank you both. thank ou. hornby, thank you both. thank you- thank _ hornby, thank you both. thank you. thank you. _ around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news. let's look at some other stories making the news. britain's prime minister says he will press ahead with plans to send asylum seekers to rwanda — after the highest court in the uk ruled that the government's policy was unlawful. rishi sunak said the uk was working on a new treaty with rwanda that would protect against the removal of asylum seekers from rwanda back to their home country. it comes amid a turbulent week in uk politics. you gave your home secretary the heave—ho on monday. - the court has - shredded your rwanda plan today, is a total shambles, isn't it? l we returned 20,000 people, we have made thousands of arrests, all while the numbers in europe are getting worse, so it actually shows that when i said we would stop the boats, when i made that speech injanuary, we are delivering. the controversial plan to fly asylum seekers to rwanda and ban them from returning to the uk has already cost at least $170 million. it's has been subject to court challenges since it was first announced by borisjohnson in april 2022. you're live with bbc news. turning now to the war in the middle east, which president biden also addressed during his press conference in san francisco in the last hour. mr biden insisted that he is doing everything in his power to get hostages out of gaza. but he made clear that this does not mean sending in troops. he also said he's made clear to israel's prime minister that a two—state solution is the only solution to the crisis. and he addressed israel's raid on the al—shifa hospital in gaza — supporting israeli claims that hamas uses the complex for military operations. one thing has been established, hanras— one thing has been established, hamas does have headquarters weapons, material below this hospital. _ weapons, material below this hospital, and i suspect others. those comments come after the israeli army claimed its troops have found weapons, combat gear and technological equipment in the al shifa hospital complex. the israel defense forces released this video on social media that they say shows some of the materials recovered from an undisclosed building in the hospital compound. the bbc hasn't been able to verify this video. israeli troops raided the complex overnight — in what they've described, as "a precise and targeted" military operation against hamas. israel says the al shifa hospital compound conceals an underground command centre used by hamas — a claim doctors there deny. hamas is designated a terrorist organisation by the uk and us governments. al—shifa is the largest hospital in gaza — and was sheltering thousands of patients and medical staff when israeli forces stormed the compound. our correspondent orla guerin spoke to a doctor who works there and sent this report, which contains distressing images. armed israeli troops in the grounds of gaza's largest hospital. israel released this footage of its soldiers bringing supplies into al—shifa, an image it wants to show. this hospital is at the heart of a propaganda war. one doctor trapped inside told me, rather than bringing help, israel should stop killing palestinians. they are killing us. we don't want anything from them. if it me, it's my decision, i won't take the aid from. they have killed us continuously for the last a0 days. the hamas run health ministry released its own video today, presenting a very different picture. corridors filled with choking dust. doctors say this is the aftermath of an israeli strike. we don't know when these pictures were taken. "we're trying to save this girl by giving her oxygen manually," says one doctor, reduced to treating his patients in the corridor. israel says it's targeting hamas, not the patients. we are inside the mri centre of the shifa hospital. and tonight, israel released this video. its troops giving a guided tour of what they say they uncovered. the contents of the bag are full military kit for one hamas terrorist, a live grenade, ammunition, fighting vest with insignia, boots and, of course, uniforms. and last but not least, standard ak 47. inside the hospital, hidden in a secluded area. and here, more weapons on display. not a massive arsenal for what was supposed to be a command centre. but if hamas was in al—shifa, which it denies, its fighters have had weeks to make a getaway. we can't confirm what was found in the hospital. only the israeli army was there. inside al—shifa, the most fragile are at risk. premature babies relying on each other for warmth. doctors tell us six have already died. in a hospital that has become a battleground, lives are hanging in the balance. orla guerin, bbc news, jerusalem. on wednesday, the un security council approved a resolution calling for humanitarian pauses in the fighting in gaza for the first time since the war began. the resolution also calls for the immediate and unconditional release of hostages in gaza. the united states abstained from using its veto — criticising the text for not condemning last month's hamas attacks on southern israel. israel's un ambassador meanwhiel, dismissed the vote as meaningless — and the palestinian envoy was also critical. but the us ambassador to the un said it did underscore the importance of protecting civilians on both sides. as israel exercises its right andindeed as israel exercises its right and indeed its responsibility to protect its people from acts of terror, it must do so in a way that is consistent with the laws of war. and i want to be clear, the united states does not want to see firefights in any hospitals when innocent people, helpless people, sick people, helpless people, sick people are trying to get medical care. police officials here in washington, dc says six officers were treated for injuries during a protest outside the democratic national committee headquarters. the injuries range from minor cuts to being pepper sprayed to being punched. one person has been arrested for assault on an officer. about 150 demonstrators had gathered to call for a ceasefire in gaza. the police said it was an illegal gathering and that the protesters had turned violent. the us senate has voted in favour of a temporary bill that would prevent a government shutdown. the measure would fund many federal agencies. it passed the house on tuesday and will now go to the desk of president biden for his signature. the battle over spinning cost kevin mccarthy hisjob. the passage of this bill has been seen as a victory for mccarthy's successor mike johnson. starbucks is bracing for a walk—out by thousands of us workers on thursday. employees are fighting