Today and always. The freeman foundation. By judy and Peter Blum Kovler foundation; pursuing solutions for americas neglected needs. And by ctributions to this pbs station from viewers like you. Thank you. Katty im katty kay. This is bbc world news america. In belarus, more protests and strikes against its president after his disputed election. In the u. S. Senate, democrats begin their Unconventional Convention as the coronavirus has turned the whole event into a virtual one. As he prepares to become the party nominee, what the young people actually think of joe biden . We will take a closer look. Welcome to world news america on pbs and around the world. Alexander lukashenko has ruled belarus for more than 20 years. He gave a speech at a factory but instead got heckled and booed. But he insists he will not call a new election. Here is the latest. This was the day the workers tued on alexander lukashenko. Thousands downing tools and marching. While the strikers rallied outside, belarus beleaguered president arrived by helicopter to address those who stayed at work. He was no doubt hoping for a friendly crowd. [speaking foreign language] what he got was a Public Relations disaster. [speaking foreign language] [speaking foreign language] outside the plant was maria, pretty much the only Opposition Leader who has not been arrested or fled the count. For 26 years, the authorities have humiliated us. Thank you for not being afraid. We are not the little people. We are the nation. Are you worried about your own safety . No. Im not worried. I feel very safe with my people in belarus. What is your message through the International Community . We are very thankful for the support of belarus. And only with love and dialogue can we change our lives and countries. Another sign of the president s weakening grip of power came on state tv where programming was disrupted this morning. Outside, striking employees chanted tell the truth. For the last week, government controlled media has almost entirely avoided the demonstrations and the torture of activists. The momentum is certainly with the protesters, who seem to grow in confidence with every passing day. It is very hard to see any way back from this politically for the president. The last few days have shown belarusians willing to take to the streets and stand up against him. that surely cannot be reversed. The big question is when and how he goes and whether it happens peacefully. Katty lets get more now from sarah rainsford. You are in moscow, and this is being talked about as a split rift between a split between russia and the west. Is that the right analogy . Certainly come i think belarus is just as important to russia as ukraine once was and remains. But i think there are differences. Certainly, russia does not want to see belarus slip out of its grip. It is, as far as moscow is concerned, part of its historic backyard. I think it is watching extremely carefully. There has been a statement from the kremlin that they will honor a collective security treaty the countries have, so theoretically that could mean Russian Security forces going into belarus essentially to support mr. Lukashenko. But the kremlin is not daft. They see that these protes ters are not antirussian, they are anti lukashenko. I think the kremlin knows that barging in to back mr. Lukashenko could backfire. Katty the pictures are dramatic. We are seeing huge crowds, particularly over the weekend, in protest against lukashenko. But so far, we have not seen either the army or the police jumping ship. Is it inevitable that he goes . No, i dont think we should say that. This is a man who has endured 26 years, so inevitable i would not say. Certainly critical that the Security Forces have been standing for them. They have been an absolute problem of his regime for so many years, and they are not wavering. We sell what they could do with the brutal treatment of protesters, but obviously, that backfired, to some extent, for mr. Lukashenko when it brought the people out to this general strike we are now seeing across the country. This is difficult for belarusians. Striking as a state employee, you will lose your job, your wage. So keeping up momentum or protesters is important, and if they cannot, mr. Lukashenko has a better chance of staying in power. Katty so we are looking at the pictures of the protesters there. A lot of the opposition figures are young. What are the politics, though . You mentioned they are not necessarily prowestern, pronate nato. It is interesting that there has been this young vanguard, but what has struck me is how broad how diverse the crowd now is that is calling for change, including these state employees, people at factories, workers, the old back phone backbone of Alexander Lukashenkos support for years. People who were not exactly voting for Svetlana Tikhanovskaya in the beginning, they saw their brutality and were infuriated. Many people said to me there is no way back, we cannot forgive that. It is less about the geopolitics and the dynamics of the demographics of this, i think it is really quite