with management over pay, scheduling and other issues. the work stoppage is planned to coincide with the company's �*red cup' day. that's when starbucks distributes free reusable, holiday—themed cups. it's one of the company's busiest days of the year. it's been dubbed the miracle weight loss drug. ozempic was developed to treat diabetes. one of its side effects is to cut your appetite. which is why it started to be used as a weight loss drug — under the name wegovy. the drugs are only available on prescription in the uk and is only supposed to be taken under expert medical guidance, but secret filming by bbc three has uncovered a black market selling knock—off versions of the so—called skinnyjab in beauty salons. pria rai reports. hiya. i'm just here to pick up some semaglutide that i ordered this week. an undercover bbc investigation has revealed a black market selling knock—off skinnyjabs on the british high street. i visited four beauty salons in liverpool and manchester. so youjust, like, listening to your body almost? is it possible to have, like, too much or...? this advice i received is incorrect. the nhs has very limited supplies of the real drug, ozempic and wegovy, and will only prescribe it to people who have a bmi of over 30 and a weight—related health condition. people using the official version get expert guidance from medical professionals. but that is not what we saw at the beauty salons. although some of the salons asked about health conditions, all were happy to sell me semaglutide despite me being a healthy weight. whilst we could only visit a small number, we found other examples of salons across the uk advertising knock—off versions of the drug. novo nordisk, the company who make the real drug, says there is no approved generic version. even if a knock—off did contain semaglutide, injecting drugs from an unregulated supply chain and without medical oversight is very risky. if you're relying on the individual to make and mix your own medication, that can go wrong in so many different ways. dr idrees mughal runs a popular tiktok account combating medical misinformation. and if it's not done in a properly sterile environment, it can potentially be life—threatening. so have any of these sellers broken the law? well, it's such a new area that the group which regulates medicines in the uk, the mhra, have said they decide on a case—by—case basis based on how it is being sold and the claims they make about the products. they told us that they are actively investigating this and they told me that anyone found selling it illegally could be prosecuted. pria rai, bbc news. and before we go, we are are still weeks away from the peak of the holiday season, but things are getting festive at kew gardens in london. the annual festive light show has been put in place at the unesco world heritage site. more than one million lights have been strung across the famous plant life at the royal botanical gardens. and the work was all done by hand. it took four climbers arond three weeks to complete the job. the installation has become a staple of the london holiday season. around 6,000 people are expected to visit the trail every night across its six—week run. that's all from the team here in washington. i'm carl nasman. stay with us here on bbc news. hello. thursday will bring us a day of contrast across the uk. in the south we're going to be feeling the impact of storm frederico, which is mainly down across france, bringing strong winds but still producing some wet and windy weather generally towards the south. brightest conditions across the north and north—east of the uk. but we're going to see some fog patches clearing to sunny spells later on. so we've got this area of low pressure moving across france. that's storm frederico and another weather front moving in to the west as well. but really windy conditions for the isles of scilly, the channel isles. gusts could reach in excess of 50 miles per hour. some really heavy rain through the likes of the isle of wight towards sussex, stretching up towards pembrokeshire for instance, as well through the morning. to the north of that, most places predominantly dry. there'll be some heavy showers just working in around the east coast of england, perhaps eastern scotland and later on some rain working into northern ireland from the west. but elsewhere, some sunshine just breaking holes in the cloud and lifting gradually that morning mist and fog. but it could linger all day for some of the sheltered glens of scotland. so pretty chilly there. generally looking at temperatures about 6 to 12 degrees. through thursday evening and overnight, this weather front in the west starts to edge its way eastwards, tending to peter out as it does so. so still a few showers moving in from the west, but some clear spells as we move through into friday morning. and it's going to be fairly chilly. in fact, we could see temperatures below freezing once again in the sheltered scottish glens. heading through friday, though, a small ridge of high pressure for a while tries to nudge in. so that will bring us a window of drier and brighter weather, too. not completely dry. there'll be one or two showers perhaps around western parts of england, scotland and wales as well. further east, you're more likely to stay dry, i think on friday. cloud and rain moving into the far south—west later in the day. pretty chilly ahead of that, only about 5 to 12 degrees. and again, some mist and some fog possible. but head on into saturday and this area of low pressure moves in from the atlantic — a lot of isobars on that system showing us that we're going to have a blustery day with some fairly heavy showers rotating around that area of low pressure. so i think nowhere immune to showers, probably drying up a little bit in the south later on in the day. but sticking with the heavy potentially thundery showers, but it's going to be milder — temperatures around about 9 to 15 degrees. sunday, again, we've got the airfrom a milder direction. so not as cold saturday night into sunday. sunny spells, some heavy showers, could be the odd thunderstorm. temperatures around 10 to ia. bye— bye. welcome to hardtalk from washington, dc. i'm stephen sackur. how complete is donald trump's takeover of the republican party? now, that is a question which will hang over the coming year's presidential election and the multiple trials of the former president. can republicans seriously back a presidential candidate who is in the dock and facing the real possibility ofjailtime? well, my guest today here on capitol hill is one of mr trump's most loyal congressional supporters, republican congressman mark alford. what motivates those who are all—in for donald trump?