guttural, emotional. This is about someone crossing a line and saying we will not accept that anymore. Katty thank you so much for joining us from moscow. Really interesting watching all of those crowds coming out day after day, taking huge risks in a state so controlled by lukashenko. Here in the united dates, democrats have been through months of debt in the united states, democrats have been through months of debate. Tonight, with the start of the Democratic National convention, the Selection Process comes to its formal end. Four days of grandiose speeches inupport of former Vice President joe ben. What it will not be is the usual schmoozing and rowdy crowds. Tens of thousands of people should have been descending on milwaukee to mark the start of the democrats general election campaign. Instead, the party will be holding an Unconventional Convention because of Health Concerns surrounding the pandemic. This is what it should look like, but the normally jampacked arenas will be replaced by two hours of virtual programming each night. Over the four days, speakers include Party Heavyweights such as the obamas and clintons, and a miss of modetes and progressive stars, such as Bernie Sanders and alexandria ocasiocortez. Heading into the convention, this poster says the biden harris ticket is in a good position, leading by a large margin. Conventions do not really play a role in the election. It could just help him further. We have seen him staying in place, adding President Trump fall over his own rhetoric and his own handling of the pandemic and the protests and the economy. That has worked for biden really well, and we see that in the polls. His lowprofile campaign, dubbed invisible by republicans, has helped him control his image , grabbing attention at key moments. There is nothing ordinary about this election season. The typical issues that preoccupied campaigns have been overshadowed by the unprecedented challenges facing the economic and socia wellbeing of americans. That means, inevitably, the incumbent will ultimately face more scrutiny than his challenger. What do we want . Justice. Democrats are hoping to attract a Broad Coalition to turn out on election day. Give the youth more opportunity. While joe biden does not excite progressive leftwing voters, he has not alienated all of them either. I will vote for joe biden, because as Bernie Sanders stated, our goal should be to defeat donald trump and to not give him more ammo to split any votes or to even have a low voter turnout. We cannot afford to let that happen because i do not know where we will be in the next four years from now, but i pray it is not with the occupant in office we currently have. We have to rememberho we are. Joe biden will officially accept the nomination without the usual fanfare. No doubt, the Democratic National convention will look and feel veryifferent, like Everything Else this year. Katty still so odd seeing those pictures of crowds. Joining me for more is laura trevelyan. She is in wilmington, delaware, where it joe biden and Kamala Harris will be giving the acceptance speeches. Does it matter that there will not be a Convention Like we are used to . Laura given that the last six months have beeno strange , the fact that we should be slumped on our sofas watching a zoom convention is very 2020. It is a challenge for democrats. Without the pizzazz, the excitement, the crowd applause or joe biden when he speaks, how do you generate excitement of passion . Democrats have got tonight, on the opening night, really a mix of people who will be on tape, like Michelle Obama. She is the keynote speaker, but she is on tape. Others will be live. The theme tonight is we, the people. They are trying to show there is a very Broad Coalition behind joe biden and that is the way you will defeat donald trump. Katty is there a theme to this convention, something, some message they are trying to get across . Laura the theme of joe bidens campaign is to reclaim the soul of america. So democrats see this week as a chance to highlight what they e arehe three crises fing america the coronavirus pandemic, the resulting economic calamity, and the racial injustice. So all of those themes will be referenced tonight. They are also saying although joe biden is not do to speak until thursday, he will make surprise appearances, so i am sure you can ask beck to see him in some form tonight, maybe taped you can expect to see him in some form tonight, maybe taped. The former republican governor of ohio, joe kasich john kasich, will be speaking, along with Bernie Sanders. The idea is that there is a broad tent and no one should be scared of voting for joe biden when donald trump seems a very polarizing and divisive figure. Katty for those democrats who thought that joe bidewas another 70yearold white guy who started off the campaign with such diversity, is there excitement about Kamala Harris as the pick to behe Vice President ial nominee . Laura there definitely is excitement about her, although of course she is notxactly on the progressive wing of the party. She has drawn scrutiny for her record as a prosecutor and as an attorney general out in california. Nonetheless, to the centrist democrats, the one more heave crowd, if you like, she seems that pragmatic, safe choice. The Bernie Sanders is very important she will say this is the most important election he will say this is the most important election in modern american history. And he is the key to getting progressives behind the ticket. Katty and i was just listening to the fact that Michelle Obama has taped her speech from Marthas Vineyard doesnt that mean we can tape anything from Marthas Vineyard . Bbc news has you covered with all the latest analysis as well as our guide to how the elections work, super complicated, and what the american terminology means. Check out our special u. S. 2020 election index. Japans economy has suffered its most severe contraction in modern history because of the coronavirus pandemic. Japans gdp shrank nearly 8 in the latest quarter. The worlds thirdbiggest economy had already been struggling with slow growth, even before the global outbreak. The Spanish Royal family has confirmed that the former king, juan carlos, has been in the United Arab Emirates since earlier this month. He left amid a financial scandal. He has been linked to alleged corruption over a highspeed rail contract in saudi arabia. The Trump Administration tightened its resections against huawei in a bid to keep the chinese tech giant from getting around measures already in place. The new steps are designed to cut off access to u. S. Technology, making it harder for huawei to buy chips produced by american firms, even if they are manufactured aoad. You are watching bbc world news america. Still to come, the bbc takes a look at Domestic Violence in turkey as the countrys Ruling Political Party comes under fire on the issue. Katty australia has seen its deadly day of the coronavirus pandemic. The state of victoria is under lockdown our correspondent has more from sydney. Today is the deadliest day. 25 people dead, and that compares to 21 last week. 22 of those cases are linked to aged care outbreaks. A large chunks of the deaths and of the cases in victoria have been linked to aged care facilities that are actually now seen as a crisis within the crisis of the state of victoria, in melbourne, to be specific, with calls to get this under control. Another thing Troubling Health officials and people in melbourne is the number of where the source is unknown, so mystery cases, if you will, is growing, at 150 now. The trouble is that as the number rises of the cases where you do not know the sources, that means more Community Transition cases are likely to pop up, and they are harder to control. Katty now we know that lockdowns have led to a rise in Domestic Violence around the world. In turkey, it has been particularly bad. Violence against women was high even before the coronavirus, but it is getting worse. But turkeys ruling party sparked controversy with talk of withdrawing from a treaty designed to protect women. We have this rort, which depict injuries sustained from Domestic Violence. That is a warning. [speaking foreign language] he has suffered a decade of domestic abuse. She wanted a divorce, but her husband refused. Then, two months ago came and attack she thought she would not survive. [speaking foreign language] then, she says he began beating her. Her 20yearold daughter took these photos. [speaking foreign language] she had no idea her life was at risk. She was 27, bright, free, happy. But last month, she was strangled. The suspect is reported to have confessed to killing her because she did not want to be with him, then birding burning her body. On instagram, women shared lack in white black andhite photos of themselves. Nearly 3500 women were murdered in turkey last year. Yet, the governing party is considering pulling out of an International Treaty designed to protect women. Women are outraged, because women do not want to be unequal to men in turkey. They do not want to live with violence. They want violence to stop. The council of europes convention was signed in and stumble in 2011, but hardline religious groups have been campaigning against it, saying it encourages divorce and promotes immorality. Turkish women have been out on the streets to defend the treaty. There is a groundswell of female fury at the thought the government may pull out of it. They say that would send a terrifying message. She says she is speaking out now to try to save other women. [speaking foreign language] katty there is a lot of stress around the world at the moment, but it is hard to understand why a government would pull out of a treaty designed to protect women at the very time when the women in their country are feeling particularly vulnerable. We were speaking earlier about tonights kickoff of the Democratic National convention. This whole process of course started with upwards of two dozen president ial candidates. And it is now just down to joe biden, but is he the right person to unite the party . Bbc spoke to democratic millennials and generation z voters who make up one third of the u. S. Electorate and ask what they would want President Biden to do on day one of his presidency. Joe biden is the best option that we have. An incredible american. Really our only shot of restoring humanity to the white house. A listener. Empathetic. Essential to save our democracy. Joe biden is a moderate continuation of the status quo. The last resort. But he is not a horrible last resort. In the united states, young people under the age of 35ake up one third of the countrys electorate. This demographic turned out to vote in record numbers in the 2018 midterms, nearly doubling the young voters who went to the polls in any 14 in 201 we do not know if that will be the case in the 2020 general election, but we know that young people are likely to lean democrat. So we tked to a young to a dozen Young Democratic voters to ask what they think of their partys nominee. Joe biden was not the favorite for a lot of younger people. Joe biden was not my number one choice. I do not think he has that certain je ne sais quoi that i would want in a president. But since winning the nomination, he has done something i did not expect. He has reached out to the more liberal wing of the Democrat Party and really brought in staffers from other campaigns to advise him on climate policy. If joe biden is elect, what should he d on day one of his presidency . That is a really good question. I think he should arrest donald trump. But i do not think that will be possible. Definitely going back to the paris climate agreement. Trying to rejoin the world health is asian. To orturn the muslim band try and rejoin the world health organization. To overturn the musliman. He has to provide for africanamerican everyone is asking what is next for health care . Many of us will Lose Health Care after aging out of being under our parents. Joe biden will get us back to a point where not everything is terrible. I want the terror being caused by this Current Administration to end. He has good intentions and wants to help people, more than can be said for our current president. Sometimes that is enough. Katty we want to bring you a trio of stories that have nothing to do with politics, nothing to do with the covid pandemic, just things we thought you should know. First, if you think you are having a hot summer, the thermostat in death valley, california hit a mindboggling 54. 4 degrees celsius that is nearly 100 degrees fahrenheit 130 degrees fahrenheit. If confirmed, that would set a record of the hottest agrees temperature seen on earth. Of course it comes during a heat wave. The Current Record was set in death valley in 2013. Two, from the desert to the sea. The portuguese president helped rescue two tourists off the coast. This was the moment president Marcelo Rebelo de sousa help the two women struggling to cling onto a capsized canoe. The 71yearold currently on holiday trying to promote tourism jumped in to try to help the women in. He was helped by the people. And one more story outf china, where heavy rain has been causing severe flooding for lots of weeks. Emergency responders have been working to rescue the people stranded, but they have also been working to save some of the areas animals. Areas animals. Footage caught firefighters wading through chest deep water to rescue dogs trapped in a pet the rescue took six hours. k narrator funding for this presentation of this program is provided by. Language specialists teaching spanish, french and more. Raymond james. The freeman foundation. By judy and Peter Blum Kovler foundation; pursuing solutions for americas neglected needs. And by contributions to this pbs station from viewers like you. Thank you. Narrator youre watching pbs. Vo ready to watch the best of anytime, anywhere, on nearly any device . Its easy with the pbs video app. Nload the pbs video app on your mobile or streaming device. Now you can watch the latest pbs episodes, or catch up on the shows you missed. And when you support your local station, you can get pbs passport, giving you access to more episodes, more specials, more of what you love get the pbs video app now and stream the best of pbs, anytime you want, anywhere you are. A platform where. People can go to in order to share their experiences. When i was 18 and joined the marine corps. And its been an amazing journey ever since. This project can help bring us together. To understand what it really means to be an american. To join in. Go to pbs. Org americanportrait join us, and be a part of history. Captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc woodruff good evening. Im judy woodruff. On the newshour tonight, unconventional. Covid19 unds the Political Landscape yet again as democrats kick off an unprecedented national convention. Then, mailing it in. House democrats vow to block changes at the Postal Service they say the administration is enacting to sabotage the november election. And, the aftermath in iowa. Recovery efforts are underway following major windstorms that damaged over a third of the states crop land. This is People Living in apartments with no roofs, no front walls, tro